A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys. Life got really busy for a while. I'm trying to tie this story up, I promise. Anyway, here you go!
Chloe felt a great sadness wash over her. No..Carmen couldn't be dead…
The water evaporated, leaving the dead water demon in the center of the arena. The glass walls came down and a silence hung in the air. Kurama glanced at Haru. The quickest way out of here-
"Look!" Someone shouted and pointed to the left.
Carmen detangled herself from the bleachers and leapt back into the arena. She landed five paces from her dead opponent on one knee. The crowd started cheering.
Chloe leapt to her feet, yelling along with everyone else. "Carmen! Carmen!" She felt such a rush of relief that tears pricked at her eyes. Carmen was alright! Despite everything Carmen was like…was like a sister, even a friend on her good days. She clasped her hands to her chest, grinning from ear to ear.
Kurama relaxed a little and leaned back in his seat. One more fight and this might all be over. If Carmen died he'd take Chloe to Spirit World along with the shard – no one would get the medallion. If Carmen won he'd turn both her and the medallion over to Spirit World. Either way it was a win-win situation. He felt a tug at his conscience. Chloe would hate him if he turned Carmen over to Spirit World. But he couldn't just let her go free…could he?
Haru watched Chloe jump up and down. Even after everything she still loved Carmen so much and would be truly sad if anything happened to her. He shook his head. That girl was probably the best person he'd ever known.
Carmen straightened up, touching her forehead as a sign of respect to the deceased. Then she grinned and waved to the crowd as she walked through her doors. She stopped by the medic station so they could check her out. If she and whoever had won the match before hers were both okayed the final battle would be fought in fifteen minutes.
"Nothing too serious. You're fine to fight."
Carmen hopped off the table and exited the doors. She was still shaking from the cold water, but she was warming up. She changed her clothes quickly and headed into the stands. "Chloe! Eric!" She skipped over to them dressed in a dark purple dress, still barefoot.
Chloe hugged her tightly. "You had me scared!"
Carmen chuckled. "Psh I had it all under control."
"That was some trick, summoning that storm." Kurama spoke up, his eyes piercing. Carmen laughed and detangled herself from Chloe. "Magic fingers." She wiggled her fingers and leaned back against the seats ahead of them. "So who is the other finalist?"
Chloe sat back down, leaning her head on Kurama's shoulder. "He's pretty awful."
Carmen snorted. "I figured as much. What's his name?"
"Yoi." Kurama watched her face to see if she recognized the name. She quirked an eyebrow then snorted. "Oh, Yoi. No worries then. I've fought him before. Nothing I can't handle."
'There's something not right about her. She bests A-class demons like they were nothing, beats S-class, worse for wear but nothing serious, and can summon thunderstorms with the snap of a finger? It's impossible.'
'Perhaps a goddess of some kind? Legend has it-'
'Those are legends. There has never been any evidence for them.'
'Doesn't mean they're not true…'
Kurama felt a little disconcerted by Yoko's thinking – mostly because he was afraid he might be right. If that were true, then Carmen might be an even bigger problem than he had thought.
'Or a bigger ally.'
Kurama nearly frowned but caught himself before he did so. Yoko might be right. Somehow he needed to get to the bottom of this. Unfortunately, Carmen was the only hope of finding out this information.
"How did you get so powerful?" Chloe asked suddenly.
"Oops, time for me to go." Carmen stood and walked away. "See you when it's over!"
Chloe furrowed her brow. It was infuriating how frequently Carmen did that. Why couldn't she ever just answer a stupid question? But no, she preferred to be all secretive and mysterious. It was enough to drive a person insane! She clenched her jaw. She felt so naïve and blind all the time, but nobody would tell her anything! Haru knew way more than he should, Kurama only told her what he thought she needed to know, and Carmen only answered questions when the mood suited her! And as for defending herself…Chloe looked down at her hands. She was less than useless. She couldn't even defend herself against humans. Why had Carmen chosen someone like her to hold onto the shard?
