Author's Note: Hey everyone! Yes...I'm still alive don't worry. XD But I need to update more, I know. XD Thanks for reading, reviewing, and messaging everyone! I really appreciate it!
Warning: In this chapter, you will witness Sarah's fighting skills. ^^' If you don't like sharp objects and fighting, I suggest you walk away form the screen. XD lol But hopefully it's not bad.
Sarah and Yami have been followed. Will Sarah have to fight?
Disclaimer!: Fanfiction, and I do NOT get any money out of it either. Thanks. ^^
Battle City-New Evil Emerges, Old Friends Reunite Chapter 14
From within a swirling portal of dark black shadows emerged a lean figure, adorned from head to toe in a deep purple cloak with the hood thrown over to conceal the person's face. In one of their hands, a long blade sharpened to the point shimmered under the moonlight, glistening menacingly. As soon as the mysterious person was fully out of the mist of shadows, it dissolved into clear air. A sinister cold wind drifted over Yami and me, chilling us to the bone.
"What a not-so-coincidence," glowered the voice belonging to the unknown person. They took a couple slow strides toward us, the aura around them evil and almost overwhelming my senses. "Both the Pharaoh and Guardian in one place and at the same time. This should be easy."
Yami and I stood our ground, both tense and ready. At the sight of this intruder, not to mention the katana in their gloved hands, my fists raised and my knees bent in battle stance. My eyes narrowed almost automatically onto our target. I didn't like this guy the moment I saw him.
"He knows who we are," said Yami in a hushed voice, recalling what the man said while keeping his gaze locked on him.
I nodded, understanding clearly, "I know," I said, not looking away either. "I wonder what he wants. Just stay on your guard and don't go ahead of me, understand? I don't like the vibe he has."
Yami was about to argue right then and there, whether someone materialized into the air right before our eyes or not. Here he was, hoping with all his heart that Sarah won't have to take hits, when she's already stepping in front of him to take one. He couldn't just let this happen, can he? "But, Sarah—,"
"Who are you?" I demanded the cloaked figure despite opposing looks from Yami.
The man chuckled—but from the sound of his laugh he didn't seem male. It was light and airy—a lot like a female's. From the moment I saw him...her...I thought they were male. Just because of the mysteriousness. But now, as I paid more close attention, the person really did seem female.
"Now, why in the world would I tell you who I am?" they asked, still chortling at what she thought was a ridiculous question. "That would just spoil the fun of everything!"
I didn't know who this was or what they intended, but I definitely didn't like them. From the sound of their voice, I was sure it was female, and now that I think about it, through the mysterious (yet strangely familiar) cloaks, their body seemed thin and narrow hipped. And no guy giggles evilly like her. Men chuckle really deeply or just cackle insanely.
"What 'fun', exactly, are you here for?" I asked. My eyes darted from her shadowed face to the katana in her hand, like it would move any second. A chill jolted through me, like a shiver. It wasn't cold or anything, so why was I getting so jumpy all of a sudden?
The figure studied us for a moment, as the moonlight put all the streetlamps to shame with its brightness. The houses were quiet. No one else was aware of the three of us in the middle of the road and sidewalk. She held the katana in her hand idly, as if trying to plan out her next moves.
Then, I felt her smirk. I don't know how—maybe I saw the edges of her hood shift the slightest bit, or it could've been the trick of the light—but I got the sense that she found this situation amusing. Like this was some big joke.
Like whatever her mission was is a big joke.
"...do you really want to find out?" she asked quietly, almost demonically. My breath almost caught in my throat at her words. She was challenging me, I know it. I felt adrenaline suddenly rush through my veins, making me want to jump at the chance for a fight. Definitely never to show off, just to put whoever this was in their place. How could they ask for a fight or challenge me when I haven't done anything bad? My hands clenched considerably as they're still raised and I became energized like those springs someone presses down just before letting go to see it fly.
"Yami, I have a feeling she's going to start something. Run when I tell you to, got it?"
Yami gave me a sharp glare. "I'm not leaving you here alone," he said.
The figure raised her katana so that it was just above her waist and out behind her. Suddenly the streets around us seemed larger and wider, like this really was going to turn into a battlefield, like I thought it might.
