Angel vs. Demon
Chapter 51 – Finally Over
"…me? Ame?"
I opened my blurry eyes, and squinted up at the figure hovered over me. After the haziness cleared, Kiseki's face was there, covered in bandages from the battle. He leaned over me and rubbed my forehead.
"Ame, you're awake!" he cried, relieved. I sat up, and immediately the room spun around me. I felt like I was recovering from the world's worst hangover. I collapsed back down on the bed again.
"Whoa there, you've gotta rest!" Kiseki said, making sure I stayed down.
"How long was I… out?" I asked, flinching as my voice cracked noticeably. I was so thirsty; my entire body felt like it had been burned and then cooled down again, all in one session. However, I didn't think I had the energy to stomach even a drop of water.
"You were out for about two days," Kiseki answered. "You weren't hurt physically, but your mind and your body, according to the nurse, was worn out and exceeded beyond their limits. I guess everything really took a lot out of you, huh?"
Ah, that must be the reason why I felt so tired during the battle, even when I did nothing related to moving. It made sense for me to go unconscious for two day -
"Two days?" I suddenly cried as I registered exactly what that meant. My eyes went wide. Widening my eyes seemed to be the only action that I can do for now that didn't seem too painful for me. "Two whole days… Oh my God, the - How is everyone? How's the school – the students? The teachers! Oh my gosh and the Headmaster…"
"Calm down!" Kiseki ordered, laughing at me. "It's ok… it's all over now, Ame. After Garron was defeated, half of the army fell down where they were standing. They had been mind-controlled and were very confused as to why they were here at our school in the first place. They left peacefully, thank goodness. As for the rest of them – the ones that did not want to co-operate – the Headmaster dealt with them. He probably summoned some barrier or something, and returned them all back where they belonged. As of right now, the school is under extreme reparations and renovations, and new trees and plants and stuff are being planted in the woods and forests. The only building that seemed to be fully intact was the infirmary… lucky for you."
I guessed Kiseki was right. Everything really did take a lot out of me, and thank goodness the infirmary was open for business. That meant that the other injured students or teachers could get some treatment, too.
But speaking of everything…
"Garron?" I asked, my eyes widening. "And Mr. Masaki?"
Kiseki was silent for a while.
"I don't know how to tell you this…" he began, "but Garr – I mean, Nicolas, Garron's physical body, seemed to have been possessed. Garron was gone for good, but Nicolas lived." Kiseki paused, probably thinking of Garron's last name, and then smiled wryly. "No pun intended."
"Nicolas?" I asked with a look of confusion on my face, ignoring his bad attempt at a joke. Who was Nicolas? I'd never heard of him before.
Kiseki cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Nicolas is Garron's body. The Garron we all knew – that looked like a human – wasn't physically Garron, but a normal human called Nicolas Cage. Garron possessed his body; Nicolas was just a host to Garron. When Garron died, he just left Nicolas's body, unharmed."
My eyes widened at this new information. Suddenly, from the other room, I could hear banging. Someone seemed to be frantically scrambling away from something, and bonking into walls in the process.
"Get away from me!" a male voice cried. He had the same voice as Garron… it was Garron's voice. For a moment I felt a pang in my chest, and I shuddered in fear.
"Where am I?" Garron – no, Nicolas's voice demanded. "Who are you? I… I clearly saw a horn grow out of your head…!"
Kiseki rolled his eyes. "Yup, that's him. He doesn't remember anything."
I sighed. This was better, in a way, I guess. An innocent person was spared.
"And… Mr. Masaki?" I whispered.
Kiseki looked uncomfortable. "We're having his funeral next week. Kenta's in depression."
My eyes tightened. This was horrible. Of course, I knew that Mr. Masaki wasn't going to survive after he took in all that dark energy from Garron, but to let Kenta deal with that… that was just terrible.
Just then, a nurse knocked on the door and cleared her throat.
"Ahem, Ms. Kanmuri?" she asked. "You have a visitor waiting to speak to you."
I sat up straighter, and made sure Kiseki wasn't hovering too close to me. It was almost suffocating, the way he lingered.