She was suddenly very aware of the cool metal on her chest, and the burn.. Unconsciously she put a hand to her chest and gently rubbed. What on earth had caused that? She still had no memories of what had happened once Alexander had shown up.
"Are you alright?" Haru whispered in her ear, trying to catch her eye.
She jerked a little and looked at him. "Y-yeah, I'm fine." She dropped her hand and looked at the arena.
Kurama squeezed her hand. "She'll be fine." Chloe could only pray he was right.
Carmen strode out of the double-doors to cheering from the crowd. She caught Chloe's eye and winked, doing a front flip for fun. The doors opposite her opened and from thence issued Yoi. Yoi was very short, barely passing the four foot mark. He was bald and had intense red eyes. His attire was black, simple, but with elegant silver patterns embroidered all over. He bowed to Carmen.
She raised an eyebrow, tilting her head back at him. He wasn't this respectful or polite unless he thought he had the upper hand. Her eyes narrowed and she crouched slightly. 'It's fine. He's a long-distance fighter. Just keep things close and it's a sure win.' She launched herself at him, yellow eyes gleaming, claws and fangs bared.
-schwing!-
She yelped and rolled away from him. A thin red line appeared down the outside of her arm, blood slowly bubbling out. She glared at Yoi, who now held a small knife in each hand. "Touch́e." She was pleased to note a slice of red appear on his cheek.
'Don't fall for it.' Kurama kept his mouth shut, but a part of him wished they had warned Carmen of Yoi's apparent new trick.
Carmen circled slowly, her face unreadable. She looked straight at Yoi and sniffed the air a few times. "You smell like..the inside of a stomach. Is that your new game?" She smirked. "Too bad for you I've seen it before." She launched again, this time grabbing a handful of dirt on the way.
She tossed the dirt straight up just before she closed the distance. She grabbed his wrists just before they collided and plunged the knives straight into her sides. Yoi kicked her off and she back-flipped away. Yoi stood, blood dripping from his knives. "For being tho thmart, you are really thtupid." He lisped, unable to contain his smirk.
Carmen laughed, dipping her fingers in her blood and drawing symbols on her skin. "I'm sorry Yoi. You are an interesting fighter, but I don't have time to play – I only have time to win." Yoi dropped the knives and threw a hand forward, his other close to his chest and hurriedly forming symbols. Carmen let out a yell as she felt the skin on her left arm literally beginning to peel off. Lacking a better option she drove one claw into her left palm and carved a symbol.
Yoi's brows furrowed as his attack stopped working. "Impothible! There is no defenthe against that!" He shouted, channeling more aura as he tried to continue.
Carmen leapt at him, her bloody fist pounding his chest. They exchanged blow after blow, neither one willing to back down or lose any ground.
'She's losing a lot of blood. Why doesn't she just end this?'
'She's trying not to appear as powerful as I think she is.'
Carmen thought quickly. She wasn't going to be able to keep this up much longer. The best way out? She left an opening, bracing just before his fist met with her stomach. She grabbed his wrist and plunged her hand into his chest. She saw his eyes widen as her fingers wrap around his heart. "I'm sorry." She whispered, yanking it. His eyes went blank and he collapsed onto her. Carmen laid him on the ground, closing her eyes a moment out of respect. She stood up, both arms covered and dripping with blood, not even smiling as the announcer suddenly boomed out "Carmen has defeated Yoi. Carmen is the winner of the Black Tournament!"
She still didn't smile when the crowd started cheering again. Her yellows landed on a small demoness with white hair and red eyes – Yoi's mate, along with their child. The look of pain and horror on the woman's face made Carmen's stomach revolt. She hadn't intended to kill Yoi – she knew he had a mate he had loved dearly and a child he doted on. That stupid new attack of his…She'd intended to bring him near enough to knock him out, not.. She turned on her heel and strode towards her door, her face blank.
