The Next Generation 30
Magiman: Much thanks go to Ruby, the only one to review last chapter. And much thanks to my other reviewers too, just on general principles. ^_//
Smokegirl: Get on with the writing! I have a date with Bakura tonight.
Magicman: -_//'
Smokegirl: ^_^
***
Yukari Uchida walked down the streets of Tokyo. It was eight o'clock PM and the streets were deserted. A chilly wind blew a few scraps of paper away to the ends of the Earth. The streetlights lit the streets with a soft glow. She shuffled her feet slowly as she walked, mulling things over in her mind.
She did not walk alone. Her husband Amano walked alongside her. They did this every night, just walking alone and enjoying each other's company. Sometimes they talked about things but tonight they were silent. Yukari because she was remembering, Amano because he knew what she was thinking and let her think it.
After a time of seemingly aimless walking, they arrived at an old high school. Yukari stopped and watched it, old memories clouding her mind. She sighed out loud and Amano looked at her.
"You're remembering her aren't you?"
Yukari nodded. "Yeah. I am."
It had been twenty long years for Yukari since she had seen her best friend lifted off by a beam of light. She still remembered the look on her face when she'd been lifted away from her world and it hurt her that she hadn't been able to help her. The worst part was that no one had believed her and Amano when they told them what had happened. The police had just written it off as 'unexplained' and left it at that.
Things had rapidly fallen apart without Hitomi. Her parents had quickly started to fight and divorced soon after. Her mother was currently an alcoholic living in West Shinjuku taken care of by her son. The father had disappeared. Without Hitomi, the school had failed to make the Olympic team. A lot of kids were blaming this on Hitomi, saying that she had gotten scared and ran. They had quickly started to shun Yukari and Amano, being Hitomi's friends, and even the teachers had turned cold toward them.
Amano had gone to England for college but had returned to Japan afterward to be with Yukari. They got married and were living together quite happily. But every now and then they would be overcome by melancholic feelings for their old friend.
Yukari sighed again. "It's been twenty years Amano. Do you think that she's still alive?"
Amano nodded. "Of course. You know Hitomi. She's too stubborn to die without a fight."
Yuakri hesitated. "Do you think she still remembers us?"
Amano hugged his wife. "I'm sure that she does."
Yukari looked up at the night sky. "I just wish that I could see her one more time. So I could say goodbye."
A shooting star lit across the sky in a bright flare.
With a suddenness that made Yukari scream, a pillar of blue light flashed down from the sky. It landed somewhere within the school grounds...right by the old racing track!
Yukari and Amano glanced at each other, comprehension dawning swiftly. "Hitomi!" Then they ran through the school gates, looking for where the pillar had landed.
***
Hitomi landed with both feet on the ground and recovered herself instantly. She looked around swiftly and smiled slightly. 'It's been a while since I've seen this old place.' A furious hiss drew her attention away from her surroundings.
Kasar was staring around wildly. "Where did you take me?!"
Hitomi glared back at him. "I brought us to a place where our battle wouldn't hurt other people. It's just you and me now sorcerer!"
Kasar growled, his composure completely gone. "Then you will die all alone, far away from your friends and loved ones! And when you're dead I'll return to Gaea and kill your entire family! You and your miserable daughter will pay for everything that you've put me through!"
"Big words pal" Hitomi smirked. "Let's see if you can back them up!"
"You go straight to Hell Kanzaki!"
Kasar pointed his arms out at Hitomi and chanted powerful words. A stream of multicoloured energy poured from his palms to strike at the woman. It slammed against a psychic shield and dispersed into coloured light. The stream kept coming and continued to disperse against Hitomi's powerful defence. But it could not last forever. Already tiny cracks were appearing in the glasslike wall. Kasar began to gloat in victory.
Hitomi concentrated hard, reaching out for Kasar's subconscious mind, shutting out his constant chanting. She dove down into the deepest parts of his mind and there she found it. It took incredible control to focus magic and use it effectively. Otherwise the power would run loose and destroy those who attempted to wield it. Hitomi psychically attacked that control, seeking to loosen it for just an instant.
Too late the powerful sorcerer figured out what his opponent was doing. Hitomi's attack had done their purpose. The control so essential for a sorcerer was beginning to weaken. His magic was beginning to dilute. Even worse, it was beginning to turn inward. Desperately Kasar struggled to forge anew his control over his magic but the collapse had triggered a chain reaction. Arcane energies surged through Kasar's body, tearing apart all in its way. For the briefest of instant his body was outlined in magical fire. And then the power overloaded and an explosion rocked the school, drowning out the sorcerer's final curtailed scream.
The sudden silence was broken only by the tiny sparkles of light that drifted slowly down through the air. Hitomi sighed in exhaustion and collapsed down onto a nearby bench. The fight had taken a lot out of her. Now though she was free to rest for a moment.
The sound of approaching footsteps alerted her and she sighed in exasperation. Without looking behind her she spoke. "I'm not sure how much of that you saw friend, but you may want to just turn around, walk home, and forget that any of this happened."
