Chapter Nine: Sacrifice, Serenity and Love
"Oh, it's Schwartz… oh, no." Domon murmured, struck with horror.
"You fool… I told you not to activate the super mode with anger." Master Asia withdrew his iron fist from Shadow Gundam's cockpit, and Schwartz fell to his knees.
"I'm… I'm sorry."
"Domon… remember…" as he spoke, his view of Shining Gundam blurred, refocused, and grew fuzzy again, "remember that… serene state of mind… remember." With that, darkness overtook him, and he fell out of sight. Master Asia began to laugh hatefully.
"Come, Domon! It's time you got really mad!" The King of Hearts knew Ravyn would take care of Schwartz if he was still alive, so he felt relatively safe abandoning himself to the fight. Then, a thought struck him, something about water… water… "Every drop of water! I've got it!"
* * *
From their perch on the cliffs, three shadowed onlooker began to laugh.
"He has finally got it." A girl with dark hair and dark sunglasses leaned against the rock face. "I knew he would eventually."
"Yes, soon he will defeat the Dark Gundam." Her companion was a young woman with long brown hair that hung in curls around her waist, and flashing dark eyes. Her voice sounded strange, as if she couldn't pronounce the words clearly.
"Not defeat." The last girl pushed her dark green-blue shades up the bridge of her nose. "Damage. The Dark Gundam cannot be destroyed by Shining Gundam alone." Her voice, too, sounded strange and thick. All three girls began to laugh. Watching the King of Hearts would be interesting at least.
* * *
Ravyn raced on towards the fallen Shadow Gundam, praying silently for her beloved. Leaping atop the torso of Neo-Germany's machine, she leapt down through the hole in the chest, landing on her feet in the cockpit.
"Schwartz… oh, Schwartz… Kyoji." She fell to her knees, gently removed his torn mask. His face, so beautiful and angelic to her, looked almost as if he were asleep. She caressed his cheek with gentle fingers, touched a stray lock of silky dark hair. "My Kyoji… my dear Kyoji." His eyes fluttered open, deep sapphire blue. His hand caught hers, pressed it to his heart.
"Kyoji…"
"Ravyn… I'll always love you."
"Don't-"
"Shhh. I won't leave you. I could never." She kissed him, tasted him, passion warring with sense. He gently pushed the Gundam outfit down her shoulders, over her arms, let it pool on the floor. Laying her on the floor beneath him, kissing her soft, sweet mouth, he groaned softly when she whispered his name so sweetly. Finally, unrestricted by his gold, black, and red clothing, he lost himself in the sensation of loving her.
* * *
"Where are those guys?" Chibodee murmured. Sai Sachi shrugged, looking worried. He missed Ravyn, and her sense of humor, her queer optimism. He wondered what she and Schwartz, who was obviously her boyfriend, were doing, and were they helping Domon, and where the hell were they.
"Don't worry. I have faith in Domon and the others." Argo said. George nodded.
"Don't worry." A girl's voice reassured them. "Ravyn and the others are great. They're on their way." Everyone spun around to see a tall girl, of about fourteen or fifteen, with long black hair, holding a gold trimmed ebony walking stick. Her eyes were hidden behind solid black shades.
"Who might you be?" George asked politely. Epona ran up, gasping for breath, and cried, "Jax! You're here!"
"Hey, Shuffle Alliance members, I'm Jennifer Black of the Neo-Czech Republic. I'm also the Black Jack, and to my sorrow and displeasure, Epona's babysitter."
"You're Jennifer Black?" Natasha cried out, shocked. "The famous blind Gundam Fighter, one of the youngest in the history of Gundam Fighting?"
"Yep."
"You're blind?" Sai Sachi asked. Jax (short for Black Jack) nodded, shrugging casually.
"No big, though. It gives me the advantage in a fight, normally. Oh, and this is my friend, Elektra Nachios, and her cousin, Helena Wayne." Two girls smiled and waved, both a little older than Jax. Elektra had dark auburn hair hanging down her back in curls, with sparkling hazel eyes. She was dressed in red cotton and black silk, with black leather boots and a ruby spike collar. Helena had short, dark brown hair that hung straight, and her eyes were a beautiful golden brown. She wore a dark green shirt and black pants, with navy blue leather boots.
"So, you guys are the Shuffle Alliance, huh? Or most of them anyway. We're the Shuffle Trinity." Holding up their hands, crests began glowing. Elektra was apparently the Deck Cutter, Helena the Crest Shuffler.
"Just how freakin' big is the Shuffle Alliance?" Chibodee cried.
"Hey!" Shikon yelled, excited. "Look! It's Domon! Where's Ravyn and Schwartz?"
"Right behind him!" Epona jumped up and down, clapping her hands. Rain and the others rushed forward, all cheering them on. A quick glance at the clock made Elektra panic. There was only half a minute left!
"Come on, Bro!"
"Domon, quickly!"
"Come on, you're running out of time!"
"Hurry it up, Neo-Japan!" Domon pushed himself forward, praying he'd make it. Ravyn and Schwartz put on a burst of speed, and they all touched down as a woman's voice announced over the loud speaker, "Time is up! All fighters have now landed!"
"Rave!" Falcon pushed forward through the crowd and hugged his sister when she ran into his arms. Then he sniffed delicately. "You know," he whispered, "you smell like him. Schwartz, I mean." Ravyn blushed hard, turning dark red. "What did you guys do?"
"Do? Nothing! Just fight, that's all! Honest… you don't believe me." It wasn't a question.
"No." Comprehension filled his eyes. "You two had sex, didn't you?" He whispered fiercely. She glared up at him.
"Can we talk about this later?"
"No. You had sex with this guy!"
"Grrr! I did not! It was not sex."
"Then what?"
"What does it matter?"
"It matters to me!"
"Fal, I've been seeing this guy since I was sixteen! Get over it already!"
"I knew it. When the celebrations are over, I'm tearing you up one side and down the other."
"Well, then, I guess I'll have to stay with Schwartz tonight." She left him blustering. Walking back to the guys she smiled when Schwartz wrapped his arms around her. "So, what did I miss? Why's Rain crying?"
"Do you guys have any idea how worried we've been?" Jennifer cried.
"Jax! You made it to the finals, alright!"
"Of course I did, you nut! You seem different."
"Yeah," Chibodee said, "ya do. New hair cut?"
"Where am I gonna get a hair cut in the Ghianna Highlands, you moron?"
"Maybe she's got a boyfriend." Sai Sachi murmured. All the girls sighed in exasperation.
"I've had one for the last four and a half years, thank you. Stop talking about me, jeez! I'm standing right here!"