Title: God of Man, Destroyer of Innocence
Author: Memy (Missheru)
E-mail: midnight_wing@hotmail.com
AIM: MemyWing
ICQ: I really don't use it much.
For Aurora's Background you'll get hints of it here but the whole thing can be found in Eternal Light: The Beginning. Used a lot of Trigun. Kind of apparent isn't it? Please don't sue.





Chapter 4: Many Questions, Few Answers

I wanted to answer but part of this trick is the illusion of not being there any longer. Talking would only ruin that. The wind speed rose and I walked away without leaving a trace. I hated to say it but in both of them I saw a quality that I so dearly missed from old friends now long past. Now where to? Nowhere I guess. I sat down in the sand again. If a traveler sees me then a traveler sees me. I doubted I would be disturbed so far out of the way from any city. I closed my eyes and tried to think through all I had seen and sensed when July disappeared before my eyes without a single casualty. Phoenix was once called the work of God when it flew. I am Phoenix. I am a work of God. His hand of God seemed so much like Phoenix that even I feared what would be left after the light. No casualties, only injuries; this was defiantly not another being who possessed Phoenix. If the power had the same root that would mean someone there was the source. Why can I not see past the curtain? Vash was there, but it couldn't have been him. If it was I have more questions than when I started. Why would he use such a power? Why did he even have it to begin with? So many questions I couldn't answer rolled through my mind. The last one I paused in thought on was another relation to Phoenix. The Phoenix never hurt me; sure it drained all of my energy, but never any harm. If I was hurt, I couldn't form the Phoenix until I healed the wound. If the power was the same then it couldn't be Vash. His injuries almost killed him, if it was the same then he would never of had the power to generate it. A hand landed on my shoulder. In one motion I turned and stood up to face my new company.

I looked up into the smiling face of Wolfwood. "You are a hard one to track, you know that?"

"I'll have to try harder then won't I?"

"Why would you want to do that?"

"It only took you five days to catch up with me. So, where is Vash?"

"I find you, I don't even get a hello before you ask where he is?"

"I wasn't lost. Hello."

"Vash is finding you on his own. I'm sure he's found trouble at least. I also give up on who or what you really are."

"Well, after much thought I have decided that I am safe in this world. Safe, at least for now."

"Why would you have not been safe?"

"I once roamed Earth on a prior mission. From what I see now it was mostly a waste, but I dedicated a life to it. Actually I was living a borrowed life. I've lived countless lives now. Most of them were my choice, but not that one."

"You were once on Earth? You stand before me saying you stood on the Earth and you are only twenty at the most?"

"Appearances can be deceiving."

I stepped back and again changed to my true form. He walked up to me in my now Mystic form. The flames on my wings were now licking his hand as he tried to feel them. "How can this be? They are cold?"

I changed back. "Can I continue my past or do you just want to know certain details now, since you have seen my true form? Vash needed the sight of blood before he figured it out."

"Sight of blood?"

"We were in a city and he was doubting my story so I borrowed his blade. He almost got caught with how much attention he was drawing."

"I can imagine that. What is different about your blood?"

"Nothing much different that I know other than the color. If you really want to see what it looks like one more bullet through me wouldn't matter."

"You're nuts."

"It can't really hurt me."
"Fine curiosity has the winning hand then."

I held my arm out as he drew a gun from his cross. "Nice toy."

"Are you absolutely sure that I can do this?"

"Do you need a signed invitation?"

He shot. I pulled my arm away quickly. There was blood but the injury was already gone. "I thought you said you wouldn't get hurt."

"I'm not hurt. It is just that it still stings like a bitch when I get shot."

"Why purple?"

I looked at him and pointed. "Why red?"

"Good point."

"It is just a little blood, if you want to make sure I'm not cheating by healing it you can wipe the blood away and see there is no hole."

He pulled out a cloth from his coat and wiped the blood off. Just as I said there was no hole. "Can't have you walking around drenched in purple blood. Where did the bullet go then?"

"Straight through. See?"

I pointed to the ground where the bullet was sitting. It also had some of my blood on it. "That is one useful trick."

"Any answer for me yet on the Hand of God?"

"Straight to business then?"

"Yep. I might be as old as time but I did leave an afterlife behind."

"Nothing yet. Can I ask you a question?"

"I said you could ask anything you wanted."

"How do you defend yourself? You never carry a weapon, and I've never seen you back away from anyone."

"Why should I have to? Time is the only thing left that can kill me. As you can see it isn't doing a very good job. Life since before time and I'm still only this old."

"So you have never had to fight?"

"I don't want to talk about that right now."

"Not to worry I have this Confessional! Just put a coin in here and I'll listen to all your worries."

"I'll give you the coin but there is no way I'm putting the box on my head."

"Your choice."

"I've had to use it twice. The first time I used Phoenix it was to save your race from an Armageddon. The second flight was to remove the veil that kept people from seeing the truth. What that really meant was that it was so that people could see all that they hid from themselves long ago in their development. When it was gone they could see aura, and past my illusions. What you see before you is an illusion. I'm not really a person, and I never have been when you've known me. As I said before it would seem that it was a waste. The veil is back as if it was never gone in the first place. So many went insane because of what I did. It was the mission. I was to be free of my debit when I was done there. Now I'm back looking for something that Fate was nice enough not to really explain."

