Chapter 23: Final Battle--Everyone Else, Nya!

(Back in Chapter 22…)

"E-Eddy?" she questioned with a shaky voice as she bent down to him, "Are you feeling alright?"

He did not respond. No movement, no signs of breathing; nothing.

That's when she got a sinking feeling in her stomach, "Eddy, c'mon; get up now," she started to say as she shook him on the shoulder. He still did not respond, as if he were…

"No," Corina muttered with disbelief as she turned him onto his back. That's when she saw what was wrong; an arrow piercing hole in his chest, "No…" she started to say with tears now in her eyes, "Y-You can't be… You can't be dead; n-not now!"

Corina's body started to tremble, as if she had a chill down her spine, "No!!" she screamed as he then crossed her arms across her chest and bending over his body, crying her heart out for Eddy…

(And now, onto Chapter 23…)

Meanwhile, back with Ichigo, Sapphire, Zakuro and Amethyst were running down the tunnel as they all saw the light at the end.

"There it is!" Ichigo stated as the four of them then stepped out of the tunnel… only to see themselves in a room full of fog.

"What…?" muttered Zakuro with a bit of a gasp, "Where did all of this fog come from?" Ichigo questioned aloud.

"It must be some kind of illusion," Sapphire stated as Amethyst only nodded his head in agreement.

"Guys?!" questioned four shocked voices behind them as the four of them turned around to see Emerald, Pudding, Ruby and Lettuce coming out of the same exit that the other four came into.

"You're alright!" stated the other four, seeing that Emerald and Ruby were with Pudding and Lettuce.

"Yes," Ruby replied with a nod of his head. It was Emerald who noticed the missing faces in the crowd, "Where's Eddy and Corina?"

That's when everyone froze with realization that Topaz and Mint were nowhere around them, "Emerald's right; they're not here," Pudding muttered.

It was Ichigo and Zakuro's extra sensitive hearing that heard immense sobbing up ahead in the fog, "Is that…?"

"I think so," Zakuro interrupted Ichigo, "That's Corina's voice."

Soon the crying in the fog was becoming even louder and louder with each passing second as it now had everyone's attention; it was Corina.

"Come on," Ruby stated with a worried voice; he had a very bad feeling about something, "We have to see if she and Eddy are okay."

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement as they followed the sobbing noise through the thick fog. And when they finally found the source of the crying, they all gasped in horror at what they saw. They saw Corina, crying her heart out over Eddy, who was lying of the ground in front of her.

"Oh my word!" gasped Lettuce as everyone came up to Corina and Eddy, "Corina, what happened?!" questioned Pudding as Emerald and Ruby were immediately by their leader's side.

"I… I-I don't know," was Corina's reply; her voice was full of sorrow at what she was seeing.

"Eddy?" Ed started to say as he shook his friend slightly on the shoulder, "Why aren't you getting up…?"

"Ed…" muttered Double D as he put his right hand on the big Ed's left shoulder, "Eddy is… in a better place now," he finished with a few tears forming in his eyes at what he had just said.

"I wouldn't be so sure on that statement," stated a sinister voice from up ahead as everyone turned their attention up ahead.

Everyone narrowed their eyes as they saw a blue-skinned figure come out of the fog; Master Falion, "I think he deserves a second chance."

And before anyone could stop him, Master Falion right hand started to glow with a black aura as he stuck his hand out to the crowd of kids. He then clenched his right hand into a fist, "Nocturnal Topaz; arise from your slumber!" he shouted as he pulled his hand back towards his chest.

Suddenly, everyone noticed Eddy's body being floated up as it went towards Master Falion, "No!" Corina cried as she tried to go after him. But as she ran, she ran into an invisible barrier; one that was put up by Master Falion.

Soon the darkness that surrounded Master Falion's hand started to shoot out towards Eddy as the beams of dark energy went inside him, where the arrow wound was. Soon Eddy's body started to float towards his feet to the ground as they saw him change back into Topaz Knight… with a darker shade of yellow in his clothing.

"No…" Corina muttered as Eddy turned his attention towards her and the other kids; his eyes were black and hollow.

"Nocturnal Topaz," Master Falion said as Eddy turned his attention towards him, "Kill them all for me," he then smirked, "And kill them slowly, while you're at it."

(Darth Vader's voice) Noooooo!! 8O

...

Err, yeah; got this chapter done! 8D Now you must wait for more!