"I could tell you if you really want to know," she said, and through her hooded face, I saw something flash, like an evil glint in her shadow veiled eyes. Then she raised the katana to just above her hip, a move I knew quite well. She was getting ready to slash us up diagonally, a move that can succeed if the people targeted don't move away in time.
"But after hearing my name, I'll have to kill the both of you. So why not just do that now, and save us the trouble with names?"
She darted at us with incredible speed, her legs looks like a mass of black blur. Then it was her katana, swiping in our direction upward and diagonally, just as I predicted, in a fast streak of white silver. With only a second to react, I shoved Yami out of the way, leaving him to roll onto someone's lawn, while I jumped backwards, just in time to avoid the sharp blade and making the figure land on her knee to finish an incomplete attack. I noticed that the end of my sleeves were ruffled and torn. I blinked, only momentarily confused, at them. Was she so fast to have torn my sleeves this much but miss my hands? Gosh...she might be a better fighter than I thought.
Annoyed that her clean cut was unusually clean, meaning it was without any drops of blood this time, the figure stood up straight again, this time with her back turned toward us. "That was fast thinking, Guardian." she said with a tad bit of anger in her voice. Then she turned back around with the katana still clenched tightly in her hand by her side, with a little indignant manner in the small movement.
I sent a look of worry in Yami's direction, using the light of a streetlamp nearby to see where he was on the lawn I had thrust him into. He was just standing up, and brushing the broken pieces of grass off his arms and sleeveless black shirt, when his eyes met mine. He gave me a reassuring nod, telling me he was fine.
"And that was a fast move, I'll have to admit," I said, with a small smirk, turning back to the mystery attacker. "Now what was that you were saying? About killing us?"
The figure scoffed in a retort. Her katana glimmered dangerously. "I was saying—,"
Her voice was cut short by another voice. This one didn't belong to anyone I could see; not even me. But then I saw another cloaked figure emerging from a portal of darkness not too far from me, just like how the first one had arrived. This one had a more built look to them and from his taller height compared to the female mystery person, they looked male. Even his voice was male; deep and melodic.
Not only did the aura of evil increase, but my urge to know who these guys were grew even stronger. Who in the world appears from thin air in the middle of a road? Nobody. Nobody normal that is...
"Why are you out here?" asked the new cloaked figure. "You heard Master say not to kill any of them. What part of his order didn't you understand?"
Master? Who was their high in command? What the hell was going on?
The girl turned on the other impatiently. "I thought I could taunt the Guardian a little bit," she muttered incoherently. "and I know what Master said."
"Then you'll probably also know that he wants us back at base," said the male authoritatively. He beckoned her towards him with a flick of his hand. "Come on. Let's go before the others notice we're gone."
It was then I realized how familiar the cloaks look. Bandit Keith had been wearing the same one when he stole Yugi's Millennium Puzzle. It had the same lighter purple eye on the hood. I can't believe how foolish I was to have not seen it the moment I saw them! It's the same symbol as the Millennium Items and it was staring me in the face for about a few minutes now! Never mind what these guys looked like, the fact that they had the same cloak as Bandit Keith during his run-in was enough evidence of them being connected.
Now I'm beginning to get the feeling of a different evil. These guys' aura is the same as Bandit Keith's. Well...the person who was supposedly controlling him, that is. It definitely wasn't Bakura's; his blood thirsty and death craved aura always disturbed me, and sent increasing numbers of shivers down my spine. It wasn't like the aura I was sensing now. This one was simply dark intention filled...not filled with a sense of kill. The aura's complete source wasn't here. These guys only held partial amounts of the aura; considering the fact that neither one of these newcomers were more darker than the other. So it must have been their 'Master' who was the source of it all.
But..who is he?
And who on Earth are these guys?
And why in the world would someone ask for a fight?
"I demand to know who you two are and what you intend," I commanded. I wasn't about to just let them keep talking amongst themselves. I needed answers. And I got a vague feeling that maybe...just maybe...if Keith was trying to steal the Millennium Puzzle from Yugi and failed, then these cloaked figures' 'Master' might want his minions to try again and again until he does get Yugi's Item. What he wants with it though is unknown to me.
The two figures looked away from each other to me. "You see?" said the female to the other. "Taunt. To put her in her place."
