MWEE HEE HEE! Welcome to the 'Grand Reopening' of 'Angel's Heart'! I'M BACK, AND I'M BACK IN FULL FORCE! WELCOME ALL, WELCOME!
It's been a really long time, and so I'm pumped up! I feel as if I've been underwater for a thousand years, and I'm finally breathing in fresh air! I'VE NEVER FELT SO EXCITED! So prepare yourselves for the epic to end all epics, for the love story to end all love stories! Prepare for the adventure of a lifetime! Prepare yourself, for the next chapter of 'Angel's Heart'!
Before I begin, I want to give my warmest thanks to Bloody-May, a very dear friend of mine. She stood out on the harbor and waited for me, while my computer was put through a hellhole. She also inspired me to put this project through renovation; before she befriended me, it was a thousand percent different. Now it has the miracle of 'Kingdom Hearts 2' behind it; that game is a MASSIVE source of inspiration for me. If you're familiar with it, you'll be able to grasp the full depth of 'Angel's Heart'. However, I'm going to make this so everyone can enjoy, so no worries!
It seems that I have sparked a trend of Gravitation fantasy epics. If you have the time, please read my friend's Gravitation epic, which was inspired by Chrono Cross, Tales of Symphonia and Xenogears. Here's another Gravitation fantasy; Hikaru-kun's newest work. Also, keep a lookout for Dejichan, who was my very first friend. Her sequel to 'Lies' is on the way; that'll be a hot one!
Here we go, with the grand reopening. As always, suggestions are welcome. The only things I don't take kindly too are flames. Thankfully, I haven't received any yet.
Theme of 'Venture': 'Passion' by Utada Hikaru, featured on Kingdom Hearts 2. Lyrics from the song will be written into the chapter. The words at the beginning are my own creation.
I'm alone now, trapped between time and darkness.
You were always near me, smiling...but you've been stolen from me..
...and now I'm alone.
My dear sanctuary, you've been taken...and there's nowhere for me to turn.
I feel like I'm trapped in the deepest edges of Hell, for you were my sunshine.
The tides of dawn were wafting into Anuryn. However, there was no difference between night or day. The heavens saw both them in an equal light, for the land of Anuryn was drenched in a newborn wave of darkness. Since it was in the grasp of chaos, there was no light. The skies were unable to shed any warmth upon the land, for they were trembling...trembling with a fear that seemed incurable. Dark winds were streaming through, billowing through the streets with massive sorrow. With them sailed dark shades of blue, which were closely followed by dark shades of purple. Black was another accompaniment, and it was the most dominant color within the heavens.
The inhabitants of Anuryn were locked in slumber. However, their dreams weren't peaceful; their hearts were trapped in inexplicable realms, ones that were filled with a single element; darkness. The land, which had once been a grand utopia of serenity, was now a world of pain...and they could not function within it. The heavens were keeping them making descents into eternal darkness, but their rest was not tranquil. The Anurynians weren't used to confinement, and had a desire to resume their lives...but all of them knew they were unable to do so, due to the new arrival of mayhem.
Several Anurynians were still exposing themselves to reality, and those were located inside of the palace. Only the civilians were asleep; the members of the palace were hard at work, trying to place pieces of an enigmatic puzzle together. All of them had suffered massive damage at the hands of darkness; the outbreak of Deus had caused severe bloodshed, and that resulted in the loss of several lives. The High Sovereign of Anuryn had lost his life, for he had sacrificed it to ensure the safety of a beloved priest. The remaining members of the palace immediately confirmed the safety of the princess and her guests, as soon as the battle came to its tragic end. They notified her of their greatest lost, but none of them fell into desolation. The Anurynians were firm believers in the spirit of life; their king was still living, breathing within their fiery hearts and souls. Even after the passing of an individual, life was still celebrated as if nothing had come to pass.
The greatest burden of the kingdom was the appearance of Deus, and the disappearance of Anuryn's angel. The members of the royal household were frantic about the newborn hostage situation; it was as if they had just lost a small, precious child, and none of them had any clue as to where to turn next. All of them were pleased to hear that their other guests were unharmed, but the loss of Shuichi Shindou hovered over them in the form of a huge boulder. To the land of Anuryn, the songbird was an invaluable jewel to them, one that could never be replaced.
