Leviathan's Daughter
GoldenEagle
Author's Note: Boy, this sure did seem to take forever to write! *yawn and stretch* Of cource, it's because I'm exhausted. I use that same excuse if the writing is a little too undreasonable or corny. I'm just so tired! But I'm addicted on writing this story now. Van&Company are here! Yay! But this is another dark chapter *sigh*. So, please read and review. Tell me if it turned out being as stupid as I thought it did.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Langer, the soldier of Lord Folken and Lord Dillandau, pushed forward quietly. He was searching for her, looking, there to deliver his message. He didn't make it too far into the woods before he was stopped, the point of cold steel pressing against his back.
"Who are you, boy?" A deep and smooth voice asked. Langer had his hands up, his face calm except for the small beads of sweat forming on his brow.
"My name's Langer." He paused a moment before continuing. "I'm a soldier of Zaibach. I come here in search of someone. I'm not here to look for a battle, kind sir."
His assailant stepped from the shadows, the moon reflecting off of his long, blonde hair, two crystal blue eyes staring out from behind the strands. Langer recognized his garb as a knight of Austuria. This didn't help put his fears at ease. "Perhaps you should come with me."
*********
Graceful and callused hands ran through the strange bag, pulling out contraptions not of Gaea. One item fell out and the thief leaned over, examining the strange, black box which read "Discman' on the front. A fire flickered farther away and laughter, along with deep voices, could be heard. The caped figure wasn't expecting too much trouble. Too bad.
"I'd get up real slow if I were you." A boy's voice issued in the darkness. The intruder stiffened and rose, palms up, the straps of the bag wrapped around the left arm. Out of the late shadows stepped a boy, his sword drawn. A red shirt stood out among tan pants as the boy moved forward, his blade swept forward, his shoulders hunched and ready. Raven black hair fell into the boy's face and he stared out through it with a reddening brown gaze.
A sharp yell of laughter broke the boy's attention for a split second, but it was enough. His assailant's hands whipped down even as they stepped back, drawing a long, curved sword. The hood had fallen back from the figure's face and Van, for that is who it obviously was, took a step back, surprised. The moonlight reflected off of his opponent's sword and behind that blade stared two swirling blue eyes, bright against tangled crimson hair. "You're a-a-"
The woman smirked. "A girl? Tsk, tsk, Van. I never imagined you to be such a sexist." And with that, she struck.
****************
It was the sound of metal hitting metal that cut through the men's laughter. Those who were still caught in their conversations were quieted quickly. A silence issued through the camp as they listened momentarily to the song of blade hitting blade. The outsider, the boy Allen had found, went stiff quietly, recognizing the pattern of the clanging. He knew it as her signature dance, her signature moves. He stood quickly, glancing in the direction of the noise. The two that he knew were most likely sent to watch over him stood, too, keeping an eye on him. It was the cat girl that spoke and broke the stunned silence, sending everyone into motion.
"Lord Van!"
******************
Van stumbled back tiredly, gasping for breath, sweat dampening his clothes. He still kept his sword ready. He had learned very fast not to underestimate the girl who stood before him. Despite his tiring state, he noticed that she was just now getting a warm glow to her cheeks, just now getting warmed up. She moved forward again, her blade flashing in the moons' light. He blocked the blow, if only barely.
Persephone knew full well that what she was doing was stupid. She was scaring the boy out of his wits, but having a great time doing so. Hurt Folken's brother? She would never dream of doing such a thing! But after spending hours upon hours on training Dillandau, she had learned how to look for skill. And she was by nature very curious. In her mind, she had forced Van into a duel, a playful one for her. She wanted to test his strength and her own. She wanted to see how she added up to him. His skill was very advanced, but still he put too much weight forward, struck a little too slowly when he charged, and didn't know how to breath efficiently. He was already out of breath.
Their swords crashed together, sending sparks in the air, and they held it that way for a second, faces inches apart. Van's face was pulled into a snarl, Persephone's into a mischievous grin. Something in the back of her mind stirred, her instinct warning her. 'You're playing with fire, Persephone dear. And you know what happens when you play with fire-'
"Yeah, yeah." She muttered to herself as she pulled away. "I'll get burnt."