Chloe put a hand to her mouth, swallowing hard as she felt a queasiness rising. Carmen's arm, then Yoi's heart… She closed her eyes, trying not to think about it anymore. Kurama patted her back. He watched as Carmen walked towards the doors, leaving a trail of blood behind her. He'd seen the look on her face. He didn't know exactly why, but this particular opponents death had sickened her for some reason. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his communicator. In a matter of minutes they would award the medallion in its entirety to Carmen. He'd fulfilled his end of the bargain, now it was safe to turn her in.
But he was torn. On the one hand he felt bad after everything she'd done for them. Then again she'd had to do it because of everything she'd done TO them in the first place. He set his jaw and pushed the communicator back in his pocket. He'd wait till she could be taken quietly away, someplace where Chloe needn't see. If she didn't know it was him, she wouldn't hate him for turning Carmen in. A little white lie might be necessary, but it would be for her own good.
"Get back out here Carmen. You've won yourself the completed medallion!"
Chloe was again acutely aware of the piece of metal hanging around her neck. Why had Carmen told them it was complete when it wasn't?
Carmen marched out and took the box, not a hint of a smile on her face.
"She's not in a good mood…" Eric muttered, stretching.
Suddenly six men leapt into the arena, hands raised, encircling Carmen. She looked at each of them, an eyebrow raised.
"Carmen, for crimes against humans and against Spirit World, for theft, for murder, and for treason, you are hereby placed under arrest!"
A rampage started as demons fled for the exits. Kurama grabbed Chloe and pulled her to himself, pushing away any demons who got too close. "What's happening?" Chloe shouted. Kurama didn't bother answering – he didn't know. He hadn't called Spirit World. He glanced down to the arena.
Carmen forced both arms up, despite one being half peeled. "I don't want to fight you boys. There's no need for bloodshed. I'm not going with you and I'll kill you before you take me, so you may as well just go report that to Koenma." They responded by slowly moving in.
"Listen to me! I need to destroy this medallion. It's not safe anywhere!"
"That is Spirit World property. Destroying it is a crime!"
Carmen laughed. "So? I've committed a hundred crimes already! What's one more?"
Chloe pushed at Kurama. "Help her!" She pleaded. Kurama shook his head; he didn't dare fight Spirit World, especially about Carmen. He glanced at Haru, pausing when he caught a glimpse of a strange look on the boy's face. Haru was looking down at the scene in the arena, not smiling, yet somehow seeming…pleased, if that was the right word.
Eric muttered a string of curses and started down, jumping over seats and knocking demons left and right. He paused a couple rows up, ducked down, and peeked between the seats. He blew slowly and the wind started swirling around Carmen. She smirked and disappeared in a flash of light.
"Spread out. Find her!"
"Come on." Kurama grabbed Chloe's hand and pulled her behind him into the hallways. "We need to get out of here."
"No!" Chloe tugged at her hand, trying to free herself. "We have to help Carmen!"
"Carmen's a lost cause! She deserves it after everything she's done to us."
Chloe pulled her hand out of his grasp angrily. "She's saved both our lives multiple times. So she makes some mistakes – so what? You've never made a mistake? I'm going to help her!" She turned and ran up the hallway, against the flow of demons. Haru caught up with him finally; he'd gotten stuck behind a group of demons. "Where's Chloe?" He shouted.
Kurama didn't answer for a moment. "Go back to the tavern." Somehow his voice carried over the noise. He took off after her, sticking close to the wall to make the trek easier. He spotted Chloe's brown hair just as it disappeared into Carmen's room.
"Carmen?" Chloe pushed open the door, relieved to see Carmen standing by the table, the box open in front of her.
"Give me your piece, quick!" Carmen hissed, holding out her hand.
"Do not give her the final piece – she is the daughter of Raidon!" The commander of the Spirit World troops yelled from across the hall.
