Dissension
Miranda Shadowind
"SANCTUARY! Please, give me bloody sanctuary!" cried a cloaked figure at the top of her lungs, pounding on the church doors. Thunder and lightning boomed behind the figure, but that wasn't her reason for seeking refuge in the church. Not by a longshot...
Finally, a kind-faced reverend opened the doors, and the figure dashed in, only pulling down the hood once the doors were shut again. It was a young woman, no more than 19 with emerald green eyes and hair tied back in a low ponytail. She was completely drenched, and a small white scar adorned the left side of her face. Without a word, she headed toward the many rows of pews.
"May I have your name, my child?" the reverend asked her, gently touching the woman's shoulder.
"Aye, I be Michelle Lewxam," came the reply with a thick British accent. The reverend looked at her, puzzled.
"Is that your true name, Michelle?" She shook her head. "Then what is it? Why do you hide it from God?"
"'Tis nae God tha I 'ide me name from for twas 'e 'oo led me 'ere tae safety. Ratha 'tis the bloody cult leada tha would kill me because accordin' tae 'er I commited the biggest sin of all.."
"What is this cult? And what is this so-called 'biggest sin' you committed? "
"The leada loves me 'usband.. always did... but 'e chose me fer 'is bloody bride. She wanted revenge so she formed a bloody cult in 'is 'onor... They tried tae make me a memba, sayin' I would be some sort of bloody 'lower priestess'.. Buh then she found out... or we all did for tha matta..."
"Found out what?"
"I be carryin' 'is child..."
[Flashback: A week ago, at the Shrine of Death]
"How.. HOW DARE YOU!" Hilde screamed, and struck Krysta across the face. "Not only did you steal his love and hand in marriage from me, but you had the gall to steal his innocence as well!!! That right was for me alone!"
Krysta tried to retaliate but two seishis held her back. "I didn't steal nothin' ye bloody OZ sleazbag! Get it through yer blinkin' 'ead! Duo loves ME an' always 'as, neva you!"
"SILENCE BLASPHEMER!"
"Your Grace, what shall we do with her?" asked one of the seishis. "She should be burned for her crimes, but she carries Shinigami-sama's child! What would he say?"
"You have a point there, Orainia..." Hilde paced back and forth, then came up with a solution. "We will allow the child to be born. It will be raised here as if it were my own, but only with knowledge of me and its father."
"And wha about me?!" cried Krysta, getting more pissed off by the second.
"As soon as the birthing process is over, you will be burned at the stake. The child must not have any recollection of who his true mother was." Hilde put great emphasis on "was."
"Why ye little-"
"Lock her in her room, and see that it is well guarded! NOW!"
Orainia and the other seishi escorted Krysta up the steps and into her room in the tower. Krysta sat down on the bed, thinking, one hand on her stomach. The other seishi left, leaving her and Orainia alone.
"I'm sorry, but you really must forgive Hilde, even a little bit..." Orainia started, receiving only a cold glare from Krysta. The young seishi was the closest thing she'd had to a friend in this hellhole, and yet now she was asking for forgiveness on Hilde's behalf?!
Orainia seemed to read Krysta's mind, so she continued. "I used to be her best friend, but then she...changed a few years ago, when she met Shinigami-sama. She would do anything for him, and refused to accepted defeat when he ignored her affections.. And when you as it were 'entered the picture', she lost it...even more so just now.."
"So I noticed, buh why should I forgive someone 'oo plans to steal me own flesh and blood and kill me?! I can't stay...I've got tae get out of 'ere..."
"I don't blame you, but how? You can't just waltz out of here, pregnant or not!"
"I 'ave me ways... Ye be lookin' at Bristol's finest when it be comin' to spyin' an' piloting a bloody gundam!"
Orainia blinked. "You're a former gundam pilot as well?"
"Aye, tha be 'ow Duo an' I first met..." Krysta laid down on the bed facing upward with a sigh, crossing her arms behind her head. "No doubt 'e's wonderin' whea I be now.. Might even 'ave gathered up the 'ole bloomin' gang and sent 'em on a search by now!"
"...An' tha be all of it..." finished Krysta/Michelle, now seated in a back row pew.
"I understand now, Mrs. Maxwell, and see no reason why you cannot stay here as long as you wish. I will show you to a room where you will be safe, but first, is there anything else I can do?" asked the reverend, having taken pity on the sotospeak innocent mother-to-be.