Her eyes fluttered away for a millisecond as she saw a large group of people approaching. "Shit!" She yelped as something bit into her left shoulder. She looked up, seeing Van pull away quickly, her blood on his sword. This time she returned his snarl, but it was more for her own petty pride.
**********
Allen and his men stood and watched the fight, wondering momentarily if they should interfere. Langer noticed the other of the two girl's emerald eyes fill with concern, but obviously this Schezar character was going to let the prince finish the fight. Langer knew full well who the boy was for he had become number one on Dillandau's "to get" list after he slashed up his face. He paused a moment before speaking reassuringly, mostly for the blonde haired girl who looked so worried. "She won't hurt him." He stated bluntly.
An immense amount of gazes turned to him, questioningly. "Why do you say that?" Allen questioned.
Langer sighed in exasperation. "Because, she has a special interest in him. Plus, if she had wanted to kill him by now, he would have been dead without a fight. Trust me." Langer's mind wandered back to Corinth, the flames and absolute death. "I would know."
A louder ring than before vibrated through the air, and the men's attention was drawn back. The curved blade gleamed as it spun through the air, landing a few feet away from the two standing in the empty meadow. The cloaked figure raised her hands in defeat, a small smile playing across her lips.
"It looks like Van took your girl quite easily, if you ask me." One of the men said with a mocking smirk on his face.
If this man's grin had been prideful, Langer's was even more so. "And I'd say you were mistaken." Before anyone could answer, the swordless figure moved with quiet accuracy, the tables turned once more.
**************
Persephone's hands shot out and gripped Van's wrists before he could react. A look of defeat crossed his face as she twisted his hand so that the blade was pressed against him, the metal threatening to cut into him. Her grasp was too strong for him to fight back, and her face moved forward in the moonlight. He could hear the shouts of his comrades as they rushed forward to stop her, but he knew they would come to late. He closed his eyes, expecting to feel the sharp kiss of his sword-
Instead he felt a different kiss, a soft, expressive thing against his forehead. His eyes shot open and he saw her before him, felt her lips between his eyebrows, a sisterly and foreign touch. Van let out a trembling breath, in half relief, half astonishment. She pulled away and looked him in the eyes, only inches away. Her eyes were a sea of blue, drowning his soul in its waves-
Someone pulled her from him quickly and she let out a loud hiss as they gripped her cut shoulder and hauled her away from him. She struggled against their grasp, writhing and growling as any animal would. Van lowered his sword slowly, his body drooping from exhaustion.
"Lord Van! Lord Van! Are you all right?" Merle ran forward and encompassed him in an exuberant embrace. Van didn't say anything, but turned his eyes up. Hitomi met his eyes and smiled softly. He felt his heart miss a few beats before he returned her smile, gazing back.
"I'm fine." He said to both, quietly.
"Shit, she bit me!" One of the men yelled out. Merle slid off of Van as he turned quickly, taking in the chaos behind him. The girl, his opponent, was struggling out of the soldier's grasps. Her eyes were wild, as an animal's may be who has just been caught in a trap. Several of the men were on the ground, struggling to get up as more were toppled over by her.
She bolted away from their grasp suddenly, grabbing Hitomi's bag with her as she ran, holding her blade in the other hand, still drawn. Van stepped forward, his sword ready and waiting in his hands again. But one of the soldiers barreled into the girl and she toppled over, landing on Hitomi.
Everything fell apart from there. Hitomi cried out, the blade in Persephone's grasp cutting deep into her right leg. Persephone stumbled backwards, dropping the bag and her bloody sword in shock. It was unintentional, but it was what caused everything to go wrong.
Van could see Hitomi's blood, hear her scream still echoing through his mind, even as people gathered around her. A battle cry broke through his lips as he ran forward, his sword lifted. Persephone turned quickly and jumped back as the blade swung forward, far out of its reach. But it didn't look that way from afar, and before anything could be said, Langer was in front of Persephone, taking on a death that wouldn't have touched her. Van's blade hit flesh, cutting deeply into Langer's stomach. A strange stillness and silence was bestowed upon the scene as the Zaibach soldier stood there for a few seconds, his face going pale. Van's sword was slick with his blood as it dropped from his grasp onto the green grass below him.
