A/N: My first fanfiction, originally written for the Gurren Lagann Kink Meme on Livejournal. The title is the name of a song on a Silent Hill soundtrack, by Akira Yamaoka. I'll figure out how to use this website sometime... My apologies for OOCness. I really liked Adiane, and felt like she was more intelligent than she was portrayed...IDK. Comments and constructive critiques are highly encouraged!
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters; copyright Gainax
She had left Viral in charge of things. As long as he had enough brains to know how to keep the ship pointed straight as it moved through the water, they probably wouldn't all die - which seemed to be the case if that accursed cat-beast was on a mission. She had been furious that the stupid little bastard dared to ask to come with her. How dare he even show his face at the Capital after what happened to Tymilph! She decided eventually to bring him along to relieve stress. Viral was much more durable compared to the rest of her previous victims; he even thanked her afterwards, saying that it was suiting punishment for his failures.
Her mouth curved slowly into a cruel smirk. Let us see if the former princess would last even ten minutes.
The guard shrunk in terror when she stopped in front of the door.
"You n-need to see the p-p-prisoner, Adiane-sama?" he stuttered. She raised her tail menacingly. The guard squeaked.
"Of course, you fool. What other reason could I possibly have for being in this hallway staffed with disgusting beasts like you," she snarled. Why was such a beautiful, powerful, and intelligent being such as herself be surrounded by insufferable maggots? The sorry specimen of a beastman edged away to allow her access to the cell door.
"No one is to disturb me. Do not knock on the door unless the ship is sinking or about to explode." With Viral at the helm, the options were highly possible.
She opened the door and stepped in. The small room had enough light for her to see the ex-princess curled up on the floor, back to Adiane. The general smiled to herself. With a sharp motion, she slammed the door behind her. Nia jerked up at the metallic bang. She turned around to see who had joined her. Those huge pink and blue eyes narrowed. Minute wrinkles appeared on her smooth ivory face, on her forehead, at the corners of her mouth, and around her eyes. It was unattractive. Adiane gazed at her disdainfully - but was eager to twist that soft face in pain.
"Such an ugly expression, little girl, is not wise when directed at the person who can kill you in an agonizingly slow manner," Adiane hissed.
"I am not afraid of death, Adiane-sama. You do not frighten me," Nia proclaimed, but a slight tremble in her high-pitched voice suggested otherwise. She stood up shakily and tried to move to see her captor in better light, but the shackles and chains around her ankles keep her from straying.
The tall general swished her scorpion tail with anticipation, shelled sections clicking against the floor. She would enjoy beating this arrogant child.
"Brave words…for a piece of worthless trash."
Nia's pale cheeks colored in anger.
"Oh, getting upset, 'princess'? The Spiral King threw you away. You are of no use to him. He has given his permission for you to be exterminated, along with those pathetic humans who dare to expose their pathetic hides above ground," she taunted. "Maybe when I'm done playing with you, I'll deliver you back to their stolen ship, just to watch you all die together. Wouldn't that be sweet? You can perish in the arms of that boy the stupid humans chose as their commander. It'll be just like a fairy tale."
Nia was shaking in fury. Yes, get angry. It was so much more fun to break the spirit like that. Torturing the prisoner while she was acting like a martyr wouldn't have even be challenge.
The white-haired girl hissed in a voice colder than ice, "You are…the most evil being in the world. More than my father, more than Cytomander-sama, more than Guame-sama, more than Tymilph-sama. You are the most evil thing to ever live, Adiane-sama."
Forget just enjoying it. She was going to savor every moment of this beating.
Nia heard it before she felt it. The tail was probably moving too fast to be seen. It cracked her across the face like a whip. It was so unexpected that she was flung against the dirty wall. Adiane couldn't help laughing how pathetic the girl's reactions were.
Nia didn't move, slumped against the wall. She wasn't unconscious; her eyes glittered with tears of rage and pain behind her curly bangs.
"Get up, you little bitch. If you're not even going to fight back, at least stand up." Adiane hated it when they just laid there. It was like whipping a corpse; there was no fun in that. The ex-princess stayed motionless. Indignation and anger flashed through Adiane's system. This was it. This was the rush she craved. The flaring emotions, the heightened senses, the increased pulse…followed by the delicious release of violence.
She moved forward and seized her victim's soft white neck. Hauling her up and slamming her against the wall, Adiane growled in her face, "I can break you in half with one hand if I want to. Either you stand up and get what's coming to you or I leave your bloody carcass to rot on the deck of the humans' ship."
When she let go, Nia stood by herself. The general spat to the side.
"Wretched child. Because of you, I returned to the Capitol and faced the greatest dishonor I could ever have. I had to crawl on my hands and kneels for the King's pardon. I am in disgrace because of you. I begged for the King to grant me another chance. All this to avenge the only person who ever treated me like a true warrior…he was my only friend…" Adiane said, her voice softening at the end. Then hatred flared in her dark eyes. Her tail swished and struck Nia across the face again.