Chloe's brows furrowed and she saw Carmen visibly stiffen. "Carmen?"
"That man was no father of mine!" She spat. "I'm trying to destroy any chance of bringing him back Chloe, you have to trust me!"
Kurama couldn't believe his ears. Carmen was Raidon's daughter?
"In King Enma's name I command you not to give her that piece!" The commander ordered. Kurama could feel the man's aura beginning to build. Chloe suddenly made up her mind. She grabbed the door and slammed it shut. "Help me!" She yelled over her shoulder.
Carmen leapt over and pushed on the door as well, dipping one hand in her own blood and beginning to write a symbol on the door.
"What are you doing?" Chloe's heart skipped a beat when she felt the door shudder – the soldier was beating on the door. Carmen finished and pulled Chloe back. The door faded and was gone; there was just a wall there now. "Wh-what?" Chloe reached out and touched it. "What will we do now, there's no window!"
"We don't have time for explanations. We have to go." Carmen snatched the nearly complete medallion and shoved the table away, then grabbed the rug under it and pulled it up. There was a metal ring, seemingly attached to nothing. Carmen yanked on it, and up came a trap door. "Chloe, move!" She snapped, nearly shoving the girl down the ladder when she finally came. Carmen pulled the door down behind them, leaving them in pitch black darkness.
"I can't see!" Chloe didn't know why she whispered, but she clung tightly to the ladder.
"Just keep going till you reach the bottom."
Chloe moved as fast as she dared. She squeaked when her foot went for another rung only to find nothing. She gripped the ladder tightly, taking a deep breath before feeling around for the ground. She sank onto it in relief when she finally felt it.
"We don't have time for dawdling." Carmen shoved the medallion into a pouch on her thigh beneath the dress, wishing now she'd put her hair up for the final fight instead of leaving it down. At least it was braided. Her eyes finished adjusting to the dark and she grabbed Chloe's hand and hauled her onto her feet. "Let's go." She took off running, not letting go of the girl's hand.
Chloe stumbled but managed to keep her feet. "Where does this lead?" She didn't get an answer. Carmen just pulled her along, her yellow eyes piercing through the darkness somehow. Suddenly she put the girl's hand on the rung of a ladder. "Up." She hissed, scrambling up first. At the top she pushed open another trap door, sending light tumbling back down.
Chloe looked around in amazement when her head popped out. "We're back at the tavern!" They'd come up through the floor behind the bar.
"Yep." Carmen went into Eric's door, leaving Chloe standing behind the bar unsure of if she should follow. "I need your hands." Carmen came back out, armed with bandages, needle, and thread. She dumped them on the bar and found the most basic alcohol she could. "You're going to have to sew my arm up." She opened the bottle and dumped some of it on her arm, wincing at the ferocious sting.
Chloe's eyes widened. "I-I…I can't.."
Carmen threaded the needle and held it out. "No choice. I can't reach. You're going to have to." When Chloe still didn't move Carmen's leg shot out and swept the girl's feet out from under her.
"Hey!" Chloe hit the floor hard, tears welling up in her eyes.
"You awake now? I don't really want to bleed out so will you bloody hurry up?" Carmen took a drink of the alcohol, making a face at the awfulness of its taste. Chloe got to her feet and took the needle, swallowing hard. "I-I've never done this before."
"There's a first for everything. Just put the flap of skin back over, make sure it meets the other side of skin and sew it together, nice and snug."
Chloe reached forward hesitantly, holding her breath as she took the flapping skin and laid it back in its place.
"For heaven's sake." Carmen grabbed Chloe's hand and jabbed the needle through the skin. "We don't have all day. Stop being such a damn pansy." Chloe pulled it through, holding down the skin as she put another stitch in. Carmen sat quietly, taking a drink now and then and humming to herself and the girl carefully put the needle in and out, in and out.
"There." Chloe said finally, tying off the thread.
