Death lies on her, like an untimely frost upon the sweetest flower of all the field.
~Romeo & Juliet, Act IV, Scene 4~
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Chapter 30
His requiem for her
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"The requiem for the loveliest dead that ever died so young."
~Edgar Allan Poe~
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Takashi, though wanting to stay near to Kyo, had to bow to reason. With his presence there, it will only serve as bait for Aki. He had no doubt that this Aki would not hesitate to use him as leverage if the fight didn't turn her way. So he placed himself away from the center of the battle. Far enough that he won't disrupt their fight, but near enough in case Kyo needed his help.
His ofudas had long run out and Takashi had resorted to his blade. It was a good thing that most of the demons weren't good in coordinated fighting. His skill less than Kyo's, it took quite a bit of effort for him to make sure his head stayed attached to his body. But even amidst battle, he never lost track of Kyo. He watched with a heavy heart as Kyo obviously stalled, hesitant to truly hurt Aki while she herself took great delight in bleeding him open.
But as much as his heart cried out for the pain Kyo must be feeling, both pjysically and emotionally; to kill his own daughter, Takashi knew that it wasn't his fight. He couldn't. . .no, he didn't have the right to interfere. If he did, if he was the one to deliver the killing blow, he knew that Kyo would not be able to forgive him. Despite he himself not having the heart to kill Aki. So Takashi watched from the sidelines, even as he fought his own battles with demons. When Kyo threw up his screen of fire, only to have Aki stabbing him in the stomach with the otherworldly blade, Takashi's mouth turned dry with fear. He shook off the demon he was engaged in and ran to Kyo, forgetting all his earlier promise to not interfere. But he had yet to go five steps when a body slammed heavily into him, throwing and pinning him to the ground.
Takashi swore, until red blood dripped down his face. The one pinning him down was a Shinigami. A dead Shinigami as the headless corpse attested to be. Holding back his bile, Takashi rolled the corpse off of him and staggered to his feet. There was a dizzying confusion of guttural howls and crashing swords until a break in the fighting allowed him through. His panic subsided though, when he saw Kyo alive and unharmed and if anything, he now gave as good as he got. Aki was stumbling, looking confused and bewildered as Kyo's moves were now infused with deadly grace.
Takashi paled. He knew what that meant. It meant that Kyo was ready to kill.
He opened his mouth, to say something? To call out? To stop Kyo from doing something he will never forgive himself for? He wasn't sure. But before he could, Kyo's blade had rammed through helpless cloth and flesh to bury deep in Aki's chest.
The world stilled. At least, it did for him. The roars of the battle silenced underneath a blanket of felt and the air felt inordinately dry and stale. A fine tremor overtook his body. He felt Kyo's grief and disbelief as clearly as if it was his own. Kyo still held his sword tightly and his grip on it prevented Aki from even swaying where she stood. He could see her mouth working futilely, saying something that he could not hear. But whatever she said, Kyo's pale face blanched even further until his pale blue eyes blazed forth with wild emotion.
Kyo let go of his sword as though it was a poised snake. Stumbling, Aki smiled bloodily and fell to the ground. She lay on her back, eyes wide and staring to the indifferent sky above, that expression of disbelief still etched so clearly on her face. Her limbs were sprawled in childish abandon, the previously white shikifuku stained with the red of blood and brown of dirt.
"Aki."
It was a low cry, barely a whisper but Takashi heard it as clearly as though he stood by Kyo's side. It was the cry that prompted him to move, shaking him out of his shock-induced stupor. The cry uttered was completely blank of the emotion that colored his eyes.
But before he could, as luck had it, a hard blow came from behind him. Whatever it was, the clout was strong enough to send shimmers of stars against the deep black that crowded his vision. Takashi fought valiantly against it, falling to his knees and gasping for breath. But before he could rally another effort, another blow came and this time, the black claimed him without mercy.
The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was another cry of "Aki."
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Raagatenasu, Commander of the Second Regiment of Makai, wiped his bloodied fist almost casually against his armor. The sprawled form of the Shinigami he had felled with bored ease showed the force of the blow he gave. Blood flowed freely from a grievous head wound. But that was of little matter to a Shinigami, he knew. He scowled again, wondering at the oddity of the orders he was given.
