Trinity Blood: #2: Future Seen in Golden Eyes
Chapter 9: Unforeseen Intents

The sun was rising. Lilith frowned. She'd expected Abel to come after her, trying to say he'd do better and offer her the ring again. He hadn't and that troubled her. It shouldn't have. He'd put off speaking her for days if not weeks at a time when they'd been children. This Abel seemed more conscious of how other people felt to the point he didn't care what he felt. It had frustrated her. She'd thought at first it was great to see Abel being so kind to others, but as the day had gone on he hadn't been acting like himself at all. She hadn't wanted him to change completely. She'd wanted him to the kind person she'd known he was, but not to the point he'd become a servant.

As the sun crept into the room, Lilith started to really worry. She'd have taken back the ring in a heartbeat. She really did still love him deeply. Did he? If he wasn't coming now to at least say he didn't love her, then what was wrong?

A fist wrapped against the door. Lilith jumped. Standing, she wondered if it was Abel, late as usual, as she crossed the room. When she opened the door, it wasn't Abel who greeted her but the cardinal. "Good morning, Saint Sahl, I hope I didn't wake you," Caterina said politely. "I was wondering if Abel was here," the way she said this made it a statement. The tone of her voice, though stern still held a note of concern.

"I haven't seen him since yesterday," Lilith confessed. "Why? Was he supposed to meet with you?"

"Yes," Caterina confirmed. "He's been late upon occasion but he's never missed a meeting in all the years I've known him. I thought he'd be with you." There was something in this woman's tone which implied she knew Lilith and Abel had been lovers. "I see I was wrong. Forgive the intrusion," Caterina bowed her head.

"Your Eminence!" Esther shouted racing down the hall. "I searched the kitchens as you asked, but Father Nightroad wasn't there. Tres reported he wasn't in his rooms or with Asthe or anyone else. He went to search the gardens."

Aran appeared, drawing everyone's attention as he stormed through the hall. Storm clouds were on his face, a broken pair of glasses in his hand and Asthe was hurrying to keep up with him. Abel's youngest stopped before Lilith and Caterina. He took her hand, his eyes locking on the finger she always wore the ring on. "What did you do?" he demanded, glaring at Lilith, his normally gentle eyes lightening.

"I don't—"

"Don't give me that crap!" Aran growled, his fangs bared. "Where's the ring? Where's the ring dad gave you?" Lilith just stared at him. Why was Aran over reacting to this? He'd seen her do something close to this before. It wasn't like Abel had never brought Aran to their secret meetings.

"Aran, you know what I did and why," Lilith began patiently. "Why are you overacting?"

"You gave him back the ring?" Aran half asked half snarled.

"Yes, why—"

Aran shouted in rage. Taking hold of her, he threw her into the wall, pinning her there. "Why don't you give back all the jewelry while you're at it? Tell him he's completely worthless in your eye, ah?" Lilith had never seen Aran like this before. She just stared at the boy she'd come to think of as a stepson.

"What are you—" Caterina stepped forward.

"Stay out of this," Aran snapped. "This is a family matter!"

"Aran," Lilith protested, "I've done this before and it's snapped him out of self depression. I don't see why you're acting this way." She truly didn't. "He needs to know he can't—"

"Can't what? Try to make the last promise, the last words he spoke to you come true? Do you have any idea what he was like after you died? Do you think he wears your cross because it's the only one he could find? He lived in the catacombs, there are tones of crosses down there."

"You're overacting," Lilith tried to move, but Aran just pushed her into the wall harder.

"Am I? He has the mental state of a suicidal!" Aran shouted. "The only reason he hasn't killed himself was because he thought bringing peace, keeping that promise would give him a purpose again and it did until now! What you just did told him all he's lived for means nothing to you, that he means nothing to you."

"He means everything to me," Lilith protested. "I just wanted him to be the emperor again, not a slave. I'm happy he cares for humans, but he was trying to do a servants work. He should be with his people, trying to get the treaty through politics not by—" Lilith cut off at the look on Aran's face.

