Sonata to Memento Mori
Chapter 3: Villkiss
Hanger
Blaze reeled the Barbatos in and to a stop, taking off his visor as the machine was pulled in, having just come back from another scouting mission, though the results were the same as ever… just a barren island with only indigenous animals living on it. Nothing of interest.
"Well, at least a Singularity opened up… I seem to be having a string of luck with encountering them while I'm scouting as of late." Blaze opened the cockpit and hopped out, waving as Mei, a mechanic and yet another old friend of his, trotted up.
"Another successful run I see." Mei chuckled, Blaze shrugging as he put his hands in his pockets.
"Mei, I've kept this beast in one piece for the longest time. I doubt it'll get damaged unless it's insane out there." Blaze leaned back as Mai clambered up onto the frame, the mechanic chuckling.
"Yeah yeah. Just chill on the mods. Keep it up and I won't be able to help you anymore… especially if we find a pilot for that one…" Mei looked off to where the old Para-mail was, and Blaze shrugged.
"Jill is getting an idea involving the newbie… but Ange hasn't even been on her first sortie yet, so we'll see. See ya' later." Blaze stepped off and waved as he trotted off, immediately making a bee line for the control room, where, to no surprise of the pilot, Ange was there, showing whatever it was to Jill and the human officer and supervisor at Arzenal, Emma Bronson, who, as usual, showed a measure of surprise to see Blaze just waltz in. "So… what did I miss now eh?"
Jill simply flashed the paper in her hands at Blaze, Ange glaring at the pilot, and Blaze merely glanced at Ange, shaking his head with a small sigh.
"What did I tell you?" Blaze put a hand on his head, and Ange's hands balled into fists.
"I told you, I'm getting out of here." Ange stated, Blaze scoffing.
"Peh. Want me to break it to her again or just let it hit her when the time comes?" Blaze crossed his arms and leaned back on the console
"Wait you've told her?" Emma asked in a surprised little bit, Blaze nodding.
"What a problem you are."
The four turned towards the door, Zola standing there in little more than a bathrobe, and Blaze made a guttural growl of annoyance as she walked over.
"She's so thick headed." Zola stated, Blaze rolling his eyes.
"She's been poorly educated, Zola." Jill spoke calmly and simply, merely glancing at the captain.
"I apologize, Commander." Zola saluted and then glanced at Ange with a smile on her face, "You'll do." Zola then grabbed Ange, the girl gasping, "I'll be borrowing the room."
"Approved." Jill was curt and simple, and Blaze squeezed his temples as Zola dragged Ange off.
"I almost feel sorry for her." Blaze sighed, and as if on perfect cue, the alarm went off along with the phone ringing like crazy, Emma answering as the bridge girls went to their places. "I'll go stand by in the Barbatos."
"Nope."
In the next moment, Blaze yelped as Jill yanked on his braid to make him stop, the young man falling onto his rear as he flinched in pain.
"OWOWOWOW! Cut it out!" Blaze snapped, Jill shooting a stern glance at the boy.
"You just returned from a scouting sortie, so you're not going out again. Stay put. That's an order." Jill let go of Blaze's braid, the boy pulling it over his shoulder as he stood up.
"Alright alright… I'll watch what happens then…" Blaze went and sat down in a chair, slouching in his normal way as things started up, bouncing a leg, glancing back when, after a couple of minutes, Zola and a surprisingly not roughed up Ange dashed out of the back room and out. "Are you sure that you don't want me heading out with the First Troop to see how Ange does in her first mission personally?"
"You can sortie out if things get too bad… but for now just let things go. And don't go and sortie against orders like that last time things got bad, alright? I know that was your friend but still, there's no playing heroes." Jill stated, and Blaze looked to the side with a bit of an angry look.
"Don't just say that about her… not about one of my friends…" Blaze spoke under his breath, but Jill could sense the angry air around him.
The woman knew well enough Blaze had a natural protective instinct that he tried to hide, and it never came up more than when someone he cared about was threatened… and the last time was when a certain test pilot who came before Ange went down in battle… something Blaze was still bitter over.
"Ange is gonna try to run."
Jill and Emma looked over at Blaze as the normal mission procedures followed.
"What? The Para-mails aren't equipped for flights that long… well, yours is for whatever reason…" Emma stated, Blaze glancing at the officer.