Langer fell to his knees, his intestines and stomach falling through the gash in his stomach. The soldier looked to them numbly, as if he couldn't believe they were his as he fell to his back. Horror clenched Van's chest, but it was not even close to the feelings that were crashing over Persephone.
Persephone stood for a moment, her eyes wide with horror, a simple fraze repeating itself over and over again in her mind as she watched the boy who she had befriended before the battle at Corinth fall before her. 'If you play with fire... If you play with... Play with fire... Fire...' Tears burst from Persephone, a loud sob, as she fell to her knees by the boy. He looked up at her with strangely clear eyes as he spoke. "Hey, Persephone." He said quietly, sadly.
"Langer, you damn fool." She choked out through sobs. "You fucking fool. Why did you come? Why the hell did you come?"
Langer smiled a faint smile. "He sent me here, to deliver a letter." He used a shaking hand to pull out a letter from his cloaks. The letter was stained with his blood. "Sorry about that." Langer muttered, as if it were no big deal. A strange shutter ran through him and he realized that he was dying. "My loyalty is to you, and Zaibach." He said, trying to comfort her. A few faces appeared above her, Allen's men pushing forward. "He loves you. Remember that." Langer muttered, his thoughts starting to wander.
"No you don't, Langer." She hissed. "It was just a game. No one dies over a game. You hold on, you hear me?" Her voice had gone cold though her tears still fell.
He focused back on her and frowned, death pushing at the edges of his vision. "Calm down, Persephone." He said quietly, noticing the tremors rising in her. Fear gripped at him. "Calm down." But despite his words, her body betrayed her, going into convulsion, jerking violently. The men above her caught her form as it fell from the seizure and Langer felt himself drifting off, far away. He left life with few regrets.
Author's Note: So, how terrible was it? *grimaces* I, personally, didn't like it for some reason. Maybe it wasn't smooth enough for me or something. Anyways, please review!
GoldenEagle
Author's Note: Boy, this sure did seem to take forever to write! *yawn and stretch* Of cource, it's because I'm exhausted. I use that same excuse if the writing is a little too undreasonable or corny. I'm just so tired! But I'm addicted on writing this story now. Van&Company are here! Yay! But this is another dark chapter *sigh*. So, please read and review. Tell me if it turned out being as stupid as I thought it did.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Langer, the soldier of Lord Folken and Lord Dillandau, pushed forward quietly. He was searching for her, looking, there to deliver his message. He didn't make it too far into the woods before he was stopped, the point of cold steel pressing against his back.
"Who are you, boy?" A deep and smooth voice asked. Langer had his hands up, his face calm except for the small beads of sweat forming on his brow.
"My name's Langer." He paused a moment before continuing. "I'm a soldier of Zaibach. I come here in search of someone. I'm not here to look for a battle, kind sir."
His assailant stepped from the shadows, the moon reflecting off of his long, blonde hair, two crystal blue eyes staring out from behind the strands. Langer recognized his garb as a knight of Austuria. This didn't help put his fears at ease. "Perhaps you should come with me."
*********
Graceful and callused hands ran through the strange bag, pulling out contraptions not of Gaea. One item fell out and the thief leaned over, examining the strange, black box which read "Discman' on the front. A fire flickered farther away and laughter, along with deep voices, could be heard. The caped figure wasn't expecting too much trouble. Too bad.
"I'd get up real slow if I were you." A boy's voice issued in the darkness. The intruder stiffened and rose, palms up, the straps of the bag wrapped around the left arm. Out of the late shadows stepped a boy, his sword drawn. A red shirt stood out among tan pants as the boy moved forward, his blade swept forward, his shoulders hunched and ready. Raven black hair fell into the boy's face and he stared out through it with a reddening brown gaze.
