Scene Five

Ata followed Mari up onto the arena platform. They looked around, totally unaware of the crowd of people that were surrounding them on the bleachers. There was an Ora dome surrounding the outer layer of the arena. So although Mari could see the audience, they couldn't see her. Mari took these few moments as a time to prepare herself for the fight.

She thought back to her former appearance, and remembered she had always worn a mask to these things.

She slowly walked over to the concrete walls surrounding them and placed her hands there.

Well this is as good a time as any to warm up my powers. She thought. She focused in on the wall and it's structuring. She slowly brought the image of a mask to the front of her mind and focused even more. Slowly she began to pull from the wall, and a mask shape emerged. When she had finished, she admired her craftsmanship.

It seemed to be just like her old one.

Oh if her farther saw her now, he would surely be afraid. He wouldn't even know who she was anymore. She didn't even know who she was anymore. The sweet, scared persona that she had kept up was masking her true nature. Or was it the other way around? Was she good or bad? She didn't know She hadn't known for so long, that any trace of her being good at the beginning of her life, was gone, replaced by the evil and hate that had emanated from her mother. For so many years.

Mari looked back at Ata. Now there was a truly good child. Someone who did what he did to help his mother. Mari longed to be like him. But the dream of that seemed to far fetched for someone of her…position.

"You okay?" Ata asked. Mari turned to see Ata's blue eyes peeking out from under the hood.

"Yeah." Mari smiled.

"Don't be nervous." Ata said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not. I'm just a bit…rusty. I'm not sure how to do this. This being a new generation and all."

"Yeah. These fights have changed a lot in the passed few years."

"Mmm." Mari hummed, looking down at her feet. The man they had seen before walked up onto the platform, carrying many sheets of paper.

"Alright, now, you're opponents will be...Bone Snatcher and Blue Blood."

Ata groaned.

"What?" Mari turned toward him slightly.

"Those guys are super annoying. It's basically a wannbe prince and his super strong body guard." he grimaced. "They just talk a lot of trash. But they're really nothing."

The man smirked. "Picky, picky. Tell ya what...when I get two opponents that can actually measure up to your power, I'll let you know." the man walked down and out of the arena and the gate closed behind him.

"So how is this going to go?" Mari asked.

"There will be two doors that the opponents will enter from, one with a weapon, and one with out. If you don't mind, I'll take the one with the weapon." Ata gripped his sword tightly. Mari nodded.

From behind the two gates opposite of them, Mari could hear whooping and yelling coming from beyond. The things that they were saying and the loudness of it all was quite atrocious.

"Those guys irritate me." Mari said, shaking the hood from her head. Ata seemed to watch her, as if she was a different person.

"Mari...your...hair..." he said.

Mari looked confused, and pulled a lock of hair towards the front so she could see it. Sure enough, it was different. The short, stubby strands were completely black, but began to slowly fade to purple.

"Woah." Ata stepped forward, inspecting the slowly changing colors.

The large gates on the opposite side began to open, surprising both of them. Mari slipped on the mask, feeling a sensation course through her body.

Fear.

She was afraid. She hadn't been in a fight in so long. She was completely blank. No plan. Nothing.

"And now!" a voice echoed through the arena, suddenly.

"The fight you all have been waiting for…!" the dome began to split open, letting in more light. It completely fell to the sides, letting in the roar of the excited audience. People yelled and screamed and cheered. Mari slipped off the cloth she wore around herself and rocked back on her heel.

"We have a special treat for all of you. The well known champion, Conqueror, has returned to fight!" the crowd roared again. Ata gave a small smirk.

"And…he's brought a partner, a well known assassin here in these parts. Anyone remember The Black Death?" the crowd cheered loudly, for both of them.

"Now who's ready to meet their opponents?" the crowd basically threw there arms up in anticipation.

"Reigning champions in their district, Bone Snatcher and Blue Blood!" the voice announced. Cheers and collective groans filled the air. Out from the opposite gates came two large men. One did look like a large body guard, while the other, who was less muscular but just as annoying, looked like a rude prince.

"Idiots. How many times do I have to beat you up?" Ata scowled, wielding the sword well.

"Calm yourself little...thing. I've come here to win." the prince scoffed, standing a few feet taller than Ata himself. He wore a long green and white robe, lined with gold. He brushed his dark hair from his face and leaned over Ata, ruffling his hair. Ata growled. The prince smirked, his green eyes piercing into Ata's.

