All Falls to Ashes, To Memories of the Dead
Written By: RinoaDestiny
Clover, Gingetsu, Kazuhiko, and Barus belong to CLAMP
– bombardment –
The city is in an uproar; civilians flee on foot or by transit and there is an ugly trampling of humanity like rats escaping a sinking ship. The sound of destruction – flames crackling, smoke rising, beams firing – seems to reinforce this as the capital is beleaguered.
Inside the Parliamentary Council building, the Wizards unite their power, unleash it, and continue to fight the opposition.
Because this was a long time in coming – expected.
Azaiea has finally invaded.
– rallying –
While the Wizards fight, their military takes the battle to ground. Several units fan out, share coordinates, and spearhead the movement against the Azurite troops hand-picked for this operation. One unit in particular, led by none other than Special Operations Lieutenant Colonel Gingetsu of the Secret Colors Battalion goes straight for the man behind this chaos.
There is a history behind this offensive and only Gingetsu knows why he's gunning so hard to put down Barus.
It's long overdue and has been since they – he and Kazuhiko – first encountered the man in Azurite territory. Barus had evaded capture time and time again and was the culprit responsible for maiming his former deputy officer.
Now, he has brought their home country to its knees, frightened the general populace.
But the Leopard had forgotten that they had claws too. Could and would fight back even if the city burned to the ground.
There were people who could fight and Gingetsu was proud to call them his men.
He, too, now followed his calling.
After all, he has nothing left to lose.
– recruit –
Even though he was former military – classified as civilian now by the graces of Kou – when Azaiea invaded bringing death and destruction to his country, Kazuhiko could not sit back, act like it was someone else's fight.
If it was Azaiea, it was Barus.
If it was Barus, he was getting involved.
There was still a score to settle with the man.
He knew Gingetsu. Had worked with him before, seen how the man planned, would think when things like this happened. The other had an unerring calm, would quickly change objectives and shift their mission to take care of multiple issues on the front.
Knowing that, he heads for the front lines, to seek out his former commander because Gingetsu was not going to fight Barus alone.
No – they will do this together even if their country falls.
After all, he has nothing else to lose.
– maelstrom –
The battle in the capital rages on; deaths increase – an innumerable tally. Beams undercut structural foundations, bridges, buildings. These fall into dust, turn to rubble and scrap metal. People are killed when these collapse, if they did not succumb first to the lethality of the weapons used.
The enemy vanguard moves forward.
The city loses ground.
– under the wings –
Gingetsu is surprised – should not be by now – when Kazuhiko finds his unit near the Parliamentary Council building. His former deputy officer knows how he works and since Azurite forces are involved…
It all makes sense if he looks at it that way.
"Gingetsu," Kazuhiko says, words quick and loud amidst the smoke and noise, "permission to join your unit. No one's going to care now."
No one would care now. This was a battle for survival.
He tosses a weapon module at Kazuhiko, sees the man catch it and affix it to his hand, and Gingetsu prepares himself. The enemy vanguard approaches and their lines will merge soon. People will die – will continue to die – from both sides.
"Like old times, huh?" he says, remembering past battles like this.
Kazuhiko returns a grim smile. "Yeah. Like old times."
They both know what that means.
Gingetsu does not need to say anything more.
– onrush –
Both lines close and there is terrible fighting and dying before that happens. The Secret Colors Battalion had laid traps, set up ambush points, and played each one off the old handbook before the Azurite forces close in on them.
While there is a whittling in numbers, there are still too many and they cannot hold out forever.
Men die; men fight; men live.
Gingetsu rallies his forces, slashes and cuts his way through the enemy with a bright swiftness that brings morale to his dwindling unit.
Kazuhiko fights his own battles and covers his former commander's back like in the old days and watches for the Leopard.
Both men know he's here. They, too, lie in wait.
– objective –
Kazuhiko scans the area, weary. His arm and weapon are coated in blood up to the elbow and still, men advance, scream, and die around him. He sees Gingetsu a little ways off, still fighting hard – it looks so effortless – and the other man's uniform is also spattered with blood.
He quickly does an estimate of the men and realizes that they cannot maintain this. Before long, their unit – Gingetsu's unit – will be decimated and perhaps, they will be the only ones left standing.
That's if they didn't become casualties along the way.
If Barus wanted him alive…
Well, that wasn't going to happen.
He would rather die fighting than become a spoil of war.
There is a bright flash from Gingetsu's sword and while another enemy soldier falls, he sees another aim at the Lieutenant Colonel with his rifle. Kazuhiko acts; does not think. His weapon shifts from blade to gun and he fires once. It blasts the soldier's head off his shoulders and the corpse topples without firing a shot.
