Loose ends [3]

"Another day, another assassination attempt," I sighed in annoyance as I walked towards the castle.

It's been a while - a few weeks or months I think - and Ishtar has been trying to kill me in all kinds of manners. I swear she actually tried to drop one of her statues at me at one point.

I stopped my thoughts when I saw a large crowd gathered around the entrance to the castle. "What's going on?" I asked, causing the crowd to look at me and make way to the inside of the castle. I walked in and headed towards the throne room and found Siduri standing near the entrance. "Siduri, what's with all those people?"

Siduri looked at me with a shaken look. "The king... his majesty died..."

"Oh..." was the only thing I can say before I did something I've been wanting to do for a LONG time.

The look on Siduri's face as I began laughing is something I remember to this day.

"HAHAHAHA! YOU WORKED YOURSELF TO DEATH!"

The throne room was filled with my howling laughter.

It was the next day, and Enkidu went to the Underworld the other day to bring back Gilgamesh from Ereshkigal.

While I would have loved to go and meet her for myself, I had no idea on how to reach the Underworld.

I mean, sure I can probably dig deep enough and end there since it's the age of gods, but entering Kur without Ereshkigal's permission was just asking for trouble.

Enkidu seemed to know an official way to the Underworld, so I let him handle this.

Gilgamesh was currently trying to hide his face behind a stone tablet. Whether it was red because of anger or embarrassment I didn't know or care.

Enkidu was also there, but he was just patting Gilgamesh's shoulder in a supporting manner.

"Will you shut up already!" Gilgamesh threw the tablet he was holding at me.

I just moved aside and kept laughing. "Zack, please calm down, you're causing things to go out of control," Enkidu said.

And he was right. The plants in the throne room had started growing and waving at my laughter, looking that they were laughing themselves.

Apparently, my strong emotions can effect the environment around.. "Hah... okay, I think I'm done,"

I chuckled lightly. Just then, one of Ishtar's priests came into the throne room. "Urgh, now what? Didn't you get the message last time?"

The priest just stayed silent and walked up towards me. I looked at him curiously as he got closer and stab!"

"Ah!" I pushed the bastard away as he shoved something into my wooden chest. I looked down and saw that a glowing blade covered in runes had been stabbed in me.

"Zack!" Enkidu yelled.

"In the name of our goddess, you shall-" the guy didn't even finish the before a flash of gold sliced off his head from a familiar golden portal. "What did he stab me with?" I asked as I held the

'wound'.

"That's a mystic slaying blade," a female voice said as light covered the ceiling before a figure descended down while sitting on a familiar, large blue bow.

The figure turned out to be a woman with red eyes and really long golden hair that was tied into pigtails.

She had a golden crown with a crescent red jewel at the front and the shape of a crown in the back.

She was wearing a pure white dress with red markings under what looked like a golden exoskeleton that covered her back and forearms.

"Ishtar!" Gilgamesh yelled as he stood from his throne. "You dare attack someone in my castle?! You've truly overstepped your boundaries this time, brat!"

"Attack someone? I have no idea what you're talking about," Ishtar said with the most unconvincing confused tone I have ever heard.

She pointed at the dead priest with one of her fingers. "He is a heretic that went on his own. Those actions were all on him. Do you even have proof that it was I who ordered him to do this? I just came here to stop your 'dear friend' from dying, but it appears I'm too late," she finished with a cruel smile.

She was absolutely acting terribly on purpose. Anyone with common sense can tell what she said was basically a confession with her tone and expression.

Seriously, she threw the entire blame on one of her followers? I knew Ishtar wasn't ENTIRELY bad-she did go to Kur because she wanted to help Ereshkigal get away from her job and be happy, after all-but damn, she is definitely something else without Rin bringing out the good in her.

"What is this thing?" I asked as I knelt down with a groan.

"As I said, it's a mystic slaying blade. It's supposed to kill all mystics it comes in contact with, including elementals such as yourself," Ishtar crossed her arms under her head and rest her chin on them. "I guess this is finally the end for you. Oh, what a shame."

"Ah, the pain!" I yelled, grabbing the 'wound, which Ishtar seemed to enjoy. "It hurts! It hurts so- Pfft Hahaha!" I started laughing halfway through my dramatic act. "What?" Ishtar asked as she looked at me in confusion.

(A/N: Ishtar's looks in this chapter is based on a design made by TM artists on how Ishtar looks without a host. The design was never "officially" released, as such it's not technically Canon, but its the closest thing we have to Ishtar's true looks.)

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