Ch 12 – Tournament Revisited
It wasn't that hard to find the house that the man had owned. All they really had to do was follow the street signs.
Julius was looking up at a crossroads sign, hefting Veronica on his back to shift the weight around, when a man walked past him.
Julius reached over, tapping the man on the shoulder. "Hey, can you tell me where Ge'at road is?" He asked.
"How the hell should I know?" The man spat, turning roughly and walking away to disappear into the morning crowd.
"Great people…" Julius muttered, turning around to see Zell walk up to him and hand him a thing on a stick. Whatever it was, it was deep-fried and had at least three legs sticking out of it. "What the hell is this?" He asked, pulling one of the legs off the carcass.
"I don't know…but the vendor muttered something about it being the cheapest thing they had, so I got some." Zell mumbled, picking at the fried animal as well with distaste. Although they still had plenty of supplies from the Te'Gets, until they could get out of the open they couldn't eat any of it, so they had to do with the planet's natural foods.
Squall brushed past them, Rinoa still in his arms after walking through half the city, to look over the crowd. "We'd better find this place soon, Zell. This place is getting crowded, and not knowing the customs as we do, we'll be stopped for sure."
Zell nodded, chewing thoughtfully on the thing-on-a-stick. "Alright, alright…"
Thinking for a second, he passed the food over to Julius, before walking up to the closest person nearest to them. Grabbing the man by the shirtfront, he lifted him up off the ground and slammed him into a wall. "Hey buddy…" Zell growled in his best macho voice. "Tell me where this place is or I'll rip your tonsils out and whip you to death with them."
The man rolled his eyes, unperturbed. "C'mon. My grandmother could come up with better insults then that."
Zell then quickly squeezed the man's jaw, the bone popping out of joint easily, and reached into the man's mouth. By the way the man thrashed and his eyes began to bulge out of their sockets Zell recognised that he had gotten his attention.
After placing him back on the ground and helping him with his jaw, the man, trembling with fear, pointed out the street to go down, before escaping as if he had Diablo chasing after him.
Zell walked back to the group, Squall looking at him with a more deadpan expression then usual. "you do know what 'low profile' means, don't you?" He muttered.
"Of course."
"Just checking…"
* * *
The key slipping into the apartment lock easily, and Zell opened the door slowly, looking about the roof carefully as he checked for anybody else in the general area. When he found nobody throughout the medium-sized apartment, he waved the rest of the SeeDs through, before shutting the door and barring it shut with a coffee table he grabbed from the living room, jamming the table in-between the inch-thick door and the carpeted ground.
The apartment could house ten people easily, with two bedrooms and bathrooms, a laundry, kitchen, living room and den. The furniture looked like it had seen better days, bullet holes and deep lacerations covering most of them. Not bothering to go and check the rest of the room for anybody hiding in a closet or under a bed, Zell flopped himself onto a couch after ripping his pack and cloak off and tossing them into a corner of the room. "Gods it's good to sit on something soft for once…" He muttered. "That was the one thing I hated about Te'Get. Everything was hard – beds, chairs, everything."
"I suppose these people find their luxuries where they can." Julius said, also gratefully sinking into an armchair after pacing Veronica next to it with his pack. "They seem to be in constant battle mode."
Trish nodded. "Too true…I saw at least three fights break out as we made our way here…and what was that crack about Squall being a slave? If you say I'm your slave too, Zell, I'm so going to slap you."
Squall hadn't said anything, simply walking out of the living room to find a place for Rinoa. Emily simply dumped her pack onto the floor and moved away into another place of the apartment.
"Don't worry about that." Zell said with a grin. "If someone asks, you can be my wife!" The grin was wiped out by a pillow that flew across the room, Zell's hands supporting his head not being able to deflect it.
Squall walked back into the room, Rinoa finally out of his hands. He sat on the edge of Zell's couch, resting upon one of the armrests. "Rinoa is still sleeping…I'm amazed at how far her magic defences have fallen since coming to this world. But she ought to wake soon." He looked down at Zell. "What now?" He asked, the question meaning what do they do now.
Zell shrugged. "I dunno about you, but I'm going to have a nap! We just walked all night and got our asses kicked, so I'm pooped!" He rolled over so that his back faced outwards from the couch. "If anybody wants me, just scream."
Squall slammed his palm into his face, shaking his head and sighing. "Great leadership skills, Zell. We have no time to rest. We have to…"
"…Zzzz…"
Squall stood then, throwing his hands up into the air. "Aiyaa, why do I bother?" he grumbled before walking back to the room where Rinoa was.
Apart from Zell's snores, there wasn't a sound in the room as Julius and Trish looked at each other. "So…what do you wanna do?" Trish asked the hacker, pulling her cloak off her and tossing her long ponytail back over her shoulder.
Julius looked over at Zell, before shrugging. "I don't know…I'm inclined to follow suit to Dincht. I am a bit tired too."
"I think last night took a lot out of all of us…" Trish said, yawning with a big stretch of the arms before standing. "I'm going to go see what Emily's doing."
Julius nodded, not saying anything as he suddenly gained a distant look in his face.
Trish frowned, unable to read his reaction – before walking out of the room. The entrance opened up into the living room, and to the left of that area was the small kitchen, which consisted of a fridge and a cupboard with a small oven. Trish wasn't so sure she wanted to check what was inside either – she had already been disgusted with the weird thing-on-a-stick that Zell had handed to her when she had complained that she was hungry. She didn't want to see what other strange foods were in this violent universe.
Walking out of the living room into a small hallway, she looked into the first door on the left to see Squall sitting next to the still sleeping Rinoa. He looked up at Trish, and for the first time since she had met him she saw something – a bone weariness.
The look immediately vanished as he looked up at Trish, his face as impassive as a stone. "Yes?" He asked, his neutral voice neither threatening nor sympathetic – simply stoic.
"Is…is she going to be alright?" Trish asked, her voice equally neutral as she leant against the doorframe, crossing her arms. You're not going to intimidate me, Rock Man.
Squall looked down at Rinoa again and brushed a lick of hair from her face with tenderness. "I hope so…" He whispered.
Trish blinked. A side that most people don't see? "Are you alright?"
Squall looked up at the thief and flashed a brief smile, the edges of his lips turning up barely. "Trust me when I say that I've been through much worse experiences. I'll survive." He looked down at Rinoa again, brushing his hand across her face as his voice became distantly wistful. "…I always do…"
"You love her very much."
"With all my soul."
Trish nodded slowly, before backing away from the door, shutting the wooden door quietly as she left the room.
The door shutting with a soft click before her, Trish frowned as she tried to realise when it was the last time that she had been held with that kind of tenderness.
