Author Notes: Sorry this chapter took so long. I hit a major writer's block, but it's done! Now, finally we're in the actual chapters. In response to the reviews, as for Etna escaping mind control, there is a reason for that, but can't tell you it now. I've never played Chain of Memories in my life, so it's just a coincidence. xP Oh and Silhouette Mirage is not the only crossover. Don't worry, I'm not turning this into a "Laharl meets Sonic meets Goku meets Cloud meets Superman meets Maximillian meets Bugs Bunny meets my Grandpa meets Fred Flintstone meets Cyborg George Washington meets Ferris Bueller" Fic. Let me just say this…if you've played Gunstar Heroes (and you should have), then you'll probably like the next crossover point. And because yall seem to want to know so much, this will be a Laharl/Thursday Fic. Yup, the raw, uninhibited, and passionate love between a demon prince and a buggy robot shall be unveiled! snickers truthfully, still don't know what the romance aspect will entail, however, just make sure you know that all the aforementioned Vassals are very important to the story.
Chapter Notes: Some more violence. Oo; Some non-heavy cursing.
Chapter 5: Cheating Death
Things had been dark for a long time. Or was it really that long? The prince couldn't be sure. To tell the truth, passage of time was not relevant to him anymore. He was dead, what did he care? Being dead was not nearly as bad as he thought it would be. It was quiet, dark, and boring. He was not fully thought-capable, either. It was like…he COULD think of stuff…but whenever he did, things were distant and fuzzy. Now, he just felt like a shell. A shell of his former self.
Something did puzzle him though. Why had he not been reaper'd yet? Or turned into a Prinny? Though, as mentioned, the passage of time was irrelevant to him, he knew for a fact he had been here for longer than he should have. Whatever the case, for now, he would just enjoy it, as much as you could enjoy an all encompassing blackout of senses.
FLASH! Something new was happening…Laharl had no idea how long it had been since his last thought, but he realized now that the flash was a very vivid one. FLASH! Again! Completely unable to react except by thought, Laharl could do nothing but wait. FLASH! Suddenly he felt a pain shoot up his arm. Wait…pain? Arm? Up till this point, he had been completely disembodied. What was going on? Had the reaper come for him? FLASH! Pain! The other arm this time! FLASH! Now his whole body felt like it was on fire…
FLASH! Headache. Bad headache. FLASH! Ugh! A putrid smell entered his nostrils…NOSTRILS? SMELL? Something was definitely happening… FLASH! Oh, that sound! A horrible, grinding, grating noise that seemed to pierce right through his skull. FLASH! His body spasm'd, limbs flailing about. FLASH! Bright lights! Bright lights everywhere… FLASH! FLASH! FLASH FLASH FLASH!
FLASH! With the final flash, Laharl sprung up into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes and looking around. All his senses were still foggy, but he knew that he was definitely alive. Suddenly, he lurched forward, and vomited onto the ground. The sensory overload had sickened him. After the brief but disturbing emptying of stomach. The Prince scrambled to his feet, and quickly brushed himself off, finally getting a good view of the place he was in.
Well, there really was not that much to see. He was suspended in an all-white void…in every direction, nothing but a white eternity. Below his feet was solid ground, he was sure of that, but that was the only thing he had to feel secure in this place. Was this limbo? It certainly did not feel like a bad, foreboding place…but it did not feel good, either. It seemed empty, and devoid of all presence. Or was it…?
Off in the distance, the Overlord noticed a figure walking in his direction. Was it another weirdo? Or maybe someone that could help him out? Laharl stood his ground, and waited, the distant silhouette coming ever nearer. Whoever it was continued to approach, becoming slightly clearer every moment. The prince thought it looked vaguely familiar, but could not be sure of whom it was.
Out of nowhere, the figure broke into a run, coming straight for Laharl. Now he was on guard, raising his fists and making himself ready for any kind of attack. A rush of wind, and the figure appeared instantly, a few steps in front of Laharl. NOW he knew who it was.
"Death…" The grim reaper. "You're a bit late, bonehead. I'm feeling pretty good now." Laharl taunted, lowering his guard and feeling relieved. He had no reason to be afraid now, what could the reaper do to the overlord of the underworld? Absolutely nothing. Or so he thought.
As if it was reading his mind, the Reaper spoke, its voice like a low, grumbling beast amongst a dark, howling wind. "Even those in your position must succumb to me one day. Your mother did. Your father did. Now it's your turn." The Prince, however, was unfazed, crossing his arms in defiance and grinning widely.
"Yeah well…It's not so easy to get me. I'm Overlord Laharl, and you're just some bag of bones with a boring ol' robe on and a silly little scythe. Go on, get outta here. I don't have time for you." He said as he made shooing motions with his hands. But the reaper merely raised its arm, and pointed a bony finger, firing forth a small beam of energy that hit Laharl in the shoulder.
The very moment it hit, the prince felt the left side of his body go completely numb, and he slumped down. "What the? What're you trying to pull, knucklehead!" Grim slowly reached into his robes, and drew out his deadly soul stealing scythe, bringing it back and aiming to snatch the partially paralyzed prince's soul away. "Stop that!"
With a mighty swing, one would have imagined that it was all over. But Laharl was not one to go so easily, as he pushed his bodyweight towards his good, right side, and rolled out of the way just as the razor sharp weapon sliced through the air. "Too slow!" He cried as he brought his hand back, and launched forward a medium powered burst of energy into the reapers stomach.
