Disclaimer: Soon my pretties! cough Sorry wicked witch moment.
A/N: Okay, so apparently I got reviews and was not notified of this….so I gotta ask…who's been stealing papers out of my inbox again? That aside, thanks much to Sylla and Kitala for their wonderful reviews. I'm happy to see that it looks like most people liked what I've done with Yoko, I'm glad because I had a blast writing those parts. So anyway, this chapter didn't have much inspiration, sorry if it isn't that great. My usual apologies go here as well, by now I suspect that you know the drill. Oh yes! Before I forget, I took the advice given to me in my reviews and tried to add some more detail, let me know how you like it. Usually detail is my forte, but I tend to put too much. I also think that I made Arikado seem too soft in this chapter...maybe it's just me?
Chapter 10:
Spiraling upwards, not a pleasant feeling really, Julius Belmont dared to cast a simple glance over the railing of the old marble staircase he and Soma had begun to climb what seemed like hours ago. Below him, the ground looked to be nothing more than a mere dot, surrounded by a spiraling wall of twisting steps. The thought of falling over made his stomach drop…perhaps he was getting too old for this. Soma approached not far behind and sensing J's dismay decided to take the lead. Huffing a sigh, Soma began to walk the steps once more, and with each one passed, the air seemed to get a little thinner, the living world further away. Glancing up, he could only see more steps and he had to wonder when and if the steps ever ended.
"How much more do you think we have to climb?" Soma asked still glancing upwards.
"Can't say…This place looked a hell of a lot smaller from the outside."
Soma could only nod in response. "I hope Mina is okay…"
"Eh, she'll be fine, a will of steel that one. Besides I sent my wife and son over to look after her." J responded, a since of pride slipping into his voice at the mention of his family.
"That's what worries me."
J stopped in his tracks; his ego totally destroyed by that last comment, the youth of today had some nerve.
The old church door seemed nearly welded in place and thus, forced a very annoyed Arikado to turn into a bat and fly through a small hole towards the top…something big had happened in the old chapel. A clash far too powerful for any mortal to withstand. He stopped in midair and transformed back, landing softly on the torn and battle beaten ground. The windows were broken, and what appeared to be blood was splattered upon the walls and floor like a child's fingerpainting on a work of ancienct art. The door behind him was bent and mangled beyond repair, it was a wonder they were still recognizable. The once brilliant chandeleir lay broken and shattered upon the ground, the force of such an impact would've surely made the ground itself scream out in sheer, unbrideled pain. Upon looking around the deprecated skeletons of the once beautiful room, a figure fell into vision.
"You look as if better days had befallen you long ago." Arikado approached the slumped figure. "I take it you have won your battle, since no enemies seem within sight."
"Heh, foolish. Do not let the lack of appearances deceive you Halfling. One still lives." Joachim stumbled to feet, and then after wobbling a few seconds, seemed to regain his footing. He outstretched a hand and summoned his demonic swords to place, and the first thing Arikado observed was how much blood stained the blades and how their luster had faded. The swords were no longer shining in their silver glory. The aura that once surrounded them so magnificently was near gone. The swords seemed dead, as if the room itself had been imbodied within their hardened and aged steel.
"What in my father's name did you fight?"
"Fallen angels…." Joachim lifted the blades, and with a swift motion (or as swift a movement as someone in his condition could do) thrust one blade over Arikado's shoulder. The half vampire didn't even flinch, not even as the earth-shattering screech pierced the chilled air, cooling it further.
Arikado turned and watched as the eyeless being before him fell to its knees in pain, Joachim's blade piercing the being's heart, and going straight through. Inch by inch the fallen messenger began to crumble, its limbs and body turning to dust, its spine seemed to melt as the being fell over backwards writhing in pain. Arikado walked over and stood above the beings pain-warped face.
"You poor creature, Heaven disbanded you, and Hell will not take you again. I sentence you, in place of your God, to death at my hand." With that Arikado pulled his sword from its sheath and plunged it through the angel's skull. In a simple act of honor, Arikado turned his face away from the being, and when his gaze returned, only dust met his vision…dust and a few black feathers.
"Why do you show respect to a being such as that?"
"Because, it was not by their hand that they became monsters, and every being both good and bad deserves some sort of remorse. Every being is something's child, and with each death a mother weeps…I have seen it far too much before."
"Tell me then, who would weep at my death? My mother, she disowned me the second she learnt what I had become...death claimed not long after. So tell me Halfling..who would weep?" Joachim countered.
Arikado turned and headed for the door, as he walked he glanced over his shoulder. "I would, and I know a certain young boy who would do the same; a young boy whom we've come here to protect."
Joachim shrugged his shoulders, shooing away the idea and then followed Arikado from the room. Maybe there was more to the Halfling and the boy than he initially thought.
Life sucked. Or so Yoko had thus decided…oh well, she had found a use for the big oaf after all.
"Watch it that hurts!" she barked as he accidentally pulled the bandage to tight.
"Sorry Yoko." Hammer responded half coherently. That stupid grin on his face had not faltered once in the near hour he had spent cleaning and bandaging the witch….and to tell the truth it was really starting to freak Yoko out. He reminded her of one of those clowns at the circus, the ones that had the fake grins painted on their face in some maniacal way. They always scared her, and the grin was just like theirs. Yoko shuttered.
"A-are you cold?! Here I'll find you a coat!"
"No! I'm fine." She couldn't take much more. Yoko had already decided that the second Arikado returned she was going to flambeau his pretty little butt. She'd teach him a good lesson or two about shoving her into magical portal doodads that sent her to a hell worse than Death. Oh she was going to have fun with this…well if she survived long enough.
"HERE IT IS!" Hammer screamed and ran back to Yoko in some joyous half-skipping half-running trot. He quickly handed her some military style jacket he had in his make-shift shop. "It's on the house!"
"Th-Thanks…" Yep, Arikado was definitely in for it.
A/N: This was a bit of a filler chapter, more or less just to let you guys know where each person was and what was going on with them. As I said, little inspiration in getting from Point A to Point B...I know where I want to take this (point B) I just don't know how to get there...with time I will find a way. As previously stated in other chapters. Reviewslove. Happy New Year from Elixir9