"Aye, if any of those bloody cult membas come lookin' fer me 'ere, send 'em away. Buh if any of these blinkin' men comes around..." she fished out a photo of herself, her twin brother Kayle, Duo, and the other gundam pilots and showed it to him, "..bring 'em to me. Particularly the one wi the bloody long braid. 'e be me 'usband, and the wee one's fatha."
(days later)
Krysta descended the steps quickly, the hood of her dark green cloak casting shadows on most of her face. Reverend Clark met her at the bottom. "Leaving so soon, Krysta? You feel that the danger has passed?"
Krysta shook her head. "Nae, but I 'ave a bloody bad feelin' about wha might 'appen if I dinnae leave and find Duo in time..."
"Then may God watch over you and protect you, my child. Go in peace."
"Thank ye..." With that, she dashed outside and onto the streets, taking advantage of the approaching darkness while slipping from one alleyway to another.
Elsewhere, Duo wandered the streets, heading toward a park near Hilde's shrine. He'd received word that she was holding Krysta captive, and that she (Krysta) was pregnant with his child. Duo couldn't believe that Hilde would stoop as low as to kidnap his wife and use her and the unborn child as bait like this.
"I don't know what she's up to, but she's gonna pay for this!" Duo gripped his pistol and turned into the main park gate. Gathered in a large open field surrounded by trees were a few dozen women all dressed in black robes and cloaks. On a solitary platform stood Hilde, dressed more lavishly than the others and holding a decorated scythe. But Krysta was nowhere to be found.
He stepped forward, cobalt eyes burning. "All right Hilde, where is she?! Where's Krysta?!" he demanded.
"Ah, so you've finally arrived, Shinigami! And as for your 'wife', to tell the truth, her current whereabouts are unknown!" cried Hilde.
"WHAT?! LIAR! WHERE IS SHE?!"
"I had her in my clutches for a while, but somehow she escaped! Since she was my only bait, I lied to lure you here and cure you of your madness!"
"You're the one that's mad Hilde! If you won't tell me where Krysta is, then I'll find her myself if it kills me!"
Before Hilde could respond, a medium-sized grey object landed in the middle of the cult fanatics and exploded, spreading smoke everywhere. Confusion and chaos followed, then someone grabbed Duo by the arm and yelled, "I have him sisters! To the shrine, quickly before he gets away!"
"Hey what the?!" asked a confused Duo, trying to see who had grabbed him. All he could make out was a cloaked figure with the hood up.
Thinking they had won, Hilde and her fellow cultists dashed back to the shrine. Duo was even more confused when the smoke cleared, revealing that the shouting 'cultist' who had grabbed his arm hadn't moved an inch. "Who..who are you? What's going on?!" he asked, looking directly at her 'face'.
"Let's just say..." she started, then removed a set of nightvision goggles and a familiar-looking headset and put them away. "I didn't return everythin' tae Professa Q afta the war.." She smiled and gave a toss of her head. The hood fell back, and Duo grinned widely.
"Krysta, you're safe!" He hugged her tight, and she hugged him back, wary of the impending baby.
"Aye, now I am!" They kissed passionately and deeply, then finally broke for air. "Ye 'ave no idea 'ow much I missed ye.."
"I think I do, considering how much I missed you too... So now I'm gonna be a father huh?" Duo asked as they headed out of the park.
"Yep. The bloody witch of OZ told ye, eh?"
"Yeah, she lied and told me you were still her captive. How'd you escape?"
"I'll tell ye layta. Right now it be time tae end the bloody witch's reign..."
"Huh? How you gonna do that?"
"Ye'll see..." She pulled out a small hand-held device resembling a mobile suit self-destruct switch as they turned the corner, and halted across from Hilde's shrine. "Time tae end this blinkin' madness... BURN IN BLOODY 'ELL WITCH!" With that, she pressed the button on top of the switch while holding it straight out. Nothing happened, or so it seemed..
Meanwhile, inside the temple, Hilde was searching amongst her followers. "All right, which one of you grabbed Shinigami-sama?! Where is he?!" Silence. "Well?!"
"Beggin' your pardon, your Grace, but we don't know. We all thought someone else had done it," spoke up one cultist.
"Meaning?"
"It seems we have been tricked, but by who I don't know..."