"What makes you want to taunt me and put me in my place?" I asked, compelled. I didn't do anything to harm them. They were the ones who had a sword first!
The girl scoffed, or at least that's what I thought she did. I couldn't really tell what their emotions were because of the hoods, shadowing their faces to keep me from seeing anything. They didn't want to be seen. They thought they could get rid of me before I could get any chances to know. But why would they want to kill me? Maybe there was a small volume of aura that said, "Kill Guardian" in their aura, but at least it had nothing to do with Yami.
"The fact that you're in our way," the female seethed. "We want the Pharaoh, but you happen to be right next to him when I ran into you."
...er...maybe Yami was involved after all.
Oh, so that's why. It was Yami they wanted. Well, of course. This is exactly the kind of situation I was trained for.
Yami looked my way, but I kept my narrowed eyes on the two cloaked figures. I didn't get to see his face, so I don't know what he was thinking. But I knew one thing for sure. I was going to have to fight. If these guys wanted to get to Yami, then they'll have to go through me first.
"How about you and I settle this, hm?" I challenged. "If I win, you give me answers. But if you win, which I highly doubt by the way, then...maybe...if you're lucky, I'll let you go by. Sound like a deal?"
The female considered this with malevolence. Her sword rose a little higher, and soon, she was holding it in her own battle stance. I felt the familiar evil glint in her eyes flash by again, through the dark veil.
"That's sounds like a great idea," she said. "But unfortunately, you don't have anything to fight with. So this will be an easy win for me."
"Don't count on it. Battles with me will never be easy." Mentally concentrating, I poured all of my energy and focus to one area of my mind: to Summon. Soon, I felt my blood warm up and begin to rush the heat into my arms, to my hands, when at last they reached my fingertips. They tingled for a moment, like tiny needles poking me endlessly, and small but bright rays of golden light shone from them. From out of the light materialized a smooth, red glass rod which led to a diamond shaped orb sitting on one end. Under the moonlight, it shimmered impressively, nearly three-quarters my height. Rainbow coloured lights danced within the diamond orb, reflected by the moon's rays. I smirked, enjoying the feeling of having the familiar staff back in my hands; its glossy surface almost slippery in my hands.
That's right. I thought in triumph, twirling the staff between my fingers. I'm back, and ready to kick ass.
Yami couldn't believe his eyes. From only air, Sarah had made a staff appear into her hands, like it was the most easiest thing to do. As if she's done this all her life and it just came naturally. Of course, she did this 5,000 years ago, and he might not have been this amazed then. But now, with his memory gone, it was new to him. And a little bit exciting. He finally had a chance to see how Sarah did things.
With her staff in hand and the smirk dancing across her lips, she looked stunning. A light breeze drifted in from the east and caused Sarah's hair to waver just around her waist. The moonlight made the diamond orb on her staff shimmer the way diamonds on rings or necklaces would. The staff's red colour contrasted with her hair and her pose was straight with bent arms; a pose displaying her readiness to fight. Vaguely, subconsciously, he imagined her thin gold plated armour, hugging every part of her body and curve. The faded image of the helmet, covering all of her head except for her scarlet eyes, popped into Yami's mind. Her eyes burned with a type of ferocity Yami has never seen before. She really was determined to be his Guardian, he could see now. Not only were all hints of hyperness and out-going expression gone from her face, the seriousness that replaced it was so assertive, Yami wondered if this was even the same Sarah he was with a moment ago.
As his eyes and mind slowly registered the fact that Sarah had just done magic before him, he watched in amazement at what she would do next.
I wish I knew more of Sarah and my past. thought Yami sadly, though his physical appearance, consisting of crossed arms and narrowed eyes, didn't change. It would have been great to feel a familiar feeling from Ancient Egypt. Not to mention how much the information would help us immensely right about now.
But even with such little knowledge of his ancient past, he knew there was something between him and Sarah. Ever since earlier this day, from the moment she told him that she was his Guardian, a friend of his from his past, he didn't know how he could explain it, but something formed that instant. The best simile for it was a thin thread connecting the both of them together. It was just forming and therefore, was very light and fragile; nearly impossible to feel. But if Yami concentrated hard enough, he could just about feel it; a slight "pull" from a force unknown, which was the thread tightening itself so it won't break.
