Hollow Castle
…was in turmoil. Alarmed residents scuttled their mangled forms this way and that, looking for those that had suddenly, just, disappeared, dissolved away, as if fulfilling an Astral Projection to straight out teleportation – a feat that none of them were capable of. Their fear multiplied with each thought of what was the cause, for where was the Protection* of the Castle? Why was this happening? As scatter-brained the residents were becoming of the disappearances, none was more so disturbed than Hollow Castle itself feeling bits of it’s being, what made it “Hollow Castle”, getting siphoned away to some far away place not of itself, “outside”, into another world, this world of Shinobi – and as such compromising its much valued defenses – and not to mention, Residents were getting siphoned away as well! How was that possible?! Hollow felt as if an invisible hand was reaching and trying to pull out its organs, grasping at everything it could get a hold of – it’s powers, Residents – everything Hollow wanted to keep safe, enclosed, cocooned away from “Outside” – but it wouldn’t reach the Lady’s body – no no no no no no – Hollow Castle would be gutted inside and out before it would reach her! It centered all of its concentration around her, pretty much leaving the Residents defenseless, and also, opening the door for anyone, and anything, to enter if such an accident happened.
But the Lady mattered more important than all of that, the Castle could easily kill anything, once, once the Lady wakes up…once she wakes back up….O
h wH
y dI
D yO
U HavE
tO
Dr
Ea
M?! And she was already still ill to begin with, what if the Reaper sensed her soul’s departure?! Would she be quick enough to return?! Hollow had begged the Lady to not put herself through such vulnerability while she was still recovering, but the Lady was adamant in saying that this must be done, this opportunity to speak with him cannot be missed. Hollow Castle was thoroughly annoyed at her not even questioning how a part of itself was in the hands of that red-haired raccoon-eyed boy, or even if her dreaming would translate the possession she so desired to meet this person, Sora was it? No, she said it was a certainty that they would meet, she knew, for this instance, this meeting, she could control her dream hopping to anything laced with the Chrost-Weik (as what Hollow Castle was bathed in), but still, such a risk….A Keyblade Wielder of the Disney System, why was he so special to capture her desire so,
so intently?
The Castle’s boiler bubbled and swelled with turbulent emotions of hatred for this boy, swimming in its own thoughts of how it would make his life a living hell if he ever,
EVER, was to set foot within it, if he ever happened to arrive at its doorstep, peer into its windows, he would be condemned to an eternal hell within the Castle’s bowels. That is if the Lady allowed Hollow to do so….
Or….perhaps it could be some kind of “accident” that Sora suddenly wasn’t “whole” anymore….Yes, an accident is forgivable. These wicked thoughts rampant and detailed struck within several seconds’ time, and then the Castle’s attention was fully focused back onto the Lady. She slipped into the clasp of a different kind of sleep, her being falling asleep in different portions, different times, and when her ‘dreaming’ took hold of her completely, she went.
It wasn’t all bad perhaps – yes leaving the Residents defenseless was kind of, mean, for lack of a better term, but Hollow Castle stuffed the shame down and liked to think that perhaps it was some kind of destiny it had between itself and the Lady that its powers were being siphoned to the same place she was to meet this Keyblade Wielder, in a way, Hollow was still protecting her, if not indirectly with its powerful Oblivious Storm* unleashed.
When the Lady returned from her ‘dreaming’ the Castle and all of the Residents (including those who Nefero managed to return) rejoiced, never had they been so relieved and happy to see her open those amber, almost candle lit eyes. However Haku did not greet her in the same manner, he merely walked up to her bedside, gently pushing his way through the Residents and told the Lady of the intel that had been reported through Hollow’s communication’s magic, Websight* from Nefero [Websight* a kind of enhancer to Memory Link*], despite the current turmoil that plagued Hollow. “The Rider’s Untouchables have destroyed the Anime Royalty’s Castle, and the Stewards have gone missing; the Deities are now under the Rider’s control, and as for the Rider’s themselves, I was finally able to get into contact with them via Websight* but I was never given a moment to question the actions of their Untouchables or what the details were of them pairing off with the Deities, they only kept screaming that they were sorry, sorry for disobeying you, and they were sorry for having to abandon you, and they were oh so sorry for trying to rip wings off of prey that you had marked for yourself, and then my Link* to them was cut, and my communication to them from then on was silence.”
The Lady was silent herself in gripping her bed sheets to the point of having the fabric imprint on her skin.
“Shall I gather the Fuka group for a meeting?”
“Yes, please gather them all here at the Castle….” The Residents were afraid to even breathe, and Hollow…what was this tremor in her voice? Anger? Fear? Her breathing began to rustle like a growl in her throat. “Haku, before you go…..What is the status of the Shadowed Region?”
“The Region is pulsing, I’m afraid this system is extremely troubled by the turmoil surrounding Konohagakure Village, it is a Black Hole weakening this system’s heart.” And Haku left in a twirl of ice.
The Residents all started shouting at once,
“Pleaase mommmm-ma dd-d-dd-d-on’t go baaaaa-aaack o-o-o-out there! The Dark Realm almm-m-m-m-most kept yo-u-u-u-uu!”
“You-u-u-u a-a-a-aaare no-o-o-o-ot stron-n-n-n-n-g enou-ou-ou-ough, p-p-p-p-p-please! Please!”
“Y-y-y-y-y-you-u-u-u- can d-d-d-d-d-d-d-y-y-y-y-yie o-out th-th-th-th-th-there!”
The Lady was now breathing hard, her heart was beating erratically, and beads of sweat speckled her clammy skin, “When,” she coughed, “I get my hands on Orochimaru, I am going to *COUGH COUGH*” –
“M-m-m-m-m-momma p-please!”
“I have to help my system, my babies, oh that’s what I get for reaching out to that boy, *COUGH COUGH*, the Riders, those STUPID RIDERS, I should have killed them instead of, of, and, *COUGH* I haven’t helped out too much lately, besides, this system can’t take on the expansion of the Shadowed Region and a Nature’s Crossing at the same time” –
The Residents gasped –
“Th-th-th-th-then th-th-th-the pp-p-p-p-p-plains ARE g-g-g-going to cr-cr-c-rc-ross?!”
“Yes,” the Lady wiped from her mouth a bit of red dribble, “I must contain the Nature’s Crossing at least, oh, *COUGH* the Atzulrim Star, I only pray that my Stewards show up soon, even the Winged Group, I wouldn’t mind seeing any of them either.”
The Residents looked at her like she was barking mad.
“This system will not fall,” said the Lady.
“B
ut a
t w
Ha
t c
oSt w
ill i
t be
Mai
Ntai
ned a
T?” asked Hollow Castle.
“Oh,” a vengeful visage darkened the Lady’s face, “The sacrifices have already been picked.”
Tokieo Town
“This is bad,” said Bulma, “Oh this is very bad.” Both she and Jet were walking swiftly through thin, empty criss-crossing alleyways of Tokieo Town.
“Because we landed on the world so easily?” asked Jet, “I thought we were supposed to sneak in? Were we spotted by a Seri-Cam?”
“No, no,” Bulma half smiled suddenly, “The Elric passageway, *can’t believe I remembered it* is a good one, na –“and her smile disappeared, “this place, I guess, after the Rider’s attack that opened up all the worlds, but this place especially, some sort of protection should have come back, but if this place, of all places is defenseless, then that means” –
“Gather your thoughts up now so I can understand” –
“The Riders opened up everything, so that means what natural protection was left of, of the worlds that, did have it, is gone, maybe for good.”
“Okay and that is very bad, why?” Jet took a deep inhale, “What else, what other calamity is about to befall us?”
“Something bad…”
“We established that.”
“The Shadowed Region….the Rider’s attack, opened everywhere, everywhere within our system – and the Shadowed Region” –
“That place that has the Atzulrim Star partially eaten up?”
“Yes – wi-with the all the worlds’ natural protection gone, the Shadowed Region will spread a lot, A LOT faster, our system won’t be able to handle it!”
“That is rather bad….What is the Shadowed Region again?”