"So? She's determined, so she'll try…" Blaze then looked forward again, and once could see his hands tightening, "She better not get anyone killed because of it…"
"Don't jump the gun Blaze… we don't know yet… so just wait and see." Jill responded, Blaze crossing his arms.
"I give it five more seconds." Blaze leaned back in his seat, and to his expectations, a blip went off on the signal radars.
"Ange is breaking off!" One of the bridge girls stated, and Blaze shot a look at Jill that screamed "I fucking told you so".
"Breaking off?!" Emma gasped in shock, Jill keeping a stoic look but being sure to shoot a disapproving glance at Blaze… granted the fact he was right, again, wasn't too shocking… it's why Blaze was a good captain, he could read people like books… most of the time anyway.
And, minutes afterwards once the Singularity opening was detected, a blip that heralded bad news went off.
"We've lost Coco!"
Blaze flinched, and when he stood, ready to dash out the door, Jill shot up and grabbed his shoulder, shaking her head at him.
"Blaze, sit down and wait… stay calm." Jill stated, and Blaze's hands tightened into fists.
"How can I?! Let me out there! I can help them! No one else will die if I go out there! Ange is a risk if this keeps up… she's gonna panic, I can tell, and then things will get worse! So let me out there with Barbatos, I can stop this!" Blaze turned and started shouting, and for that, Jill smacked him right across the face with her prosthetic arm, everyone else in the room flinching, knowing that had to have hurt badly.
"I said calm down. You're not heading out there at the current time, even if you could prevent things from getting worse. Let Zola do her job. The result will be the result, understood?" Jill took a commanding tone, and Blaze looked down, his bangs shrouding his eyes. "Am. I. Clear?"
"Crystal." Blaze sat down and pulled his scarf up over his face, the tenseness in his body obvious, and Jill sat down once more, and a person could feel the tension between the two, thick enough to be cut with a knife at the moment. "This better be worth it, or else you're losing the other arm…"
Jill glanced at Blaze with a hint of sadness in her eyes as he muttered that, merely folding her hands in front of her to hide the grimace forming on her face, and Blaze's look merely darkened as a second signal was lost, not to mention, muttering in that other language, most likely a slew of insults to vent off the frustration brewing within.
And some time later, two more Para-mail signals lost… Zola's and Ange's… and when that happened, Blaze got up and left, though he stopped at the door.
"Spero nunc digna cuiusque mortis iam non esset… I hope today was worth it, each death right now was not needed." Blaze left with that comment, Jill sighing heavily.
"That boy needs to learn… sometimes others dying is unavoidable… that sense is going to get him killed one of these days… just like his father…"
XXXX
Medbay
It was late in the day, a short time after the recovery of whatever was left of the Para-mails from the last sortie… and miraculously, Ange was in one piece but covered in bandages now, as well as strapped to a table… and whatever was left of Zola's body was in a closed body bag, and present in the room was the surviving members of the First Unit, Blaze, Jill, Emma, as well as the local shopkeeper Jasmine and the doctor Maggy.
"Four Para-mails destroyed. Three Mail Riders dead. We've failed to retrieve the bodies of the two rookies. And we didn't eliminate the DRAGONs." Jill listed off the damages of the battle, turning to Ange with a stern look, "These are the consequences of your desertion. How do you feel, Princess?"
"Say something, dammit!" Rosalie turned from her grieving, about ready to rip into Ange.
"Don't hurt her. She's wounded, after all." Maggy warned.
"I only tried to go back to my nation. I did nothing wrong." Ange murmured, and Blaze growled from the corner he was standing in, stepping out and looking downright enraged to hear that.
"'Didn't do anything wrong'?! Don't give us that bullshit Ange! This was your fault no matter which way you look at it!" Blaze was grabbed by Ersha, but he was still ranting despite it, "They didn't have to die! None of them were supposed to die like that! But you being selfish caused all of this! Don't you dare tell me you did nothing wrong…"
"Blaze calm down…" Ersha murmured, Blaze's hands balling up as he ground his teeth against each other.
"Blaze is right! It's your fault that Onee-sama – You killed Onee-sama!" Rosalie had her own bite to add to this, Chris speaking up as well.
"Murderer! Murderer!" Chris cried out her anguish, Ange still in a stupor-like state.
"Murderer? Norma aren't human." Ange looked to the side… and for that, she earned Blaze's response of snapping and putting his knife to her throat, though in the moment, the razor sharp blade caused a small cut in her bare shoulder.
