A big thank you to Vampy for giving me a few ideas when I needed them. Also another big thank you to Chasm; you've been giving me a lot of support and stuff whenever I do write a fanfic. Thanks a lot. Titer? Yeah well you've also given me huge help. Again, thanks to your support I didn't quit and I'm still writing and doing what I love best. Thanks to all of you. Anyway, read this and review, okay? ^_^ You might hate me after this!
I think I should tell you guys something else. My first ever fanfiction has just been put onto a site! A proper little private one. Anyway, go to this site here. www.gameforms.com and then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click fanfictions. Scroll down again and then you'll see this fanfic called Into The Flames. It includes Arson's first debut. To be honest with you guys…this is the FORTH in the series and the last one with Arson in it. ^_^ Darkness Falling was the third! Go see and take a look at the site, okay? It also includes some amazing fanart too! (not drawn by me-I'm a writer not an artist!)
Chapter 12
Ash must have dozed off, for when she next opened her eyes, it was light. She yawned and stretched, somewhat surprised that there had not been some form of attack during the night. She shuddered as she got ready. Especially with her about… She was in the middle of changing her clothes when she became suddenly aware of another presence in the room with her. She shrieked as she saw Sparda sitting on the bed.
'What the hell are you doing here? Get out you…you perv!' she screamed. Sparda didn't look the least bit perturbed by Ash's outburst. He simply chuckled and turned his back on her. Ash hastened to change the rest of her clothes and then turned him around forcefully.
'Don't you have any concept of privacy? Or do you always just warp into people's rooms?' Sparda shrugged.
'It's not your own body is it?'
'It is now!'
'So you've accepted yourself now, haven't you?' Ash hesitated but then shrugged.
'Maybe. What's it to you, anyway?' Sparda shrugged.
'I was simply curious.' Ash became more alert as she realised that Sparda hadn't disappeared yet. Maybe she could get some information out of him.
'Okay then…well I'm curious too. It was you who told me about Ash, wasn't it?' Sparda nodded once, silently. 'But how? Why? When? Where?' Sparda slowly got up, looking majestic. He turned his calm, blood red eyes onto her. Ash mirrored the gaze, feeling as though she was being tested to see whether there was any fear left in her. There was plenty, and she was not ashamed of that. However, she was not afraid of the demon knight who stood in front of her.
'Well?'
'You know that Ash and the rest of her friends had gone out to relax that day. There was an attack and they were sorely outnumbered. It was Arson's idea to retreat, but Ash had already fled from the attackers. Several pursued her and they eventually tore her down and mortally wounded her. Ash managed to crawl to a clearing where she finally died. That's where you come in.'
'What have I got to do with this? I didn't kill her.'
'Never said you did, Arson. But her body was the only one available for you to take. Which is why you are now what you are. A girl.' Ash looked at him in disbelief.
'What you mean to say is that I could have been a guy if it had been a bloke who died???'
'No. You would have still been a girl.'
'But…why?'
'Because you've got to learn how to accept yourself. You've also got to learn how to deal with unexpected circumstances. It's also pretty amusing to watch as well.' Ash gave an un-lady like growl, which led Sparda to laugh again. Ash shuddered as she heard his way of expressing amusement. It sounded almost evil. Was this really the same Legendary Dark Knight that the demons of the underworld had feared? Was this really the Great Grandfather she had heard so much about? She lowered her eyes for a second, thinking these thoughts and then raised her eyes up to him again.
Sparda and Ash both looked up as the alarms went off again. Ash jumped to her feet. Sparda suddenly outstretched his hand towards her. Ash gasped in sudden pain as something grey escaped from her body. The strange grey streak separated out into a black streak and a white streak, which both entered the palm of Sparda's hand and then he turned away. Ash's whole body felt heavy and suddenly unwieldy. She stood up unsteadily and found that her whole vision was swimming. She couldn't focus. She began to fall but Sparda caught her before she hit the floor.
'Wh-what did you do to me?'
