I stood panting only lightly, brandishing my great sword before me proudly. The small crack of a smirk slowly appearing on my face as I stared down my combatant. Tanex was strafing arrogantly to the side...completely cool and composed...not at all threatened facing me in a slightly released form. He'd already proven to be a MUCH more entertaining foe than even the dragon...offering me a far greater challenge. We'd clashed hard and without holding anything back...now we were about to step it up a level.
"It seems you have finally learned Tanex." I spoke casually. "You discovered that unless you TRAIN...you will never grow in strength. You've embraced that instead of always running away from it."
"That's right RaXi...but don't forget...YOU are the one who taught me that bitter lesson. Every time you fought me down and lectured me to take my lessons more seriously...that I could never defeat someone who'd worked as hard as you have." He snickered and fell silent, looking deep into my eyes. "So you have yourself to blame...when I finally DO overcome you."
He charged me swiftly. Tossing his ring blade to the side it vanished within a void...I knew it could come from any direction. Yet he was coming at me from the front...a full frontal assault...quite a bold move...considering he was unarmed. I prepared to attack him with a flurry of swipes...when I felt a void coming from behind.
THE RINGBLADE! My body screamed. Tanex lunged at me...his hand set to pierce my neck. In a quick motion I planted my sword before me protectively, blocking him, and in the last moment jumped back into a high back-flip, as I careened through the air I saw the ring blade whiz just beneath me...in a dead-on collision with my sword. Before it hit, it disappeared into another void, and into Tanex's hand. As soon as I touched down I cast two knives at Tanex...yet to no avail as they flew through more voids and instead were set at a return course to me. I caught them both, returning them to the space within my sleeve. My long-ranged weapons were useless to me against him. Not when he was able to turn them back at me.
I thickened the ice all around us with the slight adrenaline surging through me. Such excitement...a worthy opponent...I felt my lust urging me to release my power to the next level, yet I brought myself under control. "Not yet..." I mumbled lowly.
This time he didn't wait any longer...stepping through a void of his making he vanished. I didn't go for my sword yet...I stood defensively...waiting. The ring blade shot out at me again, quickly forming a sword of ice on the end of my arm I deflected it and watched it fly off through another void. I made the ice creation fall and join with the ice on the ground as I slowly scanned the area.
"Where're you looking RaXi?" Tanex's voice whispered condescendingly from behind me...JUST behind me. My eyes widened from the shock at how he'd snuck up on me...just when I'd thought I could sense ALL of his VOID ENERGY.
Sensing an attack I moved my head to the side just in time to avoid his strike, and countered myself. Coming back hard with my elbow, I landed a hit right in his stomach, and he was knocked temporarily off guard. Taking the moment to my advantage I spun around, landing a kick on him, square in the face. He flew back and screeched to a halt a few feet away. As he picked himself up, I felt a slightly warm sensation on my neck...my hand darted up to it immediately...discovering a slow steady flow of blood. He'd made contact after all...I'd thought I'd dodged...yet I hadn't. The blood slowly began to freeze over, my wound closing as well as I froze it shut.
I walked over to my blade, still implanted firmly in the ground, and placed my hand on the hilt. Tanex spit some blood from his mouth and eyed me with a cold and angry expression. I could still see the blood drizzle from his lip before he wiped it clean. "That wasn't nice RaXi...kicking ME in the face like that...especially when you choose to wear boots like THOSE."
I smiled. "You should know better than to get within my striking range. As for my boots, I will wear whatever I please."
"Heh, it's always about strength with you isn't it?" Tanex laughed. "After all...you only choose to wear such heavy-weighted boots so you can continually build muscle. RaXi...you should really learn to lighten up...you take the lessons of the past FAR too Seriously."
My eyes narrowed. "The Past...OUR memories...that is our EXISTENCE Tanex. To forget that...would be to forget the ONLY parts of our lives that make us seem REAL AT ALL."
Without warning or even turning to face him, I sent several Spires of Ice shooting up from the ground beneath him. He jumped back dodging them, yet they continued their onslaught on him no matter where he landed. For the Seeking Spires followed the sounds of the ice beneath one's feet. As soon as they stepped upon the ice...no matter how lightly...the spires would SEEK them out...and DESTROY them. Shooting simultaneous SPIRES directly at their vitals.
I waited and casually turned to watch. Tanex was fast...he dodged them, yet each time he landed only more and more would form. He had no time for a counter attack...all he could do was concentrate on dodging. And so I added to his anguish, by throwing needles of ice at him wherever he planned to land. Finally in exhaustion with this attack, he jumped back into a void and vanished once more. I silenced the spires and listened.