"Hitomi?"
The voice struck a chord with Hitomi's past. Slowly she looked behind her. Her heart skipped a beat.
"Yukari?"
***
Amano was still the better runner but her excitement gave Yukari the extra burst of speed, which left him eating her dust. She raced around the side of the school to the track, her heart racing. Then she skidded to a halt at the sight before her.
A woman in her mid thirties, wearing some strange green and black armour was facing a strange man wearing a long black robe with his hair in thousand of little braids. The woman's short brown hair, her glittering green eyes, her very posture that displayed stubbornness...
Yukari caught the tail end of the man's sentence. "...pay for everything that you've put me through!"
The woman smirked. It was a cruel contemptuous smirk that stunned Yukari. The Hitomi she knew could never have given that smirk.
Then the woman spoke, dispelling all of Yukari's doubts.
"Big words pal" Hitomi challenged, "Let's see if you can back them up!"
The man growled like a wolf. "You go straight to Hell Kanzaki!" Then he threw some sort of energy beam at Hitomi, like a Ka-me-ha-me-ha wave. Yukari squinted against the bright light and struggled to see what was happening. Then there was a scream and a massive explosion nearly knocked her backward off her feet. She looked around frantically to see Hitomi sitting down on a bench, her back to Yukari.
Slowly Yukari approached. When she was ten feet away Hitomi spoke. "I'm not sure how much of that you saw friend, but you may want to just turn around, walk home, and forget that any of this happened."
The voice was so real Yukari knew that she could not be dreaming. "Hitomi?"
Hitomi turned slowly to face her, stunned surprise written on her face. "Yukari?"
***
The two old friends stared at each other. They could not speak. Slowly Hitomi stood up and walked around the bench. She walked right up to Yukari and looked her in the eyes. Yes. This was Yukari. She didn't need a mind probe to tell her that.
Then the two friends embraced each other, hugging tightly. Long pent up tears spilled over cheeks as they held each other. Words couldn't describe what they were feeling.
***
"Where on Earth were you Hitomi?"
Hitomi sighed as she leaned back against the school wall and looked at her friends. She had never thought that she'd see them again. Amano was one with Yukari in her joy and was one with her in other ways, if the rings on their fingers were anything to go by. "That's the thing Yukari. I wasn't on Earth."
Yukari cocked her head. "Not on Earth? Then where...?"
"I was on Gaea."
"Where?"
"Gaea. It another world on the other side of the moon. We can't see it from here but they can see Earth."
"You were on this Gaea for the last twenty years?" Amano asked curiously. "What happened over there? Unless I miss my guess, that's some sort of uniform that you're wearing." His sharp eyes caught the way Hitomi absently rubbed the side of her neck. "May I?"
Hitomi let him reach out and roll down her high-necked collar to reveal a long ugly scar. Yukari stared. "What happened to you?" she whispered.
"You may want to sit down for this."
***
The smoke drifted into Setto's eyes, making them water. The city was on fire and men were desperately trying to put it out. He and the soldier who was detailed to him continued to struggle. They piled up rocks and rubble to form barriers in the street against a rush of soldiers. They didn't know what was happening on the outside of the walls but it couldn't have been good.
Setto wiped sweat from his brow, leaving a long sooty mark there. He glanced over at his companion who must have been insufferably hot under that facemask and armour.
"Hey" he asked his companion. "Are you okay?"
The man nodded, panting slightly. "Yes sir. I am fine." Setto stared at him for a second. He shrugged and continued to pile stone.
A scream and an explosion sounded from the wall. They didn't look back. Their attention was drawn by the sound of crumbling rock from above them. They looked up in astonishment. A catapult had struck the building they had been working under. The stone had rolled away but the damage was done. Tonnes of stone and wood had broken loose and were cascading down upon the street below. Soldiers scattered. Alert to the danger, Setto started to run but his foot caught in a loose timber. He was sent sprawling onto the rubble and found himself staring up at the death that was hurtling down to crush him. 'Oh dear' he thought.
"SETTO!"
The voice jerked him out of his stunned inaction. A pair of gloved hands caught him by the leg and yanked with surprising strength. His foot came free and the hands sent him tumbling backward over onto the ground. He caught a glimpse of the soldier he had worked with caught under a shower of stone and wood.
Setto's eyes widened with recognition. The soldier had removed his mask in the seconds past and a mane of black hair fluttered as the figure was crushed under the avalanche.
"SABRINA!!!"
***
Outside the city the battle between the guymelef forces was raging.
In the fury of the battle three Asturian guymelefs were labelled 'the three dragons' by the Basram forces and were avoided like death. They all recognised the White Dragon Escaflowne who was a legend among guymelef pilots, and the Red Dragon, the red Alseides piloted by Dilandau Albatou, the terror of all guymelefs, and they steered clear of these. But they knew nothing about the shimmering blue guymelef that fought alongside the dragons and the Serpents swarmed after this one.
