Nahte: Thank you so much for all the kind reviews, especially to Wistful- Eyes, mezu, and Jargonelle!! :D (cheers) I realize that none of my other chapters are as good as my first one, especially my fourth one, but I hope I'll get better as the time goes.....well, enjoy this chapter! And you'll realize that I've changed my disclaimer too. Didn't like the last one. XD XD XD
Disclaimers: Thus the word, fanfiction.
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Glorious Battle
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After Shadii had gone to bed, I got up as quietly as I can and walked up to the top of the fortress, where I had shouted orders to my men just a few hours ago. Chilly night wind whipped at my face, but I paid no attention to it as I leaned on the wall, waiting. Soon, I found my gaze wandering around the battlefield. With my sharp vision, I could see through the dim darkness and I could see the bodies scattered upon the site of the battle.
Now that I look back on it, I think myself strange because that sad, bloody sight did not stir anything inside me. Just hatred and remorse toward the Man Slayers for reducing my force, thus reducing my chance of defeating them. No sadness, grief, or sorrow. Just...hatred.
I stood there, thinking about how I was going to defeat the terrible tribe with the decreased army that I had and claim my glory as a hero.
Glory. Fame. Wealth.
What I had wanted back then.
All I had wanted.
The three things that occupied my mind and soul, the three things that fueled me, inspired me to move on, drove me to the ruthless, cold creature I was.
Even the death of the loyal Ignatio was pushed out of my mind as the thirst, the intense need for glory made its way in.
The death of these warriors are acceptable, I told myself. After all, this was what they were born to do; to live, fight, and die on a battlefield.
"Sad, isn't it?" spoke a voice through the darkness, shattering my thoughts.
"What?" I snapped, not understanding what the voice meant for a split moment. "Oh, the bodies."
"Yes," it replied. "It is worse here than it is at the Man Slayers' camp, I see. There are much more bodies here." I turned toward the owner of the voice and bowed.
"You have finally arrived, Lady Mai. I have been waiting for you."
"Yes," she said with an apologetic tone in her voice, her face still concealed in the darkness. "I'm sorry that I wasn't able to tell you about the decoys...."
"It is alright," I cut her off before she can say anything else. "You have made back from the Man Slayers' camp, alive. That is a great accomplishment on its own. No spy had ever made back from a Man Slayer camp."
She laughed.
"Sir Kaiba, you continue to flatter me," she said, giggling. "But all the other spies were men," she said in a playful way. Then her tone became suddenly businesslike.
"The Man Slayers are preparing to launch a surprise attack tomorrow," she said, also leaning against the wall. "They are going to use their demonic wolves and their Riders—"
"Wait, Riders??" I interrupted. Riders? The wolves weren't large enough for any person to ride on it!
"Yes, Riders," she said patiently, apparently not perturbed by my rudeness. "They're demonic wolves; they can change their size. Not at their own will, but at the Tamer's will."
I bit my lips. And I thought they were hard to defeat yesterday, when they weren't as large!
"Anyway, once they have crushed your forces with the Riders, they will send their entire army and by combining their human force and the wolves, they plan to devastate the fortress, and into the Kingdom. You had better have a plan to stop them."
"Don't....do you have any suggestions?" I asked hopefully. But I knew what the answer was.
"No," she said simply, turning away. "I am a spy, not a strategist."
"Do you think the Ji'ns would stand a chance?" I called after her. She stopped, and looked back.
"Personally, I think it was a bad idea," she said thoughtfully, her walk slowing to a casual stroll. "But...I rather like the fact that Lord Joey is here." She smiled. I could sense it.
She was in love with him, and he, her. It was natural that she would be happy that he was here.
"It's actually his sister that's here," I informed her. She let out a small, thoughtful noise.
"His sister, eh? You mean Serenity?"
"Yes, yes, her." I was glad that it was dark out; I was blushing, remembering the brief moment between us at the castle.
