alright, just to clear things up in case anyone is confused, dicloniuses are born with vectors. while zoe and nana only have four, mariko has twenty-six. and since they are virtually weightless, they are easily controlled. so its not like they're lugging around a hundred pounds (think of them as ghost-like, therefore weightless) mariko's lucky. i wish i had twenty-six vectors and not just four :(

Bloodbath

Chapter 30

Nana awoke shortly after. She found Takuya and Zoe in the living room, Takuya playing Soul Calibur.

"Come on, you stupid asshole!" Takuya yelled at his video game character. "Finish him off!"

"Umm....is everything okay?" Nana asked, confused at why he would be yelling at a t.v.

Takuya sighed as his guy was knocked out. "Yeah, but this game is pissing me off....."

Zoe took the controller from Takuya, turning it upside down to examine it.

"Do you wanna play?" Takuya asked. "Good luck."

The fight began and Zoe began to randomly push as the buttons. Moments later Takuya's jaw dropped as she K.O.'d her opponent.

"What?!" Takuya stared at the game, dumbfounded. "From now on, you can be on my team. Together, we'll kick the twins' asses."

Nana sat down beside them on the couch, then noticed a photograph nearby. "Who's this?"

Takuya looked at the picture, sadness filling his eyes. "That's my little brother, Shinya. He died in an accident ten years ago."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Nana apologized. "It must've been terrible for you to cope with it."

"Actually.....I can't remember too much after his death. I really can't remember anything before the past eight or nine years. It's weird." Takuya sighed, deciding to change the subject. "Later on, Zoe and I are going to the beach. Don't tell anyone, especially Courtney."

"Well, they're going to notice that you're gone. What should I tell them?" Nana asked.

"Just tell them that I had some errands to take care of and I took Zoe with me."

Nana smiled. "You know, I really don't know Courtney that well, but she seems mean..."

"Yeah, she is. This is why I don't want her knowing."

Three hours later, Takuya and Zoe took off to the beach. Unbeknownst to them, Courtney was watching them leave through her bedroom window.

"That's it!" She hissed, quickly dressing. "No way in hell is she getting my man."

After about ten minutes, they had arrived at the beach. There were only a few other people around, much to their relief. It was okay as long as Zoe's horns were covered, but it was still better for there to be less people.

Takuya pulled off his t-shirt, wearing only his swim trunks. They were black with red flames going down the legs. Zoe was wearing a light blue bikini, with matching ribbons over her horns. Takuya couldn't help but scan his eyes down her chest, her flat stomach, her smooth legs.....

Focus, dammit! He cursed himself.

Zoe grabbed his wrist, then began to run towards the water. The two began to splash each other playfully, unaware of Courtney watching them from a distance.

"Bitch............" She muttered, slowly making her way down to the beach.

Takuya tried to push Zoe down, but she grabbed onto him, pulling him down with her. They coughed, spitting out mouthfuls of water.

"I'll be right back," Takuya said, helping her stand up. "I gotta get a drink and wash the taste of salt water outta my mouth."

"Water!" Zoe splashed him in the face.

Takuya spit out another mouthful. "Gee, thanks. Be back in a minute."

He got out of the water, leaving Zoe behind. The blond idly waded through it, moving towards the tall lifeguard tower. She didn't notice Courtney coming up behind her.

"You fucking bitch!" Courtney screamed, hurling herself at Zoe. "You just had to steal him, didn't you?!"

Zoe was knocked underwater, but quickly emerged, coughing frantically. The redhead slapped her across the face, then clawed at her bare arms. Zoe screamed in pain as blood leaked out of the small cuts. She tried to get away from the other girl, only to be yanked back by her hair.

"I'll show you what happens to little sluts that steal my guy!" Courtney raked her claws down Zoe's chest hard enough to draw blood.

Zoe, attempting to protect herself, gave Courtney a hard shove. She trudged through the water, getting closer to the tower. To her dismay, there was no one around to help her. By now the water was only knee high. Courtney caught up and jumped onto her, pushing her beneath the water. The blond writhed, drowning as the salt water began to fill her lungs.