"What happened the first time you used Phoenix?"

"It was Armageddon. It took lives. I was only trying to clear away soulless machines but it came to the point where the machines were all gone and the fighting was still continuing. Phoenix was the reason the human race survived but what I had to do while in that form still haunts me."

"Sorry, but what is this Phoenix look like?"

"It is an enormous bird of flames. It soaks up energy but it also drains it quiet quickly. Everything in its path is destroyed. Burned to ash. There is nothing left for me to salvage. I need something to return the life to."

I couldn't bring my head up to meet his eyes. He sat down with me and just waited for me to decide what I was going to do next. "You know, you're now one person I really wouldn't want to piss off."

"That was a really bad joke. Just like your cross has no mercy for me."

"When I say that I don't expect someone to be able to deal with injury like you do."

I felt something deep within me that trouble was coming soon. "Will you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"You don't even want to know what it is first?"

"Wouldn't make any difference."

"I need you to hold onto this for me."

I took the moonstone and Amethyst necklace off and clasped it around his neck. "What's this for?"

"Its name is Promise. It works kind of like a religion. If you have faith in it, it will protect you."

"Don't you need it?"

"I can handle myself. I don't need a storage device on this planet. There is enough light and heat to keep me going on full power without Promise. I figured you'd rather take on Promise than my bracelet."

"You have a point."

"A few rules to tell you since I'm sure you've never dealt with anything like this before. Promise will return to me if I call it back. Basically you're just holding on to it. It must be given to you. If Promise is taken it will do anything to be returned. People have had unfortunate accidents because of stones like Promise. Other than that you should be fine if you have faith it will protect you."

"What are you planning to do?"

"Not get myself killed yet would be a start. The only thing I fear right now is if I am too close to all the energy that is released from what I think is the Hand of God. If I get too much energy Phoenix will form and then I don't know what I can do to keep people safe. Giving you Promise helps minimize the chances of Phoenix developing."

"Go now with God, Aurora."

My journeys continued. I came across the city of Augusta. The eerie silence filled this huge city. Night was falling and my silence was shattered by a battle. It was Vash. I was now close enough to see the battle. Something was wrong. His arm was changing. Massive amounts of energy were now escaping from his arm. The ball of light was now growing, consuming the whole town. Phoenix was taking advantage of the opportunity as well. I struggled with the bracelet. I had to get it off quickly because all it was doing was amplifying the power being fed into Phoenix. The bracelet hit the ground with a light metal sound and rolled away. I'd find it later. Now without protection or amplifiers I was now in full exposure to the raw power that was coursing all around me. Wolfwood was around. I could feel the draw of Promise as it shielded him from this blast. I couldn't hold on any longer and like a piece of debris I too was swept away in the blast.

The morning light was filtering through the rubble stacked over me. I could hear Vash and Wolfwood looking for me. "Wolfwood, I told you to keep her safe."

"Well, she did keep me safe."

"When did she give you her necklace?"

"Right before she left, she told me it could keep me safe, and me having it would help keep her from adopting a form she hates."

"A form she hates?"

"So, she told me something she hasn't told you yet?"

"How does that help us find her?"

"It really doesn't."

"Hey, isn't that her bracelet?"

He picked it up and was about to put it on for safekeeping. "Vash, don't put it on."

"Why not?"

"She also gave me a warning about the jewels. They must be given to you to be worn by you."

He put it on anyway. "She was just spoofing you Wolfwood."

"Have it your way."

"Aurora! Where are you?"

I tried to wiggle around a little. In this form without my amplifiers I'm not strong enough for my abilities. "I'm over here!"

They both ran towards my voice. "Guys, over here!"

They found where I was. I was beginning to get very uncomfortable under the weight of them standing over me. "Where are you?"

"I'm under you."

"Sorry. Vash start digging. This is your mess."

"My mess you didn't do a very good job as bodyguard."

"I really don't need a bodyguard right now. I need Promise back and I'll be fine."

Wolfwood lead the chain down into the ground where I was still underneath. "I've got it. Thanks."

I now had enough strength to get myself out. I stood up through the rocks that were once parts of buildings. "Your tricks never cease to amaze me."

"Wolfwood, you realize that you've seen more than most? Vash, I need to have a few words with you."

"Um, words?"

I started to walk away from Wolfwood. "Come on Vash. I really don't have much time."

He caught up and we walked together for a little bit before I continued at what I started. "I saw you and I understand part of it now. I want to know why now."

"Why what?"

"Why you used it. Why it exists."

"I didn't intentionally use it. I guess it has always been a power of my kind."

I motioned to my bracelet. "What are you? If a human had put that on it would have drained almost all their energy."

He took it off and handed it back to me. "Seemed normal to me."

"I'm just glad you didn't get hurt. What are you? You know what I am why do you always dodge what you are?"

"I really don't know to tell the truth."

"Well, in all honesty a name is meaningless anyways. What are you I guess would be a better way to put it."

"I really don't know that either. Knives would know, but stay away from him."

"Why?"

"If you value your life, avoid him."

He walked away, back to Wolfwood. I also walked away. "I'll see both of you later. I have a few more thoughts to ponder."