Of Prophecy and Destiny
Written by: Miko Swordmaiden and Rei-girl
Summary: Two long years after the war was started between the Dragons of Heaven and the Dragon's of Earth in 1999 the battle still rages on. The beautiful city of Tokyo now lies in ruins and just when it seems that all hope is lost for the Dragons of Heaven….a new prophecy comes to light …….
Disclaimer: We don't own these characters…we just LOVE THEM and are "borrowing" them for a little while! So please don't sue us for active imaginations! Thanks!
Just a quick notice for any and all reading this fic….This has been a very special collaboration between two authors who are very passionate about these characters, most especially Sorata and Arashi. Weeks of hard work and brainstorming have gone into this story in the hopes that you as readers will enjoy it! Please read it, enjoy it and if time permits we'd LOVE to hear from you in reviews! Thanks for your support and happy reading! – Miko and Rei
It was three twenty five in the morning….and he couldn't sleep. It wasn't that he didn't want to sleep…in fact…he wanted nothing more than to forget all of the cares and concerns that constantly plagued him and dream of happier things…but he couldn't. Not with everything that had happened.
He sighed in frustration and turned his head to look at the beautiful woman sleeping next to him. She lay quietly, her long dark hair splayed delicately across her neck, shoulders and back. Her full, soft lips parted just a fraction as she sighed contentedly in her sleep. He smiled slightly as he watched her sleep, still unable to believe that he was lucky enough to have someone as beautiful and amazing as her in his life.
"I love you…" He whispered softly, unable to stop himself from confessing it aloud. She stirred slightly but didn't wake, instead moaning quietly as she clutched her pillow. Turning away from her beauty he looked back up at the dark ceiling and sighed in frustration once more. Unable to stand lying awake and just worrying, Sorata sat up and carefully got out of bed, making his way to the window of their motel room. Parting the dingy curtains he opened the cracked panel of glass and took a deep breath of cool night air, taking in their current surroundings.
They were in a very remote sector of Tokyo, where many of the city's most beautiful buildings now lay in ruins thanks to the never ending battles between the Dragons of Heaven and the Dragons of Earth. Most of the city's kekkais had fallen but a small handful still remained. I wonder how long that will last though... He silently worried to himself.
It had been two long years since the battle for earth's fate had started, and now, after all of their sacrifices and all of their efforts it seemed as though the Dragons of Heaven were destined to fail. Sorata covered his face with one hand as he gripped the window pane tightly with his other. The awful events of the last two years played out like a movie on repeat, over and over in his mind. He could see it all clearly, as though it had all happened yesterday…....
…….He and the other dragons had discovered too late that Princess Hinoto had lost herself to her darker half. If it hadn't been for Kamuii's suspicions and his own gohodoji, they would probably have all been killed by now. It had been nothing short of a miracle that they had not lost Arashi completely to Hinoto's dreamscape, as he had battled the dark princess to get free her……
….…Sorata shuddered at the memory and looked back over at the woman he loved who was still sleeping soundly in their bed. He had nearly killed Hinoto to get Arashi back, and though he had finally been successful, the whole ordeal had taken a terrible toll on Arashi's health. Hinoto's plan had been to change and reform Arashi's mind, body and soul in order to transform her into a dragon of earth. In interrupting that process of change it had nearly stripped Arashi of all life completely. As he used an especially powerful esoteric Buddhist spell to bring her back, Hinoto used the last of her energy to transcend the diet building and take her place among the Dragons of Earth.
That had been the start of their downfall... With Arashi's weakened and now powerless condition, and Hinoto changing sides, the Dragons of Heaven weren't sure their side could stand anymore. And then the impossible had happened…
……During an especially terrible battle, Kamuii and Fuma had faced off with one another in what appeared to be THE final battle, the one that would truly decide humanity's fate. Most of the dragons on both sides had been there and though they had fought fiercely, none of them could help but stop to watch the battle between the two Kamuiis.
Sacred sword met sacred sword in a vengeance, the sound ringing forebodingly throughout the air. The fight was like something straight out of a nightmare. And then the moment finally came… just when Kamuii seemed to have the upper hand…Fuma had smiled…..
…..It was a smile so dark and cruel that Sorata would never be able to forget it no matter how hard he tried…
…….With a mighty swing of his sword, Fuma struck Kamuii's shinken so violently that the blade of the weapon cracked! Almost instantly the broken blade started to glow brighter and brighter with intensity until the sacred weapon completely disappeared in an explosion of light. Kamuii's shinken….was gone.
