Sai Orlianna: I'VE DONE IT! Here it is ladies and gents! After long last, the FINAL chapter of Fate Plays Her hand is here! YEAH! Gomen! I didn't mean to take so long. School has been an absolute killer. Well enough babbling. Thanks to all who reviewed. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own them…I want to though.
Fate Plays Her Hand
Ch. 15
Fate Plays Her Hand
Sephira ran for what seemed like an eternity, fighting her way through a maze of endless passages. Throwing a glance over her shoulder, she sighed in relief. 'Looks like I lost them.' Soldiers had been on her heels and she grew tired of the stop and go fighting they had insisted on. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath. Looking around she saw…nothing…nothing but a long hallway lined by an endless row of torches. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the last of her throwing knives. 'Five left…' Pocketing them, she pulled out her long fighting dagger. She scanned the endless darkness. 'This hall HAS to lead somewhere.'
"You don't think they'll get this far, do you?"
Sephira pressed herself against the wall as a pair of soldiers rounded the corner, their voices echoing in the darkness.
"Of course not. They're dead by now." A second voice said. Sephira smirked. If only they knew who it was they were dealing with.
"You sure? I've heard of this Sanzo party. They're the ones who defeated the demons who tried to revise Gyumaou."
"So? Doesn't mean a thing. They are no match for our guards. And even so, they'll never find their way. This place is like a maze."
"I know, man. The only way I remember how to get anywhere is because of what you told me. 'Right is right, never left'."
'Right is right, never left huh?' Sephira grinned as the soldiers pasted her. Sephira waited until they were out of ear shot before stepping out of the shadows. 'Thanks boys.'
…………………………..
"Are they still after us?" Emma yelled as she and Hakkai sprinted down the hall.
"Yes!" Hakkai yelled back. "But not for long! Follow my lead." Emma nodded.
They turned to face the few remaining soldiers who pursued them. "On my mark!" Emma watched Hakkai out of the corner of her eye. The soldiers charged, not thinking twice about why their prey had stopped. Hakkai and Emma didn't move. "Ready?" Emma crouched as she and Hakkai began to charge their power. "MARK!"
A universal scream erupted from the soldiers as two energy bombs flew toward them. Grabbing Emma, Hakkai jumped into the nearest room, shielding her from the blast. As the dust settled, Emma pulled away from Hakkai. "Did we get them?"
"I think so." Hakkai breathed.
"Not all of them." Emma froze. She and Hakkai turned as a woman stepped out of the shadows, smirking. "It's been awhile, Kalys."
"Yes it has, Rebecca!" Emma spat, recognizing the blonde before her. "If I recall correctly, the last time we met, you stabbed me in the back!"
Rebecca's icy laughter echoed across the room as her cold eyes met Emma's. "I had to, old friend." She sneered, drawing a thin sword from her belt. "You knew too much, and we couldn't have you running off to tell your lover."
Hakkai was about to move when Emma grabbed his shoulder. Hakkai only caught her eye for a second but that was enough. Her eyes flashed violently as she eyed her new prey. "Did you really think I would join your game? My heart is not as fickly as yours."
"It was worth a shot, but then again…it was your loss." Rebecca snapped. "You were always a weak hearted fool."
"You will find that I am not so weak now." Emma growled.
"Hm. We shall see." Rebecca charged, her sword raised, poised to strike. Emma dodged quickly as the sword came down. Rebecca turned quickly sweeping the sword low. Emma jumped and landed a hard kick to Rebecca's face, knocking her off balance. Landing with a deadly grace, Emma kicked Rebecca's sword from her hands. But Rebecca was not done yet. She threw a hard right hook at Emma's face, but the attack missed. In the blink of an eye, Emma grabbed her throat and pinned her to the ground. Rebecca struggled helplessly under her. Emma pulled her face closer, sneering menacingly. "You killed me…did you think I wasn't going to take it personally?" A blue light appeared in her hand. Emma glanced down at her 'old friend' for the last time. "Good-bye…old friend."
Blue light filled the room as a small blast echoed down the hall. Hakkai looked up to see Emma standing above where Rebecca's form once was. She turned to him, a sad smile across her lips. Hakkai, shocked to see tears in her eyes, reached out to her. Without a word, she threw her arms around him, sobbing as the pain of betrayal burned anew. Hakkai held her as she cried. Memories of her death burned in his mind. She had been murdered. What had she done to deserve that?
"They…they wanted me to kill you." Emma's strained voice choked out between sobs. "They were going to make me…but…but I couldn't!" Emma turned her tear stained face to his. "I loved you too much! I…I just…" her voice was lost again to sobs as she buried her face in his shoulder. Hakkai held her close. He knew she had loved him then and that she loved him now. What she didn't know was how much more he loved her now. He was never going to let her go through that again.