Yami was close to laying his hand on his chest, just to see how fast his heart was beating. Yes...a bond really was forming. And it will grow into something.
In the depths of his mind, Yami thought that if him and Sarah can find the secrets to their past and recover his memories, the both of them can stand strong and fight through anything together. Back at the coffee shop, Sarah had said that him and his Guardian were really good friends, and that they made a great team. He immediately began wondering who it could've been, but when Sarah said it was her, Yami couldn't have imagined the surprised and excited rhythm his heart was playing. Surprised because never had he thought there was someone from his past beside him this whole time. Excited because now he knew. To have a friend from his past beside him, even though he doesn't remember anything about them, was so reassuring and fascinating. He gained more hope from Sarah's confession, when he was just at the brink of frustration.
Yami knew for sure now; their bond was beginning to grow. And he hoped, with quite a bit of spirit from within him, that it would. He'd love to get to know Sarah even more, and he definitely wanted the lost friendship between them back.
After Sarah summoned her staff, Yami watched on with attentiveness. He was curious now, to see how Sarah fought. From the determination she held and the straight face she had when she told him she was his Guardian, Yami had the idea that she was someone different. She wasn't like anyone of the gang, and she had had a tough life. Everything she's been through has made her tough yet high-spirited all at the same time.
As he watched on, feeling the tension in the air grow even thicker, Yami suddenly had something bothering him...
How was Sarah going to fight a sword with only her staff?
The female cloaked figure chuckled maliciously, her laugh echoing throughout the street, and yet, nothing else was making any noise. Her laugh was dry and full of malice, and I still wanted to know what was so funny.
"You're kidding, right?" she said, holding her sides with her sword still in hand. The other cloaked figure looked they just face-palmed at the behaviour. I think she was laughing because of over confidence. "You're going to fight my sword and skills with your staff? This is going to be so funny and easy!"
I smirked. Hunh. She thinks she's already won this battle. Wait until she gets a load of this...
With a raise of my hand, I held the staff in a horizontal position, with the diamond orb facing opposite the end I was holding. Then I ran my other hand down the length of the staff, making sure I concentrated hard enough. As my hand was sliding from one end to the other, bright golden light began to emit from the staff, nearly blinding everyone. I had my eyes closed so I could concentrate much better and everyone else had to shield their eyes with their arms to keep them from burning. Soon I felt my energy drain the slightest bit. This was magic after all, and since magic causes my strength to lower, I didn't feel like jumping around too much, like a hyper person. During a fight, I hardly think about my strength and focus 101 percent on the person I was fighting. Right now, the magic I was using was just to perform one little task before I could begin battling this cloaked menace.
To turn my staff into a sword. (haha!...I wrote 'staff' there twice by accident...sorry about that. xD)
The light died and the moon was back to being the brightest source for illumination again. Everyone dropped their arms to find me holding a black handled sword over my shoulder; it's blade long, dangerous, and so sharp, the moonlight tinted it a shining white silver, giving anyone who looked at it a spine shivering chill.
The cloaked figures were suddenly speechless, both not willing to admit what they've just seen. Just because they knew who Yami and I were doesn't mean they knew our tricks. Speaking of Yami, he was blinking a little bit at the sight of my weapon. Two magic tricks in one day was, I suppose, a little awkward. Especially when I summon my staff and then my sword from my staff all at once, and for the first time through Yami's eyes.
I enjoyed the non-talkative female now. What happened? I taunted her mentally with a smirk. At a loss for words now?
"I don't think you should be laughing," I said, going into battle stance while holding my sword up like how I would attack. "Because swords can be pretty dangerous. And the one I'm holding isn't very nice."
The female was the first to break out of her trance-like state. She gave me a growl before holding up her katana. "You've got a lot of nerve to summon your weapon." she seethed. "Master had told me you had the ability to summon a staff and then a sword, but I had no idea you regained your powers this quickly."
"You'll have to get used to it," I smirked challengingly. "I'm not the one to slack so all my powers are up to date. Make sure your master has his facts straight."
I swear I heard a growl coming from the female. This time, a bit louder than normal. "When I'm through with you...you'll be sorry you ever decided to walk around with the Pharaoh."
"I'll never be sorry."