"You are twisted." Blaze growled, stepping back and sheathing his blade, and before turning around, he delivered a swift, hard elbow blow to Ange's injured shoulder, the girl gasping in pain as the male pilot retreated to the corner again, visibly seething, nobody questioning the action.
"You're seriously screwed up." Hilda growled, Blaze nodding.
"You're the worst." Salia muttered.
"What's going to happen to us now?" Ersha asked.
"Salia. Starting today, you're the captain of the First Troop. Hilda, you're lieutenant. Got it?" Jill gave the order, the newly reorganized First Tropp standing at attention with a collective affirmative. "We move out again after we find the DRAGON. Get to it!"
"Yes ma'am!"
Blaze remained as the First Troop filed out, moving out of the shadows a bit.
"I'm not staying grounded when we find that DRAGON." Blaze was quick, and Jill glanced at him. "I'm serious Jill… I'm not going to take a risk… not after… this."
Blaze glanced at where Zola's body was, his hands tightening up again.
"You say that every time someone dies… you do realize some things will never change." Jill responded, Blaze keeping a steady look.
"Why do you think I'm working to change that?" Blaze turned and left, and once he was gone, Maggy sighed.
"Jill, when are you just going to tell the kid why you ground him so much? Really, it doesn't do him any good." Maggy stated, Jill sighing herself.
"He doesn't need to know… not yet." Jill added, and Jasmine chuckled.
"He's going to head out there with the First Troop regardless of what you say to him, you know that. That boy was never the same after that other girl was shot down… he still blames himself you know? You can see it… as if Blaze didn't have reason enough to be the best pilot on this island." Jasmine folded her arms, "That boy has too much of both his parents in him… his mother's skill and insight, and his father's instincts and personality… a combination that is just as bad as it is good."
Graveyard
Blaze was standing in the rain with a cloak on to keep the water off, staring down at two gravestones a short ways off from the main rows, the names on them reading "Aelia Memori" and "Dominus Memori"… the graves of his mother and father respectively.
"Hey there… sorry I haven't dropped by in a while… but, well… I've gotten better… much better than before… but… well, let's just say Jill is as strict as ever… three more died today… Coco and Miranda, two rookies, and Zola as well…" Blaze spoke in a way as if he really was speaking to his long dead parents, and he was thankful the hood hid his expression as well, "But… I did swear I'd get better… it's why I started piloting Barbatos so early… heh… I know you'd have been pissed with me mom but… I felt I didn't have a choice… I promise… I promise I won't let anyone else die… I'll repeat that as many times as I need to."
Blaze turned to leave, and he perked up a bit when he spotted three figures lower down, Ange, Hill, Jasmine, and her dog, Ange working her rear off setting the graves, as was the ritual at Arzenal… survivors pay and set the gravestones of their fallen allies to hold onto their memories and lives...
Blaze started down the hill and towards the group, who were at Zola's grave, Jasmine chuckling as he arrived.
"Ah Blaze, you showed up just in time. Visiting your folks again I presume?" Jasmine asked, Blaze nodding silently, "I see… so, anything you want to say?"
Blaze glanced at the grave, keeping his arms hidden.
"I may have hated Zola's guts but… I will admit she was a good mentor and captain… she did care about all of us, in her own weird way but… even I have to admit she was a good older sister to a lot of us here… a shame she's gone…" Blaze stated.
"See? Even a hard head like this brat knows things like this well enough, and he's humble enough to admit it too." Jasmine stated, Blaze looking to the side.
"Cut the teasing… else I'll resort to that nickname that annoys you so damn much." Blaze muttered, Jasmine shooting him a sour look.
"If you do I'll be sure to double the costs of your next upgrades too Barbatos."
Ange glanced at the two are they bantered, then looking downcast again.
"What's going to happen now?" Ange muttered, the dialogue of the two nearby cutting off to get back to the current mood. "What am I supposed to do?"
"Fight and kill DRAGONs." Jill replied simply, "That's all."
"What are those DRAGONs? Why do I have to fight them?!" Ange outright demanded.
"Weren't you listening in class?" Jill responded, a hint of sass in her tone, "We Norma are allowed to live only as weapons to kill the DRAGON."
"Isn't that what you'd want as a princess?" Jasmine gave her own input on that notion, "You're fighting to protect the world."
"The world?" Ange asked.
"It's because there are Norma here fighting the DRAGONs that the world of Mana is able to maintain peace." Jasmine answered.
"What?" Ange showed confusion, and amid this, Blaze remained dead silent.
