Wow. Just. JUST WOW. I have impressed myself. This is THE BIGGEST CHAPTER I HAVE EVER WRITTEN. Two full pages in size ten TNR. This could be a record or something… Here's the long-awaited Chapter Two of Endless! Here's where things get hairy and interesting and very very bloody. I'm already erecting a shield to save me from the people who hate me killing chars! (A fire-proof shield, Flame Panther. Ha ha!)
Thankses to my reviewers!
Morias – Woo hoo, I got a fan! Yee!! And not the kind that blows air on me in the summer, neither…Your insights are always so damn insightful and I do thank you for your lengthy reviews. I'm sure this huge chapter will give you something to chew on.
Ron – Say, are you ever continuing with your Chrono Cross fic?
Thais – Just like I promised, there is slight shounen-ai in this chapter! Just some Marth/Roy cuteness…Now that I think of it, I probably should have let them kiss…
The Flame Panther – Sheez, do you have it out for me or something? I can't exactly bring all of the Smashers back, I guess… Unless you can think of some feasible engine for that occurrence.
Kid – She didn't review, but she Emailed me with a great new fic idea! A hojillion kudos to Kid (who hopefully has overcome her momentary insanity)!
Now on with the reading!!
Tomoyuki enjoyed few things like he did the winter. The chilly weather of this season was just cold enough for him, being the same temperature as his heart – or lack thereof. The haughty mage was seated near the open balcony windows of his bedroom and dressed in his heavy ebony robes. Matching the blackness of his garments was the glove that adorned his left hand, in which was held a glass of thick red wine. A serene smile crossed his lips as he surveyed the winterlands below him.
"The world will forever be frozen now that the fire warrior has been snuffed out." The prowler-mage closed his pale green eyes. "With Roy out of the way, nothing will stand between me and perfection. I am going to become the ultimate warrior – even without the Sword of Seals!" Tomoyuki tilted his head back with a short laugh before he put the wineglass to his pale lips. His breath left an icy film on the goblet as he took a sip of his wine. The mage set his glass aside when he was finished with his drink, though there was some wine left in the chalice. This remaining alcohol no longer moved, however. Tomoyuki's mere touch had frozen the wine solid.
Tomoyuki sat back in his plushy armchair and looked down again into the wintry woods. Mother Nature was quietly resting beneath her white blanket of snow and everything was still and quiet. There was a slight disturbance far off in the hills, though, and the uproar drew Tomoyuki's attention eastward. He watched in wonder as fresh snow was rattled off of the trees and harmless shrubs were being cut aside. Adjusting his spectacles on his nose, the mage leaned forward and squinted into the night. The flash of a thick, fiery blade made him jump to his feet, shock and horror written across his pallid face.
"H-he's alive!?"
--
Roy stomped up the cobblestone walkway toward Tomoyuki's dismal abode, fearlessly entering into the shadow of the foreboding manor. His long trip through the treacherous woods had only served to fuel the fire welling deep in his soul. Now that he was so enraged, the Sword of Seals was red-hot and glowing. If the snarl on his lips didn't make his intentions clear, then his perfectly sharpened blade did. Roy was out for blood.
Roy now stood at the foot of the mage's front steps, tears running down his sweat-stained cheeks. He slightly lowered his blade as he tilted his head back and cried out to the pinnacle of the building. "Tomoyuki!" he bellowed, clutching the hilt of his burning sword even tighter than before. "Tomoyuki, I'm going to tear you to fucking pieces for what you've done!" The blade of the Sword of Seals erupted into vicious flames as Roy ran up the stairs toward the massive oaken front doors. They had been repaired since his last "visit," but in his rage, Roy left nothing to repair this time. The powerful slice he cut with his sword incinerated the posterns and, fearlessly, the warrior plodded into the building with his blazing weapon clutched tightly in his white-knuckled fist.
--
"Of course! Why hadn't I realized it before!?" Marth was crouching in the shrubbery that fringed Tomoyuki's walkway. He had diligently followed Roy here and was now quite convinced that this was not a vengeful phantasm but, in fact, the living Roy. "The power that he holds over the Sword of Seals is the same power that he used to overcome the flames," Marth murmured to himself. The fact that one of his targets had survived his rampage didn't bother the serial killer. Rather, he was intrigued by Roy's aggressive comeback and he had decided to follow his former victim here.