There was that boy in Galbadia…he had a thing about cuddling, which was cute for a while…then there was the girl in Dollet who liked to play with my hair…and then there was mom…
Trish sighed audibly, leaning against the wall opposite the door and crossing her arms. No affection in that event, really…she just gave me a quick squeeze and pushed me over to Zidane…not that he was never affectionate, but he neve held me like mom did… She shook her head, sighing again. Why do I torture myself with this? It was a whole decade ago! Why can't I forget?!
Because you don't want to…a small voice in the back of head said.
Trish's face was full of gloom as Emily emerged from the door next to Squalls, shutting the door behind her before turning – and smiling aggravatingly. "Ah. The Thief." She purred, the words pouring over her lips like liquid gold. She had replaced all her facial jewellery, the multitude of rings, spikes and symbols making her face look like a walk-around two-dollar shop.
Trish looked up. "Ah. The Goth. Still trying to make yourself feel 'alone' by embedding metal into your face? I never understood why Goths do that to themselves…"
Her mood had suddenly taken a boost from melancholy to aggression, and Trish almost regretted the outburst…almost. The actions from the night before, from the arrival through the Arch to the baptism of fire regarding the magic, still simmered in Trish's belly.
"No need to be so offensive, Thief." Emily said coolly, walking closer. "We're all on the same team here."
"Sometimes I wonder." Trish muttered.
"Oh?" Emily said, cocking an eyebrow, the action causing the rings on the eyebrow to chime melodiously. "And what would you make you say otherwise?"
Trish narrowed her eyes…but said nothing.
"Thought so." Emily muttered, shaking her head and smirking – before locking gazes with the thief. "Listen to this, little girl – you are way out of your league here. You are surrounded by people who would kill you without a second thought if they were ordered to. Even the blond nerd outside was one of us. Don't think just because you have some Blue and know how to draw magic that you can become one of us. So just do what you need to do, and stop bothering everybody with your incessant whining."
Trish placed a finger on her lip. "Funny…as I recall it was you who needed taking care of at the start. And if I remember correctly, you never said thankyou either." Trish felt a smirk rising as she saw Emily's face turn from one of mute triumph to one of quiet anger. Standing upright from her lean, she walked right up to Emily, sticking her face right into the Goth's. "Well?"
Emily's eyes were full of a burning rage, her concealment only just holding – before she smiled. "I like you, Thief. You do what you like and don't take crap."
"I've lived with these kinds of people my entire life. I'm used to not following orders."
Emily's look of rage began to die down to something else unclear to Trish. "You'll learn to follow them if you stay with us…everybody does eventually."
"What makes you think I want to be a SeeD?"
Before Emily could answer the question, there was a sound, like that of a pump puffing a quick pressure of air. Trish felt something slam into her neck, something that stang like a needle, and as she fell to the floor, sleep coming almost instantly, she realised dully that she knew the sound.
A silencer for a gun.
* * *
"Oi."
"…"
"Hey!"
"…"
"C'mon, wake up!!"
"…Go away Baku, I don't wanna play anymore…"
"Dammit Zell, if you don't wake up I'm going to beat the ever loving fuck out of you!!"
Zell suddenly sat up. "Hotdogs, now!" He blurted, before looking around, frowning and scratching his head, which felt like somebody had stuffed it full of cotton wool. "Wha…what the hell?"
He had sat up in a large bare room, the stones in the floor, walls and ceiling all old as sin, a big rusty door to his left. Moss and mildew covered the corners of the room, and a small slit with bars over it was situated just in the middle of the north wall, the only source of light, the rays spewing out of the tiny slit. Julius sat next to him, the hacker's clothes still torn and dirty from the fight last night. Squall lay in the corner of the room, still in the position where he had landed from whoever had thrown him, obviously unconscious. Zell's gauntlets had been removed, as well as Julius' Orihalcon gloves and Squall's LionHeart.
Zell took this all in – before lying flat on his back once more, laughter coming out him in loud bursts.
Julius blinked, obviously not understanding Zell's humour as it echoed around them in the small confines. "Zell, in case you haven't noticed, this is a prison cell, not a happy day at the park!"
Zell stopped laughing to wipe the tears from his eyes. "I…I know…I was just wondering when the guard will come in and start giving us shit." He read Julius' blank look and waved his hand at him. "Ah forget it…Squall would've understood."
"I understand." Squall said suddenly, sitting up. "You've told me enough of your version of the 'miraculous' escape from the Sand Prison I can almost recite it word for word." He looked around, a slight look of confusion creeping onto his features. "Where are we?"
Zell shrugged. "I dunno. I was fast asleep, then I woke up here."
"We were shot." Julius said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small dart. "With tranquillisers. Somebody knew where we were going, and must've set up an ambush. We were too tired to notice."
Squall stood, his legs wobbling. "We need to escape, obviously…" He muttered, starting to pace the small cell in order to work the circulation back into his legs. "And then we need to find the girls."
"Stand back, boys, and watch the door-breaker extraordinaire do his stuff!" Zell said confidently, jumping to his feet. He swayed on the spot for a second – "Wait…wait a second…there we go…" – before tottering over to where the door was.
Holding his hand out and wrapping his other hand around the wrist for support, Zell concentrated – and yelped as a spark jumped from his hand, scorching his palm. "Ow!! That's not supposed to happen!!" He yelled angrily, shaking his hand painfully.
"Magic dampeners…I hate magic dampeners…" Squall mumbled, finally sitting down in a corner.
Zell snorted, taking his stance in front of the door. "Okay…alright…lets try the old fashioned way." Drawing his fist back, he let fly, the knuckles digging deep into the door, the door actually giving way to his fist, before repelling it, as if Zell had just punched a steel net.
"Dammit…" He muttered, shaking his hand again. "Okay…one last time…"
"I wouldn't, if I were you."
The three SeeDs looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. It was light like a woman's yet held an aggressive tone in it that screamed don't fuck with me. "Yo, what's up?" Zell yelled. "Show yourself so I can make you a knuckle sandwich for abducting us!"
Suddenly a wall slide open, oiling across like a sliding door, to reveal a white room guarded by what looked like glass. Three people stood behind the glass – a man, his hair cut almost to military regulations and dressed like a solider, and two women, the first dressed similarly to the man, her brown hair also cut short.
The third was Dianna.
Squall blinked, not believing his eyes. "My gods…" He muttered.
"I understand the factors of alternate universes." Dianna said, her voice echoing out of the glass box through unknown forces. "It doesn't surprise me that there will be people who look alike, sometimes to the very minuet detail. So please…call me what you will."
