Chapter Eight – Angel's Kiss

It was hot. Vibrant colors appeared to flash around him. His injuries from Luc and Borus ached dully. He couldn't think or see clearly, and he vaguely wondered what was happening to him.

Suddenly, there was a bright pale blue light. It was so bright, it silhouetted the figure before him.

He squinted, trying to make out the figure. Slowly he began to make out the features of an ethereally beautiful woman.

An angel?

He must be dying. Now he'd done it.

This was his angel of death. He just knew it. He could tell from those beautiful, compassionate yet simultaneously distant, blue eyes. They seemed familiar. Perhaps the face of death is familiar to those about to die. He tried squinting past her to catch a glimpse of her wings, but she leaned in close to him, and her face was blocking most of his vision.

The angel's beautiful face moved close to his. He lay very still, watching through half-open eyes, wondering what she was planning on doing. It almost seemed as though she were going to kiss him. Not that he was about to complain if she was.

Sure enough, her lips eventually brushed against his cheek, which were oddly cooling to his warm skin. They remained there for what seemed to be a long time. A few loose strands of the angel's silver hair fell forward and tickled his face.

This must be the angel's kiss of death.

However, Nash smiled weakly at the sensation. This certainly wasn't as bad as he thought dying would be.

The cooling sensation from the angel's lips started to spread, and soon his aches subsided. His entire body felt pleasantly cool, as though he were basking in the lake on a hot summer's day.

Now he was feeling pleasantly drowsy.

But as he was falling asleep, he caught a second glimpse of the angel's blue eyes as she withdrew from him, and he was again perturbed at how familiar they were. His mind was hazy and he could not quite make the connection until she stood up and he saw that the angel was fully clad in iron armor.

Blue eyes. Silver hair. Iron Armor.

...Chris?

------

Nash groggily sat up, finding himself in the bed of Budehuc's Infirmary. The room was bright with the light of the midday sun shinning through the windows.

Memories of the previous night came flooding back to him. He was going to apologize to Chris, but never got a chance to... He had passed out.

How manly.

And Sierra! She had shown up in such an untimely manner. He prayed that Chris had not asked her too many questions.

"You really are an incurable fool."

Nash swiveled his head to see Sierra sitting on a chair at the table on the other side of the room. She held Dominguez Junior in her arms.

"Not you again," Nash groaned, flopping back down on the bed.

"You almost died," she said matter-of-factly.

"I know, the angel of death visited me."

"No angel would ever come for you."

Nash did not reply to her jab. He had just remembered the angel that kissed him had actually been Chris. But that was ridiculous. He couldn't think of a single action that would be more un-Chris-like. It must have just been a fever-induced dream.

"Was...Chris here earlier?" he asked anyway, staring at the ceiling.

"I highly doubt it," Sierra replied with a sniff. "She was very busy getting the knights together this morning, and Tuta and Mio told everyone to let you sleep, because you still had a fever."

"You didn't talk to her, did you?"

"Who?

"Chris."

"What? Of course I talked to her."

Nash sat back up, looking at her carefully. "But I mean, did she ask you any questions?"

Sierra raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Nevermind..." Nash sighed. Sierra wasn't going to tell him anything anyway.

Sierra stood up and walked over to him. "Aren't you even going to ask how your bird is?"

"Do I really need to? He's probably dead."

"What is that supposed to mean!?"

"Only that pretty much every living thing you touch doesn't survive."

Sierra thrust the bird into Nash's arms. "For your information, he's just fine! I heard Tuta telling Mio that he'd be able to fly again soon. He'd been sitting in my lap for the past hour, probably dreading the moment his abusive owner would awaken!"

Nash smirked down at the bird looking curiously up at him. "You traitor," he said to it. He pat the bird's feathers, and was pleased to see his wing was mostly healed.

Nash put the bird aside and threw off the covers. His shirt had been removed, but the wounds from Luc's magic had completely disappeared. He looked in the mirror. The bruise over his eye looked much better, even though he had just acquired it the day before.

"I feel pretty good, for the first time in days," Nash said, turning to Sierra with a grin.

"That is curious... Tuta and Mio are good at what they do, but they didn't seem to think you would awaken this early... They said that you would probably be out for a few days. Regardless, if you had gone to them to start with, you would have been better a long time ago."

"So they've gone?" Nash asked, ignoring the latter part of Sierra's comment. "To the Ceremonial Site?"

Sierra nodded. "If you were actually looking after yourself and doing your job properly, you would know what's going on once in a while. I'd say you've been unconscious for about half the war."

"At least I'm being productive when I can," Nash retorted. "All you've been doing is getting in my way and nagging in my ear like the Old Hag that you are."

"How dare you!"

"Relax and go suck the blood of some helpless animal or something. I have work to do," Nash began looking around for his things.

"Do you really? Well you'll get no help from me this time!" she said angrily.

