"This Mortal Coil"
By Guilty Memory
-Chapter 1: Reflection-
Venom sighed as he stared blankly into the darkness ahead of him. The Assassins Guild was still running. And he was still the head of it. Another exhale of breath was given as Venom's head hung low, his ivory strands hiding the sorrow from the rest of existence while he sat upon the throne that he felt he did not deserve now.
"Master Zato," he whispered quietly…faintly. That was all Zato was now: A mere whisper. The Beast had taken him away—defiled his body! And…Venom was the one who'd taken the liberty of freeing Zato from his parasitic prison. Slayer had stopped speaking to him as well. Good. The immortal bastard could never replace Zato, anyway, even though Slayer probably thought he could. But, even if he did, Venom still wouldn't allow it.
"Master Zato…I have not failed you…have I?" Venom again croaked, his voice echoing faintly through the now dead halls of the Guild's manor.
"Do you think you have failed him? By not only killing him, but taking away his title as well?"
Venom's head rose quickly, and his eyes widened only in the slightest.
"What do you want, old man?" he questioned, knowing already who it was.
"For you to stop mourning Zato. He's dead. Nothing can bring him back," Slayer said frankly. Venom's tongue was bitten upon almost instantly. How dare he!
"Simply because of the fact that Master Zato is no longer with us in this life does not make it just to forget him and his role in the Assassin's Guild!" Venom spat instantly. Slayer chuckled. Venom was so loyal to his master, even in death. But why?
"Why are you still so loyal to Zato? Loyalty would not drive you to wipe every smidgen of evil from his name," he said, smirking slightly. Venom growled gently, his dove strands now only revealing one bright blue ocular of anger.
"I am not saying that Zato is or ever was pure or innocent. Neither am I. We were assassins, and that cannot be wiped from our names—but Zato did care about those within this Guild, as well as others that were not upon his list of victims. And to accuse him of anything other than what is true—THAT is something that I will not allow!" Venom yelled. Slayer laughed now, shaking his head some before looking up into a window, so that he could admire the moonlight.
"I see. Then is it not true that you and Zato were once dear lovers?" he sneered, glancing briefly in Venom's direction. Venom said nothing a moment, but then turned his head slightly before closing his eyes.
"Zato and I were, yes, at one point beyond comradeship. You could call it love. But then we found that emotions were beginning to destroy us."
"If this is so, then why were the both of you still so loyal to one another's hearts? You tried to assassinate Millia—both of you, together—and you both still remained so close even within times of assignment. He always cared, and so did you. That's why you went after him when you found out that The Beast was beginning to kill him."
Venom fell silent once more, wanting to turn back the clock and fix everything so that it could be the way that it once was. But that never would happen. Zato…was dead. He did it himself. And what was done…was done.
"….Why must you torment me! Does this amuse you to see me—VENOM—in anguish?! Does it?! It was hard enough to take Zato's life with my own bare hands—let alone live without him and take over The Guild and keep it alive!! Let me suffer in peace, old man!! That is all I ask! Now leave me!!" Venom ordered. Now it was Slayer's turn to fall silent. He closed his eyes and sighed gently before he spoke once more.
"Know this: Zato is satisfied, knowing that it was you who freed him from The Beast's embrace. I suppose that I will never be able to sympathize with you because of the fact that I am indeed a nightwalker, and that Sharon is too immortal. Thus, I will not know heartache, even if she is to die."
Slayer watched Venom's composure fall limp gently, like a wilted flower. He was hurting even more.
"Still know that—"
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! I don't want to hear another word!" Venom roared, slamming his fist down upon the arm of the throne. Slayer smirked lightly, then turned his back on Venom.
"Zato…watch your rose. It is beginning to wilt, leaving nothing but the thorns behind," he whispered before the shadows took him away within them, and he disappeared entirely. Venom drew in a sharp breath, and clenched his fists. Why did it have to be like this?! Why?! His teeth clenched hard as he growled underneath his breath, and he forced the single eye that was not hidden by those white strands to stare ahead of him directly. What met his gaze was the moon, glowing through a window high within the manor. He and Zato used to admire it together, silently. Sometimes hand in hand when no one was around. Other times they'd stand out on one of the balconies. Zato would be poised wistfully, hand cupping his chin as he looked at the moon as it lingered, suspended in space…so close…yet…so far. And Venom himself would be beside him, poised in the same manner. Venom sighed, shaking his head to snap out of the memory.
