Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Capricious Infection ❯ Act 30: Annoying Jerk ( Chapter 30 )

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Capricious Infection

Act 30: Annoying Jerk

By: Melissa Norvell

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"I'm sick of hearing that shit," Boxcars growled at the boy, irritated by his words. It was always the same accusations flying from his mouth. He didn't wish to hear anything further about that subject.

"It's not shit," David argued as he tried to cut him with his sword again. "I won't let you do it."

Boxcars evaded the strikes with ease. The sword barely grazed his black fur as he swiftly maneuvered. Had this boy ever handled a sword before? He was certainly am ametur at it. "You don't even know how to use that sword."

David said nothing, merely kept swinging, hoping that he would hit his target. The gladiator moved back and fourth, dodging every strike he made.

"Are you truly a Time Guardian? Your moves are ameteur at best," Boxcars mocked him, trying to taunt the boy into working up a fit of anger large enough to blind his concentration.

David continued to swing recklessly at the Arcane, quickening his pace he swung the sword around haplessly hoping to his anything he could. With a wild swing, he managed to slash Boxcars across the cheek. Purple blood oozed from his laceration and Boxcars swung his arm, backhanding him as the Time Sword flew from his arms and tumbled through the air, end over end before it dug into the ground, standing there.

"Shit," the black-haired boy cursed to himself as Boxcars swung his barbell around to try and smash him, but David was too fast and evaded his blow, running towards him as he delivered themost powerful upper cut he could to the Arcane's chin. The dog's jaw popped before he held a hand to his snout and growled aggressively.

"Maybe you're better than I thought. I'll have to up the ante," the warrior ran at him full speed, like a charging bull and David flipped backwards and grabbed his sword, rolling on the ground as he yanked it up and swung it, as if to strike.

"Take this! Hand of Fate!" David swung his sword again, causing it toproduce a lash of golden energy that hit Boscars' shoulder, plowing into the round, metal ball of armor that protected it as if it were nothing. The armor made a loud bong sound and reverberated with the sound. "The hell?" The boy almost gasped. 'I can't get a break!'

It was really annoying to contend with an enemy that nothing worked against.

Boxcars' smile twisted and curved around his muzzle sadistically. "My armor is impenitrable. Not even I can bust it." It was the armor of champions. The armor that only the best gladiators in all of the universe wore.

"Has Boxcars finally met his match?" Clubs mused aloud. No doubt this boy was good in his mind. They both hardly broke a sweat, even after attacks like those.

"Man, I'm going to be feeling this tomorrow," David grumbled. Being slammed around by a muscle-bound canine definitely had its downfalls. He might be able to handle that kind of abuse now, but in the morning his body was going to be screaming in pain. In fact, he'd be lucky if he could move properly when all was said and done.

Oz looked on thoughtfully, placing a hand under his pointed chin. 'He's not bad. I'm shocked that he keeps getting up. I have a bad feeling about this, however. Let's hope that I'm wrong.' Of all of the people to be put against, Boxcars was someone to dread. His reputation as an intergalactic champion made him more than imposing. It wasn't that he was the strongest warrior of a specific division, this was technically the strongest gladiator in the universe and the odds of winning that fight were heavily stacked against David, Time Guardian or not.

"Not bad," the gladiator complimented as David continued to attempt to drive his sword through his face, but to no avail. The human was really trying with a serious expression written on his face and everything.

"This might be easier than we thought. We should just leave this one to Boxcars." A smile etched itself across Clubs' muzzle as he continued to watch the battle heat up. There was nothing like putting his gladiator talents to good use.

"He's not so bad when he's alone. Here we thought he was a challenge." Truly Hearts had misjudged David's prior skills.

Boxcars swung himself around, delivering a spin kick to the human but the move was evaded and David drove his foot into the Arcane's back, propelling him forward before he pointed his sword at him and called out 'minutes fly by'. The clock face on his sword glowed and shot out many neon green needles that stuck in Boxcar's face as he turned around. Grabbing the afflicted area, the dog thrashed around and growled in pain as a searing sensation overcame him. David tried to cut him again and Boxcars evaded but this time his movements were slower.

