XANA's eyes were wild. He laughed, unaware of that a girl with burning green eyes fixed on him was walking steadily toward him through the maelstrom. In fact, he was so lost in his own sick glory that he didn't notice until Aelita stood directly before him.
'XANA,' Aelita shrieked, her hair flying. Her form was flickering, surrounded by a pink haze.
'Aelita!' XANA looked shocked for an instant, before his composure returned. 'So you've come to sense at last,' he said, smirking and holding out a hand.
Aelita couldn't believe it. He still saw her as a potential ally. After he had killed her friends, murdered her father, and taken away Jeremie. She spluttered in outrage, and slapped XANA's hand away as hard as she could. XANA staggered, shocked. Where did Aelita get such strength?
XANA looked down at his injured hand. There was a red mark shimmering there, but to his amazement, it didn't fade. It stayed, stinging and burning his skin. He looked up, fear clouding his eyes for the first time. 'Aelita, what-'
'Shut up!' Aelita screamed. 'Shut up, shut up, shut up!'
XANA was taken aback. Then his eyes widened as he realised, taking in the haze – Aelita was finally unleashing her full power. 'Don't-' he tried to plead.
Aelita yelled wordlessly, unable to find words to express the tidal wave flooding inside her. Every nerve was buzzing, and she felt fully alive. The pink haze around her grew ever stronger.
She screwed up her eyes, and just let every single emotion well out, her body was too small to contain them anymore. They ripped from her, and she screamed again, finally uncorking her bottled up emotion. She hadn't expected them to be so potent.
The pink aura swelled, forcing back the black. Through the red haze over her eyes, she dimly registered the Lyoko Warriors disappearing, one by one.
XANA was in shock. But only for a moment. Then he bared his teeth and set to work forcing the pink back to its source. However, it was a losing battle. Aelita's full potential was simply too much. The pink grew so bright it was blinding, and XANA fell down, shielding his eyes, defeated.
But the pink light kept growing until it had cleansed every single trace of black smoke from the area. Then, it imploded into a million sparkling wisps that gradually faded into the air.
XANA raised his head feebly. He seemed to had grown smaller, and his skin was ashen. His hair was lank and looked unhealthy and hung in stringy locks around his wan face. His form shivered, hazy around the edges and his clothing clung dismally to his skin. Gone was his confidence and arrogance.
'Why?' he croaked hoarsely at the cold, beautiful face of Aelita Hopper, matured by the trials of pain she had undergone.
Aelita stared down at him contemptuously, not betraying the sudden, aching exhaustion she felt. 'You killed everybody I ever loved,' she whispered, still staring mercilessly at the pitiful figure of XANA.
XANA looked confused. 'But they were in the way of your path to power. Why are you so sad?'
'You will never understand,' said Aelita quietly. 'Never, for as long as your black life exists.'
'No,' XANA agreed. Then he pulled out the twisted, wickedly sharp piece of shrapnel he had been hiding and thrust it into Aelita's body with the last of his strength.
Aelita stared blankly down at the metal protruding from her chest. Blood was already flowing down the rusted iron. She blinked, and sank onto the ground. XANA watched on eagerly, waiting for Aelita's death and the return of his power.
Aelita placed a hand on the warm, slick metal, her eyes still staring blankly at it. Then, with one quick movement, she pulled it out, where she regarded it with a confused air. The wound glowed with a faint pink aura, and sealed up as if it never was.
XANA's jaw dropped. 'How-'
And then Aelita turned to him and plunged it into his chest. 'That's for Yumi,' she hissed, her eyes spitting sparks.
She pulled it out and shoved it into a different spot. 'That's for Ulrich,' she said, tears running down her face, not caring that she was getting blood everywhere. She pulled the metal out again.
'Odd.'
'Sissi.'
'William.'
'Daddy.'
As she said each name, they grew louder, echoing in her ears. She was no longer aware of the piece of metal she had in her hand, she was half-blinded by tears. Yet, doggedly, she kept going, slashing at XANA mechanically.
By then, XANA's chest was nothing but smoke. And there was no pink haze to save him, as he screamed and writhed, dwindling until he was no more than a thread of his dark, slimy true form. The smoke flew out the window, and Aelita watched it go vengefully.
The clatter of the metal clanging on the floor awoke Aelita from her reverie as the piece of shrapnel fell down.
She shook her head, and stood up, racing over to Jeremie's body where she finally collapsed, rocking his head in her hands. She kissed his cold lips.
'I didn't get one for you,' she sobbed. 'I'm so, so sorry…'
A wind rushed around the room, ruffling her hair. She looked up in time to see her father and friends appear one last time, smiling and crying with joy.
'Don't be,' they said in unison. 'We're proud, and we love you…'
And then they were gone, and Aelita was alone again. The sun was just rising, casting a few rays upon the wreckage of something that once was her school and home. She fell down next to Jeremie, curled up and finally went to sleep.
But, a few minutes later, Aelita woke with a start, burning with a new knowledge, one that she would give her own life to use – the knowledge that would grant her the return of her friends and family.
Mysterious, eh. Again, sorry I haven't updated so dreadfully long – review please!