What had taken place had been so completely unbelievable to both sides that, for a moment, all any of them could do was stare in absolute shock. It didn't take long though for the shock to wear off and the Dragons of Earth renewed their assault without mercy. The Dragons of Heaven had been lucky to escape that battle with their very lives….
…Sorata returned his attention to the dark and deserted street outside the window, continuing to relive the past…
…….Their losses had been devastating and for all intents and purposes, it had seemed that all hope for their side was now lost. Without the Shinken, how was Kamuii supposed to fight Fuma and win? They still had Kamuii, but without the sword of destiny, how would earth's fate ever be decided?...
…Sorata shook his head, trying to shake off the feelings of despair that were starting to creep their way into his thoughts. One good thing had come of that battle though….
……. Kusanagi, Yuzuriha's "friend", had chosen to turn his back on the Dragons of Earth and fight along side the Dragons of Heaven. It was a small victory for the Dragons of Heaven (especially for Yuzuriha) and though he immediately became a valuable friend, not even Kusanagi could make up for all they had lost. It was certainly one less Dragon of Earth they had to worry about however.
After that battle, the Dragons of Earth waged a full scale assault on all mankind, choosing to reveal themselves and their "true purpose". Satsuki, with that monstrosity she so lovingly referred to as "Beast" managed to override all of Tokyo's computer networking systems. Everything from ATMs, security systems, military defense systems; not even minute electronics were spared. Everything from radio and satellite broadcasts to cellular phones, ground lines and television stations. If it involved technology…Satsuki and Beast could control and monitor it. This took place over the course of a few days. Within a few weeks, Beast had spread like a virus, infecting technology as a whole, world wide. There was no technological system on earth that was not being closely monitored by that mechanical monster and the heartless woman who controlled it.
All hell had broken loose after that. The Dragons of Earth used that technology to go public, broadcasting on every TV and radio station, sending out a message to the people….
…..Sorata's throat constricted tightly in anger as he remembered the repetitious broadcasts and the hellish nightmare it had brought on all of them….
…..The Dragons of Earth announced to the world that they were there to act as "guardians" for the earth and that if mankind cooperated with them, then they would be spared…but anyone who dared to resist them would be subject to capture, extreme torture and pain of death.
Then they did something that NONE of the Dragons of Heaven had foreseen. The Dragons of Earth then initiated a world wide manhunt for all of the Dragons of Heaven. Each of their names and faces were then broadcast to the world as enemies of the "guardians" and that they were wanted either dead or alive.
The people of Tokyo tried to fight back at first, using the military and anyone who would volunteer to fight, but just as they had promised, the Dragons of Earth used man's own weapons and technology against them and crushed any opposition with extreme force….
…..Sorata clenched his fists together in anger as he thought of the hundreds of people who had perished in the hopeless battles. He knew…He had been there in the fight alongside them….
…….He, Kusanagi, Yuzuriha and surprisingly Subaru had all felt compelled to fight alongside Tokyo's inhabitants even though they knew they were fighting battles they would not win and possibly even die in. But how could they just allow the people they were destined to protect fight the Dragons of Earth without them? They went to Kamui seeking permission to engage in the battles to which Kamui fully agreed but was not permitted to fight in himself.
"If we lost you Kamui then our only hope to end this war in the future would be lost as well." Subaru had told him fervently. Kamui reluctantly agreed to stay behind with Arashi who had still not fully recovered from the struggle with Hinoto. It was also agreed upon that Aoki-san and Karen would also stay behind to ensure their safety in the event that Kamui's whereabouts were discovered……..
……..Sorata's heart ached as he remembered telling Arashi he was leaving to fight with the people of Tokyo…..
……..Her temper had flared so fiercely that he backed away from her in complete surprise. She screamed at him in anger; calling him and the others fools for trying to fight a battle that they KNEW they couldn't win. She called it a suicide mission, one that could easily claim them all if they chose to fight. With those stinging words flung so callously at him she threw off the covers of her hospital bed, ripped the IV out of her hand and weakly yet determinedly walked towards him. As she heatedly approached him, he felt tears sting his eyes as he then heard her passionately vow to fight alongside him despite her condition, refusing to be left behind on a mission that may claim his life. She would fight by him like she ALWAYS had and if he were to die then she would die along side him!