………………………………….
Goku stalked slowly down the hall, his Nyoibou in hand. He had been following a group of soldiers for the past hour. He had hoped that they would lead him to Nara, but after an hour of nothing but right turns, Goku was getting a little worried. He stood silent as the grave, peering around the corner. The soldiers had stopped in front of one of the rooms. Two guards stood outside the door as the small group went in. Of all the doors they had passed, this was the first with guards. 'She has to be in there!' Goku knew he had to get in there. Taking a deep breath, he slipped from his hiding place. Luckily, the guards weren't every alert as Goku snuck up to them. He knocked the guards out easily.
Making sure no one had heard him, Goku broke the lock and cracked open the door. The room was dark, as most rooms in this castle where, only lit by a small set of candles. 'Were did those soldiers go?' Goku thought as he slid the door shut behind him. Before this thought could go any further, a groan caught his attention. Goku froze. Nothing moved. Goku listened as ragged breathing broke through the silence. "Goku…"
Goku started at the familiar voice. "Nara!" He dashed across the room to where she sat. Her head hung limply to the side, her hair hiding her eyes. Goku's eyes widened as he took in her state. She was paler than normal and her breathing came almost in gasps. He brushed her hair away from her eyes as he cupped her face with his hand. "Nara? Nara can you hear me?" Goku whispered. His heart was burning with an array of emotions – relief, anger, joy, and vengeance. He vowed that he would kill whoever did this to her. But first, he had to get her out of here.
The chains around her wrists had cut into her skin, leaving angry wounds in their stead. Goku, trying not to aggravate them, pulled hard on the chains. Nothing. Goku hmphed in annoyance. Oh! Where was Hakkai when he needed him? He would be able to blast these chains in a second. Goku examined the chair again. Noting the arms of the chair, he saw that the chains weren't connected to the chain itself. Grabbing hold of the wooden arm, he pulled. The wood groaned before shattering under Goku's strength. The remnants slid through the chain easily. Gently, he slid Nara's limp hand from the chain and lay in across her lap so as not to let the broken wood hurt her further. Quickly, he freed her other arm and reached down to pick her up.
"Goku?"
Goku looked up as Nara whispered his name. He saw her eyes open slightly. "Nara? Nara, it's me! I'm here." Goku said, caressing her face reassuringly. "I'm going to get you out of here."
"Goku…" Nara breathed, but her breath came faster as she tried to speak. "It's…trap…run."
"Not without you." Goku said.
A rough hand grabbed his shirt hard, throwing him back to the center of the room. Several doors flung open, spilling light into the room along with the missing soldiers. Goku stood as they surrounded him. The one who grabbed him sneered. "You really have a death wish, Heretic."
"Really?" Goku said as he charged guard. "Sorry, but today isn't my day to die." Goku grabbed the guard, throwing him into the wall. "And I'm not going without Nara." Swords were drawn all around the room. Goku crouched low, ready to take them all out.
"OIY! BAKA SARU!"
Goku looked up as several soldiers fell over…ok, knocked over…revealing Goyjo and Roxanne. "You're not allowed to leave us out of this one." Goyjo said as he kicked the nearest soldier in the chest.
"What the…GET THEM!"
Goyjo and Roxanne smirked as half the soldiers charged them. "This has been rather boring, darling. Can I go all out…just this once?" Roxanne begged.
Goyjo laughed. "By all means."
Roxanne charged the nearest group of soldiers, taking them out one by one. Goyjo watched for only a second before he began to plow through his own group. Goku soon joined in as an all out free for all ensued. Goku fought his way back over to Nara. If anyone dared to come within a foot of her, they would meet a nasty fate.
………………………………
Sephira sprinted down the hall. She'd managed to rid herself of the annoyances that kept following her. 'Ok, right.' She turned right for what felt like the millionth time. As she ran she noticed two people emerging from a room. "Emma! Hakkai!" They both turned as Sephira ran up to them. Without missing a beat, they fell into step with her.
"Sephira! You're alright." Emma cried.
"Of course I am." Sephira grinned looking at her friend. Emma's eyes were red. Had she been crying? "How 'bout you?"
"Just fine." Emma replied, trying to sound as pleasant as the situation called for. "Just ran into some trouble, that's all."
"Haven't we all." Sephira said. "This way!" Sephira said as she turned right…again.
Emma and Hakkai followed without question. "Hey! Where's Goyjo and Roxanne?" Hakkai yelled as they ran.
