Enjoy!
The Only Promise You Ever Made
Chapter 10-Allies
The two women arrived back to their world, and Haruka was quick to grab Violet's arm. "You're sure Michiru will be left alone?"
"I give you my word," Violet answered. She crossed her arms and shook her head, recounting their earlier conversation. "You need to learn to control your temper, Haruka."
The blonde frowned. "I was upset. The time I had with her was too short, and you can't expect me to be okay about any of this, especially leaving her." She sighed, running a hand through her hair to try to calm down. "I just want to be with her, and I just want her to be safe."
"I understand where you're coming from, Haruka. But all of this, everything that is going on, involves all of us. Caleb is still missing, and nobody has found anything."
Haruka walked up to her. "He's alive, Violet."
Violet turned to her, letting her arms fall down to her side. "How do you know that?"
"I saw him. He's being held in a dungeon in their world. His condition is pretty bad, but he's alive. He tried to communicate with me earlier."
She rushed closer to her. "What did he say?"
"I'm not really sure. I was only able to understand so much before I passed out."
Violet sighed. Even though she knew Caleb was alive, she was at a loss on how to get him back.
He was in their world, a place she had yet to experience, and one where she never wanted to be. But he was alive, and Haruka knew where, and that was more than enough for her to want to go there. She frowned, and looked at Haruka, running her eyes over her chest where the scar used to be. She walked closer to her and touched her chest, ignoring the confused look from the blonde.
"How did it heal so fast, Haruka?"
Unsure of whether to be truthful, Haruka didn't say anything right away. She wondered if Violet would think her to be crazy if she answered that a fallen angel had helped her. That woman had yet to harm Haruka in any way, or use her for her own benefit, so she had to be good. Haruka didn't have any reason to distrust her. Maybe Violet would understand…maybe she could be okay with the possibility that not everybody had a heart completely controlled by hatred. If it was possible for Daniel to revert back to being good, then nothing was impossible.
"Somebody…helped me."
"While you were dreaming?"
Haruka nodded. "She…she healed me, and she's also the one who showed me where Caleb was being held captive."
"What's her name?"
"I don't know."
"Well, can she meet us maybe? Can she give us more information about Caleb?"
"I don't know, Violet."
Violet stared at Haruka, unsure of what to think about the situation. Haruka seemed hesitant to relay everything she knew, like she was hiding something, and that bothered her. "What are you keeping from me?"
Haruka shifted her weight, but kept her eyes on Violet. She was never one to hide the truth so no point in starting now. "The woman who helped me is a fallen angel."
Violet was certain she heard what she did, but didn't want to believe it. She never heard of a fallen angel helping them in any way. They were the enemy. They were the monsters focused on killing and causing misery. "I'm sorry?"
"She's a fallen angel."
Violet didn't know if she was supposed to be surprised or angry. She took a step back, turning around as she brought up her fingers to rub her face. "How is that possible, Haruka?"
She shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine, Violet."
"How do you know she's not just using you somehow? How can you trust her so easily?" Violet wanted to yell, she wanted to scream at Haruka for being so reckless as to let a fallen angel close to her.
Haruka noticed the change in demeanor quickly, not surprised that Violet would become suspicious and defensive about it all. She had every right to be, considering a fallen angel did not stand for what a guardian did. But, this woman was different. She had ample opportunities to get rid of Haruka, and the fact that she healed her and gave her the location of a person the fallen angels never wanted to release had to account for something.
"Violet," she began, frowning at the anger still present in her eyes. "I know it sounds strange, but all she has ever done is help me. I mean, I'm completely healed, and I wouldn't be if it wasn't for her."
"This isn't the first time?"
"No…she was the one who warned me that I needed to prepare myself for anything." Haruka bit her tongue, unsure if she should reveal what else the angel had told her, knowing it was a soft spot for Violet. "She was the one who told me to be careful about Daniel."
There was another change, her eyes and body language shifted almost instantaneously. Violet glanced away, and Haruka could never mistake the sadness for anything else. She felt it, and it confused her. The blonde thought for sure she would become upset, maybe overwhelm her with more questions, but there was only silence and something else she couldn't quite understand.
Haruka decided to change the subject, uncomfortable with the tension, and troubled she caused the other woman to be upset about whatever it was. "Caleb is alive, Violet," she repeated. Her positive words did nothing to bring about a change in Violets demeanor. Regardless of how she found out the information, there was no reason for the sadness to continue on. It was unlike her, and Haruka realized that it pained her to see Violet suffer.
Violet did not answer with words or a glance. She leaned against a wall, her arms crossed and eyes staring at the ground. When she finally did raise her eyes to Haruka, they seemed hurt, but her tight jaw and rigid stance gave way to anger. Haruka felt uncomfortable, but she didn't look away. There shouldn't be any animosity or strain between them, and so she wasn't going to simply yield.
Haruka remained calm, neutral, hoping that her relaxed disposition would change the other woman's tense features. It seemed to alleviate the situation somewhat, but there was still something wrong. There was something bothering Violet and Haruka didn't know if she should ask or just leave. She decided that former was the best option, because she couldn't just abandon a friend who was clearly in need of one.
"What's going on, Violet?" Haruka implored, hoping the other woman wouldn't shut herself. It had never happened before, but with how quickly her demeanor changed, she could easily resort to avoidance.