She faltered the last step before reaching him and he caught her, pulling her closely to his chest in a desperate embrace as she weakly struggled against him, refusing to let him leave her behind. His strong arms held her tightly and after a moment her movements calmed and she latched onto his shirt fiercely, refusing to let go as he silently memorized the feel of her body against his. His heart beat a silent steady prayer to any God that would listen that he was not holding her for the last time. Her desire to stay beside him spoke volumes of her true feelings for him. It humbled him beyond words but he could not allow her to follow him. She could barely walk much less fight and he refused to let her die because of him. The very thought made it difficult to breathe and he shut his eyes tightly to hold back the tears he felt brimming at the idea that she would *ever* die.
Finally he pulled her back so he could look into her tear stained eyes and swiftly steeled himself as he then used a tactic against her that still shamed him to this day. He used fear and guilt as weapons against her and told her that if she indeed went into battle with him that he would surely die…because of her. He coldly told her that she was too weak to fight, especially since she had lost the power of Ise, and that he would inevitably die protecting her in the battle…just as he was destined to... all because of her.
His heart broke as he watched her mouth and eyes widen in absolute shock at his cruel words, as shocked as though he had just struck her and he was sure that, emotionally, he had. His heart screamed at him to pull her back into his embrace and never let her go when she released her tight grip on him and slowly stepped away. And though he wished with all of his heart to take it back and reassure her, he couldn't. He knew it was a low blow, it was the only way to keep her there and keep her safe. He watched her return to her bed and refuse to look at him, or even speak. It was obvious that there was nothing left for either of them to say and so without looking back, he turned and left…
….Sorata's mind was suddenly swept up in a torrent of violent and gruesome images as he remembered the battles that ensued once he and his comrades had left. Though they had fought bravely, it was nothing less than a massacre. Bodies of brave men and women littered the battlefield as they fought an impossible fight. But once people started to realize that they were hopelessly overpowered by the Dragons of Earth, many of Tokyo's inhabitants started to turn on each other. They truly believed that if they took up the "guardians of earth's" cause, then they would be spared, and THAT was when Sorata knew that there was truly no hope left. The Dragons of Heaven and the surviving humans who remained loyal to them retreated, and though the Dragons of Heaven had all survived, they were not without scars….
…….Sorata's throat constricted painfully as he remembered faces of friends he'd fought alongside, friends who believed in him as a Dragon of Heaven and who trusted that he and the others would find a way to beat the Dragons of Earth, friends, who were now no longer among the living…..
……. He had watched helplessly as close friends he'd made while attending Clamp academy died from terrible wounds they'd sustained in their fight against the Dragons of Earth …all because they believed in the cause of the true Kamui.
Their deaths had left deep emotional scars on Sorata's soul and he knew then that he had hit rock bottom. At that moment, all he wanted was to see his beloved Arashi's face again. His heart ached painfully as he remembered the cruel things he'd said to her and he feared that after what he'd done, she'd never want to see him again. But his longing to look upon her was beyond mere desire, it was an overwhelming need. He NEEDED to see her, more than he needed his next breath. He knew that, somehow, her very presence could banish the all encompassing grief and despair that now threatened to consume his heart and soul.
Aoki, Karen and Kamui welcomed them back warmly with open arms and were incredibly relieved to see that they were all ok, albeit a little worse for wear. They were offered food and drink and though his comrades had accepted, Sorata declined, stating that he needed to see Arashi. Karen warned him that though Arashi had been recovering nicely, she was bound to be asleep at that hour of the night. Sorata promised he wouldn't wake her and then left his friends in search of Arashi's room….
...Sorata jerked suddenly as he felt a warm yet unexpected hand lightly caress his back. Turning from the window he was met by the eyes of his beloved Arashi, her robe pulled tightly around her. "What's wrong Sorata? You need to be sleeping. We only have a few hours left before we need to leave."
"Arashi!" Sorata blurted in surprise as he drew the shabby curtains closed and turned towards her. "I didn't mean to wake you! I'm so sorry."
"You didn't." she shook her head quietly, "I just….got cold all a sudden." she admitted somewhat shyly.
Sorata's eyes softened and he smiled warmly. "Well, we can't have that now, can we." He joked as he smoothly swept her up into his arms and carried her back to the bed.
"I'm not an invalid Sorata, I CAN walk you know." She quipped while lightly poking him in the chest.
"Of course you aren't Nee-chan! You just said you were cold, so I simply thought I'd help warm you up!" he grinned as he gently placed her back on the bed while sliding in next to her.
She shivered slightly as he pulled her towards him and wrapped the covers snuggly around them. She rested her head on his chest and sighed contentedly as she listened to the rhythmic beating of his heart. "…Was it another nightmare?..." she asked quietly after a moment.
