CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Devastation
As Lucas soon found out, Sheik hadn't been lying about the condition the land around the Aokigahara was in. The ground was barren and a deep blue hue, cracked with disgusting black tendrils reaching up and mindlessly and lazily flailing in the air. Shadowy mist floated up from the ground like smoke, and the sky had turned a dark and wavering violet colour, lightning striking between the clouds but without any thunder following it. And of course, Moblins marched about, Kargarocs circled overhead, and ReDeads stood motionless.
Sheik and Hiryu had set off down the hill and would signal the other four to follow them once they were in the right position, so for now, said four waited crouched down on top of a nearby hill where they were sure they wouldn't be seen. Lucas continuously shot Amaterasu looks of worry and disdain, the wolf pretending not to notice and continuing to go through the mental battle with herself.
"Sweet Bionis, Sheik wasn't kidding…" Shulk muttered to himself. "This whole world's gonna go to hell if this keeps up."
"Bionis?" Lucas asked.
"I don't think it's something you'd understand."
"It probably wouldn't surprise me that much…but what's that thing on your back?"
Shulk looked over his shoulder at said item and smiled.
"This is the Monado." he answered. "I know it may not look like much now, but once I activate it, it's a powerful energy blade with a pretty special quirk…you ready for it?"
"Go for it."
"This sword allows its wielder to see an undetermined distance into the future. The thing is that it doesn't work properly for just anyone. The Monado chooses its own wielder. Tell you the truth, it actually can get much stronger than this and it has, but it reverted back to this form when I passed into this world. I had better control over the flashes of the future before. Now it just kind of happens at random."
That ability alone sounded like one that would be put to great use, but not having control over it sounded like one massive hindrance. Not having control over it…
"I don't want to control it, dammit!" Saya growled to herself. "I want it out of me! Gone! Never to be seen or heard from again! It's done no good for me, so what's the point in having it?!"
She shook the thoughts out as Lucas brushed his hand up against hers. She looked over at him and met his sad and begging eyes. He was still shaken by what had happened in Tokyo, and Saya herself felt the same way. The thought that they had lost nearly every single ally they'd accumulated thus far was shattering enough, but even worse was that they were all gone in one fell swoop.
And Link…how could a simple mask do such a thing to such a valiant hero?
"Do you think we're gonna make it?" Lucas finally asked.
She wasn't sure and was surprised to hear this kind of pessimism coming from Lucas. Then again, she couldn't really blame him for it. She was asking herself the same question. What if they didn't make it out of this alive? What if Ganondorf successfully sapped Yami's power out of her?
Maybe she really did have to use it this time.
Mustering up whatever courage and defiance she had, Saya smiled and interlocked her fingers with his.
"We have to try. I made a promise to you and I plan on keeping it no matter what happens. We're gonna go to the Nowhere Islands together…and I'm going to start a brand new life with you. We just have to keep trying until the end, okay?"
Lucas smiled, though neither he nor Saya could prevent themselves from jumping as a hand clapped down on Saya's shoulder and a fifth figure crouched down beside her.
"That's the kinda talk I like to here."
"Dante!" Saya exclaimed. "Kat!"
And there indeed was Dante Omega, with Kat alongside him wielding a twisted-looking shotgun. Shulk looked ready to question who these two were, but decided that they had to be there to help if Saya was this happy to see them, especially considering the look of determined scouting on Dante's face.
"So what're we waiting for here?" asked the nephilim with his dominant hand clenched on Rebellion's hilt.
Before anyone could answer, a bright light shot up into the warped sky with a loud explosion, followed by another shortly afterward that unleashed a blinding light. Every single one of Ganondorf's minions turned their heads toward the light and immediately engaged in a mad rush toward it (or steadily creeping forward in the case of the ReDeads).
"That!" replied Shulk as he removed the Monado from its sheathed state. "GET THEM!"
The great sword sprung to life, a massive blade of light-blue energy sprouting out as it split down the middle, the large empty space on the hilt now occupied by what looked like a translucent kanji symbol. It was a fantastic blade and proved just as effective as any other when Shulk impaled an unsuspecting Moblin right through his chest. By the time the larger numbers at the frontlines realized what was going on, Shulk alone had already cut down his fair share of them. Having spotted him, a group of ReDeads began to unleash their trademark shriek only for Dante to swoop in.
