"Learning from the Past"
Authors: Robert Brown-Francis Tolbert
Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Sega of
America, Inc. and Archie Comics (except where noted, in which case
they were created and copyrighted by us or by another and we have
permission to use them). The authors hereby give permission for
this story to be downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as
long as (1) no changes to the story are made without our express
written(not e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to
profit from this story. If either or both rules are violated, it
will be considered a violation of copyright law.
Author's Note: Hi all, I'm back again. I know we've fallen behind schedule on
our stories, but we're going to work like mad to get them done. This
particular story has been on my mind for quite some time, and you'll notice
that the cast of characters only contains three names you're familiar with.
The other two are one-shot characters, a rarity for us. Actually, I can't say
that with certainty, because you never know.
This story gives me the opportunity to explore what few authors
have, if any have: the ancestry of one of the Freedom Fighters. No, I'm not
talking about Sonic or Sally; you'll see their names aren't even on the list,
another first for us. I'm talking about Bunnie. In order for Bunnie to know
what she does about all the fighting styles, someone had to teach her. This
story explains all that, I hope to your satisfaction. So sit back, relax, and
till next time, happy reading!
Cast of Characters(in order of appearance)
Bunnie Rabbot
Antoine D'Coolette
Tamara Edron***
Rhonda Linne***
Alexi Kavenoff###
#19
Bunnie stood in the center of her dojo, deep in concentration. Her eyes
were covered by a blindfold, but she had the impression of many figures
surrounding her. Her body tensed in anticipation of their attack. And then,
it came.
Bunnie sidestepped the first attacker, landing a single chop to the back
of its neck. Two more rushed her, grabbing her arms as a third tried to punch
her midsection. Bunnie brought up a knee to block the punch and then lifted
her foot into its chin. She did a quick backflip, freeing her arms and
flipping those who held it to their backs. Another figure approached from
above with a double-foot dropkick. Bunnie grabbed the feet and swung the
attacker around, knocking down a couple of others, before throwing it down.
The final attacker standing lashed out with a high savate kick. Bunnie grabbed
the ankle, dropped into a split, and punched at the figure's groin.
A small whimper of pain sounded from her attacker. She had stopped it
less than a hair's breadth from making her attacker a permanent soprano.
Bunnie smiled and withdrew her fist, letting her attacker go. She brought her
legs together in front of her and rolled backward to her feet.
A smattering of applause broke out. Bunnie reached up and pulled off her
blindfold. "That is the blindfighting technique," she said, looking around at
her class. "There are going to be times when your eyes are useless, so you'll
have to rely on your other senses to guide you. I hope I didn't hurt y'all too
much."
Antoine stood next to her, slightly hunched over. "Not by much," he said.
Bunnie smiled and kissed his cheek. "All right, break up into pairs and
practice your blocks." She bowed to them and clapped her hands once.
Everyone bowed back and did as they were told. Bunnie walked among the
pairs, watching them carefully. "Block with the forearm, not the wrist," she
told one animal. "It's harder to break bone than a joint."
Antoine walked with her, listening to her advice. "You are quite
impressive," he whispered to her. "In more ways than one."
Bunnie blushed slightly. She was about to compliment him when she was
forced to her knees by a sudden headache. "Bunnie," a soft voice with her
accent echoed inside her head. "It is time."
"Bunnie!" Antoine yelled, helping her to her feet. "What happened?"
"Just a headache," she said weakly. "Umm, class is cancelled," she
called. "I'm not feeling too good."
Everyone stopped and looked at her. She just shrugged and waved them off.
They all bowed to her, bowed to Antoine, bowed as they left the mat, and headed
for their dressing rooms.
Bunnie pushed away from Antoine and hurried from the dojo, almost
forgetting to bow to the mat as she left. Antoine hurried after her. "Bunnie,
please tell me what is going on!" he pleaded.
"No time, Antoine," she said, adjusting her gi. "Just let everyone know
that I'll be back in a day or two."
"Oh no," he said, catching up to her and grabbing her arm. "Every year,
you disappear for a day or so and do not let anyone know where it is that you
are going. I thought we agreed not to hold anything from each other anymore."
