I liked this battle scene better. Gah, I'm a little sad, the next chapter's the last one. But, I have a fanfic I need to start up again and I've started handwriting a new one. It's Tsubasa Kuro/Fai AU with a Disney spin to it. =P I probably won't post it for a while, though.

Own nada

Okay, go read now.

Chapter 19 – By Starlight

On the back of the Legendary Crimson Dragon, Jack and Yuusei marched toward the castle of Neo Domino. To keep from hurting the people of the kingdom, they came to its back, the way they had snuck back and forth six months before. Not everyone had immediately followed them, half had even attacked. When it came down to it, though, the rebels would still get what they wanted and some still had hope and trust in their young king. Slowly, they began falling in line behind the dragon and the revolt leaders. Now there was a fair sized group marching behind them, a few captives – those who had openly angrily refused to follow – sprinkled among them.

Suddenly, the dragon came to a halt and two pairs of blue and violet eyes focused ahead. Along the outside wall of the castle stood fifty archers and stun gun shooters, weapons pointed at the marching dragon followers. Yuusei sighed and turned his head when he heard a deep chuckle.

"The Chancellor is a smart man if not ambitious," the blonde chuckled low so that his words could only reach Yuusei, not that there was anyone close enough to eavesdrop. "Of course he expected my actions to lead to treachery."

"He's the traitor if one must be called so," Yuusei said and urged the dragon forward. However, it only took one step before stopping again."

"St-stop right there," called one of the archers. "King Jack Atlas, you are under arrest by order of the Council for disturbance of the peace, espionage, treachery, and promiscuity during war time."

Yuusei gave Jack a raised questioning brow on the charge of promiscuity. In return, he got a smirk and the blond mouthed 'you'. Satisfied, Yuusei turned his attention back to listen to the man rant, finding that particular charge ridiculous.

"These charges are all on the highest level and are punishable by public humiliation followed by public torture until death. P-please remove yourself from that dr-dragon without complaint or we'll have to use force."

The spiky haired swordsman couldn't help feel the morbid joy he got when he heard the slight fear in the archer's voice. He felt a bit smug, even though the real battle hadn't even begun. "It seems Godwin hadn't quite expected the dragon."

"No, I think not," Jack agreed and raised his arm signaling the charge.
Yuusei reached out and lightly touched the side of the dragon's neck and it rose into the air with a heavy beat of its large wings. Arrows shot through the sky toward Jack and Yuusei; however, the deep red scales covering the Legendary Crimson Dragon gave off a red glow that shielded not only itself, but its riders. The arrows ricocheted off the shield and plummeted down, the gathers below dodging them as they charged at the wall. Most arrows were diverted, but the same couldn't be said about the tranquilizers that were aimed directly at the party of overthrowing citizens.

The Legendary Crimson Dragon rose higher and higher into the sky until it stopped hovering above the clouds that had began to cover the sky as night fell as it did every night. Yuusei and Jacked looked around in awe at the pink sky that was slowly giving into indigo as the sun and moon changed shifts. They had never seen this spectacle within the main city of their kingdom. No one had for the past half century; it seemed it had come as an effect of the sorceresses' curse. They wondered if they stayed up here long enough, would they get to see the stars. There thoughts were interrupted suddenly when a hard vibration began to shake them roughly and Jack reached out to hold his lover to him in case they fell. The Legendary Crimson Dragon's throat rumbled beneath them until it whipped its head back before shooting it forward, its mouth wide open. A ball of energy formed at its entrance before blasting through the cursed clouds to the castle below.

Jack and Yuusei would have been thrown off had Yuusei not dug his fingers around a scale, Jack still holding onto his waist. Suddenly, they heard a crash; the Legendary Crimson Dragon making its descent back to the castle. There was a whole chuck of the back wall gone when Jack and Yuusei got within sight of it, debris clouds still masking sections of fighting and chaos.

Yuusei patted the dragon's neck. "Drop us off at the peak, would you?"

The large creature gave a sound of affirmation and made a U-turn in the sky. It swirled around the highest balcony getting closer until the blond and his lover could jump off.

Jack and Yuusei tumbled onto the balcony, swords in hand. Not having expected an aerial attack, there was no one waiting for them there. The two quickly made their way out of the random attic like room on the peek and started down a winding staircase.

"How do we claim victory?" Yuusei asked as they walked, Jack holding his hand.

"Usually, most of the guard has to be down and you capture, kill, or force a surrender from the king," Jack answered.

"What if the king's in charge of the take over?" Yuusei asked with slight humor.

"Then we go for the next in charge – Godwin and the Council."

"We're going after Godwin?"

"I though you already knew that," Jack said curiously.

Yuusei smiled at him. "Just checking."

As they got closer to the hallway that led to Godwin's office, it began to be difficult to sneak around the guards that were still left within the castle. The revolutionist leaders pulled their swords into a ready as they lunged into the hallway. Guards were quickly upon them, but were no match for the two best swordsmen in Neo Domino. The two quickly made their way to Godwin's door and busted it open.

Te man himself stood in front of the window watching the chaos outside. Upon the intrusion into his office, Godwin turned to Yuusei and Jack, gray eyes hard, but features still somehow serene. "Welcome, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We're here to fill out your destiny, Godwin. Do not put up a fight," Jack said.

