Leviathan's Daughter
GoldenEagle
Author's Notes: Howdy! What's up? Me? I'm exhausted. I've had the busiest week. I would have had this out earlier, but haven't been able to get on to FF.net all weekend. That mention in the last chapter about finishing this by next week? Out of the question. I'm hardly finding the time AT ALL to write this story. I have a huge report in English going on, and a big speech coming up. School's a drag, no? I have like a million and one things going on in my head right now as far as plots, but I can't start writing until I get done with this story and go further into the Playing God thing going on. But, I hope you guys enjoy. Read and review!
Chapter Forty-Five
"How long will it take?" The man asked, a flowing cape surrounding him, protecting him from the drafts that filtered through the docking area of the ship.
"It'll probably be about thirty minutes before you can get her out of here. The area we're flying over is pretty foggy. It would probably be extremely dangerous to let your guymelef out here." A man with grease and other odd liquids smeared across his face said gruffly. He tilted his head towards the huge, grand guymelef while saying this.
Folken nodded his head, not seeing any reason to take the chance of wrecking his guymelef, especially if it was only going to mean him being half an hour late. "I'll wait." The mechanic nodded before turning away, exiting the area. Though the place was full of guymelefs and other assorted things, it was empty of human life. That is, excluding Folken. He was not surprised that no one showed to wish him a well journey. Would that perfect knight in love with his lover come? Would the brother that hates him come? No, of course not. Someone who even hoped so would be a fool.
Folken turned swiftly when he heard the slight noise of a door sliding open. The area in which the noise had come from was shrouded in shadows, and he tried to see through them the best he could. Yet the person stayed in the blackness, which made the strategist suspicious, nervous. He drew his sword, quick and easily.
"Relax, Folken. It's me." A feminine voice said, barely heard over the silence of the room. Folken's heartbeat rose as he resheathed his sword.
"Persephone..." He muttered, his throat dry. I weak, dying hope rose within him. Perhaps... Perhaps she was here to come with him... She stepped from the shadows, and he took a step towards her, powerful and confident, but then froze as she came into view fully. He was surprised as he took in her weary form. "Persephone...? What... What the hell are you doing?!" He said through gritted teeth. He was returned with a smile, small and mocking and warm, all at the same time.
The form in her arms shifted contentedly in his drug induced sleep. Dillandau soon went motionless again and Persephone moved forward, brushing past Folken, before coming to his guymelef. She laid him down at the machine's feet and sighed, leaning back on her heels as she tried to take control of her thoughts. To get Dillandau out she had merely slipped into his room after bringing down the two guards. She hoped she hadn't killed that one... She grimaced, remembering the blood that flowed from the wound in his side.
"Doing this... It gives them every reason and excuse to kill you, and it gains you nothing with Zaibach." Folken said coldly as Persephone rose, her red hair obscuring her view slightly.
"I'm not doing this for Zaibach, Folken. You know that full well." She replied. "Besides, Allen would never be able to order my execution." She looked down and started to play with her fingers a bit, a small and rare blush rising in her cheeks. "And I'd... I'd like to apologize... About whatever happened last night..." She murmured.
"What do you mean?" Folken asked, one of his eyebrows raised quizzically.
"Perhaps you could... tell me?" She said, finally glancing up.
His brow furrowed. "Is this some sort of... philosophical question? Rhetorical, perhaps?"
At this, she grinned, the brilliance of her smile out shining the glow of her cheeks. "What I meant is, I really, really don't remember what happened last night. I just woke up, and you were there, sutting in bed... with me... putting on your cape..." She muttered. She grew more red, and her cheeks blended with her hair.
Folken looked down at her with his icy stare. "How could you not remember? I, on the other hand, will not be able to clear my mind from it for weeks! Plus, you really didn't have to bite that hard..." By this point, the boy part of Folken, the Prince of Fanalia, in all his mischievous joys, could not hold back the grin any longer.
Persephone, who had been growing less and less comfortable as he continued, took in his expression through her rising panic slowly. And then it hit her. A pair of blue eyes went wide in a look that couldn't quite decide if it was humored or enraged. "You little rat!" She screeched. Laughter cascaded from his lips as he tilted his head back gleefully. She broke into a full smile and began to laugh with him. The sounds blended in a beautiful and impossible chorus.