The other man, the taller body guard, had large hands, that were blackened at the tips, large brown eyes that seemed empty, and long dark brown hair that fell over the small horns on his forehead. A demon? He stared off into the distance, until something Mari did got his attention. When the two made eye contact, a burst of red ran to the mans cheeks. He quickly looked away.

"Alright, alright! Now who's ready for a fight!?" the man's voice boomed. The crowd roared again.

The large man turned, the blush still hot on his cheeks. The prince turned as well, taking ten paces back to their end of the arena. Ata gestured for Mari to follow him to the other side of the arena.

"Don't be afraid." Ata said. "The big guy's usually the one with the weapon, so you'll just have to worry about that idiot prince." he smirked back at her.

But...Ata's face dropped when the prince pulled out a sword.

"No way..." he grimaced. The prince's gazed met Ata's, a smirk spreading across that idiots face. He planned it! He planned it all!

Ata's eye twitched.

"Why that..." he began to growl again.

"It's alright." Mari smiled back at Ata. She looked over at the large man, who's face was covered with his long brown bangs.

"I feel that I've got an advantage." she smiled again, reassuring him.

Ata seemed to relax a bit.

"ALRIGHT!" the voice boomed. "Let the games begin!"

Scene Six

Masrur and Sharrkan teetered slowly behind Sinbad and Ja'far. Each one frantically looked for a distraction for either the general or the king. So far they had found none.

"ALRIGHT! LET THE GAMES BEGIN!" Masrur's ears twitched. That phrase was familiar to him. But where was it coming from?

Then...then the most pure sound pierced through the air. The sound of two swords meeting.

"There's a battle going on at the arena! I think we should go see it." Masrur pointed frantically in the direction of the pure sound.

"Huh?" Sinbad turned around stumbling a bit. He was obviously drunk.

"How do you know?" Sinbad looked off into the direction of the arena, then stumbled towards Masrur breathing heavily. Masrur brushed his fingertips against the sensitive sides of his ears. Sinbad nodded.

"How are you drunk?" Ja'far shook his head, pushing up against Sinbad's slumped shoulders

"Well we were in a wine shop." he said smiling, wine hot on his breath. "Can w-we go?." he pleaded.

"No." Ja'far said flatly.

"But I w-wanna go..!" Sinbad flailed.

"You're drunk." Ja'far pushed against Sinbad's shoulders again.

"I...WANNA...GO!" Sinbad threw his arms up in the air, causing a small crowd of people to turn.

"Fine since you're being such a baby, and drawing a crowd." Ja'far ushered Sinbad along.

Sinbad smiled, satisfied.

They began to travel in the arena's direction. Masrur and Sharrkan breathed in relief, but immediately tensed up when they met Ja'far's watchful eyes. He crept up to them glaring them down, considering he was much shorter than the two.

"I know you two are up to something. What is it?" Ja'far crossed his arms.

"What are you talking about?" Sharrkan said, ruffling Ja'far's hair. Ja'far shook him away.

"I know you guys are up to something, and when I figure it out, I'm gonna..." Ja'far wasn't able to finish his sentence.

"Awwh, you're so cute when you're mad." Sharrkan pinched Ja'far's reddened cheeks. Ja'far whacked his hands away and shoved him in the stomach. Embarrassing to say the least, Sharrkan didn't move an inch.

"Just...watch it...okay!" Ja'far raged, marching off after a slightly drunken Sinbad.

The two let out a relieved sigh.

"That was close." Sharrkan said. A loud crash came from the crowd.

"SIN!"

"I think we should go help him." they hurried through the crowd to find Ja'far and their drunken king.

Scene Seven

A loud blaring sound erupted from around them, and from the corner of her eye, Mari saw Ata lunge forward, speeding across the arena. The silver blade of his sword met with the gold blade of the prince's. The sound that emanated from the two metals was loud, and pure.

"GO MARI!" he yelled back at her. She nodded and sped out, around the two of them and straight at her larger opponent. At first it seemed that he would fight, which he didn't. Instead he retreated.

He stumbled away, his long legs were wobbly and uncertain.

"Master! She's chasing me!" At first Mari was confused. They were supposed to be fighting, not running. The large man continued to run about, crying out. From the angle Mari was at, she could see tears streaming down from the man's hollow eyes.

None of this makes sense. She thought. Until...she saw them. The large unnecessary scars from a jagged sword blade. He was scared. Not only because of her, but because of his master.