In the eyes of his friends, he was no different. Hiroshi, Claude K. Winchester, Suguru, Reiji, Tatsuha and Ryuichi were all devastated by the new eruption of turmoil; none of them had ever witnessed the theft of a beloved friend, and none of them had ever encountered a living, breathing deity. All of them felt as if they were in the midst of a movie, for their current situation would have made immaculate material for a script. Unfortunately, their experience was not carved in the realm of dreams. They were in the midst of something horrible, something that could not be denied.
An hour had passed since Deus' departure. The remaining members of Bad Luck, the member of Nittle Grasper, the young priest and the XMR member were all being attended to; all of them had received nourishment, which turned to ashes as soon as it struck their lips. At the moment, they were being placed on their battle paths. Since none of them had enough time to receive proper training, they were being put through a surreal experience...one that would give them insight on their own lives, and the suitable knowledge for battle. The Anurynians were placing them into suitable battle styles; Suguru was on his way to receiving the soul of a Black Mage, Reiji was going to become a Solar Mage, Hiroshi was about to receive the spirit of a Summoner, and Tatsuha was about to take his place at Eiri Yuki's side, with the heart of an Anurynian Priest. Ryuichi was about to become a Crescent Flame; in other words, he was about to befriend a pair of chakrams. K was going to keep his usual battle material; they were just going to receive 'special upgrades'. All of them were gravely worried about Eiri Yuki, who had fallen silent after Deus' departure, but they knew what they had to...and they also knew something else; they were going to find him as soon as they were finished with their journeys.
Eiri Yuki was in the Elthaia Garden, which was located in the very center of the palace courtyard. At the center of his attention was a water fountain, which was carved in the form of a white dove...and was composed of pure white marble, just like the palace itself. The fireflies of Anuryn were fluttering about him, shimmering with a pure light that brought tears from his eyes. Each firefly had a pink aura about them, which was the color of his lover's hair.
He was trapped, trapped in a world he had wanted to share with his beloved songbird...trapped in a world that had been thrown into calamity.
When a human forms a deep attachment to a mate, they usually become dependent on their mate's presence. In order to function, they had to be by their mate's side; being without that mate usually brought upon a fit of uncomfortable confusion. Eiri Yuki felt as if he were only carrying around half a heart; Shuichi's absence was tearing him apart.
Time drifted by him, without any meaning or significance. Without his beloved songbird, no element of life had any importance. Life was not even life; it was merely death, disguised in a ribbon of deceit. Breathing was a horrifically difficult task for him, and he barely had the desire to stand...for his lover was nowhere near him. Shuichi's bright smile, his pristine voice...all of that had been taken away from the novelist, by a bloodthirsty demon.
Life's precious treasures had been stolen from him...by an entity of darkness.
I watch you fast asleep,
All I fear means nothing...
In you and I there's a new land...
Angels in flight...
Dewdrops fell from his eyes as he clasped his hands together, feeling his heart scream within his chest. The cries were silent, but powerful enough to torment a god. He was no longer in the midst of pure light, for that light had been taken from him. He was in the midst of darkness, the same darkness he had made a descent into years ago...
...the same darkness Shuichi had rescued him from.
The vocalist's gentle voice echoed through his heart's halls, as his mind reeled over images of the nearby past. Smiles, embraces and kisses melted their way into his broken soul, repeating themselves...playing themselves out in the form of dreams. Each memory tormented him, tore away at his very heart...but he had no desire to push them away. With the arrival of their last embrace came the face of Deus, and the words he had delivered...
"I can't allow you to soil my angel with your pathetic, putrid little body."
Sadness struck Yuki in the form of a merciless thunderbolt. Deus had pushed him away, brushed him off as if he had been nothing more than a bothersome housefly...
...and Shuichi was right there, tucked in the entity's arms.
His trembling heart released words, words that were filled with immeasurable sadness. His voice was the voice of a warrior, one that had lost his most precious treasure...a soul that had carelessly tossed his dearest song away...
"I promised...that I wouldn't let anything to happen to you. I swore to you that I'd protect you...but now...you're...I...couldn't...do anything..."
Dammit, damn everything...