“It’s” –
Ch 3
The swirl that was partly engulfed by a giant black splotch in the upper left corner of the map, "The Atzulrim Star," had many icons slide out. One went way far away, some went in the black splotch, and disappeared, and others just hovered around.
They reached a larger vein of crossways where a steady stream of people were jogging, running, and some looking rather agitated, all of them moving towards a river gathering around Spot Tower; Bulma and Jet stopped.
“What’s all this about?” Jet pondered, “I’m going to guess it isn’t good though…”
Bulma took several steps back, almost hiding behind Jet, “Listen,” she said, “We have to remain, I have to remain hidden especially, but you can move around” –
“I know, I know, you having been a, a, whatever it was to help keep Tumble-Stop strong” –
Ch 28
“Tumble-Stop turned out to be so weak that it needed three trusties to turn to,” Nefero remembered outloud, “Someone with a strong will, someone with a bold heart, and someone with a positive attitude to keep its wandering heart of fear in check; and then three idiots actually volunteered.”
.
.
.
Bulma pulled from her pocket a little stone with Tumble-Stop’s emblem on it, a little sea-port city by the sea…..
Vincent wore his around his neck, hidden underneath his clothes; he pulled his out as well.
Goku tried to remember where he left his…….Chi-chi, seeing Bulma pull out her Trust Stone, revealed Goku’s stone from a tight crease in the red ribbon around her waist.
Bulma pulled from her pocket her Trust Stone. Did Vincent and Goku (Chi-Chi really) still have theirs too?
Ch 28
Vincent’s Trust Stone clinked among the wreckage of Lookout Tower, then finally came to a rest on the scarred ground, a spritz of red on it.
“Put that away,” said Jet, “What’s done is done, come on let’s back track. We have to help our people out right now.”
“Yeah, I’m starting to get worried about what’s happening in the Land of Shinobi.”
“I’m sure they’re fine,” said Jet as they hurried along, “Genkai’s probably just having too much fun thrashing those kids around in training.”
“Not like they can communicate with us in the first place though,” Bulma mumbled, “Until we get back with everything from the orphanage, we’re in the dark about them.”
“Hm, then lets run,” and off they went, “and don’t say orphanage again, you make it sound like we’re taking from kids or something.”
“Home’s a Home is what the orphanage is called then, and we’re not taking from kids, the people who run the place are a good group, they have everything we need to get the ship back in tip top shape.”
“Barret is his name right?”
A sudden shot rang out overhead and Jet and Bulma’s attention doubled, “Was that a gunshot?!”
Kon oh ag ak ur e Vil la ge: Su rro un di ng Ar ea
“RUN SISSY! RUUUUUHA-HAUGHUUUUNNNN!!!!” Nefero screamed hurdle-leaping over thick raised roots, rocks, and bushes – although South Light could easily put herself ahead with her magic and catapult her brother if need be – Anti-Sora always remained within killing distance of them both, be it by his speed, stretchy third appendage, and teleportation ability (which always brought him inches away from murdering South Light) his intents fueled by something neither of them had ever witnessed before outside of their own dark circle.
“ACK! JUST KEEP RUNNING SISSY! GO GO GO GO!”
“EEK!”
The Emotionless Keyblade barely nicked both South Light (on her back) and Nefero (on his heel), becoming slightly solid and shimmering in a light aching to shine upon the momentary contact. If the blade was to be satisfied in its light, to become fully solid in Anti-Sora’s hands, it was going to be rammed through the heart of either fleeing sibling; indeed a most brilliant light would shine…
South Light felt the sting of the Emotionless Keyblade whip past the back of her neck, her magic wavering from the close call – Anti-Sora’s third appendage then whipped the blade around like a buzz saw –“SOUTH LIGHT –“ Nefero used Wind* magic to thrust himself and sister in air just in the nick of time as the weapon buzzed down several trees in their stead. South Light took back control over her magic and advancing them towards the Keyhole –
*That was way too close –*
“He’s strong Big Brother! He’s very strong!”
- “South Light, you go up ahead and begin to prep the Keyhole, set a stage where he can be manipulated.”
“But what about you?! You can’t attack him! You can only defend because of his Protection*!”
“I’ll be fine, I’ll buy you some time, about 15 minuets – *SWIPE* EEEK – d’na, in-in the meantime, I’m going to try and – *SWIPE* GAH! REACH HIM! That shell of madness has to be cracked around him if we’re even going to think about – *SWIPE* -
oh you mutha – pff –
if we’re going to get him back to Hollow Castle!”
South Light gave her brother a glance that made Nefero’s heart ache for putting such strain on her own feelings – and she was off in a orb of light, leaving Nefero to deal with Anti-Sora.
“All right you little brat,” Nefero growled extending his claws fully, turning a full 180-degrees to face him as he slid on the mud,
“Let’s see if you’re really on par with us Evil Beyonds!”
Anti-Sora leaped forward with an extra push from his third appendage like a tiger, Nefero allowing him to make contact before he shifted Anti-Sora’s momentum away by lifting him like a ballet dancer to jump, his tail deflecting the third appendage with a resounding
CRACK that made them both wince in pain, the Emotionless Keyblade just millimeters away from his chest, he could feel it thirsting to make contact –
Nefero took note of the blade’s curious actions as to what kind of weapon that Keyblade was to discern the full punishment it could deliver, and something within Nefero sparked a growing fear. It wasn’t a Keyblade of the Chrost-Weik, definitely not one of Yahena, a Keyblade of neither light or darkness, the way it pulled at his chest –
it must be one of the heart! And the thought immediately popped into his head: this blade can Steal* hearts.
Anti-Sora twirled into the air, twisting his third appended ending the Emotionless Keyblade like a performance ribbon – slamming it hard onto the ground a second after Nefero evacuated the spot like a bolt, the resulting crater filling with water and mud and flora debris.
*It doesn’t react to the living world, perhaps it only reacts to certain hearts,
Opposite Hearts!* Although he had no proof of that other than making sense of the reason the blade solidified slightly and shinned upon certain contact – and the magnetic pull to his chest –
*That’s reason enough* - if this blade truly could steal hearts – there was no coming back from that!
Nefero stuffed his fear down, now was not the time to lose his cool, not ever, and make mistakes that would cost both him and his sister their hearts and quite possibly their existence.
Nefero couldn’t help but snicker in a lapse of sanity, for so long death was something so trivial, something that happened to other people, not them, and in a sudden instance it was nipping at their heels, reminding them of how mortal they always were within the physical plane. Their gifts that kept them so elusive fro so long from the Reaper, Reaper, were finally showing their limits. The wails of Hollow Castle’s Residents filled his head and like his fear, he stuffed the howling down, angry with himself for allowing such a feeling to get the better of him. He thought himself much stronger than that, and it irked him to no end how these current events piling up themselves on top of one another was unraveling him rather than he rising up to meet each and every difficulty.
But this wasn’t something so easily fought.
He was afraid, he was mortal in the end. He was afraid of losing his heart, he was afraid of not ever being able to come back – he would suffer the pains of revival gladly if it meant coming back, and yet he didn’t want to experience them at all ever again – he was terrified of losing his heart, something he had come to treasure so greatly since it harbored his feelings for his sister and mother, the two people he cared for more than anything, anything ever –
Her glance, that’s why it hurt.
Anit-Sora used a branch to wheel himself around to face Nefero, and their eyes locked, Anti-Sora trembling out of rage, and Nefero, out of fear.
Anything that threatened the connection he had with his mother and sister was the one thing that frightened him to his core, and would push him to his limits and beyond; especially in defending them from this monster, for if his heart was stolen –
*no* - South Light!
All he felt that he treasured, he knew South Light loved 100 times more, a type of love he couldn’t even fathom – no way that would be robbed of her! And all the while his agenda placed them in such harms way: to lock this world safe so that is could brunt a Nature’s Crossing and in doing so subdue this hellcat hell-bent on killing them both, such would be their most trying trial in a long time, if not the most trying currently with Nefero’s reasoning.
A smile curled up on Nefero’s thick lips as Anti-Sora sized him up, that third appendage hovering above like a snake, Nefero could tell it was getting tired of missing its longed-for target.
“Upset?”