This Shinigami had been marked out earlier by Hino himself. Raagatenasu had taken the personal order with gloved fist slammed against his breastplate in a mark of salute. His order was simple; stop this Shinigami from reaching Aki and the Shinigami Kyo. Do whatever you have to but do not kill him. He must not die. Just inconvenienced.
Raagatenasu shrugged diffidently. Who was he to question the logic of the Mad God? He was a soldier and he had been given orders. Kicking the unconscious form one last time, the demon was satisfied that the Shinigami would be out cold for at least ten minutes. That would be enough. Spinning around, he didn't bother with a second glance. He had a war to take care of.
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There was a sudden lull in the fighting, as though each demon, angel and Shinigami had heard something just beyond the range of hearing and each had paused to hear it better. There was now only the sound of harsh breathing as demon, angel and human eyes swiveled to the point where that indistinct whisper seemed to emanate from. The pair stood in the center of the battle site. One male, one female. One standing, one lying in a broken heap on the ground with tempered steel through frail flesh.
The side of good, angels and Shinigami, should rejoice. For isn't that what they were fighting for? To stop at all costs, the demon spawn that was the now-dead girl? Because she would have unleashed Hell on earth, had done so even with only her 'father's' intervention closing the gates of the flood.
But instead of joy, victory or elation crowding their chest, the brilliant blue of the eyes of the angels died until it was only masses of floating, sullen embers. Golden swords hung limply from gauntleted hands and massive, dove-white wings drooped as with wonder and awe, each indifferent Warrior of Heaven's Army felt tears run down their ageless faces beneath golden helms. They were crying.
And instead of feeling weary relief at least, that no more of their numbers would die tonight, those who deal in death, the Shinigami, oddly enough, felt. . . .regret. One of their own had been forced to kill. That was normal enough. As Shinigami, murder is part of the job. But never had one of their own been forced to kill one of their flesh-and-blood. Never mind that the said flesh-and-blood was wrought of dark demon magic. Never mind that she was the key to destroy the world. Each Shinigami, those who knew Kyo or not, cried for him.
And the demons? Who knows what runs through the minds of such foul creatures. But they must have felt something as well for they did not seek to take the advantage of having their foes crippled with despair and grief. Their wild lust for blood was temporarily quenched as emotions, foreign ones at that, cried a lament in their ears. They did not fathom it, did not understand it. But they felt compelled to listen to it anyway.
So where there had previously been a battle to decide the fate of the world with the forces of Heaven and Hell arrayed against each other, each soldier now stood stock still. They did not try to lift their swords nor their clawed hands. They didn't even try to staunch the flow of blood from gaping wounds and prop broken wings. They fell silent and still because a requiem was being played. It was neither heard nor seen. But it was there, in the air.
The requiem came from the one who murdered his own child. But it wasn't a song nor a cry. It was indescribable, intangible. He wasn't even aware of it himself. But a deeper part of him was and it was that part that played the lament.
And his requiem will destroy the world.
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The sword vibrated still from the impact of hapless flesh against hard earth. He could feel sticky drops of blood on his face, his hands splattered with it as well. Those blood spots burned deep into his skin, sizzling flesh and bone and tore away the walls he kept up to preserve his sanity. There was a hum. A hum that grew in pitch until it was a high buzzing that pierced through his soul. With the crescendo, something broke free in his mind.
It was the snapping of a slim thread.
Or was it the snapping of a thousand threads of a torn tapestry?
Feeling all of a sudden boneless, Kyo dropped to the ground beside his daughter who was still staring up to the night sky with focused concentration. He looked up as well, wondering what it was that was so compelling that it held Aki's complete attention.
All he saw were stars, the moon and a black sky. Nothing beyond the ordinary. Puzzled, Kyo looked down again to stare quizzically at Aki. She was still staring. She had fallen asleep with her eyes open? Numb hands, still sticky with spilled liquid no no it isn't blood, isn't, isn't is not shook Aki's shoulder gently.
[Snap snap snap.]
"Aki," he called. No response. "Aki?"
"Well, well, well," A figure crouched suddenly across him, the still-warm body of Aki she's just sleeping between them. "I didn't really expect you to go through with it," the newcomer said casually. He was young, around Kyo's age. He knew this man. . .Hino? Who was he? Whoever he was, he had a beauty that was beyond understanding. Not that Kyo bothered to. He was worried about Aki. Why was she sleeping on the ground like this? His lack of response seemed to trigger something in Hino and his attention sharpened ever so slightly. "Kyo?"