Grim reeled backwards, but with surprising reflexes for a skeleton, retaliated with yet another slash of the scythe aimed directly for Laharl's head. Ducking down again, the Prince preformed yet another right side roll, making good use of the unparalyzed part of his body. Gaining his balance pretty quickly, he was on two feet and ready to make another dodge. "Is that all you got, thick skull? I expected more from you! Hah! What a loser…" Even with part of his body useless, Laharl was cocky and confident as ever.
The reaper turned, and attempted once again with another attack utilizing his deadly blade. But as expected, the Prince continued to dodge and roll out of the way, making sure to stay on his right side, and to pummel the reaper with energy each time it got too close. Needless to say, ol' Grim was getting a bit peeved, its eyes glowing with a red fury. But the Overlord was just too skilled and too agile.
Death attempted a sweep under Laharl's feet, only to have him propel himself acrobatically off the ground with his right arm and land right on the Reaper's shoulders, forcing it to the ground. He was getting the feeling back in his body again, and now could move both arms. "Jeeze, what's with you? You couldn't hit the broad side of a Hoggmeiser, and your spells are a big YAWN. Can't find good Death these days…" At that point, Death charged at Laharl, but he lowered himself, ready to slam into the Reaper as it approached.
The prince was unable to act fast enough; however, when Grim leaped right over him, spun around in midair, and plunged the tip of the scythe right into his back, sending a massive amount of pain through his entire body. "AAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!" The prince cried, falling to his knees. Death gripped the handle, and wrenched the blade in deeper, forcing more mind wracking pain into him. The soul stealing started, a light green aura forming around the weapon as it began drawing out Laharl's very essence, soon to cast him off into his final resting place.
"N…n…NO!" He could do nothing. The pain was too intense, and every passing second that the reaper drained, he felt weaker, felt like he was slipping away. He could see his hands, and as he watched them, they were rapidly growing old, as his life force was being taken away. This is crazy! I miss one step and now I'm going to disappear forever? What the heck was all that 'save us all' crap? What use was all that when I'm just gonna die for good anyways? "GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF OF ME! STOP THIS NOW! I COMMAND YOU!"
But the reaper did not cease, and continued to take the very core of Laharl's being into his blade. "Go peacefully with it, Overlord. Do not struggle; it will only prolong your suffering. Your eternity awaits you. Allow it to happen." Could he have lost so easily? Could any of this be real? Was he really going to fade away now, and never see the light of day again? He was getting weaker every moment. His eternity, he could feel it, was drawing nearer. Maybe he should just let it happen. Maybe this was really it. Just…just forget it…it's over…
Laharl fell facedown, his eyes growing heavy with each passing moment. "That's good, Prince. Do not struggle. It will all be over in a minute." His time was nearing, closer and closer. But still, time was time, and he could still think. …am I really THIS dumb? Is this how I'm going to be remembered? …and my friends…Damnit! My friends! They still need me! I can't just sit here and fade away! Hell no! "…Ergghhh….STOP IT! I COMMAND YOU TO STOP IT NOW! NO MORE OF THIS!"
It still went on, and Grim shook his head, sighing. "I was hoping you were going peaceful on me. But no matter how hard you try, you're mine now." The beastly voice emitted a soft chuckle.
…no…no I…NO! I'm…I'm the overlord…I command the netherworld…I command the demons…I command you… Laharl was angry now. A powerful fury was building up inside of him, and as it did, the trail of green energy began to turn a deep, dark red. I make the damn rules around here…not this stupid freak! My word is law… Sparks began to run up the length of the scythe, and the Reaper grunted in annoyance.
"My….my word…is law…" He paused for a moment, as he mustered the strength, and slowly rose to his feet, the red trails of energy now traveling back into his body, the aging process reversing. "You're just…a minion…you're just a pawn…you cannot kill me…" The Prince's voice was ripe with authority and anger. Grim tried to maintain the flow of soul stealing, increasing his effort, but it was to no avail, as the Prince reached behind him, and tore out the scythe from his back, not even wincing in pain as the gash grew larger. He turned slowly, to face the reaper, now holding his scythe.
"I command you reaper…I command you, FALL BEFORE ME!" Laharl's eyes lit up with a blood red rage, and he held his arms out, using pure force of will to slam the reaper harshly into the ground, pinning it and preventing it from moving. A dark red aura flowed about the prince, streaks of red lightning crackling around him.
"You…you cannot do this…all must obey the laws of death…you cannot break these laws!" The reaper almost seemed to be pleading at this point. But Laharl would have none of it, pushing forward another force of will that pressed the reaper even harder into the floor; nearly crushing it's ribcage in the process.
"I make the laws. And I BREAK the laws!" Having said this, he slowly raised the scythe above his knee, before bringing it down, snapping it cleanly in half, causing the remainder of his life force left within it to flow out and back inside him, rejuvenating him completely and only adding to his fury fueled power.
"No…what are you doing?" Grim cried, as the prince tossed the pieces of the Scythe away, and slowly raised the reaper up off the ground, using only his anger reinforced will to do so.
"AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The Overlord laughed in triumph, as he threw Grim off into the distance, and spread his arms wide, before bringing them close together again, causing a myriad of energy spheres to simultaneously appear and converge on the reaper, crushing the entity between the orbs of energy, and resulting in a massive explosion that left nothing but smoke and particles in it's wake.
A wide grin crossed the powered up Prince's face, and his aura slowly died away, eye color returning to normal. "Man…what an idiot." Rolling his eyes, he looked around for a moment, before grinning wide. "I knew I was an awesome Overlord from the start. I should have the demons build me a statue just to honor how great I am." He held a thumbs-up symbol with his hand, and chuckled menacingly.