"Personality doesn't seem to be included in the package." Zell spat, over the obvious shock of seeing his girlfriend twin and now feeling revulsion beholding this twisted variation. "What have you done with our friends? They better not be hurt…"
"Our society is one of violence, yes…but they are safe." Dianna said, her cold eyes turning to Zell. "We are a race that understands the honour of battle, Hunter. It is a pity you could not stay here permanently."
"Obviously our similarities of honour are different too…" Zell muttered, stepping forward. "And what do you mean, permanently?"
The man stepped forward, his tone every bit military as a Galbadian SeeD. "You have been declared traitors by Queen Heartilly and will be taken to the Home Universe where you will be put to death…or incarcerated for the rest of your natural lives."
Zell blinked, frowning, as he looked the glass screen up and down – before turning to Squall. "What do you reckon?"
Squall shrugged, obviously uninterested in the conversation - but understanding the fist-fighter's proposition. "Whatever."
Zell nodded with a smile – before spinning, his fist slamming directly into the glass covering the three. The sudden attack made all but Dianna start – the carbon copy of Angel simply smiled, shaking her head sadly. "This glass is, quite literally, unbreakable. We have men in our universe ten times more powerful then you, Hunter, and they cannot break it. You should save your strength for…"
Her voice trailed off as she realised that he hadn't taken his fist from the glass. Instead he stood, his muscles bulging, his teeth grit with effort as a slight tremor erupted from the shoulder, travelled down the arm, and exited into the wall of solid glass.
The glass remained as it was, and Zell removed his hand, looking at the glass with a frown. "Shit, I was sure that'd work…"
"See? You have no magic, Dincht. You're attacks are useless…" Dianna's voice trailed off once more as a small crack suddenly emerged from the centre of the glass, a giant tearing sound echoing throughout the room as the crack grew into a crevasse, the glass suddenly shattering completely under it's own weight, sharp shards hurling themselves all over the place.
Dianna looked up from where she had jumped for cover to see Dincht standing exactly where he had been, his smile broad on his face as he stepped forward. "Never underestimate a SeeD." He said, before taking a bow.
"Excellent, Zell." Julius said jovially, getting up and cracking his knuckles. "Very well done. What do you call it?"
"Can you believe I haven't named it yet?" Zell shot back with a cocked eyebrow.
"I…I don't understand…" The man stuttered, watching as the three SeeDs entered the white room at their leisure. "That…that attack is suppose to be magic based…a Limit Break…"
"Nu-uh. Looks like your stupid spy has his information a little wrong." Zell corrected. "Nothing but one-hundred percent human strength and willpower." Zell cracked the knuckles in his left hand, before cricking his neck from side to side, his voice happy in tone. "The judges will allow five seconds of pointless begging before the beating begins."
Dianna held up her hand, causing Zell to frown at the thing she grasped. "What the hell is that?" He muttered.
"A warning beacon. In seconds the entire place will be swarmed in Heart Soldiers. You, your friends – and your lady friends – will be cut down in seconds when I press down on this button. And let me remind you – even your speed wont stop me pressing it."
Zell's happy demeanour melted away. He could tell that she meant business. "Well…it seems like we have a Galbadian Draw here, people. How about we discuss this like the civilised people we are?"
"What do you want from us?" Squall said suddenly, stepping forward. "If you were going to hand us over to the Hearts, you would have done so by now, while we were incapacitated."
Zell turned to Squall, stamping his foot childishly. "Dammit, Squall, I got it covered!" He whined.
"Rinoa and the others are captured, Zell. It's time to stop showboating and get down to business." Squall said icily, staring Zell straight in the face.
"But I'm leader!!"
"Don't make me pull rank."
Zell shut up, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking over to the edge of the white room to lean against the wall. He only wanted a bit of fun before beating the info out of the three…what harm could there be?
Julius took all this in and shook his head, exasperated, before sitting down on the floor cross-legged and watched the two military types like a hawk. He may as well do something, and since Zell was sulking and Squall was on the negotiation table, it fell to Julius to play guard. The woman shifted slightly – making Julius shift a little closer. The movement wasn't threatening – but it wasn't passive either, and the woman got the picture, shifting back to her original position, Julius rewarding her with a smile.
"You seem to know what is going on, Squall…" Dianna said, standing to her full height. "You are right. I'm not ready to give you to them yet…" She muttered, flicking a finger to the two military types.
"Dianna! Watch what you say!" the woman growled, interrupting the Crisp – before a back-kick slashed across her face, Dianna's foot burying the skull into the wall.
"Nobody orders me…nobody." Dianna said quietly, withdrawing her foot and allowing the body to fall to the floor, the head landing on the pristine white floor with a wet thump, the blood splattering out around it like a crushed tomato.
The man watched all this and went red with anger, his rage boiling within…but he knew the consequences of talking now.
"As I said before that mild irritancy…" Dianna continued, flicking her foot to rid it of the excess blood and brain matter. "…We are not ready to give you to them yet. We believe in a warriors death – not a death that the Queen will give you."
"What do you propose?" Squall asked suspiciously, crossing his arms.
Dianna looked at Zell, before walking over to the Heart crouched to the floor, placing a hand on the man's head and running her fingers through his hair. "We Crisps are not an inherently violent people. We do not like wanton destruction. We have learned from the errors of our ancestors, when they scorched the Crisp planet with their wars and their magic." She began to trace a pattern in the man's hair, the disrespect and insult beginning to show in the man's face. "However, that doesn't not mean we don't like a good fight. So, when the Sorceress Queen came to this world with her shining armour and her generous offer to allow our planet to live if we served her, we accepted wholeheartedly. Our planet has been divided for centuries, for no real reason except for hatreds between kings and general long since turned to dust."
"She gave us a semblance of peace, as well as the opportunity to wet our beaks in conquering new worlds." Suddenly gripping the man's head with her hand, she twisted, the man's neck snapping like a brittle twig, his body flopping to the floor like a sack of potatoes. She looked up at Squall with her cold eyes. "And we do our job very efficiently."
"You haven't answered my question." Squall said, his voice almost a growl.
Dianna smiled, looking down at the body before walking over to Zell. "I believe you are a martial arts champion in your universe, is that true?"
Zell looked up sullenly, still slightly peeved at having his fun taken from him like a favourite toy taken from a child. "Yeah…so what?"
"We hold our own Tournaments every year or so, depending on how many Crisps are in the universe at the time. However, the Tournaments have gotten…stale, over the last decade or so…" She smiled up at him. "You're power…it's so intriguing…"
"Enough with the talk." Squall said suddenly. "Tell us."