"Who are you talking about?" Asthe asked.

"You don't get it," Aran released her. "You don't understand him at all, do you?" He shook his head, backing away. "You don't get it. He's not the emperor anymore. He can't be, not without you or Sara there with him. Seth couldn't even convince him to return."

"Count," Asthe placed her hand on Aran's shoulder, "that's a little unfair, isn't it?" Asthe might not have known who they were talking about but all of them seemed to get the jest Aran had gone too far.

"When he saw you, the smile was no longer fake." Aran looked at her, regret and anger still in his eyes, "I'd thought, perhaps he could be happy again. I was wrong." Aran turned on his heel and walked off. Lilith stared after him.

Lilith's eyes traveled to the jewelry she wore. Abel had never handled death well. If she had gone to the meeting, it meant Cain had killed her and in the process betrayed Abel and Seth. What had she done? He'd lived the past eight centuries to make her dream come true, forced himself to keep going just for that. She knew she wouldn't have had the strength to do that if he'd died. What had she done?

Without think Lilith turned from the others and started through the halls. One thought prieced the cloud: she had to find Abel. She had to find him before he tried to kill himself or something far worse happened.

xxx

The sun beat down on the desert. The warm rays couldn't reach Abel here. The cry had died hours ago, leaving only his tears. His hand rested on his revolver. Thoughts raced through his mind. It would be better if he just died. The revolver slid smoothly for the holster. The world would be better off if he just died. The gun moved towards his shoulder, his finger resting near the trigger. A familiar scent trickled into him. His eyes opened. The sound of rumble moving filled the air. The gun's muzzle pointed over his shoulder. Bang, his ear rang as the gun went off. In one movement he rolled. Dust, rubble, and warmed air shot past him, ripping apart of the ground.

"Now, now, that wasn't a very nice greeting, 02." The cheery voice stirred a mixture of emotions through Abel. Carefully as if it were fragile, Abel slipped the ring into his pocket. "After all these years, you shoot me at our first meeting. Talk about rude," Cain sniffed. Abel uncoiled from his position. His back was to Cain. "You're feeling rather confident if you're back's to me," Cain laughed lightly. "Now, 02, come. We have a world to destroy."

"Don't you ever shut up?" Abel's voice was hoarse, cracking with fatigue and a bitter anger. Whipping around Abel let loose several bullets. Cain flicked his wrist. The bullets slammed into the wall. Cracks cascaded from that point. Flicking open the barrel, Abel danced around the blasts of air Cain sent his. He reloaded in a fluid movement. Racing towards Cain, if any humans had been here, he would have been a blur to them. He leapt onto a bunch before jumping higher. The bench shattered. Wood sprayed across the ground.

"Come, now, 02, this is pointless," Cain titled his head to one side. "In the day, you're almost as powerless as a Methuselah is against a Crusnik."

"It goes for you as well," Abel landed atop a large slab of the ceiling. "Neither of us can activate the crusnik here." Anger roiled in him. All which had happened yesterday racing through his mind, helping to build is hate for Cain. Abel shot forward. He raced around Cain, sending a spray of bullets at his brother. He closed. Air whipped past his leg. Cain dodge, blocking a blow from Abel's hand. Abel thrust the gun towards Cain's skull. Cain leapt back.

"You really want to fight," Cain blinked mournfully at Abel. "Think of all we could achieve together, 02. This world would be recreated in our image. The image of the true gods."

"We aren't gods," Abel snarled, his fangs growing as he spoke. He raced towards Cain. Cain laughed before matching Abel's speed with his own. To a passerby it would look almost like a graceful dance. Abel trying strike Cain as he dodged and Cain trying strike Abel. The blows missed, meeting only the other's clothes, hair, or air. A blast of air slammed into Abel. His body flipped back. Pain lanced through as he struck the wall. Blood flew from his mouth. He felt several ribs pop. The ribbon caught on several jagged stones. It slithered from his hair as he slid to the rumble in a crumbled heap.