Violet shrugged and shook her head, the nonchalant action only increasing Haruka's confusion and worry. They were always straightforward with each other, and so the question being brushed off like that was completely uncharacteristic. The blonde took a few cautious steps closer, now able to see it wasn't anger Violet felt. She was only using that in order to mask the sadness that Haruka was now overpowered with. What was she feeling hopeless about?
"Do you remember anything, Haruka?" Violet inquired, her nails digging into her forearm. She quickly relaxed her hand, knowing that her frustration was misdirected, but it was the only way she could drown out the sadness.
The question caught Haruka off guard. Was there something she was forgetting? Did something happen that was her fault? She hesitated for a moment, racking her brain for anything that could be important enough to upset the other woman. She came up short. "I'm not sure what you're talking about, Violet."
"Your dreams," she offered. "What do you remember about your dreams?"
"I remember our conversations," she answered, noticing it was not the right one when Violet shifted her weight, obviously trying to control her frustration.
"Nothing else? You don't remember who-" The tears were brimming her eyes now, and she shut them, hoping she could at least have control over her emotions, if not anything else.
Haruka was slow in her movements, not sure if Violet would resist her concern. She reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder. The stiff muscles she felt under her fingers forced her to retract her hand, lest she upset the woman even further. It was obvious she did something…it was obvious she hurt this woman.
"What did I do, Violet?" The words were soft, before a possible realization hit her. "Who did I hurt?"
Violet tried to control her feelings toward what happened to Daniel, but it was difficult. She wanted to blame Haruka for the loss of her love once again. She inherently knew that it wasn't her fault, and that she was being controlled by a Chaser, but she felt broken now. Daniel was gone, having promised to return, but she wasn't sure it would ever happen. Granted, not a lot of time had passed, but her heart was already crying out for comfort, for a reality that she wasn't sure was going to ever exist again. She ached for Daniel, and the possibility that he would never return seemed to be too much for her, as strong as she was.
She finally looked at Haruka, the anger in her eyes finally gone. "You were having these…headaches…" Her words didn't elicit a response, so she continued. "There are these fallen angels called Chasers, who are able to inhabit the body of a weak guardian angel. One was able to take control of you, hoping that you would wake up, and he could see where you were hiding."
Haruka's confusion was not surprising. "I…I don't remember any of that." She grabbed Violets arm, pulling the woman closer. "I didn't hurt you…did I?" The words were uncertain, her steady voice trying to mask the panic.
Violet shook her head. "Daniel made sure to protect me," she answered, offering a small smile.
"Daniel? He came back?"
"They let him come back as a guardian angel, Haruka…he was exactly like how I remember him. But now…"
Haruka backed away, running a hand through her hair. "I…I didn't mean to, Violet," she defended. "I don't remember anything. I-"
Violet grabbed one of Haruka's hand, trying to calm the woman down, but she was truly upset with herself. It was rare to see her this distraught. "I'm upset, Haruka, and I'm not sure how to deal with any of this. My emotions are just everywhere right now. But I know that it would be stupid of me to blame you. I'm not blaming you."
She roughly pulled her hand from the comforting grasp. "I killed him, Violet…" It sounded more like a question than a statement, as if she couldn't bring herself to believe she would do anything of the sort. She was better than that. She was always stronger than that.
"No, you didn't do anything, Haruka." She placed a hand on her cheek, forcing those emerald eyes to look at her. "Like I said, you were being controlled. It was out of your hands…besides…he promised me he would return."
The sincerity in her words calmed Haruka down. There was no time for any of this, regardless of how upset she was about the situation, there was some good news. "I'm sorry about everything, Violet, and I hate that I hurt you like this. Thank you for protecting me, and especially Michiru. You have done everything you could in a situation where it was not required of you, and for that, you have my sincerest thanks." She paused, getting the woman's full attention. "He will come back. If he did already, there's no reason why he would go back on his word this time."
Violet smiled, nodding her head in understanding at Haruka's words. "I won't question how you found out Caleb is still alive. If that fallen angel wanted you dead, then you would have been." Haruka nodded her thanks, relieved that was over with. "How was he able to reach you anyway?"
"Telepathically."
Violet frowned. "I didn't know we were allowed to do that," she asked incredulously.
She shook her head. "I don't think a lot of guardians can, but Caleb was able to do it once to try to contact me, and now he's trying again. The headache I got while I was awake…"
"It must have been painful because you're human, and he's trying to reach you from their world."
"The problem is I was only able to make out so much. His words were distant, almost slurred."
"What were you able to understand?"
Haruka sighed, rubbing her eyes. "He's trying to warn me," she answered.
"Warn you? About what?"
"I'm not too sure, but it can't be good. We need to find him, Violet."
"I know," she agreed, crossing her arms. "We'll need to go there."
"That won't be easy."
"We'll have to take a group with us…some of the strongest angels we have and invade that dungeon to get Caleb out of there. I really don't have any other sort of plan," she admitted.
"What if we-"
The energy came suddenly, causing Haruka to stop, and she cursed under her breath. She was certain the fallen angels would have forgotten about her returning, and simply left her alone. Obviously, it was foolish of her to think that. They could have attacked during this entire time and their guard would have been down; they wouldn't have been ready.
"We don't have a lot of time, Haruka."
"I'm surprised we even got any at all," she countered, turning her attention to Violet. "I assume they were just coming up with some sort of plan instead of just invading."
Violet allowed electricity to dance across her right arm. "They do plan everything they do. Nothing is done haphazardly, and if it is, it's usually because of a rogue angel."