Kyo shook Aki's shoulder again. "She won't wake up!" Kyo said, frustrated. "She's going to be late for school! And I'm her teacher. What will the kids say if I let her go late?"
Hino blinked flame-colored eyes slowly, as though he couldn't believe what he heard. But like quicksilver, that disbelief which so mirrored Aki's changed to one of calculating delight.
"She's sleeping Kyo?" he asked with innocent brightness.
"Are you blind?" Kyo asked crossly. "Of course she is!"
Hino shook his head mournfully. "I'm sorry, of course you're right. Still, if she's just sleeping, what's with the sword?"
"Huh?"
Hino gestured patiently. "The sword Kyo. Your sword which is currently skewering your little daughter Aki like a pig. The same sword which killed her, if I'm correct. Which you yourself did."
It was like a magnet, drawing his eyes away from the pale visage of his daughter to the length of bared steel which, as Hino had so elegantly put it, skewered Aki. Its point sank deep into her chest and judging by its depth, Kyo could tell that it had probably pierced out to the other side. What on earth was a sword doing there?! It would hurt Aki!
He grasped the pommel with shaky hands but before he could remove the sword, Hino's own hands covered his, forcing his grip to stay.
"Look again, Kyo," Hino commanded. "Aki isn't sleeping. She's dead. She's dead and you killed her. Remember?"
No no don't look! He's lying! It's not blood! She isn't dead! Kyo looked down again and this time, recognized that empty look in pale gray eyes. He had seen it often as a Shinigami. It was the look of death. "She's dead," Kyo said dumbly.
[The tapestry had lost its patterns. It is now merely a disintegrating lump of threads that once had shape and texture.]
[Snap snap snap.]
"That's right," Hino smiled encouragingly. "She's dead. So is Takashi."
His head snapped up in disbelief. "What?"
Hino gestured to a spot not far from them. Kyo turned to look and amidst the still figures, he could make out Takashi's brown jacket and jean-clad legs, sprawled in abandon across the damp ground. What little he saw was splashed liberally with blood. Just like Aki.
"He's dead," he said.
[There is no more threads to be cut. No more weave to be destroyed. There is nothing.]
"Very good, Kyo," Hino patting his hand condescendingly. "Everyone you ever cared about is dead. Ayame, Aki, Takashi. . .your parents. You're just a walking jinx, aren't you?"
Kyo managed to move numb lips. "Takashi."
"But I don't blame you," Hino tsked sadly. "It's not your fault that you have so much power that people are willing to go to great lengths to get it. Did you know that? Did you ever wonder why the police or firefighters couldn't figure out the cause of the fire that killed your parents?"
Kyo shook his head.
"That's because it wasn't ordinary fire Kyo. It was Hellfire. Nothing on earth can withstand it. Nor does it leave a trace. Makai has set its sights on you for a long time. Too bad your parents got in the way."
"They died. . .because of me?"
"Yes. But you knew that already. You've been blaming yourself for it for years. This is just to confirm your suspicions on that," Hino grinned. "But really, all these death for your powers? You know what you should do Kyo?"
"What?" Kyo asked blankly.
"You should give it to them. Your powers. They want it so badly after all. So just give it to them. All of it. Everything. All at once. They want it so bad, they're going to get it. Who cares if you destroy the world in the process?"
Kyo shook his head again. "But. . .I can't do that. . .can't destroy. . ." His hands moved through his hair, pulling and tugging absently at the black locks. Each tug became more and more ferocious as he repeated, "Can't destroy. . .can't. . .bad. . ."
Hino waved a negligent hand. "Come, come, Kyo. Your parents died saving you, Takashi's dead through no fault of his own and you just killed your own daughter. What else is there for you?"
[The barriers have fallen. The sanity is but a dream. The weave is meaningless.]
His fingers ceased their mindless mauling of his hair. The face he presented to Hino was shockingly pale, the pale irises of his eyes seemingly leached of all colour until only the black rings could be seen. "Nothing," Kyo whispered.
"That's right," Hino nodded encouragingly. "Nothing. Just. . .let it go, Kyo. Let it all go."