Nefero’s voice set Anti-Sora off and it charged again aiming for his throat, leaving Nefero to think just how in the world he would balance reaching ‘Sora’ under all that madness while surviving himself – Nefero leaped back and gave himself a good distance from Anti-Sora but not without the price of a savage slash to his right arm with a brilliant light, he ignored the pain –
“Oh this is precious, throwing a little tantrum are you? Tell me what’s eating you up inside? Did you make a mistake? Did you fail at something? Hm?”
Anti-Sora kept rushing him, Nefero giving himself distances away with painful prices – “I throw tantrums too, just like you, just like what you’re doing now,” he smiled, “And it makes me a little regretful to think, we’re on opposite ends of the tracks. We’re not so different.”
Anti-Sora stopped and looked at the Emotinless Keyblade curiously, flicking it slightly, only rain was dripping off.
Nefero felt the sting of his wounds a little more freshly as dirt and rain invaded them, “Wondering why I’m not bleeding are you? Would you believe I have no blood to bleed? I bet it’s really not that hard to believe! And still! –
I’m better than you.”
Anti-Sora looked from Nefero to his blade, a bit confused – it shook his head and charged again –
“Hehehehehehe~ I’m better than you,” smiled Nefero – Anti-Sora’s swipes merely scraping hairs off of the beast, *He must be fatiguing, he’s slower than before* - Nefero daring the shadow boy to hit him now, letting him barely nip the edges of his body to infuriate Anti-Sora’s ability to land a hit, and the closer the marks got, the farther away he became – “I’m better than you~! I’m better than you~! Speak to me! Talk to me! Smile! Make a frown! No face! No face! No face! No face!” Nefero performed a large back flip letting his tail brush harmlessly across Anti-Sora’s face – SWIFF~! Only air – Nefero landing perfectly on his hind legs – “EMOTIONLESS!”
The shadow being let out a high pitched shriek despite being robbed of a mouth, a scream a human could never utter; the Emotionless Keyblade began to vibrate and shake in the Cloak’s grip –
“But that’s a misnomer no? You are absolutely enraged!”
Anti-Sora’s anger spiraled out of control, the Emotionless Keyblade twisted and bent rigidly as if it was clay to an irregular beat of feeling disconnected and connected – a frequency sent beyond its means!
Another surge of fear struck Nefero, he was in disbelief at the sight. Never before had he witnessed a Master at their level, someone on the other side of the fence who had become as twisted as they were with themselves, but as to what was the catalyst for
his reaction, what turned him into this monster, he could only guess, never-the-less –
“I’m better than you,” Nefero stated reinforcing his stance, “For once, I’m more of a ‘person’ than someone like you!”
Anti-Sora had its target handed to it on a silver platter –
“*Don’t wait any more! This is what you want isn’t it?! DO IT! DO IT YOURSELF NOW!*”
Nefero had to time this perfectly if he was to succeed –
that Keyblade – he tightened himself up for the blow – Anti-Sora leaped from side to side off the trees – pinpointing right where the Keyblade was to drill into him and lunged forward – biting down into Nefero’s neck – wanting to feel his veins go limp from a dead heart, but froze upon feeling a beat, a continued beat, that
didn’t stop….ba-bump….ba-bump….ba-bump –
“Remember it,” Nefero snarled through clamed jaws holding the Emotionless Keyblade, both his paws were wrapped around Anti-Sora’s hands, he continued to speak feeling Anti-Sora shaking, “Then you can at least empathize in the way we were, are, viewed by everyone else. We’re more or less making people reacting to us negatively on purpose, no one is appreciating the big picture yet, but oh you all will. Momma is doing this for everyone.”
SPSHCK. Nefero coughed, he didn’t let of the Emotionless Keyblade, but Anti-Sora’s third appendage did, and stabbed him right through his gut. Nefero was breathing heavily, he would survive it, but damn did that hurt! He launched himself back, at least the wound was small, Anti-Sora was still looking confused –“I’m going to have to keep an eye on you, you little rascal,” said Nefero, “Welcome to the family! ‘Cause after your so called friends see you like this, we’re going to be the only ones you can turn to – and don’t forget that!”
Nefero so missed South Light’s healing right about now as his wounds gnawed at him like a plague of fire ants. Certainly any help would be welcomed, oh he hoped he would run into his Hunters along his mad dash to the Keyhole, any or all of them, no matter how much it hurt his pride, it meant nothing to him if it would cost his sister any chance of surviving. He can reestablish to himself all the titles of ferocity and power that had been bestowed to him later, *just let my sister come out alive!*
The help he so prayed for was indeed coming, but not of any form he desired: the young man with yellow hair and yellow eyes, Edward Elric, and the Untouchable with a pink ribbon tied around its neck. Neither were allies of Nefero and South Light, nor to each other really. Edward certainly knew of Untouchables to be a most dreadful Emotionless (the ruins of the Anime Royalty’s Castle were still slightly smoldering), and the Untouchable knew that it’s kind was hated and feared by all (it would always have to be on the defenses until it knew for sure like before), but they both knew the Master needed help, then again, Anti-Sora was ally to no one.
T h e Fo r e st Ag ai n
The group of the Sailor Scouts accompanied by their eveelutions (and trailed by one orange ninja) were running fast through the forest –
“This is going to be like finding a needle in a haystack without our HU abilities,” Sailor Mars hissed -
“Well, *huff* *huff* let’s not forget that Suicune and Goku both went out to see if they were safe, so" -
"So they never came back," said Sailor Jupiter, "First this stupid storm, then the village gets attacked, then some Untouchable shows up and says the Natures are about to cross! If I were a bettin' gal - I'd say the Outsiders played us like a harp!"
Thantos:
HAHAHAHAHAHA -
"Oh"-
"I bet you anything they're here to take Sora while wiping us out simultaneously!"
"What if they have the Master already?!"
"Then we snatch him right back!" Naruto yelled -
A crack of wicked laughter was paralleled with a vicious thunder strike -
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA- !"
The group stopped right into their fighting stances - "Show yourself!"
The wicked laughter continued, sounding as if it was a part of the very air that surrounded them, Naruto stepped up, "What's so funny Outsider?!"
But the laughter continued, rising and lowering as the source struggled to breath, sending an unnerving chill down everyone's spine - "ENOUGH!" Sailor Jupiter and Mars let loose bolts of fire and thunder backed up by Flareon and Jolteon respectively -
Sailor Venus and Sailor Moon let loose their own attacks while their pokemon attacked separately to cover more ground and Naruto clasped his hands, "Kagebushin no - *!"
A thin red glittering line shot out from the brush – stuck – and connected with Naruto’s chest, “Wha –!?” he reached to pull it out, but Sailor Moon stopped him –
“DON’T!” – the rest went on the defensive ten-fold –
“You’ll rip your heart out!”
Naruto gawked at her – “WHAT?!”
“SAILOR MOON!” –
Dozens of red strings shot out from the grove over head – all from one source – but that didn’t stop them from blanketing out and trying to stab the scouts in their hearts, the foliage giving the strings more cover to strike from above without warning, but by luck and skill the scouts managed to dodged out the way – leaving the strings to dissipate in the mud, but more took their place –
Naruto tried to help out, jumping up and whisking out a kunai in each hand to cut the strings, but one sharp pull on the Heart String* connected to him by the source brought him to his knees in pain – another yank made him scream – another yank pulled him to his feet, and another still walked him like a dog to where the string told him to go –
“NARUTO!” –
Shink –
shink – shink –
shink – shink – shink –
shink –
And Sailor Moon was suddenly the only one not bound by a Heart String*, the air cleared of the deadly ties, “Oh no….” Sailor Mars, Venus, Jupiter, all the Eveelutions, and Naruto were then all yanked off of their feet – “STOP IT!” – and left to fall in pain the rain – then all of the Eveelutions had their Hearts* ripped right out – but the strings were still tied to the pokemon’s chest, their Hearts* traveled a ways like a bead on a string, before they were suddenly send right back into the shaking pokemon’s chests, leaving them to huddle in fear – “STOP! STOP IT! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!”
The Outside then revealed himself, Kabuto walked out alone apart from where the source of the Heart Strings* tethered everyone else – “You” – Naruto managed to say –
“You know him?” Sailor Mars hissed through her pain.
