Hamtaro Fan Fiction ❯ Awakening ❯ Wrath ( Chapter 14 )

Chapter 14

Wrath

 

Boss walked through the rain drenched forest sopping wet. The wetness and cold did not register in his brain. He only had one thing on his mind now. That thing had consumed him, taken over him. It was now trying to manifest itself and bring itself into reality. Nothing mattered to Boss anymore now other than to help assist that thing.

 

That thing was vengeance.

 

Boss strode on through the forest, painful images and emotions replaying themselves over and over in his mind. He remembered everything, the power, the bloodshed, the death, the release. These memories devoured the whole of Boss' consciousness, wiping away the memory of everything Boss had known and loved before. Boss felt he no longer existed. He had simply become a vessel now, a vessel for vengeance.

 

Boss began to hear the sound of the rushing river. There, he knew Shadow was waiting. Boss would kill him there. After that was complete, he would probably end up killing himself as well. With his final purpose fulfilled, Boss would have nothing to live for. The friends he had made throughout the years had become his enemies now and the love of his life definitely hated him.

 

Boss wasn't looking for redemption in anyone's eyes. He knew that no matter what he did now, he wouldn't get it. Perhaps though, if he killed the source of all the pain that had been inflicted on him and his friends, the one who would judge him might just go a little easier on him. If Boss was going to die, he was going to do it doing a good deed. He thanked whoever was up there watching him for sparing his life in the clubhouse. If Chaos had killed him then, he would have died a monster. He wanted to die a hero.

 

Finally, Boss came to the clearing that was home to the river. He spotted what looked like a black blob sitting against a tree. He forced a sick smile and licked his lips.

 

Vengeance would have his way at last.

 

 

 

Chaos briskly walked through the forest, heading toward some unknown destination. He had no idea why he was heading there. Some sort of sixth sense was just beckoning him. Chaos had a feeling he would find something, something that would affect this conflict he was trapped in. He heard the faint sound of water.

 

 

 

Shadow sat against a tree on a hill overlooking the seemingly endless, powerful river, lost in his thoughts. He was nearly twelve hours early, but he had nothing better to do than just lounge around. Besides, what if Boss arrived early and he wasn't there to collect his prize? Given Boss's mental state, Shadow figured it'd be dangerous to leave Boss alone with that hamster.

 

Doubts began to form in Shadow's mind. Just how would recovering that hamster help his cause? He knew absolutely nothing about him or what kind of abilities he possessed. If he was just like him however, he would undoubtedly be of some use. However, what if somehow managed to wake the hamster up, but it refused to work with him? The hamster could become a powerful enemy. Surly though, there must be something planned to take care of the hamster if the need arises. But… what if Boss had somehow been stopped or had become unable to deliver the hamster to Shadow? Just how loyal was Boss anyway. When Shadow was giving his instructions, it was obvious he was only half listening. He clearing cared more about his own personal agenda more than his master's.

 

A deep loud cry of his name brought Shadow back to reality. He looked down the hill to find Boss standing at its foot. Shadow's jaw dropped. Somehow, Boss had returned to his previous form and the hamster he had promised to deliver was nowhere in sight. His doubts hadn't been so ill-founded after all.

 

“Excuse me, but where is the prize you promised?” asked Shadow, doing his best not to show surprise in his voice.

 

“Sorry, but I'm breaking it… along with every bone in your body!” yelled Boss.

 

Shadow broke out into a large grin and began to giggle.

 

 

 

Chaos followed the sound of rushing water, eventually coming to a clearing housing a large river. In the distance, he could see shapes. They looked like hamsters. Curious, Chaos crept closer until he could see who the hamsters were. Shock shot through his entire body. Was Boss and idiot? What the hell was he thinking? Chaos began to panic, wondering just how he could prevent something horrible from happening. He had several ideas; none of them were good of course. Chaos could do nothing but hide behind a bush and watch.

 

 

 

 

 

Shadow jumped off of the hill landing on his own two feet. “I don't know what happened, but whatever broke that seal must have broken your brain as well. Do you realize how stupid it is for you to fight back? Do you even know what I am?”

“Yeah,” Boss responded through gritted teeth. “I know exactly what you are… YOU'RE DEAD!!”

 

At that, Boss dashed forward and attempted to strike Shadow on the face. Shadow dodged. His reflexes were very quick. Boss didn't feel a twinge of regret of his decision. Even if he lost, he wouldn't be losing anything; he had nothing left.

 

“Just what the hell happened?” Shadow asked. “One moment, you're more than happy to work with me, the next moment; you're throwing your life away lashing out at me! I like you Boss, we have quite a bit in common you know. It would be a pity if I had to kill you.”

 

Boss gave a little laugh. “Like you could even go through with it…”

 

“What did you say?” Shadow asked, angry.