"As long as they leave Michiru alone…"
She nodded her head. "They should. I'm just worried that there's going to be too many for us to handle and-"
"I won't let anything happen to you, Violet." Wind encompassed both of Haruka's arms now. "You have done so much for me, for Michiru, and I'll protect you with my life."
Violet smiled, and Haruka offered a smirk. She really did mean what she said. Violet had done so much for the blonde, without question and without hesitation. Haruka would have done anything for her regardless, but now more than ever. Whatever came at them now, Haruka would do everything in her power to make sure that Violet would be safe in the end.
The moment was interrupted all too quickly. Haruka felt them before Violet, a frown gracing her features as she tried to figure out the direction the fallen angels were going to come. She felt a barrier being created, and that only worried her since she knew that no other guardian angels were going to be able to break through it.
"This is going to be a hard one," she spoke to Violet, closing her eyes as she heard the movements of the fallen angels.
"Don't tell me you're worried, Haruka? That's so unlike you."
Haruka made a noise of amusement. "I'm worried about you keeping up with me." She opened her eyes to electricity dancing across Violet's entire body.
"Your worry is misplaced. We can do this together."
The arrows reached them before the fallen angels did. Haruka let the wind retreat from her body to blow the arrows away. She turned around to block a kick meant for her head, before grabbing the leg and throwing the angel away from her. She felt two more angels advancing towards her, and held out her hand to throw them away with the wind. When they didn't come into view, she brought up her arm to block a punch to her face, before using her left leg to kick another angel in the chest and throw him back.
She grabbed the arm she blocked, bringing the angel close to her body in order to protect herself from the arrows and daggers aimed toward her body; the angel disintegrated once she let him fall. She turned around to face Violet, who seemed to be doing fine on her own. There was lightning being thrown in all kinds of directions, as well as covering her entire body as a sort of shield. Haruka wasn't sure when she learned these new powers, but was grateful for anything that gave them the upper hand in a battle where they were outnumbered.
More fallen angels advanced toward Violet, ignoring her. She ran towards the other woman, using her speed to her advantage. A blue energy sword appeared in each hand, and she used them to protect Violet from attacks she otherwise wouldn't have been able to defend herself against. The numbers seemed to grow, but she wasn't going to let the fallen angels win.
Haruka's movements were quick, as she easily appeared and disappeared in front or behind angels. She used her swords to take care of as many enemies as she could, before finally getting rid of a sword to dispel wind from that hand and push back those she either couldn't get to in time, or were out of reach. Staying alive was her goal, but keeping as many fallen angels away from Violet was more important.
A dagger imbedded itself into her back, and she grunted from the pain, but her movements didn't falter. She frowned when she felt an energy advancing towards them, one that was much stronger than the countless fallen angels they were fighting. She let the wind surround her entire body, before throwing it away from her in order to push back every single angel. The more powerful energy didn't seem to falter in its advancement, and so she rushed to Violet as quickly as possible, gathering up energy in her left hand. Once Haruka reached her, she slammed her fist into the ground so that a blue barrier could completely surround them.
A sword clashed against the energy, and she looked up in time to see ice blue eyes stare back at her before they were gone. Both women were breathing heavily, looking around them in order to find that energy again, but it was gone.
"I can't feel him, Haruka," Violet said. She noticed that no more other fallen angels were attacking them. "Something's not right."
Haruka nodded. "He's strong," she explained, allowing wind to surround the barrier now, knowing they would need the extra protection. "We can't let him get too close to us."
There was another clash against the barrier, but all Haruka saw were sparks. Over and over again there were sparks around them, a faint glimpse of a sword every now and then, but she wasn't able to see the angel. He was much faster than her, and she wasn't sure how to handle that.
"We need to work together, Haruka. This shield isn't going to last much longer."
She nodded. "I agree. I'll try to keep him from not getting too close to either of us, and use long range attacks. It's all I can come up with right now."
Violet nodded, allowing a green sword with electricity around it to appear in her hand. The energy barrier was gone, but the wind remained. Haruka used it to slow down the sword that would have cut her throat otherwise. She blew the angel away, moving to the side so Violet could throw lightning at him, but he dodged it easily, running at Haruka and then tackling her to the ground. Before her back could hit the ground, she felt the dagger being pulled out and then jammed into her shoulder. When she collided with the ground, a hand grabbed her neck while the other held a small dagger that advanced toward her chest. She grabbed the arm holding the dagger, doing her best to keep it from stabbing her. Her body finally stopped sliding against the ground, and the only sound heard was that of Haruka grunting as she tried to resist against the fallen angels strength. She stared into clear, blue eyes that didn't seem evil at all, but held a hate that was stronger than anything she had felt before.
Violet threw lightning at the angel, and Haruka didn't even see him flinch from the pain she knew it must have caused. The hand around her neck retreated so that he could aim his palm in the direction of Violet. All of the electricity left his body and focused around his hand. Haruka used her left hand to pull out the dagger in her shoulder, and then stabbed his arm, pushing it away so that the lightning that left his hand barely missed Violet. He grunted in anger, directing his attention back to Haruka and slamming his open palm against her face.
Haruka screamed out in pain as her face absorbed the black energy escaping from his hand. She heard Violet run to them, and more electricity was thrown at him, but again, there was no effect. Haruka surrounded their bodies with wind in order to keep Violet away, while trying to push him off of her, but he didn't budge. A dagger appeared in her left hand, and she brought it up to stab him, but the hand against her face was gone in order to hold hers against the ground. The dagger he held was inching closer to her chest, and she increased the speed and power of the wind in order to force him away. All she needed was for him to falter even a little, and she could get the edge she needed in order to get away from him, but nothing seemed to work.