"While your world was drunk on peace, the Norma were dying, unknown to anyone, to protect you." Jill stated.
"All of us at Arzenal more or less know only the life you've been thrust in, Ange… hell, I was literally born into it." Blaze stated, a hint of lingering bitterness in his voice… and one could understand why.
"I don't know anything about that." Ange shook her head, Jill responding curtly yet again.
"Now it's your turn."
"I don't know. I'm not even a Norma." Ange insisted, and Blaze scoffed at that.
"How long are you going to keep deluding yourself with that notion? Because the longer you stick yourself with denial, the worse it'll hurt later on." Blaze bit, and then Jill produced a pen, the one used by Emma.
"This is the officer's pen. Use it." Jill ordered, Ange taking the pen… and her attempts at using Mana producing nothing.
"Why?" Ange sunk down, despair on her face, "I just… I just can't use Mana right now… Just for that, I have to get thrown into this hell?! It's outrageous!"
Blaze then shot forward and grabbed Ange by her jacket, yanking her up and giving a stern glare.
"And who do you think decided on that?! It was people like you, who think Norma, or people like me who just can't use Mana in general, deserve nothing more than hell for it, who treat us as little more than objects to be used!" Blaze was direct, blunt, and his words were angry, Ange flinching as tears continued forming in her eyes, "You're here because of the rules you people came up with… but, Norma are just instinctively violent, antisocial animals, am I right?!"
Ange gasped as Blaze said that, and Jill was stopped from pulling Blaze away by Jasmine, who shook her head.
"Let Blaze vent and get his point across… this is good for both him and Ange." Jasmine stated.
"Well, get it through your head Burn Princess, Norma have emotions to… some of them are more human than those damned Mana users…" Blaze looked down, letting go of Ange, staring at the ground with balled fists, "Coco had just turned twelve for crying out loud… she was practically my little sister… so many of the Norma are like my siblings, they're the only family I have, but that doesn't matter to you now does it!? Because they're Norma, objects, tools, weapons that only exist to kill DRAGONs! Am I right or wrong?!"
"Twelve… the same age as Sylvia…" Ange looked towards the gravestone, tears streaming down her face, and then she shook her head, "No, she's not the same as Sylvia. Because…"
"Norma aren't human… huh." Jill then moved forward and grabbed Ange, giving her own glare, "Then what are you?! You're not a princess. You have no Mana. You abandoned your duty. You're a deserter. You killed a little girl. Just what are you?!"
Jill released Ange, who slumped over in sorrow, simply muttering out "I am" in a strained, sad manner, and Blaze then knelt down, taking his knife to the girls throat.
"I should just kill you right here and now… then no one else you'd die because of you… but no, that would be too easy… besides, Norma are supposed to die fighting… not sniveling like cowards!" Blaze accentuated that by sheathing his knife and letting Ange slump over again, his expressions stoic once more, and a short time later, Salia came rushing over.
"Commander, we've located the DRAGONs." Salia relayed, and Blaze let out a breath.
"I'm going out there." Blaze stated, Salia glancing at him, and Blaze gave a steady look at Jill, pulling his hood down, "And nothing you say is stopping me Jill. Please… let me sortie… I'm not taking another risk right now… especially if you're planning what I think you are."
"Then go… I won't stop you." Jill stated, Blaze nodding and turning.
"Ange… before Jill rips into you again… remember… Memento Mori… Remember to be ready to die… even if I don't like anyone dying in any way… I'll still say it as a reminder… so that we won't die… because if you don't fear death… then how can you be killed?" Blaze dashed off with that, "I can see what you're planning Jill… Villkiss… you're bringing it out aren't you? Do or die now, isn't it? That's why I'm heading out… to see this for myself…"
Hangar
Blaze was sitting at stand by in the Barbatos' cockpit as First Troop was lined up and readied to launch, though he had some input to three particular members.
"Salia, Ersha, Vivian… careful out there… I'm not putting up with three more gravestones… especially not yours… last thing I want here is too lose anyone else I care about." Blaze muttered, Salia yelping in surprise, Ersha chuckling, and Vivian giggling.
"He does care!" Vivian chuckled.
"How considerate of you Blaze. Hmmhmm, but you have nothing to worry about." Ersha responded.
"W-where did that come from?!" Sali yelped, and Blaze could hear the annoyed mutters from Hilda and Rosalie, while Chris more or less didn't care.