"Well, good luck, I must be getting back; they are probably going to be suspicious if I don't come back anytime soon." With that, she blended into the darkness and was gone, leaving me with my own thoughts again.
I don't know how long I stood there, watching the battlefield and wondering aimlessly; I jumped slightly when I heard a voice speaking from the darkness again.
"Sir....Kaiba?" the voice was gentle, much too gentle to belong to Mai. Besides, she would have been long gone by now.
"Yes, it's me," I said without looking back, a note of annoyance seeping through my tone. I wanted to be alone at this moment—just me, and the fallen warriors and my thoughts. "And who might you be?"
"Serenity Wheeler, if you do recall, sir," said the auburn-haired girl, stepping fully onto the fortress's large platform.
I choked. I wasn't expecting her, out of all the people.
"What...is it?" I asked once I had finally regained my voice. In her white, floaty nightgown, she looked like an angel from the above, sent to this sinful world to heal it.
"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd look at the site of the battle and memorize it....but apparently, I don't have as sharp as sight as I thought," she replied softly, evidently intimidated by the irritation in my voice.
"I can still smell the scent of blood," she continued, in a saddened tone. "The poor warriors....." Then she made the traditional Egyptus's sign of the prayer for the dead.
I rolled my eyes. Why did she care? She was a noble, they were peasants. Dirt. Their lives good for nothing except for digging the earth and fighting in the battlefields.
Sentimental. She was too sentimental for times like these.
"Why do you care?" I suddenly demanded, unable to stand the silence any longer. "Why do you care? These warriors—all peasants, their lives worth virtually nothing. No better than livestock, almost. Why do you care, when no one else does?"
There was a moment of stunned silence and she didn't speak for a full moment. When she had started talking again, her gentle voice was shaking with suppressed rage.
"Nothing, did you say, sir?" she said, her honey eyes narrowed angrily at me. "They are humans, just like you and me. They have dreams—they had hopes, wishes, families, and children. How can you say that they are no better than livestock?!!"
I merely scowled. Hopes? Dreams? These peasants? Never.
"No one else cares, you say, Sir Kaiba?!" her voice contained open anger now as the night wind blew around us both, as if wanting to circle us and calm us down. But it was too late for that. "It is you who do not care! You are the one with the heart of ice; do not think all the rest of us are like you! It is you who are no better than livestock; you have no emotions, like a proper human should!"
She dare to put me down? To degrade me even lower than the peasants?! She goes too far. I, one of the famous knights of the King himself, below the peasants? Nonsense!! She does not know her place, to be speaking like that to me at all!
"Lower than dirt, you say?" I said as smoothly and as coldly as possible, not letting her see the rage boiling inside me. "Me, the great knight of the King? One of the most renowned heroes of all time? Then what does that make you, a mere girl, if I am no better than dirt?" I smirked in satisfaction as she stood there, fuming, unable to say anything back.
"What everyone says is right," she said in a dry voice, dripping with disgust. She then whirled away from me and stormed toward the steps leading to the heart of the fortress, to her quarters. "You are an arrogant, self- centered, egotistical, and conceited jerk."
I stood there, dumbfounded by her sudden outburst even after she was long gone.
What everyone says? Is that what they called me, an egotistical jerk?
Why should I care what everyone says about me, as long as the King favors me as one of his great knights? Why should I care whether others talked behind my back, called me arrogant, egotistical, or a bastard?
And why should I care about what this girl called me, thought about me?
She was a self-degrading noble; no better than peasants—no, worse that peasants.
Why did I care?
Why did I feel a sudden stab on my chest, a feeling that I have not felt for a long, long time?
Why....?
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Nahte: Ugh, I don't like this chapter. . My writing's getting worse with each chapter!! O.o
Mel: And this chapter was not sad, not sad at all.
Cricket: Well, she can't write even if her life depended on it!