"Hello, Ame," my visitor greeted. It was Apollo, and he brought a bouquet of flowers for me. They were pink and white lilies, picked fresh, I must've guessed. It certainly smelled amazing.
"Hi, Apollo!" I grinned, cautiously glancing between him and Kiseki. I wanted to make sure that there was no beef between them; I didn't want an argument breaking out as soon as I got better. "So… um, what did you come here for? I heard you wanted to speak to me…?"
"Yes. It's about a very important matter."
"Mm-hmm…"
"The battle's already over, Ame." Apollo began. "The injured are getting treated, the wounded are healing. And the campus is being rebuilt. Plus, it's almost the end of the year… you'll all be graduating soon."
"Right…"
"So there's no need for you to have powers anymore."
"What?"
"You know what I mean. These accessories you wear? Useless. They have no meaning anymore… not now, at least. You said before that you couldn't get rid of them because they were needed and necessary, correct? Now that the battle is over, you needn't be wearing them anymore. I suggest you get rid of them as soon as possible. Preferably right now, where I can watch you take them off and destroy them myself."
"Hold on just a minute," Kiseki said angrily, standing up to face Apollo. "Just who are you to tell Ame what she should and shouldn't do with her own stuff? They're her own things – it's her own life. Leave her alone, for God's sake! If she wants to keep them, then let her keep them."
Apollo glared down at Kiseki, looking displeased at his stupidity.
"You clearly don't know much about her situation, vampire. If Ame doesn't take them off, sooner or later they're going to consume her and turn her mentally insane. It would be like when she was corrupted and turned into a mindless, heartless demonic creature. Except this time there will be another power in her body struggling to take her over… the angelic side. These two conflicting sides will fight for control of her body. As you can possibly imagine, the results won't be good for Ame."
Kiseki paled visibly, looking alarmed. He turned his head back towards me, staring at my face.
"Is this true, Ame?" he asked, staring at me in disbelief. He looked shocked and hurt that I had kept this from him (and from all my other friends), and I bit down on my lip hard. I could feel all the guilt and remorse (that had gathered up since months ago) attacking at my insides. I wanted to cry, but I had no more tears left anymore. I was all cried out from two days ago.
"Look, Kiseki… I'm sorry," I whispered, not brave enough to look at his face. "What Apollo says is true. I-It had happened only a few days after I've put these things on. Remember how my blood tasted all weird, Kiseki? Well, I suppose you wouldn't think it was weird." – I paused to roll my eyes – "Sweet and Spicy blood is probably a delicacy in the vampire world. But… not only that." I began twisting my white hospital blankets around in my hands nervously. I felt like I was confessing a serious crime or offence or something. "Sometimes horns would grow out of my head without me knowing, or I'd hear these two weird voices talking to me inside my head. I think they're my conscience and stuff, but one would tell me to do good things while the other encouraged the bad. I'm just… I'm really confused, Kiseki. I want to keep these bracelets and earrings and use my powers to protect you guys and stuff, but I'm not sure if these symptoms will get worse. I just don't know what to do."
I hung my head down on my chest, eyes closed in defeat. There, I had explained everything to him… I will give him the chance to scream and run away from me; he will be free to think I'm a freak and never talk to me again. I won't stop him if he hates me forever or runs away from me. I'd completely understand if he did… because, frankly, if I were Kiseki and I had a friend as crazy and messed-up as me, then I'd definitely think twice about being her friend. I'd probably stay by her side, but I'd most likely never look at her the same way again.
"Ame's completely right," Apollo said. "And the symptoms are only going to get worse. Hmm… if I remember correctly, the late Garron had a devoted female minion of some sort…"
"He had a lot of devoted female minions," Kiseki replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. This made me laugh a little.
"Well, yes. The point is, one of them used to be human. Lucille, I think her name was…? Or Lily. Something like that."
"Lucy?" I gasped, stunned.
"Ah, yes, it was 'Lucy'. I remember now. When Garron approached me all those years ago requesting that I join his side, he was accompanied by such a woman. A human woman."
"But that's impossible," I said, gently shaking my head. "Lucy's a demon. You know that though, don't you? You've obviously met her before in her demon form."