'I took your powers away.' Ash's eyes widened.
'What?'
'You can't always rely on them.'
'But…I barely ever do…'
'Prove it then. Go.' Sparda dropped the twin red blades at Ash's feet. Ash shakily bent down and picked them up. When she straightened up, she saw that Sparda had vanished yet again.
She staggered out of her room and into the main corridor. Luckily, she could still sense the whereabouts of her friends. She stumbled towards them, still feeling incredibly weak and fatigued. She heard a sudden cry of distress and forced herself to move faster. As she walked, she began to grow accustomed to the feeling and started running towards the sound of battle.
Arson, Rayne and Minako had promptly tried to seek out the enemy. They had succeeded. A woman with tangled, unkempt brown hair was crouching down before them, ready to strike. At her hip, rested a white blade that shone as the light reflected off it. Ash skidded to a halt and her eyes widened. She began to praise Sparda in her mind. He had taken her powers away simply in an effort to ward off the worst of Ophelia's attacks. For this, she was grateful. Or not. Ophelia's wild brown eyes looked towards her in shock and she gave vent to a wild snarl.
'Another one?' Everyone turned to stare at Ash. Arson's eyes widened.
'Run, Ash! Get out of here!' But Ash had already stared into those cold, dangerous bloodshot eyes. She was rooted to the spot in fear. She trembled.
'O-o-ophelia!' she stuttered. Ophelia seemed to recoil with anger, anger that she had somehow known her name. She rushed towards Ash and Ash found that she was unable to think clearly about what she was doing. She simply snatched up her swords from where she had dropped them and held them out. Ophelia was running towards her, too fast to even try and stop her mad charge.
Ophelia gave out a shallow gasp as Ash clumsily managed to hold up her blades to shield herself. Ash lowered her blades, feeling somewhat stunned to see that they were stained even darker with the Fallen Angel's blood. So she could do something to damage her. Granted, her powers had been taken from her, but she might not need to use them. This lifted her spirits and she crouched down into her fighter's stance.
Ophelia had backed off, one hand to her side, where the steel had pierced her. Arson seemed to kick start into action. He charged forward, trying to distract Ophelia before she could make another lunge at Ash. Ophelia sensed Arson coming and turned to stare at him. Arson froze, his resolve deserting him. Ophelia laughed scornfully.
'So…you try to fight…but all I have to do is look you in the eyes and you become a coward…what's wrong, Curse?' Ash saw from the corner of her eyes that Rayne was trying to sneak up on her from behind. Yet he was still hesitating. Arson forced himself to meet Ophelia's eyes and his eyes hardened. He launched himself forward, giving vent to a war cry. Minako pulled Rayne back just as Ophelia sidestepped. Arson's sword swung in where Rayne's head had been a moment earlier. Ophelia spun around, catching Minako in the stomach with her blade. Minako fell to the ground, gasping with pain. Rayne gave out a faint cry and knelt down beside her, cradling her in his arms. Ash could see at once that though the wound was deep, she wouldn't die.
At the sight of one of his friends getting hurt, Arson's rage became more and more uncontrollable. Ash knew only too well what would happen if he became utterly outraged. He would turn into his demon. She had to stop that from happening. He would very well kill Ophelia easily, but yet he would then turn on the others and kill them too.
'Arson! Don't fall into her trap, damn it! She wants you to get mad!' Arson was beyond listening. Rayne had risen to his feet again, a red gleam settling into his eyes. He rushed Ophelia quickly and started attacking her with his bare fists, his hesitation gone. Arson came to his senses and stood stock still, trying to quench the flames that had risen in his vision.
Ophelia screamed in pain, before she managed to knock Rayne back. Blackened wings began to burst out from her back. She flapped them once, and a single charred feather fluttered to the ground. Her eyes flickered across the room, coming to land on Arson.
