Akari: Okay…now the hard part…
Akari's SC: eh?
Akari: I can't write battles….T^T
Akari's SC: no wonder this took you so long…-sweatdrop-
Akari:…shut up.
Akari's SC: HAHA oh well…here ya go…the next (failed) chappy!~
Chapter 14: I Live, Therefore I Am.
Akemi drew her zanpaktou. There was no time for hesitation; she could see a Noah coming straight for her. Gripping the hilt firmly in her hands, she closed her eyes and focused her mind on the oncoming enemy.
"Grace the sky with the blood of the enemies…awaken, AkaTsuki!"
Flames surrounded the shining metal blade as the whole katana turned crimson red and a long fiery sash extended from the hilt. A red aura glowed from within the heart of the blade, pulsating as if it were a living fire itself.
Klang!
The Noah grinned as she dropped a half-melted dagger and gracefully lept back a few steps. "I never knew…that I'd be fighting family here, that is, besides Allen-chan of course~"
The Noah had short, black hair, and her clothes looked like they came from a Lolita shop. Surely it must be Rhode, the Noah of Dreams which Allen had warned her about. Akemi relaxed her hold and glanced at the girl's innocent grin. Family?
Would her family murder humans? Throw away innocent lives?
"Family? I don't know what you're talking about. We can't be related! Stupid little girl." Akemi retorted.
"Hmm? You don't remember? What a shame~ Maybe I'll just have to make you remember!~" Rhode exclaimed.
Suddenly, the vice-captain found herself falling…into nothingness. She knew that this was Rhode's ability, so she readied herself to land. And she did…in the middle of a white room.
The room had a white piano sitting off to the side and a large white bed…which looked really tempting at the moment. She walked over to the door, and opened it to find herself in a large white Mediterranean-style town. Black butterflies fluttered through the still air.
"Where…am I?" she wondered aloud.
In the Ark…or the old one at least tehee~
Akemi's eyes flew open as she frantically surveyed her surroundings. Where did that voice come from?
I am this world, dummy. I made it too. This should help bring your memories back~~
"Rhode?"
Hai~ Now just be a good girl and watch.
Footsteps echoed down the white streets. Two figures appeared, then stopped in front of Akemi. However, they did not seem to notice her presence at all. They were having fun, laughing about something…one was Rhode, and the other Noah was…
…her?
The red hair, eyes, height, voice…they were all the same. The phrases she knew all to well…the habits she still has, even after death…
Death? When did she die? Oh right-- quite some time ago, was it?
"Ne, ne, do you know where the Fourteenth went? Akemi-chan…I miss him…"
Akemi's attention snapped back to the memory being displayed in front of her.
"No…this room seems so much emptier without him, y'know. Rhode, just accept the fact that he probably sided with those worthless humans or those filthy exorcists. That was one heck of a stupid decision."
"If I could listen to the lullaby one more time, I bet even Old Millenie would be happy."
"Yeah…"
"Let's go. There's some innocence found in Romania, and some exorcists are gonna get there in a few days."
"Ahaha, another job, right? Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go already!~"
Akemi blinked. Exorcists? The weird people with the black outfits and silver crosses? Allen-kun and Lavi-kun?
Whoosh
Another memory, a few days into the future.
"Damn you Noah!!!" a man in a tattered, bloody black uniform cursed. His hair was in disarray, and his leg was burnt beyond all recognition. Hovering above the man was…Akemi? Or a tanned version of her she would say. There were crosses across her forehead, and her eyes had turned golden. Was this really her? Would she do such a thing?
Of course you would. Killing exorcists and destroying innocence is part of your nature. You can't escape it.
"Please…stop…" Akemi begged Rhode and her past self, her memory, as the Noah Akemi slowly raised her hand and enveloped it in black flames.
The man's eyes widened with horror, for he could only watch and wait for his impending doom. With his legs, he was going nowhere. "Hiiieee--"
"Don't…" A wicked smile appeared on the Noah's face as the hand plunged toward the chest. Akemi herself sprang forward, drawing her zanpaktou.
You cannot interfere. This is a MEMORY~ Like I said, just sit back and enjoy~
Akemi's momentum propelled her through the Noah and the exorcists, as if she were a ghost. She turned around just in time to see the fiery hand plunge through the man's chest, and blood spurting out of the open chest wound. Blood spattered everywhere, and Noah Akemi laughed with glee.
Akemi dropped down to her knees on the dirt road. "No…" Then, as if a giant barrier had broken apart in the recesses of her mind, her memories came back.
Memories about family, the Earl, the Noah, the Akuma…
Memories about green particles of light, innocence, breaking apart and the satisfaction she gained from it…
Memories about the exorcists, all writhing in pain, swallowed by flames below her…
About humans, ignorant humans dying by the masses…men…women…children…all filth returning to filth, burning into ashes, carried away by the winds…
So, you got 'em right? Ne~~
"My memories…"
Oh! You have your memories back, onee-chan!~
"Why…"
Eh?