"Zato…I wonder…where would our souls rest? Heaven…would they welcome us? Or would Hell be better suited?" he questioned the emptiness that surrounded him. No answers came. Would both of them reject them? Venom again sighed.
"I will be there, soon…wherever you are, Master Zato…"
-
Dizzy sat upon a tree branch, admiring the night sky along with Bridget and May, smiling to herself for once. Right now, nothing seemed wrong in her midst. Bridget swung his legs to and fro absent mindedly, playing with his yo-yo, while May seemed lost in her own little world.
"Dizzy….the stars seem so lively today, don't they?" May asked finally. Dizzy nodded in agreement, her tail swaying slightly as well. Bridget stopped playing with his yo-yo to look at the stars a moment, then looked at Dizzy and May.
"They're so far away, though…how can you tell if they're lively or not?" he asked. Dizzy sighed gently before she spoke.
"It doesn't matter how far away something is…it's just the beauty of it and its significance that enraptures us all and makes us admire it so much," she said. Bridget looked confused a moment before returning to his task of playing with the yo-yo.
"Well, I still think they're really small," he said. Dizzy chuckled faintly, while May rolled her eyes gently.
"Hey, Dizzy, what do you think happened to everyone else? Like that bald guy and that scary man that was always twisted odd ways and screamed a lot?" May asked finally. Dizzy shrugged gently.
"I don't know. I do know that Testament is back in the forest, protecting it for me, and that the assassins went back to their old ways….although…one of them…he seemed so sad. I could feel it…but I don't know why…"
May looked at her, blinking some, and then raised a hand to prop her cheek up in, for she too began to wonder about the few assassins that she ran into. There were many of them…but after everything was over…not all of them were together, as before.
"Yeah. Wasn't there a guy in black that was affiliated with them? He was kinda weird—like a living shadow?"
Bridget hopped to his feet upon the branch, demonstrating his superb balance as he began to remember as well the living shadow.
"I REMEMBER THE SHADOW MAN! He was so scary! It was like he was dead, but he was alive at the same time! It was freaking me out."
Dizzy and May looked at Bridget, and then at each other.
"Do you think somebody could have killed him?" May asked. Dizzy nodded gently.
"I used to be able to feel his presence…it was so odd…cold…scary…but after everything, I couldn't feel him anymore. But what bothers me the most is that of all the other assassins, I could feel a lot of suffering and regret in one of their hearts. I couldn't pinpoint it then, but now that I think about it, I think it was the guy that used a pool stick in battle. He seemed like the type to care about something like that, because the others seemed heartless…but him..I know it was him…that's probably why he wears his hair in front of his entire face, leaving that eye pattern in blue on the front. He doesn't want everyone to know that he has feelings…or that he cares about whatever that shadow creature was…whoever it was," Dizzy concluded. Bridget thought on what was said before he sat back down on the tree branch, now rolling the yo-yo in between his fingers.
"You know…now that you mention it…I think that shadow guy really did have something to do with those assassins…whenever one came, another followed, and I think it was that guy with the pool stick," Bridget commented, tilting his head slightly. Dizzy fell silent for a long time. She began to reflect on everything that had happened. From her confrontations with bounty hunters to the likes of I-no. And through it all, only the formless shadow and the sorrowed heart of the assassin with the pool cue stood out the most in her heart. Why were they so significant now, rather than then?
They haunt you, don't they? The spirits of those who suffer, whether they live or die, they disrupt you, don't they?
It was the voice of Necro from within, echoing through Dizzy as she remained quiet, though spoke silently to the carrier of death.
…Necro…don't say that. They don't hurt me at all..but…I can't help but to feel sorry for them…because…they hurt on the inside so badly, but they never want to tell anyone how they feel out of pride.
Why do you pity them, when they hate you?! You should do as Testament would and end their miserable lives!
Necro, that's enough!
No more came from the evil entity inside of Dizzy. For a moment, Dizzy herself was shocked at the way her own interior tone demanded obedience from Necro…and that he obeyed. Shaking off the feeling, she pushed herself off of the branch and used her wings to float gently to the ground. Looking up into the tree where Bridget and May still perched upon, she waved at the both of them and smiled.
"Where are you going, Dizzy?" Bridget asked. Dizzy smiled even more.
"To end the sadness of a lonesome man's heart," she said, and turned to disappear within the forest.
