Disclaimer: The
Vision of Escaflowne, Tenchi Muyo, Rurouni Kenshin characters and any other
anime characters who pop up later on are property of their respective
owners. (I will likely add in series titles here as the characters pop up,
if they do).
Dimensional Chaos
"Nemesis 02"
by P-Chan E-mail me!
Puh leez! I need some input! Or encouragement!
Author's
Note: Oooohhh—second chapter!!!! Tiny bit of insanity but mostly
evilness-nyo! (too much DigiCharat-nyo!) Thank you to all who reviewed—Toadie, Avalon, and Miaka79! Love you! I
was so inspired I'm posting the next one! As for the rest of y'all, review,
review! Happy reading! Oh—and spoilers of the show ahead about Allen's "little
secret." It's Allen's turn in the spotlight!
Allen Schezar wiped the sweat from his brow
as he shook hands with the man he had just defeated in Palas' swordsmanship
tournament. Allen Schezar, you've done it yet again, he congratulated
himself. And only two more left before you win and can wipe the floor with
all of those snobs who said you were washed up as a Knight Caeli after the
cafuffle with the king during the Great War.
Allen bowed to his next opponent and
prepared himself. And one, and two, and thrust—twirl and thrust...
***
On
the sidelines, a tall, slight, dark haired man watched Allen with eyes that
thirsted for revenge, the bitter hatred giving his eyes a cold, red glare.
Yes, Allen, play your
games. Where were your fancy moves when he needed them? Where were you when he
was dying?
His mind drifted back to those bitter
memories that twisted his heart and soul and killed a part of himself whenever
he thought of them. Hurt, anger, and—yes, even guilt—all surrounded the death
of his friend and lord, Duke Freid.
He
had been a close friend and advisor to the Duke for years. Aku Maru had lived
and served in Freid since long before the arrival of the Asturian princess, Marlene,
who had married his lord. As advisor and confidante of the duke, Aku was privy
to his lord's deepest worries and personal troubles. He knew that Marlene had
not loved his duke at first; he knew that Marlene had had another in her past;
he knew that the child his lord claimed as his own was not the true progeny of
the Duke of Freid. However, since his lord had loved Marlene enough to move
beyond the incorrigible mistakes of her past, Aku had also moved on and come to
deeply respect the gentle and courageous Marlene. However, since her death had
occurred so soon after the marriage had begun, the duke had been unable to
fully believe in Marlene's devotion to him. The Duke of Freid struggled with
himself, hoping beyond hope that Marlene had loved him and hating himself for
doubting her. It was this unhappiness of his lord that caused Aku to so resent
the source of his lord's misery—namely, Knight Caeli Allen Schezar of Asturia,
Marlene's former lover. However, the Duke was a wise, forgiving man. He held no
grudge against Allen Schezar and he certainly did not begrudge his son, Chid,
any of a father's loving devotion. The duke had wanted Chid to grow into a
strong, wise ruler and encouraged his son to be brave at every opportunity.
Aku sighed, shifting uncomfortably
at his unwelcome memories. He began to recall the day his friend and lord had
died...
Zaibach
forces had converged on Freid in search of the ancient treasure of Freid. A
battle raged and the sky seemed to rain blood. Aku would later recall Allen
Schezar's promise to fight for and protect the Duke of Freid—it had been
Schezar's promise that had at last persuaded Aku to reluctantly leave his
lord's side and protect young Chid, with the aid of Boris. Aku had known of
Schezar's reputation with Scherezade and had felt reassured by Schezar's
promise. However, the knight had failed. Freid was taken and the coward fled
with his crew of fools, leaving behind the bloody body of his lord. Aku could
not accept that the duke had entered the battle expecting to die; he could not
believe that his duke had given orders for a retreat of the men, including
Schezar. Aku only saw Schezar as the man who had failed to protect his lord,
who had left the duke to his bloody death.
Aku's fist tightened and his eyes glinted with tightly controlled anger at the
memory. Otherwise, there was no evidence of emotion on his face. The sound of
clapping pulled him away from his private thoughts.
"Hooray, Sir Allen!"
The clapping continued as the blond knight bowed elegantly to the crowd.
Suddenly, Aku felt his emotions boil over at the sight of the knight living
life so casually and confidently while his duke lay in his grave. Stepping up
to one of the officials, Aku whispered quickly into the man's ear.
