The Unnecessary Balance VII

Wow, that was probably the quickest and easiest vote ever. C(Leah) is locked. I'll go ahead and roll the RNG tonight, but I won't have time to update until tomorrow afternoon, possibly tomorrow evening

Also, I'm finally over my writer's block. Yay.

(Continued)

"No," you say firmly, your resolve set. "I got us into this mess. No way in the Nine Hells am I leaving my friend behind."

Especially when he's only here because of you, to protect you. If something happened to Lazzy now... You couldn't live with yourself, with that guilt. It would kill you. No... It would destroy you. But you keep these thoughts to yourself. Instead, you glare at your companions, daring them to question you. They don't. Kara lowers her head in submission, nodding slightly and Lazzy only sighs. But you'd have to be blind to miss the adoration, even love in his eyes. Your breath catches in your throat. No one has ever looked at you like that, not Trail, not even... Does he truly love you then? But... How? You haven't even known each other that long...

A random thought pops unbidden into your head, a quote from long ago, from another life... From another Leah. "Love truly is mysterious, my child. Like a sparrow in a raging storm, it perches on your window when you least expect it, and it doesn't leave until you finally let it in. True, you'll get drenched. But eventually, your clothes will dry and the storm will pass. And then you will have found a partner for all of time."

It was grandma Ren who said that, when you were just a small sparrow yourself. You never really understood that until now. True, you'll get drenched. But... In the end, when you have the god of fire to comfort you, your clothes will dry pretty quickly. The tension melts from your shoulders, and you smile, meeting Lazzy's concerned gaze. You'd like to think, in that moment, something shone in your eyes as well.

"Step back, you big oaf," you say gently, your smile widening.

Lazzy arches a single bushy eyebrow at you, obviously trying to decide whether he should feel insulted by your odd endearment or not. "You know Leah... A normal endearment like baby or sweetheart is fine."

He still complies, and you giggle a bit. "Maybe so. But you still seem to answer well enough, and teasing you is so much fun. I can't help it."

The pounding intensifies yet again, and you would guess your welcoming party is just around the bend in the corridor. The lone corridor, with no diverging pathways... As soon as Lazzy is safely behind you, you raise your shining blade over your head and swing it in a large sweeping arc. The golden blade sings with power, vibrating in your hands, resonating with your will. The resulting blast of energy crashes into the ceiling several yards away, and you calmly bring your sword around for another strike.

The two blasts impact the ceiling in rapid succession, shaking the entire temple to it's very foundations, and the ceiling of solid granite comes crashing down in a tsunami of debris. And... So does the room above. Furniture and glass, chandeliers and rock, all come crashing down in a veritable symphony of bangs and clangs. Eventually, the wave of debris finally stops, and you smile sheepishly.

"I um... I think I may have overdid it a bit."

Lazzy shakes his head. "Leah, has anyone ever told you you're... Unique? In all my years, I have never met anyone quite like you."

You grin at that and lean up on your tiptoes, rewarding him with a quick kiss. "Why, thank you oaf."

He returns your grin, and leans down to kiss you back. You don't object.

"Well, I think it's safe to say we can continue at our leisure," Kara comments dryly. "It would take several decades for an entire army of miners to clear that avalanche."

You roll your eyes at Kara's sarcasm, as the ghost eyes you pointedly. "Well, it's a good thing your old man doesn't have an army of miners then, huh?"

Lazzy chuckles, and Kara actually groans. "Point taken. Now, if you're finished making out... Or would you like me to show you the Living Quarters?"

You laugh and dance around the uptight ghost, playfully wrapping your arms around her neck. "Oh stop being such a nanny, you spoilsport."

To your shock, Kara yelps and leaps away from you like you just tried to bite her. You're a bit hurt, until you realize the reason behind the reaction. Your eyes widen in shock. "Kara, you... You're solid!!!"

You can see the alarm in your friend's eyes, though you can't imagine why. This is wonderful news! "We need to hurry," Kara says quickly, and you notice an odd pitch in her voice. Is that... Fear? But of what? What can possibly scare someone who's already dead?

"We're close to the Heart of the Temple now. It shouldn't be that much farther. Come, we need to make haste."

You only nod and follow, still a bit taken aback. Just what in the world is going on here? Whatever it is, it isn't good, and your anxiety begins to return...

*Note: Kara's defenses have weakened. She is no longer invulnerable to physical attacks, but they will still do only half damage.*

D. Horror movie rule #1 never split up!

D.

Hey, I kinda liked 5Ds... I thought it was fun.

Also, D obviously wins, so it's locked. And waah. I'm sad now. I wanted to write the heartwarming, adorable scene with Leah and Lazzy on the ferris wheel. !_!

You guys assumed this was a horror flick in the making, but it really wasn't, and you missed out on a story from Leah's past and one of the most adorable scenes ever. I mean, sure, Kara would have been kidnapped and probably sacrificed with option A but still... Now you just have to fight a stupid Legacy Boss and you get no lovey dovey scene either! See what a horrible choice you made?

Waaaaah! *cries self to sleep*

I liked the 5Ds anime way more than the GX anime (which I never really cared for, and it has no relation to my username, btw). And I love turbo duels in the games, and love synchro summons. So you're not alone, Neo.

And I'm late, but I was going to vote for A, even though I knew it wasn't a smart thing to do. Now I won't get to see that scene like I was hoping to...

Kara wouldn't have died, you would have saved her in time. Actually, there is more of a chance of her dying now, because you have a Legacy Boss coming up, and Kara isn't immune to physical attacks until the end of the quest.

And no, Kara can't marry anyone, unfortunately. She is, you know, a ghost. No 'half' about it. You'll find out why she's temporarily more solid soon enough.

Im sorry about loosing a cool seen, but creepy abandoned amusement park labeled mad house in a nether world and controlled by a demon god mad scientist hybrid screams horror movie scenario to me.

Aww man, a half human/ghost child would be awesome. Kinda like Youmu Konpaku.