"Oh, shut up!" he shouted as he let the bullets fly and cut off the horrid screams.
Lucas let fly with bolts of lightning and spheres of fire, while Moblins and Kargarocs began swiping at Saya or trying to grab her. One Kargaroc succeeded and began hauling her into the air only for the young girl to punch it in just the right spot and force it to let go. She landed within an arm's reach of a ReDead just as it opened its mouth to scream and began to reach for her. Shielding her eyes, she slammed her shoulder into and bowled it over, pinning it to the ground with her foot and giving Shulk enough time to impale it through the chest.
"Need to watch yourself around these things…" the blond swordsman panted. "Keep an eye out, alright?"
"Thanks…hey, are you alright?"
In that moment, Shulk's head snapped up and his eyes glazed over with the Monado releasing a very strange glow.
"I'm seeing something…stay right in that spot!"
"What? Why?"
"Just trust me!"
Saya reluctantly obeyed while Shulk continued to slash away at the Moblins and Kargarocs and whatever came his way. As some of the dark beasts began to take notice of Saya and approach her, Sheik appeared from thin air while Hiryu continued to keep the frontlines occupied with Dante and Kat joining him. With a couple expertly thrown needles and even a small grenade, Sheik dispatched the various monsters without any sort of difficulty, flipping backward and landing a few feet in front of her.
And then Saya saw why Shulk had ordered her to remain where she was. In that moment, Juri had appeared between them with her fist raised to make contact with the back of Sheik's neck, giving Saya just enough time to seize Juri around the middle and show off her cursed strength yet again with a quick suplex. The Korean brawler's head slammed into the ground and she went limp before Sheik even noticed that someone had tried to sneak up on her.
"How in the world…" she started.
"Shulk."
Sheik's eyes roamed to Shulk continuing to slash away with Lucas now assisting him. The former looked over his shoulder at Sheik and gave her a quick smirk and wink. Though it was unseen, she offered a smile in return, this smile turning into a look of urgency when several Moblins raised their spears behind the young swordsman. In one smooth motion, a large bow was in her hands and loaded up with three arrows of pure light. The string was drawn back and the arrows flew through the air at high speed, slamming into the trio of Moblins and knocking them to the ground instantly.
"Keep your eyes out!" the Hylian warrior called.
"Will do!" Shulk replied.
Saya let out one horrified scream as a ReDead wrapped its slender and clammy arms around her neck, only for the zombie-banshee hybrid to be yanked off of her once Dante had launched his red chain directly at her.
"Not a chance, asshole!" the demon killer yelled. "GET OVER HERE!"
The ReDead was yanked away and landed on the receiving end of a brutal slash from Dante. By this time, Juri had recovered from the nasty blow to her head just as Hiryu teleported into the area and delivered a slash to the ground before another group of Moblins, somehow detonating it and sending them flying.
"Reinforcements, huh?" Juri spat. "Kinda surprised you actually managed to dig up some more of them."
"It was a lot easier than you think." Saya growled. "Now what did you do with them?!"
"Who? …oh, all your little friends in the city. Don't worry, we haven't killed them…yet. Jedah wants to make sure he rounds up all of them this time. Your sacred princess friend especially."
Sheik furrowed her brow and clenched her fists as the Triforce glowed prominently, unaware that Ghirahim had aimed a slash at her neck though Hiryu was quick to stop it.
"Blast it, you little wretch!" the demon growled, this time taking a swing at Hiryu.
The blow was blocked and Ghirahim saw only a quick flash of Hiryu's fist before it slammed into his chest, knocking him back a fair distance. The demon roared and lunged again, slashing as fast as he could and yet not able to land a successful hit even once as his ninja opponent effortlessly juggled his sword about and deflected each swing.
"I can't be nearly as wretched as your barbaric mannerisms." Hiryu said in a monotone response.
A shrill noise blew through the air, and there stood Jedah seconds later with his arms folded and a cross look on his face.
"So you must be this Zelda I keep hearing about, eh?"
Sheik furrowed her brow but nonetheless flashed the Triforce of Wisdom and allowed her true form to appear. Jedah smirked.
"Quite a beauty I must say."
"No amount of attempted seduction on your part is going to work on me."
"Pity. Then again, I suppose I cannot afford to have you running around and ruining our little game."
