Chapter Sixteen – The War Begins

Well, this is going by like REALLY REALLY fast! I'm amazed at myself! XDDD

Chapter Sixteen – The War Begins

Disclaimer – Ditto on Last

Later

"Ow! Hey, that stings! Watch how much you pour on there!" Kriss yelled.

"Well, I see that the "Tough One" is gone now…" Marik exasperated.

"Hey! You try being me! I'd like to see you try it!" Kriss shouted back.

"You think you have it the worse? I had to do something even worse than this when I was younger than you! So you just shut up over there!" Marik argued.

Kriss did shut up. She didn't want to know what he did, and quite frankly didn't care.

When they were done with Kriss' injuries, they headed back downstairs. Kriss made a break for the door, but Ishizu blocked her way.

"Don't you have anything to say?" She asked angrily.

"Not really, no…" Kriss answered.

Ishizu glared at her. When she'd made her point Kriss sighed and looked over at Marik.

"Thanks…" She grumbled, and then tried to head out the door, Ishizu caught her again.

"Marik?"

Marik looked at her like she was insane, which, right now she might be.

"Sure…" Marik managed.

Ishizu let Kriss go after this. Before she made it through the door, Kriss stopped and turned to Ishizu.

"You cannot force us to like each other!" Then Kriss left; she'd said her piece and that was it. She needed to find Rex.

He needed to be warned about Carmen. She was dangerous, and not looking to re-enslave Kriss anymore. Now she wanted her dead, but Kriss was not going down without a fight. However, if Carmen found out that Kriss was friends with Rex, he could be in serious danger.

At Rex's

Kriss knocked and waited for Rex to answer. He seemed to be taking while. She knocked again. Still no answer.

'Well, I can't constantly expect him to be there…' Kriss thought dully.

She turned around and went back down the stairs. She hoped he was safe; just because he was her friend, but not in that way. Just strictly as a friend

Kriss was afraid of what could happen if, one, her mom found out and two, found Rex. She could kill him! And that's where Kriss came in.

She had hoped that Rex didn't go too far; not trying to be overprotective or what-not but, he was defenseless and he needed to stay someplace where she could make sure that he was safe.

Kriss briskly walked to her alley. Rex might have gone there, but he didn't. She then decided that if she did run into her mom, she'd need an ally. Kriss ran back to her dad's house and burst through the door.

"That was fast…" Marik mused over the newspaper. Kriss saw the headline. Dennis DeYoung, Still in Hiding And Why? Kriss scoffed.

"Will they ever just leave him alone?"

Marik flipped it over and looked at the front again.

"I can't believe they're still after that guy, I can't wait 'till they just catch him already!" Marik scoffed too.

"Oh they won't!" Kriss smiled, "You can be sure of that!"

"How can I be sure? They'll catch him, trust me, they will," Marik told her.

"Not as long as I'm around," Kriss argued, then she realized that she let something slip when Marik looked at her, "YOU DIDN'T HEAR THAT!" she shouted.

Marik raised his eyebrow. He looked up as Odion walked in with the mail.

"Surprisingly, Kriss got a letter…" Odion stated.

At these words, Kriss came flying down the stairs.

"A letter?" She asked.

"How did you hear me from way up there?" Odion asked in surprise.

"Um…um… you talk….too…loud?" Kriss grinned and snatched her mail from Odion.

Odion and Marik just stared, and then looked at each other confusedly.

Kriss tore open her mail and gasped.

"I didn't know it'd be that much, holy shit..." Kriss became aware of the staring uncle and father and shut up.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Marik said, snatching it away from her. He read it and had the same reaction, "Where the hell is this coming from?" He asked in disbelief.

Kriss shrugged.

Marik glared at her.

"Fine! You win… um…. Record …sales?" Kriss tried, "Hm... that Dennis DeYoung thing must REALLY be gong to their heads…." Kriss noted.

Marik continued reading and yelped and jumped up in surprise.

"Dennis DeYoung. That's how you're so sure that he hasn't been caught!" Marik sat dawn down and massaged his temples.

Kriss grinned, "Uh yeah… apparently all this news junk has really been pushing my record sales!"

Odion was still confused.

"So wait… She's Dennis DeYoung?" He asked.

Kriss nodded, "Good job Einstein…"

Kriss took the letter back.

"Hey wait! So, you can just like… cash that by yourself?" Marik asked, "Like, doesn't a parent have to be present?"

"No, I can just put it in my back account, but I can't use it until I'm 18…" Kriss explained.

"So if all your checks are like that, then you're gonna be rich when you turn 18, huh?" Marik asked.

"No, well, yeah, I'm gonna be rich when I'm older," Kriss explained, "but they were a lot bigger when I was in my prime but then I had to "go into hiding" 'cause I ran away, then record sales went up, but they couldn't send me the checks because I didn't have an address so I just contacted them yesterday and explained the situation…"

"So they know that you're Dennis DeYoung?" Marik wondered aloud.