Dianna shot Squall a look, before turning back to Zell. "Participate in our Tournament, and I'll allow you to live. You and all your friends. And not only that, I'll give you safe passage out of the city."
Zell narrowed his eyes. "Sounds too good to be true."
"Oh, it is. You see, the fighters who participate in these Tournaments are like nothing you've ever seen." Dianna said, Zell seeing a frightening flash in her eyes as she talked. "These men and women are bred for battle, taught the most powerful magic from birth and pitted against the most terrible beasts that the Lunar Cry has bestowed upon us. The survivors of these Tournaments have been given an automatic pardon from any sins they have committed against our Queen and are freed from any laws they have encountered in the past. And allow me to say – there are men who have been pardoned from the most heinous crimes."
Zell tried not to gulp, his mind unable to comprehend this wicked version of his sweet Angel. "W-what are you saying?" He stuttered.
"Simply compete, and you will go free. It is that simple, Hunter." Dianna said with a small smile. "I shall wait for your decision outside. If you refuse," Her voice took on a chilling tone, "And you won't – you will be gunned down for killing two Heart officers." She gestured at the two corpses behind her. "Two high ranking Heart officers."
Turning succinctly, she moved to the wall opposite the one Zell leaned on, pressing a square of white tile in. Almost immediately a section of the wall slide up, and Dianna moved out of the door, turning to close it behind her.
"Why?" Zell said suddenly, looking up at her. "Why give us the chance?"
Dianna paused, her hand hovering over the door-stud, and for a split second Zell could've sworn he had seen his Angel, the sweet, happy, loving girl that he had fallen for in the happy world of his own. "Because…you look exactly like him."
And with that the door slid down, cutting them off from the only exit, and leaving them to determine their fate. The Seeds looked at each other, their faces all containing the same thing.
Despair.
* * *
Zell looked out of the door into the arena, the floor covered in light green sand, the walls of the colosseum ordained with all kinda of weapons and deadly traps – spikes, gaping jaws, holes that shot out darts that slowed the mind and body if you got too close. The arena was huge – at least the size of a football field – and was as flat as one gil. The seats were completely packed too – it reminded Zell of his times in the Tournament, seeing all the people cheering for him – only this crowd was more busy fighting each other then watching the slaughter below them. Zell counted five people thrown over the railings into the arena, where the fighters, who paused their own fights to play with the hapless spectator who had suddenly become sport, picked them off mercilessly.
He shook his head and turned around, walking back down the ramp from the gate barring his exit, back down to Julius and Squall. "Well, I couldn't see the girls…" He said sadly. "I hope they're alright."
"If they aren't…" Squall muttered, cricking his neck to the side and slashing the large-bladed sword around in his hands, loosening the wrist, "I'll kill everybody in the arena."
Julius simply said nothing, his gaze fixed steadily on his gloves as he wound yet another tape around his knuckles, making doubly sure they were tight enough to be solid, yet loose enough to allow ample movement.
Zell shook his head, trying to kill the demons banging around in his head. "Dammit, we shouldn't have taken her offer! We should have punched our way through and taken out chances in the prison!"
"And be captured or killed five steps from the cell? Come on, Zell, think for a minute!" Squall said, anger in his voice. "We have a chance, and we have to take it, no matter how much we don't trust Angel…I mean Dianna."
At the mention of her name Zell sank to the dusty ground, his face as pale as a ghost. Squall was instantly sorry for the slip, and stepped forward. "Remember…she isn't Angel." He said, placing a hand on his friends shoulder.
Zell blinked the tears away, shaking his head and standing slowly. "I know…but it's hard…not to think so…"
"Forget about her." Julius said suddenly, his voice full of angry determination. "Concentrate on the others. We have to get Emily, Trish, Rinoa and Veronica back from them. That's all that matters now."
"You're right." Zell said, his own determination creeping into his voice. "Our…our main objective right now is to find the girls. And if that means tearing this arena down, then by the gods we'll do it!"
Squall smiled slightly, before turning back to his sword, rechecking it to make sure it was sharp enough.
* * *
They didn't need to wait long before a loud trumpeting sound erupted over the sounds of the screams from the last combatants, drowning out death rattles as the announcer spoke.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, today we have a special treat for you! All the way from a different Universe, the champions of their world, brought to fight just for your enjoyment – may I present Zell Dincht, Squall Leonheart and Julius Garner!!"
"Showtime, boys." Zell muttered, cracking his knuckles. "Lets make an impression."
The gates opened slowly, dramatically, and the SeeDs walked boldly forward, Zell taking the lead with Julius in the middle, Squall taking up the rear, his large sword rested on his shoulder as if he didn't have a care in the world. Walking from the ready room, their eyes adjusted to the sudden glare of the sun as they stepped onto the green sand, looking about themselves warily as the crowd began to cheer. The SeeDs walked forward a little, moving into the centre of the arena like Dianna had told them to do so, and looked about them, awestruck at the sheer number of people present.
In what looked like a private box on the edge of the seatings at the north sat Dianna, looking down at the SeeDs with an elegance of a Queen. Zell narrowed his eyes and jabbed Squall with his elbow, pointing up at the box.
The girls sat beside Dianna, bound and gagged, each with a gun to their heads. They didn't look very hurt – Trish looked down at them sadly, Emily looking very, very angry. Rinoa sat very still, looking scared, her big brown eyes looking down at Squall, the fear being sent almost immediately.
Are you alright? He thought, knowing that she could read his thoughts.
Yes…but I'm scared.
We'll get you out soon. Don't worry.
Dianna stood suddenly, holding her hand out, the masses finally quieting to allow the woman to speak. With the grace of a queen and the manner of a king, she pointed down at the SeeDs. "These men fight for something. They have a purpose, a meaning. Warriors, torn from their world, to save their own. Do we pity them?"
The masses cried out their negativity.
"Do we mourn them when they die?"
Again, the masses screamed defiantly, the negatives rising over the arena's top and into the heavens.
"Then shall we allow them to fight for their lives, and the lives of their companions, like the warriors they are?!"
As one the crowd stood, their fists pumping into the air as they responded positively with such gusto it made the stone pillars holding the arena on it's foundation tremble.
Dianna raised a hand to quiet the people once more, before looking down at the SeeDs again. "I, Dianna Forelore, Queen of the Crisps through single combat with King Irloine Torment, proclaim that if you win these bouts, you shall go free. If you should fail, however, your integrity as a warrior and your warriors pride will be shattered, meaningless to us…and we will invade your planet without a second thought. We will rape the lands of their natural resources, and we will destroy all who stand in our way. That is the way of the Crisps!!"
