Disclaimer: I do not own The Last Remnant.
Further Disclaimer: In case you couldn't tell, there will be yaoi in this fanfic.
Chapter 1: Bouquet
Eulam was a gorgeous island. Fresh green grass whispered in the wind, the landscape dotted by flowers coming into full bloom, and you could hear the branches of the forest rustling back and forth. The tranquil atmosphere was ruined however, as I dashed through the woods in search of my sister. She couldn't be far; I knew she was off picking flowers.
The wind was picking up. A small clump of dark clouds was in the sky. In the distance I spotted a girl with soft brown hair wearing her favorite dress. No mistakes there. It was obviously Irina. She reminded me so much of our parents. Being the only one with black hair makes me the odd one out, huh?
"IRINA!" I yelled. "It's a package from Mom and Dad!" She turned around to stare at me with a bouquet of flowers in her hands. I waved the small package up and down, eagerly awaiting to open it.
"Aw, it's probably just another lame excuse why they can't leave their research."
I patted her playfully on the head. "Hey, cheer up, Sis." Uh-oh. Dropped the package. I really should pay more attention to the things I'm holding. "Whoops!" I gave a small laugh and continued. "It's a visistone. Let me set it up." I opened up the package to reveal two glowing crystals, a red and a blue. Shining together, they projected an image of both my Mother and Father.
"Hi Rush! Hello Irina! Are you two behaving yourselves?" ghostly Father asked. "Both of us are having a great time here at the Academy in Elysion. And we were lucky enough to have a breakthrough in our research…" he continued. I walked through the holographs to stand next to Irina. Unbothered by this, Father continued, "But, as you probably guessed, things are taking longer than expected."
"See? Told you!" Irina said in a know-it-all voice. I hated when she used that!
"So your father and I agree that you should come live with us in Elysion."
"It's always about what they want!" Irina pouted.
I put my arm on her shoulder as father continued, "What we've found is a key that lets us use the Remnants in new ways. It's gonna change the world for the better! But you kids are more important to us…and I'm sorry we haven't been out to visit for so long."
"John, we're running out of time –"
"Oh? Ah, right. We'll be sending someone to pick you up."
"Better start packing your bags!" Mom reminded us.
"And Rush, you look after your sister, alright?" Dad told me.
"Take care of yourselves!"
"We'll be seeing yo-" the apparition faded. Visistones only record for a certain amount of time. The glow on the crystals dimmed.
I threw my arms up in the air."Out of time – Dad's never been good at keeping track." Irina still looked upset. I needed to reassure her. I'm her big brother, after all. "You worried about leaving?" I asked, putting my arm comfortingly on her shoulder.
"A little…I mean, I've never been off the island before." She turned to me with a grin on her face. "Ah, I'll be fine! After all, we'll be back with Mom and Dad!"
"You know it!" I grinned.
Suddenly dark clouds burst into the sky, right above us! "What?" Irina exclaimed, quickly followed by a "WHAT?" of my own. It was a giant…glowy…flying thing! Crashing from the sky at lightning speed, it was hard to make anything out. Boulder-like creatures crashed into the ground as the earth shook. I instinctively wrapped my arms around my sister, but a kick from one of the creatures sent me flying backwards.
"RUSH!" Irina yelled. Dazed, I stumbled to my feet, and through my dizziness I saw a very large man holding onto Irina. "Let me…go…" she struggled against him. WHACK! A heavy blow from the rock-creature barley missed me. It was hard to see anything, but I had to get to Irina before it was too late! I stumbled towards her. Almost there…
THUD. My face hit the ground yet again…I must have gotten hit from behind. A dark liquid trailed down my face which could have only been blood. "RUSH!" I heard Irina struggle again. She was trying to get to me as well.
"Aargh! Get your hands off me!" I cried as the rest of the beasts held me down. A massive appendage whacked me across me the face. I could feel the air being pressed out of my lungs. There was no way I could get out of this one…I failed my parents…I failed my sister…
"No! Leave my brother alone!" The words had barely gotten out of Irina's mouth before the large man knocked her on the head, rendering her unconscious.
"Ice him," he spoke to his minions. Taking Irina he headed back to his flying contraption. It took off high into the sky, leaving me alone and trapped. I could make out the glowing eyes and pointed horns on one of the creatures as it let go of me, preparing to strike.
"AHHHHH!" I could spot an eerie green light. Was this the end? I stood up and noticed it was my own body that was glowing. This seemed to scare the creatures, as they were backing away from me. I felt a sharp pain, and then each of the creatures exploded. The light dimmed, and I collapsed, exhausted.
When I woke everything seemed to be back the way it should have been. No sign of the dark clouds, creatures, or the flying contraption. I briefly wondered if it had been a strange dream…wait a minute! That man took Irina! I had to find her! I sprinted as fast as I could through the woods. I had no idea where to go, but I had to head somewhere.
*Several Hours Later*
Great. I was lost in the woods, and still no sign of my sister. We had explored parts of the forest before, but never this far. The glow that encased my body earlier healed my wounds from the battle, yet did nothing to help my current exhaustion. Flower petals drifted through the air in a gentle breeze as I tried to get my bearings. I looked for anything, perhaps a defining landmark, paths, footprints. All I saw was trees, trees, and more trees. I don't think I could find my way back even if I tried. Perhaps if I headed toward the end of the island? There was a small port with transportation there. Which would be no problem if I headed back home and FOLLOWED THE ROAD. Perhaps the person our parents sent to pick us up would arrive there. If I got to Elysion I could tell my parents about Irina! It seemed like the best plan so far.