"You fools! We almost had him! Blast you-" A chorus of metal slammings rang throughout the temple as doors and windows were sealed over, cutting Hilde off. "The lock-down system has been activated?! But how?! What on Earth is going on here?!"
As if in answer to Hilde's question, a recording of maniacal female laughter came over the personal address system. "'ello Witch 'ilde!" greeted Krysta's voice in a nasty tone. "If ye be 'earin' this, then tha means I be free an' safe. Ye didn't think I was jus' twiddlin' me bloody thumbs the 'ole time 'ere did ye? I 'ave taken the bloody liberty of riggin' up several bombs set to go off in oh...tree minutes! An' donn be thinkin' ye can escape aitha! The bloomin' lock-down system has been activated so tha ye an' yer bloody fan club can all 'ave a front-row seat fer the fireworks! As Duo would say, see ye in bloody 'ell!"
The recording ended there. Hilde cursed and yanked at her hair while the others panicked and pounded on doors, trying to escape. Nothing budged, for everything was sealed tight. The stone statue of Shinigami ala Duo with his robes and scythe that stood in front of the altar seemed to grin maliciously down at them, as if the inevitable destruction had been all his idea.
Back outside, Duo scratched his head and looked to his wife. "You sure that thing's working? We've been standing here for practically five minutes and nothin's happened yet!"
"It be workin' alright. The bloody fireworks should start in about...10 seconds! Get down!" Krysta shoved Duo to the ground and covered them both w/ her cloak just as a massive internal explosion leveled the shrin e. Stone, wood, and other debris went flying in all directions, but most of it was concentrated where the building had been.
"Man, how'd you manage to pull that one off?" Duo asked Krysta, who was doing her best not to laugh like a maniac as he helped her up.
Krysta grinned at him madly. "Ye neva know when bloody plastic'll come in 'andy. I 'ad just enough tae finish the job..."
Duo grinned and held Krysta close, and she slowly calmed down, leaning her head on his shoulder. "That's my girl." Given her eternal hatred for OZ, he understood what today's destruction meant to Krysta, Hilde's scheming and betrayal to OZ aside. She could finally rest knowing that beyond a shadow of a doubt, OZ was finally gone, and their child would be safe...
Miranda Shadowind
"SANCTUARY! Please, give me bloody sanctuary!" cried a cloaked figure at the top of her lungs, pounding on the church doors. Thunder and lightning boomed behind the figure, but that wasn't her reason for seeking refuge in the church. Not by a longshot...
Finally, a kind-faced reverend opened the doors, and the figure dashed in, only pulling down the hood once the doors were shut again. It was a young woman, no more than 19 with emerald green eyes and hair tied back in a low ponytail. She was completely drenched, and a small white scar adorned the left side of her face. Without a word, she headed toward the many rows of pews.
"May I have your name, my child?" the reverend asked her, gently touching the woman's shoulder.
"Aye, I be Michelle Lewxam," came the reply with a thick British accent. The reverend looked at her, puzzled.
"Is that your true name, Michelle?" She shook her head. "Then what is it? Why do you hide it from God?"
"'Tis nae God tha I 'ide me name from for twas 'e 'oo led me 'ere tae safety. Ratha 'tis the bloody cult leada tha would kill me because accordin' tae 'er I commited the biggest sin of all.."
"What is this cult? And what is this so-called 'biggest sin' you committed? "
"The leada loves me 'usband.. always did... but 'e chose me fer 'is bloody bride. She wanted revenge so she formed a bloody cult in 'is 'onor... They tried tae make me a memba, sayin' I would be some sort of bloody 'lower priestess'.. Buh then she found out... or we all did for tha matta..."
"Found out what?"
"I be carryin' 'is child..."
[Flashback: A week ago, at the Shrine of Death]
"How.. HOW DARE YOU!" Hilde screamed, and struck Krysta across the face. "Not only did you steal his love and hand in marriage from me, but you had the gall to steal his innocence as well!!! That right was for me alone!"
Krysta tried to retaliate but two seishis held her back. "I didn't steal nothin' ye bloody OZ sleazbag! Get it through yer blinkin' 'ead! Duo loves ME an' always 'as, neva you!"
"SILENCE BLASPHEMER!"
"Your Grace, what shall we do with her?" asked one of the seishis. "She should be burned for her crimes, but she carries Shinigami-sama's child! What would he say?"