'He's wearing down.' Maybe he could finally get some moves in on him.

'"It's time you see the real power of my people," Boxcars proclaimed as he stared down the boy from across the battlefield. If David thought the Arcane was worn down now, he had another thing coming. Boxcars had a fair amount of reserved power and a few aces up his sleeves.

Clubs placed his hands to his muzzle, snickering loudly. "Oh boy!" He knew exactly what was about to transpire. David was in for a real treat!

The Dius beside him wore a hardened expression. 'Not good,' Oz thought to himself as he continued to watch the fight.

Boxcars tossed his barbell to the side. The large weapon made an impression on the scarred ground and landed with a boom.

"What now?" David wondered aloud. Why would Boxcars get rid of his one method of defense and attack? Something was up.

"This doesn't look good," Oz noted as the Arcane threw his arms out and his limbs split off into multiple, dark creatures that looked like a cross between dragons and snakes. They grew and coiled through the air, each one with different colored eyes.

David stood stock still in his place as he gazed up at the sight before him. Shadows loomed over his body as all of the reptilian figures set their sights on him. His eyes widened beneath his shades and horror shot through his body.

"What the hell?"

Boxcars smiled with mirth at his creations. He knew it was something that none of them expected, a power they had never seen before. "Allow me to introduce you to my friends: Chiryu, Fruryu, Rairyu, Liryu, Hyoryu, Kinryu, Shiryu and Karyu. They are the spirits of powerful entities that I've taken the souls from. I am a Spirit Commander, and all of these spirits live inside of my body. Fight them if you dare."

"I'm screwed. This guy's a freak," David felt the true despair and helplessness. This was clearly a fight that he could not win.

Suddenly, the spirit arms shot after him. Steadying himself, David tried to fight them off. He swung his sword and dodged their powerful strikes as they plunged into the ground with deadly force, threatening to crush him in a single blow. He managed to cut one of them off. It fell in front of Oz.

'I've never seen this before. I know in the gladiator rings, it's common to devour the soul of the slain as proof of your victory, but Boxcars allows them to live inside of his body symbiotically. It's truly amazing.' Boxcars either found the souls easy to manipulate or he felt a strange sense of attachment or respect for them. Oz was intrigued with his methods of taming them to do his bidding.

One of the snakes shot down with such force that it knocked David's sword from his hand. When he turned to see where the sword had fallen, his arm was grazed, and the arm of his shirt ripped away as if it were paper thin. Another bit down on his opposite arm, even though they were spirits, their bodies were very real. The pointed teeth ground against his arm, searing his flesh and digging into his bone, causing the boy to scream out in agony.

He had to get free, or it was going to rip his arm off. David pulled his fist back and punched it as hard as he could in the eye. The snake let go but another was right on top of him, biting into the same arm and two more followed suit, taking his other arm and one of his legs.

David let out a blood-curdling scream as one of the snakes wrapped around his midsection. He tried to struggled against it, thrashing around as much as he could as the flesh of his limbs tore even more, but it was no use. He had been caught and now he felt like he was being crushed in a metal compactor. Excruciating pain resonated through his body and he felt his vision blur in and out as he tried to fight blood loss and loss of consciousness.

"You'll never beat me, kid." It was an undisputed fact.

"Don't do this! I'm telling you, it's not a good thing!" David protested. Resetting time would be the worst mistake he could have made, even if it did bring his race back, it solved nothing.

"Enough, before I crush your bones," Boxcars growled as his snake-spirits lowered the Time Guardian in front of him. "I don't need anyone to tell me how to live my life."

David glared at him over the top of his shades, malice riddled his visage. "Go to hell," he uttered before he was squeezed and let out another pained scream.

"Watch who you're talking to," Boxcars warned him not to play with fire when the flames could easily consume him.

"You're stubborn. I don't even understand why it has to be like this." They didn't have to be enemies. They would have gladly let the Arcane live on their newly developed Earth.

"It's survival of the fittest. The weak perish." It was the law of the universe, the struggle that was brutally real and no one knew it better than a gladiator.