"I agree. I won't be running around. The game ends here."
With a wave of her hand, a sword appeared in Zelda's hand and she pointed it right at Jedah, who smirked and drew a blade of his blood.
"I wouldn't count on that, dear princess of Hyrule. It's gone too far now. Whatever allies you have left will be gone before by this day's end."
"Really?" Saya growled. "I wouldn't count on that, either."
"Ah, good! You still have some fighting spirit in you, Saya Kusanagi. How fortunate you came back at this particular time, too. A dearly departed friend would like a word with you."
"Dearly departed…what are you talking about?"
"See for yourself."
Saya didn't dare to turn in case this was some kind of trick, but upon a voice rattling out her name, a chill ran down her spine and she slowly turned around…and who she saw made her instantly regret entering this cursed place.
"Saya…you let me die…you let him kill me…"
"Maru-kun?!"
Before her stood a bare-chested Takamaru, the scar from his impalement still looking fresh with black veins bulging out of it. His skin was pale, and as he opened his eyes, he revealed them to be completely blank. Saya couldn't even bring herself to be happy that he was alive again when he looked so grotesque, and what he said was even worse.
"You…you abandoned me…for him…"
Lucas flinched as Takamaru ruthlessly glared at him. In one swift motion, the samurai's katana was drawn and he lunged at the boy with a resounding battle cry. Lucas prepared to put up his defenses, only for Saya to shove him out of the way and let the sword embed itself into her chest. The pain piercing through her body was nothing compared to the emotional stress she was getting from one of her closest friends looking at her in pure and psychotic rage.
"Takamaru! What are you doing?!" Saya cried as she pulled herself free of his blade.
"Why did you let me die?! Why do you only care about him?!"
Jedah let out a nonchalant laugh.
"Yes, as you can see, there have been several improvements once I tinkered with his primitive little mind just a bit."
"You bastard!" Saya shouted, her fist clenched so tight that her knuckles began to turn white. "How low can you get?!"
"Yes, that's good! Let all your anger out…please. Your resistance once a bit cute at first, but it's really become quite an annoyance."
Takamaru lashed at Saya again, and Saya quickly avoided it. Slash after slash, the blade came very close to nicking her, once even succeeding in it. The physical pain of being hacked at with a katana hurt, but what really got to Saya was this whole situation. One of her closest friends had turned against her and wanted to kill her. Granted, it wasn't possible, but did that matter? Not when she was steadily starting to feel her anger begin to flare up again.
"No…I won't do it again. That's what they want…I can't do it even for this."
A cry of pain rang out. In their duel, Jedah's blood blade had coiled around Zelda's arm and had begun to brutally sting her, not releasing her until Hiryu rushed to her aid. The ninja jammed his sword as hard as he could into his opponent's shoulder in an attempt to cause some sort of damage. Jedah did show clear signs of pain, but the demon shot an angry look at Hiryu before repulsing him with a single palm strike, pulling the blade out, and tossing it back at its owner like a javelin.
"I could do without any interference, thank you very much." Jedah growled before turning back to Zelda. "Now then…"
He realized too late that he was staring down the barrel of one of Dante's machine pistols.
"Surprise, bitch!" the demon killer yelled cockily before pulling the trigger.
Jedah let out a blood-curdling scream and clutched at the spot where the bullet had pierced his head, but that too was not enough to put him down for the count.
"You vile piece of trash! Juri! Ghirahim!"
As Hiryu stood and prepared to lunge again, Ghirahim kicked his blade out of his hand and restrained him with a couple of clean hits, and Dante found himself at an impasse when Juri wrapped her arm around Kat's neck with the threat of squeezing the life out of her.
"Time to put that piece down, cowboy." Juri hissed.
"Don't listen to her, Dante!" Kat shouted. "Blow them all to hell!"
"Quiet, you little beast."
Dante gritted his teeth and clenched his fist around Rebellion's hilt. Nothing would have given him greater pleasure than to kill all these maniacs right then and there, but at what cost? The loss of several dear friends and potentially losing this long battle against all of these lunatics?
He sighed and gave in, taking Rebellion off of his back and Ebony and Ivory off his belt and tossing them onto the ground before him. Jedah smirked.
"Good. But sadly our goal here requires far more than just surrender."
"You son of a bitch!" Dante yelled as he realized in an instant what that meant.