"Just keep your eyes open for surprises. I'll jump into the fight if things get too crazy all right? I'm tagging on as a support member today." Blaze lowered his visor, the item staying clear due to the visibility outside, waiting as the First Troop launched.
"Blaze, you are clear for liftoff!"
"Blaze, taking off!"
Barbatos lifted off of the catapult, it's wing thrusters kicking into full gear as the machine shot out into the open, clouded sky, Blaze catching up with the First Troop, and Ange's old, rickety machine in the rear was barely flying straight.
Blaze kept the radio connection down for now, not really interested in whatever chatter was going on… though it was obvious from the small amount that could be heard from the not exactly muted radio that the Zola trio was pissed (Chris and Rosalie) to amused at a certain someone's death wish (Hilda), and that Vivian was curious as all heck about the piece of crap machine Ange had been more or less slapped onto.
"And here it is." Blaze looked down towards the water, the shadow of the Galleon class from the previous battle rising up, the DRAGON obviously quite wounded and showing evidence of where it was hit by freezing bullets of it's torso and wing. "Which means all they have to do is finish it off."
The others (minus Ange) all switched their machines to Assault mode, ready for the attack, while Blaze wheeled around and ascended a bit, switching forms to hover in the air, watching the rush, and growling when he saw the DRAGON launch up orbs from below.
"So it set a trap? These things are getting smarter, aren't they?!" Blaze shot down and blasted apart multitudes of the orbs, coming back up from the rush near Salia's machine, switching his radio back on, "Salia, don't freeze up!"
Salia gasped from inside her machine as Blaze kept shooting down the rushing orbs as they came at the others, giving cover fire where needed as they were all backed into a corner.
"What do we do? What do we do? Captain Zola…" Salia muttered.
"Salia I said don't freeze up. You're the First Troops captain now!" Blaze snapped, and he fired at the DRAGON as it started closing in on them.
"EVADE!" Salia yelled, the units moving out of the way, though Blaze shoved Salia ahead, Barbatos getting rammed by the DRAGONs wing and losing it's rifle, Blaze growling as he felt the blow.
"BLAZE!" Ersha and Salia shouted as the Barbatos was now stuck on the DRAGONs wing.
"I'm fine… Barbatos is tough enough to shake that off… but I lost my rifle… dammit…" Blaze resorted to drawing a sword, and the young man gasped when the DRAGON diverted it's attention from Barbatos, and instead, to Ange and the shaky Villkiss which was headed straight for it. "The hell?! She's really trying to die… isn't she?"
But, when the DRAGON swung it's tail, Ange avoided taking the blow dead on, then rushing back in, and then avoiding an incoming orb attack by cutting the thrusters shortly, the DRAGON giving chase, Blaze growling as he was stuck in it.
"No… something's stopping her…" Blaze muttered, and he got ready to rush in once the VIllkiss was caught by the DRAGON, the beast tilting it's head to move in for the kill… and what followed next was a scream from Ange, and then her machine began glowing brightly, blue light gleaming from the machine, the DRAGON reeling back, releasing both the Barbatos and Villkiss, which was shedding the layer of old rust and grime, revealing a gleaming white, blue accented frame with a gold inner frame, Ange immediately entering Assault mode as she snapped into action, the Villkiss capable of being likened to an angel itself, and Blaze felt shocked. "She did it… Villkiss is awake again…"
What followed next confirmed things for Blaze: Ange swooped through the DRAGONs attacks, breaking it's shield and avoiding the orbs it sent towards her, slashing them out of the air, blasting forward and driving her sword right through it's head and letting the DRAGON eat it's own attack, finishing the beast with a point blank freezing bullet and retrieving her sword, the DRAGON falling and the water that shot up freezing with it's death.
"Well… looks like you found her Jill… the Villkiss' new pilot…" Blaze looked off at the parting clouds that showed the rising sun as Ange's broken, pained sobs, probably some of the last she's release for a long while, broke through the silence, "Et sic de novo incipit… and so it begins again."
A/N
And I will admit I had fun showing Blaze's emotional side… he's strong but neither is he invincible. Perfect combo.
Next chapter preview:
Blaze: Looks like you've got the idea through that thick skull of yours… that's good.
Ange: I want to know what the deal with him is… why is Blaze even hear?
Salia: You're in for a long story then…
Maggy: Hey Blaze, guess who finally woke up. You may be glad to hear this.
Next time: Chapter 4: Past of the Azure Ace