In the midst of this, there is a sudden lull. A heavy quiet.
He stills. Gingetsu does the same as blood runs off the edge of his sword. They exchange a glance, he reads the other's expression, and braces himself in the choking thickness of blood, fire, and dust.
It is upon them.
He tightens his grip on his weapon, shifts it back to a blade and watches as Barus emerges from among his soldiers. They stand, forming an impassive wall as events spin into the endgame.
They are finally here.
– strike –
"Prince," Barus drawls, smirking and Gingetsu notices Kazuhiko stiffen, how his eyes narrow. The other man is past playing Barus's games but their enemy is seemingly oblivious to the dangerous vibe Gingetsu senses from his friend. "Nice surprise, seeing you here."
"Barus," Kazuhiko growls, voice lethal and low.
Gingetsu makes a slight motion to his men (Go! See to the others. There are other battles to be fought elsewhere!) and watches as their common foe approaches, taking him in as well in one arrogant sweeping glance.
"Lieutenant Colonel Gingetsu," and his rank and name is more curse on the other's breath, "fancy seeing you here."
"What is it you want, Barus?"
They all know the answer. This is mere formality.
"Why, all this, of course!" The man, too jovial in the midst of war, makes a wide gesture across the wreck and ruin of their burning city. As he does – as if timed – one of the main buildings explodes and Gingetsu knows the Wizards have fought a good fight but lost. Parliament burns, smoke acrid in his nose and lungs, and the heat and light present their final battlefield. Their last standing ground.
"Oh ho ho," Barus chuckles. Light reflects off his glasses, off the gleam in his eyes. "Looks like it's all on you boys now." There is a sound and Gingetsu sees the pulse blade unsheathed, remembers the tricks the Leopard used last time on Kazuhiko. He recognizes the upgrade but the mechanisms are the same. He slots that in his memory for when it becomes useful. Is also aware that Barus may have other tricks to disarm and kill familiar opponents.
Not Kazuhiko. The other man is fixated on his former deputy officer.
No. Himself instead. Gingetsu becomes even more situationally aware, heightens his sense of feeling, of his spatial surroundings.
There is a white flash of teeth. Barus grins at him. "Your precious sorcerers can't help you now."
"Never expected them to."
That is all he says – all he needs to say – before he uncoils into action. His sword sings.
– circle –
The Leopard moves, swift and sure, and the silver-haired man's sword cleaves the space where he stood. This leaves the other within his striking range and Barus steps forward, closes that distance so quick he can see the other's brow raise in surprise. Get this nuisance out of the way and then he can end this war on his favorable terms.
But Kazuhiko – his Prince – is suddenly at his back, weapon down-arcing in a powerful blow and he must turn to defend against this new threat. That leaves his back open, and while the Lieutenant Colonel is an honest soldier, he has no scruples about attacking from behind.
Barus is prepared for this. It is annoying that he has to take precautions.
He does not play fair. Never has. Does not intend to now.
There is an imperceptible signal from him. He waits.
– first blood –
A sound, too loud in the silences of this battleground, cuts through the air and strikes their senses, delayed. Kazuhiko sees Gingetsu sharpen to full alert even before then, moving quickly – he thinks he sees shadows of the man – and then there is blood and the odor of charred flesh and clothing. Gingetsu staggers aside, hand somehow still clenched around his sword hilt and it is then that Kazuhiko sees the shallow channel carved in the other man's torso.
It is weeping blood where the flesh is raw and missed being cauterized. The man's brow is knotted in pain even behind those emotionless shades.
Barus turns from him, then; pulse blade in motion, towards the injured man.
Kazuhiko curses, goes after him. Forces Barus to face him, to buy Gingetsu time to recover.
He is not going to let the other man die. They made a promise on this, and Kazuhiko carries the weight of promises heavily. If Gingetsu dies, it needs to be after him, if at all. If this is their end, then they will go down together.
Kazuhiko does not like broken promises.
Thinking this as he counters Barus' attacks, he sees Gingetsu press his fist to the wound. He can't read his expression but something in the air changes. Barus presses him hard and Kazuhiko mentally swears as his defense is carved wide open. He waits to be disarmed, to be wounded but not killed.
– dismantle –
There is pain – agony sears across his skin, through his nerves – and Gingetsu draws on all reserves of strength to remain on his feet after that attack. If it wasn't for the fact that he was able to sense something amiss – had heightened his senses prior to this – that underhanded tactic would have worked. He would have been shot through and no amount of regeneration could fix that.