A sharp yell of laughter broke the boy's attention for a split second, but it was enough. His assailant's hands whipped down even as they stepped back, drawing a long, curved sword. The hood had fallen back from the figure's face and Van, for that is who it obviously was, took a step back, surprised. The moonlight reflected off of his opponent's sword and behind that blade stared two swirling blue eyes, bright against tangled crimson hair. "You're a-a-"
The woman smirked. "A girl? Tsk, tsk, Van. I never imagined you to be such a sexist." And with that, she struck.
****************
It was the sound of metal hitting metal that cut through the men's laughter. Those who were still caught in their conversations were quieted quickly. A silence issued through the camp as they listened momentarily to the song of blade hitting blade. The outsider, the boy Allen had found, went stiff quietly, recognizing the pattern of the clanging. He knew it as her signature dance, her signature moves. He stood quickly, glancing in the direction of the noise. The two that he knew were most likely sent to watch over him stood, too, keeping an eye on him. It was the cat girl that spoke and broke the stunned silence, sending everyone into motion.
"Lord Van!"
******************
Van stumbled back tiredly, gasping for breath, sweat dampening his clothes. He still kept his sword ready. He had learned very fast not to underestimate the girl who stood before him. Despite his tiring state, he noticed that she was just now getting a warm glow to her cheeks, just now getting warmed up. She moved forward again, her blade flashing in the moons' light. He blocked the blow, if only barely.
Persephone knew full well that what she was doing was stupid. She was scaring the boy out of his wits, but having a great time doing so. Hurt Folken's brother? She would never dream of doing such a thing! But after spending hours upon hours on training Dillandau, she had learned how to look for skill. And she was by nature very curious. In her mind, she had forced Van into a duel, a playful one for her. She wanted to test his strength and her own. She wanted to see how she added up to him. His skill was very advanced, but still he put too much weight forward, struck a little too slowly when he charged, and didn't know how to breath efficiently. He was already out of breath.
Their swords crashed together, sending sparks in the air, and they held it that way for a second, faces inches apart. Van's face was pulled into a snarl, Persephone's into a mischievous grin. Something in the back of her mind stirred, her instinct warning her. 'You're playing with fire, Persephone dear. And you know what happens when you play with fire-'
"Yeah, yeah." She muttered to herself as she pulled away. "I'll get burnt."
Her eyes fluttered away for a millisecond as she saw a large group of people approaching. "Shit!" She yelped as something bit into her left shoulder. She looked up, seeing Van pull away quickly, her blood on his sword. This time she returned his snarl, but it was more for her own petty pride.
**********
Allen and his men stood and watched the fight, wondering momentarily if they should interfere. Langer noticed the other of the two girl's emerald eyes fill with concern, but obviously this Schezar character was going to let the prince finish the fight. Langer knew full well who the boy was for he had become number one on Dillandau's "to get" list after he slashed up his face. He paused a moment before speaking reassuringly, mostly for the blonde haired girl who looked so worried. "She won't hurt him." He stated bluntly.
An immense amount of gazes turned to him, questioningly. "Why do you say that?" Allen questioned.
Langer sighed in exasperation. "Because, she has a special interest in him. Plus, if she had wanted to kill him by now, he would have been dead without a fight. Trust me." Langer's mind wandered back to Corinth, the flames and absolute death. "I would know."
A louder ring than before vibrated through the air, and the men's attention was drawn back. The curved blade gleamed as it spun through the air, landing a few feet away from the two standing in the empty meadow. The cloaked figure raised her hands in defeat, a small smile playing across her lips.
"It looks like Van took your girl quite easily, if you ask me." One of the men said with a mocking smirk on his face.
If this man's grin had been prideful, Langer's was even more so. "And I'd say you were mistaken." Before anyone could answer, the swordless figure moved with quiet accuracy, the tables turned once more.