She pumped her fist in the air, the crowds screaming their love for her as well, standing and cheering as one.
Zell rolled his eyes. "Another thing that doesn't make her Angel – at least my hon isn't melodramatic."
Dianna quieted the crowds again, before turning around and picking up something. Turning suddenly, she tossed something into the arena, a box of sorts that landed with a thump just under the private box. "May Kenny, God of War, have mercy on your souls." She stated, before sitting down abruptly.
"Drama queen…" Julius muttered, looking over at the box. "What do you think it is?"
"I know what it 'aint…" Zell muttered as a gate on the other side of the arena began to open, Zell taking his stance as three people walked out of the inky blackness. "Chocolate-chip cookies."
* * *
The three people walked out into the blazing sun, the glare of the burning orb not seeming to affect them as they strolled out, spreading evenly over the arena grounds.
The first, a man of medium height with a meaty frame, his muscles larger then usual, walked up to Zell smiling happily. He was dressed in loose clothing, the brown cotton flapping over his frame as he approached Zell, his bare-feet padding on the sand softly, and Zell realised he was heavier then he looked – his feet actually sank slightly into the sand. He bowed slightly, and Zell realised he towered over him – by at least a foot. "Hello. My name is Form. I am the martial arts champion of this world." He said, his voice deep as the ocean – but in a tone that sounded like he was about to go on a roller-coaster ride, full of excitement and barely contained glee.
Zell placed a hand on his hip and looked up at the man, unimpressed. "No shit."
The man seemed to have the intellectuality of a ten year old, smiling happily down at Zell. "If I defeat you, it would mean that I have destroyed over three champions from three worlds, a new record to our people. It would mean that I could challenge Dianna to single combat and become ruler of our people."
Zell shot a glance up to Dianna, who was looking at him. "Something tells me you wouldn't last against her, buddy..."
"Oh, don't let my muscles fool you. I'm rather fast."
Zell looked up at the man as if he had just said he was the emperor of the world and that everybody had to wear a fish on his or her head from now on. Is this guy an idiot? He thought to himself.
Squall watched as a female, small and lithe, walked up to him, her face as icy as Shiva. Her black hair was done up in a ponytail which lazily hung over her shoulder, the tip coming to rest just where her hand carried a slim sword. She looked at the gunblader with cold eyes, her voice like grating steel. "My name is Rowen Tragedy." She stated.
"I am Squall Leonhart. It seems that you are my opponent."
"Yes."
The steely introductions over, the two swordsmen stared at each other, each not taking their stance, but neither relaxing. Their words meant it all – this was business. There was no feeling regarding the battle – they would fight, one of them would die. Simple.
Julius watched all this unfold, before watching the other woman walked up to him, her dark hair bouncing as she approached the computer expert. "Hello…" She said, her voice light as it tinkled out of her mouth.
He gasped. It was her! Right down to the hair! "V…Veronica?" He stammered.
Her black hair was still short, as short as that day so long ago. He had gotten annoyed with her hairstyles, and had asked her to keep one and to stay with it; she had gone with this one. Her cute green eyes looked at him with muted confusion, and she frowned slightly in that intoxicatingly cute frown she pulled when she didn't understand something. "No…my name is Carrie."
"No…you're Veronica…you have to be…"
Carrie blinked – before shrugging. "Whatever, man. It's not like you'll be caring for long anyways."
A tone emitted from the speakers surrounding the arena. "Erhum…the rules are as follows. Magic and Draws are allowed, but GF usages will result in a…penalty. The pairings are: SquallLeonhart vs Rowen Tragedy, , Julius Garner vs Carrie Fisher and Zell Dincht vs Form Livestock. If any of the Universal competitors lose, then their pardons will be forfeit and they will be destroyed. If a Universal competitor wins, the next two fighters will step up, until the fight is over. All battles are to the death, or until a fighter cannot go on. Fighters, please prepare."
Squall smiled down at the small girl. "It seems we are first."
"Take a good look around." The woman said, stabbing her slim blade into the ground and cracking her knuckles. "These surroundings will be the last thing you'll see."
Squall snorted but said nothing, readjusting his grip of his chunky sword slung over his shoulder before looking over at the private box, up at Rinoa.
Zell and Julius walked back to their end of the arena, Zell watching Julius carefully. The hacker was panting, breathless, his eyes wide as he began to sweat profusely. "Man…man, snap out of it!" Zell muttered, knocking him in the shoulder, causing him to stumble. "It's not her!"
"I…I had forgotten how sweet her voice sounded…how could I forget such a thing?" Julius said, looking down at the ground, lost in his own world.
"Dammit…" Zell muttered, looking up as he watched Carrie walk back to her end of the arena. "Why did this have to happen now!?"
* * *
"Fighters, you may begin when ready!"
Rowen and Squall stood just a few feet apart, the two sword experts watching each other, their stares cold, their demeanour like rock.
Squall had chosen the large sword because of it's power and it's sharpness. The weight didn't bother him – a gunblade was a clumsy thing to use, heavy at the handle with the barrel travelling across the top of the blade not doing anything to lighten the load. This factor, however, did give Squall the opportunity to build his strength, and now he could heft any heavy weapon with relative ease. The only thing that worried him was the fact that he had been using the LionHeart too often of late – it's power and speed might've lulled him into a false sense of security, as it pretty much cut through almost anything it touched thanks to the energy blade, and was as light as a feather. He would have to adjust his tactic now that he was using an alien and physical blade.
Not only that, but he noted the way the woman before him stood, as well as the sword in her hand. A single blade, curved slightly like a katana from the Old World, it's metal very slim and sharp. It as supposed to be used swiftly, a quick wounding attack before moving in for an interior slice. Rowen herself was small, the muscles seen through her clothing showing tone instead of bulk. She was a speed player, dashing in quick to deliver an attack before retreating and waiting for the next opportunity.
Well, we'll see if her technique will work on me… Squall thought, cracking his neck to the side as he lowered his body down, his knees bending as he hefted the sword from his shoulder and drew the blunt-edge across his hand, pointing the tip at her in a text-book copy of the 'lazy dragon' stance.
Squall watched as she noted the stance, her eyes darting around his body to note weight and muscle tensions – before moving forward quickly, her sword slicing forward, the blade cutting trough the air –
To be knocked up by Squall as he belied the sword with his own speed, the sheer intensity of the blade's swinging potential showing itself as Squall bend back and swung the sword in a wide arc, Carrie's attack being thrown up wildly.
Squall continued with the motion, swinging the sword effortlessly, allowing the curve to build by itself as he gained more and more of a feel for it as Carrie defended desperately, the larger sword chiming off her smaller one – before the chunky blade finally slammed into the blade of the smaller katana one final time, the metal shattering brilliantly!!
