To Kill a God part 2
Sai rolled off his stomach and onto his side to look out through half closed eyes at the assortment of brightly colored tropical fish that swam in slow circuits though the saltwater aquarium that stood on his desk. The soft hum of the electric filter buzzed in the background, reminding him of the gentle pulse of the surf as the sea pulled the land into its watery depths grain by grain of sand. Pushing himself up on one elbow he turned he endeavored to find where Shuu had gone as well as for any indication of when he would be back.
He always worried a little when he woke up like this, with his boyfriend gone. For years he had hidden his feelings for Shuu, the only Chinese boy of the group, mostly because he had denied he had any feelings for him. He had been, and even now it hurt to admit, very racist. Not to mention he had also denied the fact that he, himself was even gay. As a result of his inability to deal with his emotions, Sai had treated the younger boy like dirt, calling him names and never missing an opportunity to humiliate him or make weight cracks and/or comments about his eating habits. Now that he knew Shuu and his body intimately as well as having come to grips with his sexual orientation he knew that his partner was not fat or stupid, and if anything he had a fast metabolism and a caring and cheerful disposition. Yet it still worried him when Shuu was gone when he awoke alone because a small, guilty voice in the back of his head whispered that maybe he had hurt Shuu too badly, one too many times and now he had left for good to find someone who would treat him right. For a moment he remembered the terror he had tasted when Shuu had lain bleeding, dying in his lap, those brief moments that had stretched for eternity as he had felt the beloved life slipping away beneath his fingertips. Shuu was too precious to loose, and Sai vowed he would never let him go.
Sai shook off his gloomy thoughts when he heard Shuu's familiar snore waft up from the first floor. He must have gone downstairs looking for something to eat and crashed on the couch. With a smile Sai climbed out of bed, rubbing sore muscles as his toes searched for his house slippers. Then he threw on a robe, snatched up and blanket and padded down to the den where he found Shuu, just as he had expected, stretched out on the sofa, the TV remote still in one hand while golf stats ran along the bottom of the screen. Smiling, nearly bursting with affection, Sai pried the remote from Shuu's hand and turned off the TV before lying the blanket over him. Lowering himself the floor, Sai rested his chin on his crossed arms, his forehead pressed up against the warmth of Shuu's shoulder. He was still tired and so he closed his eyes, contentedly.
* * *
"Mama de iru!" Toma cried. A ripple like effect raced from him to Tsukuru, halting the evil god partway through his jump. Then Toma set his jaw and forced his will upon the arrow, guiding it with his mind towards his now motionless target. It struck and struck deep. Tsukuru, who had never known pain on a mortal level screamed as the magic arrow pierced his ribs, throwing him back. Shocked, he looked down at the wound, not quite comprehending that he had been shot. His body had not obeyed his commands and now he had a bolt protruding from his torso. A strong enchantment forced itself into him and began to expand, pushing outward through him until he knew he would explode. Worse, it kept him trapped within his avatar's form. He screamed and grasped the shaft, hoping to tear it from him in his desperation. But his fingers could not seem to find a hold. Angrily he swallowed his fear, his pride and his pain. His anger, he let flare until the very air around him sizzled and snapped with the power of his godly wrath. Tsukuru screamed again, showing delicate fangs, the thick expanse of his hair, long since loosened from its usual stylish braid, floating in a tangled cloud around his face. His eyes widened as his scream rose to a shriek and his living demons joined in, their twisted forms writhing before withering like candles in the sun as their power was fed to their master.
Toma was breathing hard, the armor no longer seemed to empower him, but to weigh him down. His left breast was killing him, it was as if someone had shoved a flaming sword into his chest. His vision began to blur and he reached up to rub his eyes.
As soon as the bearer of the Black Armor let down his guard, Tsukuru unleashed his pent up energy. Like a lightning bolt it flung itself at Toma faster than he could react, engulfing him, squeezing him. He reeled, screaming in agony, his bow fell from limp, unresisting fingers. When the energy had finally spent itself, Toma dropped to the ground, clutching his chest while his heart pounded so hard and feverishly he was sure it would break.
Tsukuru watched as his last spell brought the boy to his knees before he too, realized that his legs were no longer holding him. He examined his body only to find that the thing that had caused him so much pain was still sticking out of him, only now his blood dripped from him to pool beneath his boots, diluted by the puddles of rain that ran like so many thousands of little streams through the city that had become a grave. He was dying. He was a god and he was watching as his life ebb away. "This shouldn't be happening! No! This isn't happening!" He said in disbelief. "I'm a god!"
Toma reached for his bow. He could barely move, his limbs felt as cold and numb as ice, the only thing he knew was suffering, it was his whole world. Yet one thing plagued him, disrupting the misery that cradled him, whispering the sweet words of death, once feared but now welcomed. The thing that refused to let him retreat to the unfeeling emptiness that held out its comforting hand to him was the beautiful, bleeding god before him. He reached for his bow, determined not to give in until he was assured that he had gotten full vengeance for his friends. When his fingers grasped the grip of his weapon, it dissolved beneath his hand to reform as a sword. For a moment Toma looked at it stupidly, then he stood, though not quite certain how he how he managed to so. He swayed and nearly toppled over, but instead he stumbled over to his enemy who merely lifted his head to sneer mockingly at him.
"You know I have to kill you now," Toma held the sword awkwardly over the fallen god, his tone was not at all condescending or victorious, but tiredly matter-of-fact and infinitely sad. Though he himself longed to join his friends in death, he was sick of the bloodletting and wished there were some other way to be rid of this god, which sat broken at the foot of his pedestal. For a moment his physical pain was lost in the flood of his emotions.
"Then get on with it!" Tsukuru bared his neck though his dimming vision remained locked on Toma's face. He smiled, his long canines gleaming white in the early morning light. "Well, boy. . .?"
Toma took aim at the proffered throat then closed his eyes and plunged his sword down. Blood sloshed over his feet, warm and metallic smelling. He staggered back towards friends who were lying quietly some distance away. He stopped to heave his guts before moving on. Then he became aware of the pain once more and before he could recognize what had happened the world spun away beneath him, the Black Armor of Firmament returning from whence it came before he hit the cracked pavement.
* * *
Toma floated in the friendly, inky darkness that was sleep as he rested. He could almost see his bones and flesh knitting themselves back together. The muted sounds and smells of the Japanese countryside in winter permeated the thin barrier of his slumber. He was vaguely aware of Sage's comforting, steadfast presence nearby, just out of reach but close enough to be instantly available if needed. Their bond was the most profound of all the Troopers. They never flaunted the depth of their intimacy; to do so would only be to hurt the other boys' feelings unnecessarily. Besides, it was their special thing, the thing that set them apart.
As Toma slowly drifted towards wakefulness he remembered how things had been after that battle.