"I have no intention of fighting back, but just capturing me won't do. I may have been using you, Jack, but the Council's ultimately in control. You and I can be replaced, but the Council as a whole must be captures as a whole. One man won't do."

"We'll go for them as well," Yuusei said and moved over to Godwin, pinning his hands behind his back while Jack put a sword to his throat.

"We have no use for you, Godwin. Taking the starter of all this as a prisoner will be no good," the blonde said.

Godwin struggled a bit against Yuusei's hold, anxiety finally showing on his face. "Will you kill me then, Jack?"

"No," the blonde answered. "You get to personally meet our new friend."

Yuusei turned the Chancellor toward the window he had been looking out calmly only minutes before. Gray eyes went wide in horror at what they saw.

"Say hello to your worst nightmare," Yuusei said.

"N-no, how can it exist?"

"You never believed your ruthless antics would cat up to you, Godwin," Jack said.

Yuusei picked up after him. "Even if your intentions were good at the beginning, segregation is no way to end tyranny."

The Legendary Crimson Dragon reared in impatience. Yuusei sighed, he didn't want to, but curses called for blood and they were only pawns to this man's curse. Meeting violet eyes, Yuusei nodded before pushing Godwin to the window. The man stumbled before falling over the ledge. The Legendary Crimson Dragon roared and swooped down. Silence followed and Jack grabbed Yuusei's hands about to lead him out of the office.

Just then, Saiga entered the room urgency on his face. "Crow, Kiryuu, and the others are already on the steps of the Council building. Where's Godwin?"

"Taken care of," Jack answered.

"Good. They won't allow anyone entrance until they've seen him."

"And if he's dead?" inquired Yuusei.

"They ask for the king. Only the king, sorry Yuusei."

Yuusei nodded and felt a squeeze on his hand. He looked up at the blonde, worry etched on the king's face. "You'll go meet with them, get them to surrender. I'll wait outside and lead the others on your signal. I'll give you thirty minutes before I act on my own."

"Fifteen," Jack amended. "Fifteen or else force will be necessary."

"Alright," Saiga said. "If you've decided then let's hurry."

Jack stood before the Council building shaking guards blocking his way. He lifted his hand and commanded, "Move aside, they have requested to see me."

The guards looked at each other before moving aside to let the blonde in. In a corner, the council was huddled together whispering low to one another. Upon seeing their king turned traitor enter, they quickly made their way to their respective seats, violet eyes following.

"We asked that Godwin be brought," said the head. "What happened to him, pray tell."

"Councilmen," Jack said in his most kingly of voice. "The Chancellor Godwin has reached his end at the hands of one he wrong long ago that helped create this revolt. I, King Jack Atlas of Neo Domino and Satellite, am a leader of said revolt. Therefore, it is not my words of surrender that need to be heard. Godwin has been taken care of, now it is your turn, my Council. Please do not make me use force."

"Godwin was a fool to make someone like you our puppet," said a councilman.

"Godwin was a fool for not fearing this," Jack said and revealed his mark. "The two children of Godwin's curse lead this movement against you're segregated and unfair rule. We control the power of the Legendary Crimson Dragon. Do you surrender to us?"

"Is the other one Fuudo Yuusei?" asked a female councilman.

"Indeed," Jack answered.

"It seems we were the fool then for allowing you to have him."

"Does the Council surrender?" Jack asked again.

"It seems our calculations on the revolution's power were incorrect. Do we even have a choice?"

"Death or trial," Jack answered.

"No choice at all then," said the head and he stood. "We'll give our surrender to you peacefully."

"Thank you for your cooperation," Jack said and headed for the door opening them and giving his signal to Yuusei.

The other revolt leader smiled having been nervous, yet faithful in his lover's pretty words. He gave his signal for the arrest of the Council. Yuusei hurried up the steps and ran into Jack's arms in a many yet intimate hug as they were surrounded by others.

The leader of the council and the female was led out first by Crow and a reluctant Kiryuu. He stopped by the blonde.

"You'll make a great king, jack, but love makes you a fool."

Jack and Yuusei were confused by the man's words until Yuusei felt himself being pulled away from Jack, feeling the familiar hands of Kiryuu holding him back.

Deep blue eyes watched as royal purple widened, knife being plunged into the blonde's chest, legs, arms, side, by the lady councilman. Jack's white robes were dyed crimson red by the time the lady was removed. Yuusei fell to his knees and crawled over to his lover ignoring a protesting Kiryuu. His violet eyes were glazed over, almost unseeing and Yuusei began to tremble.

"J-Jack…Jack," he whispered the name before grabbing the blonde's collar and shaking him. "By the blood we share in these cursed marks, you shall not die! Do you hear me Jack? Jack!"

A pair of hands suddenly grabbed his. "Please, Yuusei, don't shake him," said the softer voice of the witch Aki.

Yuusei wasn't one for crying, but he could fee his eyes fill with tears that quickly brimmed over. This hurt, it hurt so much. It hurt more than when Jack had left after taking his first kiss. It hurt deep down in his bones, his heart, and the dragon tail mark on his arm. Yuusei tilted his head to the sky, and let a yell ring out across the now dark star filled sky, the roaring of the Legendary Crimson Dragon amplifying Yuusei's desperate prayer so that it seemed to reach past the stars.

"JACK!"

Reviews are nice

-Zee