Carrie fell to the ground, the handle of the sword in her hand falling to land on the sand easily, tumbling away from her.
Squall expertly spun his chunky sword, twisting it dramatically around his arm once, twice, three times before spinning and slamming it into the ground, the blade travelling deep into the earth as he knelt down with it…to look up at Carrie coldly, his eyes slitted, his breath normal, his demeanour calm.
* * *
At their edge of the arena Zell laughed out loud. "Booya!!" He yelled, clapping and whistling, the crowd cheering along with him as they finally saw a true fight begin to go underway.
Up in the private box Rinoa smiled behind her gag, a small tear tracing down her face.
* * *
Carrie picked herself up slowly, not bothering to dust herself off as she flicked her ponytail over her shoulder. "You have skill…I bow to you."
Squall continued to look up at her, his voice as cold as death. "I shall give you one more chance – give up…or I will have to kill you."
"You have no choice, Squall Leonhart…" She looked down at him warily now, her action more precise as she reached behind her to draw two smaller, slimmer blades. Squall recognised them as wazikashi's, the baby-blades to the katana. She thinks I can't defend against a double attack at that kind of speed…to tell the truth, I'm not sure about it myself. I know I should have sparred more with Kiros when I had the chance…
He stood slowly and beckoned her forward with a nod of his head, his hand on the hilt of his sword, waiting. Well then, lets find out wether or not you're as good as you're supposed to be.
She responded with a nod of her own – before darting forward, the twin blades flashing brilliantly before the SeeD as he ripped his own sword out of the ground, spraying them both with sand as he blocked the first two attacks, the spinning blades barely brushed aside by the larger, heavier weapon.
Rowen moved with a speed that Squall had never seen before, her arms darting wildly back and forth, her face as impassive as a stone as she barraged him with slices, jabs and stabs, Squall's chunky blade slapping them all aside within the nanoseconds that he could swing them.
Then the attacks actually began to increase, the weapons in the woman's hands moving like a blur, the attacks slamming against the chunky blade's edge, Squall watching suddenly as a quick amount of slices cut straight through the heavy metal, the last two feet of blade on the massive five-foot sword suddenly flying off to embed itself into the arena wall.
Squall span suddenly, kicking out with his foot to connect with the girl's midsection, the attack blowing the air out of Rowen's body and sending her flying back slightly, the Crisp slamming her feet into the sandy ground to regain footing.
Squall watched as she looked up slowly, her breathes ragged as the impassiveness that had been present in her eyes were gone, replaced with something else – a slow burning rage. He looked down at his broken sword, the long blade abruptly cut short. He didn't know wether or not he could fight with the weapon now – but he wasn't ready to take the chance.
Knowing that the next attack would be a cautious one, Squall kept his eyes on the girl as he began to slowly circle her, his eyes darting from her to the arena's walls as she searched for an adequate replacement. Somebody had generously placed a wide selection of weaponry on the walls – but Squall couldn't see one gunblade anywhere. Haven't these people figured out the bullet/razor ratio yet? He thought to himself sullenly as he continued to look – before spying it!
A slender blade, straight and made of a shining metal, sat on the very edge of the arena, just behind Rowen…who had finally realised what Squall was doing, narrowing her eyes as she quickly checked behind her to see that she had been herded into the weaponry area of the arena.
Spinning back, she jumped back as Squall suddenly appeared before her, his hand outstretched – to trace a black insignia in the air before her with almost inhuman speed, his fist suddenly smashing into it as he muttered the activation word under his breathe. Almost immediately the Crisp warrior cried out, raising her hands to her eyes – which were pouring dark smoke out into the air, the Blind taking effect almost instantly. Taking his opportunity before she could cast Disuna, Squall stepped forward - and slammed his chunk sword into her mid-section, the blow too heavy to cut, the attack simply knocking her flying into the wall and to the sand, landing on her hands and knees painfully.
When she finally regained her sight she saw Squall standing back in the centre of the arena, the slender blade in his hands now. All impassiveness was gone now as she spat on the ground angrily, regaining her footing and slapping the sand from her face.
Squall regarded her unemotionally, his eyes like dead orbs following her every move as she walked forward slowly, shifting gears into a jog, before shifting again into a full blown sprint. Unmoving like a statue, Rowen was on top of him in an instant – before he span and ducked suddenly, the twin blades slashing just over and around him as he ducked and weaved elegantly, the sword in his hands snaking out every now and then to slap aside an attack too close for comfort. The cheers from the crowd made his blood burn, the image of Rinoa tied and gagged continually flashing in his sight as the raven-haired woman before him continually tried to slice him open.
What is the point in this? He thought to himself as he span on his heel, his blade clanging as he knocked away one of Rowen's blades to flip away, digging into the sandy ground. Why do people enjoy killing others? And why, of all the sports, do people watch this?
Stepping back as Rowen back-flipped out of reach, Squall narrowed his eyes. Is it the longing for battle in our subconscious? Do we have to fight in order to survive, or is it simply something, as humans, we must do? He watched as Rowen narrowed her eyes, tossing the one knife in her hand to the other, before running forward. What makes us do this?
Squall allowed her to approach as he had before, stepping forward to meet her attack – before she suddenly jumped up high into the air, flipping up and over his body to land behind him. Shit…he thought, throwing himself forward as he felt the tip of the small blade scratch across the back of his neck, the attack only just missing his neck as he rolled and came up, sand pouring off his leather jacket as he scowled at the woman. Didn't expect her to be that athletic…
He watched her more cautiously now, her movements suddenly erratic as she bent down to pull her second blade form the sand – before erupting from her position, red flames flaring around her as her Haste quickened her body.
Squall jumped back desperately, trying to make some space – before feeling two long pieces of hot iron enter his stomach and exit out his back, the iron slicing straight through his intestines as he blinked, looking down – to see Rowen, her face suddenly impassive once more, her wazikashi's buried hilt deep into the gunblader's chest.
* * *
Rinoa shrieked pitifully behind her gag, watching as the blood began to drip from her Knight's stomach onto the sand of the arena.
"Shit…" Zell grunted as he watched the tips of the two blades exit through Squall's jacket, the dark leather becoming darker as red liquid began to seep out of the wounds.
* * *
Dammit… Squall thought as all the sounds of the crowd, his own echoing breathing, even his heartbeat pounding away in his head, melted away to a deep, dark silence. Should have been more careful. Speed is essential.