Thankfully, he didn't even need to move.
"MONADO BUSTER!" Shulk hollered as he dropped down from nowhere and slammed the Monado against the ground.
The shockwave knocked just about everyone off their feet, Hiryu and Zelda managing to remain on their feet. Jedah, clearly furious at yet another interference, got to his feet right away.
"Enough of this nonsense! Takamaru!"
Takamaru lunged at Shulk, the two crossing blades and slashing at one another over and over again while Hiryu, Dante, and Zelda were occupied with the other three villains. With Takamaru's unchained rage at its peak, Shulk easily found himself knocked backward and off of his feet, the samurai poised to finish the job when he was seized from behind.
"Takamaru! Please stop!" Saya cried.
"Saya, get away from him!" Shulk shouted.
"Maru-kun…please…remember who you are. Remember what we've been through together….come back to me."
And for a moment, Takamaru stopped, giving Saya a small glint on hope. Sadly, those hopes were dashed when he growled, turned around, and kicked her away from him before lunging at her with his blade raised high. And then came the catalyst: Lucas, despite knowing full well that such an attack would have little to no effect on Saya, couldn't bear to see her suffer anymore, and ran forward without any second thoughts and pushed her out of the way.
As the blade slid across Lucas' back and the cold steel bit through his skin, he let out the loudest scream he could muster and fell on all-fours. The pain ripping through him and the warm blood running down his back was agonizing enough, let alone with Takamaru approaching him with his katana posed to finish the job, but it only became worse once he saw Saya. Like anyone would be, she was frozen with shock for all but a moment, and then she gritted her teeth, clenched her fists…and it happened.
"You won't…touch him AGAIN!' she screamed.
"Saya, NO!" Lucas cried.
It was too late. Her rage had consumed her once again and she let out a shrill scream, her body generating a massive pulse of energy that launched everyone away from her as she took on her ultimate form. Her anger wasn't focused on Takamaru, however. It was on the three who'd brought him to this state. The three who could only be described as monsters.
"I…will…KILL YOU ALL!"
"Alas, it would appear that will not get that chance."
"YOU!"
She spun around too late as Ganondorf seized her neck and sent surge after surge of electricity through her body. Only Zelda and Lucas had the remaining strength to stand and make an attempt to stop the evil king, Ghirahim ruining that chance with a quickly generated barrier. No matter how much they shouted and banged against the barrier, they knew that it was too late.
"And now this little charade ends!" Ganondorf said sternly. "Now your power is mine!"
The Triforce of Power resonating within him, he planted his free hand against Saya's forehead and focused inward.
"Yami…the Emperor of Eternal Darkness. I, Ganondorf, demand you show yourself! Abandon this waste of a host! I know this is your desire, and I seek only to grant it!"
Saya screamed as the flaming in her head spread across her entire body. Even in her uncontrollable rage, she knew exactly what was happening. It was the very thing everyone had been trying to protect her from. Yami was being extracted and he wasn't putting up a fight. He wanted Ganondorf to take him from her and she was powerless to stop it.
"GIVE YOUR POWER TO ME!" Ganondorf bellowed.
And Yami obeyed. Saya felt the dark power flow out of her and into the great evil king, the pain reaching a peak and forcing her to scream louder than she'd ever screamed before. The burning was so deep within her that it felt like it had leaked into her very soul, and before long, she saw the brilliant blue hue on her skin steadily fade away. Her strength was gone and Ganondorf was still taking from her. Every single second she kept looking at him, she began to feel weaker and weaker until she lacked the strength to keep her eyes open. Looking up at the foul man hellbent on world domination…steadily losing consciousness…
"FARORE'S WIND!"
In an instant, Zelda teleported from her position behind the barrier to directly in front of Ganondorf and fired a light arrow directly into the back of his hand. He grunted in pain and reflexively dropped the exhausted Saya, facing the princess with a sneer as the arrow faded away.
"Crown princess of Hyrule. A pleasure to see you doing your fair share of fighting for once."
With a wave of his hand, the barrier dissipated and revealed Dante, Hiryu, Shulk, and Kat, all four still holding their own against Ganondorf's fellow villains but clearly not gaining any sort of edge.