"You have a point there, Orainia..." Hilde paced back and forth, then came up with a solution. "We will allow the child to be born. It will be raised here as if it were my own, but only with knowledge of me and its father."
"And wha about me?!" cried Krysta, getting more pissed off by the second.
"As soon as the birthing process is over, you will be burned at the stake. The child must not have any recollection of who his true mother was." Hilde put great emphasis on "was."
"Why ye little-"
"Lock her in her room, and see that it is well guarded! NOW!"
Orainia and the other seishi escorted Krysta up the steps and into her room in the tower. Krysta sat down on the bed, thinking, one hand on her stomach. The other seishi left, leaving her and Orainia alone.
"I'm sorry, but you really must forgive Hilde, even a little bit..." Orainia started, receiving only a cold glare from Krysta. The young seishi was the closest thing she'd had to a friend in this hellhole, and yet now she was asking for forgiveness on Hilde's behalf?!
Orainia seemed to read Krysta's mind, so she continued. "I used to be her best friend, but then she...changed a few years ago, when she met Shinigami-sama. She would do anything for him, and refused to accepted defeat when he ignored her affections.. And when you as it were 'entered the picture', she lost it...even more so just now.."
"So I noticed, buh why should I forgive someone 'oo plans to steal me own flesh and blood and kill me?! I can't stay...I've got tae get out of 'ere..."
"I don't blame you, but how? You can't just waltz out of here, pregnant or not!"
"I 'ave me ways... Ye be lookin' at Bristol's finest when it be comin' to spyin' an' piloting a bloody gundam!"
Orainia blinked. "You're a former gundam pilot as well?"
"Aye, tha be 'ow Duo an' I first met..." Krysta laid down on the bed facing upward with a sigh, crossing her arms behind her head. "No doubt 'e's wonderin' whea I be now.. Might even 'ave gathered up the 'ole bloomin' gang and sent 'em on a search by now!"
"...An' tha be all of it..." finished Krysta/Michelle, now seated in a back row pew.
"I understand now, Mrs. Maxwell, and see no reason why you cannot stay here as long as you wish. I will show you to a room where you will be safe, but first, is there anything else I can do?" asked the reverend, having taken pity on the sotospeak innocent mother-to-be.
"Aye, if any of those bloody cult membas come lookin' fer me 'ere, send 'em away. Buh if any of these blinkin' men comes around..." she fished out a photo of herself, her twin brother Kayle, Duo, and the other gundam pilots and showed it to him, "..bring 'em to me. Particularly the one wi the bloody long braid. 'e be me 'usband, and the wee one's fatha."
(days later)
Krysta descended the steps quickly, the hood of her dark green cloak casting shadows on most of her face. Reverend Clark met her at the bottom. "Leaving so soon, Krysta? You feel that the danger has passed?"
Krysta shook her head. "Nae, but I 'ave a bloody bad feelin' about wha might 'appen if I dinnae leave and find Duo in time..."
"Then may God watch over you and protect you, my child. Go in peace."
"Thank ye..." With that, she dashed outside and onto the streets, taking advantage of the approaching darkness while slipping from one alleyway to another.
Elsewhere, Duo wandered the streets, heading toward a park near Hilde's shrine. He'd received word that she was holding Krysta captive, and that she (Krysta) was pregnant with his child. Duo couldn't believe that Hilde would stoop as low as to kidnap his wife and use her and the unborn child as bait like this.
"I don't know what she's up to, but she's gonna pay for this!" Duo gripped his pistol and turned into the main park gate. Gathered in a large open field surrounded by trees were a few dozen women all dressed in black robes and cloaks. On a solitary platform stood Hilde, dressed more lavishly than the others and holding a decorated scythe. But Krysta was nowhere to be found.
He stepped forward, cobalt eyes burning. "All right Hilde, where is she?! Where's Krysta?!" he demanded.
"Ah, so you've finally arrived, Shinigami! And as for your 'wife', to tell the truth, her current whereabouts are unknown!" cried Hilde.
"WHAT?! LIAR! WHERE IS SHE?!"
"I had her in my clutches for a while, but somehow she escaped! Since she was my only bait, I lied to lure you here and cure you of your madness!"
"You're the one that's mad Hilde! If you won't tell me where Krysta is, then I'll find her myself if it kills me!"
