The shadows danced against the pale landscape. Some of the shadows were dark in color --- maroon or navy or black. Others were grayish shades of pink, green, yellow, and pale purples.
A shimmery kind of shadow, more gray than anything else, but with a hint of lavender to its color, wavered and shifted a few times before the glass, finally forming the smokey shape of a blue-eyed woman. She searched the glass desperately for her daughter's face.
"Cerise," she begged in the voice of the shadows, which wasn't really a voice, but more of an echo of the words that would have been spoken if there had been a voice to speak them, "why haven't you come back?"
She knew her daughter had gone to carry out the murder of the Magic Knights --- she had told her before she left. But why, oh, why was it taking so long? Perhaps it was just that it seemed so long because of the odd differences in time between the shadowy world and the physical world --- the shadowy world really didn't have time at all.
She wanted to be alive, for if she were, she could view the wonderful event, see the wonderful blood of her husband's murderers. But if she were alive, so would he be, and there would be no revenge.
She touched a faint palm to the glass. "Come back, Cerise," she begged voicelessly.
Hikaru cried out pitifully, flat on her back on the grass, as Meline dug her heel harshly between Hikaru's ribs. The redhead had accepted Meline's blows, sending her crashing to the ground and now enduring the fierce pressure to her middle.
"Hikaru!" Ferio shouted from the steps. "Do something!"
"I can't!" She squeezed her eyes shut, letting the tears leak out. I can't hurt her. She didn't... I can't...
"She's going to kill you!"
Who cares? she muttered mentally. I don't have a life for her to take anymore. Umi-chan's dead. And Waemi-chan. And Lantis. I... what I did to Presea. I can't hurt anyone anymore.
"But..." Hikaru whispered to herself, debating. What would Umi-chan say?
"Don't let this girl beat you. You're stronger than her! It's not a matter of hurting anyone anymore. If you don't survive this, how can you help the rest of them heal? How can you heal?"
Wasn't that what Umi would say? Or, at least, be her basic message? Of course. And what about Lantis? Waemi, even. They would want me to win. They'd be cheering me on at the sidelines...
Hikaru narrowed her eyes, letting the magic erupt from within her. "Red Lightning!"
The dark-haired girl reeled back, letting out an enraged cry as she covered her face with her hands, a shudder of pain shocking her as Hikaru's attack met her skin. Meline finally dropped her hands, grasped her sword again, and swung it down at Hikaru.
The Magic Knight rolled to one side, narrowly dodging Meline's blade. The sword, however, stabbed into the cape on her armor, pinning her. She got to her feet awkwardly and pulled herself away, tearing the cloth with a fantastic ripping sound. Meline immediately pulled her sword out and attacked Hikaru again; the redhead brought her own sword up, causing a sharp clang as the metals met, an unknown element against escudo.
Meline grinned wryly as she narrowed her golden eyes, her face inches from Hikaru's. "Kill me, Magic Knight," she taunted. She laughed. "Go ahead and try."
Hikaru closed her eyes, biting her lower lip. Forgive me.
She released a thick rope of fire from her hand into her sword; it rushed through the weapon, spreading to Meline's blade and then to her hands and arms. The older girl screamed, tearing away and dropping her sword. The flames vanished, but Meline remained nursing her forearms. She glared up at Hikaru, gasping from the pain. "O-onore," she managed.
Hikaru felt guilt welling within her. She was a Magic Knight, a warrior, and --- to some extent --- experienced at fighting. Meline was a normal girl, wasn't she? She probably didn't know much about combat. It wasn't fair.
Stay focused, she told herself. This is how it has to be. It doesn't matter whether it's fair or whether you like it.
Her thoughts were interrupted as Meline bounded forward, grasping the hilt of Presea's sword in both her hands and swinging it at an angle towards Hikaru's neck. The redhead brought her own sword up to block the attack, then plunged the blade towards Meline's stomach.
The golden-eyed girl dodged Hikaru's attack, but not well. Her opponent's sword sliced into the edge of her waistline, tearing the green fabric of her clothing and instantly staining it with blood. Meline cried out, stumbling back and pressing a hand over her left side, wincing painfully.
I'm sorry, Hikaru cried out mentally, because she didn't want to hurt Meline, she didn't want to hurt anybody, not after all that had happened. But she didn't let her emotions get the best of her; she swiftly attacked again. This time, Meline managed to block the attack, and counterattacked immediatly, despite the blood still soaking her side. The end of her blade ran into the armor over Hikaru's shoulder when the Magic Knight began to move away, cracking the thick protection.
As Hikaru wrenched away from Meline's blade, she stepped on a strip of red cloth hanging from her cape where it had ripped. Her balance was thrown off, and she tripped, falling to the side. She winced as her shoulder and upper arm took the impact, and continued to wince when the side of her head met the grass, not as hard as her arm, but still hard enough to cause pain. She stumbled to her feet, not pausing to wipe the grass stain from her cheek, and immediately found Meline's sword at her throat. Hikaru froze.
"I hate you," Meline said plainly.
Hikaru swallowed nervously. "I... I know."
"You killed Emeraude-hime. And Sol Zagato."
"It wasn't my choice..."
"You killed my parents." Hikaru felt the coldness of the blade as it just barely touched her skin. "You killed them."
Hikaru blinked hard, fighting back the hot tears stinging her eyes. "I didn't."
Meline's amber eyes narrowed. "My father was not lucky enough to find sanctuary when Cephiro began to fall apart. He died a horrible, painful death, because the Pillar was no longer here, because of you."
The other girl couldn't hold back the tears beginning to leak from the corners of her eyes. "I'm sorry..."
Meline scowled at her, turned the sword sideways, and pushed the flat of the blade violently against the front of Hikaru's throat. She stumbled back, her hands flying to her neck, coughing from the blow to her windpipe.
"I hate you!"
Hikaru saw Meline raise her sword over her head. She began to lunge forward and, despairingly, Hikaru hung her head, clutching her own sword in both hands, unintentionally holding the blade outwards.
There was a sickening sound that caused the Magic Knight to raise her head.
Meline's sudden dash had been halted by Hikaru's sword, which had punctured through the older girl's stomach. Her golden eyes were wide, her arms frozen over her head with her sword angling back behind her, her lips slightly parted in an expression of disbelief mingled with pain.
With violently shaking hands, Hikaru withdrew her sword. It was coated a bright red. Meline crumpled to the ground, drawing a last breath soundlessly, her eyes remaining wide and haunting even once life had left her.
The reddened sword fell to the grass beside the body as a horrified scream cracked the air.