"Next challenger: Captain Aku Maru of the Duchy of Freid!"
Allen glanced up in surprise. Only nobles had challenged him thus far. And, he
hadn't seen Aku since the Great War. Smiling, Allen readied himself for a real
challenge. At last.
Bowing politely, Allen readied himself to begin the match. His sister, Celena,
caught his eye from the crowd and smiled encouragingly.
Clang!
The swords rang with the force of their impact.
Allen glanced at Aku, surprised. The man was good, but that wasn't what had
caught his attention. Aku seemed more earnest than his other opponents, more
serious about the challenge. Block, thrust, block, block, twirl and
thrust...Allen swung his sword in a reverse crescent, trying to yank the
sword from Aku's hand. Aku swiftly countered the stroke, narrowly escaping
losing hold of his blade. Their swords flew faster and faster. Allen, already
exhausted by a morning full of fighting, eyed Aku warily. His sword is too
fast for me to let down my guard even for a second... Allen jerked back,
startled by the stinging sensation across his right cheek. He lowered his
sword, ready to acknowledge his defeat, when he saw that Aku had no intention
of stopping. Their swords rang out once more and flashed furiously in the over
bright afternoon sun.
***
Celena observed her brother quietly
as he sparred with the new challenger. His opponent was a rather handsome, but
dark-looking man. She watched him as he gracefully countered her brother's
strokes, admiring his skill. Suddenly, the crowd gasped as the stranger
succeeded in slashing her brother's cheek; locks of his flying hair had been
shorn off and floated gracefully to the ground. Ooooooo...big brother will be
upset about that...and that's an understatement. Grinning, she tried to
work her way to the front of the crowd. With difficulty, she pushed through the
mass of people who blocked her way, growing worried; the match should have
ceased with first blood. The clang of clashing swords could still be heard over
the din of the crowd. Finally reaching the front, Celena focused on the pair of
swordsmen fighting in the arena. However, instead of feeling worried about her
brother, Celena found herself fixating on the long cut on his right cheek, the
blood trickling down to his chin. Her body shuddered. Without realizing it,
Celena raised a hand to her right cheek and began to stroke it. Her eyes
widened, flashing red from deep in the blue depths of her eyes. She screamed
and fainted to the grass.
***
Concentrating on each other, the
sparring men pulled apart abruptly, startled by a sudden scream that broke into
their battle. Scanning the crowd, Allen saw his sister crumple to the ground.
Abandoning the duel, Allen rushed to his sister's side.
"Call the medics, fool!"
As people rushed to help the pair,
Aku sheathed his sword after wiping away the small trace of blood along the
blade. He pulled out a smoke reed. Lighting it, he began to smoke with one hand
in his pocket and a smirk on his face.
***
Sighing, Allen watched Celena toss
restlessly in her sleep. He furrowed his brow, worried. She's been so tired
lately. I suppose she needs an escape from this stuffy court. He glanced up
at Christmas, perched in a dark corner of the room. The owl stared back at him
but did not make a sound. Suddenly, a smile crept across Allen's face. Fanelia.
We'll take a vacation to Fanelia so that Celena can rest. Granted, moving to
another court to escape this one may not make much sense, but Van's court is
much better than this palace full of Asturian snobs. And I've been planning to
visit Van anyway. Pleased with himself, Allen left his sister's room to
begin the preparations. Passing a hall mirror, Allen caught sight of his
reflection and stopped, startled and disgusted. A white bandage covered his
cut, which Millerna had examined and diagnosed as shallow enough to heal
quickly without scars. But, the bandage was not what had bothered him.
Disgruntled, Allen ran his fingers through his hair. The right side was
unevenly cut, ruining the smoothness of his long locks and giving him a
lopsided appearance. Great, now everyone will think I have split ends.
Sighing, Allen thought, It will have to be cut until it's all even again. Shaking
his head, Allen continued down the hall.
***
Aku Maru sat near the fountains of
the Asturian royal gardens. His eyes were slitted and his expression cold as he
recalled his earlier duel with Schezar. He remembered the thrill of challenge
he'd felt as he encountered Schezar's skill for the first time. Aku smiled
dangerously. We will finish our duel, Schezar. You and I. We will see who is
best and I will avenge my lord's death. He had heard earlier in the day
that the famous blond knight was preparing for a journey to Fanelia. Getting up
casually, with his trusty smoke reed in hand, Aku strolled to his quarters to
prepare for a trip to Fanelia, too.