Rowen looked up at the gunblader, her anger gone to be replaced with her usual impassiveness, who looked down at her equally impassively. He watched as she grit her teeth – before twisting the blades, the sharp metal stabbing through Squall's back suddenly ripping out of his side, the wound spewing blood in great gouts as Squall fell to his knees, puking life force as his vision began to swim.
The woman stood in front of him, her clothes now bathed in his blood, her face splattering in it, and she raised her hands high, going in for the final blow on the mortally wounded SeeD, the blades slashing down, the red droplets hanging in the air as they neared Squall's neck…
…Before the neck slipped just out of the way, the twin blades slicing a few brown hairs from Squall's fringe as he looked up, bearing his bloody teeth as he reached out to grab Rowen's long ponytail and pull her down, flipping her around to ram his palm into her back.
Her screams echoed around the arena as the Flare erupted from her chest, blasting her lungs, heart and bodily organs to oblivion as Squall's own roar echoed around the arena with the roar of the magic blast. The Flare spanned out, smashing into the wall of the arena, destroying most of it and sending a number of the crowd into the sand, falling without grace into the Flare's destructive wave.
Finally letting the Flare go, Squall sat back, one arm wrapped around his belly to keep his guts inside his body. The people in the crowd began to murmur between them. "Is he dead?"
"Maybe he is?"
"I dunno, he wouldn't have pulled that off unless he had a bit left in him…"
"You reckon that's it?"
"Wait! Look!!"
Every eye was on Squall as he stood slowly – infinitely slowly – and staggered to his feet, tottering slightly to the left, but up nonetheless. Looking down at the smouldering ponytail still in his hand, he tossed it away, before spitting a bloody gobbet after it. Turning to go, he looked down to realise that one of the blades had been stabbed deep into his leg. Reaching down with a free hand, he ripped it out and threw it away with a vehenomous anger, before moving over to Zell, taking his time as he marked his path with footsteps in the sand and large droplets of blood.
Zell ran out to meet his friend, and when Squall reached the fist-fighter he smiled. "I won." He whispered before falling to his knees weakly. Zell was at his side in an instant, putting his arms under his friend's armpits and dragging him over to the edge of the arena as painlessly as possible.
"Damn, but you made it close." Zell agreed hurriedly, holding his hands over the wound, the great tear in Squall's stomach healing over…but not completely. "There. That's my last Cura. You'll just have to wait until we get out of here for Rinoa to heal you."
Squall had lost a lot of blood, and was paler then usual, but still managed to grunt a "…Whatever..." Before falling unconscious.
"Damn, he's a hard bastard…" Zell said, shaking his head – before looking at Julius. "Well man, you're up!"
Julius nodded solemnly, before standing, walking out into the arena.
* * *
Rinoa was crying unstoppably now, the tears streaming down her face as she looked down at her wounded Squall, his body unmoving. She screamed out his name telepathically, begging for him to answer – but she received none, and her grief grew even more, cursing her weakness, cursing the magic dampener clamped on her neck, cursing Dianna for making Squall fight – cursing them all.
Trish looked down at the man and shook her head in wonder. His body had been literally ripped to shreds – yet he had still had enough strength to blast the bitch to hell and make it over to Zell. I think…I wont mess with him anymore… She thought to herself as she watched Julius solemnly walk forward.
Emily watched all the events unfold before her and simply grunted in surprise when Squall got up. She hadn't expected the gunblader to survive the attack – and more the worse for him. Without proper medical attention – which the Hunter obviously hadn't given him – he would be in agony right now. She smiled slightly at the thought, the humiliation of having been captured washing away briefly, and watched as Julius approached Carrie.
* * *
Julius walked forward, squinting in the sunlight as he approached Carrie. She tossed her dark hair back slightly, the breeze blowing it in her hair, and regarded him cautiously. "What's wrong with you? Don't wanna fight?" She asked, her beautiful voice like mana from the heavens to Julius.
"By the gods…I had almost lost all hope…" Julius whispered, half to himself, half t the vision before him.
Carrie frowned in that cute way again, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "You're nuts, guy. Why don't you just give up? You know what'll follow if you keep doing this."
Julius shook his head, blinking. "No…no, I cant give up, Veronica. I need to protect my friends."
"What's with this 'Veronica'? My name is Carrie, dammit!!"
A tone emerged from the loud-speakers rigged all around the arena, before the announcer's voice called out once more. "Fighters, you may begin when ready!"
Carrie smirked, taking her stance. "Ready to die?"
Julius frowned. "What…what do you mean?" he asked – before his breath was blown out of him, Carrie covering the distance between them in an instant to slam her fist deep into his stomach, the attack knocking the spectacles off his face – before she withdrew her fist from his stomach and spun-kicked him, the attack sending him flying to the other end of the areana, where he landed dangerously close to Squall's supine form.
Zell was at his side in an instant, rolling him over – to see tears flowing from his eyes. "Why…why did she attack me?" He cried, the anguish evident in his voice.
"Because it isn't her, man!" Zell shouted. "She's not Veronica!!"
"But…" Was all Julius was able to mutter as Carrie suddenly rocketed up to them, her boot snaking out to connect with the hacker's side, sending him up and smashing into the arena wall, the green rock crumbling beneath his body as he fell – to be caught by Carrie, her laughter echoing around the arena as she spun his around and around, his head smashing through the green walls with each spin – before he was thrown like a throwing hammer across the arena once more, Carrie's strength belying her pettiness as she blasted out towards Julius once more.
Now in a world of pain as he skittled to a stop, his blond hair falling out around his face haphazardly and sticking to it as he touched the cuts on his forehead, Julius looked up – to see Carrie standing, towering before him. "Veronica…what…" He mumbled as Carrie grabbed a fist-full of hair and lifted his head – to smash her tiny fist into his face. The attack send shockwaves through the sand behind him, and Carrie watched as it travelled through the green ground with an amused look – before smashing her fist into Julius' face again, seeing if the event would happen again.
It didn't, and she looked down at him with disgust, picking him up and standing him on his feet delicately, making sure he was upright – before slamming her foot into his groin, Julius' bloodshot eyes widening painfully as he screamed in agony. All the men winced in unison as Carrie dislodged her foot from the SeeD's groin – before kicking him again and again, the last attack making him fall to his knees and cough up blood, unable to move in the debilitating agony he was in.
Carrie shook her head her voice full of mock pity. "Why aren't you fighting me? Do I remind you of someone or something?"
"Veronica…stop…please…" Julius croaked, his breathes ragged as he looked up at her painfully.
Carrie's features twisting into an angry snarl as she picked him up again and spun him around to face the areana again. "I'm not Veronica,dammit!! Firaga!!"
