Author's note: just to be clear, everyone in the series is a bit older, Cyan's 19, Lancaster and Tiffy are 18, Ally's 17, most of the Shane Gang are in their early 20's, i've always assumed Kord, Junjie, Aquito and Pronto to be a bit older so they're mid 20's, Leo's 19, Alana and Eli are 20, I'm not following the timeline of the series, but just assume it's after Seasons 1-3, GFB and ROTE, and everything after that didn't happen because no amount of anything would make me suffer through SlugFu Showdown. OKAY NOW TO THE CHAPTER
Cyan's POV
A hush echoed volumes across the room as I stood in silence, his voice sending chills down my spine, my muscles tensing up as he took a few steps towards me. The room was consumed by darkness at his presence, growing colder, my fists clenching as he walked towards me in this woman's body. The memories of Ally's glowing red eyes, the veins bulging prominently under the skin of her arms came back to me, causing an involuntary shiver up my spine. Memories of her body twisting in ways humanly impossible flashed in my mind, her cackling with maniac laughter, screaming in agony. For us to come to her, for us to run. Run, child. You'll never best me, his voice echoed from her mouth, the memories vivid in my mind.
Slugterra is still healing from that dark time, the energy of the slugs increasing slowly, day by day, but one thing changed: no one uttered his name out loud, in fear of bringing him back, living in fear of that monster. Ataro shook his head, letting out a malicious chuckle as he taunted,
"Surprised, Sparks?" The woman's red eyes pierced into my soul, her dark, chocolate brown skin glistening with sweat, but she grinned manically, Ataro in full control of her body and mind. He took a step closer to me, and I instinctively took a step back, the grip on my blaster much tighter than before as I retorted,
"I'm surprised you got the guts to face me again, Ataro. After all, I stopped you the first time, and I won't hesitate to do it again." I reached for my blaster, but he grabbed my wrist, his touch ice cold. He let go once I let go of the handle of my blaster, grinning with satisfaction. I swung a punch at him to wipe off his sickening grin, but he grabbed my fist in mid air, pushing me backwards.
"What's the rush, darling? I don't bite." He said sweetly, the hand of the woman he possessed brushing aside a strand of hair from my face, the tips of her fingers tracing a line on my cheek almost affectionately. I swatted away her hand, growling,
"Don't you dare touch me." He grinned, his hand withdrawing from me. His glowing red eyes grew dark with desire, his mouth curling into an unnatural smirk as he sighed,
"Oh, what a pity. Since we can't have any fun..." I was about to retort when my breath caught in my throat as I saw the hand blaster on the lady's arm loaded, a Lavalynx inside.
And with a single shot, chaos erupted.
I rolled to the left, loading my blaster before I got back on my feet. Covering my eyes, I shot a Phosphoro at Ataro. He shrieked, and I opened my eyes, shooting a Sand Angler at him.
"Scarabi move, Desert!" I commanded, and she made a sandstorm. I loaded and shot my Rammstone at her after my Sand Angler hit her. Ataro fell to the ground. I ran to him, stepping on his host's chest. I loaded my Geoshard, aiming it at the woman he possessed. But I knew I wasn't going to kill her. I knew I couldn't pull the trigger if my life depended on it.
Too many deaths already haunt my conscience.
"Ataro, get out of her mind or you'll know a Geoshard's crystal inside out!" I barked, my finger on the trigger. The Goon, Ataro's, devious laugh echoed in the room, not even fazed by the Geoshard that was aimed directly at his host. He looked at me with a smirk, informing me,
"My host's name is Gladiola, dearest. And she'll isn't my official host, oh no." She thrust her arms forward. A strong gust of wind sent me flying across the room. I hit the wall with extreme force, a sickening crack followed by agonizing pain flaring up my left arm. Ataro cackled, shooting a Thresher. I scrambled to the left just as the Thresher ricocheted off the wall where I was seconds ago. She fired a Flaringo and I fired back a Frostcrawler with my good arm, but the Flaringo easily melted off the ice, flying towards me, before it quickly got hit by an Aquabeek.