It would have left Kazuhiko alone and at Barus's mercy.
But he is still standing – still in the fight – and Gingetsu is not one to remain idle.
He is a Two-Leaf. There are other ways to fight, besides blade to blade.
He calls on his ability to regenerate, to fix some of this damage, and his fist is slick with blood when he draws on that power to knit the wound. It will take time but that is fine. He recalls Barus's weapon – the mechanisms within – and although he is not Ran (just the thought of him hurts) – he has some capability to toy with devices. He has enough to temporarily disable or derail simple clockwork mechanisms, to grind those gears and processes to a halt.
He focuses, maps it in his mind. Does so.
Feels a calm satisfaction and relief when Barus's weapon flickers, then sputters out.
Sees the savage grin appear on Kazuhiko's face.
– advantage –
He's uncertain what just happened but when Barus swears as his weapon turns into a useless paperweight, Kazuhiko smiles and takes the opening now presented to him. Barus throws up his defense – he highly doubts he'd try the same cheap trick of outside interference – and Kazuhiko cuts right through it.
Blood spills. He makes ribbons of the other's arm.
Like paid for like.
There is growing hot white joy in him that burns Kazuhiko to his core.
If it ends – if all burns down – it ends like this.
– return –
Gingetsu gauges his healing, determines it's passable, and charges back into the fray. There is madness in Kazuhiko's eyes and that concerns him but Barus is the one they need to take down and soon. He can't break devices like Ran once could – can't manipulate anything beyond a certain level of complexity – so before the Leopard could get his weapon back, they need to put him down.
He sees the mangled state of Barus's arm – sees with worry Kazuhiko's glee at such payback – and shifts his stance and sword right as he confronts their common enemy.
This being Barus, though, keeps Gingetsu circumspect.
His blade turns from a stab into a sideways block, just in time to catch the hidden weapon Barus suddenly thrusts at him from under his coat. The serrated blade shivers against the edge of his sword; Gingetsu pushes him back, regains space. He is still healing from the rifle blast that grazed him. If that had been added to his injuries…
There are other ways to die. The Wizards are gone. The bomb in his head is just a reminder of years gone into dust and time.
He senses the mechanism springing back to life. Glances at Kazuhiko to warn him.
The pulse blade flares into being.
– terminate –
Both men fight against the third – one bright; the other dark – and while they have tangled with him before, Gingetsu and Kazuhiko find this battle the hardest. Flames roar around them – has made their capital a living hell – and the ground crunches with debris and dust chokes the air. The third man, Barus, fights with the savagery of a cornered animal and both men are wary of his blade, of his tricks. There are no more secret signals, just close quarters fighting.
Gingetsu and Kazuhiko flow as one. Sometimes, they are back to back so that one can press the advantage while the other checks the wall of Azurite troops behind them. Often, they flank Barus and Gingetsu's deadly swordplay slices the other man as easily as during the days of Fairy Park. The Leopard curses, lashes out at the Two-Leaf but Kazuhiko is always the Lieutenant Colonel's shadow and any attempts to kill the silver-haired man meets a premature end.
The Secret Colors Battalion has long since been decimated. Only Gingetsu stands, face a mask behind his visor.
Suu and Oruha have been dead for years. Only Kazuhiko remains, the promise of an end driving him into insanity.
Barus represents the Azurites. Has done so for years. That time is ending.
Ends sharp and abrupt, with brutally elegant grace, at the end of both men's swords.
– end –
Their world burns. Continues burning.
Barus, the infamous Leopard of Azaiea, falls.
Kazuhiko's expression is unsettling.
Gingetsu feels nothing at all.
The two remaining men face the Azurite army, stare down the rank and file, unafraid of the weapons being pointed at them. They have vanquished their common foe and there is nothing left. They have nothing left. Nothing left to lose and nothing left to gain.
There are guns aloft. Fingers at triggers. There are worse ways to die.
Gingetsu glances at Kazuhiko, whose maddened gaze meets his and somehow holds. He nods and sees that Kazuhiko understands.
They both do.
It is not given what exactly happens afterwards. None of the Azurite records mention the event, perhaps due to its implausibility. But later, there are tales told – barrack stories and dark rumors – that there was an onslaught – impossible – by two men against astounding odds. One silver and one black; one light and one dark. They had cut a swath through the lines, seemingly and terrifyingly unstoppable.
One was lost to a ferocious joy, devoid of all but that.
The other was cold and professional, and inhuman in that unyielding precision.
Their country burns. Is destroyed.
The ashes carry the memories of the dead.