They swarmed and were smashed by the mighty machine. Afterwards the Blue Dragon was accorded with the same respect and fear that the others were given.
Mark, pilot of the 'Blue Dragon' was sweating in fury as he smashed guymelef after guymelef. He would not fail Yukari, even though it cost him his own life! He whirled and sliced off an arm with his sabre and kicked the offending machine backward.
Turning to the left, he saw a group of guymelefs breaking away from the main assault to attack the city gates. "We have to keep them away from the gates!" he yelled over the comlink. He broke free of the machine he'd been fighting and through himself into the horde of guymelefs before him. They shied away in terror and he quickly forced his way through the encircling wall and he charged for the raiding band. At his approach, the Basram Avatars broke off their attack on the gates to face him. There were twenty Basram machines against one of him. 'This'll be a fight for the bards' he thought grimly.
But then he heard a cheer behind him and a section of Asturian machines burst through the hole he'd made in the enemy encirclement. They attacked the Serpents with a mad fury, killing, and driving them off.
Mark slammed his sword down on the helm of an opponent and turned grimly to face the rest. To his astonishment, all he saw were cheering Asturian 'melefs, cheering on their Dragon leader.
While the fight between the machinery was going on, Basram tanks were pummelling the battlefield and the city with heavy artillery fire. They had found the correct trajectory and were dropping shells down behind the city's walls from a nearby position sectioned off from the rest of the army. 'We need to take them out' thought Mark. He brandished his sword and charged for the formation of tanks. The men cheered and followed his wild charge.
The self-propelled artillery continued to fire upon the city, seemingly unaware that they were in danger. Then when the attacking Asturians were only hundred yards or so away, when Basram's sorcerers surged into action with a flurry of chanted words. The sky above the combatants darkened and lightning crackled through the clouds. The wind picked up and howled through the cracks in armour. The force of the weather increased exponentially as it struck with incredible force at the Asturians so that whole guymelefs were lifted off their massive feet and slammed backwards into the ground.
Asturian machines were crushed but the remainder pushed on through the magical storm.
Mark blinked and gritted his teeth against the icy wind. What the Hell? This wasn't natural weather! And that meant... "Sorcerers" Mark spat in disgust. He looked around. It wasn't easy to see through this wind. There it was. A shimmer in the air just to the left marked them out clearly.
Mark swerved to the left, allowing the force of the wind to push him in the direction he wanted to go. As he approached the area, the shimmer dissolved to reveal ten sorcerers, all standing in a pentagram formation. The power coursed through the very earth itself as they summoned forth wind and more wind from Gaea's northern regions.
Fully absorbed with their magic, the sorcerers did not see the massive guymelef until it was too late. Those who were not killed magicked themselves away on wish spells. With the destruction of the pentagram, the icy wind lessened considerably though it did not die completely.
Cheering, the Asturian 'melefs attacked the tanks furiously. A fierce battle ensued. From the other side of the city a shower of sparks went up and the wind picked up once more. The sorcerers must have set up another magic symbol. A gust of wind stronger than the rest struck Akagi full on. The machine held strong for a minute but then was lifted off the ground. Mark held on to the restraints while his prized guymelef smashed into the ground. A flicker on the control board told him that power had been disrupted and the energists were shutting down. He hit the restraint release and slid out of the cockpit and onto the devastated battlefield.
No sooner had he done so than fifty black clothed assassins had had sprung up from the earth. Kasar may have been dead but his creations lived on, and these were 'programmed' for the sole purpose of killing Mark.
Mark knew nothing of the danger he was in however. He only watched the monsters approach, his sword drawn and waiting.
***
The Destiny was still pushing hard when the energist bombs exploded.
The massive fireball consumed one of the ships following the Destiny without pause and the other barely survived. The engine was leaking coolant, designed to resist extreme heat. This created a barrier that protected the ship and its crew from the heat but not the force of the explosion itself. The warship was propelled forward, easily outstripping the Destiny and thrown completely out of balance. The leva-stones failed and the airborne behemoth plummeted a mile to strike the ground with enough force that its hull ruptured, spilling its contents upon the unforgiving ground. Few survived.
Being faster than the other ships, the Destiny survived well, nevertheless feeling the impact of the explosion. Men were knocked off their feet and the General himself was hurled from his command chair. "Damage report" he yelled when he regained his legs.
His adjutant was already typing on his console furiously. "We outran the fire-wave sir" he explained as he check the statistics. The leva- stones are fluctuating but they are in working condition still. Casualties coming in now sir. Six dead and four injured badly. I'm sending the medics now."
Veers nodded and glared at his view screen. The external cameras were designed to withstand light so they were still working. He cursed when he saw the smoking crater that was the fortress.
"My best sorcerer was down there!" he growled to himself.
The adjutant turned around to look at him. "Sir I'm picking up an odd reading. There's a residual energy that indicates that there's been a transport beam just before the explosion."