He brought her left hand to his face and kissed it. "Please Bunnie, tell me."
Bunnie looked at Antoine with a pained expression. "Antoine, I wish you
wouldn't put it like that. I can't--"
"If he is your chosen one, then he may come with you," the voice said.
Bunnie sighed. "All right, Antoine, you can come. But you gotta promise
not to say anything to anyone."
"But of course. Just allow me to be changing my clothes."
Bunnie shook her head. "Sugarfox, where we're going, your gi is the
perfect thing to wear. Besides, we have to leave right away."
Antoine scratched his head, but followed her into her hut. "Why are we
in here if we must leave?"
"We are here, because this is where our journey must begin," Bunnie
explained. She reached under her bed and pulled out two scabbards with swords.
One of them had a white hilt with a round crossbar while the other had a black
hilt with a square crossbar. Both blades were curved and had tassles hanging
from the hilts. Bunnie slung the black-hilted sword across her back and
strapped the white-hilted one around her waist.
She then walked to the center of her hut and bowed. She tapped the wooden
floor three times. To Antoine's great surprise, a trap door lifted, showing a
staircase leading underground. "But how...?"
Bunnie smiled. "This tunnel will take us where we are supposed to go, and
will disappear once we are there. Afterward, it will appear only to bring us
back."
Antoine nodded a little uncertainly. "I trust you, my little doe," he
said. "Lead on, wherever we are going."
Bunnie smiled again and kissed his cheek. She started down the stairs and
Antoine followed close behind. As soon as they reached the bottom of the
staircase, the trapdoor closed, leaving them in darkness. Antoine felt around
for the wall and bumped into Bunnie. "Hey!" she yelled.
Then Antoine realized where his hands were. "Umm...I...zat is..." he
stuttered, his accent returning with full force.
Bunnie took his hands and put them down at his sides. "Calm down,
Antoine," she said. "You just caught me surprise, that's all. Just give it a
couple of minutes, your eyes will adjust."
Antoine nodded nervously, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. In
a few minutes, the tunnel did seem to grow brighter. At first, Antoine thought
it was his eyes adjusting to the darkness. But then he noticed a soft glow
coming from the walls of the tunnel.
Bunnie smiled, and Antoine was surprised at how well he could see it. "A
glowing fungus, I think," she explained. "Then again, where we're going
usually has no explanations to offer."
"Where exactly are we going?"
Bunnie didn't answer. Instead, she just started walking down the tunnel.
"Guess I will find it out when we get there," Antoine muttered. He hurried to
catch up with her and they walked side-by-side in silence for the length of the
tunnel.
They didn't walk very far, so Antoine thought. When they came to another
staircase Antoine looked confused. "But we could not have walked more than the
distance it is to Sonic's hut," he protested.
Bunnie smiled again, climbing the staircase. When she reached the top,
she pushed open another trap door and stepped through to a muted twilight.
Antoine climbed the staircase and looked around in wonder. The tunnel had
led them to a forest every bit as dark and deep as the Great Forest, but he
instinctively knew that it wasn't. A strong feeling of peace washed over him,
much as it did whenever he was in Sanctuary. "Where are we?" he whispered.
Bunnie did not answer immediately. A peaceful, happy look had come over
her face. Her eyes glimmered, reflecting the colors of the twilight sky. She
looked completely at ease and content. "I am home," she whispered.
"What?" Antoine asked.
Bunnie started walking down a path Antoine had not noticed until then. He
walked behind her, not daring to say anything more. In a moment, they
approached a ring of about ten stones placed in the ground at even intervals.
Antoine shivered involuntarily. They looked like headstones.
Bunnie walked to the nearest one and kneeled down in front of it.
"Honored Ancestor," she said respectfully, "I have come."
A ghostly form emerged from the stone. Strangely, Antoine wasn't
frightened by this apparition, he was comforted. He watched in awe as the
ghost took shape and received a shock. It looked almost exactly like Bunnie!