After a long moment of this, Folken's laughter faded away, and so did Persephone's. She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up at him. He smiled down at her and spoke, his voice warm and caring for once. "We really should get out some time. A night away from this war, just you and me, escape from all this."
"It would be a date." She said, returning his smile. Her attention was drawn away from his grey eyes by the sound of someone stirring. She turned her head and saw Dillandau, shifting on the metal floor. Outside, the fog was starting to clear. She frowned. Things were coming to the familiar close, and he would leave, and then they would be apart for a while. But surely... Surely fate was not cruel enough to make their stay apart be too long. She looked back to Folken, taking in his form like a camera, photographing him in her mind, etching out his features. His gaze was on the opening to the docking area as well, a troubled look on his face. The light played off of his hair in a glowing sheen and she could detect the smallest beginnings of lines and wrinkles on his pale features. They were the indications of his turbulent life, just as the tear tattooed on his cheek was a sign that he belonged to Zaibach. Belonged to Zaibach. Persephone shuttered.
The two were interupted from their reverie by the commotion of yelling and movement outside. They heard unintelligible muffles from the closed door before one sentence floated through. "The prisoner has escaped!" Folken stiffened, his eyes flashing to Persephone's form. She looked up at him, a sad smile on her face.
"That would be your que to take Dillandau and leave." She said strongly, but her voice was below a whisper, more like a thought on a breeze.
"Come with me." He hissed, his eyes narrowing. "Come with me. Back to Zaibach."
"What life do I have there?" She asked, her face going cold. "They would kill me-"
"I would protect you! Hide you, if I must-"
"I can't." She said, tears welling in her eyes. "What would I have there? I wouldn't even have my own life."
"You'd have me."
Her eyes darted up to his. They were desperate, grasping, just as they had been the first time she had left him. "That's not fair..." She growled, tears spilling down her face. "You promised..." She muttered. "You promised you wouldn't try to bring me back."
"I lied." He said.
"Leave." She muttered, blocking him from being able to read her emotions, though he knew them full well. "You have to. They will kill Dillandau, and you, if they have the chance. Save yourself. Save Dillandau. I will be fine." She muttered. A look of pain and yet strong resolution flowed over Folken's pale features before he turned to leave.
The door across the docking bay burst open, a group of men rushing into the area. In this group was Van, Hitomi, and Allen, leading the rest. Just as Folken was about to hurry towards his guymelef, one strong, slim hand grasped his arm. He turned quickly before feeling heat engulf his lips. Persephone leaned into the kiss harder, painfully so. But the pain was welcomed and Folken returned the embrace, his teeth nibbling at her bottom lip violently, drawing a little blood, his tongue rushing to meet hers. Heat spread through his body, his longing and lust for her erupting at a very untimely moment, as Allen's men froze at the scene of passion before them.
It was Persephone who pulled away reluctantly. Folken pushed forward and ran his lips lightly against hers, once, twice, before she pushed him away fully. He opened his eyes to see her, inches away. She spoke, determination and trust in her voice, making it sound harsh, intimidating. "Remember." She said in a low voice. "You promised me a night."
He swallowed deeply before pushing forward, giving her a short yet sincere kiss, in promise, before rushing back to his guymelef. The men, on seeing this, ran forward once more. Persephone looked up, knowing there was not enough time for Folken to escape. She turned to face the oncoming crowd, her eyes catching aflame, her hands clenched tightly at her side as she tried to drive away the weakness. And yet it was the pain that consumed her, the pain of loss, bitter sweet memories of him, here... As Allen's men stopped to gawk, tears fell down her pale cheeks.
*******************
Hitomi was more surprised at her feelings towards the new found couple before her than surprised by the actual scene. She was taken back because she had not been surprised at all that Persephone and Folken were lovers, for they must have been by the embrace they had share with each other.
Soon, the Zaibach strategist was rushing to his guymelef, Dillandau's unconscious form at the machine's feet. Persephone turned to meet the onrushing crowd, her eyes suddenly glowing with fire. With the closing of her eyes, the lights on the Crusade flickered and two wings of pure fire erupted from her back. Again, Allen's men froze in quiet awe, never seeing them before. "Persephone, let us by!" Allen cried, noting the guymelef behind her springing to life, reaching forward and grasping Dillandau's limp form, then starting to go into flight mode.
