Chapter Eighteen: Past Defeat
A/N: Okay, I need to mention something to all you readers/reviewers. If you have ever read my Millennium Weapons story, you'll understand a certain concept in this chapter. (The story is no longer up on Fanfiction but it doesn't matter too much if you didn't get a chance to read it) If not, I will provide a well-detailed explanation for you so don't worry. You'll still be able to follow along. So here's your update and I hope you enjoy it!
"So, you think you have what it takes to defeat me?" Kalika preached, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger."
Of course I do. I've faced much tougher opponents than you and they were hardly a challenge for me. So let's see what you've got to offer..." Subaru reached behind her back and pulled out a golden bow and arrow set.
"What is that?" Kisara thought aloud, keeping her eyes locked onto what looked like a Sennen item, yet it was one that she had never seen or heard of before.
"What? This? This is my Sennen item; the Sennen Bow and Arrows. My father gave it to me the day before he disappeared. It's not like other Sennen items. You could say it's in a class of its own. Most consider it to be one of the legendary Sennen weapons," Subaru explained.
"Sennen weapons?" Kisara questioned, tilting her head to one side.
"That is correct. They were created 2000 years before the Sennen items and as a result can even overpower them, if used correctly."
"So...you have one of the legendary Sennen weapons I see. Interesting..." Kalika pondered, stroking her chin. She was slowly gaining interest in Subaru's item and would soon find a way to claim it as her own. "I don't suppose you'd like to bet that item on a single Shadow Game, would you?"
"What?" Subaru narrowed her eyes. "Of course not. This item means more to me than anything you can offer."
"Are you sure? I'm willing to put up my Sennen Scepter as well. Sure you don't want to try your luck? You could walk away with two items instead of just one." Kalika tried to make herself sound highly convincing.
"Didn't you hear me before? Number one: This was a gift from my father and means too much to me to bet it on something as risky as a Shadow Game. Number two: The Sennen weapons are stronger than that of most Sennen items so I don't need one to boost my strength, seeing as how I already have enough."
"Okay, it's your choice..." Kalika spoke, withdrawing her Sennen Scepter.
"Yes, it's my choice and I say that I happen to be making the right one. I'm not going to let someone like you scare me. I came to fight, and fight is what I shall do." Subaru boasted confidently as Kisara, unexpectedly, grabbed a hold of Subaru's arm and refused to let go. "Sis? What are you doing? Let me fight her." The young girl still kept a firm grip on her sister's arm.
"I don't want you to fight...you could get hurt, or worse..." Kisara then fell silent, her gaze shifting to the ground below. "I already lost mother and father, I don't want to lose you too. Please Subaru, don't fight, for me..." A few tears presented themselves as they began to fall from the priestess' shimmering, glass-like orbs. Subaru felt terrible watching her sister cry in front of her but she knew that the only way to save Teana would be fight and destroy Kalika, once and for all.
"I'm really sorry sis...but I have to...it's the only way. I promise I'll be careful. I'm more concerned for your safety, not mine. I finally get to meet my sister and I don't want to lose you again," Subaru said, placing a reassuring hand on Kisara's shoulder. Kisara looked up at Subaru with tearstained eyes.
"Don't worry. You won't lose me because I have a plan in mind that is sure to work." Subaru smirked as a small smile made its way onto Kisara's face.
"Okay, but be careful."
"Of course." Subaru nodded her head and then turned back to Kalika. "You ready to lose?"
"I think it's you that better prepare to lose," Kalika corrected.
"We'll just see about that..." Subaru then loaded one of her golden arrows into the bow and prepared to fire. Kalika held her Sennen Scepter in a fighting stance, ready for anything that Subaru might throw at her. As soon as Subaru let loose the arrow, it headed straight for Kalika. However, before it could even come close to her, the priestess blocked and re-directed it back towards Subaru. Subaru smirked as she held out her right hand and caught the arrow.
"Heh, you'll have to do better than that if you want to defeat me..." Subaru taunted mockingly.
"You want my best, you got my best..." Kalika then held the Sennen Scepter over her head as it started to glow golden. She smiled wickedly as she looked at Subaru. "Scared are we?"