The male cloaked figure shook his head. "Master might not be pleased about this," he warned, in hopes of getting the female to change her mind. He knows her too well. She starts getting into a fight and then who knows how dangerous the battle will actually become. And since this is the Guardian, he's sure she'll become even more intense. Oh yes...he knows her too well.
When the female didn't reply, he sighed and said, "Fine. I'll cover for you. But you'd better be careful."
"I will," she said impatiently, and soon, the male disappeared into a mist of shadows. Were they using the shadows of objects in the street as an escape route? Or were they teleporting? It seemed so highly unlikely. Teleporting? Really?
No. I thought. It looks like they're using the shadows of everything; streetlamps, buildings, benches, you name it They were using the dark as a disguise. Tch. What cowards!
The cloaked figure who remained kept still, keeping her hooded gaze locked onto mine. We stood there, 20 feet apart, with our swords at the ready; the blades glistening menacingly. Yami stayed on the lawn, well aware of how dangerous the situation had become. Before him were two people holding incredibly real weapons. No matter how much he wanted to just take Sarah away and bring her home safely, he knew Sarah would never have listened. She would have insisted that the person would follow and soon, they end up right back where they were. Maybe it was best if she got rid of this intruder once and for all.
But...the thought of killing disturbed him. Maybe the cloaked figure found the word "kill" appropriate for the situation. And maybe she really did want to. Maybe it wasn't the thought of kill bothering him...
...maybe it was the thought that Sarah might get hurt.
Sarah...be careful...
"When we're done, you'll regret summoning your weapon and accepting my already won challenge, Guardian." the cloaked figure, said my alias like it was poison.
She hasn't given me her name, nor the name of who she's working for. And she said their Master wants Yami, but she hasn't told me why. I know nothing about this lot, and yet, I'm going to fight them like they're already considered as my enemies. Not that I don't mind. I wasn't going to let them go right past me and straight to Yami without a fight anyway.
"I dare you try and beat me!" I said, matching her challenge. The air around us turned extremely tense and ever so slowly, we began circling each other, never releasing our gazes. "Asima has never let me down!" Yes...Asima was the name of the sword I am now holding. The staff look is just a cover for it; a way to keep my sword hidden. As I said its name, it was like the blade glimmered in agreement. We were ready together, to bring this person down.
The girl scoffed. "We'll have to see," she said. And it was on. With the moon being the only illumination, seeing as how the streetlamps only gave Yami some use to let him see what we were doing, we fought. To the finish. Until one of us backed down.
It was the other who made the first move. She used her incredibly fast speed to dart towards me, waving her sword to slice my throat. My head leaned back and my sword replaced the spot where my head was a moment ago, making our swords clash together. We applied pressure on our blades, in hopes of getting the other to fall, but our strength was evenly matched. My muscles tightened and my teeth gritted together as I locked my feet in place to keep me from repelling backwards. With the thought of Yami being not too far from me, I received this enormous burst of strength, and with a final but violent push on my sword, sent the cloaked figure staggering backwards. She didn't fall, but merely felt even more annoyed. I stood there satisfied, feeling my breath come in and out a little faster than normal and the muscles in my arms and hands throbbed.
It felt so good to start working out like this again. I could almost feel every muscle in my body become ready and alert, in case they would be needed in this battle soon. I felt grateful for all the training I had to make me this strong. A normal girl wouldn't have made it out of this little sequence in a fight.
So that meant this cloaked figure wasn't a normal girl. That made me even more sure she and Bandit Keith's encounter were linked together. I was sure of it.
"You're far stronger than what I was led to believe," admitted the female, but a hint of anger sparked within that hood of hers, and her voice sounded annoyed.
I shrugged and went back into battle stance; holding Asima's handle with both hands and with my knees bent. My eyes still never left her hooded face. "Trying things out is when you actually learn the most," I replied cheekily. "Do you want to keep learning more lessons from me?"
That probably ticked her off, because as soon as the words left my mouth, she hurtled herself in my direction, brandishing her sword hard enough to almost tear through my coat and shirt. I jumped back in time, and when she tried again, attempting to hack at me with no strategy at all, I simply back flipped. Her sword cut through clean air, where she swore I was standing not a split second ago, only to find me hovering steadily to the ground ten feet away. Her blood boiled and the hand around her sword clenched considerably, nearly enough to make her arm tremble with rage.