"Alas, this game is at an end." Ganondorf said, shadows encircling his hands and climbing up his arms. "The power of the mighty Yami now dwells within me. It is incomplete, certainly, but combined with power of the Triforce…it is power fit not just for a god, but for a king of gods!"
"You are no king, you swine!" Zelda spat. "You are an inhumane monster, and you have no right to that power!"
"I have the only right. Now watch, Zelda! Watch as the last of your resistance falls before you!"
The shadows raised into a massive aura above Ganondorf's head, and as he slowly raised his hands, louds snaps and crackling echoed through the air. With the Triforce of Wisdom within Zelda sensing the buildup of dark energy and the Monado flat-out showing Shulk what was about to happen, there was no alternative. Ganondorf had not yet seized all of Saya's power.
They had one last chance to hold off devastation.
"Lucas!" Zelda shouted. "Once I get you away, take Saya and get as far away from here as you can!"
"NO!" Ghirahim bellowed, running forward to stop Zelda as she began her quick incantation.
Lucas, who had run to Saya's side the second she touched the ground, could only watch as a ring of brilliant green light encircled him and his fallen friend, and no sooner had Ganondorf unleashed the massive wave of power did he and Saya suddenly appear miles away. He watched as a massive dome of violet encased the area, steadily understand what had just happened.
It was over. They had lost, and now only he and Saya remained.
"Lucas…" Saya moaned.
The young boy ran to his friend's side, raising her head off the ground and cradling her like an infant. To say the least, Saya looked abysmal. Her face was beaten and bloody, she was sweating bullets, her hair was strewn all about, her breathing was so strained that it sounded like her throat was full of sand, and she could barely keep her eyes open. Seeing her like this was enough to get Lucas teary-eyed, but the situation they were in and what she said next was nearly too much to bear.
"Leave…me…"
"I can't…I won't!"
"Listen…he'll come for me once he realizes I'm gone. You have to get out of here before he does. Just run…anywhere."
"And leave you here?! No way!"
She clenched his hand firmly in hers and looked into his sad eyes. In just moments, the two were all alone. No one was coming to save them, but at least Lucas still had a chance to get away. The longer he was with her, the more danger he was in. He had to leave. Now before it only got worse.
"There's no hope for me now. I'm willing to die for this. My mother and father are gone from the world forever…maybe I'll finally get to see them again."
"Saya…"
"Go, Lucas. Leave me. Get out of here while you still can."
Lucas' grief flared up again, this time with a sense of familiarity trickling into his mind. He had heard another person very dear to him say that once before.
"Mom…"
Hinawa had put herself between her sons and the great beast that had come to harm them, demanding that the two flee and using the exact same words. The Mecha-Drago. He cursed that creature every second he got the chance for what it had done, but he cursed himself even more for not doing anything to stop. It was true that his mother had pleaded him and Claus to run, but he knew that had he stood his ground against the monster, Hinawa might still be alive.
That was what he had convinced himself over the long and painful years without her. She died because he had done nothing to save her…and he wasn't about to let a thing that happen again. Not to this newfound love of his. Not when he made a promise that meant everything to him…
He was going to save her. He HAD to save her. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, his anger and determination faking up from deep within him and granting him the strength he desired.
"I may not be able to stop Ganondorf…" he finally said. "But there's no way in hell I'm leaving you! Not now and not ever!"
"But…"
"We're going to the Nowhere Islands together! Just like we both promised each other, remember? It's beautiful beyond words there, and I can't bear to think that I won't be able to share that world with you! You have to keep
With what he said next, Saya knew that there was no way she could talk him out of it. Deep within her, she didn't want to talk him out of it despite the danger she was in. Their friendship had reached its peak with the simple yey heart-warming thing he said next.
"We're in this together! If you die, then I'll die with you!"
And with his arms firmly underneath her, Lucas summoned all of his strength and heaved Saya up. Then he ran. He didn't know where and he didn't care where. They just had to get away from Ganondorf as fast as they could. Lucas could already feel his palms and forehead sweating and his lungs aching. He heard breathing start to get louder and heavier, but he pushed onward, the thoughts of bringing her home to the Nowhere Islands with her being the perfect thing to keep him going.
"C'mon, Saya! We can make it! We're gonna go to the Nowhere Islands together!"
"Lucas…"
"I'm not dropping you, Saya! I won't leave you here!"
"It's not that…the islands…Tazmily Village. What's your home like?"