Persephone's form rose a bit, her feet hanging down, about half a foot off the ground. Her wings guarded their passage to the escaping Zaibach soldiers completely. Even as Allen pleaded with her to let them pass, he knew that the two had already escaped, the machine dropping off the edge of the platform, disappearing from sight.
"They're gone." The knight muttered. "Come on, Perseph." She didn't reply, her wings blazing at her side, tears falling down her face, her eyes closed. It was Hitomi that found the courage first, stepping past the onlookers.
"Hitomi-"
"It's okay, Van." She said, not even bothering to look back. He stayed silent, watching her approach the creature before them. This Guardian of Atlantis.
"Persephone..." The girl muttered. The heat on her face grew stronger and stronger. She raised her arm to guard her from the flames licking out, the air around the two girls so engulfed with the heat that it shifted and danced before Hitomi's eyes. "Persephone, come down here." She said, quietly, as she drew closer. The flames scorched her clothes and burned her slightly, reddening her skin. She reached forward, two fingers outstretched. Hitomi thought she heard Van yell at her to back off, but she wasn't sure. She was only aware of the fire around her, the flames cooking her alive. Too hot... Surely it was too hot, even for Persephone...
Her fingers touched the other girl's cheek slightly, feeling the cool touch of a tear before it evaporated into the air. The woman's eyes snapped open, blue, meeting the green gaze of the girl before her. The full look of sanity crossed her face and the wings flickered before going out. Hitomi thought that, for a split second, she could see wings of flesh, pure white feathers, just as Van's were... But then the mirage was gone, the feathers fading to nothing. Persephone's feet hit the floor softly and she leaned forward, into the younger girl's form.
Hitomi embraced her fully, pulling her to her much as a mother may do a child.
Author's Note: Oh, yeah! I had another bout of writer's block for this story because of all the stress lately, but I got the Dido CD, No Angel, and that TOTALLY inspired me. Especially My Lover's Gone or something along that line and Here With Me. Oh, I also like the Hunter song. That's cool. If you have that CD, you know what I'm talking about. If you don't have the Dido CD, I'd like to say YOU'RE A LOSER! *cackles insanely* Naw. I'm kidding. But you really should get it. If you don't, you're missing out.
GoldenEagle
Author's Notes: Howdy! What's up? Me? I'm exhausted. I've had the busiest week. I would have had this out earlier, but haven't been able to get on to FF.net all weekend. That mention in the last chapter about finishing this by next week? Out of the question. I'm hardly finding the time AT ALL to write this story. I have a huge report in English going on, and a big speech coming up. School's a drag, no? I have like a million and one things going on in my head right now as far as plots, but I can't start writing until I get done with this story and go further into the Playing God thing going on. But, I hope you guys enjoy. Read and review!
Chapter Forty-Five
"How long will it take?" The man asked, a flowing cape surrounding him, protecting him from the drafts that filtered through the docking area of the ship.
"It'll probably be about thirty minutes before you can get her out of here. The area we're flying over is pretty foggy. It would probably be extremely dangerous to let your guymelef out here." A man with grease and other odd liquids smeared across his face said gruffly. He tilted his head towards the huge, grand guymelef while saying this.
Folken nodded his head, not seeing any reason to take the chance of wrecking his guymelef, especially if it was only going to mean him being half an hour late. "I'll wait." The mechanic nodded before turning away, exiting the area. Though the place was full of guymelefs and other assorted things, it was empty of human life. That is, excluding Folken. He was not surprised that no one showed to wish him a well journey. Would that perfect knight in love with his lover come? Would the brother that hates him come? No, of course not. Someone who even hoped so would be a fool.
Folken turned swiftly when he heard the slight noise of a door sliding open. The area in which the noise had come from was shrouded in shadows, and he tried to see through them the best he could. Yet the person stayed in the blackness, which made the strategist suspicious, nervous. He drew his sword, quick and easily.
"Relax, Folken. It's me." A feminine voice said, barely heard over the silence of the room. Folken's heartbeat rose as he resheathed his sword.
"Persephone..." He muttered, his throat dry. I weak, dying hope rose within him. Perhaps... Perhaps she was here to come with him... She stepped from the shadows, and he took a step towards her, powerful and confident, but then froze as she came into view fully. He was surprised as he took in her weary form. "Persephone...? What... What the hell are you doing?!" He said through gritted teeth. He was returned with a smile, small and mocking and warm, all at the same time.