"Great. Now you bandage my arm while I bandage my hand." Carmen chucked a roll of gauze at her and then started wrapping another roll around her bloody left hand. Once finished she stood again and headed upstairs.
"What are you going to do?" Chloe asked, following after her.
"We're leaving. Get any things you have."
"L-leaving? How come?"
"It will take a great deal of time and energy to deal with this medallion, neither of which do I have in great supply."
Chloe stopped. "What about Haru? And…wh-what about Kurama? And why do you need me?"
"You wanna know why you stutter Chloe? It's because you are a coward. You've always been that way, that's why you've always stuttered. But have you noticed something? You haven't stuttered as much lately. You know why? Because you discovered, deep down, that maybe somewhere inside of you is a spark of courage. You don't need Haru or Kurama holding your hand. I need you to keep that piece until I find a safe place to take care of the medallion. Until then it's not safe for it to be put back together."
Chloe was startled, more from the fact that Carmen had been that blunt than by what had been said. She knew she coward. But maybe, just maybe…she didn't have to be? She swallowed hard so she wouldn't stutter. "Alright. Let's go."
Carmen caught sight of the landing and turned around. "I don't actually have anything up there. Let's use the tunnel again." She made a quick stop at Eric's room, picking up her boots that she'd left drying. She pulled them on and opened the trap door. "After you."
Chloe glanced over her shoulder at the stairs once more before climbing down. Carmen waited till she had disappeared into the darkness before stepping in herself. She touched her forehead towards the stairs. "Forgive me Haru." She murmured, pulling the door shut on top of themselves.
Kurama and Eric came through the front door of the tavern. "Chloe?" Kurama called, taking note of Eric locking the front door behind them. He went up the stairs, eyes widening when he saw the landing. "Haru!" He jumped up the last steps. Haru lay in front of his door, a pool of blood spreading beneath him. He stared up at the ceiling, hardly seeing anything. Kurama went down on his knees, turning Haru's head towards him. "Can you hear me? What happened? Where's Carmen? Where's Chloe?" The last question seemed more urgent than the rest.
Haru coughed violently, pressing a hand on his abdomen, where the blood seemed to be originating from. "They were here…I think Carmen…saw me…they left…" He grimaced and squeezed his eyes shut.
"Who did this?" Kurama's eyes searched for other injuries, but he only saw the one.
Haru forced his tired eyes open again. "He did."
"Who?"
"Alexand…" His eyes closed and he fell unconscious.
"Eric!"
Kurama reached out and pushed the doorbell, putting his hand back in his coat pocket. It was cold enough out that he could see his breath. A moment later the door opened.
"Kurama." Kuwabara looked shocked.
"Hello Kuwabara."
Kuwabara recovered himself and pushed the door open wider. "Come on in." He shut the door behind them and led the way to the kitchen. It was a small house, but not cramped. There was one big area with the tv, couch, and dining table and the kitchen was across. "You want something to drink?" The carrot-top offered, opening his fridge and pulling out a beer.
Kurama accepted a cold bottle. "Thank you."
"Sure." Kuwabara popped his open and took a drink as he leaned back against the counter. "So what brings you around here?"
Kurama took a slow drink, preparing his words. "I wanted to ask your forgiveness."
Kuwabara was taken aback. "What for?"
"After you disappeared, I didn't go out and look for you. I waited for clues. If I was any kind of true friend I would have exhausted the possibilities."
Kuwabara shrugged. "Look, it's over with. Just forget about it. You've had a lot on your plate what with college and all."
Kurama loosened his scarf. "You would not have stopped looking for me, if our positions had been reversed. I owe you that same loyalty."
Kuwabara laughed. "You don't owe me anything. Besides, I'm stubborn and don't know when to give up. But if it makes you feel better I accept the apology. Look at the bright side, at least I was there for the girl, Chloe? I think she felt better having me there. How is she doing, anyway?"
