Here we go. Here's the epilogue to Battle City. Here is where it all ends.
Epilogue-Ascend to a Heaven on Earth
The word sin originated in the land known as Europe as an archers way of saying that they had missed their target. It was later used by religious leaders as a way of saying that an individual had trespassed the will of their God, or that they had missed the target of righteousness.
Thud!
An eighteen inch shaft wobbled around in the matted target at the back end of a large fenced in yard. The bolt had sunk directly into the center of the target, three more around it, all four within the golden circle.
Grabbing another arrow from his back, Kai Kaethan knocked it in his bow, lifted it, and aimed, only to find a lock of silver hair in his eye. Loosening the bow, he reached up and pushed the strands of hair out of his way. Raising the bow again to the attacking position, he fired, the fifth arrow striking directly to the left-hand side of the fourth, appearing from the distance to be a single arrow. Reaching back for a sixth, Kai froze.
"It's been six months, Kai. Or should I say Enzeru?" Turning, Kai was faced by a man only a few years older than him in a black sued shirt hanging open over a white one. The newcomers hair was thick and long, reaching to his mid-back.
Returning the arrow to his back, Kai straightened his archers haiori and placed his bow on the ground. Returning his attention to the visitor, looked the man in the eye. "Tenken, what can I do for you?"
"You did well, Enzeru." Tenken continued, stepping forward. "You've grown significantly since we first did battle."
"What do you want, Tenken?" Kai demanded. "Where were you when I was getting killed?"
"Two questions with overlapping answers." the Guardian explained. "After I dueled you I went in search of other Guardians. I've found the other four, and they've all accepted their fates, and are waiting for a day that I may need each of you."
"And why did you choose me first?" Kai asked, shaking his silver hair, an attribute he had come to accept as permanent.
"Because I understood that if you were to face Bakura, you would need more power than you had at the time to do it." Tenken explained. "But also, if I should need the Guardians, it is important that the Guardian of Time be the first to emerge, because he has the memories needed to give all of the Guardians their full strength." Kai nodded, accepting this fact as reasonable enough.
"Tenken, I have to ask you something." Kai caught the older fellow, who had turned his back suddenly, as if planning to leave. Reaching down to a bag on the ground, Kai withdrew his Millennium Rod. "Ever since the duel with Bakura, I've been feeling its powers waning."
"I know." Tenken nodded. "That is not the true Millennium Rod." Kai looked down at the item in surprise. "The Millennium Items disappeared one hundred years ago, and they wont be coming back. That was created by you when your powers spiked on that archaeological dig, the grounds were you were working pulsing with power. Your unconscious self couldn't control the power, and so it created a sort of extra arm of power that you could understand, in the shape of an item that you understood to be magical. However, now that you are beginning to master your power, you don't need it any more. The magic has been flowing back into you." And with that, Tenken Arashi vanished from before Kai's eyes.
"Master Kai," a voice startled the young man. Turning his head to his house, Kai took note of his families butler. They had never been rich, but their living, plus a humble inheritance, had enabled them a large house -not a mansion- with a few luxuries. Of course, after his parents death, the kind old man Zetsui had refused to abandon Kai, and was now working nearly for free, plus room and board. "You have a visitor. Shall I show him out here?"
"No, that's fine Zetsui. I'll meet him at the door." Kai answered, picking up his bow and began to walk back to the house when a figure filled the back door.
He was younger than Kai by three or four years. His hair was sleek and black, a few strands hanging down on either side of his face while most of it was tied into a tight ponytail in the back hanging straight down, but shorter than Kai's. He was dressed in a black hakama and a white gi with a red haori. Also, strapped to his belt were a katana and a wakizashi, and hanging from his wrist was a large white bottle.
"Vaun." Kai smiled, pleased to see his friend. Apparently Vaun hadn't wanted to wait and had followed Zetsui through the house. Pointing to the large flask, Kai asked "What's that? And what brings you here?"
Vaun answered both questions at once, raising his right arm, "Sake."
XXXXXXXXXXX
Resting her elbows on the sill of an open window, Etsu Akira looked out into the lovely sky, clouds sailing across the sun, casting the landscape between light and shadows.
"They need each other to make the other." she muttered under her breath. Of course, to her eyes only could be seen, imprinted in the sky the face of a young man with long black hair that slowly changed to silver.
She could remember well that night six months ago when she had fallen asleep after losing to Kai, and then she felt as though she were in a dream state, seeing Kai duel with her immortal soul on the line, her heart swelling when she realized that he was dueling for her! Then, after seeing Kai defeat his opponent she was awakened from her sleep, and her eyes came to behold Kai, only he had changed. His face had a new light in it, and his hair was silver. But beyond that, as he held her in his arms, he smiled!
"That was the first time I saw him smile in nearly ten years."
"Are you talking about that Kaethan boy?" her room mate asked her from the hallway as she passed the door.
"Oh, Asuka!" Etsu startled, her face flushing a bright crimson. "Um, well, yeah."
"Do you even know if he feels the same way about you?" the redhead asked, leaning her elbow against the doorframe.
They had been sharing this house with a few other school friends for a year or two now, and it hadn't taken any other the girls to find out about Etsu's obsession with Kai. Although none of them wanted to admit it, they had all at one time or another felt a sort of attraction for Kai. He had just been so...Good that you really couldn't help but have a fantasy or two about him. Of course, none of them had ever had it as bad as Etsu, who had her own romance novel written in her diary.
