Tokyo was entirely quiet as people saw a cloud of muddled colors approach. There was some red, some turquoise, and some white. It was as if the cloud of colors represented a luciferhawk's heart. It was riddled with corruption,and deceit crept silently through, leaving all the purity to rot away, as the white cleanliness slowly dissipated. Riessa, the First Commander of Squadron 1802547, watched without making a sound. Her human appearance fooled nobody. Light blonde hair went down to her shoulders, and icy blue eyes pierced the darkness of the night. Rain began to fall, but she stood there silently, hardly moving despite the fact that she was wearing a tanktop. "They are blinded," she said to herself. "After this, they will be sealed in the gate once more. Gigalph will not live through such a strain. Already his body is like that of an old man, tired and slow. With the strain of sealing the gate, his death will be assured." She looked around at the rain covered sky, and then it seemed to stop, along with time, as she leaped onto the roof of the next building over, then sat huddled into a ball, hoping to keep herself from becoming ill.
"My my," said a smooth, slightly low voice. "Are you already this weak, First Commander Riessa? I never thought that you would break so easily from this punishment. Nobody thought that you would ever reduce yourself to this. Do you want me to help you get over your own fears? Are you too weak to handle your own self? How, then, were you ever able to command an entire squadron? Everybody called you a legend. Will you just give that title up...to me? Perhaps you would like to simply die now." Riessa stood up and then drew a longsword with a handle that looked as if it had been twisted and contorted until it could have had nothing else done to it. The blade had a line of blackened blood that ran down the side. Suddenly, the entire blade glittered in the pale moonlight, and that blood had spread to cover every inch of the sword. The sword itself seemed to crackle with black lightning as Riessa raised it and turned to the man who had spoken to her. "I am no longer your puppet, Ganossa," she said angrily, holding the sword in front of herself as if it could guard her against any attack. "Those were sad days when I was still fighting by your side, and nothing else mattered to me, but why use my hopelessness to gain what you wished for? Did you think of my friendship as being guileful?" Miari's voice was strained as she tried to hold back tears. They came, and she felt helpless as she was therein a tired heap, looking up at Ganossa. "You did not make a contract with the devil," she hissed. "You are the devil." With that, she went to sleep, not knowing whether or not she would wake up.
~~
Rally sat at her desk quietly, trying to ignore Kiddy's shouting. It hurt to lose such a valuable member, and it hurt to lose such a pure luciferhawk. "YOU CAN'T JUST LET HER GO!" Kiddy finished in a rage, her arms spread-eagled. "That will be all," said the director, looking at her enraged employee with icy coolness. "If you're so worried about Miari, go look for her. All of us except Lebia wish that she hadn't left us, but we can't fix death, now can we?" Kiddy stood there, dumbfounded, as the reality of the situation occured to her. Miari was dead, and would be forever. A giver of life had had her own taken.
"But chief...." The ex-detective couldn't think of a thing to say as she looked at Rally with pure shock painted on her face. "Miari won't give up so easily! She'll-she'll be back, and I know it!"
Defiance was blunt in Kiddy's voice, but her words were halfhearted, and she knew that Miari most likely wouldn't come back, and would instead leave to be in a more perfect place, without thoughts of her former life. Maybe Miari would be happier where she was going...
Yet Rally sat there, staring back with what Kiddy finally realized as a subtle defiance. -Is she really that scared to hide the fact that she knows Miari won't be coming back?- Kiddy wondered to herself. -Perhaps that's just because it's her responsibility to look after all of us, and that includes Miari.- With a heavy sigh, Kiddy walked back into the main work space and sat down at her station. "Lebia seems a little unnerved," she said to herself, looking at the other woman. She sat there with her chin resting on her left hand, and her eyes were half-closed.
"You alright , Lebia?" Kiddy asked without concern. Ever since Miari had joined the AMP, Lebia had been getting the sleep that she needed desperately.
"I'm fine," Lebia replied dully, looking up from what she had been typing. Papers were strewn all over her station, which was a rarity, considering that Nami was at the headquarters most hours. Several important projects had been done with less finesse than before, due to the fact that Lebia was now half asleep most of the time. "It was nice to have Miari here to help out, but she was nothing special." Every word had sounded halfhearted as she continued typing away at her computer, trying to cram in her latest new invention before nightfall. "Just stop worrying about her. If you're worried, take a walk and think if you have to. Lum Cheng will be able to take over."
Unfortunately, that wasn't true at all. Lum Cheng sat at her desk with a look of depression on her face, staring at the hole in the floor. "I'll still be here anyway," she said in an exasperated voice. "Don't worry about it, Kiddy." In the corner, Nami sat on a bench, looking down at the floor. Yuki had a day off, and was running her coffee shop. Nobody had wanted to tell her...
