Chapter 5
A New Evil
"The name's Axel," the man said, "got it memorized?" Axel glowered at the now frozen Hermione, "AKA, the Flurry of Dancing Flames." Hermione glared daggers at Axel as he finished the sentence.
"What do you want?" said Hermione through clenched teeth, her tension growing. Her adrenaline was in full kick, her brain was screaming to run away, to get Kellach and go. But she had to know what the guy was here for. The guy didn't answer Hermione's question, instead he took a step forward.
"I said, what do you want?!" Hermione growled, her right hand on her hip, she stared down Axel. She reached her right hand into her skirt, and her fingers touched her wand.
"Oh just the birthday boy. That's all we want...and his heart!" Axel lunged at Kellach. Hermione got to him first. With lightning fast reflexes, Hermione whipped out her wand.
"Stupefy!" Hermione shouted, sending a bright red beam of energy at Axel. It happened so fast, Hermione gasped. Axel appeared right in front of Hermione, her wand in his hand. He crunched the stick with his fist, making a snapping sound. Hermione was stunned, she couldn't move. With a quick swipe, Axel backhanded Hermione right in the face, sending her to the ground. Axel laughed, flexing his gloved hand with excitement. Kellach was enraged by Axel's act. With a quick flurry, he pulled out the pebble he was given for his birthday out of his component pouch. He began to chant, making patterns in the air with his fingertips.
"Tacha, Voeli, Makutaha, Rok!" Kellach chucked the pebble at Axel. Midair, as the pebble was on target, it began to multiply. Suddenly, many very heavy stones rained upon Axel, bludgeoning him and sending him closer to the roof's edge. As Axel was delayed, Kellach ran to Hermione to see if she was ok. She was kneeling on the ground, clutching her burning face. She looked to Kellach, and the two got up and stared into the eyes of the enemy. Axel growled in rage.
"Bastards!" Axel roared, throwing both of his chakarams at Kellach like a Frisbee. Kellach was shocked, and Hermione was defenseless.
"Hermione get down!" Kellach shouted to her. She obeyed, and left Kellach to the fight. She hid back watching her love fight for his life. Unlike Hermione, he was far from out of power. Kellach dodge rolled the assault and began to chant furiously. Time for this intruder to die, no one harmed his girl. He reached for his spell component pouch, but it wasn't there!
"Looking for this?" asked Axel as he held up a brown rawhide pouch. He laughed, dangling the pouch before Kellach as if taunting him. How was he so fast?!
"You know I can do more than just magic." Growled Kellach as he karate-kicked Axel in the chest.
"Ooofhh!" Groaned Axel as he was pushed backwards by the force of Kellach's blow. He grasped at his chest, the kick hurt, but it didn't do much to stop him. Hermione was sick of standing there just watching in the sidelines. She stared daggers at Alex as she bit her finger, drawing flecks of blood to drip on the roof. When they made contact, the red blood turned icy blue, and began to spread across the roof like creeping ivy. Hermione let out a cry and thrust her hand first in Axel's direction and then right on the floor. The moment she touched the rooftop, the floor at their feet crackled with ice and snow. With another scream, Hermione raised her hands up into the air, still concentrating her scorn on Axel. Kellach quickly dodge-rolled to the right before large, frozen spiked pillars of black ice shot up out of the ground, attempting to impale the intruder where he stood. Axel, however, did nothing but laugh.
"Lousy little punks!" grunted Axel. He held out his chakarams, fire erupted from them. The air around the three became unbearably hot. Magma began to burst out of the rooftop, melting Hermione's spears before they could even reach him. Hot steam hissed around them as the scorching magma dissolved the snowy terrain she had created. The roof was now covered in the hellish landscape.
"BURN BABY!" Axel shouted in delight. Hermione then took in a quick breath, suddenly feeling faint. She had burnt out after expelling such a dazzling array of her powers. Before she collapsed to the ground, Kellach swiftly grabbed Hermione's hand and dragged her towards the elevators. Axel shot fireballs at the two as they ran for the elevator. Kellach gasped as one the size of a beach ball whizzed past his head, "You guys aren't gonna make this easy for me, are ya?!" They weren't going to make it. There was no way off the building. Unless…
"Hahahahahaha! Just keep running! You'll tire yourselves out eventually." Laughed Axel in a frenzy. Kellach then turned to Hermione; eyes still slightly forward understanding the dire situation they were in.
"Do you trust me?!" Shouted Kellach over Axel's sadistic laughter.
"More than anything." Smiled Hermione, terror still in her eyes.
"Hold on then!" shouted Kellach as he switched directions and headed for the roof's edge.
"Are you crazy?! That's a twelve story drop!" Hermione screeched. The edge was coming fast. It was now or never. Kellach began to panic.