Kurama set down his beer. "I haven't heard from her since she left." Kuwabara looked surprised. "Left? Where did she go?"
"She went to go live with an aunt in Austria."
"Live?"
Kurama was silent a moment. "After what happened to her family I think she couldn't stand to stay here anymore."
"Something happened to her family? When? What?"
"Carmen underestimated Alexander. We all did."
Chloe rocked back and forth, staring out into the rain from the cave's entrance. They'd stopped for the night and taken refuge from the downpour in a high cave. "Haru, I-I'm sorry I didn't wait for you. You've always been there for me. I should have waited for you." A tear slipped from her eye and she buried her face in her knees. She'd been doubting her decision to go with Carmen almost since they left the tavern. She didn't belong out here, running for her life. Her head came up as she felt something drape around her shoulders.
"If you get sick I'm not carrying you." Carmen sat down next to her and pulled her own blanket around herself.
Chloe pulled the blanket tight, her chin quivering as more tears rolled down her cheeks.
If asked Carmen wouldn't have lied – she was really getting tired of Chloe bursting into tears at the drop of a hat. "For heaven's sake why are you crying now?" She was careful not to sound too annoyed.
Chloe rubbed at her eyes. "I-Haru-" She buried her face in her hands.
Carmen kept her voice even. "Did he die?"
"…No…"
"Are you dying?"
"…No…"
"Are you never going to see him again?"
"N-no?"
"Then why are you crying?"
"Because I'm afraid."
"For him or for you?"
"Both!"
"Get a hold of yourself." Carmen could tell she was losing control.
"What if something happens and I didn't get to say good-bye?" Chloe sobbed.
"Then you didn't get to say good-bye. Get a grip, Chloe." The green-haired woman snapped.
"I can't - I'm not jaded and cold like you!" Chloe shot back, her eyes widening when she realized what she'd just said. "Carmen I-"
"Save it. Get some sleep." Carmen stood in one smooth motion and returned to their little fire. She lay down and pulled her blanket over herself. Haru's bloody body flashed before her eyes. She rolled onto her back, letting her yellow eyes wander over the ceiling of the cave. When the morning rays came peeking into the cave she was still awake. The fire had gone out long ago and Chloe slept peacefully on the other side of it. The demoness stood and wandered to the entrance, examining the silver scars on her arms. She couldn't remember where most of them came from. She'd seen too many wars, too many tournaments, too many fights for her very survival. Maybe, perhaps, it was time…
She crouched by Chloe and reached for the medallion. Carefully she pulled it off the sleeping girl and returned to her own bed. She sat down cross legged and pulled out the nearly-complete medallion. "You've caused a lot of trouble, father. Now go to hell." The fire roared back to life and she pushed the medallion pieces together.
The ground began to thrum.
Chloe blinked her eyes open. The fire was going again. Carmen was sitting on the other side of the fire, holding- "The medallion?" The girl's hand flew to her bare neck. "What are you doing?" She cried, fear gripping her heart. If Carmen really was bad than she might be-
"I'm sending him to hell, where he belongs!" Carmen pulled out her knife and sliced across her palm, letting the blood drip down onto the medallion.
Chloe was pushed to the ground as an oppressive force took over the cave. It was if a ton a rocks was sitting on her. It was hard just to breath. "What's going on?" Chloe asked, her terror plain in her voice. She didn't want to die! Especially not without getting to say good-bye to Kurama and…Haru. "Haru!" She whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut as a tear slid down her cheek.
Eric paused, the glass lifted halfway to his lips. Kurama looked at him from across the table. "Eric?"
"Dammit Carmen, now?" He dumped the glass and bolted towards the back rooms. "We have to go NOW!"