"Cyan!" Lancaster exclaimed, reloading his blaster. He shook off the webs the Thresher from earlier sliced off him. Lancaster helped me up quickly, then shooting his Tormato at the woman. I shot my own Flaringo, and they combined as a fiery tornado. We thought she was done.
But the tornado stood still.
Gladiola had her hands out, holding the tornado still as it got stronger, before directing it to us.
The room erupted in chaos, fire, air, and debris everywhere as it swept the entire room up in flames. I fired a Lariat at the wall, holding on to it's slime with my good arm, Lancaster doing the same thing. He fired his Arachnet at an unconscious Tiffy, her head bleeding. I watched, filled with fury as I watched Ataro slip away out of a window and into the crowd outside, nowhere to be seen, perched upon his host's shoulder. Lancaster fired a Rammstone at the tornado, stopping the Tormato. I let go of the slime, landing in the ground effortlessly before running out to the window. But they were nowhere to be seen, nowhere to be found. But I knew one thing was for sure.
Ataro's back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hold still, can you?" Alana asked, and I grumbled as I went back to my previous position. My broken left arm being healed by Mage, tinges of pain occasionally spiking up my arm, but the pain was nothing compared to the agony from earlier. Isis healed the gaping wound on my stomach, a few Fandangos, including my own, Hartree, providing them energy. A pang of guilt sank into my chest as I let Alana tend to my wounds, my position forcing myself to look at Kord, who was tending to Tiffy's wounds. The scar on his face was distinct, a gash of red on his deep sky blue skin, a gash on the side of his face. I didn't want to come here. Out of all places, we ended up at the one place where I could see what we did, what I did to them, how they were forced to wear the scars as a daily reminder of what happened. We could have easily went to the hospital for treatment, or back home, anywhere but here, if I was strong enough to take charge. A hospital can't treat you both fast enough, Lancaster said, setting our mechas to follow his despite my protests. Tiffy glared at him when he went to her mecha, but he ignored her and set her mecha to follow his, ignoring her protests too. I could barely remember anything else out of the agonizing pain that flared up my left arm, but I remembered us being ambushed, a Thresher making it's way towards me before my memory faded to black, Lancaster screaming at me to stay awake.
Now we're here, filled with guilt as they tended to our wounds. Even though they lost so much because of us.
Framed pictures nearly brought tears to my eyes as I saw the Shane Gang and their most memorable moments preserved in a picture, my eyes drifted to one in particular. Deliah was laughing, her brown eyes crunched up with laughter as she doubled over, Eli in the same state, his blue eyes vibrant and joyful. I tore my eyes away from the picture, blinking away tears.
"And we're done." Alana announced, starting to put away the supplies she used. The Shane Gang only had Alana's healer, Mage, and Leo's healer, Tria, with them right now, with Doc guarding the Gateway to the Deep Caverns after what happened. He needed to be there. I looked around at everyone else, my eyes lingering on Lancaster as he occupied himself to tending to his own wounds, expertly bandaging his larger, deeper wounds like he did back in his home cavern, Bonnie Springs Cavern, treating them expertly.
Leo sat on top of the railing near the entrance, his fit body tense, his teeth gritted as he sharpened the dagger almost angrily, venting his anger into sharpening the already deadly sharp blade. He had changed ever since I last saw him. He seemed more stressed and serious, his eyes stern and unforgiving, dark circles starting to ring his eyes. His strong arms were lined with cuts and bruises from defending the caverns. His once joyous, cheerful sapphire blue eyes were now angry, filled with hatred. And everyone knew why. The apprehensive silence between us thickened like paste, the only sound in the room being the sound of Leo sharpening the dagger. We all knew who that dagger once belonged to, part of a twin set. Ally's twin set. I looked down guiltily, subconsciously glancing at the other dagger of that twin set on my belt. Breaking the silence, I thanked Alana before turning to Leo, asking,
"How's Eli doing?" At my words, he stopped sharpening her dagger, the whetstone nearly falling off his palm. He chuckled, a small smile appearing on his face. He looked down, resting his head on his hand, He rubbed his eyes, apologizing,
"I'm sorry for laughing, I just..." He trailed off, his smile disappeared as soon as it appeared, his head shooting up, those intimidating, almost terrifying eyes staring into my soul. They were storms of resentment and detestation, churning and crashing like an unrestrained sea. He glared at me, chiding bitterly,
"I didn't think you cared."