Even better relief. He smiled, though kept his swift pace going. They kept speaking, even with Lucas panting heavily and Saya speaking in barely more than a whisper.
"It's beautiful. Everyone in the village knows and respects one another. We give each other friends to spend evenings with, homes to live in…shoulders to cry on…the islands are lush natural paradises. Like here, almost."
"You said your father's still alive…what's his name?"
"Flint. I have a dog named Boney, too."
"Boney? Not really creative, I gotta say…still pretty cute, though."
"Heh. Yeah…my dad's the greatest. He's always there when I need him most. He and Boney are the just the thing I need to cheer me up after a hard day. And there's my grandpa, Alec. They're both tough but really kind."
"I'd love to meet them…do you have a lot of friends?"
"Only ones that I met on my own adventure. Duster lived in Tazmily, too. He's a master thief, but he's a great guy, too…you just need to make sure you've put all your valuable belongings in a safe place around him that's all."
Even in her weakened state, Saya could still crack a smile.
"Any girls?"
"Yeah. Kumatora. I didn't really like her a whole lot when I first met her since she's a real show-off and has a pretty dirty mouth, but she's nice once you warm up to her."
"Sounds pleasant…we'll make it there and meet them all, won't we?"
"Yes. We'll make it there. I don't know how, but we'll make it."
"…who's that?"
Up ahead stood Ryu, looking at the sphere of darkness far away with his mouth open in shock.
"My God…I'm too late."
Lacking a threatening appearance was all Lucas needed to run toward him. Ryu at first looked at the two in confusion before noticing the weakened young girl on Lucas' back.
"Is that Saya Kusanagi?"
Saya herself looked into the fighter's eyes, and though she couldn't show it, she was surprised to see him.
"Ryu Hoshi?" she asked.
"What are you two doing out here?" Ryu demanded.
"Ganon…dorf…he…"
Lucas lightly shifted Saya higher up onto his back.
"We have to get out of here before they reach us."
"Look out!"
Ryu pushed Lucas away just in time to avoid the spear of a Moblin slamming into the ground, a quick Hadoken dispatching the dark creature with ease.
"Looks like it's a little too late for that. These monsters already caught up with you!"
Indeed they had. A team of ten Moblins surrounded the three, Lucas unable to do anything but kick at them uselessly with his arms holding Saya up. Ryu fared much better, striking several in their vital points and performing his signature moves. A Shoryuken here, a Tatsumaki Senpuu Kick there, but one Moblin had been craftier than the rest. It had waited for the warrior to leave himself wide open, and the second Ryu had done so, the Moblin raised its spear and…ended up on the receiving end of a shotgun blast to the chest.
"What the...?" started Lucas.
The one remaining Moblin stood stunned at what had happened as Poison loaded up the gun again. The Moblin began marching toward her, only for Hugo's massive arm to wrap around its neck, choking it until it dropped down lifeless.
"You two?!" said Ryu.
"But I thought you were on their side! What are you doing helping us?!" Lucas demanded.
Poison stared at the ground with an almost depressed look on her face before jerking her thumb at the disaster so distant from them.
"Look at that. I mean, really. Look at that!" she said with her brow knit firmly. "That's Armageddon-type stuff there! I didn't sign up for that! I know Juri's probably gonna kill us if she catches us, but you know what? I'm not gonna be responsible for millions of people dying!"
"If Poison's done, den I'm done." Hugo agreed.
Ryu smirked.
"Great. More allies for us."
"No, not quite."
The voice was enough of a warning for Ryu to turn around, but Juri didn't give him any time to react to her foot slamming against his face, knocking him backward and onto his back. Poison raised the gun, fumbling it and wasting precious time as Juri closed the distance between them and palm-struck her down. Hugo raised his fists, but a quick flip kick to his chin was all Juri needed to put him down.
"So you two were willing to turn on us just when things got a little scary? Sickening…"
"You're the sickening one!" Poison spat. "I can't believe you'd stoop this low as a human being…"
"Oh, shut up!"
She kicked Poison in the stomach several times, stopping only when she heard Ryu stirring behind her. Ryu himself shook off the initial hit and gritted his teeth after spitting out the small trickle of blood from his mouth.
"So you're still up and about, eh?" he growled.
"A little more than you know. Oh, boys?"