The only differences Antoine could immediately notice were that the ghost's
eyes were black and slightly slanted. The belt she wore with her gi was a deep
reddish color as opposed to Bunnie's black.
"Welcome, Bunnie," the ghost said with an accent more resembling Donovan's
than Bunnie's. "I am Tamara Edron, the first of our line, and I welcome you to
our sacred land."
"It is an honor and a privilege to be here," Bunnie said, bowing.
Tamara bowed back, then looked at Antoine. "And who is this that you have
brought to our burial grounds?"
Bunnie smiled. "This is Antoine D'Coolette, a fellow Freedom Fighter, and
my betrothed."
"Step forward, Antoine."
Antoine walked beside Bunnie and bowed. "It is a pleasure to meet you,"
he said respectfully.
Tamara bowed to him. "How much has Bunnie told you of our history?"
"Nearly nothing," Bunnie answered for him. "With our fight against
Robotnik and Snively, there has not been time for it."
Tamara nodded. "Come Bunnie. The time has come for you to complete your
training. Antoine, you must remain here." She indicated a stone bench that
stood inside the circle of headstones.
Antoine nodded and sat where Tamara had pointed. Bunnie unstrapped the
sword across her back and held it out to Antoine, who accepted it carefully.
"Take care of it for me, sugarfox," she said. "I'm ready, Ancestor."
Tamara nodded and floated away with Bunnie following close behind.
Antoine watched them go and frowned thoughtfully. "I wonder how long she will
be," he thought.
Another form rose from a different stone, coalescing into a familiar form.
"Hello, Antoine," the form said.
"Is that being you, Rhonda?" Antoine asked, surprised. "What are you
doing here?"
Rhonda smiled and sat down next to Antoine. She looked very similar to
Bunnie, more so than Tamara had. "When Robotnik took over, I was nearly
crushed under a wall trying to protect my family. It's a good thing my
granddaughter was with you or she would have been captured as well."
Antoine nodded and Rhonda continued. "Anyway, the same tunnel you used to
get here showed up underneath me, so I followed it. Tamara told me that I was
dead after all, but that her powers had enabled me to come here to gain my
eternal rest among my kin. I was the tenth of our line, Bunnie is the twelfth.
Bunnie's mother would have been here too, but she was roboticized."
Antoine nodded. "I am sorry for you because you are no longer alive, yet
grateful that you have found rest." He looked in the direction Bunnie had gone
and sighed. "Do you think they will be long?"
Rhonda smiled. "In her youth, Tamara developed a fighting style that was
equal to none ever before seen on Mobius. No one could counter her moves. But
with this style came a great responsibility, for certain aspects of it were
quite lethal. So Tamara swore to keep this knowledge hidden from any who might
misuse it.
"In time, Tamara married and bore children. When her eldest daughter came
of age, she brought her here and began to train her in the martial arts. So it
has been for centuries, each mother would bring her eldest daughter here to
train, and to meet with her ancestors.
"But when Robotnik took over and my daughter was captured and roboticized,
Tamara deemed that Bunnie would have to come here of her own volition. When
the time draws near for her lessons, Tamara summons her telepathically. I
still remember the first time she came here. We were so happy to see her, and
she didn't want to go home!"
Rhonda sighed. "Then, the next year, we saw what horrors Robotnik had
wreaked on her body. But it didn't stop her. She just kept growing stronger
and stronger as the years passed."
Antoine nodded a little uncertainly. Rhonda laughed. "I'm sorry. I
didn't mean to ramble. To be honest, I don't know how long they will be. Of
all her descendants, Bunnie is the first that Tamara has judged worthy to learn
the ultimate techniques. Since none of us have ever learned them, we don't
know what it involves. Just be patient."
"Very well. But what will I do in the meantime?"
Rhonda smiled, looking as forms rose from the other eight headstones. "Oh
I think you will not be bored. We all have questions to ask you about your
relationship with Bunnie."
Antoine eyed the forms worriedly. "I am thinking I am in way over my
head."
Bunnie followed Tamara deep into the forest, moving almost as silently as
the ghost. "I see you have regained your normal limbs," Tamara remarked.