"How should I know?" Sephira called back. "You two are the first I've seen outside of those bloody soldiers!"
"I guess they lost you!" Emma said hurriedly. "After you ran off, we got separated, and they followed you."
Sephira nodded as they continued to run. Turning another corner the sound of a battle caught her attention. Rolling her eyes, she headed straight for it. "I think we found them!"
The trio stopped in front of a door which barely hung on its hinges. The scene they saw was almost amusing. Soldiers lined the floor as Goyjo, Roxanne and Goku were finishing off the few still standing. Almost on que, the soldiers hit the floor with a resounding crash. Hakkai laughed as Emma shook her head. Goyjo walked over to Roxanne as Hakkai and Emma entered the room.
"What? You didn't leave any for us?" Hakkai asked in mock disappointment.
"Not my fault. You were late." Goyjo shot back.
"Nara?" Goku bent over her. "Nara, are you ok?" Nara looked up at him, her eyes still a little cloudy. She nodded weakly, trying to smile. Though her body felt like a ton of bricks, her heart couldn't have been lighter.
"I knew you'd come for me." She whispered.
Goku leaned his head against hers. " And I always will."
Sephira watched as Goku reached down to pick up Nara's limp form. They found her…the soldiers are all either dead or too bruised to move…why did she still feel unnerved. Something wasn't right.
"Hey! Where's the monk?" Goyjo said his arm around Roxanne's waist.
"I haven't seen him." Emma replied, scanning the room.
"I'm sure he's fine." Hakkai said from his position next to her. "He'll probably meet us on the way out. For now, we need to get Nara to safety." he said as Goku came up to them, Nara curled up in his arms. Nara sighed in relief. She was safe. She never wanted to leave Goku's protective grasp.
"No one's going anywhere!"
Everyone looked up as more soldiers stormed in. Roxanne rolled her eyes. "This is getting annoying. I forgot how many soldiers Heaven had." The soldiers quickly surrounded them as the small group readied themselves for another battle. "Don't you guys know when to quit."
"Now Rox, they're too stupid to know when they are beat." Goyjo said pulling out his favorite weapon.
"Let's just kill them and get it over with." Goku said putting Nara down. The small group formed a defensive circle around her, each poised to strike. "Ready?"
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Goku started at the new voice. All eyes turned as Li Touten entered, his blade pressed cruelly against Sephira's throat. "Not unless you want her dead."
"You!" Goku cried in disbelief.
"You son of a…" Emma screamed, charging her energy.
"Ah!" Li Touten snapped sharply, pressing the blade deeper into Sephira's skin. She froze as the cool blade caressed her skin. She hadn't been paying attention. She had been scanning the hall in hope of seeing Sanzo turning the corner. She mentally berated herself for letting her guard down. She didn't realize they were on her until it was too late. She couldn't move. Her arm was twisted so far behind her back that she dared not move. Sephira felt his voice rumble in his chest as he laughed. She watched helplessly as the soldiers grabbed the others, forcing them down.
A soldier tried to grab Nara only to have Goku knock him out. "Don't touch her!" Goku yelled as eight guards charged him.
"Goku don't!" Hakkai yelled as Goku tried to fight off the guards. Goku fell to his knees as the soldiers subdued him. He glared dangerously at the soldier who held her. He was going to kill that son of a bitch as soon as he was free to do so.
Li Touten's harsh voice emanating from just behind Sephira's ear, sending waves of disgust through her. "Lock them up!" The soldiers advanced on the small group.
Sephira watched helplessly but was soon distracted as cold hand touched her face. "My dear Orlianna, still as beautiful as ever." Sephira cringed as he spoke. "Maybe after I kill your friends, you and I can have a little fun." Sephira gasped at the full meaning of his words. She struggled against him only to have her arm twisted painfully. She screamed. The pain was blinding. She stood helpless; her mind raced. She had to get away. She had to…Sanzo…where was that monk when she really needed him?
BANG! The resounding shot silenced the chaos of the room as two soldiers fell dead. Sephira felt her captive freeze behind her as Sanzo's rough voice reached her ears.
"Let her go." Sanzo stood behind Li Touten, his gun poised squarely behind his head. His voice was low and menacing. Li Touten didn't budge. Sanzo pushed his gun harder against his head. "Let. Her. Go!"
"Why, if it isn't Lord Konzen. I thought someone was…" His voice broke off as Sephira drove her elbow hard into his stomach. Sanzo's arrival provided her with enough of a distraction to free herself from Touten's hold.