"Well, well, 02," Cain's armor clanked. The metal on his boots struck against the rubble as he ascended it to Abel. Sparks flashed from the metal and rock. "I had hoped you'd put up a bit more of a fight." The talons of Cain's glove dug into Abel skull. His hair pulled. Cain forced Abel to look into his eyes. "Just a little kiss and all your pain, all your loneness will vanish. You'll be safe within me forever." Cain leaned it.

A snarl rose in Abel. He lashed out. His foot hit Cain in the stomach. Cain grunted. The rubble under him caved and he tumbled to the ground below. Clanking filled the old church. Abel gasped, blood trickling from his mouth. Damn. Why hadn't he just let Cain kill him? Because that wasn't what Cain was after. He wanted Abel so he could activate the crusnik to one hundred percent again. With that kind of power the world would be defenseless again Cain's onslaught. Abel couldn't let that happen. No matter how much he wished to end, he couldn't let Cain destroy this world.

Cain just lay there. Abel stood. His back pressed against the wall, clutching his side. His brother was just lying there. Abel knew not how long he stood there, watching Cain. Soon the air began to cool. His wintery gaze flickered towards the holes in the ceiling. The sky was stained a bloody red. Scrapping drew Abel's attention back to Cain. Air slammed into him. Cain's eyes were a solid red. His blond hair crackling up and fangs bared in snarl of rage. Abel gasped. Cracks raced across the wall. It felt as if the Iron Maiden had crashed down upon him.

"You won't escape me again!" Cain growled, his voice barely human. The sky had started to turn velvety. The wall crumbled around Abel. A shout escaped him as he was thrown from the now collapsing church. His hair whipped before eyes. Sand involved him seconds later. It flew up around. A small carter formed in the side of a dune.

A white blur shot from the church seconds before dust rose from it. The remaining walls had caved, the ceiling crashing down. "Nano-machine, crusnik 02, release of restriction at eighty percent," Cain was shooting towards him, "activate." Abel reached out, talons ripping through his gloves, wings shredding his cassock. His hands slammed into Cain's, boots sinking into the soft sands. A snarl rose in Abel mirror by Cain's. With a mighty heave Abel threw Cain in the direction of Carthage.

"I'm going to kill you," Abel spread his wings. Air rushed past him. "We'll go to Hell together. Cain!" Lightening streaked out behind as Abel shot towards the white figure of Cain. Expositions lit up the night. Several houses crumbled to the ground. Abel drew up short, staring at the city. What the—?

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Cain grinned. "The world's destruction starts with this city. The one city we couldn't take," Abel stared at Cain in horror. "All those you tormented us are going to die. The world is going to burn and be recreated. There's nothing you can do but join me, 02," Cain held out one hand to Abel.

"They've done nothing to you," Abel snarled. "Leave these people alone!" he shouted at his brother. "They're innocent." Cain started to laugh. Black liquid poured in his hands. It melded together, growing larger and large and until a wicked black lance was clutched in his hands. Whipping around, red energy burst from the lance tip. "No!" Abel shot forth. His scythe wasn't forming fast enough. Damn it! Flinging his body into the attack, his wings folded around him. A cry tore from his lips. His brother cut the attack seconds before Abel's wing was shredded.

Cain grinned, laughing, his head titled to one side. He rose into the night before darting towards the embassy. A howl of rage escaped Abel. Wing trailing blood and lightening, he shot after his brother. His scythe in hand, lightening crackled down it. He swung the blade, lightening ripped through air. Cain rolled, the lightening missing him by a foot. Cain backed several feet before turning and racing off again. Abel snarled. He had to stop Cain, he just had to.

(Author's Note: Wow, Abel's just hitting a really bad streak of days, isn't he?

Yeah, only the crusniks and Aran are going to tell this story. No Esther or Cato doing so, sorry.

New poll up if you wish to vote. I haven't closed the other one and switch back to it later.

A request: if you read this story please, please leave a review or a comment even if you don't have an account for fanfiction. Comments and reviews help me get motivated to write when I am not in the mood do so.)