Cascades of starlight rushed from his shivering heart. Pain wracked his cold body, and only one source could heal it. That source was nowhere near him. It was gone, lost in an unknown tide of time...
"You were right there...right there...I'm so sorry, Shuichi..."
His hands held each other. They kept themselves tied to each other, bearing an insatiable thirst for warmth and relief. Dewdrops fell upon them as they tied themselves closer, and their wielder emitted trembling sobs of sadness. Loneliness, anguish and anger were wreaking havoc within him, and none of them had any desire to end their terror. He couldn't shake any of them off, for they were all horrifically powerful; he had failed to protect his lover, and so he deserved every slice of pain he received. Before he had arrived in Anuryn with Shuichi, he saw himself as an invisible hero, one that could protect the songbird from anything...mainly because Shuichi saw him in that light. The vocalist of Bad Luck firmly believed that he was capable of anything, and so he carried a high amount of self-confidence. He had successfully protected Shuichi from countless 'predators', but now...in the midst of a new world, he was as powerful as an insect.
He was a prince that had failed to protect the one that believed in him.
Warm hands engulfed his, which caused his eyes to open. If one of his dear friends had been with him, they would have said that Shuichi rubbed off on him, for his eyes carried Shuichi's childlike, puppyish magic. They were filled with confusion for a moment, but confusion transformed into even more sorrow as soon as they fell upon his visitor, Lady Niha. With the warmth of a mother, the beautiful sovereign removed rivers from his eyes and delivered one of her brightest smiles. The look on the novelist's face amused her; he had the look of a confused toddler, which was immensely adorable to her. She kept his hands within hers, the way she had kept them a short while ago.
"Hello, peita. I'm glad you found your way to the Elthaia Garden. This place possesses special magic; it blesses every visitor, and it peeks into their dreams."
Yuki frowned at her, looking as if she had just spoken in the strangest language. "Yeah, well, this isn't very exciting for me. I didn't come here to gawk at the flowers."
A gentle frown fell upon her face, which gave her eyes a warm glow. "I know you didn't, peita." she said softly, squeezing his hands. "I know of your pain. Your heart is crying; my soul can feel its waves of pain."
She placed a hand over her bare chest, and it found a resting place over her heart. "I feel everything you're feeling right now, peita. I wish I could take away your pain, but I can do nothing for you. I am very sorry about everything that has taken place." she said sadly, her voice quivering under a thick sheet of sadness. Yuki's eyes widened in horror as he remembered something; she had just lost her father.
"Don't be. You aren't responsible for any of this."
He squeezed her hands and gave her a warm smile, one that was radiant with appreciation. "Thanks, though." he said softly, his own eyes glowing in the quiet slumber of Anuryn. "I appreciate your concern. I just don't want you to feel responsible for any of this. After all, you have your own problems to deal with."
"Do not fear for me, peita. My father's heart is within mine; he has not left me. He still lives, within each and everyone of us. As long as we keep his memory alive, he'll stay here...with all of us. We have nothing to fear."
Yuki released her hands with his usual nonchalance. His voice resumed its tone of indifference, even though it was still fragile from intense sadness. "Oh." he said, placing his eyes back on the fountain. He folded his arms, released a gentle sigh and lowered his head.
"That's good to know. I'm glad you're all right. I didn't have too much of a relationship with my father, so I guess I'm a little jealous. You see, I was a bit of bastard towards my father...because I didn't know too much about love. I kept myself tied in a corner, away from the world...for the longest time. I didn't know too much about anything, until Shui-"
Big mistake.
Rivers transformed themselves into waterfalls. Sobs threatened to overwhelm him, and he pushed them back. However, his resistance was weak; he feared that he wouldn't be strong enough to hold everything back. Niha saw the eruption of tears and immediately embraced him, still holding his pain within her heart. The two of them broke away after a moment; Yuki removed waterfalls from his eyes, and Niha placed her hands on his shoulders.
The novelist smiled at her once again, this time bearing embarrassment within his eyes. "Sorry about that." he said amidst weak laughter. "It's just...thinking about him hurts now. This isn't how it's supposed to be. I can't stop crying."
Damn, I feel like such a pansy...