The soldiers, distracted by their leader being attacked, didn't know what hit them as the others attacked them. Goku charged the soldier who dared hold his Nara. The soldier, seeing the death glare Goku sent him, quickly set Nara down and began to back away. Panic filled his eyes when he saw that Goku wasn't stopping. "No way! I'm not letting you live!" Goku yelled as he charged the cowering soldier.
Within minutes, the floor was littered with freshly knocked out soldiers. The only one still standing was Li Touten who, along with Sanzo's gun, had Sephira's blade pressed against his throat. He glanced widely about him like an animal trapped.
Sephira glared at him, her eyes burning with disgust. "You bastard!" She spat, kicking him hard in the stomach. "That was for my child."
"And for my life!" Emma said as she punched him, knocking him into Hakkai.
"For all the pain you caused us." Hakkai said, grabbing him by the collar and punching him hard in the face.
"For the countless lives you destroyed for your own greed." Roxanne added, kicking him hard to the ground.
Goyjo picked up the trembling form on the ground and lifted him high in the air. "For being a meddling prat in this life too!" he sneered as he threw the trembling god to the ground hard. Touten screamed as pain ripped through him anew. He coughed as blood splattered from his mouth .
Goku slammed his foot hard into his back, digging his heel in. "For ruining Nataku's life!" he screamed as he slammed his foot down again. "For hurting her and tormenting her for 500 years!"
Li screamed as Goku continued to beat him. A rough hand grabbed him, forcing him painfully to his knees. He trembled from lack of blood and fear as he heard a gun cock. "And now, you die." Sanzo finished.
"NO!"
Nara's cry reverberated off the walls, silencing the room. All eyes turned to her in shock. Nara met their eyes. She slowly stood, determination and defiance in her every move. "No."
"Nara. You know what this man's done." Goku cried in disbelief. "What are you…?"
"I know." Nara snapped as she stepped forward. "But no one kills my father…"
All eyes watched her as she slowly walked forward. Li Touten cowered before her. "Yes, good girl. Nice girl."
She stopped before him as he grabbed the edge of her robe. "No one kills my father…except me."
Li Touten's eyes widened in shocked fear as a golden light emanated around Nara. Her eyes, cold as stone, bore down on him as a fiercely curved sword appeared in her hand. "Good bye father." Nara's words were as cold as ice as she brought her sword down…
………………………………………
Kanzeon Bosatsu sat by her pool enjoying the morning sun; her fingers dancing lightly over the water. Soon all of Heaven would be gossiping. She could just hear them now. 'The criminal, Li Touten, found dead in his home. Can you believe it?' She smirked. No one would be investigating this murder, she would make sure of that. She smiled as a picture formed in her pool. A small green jeep parked quietly outside a small cave in a dense wood. Though the battle was over, Fate had one last trick up her sleeve. She sighed. Soon the boring everyday life of a goddess would set in. But at least she had some mortals to amuse her.
………………………………….
The late afternoon sun peered through the cave mouth as Sephira surveyed the ground. They had returned as the sun was rising only to have everyone fall asleep in their all too familiar cave. Around noon, Sephira woke everyone up and had them start packing. Her heart ached as she looked around the empty cave. So much had happened here. The memories of their time here would be imprinted on her heart for eternity. Her mind wondered back to the previous night. Goku wouldn't let Nara go since they left Heaven. He held her close, still trying to protect her. She had fallen asleep immediately in his arms. He gently sat down and slept with her there. She seemed so content there. Roxanne and Goyjo fell fast asleep next to each other and what should have surprised her but didn't was that Emma slept next to Hakkai as well.
She shook the memory from her mind. She didn't get much sleep. Her mind wouldn't let her as it lingered on a pair of hard violet eyes and golden hair. Sanzo…They had not shared one word since their memories were restored. But was it for the best? Those memories only confirmed what had been in her heart for months. She loved him. But what about him? What did he think of her now? Would he expect them to be together now or would he just ignore her as always? Would he be able to alleviate the pain that was slowly eating at her heart? No…no he couldn't. Even if he did love her, he was still a monk and a very prestigious one at that. Nothing could change that fact. Monks were not allowed to love. It was only one of their many rules. But Sanzo already broke so many of them! Maybe he…no. He wouldn't. Not for her, not for any woman. Sephira felt her heart break as she decided. The sooner they left the sooner she could forget this whole thing. Though she knew a part of her never would. Wiping the tears that were burning her eyes, she walked out into the fading sunlight.
"Got everything?" Emma said cheerfully.
"Yes." Sephira replied adding the last bag to there pile. She looked around and noticed a few missing. She rolled her eyes knowing the answer to her question before she asked. "Where's Nara and Roxanne?"
'With Goyjo and Goku of course.' Emma smirked. "I don't know." She lied as she turned to her friend. "I'll go look for them."