Nahte: (glaaaare)............(sob)
Mel: (rolls eyes) Humans. (pats Nahte's back anyway)
Cricket: (sigh) Since both them are out, let me do the honors; review, please! Your reviews are what inspires Nahte......(gags)
Disclaimers: Thus the word, fanfiction.
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Glorious Battle
---
After Shadii had gone to bed, I got up as quietly as I can and walked up to the top of the fortress, where I had shouted orders to my men just a few hours ago. Chilly night wind whipped at my face, but I paid no attention to it as I leaned on the wall, waiting. Soon, I found my gaze wandering around the battlefield. With my sharp vision, I could see through the dim darkness and I could see the bodies scattered upon the site of the battle.
Now that I look back on it, I think myself strange because that sad, bloody sight did not stir anything inside me. Just hatred and remorse toward the Man Slayers for reducing my force, thus reducing my chance of defeating them. No sadness, grief, or sorrow. Just...hatred.
I stood there, thinking about how I was going to defeat the terrible tribe with the decreased army that I had and claim my glory as a hero.
Glory. Fame. Wealth.
What I had wanted back then.
All I had wanted.
The three things that occupied my mind and soul, the three things that fueled me, inspired me to move on, drove me to the ruthless, cold creature I was.
Even the death of the loyal Ignatio was pushed out of my mind as the thirst, the intense need for glory made its way in.
The death of these warriors are acceptable, I told myself. After all, this was what they were born to do; to live, fight, and die on a battlefield.
"Sad, isn't it?" spoke a voice through the darkness, shattering my thoughts.
"What?" I snapped, not understanding what the voice meant for a split moment. "Oh, the bodies."
"Yes," it replied. "It is worse here than it is at the Man Slayers' camp, I see. There are much more bodies here." I turned toward the owner of the voice and bowed.
"You have finally arrived, Lady Mai. I have been waiting for you."
"Yes," she said with an apologetic tone in her voice, her face still concealed in the darkness. "I'm sorry that I wasn't able to tell you about the decoys...."
"It is alright," I cut her off before she can say anything else. "You have made back from the Man Slayers' camp, alive. That is a great accomplishment on its own. No spy had ever made back from a Man Slayer camp."
She laughed.
"Sir Kaiba, you continue to flatter me," she said, giggling. "But all the other spies were men," she said in a playful way. Then her tone became suddenly businesslike.
"The Man Slayers are preparing to launch a surprise attack tomorrow," she said, also leaning against the wall. "They are going to use their demonic wolves and their Riders—"
"Wait, Riders??" I interrupted. Riders? The wolves weren't large enough for any person to ride on it!
"Yes, Riders," she said patiently, apparently not perturbed by my rudeness. "They're demonic wolves; they can change their size. Not at their own will, but at the Tamer's will."
I bit my lips. And I thought they were hard to defeat yesterday, when they weren't as large!
"Anyway, once they have crushed your forces with the Riders, they will send their entire army and by combining their human force and the wolves, they plan to devastate the fortress, and into the Kingdom. You had better have a plan to stop them."
"Don't....do you have any suggestions?" I asked hopefully. But I knew what the answer was.
"No," she said simply, turning away. "I am a spy, not a strategist."
"Do you think the Ji'ns would stand a chance?" I called after her. She stopped, and looked back.
"Personally, I think it was a bad idea," she said thoughtfully, her walk slowing to a casual stroll. "But...I rather like the fact that Lord Joey is here." She smiled. I could sense it.
She was in love with him, and he, her. It was natural that she would be happy that he was here.
"It's actually his sister that's here," I informed her. She let out a small, thoughtful noise.
"His sister, eh? You mean Serenity?"
"Yes, yes, her." I was glad that it was dark out; I was blushing, remembering the brief moment between us at the castle.
"Well, good luck, I must be getting back; they are probably going to be suspicious if I don't come back anytime soon." With that, she blended into the darkness and was gone, leaving me with my own thoughts again.