"You mean her true demon form?" Apollo asked, eyebrows raised. "Have you ever actually seen her transform before? Sure, she's definitely used her demonic powers, but if you think about it, she's never actually fully transformed. Usually, demons are 'bred' in the underworld, fashioned from other substances such as animals, and objects. That is why there are animal-hybrid demons and similar things like that. Lucy only ever uses her powers, though… nothing more."
I recalled us fighting the scorpion demon, only a few days ago. She looked like one of Garron's female minions, but she had transformed. She had actually turned into her scorpion-demon self. With a gasp, I realized that Apollo was right… there was something different about Lucy.
"When the two came to me, she was still human. On her wrists she had on similar demonic bracelets that you have, and on her ears she wore similar demon earrings." Apollo looked at me meaningfully. "I warned her to take it off, but she refused. She said that her 'Master Garron' had told her to put it on, and that he accepted her for who she was even though she was turning strange. If Garron hadn't been in my way that day, I would've killed Lucy right then and there and saved her from her fate. She had gained powers, and – being the demon that she was – she gets to live five times longer than an average human's lifespan; that's all good and dandy. But everything has a price, doesn't it? She sacrificed her human self… she sacrificed her virtues, her righteous conscience, and her soul. I suppose she also sacrificed her heart, because it belonged to Garron. All that was left of her was an empty shell full of hate, jealousy, and sinful thoughts."
I shuddered. I definitely did not want to end up like that. Apollo didn't seem to notice how uncomfortable he was making me; he simply continued on with his theories and thoughts.
"Back then, though… I can bet that Garron wanted to start his own army and group of allies so badly that he resorted to forcing humans into demons. I suspect that that was the actual reason why these accessories were created in the first place… not to protect people, but to modify them."
I could see from the back that Kiseki's shoulder was all tensed up. I desperately wanted to tell him to loosen up and relax… I am different from Lucy. I wouldn't end up like her, I wanted to say to him. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine.
"Do you see why I want her to get rid of it, now, vampire?" Apollo demanded. "I have seen one too many humans become victim of this inhumane alteration. Either she takes it off and returns back to normal, or she turns into a psychotic angel-demon monster and I kill her."
"You wouldn't dare," Kiseki growled, taking a step closer to him.
"Oh believe me, vampire, I would." Apollo said this with absolute seriousness. "But I think you might have to choose… Ame's selfish desire to keep the charms, or her life… Which one is more important to you?"
Before Kiseki (or even I) could answer, the door to my hospital room burst open.
"CONGRATULATIONS!" Kurumu shouted, throwing her arms out at me. "I heard you finally woke up, sleepy-head! Congrats on regaining consciousness!"
"Thanks," I murmured, smiling at her affectionately.
Kurumu entered the room and invited herself to sit on my bed. Moka, Tsukune, and Mizore followed swiftly behind her, all smiling at me and saying how happy they were that I had finally woken up. Almost everyone was here… except for Kenta and Yukari. I could understand why Kenta wasn't here, but Yukari…?
"Where did Yukari go?" I asked timidly. I suddenly felt a pang of worry. "Is she badly hurt…? Did she not wake up yet?"
"No, no…" Moka replied, waving her hands in front of her. "Nothing like that. It's just… she's with Kenta, that's all. I assume that Kiseki had told you…?"
"Ah," I said in realization. Yukari was comforting him… how nice of her. I smiled to myself at how well the two were getting along recently; they were the same age, after all.
"So," Kurumu said, breaking up the tense and melancholy atmosphere, "who wants cookies?"
I happily accepted this diversion, sitting up a little straighter. "Me! I want cookies~"
Kurumu grinned as she unwrapped a bag for me. "I baked this myself while you were unconscious. I made your favorite, too… chocolate chip! I also have a few different ones for you to try out, to see if you like them. Gingersnap, and sugar and butter cookies… you know, all the good stuff." Kurumu winked at me.
I reached out and gave her a light hug. I couldn't manage much more, I was still exhausted and aching. "Thank you so much, Kurumu… you're awesome!"
"I know," she joked, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. "I try."