"No." He sighed just as quietly in reply.
"….Is it….me?.." she asked hesitantly.
Sorata balked at her question as she lifted her head to look in his eyes.
"NO! Of COURSE it's not you! Why would you ever ask such a question?!" He immediately shot back as he returned her gaze.
"It's just that…..sometimes I feel like such a burden to you…." she whispered, her voice wavering with emotion as she turned her head away from him in shame.
She felt his warm hand caress her cheek while slipping down to pull her chin gently but firmly back towards him.
"Look at me Arashi…" he whispered softly.
Reluctantly, she returned his gaze, her eyes shimmering with the threat of barely restrained tears.
"You will NEVER be a burden to me Arashi. NOT EVER. I need you, now and always. In fact, that's exactly what I was thinking about just a few moments ago."
Arashi's tears finally brimmed over her eyelashes and slipped gracefully down her cheeks as she smiled softly at his words. His brow creased in love and concern as he brought his hands up to tenderly wipe her tears away with his thumbs.
"I love you." she whispered silently as she closed her eyes and reveled at his touch.
His breath caught in his throat every time she said those words to him and he gently pulled her head back down to rest on his chest.
"I love you too…" he whispered affectionately as he lovingly stroked her back.
Arashi snuggled closer to him and his other arm instinctually tightened around her waist. She exhaled slowly as her mind contemplated what Sorata had just told her. It was difficult for her to believe that someone like Sorata could ever truly need someone like her. They were complete opposites in almost every way…and yet, somehow, they managed to perfectly balance each other.
He was strong in so many ways; physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally. There was a time when she used to be that strong, but so much had changed in the last several months that it gave her reason to doubt herself. After losing the power of Ise and then being caught in Hinoto's dreamscape, she feared that she would never be the same, no matter how hard she tried. Her body had become weak as well as her heart and it had been a hellish experience trying to regain whatever strength she could. Her weakness brought her shame, for she had always been strong and independent but nothing had shamed her more than when Sorata had told her that her inability to fight would truly be the death of him.
It was her greatest fear, but to hear him say it aloud had nearly broken her. She knew he had said it to keep her safe at the time, but that knowledge did not soften the blow it had been to her heart, much less her pride. She had watched him leave then and though her heart longed to call him back to her, the shock of what he'd said had stayed her tongue. In that moment, she had promised herself that she would regain her strength and once again be of use to her fellow Dragons of Heaven, despite her loss of powers. She hadn't realized just how soon her strength would be needed however when Sorata and the others had finally returned to them after their long battle. She remembered that dark night well……
…She had been sleeping lightly when she heard the door to her room open slightly, the soft light of the hallway spilling into the darkened hospital room. Several emotions filled her at once and she was unsure how to react. In her heart she knew it was him, and though she had anxiously awaited his return, she now felt lost as to how she should feel. Part of her was still angry at how he had treated her…but the greater part of her was so relieved to know that he was still alive and unharmed that she didn't really care. She had waited for him for days, praying unceasingly that he would be protected and once again return to her.
But now that that moment had finally come…she didn't know what to do…so she remained motionless, allowing him to think she was asleep. She half expected him to leave, but to her surprise she heard him quietly enter the room and close the door behind him. She tried to stay calm as she was still hooked up to an IV and heart monitor and listened closely to what he was doing. She sensed him draw near to her and for all she could tell, he simply stood there and watched her. He remained that way for quite some time and it was slowly starting to make her uncomfortable. What is he looking at? she wondered anxiously but then without warning he shifted his position and she felt the side of her bed tilt downward ever so slightly as she sensed him kneel down at her bedside, his arms causing the mattress to dip.
Then, to her utter surprise…she heard him begin to weep softly. Her heart wrenched in agony at the sound and unable to stand it any longer she opened her eyes. Indeed it was him, the only man she knew who could light up a room with that million watt smile he wore so comfortably. All she could see of him now was a dark mass of unruly black hair as his head was bent over his arms as he wept into them quietly and uncontrollably. She had never seen him this way and it completely unnerved her. The sound of his sobs tore at her soul and the sudden desire to comfort him compelled her to reach out and run her fingers through his disheveled hair, a gesture she had come to love.
His head jerked up at her touch and his eyes immediately found hers. Tears raced down his cheeks in a steady stream as he took in the beautiful face that now shone with concern before him.
"I'm sorry…" he whispered brokenly, "…so very sorry…."