"Stop being a wimp! You useless beast! Fight her!" the prince yelled, struggling to hold off Ata's sword.

Immediately, the large man stopped in his tracks.

"Y-you're so m-mean, master." a small, uneasy smirk crossed his face.

"I-I will c-crush her th-then, as y-you wish." the large man turned slowly, his look of fear turning into one of a crazed lunatic.

"Or m-maybe I could play with her...l-like a b-baby doll. I-I could c-comb her hair and..." he said quietly. The prince growled at him and a look of sorrow washed over his face.

"I-I'll crush her as y-you wish."

All of a sudden he whipped around and charge, the horns on his forehead growing in size. His arms and legs began to turn black and his steps were heavier. The ground shook at every step. Now they were charging at each other, flying faster than then before. He began to pick up speed, ducking his head down so the pointed spikes on his head were speared in her direction.

Another pure sound shot through the air, piercing Mari's ears. From the corner of her eye she could see the prince overpowering Ata greatly. She grimaced.

The large man, emitted a low growl from the back of his throat, and Mari looked up, surprised at how close he was. His strong arms tensed and a hand shot out, knocking her straight in the jaw. She flew back a few yard and crumbled to the ground. Her jaw ached, pain shoot up the possible crack through her skull.

Blood dripped to the floor in an unbelievable amount and Mari felt dizzy. The pure sound shot through the air, and when she looked to the side, she saw the prince ready to stab Ata straight through.

She panicked. She was only a few feet away, and she couldn't do anything but throw herself in front of him. She pushed him out of the way, sending him flying to the side.

And then it happened. The large gold sword plunged into her chest, splattering blood along the prince's front.

"MARI!"

Scene Eight

Sinbad stumbled through the crowd, Ja'far and Sharrkan guiding him, horribly. Masrur was clearing the way, seeing as his frightening glare cleared paths everywhere.

"Come on now, Sin." Ja'far coaxed. They...easily...maneuvered their way through the crowd, making a rather funny scene for most passers by. Sinbad turned slightly and placed a shaky hand on Ja'far shoulder, breathing hot air on Ja'far's forehead.

"Yaknoooww...wh-what? Yyyoou're a b-beautifful wommaann." Sinbad slurred. Ja'far cheeks burn bright red as he shoved Sinbad through the arena gates. Sharrkan was basically on the floor, cracking up. Masrur shook his head.

They continued into the arena, finding seats, most uncomfortably, between a few...hundred other people in the stands. What was so interesting about seeing a fight?

Sinbad slouched over the railing, tipping ever so slightly forward.

"SIN!" Ja'far grabbed Sinbad's waist, pulling him back into a seated position.

"B-but t-there are p-pretty colors-s. I-I wa-ant!" he grabbed at the air.

"You're really drunk, aren't you?" Ja'far sighed

"N-no I'm not!...Mommmmmm..." Sinbad began to tip over the railing.

"Will you stop that!" Ja'far groaned, pulling him back into seated position. "Don't make me tie you up." he revealed the red strings and household vessel beneath his sleeve.

"That s-sounds dirty." Sinbad slurred, leaning onto his elbows. "Y-you mean...s'l-like b-bondage?" a large crowd around the two men stopped cheering and turned astonished faces to them.

"S-shut up!" he slammed a fist down on Sinbad's head, sending Sinbad flying forward.

"OUCH!" Sinbad pouted. "What was that for?!" he rubbed the bump that was most likely forming.

"Stop being a pervert." Ja'far groaned.

Sharrkan burst out laughing. He couldn't help the tears streaming from his eyes.

This was too funny!

"Well you can shut up, too..." Ja'far glared.

A few minutes later, Ja'far had managed to calm Sinbad down. Now he stood and motioned for both Masrur and Sharrkan to follow him.

"Now what are you guys up to?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Nothing." the two blurted out.

"Mhmmm." Ja'far hummed.

"Masrur?" Ja'far made eye contact with the Fanalis.

Now, Masrur wanted to lie...but then again he didn't. To lie to a murderer or a conman or a bub from the streets was easy, but to lie to one of his friends, that was a whole different story.

"I..." Masrur began. "I lost...her."

Ja'far's face was unmoving, but he was obviously stunned.

"Huh?" Ja'far's eye twitched.

"I...lost...her..." Masrur scoffed his foot into the dirt.

