Chapter 18:
Ahlehana
Kazi awoke the next morning knowing this was the day they were sentenced to execution. She broke out of her thoughts to find her head resting on Jin's shoulder. It shocked her, but she had to admit, having someone to lean on was nice for a change. Kazi squirmed.
"Oh, you're awake." Jin's voice came, softly as it did yesterday. Kazi looked up at him,
"Hm.. Sorry."
"Don't." He said with a small smile, he too knew what fate lie ahead for that day.
"Just... Just a little longer...." Kazi pleaded softly. Jin smiled and nodded.
"Sure." Kazi laid her head to rest on his shoulder once more and glanced around the room. Hwoarang and Denise were still sleeping and the guard were nowhere in insight. Wait a minute. Kazi scrabbled to her feet, surprising Jin on the way. She stumbled on over to the bars only to find the officers' clothes in piles. The television news station was on and showing very strange pictures. Kazi felt Jin's hands holding her up from falling.
"What the fuck?!" Kazi's outburst awoken Hwoarang and Denise. They got up and walked closer. Kazi and Hwoarang listened intently to the news broadcaster for a few moments. Their amber brown eyes grew enormous as the reporter scrambled through his Korean words and phrases.
"Kazi? What's going on?" Jin asked her, confused as he and Denise were. Kazi looked at him with an unbearable shocked expression.
"J-J-Jin..." Despite the event that he too knew that was going on, Hwoarang stiffened at the sound of Kazi calling Jin's first name, but
he said nothing. Kazi stuttered, "J-J-Jin, its Ahlehana."
"What? Ahlehana?" Jin was confused and Kazi saw this.
"Hold on. We need to get out of here first. I'll tell you later." Kazi turned to think. Jin took hold of her arm gently,
"Tell me now." Kazi shook her head,
"I can't we don't have much time." Kazi said quickly, "I'll tell you. I promise." Jin nodded.
"What are we gonna do?!" Hwoarang screamed in confusion.
"Hwoarang, Jin," Hwoarang stiffened again, as Kazi continued, "Denise, turn around."
"What?" Hwoarang said.
"Just do it." The all obeyed her and turned around. A sickening noise of grinding bones, flesh tearing, and painful growls and screams filled their ears. Hwoarang tried desperately to turn to see her but Jin grabbed him and whispered harshly in his ear,
"Don't." When the horrid sounds died off they turned around to see a magnificent bird standing in the midst of Kazi's clothes. It was a hawk of brilliant features. White covered it like snow, its wings were silky smooth, the end feathers had a black arrow like stripe and then the tips were dipped in silver. Its eyes were sharp and keen with a swirl of blue and amber-brown. Jin watched the magnificent bird with wonder. How graceful it was as it flew through the bars and grasped the keys from where the officer was standing. The hawk flew back and landed on Jin's shoulder dropping the keys in his hand. Jin took the keys and opened the bars. Hwoarang grabbed Kazi's clothes and ran with the others.
"What the hell just happened?!" Hwoarang asked Jin. Jin shook his head,
"I don't know. For now we need to get out."
"Keep in mind Kazama, there will still be soldiers around here and edgy. Don't make sudden movements." Hwoarang said. Jin nodded and gestured for Denise to pick up speed.
"I'ma comin'. A girl can only run so fast ya know." She yelled. The three of them ran and stole a jeep and were out in the desert in no time. Hwoarang was sure to steal some things like, food, water, clothes, and medical supplies before driving off. The hawk followed them for an hour and finally landed in the back seat with Denise. They rode 'til sundown and finally stopped to set up camp.
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Jin sat stroking the beautiful hawk with the back of his fore finger, genuinely smiling, wondering what it was thinking. The hawk seemed to close its eyes in a happy manner and would have probably purred if it had been a cat. Hwoarang looked at him and sneered. Denise noticed this too,
"What's wrong?" She asked. Hwoarang stared into the flames of the campfire,
"Look at him." Hwoarang sneered again, "Nature boy."
"Hmm... hatea." Hwoarang looked at her funny.
"What?"
"Hatea. Hater. Get it? I mean, you're jus' jealous." Denise rolled her eyes.
"Am not." Hwoarang and Denise went at it again, bickering back and forth as Jin took a little walk with Hikari Taka or Light Hawk, which was his name for the bird. Jin strode along, watching the hawk glide over the winds and tear gracefully through the sky. Jin's hands were loose in his pockets as Hikari Taka led him back to camp, were Denise and Hwoarang had fallen asleep together. Hikari Taka landed on a near by cactus and watched for any sign of movement. Jin soon fell asleep.
Little cries reached Jin's ears again for the millionth time. The sobs of a poor lost girl filled him with concern. The same girl, so beautiful.... His childish form stood over her, looking down in sorrow. Raven colored wings protruded from his back, his face and body covered in ancient tattoos, red glowing eyes, and a third glowing red one was placed in the middle of his forehead. Jin didn't care.
"Come.... Come with me..." He whispered to her as he held out his hand. The girl looked up her eyes full of tears, so sorrowful and scared. He had seen them somewhere before. The girl reached out and took his hand. "Dark Angel..." She was torn away from him once more. Her screams pierced the air and Jin awoke with a start.
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"Hi." Kazi was the first thing Jin saw. Not that that was a bad thing, especially with the morning sun. "You're up early." Jin shook his head,
"Not as early as I usually wake." He scratched his head. "Why would you say that?"
"Hwoarang always sleeps 'til nine. Or later. Really depends on how god or bad street fighting went the previous night." Kazi laughed, it was music to Jin's ears. Jin smiled and then sighed,
"Kazi?" Kazi looked at him.
"What is it, Jin?"
"What is Ahlehana?" Kazi sighed and then started to explain.
"Jin, Ahlehana is a prophecy. It's about the end of the world." Kazi looked at the sky.
"The end of the world?" Jin asked, curious to know. She closed her eyes and continued,
"It lasts for seven days, the first of those days, every one who is forgiven is taken away to 'The Heavens' or the 'Everlasting Landscapes of Tranquility'." Jin raised an eyebrow as Kazi continued, a little blush growing on her cheeks, "Actually I-I thought you were an angel." Jin's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "I thought you were going to be taken from me, too." Kazi face started to rival her hair and Jin blushed a little too. "But since the forgiven have all gone...." Kazi paused. "Malikai has summoned Ahlehana and will soon take over and destroy all that lives until this planet is no more."
"Malikai?" Jin said.
"It's one of the proper names for Devil." Kazi answered. Jin froze. "And I have to stop him."
"Why you?" Jin asked quietly, letting all of that to sink in.
"Because, I….. I donno. I've always sort of tried to stop ya know… Bad stuff from happening." She answered with a sigh
"You know it won't be easy." Jin said hiding his sudden urge to kill himself.
"It'll be anything but easy, Jin. This is Devil we're talking about. But that won't stop me. I won't let him harm anyone. I won't let him harm you. I'll chase it all away." Kazi smiled. Jin wondered if she could actually do that, but was interrupted by his own mother's words form which he was a boy,
'You can do anything, as long as you're willing to sacrifice, Jin.' Jin nodded and came back to the reality of Kazi trying to nudge Hwoarang awake.