I smiled, digging in on the cookies. For now, things were okay. That was all that mattered. Everyone was safe and sound (despite the recent events and Kenta's depression), and we were all together. I couldn't ask for anything more.
We just sat around in my hospital room, munched on cookies, talked about the recent events, and caught up on what I had missed while I was unconscious.
The Headmaster was fine. Nobody knew where he had gone during the fight, but I had heard rumors that he played a significant role in all of this. Obviously, he had been doing things his own way.
As for all the other students and teachers, most of them were unharmed. Some had sacrificed themselves for the future of the school, and the entire academy was in mourning. The extra pieces of grassy land that had been unused and empty near the back of the school buildings had now been turned into a memorial site. The Visual Arts teacher (who had this strange talent for creating beautiful, life-like, flawless stone figurines) had set up a statue for each monster that had died in the battle. It was eerie to see so many stone statues of people I used to know propped up on the ground, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I was glad that these heroes and heroines would be remembered for their bravery and sacrifice.
It turned out that the Headmaster (along with the other staff, doctors, and nurses) really had no idea what to do with Nicolas Cage. He'd been in the infirmary ward for as long as I'd been here, and had been treated for mental trauma and physical wounds. Clearly, he was not in his right state of mind. Even from my room all the way on the other end of the hall, we could hear him screaming and crying about demons and monsters and voices in his head.
Supposedly, from what I'd heard the nurses say, sometimes he'd even just walk around and move his body for no reason at all, just to prove that he was in control of his body. This one nurse even told me that, when she offered to help him get something, he screamed and swore at her. This was what he had apparently said: "I don't need your help! This is my own body, I can do it myself! It's my own body… my own body… I can move it. It's finally my own body…"
And so on and so forth. Things like that would go on for ages, even after all the lights went out in the infirmary. We could still hear Nicolas whispering things to himself and moving around at night. Even as a fellow human, I was terribly scared of him. And, as much as I'd hate to admit it, I had not visited him or seen his face even once after I'd been admitted to this room. I'd gone outside of my infirmary room plenty of times, sure, but I'd always avoided Nicolas's room. Somehow, I just couldn't face him. I felt like a coward.
It was not because I was scared he'd try to hurt me again. I knew that Garron was officially gone… Garron Lived was no longer living. But I just couldn't bear to see his face, his old face. It hurt too much. Despite how evil he was, I still liked him. He had been one of my closest friends.
What broke my heart even more was the thought of how Nicolas's face would look if I did see it. I could just picture it… the dark circles from no sleep, the bloodshot eyes, the dirty, messy hair, and the look on his face. God, his expression would kill me! He probably wouldn't even know who I was, but just the mental image of the haunted, terrified, insane look he would have in his eyes scared the crap out of me.
I wanted to help him, I wanted to help so badly, but this was something that Nicolas would have to fight through by himself. If I showed up in front of his face, he'd probably just be more confused and even more scared. I didn't want him to be scared of me… that was probably the reason.
I just wished I was released sooner, though. Being in the infirmary was doing my mental health and disposition no good.
Smiling, I remember something Kiseki had told me. He had been teasing and had exaggerated a good deal, but he meant well.
"You want to leave?" he had asked me one day, perched at the foot of my hospital bed. "If you want to be free like the rest of us, then you have to focus on getting well. Rest, eat, go to the bathroom if you have to, and hurry up and get better! It's boring outside without you."
I sighed, my head rested against my white pillow, and stared up at the hospital ceiling.
Yes, Kiseki was right. I had to rest and get better as soon as I could. All the drama about the accessories, the situation with Nicolas Cage, and the reparations of the rest of the academy… all those I would worry about later.
Author's Note:
The battle finally ended! Phew, that sure was tense, huh?
Yeah, I bet most of you thought Garron would be dead. But no, his host body's still intact xD. He's gone for good, though, so no worries. I just feel bad about the poor human that ended up feeling violated and traumatized… *sigh*
And just what do you think would happen to Ame and her situation with her angelic/demonic charms…? Haha, you'll have to read on to find out. I hope the results will be satisfying to you guys.
Anyways, thanks for reading this. It means a lot to me! :)
- ACookieZ