"In a sense," Bunnie answered. "I can actually switch back and forth
between robotic and normal now."
"Sounds like some magic is involved there."
"I'll tell you all about it later."
Tamara stopped and turned around, her demeanor suddenly serious. "Bunnie,
you have made me very proud. All of us here are proud of you. But the test I
must put you through now will be harder than all of the tests before. I won't
lie to you, this test may prove fatal."
"Oh my stars," Bunnie whispered. "I had no idea."
Tamara nodded grimly. "There is no shame in turning back now. You are
the first of our line to come this far save me. But know that once you make
your decision, you cannot turn back."
"Why didn't you tell me this before?"
"None of the others know, and I feared they or your Antoine might
influence your decision in some way. The choice must be yours if it is to be
the right one."
Bunnie slowly sat down and crossed her legs. She adjusted her sword so
that it lay in her lap. "If I go on and pass these tests, what will I learn?"
Tamara sat down next to her descendant. "The techniques you may learn
this day are extremely dangerous, not only to an opponent, but to you if you
misuse them. I will teach you how to paralyze, cripple, and even kill with a
single blow or touch."
"Kill? I don't think I could ever bring myself to kill someone."
"I thought the same, once. Then came a day when the lives of my husband
and daughter were threatened. I didn't care about myself, but I could not
allow them to die. But that story will keep for another time.
"Bunnie, it will take the utmost discipline to not only know these
techniques, but to know when to use them. If you don't think you can handle
the responsibility, I'd understand."
Bunnie lowered her head. "I can either risk my life to learn how to kill
another, or return home and always wonder if I could have." She sighed and
looked at Tamara. "I have to go on, if only to know that I could learn them.
If I pass this test, then I will decide whether or not I want to learn them."
Tamara smiled. "A very wise answer. And in so answering, you have just
passed the first part of the test. Come Bunnie, and let us see if my faith in
you is justified."
Bunnie stood and bowed. "I will do my best to see that it is."
Tamara gestured and the ground shook. Bunnie's eyes widened as she saw
skeletons emerge from the ground. Each one varied in height and species, but
all had a fire burning in their eye sockets. They were all a grotesque color
somewhere between white, grey, and green. "These are the remains of those
who tried to bring ruin to this place," Tamara explained. "They were once
defeated by the spirits here and now, you must do the same."
Bunnie nodded and drew her sword. "To show your discipline, you must
not allow any of their blows to land on you without striking a blow yourself,"
Tamara cautioned. "Begin."
Bunnie adjusted her grip on the sword and watched as the skeletons
surrounded her. They all wore tattered armor, and their swords were rusted
almost to the point of crumbling. But Bunnie knew that those swords would cut
her as easily as a newly sharpened knife. And even more telling, one skeleton
slashed at a tree and it rotted so fast it seemed to collapse in upon itself.
"She wasn't kidding about this being deadly," Bunnie thought. She turned
around slowly, looking for the one who would be first to strike.
A skeleton rushed at her, sword swinging. Bunnie ducked it easily and
rolled to the side. Another skeleton grabbed at her, but she twisted to the
side, avoiding the hand. She slid under another skeleton's legs and took off
into the forest with the skeletons close behind.
Tamara watched and nodded. "Well done, Bunnie," she thought. "But let's
see what happens when you run out of running room."
Meanwhile, Antoine was steadily weathering the barrage of questions that
Bunnie's ancestors were launching at him. "We would be married already, if not
for the Race for the Emeralds," he explained to one of them.
"So you would have married her without getting her family's permission?"
one of the spirits asked.
"All of her family is being dead or robotic. I was not knowing about zis
place, so how could I ask?"
"You seem to be getting an accent," another stated.
"I am always having one, but Bunnie has worked with me to make my speech
more understandable. But when I am under a lot of stress, it returns."
And so the questions continued until Rhonda raised her hand. "I feel a
presence," she said suddenly. "Come, we must see what has invaded our sacred
place."
The other spirits raised their heads and nodded. As one, they all
vanished, leaving Antoine alone. He drew in a deep, shuddering breath and let
it out slow. "I am hoping it is nothing serious," he thought, trying to calm
down. "I would check, but I do not know in which direction they went."