"It's not that easy." Etsu giggled. "And, besides..." she trailed off, turning to the clouds again. 'I want to come forward on his terms.'
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"Damn it!" Kevin hunter shouted, pounding his fist onto the small table in the rickety apartment he now had. He had used up most of the money his parents had left him just trying to survive in America and in getting to Japan. Rather than use up the last bit to go back home, he had used some contacts he still had there to sell what little he had left and had decided that, for the moment, he'd stay in Japan.
"I can't believe I lost my father card! That was all that I had left! That was what defined my life!" he vented. Even though six months had passed, his anger still boiled ferociously within him. "Well, I'll get it back, even if I have to make a deal with the devil himself, I'll get that card back. Nothings gonna stop me!"
Much to his annoyance, his dark ranting was cut short by a light knock at the door. Forcing his anger to dissipate, he walked over to the door and opened it, and was pleased to be greeted by Sakura Haeru. She had a small bag hanging under her arms, and her Duel Disk in the standby position on her left arm.
"Sakura." he startled. "What a surprise. Do you want to come in?"
"No, I'm fine." she said with a dismissive tone. "I just came to say goodbye."
"Goodbye?" Kevin repeated, unsure of what she meant. "Where are you going?"
"Dueling your friend Kai made me realize that there's a lot for me to learn about the world. I can't keep on thinking that for one reason or another that the world is going to just fall into place for me. I was going to go on a journey and try to learn about everything I've missed over the last fifteen years. I just couldn't leave without seeing you first."
"But...Why did you come after all this time, just to say that?" Kevin asked, trying to make sense of all this. Why was she leaving him?
"Because," he struggled to find the words. "I love you, and I wanted you to know where I was." Turning, she began to walk away, leaving Kevin Hunter in the door of his apartment.
"Wait Sakura!" he shouted. Turning her heard, she was surprised to find him running to catch up to her. "I have some things to learn myself."
"What are you saying?" she asked.
"We'll make this journey," he smiled. "Together."
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"We've just received news that the Cairo Museum of Ancient Egyptian History has discovered that they're missing the Scarabs of Souls, three jeweled beetles of gold, each encrusted with a different gem, have gone missing. However, no traces have been found that could possibly help to identify the culprit, and so the police are once again left without-" the television switched off as the figure in the room lay the remote on the bedside table.
In an elaborate hotel room in one of the most luxurious hotels in Rome lay a young man, nearly nineteen, dressed in desert clothes with an eyepatch lay out on his bed. The clerks had acted rather suspicious when he payed for his room in hard cash instead of with a credit card, but when he also lay before her a pair of shimmering pearl earrings, she had shut up with her questions and checked him in.
"Normally, it's just the challenge I want. And when they can't even challenge me, that's when I play for keeps." he laughed lightly, glancing at the white desert cloak he had left hanging from a hook in the room.
"A few months back, I might not have been able to pull t hat heist. I think these powers are spoiling me." he noted. Then he rolled his one good eye up while resting he head on the pillow, as if pondering this thought. "Nah. I am Nikolas Selket, Thief King of the Desert. No one can keep anything from me."
Reaching with his right hand to click off the light, his eyes glanced at the tattoo he had gotten printed above his elbow. It was a simple work, and looked ridged, much like a stone carving from the ancient world. It was black, and shaped like a scorpion.
XXXXXXXXXX
Sipping some tea, Kai looked up at Vaun, who had poured a second dish of rice wine to try and quench his thirst. Apparently life had been exciting for the descendent of Japans greatest swordsmen. He had been working to re-establish the temple where he had been taught and that he had inherited when the final Master had died. It was slow, as most of the world was more interested in trying to restore life to the desecrated land, but Vaun persevered. His families traditions had survived this long, and he saw no reason to drop them now.
Finally, Kai set his tea cup down and looked the boy samurai in the eye.
"You know, I feel like a new man since I told you that I don't drink." Kai admitted. "Let us make this a reunion of men." he declared, grabbing a small bowl from the matts next to them and placing it on the ground between them. "Pour the sake."
The End...
This is it, my friends. This is the official end of my Battle City Arc. I'm going to take some time to try and get the college life back on track, but also to try and better outline the plot for the next arc. Sadly, I don't even have a title for it yet. However, my plan is to start posting it, at the latest, on October 23, 2005, the two year anniversary of when I started this story. Now, I'm not saying that it's definite that I'll start it that day. I may begin is sooner. Keep your eyes open for it, because I plan to take this who community by storm!
Also, I forgot two very important readers last night, and would like to take a minute to give them both a shout-out.
SulliMike23 is a guy who's kinda like the tides of the ocean, coming in strong and then going away for some time and then repeating. He's also been around for a long time, but haven't heard from him in a few chapters. Hope you're still there Mike. Keep it alive, man.
Gearfried the Iron Angel has been a good friend for the past little while. Although he only get's to read and review in small blocks of time, his reviews are nonetheless appreciated and welcomed. Plus he writes a mean story, although a bit of an informal style. Still, it's imaginative and exciting, and I appear in it, so it's all good. Keep the heart of the dragon beating in that suit of Iron, Aaron.
Well, that's really all I have to say to you guys. Remember, stay on the lookout. See ya!