"Not in the least," Subaru replied rather calmly.
"Well you should be!" It was then that the scepter stopped glowing. Kalika brought it back down in front of her. She closed her eyes and pointed the staff straight ahead to where Subaru was standing. "SCEPTIC ENERGY BLAST!" she shouted as a blast of purple and black energy erupted from the top point of the scepter, heading in Subaru's direction.
Subaru closed her eyes as well as she started laughing silently under her breath. "Heh, if you think one pathetic attack like that is going to defeat me, you're wrong..." Before the blast could come into contact with her, she easily dodged it by doing a double backflip over it and landing gracefully on the left side of Kalika. The priestess looked over with a scowl upon her face.
"How in the seven hells did you manage to escape my strongest attack?" she questioned rather angrily, although she didn't sound like it. It was more of a growl than anything.
"That was your strongest attack? Pft...pathetic. A two-year-old could come up with better attacks than that..."
"You think that do you?" Kalika scoffed.
"Yah, I do." Subaru retorted, crossing her arms across her chest and closing her eyes once more.
"Well then I guess you've never faced someone like me before or you would know what's coming next..."
"And just what is that? Another lame attempt to defeat me? Please, this battle is a waste of my time..."
"You say that now..." Kalika slowly closed her eyes and held her hands together as if to create an energy ball in between them. "Oh great guardian, please hear my call. I awaken thee for one final request. Arise and reek your ultimate revenge on these pathetic mortals. Come forth, Anubis, lord of the dead!" In the blink of an eye, the ground in front of both Kalika and Subaru began to tremble and glow lava red. A small circle then formed and the jackal-like god arose from within it. He was wearing gold, Egyptian-like armor and held a staff that had a blade at either end. He looked at Kalika and then at Subaru, whom he did not take his eyes off of. There was just something about her; something mysterious, something...strange...
"Oh, pardon my rudeness, I haven't properly introducted you two yet," Kalika said, narrowing her eyes into slits. "Anubis, meet Subaru. Subaru, meet your ultimate doom!" She then began to laugh insanely.
Subaru sighed. "Do you ever shut up?"
"Well, you're eager to be defeated, now aren't you?"
"Not really. I just can't stand listening to your voice anymore."
"Well then allow me to ease your pain. Anubis, attack and destroy her!" Kalika commanded, pointing her staff at Subaru. Anubis glanced over at Kalika and then looked back at Subaru who didn't even look the slightest bit tense. He twirled his staff around a couple times and then took a fighting stance. He nodded his head as a way of telling Subaru to go ahead. She nodded in return and placed another arrow in the bow, preparing to fire once more. This time she was hoping it would hit. She let it loose as it went flying toward Anubis at top speed. In mere seconds, it pierced his chest, just below where his heart would be. She smirked as Anubis reached to pull the arrow out. Before he could even lay so much as a finger on the golden object, sparks of electricity started flying from it, sending a small shock through his body. That barely fazed him. On the other hand, the arrow was slowly drawing energy from his body, making him weaker with every breath he took.
"Heh, my arrows are more than they appear to be. When they successfully pierce my opponent's flesh, energy is then drawn from that being and transferred to my own body," Subaru explained as she began to glow a silvery white. She closed her eyes and not even five seconds later she re-opened them and had a wide grin plastered across her face. "I feel much better. Thanks a lot for the energy, I owe you one."
Anubis growled and charged straight for her with the larger end of his staff pointed in her direction. She managed to avoid the attack by jumping out of the way and over top of the jackal-headed god, landing on the other side of him and in front of Kalika.
"Stop avoiding the inevitable and die already!" Kalika shouted angrily.
"Why should I? I'm having too much fun to let it end now."
The wicked priestess growled under her breath. "Anubis! Get rid of this girl at once!" It was then that both Kalika's Sennen Scepter and Anubis' staff began to glow golden.
"Now what's going on?" Subaru asked herself, looking over to where Kisara was. She had been hiding behind a pillar the entire time. "Good, at least she's safe. I don't know what's going to happen but I don't want her getting hurt. I've already lost my mother and father, I don't want to lose my only sister too..." A sudden tear slipped down the side of Subaru's face. She quickly wiped it away and turned her attention back to Kalika and Anubis.