Veers sighed. "Then that woman still lives. I should have killed her when I had the chance. What's the status on our engines?"
"The leva-stones are damaged and are barely keeping us afloat sir. We'll need to repair them soon."
Veers nodded. "Take us down to that wreckage. We'll search for survivors and see if we can pick up some parts that we need."
"Yes sir."
Veers sighed and leaned back in his chair as the Destiny slowly abandoned altitude. This had not gone well. But at least the attack was still on.
***
Yukari opened her eyes as the last of the light beam deposited the group in the middle of a battlefield.
The first thing she set eyes upon was another vision.
...Somewhere, somehow, Kasar laughed as Mark was overwhelmed by a horde of his creations...
"MARK!"
Without thinking, Yukari called upon the pillar of light. The power surged through her and Mark was suddenly deposited at her feet. She immediately knelt down and held his unconscious and blood covered form to her. "Oh Mark" she whispered as she stroked his forehead. "My poor brave Mark. I won't let you die on me. I won't!"
As Mark's fluids leaked from his body, Yukari concentrated again, lifting her and her love away from the battle, leaving her friends to fight.
The pillar set them down in the city. Exhaustion nearly claimed the girl and she half fell to the ground, still holding Mark close in her arms.
Yelling drew her attention. She raised her head and to the sight of a dozen people digging frantically through a massive mountain of rubble. A building must have collapsed. Men were digging through the rubble to reach those trapped under it. In the smoggy light she could see her brother, tearing at the rocks and splintered wood frantically with his bare hands.
Gently handing her Mark over to battle medic, she staggered over to the rubble and stared at Setto. She could see that tears trickled down his face. "Setto? What happened here?"
"The building collapsed. Sabrina stuck under all this! It's nice to see you again, by the way" he added, not turning around from his task.
Yukari looked at the flotsam and sighed to herself as she measured what strength she had left. "Well what's a few days unconsciousness to saving a life?" She concentrated every scrap of force magic that she had.
Rocks and splintered beams slowly lifted off from the top of the pile and set down twenty feet away. Setto watched anxiously as the debris shifted, threatening to collapse inward. He looked over at his sister's straining face. She just might be able to save Sabrina yet, if she didn't pass out first. With each passing rock and timber though that option seemed to become more and more likely.
Setto could only watch and wring his hands in panic. He could also hope. And hope he did.
While the excavation continued, under hundreds of pounds of jagged rock and splintered wood, life flickered.
Sabrina Veers felt the jagged spears of agony pierce her all too delicate body. She couldn't move and she was almost blinded by sudden stabbing light that had nothing to do with the sun. She could feel though. She felt her leg jutting out at an odd angle and the multitude of bruises and cuts that chequered her body. She smelled blood. Her blood.
She gasped for breath and could only wince as a flash of pain slammed into her ribs. A slight crunch sounded all too loudly in her ears and she felt one of her ribs scrape against another. That wasn't supposed to happen in a fine and healthy body. 'But then again' she cursed internally, 'I'm a lot of things but fine and healthy sure isn't one of them!'
She groaned as a rock dug slightly into her back. She was blessed or cursed to be conscious and capable of organised thought. She immediately wondered if Setto had gotten out all right. She couldn't be sure but she thought so. She could feel it...
'Well here you are.' The old lonely part of her mind resurfaced for a moment and demanded answers. 'You've gone and gotten yourself buried. And what have you got to show for it, hmm? Nothing!'
"Setto is safe" Sabrina gasped out. "That's what I wanted."
'Oh sure' the disembodied voice continued sarcastically. 'Setto's safe and you're going to die in his stead.'
Sabrina frowned to herself. Had she always been such a bitch to people? "That's the price I pay. I happen to think that it's worth it."
'Well haven't we become so noble. Well tell me this noble one. Is knowing that you're dead going to make him happy?'
Sabrina hesitated, letting her growing headache sink in. "No" she said at last. "But he'll understand. Why can't you? He's my only friend!
'So what? He's not worth dying over.'
"Well I couldn't just let him get hurt" she snapped back, her voice echoing weirdly against the enclosed walls. "I couldn't just let him die!"
The voice seemed to sneer. 'Oh? And why not?'
"Because I love him!"
The voice didn't answer back. The voice didn't speak at all. Sabrina realised what she'd said and it shocked her to the core of her being. She spoke slowly, almost tasting the words on her tongue.
"I...I love...I love Setto."
The pain in her body seemed to disappear to become evaporated by a warm glow. A smile lit across her battered face and she lay back and relaxed. She wouldn't die. She knew that Setto would come for her. Her knight of fire would rescue her from this pit and they'd be married.
Sabrina almost laughed. This was turning into a fairy tale. Then she felt a twinge in her side.
It might have been like a fairy tale, but in fairy tales nobody died, the possibility of which was becoming all too likely for Sabrina's taste.
***
Magicman: I'm finally done this chapter. Yay!
Smokegirl: Yay! Now I'll call Bakura!