I don't know how long I stood there, watching the battlefield and wondering aimlessly; I jumped slightly when I heard a voice speaking from the darkness again.
"Sir....Kaiba?" the voice was gentle, much too gentle to belong to Mai. Besides, she would have been long gone by now.
"Yes, it's me," I said without looking back, a note of annoyance seeping through my tone. I wanted to be alone at this moment—just me, and the fallen warriors and my thoughts. "And who might you be?"
"Serenity Wheeler, if you do recall, sir," said the auburn-haired girl, stepping fully onto the fortress's large platform.
I choked. I wasn't expecting her, out of all the people.
"What...is it?" I asked once I had finally regained my voice. In her white, floaty nightgown, she looked like an angel from the above, sent to this sinful world to heal it.
"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd look at the site of the battle and memorize it....but apparently, I don't have as sharp as sight as I thought," she replied softly, evidently intimidated by the irritation in my voice.
"I can still smell the scent of blood," she continued, in a saddened tone. "The poor warriors....." Then she made the traditional Egyptus's sign of the prayer for the dead.
I rolled my eyes. Why did she care? She was a noble, they were peasants. Dirt. Their lives good for nothing except for digging the earth and fighting in the battlefields.
Sentimental. She was too sentimental for times like these.
"Why do you care?" I suddenly demanded, unable to stand the silence any longer. "Why do you care? These warriors—all peasants, their lives worth virtually nothing. No better than livestock, almost. Why do you care, when no one else does?"
There was a moment of stunned silence and she didn't speak for a full moment. When she had started talking again, her gentle voice was shaking with suppressed rage.
"Nothing, did you say, sir?" she said, her honey eyes narrowed angrily at me. "They are humans, just like you and me. They have dreams—they had hopes, wishes, families, and children. How can you say that they are no better than livestock?!!"
I merely scowled. Hopes? Dreams? These peasants? Never.
"No one else cares, you say, Sir Kaiba?!" her voice contained open anger now as the night wind blew around us both, as if wanting to circle us and calm us down. But it was too late for that. "It is you who do not care! You are the one with the heart of ice; do not think all the rest of us are like you! It is you who are no better than livestock; you have no emotions, like a proper human should!"
She dare to put me down? To degrade me even lower than the peasants?! She goes too far. I, one of the famous knights of the King himself, below the peasants? Nonsense!! She does not know her place, to be speaking like that to me at all!
"Lower than dirt, you say?" I said as smoothly and as coldly as possible, not letting her see the rage boiling inside me. "Me, the great knight of the King? One of the most renowned heroes of all time? Then what does that make you, a mere girl, if I am no better than dirt?" I smirked in satisfaction as she stood there, fuming, unable to say anything back.
"What everyone says is right," she said in a dry voice, dripping with disgust. She then whirled away from me and stormed toward the steps leading to the heart of the fortress, to her quarters. "You are an arrogant, self- centered, egotistical, and conceited jerk."
I stood there, dumbfounded by her sudden outburst even after she was long gone.
What everyone says? Is that what they called me, an egotistical jerk?
Why should I care what everyone says about me, as long as the King favors me as one of his great knights? Why should I care whether others talked behind my back, called me arrogant, egotistical, or a bastard?
And why should I care about what this girl called me, thought about me?
She was a self-degrading noble; no better than peasants—no, worse that peasants.
Why did I care?
Why did I feel a sudden stab on my chest, a feeling that I have not felt for a long, long time?
Why....?
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Nahte: Ugh, I don't like this chapter. . My writing's getting worse with each chapter!! O.o
Mel: And this chapter was not sad, not sad at all.
Cricket: Well, she can't write even if her life depended on it!
Nahte: (glaaaare)............(sob)
Mel: (rolls eyes) Humans. (pats Nahte's back anyway)
Cricket: (sigh) Since both them are out, let me do the honors; review, please! Your reviews are what inspires Nahte......(gags)