"Please do." Sephira said, adopting her leader tone. "We need cover some ground before it gets too dark."
"Are you sure you won't take Hakkai up on his offer. We can cover more ground in the jeep." Emma asked.
"No." Sephira turned, not able to meet her friend's hopeful stare. "We've already caused them enough trouble." And if we took the jeep, she would still be too close to Sanzo. "Now, go get Nara and Roxanne. They've had enough time for goodbyes."
"Hai, hai!" Emma said as she skipped off.
Sephira watched as she left. She seemed a little too happy considering she was forcing them to leave their new found 'lovers'. Lovers…all of them were past lovers and, by some odd twist of Fate, they had found each other again. Sephira let out an exasperated sigh. Just because some of them were past lovers doesn't mean they needed to be present lovers. But isn't that what you want? Sephira quickly brushed that thought aside as she finished organizing their bags. 'Don't worry, in a little while you'll never have to see that monk again.'
Standing, she turned to see…Sanzo. Her heart skipped a beat as a blush touched her cheeks. He was leaning against the jeep not really looking at anything. His golden hair fell lightly over his violet eyes. She fought the temptation to bush his hair out of his face. She bet it would be soft and fun to play with… 'No! Stop it! I'm not going to start thinking that way now!' Sephira watched him for another second. 'It wouldn't hurt to say goodbye, would it?' Taking a deep breath, Sephira walked over to him. Sanzo looked up as she approached, his eyes focused on her. Sephira did her best to keep her resolve as she stopped in front of him. "So…all ready to go? " Sephira fumbled out, mentally kicking herself for sounding so ineloquent. Sanzo just stared at her, his eyes unreadable. It took everything she had not to falter under his gaze. Sephira took a deep breath, trying to collect her jumbled thought into sentences. "I just wanted to say…um…thank you for all your help. If you guys hadn't shown up when you did we probably would have um…well, let's not dwell on that." Sephira looked at him expectantly.
Nothing.
He stood stoically in front of her, his gaze unwavering, which began to irk her a little. She had just thanked him, the least he could say is 'You're welcome' or something. She stared back at him. Hurt flashed in her eyes as she lowered her gaze. "Right, you don't have to say anything. We won't be seeing each other again anyway so there's no point really." She desperately tried to smile a genuine smile but tears soon began to make that impossible. 'He hates me. Just accept it. He hates me and always has. Why did I think that would change after this whole thing. He thinks I just a bothersome…stupid woman. He's probably anxious to leave. Just say good bye and end this .' Swallowing hard, trying to keep the pain from her voice she turned from him. "Goodbye, Sanzo."
She froze as a strong hand grabbed her wrist. "Urasai." She gasped as he pulled her back against him, trapping her; hisvoice sending a chill down her spine. He wrapped his arms around her small frame, turning her toward him. Violet flames met blue as his eyes consumed her. Her breath caught in her throat; her heart pounded uncontrollably. She felt her body weaken as he pulled her closer to him. Sephira closed her eyes as his lips met hers. His soft lips crushed hers, sending fire coursing through her. Sephira felt as if her heart would burst. All doubt in her mind vanished at his kiss. Her fingers tangled themselves in his hair. If at all possible, Sanzo pulled her even closer, deepening the kiss to a mind numbing level. The last thought she had before she completely lost herself in him…'Who knew the monk could kiss this well.'
…………………………………
'Finally.' Emma smirked from her place behind a tree. She knew that if she could get her friend alone with him for just a minute they would finally resolve their little 'crises.'
"Strange, I thought he would do it a little different. Who knew he could be a romantic." Emma laughed as she playfully hit Hakkai.
"Shh…" Emma quieted Hakkai; though she didn't think a volcano eruption could interrupt Sanzo and Sephira at the moment. She took Hakkai's hand and led him away. "That went well. Now what?"
"Well, Rox and Goyjo won't be back for awhile and I haven't the faintest idea where Goku and Nara got off to." Hakkai said with a grin. "Looks like it's just the two of us."
"Looks like." Emma said, leaning her head on Hakkai's shoulder. She squeezed his hand as they walked along. "Hakkai?"
"Hmm?"
"You know I'm not who I was then…in the past." Emma said meekly. "I'm different now."
Hakkai laughed, placing a soft kiss on her hand as they walked into the sunset. "I wouldn't have you any other way, my dear."
End ch. 15
Sai Orlianna: ;-; Well, there you go. The end. :sniff: I can't believe it's over. WAIT! I would write an epilogue. Hmm…KK. If you want to see and Epilogue, please R&R. Ja!