Magicman: -_//
Magiman: Much thanks go to Ruby, the only one to review last chapter. And much thanks to my other reviewers too, just on general principles. ^_//
Smokegirl: Get on with the writing! I have a date with Bakura tonight.
Magicman: -_//'
Smokegirl: ^_^
***
Yukari Uchida walked down the streets of Tokyo. It was eight o'clock PM and the streets were deserted. A chilly wind blew a few scraps of paper away to the ends of the Earth. The streetlights lit the streets with a soft glow. She shuffled her feet slowly as she walked, mulling things over in her mind.
She did not walk alone. Her husband Amano walked alongside her. They did this every night, just walking alone and enjoying each other's company. Sometimes they talked about things but tonight they were silent. Yukari because she was remembering, Amano because he knew what she was thinking and let her think it.
After a time of seemingly aimless walking, they arrived at an old high school. Yukari stopped and watched it, old memories clouding her mind. She sighed out loud and Amano looked at her.
"You're remembering her aren't you?"
Yukari nodded. "Yeah. I am."
It had been twenty long years for Yukari since she had seen her best friend lifted off by a beam of light. She still remembered the look on her face when she'd been lifted away from her world and it hurt her that she hadn't been able to help her. The worst part was that no one had believed her and Amano when they told them what had happened. The police had just written it off as 'unexplained' and left it at that.
Things had rapidly fallen apart without Hitomi. Her parents had quickly started to fight and divorced soon after. Her mother was currently an alcoholic living in West Shinjuku taken care of by her son. The father had disappeared. Without Hitomi, the school had failed to make the Olympic team. A lot of kids were blaming this on Hitomi, saying that she had gotten scared and ran. They had quickly started to shun Yukari and Amano, being Hitomi's friends, and even the teachers had turned cold toward them.
Amano had gone to England for college but had returned to Japan afterward to be with Yukari. They got married and were living together quite happily. But every now and then they would be overcome by melancholic feelings for their old friend.
Yukari sighed again. "It's been twenty years Amano. Do you think that she's still alive?"
Amano nodded. "Of course. You know Hitomi. She's too stubborn to die without a fight."
Yuakri hesitated. "Do you think she still remembers us?"
Amano hugged his wife. "I'm sure that she does."
Yukari looked up at the night sky. "I just wish that I could see her one more time. So I could say goodbye."
A shooting star lit across the sky in a bright flare.
With a suddenness that made Yukari scream, a pillar of blue light flashed down from the sky. It landed somewhere within the school grounds...right by the old racing track!
Yukari and Amano glanced at each other, comprehension dawning swiftly. "Hitomi!" Then they ran through the school gates, looking for where the pillar had landed.
***
Hitomi landed with both feet on the ground and recovered herself instantly. She looked around swiftly and smiled slightly. 'It's been a while since I've seen this old place.' A furious hiss drew her attention away from her surroundings.
Kasar was staring around wildly. "Where did you take me?!"
Hitomi glared back at him. "I brought us to a place where our battle wouldn't hurt other people. It's just you and me now sorcerer!"
Kasar growled, his composure completely gone. "Then you will die all alone, far away from your friends and loved ones! And when you're dead I'll return to Gaea and kill your entire family! You and your miserable daughter will pay for everything that you've put me through!"
"Big words pal" Hitomi smirked. "Let's see if you can back them up!"
"You go straight to Hell Kanzaki!"
Kasar pointed his arms out at Hitomi and chanted powerful words. A stream of multicoloured energy poured from his palms to strike at the woman. It slammed against a psychic shield and dispersed into coloured light. The stream kept coming and continued to disperse against Hitomi's powerful defence. But it could not last forever. Already tiny cracks were appearing in the glasslike wall. Kasar began to gloat in victory.
Hitomi concentrated hard, reaching out for Kasar's subconscious mind, shutting out his constant chanting. She dove down into the deepest parts of his mind and there she found it. It took incredible control to focus magic and use it effectively. Otherwise the power would run loose and destroy those who attempted to wield it. Hitomi psychically attacked that control, seeking to loosen it for just an instant.
Too late the powerful sorcerer figured out what his opponent was doing. Hitomi's attack had done their purpose. The control so essential for a sorcerer was beginning to weaken. His magic was beginning to dilute. Even worse, it was beginning to turn inward. Desperately Kasar struggled to forge anew his control over his magic but the collapse had triggered a chain reaction. Arcane energies surged through Kasar's body, tearing apart all in its way. For the briefest of instant his body was outlined in magical fire. And then the power overloaded and an explosion rocked the school, drowning out the sorcerer's final curtailed scream.
The sudden silence was broken only by the tiny sparkles of light that drifted slowly down through the air. Hitomi sighed in exhaustion and collapsed down onto a nearby bench. The fight had taken a lot out of her. Now though she was free to rest for a moment.
The sound of approaching footsteps alerted her and she sighed in exasperation. Without looking behind her she spoke. "I'm not sure how much of that you saw friend, but you may want to just turn around, walk home, and forget that any of this happened."
