Chapter 8: Remembering

Location: Toriton 8

"Because I am David." He said. Aileta slowly shook her head.

"No…it can't be, that's impossible." She whispered.

"Oh but it is sweetheart. It's really me. He said revealing his tail. It all came to Aileta just then, Phoenix appearing just as David disappeared, his hesitation back in spirit world…his knowledge of how to beat the guardians with ease…it all made sense now.

"But…but why David. Why are you doing this?"

"Why…this is why." David removed the cloaked that had worn all this time. His shirt was gone, and half fused to his back, was a hunter Metroid, its siphon tentacle attached to the back of his neck.

"Oh that is nasty." Ollrack commented to himself. His legs no longer moving, he dragged himself closer and closer to his staff. Soon he was close enough. He reached out to grab his weapon. His fingers were about to touch it, when a sudden shock of pain ran through his arm. His eye's widened as he saw what happened. Sicron stood over him, his sword separating Ollrack's arm from his hand. Ollrack withdrew his arm back, clutching it as it spewed blood. Sicron looked down at Ollrack's removed hand, still just inches from the staff, and smiled with pleasure, he returned to his thrown.

Aileta stared at the large sac of ooze that was embedded in David's back. "Confused?" David concluded. "Well you have Ollran to thank for this." Aileta shot her gaze to the helmeted creature.

"Well if you insist that I take all the credit for this. As I was rebuilding my own body, the thought of using the machine to revive master Sicron crossed my mind. However I knew I didn't have the physical stamina to achieve this task, and get the proper DNA I needed. So I thought of using one of my own kind to control the mind of one of the soul guardians. I knew this could be done, seeing as I myself have the ability to control other bodies."

"He released a hunter Metroid after me." David interrupted. "The story I told you was to shred your last bit of hope. All that really happened is that the Metroid embedded its siphon tentacle in my nervous system and…I was created. The creature you are talking to is the result of David's and the hunter Metroid's mind interacting with each other. They are both buried deep in my subconscious, while I slowly fuse my own mind into this body." The creature on his back slowly began to enter his chest. "In mere moments, the Metroid's body will become completely fused with mine…making my existence permanent, ending every last hope you had Aileta."

Black Phoenix smiled with triumph. "Now then…" Black Phoenix grabbed Aileta's shirt and thrust her against the wall. "…I can't let you get in the way again." He brought his hand around and struck her in the face. Aileta yelped in pain as his fist hit her. "Is it that bad?" He taunted. He hit her again. "Try opening your eyes, look who's doing it!" He punched her again. He looked over his shoulder, the Metroid nearly all the way inside him. "Its over, now your husband really is dead." He said as she hung limp, blood dripping from her mouth. He looked again. The fusion was finishing. The last of the red body disappeared, and the tentacle that continued to be lodged in the back of his neck quickly joined it. Black Phoenix let go and watched Aileta slide to the floor. "So what now…if you ask for death to stop the pain I'd be happy to oblige."

"No." She said. Aileta grabbed David's pant leg, and heaved herself up. Black Phoenix just watched as the girl tried to get to her feet. Eventually, she grabbed his shoulders and hoisted herself up to eye level. "David, I know you can hear me. You have to fight him; you have to remember who really controls this body!" She said at the ice cold eye's that stared at her. Then she saw it, his eyebrow twitched, Black Phoenix was fighting for control, which meant David was still there, there was still a chance. "Remember David, how did we first met?" Black Phoenix growled.

"You c-can't win. That son of a bitch is gone." He stuttered! It was working.

"You know David! Tell me!"

"…In…Hell LYOKO, I rescued you." He forced out.

"Exactly. Who did you rescue me from?"

"………Him, Lord Sicron." Black Phoenix couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. He pushed harder; he would not let David get control again.

"But that was only the beginning, wasn't it? Who else did he become in the years to come?" Aileta asked. She defiantly could tell Black Phoenix was having a hell of a time in there.

"He was…Sahathroe." He grabbed his forehead, temples pulsing.

"Who else did he become?"

"…D…Dark Ra."

"Keep fighting David, you can do it." She struggled of what to make him remember next, and then it hit her. She held her hand in front of him. "Look at my finger, what do you see?" Black Phoenix looked at her finger.

"A ring."

"I know that…but what is it?" Black Phoenix resisted his best but couldn't hold.

"It's a wedding ring, our wedding ring, we're married." Aileta smiled.

"Exactly, so who are you?" He stopped grunting, and let his hand drop to his side. Did it work?

"My name…is Black Phoenix!" Black Phoenix backhanded Aileta, sending her flying off to the side. "I told you there was no going back, although I do have to admit, for a moment I thought David really had gotten through, but as I said, I'm here to stay." Black Phoenix laughed. Aileta felt something under her, it was too smooth to be a rock. She lifted herself and stared at it. Black Phoenix walked over to her. "Now, no more delays, its time I finished you."

"David…this is FOR YOU!" Aileta grabbed her sword that lay below her. In a flash she jumped to her feet, spun around and thrust her blade through his chest. He screamed in agony. A familiar sound, the sound of a Metroid in pain. Aileta saw the hunter Metroid fully out of his body, and skewered by her blade, only attached by the siphon tentacle on his neck.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" David yelled. He reached back and yanked out the cord that bound them, green ooze splattering everywhere. David reached down and yanked Aileta's sword from out his gut. Amazingly, the only blood was that of the green slop from the hunter Metroid. David slowly felt the evil presence of Black Phoenix disappear. He turned to the Metroid on the ground. He felt quite good as he slammed his foot down into the creature, its insides spewing all over the ground.

Sicron shot to his feet, a dark look on his face. "I WAS GOING TO LET YOU LIVE…BUT THIS IS UNACEPTABLE. LOOKS LIKE IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DONE YOU REALLY HAVE TO DO IT YOURSELF." He said as he drew his sword.

"Why don't you just get out of our lives…and stay out! David pulled out his staff and unfurled it to full length. "Destiny's decision!" A small burst of light blue light shot out the end of his staff, hit Sicron in the chest, and disappeared.

"WHAT WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE?" Sicron mocked.

"You died already, and that will keep it that way…look." Sicron looked down at his chest, it was no longer there, and the hole began to consume and devour him.

"AHH, NO, THIS CANNOT BE! YOU HAVN'T WON YET DAVID, THE FIRE WILL CONITUE TO BURN, I'LL BE BACK." He vanished into nothing. Ollran leaped out of his throne in fear. He dashed for the door.

"Oh no you don't. Phoenix claw!" David charged and fired a blast of flying fire at the creature. Ollran was blown through the doors and landed limp. David suddenly realized what he did he stared at his hand. "How, how did I do that. How can I use Phoenix claw when Black Phoenix is gone?" Aileta placed her arms around him.

"It doesn't matter, you're' with us again. Now let's go home." David shrugged Aileta's arms off him, much to her surprise.

"No. I-I'm sorry, but I can't go with you. I don't know who I am. Am I really David again, or dose Black Phoenix still exist deep inside my mind. I'm sorry, but I won't join you till I know who I am." Aileta grabbed his arm.

"You're David. And you always will be, please don't leave me, not when I just got you back!"

"Aileta, I will come back. I promise." David spread his wings wide and lifted himself from the ground. David slowly pulled away until Aileta could no-longer hold onto his arm anymore. He took one last look at Aileta and flew toward the sky. Aileta watched him go, with nothing more than a teardrop.