Haruka saw Violet running towards them from her left side, pushing against the wind, and she noticed his eyes dart away before staring back into her own. She felt a slight gain in pushing the dagger away, and that was all it took to know that he was going to focus on hurting Violet instead of her. She quickly redirected the wind, now causing him to be pushed against the ground, toward her body. It caused the dagger to dig into her chest, an outcome she expected, and even though it hurt, she couldn't let him go. She didn't yell out in pain, instead giving him a grin when she noticed his confusion towards her action.
She made the wind push against them from the right side, allowing her to flip them over so that she was on top of him. The wind changed again to push against her back, forcing them to stay on the ground. Her hands went to his neck, as his grabbed her sides to send energy into her body, hoping that it would weaken her hold and allow him to escape. Haruka felt the pain, felt the gripping against her sides, but she only put more of her energy into making the wind forcing them into the ground much stronger. Her hands were not burning through his neck like she assumed they would, and so she started to punch him, but it didn't seem like he was in any pain from the blows, nor did he defend himself. The pain coursing through her body became worse, but she ignored it and replaced her hands around his neck to keep him on the ground for now.
She looked up at Violet at the sound of swords clashing. She was fighting more fallen angels, and the lightning caught Haruka's eye, giving her an idea. Using the wind, she redirected some of the lightning towards herself. Her body absorbed it, and she focused it to mix with her own energy and escape through her fists as she began punching him again.
He easily caught both of her fists. "You can't kill me that easily," he said, getting her to look at his eyes again. They were turning into a darker blue, before one was completely red. Regardless of the wind pushing them against the ground, he was finally able to throw her away from him. She landed on her feet, but didn't charge at him to allow her body time to recover from the energy he used on her.
Haruka looked down to her chest when the forgotten about dagger slowly went completely into her body. She grunted when it came out from her back, but didn't think much of it; she was simply glad to have her body rid of something that could have potentially drained her energy.
She straightened her body, staring at the fallen angel in front her, but he simply stood there casually. His body was relaxed, his hands in his pockets, and a smug expression on his face.
She was about to charge at him, when she felt a dagger imbed itself into her back. She grimaced from the pain, but otherwise knew she would be able to continue her assault. But then another dagger went into her back, and then another. She finally fell to her knees when two more daggers were in her back. They were draining her power at an unprecedented rate, and she felt weak as the seconds passed. She coughed up blood, roughly wiping it away from her mouth. How had she not sensed any of them?
"I don't even need to touch you to kill you, Haruka. Those daggers will completely drain your energy, and then you'll just die."
Haruka stared at him, but he wasn't even looking at her anymore. He casually walked to where Violet still fought fallen angels, a black sword appearing in each hand. The daggers went deeper into her back, causing her back to burn and more groans of pain. She tried to stand up, but her weak body protested, and she stumbled back to her knees.
"I won't let her die," she whispered, forcing herself to her feet. She reached behind her back with both hands, pulling out two of the daggers before letting them fall to the ground. She began to walk, knowing that her legs would not allow her the luxury of running right now. Again, she put her hands behind her and pulled out two more daggers, leaving only one that imbedded itself deeper under her shoulder blade. "I'm not that easy to kill either," she said, finally forcing her body into a full run when the fallen angel disappeared.
Haruka ran towards Violet despite the objection from her aching and weak body. She threw wind at a few of the angels, blowing them away to allow Violet the opportunity to finally get rid of two others. She felt the energy of the fallen angel again, although it was much stronger, more hateful.
She reached back to pull the final dagger from her body, but held it tightly instead of letting it fall to the ground. Violet turned to her, her eyes a mix of confusion and worry, but there wasn't time for any of that. The fallen angel was behind Violet, but the other woman didn't have any time to defend herself or move away from the sword about to stab through her chest.
At the last possible second, Haruka used the wind to throw Violet away from the fallen angel, before taking her place and allowing the sword to go through her own body. She brought the dagger up, stabbing it into his heart, and then dragging it down the length of his upper body. He screamed out in pain, letting go of his sword, but Haruka grabbed his shirt to keep him from disappearing. She pulled the dagger out, before digging it into his neck. She let go of the small weapon, and he used that opportunity to disappear. The sword in her chest vanished as well, and even though she was exhausted, she kept her balance. She coughed up more blood, and looked down at the wound bleeding from her chest. She finally collapsed to the ground, not having the strength to keep standing.
Violet was at her side, cursing under her breath as she turned Haruka into her back. There was blood all over her body, and coming from her mouth. "Why did you do that, Haruka?"
Haruka coughed, rolling onto her side so she didn't choke on the blood. "I said I would protect you with my life…"
"Your life is not mine to have!" she protested. "I don't know how to heal these wounds, and you can't go back to your human body right now…it would be too risky. You're going to bleed to death. I…there's nothing…"
Haruka grabbed hold of the hand that rested on her arm. She looked up at Violet, her face full of frustration and fear, as the sadness reverberated off of her. She wasn't sure what to say, and before she could, the energy of the fallen angel was back. Violet's head shot up, looking ahead of her as Haruka cursed and let go of the hand. She wasn't sure she had anymore fight left in her, and if she did, she didn't know how long she could last.
"You thought you could kill me?!"
