Come With Me
by: Viana Aran
A warrior dies, an angel loses his wings, and thus is the
story of Treiken Stratenada. Once having the body and soul of two,
he is now combined into one being by forces unknown.
Folken Lacquer De Fanel-Strategos: A prince betrayed his country,
becoming strategist of an organization that was after his brother
and the legendary mobile suit of his people. Killed in action.
Treize Khushrenada: Great and noble leader of the largest military
organization on Earth and the Colonies. Killed in action by his
rival, in a mobile suit battle to the death.
The two bodies perish, but the spirits live on, and one day find
each other in the realm between Heaven and Earth. Both noble
and honored by many, they are determined to live on. The Force of
this realm grants the men this, and combines them into one form with
all the character of both. They live on, determined to become as
powerful as they were before, with much struggle. . .
A knock on the door. . .frantic shouting. . .the building
is on fire. Treiken struggles out of bed, grabbing his cloak. He
is dressed in fine garments, not reflecting the dinginess of the
apartment. The carpet has holes in it, the ceiling leaks, the
linoleum is cracked, yet his blue, white, and gold clothing is
clean and neat. He slips bare feet into polished boots, and hurries
out the door.
On the stairwell an elderly woman squints down the steep
stairway. He takes her arm and guides her down the stairs and out
the front door, leaving her with a group of people on the front
sidewalk. He looks up through the rain to the roof of the
building, flames greedily devouring the rooftop of the only
place he had to call home. He sighs, having had enough to do
with fire through his pyromaniac leader in his life as Folken.
He chuckles lightly, So, Dilandau, you're still here, too , he
thinks to himself. The fire seems to answer him by throwing a
charred piece of wood from the building to land at his feet.
He turns and walks down the street, leaving his whole life
behind...again. The rain slows to a miserable drizzle, soaking
through his cloak as his boots splash in the puddles of water on the
street. He hears a rattle and looks to the alleyway, where a man
rummages through the trash cans. He listens for sirens, but knows
they won't come. This side of town, it's lucky that people even take
these roads to get to the next city.
This is the third time he has had to leave his home behind
since he was brought back. He is not the man he was when he was alive
before, that's for sure. He walks past abandoned buildings, homeless
people taking refuge under cardboard boxes, if they were lucky. The
world is supposed to be getting better with the years, but living
here, you never saw it. He can't seem to gain the respect his forms
had gained in the past, at least not from those he needed to.
He needed to be a leader in the high ranks, not a respected
individual of the slums. He had to gain his respect back....
Footsteps.......someone runs through the alley...a voice..
"Get away from me!!"..female..Treiken turns his head towards the
commotion. A male laughs. Treiken walks to the alley where a man,
a big, hairy man with too many earrings in too many places, wearing a
greasy T-shirt and ripped jeans holds the wrists of a girl. She
fights, but she is not strong enough. The man grins, showing gaps in his blackened teeth. The girl screams and he claps his hand over her mouth. "You're gonna give me what I want..." the man growls, and the girl recoils from the stench of his breath. Neither of the people see Treiken as he approaches them. The girl struggles to get free, but it is of no use. Her eyes widen as Treiken appears behind the man and places his hand on his shoulder. "What the...uhhh......" The man slides to the ground, unconscious, as Treiken retracts the needle into his metallic finger, having injected him with a sedative to knock him out. The girl looks down at the man, then up at Treiken as he turns and wordlessly begins to walk away. "Wait..." she calls, and he stops and turns, looking into her soul with sad eyes. She slowly walks up to him and embraces him in a grateful hug. He places a hand on her head as she whispers "Thank you", and she pulls away, looking up at him. He smiles lightly. "Are you all right now, dear??" She nods, wiping tears off her face with a pale hand. He brushes a strand of her silvery white hair out of her eyes. "Would you like me to walk you home, then?" She lowers her head. "I have no home..." she whispers, violet eyes glazing over with fresh tears. He puts his finger under her chin and raises her head to face him. "Well..that makes two of us. Would you like to come with me? Or are you with someone else?" She looks up at him, unbelieving that such an elegant person can be from the streets. "I have no one, but are you sure you want me with you?? I mean, I have nothing to offer. I would be a burden to you..." "Dear girl, you could never be a burden to me. I feel I would enjoy your company greatly..." She smiles. "All right then...I'll come with you." He grins down at her. "Good....Oh!" She cocked her head at him. "What??" "I'm sorry, dear, I haven't properly introduced myself. My name is Treiken Stratenada," he says, bowing to her. She smiles widely. "And my name, kind sir, is Vertigo...Vertigo Dimentia," she answers, curtsying to him. "Vertigo...hmmm...never have I heard a name like that......it is quite lovely. Shall we go?" he asks, offering her his arm. "We shall," she answers, taking it, and they set off.