"That makes you low."

"You're no better," Boxcars' visage slowed slight irritation at that comment. His snake arms squeezed the human more, earning him a gurgle and strained cough as blood ran down the side of David's mouth.

"I can't..."

"I should crush you to death. Your sword belongs to me. Now, plummet to the underworld!" The Arcane called out as his arms send David's injured form into the air, then plunged down at a frightening speed, sending him down into the ground with a horrific slam.

Shock lit up on Oz's face as he called out the boy's name, but the sound of the impact caused the sound to be lost. David lay there on the ground in a crater; his red blood ran into the dirt and mixed with the earth. His body was broken and lacerated with bite marks. Oz ran up to the human but stopped short of him.

David's eyes slowly cracked open and he uttered Oz's name weakly.

"Boxcars is strong but you can defeat him. The very power he seeks can destroy him as well. You can do it. I believe that you can be everything I thought you were to begin with. You can't die on me." It wasn't only his position as Time Guardian that was being sacrificed, but him as a human being. Oz didn't want to lose him in general. He cared about him a great deal, as a student and an ally.

David's eyes flickered shut before popping open. He slowly dragged himself off of the ground, using the Time Sword as a cane to help himself stand. Blood oozed from his wounds and he was panting heavily. His voice was haggard and tired. "I can't let you win...I swear, I'll protect this sword with my life." It was a vow he had made long ago, and with those words he would gladly die.

Boxcars blinked; shocked that he was even getting up in such a condition. "How are you still alive?"

"I'm a tough son of a bitch," David spit out the blood that had accumulated in his mouth as he staggered up to the Arcane. "What now? All the things you've done haven't killed me yet."

"It's far from over."

"So, it is."

"It's time to die," Boxcars declared and the remaining limbs opened their mouths, firing multi-colored beams of light that headed straight for the wounded Time Guardian. David stared them down, the light reflected in his shades.

"Sorry Oz....I just can't fight anymore," he closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate. There was nothing else he could have done. David had no power left to give. "It's been fun."

A shadow cut through the blinding light, shielding David's battered form as a dark wave of energy pulsated from the shadow with such force that it blasted Boxcars back, knocking him off of his feet and then knocking the other members of the Cut Throat Crew to the ground behind him. Oz stared on in bewilderment as Dante stood in front of his friend.

"Dante..." David trailed in a weak voice, teetering on a conscious state as his savior turned around to face him.

Dante turned around to face the boy and shouted his name as David lost all strength and fell forward, crashing into his arms. The sword fell onto the ground with a clank. "David, please don't die!" He hugged the wounded human close as tears poured from his orange eyes as he wept. Through his sobbing he could hear the faint words of his friend.

"Dante...thank you..." a whisper tumbled from David's lips signaling that he wasn't unconscious yet.

Dante jerked his head towards Oz with anger riddled on his expression. "Why didn't you help him? Don't you see how badly hurt he us? You're such a useless fuck!" If Oz was so powerful, why didn't he help David? All of this time, David was fighting against Boxcars and clearly losing but the Dius didn't even step in to help him at all. He was just going to let him die if he hadn't have stepped in.

"Please don't yell at Oz....I wanted to prove myself to him," David pleaded weakly beneath him in a voice that was a little above a whisper.

"What did you have to prove?" Orange eyes glanced down to the boy, but it was too late, David had slipped into unconsciousness. Dante shouted his name but to no avail.

"We should get him back and help him," Oz instructed, only to gain a spiteful expression from Dante.

"You think you're so smart," the half Dius growled defensively.

"I didn't know that was up for debate," Oz walked over to grab David but was shoved away viciously by Dante, who held him protectively. "Don't try to help him now. This is all your fault, anyway. The whole reason the Cut Throat Crew are after us, the reason the world ended, this is all your sick little plan. You sit back there, like some master manipulator, playing your pawns. It makes me sick. Do you even care about anyone but yourself? Oh, and don't get me started on what you did to Tarvos. You're a snake," he couldn't take it anymore, he just couldn't. It was like Oz held no sympathy; he just let others bear his pain and suffering. After he heard Tarvos' story, he felt sorry for him. It was a horrible life to live, for anyone.