There was no response. Just a hard smack across Masrur cheek, and the loud echoing sound from the impact.

Masrur stumbled a bit, lifting his hand to touch his now slightly swollen cheek.

"How did this happen?" Ja'far huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"We were walking through the crowd...and..she ran away from me...I couldn't..." another loud sound echoed through the emptied corridor. Masrur cheek burned, a visible hand print forming on his reddened flesh.

The pain in his cheek was bad, but not as bad as the pain in his chest. Have a friend be disappointed in you, and even hate you, was more painful than anything he had ever felt before.

"How am I supposed to tell this to Sin? Especially in his state of mind?" Ja'far looked back at the drunken king, rocking back and forth on the benches.

"I...I'm sorry." Masrur's voiced wavered. This was an odd feeling. To be punished for doing something wrong.

"YOU"RE SORRY?!" Another slap whipped across Masrur's face, tears slipping from his eyes. This felt horrible. Not the pain on his cheek. Of course that pain he could handle, but the excruciating pain that shot through his chest was nearly unbearable.

"That's enough!" Sharrkan caught Ja'far by the arms, pushing him a few steps back. Ja'far began to compose himself, while Sharrkan went over to Masrur, who seemed to have unconsciously cupped his cheek in pain.

The last slap had sent Masrur mind into overload, then it went completely off. Everything went blank.

"I'm...I'm sorry..."

"You don't need to hit him so harshly." Sharrkan said, seeing as no one needed anymore blame put on them.

"W-well, I..." Ja'far began but something caught his ear.

"MARI!"

Sinbad whipped around at the voice, any sign of him being drunk was washed away.

"Ma-Mari?" his voice shook.

How. The way she looked was familiar. Yes. And her height and age were obviously the same. But it couldn't be. This was a person named Black Death. But then why had he heard Mari's name? Was it just his imagination?

He watched as the young prince withdrew his sword from the bleeding chest, letting the small body crumble to the ground.

Sinbad payed no mind to what he thought he heard, but then if came again. He watched as the small boy ran over to the crumpled body and cradled it in his arms.

"Mari..." Tears streamed down the boys face.

"Why? WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" the boy raged.

Sinbad stood from his seat. "Mari?" It couldn't be. Mari...Mari is safe, at Sindria. Isn't she?

What was happening? Sinbad stumbled down the stairs and out into the back of the arena. What was happening? Everything that was going on was a blur. He barely remembered making it down the stairs, and although adrenaline was pumping through his body, the wine was beginning to kick in again. But what was happening?

"Hey! You can't be down here! Fighters only!" a large man said. But he had had enough. What was happening?

"Focalor! Dwell in my body!" Sinbad transformed, the dark red feathers and fur forming on his body, his hair growing longer, and the shiny gold he wore, wrapped around his arms and neck.

"H-hey w-wait!" the large man was blown out of the way, like he was a piece of paper.

"SIN!" Ja'far stumbled down the stairs, followed by Masrur and Sharrkan. "Hold on!"

But he didn't listen.

Where?

He made his way out into the back rooms, conjuring up a storm that blew away another group of men.

Where is she?

He made his way out into the arena.

Mari?

Small specks of blood trailed to the entrance, coming straight from the butchered body.

Mari?!

Small specks that turned into dots and smears, until his eyes finally reached the full body, where blood had pooled greatly.

M-my Mari!

The young prince shook a bit, holding in a laugh.

"The little thing didn't have a chance." he cupped his hands over his mouth, his laughter slipping out anyway.

M-my b-baby!

Sinbad raged inside himself, unable to hold in the feelings of anger and hate any longer. But the words could escape his mouth, they seemed to erupt from someone else.

"GET...AWAY...FROM HER!" the small boy who held Mari growled. He shook violently, his head ducked, so much so that none could see his expression.

"Mari..." the name slipped from Sinbad's mouth. "GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!"

"And you are?" the young prince smirked.

"I... I AM SINBAD, CONQUEROR OF THE SEVEN SEAS! KING OF SINDRIA! NOW GET YOU'RE PUTRID FORM AWAY FROM MY PRINCESS and out of my sight..." Sinbad growled. This time the young prince stumbled back falling over himself a few times.

The large demon to the side was cowering far beyond Sinbad's reach. But he didn't care.

Mari. My princess. My child.

He watched the blood leak from her body, and he was unable to do...anything.

My sweet, what will I do?

Without...you?