"Hitomi?"
The voice struck a chord with Hitomi's past. Slowly she looked behind her. Her heart skipped a beat.
"Yukari?"
***
Amano was still the better runner but her excitement gave Yukari the extra burst of speed, which left him eating her dust. She raced around the side of the school to the track, her heart racing. Then she skidded to a halt at the sight before her.
A woman in her mid thirties, wearing some strange green and black armour was facing a strange man wearing a long black robe with his hair in thousand of little braids. The woman's short brown hair, her glittering green eyes, her very posture that displayed stubbornness...
Yukari caught the tail end of the man's sentence. "...pay for everything that you've put me through!"
The woman smirked. It was a cruel contemptuous smirk that stunned Yukari. The Hitomi she knew could never have given that smirk.
Then the woman spoke, dispelling all of Yukari's doubts.
"Big words pal" Hitomi challenged, "Let's see if you can back them up!"
The man growled like a wolf. "You go straight to Hell Kanzaki!" Then he threw some sort of energy beam at Hitomi, like a Ka-me-ha-me-ha wave. Yukari squinted against the bright light and struggled to see what was happening. Then there was a scream and a massive explosion nearly knocked her backward off her feet. She looked around frantically to see Hitomi sitting down on a bench, her back to Yukari.
Slowly Yukari approached. When she was ten feet away Hitomi spoke. "I'm not sure how much of that you saw friend, but you may want to just turn around, walk home, and forget that any of this happened."
The voice was so real Yukari knew that she could not be dreaming. "Hitomi?"
Hitomi turned slowly to face her, stunned surprise written on her face. "Yukari?"
***
The two old friends stared at each other. They could not speak. Slowly Hitomi stood up and walked around the bench. She walked right up to Yukari and looked her in the eyes. Yes. This was Yukari. She didn't need a mind probe to tell her that.
Then the two friends embraced each other, hugging tightly. Long pent up tears spilled over cheeks as they held each other. Words couldn't describe what they were feeling.
***
"Where on Earth were you Hitomi?"
Hitomi sighed as she leaned back against the school wall and looked at her friends. She had never thought that she'd see them again. Amano was one with Yukari in her joy and was one with her in other ways, if the rings on their fingers were anything to go by. "That's the thing Yukari. I wasn't on Earth."
Yukari cocked her head. "Not on Earth? Then where...?"
"I was on Gaea."
"Where?"
"Gaea. It another world on the other side of the moon. We can't see it from here but they can see Earth."
"You were on this Gaea for the last twenty years?" Amano asked curiously. "What happened over there? Unless I miss my guess, that's some sort of uniform that you're wearing." His sharp eyes caught the way Hitomi absently rubbed the side of her neck. "May I?"
Hitomi let him reach out and roll down her high-necked collar to reveal a long ugly scar. Yukari stared. "What happened to you?" she whispered.
"You may want to sit down for this."
***
The smoke drifted into Setto's eyes, making them water. The city was on fire and men were desperately trying to put it out. He and the soldier who was detailed to him continued to struggle. They piled up rocks and rubble to form barriers in the street against a rush of soldiers. They didn't know what was happening on the outside of the walls but it couldn't have been good.
Setto wiped sweat from his brow, leaving a long sooty mark there. He glanced over at his companion who must have been insufferably hot under that facemask and armour.
"Hey" he asked his companion. "Are you okay?"
The man nodded, panting slightly. "Yes sir. I am fine." Setto stared at him for a second. He shrugged and continued to pile stone.
A scream and an explosion sounded from the wall. They didn't look back. Their attention was drawn by the sound of crumbling rock from above them. They looked up in astonishment. A catapult had struck the building they had been working under. The stone had rolled away but the damage was done. Tonnes of stone and wood had broken loose and were cascading down upon the street below. Soldiers scattered. Alert to the danger, Setto started to run but his foot caught in a loose timber. He was sent sprawling onto the rubble and found himself staring up at the death that was hurtling down to crush him. 'Oh dear' he thought.
"SETTO!"
The voice jerked him out of his stunned inaction. A pair of gloved hands caught him by the leg and yanked with surprising strength. His foot came free and the hands sent him tumbling backward over onto the ground. He caught a glimpse of the soldier he had worked with caught under a shower of stone and wood.
Setto's eyes widened with recognition. The soldier had removed his mask in the seconds past and a mane of black hair fluttered as the figure was crushed under the avalanche.
"SABRINA!!!"
***
Outside the city the battle between the guymelef forces was raging.
In the fury of the battle three Asturian guymelefs were labelled 'the three dragons' by the Basram forces and were avoided like death. They all recognised the White Dragon Escaflowne who was a legend among guymelef pilots, and the Red Dragon, the red Alseides piloted by Dilandau Albatou, the terror of all guymelefs, and they steered clear of these. But they knew nothing about the shimmering blue guymelef that fought alongside the dragons and the Serpents swarmed after this one.