The form in her arms shifted contentedly in his drug induced sleep. Dillandau soon went motionless again and Persephone moved forward, brushing past Folken, before coming to his guymelef. She laid him down at the machine's feet and sighed, leaning back on her heels as she tried to take control of her thoughts. To get Dillandau out she had merely slipped into his room after bringing down the two guards. She hoped she hadn't killed that one... She grimaced, remembering the blood that flowed from the wound in his side.
"Doing this... It gives them every reason and excuse to kill you, and it gains you nothing with Zaibach." Folken said coldly as Persephone rose, her red hair obscuring her view slightly.
"I'm not doing this for Zaibach, Folken. You know that full well." She replied. "Besides, Allen would never be able to order my execution." She looked down and started to play with her fingers a bit, a small and rare blush rising in her cheeks. "And I'd... I'd like to apologize... About whatever happened last night..." She murmured.
"What do you mean?" Folken asked, one of his eyebrows raised quizzically.
"Perhaps you could... tell me?" She said, finally glancing up.
His brow furrowed. "Is this some sort of... philosophical question? Rhetorical, perhaps?"
At this, she grinned, the brilliance of her smile out shining the glow of her cheeks. "What I meant is, I really, really don't remember what happened last night. I just woke up, and you were there, sutting in bed... with me... putting on your cape..." She muttered. She grew more red, and her cheeks blended with her hair.
Folken looked down at her with his icy stare. "How could you not remember? I, on the other hand, will not be able to clear my mind from it for weeks! Plus, you really didn't have to bite that hard..." By this point, the boy part of Folken, the Prince of Fanalia, in all his mischievous joys, could not hold back the grin any longer.
Persephone, who had been growing less and less comfortable as he continued, took in his expression through her rising panic slowly. And then it hit her. A pair of blue eyes went wide in a look that couldn't quite decide if it was humored or enraged. "You little rat!" She screeched. Laughter cascaded from his lips as he tilted his head back gleefully. She broke into a full smile and began to laugh with him. The sounds blended in a beautiful and impossible chorus.
After a long moment of this, Folken's laughter faded away, and so did Persephone's. She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up at him. He smiled down at her and spoke, his voice warm and caring for once. "We really should get out some time. A night away from this war, just you and me, escape from all this."
"It would be a date." She said, returning his smile. Her attention was drawn away from his grey eyes by the sound of someone stirring. She turned her head and saw Dillandau, shifting on the metal floor. Outside, the fog was starting to clear. She frowned. Things were coming to the familiar close, and he would leave, and then they would be apart for a while. But surely... Surely fate was not cruel enough to make their stay apart be too long. She looked back to Folken, taking in his form like a camera, photographing him in her mind, etching out his features. His gaze was on the opening to the docking area as well, a troubled look on his face. The light played off of his hair in a glowing sheen and she could detect the smallest beginnings of lines and wrinkles on his pale features. They were the indications of his turbulent life, just as the tear tattooed on his cheek was a sign that he belonged to Zaibach. Belonged to Zaibach. Persephone shuttered.
The two were interupted from their reverie by the commotion of yelling and movement outside. They heard unintelligible muffles from the closed door before one sentence floated through. "The prisoner has escaped!" Folken stiffened, his eyes flashing to Persephone's form. She looked up at him, a sad smile on her face.
"That would be your que to take Dillandau and leave." She said strongly, but her voice was below a whisper, more like a thought on a breeze.
"Come with me." He hissed, his eyes narrowing. "Come with me. Back to Zaibach."
"What life do I have there?" She asked, her face going cold. "They would kill me-"
"I would protect you! Hide you, if I must-"
"I can't." She said, tears welling in her eyes. "What would I have there? I wouldn't even have my own life."
"You'd have me."
Her eyes darted up to his. They were desperate, grasping, just as they had been the first time she had left him. "That's not fair..." She growled, tears spilling down her face. "You promised..." She muttered. "You promised you wouldn't try to bring me back."
"I lied." He said.
"Leave." She muttered, blocking him from being able to read her emotions, though he knew them full well. "You have to. They will kill Dillandau, and you, if they have the chance. Save yourself. Save Dillandau. I will be fine." She muttered. A look of pain and yet strong resolution flowed over Folken's pale features before he turned to leave.