"What?" I frowned playfully, though my eyes held a glint of atrocity. "You know you can't win anything without a strategy, right?"
"And I suppose you learned that from the Pharaoh?" she replied with her own question.
I gave her a shrug. "Yeah, I suppose," I said, thinking about all the times we've come up with strategies for anything. Most of the time, it was Yami. I just gave my insight on things only a couple of times. "So what? I have to listen to his plans before I can even think about my own."
The girl stilled for a moment. "So that meant being his Guardian before living your life the way you want to?"
I almost lost my concentration. Feeling my heart starting to ache unreasonably, I shook my head to clear it. "No," I said defiantly. "That was my choice and my choice only."
The girl gave me a considering gaze; cocking her head to the side. "So you'd give up your own chance to live so you could save some Pharaoh? Hah! That's so stupid!"
Her words hurt. I didn't know why, but they did. It was like a piercing pain deep within the chambers of my heart. I wanted her to stop. Maybe that was her strategy. I thought, before I could start tearing up from the pain increasing in my chest. She's trying to get me distracted so I do something stupid and attack like how she did not a moment ago. I can't let her get to my head. ...whether it be the truth...or not.
I composed myself and gripped Asima's handle tighter. With a smirk directed directly at the cloaked figure, I said, "It may be stupid to you, but it's what I'm here for! Now do you want to fight, or just stand around gossipping like Twitter? I'm still waiting for your best blow. If you have one..."
The aura shifted again and it went back to being thick with tension. My opponent raised her katana up high, like she wanted to cut me in half vertically. "I'll show you my best blow!" she hollered, and I wondered if I did the right thing by challenging her this much. "But when I bring it to you, you won't even know what hit you!"
Before she could take two steps, I advanced froward, swinging Asima to block her attack. Our blades crashed and the both of us jumped back. Gritting our teeth together in frustration, we tried again, but this time, the other moved much faster. She rushed up to me and swiped her sword, hoping to make a gash as long as the River Nile deep within my skin. But I was in the air by the time she noticed I was gone, again. Before her attack even started, I did a front flip over her, and when she finally noticed only the air in front of her, I was floating behind her, falling back to the ground gracefully. She turned around and growled menacingly when my feet finally touched the ground. I held my sword over my shoulder, smirked, and motioned for her to try again. I was just giving it another try, but I know for sure now. I was controlling the air around me to guide me safely to the floor when I flipped both forwards and backwards. My safe return onto the asphalt beneath my feet tells me that my Air Element was indeed in check. I was able to control air with no problem at all.
With how far we've gotten, my breathing has only become rapid, and sweat beaded down my back, making my shirt a little bit sticky. I ripped my coat off and threw it towards a nearby streetlamp, letting it flutter to the ground near its base. A quiet draft of wind blew into the scene, cooling me for an instant and letting my white t-shirt and blue shorts waver in its soft breeze. From out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Yami's crimson red eyes shift from my coat on the floor back to me. I had no idea what was going through his head, but I saw mystery in his eyes, almost like he was watching me intently. Cool. I get to teach someone what THEIR place is and show Yami what I'm made of all at once.
"What happened? Are you breaking a sweat from fighting me?" spat the cloaked figure, even more agitated. Truth be told, she was beginning to feel exhausted. The Guardian was in a much better condition than her, but her cloak was to blame. With it off, she would've fought much better.
But Master had said to keep the cloak on at all times. she thought. I need to keep my identity a secret. This Guardian's nothing. I can't just lose to her! It would be embarrassing!
"It's not so much as breaking a sweat," I replied, holding Asima up again. "My coat was weighing me down."
Tch...I wish I could say the same for my cloak...
"What about you? How about you take off your cloak instead of hiding in it and making you more tired?"
The female shook her head defiantly, forcing herself to fight back the hotness choking her. "I'm fine, thanks for worrying," she spat, raising her katana back up to meet mine at a point. "Let's just finish this."