“He went through the first round of the, augh, the Chuunin Exams” –
Kabuto pushed his glasses up so that the glint of the light from a bolt above hid his eyes, “In another life, perhaps I did that, but times are different now,” and in other violent tug towards Naruto, he was silenced in pain, “We are all at the precipice of change, Sailor Scouts, inhabitants of Tumble-Stump” – a crumpled smile spread on his face –
“Oh shove it – we’ve heard enough from the Riders,” Sailor Jupiter spat –
“You’re not in a position to be so defiant,” said Kabuto, “I’ll ask nicely first,
where is Master Sora?”
Ah!
*They haven’t found him yet* -
“Ha! As if we’d ever tell you!” tugged Sailor Mars –
Serena looked alarmingly at her,
“Raye” –
Kabuto smirked, “You can’t keep him safe forever, we already have the Key.”
“You liar!” –
“She’s inside my little friend, well, it’s not quite so little anymore~”
Out from the brush stepped the demonic six-tailed red fox, far from its make-up that ever made it a Vulpix. The creature was dripping a black ooze, and it’s wide open mouth was the source of the Heart Strings* that bound everyone in the pit of its gut.
“Vully, let’s make them understand.”
In one move the fox’s middle lengthened beyond any four-legged creature’s capacity, the black gunk moved and molded its body anew, growing, lengthening, becoming thick, and heavy, its mouth ever remaining open to keep the Heart Strings* connected – bits of the gunk dropped onto the strings, sending a most terrible pain throughout everyone’s chest, while Serena, Sailor Moon, the only one not effected, could only watch in horror as the little six-tailed fox morphed into a huge, HUGE black snake with the reddest eyes she ever saw glaring right through her – the snake’s mouth was half as vast as it’s thick, thick body – wide enough for three of them to stand on one’s another’s shoulders!
“Now where were we? Oh yes,
where is Master Sora? Make this easy on yourselves and you’ll be thanked by being reincarnated as another, more,
graceful form~”
“What? Snake poop?” –
“You can just go screw yourself! We’ll never tell!”
“Please, please don’t hurt them,” Sailor Moon trembled, “We-we don’t know where he is” –
“SERENA!”
“COWARD!”
Kabuto titled his head, “What was that?”
“We don’t know where Sora is!”
Kabuto narrowed his eyes, “I’ve gutted one Star woman today, should I make it two? Which one of you scouts should I believe?”
“So you were the one who hurt Mrs. Chi!” yelled Sailor Jupiter –
Serena’s fear tripled – “I’m telling the truth!” Sailor Moon and Mars said at the same time, they both then looking to one another, one out of fear, and the other out of anger –
“I don’t understand what you’re trying to do!” yelled Sailor Moon, “We don’t know where he is! How will that change anything?!”
“You,” Sailor Mars trembled with fury, “Are the biggest IDIOT I’VE EVER” – she never finished her sentence, the Heart String* yanked her Heart* clean out of her body, and into the gut of Vully –
“RAYE!” –
“That was for lying, finish it up Vully” –
Vully then looped the remaining Heart Strings* around their victims, clasping their arms tight to their bodies, and sucked them up whole, Sailor Venus, Jupiter, Naruto and the Eveelutions, into its gut, leaving Serena and the comatose body of Sailor Mars –
*CHOMP* – *GULP*.
Kabuto adjusted his glasses, “Thank-you for your cooperation, Serena, Sailor Moon, keh, whichever form I spoke to, neither was worthy~”
Kabuto then hopped onto the head of Vully, and the gunk sucked him in as he gave a courteous wave to Serena, “By the way,” Kabuto’s voice came out doubled through the snake’s mouth, “About having the Key, I lied~”
Serena looked up from Raye’s body in despair into the red, red eyes of the snake which glowed and picked up Serena with its stolen psychic powers, hovering her above Raye, “Do you understand where your decisions have placed you? You may not have any worth to me, but I know of a colleague of Orochimaru-sama who would have a use for you instead, Opposite Heart, why can’t you people understand there’s nothing you can do against the decided mind?! Cooperation – compassion or defiance –
they’re both completely useless in the face of pure” –
“HAAAAAA*!!” – a beam of bright energy blasted through the neck of the Black Snake, twisting its face into shock as its flesh ripped apart from the force – Serena was dropped on top of Raye and then felt herself and Raye snatched up and pulled away to safety – it was Spike!
The Black Snake’s head was just barely connected to the rest of it’s body by straps of flesh, it swinging dangerously to be ripped off completely as it moved it’s massive body to attack from the hidden source, focusing it’s psychic energy – Pikachu and Ash leapt out of the brush threatening a Furious Bolt* from above, “PIKA! PIKA PIKAAAAAA!!” –
“THIS IS FOR LUGIA, RAYQUAZA, AND GENKAI YOU SLIME!”
- the Black Snake went to attack, but in the same moment, it was suddenly eye level with Pikachu, it’s head had been kicked to the ground by Goku, the straps of flesh snapping like rubber bands, the rest of the body then fell flat sending shockwaves through the ground.
Pikachu ran up and scratched at the snake’s head while Ash kicked it, “Pika! Pika pikachu – CHUUUUUU
UUUUU!!”
“Alright little buddy, enough, before ya pass out,” Ash scooped up its little brave companion before its injuries reminded it just how brave it was, they both were, for bluffing the snake; Ash gave the head an extra kick from them both.
Pharaoh helping a limping Faye (holding the still fainted Pidgey) emerged from the brush,
“Good riddance,” said Goku looking over the body.
“I really hope your attack just didn’t destroy my pokeball,” mumbled Ash,
“No way,” smiled Goku, “It takes much more than that to break the ties between you and your pokemon.”
They both went over to inspect the snake’s open mouth, no pokeball, “Just great! The damn thing swallowed it!” Ash looked down the length of its incredible body and half growled half hissed at the mess before him, “Lugia! Rayquaza! If you can hear me, we’ll get you both out in no time!”
Faye, cocked her head towards the snake,
“Did you guys just hear that?”
“It came from the snake” –
“No, inside it!”
“Lugia?! Ray?!”
“NO! My friends and Naruto!” screamed Serena as she bolted towards them with Spike carrying Raye behind her, “The snake ate them! And Raye’s Heart*! We have to get them out NOW!”
Spike single handedly pulled out Bakura’s knife, “We’re gonna need something bigger” –
“Now you guys!” Serena yelled as she went over to the snake’s middle, presumably the gut where they were, “Moon Tiara Magic*!” – the snake’s flesh barely singed against her magic –
“Everyone stand back!” ordered Goku and flew up preparing another Ka-me-ha-me-ha* -
SPHSHK!
Goku choked on red as he looked down and saw a demonic arm – belonging to Bakura’s Necrofear – sticking out through the right of his chest –
Oh to have still had the H.U. Ability of Sense*.
“GOKU!” –
SPHSHK! – Pharaoh felt the same pain as Goku –
TOOM – the shadow of another huger and terrible monster poured over them all before anyone had time to react –
“TIME TO EXINGUISH YOU STARS!”
.
.
.
The Salamence was flying above Konohagakure Village (mainly to get a better look at the Thantos Incarnation), unaware of the connection within Ed’s possession that was screaming.
“Oh…”
From within Konohagakure Village, still on the roof, Ed felt something tug at her chest and looked at Ash’s pokeball, and then looked at Sasuke whom she held…and then set him down. “Ein, you stay here and look after Sasuke, I gotta give Ash his pokeball!” Ein gave a little win, and kissed her hand as she petted him. “Don’t worry boy, I can outrun a dragon!” She looked up to the imposing Thantos incarnation, “Vincent! I’ll be back!” it didn’t respond, but regardless she took off, sliding down the roof and landing on all fours to the soggy ground below – without missing a beat, she sprinted off, feeling the pokeball safely tucked away.
“Where are you going?!”
“Little girl come inside!”