Haruka heard and felt the utter hatred directed at her. Slowly, with Violet's help, she got to her feet, putting her weight on the other woman. She coughed some more, the action causing the numerous wounds on her body to bleed. She looked up at the angel, his black wings now visible. The deep gash along his torso and the stab wound in his neck bled profusely and as much as he tried to appear unfazed, his steps were slow, almost faltering.
"I told you I'm not that easy to kill, Haruka."
"I just need to try harder," she answered.
He snorted. "In your current state, the only thing you're going to do is fail."
She clenched her fists, and spit out blood. "That doesn't exactly sit well with me, but I think it would suit you just fine."
He yelled in frustration before charging at them. Haruka tightened her arm that was around Violet's shoulders, prepared to fight the fallen angel and protect the other woman. Before he reached them, flames completely surrounded the two women.
Violet looked around at the flames, but all Haruka did was lower her head and laugh to herself. She felt the other guardian angel appear in front of her.
"What took you so long?" she asked, raising her head to stare into blue.
"I come to help you, and this is the thanks I get," he replied, running his eyes over her wounded body. "It seems I came just in time again."
"Daniel…"
His eyes left Haruka's battered body and focused on Violet. He smiled. "It's always the greatest feeling seeing you, Violet."
"That's nice and all, Daniel, but we have some work to do," Haruka interrupted, pulling herself away from Violet. Daniel walked closer to Haruka, inspecting the wounds some more. He looked at her eyes, silently asking if she was sure even though he knew it was the only way to save her right now. Haruka nodded. "Do what you have to do."
Daniel rested his hands on her wounds, fire leaving them and burning Haruka. She closed her eyes, knowing she could handle the pain for now. It didn't take long for the heat to sear the wound closed. He walked around her, placing his hands on the other wounds, doing the same to those. When he got to the last two on her back, her stance started to falter from the pain. Violet went to her, letting her use her body as support. When the last wound was closed, Daniel went and stood in front of her again.
"It's not a permanent solution, but it'll definitely help; you won't bleed out.
Haruka nodded. "That's good enough for me. Thank you."
"I never thought I'd hear you say those words to me," he commented, looking away before turning his eyes back to her. "Listen, Haruka…"
She held out her hand. "We'll have time for that later. First, how did you break through his barrier?"
He shrugged. "I used to be a fallen angel…I know some tricks."
"I didn't know when you would return," Violet began, touching Daniels arm as if to make sure he was real.
"I have a lot of valuable information that will help everybody. I guess my quick return was imperative."
"Let's take care of this fallen angel first," Haruka said, a sword appearing in her hand. She rubbed her shoulder with the other, trying to ward off the aching in her body.
"He's fast. We just need to work together to defeat him."
"Now that I think of it, how is he even able to be here for this long? I thought you said fallen angels could only be here for a limited amount of time."
Violet turned to Haruka. "Stronger fallen angels aren't limited in their power…it could be the only explanation for why he hasn't retreated yet."
"I was actually one of the weaker ones, and the stronger ones are used for missions to seek out specific guardian angels. They won't give up, and can be some of the most heartless angels you will ever encounter. They will either capture an angel or kill one if they have been a problem."
"I guess that means me."
"A lot of people want you dead, Haruka. I was supposed to either kill or capture you the last time we fought, and it was a direct order from Yuka."
Haruka took a few steps toward him. "You worked for her?"
He hesitantly nodded. "I'm not proud of it. She's as ruthless as she is clever. We really need to be careful from now on. There's a lot she has planned, and I only know so much."
Violet noticed Haruka's jaw clench and the anger in her eyes. "Haruka, we'll deal with all of that once we take care of this fallen angel. Don't get angry right now…it will do you no good."
Daniel walked closer to Haruka. "She's right," he agreed, touching her shoulder. "We're strongest when we protect, not when we seek revenge."
Haruka slowed down her breathing, letting her body relax. They were both right, and she knew anger would be of no use to her in anything, especially fighting, but it was difficult to simply brush things aside sometimes. It was so easy to hate Yuka, to hate what she stood for and all the evil she portrayed…but she couldn't stoop that low. She couldn't let the hatred she held for the other woman control her actions or her heart; it would betray her and have consequential effects. Once the fight was over, they would talk with Daniel, and he could tell them everything he knew. It would help them in a battle she so desperately wanted to finish.
"I'm fine," she answered to Violets worried stare. "Let's get this over with."
Daniel looked at both women, letting fire envelope both of his arms. "Ready?" When he didn't receive any protests, he let the barrier disappear. He turned to the fallen angel, immediately recognizing him.
"Daniel, it's always a pleasure to see you…especially now that you have betrayed us."
"You act like you're hurt, Hunter."
Hunter smiled. "It's just a great feeling knowing I'm the one who gets to kill you."
"Your confidence is what's going to kill you."
The movement was too quick…unexpected. Haruka did not anticipate the action, and she wasn't sure she would have enough time to stop it. Hunter was behind Daniel, an arm around his shoulders while another was bringing a dagger to stab him through the neck. Haruka used all the speed she possessed, placing her hand in front of Daniels neck so that the blade would go through it, ultimately stopping it from reaching skin.
Hunter scoffed before disappearing. Daniel staggered, before looking up at the dagger imbedded through Haruka's hand. She quickly pulled it out, making a fist and ignoring the blood.
"I don't know if I'll be able to save you again, Daniel," Haruka said, looking at him. "I'm fast, but he seems to be a little faster," she quietly admitted.
"I won't underestimate him again."