Soon we were battling freestyle. We parried each other's attacks and blocked, moving away from the swords with swift movements, enough to be almost like a violent dance. Blades crashed, and sometimes they hit hard enough to let sparks fly. My hair fell in a shower of red strands all around me, but it never got in my eyes. I think it was the practice of knowing where your opponent is at all times that I mostly rely on skills and instincts than what my eyes show me. Speaking of my eyes, Yami swore he saw them burn with a fierce fire, portraying the determination and concentration I was pouring into this fight. It's been so long since I was able to move about this much, as much as I am right now. I haven't battled in over 5,000 years, after all, and Asima hasn't been dull ever since then. It's still sharpened to the touch from my last battle.
There were times when the mystery person would swipe at my throat. I'd jump back and miss it with enough time. Sometimes I would spin and slash at herself, but she would move her blade forward to block. The both of us were panting and sweat beaded down my neck. This girl was fast, I'll have to admit.
"So what if you can summon your staff!" shouted the other, vigorously trying to slash at my side. I moved my blade to block the attack in time. "I'm still going to beat you! We need the Pharaoh!"
I slashed back, but only caught the side of her cloak. It tore, but only to stop at the hem. She cursed but I tried swiping Asima again, giving her no time to see how much the damage was done. She wasn't limping or anything, so that must have meant that I barely got her skin.
"Why do you need him anyway?" I asked, parrying her attack. She almost managed to whack the side of her sword against my hand. I caught my breath, thinking that was too close.
The cold of the night helped cool us down, refreshing us just when we were about to sigh from exhaustion. Our blades clashed over and over again. My lungs almost burned from panting so harshly. This was vigorous activity and from all the years of no movement, I suppose I just needed a warm up like this to get my body back to normal routine.
Suddenly, we stopped. With ten feet separating us, our swords held by our sides, we panted trying to regain our breaths. We gave each other glares, aggressive ones at that, which could have burned holes through our heads. I'm sure my eyes almost looked like fire was playing in them. My magics teacher always said that whenever I trained. I guess I held so much determination to do my best and beyond that my red eyes started flickering different shades. I don't know if it was the sun's rays causing it or just me trying so hard. Whatever it was, it was reassuring, because now I had another piece of evidence to show just how much I would do as Guardian.
The cloaked figure shrugged thoughtfully, sheathing her sword back into the side of her cloak. What the hek? Was she stopping the fight?
"I'm not going to tell you our plans," she said, reaching into the other side of her cloak. I raised Asima and bent my knees in battle stance all over again, just in case she was going to try something else. "Stop asking questions you know no one is going to give you the answers to."
"I'm not going to let you go unless I do get some answers!" I demanded. "Now tell me who you work for! And why do you need the Pharaoh?"
"Oh, just shut up already!" She brought something out of an inside pocket, hidden in the folds of her cloak, and threw back her hand to throw whatever it was at me. It glimmered under the moonlight, and I saw the faint outlines of two kunai. My eyes widened at the sight of them.
She sent both of the sharp edged kunai hurtling in my direction. I knew I only had a split second to dodge this attack, and what I learned in my training popped immediately into my mind. Turning Asima back into a staff, I twirled it rapidly in between my fingers to produce something like a force field. The kunai—like I expected—repelled off it, like a paper airplane hitting a wall before crashing to the floor. The kunai clattered to the ground and skittered back to it's owner, who sulked at the counter attack.
She cursed at her failed attempt before raising her hooded face to glare at me. "God damn...you're so much more skilled than we thought," she muttered. "I can't keep going. That's suicide!"
"You can't just back down like this!" I argued.
Suddenly, the already tension filled air grew heavier with a dark aura. I felt cold from its exposure and the cloaked figure standing not to far from me stood still, like they were waiting for something.
"...right. Alright Master. I'll be back as soon as possible," What? Who is she talking to? Wait...if these guys are connected to Bandit Keith's encounter, then does that mean their minds are controlled too?
Realization dawned on me. She's being controlled. I thought. But if she was being controlled, wouldn't I have felt the same aura from Bandit Keith? Ever since we started fighting, I never once felt that exact same aura; of a mystery person I couldn't see. Could it be...that this person and the other cloaked figure, who was here a while ago, be working for the same person who controlled Keith, but these guys chose to follow him on their own free will? This is crazy. I can't believe what I'm thinking. It could be true.
Because why else is she murmuring her reply to her 'Master'? Who's the twit behind this whole thing? I'm beginning to feel a bit frustrated.