In another part of the forest, a crazed skunk plowed through, slicing at
the trees with his runesword. "Oh the misery!" he yelled. "There is no one
around for me to make miserable, so I must resort to hurting trees!"
He swung his sword again, chopping down a large oak with one blow. "If
only they had mouths that I could hear their suffering," he thought, hacking
away at the fallen trunk. "I must find a living being soon!"
"Hold!" a voice commanded.
Alexi turned around but saw no one there. "Now the air has a voice," he
said. "But I cannot make the air suffer!"
Rhonda took shape in front of him, momentarily startling the Kavenoff.
"You have no business in this holy place," she said solemnly. "Leave now,
while you can."
"Misery is my business!" the Kavenoff cackled. "And I take my business
wherever I go!" He swung his sword at Rhonda.
Rhonda floated there calmly, expecting the sword to go through her. She
drew back in pain and surprise as the sword bit deep into her ethereal flesh.
"What in the.... Withdraw!" she called to the spirits just forming next to
her. "Back to the graveyard!"
"A graveyard?" Alexi asked as the spirits vanished. "That is itself a
miserable place. But I can make it so much more so! How interesting the game
has become!" He set off at a run, guided by some evil instinct.
Bunnie backed up against a tree, her body soaked with sweat. She had been
outrunning or dodging the ten skeletons since the test had started, but now she
was out of room. She watched as they methodically closed in, every instinct in
her screaming to attack. But she held her ground, looking for a way out.
Then, suddenly and without warning, they stopped. Bunnie looked at them
with a mixture of relief and concern showing on her face. Tamara floated
through the skeletons and came to rest before Bunnie. "You have done well, so
far," Tamara said, smiling. "Now you have only one more task to perform."
Bunnie heaved a sigh of relief, but Tamara just shook her head. "You must
dispatch these ten skeletons using no more than ten strikes, be they with your
sword or otherwise. After the tenth strike, you will be held motionless and at
the mercy of whatever skeletons remain standing. This is your final chance to
back out."
Bunnie nodded, understanding fully the import of Tamara's words. "Bring
it on," she called gamely, though she was trembling so bad her sword hummed
with the vibrations.
Tamara gestured and the first skeleton came forward, sword slashing.
Bunnie ducked easily under its swing and came back with one of her own. Her
sword sliced cleanly through the skeleton's rib cage, effectively cutting it
in half. Bunnie was relieved to see that the bones fell apart after her blow.
"At least one blow can take them out," she thought.
Tamara's face remained neutral as she sent the second skeleton forward.
This one was a bit more cautious than the last and approached Bunnie slowly.
Bunnie charged the skeleton, shoulder first, and the skeleton exploded outward,
sending bones everywhere.
So the test continued, Bunnie carefully selecting her blows and landing
them with precision accuracy. Until the eighth skeleton, that is. She had
maneuvered under its guard and slashed at its rib cage as she had the first
one, but this one caught her arm. She immediately fell back, kicking the
skeleton over her and into a tree, causing the skeleton to fly apart. But she
knew she was in trouble.
"You have only one strike left," Tamara said softly, looking at Bunnie's
two remaining opponents. "Understand, I cannot stop this now, no matter how
much I wish to."
Bunnie sighed. "It is out of your hands," she said. "Let's finish this.
But if I'm gonna go down, I go down my way." She reached into her gi and drew
out a strip of cloth that she used to blindfold herself. She sheathed her
sword and assumed a fighting position.
She listened carefully for the scraping of bone against bone as the ninth
skeleton closed in. But in the background, she heard the same sound from the
final skeleton as it waited, and suddenly it became clear. She charged the
skeleton and jumped, passing above the sword as the skeleton swung it. She
lashed out with her leg, striking the skull cleanly and taking it off.
But she did not stop there. Her body was immediately paralyzed after
her blow was struck, but she had leapt in such a way that her momentum carried
her into the final skeleton. The skeleton crumpled over in a heap, defeated.