"Let it all go?" Kyo said wonderingly. He stared down at his hands, fingers curling and uncurling reflexively. "Because they want it? Ne?" Kyo nodded woodenly, answering himself. "Yes. Let it all go." He got to his feet, stumbling a bit but kept his balance. He glanced aside and saw Hino nodding again, still smiling. He faced forwards again, still seeing nothing but Aki's pale face and Takashi's still form. He raised his hands, palms up to the sky and like Hino said, he let go.
He let go of all the restraints he had put on his own powers. Powers that rivaled Tsuzuki's on his own if left unchecked and his palms fairly glowed with an incandescent light. But this time, Kyo wasn't going to rely merely on his own inherent magic. No, for this, he will use his power to call forth more. He will awaken the earth and he will destroy it.
Just like everything he ever had was destroyed.
And he chanted the words that will begin the Apocalypse.
"I call upon the Air that breathed life."
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I call upon Air that breathed life
Hear my words and heed them true
For the life that had been taken by strife
Rise and make them rue!
I call upon Water of the Seven Seas
Hear my words and heed them true
For my grief and torn peace
Rise and make them rue!
I call upon Fire from the forges of Heaven
Hear my words and heed them true
For this damned soul which has no haven
Rise and make them rue!
I call upon the Earth that slumbers
Hear my words and heed them true
Feel my sorrow and anger
Rise and make them rue!
Awaken and let them fear your might!
Awaken, arise and tear asunder this night!
Avenge me!
Awaken!
"Oh god, no," Hisoka breathed softly. His eyes were wide and transfixed with awe and dread as his friend, his own friend whom he laughed, joked and got angry with, tried to destroy the world.
No, not try. He will. The incantation Kyo uttered were wrought from pure force. Even at this distance Hisoka could tell that the same fierce light that blazed forth from his hands, glowed in his eyes as well. Shiozaki Kyo was no longer among them. This person before them had lost his identity and self to rage and despair. He cried for the elements to avenge his grief and with his birth-born powers over them, they listened. They heard his call and they awoke.
Lightning flashed from a cloudless sky and thunder exploded with the force of bombs. The wind, which had fallen earlier in the battle now rose to a shrieking devil, whipping their hair in tangles and freezing them where they stood. The earth which they trod upon groaned a deep, subterranean sound. Hisoka is a Japanese. He knew what that sound meant. The earth was tearing itself open.
"Oh my god," Tsuzuki echoed him. His face was pale as he plucked insistently at Hisoka's sleeve. "Hisoka! Look!" He pointed a trembling hand to the north.
The field they were in sloped gently to a sandy beach, uninhabited by anyone save for a few gulls. The waves which had crashed onto the beach in a gentle roar now coalesced into a wall that towered over fifty feet high. It was a neverending tsunami that oddly enough, didn't crash upon them. It seemed to be feeding its own momentum instead, building up again and again until the waves appeared to touch the very heavens.
The other Shinigami, finally shaken out of their dazed stupor realized the danger they were in. Panicked shouts filled the air and more than one tried to stop Kyo by flinging whatever ofuda they had left. But all the talismans they used burst into ashes the instant they said the incantations. There was just too much magic in the air for ofuda to work. But the angels and demons though, didn't panic. They resumed the dropped battle and once again, blood and feathers flew through the air.
"Shit," Hisoka swore. "Hurry! We have to snap him out of it!"
Tsuzuki nodded and they both ran to Kyo, ignoring the waves of magic that rolled outwards with Kyo at its center. But it was easier said than done. They were barely ten feet away from Kyo when they were abruptly thrown back. A kekkai surrounded Kyo, preventing anyone from entering. Within it, at his feet lay Aki and just behind with a little smile on his face, was Hino.
Hisoka groaned, sitting up and rubbing at a bloodied spot at the back of his head. Tsuzuki picked himself up and extended a hand to Hisoka. He took it and they both stood, stumbling a little as the groans of the earth turned into deep rumbles.
"It's no use you know," came Hino's observation. Kyo had fallen silent at the end of his incantation but his eyes were still glowing brightly. He swayed where he stood, hands weaving a complicated rhythm in the air that none but him understood. He giggled.
"He's completely crazy now," Hino remarked again. He didn't seem concerned about the fact that he stood at the very nexus of the powers that will destroy earth. Casually at ease, he stood and brushed off the dirt from his robes. "There's nothing you can do. He's beyond recall. Even for me."