 

“You're a pansy Shadow. You sit back and do nothing while your little lackeys do all the killing for you. You even said so yourself: you hate bloodshed. Seems to me that's your job though, and damn you're sure doing bad at it! “

 

Boss had touched a nerve. Shadow began to tense up and his face contorted with rage. “YOU THINK I'M WEAK HUH!?” he screamed. “JUST YOU WATCH!”

 

Shadow raised his fist in the air and grunted, his facial muscles becoming incredibly tense. He grunted and Boss' ears were nearly deafened by that same exploding sound he had heard before. Above Shadow's now open paw, it seemed as if a small chunk of air had been torn apart. Out of the hole flew a black sphere which floated into Shadow's paw. The sphere elongated and changed shape, and solidified, becoming a long, black trident. The hole then closed up

 

Shadow began to cackle. “Look who's at a disadvantage now! I've got a weapon here; you don't!”

 

“Means nothing if you can't use it,” Boss said.

 

Shadow gave a loud growl and charged at Boss, hitting him upside the head with the trident. Boss gave a loud grunt and stumbled over. Unguarded, Shadow whacked Boss in the stomach, sending him to the ground. Boss quickly got up, taking a second to catch his breath. He charged at Shadow, who swung his trident again. Boss jumped to the side before it could hit him and kicked Shadow in the mouth with all his might. Letting out a little squeak of pain, Shadow grasped his mouth. After a moment, he took it off and examined it. It was covered in a thin layer of blood.

 

“That's the most anyone's ever made me bleed in awhile,” he said, faint traces of pain in his voice. He gave a little smile and resumed his stance. He quickly leapt toward Boss, jumping an unnatural height in the air. This caught Boss by surprise. He took a small step back. Shadow landed directly in front of him on his own two feet, grinning insanely. He quickly kicked Boss in the knee, knocking him on the ground. He pointed his trident above Boss' chest and jabbed. Boss rolled out of the way before the trident could hit him.

 

The trident plunged deep into the wet, muddy ground. It took Shadow a few seconds to pull it out. Bosses used this time to dash behind Shadow and kick him in the back as he pulled the trident out of the ground. Shadow quickly spun around and swung the trident at him, hitting his face. Boss showed no signs of pain. Irritated, he repeated the motion. Boss quickly reached out his right paw and caught it. As Shadow pushed the trident harder toward his neck, where it was pointed at, he grasped it with his other paw and pushed the bottom end of the trident toward Shadow with all the strength in his being. His energy quickly dripped out of his cells. There was no way he'd be able to delay the death blow much longer unless he could somehow weakened Shadow's grip.

 

Suddenly, he got an idea. He gathered all the saliva in his mouth and spat it at Shadow's face. Boss scored a direct hit. Shadow's face scrunched up with annoyance and surprise. Pushing the trident through Shadow's slightly unclasped fingers, Boss thrust the bottom end of the trident right into Shadow's chest. He fell to the ground with dull, loud sound. Shadow let go of the trident. Grasping it, Boss aimed at the river and tossed it with all the strength he had left. It failed to reach its target, landing just at the edge of the river and planting itself firmly in the ground. At least Shadow was unarmed again.

 

Shadow began to pick himself up. Boss lashed out at him with a series of powerful punches and kicks. Shadow attempted to defend himself, but none of his attacks had the intensity, the rage, and the power of Boss' attacks. Boss lost himself in the bloodlust. He attacked Shadow without end, enjoying every second of it. As soon as he stopped to catch his breath, Shadow gave a small, self satisfied little grin. He radiated absolute confidence despite the various swellings and bleeding openings on his body. This sparked a wildfire of rage in Boss.

 

“STOP SMILING!” Boss yelled, lashing out at Shadow again. “In one night, one night you took everything that mattered to me, everything I worked so hard, paying my blood, sweat and tears to earn!” he yelled as he hit Shadow, who made no move to defend himself. “The hamsters I once called my dearest friends are now my worst enemies! Do you think I wanted that? Do you? I may have killed Hamtaro with my paws, but not my will. You made me into a monster! You… ruined…my…life!”

 

He slammed Shadow on the chin. Just as he was about to strike again, he stopped. This feeling… this… bloodlust… it felt familiar. He pulled back in horror as he realized it was the same feeling that drove him to kill Hamtaro. The scene replayed in his head, stronger and more vividly than ever. Boss' will to take revenge disappeared, replaced by fear, fear of what he was becoming, fear of what he would become if he killed Shadow.

 

Shadow burst out laughing. “Oh please, that's the most pathetic excuse I've ever heard, blaming the death of your friends on me. It was no one's fault but yours. It was all your will at work the whole time. All the seal did was bring out what was inside you. All I did was release it. Stop trying to justify your actions by putting the blame on me. You really have no one to blame but yourself.”

