I… am… so… SAD! This chapter is terrible! Consider this your warning!
Do yourself a favor and never write character death! I had to up the rating to 'T' for violence… It's been violent in prior chapters, but this just tied it all up. Anywaaaay… yeah. Here's the chapter. Beware the violence…
Chapter 19: Dearly Departed
Kaze dodged the oncoming blow and grabbed the whip, yanking the weapon from Hieke's hands. The girl gasped in surprise, fumbling to regain her ax-headed whip. Link slashed at Kaze's hand as he was reaching for the whip on the floor. Hieke got to the weapon first and stuck out her tongue at the Gerudo.
Meanwhile, Lor was having difficulty invoking Kuro's power.
"Just give it up!" he shouted as he pulled at the doorknob. Kuro had made a little cubicle and locked himself inside. "Make me!" he called from within. Lor invented a key and unlocked the door, going inside to find Kuro perched on top of a stack of paperwork like some feral postal executive.
"My pen is out of ink!" he snarled, clawing at Lor. The boy raised an eyebrow, then shook his head to dismiss the occurrence. "Kuro, this is an important battle. Give me your power already!" he demanded.
"You're not the boss of me!" the demonic man screeched. Lor withdrew a few steps so he was standing in the doorway of the cubicle. His dismayed expression hardened "Kuro," he began, his voice venomous. The man whimpered. "Fine! Take everything I hold dear! Just take it all away!" he sobbed.
Lor smiled cheerfully. "I knew you'd say that."
While the debate had been successful, Lor didn't anticipate to receive the entirety of Kuro's hellish power. "This is what you get for using the full power of a demon…" the man's voice rang throughout Lor's consciousness. A sudden agony gripped his body, bringing him to his knees. His breath came unevenly as beads of sweat formed across his brow. The black void that was his aura radiated an evil unlike any Link had felt before.
"Lor! Lor, are you all right!" the green-clad boy called, forgetting the battle before him. The Fairy Charm of Wisdom glowed brightly upon the black-haired boy's hand. "I should have known better," he muttered, choking on each breath. This demon he had called into his soul was destroying his spirit bit by bit.
Staggeringly Lor managed to stand. He held a fist before him, the hand his Fairy Charm was on. "Kaze!" he shouted in a strangled voice. "You will get out of the way! We are your friends! We do not want to fight!" He coughed, a trail of blood forming from his mouth. His aura deepened until it was comparable to a starless, moonless night. Kaze scowled in reply.
"You will not give up?" Lor inquired fiercely, taking a few stumbling steps forward. He received a spiteful glare. "So be it." Lor's voice had at that point lost its mortality. His eyes flushed with darkness, and his sapphire darkened to a cold onyx.
Hieke stared speechlessly. This isn't Kuro, she thought. This is worse… This is pure demonic energy. How…? A hand suddenly grasped her shoulder firmly. She whipped around as best she could to find Kaze standing with his sword to her throat. "I suggest you weigh your choices, fool," he smirked. "You can attack and do away with me, but I will kill this girl at the first sign."
Link bit his lip. "Lor, do it!" he commanded. "Kaze doesn't have the guts to actually kill Hieke, possessed or not!"
Lor grinned maliciously. "Like I'm functioning on your decree," he hissed. He threw his arms above his head, a massive blast of dark energy forming between his hands. Kaze's smirk grew all the wider. "Did I not warn you?" he chuckled as he thrust his sword forward.
Link emitted a stifled cry, tears already forming at his cerulean eyes. Lor fought away the demonic presence controlling him as his eyes focused upon the scene. Kaze's eyes were wide with shock. He threw the crimson blade to the ground, breathing heavily. He was now engaged in conflict between the binding potion and his own humanity. How could he have done such a thing? You were ordered to do so. It was insane! Insane is the man who goes against his orders. He had known her for so long… Friends make a man weak.
"Miss Hieke!" Lor screamed when he had finally fought away the dark power inside him. He ran to her side, cradling her limp body in his arms. "Link, what are you doing!" he shouted to the young 'hero' who was standing still as a statue, not daring to move.
Hieke's eyes were open, her face frozen in the expression of fear and pain. Kaze's sword had completely impaled her throat. Her armor was stained with blood, fresh scarlet saturating the cloth bound on her arms. The wound was very extensive, encompassing the whole side of her neck. Her limbs were growing cold, and her fiery amber eyes were gray. Still Link could not bear to tear himself from the place he stood.
"Link…" Lor murmured, tears cascading from his sky blue eyes. He had always been a peaceful soul that aimed to protect life. He never wanted to see someone so close to him die… Add to it, it was Hieke's doing that he was even alive. She was like a sister to him, and to hold her pale, lifeless corpse in his arms was like being speared by thousands upon thousands of icy needles.
Finally Link worked up the will to move forward. His footfalls were silent, even against the marble floor. He seemed almost to drift across the room in a daze. Kaze was nearby, sitting on his knees with his arms wrapped around himself as he fought back the overpowering sorrow at being responsible for the death of such a dear friend. Link stood now before Lor, who offered Hieke's body to him like a child would offer their doll to an elder.
Link took her into his arms and stripped off the cumbersome silver armor, revealing the orange and turquoise cloth below. He swept his hand across her face, closing her eyes. The hero heaved a sigh and gingerly placed Hieke on the floor. She was gone… She wasn't coming back. There was only one thing left to do. Link unsheathed his sword with an enraged cry and pointed the blade at Kaze.
"You are stronger than that, Kaze!" he sobbed, no longer bothering to withhold his tears. "You easily could have broken past Dameus' potion, no matter how strong it was! Now look what you've done! Look what you've done! Thanks to you, Hieke is dead! Do you understand that, you bastard! She's dead!"
