I would like to take this time to dedicate this story to someone special. She's touched my writing and has encouraged me to go places where I never would've thought possible. Like Crimson Fire, she helped me get to where I am today. Kae Noel, this one is dedicated to you!
Chapter 16: Life No More"Good Lord," Dilandau muttered, turning around just as Kat fired her attack. A wind had suddenly picked up and was blowing very hard, so hard he couldn't move against it. His hair swirled around him as he braced himself, staring at Kat through the light. She was so powerful, standing there in that light, using everything she had to continue even though he could see it in her eyes that she didn't have anything left. She was now using her own life force to stop the evil from taking over Gaea.
Their lives… he watched as the Nazis around him disappeared, dead in a matter of seconds. He could hear voices calling out to the three girls… He looked at Miguel and saw in his Slayer's eyes the look of fear, not for his life, but for the girls. He looked back and saw that Miguel had his eyes fixed on Alex.
"No," Miguel whispered as Nicole and Alex walked forward to Kat and put their hands on her. The glow that had erupted from Kat's skin was fading, getting dimmer by the second, but as soon as Nicole and Alex touched her they began to glow like Kat was, their glow brighter and stronger.
He watched as Kat's attack focused on one spot and seemed to hit something over and over again. Their lives, he thought. That's when he realized that if they were to save Gaea, they would die. "NO!" He yelled, watching as the thing in the air suddenly exploded in a display of black light and disappeared… but Kat couldn't stop her attack.
The blue lightning that streaked from her hands shot upwards into the almost completely black sky, piercing the clouds, quickly breaking them up and revealing the clear dark night sky. Even as the last of the clouds left, as if the lightning's shot had made them disperse quickly and unnaturally, the lightning continued to streak upwards.
Finally the effort of keeping her attack going on no energy and little life energy hit Kat. She cried out in pain as the attack increased and her body gave out. She could feel Alex and Nicole now struggling to keep up the attack as she continued to scream. The lightning formed a sort of net over Gaea, standing out clearly in the sky and then slowly fading… but Kat wasn't aware of that and neither were Nicole and Alex for their were all on the ground, Kat's screaming still echoing throughout the clearing.
"We have to finish! I think this is some sort of protection thing!" Nicole cried as Kat fell to the ground. They saw that her mouth was open, her eyes blank, but they didn't hear what she was saying. Together they took on the power drain and force the lightning to continue to form the net-like thing in the sky.
Everyone was deaf to Kat's cries like the other two Protectors.... almost everyone. Dilandau was mentally kicking himself as Kat's cries echoed in his head. He should've broken away from the battle he was in and gone with her as she asked.
Alex and Nicole strained under the pressure of the drain, their energy was almost completely gone when suddenly the lightning creased and the net thing glowed brightly in the sky for a second and then disappeared. Blackness took a hold of them and they quickly dropped to the ground, their bodies limp.
Everyone looked to the bodies lying on the ground where Kat had been standing. They saw that the three bodies of the Protectors were there, unconscious and seeming not to be moving. The wind had died down the second the lightning stopped, so all the original Dragon Slayers got there quickly.
However they found that Dilandau had beaten them. He was cradling Kat in his arms, staring at her pale face. "Is she..." Dallet began to ask but was stopped by a silent sob.
Dilandau shook his head and stood. He turned around, cradling Kat in his arms, and faced his dead Slayers, all standing with tears in their eyes. Chesta was gently pulling Nicole up and Miguel was all ready holding Alex in his arms, both staring down into their lover's faces and wondering if they were alive. For the first time since they knew him, since they had come to Zaibach, the Slayers realized that their commander had tears in his eyes.
"She's… they're hanging on by a thread," he said, his voice strong but a sadness in it. He started to walk across the battlefield towards the guymelefs, Chesta and Miguel following behind him. As they walked it was like a death march, all their hearts saddened and worried about the girls. The new Dragon Slayers joined them as they neared the guymelefs. "Take them in your guymelefs and take them back to the Vione," Dilandau instructed as he climbed into his and shut the cockpit doors. The Dragon Slayers and an unconscious Nicole and Alex went with the new Slayers and all climbed into the guymelefs not caring if it was crowded or not.
AN: Oh no! What happened to the Protectors? They're hanging on by a thread and Dilandau is actually crying! Wow. But a lot can happen from here to the Vione… hint hint people! R+R and you get the next chapter TONS faster!
~The Shadow That Takes Form as a Kat~
~~ShadowKat~~