Oz frowned, "none of this has anything to do with the fight. I was being honorable by not jumping in. I was honoring a request from someone I care about." David had ordered him not to step in, and he did not. Oz wasn't about to do anything to cause distrust and sever his bond.

"Oh? You have feelings?" Dante shot as he picked David's body up carefully.

"Says the pot to the kettle. From someone who acts far worse than I," his words were cold as Dante turned his back to him, walking away. "You're a hypocrite. I'd never use people the way you have. You can blame me all you want for being here and making your world hell but all things run on chaos. You're the reason the Dius race is nearly extinct."

Dante stopped; rage conflicted with guilt as he struggled to keep from lashing out. "Get over what happened. This is the new me."

"Your hypocrisy is astounding," Oz looked cross and folded his arms.

"Shut up, you're irritating."

"And, you are a waste of space and creation."

"But, I'm here."

"Because I put you here."

Dante's form jerked as his eyes widened. "What?" He breathed out and paused. Was that really true? Was Oz the one who gave life to him?

"I created you. God only knows why. I must have been bored,Oz shot sarcastically but Dante kept walking, silently. He had nothing to say to Oz, nor did he want to. David needed his help and there wasn't time to needlessly argue with bullshit gods.

"Have you nothing to say?"

"I'm taking care of my friend," Dante emphasized that word, placing his possession on the human boy. It was sickening how David could even look up to a prick like him. Dante had to try and control the amount of rage he felt, due to the fact that he could still open up portals with it. He tried not to think about it too hard but before he could find a moment's peace, Oz had something else to say to him.

"What do you think we are?"

He just had to keep pushing, didn't he?

Glaring over his shoulder, he stopped again and leveled the alien with a look of malice. "David really had feelings for you. I don't know what kind but that's irrelevant. He didn't shut up about you. He admired you. He was happy when he found out he'd meet you in that game, shocked he met you in real life and the fact that you were an alien didn't even bother him. He just wanted to learn more about you. You have a piece of his heart." Even if Oz thought nothing of him, he could at least think something of David. Ever since they had played Twisted Land, before the apocalypse hit, the black-haired boy in his arms did nothing but want the chance to get to know Oz, to meet him in person and now that he had, Oz was just going to treat him like shit? Well he didn't deserve that at all.

"You say that like we're pyrex or something," Dante sure did like to assume things. They were human friends, nothing more. That was what their relationship had been, pure and simple.

Dante turned around, "have you ever asked him how he felt about you?"

"He told me he had a 'brocrush' on me," Oz stated, still confused as to what exactly a brocrush was.

Orange eyes narrowed. "I know things about David, things he would never tell anyone else."

"Well I can't do anything about that, can I?" What could he have possibly wanted him to do? He couldn't say anything about information he wasn't aware of.

"I think he'd tell you," Dante turned and walked towards the house where everyone saw the two of them walked up. Lannad's face lit up in horror as she saw the state of the boy in the half-Dius' hands. She shouted David's name as she ran over with worry in her eyes.

"Is he alright? What happened?" The priestess looked up at Dante, hoping for an explanation.

"Something smells like blood," Rezzi noted, straightening her glasses.

"Is he dead?" Tarvos inquired in all too happy of a tone for the situation.

Dante squinted at the reaper. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"He's injured badly. He needs help," Oz told everyone the reality of the situation.

"Let me help. I can try out my healing magic on him." It did Lannad well to learn spells in her free time. This would be a time when something she learned could be practiced and put to good use.

"You can come. The lightening-horned asshole with the clock face on his shirt can stay outside," Dante sardonically spoke as he eyed Oz. The Dius of Time showed clear anger at the jab.

Karkatta arched an eyebrow and placed their hands on their hips as Dante and Lannad walked inside."What's chapping his excrement chute?"

"What happened?" Pregmacia inquired.

"Will he be okay?" Tony was concerned as well.

"Dante is angry that I didn't help David fight Boxcars," Oz explained the current situation at hand.