Kaze looked up, his amethyst eyes glazed. "My work is not yet done…" he whispered viciously. Link lunged with his sword positioned for the kill.
Metal clashed against metal, the sound echoing throughout the chamber. Lor sat beside Hieke's body trying to calm himself. The demonic power was threatening to resurface. Now that he had known the terrifying strength of a demon, he never wanted to feel it ever again. However, now that he had invoked the full power of that demon, it would claw and tear at the corner's of his mind until it broke free.
Finally he could retain the power no longer, and he released it all in one giant rush. The astonishing might of a demonic god filled the room. All light was drained from the area, leaving it all stark black and white. Lor stood in the center of the darkness, head bowed and shoulders hunched. His breathing was loud and labored. He turned his head slowly, then whipped it up with empty eyes focused on Kaze.
"You've slain her," the demon said from within Lor. "You've slain the girl. You will not live with this transgression. I… will make sure of this." He raised his hands above his head, two luminescent swords appearing in his hands. One was the purest white, the other the purest black. He charged forward and swung relentlessly at Kaze. It was all the Gerudo could do to dodge, let alone counter.
Small scratches became deep gashes as Lor hewed further and further. Kaze attempted to block one of the attacks, but this action allowed his opponent a clear shot at his torso. Kaze's cry of pain resounded through the room for what seemed like an eternity. The thief dropped his sword and clasped a hand to the wound, using the other hand to lean against a wall for support. He would now have an x-shaped cross on his stomach.
"Lor, stop!" Link demanded. Lor crossed his two swords. Where they touched, a blinding light formed. The light swirled like a vortex. Lor scraped the blades against one another until the were separated, launching the strange whirling light at Link. It was some kind of void, and Link was trapped inside it. He could feel his breath being drained from his lungs and the blood from his injuries, no matter how shallow they were.
"S-stop," Kaze said, gasping for breath. "Lor… Hieke would…"
The mention of the name aroused Lor's consciousness from within his mind. "Stop… Let me free…" he whispered, his voice mingling with the demon's. He dropped the swords; they disintegrated the moment they left his hand. He let out a shuddering sigh, followed by a ear-splitting scream. The very atmosphere of the room was drawn into his body as color washed back over them. The onyx stone on his finger returned to the bright sapphire it had been. He collapsed to one knee, weary from his expended energy. His shoulders quivered, and Link could tell the boy was weeping.
It pained the young hero for a moment to think how much he had put Lor through at the boy's expense. If not for this whole journey, he'd probably home right now, in that strange little dimension of his. But no, he was here in Dameus' castle, enduring all kinds of pain to save a world he shouldn't have even been aware of. Hieke was dead, Kaze was gravely injured, and why? Because of Destiny…
"I'm sick of this," Link proclaimed. Kaze averted his attention from using the healing power he possessed as a result of absorbing Mystus' soul so many years ago. "What of? All this fighting and whatnot?" he asked, closing his eyes momentarily.
Link nodded. "That, and this whole Destiny business. I thought fate was a joke, an excuse people made up for all the bad stuff that happens… What kind of Destiny is this? My girlfriend just died, right before my very eyes, and I couldn't do a thing…"
"Aw, come on, Link," Kaze sighed. "She wasn't your girlfriend."
Link huffed. "More mine than yours," he reminded with a slight smile. Kaze waved the comment off. "Nah, Aiko kissed me a while ago," he explained.
"Aiko kissed you, or you kissed Aiko?" Link inquired. Kaze frowned. "Well, it's not like she ran away screaming," he stated.
The two laughed quietly. Momentary peace… it was nice, even if they had a fearsome battle only minutes away. To laugh with friends and forget all your troubles, if only for a few seconds… That was what life was all about.
Link cast a melancholy glance at Hieke. "Lor, you done?" he asked. The boy rose solemnly and turned around with a nod. "Kaze?" Link said, turning to the Gerudo. He stood and brushed some dust off his pants.
"Let's go." The three proceeded through the oak door into the brightly chamber beyond.
Sad yet? The whole thing with Lor was to solidify his not-Gary-Stu-ness. This chapter was inspired from the season finale of Avatar: The Last Airbender. That was such an awesome episode! Anyway…
I don't have a lot more to say. Bad, bad Kaze. Bad, bad Lor. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad. And Dameus. Evil Dameus. DIE, DAMEUS, DIE! All in good time.
Man, I was writing that scene with Hieke and I was just really irked. I had to keep telling myself that it was all a part of the plot and that it would all play out well. Now you understand what the Goddesses said to Hieke? "You have a very special role" or something like that. Her role was to propel Link forward and give him the will to seek revenge upon Dameus, assuring that man's death. Yup… Sad stuff.
So many thanks to my reviewers! The climax is on the way! Will Link be able to win without Hieke's help? Will Lor be able to control his demonic power? Will Kaze be able to keep it together long enough to defeat Dameus? All this and more (or less) in the next chapter! You asked for a longer chapter, so you got one here (nearly 2000 words!), but I'm not making any promises for the next one. You already know I'm no good with fight scenes…
Sorry for any kinds of errors in this chapter. I proofread it, but it seems I'm always missing something. Also, SO MANY ETERNAL THANKS TO MY REVIEWERS! Wait, I already said that. Oh well. n.n; Can't give you guys enough credit! It just makes my day to wake up to fresh reviews in the box. More thanks!
One last thing! The Christmas contest is underway, or Holiday contest if Christmas isn't your thing. You can submit two entries this time, and the deadline is JANUARY 3! Here's hoping I can get more than the bare minimum entries, though I know eight is a lot of positions to fill, especially for you deadbeats. I'm just kidding, just kidding! …or am I? No, really, I'm kidding.
Reviews, please please please! Aimin' to break 100 this chapter!