They all felt him again, and Daniel let flames envelop his entire body. Haruka created a sword and shield out of wind, while Violet let the lightning flow through her body to then appear in the form of two swords on her back. A bow and arrow was in her hands as she decided to use long range attacks for now, knowing Haruka and Daniel would resort to close quarters combat.
Hunter appeared in front of them, holding two black swords. "I only want you, Haruka. If you come willingly, I'll let your friends go."
Haruka took a step forward. "I don't want anything to do with you. Either you leave, or die like the rest of the fallen angels."
He grinned, raising both swords in front of him. He charged at them, deciding to focus on Haruka. Violet quickly released half a dozen arrows at Hunter, but he caught each one, throwing them back at her. Daniel disintegrated them with flames, before turning to Hunter and running at him. Haruka used her shield to block one of the swords, moving her body to dodge the other. He was fast, and she tried in her best ability to keep up with him in order to defend herself. Defense was all she had at the moment, hoping Violet and Daniel could put him in that same position to allow her time to attack.
Daniel went to punch him in the face, but a sword blocked it, throwing him away upon impact. He grunted, charging again and brought up a leg to kick him in the back. Hunter threw up one of his swords into the air, catching Daniels leg with his free hand while his other sword clashed against Haruka's shield. He released energy from his sword that pushed Haruka away, and then threw his sword at her. She brought up her shield to block the sword, but it split into two, easily going around her shield to then reconnect into one sword and imbed itself into her back; she fell to her knees.
Violet released more arrows, but Hunter caught each one again, before turning to stab them into the leg he still held on to with his other hand. Daniel grabbed the arm holding his leg, allowing the flames from his body to transfer to Hunters. Hunter let go of Daniels leg, gripping his shirt with one hand, while the other grabbed the second sword that fell from above them. He brought it forward to stab Daniel in the stomach, ignoring the flames burning his body. Before the sword could reach him, Violet had already advanced towards them, reaching to her back to grab both of the swords. She hit Hunters sword, deflecting it up, while bringing her other sword to slice across his leg.
Hunter used the momentum of his sword being hit upwards to turn around and throw it at Haruka. The blonde, already having pulled the sword from her back, used it to deflect the one advancing towards her. Once deflected, she let go of the one she held, not trusting that it would aid her in the fight.
Hunter concentrated the flames surrounding his body to his fists, using his arm to block one of Violet's swords, before punching her in the face. He brought his arm down, punching her in the stomach to send her flying away. Daniel used a sword made out of fire to cut one of Hunters black wings off. Hunter yelled, turning around to grab the sword before it stabbed him in the back. He pulled it towards him, bringing Daniel with him since he didn't let go. He brought up his right hand, a black energy surrounding it, and slammed it against Daniels face, throwing him back and down into the ground. The fire around Daniels body quickly dissipated, a black energy consuming his body now.
Haruka charged at Hunter, getting rid of her sword and shield. She was behind him in an instant, grabbing him around his shoulders to pull him off of Daniel. Hunter disappeared out of her grip, and she looked down at her hand where the skin was burned from touching him. She cursed under her breath when she saw the battered state Daniel was in. He slowly moved his body, trying to stay conscious, while coughing up blood. Haruka touched his chest, activating a shield around him until he was able to fight again, if at all.
She backed out of the shield, and looked around for any sign of Hunter, but she couldn't feel him anymore. The wind circled around her body in all directions, and she let it cool down her anger. This fallen angel wanted her, only her, and she was starting to consider if she should go with him in order to save the two people who meant anything to her in this world. Daniel had returned, but she wasn't sure if it would be possible again, and she had given Violet her word about keeping her safe. Their safety was more important to her than anything right now. This angel could potentially want her because of Yuka, and if she gave into that, then maybe Daniel and Violet would be safe. Then again, it could be a lie. She wasn't going to take that chance.
Violet was next to her, gripping her swords tightly. "He's a lot stronger than I thought," she admitted, taking a glance at Haruka. The blonde stood there, both of her hands into fists, blood running down her back from the sword wound. "Don't let anger dictate the outcome of this fight, Haruka."
Haruka frowned, but didn't look at her. "Daniels badly injured…I can't let him hurt you. I won't let him hurt you."
"We're in this together, Haruka. I'm protecting you, too. Not out of obligation, but because you're my friend. You mean a lot to me, too. Don't take anything upon yourself."
"Daniel is hurt because he tried to help, and I can't-"
Violet punched her in the shoulder. "Don't be a fool, Haruka! We're guardian angels, and we win not out of anger or hatred, but because of the desire to protect…to rid the world of evil. Like Daniel said, our power comes from that idea, not bitterness or revenge."
Haruka stared at the woman next to her, surprised by her little outburst. She opened her mouth to protest, to prove that her anger was justified, but Violet was right. Anger would do her no good when all of her powers came from the need and desire to protect people.
Before she could respond, she felt the energy again. She felt his hatred and power had grown substantially than just moments before, and she frowned. This fallen angel was strong, but good would always prevail in any fight, because it could prove to be so much stronger. She just needed to remember that.
Haruka felt the arrow advancing towards them, and simply reached out to grab it in front of Violet before it could hit her chest. Violet took a step back, having not even anticipated the attack, and looked up at a now calm Haruka. "We'll defeat him together, Violet," she said, breaking the arrow in her hand.