Pregmacia thought it was strange that Oz didn't act accordingly. From what she knew, Oz had cared a great deal about the human, so why did he resist? She arched a pink eyebrow. "Why didn't you?"

"It was a one-on-one battle, and he told me not to interrupt."

Tony glanced to him with worry etched in his features. David's condition looked very bad and he was all but a pool of blood in Dante's arms," Lannad will fix him, right?"

Oz frowned, "I hope so."

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David rested on the ground, surrounded by the fluffy structure of the futon as Lannad stood before him, pointing the Scepter of Diorus at his chest. The girl concentrated as her friend's body began to radiate with golden energy. With each passing moment, it grew brighter and brighter, until it was almost blinding in quality, then it dimmed slowly. All of David's wounds had disappeared into small abrasions and cuts as the power died down and dissipated.

Lannad turned to Dante, "that's all I can do. I just hope that is enough. He still may have some internal injuries."

"None of this would have happened if Oz wasn't such an annoying jerk," Dante grumbled.

The blue-haired girl frowned and looked down at David, who was resting peacefully. "I'm sure he feels pretty bad."

"Doubt it," Dante huffed.

"I know you're angry but you can't not allow him to see David." In that aspect, Dante would have been no better than Oz, if he were truly acting like an annoying jerk. Plus, it would not have made David very happy knowing that he was being kept from him at all.

Clenching his fists at his sides, his torso pivoted to the girl. "Don't push me right now. I want to be alone," He warned the priestess to drop the subject entirely.

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Outside, Oz stood in the front yard, looking out over the untouched sector of town. The gentle breeze blew, and the air smelled of distant smoke. He should have been feeling at ease, but he was not. Frowning, he stuck his hands in his pockets and leaned forward slightly.

"Hey, are you okay?" He heard a familiar voice question him.

Turning, he saw that Pregmacia was standing a little way from him. "Maybe I should have helped him. Was I really so wrong to do what he wished?" For once, the alien's mind swam in a sea of conflicting emotion as he tried to deduce what the true right and wrong was of that situation.

Pregmacia shook her head lightly, "I don't think so."

"I want to apologize. Maybe I underestimated the durability of a human's body. Our race and the human's race are not created equal. Our race is pretty thick-skinned. We're a warrior race, and humans are not built for such things." Maybe he had it wrong all along. He was trying to make warriors out of these high school children, but humans were usually peaceful and had been spoiled by a life of ease. Perhaps it was just not meant to be. Maybe this planet's pain was too much for human saviors.

"I'm not so sure David would want to hear that, not if he wanted you to think higher of him," Pregmacia knew that she wouldn't want anyone doubting her abilities if she had done all that was in her power to win a situation that she only ended up losing. Now wasn't the time for doubt, it was the time for encouragement.

"You're right," Oz frowned. What was he thinking?

"It seems like you have other things on your mind," the pink-haired alien walked up beside of him standing close as her bubblegum eyes scanned over the twisted scenery.

"Perhaps I need to do a bit of soul searching..."

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Dante sat over David, knees on the floor and hands down to his sides as he knuckles drug on the hardwood floor. "David..." He murmured as he ran a hand gently down the other male's face, feeling his soft skin below his hands. Then his hand traveled back up, sliding his shades from his face and placing them on the buckwheat pillow beside of him.

'I'm sorry. I should have helped you sooner. I don't understand, though. Why did you just want to go it alone?" Is this because you were trying to please him? I care about you...so much...We've been best friends since I can remember and nothing was ever hidden from each other...even when you were dating Ayumi.' Dante's mind was consumed with vivid imagery of that day.

The two of them were sitting in the classroom, waiting for the teacher and other students to come in. They were dressed in their school uniforms; the black and white colors of their school littered their garments. It was back when Dante was human and David was sitting at his desk as Dante walked by to be seated behind him. He grabbed the boy's arm, only to be met by that familiar pair of shades.

"Hey Dante, can I talk to you about something?" David's tone seemed more bothered than usual. Something was on his mind.