They swarmed and were smashed by the mighty machine. Afterwards the Blue Dragon was accorded with the same respect and fear that the others were given.
Mark, pilot of the 'Blue Dragon' was sweating in fury as he smashed guymelef after guymelef. He would not fail Yukari, even though it cost him his own life! He whirled and sliced off an arm with his sabre and kicked the offending machine backward.
Turning to the left, he saw a group of guymelefs breaking away from the main assault to attack the city gates. "We have to keep them away from the gates!" he yelled over the comlink. He broke free of the machine he'd been fighting and through himself into the horde of guymelefs before him. They shied away in terror and he quickly forced his way through the encircling wall and he charged for the raiding band. At his approach, the Basram Avatars broke off their attack on the gates to face him. There were twenty Basram machines against one of him. 'This'll be a fight for the bards' he thought grimly.
But then he heard a cheer behind him and a section of Asturian machines burst through the hole he'd made in the enemy encirclement. They attacked the Serpents with a mad fury, killing, and driving them off.
Mark slammed his sword down on the helm of an opponent and turned grimly to face the rest. To his astonishment, all he saw were cheering Asturian 'melefs, cheering on their Dragon leader.
While the fight between the machinery was going on, Basram tanks were pummelling the battlefield and the city with heavy artillery fire. They had found the correct trajectory and were dropping shells down behind the city's walls from a nearby position sectioned off from the rest of the army. 'We need to take them out' thought Mark. He brandished his sword and charged for the formation of tanks. The men cheered and followed his wild charge.
The self-propelled artillery continued to fire upon the city, seemingly unaware that they were in danger. Then when the attacking Asturians were only hundred yards or so away, when Basram's sorcerers surged into action with a flurry of chanted words. The sky above the combatants darkened and lightning crackled through the clouds. The wind picked up and howled through the cracks in armour. The force of the weather increased exponentially as it struck with incredible force at the Asturians so that whole guymelefs were lifted off their massive feet and slammed backwards into the ground.
Asturian machines were crushed but the remainder pushed on through the magical storm.
Mark blinked and gritted his teeth against the icy wind. What the Hell? This wasn't natural weather! And that meant... "Sorcerers" Mark spat in disgust. He looked around. It wasn't easy to see through this wind. There it was. A shimmer in the air just to the left marked them out clearly.
Mark swerved to the left, allowing the force of the wind to push him in the direction he wanted to go. As he approached the area, the shimmer dissolved to reveal ten sorcerers, all standing in a pentagram formation. The power coursed through the very earth itself as they summoned forth wind and more wind from Gaea's northern regions.
Fully absorbed with their magic, the sorcerers did not see the massive guymelef until it was too late. Those who were not killed magicked themselves away on wish spells. With the destruction of the pentagram, the icy wind lessened considerably though it did not die completely.
Cheering, the Asturian 'melefs attacked the tanks furiously. A fierce battle ensued. From the other side of the city a shower of sparks went up and the wind picked up once more. The sorcerers must have set up another magic symbol. A gust of wind stronger than the rest struck Akagi full on. The machine held strong for a minute but then was lifted off the ground. Mark held on to the restraints while his prized guymelef smashed into the ground. A flicker on the control board told him that power had been disrupted and the energists were shutting down. He hit the restraint release and slid out of the cockpit and onto the devastated battlefield.
No sooner had he done so than fifty black clothed assassins had had sprung up from the earth. Kasar may have been dead but his creations lived on, and these were 'programmed' for the sole purpose of killing Mark.
Mark knew nothing of the danger he was in however. He only watched the monsters approach, his sword drawn and waiting.
***
The Destiny was still pushing hard when the energist bombs exploded.
The massive fireball consumed one of the ships following the Destiny without pause and the other barely survived. The engine was leaking coolant, designed to resist extreme heat. This created a barrier that protected the ship and its crew from the heat but not the force of the explosion itself. The warship was propelled forward, easily outstripping the Destiny and thrown completely out of balance. The leva-stones failed and the airborne behemoth plummeted a mile to strike the ground with enough force that its hull ruptured, spilling its contents upon the unforgiving ground. Few survived.
Being faster than the other ships, the Destiny survived well, nevertheless feeling the impact of the explosion. Men were knocked off their feet and the General himself was hurled from his command chair. "Damage report" he yelled when he regained his legs.
His adjutant was already typing on his console furiously. "We outran the fire-wave sir" he explained as he check the statistics. The leva- stones are fluctuating but they are in working condition still. Casualties coming in now sir. Six dead and four injured badly. I'm sending the medics now."
Veers nodded and glared at his view screen. The external cameras were designed to withstand light so they were still working. He cursed when he saw the smoking crater that was the fortress.
"My best sorcerer was down there!" he growled to himself.
The adjutant turned around to look at him. "Sir I'm picking up an odd reading. There's a residual energy that indicates that there's been a transport beam just before the explosion."