She ignored the villagers’ plea, “I can’t! I’m a Star Shinobi!” – the Salamence pulled up right beside her in flight, pointing at the border and motioning for her to get on – and she did, she hopped right on, “You know I gotta do this,” she said, “Thankies,” the Salamence looked strongly back at her with a resilient snort as its wings cut through the storm to fly higher and higher continuing its brisk pace all the way to the wall of Furious Fire*, red, churning, dangerous, Ed and the dragon saw a brief opening – bolting right through it, the cold rain touching up a light singe from the edges of the blaze. “Hang on, we’ll be there soon!”
The Thantos incarnation closed up the little hole.
.
.
.
“I know we’re going to get into trouble for wrangling your hearts so violently, but this haul is more than enough as a make-up present,” hummed Bakura as he stood over Pharaoh, Bakura’s Headless Knight Summon had its sword stabbed through Pharaoh’s shoulder, pinning him to the ground like how a bug would be pinned to a wall – “You will forgive me for being all stabbity won’t you?” Bakura twirled his knife in one hand and held in the other, regardless of the wound he was still feeling in his collarbone and own shoulder, the Millennium Puzzle – along with Yugi’s Ghost in it – “I missed my knife so much~”
“You bastard,” Pharaoh spat – Bakura stomped his head into the mud,
“So sorry your highness I didn’t catch that, what what~?” he lifted his foot up giving Pharaoh a chance to gasp for air; Bakura let out a high pitched laugh; Yugi could only look on helplessly, feeling the connection between him, Pharaoh, and the Millennium Puzzle stretched to its limits, threatened to be cut asunder by the Thief; Bakura’s magic of the Millennium Ring had cast a spell upon the puzzle that trapped Yugi’s Ghost within it.
The victory was thus: it belonged to the Outsiders. After Bakura’s Necrofear had stabbed Goku, Bakura’s Headless Knight took out Pharaoh, and then Envy ambushed the rest in the form of a huge, terrible green monster with the body of an over-sized lizard with eight legs, a long tail, a muzzle like a canine’s, long black mane like a horse, and the souls of the damned trying to free themselves from it’s neck (and protruding elsewhere around his body); one of his eyes was somewhat normal with dark whites and a purple iris, while the other was white and had many purple irises – just the sight of this monster was enough to freeze those free in shock giving Envy plenty of time to size them up and take them all down with one well thought out tail strike, an attack that proved too much for the little Pidgey, and it died on the spot; it's body thrust aside by the Outsiders as a broken tool.
And if things weren’t bad enough, the headless body of the combination of Kabuto and Vully hauled itself back up as another head reached out like a hydra, throwing black gunk over everyone while the severed head melted away; killing any thought of fighting back. The Opposite Hearts were caught, bound and gagged by Vully!Kaubto’s psychic power, except for Pharaoh, Bakura had him, and Serena, Kabuto did not want to touch her, so Envy merely held her down with a paw; and Sailor Mars, who was nothing more than a lifeless doll.
“Haha! The stars have finally aligned for us! Now all we need is the Master,” boomed Envy’s double voice, rattling the bones within a furious bound Spike and Faye, “And then we can hightail it out of this hell hole.”
“What about the Key?” asked Bakura.
“Nefero has no use for it, leave it to die like the rest in the Crossing.*”
Vully!Kabuto cleared his throat, “Before I ambushed the scouts, I led the group with the Key into the jaws of Gaara. There’s no need to worry about them, and please, let me carry them all~. It’s the least I can do for being caught off guard so easily.” He already was in the possession of Goku, fighting for his life with his injury, hanging off of the snake’s mouth.
“I don’t think your mouth is big enough for that, just swallow them all like how you did with the first group.”
“No, these are very special, they need to be kept separate, those inside me are just extras, although you can take Serena, I don’t want her anywhere near me.”
“Swallow them Kabuto! It’s not like you don’t have any extra space in there!”
“*Sigh* So be it, but I’m not carrying the blond one.” Vully!Kabuto’s body began to shift with waves of flesh rolling within, up the stomach, chest, neck, reaching all the up into the head, the snake swaying gently back and forth as if in preparation to expel something; Serena saw a flicker of red thread slip from the snake’s lips; Envy shuddered and looked away in disgust.
“I would like to escort Pharaoh, if you don’t mind.”
“I know~” cooed Envy, laughing at the hissy face Bakura shot at him.
“What should we do with the fallen scout’s body?”
“She’s not dead!” Serena screamed –
“Gracious me, I know I don’t want any whining,” Envy opened his massive mouth and slithers of crawling flesh slithered it’s way down toward Serena, arms, hands forming all around her. The Stars could only watch in horror as her screaming was eclipsed by Envy’s “tongue” swallowing her whole and pulling her in, Envy chomping down on the tongue’s excessive flesh.
“******* – In continuation with what to do with the lifeless scout,” said Bakura flatly in being the only one present who could speak, “I propose a present for South Light, something she can eat~”
The Stars were sick to their stomachs in multiple degrees of fear in thinking just how the hell they would escape this?
Was it even possible?
“Kabuto, whatever did happen to Orochimaru and his pet? Do you know?” asked Bakura.
“I have no idea,” he replied with a full mouth, still gathering up enough Heart Strings* “But what I do know,” he looked right to the bound Ash (Pikachu bound with him), “Is that I am not the same serpent that took his most prized possession, for all I know they all could be lost forever~”
Ash’s head dropped with bits of angry, angry fear-bitten tears trickling down onto Pikachu whom he held tightly within his bounds;
if only he hadn’t dropped his damn ball, Lugia could have –
“Speaking of most prized possessions~” chimmed Bakura taking a look at his reflection on the Millennium Puzzle, he could barely see Yugi’s face half scared, half glaring back at him –
*LEAVE HIM ALONE* –
“I swear, if you hurt” –
STOMP. “So Yugi, I mean just between you and me” –
Envy shifted the load with in his mouth to the side, “Save the small talk for later Bakura, it’s not like you won’t have time, let’s get these into the cage, then we can hurry up and go look for the Master, lets not jinx our streak right now.”
“Very well then.”
Vully!Kabuto opened his mouth, Heart Strings* ready to be fired, and then a powerful aura of blue psychic energy snapped Vully!Kabuto’s mouth shut – “MMPH!” – Envy and Bakura went onto the defensive –
“STOP, RIGHT,
THERE!” came the voice of a little girl –
“WHO THE HELL IS LEFT?!” Envy roared with a rising temper –
It hit Vully!Kabuto, *Oh great* – twin pillars of light blasted up from the ground, slicing the Black Snake in half and decapitating it once again – the Heart Strings* within merely flailed about uselessly and dissolved.
“IT’S THE KEY!”
“MY NAME IS ABIGAIL!” she sent another pillar to cut down the snake – “And this is my doggy Jo-Jo!” Yet another pillar of light cut down Vully!Kabuto – Goku tried to fly but the weight of his injury was too much –
The captives held by Vully!Kabuto’s power were released –
“GRAB HIM ENVY!” Bakura yelled, but Abigale was already there with her arms wide open to catch him, and Envy was getting a taste of the psychic power that disabled Vully!Kabuto with his entire body caught he was lifted in mid air, and then slammed, head first, into the ground, the mud not making the impact any easier from the force Mewtwo put behind that attack.
Meanwhile Abigale caught Goku with ease with a jackrabbit leap and began restoring him with all healing powers she had –
“Eat this!”
Bakura whirled around to meet his aggressor, the cute Mew coated in pink psychic energy rushing him for a tackle – BOMPH – Bakura’s Necrofear met it head on, coated in its own dark energy, knocking Mew down into the mud, but not out, that’s what Goku did in smashing yet another of Bakura’s summons back into him, the remaining force slamming Bakura into a boulder, cracking it; Bakura’s Headless Knight dissolved away along with the sword that pinned Pharaoh, he pushing himself up (mainly with one arm) with strength beyond his last reserves in looking about to where the puzzle had landed –
“Yugi –!”
“HAHA!” Abigail squealed triumphantly leaping to Pharaoh (healing him more or less against his will as he struggled to find the puzzle) – “Thought you could just dump us on raccoon boy did you?! BAKA BAKA BAKA!