The blast took Julius directly in the chest, and he went flying up into the air, the ball of fire turning his clothes to ash and making his body sizzle. His elemental weakness was fire as well, and his pitiful Shell that he just got up before he was completely disintegrated wobbled dangerously on the brink of failing and holding. He flew high up into the air, his body pushed higher and higher by the flames…before they finally sputtered out, allowing Julius to fall back to Crisp, his body smoking and bleeding from the burns on his chest and face.
* * *
Zell watched, horrified, as Julius returned to the earth, landing on the ground with an echoing boom, almost directly in the centre of the arena, creating a large sandy outburst as his body buried itself deep in the green soil. "Oh Hyne no…" He whispered as the smell of cooked flesh and smoke began to emanate from the crater.
* * *
The crowd roared their disappointment as nothing moved within the smoking crater. They had come to see blood – and, although there had been plenty to see, they had at least hoped for this alien to put up a semblance of a fight.
Carrie snorted, barely out of breath as she walked over to the private box, looking up at her Queen. "Majesty, I have killed this one. He was not a warrior…he barely even tried to fight back."
"True…very well, the SeeDs will be executed and the…" Her voice trailed off as he sight moved from Carrie to the crater.
Gasps from the crowd arose as Julius, his burnt body still smoking, pulled himself from the crater and slowly – very slowly – made his way to Zell.
* * *
Zell ran out to meet his friend, whose breathes were as ragged as a man with nothing left. He looked up at Zell pitifully, his face scorched and bleeding from cuts, lacerations and burns, and tears streamed down his face as Zell took up his hand. "Why…" He croaked, his voice full of a deepening sadness. "…Why does she hate me?"
Zell shook his head, his voice full of anger and regret. "She isn't Veronica! She's another version! Why wont you realise that?!"
Julius' face slowly turned from one of grief to one of pained determination. "She…is. They've…they've brainwashed…her…"
Zell couldn't take his pigheadedness anymore, his words tumbling out of his mouth with all his anger. "Fucking hell, man, Veronica is dead! She's dead! You need to move on, dammit, or else you're going to get us all killed!!"
Julius' face switched to grief once more, his eyes confused. "No…"
"Yes! She's been dead for over five years! Get over it!!" Zell leaned close, whispering into the ragged excuse for a man's ear. "I know you still got some fight left in you. Take it, and use it! Defeat Carrie – you must do it!"
Julius absorbed the words, staring up at the sky, the tears falling from his burnt face, searing painfully through his wounds as Zell's words sunk in.
Zell watched the man deliberate, his mind clocking into overtime – before feeling a cool shadow come up over his shoulder. "Damn, but he's a hard son-of-a-bitch, isn't he?" Carrie muttered in wonder, looking down at Julius over Zell's shoulder.
Zell looked down at Julius, his face twisting inot a snarl – before standing, turning and opening his arms out wide, effectively blocking Carrie from Julius' body. "You wont get through me, you bitch." Zell growled. "You leave him alone, you hear?"
"Hunter!!" Dianna's voice cried, ringing out over the stadium. "Watch what you do! If you interfere anymore, you'll forfeit Julius! You understand the penalty for that?!"
"Bring it on, you whore!!" Zell yelled back, his guts twisting inside him as he looked up at the woman he loved. "I'll take on all your foot soldiers to save my friends!!"
"Noble…Dincht…" A pained voice croaked, Zell turning to watch, shocked, as Julius pulled himself to his feet. "But…I fight my…own battles."
"Julius…" Zell whispered, watching as he approached Zell and placed a charred hand on his shoulder.
"Go back to Squall." Julius said, his voice becoming more and more strong. Zell narrowed his eyes as he watched the Regen slowly do it's work, the edges of the burns on Julius' handsome features beginning to come together slowly, the edges tinged with a green unlike that seen in Cure magics.
Zell nodded dumbly, before backing away slowly, moving back to the unconscious gunblader, shocked and amazed. He should be dead… he thought to himself as he sat back down next to his friend.
* * *
Carrie regarded Julius cautiously. "Well…you still have some spirit left in you…"
Julius looked at her with dead eyes, his ocean-blue gaze locking on her bright green ones with all the intensity of an icy lake. "You reminded me of my lover…but now I know the truth, you can't hurt me."
"Oh really?" The girl said with a smirk, stepping forward and delivering a punch – which Julius arrested, his hand enveloping hers easily, his icy stare still locked onto her green eyes.
"Really…" He whispered – before tensing slightly, feeling energies within him flow that he hadn't needed to access in over five years. Throwing Carrie's hand away, he set his arms by his sides, the Regen slowly rebuilding his strength as he grasped desperately for his Limit Break, the energy within him teetering on the brink of collapse – before exploding forth, bathing the stadium with a bright yellow glow as he tossed his head back and screamed, bellowing his agony, his pain, his grief.
Carries took a step back, unsure of what to do as the man she had beaten almost to death suddenly displayed a power she had never encountered in all her life. She blanched as his energy reached her level, then climbed steadily over it – before shooting way beyond it, surpassing everything he had ever witnessed.
Julius looked down at her finally, his blond hair standing almost upright as the energy course off his body, the Regen still slowly repairing every wound, every injury. His teeth were bared, and his muscles jumped, almost excitedly, his body remembering the exhilarating feel of undeniable power and welcoming it with open arms, allowing it to flood through his system and oil it thoroughly.
Carrie took a step back…then another. She was feeling something…something she hadn't felt in years. "Is this…fear?" she whispered.
"No, my dear…" Julius said, his voice as clear as mountain water as he stepped forward, his icy blue eyes seeming to become even more shatteringly blue as they locked onto her eyes once more. "This is death."
At the last word Julius' left arm snaked out, gripping Carrie's shoulder with such ferocity that the fingers dug into the flesh, stabbing straight through the cloth and skin to dig deep into the muscle, causing Carrie to scream in agony. Lifting the woman up off the ground almost effortlessly, Julius drew his right arm back, the fist bursting into white flame as he screamed the Limit Break's name. "Holy War!!"
One second his fist was drawn back, the flames licking up and into the blue sky – the next it had erupted from Carrie's back, the hand gripping the spine, the body skewered straight onto Julius' arm trembling slightly as blood poured from the wound. Julius' face was like a stone mask as blood splattered onto his chest, arms, face – before looking up at Carrie's face, the expression of surprise and shock etched onto it for all eternity.
Withdrawing the arm with little effort, Julius' energy simply dissipated, floating away from him as he fell to the floor with Carrie's body in his arms, his sobs echoing around the stadium, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
* * *
Well, there you go.
Don't go away, however – Zell's fight, and the SeeD's escape, is coming up in the next chapter!!