Panting from exhaustion, I looked around yet again. "Damn…where is she?" I said aloud to myself. A small patch of sun shone from the sky onto a small patch of purple flowers, the same kind Irina was holding earlier. "…Irina's favorite…" I briefly held one of the flowers. I heard a sound coming not too far from where I was standing. A bugle? The port must be close. I had to hurry, a ship might be leaving! Dashing as fast as I could, I could see the trees starting to fade, I was almost there!
Almost there as in the wrong end of the island. I caught sight of a path leading to a bridge that crossed to the mainland. But was it truly the "wrong end?" Mom and Dad never told us how the person coming to pick us would arrive.
So now I was faced with a choice. I could follow the path back to our home and wait there, or keep travelling. "It would be smarter to follow the road back," I said aloud. However, I could hear the bugle in the distance, as well as loud shouting and thunderous footsteps. My curiosity got the better of me. After all, once I figured out what it was I could head back.
Following the road the noise got louder and louder. It was coming from the right while the path veered to the left. Obviously I'd have to follow the sounds! I had gone this far after all. Running towards the noises, I crossed a small grass field, then came to a sudden stop, as a steep incline blocked my path! I might get hurt if I jumped down. To make matters worse, there was no road in sight, but a vast plain. Hands on my knees and panting, I glanced down. Hundreds of soldiers were heading off to battle! That must have been where the bugle came from. Why were they here? "What in the hell…" I panted. It made no sense whatsoever.
The armies marched forward. "Outta the way, you idiots!" I heard a general yell. I couldn't see much. With a giant bang, a large cannon-shaped weapon fell to the ground. Gold trim outlined the edges. It looked very very very dangerous. "The Gae Bolg is ready!" the same general yelled. The opposing army was composed of all monsters. I still had no clue as to what was going on. The giant cannon (the Gae Bolg, I assumed) started to glow in a similar way my body did facing off against my earlier fight.
"We are ready, my lord." A different voice spoke, strong and confident. "Victory shall be ours!" I heard cheers echo across the battlefield.
"What is this…" I wondered aloud. "Irina!" She might be down there! Ignoring my better sense, I slid down the cliff to see the battle more clearly. Luckily I landed on my feet after taking a few tumbles. I'd get bruises later, but now was not the time to think about that. "IRINA!" I dodged blows from both sides as I ran around screaming her name.
The ground began to shake. I looked around to see why. The Gae Bolg was going to fire! The huge cannon lifted itself into the air. All I could do was watch as it fired up, giant spheres of energy escaping from the barrel. The spheres floated up into the sky, the light blinding me. A giant crash and all was silent. The blast knocked me to the ground, and I realized I was surrounded by one of the giant spheres. It quickly combusted, and got sucked into the pendant that I always wear. Huh. Strange.
Looking down I saw a warrior. She must have been knocked over by the blast as well. "Irina? Huh? Who are you?" She lunged toward me and grabbed my throat!
"That's what I should be asking you!" she spat angrily.
I threw my hands up in the air in surrender. "W-wait! Hold on!" The ground began to shake again. A small earthquake opened up the ground in front of us! "Ahhhhh!" I screamed and fell into the ground. I hit the ground with a thud. "Ow." I gave a quick look around the surrounds. Seemed like I was in a cave. I saw the warrior from earlier and headed in her direction. Was she okay?
"Lady Emma? Are you hurt?" a rough voice yelled from above the hole.
"Is that you, Blocter? I'm fine. I can see a light in the distance. That should be the way out."
"Yes, ma'am! We're en route now!"
The warrior now known as Lady Emma began to walk towards the exit, armor clinking. She was going to leave me in the cave! "H-hey! Wait up, lady! What's going on?"
She turned to face me. I noticed among her stern expression there was a light scar going vertically across her face, slightly obscured by her grey locks and rather silly looking helmet. "The Gae Bolg blew a hole in the ground, and now we're in this cave. Anything else obvious you'd like pointed out?" Somehow she managed to glare at me even more than before.
"Cave?" I echoed, still confused.
"At least the exit isn't far." Emma continued walking away from me.
"Hey, wait! Listen to me!" I ran up to her. No way was I going to be left in this cave by myself. "Hey!"
She spun to face me and threw me against the wall! A rather menacing looking blade was at my throat. "I'll hear whatever you have to say once we get out of here. Your story better be good, spy."
"What do you mean, spy?"
"Think about it, genius. Why else would you be on a battlefield?" The blade moved even closer to my throat.
"What are you talking about? I'm just looking for my sister Irina!"
"Irina?" She gave an incredulous look, as if seeing me for the first time. "What's your name?"
"Me?" I said as I was shoved even further against the wall. "Rush! Rush Sykes!" Emma let go of me and I fell to the floor.
"Rush Sykes." She must have recognized my name.
"Ow." She didn't have to drop me so hard!
"So you're looking for your sister? What happened to her?" Still stunned, I didn't answer. "Speak!"
"We're from this island called Eulam…"
What did you think? Loved it? Hated it? Just plain meh? Reviews are love.
On another note, I'm looking for a beta. PM if you're interested ^_^
A/N: I always wondered how Rush got off the island. In the flashback he's clearly on Eulam, but the battle is on Yamarn Plain. My sister suggested "use a bridge," and that seemed like the best idea.