"GET ME OUT OF HERE, DAMMIT!!! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! I'M NOT A FREAKIN MURDERER, DAMMIT ALL, DAMN YOU…" Akemi screamed, tears pouring out of her eyes at the sight of her bloody twin. "get me out…please…"
Hmm…seems like that was a bit too much…oh well~ that was fun~ tell you what, let's play another game!~ Yeah, another game!~ Let's see…If you can find me in this world and wound me, I'll let you out, 'kay?~ Sounds fun?~
"…"
Okay then, no objections, start!~
Akemi tightened her hold on her zanpaktou and looked up, a dead look in her eyes.
She was not a Noah, she was not a murderer...She changed and she knew it. The past was the past, and she wanted to keep it in the past.
With renewed determination, she then took the zanpaktou and stabbed it through the heart of the Noah standing in front of her. She stabbed it through herself, the Noah Akemi.
Good choice…
And then the world faded away.
--**~~**--
Akemi snapped back into reality to find herself staring straight up into the eyes of Lenalee and Lavi. "You all right?" asked Lavi. "Rhode really messed around with your head, didn't she?"
"Yeah…"
A few feet away lay Rhode, a bloody gaping hole where her heart was supposed to be. She lay still and motionless, dead flames flickering around her wound, burning away at her flesh. "That's the end of that."
--**~~**--
Kanda grit his teeth as he dodged yet another one of Tyki's attack. Ducking low, he leapt forward, driving the zanpaktou deep into Tyki's leg. He then managed to, just barely, dodge another wave of Tease which grazed his arm, leaving a bright red cut behind.
As Kanda readied his next attack, he noticed his opponent's body stiffen and saw tears pouring out of surprise eyes. What is this, a sob story? Sympathy? Who needs that shit? Che.
"Rhode…"
Kanda paused. "Eh?"
"You bastards killed Rhode…" Tyki surrounded himself with Tease, and a strange aura started to flow out of all his wounds, healing him instantly. Giant black wings sprouted out of his back, and tattoos appeared around his body. "Never forgive…"
Kanda stepped back. This wasn't right; what's happening? Could the Noahs transform? Besides, the power eminating from the Noah standing before him was on a whole different scale; completely different from before.
The next thing he knew, there was a flurry of white, a voice, shouting, and the sensation of him being knocked back, his body flying. Warm blood splattered across his face and neck, and his eyes widened at the sight before him.
"Moyashi?"
--**~~**--
Allen invoked Crown Clown and lept into the battle. All he knew was that he had to quickly defeat the Arrancar and Noah, to protect this world, to protect his home, and his comrades. Bringing out his sword, he managed to slice through a few Hollows and stood back to watch them disintegrate into glowing blue particles. Such a peaceful passing compared to the loud explosions caused by akuma.
But of course, there were akuma in the mix as well, and level fours at that. That fact in itself made the fight so much harder, since he did not have much experience with dealing with them. However, as the fight wore on, he could feel himself getting exhausted.
Allen lost track of time as he faced the Arrancar, many of which were weak. As the hours passed, it took longer to destroy the akuma and hollows…he needed to fight and destroy as many as he could, as he no longer burden his comrades. Even Akemi, the carefree redhead shinigami was giving it her all against Rhode.
Spotting the Earl through a cloud of akuma, he instantly pushed off of a half-destroyed building and launched himself at the despicable person.
The Earl noticed Allen, his pure white cloak billowing around the lithe figure, making quick work of the akuma which stood between them. A black greatsword clashed with a white one, and the final battle began.
Allen clenched his teeth at the force of the impact. The Millennium Earl was, needless to say, strong. His grinning face held no sign of struggle as he easily pushed Allen back. Mustering his strength, the white-haired exorcist fought with all his strength, with the sole purpose of defeating the Earl.
The battle didn't seem like it would ever stop; neither the Earl nor Allen would give way. As they battled from one side of the battlefield to the other, Allen suddenly spotted an Akuma sneaking up behind Kanda, who was engrossed in his fight with Tyki.
He could see the arm turning into a blade…
He could see the smirk on the akuma's face and the sly grin on Tyki's…
He could see the blade slicing through the air…
"KANDA!!!!!!!--:"
--**~~**--
"Moyashi?"
Kanda stared in awe at the figure before him, the white cloak shining in the sun, stained with bright red blood. There was a black blade through the chest, spearing in midair a person he knew all too well.
"Allen!"
The cursed exorcist looked up into his beloved's sapphire eyes, and managed to smile his angelic smile.
"Aishiteru"
And with the smile still on his lips, Allen died, his body going limp, still speared on the blade of the akuma.
As if in a trance, Kanda touched the warm blood still on his face, and looked in awe at Allen's body.
Allen….