He threw the sharpened dagger directly at me with deadly precise accuracy. I yelped, dodging the deadly weapon, the object embedding itself into the floor, centimetres away from Tiffy's feet. I felt the edged weapon brush ever so lightly at the side of my head, a few strands of my light brown hair falling the ground. Even Alana, his girlfriend of three years, was taken aback, her cyan eyes wide with shock. Leo jumped down from the ledge, landing perfectly, advancing towards me. Alana stood up, exclaiming in shock,
"Leo, what the heck are you-"
"Shane Gang, clear out. Tiffany, Lancaster, get out of my fucking sight. Cyan stays." Leo snarled, not even looking at her, his fists clenched in fury. Alana took a step towards him, her concern unmasking itself as she asked worriedly,
"Leo, what's wrong-"
"Get. Out." He emphasized, his anger rising in his voice, an anger I could tell he only suppressed for Alana. She got the message, her hand leaving Leo's tense shoulder. Everyone left the room, no one daring to cross a ferocious Shane, especially a Shane said to be much more skilled than his famous brother, Eli Shane. But Lancaster didn't care, rising from the couch, grabbing his blaster and protesting,
"I'm not leaving Cyan alone with you-" Leo wordlessly loaded his blaster and shot a megamorphed Rammstone at Lancaster, the slug ramming into his chest with full strength. He was thrown against the wall, sliding downwards as groaned in pain, his eyes glazed over. I sighed with relief when he got up, slightly swaying on his feet. His busted lip dripped blood, a clear, red line running down the side of his mouth.
"Do I make myself clear?" Leo questioned, in a low, ferocious voice, his head cocked slightly towards Lancaster's direction, blaster already back at his holster. He nodded, wasting no time making his way to the exit, glancing me a look of worry before he closed the door. He turned to me, his face expressionless if you didn't count a wild mix of fury and anguish in his eyes, looking away from me as he retrieved his dagger from the floor.
"I know I don't have the right to even be here after what happened, and I'm sorry we had to come here, but-" I apologized, but he cut me off, asking,
"Do you remember what their voices sounded like?" The question rang in the air as he walked over to the counter, dragging his dagger along the edge of the table, studying the details of the blade, carving a faint line in the counter.
"I don't, either. I only remember their screams." His grip tightened as he abruptly stabbed the counter, making a dent in it, causing me to jump with fright. His grip loosened on the handle, running a finger across the glowing, arctic blue dagger, tracing the Shadow Clan markings carved carefully into the blade. He looked up, glancing at me, questioning,
"You remember Aquito's screams?"
"When he got burned alive?" He let go of the blade, letting it stand there as he walked towards me. His voice low, deathly calm, terrifying, filled with resent.
"You should have. I remember you standing there, watching as those screams for help turned into screams of agony." He sneered.
"Stop." I snapped.
"Deliah's, as she was ripped apart, limb by limb. How they just tossed her torso to those monsters when they were done." He asked, his voice rising in volume and pace, his anger rising, boiling as he spoke, his hand gestures wild and outraged.
"Leo-"
"Oh and who can forget Pronto? Always had a funny bone, that mole. I remember the monsters searching for it, digging through his organs, searching desperately until they found a hammer! How much force does it take to break a molenoid skull, Cyan?!"