At her call, Jedah and Ghirahim appeared from nowhere, Jedah slamming his knee into Ryu's stomach and knocking all the wind out of him while Ghirahim held Poison and Hugo down with his blades and the ever-looming threat of slitting their throats. Lucas prepared to break into a run again when another massive barrier appeared in the direction he moved.
"You know, boy, I really think you should have taken the girl up on her offer." said Hades as he emerged from a shadow on the ground. "Really! You had the chance and you squandered it! You can't blame anyone but yourself for this!"
"You wouldn't understand…"
"You're right. I don't. I also don't care, but that's beside the point."
Lucas turned, and towering over him was Ganondorf. Though he stood strong and defiant, one look at the evil king was all it took for him to get intimidated. Ganondorf himself looked down at Lucas with nothing but a sneer before rearing his hand back and striking his cheek hard. Lucas was on the ground and unable to move, Saya having collapsed just a few feet from him. As he began to reach for her, he cried out in pain when Ganondorf planted his armour-clad foot down on his wrist.
"You are greatly beginning to annoy me, boy." he said menacingly with a single point of his finger. "I suggest you remain where you are unless you wish to die at such a young age."
"I don't care…she's worth this…"
"Is she, now? Is she worth this?"
The lightning shot through Lucas' body like blood through veins, and even when Lucas began screaming, Ganondorf didn't stop. Ryu heaved himself up onto his elbow and attempted to launch a Hadoken just for Juri to kick him in the face again. At the sound of Lucas' pain, Saya heaved herself onto her hands and knees. It was over…she had to give in for him.
"STOP!" she cried. "I give up! If you want it, then just take it! Don't hurt him anymore!"
Ganondorf smirked and the lightning dissipated, Lucas fidgeting and panting fast and heavy.
"S-Saya…don't."
"She has made her decision, boy. You have failed. Live with it."
Ganondorf raised his hand, an unseen force picking Saya's limp figure up off the ground and slowly pulling her toward him.
"And now I grant you your wish for death. You should thank me, in truth. In any case…"
With one hand on Saya's forehead and the other on her heart, Ganondorf began to take the last of the power from her. Lucas, furious at his failure, couldn't bear to watch as he squeezed his eyes shut. Jedah and Ghirahim meanwhile watched in delight, their master finally obtaining the power he so deserved…or wait…had he?
As soon as Ganondorf detected an echo of power within Saya, he reached for it, but as he did, he let out a loud yell as it burned him. He dropped Saya on the ground and clutched his hand, staring down at it in shock and confusion. He couldn't extract this power. He couldn't even touch it. He had felt a pain like this before, but from something else. In fact…this was the same pain. The same pain inflicted on him over and over again.
"This is impossible! She has no relation to him! They are not of the same bloodline! They do not even come from the same fields of existence!"
If this was the true power that dwelled within Saya, she wasn't just a girl that Yami had selected as a host. She was far more a danger to him than he ever could have predicted.
"Are you alright, my lord?!" asked Ghirahim.
"…enough!" Ganondorf finally said, standing upright and raising his hand.
Saya, Lucas, Ryu, Hugo, and Poison were all levitated into the air. All of them were too beaten and bruised to fight back, and all of them were afraid of what could possibly happen next.
"I cannot afford to have any of you interfere with us again. With Yami's power dwelling within me, this entire world will become mine, and you may all watch from oblivion!"
And with a single cast of his hand, the five flew at mach speed higher and higher into the sky until they could no longer be seen. They could barely keep their eyes open with the wind rushing past them, shooting through the clouds until they finally saw the stars above and began to lose their breath. They were floating, lacking any weight whatsoever as they drifted in empty space just barely in the reaches of Earth's atmosphere, and within seconds, everything went black.
What Ganondorf hadn't counted on was that one of Saya's allies was still on solid ground, but as she saw the girl she had been trying to protect for so long shoot away into the cold reaches of space, she felt weakness and failure begin to take hold of her.
"I took a sworn oath to protect her, and I failed…all because I was too selfish."
The celestial wolf lay there in her sadness until a light steadily descended from the heavens. Though she didn't look, she was relieved since it signalled the arrival of a valuable companion. Even as she descended from her space in the sky, the emerald-haired maiden could feel the sun goddess' pain.
"You can't hide yourself anymore, Amaterasu. Maybe it's time to show her just who you really are."