"JUST TRUST ME!" Yelled Kellach. Hermione closed her eyes.
"JUMP!" They leaped off the tower. Kellach grabbed Hermione's waist as she did the same. They hugged each other as they free fell down the tower, their hair blowing in their faces. Kellach then with ace precision hurtled himself towards the tower wall, still holding onto Hermione. The two then crashed through a glass window, landing roughly into a quiet room. The shattered glass cut Kellach and Hermione's arms and faces. Kellach had cuts across his chest and legs. His tux was tattered and the sleeves were shredded. Hermione's blouse was in ribbons, loosely hanging off of her. Kellach and Hermione luckily landed on a comfy bed. The two lay down beside each other. They were breathing heavily. The light turned on. They were lying right beside Aang. They fell right on the sleeping guy.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Yelped Aang as he was rudely awakened. Aang pulled the covers up to his chin, terrified.
"What are you two doing in here?!" Kellach gave Aang a cute little face and spoke to him in a mock voice,
"Oh, we had a very scawy dweem so we wanted to sleep in your bed for the night."
"Really?" asked Aang.
"What do you think?!" shot Hermione at Aang, anger was clearly settling in. Kellach and Hermione quickly filled Aang in on the details, ushering him out of the bed. They skipped no details.
"If what you're saying is true, we've gotta warn the others." Aang said. He quickly sprinted out the room. The instant he got into the hallway, ten thin needles landed on Aang. They stuck out of his shoulders, upper arms, and back. When they made contact, an electrical current surged though the needles and danced from instrument to instrument.
'"YAAAAAA!" Aang began to convulse where he lay, crumpling to the ground like a rag doll. The two heroes were nearly speechless as they helplessly watched their friend slowly being electrocuted.
"Aang!" Hermione and Kellach yelped as they ran to the hallway. Hermione took a step towards Aang, but Kellach put a hand on her arm, holding her back. At the end of the hallway stood a girl dressed in the same black garb as Axel's. She had blonde hair that went into two upward ponytails. She had a very immaculate face, save for a beauty mark slightly above her lip. In her gloved hands she held two yellow kunais. The weapons were all crackling with electricity.
"Greetings losers," She said curtly, tilting her head to one side, "I am Larxene the savage nymph." Said the girl with surprising venom in her tongue.
"Oh, and get out of the way or I will kill you." Larxene added to punctuate her point. Hermione took a step towards Larxene, not afraid of her threat. Kellach stayed behind her, watching Larxene carefully.
"What did you do to Aang?" Hermione stammered. Larxene laughed at that.
"Oh he just got shocked by my appearance," Said Larxene as she flicked her hair, "we really just want the wizard boy." Hermione stood in front of him from hearing her words. Larxene's eyes flashed, taking her stance as a threat, "just relinquish Kellach and we won't kill anybody." She said, the venom escaping her throat again. She then disappeared in a flash. She reappeared behind Aang's paralyzed body. She held a kunai to Aang's throat.
"Ya hear that?! No wizard, NO AIRBENDER!" screamed Larxene in rage, pushing the kunai closer to Aang's throat. A small trickle of blood ran down his neck. Larxene was enjoying Hermione's look of pain. Larxene pushed the kunai closer; more blood ran down Aang's throat. Larxene was cackling like a madman. She then went rigid. Her yellow eyes rolled in the back of her head. Larxene then lost consciousness, and fainted next to Aang. Standing over Larxene's body was Neji. Hermione gasped.
"What did you-"
"Gentle fist to the head," Answered Neji, "it didn't kill her though. She'll be conscious any minute. Get going you two. I'll hold her off." Neji knelt down to Aang and attempted to rid him of paralyses. Kellach nodded at Neji, and ran down the hallway to the spiral staircase. They ran taking the stairs two at a time.
"Run!" screamed Hermione in a whisper. She was trailing right behind him. Everything around her was a blur. Who were these people trying to attack Kellach? And why did they want his heart? And why this night of all nights? When the two of them were going to share each other for the first time. They didn't see where they were running. They were so frantic, they collided right into a sleepwalking Jake.
"Ugh, Wha? Huh?" Jake woke up violently, "uh, where am I?" grumbled Jake, trying to get his bearings.
"On the 3rd floor." Replied Kellach and Hermione quickly. Jake saw their scared faces, and sobered.
"What happened to you guys?" It was then when Kellach and Hermione informed Jake on the situation.
"Yikes! We need to get out of here!"