 

Boss went limp as Shadow's words sank in. The weak wall protecting boss from the full extent of his guilt shattered.

 

“Go ahead,” Shadow said standing up and stretching out his arms to the side. “Attack! Kill me! Take your vengeance on me and soil your soul for eternity. Put yourself beyond redemption! You know you want to!'

 

Boss shook from head to toe. He took a small step forward.

 

“DO IT!!” Shadow screamed.

 

Boss began to sob as he charged forth toward Shadow. Just as he was about to reach him, Shadow reached for the trident. It was bathed in light and morphed into a solid, straight line of light that flew at Shadow's paw and landed in it, quickly returning to its trident shape and solidifying.

 

Boss felt a sudden jab of pain in his chest. He took a step back, then gasped as he gazed down at his chest. The trident was now buried in it. He moaned. Closing his eyes, he gasped the end of the trident and pulled. The pain became intense and unbearable as he pulled it out.

 

“What the hell are you doing?” Shadow asked, bewildered.

 

Clutching his chest, Boss dropped to the ground. Suddenly, he felt another sensation. It felt as if something was growing inside of him. A fire put out began to spark and burn again. The pain slowly subsided and Boss realized just what he was feeling: Shadow was trying to release the monster again.

 

Shadow laughed. “There's something I didn't tell you about that seal I put on you,” Shadow said. “You can break it but…. It never completely goes away!”

 

“What… did you do?” Boss choked out.

 

“Nothing. You brought it out with your lust for blood and vengeance! As long as you continue to feel the desire for these things, you shall be mine! Face it, there's no way you can escape these desires. You sold yourself completely to me when you said `I accept.'”

 

Boss gasped as the fire began to overtake him again. He felt the walls of his soul shattering again. He became frantic. He had to do something. He had to hold onto his sanity long enough to come up with one final solution. His breathing became heavy and erratic as he felt those dark desires taking form in his mind.

Suddenly, the solution was there. Like the sun, breaking through a wall of clouds it came. Boss smiled and turned toward the river.

 

“Just what do you think you're doing?” Shadow asked.

 

Boss didn't respond. He dashed toward the edge of the river.

 

Shadow's face was overtaken with horror. “Wait!” he yelled.

 

Boss turned around, giving one last grin of defiance to Shadow. Turning again, he took a long deep breath and a quick gaze around and plunged into the river.

 

In horror, Shadow stood at the edge of the river and watched for some sign of Boss, he found none. Boss didn't even surface once.

 

 

 

Chaos, gazed at the scene, his mouth agape. He hadn't expected Boss to do something as drastic as that. He stood up and walked toward Shadow, not really thinking about what he was doing. Shadow turned around to see Chaos. His mouth dropped open.

 

“You're that…” he said, at a loss for words. “How did you… Who are you!?”

 

“Despite what you might think, no one of any particular importance as far as I know,” Chaos said coldly. “Why didn't you stop him?”

 

“I couldn't…”

 

“Bull!”

 

“Stop…”

 

Chaos suddenly socked Shadow in the side of the face. Shadow's sad eyes slowly filled up with rage and hatred. He lashed out at Chaos, easily knocking him to the ground. Chaos didn't get up or make any move to resist.

 

“So, that's all you can do to resist? You're nothing!” Shadow laughed insanely. He stood there grinning for a moment before coming to a sudden realization. “Yes… you're in this forest aren't you? Yes, that's where you and your little friends are!” He stepped away from Chaos. After a moment, he got up. Go back and warn your little buddies. Tell them soon I'll come at them with full force and slaughter them!

 

“So you're letting me go?” Chaos asked.

 

Shadow grinned. “I want to see you suffer. I want to see your friends die in front of you. I want to see you gaze in horror at them as my forces slaughter them! If I capture you now, I'll be denied that pleasure!”

 

That decision will be your downfall,” Chaos said.

 

“I'm one hundred percent confident I'll succeed,” Shadow said. Your hamsters haven't fought a real battle in their lives. My hamsters exist solely for the purpose of fighting. My forces also outnumber yours by a pretty damn big margin. I think it's safe to say you're screwed.”

 

“Don't underestimate us,” Chaos said flashing a brief smile. “We have more power than you think. Your forces are made up of mindless, soulless zombies. Mine are made up of living, breathing hamsters with a will of unimaginable strength. That will be your downfall Shadow.”

 

 

Chaos turned away and walked back into the forest area. Turing one last time, he saw Shadow, a devilish, insane grin on his face. Behind him on the other side of the river, he could swear he saw the dim outline of a figure gazing at the whole scene before disappearing into the distance like a ghost.

 

 

 

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