"It appears I have to go," said the cloaked figure, not bothering to notice her forgotten kunai still by her feet. "my Master is calling all his followers back to base. And I've wasted enough time on you. Now I know just how strong you are.
"But before we go, here's a little present to remember us by..."
I raised a brow at her, curiously wondering what the hek she was talking about. Was she going to leave the kunai behind? Is that what she's saying?
"What? What are you—,"
"Sarah! Behind you!"
It was then I heard a sickening slash. It sounded so similar to a knife cutting into something thick and then a gushing noise came after. A powerful pain shot up my left side and my breath caught in my throat, making me unable to breathe for a moment. My hand instinctively reached for my side, right when I fell to my knees, and another cloaked figure stood before me.
Holding a bloodied knife.
"Don't you even think about counterattacking with her weapon," the newly arrived person hissed, and I realized it was the other cloaked figure who had appeared before disappearing. He came back. Only to make a cheap shot. My sword disappeared from my fingertips, vanishing in a mist of gold light.
I clenched my teeth in both frustration and pain, well aware of the warm blood pouring out of the gash and into my hand, staining my white t-shirt and blue shorts. Drops of the crimson liquid plopped onto the asphalt.
"Y-you cheated," I stammered, trying to force myself to fight off the pain and stand up. The pain shot up my side again but I forced to at least stand back on my feet.
"I couldn't let you hurt my friend here, now could I?" he seethed. Then with a blink of an eye, the two mysterious cloaked figures disappeared into the night, running at high speed down the street before turning the corner and vanishing from view, never once looking back.
They left me to die on the street. Of course that's what they thought, but I've been hurt plenty of times and compared to those times, this was nothing.
I stared after them, wondering what they were up to.
Yami rushed up to me, a concerned look haunting his face. His normally vivid crimson eyes were tinted with a dark glaze, wondering if I was alright or not.
"Sarah, are you..." he stopped short when he saw the blood slowly dripping from my hand and onto the ground. I was still staring after the two cloaked figures, still wondering...
"Hm? Oh, I'm fine." I said, breaking my gaze away from the darkened corner of the street to my left side. My hand was coated with some blood, but that was just the outside. The inside of my palm would probably look worse. My shirt was damp with claret and I knew the stains won't come out in a normal wash. The pain had reduced to throbbing but every now and then there would be a sharp jolt of pain shooting throughout my left side, almost making me stop breathing.
Yami shook his head, his mouth slightly parted in shock and surprise from the event that had just occurred...and then this. "It doesn't look like it. There's blood all over you. We need to get you back to your house, where is it again?"
I pointed down the road, and for a moment my head went dizzy and my eyes blurred. "It's the complex at the end of this street. It's not that far now."
Yami was about to walk me to it, but I turned around to walk to a nearby streetlamp. My coat was still sitting there beside its base, idly and half torn from that mystery girl's first slash. I was just about to bend down and pick it up, but my side rippled with pain and I froze, catching my breath and again. I took a slow breath before trying again, but instead of meeting the denim fabric of the coat, my fingertips hit something else.
It was Yami's hand. Him and I blushed for a moment before he took the coat into his hands and handed it to me, along with the two kunai that cloaked figure left behind. Gratefully, I took them into my hands.
"I don't think you should be moving around so much," he said thoughtfully, carefully gazing at my flushed face.
"Thanks," I nodded. "and maybe that won't be such a bad idea. The more I lose blood, the more it's a bad thing."
Yami nodded before we began walking towards the end of the street. "Sarah, there's something I should tell you."
I blinked. "What is it Yami?" I asked.
Yami gave me another thoughtful gaze, his crimson eyes going back to being vivid. "You fight incredibly well."
I sheepishly smiled. "Thanks," I can't believe what just happened. An actual fight. But not only did I get a wound from it all, I also received tones of questions.
Like, who the hell are these guys?
Author's Note: Bleh. Sorry for the bad ending. :/ And I'm sorry I keep updating incredibly late, but I can't seem to balance fanfic writing and school all at the same time. I'll try harder next time! ^^ Hope you liked it! Thanks for everyone reading and reviewing! ^^
lol. I hope you liked Sarah's fighting skills. ^^' I hope I portrayed it alright. xD