Takuya, coming back from grabbing a soda, saw Courtney shove Zoe under the water.

"Courtney! Stop it!" He started to run to them as fast as he could. "Let her fucking go!"

Courtney ignored him, continuing to hold her down. Her hands tightened around Zoe's neck.

"Stop it!" Takuya felt as though he couldn't get there fast enough.

Zoe was nearly unconcious by now. Her other half, however, wake wide awake. She used her vectors to crush the lifeguard's tower. Before Courtney knew it, sharp planks of wood were plummeting down onto her. She screamed as one impaled her foot, pinning her to the ground. Another one sliced through her back, and it came out her chest. The water around her immediately turned crimson.

Zoe didn't just stop there. Two can play at this game. Two of her vectors imbedded themselves deep into the redhead's stomach, twisting her organs. Seconds later, the rest of the tower collapsed onto them, crushing them both.

"Zoe! Courtney!" Takuya rushed into the water, followed by a few other people.

Together, they heaved the broken tower off the girls. Takuya saw Courtney's bloodied and impaled corpse floating, her eyes vacantly staring upwards. Zoe was still lying beneath the surface, now completely knocked out.

"Call a paramedic!" A woman desperately shouted in the backround.

Takuya lifted Zoe up and carried her to the surface. He began to pump onto her chest, then lowered his lips to hers, blowing air into her lungs.

"Come on, don't die on me!" He repeated the process several times, but nothing seemed to work. "Come on!"

Behind him, people were dragging Courtney's body out of the water, laying her on the sand. There was nothing that could be done with her at that point. Takuya refused to give up on Zoe, however.

Finally, Zoe jerked. She tilted her head to side and spit out mouthful of water, coughing. When she was finished, she lay there trembling.

Takuya wrapped a towel around her, then held her in his lap.

"It's okay now. You're safe." He looked at Courtney.

As furious as he was that she had tried to kill Zoe, he felt a small pang in his heart. He'd known her for twelve years. She could've turned out a better person if she had just tried.

"Takuya." Zoe clung onto him and began to cry. "Courtney......."

"Yeah, she's gone," he softly said. "But at least you're okay."

Zoe looked up at him with her teary green eyes. "My fault?"

Takuya shook his head. "No, don't ever think that. I saw her trying to drown you, and it started to topple when you were underwater. There's no way you could've done it."

He could faintly hear two people in the backround.

"....Some kind of freak accident...."

"...Wonder how it happened. That girl got scewered...."

As Takuya continued to hold Zoe in his arms, he kissed her forehead.

"Thank god you're still alive."

Later that day

Takuya had told the guys about Courtney's accident by now.

"Wow, hard to believe she's gone...." Kouji took a swig from his Jack Daniels, wincing slightly as it burned its way down his throat. "Fucking crazy."

Kouichi shook his head. "I can't say she deserved it, but on the other hand, if it hadn't of happened, Zoe might be the one who is dead."

"She almost succeeded," Takuya said, grabbing Kouji's bottle. "I don't know what made her snap."

"Well, now we'll never know," J.P. replied. "Sucks....."

Takuya took a long gulp, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I already called her parents. They're a fucking wreck now...."

As they talked, Zoe wandered out of the room, unnoticed. She slowly walked down the hallway, to Courtney's room. Inside the room she saw notebooks and pictures of Courtney with Takuya. The redhead had written Mrs. Courtney Kanbara all over the notebooks and had drawn hearts on the pictures. Zoe's eyes darknened as her vectors began to rip up one particular photogragh of the two hugging. They were children in the picture and looked like they were at a carnival.

"Sorry, but it looks like I won...."

courtney's finally dead. ding dong the witch is dead, the witch is dead, the witch is dead! ding dong the wicked witch is dead! sorry, but i couldn't help myself. okay the next chapter is gonna be more exciting. let me know how you liked this one though (why do i have a feeling that im not the only one that is gonna be celebrating courtney's death?) see ya until next time :]