Allen died for me…
Always…
…why?...
"ALLEN!!!! --DAMN YOU ALL!!!!"
Mind clouded with rage, Kanda turned and faced the Noah before him, the smirk still on his face, Tease fluttering about him. "You bastard…"
And then Kanda snapped.
Unleashing his bankai, he sacrificed his healing abilities and put all his power into offense. In one split second, he had wiped out the akuma which had held Allen, caught the cold, pale body, and gone on to slice off Tyki's arm. Then, after gently placing Allen's body on the ground, he went on a bloody rampage through the ranks of akuma, hollows, and Noahs and arrancars.
--**~~**--
Ichigo Kurosaki, who had been obediently observing the tide of the battle (as his captains and the vizards had told him to) noticed Kanda-taichou wrecking havoc among enemy lines. But then, it seemed as if the stoic captain had gone insane. Simply put, there was no technique to his swordsmanship and he seemed to be randomly hacking everything that got close to him to bits and pieces.
How…?
Why…?
Immediately, Ichigo jumped into the battle, headed for the captain. He then noticed a flash of red sprinting past him along with a wave of heat; Akemi must have noticed it as well. Sensing Ichigo, Akemi slowed down, looked back, and nodded. Ichigo nodded back.
When the pair reached Kanda, it seemed as if his only goal was to destroy anything and EVERYTHING. "Hachi!!" screamed Akemi, looking over her shoulder at the pink-haired vizard. Then, a barrier appeared around Kanda, trapping his movements. Akemi then threw in a bomb (courtesy of Urahara) and Kanda fell silent.
"What was that you gave him?" asked Ichigo.
Akemi looked up. "Ah, just something Hat-and-Clogs gave me earlier. Should knock him out for a while."
"Ah…"
The barrier dissipated, and Akemi caught hold of Kanda's limp body and placed it next to Allen's. "Baka-taichou" she muttered and then ran back to join the battle along with Ichigo.
--**~~**--
Because of the damage which Kanda had dealt when he was going insane, the rest of the battle ended quite swiftly with the exception of Aizen, Ichimaru Gin, and of course, the Millennium Earl. So, by the time Kanda came to, he found himself face to face with his bloody, beaten up, grinning comrades.
"Taichou…" Akemi stepped forward, unsure of what to say.
Kanda sat up and looked over at the peaceful face of Allen. Then, without saying a word, he picked up the body and disappeared.
--**~~**--
"Kanda-taichou!"
Akemi aimless wandered about the winding corridors of Soul Society, looking around for her captain. Ever since the battle, he was nowhere to be seen; he was able to hide his reiatsu quite well, apparently, since nobody had ever been able to find him when he didn't want to be found.
Finally, after an hour of walking, she reached an open field, the training ground for those who decided to practice outdoors. On the other side of the field was a lake, and next to lake, a few willow trees, the branches swaying to the gentle breeze. Under the tree sat Kanda, his ponytail loosened, dark hair falling over his shoulders as he leaned against the trunk of the tree.
--**~~**--
Kanda sat next to the grave of Allen Walker, and then looked out upon the serene surface of the lake, the glistening blue waters gracefully reflecting the gentle rays of the sun. He still recalled his beloved's last words, his death, and the blood which spilled.
A hand touched his shoulder, but Kanda didn't notice.
"Kanda-taichou…"
Akemi looked from his still frame to the lake. Tears formed in her eyes as she thought about the person called Allen Walker, a dear friend and dear comrade.
"It's okay now, Kanda-taichou."
"No."
"Why?"
"He's gone."
Akemi looked at her captain in annoyance. "I can see that. Gone from the human world, at least. WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK ALL SOULS GO AFTER DEATH, YOU FREAKIN' MENTALLY RETARDED STOIC GIRLY-HAIRED CAPTAIN???"
Kanda's frame stiffened, then loosened. Then he blinked, got up, and turned around. Grabbing his zanpaktou, he started to walk across the grassy field.
"And…where do you think you're going?" Akemi asked.
"Where do you think I'm going, dumbass?" answered Kanda, matter-of-factly.
"Hhn. Figures."
As Kanda disappeared back into soul society, Akemi secretly wished her captain luck.
"I guess love really can transcend death."
Akari: okay, there you have it, the final chapter! the ending! the finale!~
Akari's SC: eh? what happened to the battle? o_o
Akari: ….i failed, then I deleted it. end of story. anyways, it's finally spring break! and I actually have time to do something else besides homework and projects and studying my ass off like an azn honors student!
Akari's SC: Hallelujah, Amen, Peanut Butter. (cookies to whomever can guess the reference~)
Akari: well…I might add more chapters…or just make a sequel…or a epilogue…it all depends on your answer!~ that being said, please vote in the new poll I put up to determine the fate of this cute couple we have here ^_^
Akari's SC: thank you, and baibai for now!~
Ja-ne!~
-Akari~