-
Slayer emerged from his coffin, his golden hues of wisdom filtering the night as though it were day. Reaching for his pipe that lay on a small stand nearby, he rose fully to his feet. Pipe gripped in the left of hand, he began to float along the floors of the manor, slithering quietly down the stairs as the air guided his slow footsteps. Once he reached the bottom floor, he noticed the scent of blood. His instincts instantly led him to believe that it would have something to do with Venom. Since the death of Zato, it seemed as if Venom would never get over his death. Now was a time to see if he was correct on that mental evaluation of the solitary assassin. Following the increasingly heavy scent of blood, Slayer found the source…but surprisingly, he was not surprised at what he had found. Venom still sat upon the throne, his visible eye closed in a sleeping state. But what lay in a crumpled heap in front of him was the body of Millia Rage. Slayer slowly clapped as he approached the both of them.
"What is this? Ridding yourself of the one that could have taken away dear Zato when he was still living?" he asked, amused. Venom's visible eye shot open almost instantly.
"What has happened is her own fault," he murmured. "But it was not intentional to take her life."
"Then what was it, if vengeance—no, jealousy—did not drive you to end her life? Though…it had to end by our hand eventually…"
Venom said nothing a moment, then drew in a sharp breath.
"She spoke ill of Zato…not only that, but dared to attempt to end this guild's life," Venom said plainly. Slayer nodded.
"Understood. But still…give her a renegade's burial…"
Venom nodded, pushing himself from the throne, and picked up Millia's body. Carrying it outside of the manor until he found a decent ditch, he tossed her body therein, and began to push the earth over her body with the dual power of his trusty pool stick and mental ability. Once she was covered fully, he turned his back on her fresh grave, closed his eyes, and walked back toward the manor. As he returned to the empty throne, something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Feathers…both clack and white..
"Hm..?" he murmured, picking a raven feather up from the ground before examining it.
"I am here to calm your saddened heart.." a voice echoed through the manor. Venom said nothing in reply, and looked around before continuing toward the throne.
"You may say nothing, but I know you still are in mourning," the voice continued. Venom still ignored it, seeping into silence even more.
"Why are you doing this to yourself? I know you mourn him, still!"' the voice continued. Venom finally responded. His voice was low…cracked…as the sorrow was beginning to surface, but slowly.
"Why do you do this to me? He is no longer with me in this life..it is to be accepted!" Venom protested. The owner of the voice showed herself, appearing from the air and shadows around him. Her wings, one of dove while the other was of raven, flickered gently in her appearance. Venom looked at her.
"Gear. What is it that compels you to bother me this time of night?" he demanded. The Gear shook her head.
"Your sorrow brought me to you. I want you to be happy again…and that is why I must know the truth behind your sadness. It is because you were forced to end his life, is it not?" she asked. Venom said nothing.
"I see…your silence leads me to believe so…but…what if I could mend your pain-filled heart?" she asked. Venom spoke once more, still low and broken in tone slightly.
"There is nothing that can fill the emptiness that is inside of me," he said bitterly. The Gear stepped forward, and offered her hand.
"If you want to feel as you did before, come with me," she said. Venom looked at her hand, then at her.
"I am sorry…but there is no one that can replace Zato," he said sadly. The Gear smiled warmly.
"No one will replace Zato, silly. He will return for you…if only you will trust me," she said. Venom's heart pulsated. His eyes narrowed gently as the inner joy bombarded him. Though still..he dare not show it. The Gear chuckled faintly, and took his hand in hers.
"Don't try to hide your happiness. I can still feel your soul rejoicing! Ha ha…it's good to know that you're happier..that is another less lonesome and saddened heart in this world," she said.
"Oh.!! I am so sorry! I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Dizzy," The Gear said. Venom nodded.
"I understand…and I am called Venom, Dizzy. What you say…of Zato…how is such a thing possible?" Venom was compelled to ask. Dizzy chuckled once more.
"I am able to do it because…of the simple fact that I want to use my powers for good. To save people and mend their hearts. I have control over my power fully, now…and…I want everyone to be happy…and not to hate Gears or each other..and not know death and sickness. I want..I want to cure this planet's evil cancer! And I know that I can if I just try!" Dizzy declared. Venom nodded.
"I am to be your first experiment then?" he asked, almost wearily. Dizzy nodded.
"Yes, but do not worry. I will have help," she reassured him, while simultaneously gaining the aid of Necro from within.
"Why must I come with you?" Venom asked. Dizzy bit her lower lip gently before speaking softly.
"Because…I need you to take me to his grave."
-End Ch 1-