Bunnie stood up, feeling the paralyzation end. She tore off her blindfold
and faced Tamara. "Well done Bunnie!" she said, floating over and hugging
her. "You handled that better than I could have ever expected you to."
Bunnie smiled and drew in a deep breath. "I knew if I didn't take down
them both at the same time, I was a goner. Glad my gamble paid off."
Tamara took Bunnie's hands in hers and looked into her eyes. "Child, you
have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are worthy of this knowledge.
Have you decided to accept it?"
Bunnie looked down for a moment. "I still don't know if I can handle the
responsibility," she admitted. "But y'all have put so much faith in me, I
feel like I'd be dishonoring you if I didn't accept."
"I think you underestimate yourself," Tamara said. "I believe you are
far more than you believe yourself to be." She closed her eyes and her hands
started to glow. Bunnie caught her breath in surprise, then realized Tamara
was literally putting the knowledge inside her mind. She too closed her eyes
and prayed silently that she was worthy of such knowledge.
Antoine waited impatiently for Bunnie to return. "What is taking her so
long?" he muttered. "I hope she is all right."
He looked around dejectedly and was startled by the sudden appearance of
Rhonda next to him. "Rhonda? What is the matter?" he asked, seeing her
worried expression.
"There's a strange skunk in the forest. He's got this sword that can
hurt us," she said, showing her arm.
Antoine shook as fear coursed through him. "The Kavenoff has come even
here," he muttered, trying to calm himself. "Rhonda, find Bunnie and Tamara.
Tell them about the Kavenoff. I will try to delay him as best as I can. I
just hope I can do as good as Donny does."
Rhonda nodded and disappeared. Antoine was vaguely aware of being
watched by eight spirits from the trees. He felt a tingling in his arm and
rubbed it, feeling it grow metallic beneath his fingers. He drew the sword
Bunnie had given him and waited for the Kavenoff to appear.
He didn't have to wait long. Within seconds, the Kavenoff walked out from
the surrounding trees. He looked up, saw Antoine, and smiled. "Well, it looks
like the friend of my enemy, who is also my enemy, shall suffer in his place!"
Without waiting for a response, the Kavenoff ran toward Antoine and attacked.
Antoine waited until he got close, then brought up the sword quickly.
"How are you knowing that I will be suffering?" Antoine asked coolly.
"Perhaps it is you who will suffer."
Kavenoff stopped and smiled. "Now let's see if you know how to play," he
said. He swung his sword at Antoine in an uppercut motion.
Antoine dodged the slash and struck the Kavenoff in the mouth with the
hilt of his sword. But the Kavenoff struck again, not even feeling the blow.
Antoine dodged a downward slash and stepped on the blade and grinned at the
Kavenoff. "Impressive move, no?" Antoine asked.
Alexi grabbed for Antoine's throat, but Antoine brought up his sword,
slicing into the skunk's hand. Alexi roared in pain and backed up, letting
go of his sword. "A little pain for me," he said, looking at Antoine darkly.
The the runesword lit up with fire, causing Antoine to back up. "A lot of
misery for you!" he exclaimed as the sword flew back into his hand.
Bunnie opened her eyes and wavered a bit, overwhelmed by all the knowledge
she now had. "It's amazing," she whispered.
"And deadly," Tamara said. "Don't ever forget that. You have learned
all that I can teach you. The time has come--"
"Tamara! Bunnie!" Rhonda called, bursting in upon them. "Thank the
Almighty I found you."
"We've just finished," Tamara said. "You're lucky you didn't interrupt."
"I'm sorry, but there's a crazed skunk in the forest."
"What happened to your arm?" Bunnie asked.
"I was getting to that. He's got this runesword that can even hurt us.
Antoine called him the Kavenoff, I believe."
Bunnie went pale. "He's here? We gotta find him!"
"Antoine's trying to hold him off, but I don't know how long he can."
"Hold on, sugarfox!" Bunnie yelled, running toward the graves. "I'm
a-coming!"
"She may need our help," Tamara said, and Rhonda nodded. "We'd better get
back."