Boldly, Marth crept up Tomoyuki's front steps to follow Roy inside. The Altean silently slipped into the dark foyer and, concealing himself against the wall, he intently watched the fight that was already in progress. There had been very little exchange of words between the fierce warriors. Roy and Tomoyuki just began going at it as soon as they saw each other. The dark foyer was occasionally lit up by the sparks of metal clashing against metal. It was just like their last fight but, this time, Tomoyuki wasn't leading Roy anywhere. He was just struggling to hold his adversary off.
"Give it up, Roy," Tomoyuki verbally lashed out, "you've already lost! Your precious lover is gone, is dead to you!" "I'm not going to give in to your treachery," Roy snarled, slashing for Tomoyuki's face. The mage could barely block his powerful slice. "I'm going to get revenge for Marth! I'm going to kill you!"
Marth's expression was completely vacant at first. He watched the fight with a stolid gaze for several minutes. Behind that stare, however, realization was slowly dawning on him. His hand gradually closed into a tight fist. He calmly watched as Tomoyuki's weapon became too hot for him to hold and the mage cast it aside with an angry hiss. Roy threateningly brandished the Sword of Seals and closed in, backing his adversary into a corner. "Go on, kill me, it will do you no good," Tomoyuki chuckled. "Your dear Marth won't appreciate the victory you're winning for him. Just look at him." The mage had known that Marth was there the entire time and he now pointed him out to Roy, who cautiously turned.
Their eyes met from across the dimly lit room. Roy's hard, hateful gaze momentarily softened and Marth's unreadable expression suddenly saddened. The knowledge washed over him like clear water and it cleansed the sinful prince of the blemishes on his soul. Roy wasn't angry with him at all for what he'd done. Instead, he was angry with Tomoyuki, the evil mage who had started the entire ordeal. If Marth hadn't been maimed, then he would never have been driven to commit all those heinous acts of violence. Roy still knew that, deep down inside, Marth was a kindhearted prince. Silently, the fiery warrior was expressing forgiveness and pity for his dear partner.
Tears sprang to Marth's eyes as he reached out to Roy with his one good hand. "Roy," he whispered, "I'm so sorry." The towheaded warrior just solemnly nodded to his friend and gave what of a smile he could muster as tears threatened to spill over his own cheeks. Marth was finally back to normal.
Ah, good, now both of the warriors were distracted. Tomoyuki grinned as his body shrank back into the shadows on the wall. "They say that the gods forgive small sins if one is truly sorry, but will they forgive you, Marth, for all the lives you've taken?" His voice echoed throughout the room and Marth and Roy both tensed, looking around in suspicion. "There is only one way to find out. I think that you, dear prince, should be our guinea pig!" From the wall behind Marth, Tomoyuki sprang out of the darkest shadows with a ball of pure energy in his hand. An orb of that size could end Marth's life with one fatal strike! Roy's eyes widened as he leapt forward. "Marth, no!"
The next few moments were all a blur to Marth. There was a sudden, bright flash of light and a crushing pressure against his back. The screaming he heard was awful and he could distinctly smell burning flesh. Oh, that stench was awful. The prince fell flat on his stomach and immediately felt fresh warm blood pouring over his body. Was it his? No, there was a heavy weight on top of him. Marth craned his neck and struggled to look around behind him.
Lying atop his lover, Roy clutched at his chest as he wheezed for air. There was a hole in his torso that both of his hands could barely hold together. Beneath him, the squirming Marth was soaking in Roy's blood. The fallen warrior's eyes glazed over, his breath coming shorter and shorter. Tomoyuki threw his head back and laughed, prying himself from the shadows on the wall. "Perfect! This is perfect! I take out the Son of the Principality with a single blow, and I still have his little butt-buddy to toy with! Today is turning out much better than I expected!!"
Marth struggled to crawl out from under Roy and he took the wounded swordsman in his strong arms. The Altean prince didn't care about soiling his regal robes anymore; he was much more concerned for his friend's health. Roy looked up to Marth and gravely shook his head. It was clear to him that he didn't have much time left to this life. Marth knew, though, that he wasn't allowed to mourn his dying comrade just yet. "Please, gods, keep him alive for me," he whispered. "I must finish what he started."
Marth gently laid Roy down on the tile floor and stood up, drawing the divine sword Falchion in his hand and glaring up to Tomoyuki. The prince was trembling; tears were flowing from his eyes and his jaw was tightly clenched. He spoke to the malefactor through gritted teeth. "You, Tomoyuki," he snarled, "are going to die for what you have done to both of us."
Wow. Was it too long and painful? I'm really sorry if it was, guys, but I didn't feel like splitting it up. Read and review and be patient 'cause the next chapter might be huge, too!!