More arrows came at them now, but Haruka simply used wind to deflect them. She created a sword and put it in front of Violet to stop the sword meant for her neck. Violet gasped, looking up to see Hunter in front of her, a grin on his face. Haruka pushed him back with the wind, disappearing to appear right behind him. He used a smaller sword to block hers, before turning around and engaging in sword combat. Haruka kept circling the wind around her, causing his attacks to slow down or divert away from her, which only further agitated him.
An arrow aimed for the back of Hunters head was caught with his hand, and he threw it back at Violet without even looking at her. His focus was on Haruka, on defeating her and making her suffer. This entire ordeal was frustrating him, and taking a lot longer than he anticipated. He was growing impatient. Violet kept shooting arrows at him as fast as she could, but he was able to easily block them or move out of the way. He was annoyed by her persistence.
Hunter pushed Haruka away, slicing his sword across her leg, causing her to buckle forward just a little. He punched her with black energy surrounding his fist. His sword came up, ready to stab her, but a chain created from lightning grabbed the sword and pulled it out of his hands. He turned around to Violet, frustrated with her interference, but before he could attack her, his remaining wing was cut off.
Haruka watched it fall, before bringing her sword to stab through his back. Hunter stopped it with his hand, bringing her close to him and grabbing her neck, and then pulling the sword out of her grip and throwing it away from them. "Enough playing around, Haruka. You're coming with me."
"I'm not going anywhere with you," she choked out, grabbing his arm.
A black energy surrounded her body, and as much as she tried to get out of Hunters grip, the energy was draining her a lot faster than she anticipated. She heard Violet running towards them, but Hunter used his black energy to paralyze her—something he should have done from the beginning. "You've run out of options, Haruka." He threw her to the ground, knowing she wouldn't be able to get up or defend herself in any way right now. "You put up a good fight, but in the end, I'm so much better than you." Hunter looked around and grinned at the satisfaction of defeating three difficult angels. He bent down to touch the ground, and transported the four of them to a neutral forest. "This is where you and I will be leaving your friends to die."
Haruka couldn't move, and she couldn't even feel her limbs. There had to be another way. There needed to be another way.
Violet was frozen in her spot, unable to move any part of her body. She could see and feel the pain Haruka was experiencing, but there was nothing she could do to help. She felt fallen angels advancing towards them again, and she didn't know what else to think other than defeat.
"I told you I'm not that easy to kill, Haruka. I told you! Your failure was inevitable. "
Haruka coughed. She moved her head to finally look at Hunter. "I might be easy to defeat, but we're not."
The ground crumbled underneath Hunter, before breaking and Daniel came from under the ground to stand in front of Hunter. He stabbed the dagger he had into Hunter neck, before stabbing another one into his heart. Hunter staggered back, confused at the situation. How could he have not felt Daniel? How could he fail?
Hunters energy was waning, his powers over Violet and Haruka dissipating. Violet stumbled when the paralyzation spell was broken, but regained her balance before walking to stand beside Daniel. Haruka coughed, taking in deep breaths and moving her arms and legs. She rolled on to her side, before standing up to her feet. She spit out blood, moving her arms to rid of the stiffness. She stood in between the other two angels, right front of Hunter who was now on his knees.
"You might have almost defeated me, Hunter, but you underestimated us."
Hunter laughed, his body slowly dissolving. "If you think defeating me is an accomplishment, then you've already lost." His body finally disappeared, leaving the three angels to stand there, bloody, battered and confused.
"He's right," Daniel started, looking at Haruka. He noticed the new wounds she received, and so he placed his hands on her body to burn them shut. "He's stronger than me, but a lot weaker than a lot of the more powerful angels."
Violet still felt the fallen angels advancing towards them. "We need to leave here. I don't think we can continue fighting in our current conditions."
The three of them quickly transported back to their world.
"You've never met her before, but she sure knew about you."
Haruka took a deep breath, rubbing her chest where her wound was healing. "I met her at my last race, but before that I didn't know anything about her."
Daniel rubbed his fingers, wondering how to proceed with the story. He glanced at Violet, whom he had already told most of the story to the night before. Violet grabbed his hand before nodding her head. He looked back at Haruka. "Michiru knew her." Haruka didn't show any sort of reaction to his words. She knew Michiru knew Yuka when she saw their interactions. They had some sort of relationship before Haruka came into the picture.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"They were together, Haruka. They were in love and engaged before things changed and Michiru broke it off."
"That still doesn't explain why Yuka wants to kill me."
Daniel scoffed. "What are you talking about? It explains everything!"
"Look, I'm not interested in knowing the details about their relationship."
"You don't understand, Haruka. After things were broken off, Yuka was killed. She was a guardian angel just like you, until…"
Haruka quickly put everything together. "Until I came into the picture," she finished, finally understanding how Yuka could have become a fallen angel.
"Exactly! She despised you, Haruka. Just how you've probably hated watching them together all these years, it was the same for her."
It was difficult for Haruka to deal with seeing them together, and as many times as it almost happened, she was always able to prevent herself from becoming a fallen angel. It obviously didn't work out the same way for Yuka. She must have been so consumed by hatred that it overtook her completely, and she didn't see anything wrong with that.
"Haruka, she's been planning to kill you for a long time, but there's still a lot of that plan that I don't know about."
"Then tell me what you do, and maybe we can figure out a way to stop her."
Violet stood up, having felt energy that she wasn't sure who it belonged to. "Somethings wrong," she said, looking around the forest they were currently hiding at. "I placed a spell on this forest…nobody should know we're even here."