'Savour your last breath, curse!' she hissed. White energy began to collect itself in the palm of her hand. Ash's eyes widened. Arson was still trying to control the demon inside of him. Rayne was too far away to help, having been blasted back and wounded by Ophelia's blade. Minako was still healing. It was all down to her. But what could she do? Her powers were gone…
Ophelia's bruised face smiled almost cheerfully at Arson, who had no idea what was happening. The energy had stopped collecting. Ash watched in horror as she drew back her hand, looking as through she was about to throw a discus. She had no time to act, save to do one thing.
'Arson! Watch out!' Ophelia unleashed the white energy. The large sphere separated out into tiny white spears, which were all pointing towards the struggling hybrid. He opened his eyes to see the energy flying towards him. He gasped and then put up his swords, closing his eyes, shielding his face, as though it would help. He heard someone scream and then there was silence. After a few minutes of this, he hesitantly lowered his blades and opened his eyes. A choked cry escaped his lips.
Ash was standing in front of him, her breath coming in shallow gasps, her clothes torn and bloody. Ophelia looked at her, stunned.
'You would…waste your life…for a curse? For a thing who should be destroyed?' Ash slowly, weakly opened her eyes. She managed a faint scowl.
'You're the…the one who needs…needs to be destroyed!' She suddenly coughed out blood, and fell to the ground, landing in a crumpled heap. Arson knelt down beside her, and saw that her eyes were already clouding over. She was dying. Tears pricked his eyes.
'Ash…no…' He fiercely blinked back his tears and then looked up at the Fallen Angel. 'YOU!' He jumped back up to his feet, the demon fully awakened. Rayne crawled over to Ash's side and cradled her in his arms. Ash's dimmed eyes turned onto him.
'Wh-what's…happening, Rayne?' Rayne shook his head in disbelief but said nothing. Ash stiffened in his arms and cried out in pain. 'Oh Gawd…' Rayne looked around helplessly.
'Ash. Try to heal.'
'I…can't…' Ash coughed again, causing more blood to ooze out of her mouth. Rayne tried to wipe away the red liquid, his eyes shining strangely. Was Rayne…crying? Ash tried to squint her eyes, to see through the fog that was clouding her hearing and vision. She could hear the sound of battle, but it all seemed so bizarrely far away, as though she was listening through a quilt. She gasped as she suddenly felt a strange chilling feeling. She tried to move away from the cold, but the room seemed to swim. And the cold grew worse. It seemed to come from inside her. She could still feel the warmth from Rayne. She clutched onto him, desperate to try and escape the cold but even that little bit of heat was disappearing.
'Rayne…what's happening to me?' Steel clashed against steel, singing the song of death.
'Don't worry…you'll be okay, Ash…you have to be!' The words seemed to bounce around her head without any understanding. Such blinding pain…she had never thought such a great extent of agony could be possible. There was another scream and then silence. She felt movement around her and heard someone sobbing. Another new faint feeling of warmth made itself felt, but it quickly faded.
'Somebody, do something!' said someone, his voice rising with desperation. Ash looked towards the owner of the voice. Arson. But behind him stood someone else. The familiar blood red eyes loomed closer.
'Wh-what's happening to me?' she asked again. Her voice sounded so far away.
Your test has ended. You learnt the last and most important lesson of all. Sacrifice. You sacrificed your own life for Arson's.
'I'm…dying?'
'No Ash! Everything will be okay…I promise…' whispered Arson. Rayne's eyes had widened. Even Ash realised. Only Arson was still trying to fight against the truth. Minako had managed to limp across to the small group of friends. Her eyes widened in horror.
'No…not this…not her…' Ash's eyes were focused on someone. Rayne had at first thought that she had been staring up at Arson, but then he realised that her eyes had slid past him, and was looking into empty space.
Come with me, Arson. It's time to go.
Ash watched as Sparda raised a hand towards her. She raised her hand towards his and grabbed it, finding she could get up easily. Behind her, she heard someone give one last choking breath. She turned around and her eyes widened as she saw her own arm fall limply as death took her. The last thing she remembered before darkness claimed her was seeing Rayne hold Minako close as she wept.