Veers sighed. "Then that woman still lives. I should have killed her when I had the chance. What's the status on our engines?"
"The leva-stones are damaged and are barely keeping us afloat sir. We'll need to repair them soon."
Veers nodded. "Take us down to that wreckage. We'll search for survivors and see if we can pick up some parts that we need."
"Yes sir."
Veers sighed and leaned back in his chair as the Destiny slowly abandoned altitude. This had not gone well. But at least the attack was still on.
***
Yukari opened her eyes as the last of the light beam deposited the group in the middle of a battlefield.
The first thing she set eyes upon was another vision.
...Somewhere, somehow, Kasar laughed as Mark was overwhelmed by a horde of his creations...
"MARK!"
Without thinking, Yukari called upon the pillar of light. The power surged through her and Mark was suddenly deposited at her feet. She immediately knelt down and held his unconscious and blood covered form to her. "Oh Mark" she whispered as she stroked his forehead. "My poor brave Mark. I won't let you die on me. I won't!"
As Mark's fluids leaked from his body, Yukari concentrated again, lifting her and her love away from the battle, leaving her friends to fight.
The pillar set them down in the city. Exhaustion nearly claimed the girl and she half fell to the ground, still holding Mark close in her arms.
Yelling drew her attention. She raised her head and to the sight of a dozen people digging frantically through a massive mountain of rubble. A building must have collapsed. Men were digging through the rubble to reach those trapped under it. In the smoggy light she could see her brother, tearing at the rocks and splintered wood frantically with his bare hands.
Gently handing her Mark over to battle medic, she staggered over to the rubble and stared at Setto. She could see that tears trickled down his face. "Setto? What happened here?"
"The building collapsed. Sabrina stuck under all this! It's nice to see you again, by the way" he added, not turning around from his task.
Yukari looked at the flotsam and sighed to herself as she measured what strength she had left. "Well what's a few days unconsciousness to saving a life?" She concentrated every scrap of force magic that she had.
Rocks and splintered beams slowly lifted off from the top of the pile and set down twenty feet away. Setto watched anxiously as the debris shifted, threatening to collapse inward. He looked over at his sister's straining face. She just might be able to save Sabrina yet, if she didn't pass out first. With each passing rock and timber though that option seemed to become more and more likely.
Setto could only watch and wring his hands in panic. He could also hope. And hope he did.
While the excavation continued, under hundreds of pounds of jagged rock and splintered wood, life flickered.
Sabrina Veers felt the jagged spears of agony pierce her all too delicate body. She couldn't move and she was almost blinded by sudden stabbing light that had nothing to do with the sun. She could feel though. She felt her leg jutting out at an odd angle and the multitude of bruises and cuts that chequered her body. She smelled blood. Her blood.
She gasped for breath and could only wince as a flash of pain slammed into her ribs. A slight crunch sounded all too loudly in her ears and she felt one of her ribs scrape against another. That wasn't supposed to happen in a fine and healthy body. 'But then again' she cursed internally, 'I'm a lot of things but fine and healthy sure isn't one of them!'
She groaned as a rock dug slightly into her back. She was blessed or cursed to be conscious and capable of organised thought. She immediately wondered if Setto had gotten out all right. She couldn't be sure but she thought so. She could feel it...
'Well here you are.' The old lonely part of her mind resurfaced for a moment and demanded answers. 'You've gone and gotten yourself buried. And what have you got to show for it, hmm? Nothing!'
"Setto is safe" Sabrina gasped out. "That's what I wanted."
'Oh sure' the disembodied voice continued sarcastically. 'Setto's safe and you're going to die in his stead.'
Sabrina frowned to herself. Had she always been such a bitch to people? "That's the price I pay. I happen to think that it's worth it."
'Well haven't we become so noble. Well tell me this noble one. Is knowing that you're dead going to make him happy?'
Sabrina hesitated, letting her growing headache sink in. "No" she said at last. "But he'll understand. Why can't you? He's my only friend!
'So what? He's not worth dying over.'
"Well I couldn't just let him get hurt" she snapped back, her voice echoing weirdly against the enclosed walls. "I couldn't just let him die!"
The voice seemed to sneer. 'Oh? And why not?'
"Because I love him!"
The voice didn't answer back. The voice didn't speak at all. Sabrina realised what she'd said and it shocked her to the core of her being. She spoke slowly, almost tasting the words on her tongue.
"I...I love...I love Setto."
The pain in her body seemed to disappear to become evaporated by a warm glow. A smile lit across her battered face and she lay back and relaxed. She wouldn't die. She knew that Setto would come for her. Her knight of fire would rescue her from this pit and they'd be married.
Sabrina almost laughed. This was turning into a fairy tale. Then she felt a twinge in her side.
It might have been like a fairy tale, but in fairy tales nobody died, the possibility of which was becoming all too likely for Sabrina's taste.
***
Magicman: I'm finally done this chapter. Yay!
Smokegirl: Yay! Now I'll call Bakura!
Magicman: -_//
