By Callisto Callispi
Momoko went home, limbs quivering and breathing erratic. Her eyes burned with tears. Her lips whispered his name.
"Viento . . ."
Her heart seemed to convulse in her chest. It hurt so badly.
He is your enemy, you know. He is a threat to you, your friends, and the world.
Momoko squeezed her eyes shut and clutched her chest. Yes, he was an enemy. She would kill him the next time she saw him. She really would.
Wouldn't she?
Momoko wiped her cheek and stared at the vanity with the picture. From the glass of her frame did she and Yousuke smile back energetically, basked in the warmth of the spring-time sun. It mocked her, that image. Momoko felt like throwing up.
Had they always been so happy like that?
Momoko blinked slowly, wet lashes moistening her skin. Perhaps they had been happy. But she felt none of that now. The picture seemed as if from another world, another time, another place . . . another life.
How could she fight him again? How could she hold a weapon to his throat and stare into his cold, cold eyes? How could she scorch him to death in the light of an angel, knowing that behind that sardonic smile was the man that she . . . loved? Was this the curse of being a warrior of heaven? That she herself could not love?
Momoko closed her eyes, blacking out the picture on her vanity. But even then, she still saw his eyes. Those were eyes that would freeze brimstone.
The tenshi were battling. They always battled, killing and spilling blood. It was their divine duty. But this time, they were to spill Viento's blood. Momoko once again forced down her urge to vomit as she recalled the look on his face.
She could remember everything the way he held his sword, the hate in his mocking grin . . .
"Will you be all right?" Lily had asked her privately as Viento twirled his sword in front of him, preparing for a full frontal assault.
And Momoko nodded. But desperately, she wanted to shake her head and shriek that no, she was not going to be all right. Because Viento was Yousuke. Yousuke was Viento. And that she couldn't kill either one, no matter what.
But no one knew.
He struck like a bolt of lightning, like a hurricane blast of wind. Viento. Wind. He was but a blur.
The battle was long and hard. Viento knew every single one of their weaknesses. Well, except one. Brilliant tactician that he was, he still could not feel the hesitation in Momoko's heart. Perhaps if he had known earlier, he could have wiped the tenshi out this time. If only.
"Get ready, Wedding Peach!" Angel Lily cried.
Momoko dodged one of Viento's blows. She twirled around and slashed at him.
Air. She missed!
And as her face swept past Viento's, in that split second that seemed to stretch out for eternity, Viento murmured in her ear, "Little tenshi. You are soft today. I wonder what is the matter."
Momoko fell to the floor as Viento slapped her across the face. She cried out, more with anger than pain, but had enough senses to move away quickly.
They continued fighting, each girl threatening to collapse but refusing to do so. Viento was getting fatigued as well. His movements, though still incredibly sharp, grew lax.
Wedding Peach hurled out her Saint Crystal, watching Viento battle fiercely with Angel Lily. This was it! She had a perfect shot! She could destroy him this night and never have to worry about the havoc he would undoubtedly unleash!
But why was it that her arms shook? Why was it that she couldn't call out the attack? Her throat wouldn't allow it.
She tightened her grip on the handle of the crystal. She would destroy him. It was her duty.
Her trembling arms and the shifting beams of moonlight upon the crystal's many faces flashed beams of pure, white light through out the dark depths of the forest. Waves of white. A flood of light. Diamond-droplets of hot, hot tears. Viento.
Who are you, Viento? Are you still Yousuke?
Oh God, she couldn't do it. Her legs were starting to lose strength. She felt bile rise to her throat. Viento . . . Yousuke. Damn them both she couldn't do it!
A blur. A purple blur. What?
Scarlet. In the corner of her teary eye, she saw Scarlet charging up to Viento with her sword raised up over her head. Momoko's eyes widened.
For a moment, she couldn't speak. All she could think was no, no, no, no! Yousuke! Don't kill Yousuke!
"VIENTO!"
Viento knocked Angel Lily to the ground and whirled towards Wedding Peach. Scarlet cursed and hastened. Viento noticed the warning too slowly and watched wide-eyed as Scarlet swung her sword.
"NO!"
Wedding Peach charged toward Angel Salvia with divine speed, the speed of gods. The Saint Crystal winked just before releasing a stream of incredible power that shot towards Scarlet's sword and knocked the weapon out of her hands with a defeated clang.
But Scarlet did not have enough time to register her shock at what just happened, for Momoko, unable to stop running in time, crashed against Scarlet and knocked both of them to the side.
&.&
Viento merely watched with widening eyes, struggling valiantly not to gape but failing miserably. He stared for a moment at the two women on the ground: Angel Salvia was unconscious, the other one had the wind soundly knocked out of her. Easy targets. Had he finally done it? Was this the day that the tenshi would be wiped off the face of heaven, hell, and earth for all eternity?
He held his sword high up, expressionless.
But then, Wedding Peach moved and turned her tearful gaze, full of love, up to him. The quivering smile on his face, that one smile, un-manned his warrior spirit.
Viento swaggered back and tried to focus. Destroy the leader of the Tenshi. Destroy her. KILL her. His arms faltered as he raised his sword. No. No, he couldn't kill her. He wanted to, needed to, but he just could not. Because of those eyes and that smile, he couldn't.
Viento dropped his sword to the ground with a clatter. His eyes gleamed as he stared at Wedding Peach. And, audacious as she had been many times before, she stared back, unflinching.
Why he couldn't kill her?
"I'll save you," she whispered.
Viento's breath quickened. Of whom was she speaking?
"That is my vow to you, Viento. Yousuke. I will save you," she whispered.
Viento should have kicked her. He did not need saving. He bent down to tell her this but found that the words would not come out of his throat. His face inches away from hers, he could practically smell the beautiful aroma of peach blossoms wafting through the air around her.
Without thinking, he reached out a shaky hand and ran his battle-worn fingers through this young angel's silky hair. She sighed and closed her eyes.
And so engrossed was he, captivated by this soldier's red lips, her creamy skin, and her beautiful aroma, that he failed to notice when Angel Daisy got up.
Viento abruptly broke away from Momoko as soon as he sensed immense energy. It was Angel Daisy gathering her strength for her fatal attack. Viento, in shock and exhausted himself, shook his head and opened up a portal to the world of akuma. What the hell was the matter with him? With a sardonic smile, he mockingly saluted Angel Daisy for the battle, and left them all.
Momoko sighed as she opened her eyes. She was wrong; she knew it. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't kill Viento. She loved him too much. But the ghosts of regret and doubt haunted her. What would happen now? Viento knew her weakness, her Achilles' heel. Would he forget what had transpired between them?
Maybe Scarlet was right. Maybe she was a fool.
"You had an amazingly accurate shot at him! Why didn't you USE it!"
Forgive this battle-weary woman, Scarlet. Forgive her desires for wanting to be able to love again.
"You are weak. Your emotions are making you weak."
Maybe I've always been weak.
"Forget about Yousuke. He is not there anymore! He is Viento. He was always our enemy and always will be!"
Yes. Yes . . . and no.
Momoko felt that lump rise up in her throat once more. Scarlet may have been right about many things, but she was not right about everything.
Though Viento was her enemy, Yousuke was not. She could not kill Viento for that very reason those two names belonged to one man, and that was the man she wanted next to her. That was the man she wished would touch her hair, whisper loving nothings in her ear, kiss her temple while she slept. That was the man for whom she fought, the man for whom she would spill blood and battle until the end of time.
"I will save you, Yousuke. That's a promise. I will get you back," she whispered.
Momoko moved under her blanket and fell asleep with one thought in her mind:
Viento . . .
END