"Shut up!" I growled, clenching my fists, holding back my anger. But he continued, his voice rising in volume,
"I know you remember Ashley's! How her shrill, terrified screams echoed in the caverns, her brother's fucking face in the water, dead, before her screams were silenced with a Thrasher cutting off her head-"
"SHUT UP!" I screamed, my anger boiling in my veins, a blur of cyan, black and tan, and the next thing I knew, Leo was stumbling to the left, my right hand stinging, his left cheek reddened, the mark of my fingers faintly visible. But I didn't care. He didn't know how much I had to suffer with after we got out of there. He didn't know how much it consumed me, he didn't know how much it kills me inside.
He just didn't.
"YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH I HAD TO SUFFER WITH THAT CHOICE! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW FUCKING HARD IT IS TO BE THE REASON YOUR FRIENDS ARE DEAD! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW OFTEN I HEAR THEIR FUCKING SCREAMS!"
"AT LEAST I KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO CARE ABOUT PEOPLE!! IF YOU CARED YOU WOULDN'T HAVE GONE ON THAT FUCKING SEARCH!!"
"I WENT BECAUSE I CARED FOR ALLY!"
"SHE'S DEAD, CYAN, SHE'S FUCKING DEAD!" His voice cracked as he screamed out the words, tears spilling from his eyes, but he never tore his eyes away from my own.
"AND NO ONE ELSE HAD TO DIE, BUT THEY DID BECAUSE OF YOU!!" Leo Shane shouted scornfully as he stormed up to me, of my eyes, chilling me to the bone, the spikes attached to the knuckles of his finger-less gloves sharpened, glistening in the light. He threw a punch to the right side of my face, and I staggered to the left, falling to the ground. The right side of my face set ablaze with agony. I spat out a tooth from my mouth, a trickle of blood falling down from my busted lip, the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. He picked me up by the hem of my bloodstained shirt, pinning me against the wall, shouting angrily,
"This is still some sick game to you, right?!" He shouted angrily, picking up and pinning my aching body against the wall with ease, knocking the wind out of me. He continued to shriek,
"Is that what it is to you?! What it was to you, when Alana nearly died?! When Trixie lost her hand?! When Kord got tortured, when Junjie took a ghouled Geoshard to the chest, when Eli got ghouled?! You asked me how he was doing, right?! HE COULDN'T EVEN RECOGNIZE ME!!" He cried, his voice hoarse from yelling, his tears forming tear tracks down his cheeks, the look in his eyes pure anger, filled with fury.
"ALL BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHEN TO FUCKING QUIT!!" He roared, slamming me against the wall viciously. My head pounded against the wall, and I fell down to the floor on my hands and knees, black spots dancing in front of my eyes, my limbs shaking and trembling, almost unable to support my body. I felt dizzy, lightheaded, but I faintly heard the door slamming shut, frantic footsteps getting closer as I tried to crawl away, my vision clearing up.
"LEO, GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!" Alana screamed, pushing him away from my weak body, a slap resounding, echoing in the air as Alana's hand came in contact with Leo's cheek. He stumbled slightly towards me, but quickly regained his footing, turning back to Alana, his hand lingering on his reddened cheek.
"You could have fucking killed her!! Do you think Ally would want us tearing each other apart?!" She scolded, jabbing her finger in Leo's chest. His hand dropped from his cheek, as he stepped back wordlessly, tracks of glistening tears forming on his cheeks as they fell, one by one, his teeth gritted, holding back racking sobs. Alana's vibrant, cyan blue eyes held back tears as she whispered, distraught,
"I can't even look at you." Her eyes tore themselves away from him, filled with heartbreak as she stormed up the stairs, entering her room, the door slamming shut. Leo took in a shaky breath, closing his eyes, before opening them again, snarling,
"Leave. I never want to see you again."
Aquito: FUCKKKK
Ashley: daMn i wanted to be a relevant character
Ally: too bad hoe and this is like 2900+ words long i ain't got time to write you
Ashley: um excuse yOu
Leo S: cAn wE aCkNoWLeDgE wHaT jUsT wEnT dOwN!?!?11!
Ally: true though