"Spirits of the Underworld hear my call..." Kalika chanted.
"Offer your powers to help us finish what we started..." Anubis added.
"REVIVE AND COME FORTH!" they both shouted as hundreds of spirits appeared and began encircling them. One by one, they each disappeared into the two items, making them glow even brighter. Once all the spirits were gone, both Kalika and Anubis moved side by side, raised their items and pointed them at Subaru.
"Now is the time for you to die!" Kalika spoke darkly.
"We'll just see about that..." Subaru got into a defensive position as she loaded another arrow into her bow.
"Prepare for the ultimate attack that will wipe you out for good! DEAD SPIRIT BOMB!" Kalika and Anubis shouted in unison as numerous balls of white light shot out from both items. Subaru pulled the arrow back and let it loose, shooting it directly into the path of the priestess' and god's attack.
"I don't know why you even bother. There's no way that you'll be able to stop our dead spirit bomb attack. You should just give up while you have the chance..." Kalika said, locking her eyes with Subaru's.
"Never. If there's one thing I learned from my father it's to never give up, even when things don't always go the way you want them too."
"Well then, if you're so determined to win, then let's see if your attack penetrates ours..."
"We'll find out now won't we?" Subaru cocked an eyebrow as she said that.
"Yes we will..." As both attacks stayed in line for a soon-to-be collision, all three beings prayed that their attack would break through.
'I hope my arrow is strong enough to pierce through their attack. Dead spirit bomb is a powerful attack that only few have mastered. I hope I will be the first one in all of Egypt to actually break through this attack...' Subaru thought hopefully, mentally crossing her fingers. Kalika and Anubis on the other hand were smirking to themselves, completely oblivious to the fact that Subaru might actually pull off what has never been accomplished. It was then that the attacks collided head on, struggling to overcome one another.
'Come on...please work...' Subaru pleaded to herself. Suddenly, as if Ra had heard her plea, the arrow forcefully pushed back the opposing attack right back onto Kisara and Anubis. They didn't even bother to try and escape; the attack was so powerful that it was able to cover up to half the size of the temple. The moment the attack hit the two beings, they disappeared, turning into nothing more than tiny fragments of sand. As soon as the light from the attack vanished, Subaru fell to her knees in exhaustion. Kisara ran up to her in worry.
"Sis! Are you all right?" she asked as she knelt down beside her sister.
"Yah, I'm okay. I'm just a little tired..." Subaru replied, taking a few deep breaths as she spoke.
"Well, let's rescue Teana and then get back to the Pharoah's palace. I'm sure he's really worried about us..." Kisara suggested.
"Yah, that sounds like a plan. Let's go find Teana..." Subaru groaned a little as she lifted herself up off the ground. Then both her and Kisara ran out of the room and into another area of the temple.
After countless tries of searching room after room, Kisara and Subaru were about to give up until they heard a familiar voice calling for help.
"That must be Teana!" Kisara quickly assumed.
"Sounds like it. Let's go check it out!" Subaru replied as they both headed in the direction of the voice.
Where they ended up was in fact, the dungeon. When they entered it, they first thing they saw was Teana chained up to the wall in a rather small cell. She looked as though she was unconscious and had been that way for a long period of time.
"Teana!" Kisara shouted, hoping that she would hear her.
"Huh?" Teana slowly opened her eyes, only to see Kisara and Subaru standing in front of her behind the bars to her cell. "What are you guys doing here?" she inquired, her voice sounding a little groggy.
"What do you think we're here for? To sit around and watch you hang on a wall by your wrists and ankles? We're here to save you," Subaru replied, placing her hands firmly on her hips.
"Well, thank you. I appreciate it, but how do you plan on getting me out of here?"
"Simple..." Subaru stated simply as she pulled out what looked like a sewing needle. She stuck it into the lock and jiggled it around a little until it opened. She swung the door open and walked in. She took a few steps until she was only a foot or so away from Teana. She used the sewing needle to pick the locks on the chains binding Teana's wrists and ankles. As soon as the shackles opened up, Teana jumped down and flashed a smile toward Subaru.