~~
There was nothing where Miari was; it was simply a white room where Ganossa was standing over her, his face utterly serious. "I see you lived, First Commander Riessa," he said softly. "Perhaps you could thank me, if you wanted to. The Lord of Nemesis, he has released my soul, imprisoned for so long by my blind lust for power! Remember all those times when we were together? It wasn't false. I really am a human, infused with the demonic powers of a luciferhawk. My heart was gone..enshrouded in the demonic powers that had brought about my horrible lust for power. We really spent all that time together, but it wasn't my real self. I had cheated myself out of a life with a happy wife and children! I manipulated you, and tried to use you as a vessel, but you were one of the few luciferhawk that are born pure as those of Heaven. You were born to be an individual who would help to dig Gaia out of the tumult that surrounds it now, ready to pounce in the form of your own luciferhawk army."
"My my," said a smooth, slightly low voice. "Are you already this weak, First Commander Riessa? I never thought that you would break so easily from this punishment. Nobody thought that you would ever reduce yourself to this. Do you want me to help you get over your own fears? Are you too weak to handle your own self? How, then, were you ever able to command an entire squadron? Everybody called you a legend. Will you just give that title up...to me? Perhaps you would like to simply die now." Riessa stood up and then drew a longsword with a handle that looked as if it had been twisted and contorted until it could have had nothing else done to it. The blade had a line of blackened blood that ran down the side. Suddenly, the entire blade glittered in the pale moonlight, and that blood had spread to cover every inch of the sword. The sword itself seemed to crackle with black lightning as Riessa raised it and turned to the man who had spoken to her. "I am no longer your puppet, Ganossa," she said angrily, holding the sword in front of herself as if it could guard her against any attack. "Those were sad days when I was still fighting by your side, and nothing else mattered to me, but why use my hopelessness to gain what you wished for? Did you think of my friendship as being guileful?" Miari's voice was strained as she tried to hold back tears. They came, and she felt helpless as she was therein a tired heap, looking up at Ganossa. "You did not make a contract with the devil," she hissed. "You are the devil." With that, she went to sleep, not knowing whether or not she would wake up.
~~
Rally sat at her desk quietly, trying to ignore Kiddy's shouting. It hurt to lose such a valuable member, and it hurt to lose such a pure luciferhawk. "YOU CAN'T JUST LET HER GO!" Kiddy finished in a rage, her arms spread-eagled. "That will be all," said the director, looking at her enraged employee with icy coolness. "If you're so worried about Miari, go look for her. All of us except Lebia wish that she hadn't left us, but we can't fix death, now can we?" Kiddy stood there, dumbfounded, as the reality of the situation occured to her. Miari was dead, and would be forever. A giver of life had had her own taken.
"But chief...." The ex-detective couldn't think of a thing to say as she looked at Rally with pure shock painted on her face. "Miari won't give up so easily! She'll-she'll be back, and I know it!"
Defiance was blunt in Kiddy's voice, but her words were halfhearted, and she knew that Miari most likely wouldn't come back, and would instead leave to be in a more perfect place, without thoughts of her former life. Maybe Miari would be happier where she was going...
Yet Rally sat there, staring back with what Kiddy finally realized as a subtle defiance. -Is she really that scared to hide the fact that she knows Miari won't be coming back?- Kiddy wondered to herself. -Perhaps that's just because it's her responsibility to look after all of us, and that includes Miari.- With a heavy sigh, Kiddy walked back into the main work space and sat down at her station. "Lebia seems a little unnerved," she said to herself, looking at the other woman. She sat there with her chin resting on her left hand, and her eyes were half-closed.
"You alright , Lebia?" Kiddy asked without concern. Ever since Miari had joined the AMP, Lebia had been getting the sleep that she needed desperately.
"I'm fine," Lebia replied dully, looking up from what she had been typing. Papers were strewn all over her station, which was a rarity, considering that Nami was at the headquarters most hours. Several important projects had been done with less finesse than before, due to the fact that Lebia was now half asleep most of the time. "It was nice to have Miari here to help out, but she was nothing special." Every word had sounded halfhearted as she continued typing away at her computer, trying to cram in her latest new invention before nightfall. "Just stop worrying about her. If you're worried, take a walk and think if you have to. Lum Cheng will be able to take over."
Unfortunately, that wasn't true at all. Lum Cheng sat at her desk with a look of depression on her face, staring at the hole in the floor. "I'll still be here anyway," she said in an exasperated voice. "Don't worry about it, Kiddy." In the corner, Nami sat on a bench, looking down at the floor. Yuki had a day off, and was running her coffee shop. Nobody had wanted to tell her...
~~
There was nothing where Miari was; it was simply a white room where Ganossa was standing over her, his face utterly serious. "I see you lived, First Commander Riessa," he said softly. "Perhaps you could thank me, if you wanted to. The Lord of Nemesis, he has released my soul, imprisoned for so long by my blind lust for power! Remember all those times when we were together? It wasn't false. I really am a human, infused with the demonic powers of a luciferhawk. My heart was gone..enshrouded in the demonic powers that had brought about my horrible lust for power. We really spent all that time together, but it wasn't my real self. I had cheated myself out of a life with a happy wife and children! I manipulated you, and tried to use you as a vessel, but you were one of the few luciferhawk that are born pure as those of Heaven. You were born to be an individual who would help to dig Gaia out of the tumult that surrounds it now, ready to pounce in the form of your own luciferhawk army."