**************
Persephone's hands shot out and gripped Van's wrists before he could react. A look of defeat crossed his face as she twisted his hand so that the blade was pressed against him, the metal threatening to cut into him. Her grasp was too strong for him to fight back, and her face moved forward in the moonlight. He could hear the shouts of his comrades as they rushed forward to stop her, but he knew they would come to late. He closed his eyes, expecting to feel the sharp kiss of his sword-
Instead he felt a different kiss, a soft, expressive thing against his forehead. His eyes shot open and he saw her before him, felt her lips between his eyebrows, a sisterly and foreign touch. Van let out a trembling breath, in half relief, half astonishment. She pulled away and looked him in the eyes, only inches away. Her eyes were a sea of blue, drowning his soul in its waves-
Someone pulled her from him quickly and she let out a loud hiss as they gripped her cut shoulder and hauled her away from him. She struggled against their grasp, writhing and growling as any animal would. Van lowered his sword slowly, his body drooping from exhaustion.
"Lord Van! Lord Van! Are you all right?" Merle ran forward and encompassed him in an exuberant embrace. Van didn't say anything, but turned his eyes up. Hitomi met his eyes and smiled softly. He felt his heart miss a few beats before he returned her smile, gazing back.
"I'm fine." He said to both, quietly.
"Shit, she bit me!" One of the men yelled out. Merle slid off of Van as he turned quickly, taking in the chaos behind him. The girl, his opponent, was struggling out of the soldier's grasps. Her eyes were wild, as an animal's may be who has just been caught in a trap. Several of the men were on the ground, struggling to get up as more were toppled over by her.
She bolted away from their grasp suddenly, grabbing Hitomi's bag with her as she ran, holding her blade in the other hand, still drawn. Van stepped forward, his sword ready and waiting in his hands again. But one of the soldiers barreled into the girl and she toppled over, landing on Hitomi.
Everything fell apart from there. Hitomi cried out, the blade in Persephone's grasp cutting deep into her right leg. Persephone stumbled backwards, dropping the bag and her bloody sword in shock. It was unintentional, but it was what caused everything to go wrong.
Van could see Hitomi's blood, hear her scream still echoing through his mind, even as people gathered around her. A battle cry broke through his lips as he ran forward, his sword lifted. Persephone turned quickly and jumped back as the blade swung forward, far out of its reach. But it didn't look that way from afar, and before anything could be said, Langer was in front of Persephone, taking on a death that wouldn't have touched her. Van's blade hit flesh, cutting deeply into Langer's stomach. A strange stillness and silence was bestowed upon the scene as the Zaibach soldier stood there for a few seconds, his face going pale. Van's sword was slick with his blood as it dropped from his grasp onto the green grass below him.
Langer fell to his knees, his intestines and stomach falling through the gash in his stomach. The soldier looked to them numbly, as if he couldn't believe they were his as he fell to his back. Horror clenched Van's chest, but it was not even close to the feelings that were crashing over Persephone.
Persephone stood for a moment, her eyes wide with horror, a simple fraze repeating itself over and over again in her mind as she watched the boy who she had befriended before the battle at Corinth fall before her. 'If you play with fire... If you play with... Play with fire... Fire...' Tears burst from Persephone, a loud sob, as she fell to her knees by the boy. He looked up at her with strangely clear eyes as he spoke. "Hey, Persephone." He said quietly, sadly.
"Langer, you damn fool." She choked out through sobs. "You fucking fool. Why did you come? Why the hell did you come?"
Langer smiled a faint smile. "He sent me here, to deliver a letter." He used a shaking hand to pull out a letter from his cloaks. The letter was stained with his blood. "Sorry about that." Langer muttered, as if it were no big deal. A strange shutter ran through him and he realized that he was dying. "My loyalty is to you, and Zaibach." He said, trying to comfort her. A few faces appeared above her, Allen's men pushing forward. "He loves you. Remember that." Langer muttered, his thoughts starting to wander.
"No you don't, Langer." She hissed. "It was just a game. No one dies over a game. You hold on, you hear me?" Her voice had gone cold though her tears still fell.
He focused back on her and frowned, death pushing at the edges of his vision. "Calm down, Persephone." He said quietly, noticing the tremors rising in her. Fear gripped at him. "Calm down." But despite his words, her body betrayed her, going into convulsion, jerking violently. The men above her caught her form as it fell from the seizure and Langer felt himself drifting off, far away. He left life with few regrets.
Author's Note: So, how terrible was it? *grimaces* I, personally, didn't like it for some reason. Maybe it wasn't smooth enough for me or something. Anyways, please review!