I do hope this plotbunny lasts!

Disclaimer/Notes: See previous chapter

Chapter 10

“Who are the Black Wind Assassins?” Aya asked Lance as they hid together behind a large, flat boulder.

“Two people. Jessie and James. They were once Karen’s apprentices, but they stole her book of Black arts and fled. Since then, they have learned the secret technique of the Black Serpent, if Agatha was correct.”

“The Black Serpent? I’ve heard of it… using only your energy projection, to kill instantly with a blow to the head…”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t’ Agatha ever tell us this?”

“I don’t know…”

Misty was scared.

She didn’t know why these two people had kidnapped her. She was cold, freezing. It was dark and a chill wind was blowing. On top of a cliff, there was no shelter.

However, this time she wasn’t whining.

Smart of her…

“She’s big enough for us to practice on.” James smiled.

Jessie laughed. “I know.”

The two broke open a package and helped themselves to steamed bread rolls and tea. They were waiting for… something.

What?

A full moon shone…

Surge clung to the branch of the tree he was in. His heart pounded in his ears… no, he wouldn’t fail!

Bruno thought of Brock. What if he died? Then he would regret not having made his feelings clear…

Koga gripped his sword. He would protect his sister…

Bob hid behind another large rock. Oh no… * I’m too young to die! *

Stealthily, Jessie and James, with captive in tow, made their way to their training ground.

Agatha stood there.

The rusting grass announced their presence.

“Who are you and why are you here?”

“Do you not remember, ten years ago, when you fought the flying twins?”

“Oh! So you’re alive.” Jessie laughed. “Well then, we’ll finish you once and for all!”

As she and James moved to attack, the rest of the Seven leapt out and attacked as well. Surge yelled as he caught James’s arm with his whip, but the assassin yanked himself around with super strength and sent Surge hurtling through the air. He hit a tree, which could not have been good, and slid down. At this, Bruno ran towards James with nunchucks a-whirling, only to receive a blow of the Black Serpent. Luckily, he was hit in the chest, not the head…

It did pay being tall. However, he still was hurled back a few yards.

“Nine steps! Seven steps! Five steps!” Koga pronounced, as he jumped out of the way to avoid Jessie’s strike to the face.

Agatha nodded, her poisoned needles flying. The others got out of the way fast, having no desire to get hit.

“Ah!”

Jessie clutched at her face, one eye was bleeding and she could no longer see out of it. With a snarl, she grabbed Misty’s neck. “Stop now or the child dies!”

Misty screamed.

The fighters hesitated.

James took advantage of this distraction as he aimed a Black Serpent at Bob, blowing his brains out.

“Bob!”

Even if they didn’t like him, he was on their team.

A whistling sound alerted Lance and Aya as they both flipped away from James. Two poisoned needles hit him in the eyes.

“Ah! I’m blinded!”

Even if Agatha was blind, she was still sharp, and she had assumed from the voices his position. At a hand signal, Lance and Aya both attacked Jessie, Aya’s trident hitting her in the chest and causing her to let go of Misty, while Lance removed Karen’s copy of the Black book from her outfit via his ‘light finger’ skills.

She didn’t feel a thing.

“Agatha! Right!” Surge called weakly.

Agatha nodded, swinging her staff around and hitting James down with a thump. Jessie screamed as she swung at Lance, blow of the Black Serpent hitting him in one arm, even his midair gymnastics weren’t fast enough to avoid it. Lance dropped the book, his left arm hanging uselessly, as he fell.

She wasn’t close enough for him to hit her pressure points…

Ash dropped his bucket as he took in the sight before him. With a yell, he charged. James blinked, turning towards the sound, as the hilt of Ash’s sai buried itself in his chest. By sheer dumb luck, it was the point not protected by his armor.

Misty cried, Jessie had dropped her and Aya had knocked her hair out of place when she had attacked Jessie.

Ash ran to his favorite sensei.

Koga’s sword slashed through Jessie’s leg, causing her to scream and lunge towards him, before he and Aya jumped free. A few back flips later, they were out of range at least for now.

Surge got to his feet, blood trickling down his face from his flight and subsequent crash. Running forwards, he tripped Jessie, the two-tailed whip around her legs, saving Koga’s life.

Koga shot him a grateful look before he and Aya attacked together.

Bruno swung his nunchucks hard at James’s head, as the man was still in shock from his earlier wound. Heavy breathing accompanied his movements, though, and he slipped and fell on the grass right afterwards.

No energy left… his body was now trying to recover from the black serpent, if he kept fighting it would be fatal…

The crack pronounced the sentence.

“JAMES!” Jessie wailed, as energy crackled around her, flinging all of the fighters aside. She ran to him and in a blast of wind, they were both gone.

The Seven regrouped slowly, counting their losses. Bob was definitely dead, had been dead before he hit the ground.

Bruno needed recuperation, but his muscles had protected him.

Surge had twisted one leg, but that was fine, he just needed rest…

Lance…

“You might not be able to use that arm again.” Koga said, worriedly.

Ash was busy binding Lance up, worried.

“That was a good attack, Ash.” Agatha said approvingly. James wouldn’t be able to survive that.

Agatha, Aya, and Koga were mainly unscathed.

“I got this…” Lance said, offering the black book to Agatha with his other arm, she nodded.

“We’ll head to Johto and return this to Karen when we have recovered.”

Yes… at least one of the assassins was dead. One left. Hopefully, the poison would finish off Jessie…

If not, well, they would seek her out once they had healed.

They slowly made their way back to Delia’s, with Misty in tow.

The next day, Bob was buried.

Bruno spent a month at Brock’s recuperating. What they did in that time is up for grabs.

“You have to get better, Lance.” Ash said.

“I can’t heal if there’s nothing there to bind together…” He cast a wry look at where his arm _had_ been, clutching the fan in his other fingers.

Ash placed his arms around Lance, hugging him tightly. He wanted to help his sensei somehow; he couldn’t just leave him like this…

His eyes began to shine gold.

Lance stared in disbelief as the light died down. For all intents and purposes, it looked like he had never been injured…

So this was the power of the legendary golden eyes…

“Healing Seal…” Ash said dreamily, almost hypnotized, before he kissed Lance lightly on the lips, then pulled back.

Then, the light vanished.

Lance was still in shock, although if it were the kiss this time, that was explainable.

After hearing a few minutes of silence, Koga knocked on the door. “Lance? I think you’re hour’s up, so can I teach him now… what?”

Lance was staring at nothing, blankly, while Ash was shaking him and trying to wake him up.

“Ash, what happened?”

Koga ran over to see if the injury had knocked Lance out, but to his shock, he saw that Lance looked perfectly fine, as if nothing had happened…

“I think… I used the legendary golden eyes…” Ash said softly.

“It’s possible, certainly. Well, you look tired.”

Ash nodded, feeling himself drained of energy. “Hai…”

“Sleep now, both of you. I’ll inform Agatha of this new development.”

“So he can activate it?”

“I know at least that he healed Lance.” Koga reported.

“Interesting. The golden eyes… a hard bloodline technique to gain. It is well that we have proof he is Giovanni’s son.”

“What if it’s subconscious?” Aya asked.

“We will deal with that if it comes. None of us are experienced, so he will most likely have to learn on his own…”

End Chapter

Completed 8/31/04

I apologize to all TR fans… at least I didn’t make them wimps…

James _is_ dead, Jessie may not be…