"Thanks a lot Subaru. I definetely owe you one."
"Don't mention it. Now let's get out of here before someone catches us."
"Good idea." Subaru, Kisara and Teana all headed towards the exit of the dungeon, trying to keep as quiet as possible but also trying to hurry as quick as they could. Once they managed to escape the dreaded dungeon, they hurried down the hallways of the temple and eventually managed to get outside without getting caught. They all looked at each other with expressions of relief.
"Now that we're out of there, how are we supposed to get back to the palace?" Kisara pondered aloud.
A smirk then made its way onto Teana's face. "Don't worry. You leave that to me." She then placed two fingers up close to her lips and made a loud whistling noise. Kisara and Subaru looked at each other in wonder as a gust of wind suddenly blew in from the north east direction. A large and powerful-looking creature appeared in the distance and was approaching quickly. When it came closer, it landed gracefully in front of the trio.
"Silver!" Kisara exclaimed in both shock and happiness.
"Hello young priestess. It's a pleasure seeing you again," Silver replied graciously.
"Same to you," Kisara added with a curt bow.
"Well, if the introductions are over, what do you guys say that we head back to the Pharaoh's palace before he starts to worry even more? I know from my sister that he cares a lot about the people closest to his heart and doesn't ever want to lose them..." Subaru suggested.
"I agree. We should really get going if we want to make it back to the palace before nightfall." As Teana said this, Silver lowered himself closer to the ground so that the three girls could climb onto his back. Teana was the first one to get on, followed by Kisara and then Subaru. Once everyone was settled comfortably, Silver spread his wings and prepared to take flight. As he beat his large, mile-wide wings, his legs were easily swept off the ground and lifted into mid-air. He headed off in the direction of the palace as fast as he could.
Meanwhile in the Pharaoh's chamber...
"I wonder where they could be? I hope they're all right..." he questioned himself as he paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. Suddenly, he heard a loud thud come from outside and ran out to investigate the situation.
Once he got outside the palace doors, he was shocked and surprised to see who was standing in front of him.
"Kisara! Teana!" he exclaimed as he ran out to hug them both. They returned the gesture in the same manner. "I'm glad you two are back..." He then looked over at Subaru, his eyes filled with curiousity. "Who is she?" he asked solemnly, pulling away from the two girls.
Kisara was the first to answer his question. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry. This is my sister, Subaru..." Atemu then went wide-eyed with shock.
"This is your sister? I never knew..."
"I know. Not a lot of people know about us. They all think that I was an only child because they never really saw my sister when we were young. She was always out training with our father and never had that much time to spend with me..." Kisara sighed.
"But now we can make up for all that," Subaru smiled happily at her sister.
Kisara's expression than changed in an instant. "That's right," she nodded in agreement. She then looked down at the object around her neck. It was the Pharaoh's Sennen Puzzle. "Um...Pharaoh?"
"Yes, what is it Kisara?"
"I um...well..." she stuttered while fiddling around with the golden object.
Atemu looked down at the puzzle. "I assume you've come to give that back to me?"
"Uh...yah...I'm...I'm sorry..."
Atemu shook his head. "There's no need to be sorry. I know you were only trying to help rescue Teana so I'm not angry with you. You did well."
"Um...thank you," she said with a shy smile, trying to hide the obvious fact that she was blushing. She then handed the Sennen Puzzle back to him, trying to avoid direct eye contact.
"There's no need to be shy..." Atemu spoke as he placed his hand underneath Kisara's chin and lifted it up so that she was looking directly into his eyes. "All right?"
She kept looking into his eyes for a few more seconds before replying. "Yes," she smiled.
"Well, now that we got all that settled, what do you say we get inside and take a well-deserved rest from this rescue adventure?" Subaru suggested.
"Good idea. Let's go," Atemu added as all four headed into the palace together.
END OF CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
A/N: Well, there you have it folks. Chapter eighteen is successfully finished. Hope you all enjoyed it because that is the end of the flashback. The next chapter will be back to the present so you can all see what will happen with Kalika and Yami. Stay tuned for chapter nineteen and don't forget to review! Ja ne everyone!