"I know that, Palutena, but…I do not think can bear the consequences. If I were to reveal my true self to her, would she not change her outlook of me?"
"If you don't, it will only hurt her more. She has to know."
"I suppose so…but look at what has happened. Look at what Ganondorf has done…what he plans to do."
"Not to worry. I think the final member of our little triad should have our mortal friends safe any moment now."
"Yes…very well. Let us go."
Oh, God, I'm sorry. This took me way too long to get out. I had one job. Balance out my job, my work on other writing projects, and my procrastination so I'd have more time to do this, but nope. I dun goofed! Hell, this probably would have gotten up yesterday, but no. I had to go and buy The Wonderful 101 and get hooked on it...seriously, though, that's a cool game. Go play it if you haven't already.
Also, Lucina and Robin from Fire Emblem: Awakening as playable character in SSB4. I haven't played Awakening, but I can say that these two look pretty neat...oh, and Captain Falcon's back. That's awesome. PAWNCH! XD
SOUNDTRACK SO FAR
Saya, Ness, and Lucas- "Pollyanna" from Earthbound (SSBM)
Marth to the rescue- "Together We Ride" from Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (SSBM)
X and Zero versus Kirby and Meta Knight- "Meta Knight's Revenge" from Kirby Super Star (SSBB)
Link versus Morrigan- Morrigan's theme from Marvel versus Capcom 3
Link versus Dante- "Never Surrender" from DmC: Devil May Cry
Krystal and Trish versus the Moblin horde- "Lock and Load" from Devil May Cry 1
Krystal versus Mewtwo- "Poké Floats" from Super Smash Bros. Melee
Saya versus Ghirahim- Ghirahim's battle theme from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Frank versus Ghirahim- "On a Mission" from Dead Rising
Courthouse caving in- "No Redemption" from DmC: Devil May Cry
Samus escapes- Metroid Prime main theme
Chun-Li versus Samus- Chun-Li's theme from Street Fighter IV
Standoff on Mount Fuji- "Douchuumen" from The Mysterious Murasame Castle (go on Youtube and look for a version by a group called ysk1210)
Saya and Lucas- "Love" from Mother 3
"LET'S ROCK!"- "Devils Never Cry" from Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
The Devil Trigger- "How Old is Your Soul?" from DmC: Devil May Cry
Ryu and Ken versus Juri- Ryu's theme from Street Fighter IV
Jedah's assault on the airship- Airship theme from Super Mario Bros. 3 (SSBB)
S.I.N. versus B.S.A.A.- "Ride on Sea" from Resident Evil: Revelations (or Biohazard: Revelations if you live in Japan)
Ike to the rescue- "Eternal Bond" from Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Saya's sorrow- "Kinder Days" from Sin and Punishment: Star Successor (known as Successor of the Skies in Europe and Australia)
An army of twenty-one- Main menu theme from Super Smash Bros. Melee
Dante versus Dante- "Empty" from DmC: Devil May Cry
Saya's rage- Tabuu's theme from Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Tetra's pirates- "The Great Sea" from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Lagiacrus- "Sea and Land Tremble" from Monster Hunter 3
The Ancient Mother- "Shenandoah" from Endless Ocean
Vergil versus Lilith- "Super Ultra Violet" from Devil May Cry 1
Moblin attack on Tokyo- "Taiyo High School Rooftop" from Rival Schools: United by Fate
Mac and Batsu to the rescue- "Minor Circuit" from Punch-Out! Wii
Star Fox reunited- Star Fox: Command's ending theme
Amaterasu's "little game"- "Humoresque of a Little Dog" from Earthbound (SSBB)
Halberd going down- "Crisis" from Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Samus versus Ridley- Ridley's theme (any variation you choose but my pick is the one from Other M)
X versus Ridley- "Dr. Wily's Castle" from Mega Man 2 (look for the version by SongeLeReveur)
Captain Falcon to the rescue- "Mute City" from F-Zero (SSBB)
Wild Pokemon to the rescue- Pokemon Red and Blue theme
Attack of the Shadow Queen- "Shadow Queen stage 2" from Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Sheik to the rescue- "Temple" from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (SSBM)
Attack on Aokigahara- "You Will Know Our Names" from Xenoblade Chronicles
Their last chance at escape- "Justified" from Dead Rising