Tracker Ninja’s for the win!!” – the remains of Vully!Kabuto pulled itself together long enough to lash out with its psychic energy – but Mewtwo’s own, true psychic aura froze the enemy aura in place along with the enemy–
“This is psychic power!” Mewtwo yelled and spread his aura all over what was left of Kabuto!Vully* from the Holy* magic assault – twisting and contorting the snake, flesh turned into putty –
“STOP THERE ARE FRIENDS IN THERE!” yelled Ash, “GET THEM OUT! THE STOMACH! THE STOMACH!”
“WHAT?!”
Goku was already over to the dazed Envy, opening his mouth and digging for Serena – Spike and Faye joining in – but before too much headway was made, Goku moved a patch of flesh to the side and seemingly a melted person molded into the flesh reached out towards them! –
“AHHHHHH!”
Mewtwo meanwhile found the captives within Vully!Kabuto by feeling about with his psychic abilities, “Right here!” in a combination of sheer psychic power ripping apart flesh and Holy* magic from both Abigale and Jo-Jo, Kabuto!Vully was no more, nothing but shredded strips, and the captive scouts, Naruto, and pokemon were freed, Mewtwo giving them a quick rinse with his powers before setting them down on the ground, they all still in somewhat of a daze, but alive and whole.
Abigail struck a victory pose – “GAME TURN OVER MUTHA FU” –
“Where is it?!” growled Pharaoh pulling Bakura up,
“What did you do with the puzzle!?”
“Where’s Raye’s Heart?!”
Raye’s Flareon licked her hand, but the scout did not respond.
The scouts, dizzy and disoriented stumbled about in a stupefied search for Raye’s heart (Naruto falling headlong into a bush) – Mew deciding then to take to the brush in looking for the puzzle –
“Mewtwo! Help us out!” Goku called as more and more of these ‘fleshy people’ emerged from Envy’s tongue forcing the three of them back – Envy then felt his mouth opened to the point of tearing by Mewtwo along with the rest of his body frozen and pinned to the ground as his being was searched, but far as anyone could see, there was no Serena in sight within Envy’s mouth, or squirming fleshy tongue – Spike and Faye leaped on top of Envy’s head, cocked, and pointed their guns; Envy’s dazed vision clearing somewhat to see their deadly intent,
“Where is it?”
“Where is he?” Pharaoh growled again his connection with Yugi told him he was near, but that was it, and Bakura gave Pharaoh a smug bloody smile on his face, before spitting blood into Pharaoh’s.
“Pika, PIKA!” Pikachu sparked Bakura’s feet
*Ow~* Bakura’s smile only grew as tempers flared, “You know as well as I do Pharaoh that you never reveal all your tricks during a single duel.”
That put everyone on alert.
Sailor Jupiter stomped (and stumbled) up to Bakura,
“I have got one shred of patience left” –
“Hold up,” called Spike, “We can deal with them after we get what we need.”
“Can you?” said Bakura with a smile and closed eyes, “Have any luck in finding that poor soul within Envy?”
Mewtwo was shaking in disbelief in what he felt…..there wasn’t just one person inside of Envy…..there hundreds, thousands…. “I-I can’t find her, there’s too many…”
“What do you mean you can’t find her?!”
Spike and Faye felt tugs at their legs with torsos reaching from Envy’s neck trying to grab them, Faye kicking the arms away, Spike stomping a bewildered head back into Envy – Mewtwo tightened his powers further to stop the squirming torsos, but the more he tried to put under control, the more fleshy people bubbled out of Envy to be controlled!
“Are these people?!”
Was Serena now one of them?!
Despite his mouth being opened, Envy managed a minuscule smile in making eye contact with Mewtwo, “What the hell are you?”
The pokemon growled and hissed at the monsters by their scouts’ sides –
“Speak! What did you do with her?!” yelled Sailor Venus, but Envy motioned with his eyes at his current inhibitor, Mewtwo.
“You know what?” said Bakura, “There’s so many of you, I’m sure if you kill us, you could find where your friends’ remains are~”
Pharaoh punched Bakura right across the jaw – Ash moving quickly to try and hold him back in seeing a Fira* about to be unleashed, but he could only occupy one, Sailor Jupiter snatched the laughing Bakura up, her Jolteon biting his ankle,
“Perhaps we could manage,” she snarled,
“But we’re not murderers like you.”
Bakura winced a bit as the little needle teeth punctured him, “Oh sweetheart I have no doubt in, some, of you people’s purity. But we’ll find out just how you tick once we get home to Hollow Castle.”
“You’re in no position to be defiant!” yelled Faye, her attention and rage flooding towards Bakura like a magnet, she slid down Envy’s head out of Spike’s reach (and the fleshy torsos) moving towards him with a fury,
“You think my run through you was good? Just wait till the Castle gets in you!”
That did it.
Faye aimed her gun faster than the crack of a whip – “FAYE!” – click, click her gun didn’t respond again and was knocked to the ground by Sailor Venus’ Espeon –
“DAMMIT!”
In the shadow of Faye’s failure, Pikachu was more than happy to muster up some more electricity and shock the jerk instead.
Sailor Jupiter dropped Bakura in absolute disgust, her Jolteon backing away too as he chuckled in everyone’s misery, “Did you catch all of that Abigale? How do you like being in the midst of ‘adult’ affairs?”
Attention honed in on Abigale, who looked far from anything like the powerful Key she was, looking nothing but a simple child having walked in on something she for someone her age had the ability to understand, yet shouldn’t have to know.
“What’s the matter? Where’s that spark?” –
“You don’t speak to her!” Mewtwo spat, his grip tightening on Envy in response to the point of choking him momentarily. Ooooh, if only he could spare a tinge to snap Bakura’s mouth shut, but he didn’t want any part of whatever the hell Envy was to escape under his sights.
Abigale looked right into Bakura’s eyes, but her words reached everyone, “I’ve seen cruel treatment before I became a Key, from both people who were bad and those that said they were good. I’ve seen terrible things over and over and over…And you know what…?” Abigale simply flapped her arms to the side, her puppy flicking his ears, “Every time I see it doesn’t make it any less sad, or scary, or bad,” her voice became high and cracking, her lip was quivering, “What’re you looking to me for? To be ashamed of what you’re forcing us to do? You think I don’t understand this? You want me to be all scared?” Thunder cracked overhead, (rattling her for sure), “I am. I HATE THUNDERSTORMS, and sometimes monsters under my bed, I hate hearing my friends being pushed to the brink of murder, but, most of all,” Abigale snapped right out of her theater performance, Jo-Jo baring its teeth, “I HATE MONSTERS LIKE YOU!”
Her shrill outburst from something so small rang like a spiked bell within everyone –
“If there’s one thing I learned in becoming a Key, it’s that people will kill people forever,
I am a weapon, but by god if I have one shred of moral left after being so desensitized, it’s that I
choose that my job is to PROTECT!
Protect people from monsters like you!”
Bakura gave the child a simple smile, “Good luck with that.” Something popped in the sky overhead, something like a flare, “Nefero will be here soon.”
Abigale’s eyes grew wide as her true child fears grabbed a hold of her while a wave of OH SH*T hit Spike, Ash, Pikachu, Pharaoh, and Goku, and spread to everyone else like fire spreading amongst dead brush–
“Nefero?!”
“He’s here?!”
“YES! He almost caught us –” and thus Bakura and Envy were informed as well, Bakura’s little bluff having worked wonders far beyond his expectations –
*I can’t believe this!*
*He’s really here!*
But it’s not like Nefero
would attend to the flare anyway in being preoccupied at the moment.
“Where are they!? Spill it you monster!”
“You have nothing against us! What can you do?! Go ahead and kill us,
you’ll never get them back!”
“You have a summon out that’s holding them don’t you?” Pharaoh snarled,
“The smallest one still capable of being tied to your beaten life” –
That sent the faux flare too~
Bakura gave Pharaoh a dark smile. Envy was laughing hysterically within his restraints.
“We can’t just sit here until Nefero arrives! We have to do something!”
“Or~” came Bakura’s voice before tempers erupted, “You could all just get inside your cages.”
BAAAAACROUUUUCKKCCKKCCCCCOURK – an almighty bolt of lightning let loose a deafening sound of thunder, its flash was smothered by the clouds above – but it was enough *we all know what sound Nefero’s portal makes* – all emotions of rage flipped to fear –
“NEFERO’S HERE!”