They ended up in Chinatown, where everything was set up like a Chinese plaza. Everything was colored in brilliant red, green, and gold, and images of dragons, lions, and other creatures were everywhere. As they walked arm-in-arm, Treiken could hear Vertigo's stomach growl, and his belly was too calling out for food.
He smiled down at her. "Would you like to be treated to a traditional Chinese meal, me dear?" She looked up, confused. "But...how?" He chuckled. "Just because I have no home, does not mean I have no money. If I was a poor man, you just might be a burden to me..." "Oh," she sighs. "In that case, I may not be worthy of your presence..." "My dear girl...I am the one not worthy of your company. I wish to help you, and that we may rise in status together. Please do not speak that way. Shall we eat then?" She smiled and nodded, and he took her hand and led her into the restaurant...
They ate most of the meal in silence, Treiken being very neat with his chopsticks, never spilling a single piece of his pepper steak, while Vertigo used to fork to hastily devour her stir fry. Treiken kept an eye on the waiter, a Chinese boy with deep, slanted black eyes and black hair slicked back into a thin ponytail, a boy who deeply reminded him of Treize's destroyer. Ah, Wufei , he thought to himself, my dear friend, I can never forget you... He smiled faintly, closing his eyes.
After finishing her meal, Vertigo was the first one to break the silence. "So, Treiken, you seem so high-class...what are you doing on the streets?" He smiles. "I actually had a home until this afternoon, but it was nothing more than a failing apartment. Our building caught fire, and I just walked out and left it all behind. But let us just say I just happened upon the streets. What about you? You are a rare lovely blossom in this dirt-heap." She blushes from his comment. "I'm like you, I just arrived here, you could say..." Neither character realizes the significance of what the other is saying.
The waiter walked up to the table, interrupting their conversation. "You are finished, sir?" he asks, and Treiken nods. The waiter drops the check on the table before taking up their plates and moving off to the back. Treiken picks up the ticket in his left hand and extends his right hand to Vertigo. It is only then that she realizes his whole right arm is bionic. "Oh, my," she said, though not hesitant to take the metal hand. "May I ask what happened?" He sadly looks down at his artificial limb. "It was taken off by a dragon." She raises an eyebrow as they walk hand-in-hand to the register. "A dragon? I thought they were only myth." He shook his head. Oh, no my dear. They are very real, as are many other mystical creatures. They just prefer to hide within other forms." "I see..." He pays for the meal with money from a little pouch on the inside of his cloak, and they walk out into the night.
They stand out on the sidewalk for a minute, trying to find out what they should do next. A clock on a sign reads 10:17 p.m. Treiken looked down at Vertigo, who, in her tattered lavender dress, was shivering in the cold night air. Quickly he removes his long cloak and places it around his shoulders. She smiled at him and moved closer, wrapping her arms around his thin waist and softly laying her head on his chest. He smiled softly and held her close, one hand stroking her silken hair. Then he placed a finger under her chin, lifting her face to his, and kissed her softly on the lips. She pulled back in surprise, then chuckled, looking up into his reddish eyes as he grinned down at her. She shook her head in awe as he slipped his arm around her slim waist. "Now...are we going to find a place to stay the night?" he asked. She nods. "But where will we stay?" "There's a motel right down the road," he said, pointing. "I can pay for us each a room." She cocked her head. "A room each?" He smiled, chuckling lightly. "I figured it would be a little more proper for us to have separate rooms, but if you like I can got a room with two beds, if you don't want to be alone." She nodded. "I feel like I've grown closer to you, Treiken, and I don't want to be separated so soon." "Well, shall we go, then?" She nodded, and they walked down the street towards to motel.
Vertigo stood in the lobby of the motel while Treiken paid for a room. She glances around uneasily as people stare at Treiken's arm and her in her tattered dress. Treiken got the room key and walked up to her, offering her his arm. She took his arm and they walk upstairs to the room together.
The room was small, with two beds, a nightstand with a lamp and a clock, a set of drawers with a television on top, and a very small bathroom. Treiken flopped down on the bed, and Vertigo walked into the bathroom to take a shower. When she came out, still wearing her tattered dress, he was curled up under the blankets, fast asleep. She smiled down at his sleeping form, and crawled into the other bed, switching of the lamp. She lay in the dark for a minute, but was soon asleep.