Haruka finally felt the energy, and she recognized it immediately. It wasn't strong, but she felt it. She didn't know what direction it was coming from, but it was slowly getting closer. A light orb appeared in her hand before she threw it up. The orb split into smaller orbs and spread around the forest, lighting up the immediate vicinity around them. Haruka heard a whisper, and turned around to see a body quickly staggering to their direction. She rushed to the figure, Violet almost having a hold on her arm to stop her. Daniel followed behind her, fire surrounding his hands.
Haruka grabbed a hold of the person before they fell to the ground. The light orbs moved closer to their position, finally giving Daniel and Violet a glimpse at the bloody features of the one person they least expected to see.
"Caleb!" Violet wasn't sure if her eyes were deceiving her, but then she was able to really feel the energy and she knew that it was his. It felt weak and tired, but it was his.
Haruka let Caleb rest against a tree, knowing he was too weak to continue to stand, even with her help. "I knew you were still alive."
Daniel stood behind Violet and Haruka, his hands still on fire. There was something wrong, but he wasn't sure yet on what it was. The energy was definitely Caleb's, but it wasn't all of his. He felt a faint one, but he recognized it, too. Fire surrounded both of his arms now.
Caleb whispered something, pushing on Haruka's chest. Haruka didn't budge, instead getting closer to his mouth so she could try to understand what he was saying. He pushed her again, but she still didn't move away from him. "What are you doing, Caleb? I'm here to help you."
Caleb kept whispering, repeating the same word over and over again, but it wasn't clear enough for Haruka to understand. Violet bent down close to Caleb to see if she could make out what he was trying to say. With her ear close to his mouth, her face became confused when she heard the one word he wouldn't stop repeating.
"What is he saying?"
Daniel took a few steps back from everyone, looking around the forest but not seeing anything. He couldn't be the only one who felt that other energy, and it was getting stronger, more powerful. He knew it. He'd felt it before. The orbs furthest away from them started to shatter, and so he lit a few trees around them on fire to offer a consistent light, and hopefully a small barrier.
Violet turned to look at Daniel, already understanding what he was doing. She glanced at Haruka. "He wants us to run."
Haruka looked at Caleb, before his eyes turned completely black. Violet threw Haruka a few yards away from her, hoping she was quick enough to stab Caleb with the dagger now in her hands. A fallen angel appeared right next to her, grabbing her and throwing her to the ground. Haruka quickly got to her feet, before she was pushed away again by Daniel. He surrounded his body with fire, knowing it would keep a few fallen angels from grabbing him. He reached Caleb, holding the same dagger Violet held, but he wasn't fast enough. Two angels restrained him, not affected by the fire in any way, their bodies being completely engulfed in flames, as well.
Violet resisted against the angel holding her down, but she was still recovering from their previous battle. She didn't have the strength to fight right now. "Run, Haruka!" she yelled.
Daniel screamed the same two words at her, but Haruka didn't leave. She stayed there, unsure of what was going on. Daniel yelled out in frustration and Haruka's lack of listening. "Haruka…there's a Chaser in Caleb's body," he managed, before being thrown to the ground. A fallen angel appeared next to him, before he bent down and wrapped his fingers around Daniels neck. The fire around his body quickly went out, and water was pouring on his face. Daniel always hated water angels, never being strong enough to ever defeat one. The water angel was going to try to drown him, and if Daniel didn't think of something soon, he was doing to succeed. He was choking on the water, his lungs starting to burn.
Haruka ignored Caleb walking towards her, and instead ran at the angels holding Daniel against the ground. Before Haruka could even get close to them, she was knocked against a tree with wind. An angel appeared in front of her, wind surrounding his entire body. "I hope you didn't think you were the only one who could control the wind," he said with a grin.
Haruka could hear Daniel choking, and she could hear Violet still yelling for her to leave, but she couldn't. She was never one to simply run from anything, especially a fight, and she wasn't going to start now. She couldn't just leave Violet and Daniel to suffer a fate that was solely meant for her; they didn't deserve that. She got to her feet, staring down the angel in front of her, wind surrounding her body now.
The angel smiled. "I've been waiting to fight you for a long time," he said, opening his wings.
Before he could attack, more light orbs appeared around the forest. The angel cursed out loud, thinking his barrier was enough to keep other guardian angels from interfering. The water angel who was drowning Daniel stopped and moved away from him. He looked over at the wind angel. "We need to get out of here," he said, a dagger appearing in his right hand. He slashed Daniel across the face, the wound running from his eyebrow diagonally to his chin. Daniel was already unconscious, and so the water angel didn't bother to do anything else.
Violet still screamed at Haruka to leave, but Haruka stood her ground. She observed the Chaser leave Calebs body, before he collapsed to the ground. She knew she wasn't weak enough for the Chaser to take control of her, and he probably knew the same thing because he simply disappeared. The water angel was gone immediately after, but the wind angel stayed, upset at the idea of leaving without fighting.
He frowned, tightening his fists. "As much as I hate to leave, Haruka…you'll definitely be seeing me soon." He was gone, and the rest of the fallen angels followed.
Violet ran to Daniel, relieved that even though he was unconscious, he was still breathing. The guardian angels finally arrived, and rushed to Caleb before transporting him back to their world. Haruka walked over to where Violet was holding Daniel, and immediately recognized the wound across his face: it was the same one Caleb had when she questioned his motives. Haruka knew things were only going to get difficult from here on out.
I don't have much to say, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you're still reading, or a new one, thank you! Any feedback is appreciated.
Take care!
-Nightfall5029