This was becoming drawn out...and now...I wanted to bring it to an end. Normally...I would try to end my battle quickly...with the least amount of resistance...yet, I think I'd enjoyed this a little too much. It was time to end it. Since he'd snuck up on me last time...I'd be able to sense him this time. I waited...yet he wasn't coming. "Probably catching his breath..." I scoffed.
"GUESS AGAIN!" He shouted. I ripped my sword from the ground just in time to parry his attack. We were locked there. He pushed forward slightly...his ring blade screeching on the blade of my sword. I fought back, snarling slightly as I returned the glare he was giving me.
"JUST GIVE UP TANEX!" I yelled as I used the ice on the ground to take hold of his feet...freezing him in place. Putting my attention into using more spires to slice him through, I failed to sense the void approaching. He threw me back in a desperate attempt to get away from them, and I fell into his attack. Just barely able to avoid it, a different type of void hit my sword arm...taking part of my upper arm with it...just a small chunk...but still...a devastating blow to me. It caused me to drop my sword to the ground with a clang...blood pouring from the fresh wound.
Crying out with rage I sent a wave of spears shooting at Tanex. He retreated through a void, reappearing almost instantly...he looked at me in shock...then looked down to his mid-section. I had pierced him through his left side as he emerged...his blood flowed down the blade of ice I'd formed over the end of my arm...freezing along with my own blood.
"Damn Saix for teaching you to sense energy signatures..." He coughed as I withdrew my blade and it cracked and fell to the ground in pieces. I clutched my wounded arm in pain...I'd frozen the wound shut...but it was still bad. He stumbled back a few paces and grabbed at his own wound. Then, smiling with that treacherous grin, he laughed slightly. "You didn't get away from this one unscathed...your strength RaXi...it's incredible though."
"Don't patronize me..." I rebuked. "...what do you think you're doing Tanex...just WHY do you continue to gain in strength...tell me your plan DAMNIT!"
"You have to remember it now RaXi...what I told you." He smirked. "The apprentices of the XIII...we'll never truly split apart no matter what happens. It's our destiny to be one. No matter what..."
My eyes widened a bit...that memory had just recently returned to me...the clock tower at Twilight Town...
"RaXi...I KNOW you'll come to us when you're ready...bring them with you...alright?" Tanex stated stepping back into a portal. "I'll relinquish this once...and spare the others their lives this time. As you guessed, I could care less for the wishes of Xerebus...but RaXi...you WILL have to make your move...soon. There isn't much time until that man's desires will be fulfilled..."
"TANEX!" I screamed into the nothingness...but he was already gone.
I fell to my knees and punched the ground with my unscathed arm. "When the hell did he learn to speak in riddles...just like Xemnas..." I mumbled and forced myself to sit up. Wincing as I suppressed the energy I released, I returned to my normal state, stood up and formed a portal to within the Dragon's Castle.
By the time I arrived, Marlex was nowhere to be found. Tanex had already retrieved him most likely. I approached my allies.
"RAXI!" Xyta shouted seeing my wound immediately.
"It's nothing." I respond, as though talking about some unimportant matter. And then I notice Ximh had appeared on the scene. "Ximh?" My eyes narrow and I walk past everyone, directly up to him. "What are you doing here? Did the Leader sent you?"
"Yeah...I don't really know why...that dude Marlex was REALLY outnumbered when I joined in..." He answered.
I clenched my fist. "He did it to get on my nerves..." I mumbled. The pain in my arm was pulsating...yet there was one last task still. "Dragon, you can thank me for your life...Tanex spared you all because I defeated him. To show your appreciation, you will return Rexikat to Oblivion. That's only appropriate...is it not?"
Pashnirix's eyes narrowed as I stood before him. I was sure by now he realized my stubbornness, that I wasn't going to back down unless Rexikat accompanied me or I faded away.
"This is the guy who TOOK Rexikat?!" Ximh snarled stepping forward. I rose my left arm and halted his progress forward, he already had his hand to the hilt of the large sword on his back.
"What say you...Dragon?" I glared straight at him...awaiting his response.
~RaXi
***********************************************************
Kira: WOW! Took me awhile to come up with the variables in that battle!!! VOID is a very mysterious power, no? There's SO MUCH you can do with it...Tanex proves to be quite a match for ya RaXi.
RaXi: Nonsense...NO ONE is a match for me...I LET him injure me...
Kira: Oh suuuuuuuure you did...chh....I forgot how big of an ego you have sometimes...
RaXi: *mumbles* It's only becuz he's FINALLY taking training seriously...come on...don't dwell on the past? Heh, he's one to talk wanting to recreate the XIII...chh...
Kira: eh....o.....kay? Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the match...sorry about the length. I left what happened with Marlex to you Rexikat. ^.~ I look forward to Pashi's response now.
RaXi: Heh, if he STILL denies me, I'll go another round with him. I didn't use up ALL my energy! *-*
Kira: *Facepalms!* BAKA!