"Peita...do you believe...that you'll be able to rescue him?"
The presentation of that question shocked him, even though he had expected it. He searched for an answer within a moment of silence, then delivered it...bearing the voice of a small, indecisive child.
"Niha, I made a promise to him. I promised him that I'd always protect him. I told him that I'd never let anything harm him. That promise fell through about an hour ago."
Anger crossed Niha's gentle features, and it burned into Yuki's heart.
"Are you telling me that you don't believe in yourself?"
"Yeah, I guess I am." he said indignantly. He couldn't tell if he was annoyed with her sudden launch into anger, or if he was annoyed at himself. He was brushing towards the latter.
She had the look of an annoyed schoolteacher.
"What would your mate say to that?"
A smile broke out on Yuki's face, but its components were relentless. It was composed of fragile happiness, wrath and frustration. Those same elements were within his voice.
"He'd probably laugh at me right now. He thought-he thinks I can do anything. He thinks I'm invisible."
Laughter broke away from his lips. The components of his smile were within his voice.
"I guess I'm not as strong as he thought I was."
I'm so sorry...
In a second, Eiri Yuki quickly learned of Niha's mood swings. In the blink of an eye, she transformed herself into a fiery lioness-she no longer had the warmth of a mother about her. She looked as if he had offended her in the most horrific way imaginable, and had no desire to let his offense sit on the wayside. "How can you believe that!" she asked angrily, her beautiful eyes blazing with wildfire. "You doubt the beliefs of your heart's mate! You're making his beliefs out to be lies!"
You're making his beliefs out to be lies!
That line struck him in the form of an iron bat.
Horrific truth struck him. He was refusing to see himself as Shuichi's hero, therefore he was labeling the songbird as a liar, which was the last thing he wanted to do. He was, in essence, labeling the vocalist as a fool, a stupid believer in fairy tales...
"Listen to me, peita."
Niha took his hands once again and squeezed them with all of her might. Tears streamed from Yuki's eyes as her strong voice pierced his heart.
"Your mate is one that sees the purity in everything. His gentle heart may cause him to appear childish, but he's strong. He possess a gift no other carries, and that is the ability to see the truth. He saw a special light within you, and he gave his heart to that light. Those beliefs of his aren't just the beliefs of an infant; they were born within the tides of truth! You are the ignorant one, for you fail to see yourself in that light! He knows your heart, peita; he fell in love with it!"
Oceans formed within Eiri Yuki's eyes.
He knows your heart, peita; he fell in love with it!
"If you truly wish to rescue your mate, then you must become the one you were meant to become. You must become the one that dwells inside of you. You must see yourself through his eyes! Find yourself in his eyes!"
Those words caused something to click within him. Images spouted off within his mind's eyes. The voice of his songbird struck his heart, and filled him with an indescribable feeling...
"Don't worry about your deadline, Yuki! I know you'll be able to meet it!"
"Wow! You're the greatest, Yuki! I knew you could do it!"
"I bet you could leap over buildings if you wanted to. You're the greatest!"
"You're just like a prince!"
"You'll always be my hero! I love you!"
A smile returned to Niha's face. Her pupil's eyes were closed; he was discovering exactly what she wanted to find. The depth behind her words, and the depth behind Shuichi Shindou's heart.
"Peita, I will help you unlock your true strength. Follow me!"
"Wait a minute!" the novelist cried out, stunned by her sudden exchange of moods. Thanks to her mood switch, his train of visions had crashed. "What's with you, Niha?" he asked, feeling a smile break out on his face. She held a finger up to her lips, bearing the look of a mischievous child. "And why in the hell do you keep calling me 'peita'?"
"Come with me! I know where to take you!"
Before he could seize the opportunity to respond, she took off with the speed of an eagle. The princess of Anuryn really was no different from a child, for she carried the playful heart of one. Eiri Yuki shook his head with a sigh, removed rivers from his eyes and followed her.
-Helpful note. 'Peita' means 'beloved heart' in Anurynian. If you want an accurate picture of Lady Niha, think of the Disney character 'Kida' from 'Atlantis'. That character inspired the Anurynian Princess. I would like to announce that Lady Niha is going to fall for Yuki; any thoughts on that would be appreciated. Thank you!