Chloe had calmed down somewhat. Time seemed to slow down. She couldn't stand, she could barely breath. All she could do was stare at Carmen, terrified. Carmen hadn't moved this entire time. She just held her hand out, the blood dripping down onto the medallion, the firelight dancing and crackling as her aura came and went like the tide. Every time Chloe thought she could fight her way to her feet a new wave of power hit and forced her back down. 'What if Carmen really is evil? What if I helped her release Raidon? Will Kurama ever forgive me? Will Haru ever forgive me?' Was the string of thoughts running through her mind the entire time.
"Chloe!" Kurama yelled from the entrance of the cave. Chloe felt her heart quicken. "Kurama!" She tried to yell, but it came out only as a whisper.
The red-head was about to leap in, but Eric grabbed his arm. "Careful. Carmen is unstable right now. If you seem like a threat her aura will probably lash out and attack you."
"Is she releasing Raidon?" Kurama asked calmly, if a little coldly.
Eric looked at Carmen again. "No." He said finally. "Just move slowly." He released Kurama and crept forward himself.
Kurama walked forward, using his aura just enough to keep from being too pressured by Carmen's oppressive aura. "Chloe?" He pulled her up and into his arms, shielding her using his aura. "What have I done?" Chloe asked, her eyes shining with fear. Kurama smiled reassuringly. "It's all right. She's going to destroy the medallion." His voice showed more confidence than he felt; he could only pray that his words were true.
A surge of green aura rocketed out of the medallion and hit Carmen, sending her crashing into the cave wall. The thrumming in the ground stopping.
Eric leapt over, kneeling by her. "Carmen?"
She groaned and sat up. "I can't do this Eric. I'm not strong enough." She held her head, which was pounding.
"There is a way." He responded, quietly enough so only she heard. She looked at him with her bloodshot eyes, her jaw tightening. In a matter of seconds she'd already thought it through. "You better put a barrier around them." She said, standing and returning to the medallion. As soon as she stepped near it the ground began thrumming again. Eric came over to Kurama and Chloe. "Have you ever shared your strength?" He asked Kurama, rubbing his hands together and chanting a few words.
Chloe saw the air around them glimmering suddenly and the oppressiveness was relaxed. Kurama shook his head, still not releasing Chloe from his arms. Eric sighed. "A thousand years and you never learned how to share your strength? Shame. I'm going to channel your strength to her at the appropriate time. You'll probably feel very weak for a short period, as well as probably feeling lightheaded and or dizzy."
Kurama couldn't explain how he knew, but he could tell he dare not tell Eric no. So instead he turned his attention on Carmen, hoping to glean a hint as to what she was doing.
Carmen placed her hands together as if praying, her eyes staring unseeingly into the dancing flames of the fire. A blue light began swirling around her bare feet, slowly circling up her entire body, leaving a trail of blue light behind. Her eyes rolled back into her head, her lips beginning to move as she chanted. Once the light reached the top of her head it stopped circling and stood still for a moment before disappearing into her body. She gasped and her eyelids closed. Time seemed to stand still until she exhaled and her eyes opened again.
Chloe gasped. Carmen's eyes were no longer yellow – they were bright, intense blue. "What did she do?" The girl asked worriedly.
Eric shifted his stance slightly. "She just kicked down a door."
Carmen stooped down and picked up the medallion. She placed it on her bleeding hand. As soon as she focused her gaze on it the fire roared and touched the ceiling. Chloe wanted to run, wanted to hide, but she was mesmerized. Kurama felt Eric touch his shoulder. He gasped at the sensation he suddenly felt, but weak and incredibly powerful at the same time. Pain ripped through his body, yet somehow it didn't bother him. He also felt as if there was no strength left in his limbs.
The fire burned even brighter and Carmen's eyes began glowing. The thrumming in the ground grew stonger and more frequent.
The next event all seemed to happen in slow motion. They barely heard a –thwang- sound reverberate through the cave. Carmen's body shuddered. Chloe barely kept from screaming when her brown eyes saw the figure standing in the cave entrance, orange eyes glowing with pleasure.
"Gotcha."