"What are you doing this for?" Tsuzuki called desperately. "He won't just stop at this! He'll destroy everything!"
Hino cocked his head to the side and smiled quizzically. "Of course. That's what I want him to do after all."
"You bastard."
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"You bastard."
Tsuzuki and Hisoka spun around, to see Takashi between Watari and Tatsumi, the both of them propping him up. Blood was still flowing sluggishly from an open temple wound. But Takashi shook off their help and strode up to them, stopping before the very edges of the kekkai.
"Kyo!" he called out. "Kyo! Listen! It's me! Takashi! Please, please stop Kyo!"
Kyo ignored him, hands still dancing that complicated rhythm. Hino peered over his shoulder, propping his chin on it and smiled. "What are you doing Kyo?"
Kyo giggled again. That giggle, coupled with the glowing eyes, scared the hell out of Takashi. Hino was right. Kyo had completely lost his mind. He could barely feel the deep connection they had. It was distorted with static by all the pure magic that soaked the air. It leeched into his bones and he had to grit his teeth against it.
"I'm going to destroy everything!" Kyo sang out. His hands started to move faster. "Yes, yes, yes! Destroy! Destroy! Make them all go poof!"
"Kyo! Please! You don't want to do this!" Takashi pleaded. But he need not waste his breath. Whatever new spell Kyo was doing appeared to reach completion. His hands clapped close in a gesture Takashi and the others realized as the closing of a spell. With that clap, the lightning and thunder ceased, the tsunami disappeared, the howling wind died and the earth ceased its rumbling.
But far from being comforted, the Shinigami exchanged uneasy glances. This sudden peace bode ill. It was the calm before the storm. But at least, it managed to get the angels and demons to stop fighting again. Instead, they too shifted uneasily on their feet.
There was the bitter taint of ozone in the air. Hino, still with his chin propped negligently on Kyo's shoulder frowned briefly as Kyo laughed brightly and brought his hands up in a quick, jerking movement. That frown cleared in an instant and horrified disbelief replaced it.
"No!" he shouted and fell back from Kyo.
The ground right before Kyo's feet erupted in a shower of earth. The rumbling started again but was localized in Kyo's little kekkai. Aki's body was thrown aside like a rag doll, Kyo paying her no heed. His fascination seemed concentrated solely on what he had summoned.
Takashi and the other Shinigami didn't have long to wait. A silver light burst forth from the hole torn in the ground. A deep, belling tone rang in the air. It was a note that defied description. It sounded like a paean. But it also sounded like the tolling of death bells. That spill of silver light grew brighter and began to rise. Something long and slim, encased in that light, rose up as well. When it was at least a foot taller than Kyo, it stopped, hovering in the air.
Whatever it was, the Shinigami did not know. But the demons and angels apparently did. Though the light had yet to die and reveal the form within it, the demons and angels shrieked as one. The Shinigami jumped, startled as demons ran amok, trying to break free form the barriers that still surround the island. But their crazed stampede only brought death as an instant contact with the barriers electrocuted them into charred, smoking flesh. The smell of burnt flesh mixed with the iron tang of ozone caused more than a few of the Shinigami to retch. Matters were made worse when the angels also went berserk. They lifted themselves into the air, wings beating madly but they too fell back to the ground in ruined mess.
The Shinigami grouped closely together and viewed Kyo and Hino still in that kekkai with growing horror. Whatever it was the Kyo summoned had the power to drive demons and angels into suicidal frenzy. Kyo clapped his hands and crowed in delight.
"Kyo," Takashi said hoarsely, breaking the sudden silence. "What did you do?"
But like before, he was ignored. The bright silver light had died down and at last, they saw what it was that Kyo had summoned from the bowels of the earth.
It was a spear.
The shaft was pure black and appeared as hard as obsidian. It refracted the light into rainbow shimmers which sparkled long in the air, longer than normal. The blade itself was made of the same material, the point wickedly sharp. The blade and shaft were joined seamlessly and again, that same paean cum death toll rang the air.
It was Watari who gave name to the feeling of compounded dread that filled their hearts at the sight of the spear.
His voice was awed.
"The Jeweled Spear."
He turned to Takashi who stared back with frightened eyes.
"It's Ama-no-Nuboko."
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to be continued
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And he sang a song of death and lo! They tremble with fear!
~Shiozaki~
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