A cage. . .the cold metal bars are closing in on her. . .a red flame looms over her. A voice. . ."I knew you were the last!" Vertigo sat up in bed, shaking all over. That dream again. . .when will it end? she thought to herself. It was still dark in the room. The glowing numbers on the clock read 4:20 a.m. She glances over to where Treiken lays under the blankets, fast asleep. She slips out of bed and walks over to his bed, looking down at his still form. She shivers once as she feels an inhuman presence from him. She decides that at this point, she doesn't care, and crawls in bed beside him. He stirs, and turns his head towards her. He chuckles once and slides his arm, his bionic arm, around her shoulders, and they sleep that way for the rest of the night.
Vertigo awoke the next morning in the bed alone. She sat up and looked around. Treiken was in the bathroom with his back to her. His shirt was off and he was just wearing the long wrap around his waits. Two faint marks were on his shoulder blades. Again she feels something inhuman from him. She sat on the side of the bed and brushed her hair out of her eyes, exposing the pink star on her forehead. Treiken turned around and smiled, and walked to her. "Good morning, dear. Did you have a nightmare last night?" She nodded. "A recurring dream. I'll get over it." He nods once. "Do you want something to eat? They have free breakfast in the lobby." She shook her head, remembering the stares of the people last night. "Okay," he shrugs and looks down at the floor, then back up to her, his expression becoming serious. "Can I tell you something?" She nods. "No," he said. "Can I tell you something, and you promise not to be afraid?" She nodded again. "You have to promise me, that you won't be frightened, and you will believe me, and won't tell anyone. Do you promise?" "Yes, I promise," she whispered. "Okay. . .just. . .can I kiss you first?" She nodded, and he leaned forward and softly kissed her lips. He sat back and looked into her eyes. "Okay. . .a few decades ago, there was a man named Folken Strategos. He was killed, but instead of going to Heaven or Hell, his spirit was stuck somewhere between realms, for he felt he had unfinished business. Just a few years ago, a man named Treize Khushrenada suffered the same fate. The Force of the realm decided to grant the man life again, but instead of granting it to them separately, he combined the men into. . .me." Vertigo started to say something, but he silenced her. "There's more. I, Treiken Stratenada, am the fusion between Folken Lacquer De Fanel-Strategos and Treize Khushrenada. Folken was not a human. He was a Draconian. Humans call us..." "Destroyers of Atlantis," Vertigo cut in. "The winged people. Angels of Destruction." Treiken nodded. "You have heard of us."
"I heard the Draconian were all dead." "We were...until I was created." She nodded. "Can I. . .see your wings?" He smiled and nodded, the stood up and moved over to a roomy spot in the room. He stretches his arms out in front of him and looked at her. "Don't be afraid..." he whispered. She shook her head. He closed his eyes, and with a sound that was as soft and as sudden as doves taking to flight, his huge wings burst out of his back. She gasped as the ebony and silver wings stretched out to span the room. He folded the wings behind him and opened his eyes, looking to her. "Oh, Treiken," she breathed. "They're beautiful.'' She walked over to him, and he smiled down at her. "Thank you." She closed her eyes. "Treiken..." He looked down at her. "Yes?" "I need to tell you....I'm not human, either, but before I tell you what I am, I must tell you why I am here. I was sent by the Force of your dimension to watch you, to see if you were as good as you said you would be. You proved yourself, so you have been granted a country of your own. It was created by the people of the alternate realm. The people you ruled over in your past lives will be brought back, to become the people of your new country. Congratulations, Treiken." He smiled brightly. "So...I have a country now." She nodded. "You have somewhere to go now. . ." She looked down. "What will you do now?" asked Treiken. "Go back to my homeland, I guess. Although I don't really want to go back..." He cocked his head and looked down at her. "Where is your homeland?" "The land of the Unicorns," she answered. He smiled. "I knew you were too mystical and beautiful to be human." She chuckled and shook her head. "Would you like to come with me? I have my new country now, but I need someone too keep me from getting lonely." She looked up at him. "Wouldn't I be a burden to you?" "Vertigo, dear girl, you could never be a burden to me." She smiled. "All right then. I will come with you." He smiled. "Good. Shall we go?" He offers her his arm, and she takes it. He grabs his cloak and they leave, to start their new life together.