Author's Notes: My Autozam side must be flourishing finally. (Thanks to Bearit's fantastic fanfiction! ^_^) I finally came around to doing an Eagle fic. I hope you like it; it's done in a style I've never used before: second person narrative. -_-;; Difficult. Please tell me if you like. Oh, and this is set in the anime timeline, shortly before Eagle's demise.
Warnings: Mature themes, and depending upon your interpretation of this story, possibly shounen-ai.
Spoilers: Mild for series.
Obligatory Disclaimer: I own on part of Magic Knight Rayearth or any of its characters.
You
He's watching you again. You know that. You've known him too long not to, known him too long not to know that he's angry with you.
And he's hurt.
You never wanted him to discover the truth behind your illness; you wanted to spare him the pain. Of course, that's been the stories of your lives since you first met. You, the tender, secretive child, hiding his dark confession from an anxious, meddlesome parent. And he has been a father to you in some ways, hasn't he? Watching over you as you sleep, holding you tenderly when you need a friend, prodding you for answers when you seem melancholy.
Yet he was also your friend. Sometimes more. He never sheltered you from harsh truth, but he's never maliciously hurt you either. He's honest and delightfully sweet. Forever could you stand by his side and watch the stars pass by.
You can still recall clearly how he held you after that first encounter with Lantis. How the memories violated you then, tearing through the fragile armor you'd built around yourself and plundering the rich valleys of your soul. Damn him, you think now, pulling your visor secure over the side of your voice, damn him for resurrecting the past.
But there are other memories alongside the anguish. There is the sound of his voice, deep and lovely, resounding in ears, claiming that he would be willing to give up his beloved candy just for you. Only you.
And then you stop adjusting your visor long enough to consider what it would mean to be his. To give up this futile battle and sit down one afternoon over some warm tea and a bag a candy, his chocolate eyes showing you the universe in just a few glances. And they are stars of their very own designs, what with their dark, twinkling orbs that burn strong even in the dimmest hours of the night.
But you shatter that image as a soon as it comes as you remind yourself of the battle that lies ahead. There is no time for you to reflect on what could have been. There is no want. Only necessity.
But it hurts all the same, and when his incensed features appear across the communication screen, you turn it off without second heed. You've already been forced to bear witness to his sorrow and fear, and you don't think you could handle such a burden again.
Your heart is already shedding its own tears.
The familiar feel of your craft rising into the unknown depths of drags you back to reality, shattering the crystal void of dreams. It's time to fight. Time to let go of illusions that will never become reality. Your hands shake as you wrap them around the pulsing energy crystal against your forehead, adjusting it as the object begins to pulse hotly with heat.
As warm as the arms he embraced you with. As reassuring as the sound of his voice echoing in your ears and the heat of his torso as you rested your throbbing forehead upon it.
No! Your fists clench, your heart resolved now more than ever to feel no regrets in this final clash of destinies. Because this is the path you chose to take, and the knight who chooses to fight the enemy alone has nobody to blame but his own actions.
And you tell yourself this, as false and disgustingly unreal as it seems, if only to comfort your aching heart. Because you know this wrong, and you know your cause isn't just. You aren't here for Cephiro, you're here because...because...
You shake your head of idle thoughts. You are here to win. Grasping the controls, you press hard on the forward gear, your craft rapidly speeding towards your ultimate destination.
To Cephiro. Your decision. Your destiny, the one you hold so dear.
Your damnation.
Final Notes From the Author:
I always questioned Eagle's motives behind taking Cephiro. He seemed too detached from his ultimate goal, too distant from the others. It was if the journey was meant more to reflect something he needed to prove rather than save a country. Now don't get me wrong; I'm not saying he was doing it selfishly. That's obviously not true. I'm just trying to show that even the noble have regrets. ;-;
Thank you for reading!