Before Hilde could respond, a medium-sized grey object landed in the middle of the cult fanatics and exploded, spreading smoke everywhere. Confusion and chaos followed, then someone grabbed Duo by the arm and yelled, "I have him sisters! To the shrine, quickly before he gets away!"
"Hey what the?!" asked a confused Duo, trying to see who had grabbed him. All he could make out was a cloaked figure with the hood up.
Thinking they had won, Hilde and her fellow cultists dashed back to the shrine. Duo was even more confused when the smoke cleared, revealing that the shouting 'cultist' who had grabbed his arm hadn't moved an inch. "Who..who are you? What's going on?!" he asked, looking directly at her 'face'.
"Let's just say..." she started, then removed a set of nightvision goggles and a familiar-looking headset and put them away. "I didn't return everythin' tae Professa Q afta the war.." She smiled and gave a toss of her head. The hood fell back, and Duo grinned widely.
"Krysta, you're safe!" He hugged her tight, and she hugged him back, wary of the impending baby.
"Aye, now I am!" They kissed passionately and deeply, then finally broke for air. "Ye 'ave no idea 'ow much I missed ye.."
"I think I do, considering how much I missed you too... So now I'm gonna be a father huh?" Duo asked as they headed out of the park.
"Yep. The bloody witch of OZ told ye, eh?"
"Yeah, she lied and told me you were still her captive. How'd you escape?"
"I'll tell ye layta. Right now it be time tae end the bloody witch's reign..."
"Huh? How you gonna do that?"
"Ye'll see..." She pulled out a small hand-held device resembling a mobile suit self-destruct switch as they turned the corner, and halted across from Hilde's shrine. "Time tae end this blinkin' madness... BURN IN BLOODY 'ELL WITCH!" With that, she pressed the button on top of the switch while holding it straight out. Nothing happened, or so it seemed..
Meanwhile, inside the temple, Hilde was searching amongst her followers. "All right, which one of you grabbed Shinigami-sama?! Where is he?!" Silence. "Well?!"
"Beggin' your pardon, your Grace, but we don't know. We all thought someone else had done it," spoke up one cultist.
"Meaning?"
"It seems we have been tricked, but by who I don't know..."
"You fools! We almost had him! Blast you-" A chorus of metal slammings rang throughout the temple as doors and windows were sealed over, cutting Hilde off. "The lock-down system has been activated?! But how?! What on Earth is going on here?!"
As if in answer to Hilde's question, a recording of maniacal female laughter came over the personal address system. "'ello Witch 'ilde!" greeted Krysta's voice in a nasty tone. "If ye be 'earin' this, then tha means I be free an' safe. Ye didn't think I was jus' twiddlin' me bloody thumbs the 'ole time 'ere did ye? I 'ave taken the bloody liberty of riggin' up several bombs set to go off in oh...tree minutes! An' donn be thinkin' ye can escape aitha! The bloomin' lock-down system has been activated so tha ye an' yer bloody fan club can all 'ave a front-row seat fer the fireworks! As Duo would say, see ye in bloody 'ell!"
The recording ended there. Hilde cursed and yanked at her hair while the others panicked and pounded on doors, trying to escape. Nothing budged, for everything was sealed tight. The stone statue of Shinigami ala Duo with his robes and scythe that stood in front of the altar seemed to grin maliciously down at them, as if the inevitable destruction had been all his idea.
Back outside, Duo scratched his head and looked to his wife. "You sure that thing's working? We've been standing here for practically five minutes and nothin's happened yet!"
"It be workin' alright. The bloody fireworks should start in about...10 seconds! Get down!" Krysta shoved Duo to the ground and covered them both w/ her cloak just as a massive internal explosion leveled the shrin e. Stone, wood, and other debris went flying in all directions, but most of it was concentrated where the building had been.
"Man, how'd you manage to pull that one off?" Duo asked Krysta, who was doing her best not to laugh like a maniac as he helped her up.
Krysta grinned at him madly. "Ye neva know when bloody plastic'll come in 'andy. I 'ad just enough tae finish the job..."
Duo grinned and held Krysta close, and she slowly calmed down, leaning her head on his shoulder. "That's my girl." Given her eternal hatred for OZ, he understood what today's destruction meant to Krysta, Hilde's scheming and betrayal to OZ aside. She could finally rest knowing that beyond a shadow of a doubt, OZ was finally gone, and their child would be safe...