***
Somewhere deep in space, at Galaxy
Police headquarters, Kiyone and Mihoshi, Galaxy Police detectives, prepared to
close their most recent case.
"I guess that's it for A-class
criminal Kain. Achika, Tenchi, and Washu effectively combined the power of
Jurai with the genius of technology to seal him into that empty dimension. Kain
should be safely trapped there. Achika's life may have been the cost, but I
think we're all glad she willingly sacrificed so much to help the federated
worlds. Aren't you glad the case is over, Mihoshi? Mihoshi! Are you listening
to me?" Kiyone sighed exasperatedly.
"Hmmm Kiyone? Did U say sumpthig?"
Mihoshi replied as she stuffed her face.
"Nevermind."
Kiyone tapped a few panels. The
screen flashed in bright red letters: "KAIN, A-Class criminal KAIN. Case
closed."
***
An amorphous shape seethed through
the darkness. On a barren, cratered surface, the dark being wandered.
Periodically, a white visage appeared, disembodied, in the darkness. Cruel,
angry eyes peered about, burning with hate. I will get out. Fangs were
bared. A brilliant flash and the sound of steady striking began. A circular
portal appeared, the round arch cracked. The weakened barriers fell away, and
Kain entered a new dimension just as two Zaibach guymelefs had done so long
ago. Only, Kain knew nothing of that. He knew nothing of the Atlanteans. Nor of
the Mystic Valley. Or Nariya or Eriya. Not even of Folken. Certainly, he knew
nothing about Gaea.
A cruel smile made his unnaturally
pale visage even more grotesque. Yes, I will grow strong here. I will get
out. As a burst of raw energy, Kain escaped the small haven and emerged in
the skies of a placed called Gaea. Far away, two guards watched and wished on
an unusually brilliant falling star.
"May Gaea always enjoy its peace."
The wheel of fortune had begun to
turn.
***
The Zaibach crowds buzzed excitedly.
"Ne, have you heard?"
"Heard what?"
"The new emperor is even stranger
than the last. If that's even possible."
"Efficiency, efficiency, efficiency.
That's all emperors ever want. They're all the same."
"But this one's REALLY weird."
"He's white...white as a ghost, as
the wings of a draconian."
"And just as dark. Mysterious.
Powerful."
"Oh, you goons. Don't believe all
those rumors!"
"Shhh! The Midoshi have accepted his
leadership!"
"Zaibach will be great again!"
"The Wizards will make us the most
advanced nation in all Gaea!"
"The empire strikes back!"
"Zaibach shall be great again!"
"Zaibach shall be great again!"
"Zaibach shall be great again!"
"Long live the emperor!"
"Long live his majesty, Kain!"
From the shadows of a tower, a pale face smiled. It will be just as it once
was among the federated planets. The only difference is that there are only
nations, not planets, for me to destroy. Devour. Feed on and devastate. A
strange eye glinted dangerously. Yes, yes! All Gaea shall bend to my will
and there is no one with the power to stop me! The power of Jurai never
was in this world and there is no power that can rival that power. The
fanged smile widened. Perfect. It is all so perfect.
***
In the dark recesses of a Zaibach factory, a council of
wizards met. The sorcerers, these Midoshi, oversaw the flurry of activity
around them. The tallest, evidently the leader, shifted and turned to his
companions. "We are to continue applying the emperor's new knowledge.
Production is to be stepped up. Experiments are to resume. Zaibach has moved to
a war economy." His glasses glinted evilly. The other Midoshi nodded and turned
to busy themselves. The factory machines churned on and the ordinary
Zaibachians toiled mechanically, lifeless bodies trapped in the repetitive,
monotonous routine of the factory.
Author's Note: Yep, I'm back. Just in case anyone was wondering what "cafuffle" meant (if you can't figure it out by context), a synonym would be "mishap." Chapter Three is coming soon! *little note: hahahahaha—so funny!—I was revising this when I saw that every single time I wanted to say "Freid," I typed "Fried." Wahahahahha—"your honorable Duke of Fried—" hahahahahhahaha!!! I'm sorry, I just had to get that out of my system—I've been laughing hysterically for the past five minutes and felt I should let y'all in on the joke. end little note* Mwahahahahahahaha!