A tight knot formed in her throat at his apology and, unable to speak, she could only shake her head as she reached out to him. Immediately, he reached out for her and pulled her into a fierce embrace, desperate to feel her in his arms once more. She held him just as tightly as he continued to weep into her shoulder.
"Im sorry, Im sorry…." he whimpered over and over. She stroked the back of his neck tenderly with one hand as she rubbed comforting circles on his back with the other.
"Shh……" she whispered softly as she felt his body shake with sobs against her.
"Please forgive me Arashi…" he choked out, "I know I don't deserve it…but forgive me for hurting you….. And forgive me for my weakness… I just…I needed someone to turn to…. Someone who could make everything ok…."
Arashi pulled away from him then and reached up to cup his face in her hands. He shut his eyes, unable to face her this way and in that moment Arashi realized that Sorata was bearing his soul to her. He often hid behind that beautiful smile that suited him so well, a joke always up his sleeve to lighten the darkness of any dire situation, never once showing anyone his fear or his pain.
Her eyes roamed over his handsome face, the evidence of his dangerous exploits apparent in cuts and bruises on his neck and cheeks. She was shocked to see that he still wore clothes that still carried large dark bloodstains and she suddenly feared that perhaps he had been seriously injured.
"You're wounded!" she gasped and her hands dropped down to touch the tainted fabric of his ruined shirt.
Sorata looked down as Arashi lifted his shirt to find the source of the blood stains but found no serious wounds, only scrapes and scars.
His hands covered hers, stilling her search, not wanting her to dirty her hands with the blood and filth that clung to him. "It's…its not all mine…"
She looked back up at him and saw the raw and unbearable pain that filled his soulful brown eyes. He had seen something awful out there on the battlefield, something that now filled him with such overwhelming grief and sorrow that she could feel it even now starting to touch her own soul.
Gently, she pulled her hands out of his and grabbed the fabric of his shirt once more, lifting it up and over his head as he in turn lifted his arms and allowed her to take it off of him. She swiftly threw it on the floor, hoping to rid him of the slight essence of death that lingered on the stained material. Sorata watched as she then took his hands in hers, and looked up at him her eyes full of love and compassion.
" Tell me what happened out there Sorata….what has you so upset?"
His eyes brimmed with fresh tears and he shook his head, refusing to fill her mind with the grizzly images that he himself was struggling to cope with.
"Sharing the burden you now carry in your heart with me is not weakness Sorata. You can shield the pain in your heart from everyone else with a carefree grin…but don't shield it from me. Not me….." she whispered ardently. "You have always been strong for me… just once….let me be strong for you."
Powerless to resist the intensity of the love that filled his heart for the strong and beautiful woman before him, he inclined his head to seek out her lips. Arashi swiftly rose to her knees to meet him as they engaged in a passionate kiss. She brought her hands up to cup his tear stained cheeks as his hands pulled her closer to him as the kiss intensified.
That night she held him in her arms as he told her of the terrible things he had seen and experienced, of the sorrow and hopelessness that he had felt as the very humans they were fighting to protect had turned on them in hopes of saving themselves by joining the enemy. He told her of the friends he'd lost and how he feared their deaths would forever haunt him.
Arashi had listened quietly, and once he had finished immediately went to work healing his wounded soul by reminding him of the fact that the war was not yet over. That as long as they were together, there would always be hope. She filled his heart with the faith that she had in him and in their comrades, especially Kamui. She passionately vowed that the future was yet to be determined and that somehow, they would find a way to win the war and bring peace to humanity once more.
The rest of that night had been spent in each others arms. Not as lovers, but as two soul mates, each offering peace and solace to the other…….
….Arashi felt Sorata's hand finally still on her back as her thoughts trailed back to the present. She looked back up at him to find his eyes closed, his face relaxed as sleep had finally overcome him. She smiled softly as she watched him sleep. It was a rare thing when she caught Sorata sleeping peacefully. His dreams were often plagued with nightmares now but every once and a while she would catch him at a moment such as this one. His beautiful face so innocent and childlike as he dreamt of happy things.
Yes. He did need her, she decided…just as much as she needed him. Especially now…in the face of a new prophecy that had not only changed their lives, but would now change the lives of every man, woman and child who now lived on the earth. A prophecy that now had them on the run for their very lives.
"Sleep well my love…" she whispered to her sleeping companion. "You'll need your strength for what lies ahead." For in a few hours they would be escaping the city of Tokyo, uncertain as to when they would ever return……………
Thanks again for reading everyone! Please review and the next chapter will be up soon!