"Yeah but if they blab then I sue them," Kriss smirked.

"Nice…" Marik added.

"Wait, she is Dennis DeYoung? Hold shit!" Odion said.

"What was that?" Ishizu shouted from the living room.

"Oh great, why don't I just tell the whole world while I'm at it? Jeez!" Kriss exclaimed.

"Yep, this is Dennis, "The Legend"" Marik scoffed, "Some legend…"

"I was pretty dammed good for a nine year old!" Kriss argued.

"Wait, Dennis was at his prime four years ago, yeah, that would make you nine… Holy cow…" Marik realized.

"Good job!" Kriss congratulated, then she rolled her eyes, "Which means that I'm even better now!"

"Wait, you couldn't have done this by yourself, you else was with you?" Marik wondered.

"Some neighbors… I think…" Kriss thought for awhile.

"Oh that's great…" Marik said.

"I know, huh!" Kriss laughed.

Marik shook his head. He really didn't understand this girl that was her daughter.

"Gar! I forgot!" Kris exclaimed.

"Gar?" Marik asked.

"What'd you forget?" Odion asked.

"Yes to you," Kriss pointed at Marik, "And, something important!" Kriss whistled. It was a shrill and loud whistle.

Ishizu came flying in, followed by Thorn.

"Wow… it works for Ishizu too!" Kriss mused, then she beckoned to Thorn and headed towards the door.

"Hey! When are you going to be back?" Marik called after her.

"I dunno!" Kriss shrugged.

"Well, don't forget that you have school tomorrow!" Marik reminded.

"How in Ra's name could I forget that!" Kriss shouted. She had gone today to get her uniform. She had refused to wear the skirt that was required for the girls. Marik refused to make her go anywhere else. The fitter was getting angry too, so Kriss had a guy's uniform, which was actually a lot more comfortable then the girls'.

Marik rolled his eyes and Kriss returned it with her own eye-rolling. She left with Thorn tagging happily behind.

Kriss walked back to Rex's apartment, but her still wasn't there, so she began to go to the alley again.

Kriss kicked the pavement as they walked. How could her dad just make her go back to school? She'd already graduated from online classes, wasn't that enough? She didn't need to go to high school; she didn't even need to get a job. She had enough money to pay for collage that she didn't need and retirement already. Well… when she turn 18.

As she neared the alley she could detect the sounds of a quiet scuffle. Just as she thought, her mom had found out about Rex.

Kriss changed immediately into Glacier and flew around the corner. If Rex was scared before, he was even more freaked out now. He thought that Glacier was an alley to the other white wolf tearing at his sleeve. Carmen turned and snarled at Glacier. Thorn growled, Glacier however, just returned the snarl with a cold glare. Rex looked frightened out of his life; his hopes glimmered a bit when he spotted Thorn, however.

Carmen let go of Rex's sleeve and charged at Glacier, who stood his ground; as a result, Carmen was thrown back on contact. It was as though she had run headlong into a brick wall. Glacier lunged at her, tearing through the air with his razor sharp claws. Carmen leapt back, but still caught a bit in her snout. She yelped and Glacier smirked. How could she expect to beat him when she yelped at the slighted scratch?

Glacier lunged at her again, this time going for her throat. He then changed his plan at the last moment and turned his head and kicked the pavement with his powerful hind legs and grabbed Carmen by the scruff of her neck and threw her against the wall. She lay at the base, shocked.

Glacier took this time to return to Kriss and rushed over to Rex. Rex stared dumbfounded at her.

"What the hell was that all about?" He asked her.

Kriss held out her hand and he took it. She helped him to his feet and handed him something. It was a gold chain.

"What's this for?" he asked confusedly.

"So you can defend yourself a bit better in case this happens again!" Kriss told him in a stern voice.

"How's this gonna help?" Rex swung it around a bit, but still didn't get it.

"Ay chingow!" Kriss exclaimed. She snatched it from his hands as Carmen found her feet again, she charged at Kriss, who was, in her eyes, now defenseless.

As Carmen neared, Kriss raised her hand and whipped the chain through the air, bringing down a whip of hate on Carmen's flank.

Carmen yelped again and thought better of fighting right now. She turned tail and ran, retreated from the golden whip.

"Oh…" Rex responded.

"Yeah, watch out for her, that's my mom, in wolf form," Kriss told him.

"I noticed, she looks like you," Rex observed.

"I could be a black wolf if I had the collar," Kriss said.

"Huh?" Rex asked.

"Nevermind, I'll explain it later," Kriss said.

"That'll work, so, how long do you think that this little thing between the two of you will last?" Rex asked.

"Until one of us is dead," Kriss said tonelessly.

W00t! that was great! I can't wait till the next chapter! That one will rock!

-Kriss