THE LITTLE GIRL IS THE KEY!!” Bakura screamed –
“ABIGALE!” Mewtwo immediately went to her defense and Goku moved to find and engage the phantom leaving Spike alone with Envy – and in another moment when all attention was on Abigale – Envy was free, rolling up, catching Spike’s leg in his jaws, crushing it –
“SPIKE!” Faye’ screamed –
And with a powerful swipe from his tail, pivoting his entire body (letting Spike fly off into the brush) Envy sent a wave a mud crashing over everyone – Mewtwo had managed to block the mud from him and Abigale (and Jo-Jo) in his protective Blue Sphere. He wiped his view, and there was the beast with yellow eyes - Abigale, the child, latched onto Mewtwo as the boogeyman that hid under her bed and barked thunder reached back with red glowing claws –
Sailor Venus screamed, and attention was immediately pulled from wiping mud from their eyes to the beast with yellow eyes, now holding Abigale in his jaws, one paw with glowing red claws on top of a critically wounded Mewtwo down and out, his psychic aura shredded around him and fading away; another paw, with the same glowing red claws, was on top of a whimpering Jo-Jo, slightly digging into his ribs.
Now what?
*Perfect Envy!*
Envy!Nefero spoke with his mouthful, “Ba'hura, 'ease 'oin 'eh ba ghiy 'ide.”
Bakura hauled himself up, casually dusted himself off, injured as he was, and walked over to Envy!Nefero’s side without any interference. The victory was thus again: it belonged to the Outsiders.
*All of you are now mine.*
Now what?
“Purple Kitty…
.Purple Kitty….” Abigale reached for Mewtwo, but Envy!Nefero had no sympathy for children, and shook his head violently to silence her, her squeal of pain a dagger through everyone’s heart.
“Be qhuiet or Iey ckill ever'one,” said Envy!Nefero, "You 'ink you Ckey powerz are anie goud 'ere noaw?"
Bakura thought about poking Abigale with protecting, but Envy was doing a good enough job of that with his teeth.
Now what?
“Forget about me!” Abigale yelled, “You have to protect Sora! RUN! RUN AWAY!”
Bakura huffed, “Really?”
“You’re both cowards! COWARDS!” Abigale screamed, scared as she was herself, mad at herself for letting Purple Kitty get injured so badly, “I’LL FIGHT YOU TO THE DEATH!” Envy!Nefero threatened to shake her once more –
“Abigale hush!” Goku yelled.
“Why aren’t y’all running?! GO!”
“Most likely for the same reason, you’re not fighting back too hard,” said Bakura, nudging Mewtwo with his feet. “And to think the only leverage we have against you all are your Emotions.”
Something clicked in that moment, something few knew all along, some didn’t want to believe and others that understood in a fleeting moment what this all came down to, and what it would always come down to – and then Bakura’s little tiny summon of a Bladefly* in possession of the Millennium Puzzle came stumbling out of the brush with Mew hot on its heels on the opposite end of Bakura and Envy!Nefero – both of them suddenly engaging in a tug o war with Mew snagging the chain – and from the south side of the Outsiders, another Nefero leapt out of the brush with Raye’s Heart!
“'How dare you impersonate me!” Nefero roared (while locating where Sailor Mars’ body was – ah! With Sailor Venus!),
“I’m so mad I could throw something!” and throw he did, Sailor Mars’ heart right into her body – she immediately sputtering to life!
“Sailor Mars!” – but she was still out of it, moaning and not even opening her eyes.
Bakura and Envy gawked,
“What the hell?!” Envy almost dropping Abigale who was close to screaming with TWO Neferos!
Back and forth they looked, did this Nefero really just help them out?! What was the point?!
Bakura elbowed Envy – where was the orange ninja?!
“Impostor! What are you trying to prove?!”
But Envy stomped Bakura's feet in thinking two steps before everyone else - if that Naruto!Nefero was questioned, then they would question where the giant green monster that was Envy had gone to - they still had to ride the fear while everyone is confused in the situation! -
“I’m not the impostor, you are! I command you to,
stop being me! Where did the giant green monster go huh?! It changed into that fake Nefero!"
It was so painfully obvious now, to everyone, who the new Nefero was,
*You have GOT to be kidding me* would Nefero
really have given Raye’s heart back? The doubts against the orange ninja would only help the Outsiders...
Regardless the question was asked so, it will get answered with Envy glaring at Bakura through a forced laugh to not f*ck this up.
"Since Nefero has his mouth full at the moment, I will be glad to say to you that if you don't quit with that disguise, he's going to kill the Key. Do you have any idea in knowing what Nefero is truly capable of?"
“I should know in being the real one! I’m furious! RAWR! I am besides myself in anger!
Produce the green monster you fakes!"
Envy!Nefero and Bakura looked with dull/annoyed eyes at Naruto with everyone else glaring ‘YOU’RE GOING TO GET SOMEONE KILLED YOU ***HOLE!’
“OMG CLONES!” Mew squealed finally noticing the two beasts and let go of the puzzle leaving the Bladefly to stumble with the precious item into the mud, it’s wings covered in muck and useless for flying and getting away – Pharaoh, as much as he so desperately wanted to retrieve his most prized possession as it dropped to the mud, could only watch, pinned, the danger was simply too great to another life,
*Is there really nothing I can do?! Please, be strong Yugi!*
“Touch that object and they die!”
Mew froze with its little paws about a foot away from the puzzle, (the Bladefly hissing at the mud traping it) yet Mew was grasping unseen hands of Yugi’s Ghost projecting himself as much as he could through the grip of Bakura’s spell.
“You’re out of options humans,” Envy!Nefero hissed eerily clear through his hold on Abigale.
“I’m not human,” hissed a voice from below as a blue aura encased Nefero Envy’s chest and Bakura’s arm - Mewtwo had regained consciousness!
“I am a monster.” He concentrated his psychic powers with what he had left, he striking a millisecond faster than Envy’s aim to gut him – SPSHKCU – his rage didn’t let him control his aim too much, he wanted to make them suffer the most blinding pain for touching Abigale and gave up accuracy if it meant he could inflict just a tad more pain to them – Envy!Nefero’s chest was crushed along with Bakura’s arm –
Mewtwo was beyond ready to kill after hearing Abigale’s screams cutting through the darkness that engulfed his consciousness,
they were to suffer – Envy!Nefero was ready to kill out of sheer revenge with every bit of his mentality on fire from the attack, Abigale ready to redeem her chance to protect – it was all or nothing now –!
Yet Mewtwo ripped her own redemption right out from under her, yanking Abigale and Jo-Jo away from Envy, tossing them to safety while Mewtwo’s attack along with Envy’s counter-attack met –
*PSYCHO SHIFT**!
“SHATTER OBLIVION*!”
The second before the two powerful attacks met, everyone knew, that moment was eternal.
Mew scrambled in grabbing the only life he had a chance to save, Pharaoh and Yugi locking sight as Yugi stretched his Ghost as far as he could against his attempted rescue and bounding spell in a forlorn attempt to reach what would be robbed of him again, perhaps forever this time–
“*PHARAOH!*”
The attempt to reach out as a hammer slammed down –
– Goku grabbed Abigale and Jo-Jo – the scouts each other’s hands – the eveelutions leapt in front of their humans – Ash held Pikachu – Faye’s mind went blank with a wide eyed glance – and Naruto made one blind rush with the single hope he could –
Tie a knot and hang on!
Everything within a quarter mile was blasted off its Astral Axis in an incredible dark explosion – the force causing the alignment of a living being’s aura, Heart*, soul, body, and Astral Power to be out of sync just enough to be naturally pulled back by their Astral Axis in a jumble of disorientation and pain from the power of the explosion itself…..
The fading crackle and boom of the explosion marked the storm’s furious power finally beginning to end, there was no cackling thunder or grinning bolts, all there was, was rain….
Gaara, dripping in slain Shinobi, turned to the sound of the explosion and smiled.