Antoine barely had time to set himself before the Kavenoff rushed at him,
runesword flashing through the air. Antoine backed up, blocking the onslaught
as best he could. At one point, Antoine managed to sidestep the Kavenoff and
struck him with a furious lariat, using his robotic upper arm.
The Kavenoff rolled to the side, clutching his throat. "How does it
feel?" Antoine asked, advancing on him. "How does it feel to know fear?"
But the Kavenoff was just waiting for him. He jumped up and grabbed
Antoine by his throat. "I don't know about fear," he said, squeezing Antoine's
throat. "But I do know that your participation in the game..." his eyes turned
bright red "...now ENDS!"
Antoine slashed desperately at the Kavenoff's arm, but had little effect.
He sunk down to his knees, almost choked out by the Kavenoff. He grabbed on to
a leg, trying to get the Kavenoff down, but it was no use. As a last resort,
he brought his arm up between the Kavenoff's legs, striking his groin with his
robotic arm.
Alexi hauled Antoine to his feet, not even feeling the blow. "Just as
your friend discovered," he said, lifting Antoine above his head, "that does
not work!" He slammed Antoine down hard, nearly breaking his neck.
Antoine struggled against the Kavenoff's death grip, but felt himself
slipping into unconsciousness. His lungs felt like they were going to explode
if he didn't draw in a breath soon. "Farewell, Bunnie," he thought, tears
wrung from his eyes.
Just then, the Kavenoff was hauled off Antoine roughly. Antoine rolled
over and clutched his throat, gasping for breath. As the haze cleared, he
heard a very familiar voice say, "You come to my family's sacred place, try to
disturb their rest, and kill my sugarfox? Prepare yourself, demon."
"Bunnie!" Antoine realized. He tried to call out a warning to her, but
all his body could do was try to regain its breath.
The Kavenoff smiled as he pulled himself out of the trunk of a tree. "So
it is the damsel who has to save the knight in distress," he said, chuckling.
"What a pity that you will both die!"
Bunnie slashed at the Kavenoff, but her strikes had little more effect
than Antoine's had. Finally, she sheathed her sword and attacked him with her
hands and feet, dodging his blows and landing her own whenever she could. The
Kavenoff cuoldn't touch her, but she was landing many a blow on him.
Unfortunately, that was only angering the Kavenoff. Also, the Kavenoff
wasn't tiring, but Bunnie was. And whatever blows she was landing was having
questionable effect on him. "You are nothing!" he cackled, swinging his sword
like it was a feather.
Bunnie tried to dodge and strike, as she had been doing, but now she only
had the energy to dodge. Soon, she wouldn't even have that. "I've gotta try
to get Antoine outta here," she thought. But the Kavenoff was keeping himself
between her and Antoine. "There's gotta be a way!"
"At ease, child," a soft voice whispered in her ear. "We are with you
both now."
Bunnie looked around and saw that some of the spirits were heading toward
Antoine. As she watched, she saw that they entered Antoine, for lack of a
better word. At that moment, she felt an incredible warmness fill her, and she
could sense that Tamara was with her. "Let's see how this spirit-possessed
skunk deals with a spirit-possessed rabbit and fox!" she heard Tamara exclaim.
Bunnie stopped moving suddenly and grabbed Alexi's runesword in her hand.
"Feels like the rules of the game have changed," she said, her voice a mixture
of her own and Tamara's. A bluish flame surrounded her hand, protecting her
from the runesword's fire.
The Kavenoff looked at Bunnie, perplexed. His free hand shot out to grab
her throat, but she dropped her sword and grabbed it with her free hand, trying
to crush it. Ordinarily, Bunnie wouldn't have had the strength to do it, even
with her robotic hand. But with Tamara's spirit in her, she could feel his
bones begin to give way.
Alexi grimaced in pain, still looking at her. He fell back, using his
legs to propel Bunnie up and over him. Bunnie went with the roll, landing
lightly on her feet. "The rules of the game may have changed," the Kavenoff
said, "but the object remains the same! Two animals fight, one crawls away."