"Ya think?!" Kellach replied to Jake. Kellach and Hermione grabbed Jakes' hands and dragged him along with them. They ran for the foyer room, knowing that it was the quickest way out of the tower. They leaped over the couches in the lounge and sprinted through the hallways to the Foyer room balcony. The white walled room at night was usually dulled, but the moon made the room shine eerily. In front of them was the large white stone stairway that led to the pale marble foyer floor. About six yards away from them were the glass doors to freedom. The three walked down the long staircase warily. Their backs were up against each other, their guards completely raised. It was quiet, too quiet. Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, they made a beeline for the glass doors. Jake then spotted a pink sakura petal on the floor, and it stopped the three in their tracks.
"That wasn't there before." Said Hermione puzzled. Jake slowly walked to the petal, and bent down to pick it up. It was then when Kellach saw a glimmer at the corner of his eye. It seemed innocent enough, until he realized what it really was. Kellach's heart stopped.
"NO! DON'T!" gasped Kellach, trying to pull Jake back. It happened fast. The second Jake touched the petal a huge red gash cut Jake from the shoulder down. Jake fell over, hitting the floor with a thud. His scarlet blood was pooling on the white marble. Neither of them knew if he was alive or dead. His body twitched silently, like a fish flailing around in its own blood. Kellach and Hermione couldn't believe what they were seeing. Hermione gasped in horror. Kellach tried to sway the grisly image.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Kellach and Hermione stopped. A man in a black garb was standing over Jake's bloodied corpse. His attire matched those of the intruders. He had brown wavy hair that went to his shoulders with a pinkish tint to it. He was holding a light green scythe with a curved faded pink blade. The edge of the blade was stained and dripping with Jake's life force. Kellach couldn't take it anymore, he had seen enough. Hermione thought she was going to be sick. She screamed and knelt to Jake's side, helpless to aid him.
"Who are you people and what are you all doing here?!" Kellach snarled, taking a step forward showing his leadership. Hermione tried desperately to put pressure on Jake's wounds, but the damage was too extensive. He had a fatal wound that stretched from his left shoulder blade to his abdomen. She put her hands on his chest, it was warm and wet. Chanting frantically under her breath, she pressed her hands against his shuddering body. Small ice crystals crept up his wound, sealing the massive cut on his body. She prayed that it would stop the blood flow. But cracks formed in the ice and blood slowly began to ooze out from the cold. The cloaked man looked down upon the three with scorn with an air of haughty arrogance. He laughed deep from his chest, colder than Hermione's hands.
"My dear boy. I am Marluxia, the Graceful Assassin. Number llX of Organization lllX." Every word that came out of his mouth made him want to kill Marluxia, and his two partners he invited into his home. "We're here for you Kellach. Now come with us if you don't want your dear friend's death be in vain." Marluxia took a step forward at this, and turned his gaze to Hermione, who was still trying to bring Jake into consciousness. The more she tried to resuscitate him, the more she felt it was hopeless. Marluxia continued, "You don't understand the power we each hold. If you don't come with us, I'll cut your whore to ribbons." he said calmly as if he just asked Kellach to a picnic. This was the last straw. Kellach glared at Marluxia, standing between him and his true love. He reached into the sleeve of his suit jacket, and found what he was looking for. He closed his eyes for a few moments, and then opened them again, staring down Marluxia.
"Well Kellach, what is it gonna be? You or your pretty little girlfriend?" Suddenly, an alarm was heard, casting an array of red lights on their faces. Marluxia saw Kellach's face change from hate to smugness, when at his side appeared his friends. Knuckles and Shadow leapt from the ceiling, landing back to back. Knuckles' hands were armed with steel plates, and he slammed them together. Shadow's eyes were glowing with cosmic power, and he levitated slightly off the floor. Amy and Arya teleported to the right of Hermione, both held daggers in their hands, eyes full of hatred. Sasuke and Neji sprinted from two different corners of the room and stood at either side of Kellach and Hermione. The two of them each had their special eyes locked onto Marluxia, ready for whatever he was going to throw at them.
"I think you have a pretty good idea what my answer is going to be" Kellach replied, and in response, the others stood their ground, sending all of their negative energy to the foe before them. They were ready to defend their home, and their friends.
"Fine. Have it that way then." Sneered Marluxia. He clapped his hands. Two dark portals materialized at each of his side. Axel and Larxene stepped out confidently from the dark; both had sinister looks on their face. Axel spun his chakarams intimidatingly in his hands. Larxene took a long, curved knife from out of her sleeve, and pointed it at the group of friends. Her features read something sadistic. The two of them then met Marluxia's gaze.
"What are your commands Marluxia?" Axel asked Marluxia. Larxene turned back towards the group, her eyes fixed particularly on the females in the room. Marluxia looked first to Axel, then to Larxene, and then straight forward. His face was expressionless.
"Kill them."