Abigale opened her eyes, pushing herself up on shaky arms against the many pelting icy drops to sit up on the cold, soaking mud; scanning the area and seeing friend, after friend, after friend lifeless, and unmoving…..*No…oh,
no, no....–* What went wrong? Why was everyone hurt when she had the power to stop it?
The child faultered.
Faye opened her eyes, and a spark of pain shot up from her left leg all the way to her back pulling a yelp from her, the spark a gateway of feeling to the full extent of the damage her body was dealt, everything hurting in a haze of agony, but, “Ungh,” regardless, she pushed herself up from the pain and found that she had crashed down through thick brush, broken branches and leaves scattered everywhere about her like some joke attempt to cushion her impact.
“Tweet, tweet~”
Faye looked up, a bird?
“Tweet, tweet!” the bird cocked its head at her, dove down and flew off to another tree, Faye’s gaze never leaving the ground with what hooked her vision – “ED?!” How in the world did she get there?! – Faye stumbled and crawled to her side, pulling her into her arms, “Ed! ED!” the child wouldn’t wake – “ED!” Open your eyes!
ED!”
Pharaoh opened his eyes, but quickly closed them again as several determined rain drops dropped right in, he rolled over to his side, his injuries shifting with him, “Yugi…?” He couldn’t feel him, at all, damn,
*Dammit..!* He prayed with all his heart Mew had kept him safe wherever that wicked explosion sent them.
Twinkle~.
Before his pain would render his limbs lame, something glittered in the distance through the blurriness of his vision, several blinks focusing his sight onto a shinny yellow piece of metal –
*The puzzle!* he wobbled up, stumbled, and saw the face of the puzzle showcasing the eyes of Horus – “Yugi!
Are you alright?!” no reply,
“Answer me please! I’m here!” – he fell just before it, scooping his hands in the mud to grab the puzzle from its partial burial, but all that came up in his hands was a single puzzle piece, the piece containing the eye of Horus.
Pharaoh was trembling, what could it mean? What did it mean?! The questions ran rampant through Pharaoh’s mind – what had Astral Translation done to their puzzle? What would happen to Yugi’s Ghost if the puzzle was shattered with him in it?! With either one of them in it?! Would it even have mattered?! One fact was the only clue given, and that was with the puzzle broken, Yugi was gone.
“It’s broken….I can’t ****ing believe this.” It was Bakura, blood dripping off of his face as he stumbled out of the brush, falling down to his knees like Pharaoh; he was a mess, on top of being near the epicenter of the explosion, he had one crushed arm and two bullet wounds.
Pharaoh couldn’t understand how the Thief was still alive,
“Bakura…” the Millennium Ring around Bakura’s neck mocked the piece in Pharaoh’s hand –
Bakura held up the chain that had once been the neck band for the puzzle, “Between you and me Pharaoh, there are no crueler laws than Astral Order.” He dropped the chain. “That body is now yours.”
????????
Yugi was feeling himself being pulled back, back, back, back through a sea of darkness, his arms out flailing, there was nothing to grab onto, nothing to stop him, what stops you from falling horizontally?! – “Ack” – both of his hands were then grasped with a pair of hands each –
“Gotcha!”
As if someone had flipped a switch upon contact, Yugi could see separate from the darkness Ash on one side, and “Ed?!” on the other.
“Yugi~!” Ed glomped him. “I tol’ja it would work Ash! I bumped into you, and then we could see~!”
Ahem, Ed couldn’t feel Ash’s present, so, *urk* she felt it was best to not reveal as to the reason why she was now with them~ But that wasn't the only precious object missing as she stepped back from crushing Yugi and gasped with him noticing the puzzle, "IT'S GONE!" Ed then glomped him in another hug before he could panic -
"You're puzzle has to be around here somewhere right? Don't worry, (*CRUSH*) it's really bright, we'll be able to find it easy!" - But that didn't stop Yugi from panicking as there was no sparkly object to be found within the sea of darkness -
“Where are we?! Where is everyone?!”
"Calm down," said Ash, partially shaking himself, "I'm sure they're around, I mean, this has to be the Realm of Darkness right? We just can't see 'em yet!"
There was a gap in their memory.
"(*still crushing Yugi*) We might have to bump into them" -
"Why?!
Why are we in the Realm of Darkness - what's going on?!"
“I don't know! I don’t get it either!” yelled Ash, he cupped his hands around his mouth as a make-shift microphone, “Hello?! HELLO! Pikachu!” His voice echoed as if they were in a cave.
"This..
.isn't right...."
"No sh*t."
Ed finally released Yugi to take both of their hands, “We’re together aren’t we~?” she raised their hands up as high as she could to yank 'em out of the yellies, “We’ll figure it out!” then dropped them back down playfully - a wave of remembrance came over them -blocked, a cap of a final image burned into their minds.
“What was the last thing you both saw?” asked Ash, “I was looking at Pikachu, I...." the cap nooked, "I...felt scared out of my mind, and then, everything went white.”
“I was up overhead riding on Salamence,” said Ed, “We had just arrived, I saw you guys, I was confused, but then…everything went white, then black.”
“I was reaching for Pharaoh - I was scared too, so much that I couldn’t feel anything, and then the same happened....wait -
I was inside the puzzle!”
Ed tilted her head, "If you were inside the puzzle Yugi, then how are we here now with you in the Realm of Darkness?"
The cap came off, and their memory rebooted with everything in line. E v e r y t h i n g.
“There was an explosion…”
“That’s right, we were caught in an explosion…Mewtwo fought back against Nefero.”
The color drained from Yugi and Ash’s faces, the darkness was so empty around them, no border between sky and ground, no trees, no rain, no friend or foe, everything was removed, removed,
removed!
Taken away!
"Are we dead?"
Clop-clop, clop-clop, clop-clop, clop-clop, a figure was emerging in front of them out of the creases of darkness, a figure riding upon a decorated Oryx, draped in a long black cloak, and carrying a big, ebony, scythe.
The Oryx 's pace was slow and almost sluggish; there was a slight limp in its stride. The steed snorted specks of dust, stopping just in front of the children, the mouth of the beast about eye level with them leaving the cloaked figure to tower over them. Ed’s grip on Ash and Yugi’s hands multiplied with them grabbing her hands back, all three of them trembling as the figure bowed his head in a solemn greeting, all three looking into the darkness of this hidden face distinct in being hidden in a deeper darkness than what surrounded them. “Welcome, to the Door to the Other Side,” said Reaper.
*Kaplunk* Ash and Yugi fainted while Ed looked around, “Um, other side of what?”
END PART
Shonen Bat: How much you wanna bet the next post will kill it for chapter 38?
Eva: Pretty damn good considering it is the last part.
Shonen Bat: Pinky promise?
Eva: Yesh~
EDIT: 2/22/2011: The next post to KHA that will finish off chapter 38 will be the LAST post I do of KHA on KHI; it's been an incredible run, I have met incredible people that I will be friends with for a long time to come, but it's time to move on and move this story closer to home with all the busy-busy that's been going on~ So until next time, that will be the last time, Peace and Cloverfield!
EDIT: 4.1.2011: HONKLE DINKLEY SNICHER DTOP TUNKLE POOLPE SNOCKER STOPI'mdonewritingkhagoodbyetothisstoryforeverPURKLE PINKIE THUNDER POP~!
EDIT: 4.5?.2011: This is to those of you guys who don't post here but still read, those numbers by the side of my story don't go up by themselves...unless....this story finally has come to life O_O....Anywho! So I know y'all are out there, you guests you~ :3 Obviously what was said above is a derp-derp April Fools Derp, but here is linkie-pie to where the story is moving and more info about what is happening with k.h.a. Most likely, you will be pissed, but I'm so tired with everything that's been going on IRL, I could care less. I don't know what your opinions would be since you are a ghosty ghost, so, blah.
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1299666/ <- and no. I am not the devil. But I guess you might think that after what you read for what I plan on doing, again, this little miss could c a r e l e s s.
November 12th: Wow, was I being bitchy or what? Gomenasi for that~, anywho, DAMN this websight for calling me back XD but the new k.h.a will be posted up here too now, not that I'm really far into it or anything ;P
And a BIG BIG thank-you for the game oriented bits, OMG, thankies for catching those ;A; 
Spoiler