Bunnie held her arm out to the side and her sword appeared in it. She
went to attack the Kavenoff, but was stopped by another voice. "Three fight,
two shall walk away."
Bunnie turned and saw Antoine standing next to her, sword at the ready.
His voice was a mixture of all the spirits within him, plus his own. "And that
two," he continued, "shall be us!"
"So the knight has recovered from his ordeal and now comes to aid the
damsel," Alexi said. "Don't be so sure that you will be the two that walks
away!"
Bunnie and Antoine jumped high in the air. Bunnie landed to Alexi's left
while Antoine landed to his right. They attacked in unison, Bunnie's blade
streaked with blue fire, Antoine's with green.
The Kavenoff blocked Bunnie's blow, but Antoine's found its mark. Where
their blows did no damage before, now the Kavenoff was obviously feeling them.
He tried to get them both in front of him, but they constantly circled, staying
on opposite sides. Frustrated, the Kavenoff blindly charged one of them.
Antoine braced himself and used the Kavenoff's momentum to throw him to
the ground. As soon as the Kavenoff stood up, Bunnie attacked him, sword
flashing. The Kavenoff backed up from Bunnie's assault, trying to block her
attacks. She knocked the runesword from his hand and slashed out his legs,
forcing him to his knees.
Bunnie looked at the Kavenoff coolly, edge of her sword against his
throat. "I should kill you now, and end the suffering you are causing," she
said.
The Kavenoff smiled. "You may win my game, but your suffering will just
be beginning."
"Oh no, demon," Tamara said through Bunnie's mouth. "You cannot possess
her while I am here."
"You won't be there forever," the Kavenoff cackled. "And even if you
decide to stay, someone else will know my suffering!"
Bunnie grabbed the Kavenoff by his throat and hauled him to his feet.
"Perhaps," she said. "But not for a long while." She spun him around and
wrapped an arm around his neck, squeezing with everything she had. The
Kavenoff tried to struggle free, but Bunnie brought up her other arm and used
it to lock him in place. In a matter of seconds, he fell unconscious.
Bunnie released him, letting him fall while he was still breathing. "I
have never seen a sleeper hold put someone out so fast," Antoine said.
Bunnie smiled darkly. "You've never seen this version, sugarfox. I
might tell you about it someday...if you can prove yourself."
Antoine smiled, then slumped suddenly as the spirits left him. Bunnie
rushed to him, but was gripped by the same weakness as Tamara left her. "We
will take care of him," Tamara said, pointing to the Kavenoff. "You both
should leave here now."
Bunnie nodded, pulling herself to her feet. She helped Antoine to his and
they walked slowly into the forest, using each other for support. "Thanks
again," Bunnie called.
Tamara smiled, then turned to the Kavenoff. "I have the perfect place
for you," she said, causing the Kavenoff's body to float up before her. "It's
a nice place, sand as far as the eye can see. Unfortunately, that's about all
you'll see for a very, very long time."
Bunnie and Antoine emerged from the tunnel exit in her hut feeling much
more refreshed than they had when they had left the forest. "Why is that not
surprising me?" Antoine asked, watching the trap door vanish as Bunnie closed
it.
"Got me," Bunnie said, smiling.
"That was a...rhetorical question, Bunnie."
Bunnie looked at Antoine sidelong. "Since when did you pick up that
word?"
Antoine smiled secretively. "You have your secrets, I have mine."
"I thought we said no more secrets."
"It is nothing. I had just asked Nicole to make me a list of the harder
words to pronounciate...I mean, pronounce."
Bunnie hugged Antoine close, surprising him. "You've seen a side of me
no one else has," she whispered. "I feel like we've gotten so much closer."
"We have," Antoine whispered, hugging her back. "Thank you for trusting
me with this."
Bunnie smiled and kissed his cheek. "Well, you were gonna find out when
I took our daughter there."
"And what is making you think we will be having daughters?"
"Oh, the firstborn is always a daughter in my family."
"And it is always a son in mine."
Bunnie and Antoine settled down to some playful arguing, but it was just
that: playful. The memories of that day would not soon fade from their
memories, nor would the closeness they felt.
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