The door across the docking bay burst open, a group of men rushing into the area. In this group was Van, Hitomi, and Allen, leading the rest. Just as Folken was about to hurry towards his guymelef, one strong, slim hand grasped his arm. He turned quickly before feeling heat engulf his lips. Persephone leaned into the kiss harder, painfully so. But the pain was welcomed and Folken returned the embrace, his teeth nibbling at her bottom lip violently, drawing a little blood, his tongue rushing to meet hers. Heat spread through his body, his longing and lust for her erupting at a very untimely moment, as Allen's men froze at the scene of passion before them.
It was Persephone who pulled away reluctantly. Folken pushed forward and ran his lips lightly against hers, once, twice, before she pushed him away fully. He opened his eyes to see her, inches away. She spoke, determination and trust in her voice, making it sound harsh, intimidating. "Remember." She said in a low voice. "You promised me a night."
He swallowed deeply before pushing forward, giving her a short yet sincere kiss, in promise, before rushing back to his guymelef. The men, on seeing this, ran forward once more. Persephone looked up, knowing there was not enough time for Folken to escape. She turned to face the oncoming crowd, her eyes catching aflame, her hands clenched tightly at her side as she tried to drive away the weakness. And yet it was the pain that consumed her, the pain of loss, bitter sweet memories of him, here... As Allen's men stopped to gawk, tears fell down her pale cheeks.
*******************
Hitomi was more surprised at her feelings towards the new found couple before her than surprised by the actual scene. She was taken back because she had not been surprised at all that Persephone and Folken were lovers, for they must have been by the embrace they had share with each other.
Soon, the Zaibach strategist was rushing to his guymelef, Dillandau's unconscious form at the machine's feet. Persephone turned to meet the onrushing crowd, her eyes suddenly glowing with fire. With the closing of her eyes, the lights on the Crusade flickered and two wings of pure fire erupted from her back. Again, Allen's men froze in quiet awe, never seeing them before. "Persephone, let us by!" Allen cried, noting the guymelef behind her springing to life, reaching forward and grasping Dillandau's limp form, then starting to go into flight mode.
Persephone's form rose a bit, her feet hanging down, about half a foot off the ground. Her wings guarded their passage to the escaping Zaibach soldiers completely. Even as Allen pleaded with her to let them pass, he knew that the two had already escaped, the machine dropping off the edge of the platform, disappearing from sight.
"They're gone." The knight muttered. "Come on, Perseph." She didn't reply, her wings blazing at her side, tears falling down her face, her eyes closed. It was Hitomi that found the courage first, stepping past the onlookers.
"Hitomi-"
"It's okay, Van." She said, not even bothering to look back. He stayed silent, watching her approach the creature before them. This Guardian of Atlantis.
"Persephone..." The girl muttered. The heat on her face grew stronger and stronger. She raised her arm to guard her from the flames licking out, the air around the two girls so engulfed with the heat that it shifted and danced before Hitomi's eyes. "Persephone, come down here." She said, quietly, as she drew closer. The flames scorched her clothes and burned her slightly, reddening her skin. She reached forward, two fingers outstretched. Hitomi thought she heard Van yell at her to back off, but she wasn't sure. She was only aware of the fire around her, the flames cooking her alive. Too hot... Surely it was too hot, even for Persephone...
Her fingers touched the other girl's cheek slightly, feeling the cool touch of a tear before it evaporated into the air. The woman's eyes snapped open, blue, meeting the green gaze of the girl before her. The full look of sanity crossed her face and the wings flickered before going out. Hitomi thought that, for a split second, she could see wings of flesh, pure white feathers, just as Van's were... But then the mirage was gone, the feathers fading to nothing. Persephone's feet hit the floor softly and she leaned forward, into the younger girl's form.
Hitomi embraced her fully, pulling her to her much as a mother may do a child.
Author's Note: Oh, yeah! I had another bout of writer's block for this story because of all the stress lately, but I got the Dido CD, No Angel, and that TOTALLY inspired me. Especially My Lover's Gone or something along that line and Here With Me. Oh, I also like the Hunter song. That's cool. If you have that CD, you know what I'm talking about. If you don't have the Dido CD, I'd like to say YOU'RE A LOSER! *cackles insanely* Naw. I'm kidding. But you really should get it. If you don't, you're missing out.