"He was my only friend and those damned humans killed him!!"
Nia steadied her wobbling knees and shouted back, "He killed their most precious person!!"
"I DON'T CARE!!!"
The hard shells slammed against her slender arms, much harder than before. Adiane tried to control her breathing. This wasn't good; she was letting her emotions get the better of her. She hadn't wanted this to get ugly. Her high was plummeting. If this continued, all the feelings she was pushing away would burst out. Not just fury…sorrow, loneliness, guilt, shame. A warrior didn't need these emotions. They were only weaknesses.
But…maybe if she did this a different way…she could get what she wanted.
She inhaled and exhaled slowly, expelling the blackness that gripped her heart with each breath. The haze in her head faded, replaced with crystal clarity. Pushing damp hair out of her eyes, she examined Nia.
The ex-princess's left cheek was mottled, accompanied by a ooze of blood from the corner of her small mouth. Her frail arms were beginning to purple with stripes of bruises. Such fragile skin. The paper thin flesh of a doll. A doll that had never been taken out into the sunlight, never felt the prickling of rain, never dropped or mishandled. A doll that had never known pain, anguish, loss, or humiliation. Now this doll was broken. Its perfect, still, cheerful face would crack open and all the pieces would fall away, leaving a living creature in its place. A doll would break if harmed, lie in the darkness, waiting for someone to fix it. But a flesh-and-blood being would heal…grow…adapt…and live.
Adiane felt a great ache in her chest. All her life, she had taken every wound and recovered. But now…she didn't know if she would anymore. If she died, would it be so terrible? Of course she would fight to the last, but would death be the shame she used to think it was? Maybe not.
She looked down at her own hands. They are scarred and hardened. The hands of a warrior, a survivor. Not like Nia's soft, flawless hands. Suddenly, she didn't feel hatred towards Nia anymore.
Nia flinched when she approached her. But Adiane touched her face gently, tilting her head up. She leaned down and licked up the trail of blood on her face. It was hot and salty. Like tears.
"Turn around." The words were low, but it was still a command.
Nia faced the wall and braced her hands against the wall. Her shoulders were shaking. With a swipe, Adiane sliced the back of her dress from neck to waist. The edges flapped to the side, baring her softly curving back. Adiane took a step behind her and held her tail ready. But Nia spoke first.
"Why do you do this, Adiane-sama?"
A long pause followed her words. Then came an answer.
"Because it must be done."
Each blow was steady, unchanging in force, timed in perfectly matched intervals. Slanted parallels of bruises blossomed on the snow-white skin. The tall woman whipped methodically, no expression on her face. This wasn't for her anymore. This was for Nia. This was for survival. This was for the fall of the beastmen. This was for the rise of the humans. This was for the future.
For each strike, this frail girl would endure one more injury. One more pain. One more struggle. One more day of existence, clawing for the right to live.
One day, the Spiral King would be defeated. The humans would reclaim this planet. They would build and learn and change. This was the one law of the universe no one could break, no matter how long or hard they tried. The law of evolution. The King would twist it, crush it, bend it, but it would never break. This was why the beastmen would vanish in time. They didn't evolve. Humans would adapt. Humans would persevere. There was no escaping fate.
Adiane would confront the human forces again. They would battle fiercely. In the end, someone would die. If it wasn't her, one day it would be. Even if it took a thousand years, more humans would come.
When she faced her opponents, no one would look at her and see a being changed. No one would ever know. She did not need anyone to know. Because deep in the primal souls of everyone, they already knew.
Nia took the abuse quietly, only uttering an occasional whimper. Her slender frame shook with each strike. When Adiane finally stopped, the girl remained as she was.
The general flicked her tail, splattering small scarlet droplets on the iron walls of the cell. She kneeled behind Nia to inspect the wounds she had inflicted. Some of the discolored flesh had split open and blood welled up from the cuts. Adiane carefully ran her tongue along each ugly contusion, cleaning away the blood. She licked until her entire mouth tasted of salt and iron. She could feel Nia shivering; from the pain or from the caresses, she didn't know.
Adiane stood and wiped her mouth on her sleeve.
"Do not forget this, child."
All Nia felt was a sharp grip on her neck that numbed her body from where it touched. She fell to the floor unconscious. Without another look, Adiane turned and left.
The guard locked the door behind her, hoping the imposing general would depart and not belittle him any more today. He almost dropped his keys when he heard her low voice behind him.
"Have the covert team return the prisoner to the human ship. Once that mission is complete, they are to report immediately back to me."
"Y-yes, Adiane-sama."
She walked back to the central command station, heels clicking forcefully. Any softness that had touched her face earlier had been left behind in that cell. Her countenance was arranged into its proper steely, cold look. When she reached the command station, she took her place in the captain's chair and gazed straight ahead. Viral slunk up beside her and whispered, "The covert team has just departed on your order, Adiane-sama."
She nodded and crossed her legs.
"Have the missiles checked and all cargo secured. We attack at dawn."