"Sure, you can tell me anything, you know that," Dante turned to him, giving him full attention. No doubt this conversation was an important one.

"Ayumi and I have been going steady for a while."

A black eyebrow was arched. "Are you thinking about going in deeper?" Usually that's how these conversations went, right?

Worry crossed the other male's face. "That's the thing. People who love each other should...feel something...shouldn't they?" He asked uncomfortably. It was really hard to tell anyone this. It wasn't as if he didn't care about Ayumi at all, because he did. Their situation was just unique.

Dante looked a little confused. That wasn't what he was thinking he would say. From what he knew, Ayumi and David were pretty happy together. "You don't have feelings for her?"

"I care about her, but our whole relationship feels like something is missing, you know?" He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was a void that never seemed filled no matter what he did to try and easy the emptiness it never turned up any results or made him feel any better. After a while, David felt sort of guilty about being in a relationship where his lover felt more for him than he did for them.

"Maybe she just isn't your type," Dante tried to find a positive thing to say. Sometimes people thought they loved each other but when they decided to get into a relationship, found out that they weren't so compatible after all. That would explain the unrequited feelings.

"I feel this way with every girl I date," David sighed dejectedly. "No matter how much ass they kick, I don't feel anything. It's frustrating."

"Are you trying to say that you don't like girls?" Dante arched an eyebrow. He didn't want to assume but that seemed like it was exactly where this conversation was going.

"I never thought about it. I shouldn't, right? Cool guys don't like other guys. It makes you ten-percent less cool." If anyone else in his social class knew about his feelings, he would be labeled as an outcast.

"What if you did like a guy?"

"I have a huge rep in this school. I couldn't tell him even if I did. Do you think...I'm close to men than I am to women?" David had to know. He wanted to know what someone on the outside looking in thought of him. In his mind, it was some sense of solace.

After looking thoughtful for a moment, Dante decided to give his friend an honest answer. "You're more than open with men, but isn't everyone? I mean, girls don't tell us stuff they'd tell other girls. Not like I want to hear about that shit, but you know what I mean."

"If I did like a guy what would you think of me?" That was a really insecure question, but David had to know. He didn't want Dante to think he was some sick pervert or something, or that he was strange or he might have a crush on him.

"Whatever makes you happy, as long as it's not me." While it wasn't reassuring it was some form of acceptance.

Taking his face in both hands, Dante leaned down and nuzzled him affectionate; the light touches stirred his friend from his sleep. The half-Dius pulled away as David sat up slowly, reaching for his shades out of instinct and putting them on, opening his eyes to see Dante staring at him. His name slipped from David's pink lips as Dante hugged him tightly.

"Thank god...I thought you were dead. I was so worried," the Dius' voice was full of concern for his friend's well-being. Boxcars could have killed him back there, especially with the state that he was in after he had come to his rescue.

David wrapped his arms around him back, holding the dark-haired male close to him in a sweet embrace. "You know I'm too cool to die," his voice traveled to the pointed ears of his pal before he pulled back and looked down at his body. Holding out his hands, which were free of any cuts and lacerations they had, his eyes widened. "What the fuck?"

Nothing hurt, and all of his wounds were gone. The only thing that had even signified that he was in a battle was the fact that his clothes looked like hell. Other than that, he was perfectly fine, minus a few internal pains and small cuts.

"Lannad healed you but she said that you still had internal injuries," Dante warned him on his physical state. There was no need for David to run around thinking he was perfectly fine when he wasn't.

"This sucks hairy balls. Where's Oz?" David looked back up to Dante, who produced an irritated expression.

"He's in the other room."

"I told him not to get in my way. I wanted to kick that dog's fluffy ass by myself."

"Why?"

"I wanted to prove that to him, that I'm able to be a proper Time Guardian."

"Do you...love him, David?" Dante asked, staring deep into his friend's expression. If David was going through all of this trouble just to be whatever Oz wanted him to be, and if he was dedicating all of this time and energy into his goal, he felt something for the alien. The only question was...what exactly did their bond consist of?

Dante wasn't going to let this die until he found the answer to his question.

...To Be Continued