Nash smirked irritatingly. "I don't need your help. I'm going to the Ceremonial Site. By the time I get there, the Fire Bringer will have penetrated the outer defenses. Then the real fight will begin. I must go help Chris." He put on his belt and sheathed his knife.

"It's always Chris this, Chris that, with you these days," Sierra replied. "I hope you realize she's much too good for you. Too much sense."

Nash stopped and smirked at her. "Why Sierra! You're actually jealous!"

"Don't flatter yourself," she spat. "You're nothing but a mortal, overconfident, bastard."

"Ah, but you want me, nevertheless."

Sierra was incensed. "Of all the arrogant, foolish... A spineless bug is too good for you!"

"That doesn't say much for you then, does it?"

It looked as though Sierra was using a great deal of self-control to keep herself from murdering Nash in cold blood right then and there.

"I have known thousands of people in my lifetime, but I have never hated anyone as much as I hate you," she hissed abrasively.

"I'm honored," Nash replied with a nonchalance that infuriated Sierra even more. "Are you staying here?"

"As apposed to what? Going with you? Forget it!"

"Good, you can look after Dominguez Junior."

"I have better things to do than to look after your neglected pets."

"Fine."

Sierra picked Nash's shirt that was hanging on the back of a chair, and whipped it at him. "Spare my sight and put your shirt on. You physique is hardly what it used to be."

Nash caught the shirt and tugged it on. He put on his coat and scarf, made sure he had all his possessions on him, and then headed for the door. He paused in the doorway.

"You know Sierra, I believe that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"Just get out!"

------

Nash did not reach the Ceremonial Site until the next day. He had been right in assuming that the Fire Bringer would have gotten through Luc's exterior forces, for it was all too quiet outside the ruin.

He entered to find Apple along with many Zexen, Karayan, and Harmonian soldiers guarding the place.

Nash approached her, who looked at him in slight surprise.

"You're Apple, correct?"

She nodded. "And you're Nash. What are you doing here? The troops are either resting up or infiltrating the ruin's interior."

"I'm here to help... Have they caught Luc yet?"

"No, not yet. Hugo, Chris, Geddoe, and Sasarai split up, each taking a party to recover their true runes. Chris and Geddoe came back with theirs, and then went to assist Hugo, it seems."

"Which way did they go?"

"The middle path upstairs, but Nash, I must insist that it's highly dangerous to go there by yourself."

But Nash was already heading up the stairs, and gave Apple a reassuring wink. "Don't worry, 'highly dangerous' is my profession."

------

Perhaps he was overconfident.

Nash considered this as he dodged the giant fist of a stone monster in the ruin's narrow hallway. He panted for breath as he tried in vain to damage the monster with his knife. It had very little effect.

This was the eighth one of these fiends he had encountered, and it was wearing him out. Shamefully, he'd had to run away from every one of them. This one was not likely to be the exception.

Sprinting faster than he ever thought possible at his age, he dodged the monster's swinging fist one last time before escaping around a corner in the hallway.

It was times like these that he missed the Grosser Fluss, a powerful but dangerous weapon he had mastered in his youth. So what if he couldn't tell friend from foe when he yielded it's full power? At least he'd have a chance for survival in a place like this!

After what seemed like hours, he finally made his way to the end of the passage, where he found, to his surprise, Chris, her knights, Hugo, Geddoe, his mercenaries, and Caesar, conversing in front of a large open entrance.

Chris turned her head and spotted him. "Nash!?"

The others stopped talking and turned at to look at Nash.

Nash smirked and bowed his head slightly. "At your service."

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be recovering at Budehuc!" she exclaimed in astonishment.

"Can't keep a good spy down, I'm afraid," Nash replied, trying not to appear too out of breath. "Where's Luc?"

Geddoe pointed at the open entrance. "We think he's in there," the mercenary said. "We're forming the party who will go right now."

"Everyone's got their True Rune back then?" Nash asked.

Hugo, the new Flame Champion, approached him, shaking his head. "Not everyone... Have you seen Bishop Sasarai? Everyone else has returned but him."

"No, I didn't see him back there at all..." Nash replied, feeling slightly concerned. "I suspect he must still be retrieving the True Earth rune."

"We think he may have run into some trouble back there," said Caesar. "Apple told me he took only Dios with him."

"He's no good with a sword," Nash remarked, crossing his arms. "This isn't good. Sasarai has powerful magic, even without his true rune, but in a place like this... I better go find him."

"Are you sure you're well enough for that?" Chris asked. Her forehead was creased with apprehension, and there was not a trace of anger from their previous encounter upon her face.

Nash smiled genuinely at her concern. "I got here, didn't I? I'll manage just fine."

"It's a miracle you did make it here, facing those monsters alone is suicide," replied Caesar, shaking his head.

"I don't want you to go by yourself," Chris said firmly.

"Please allow me to accompany him, lady Chris," a voice from the back of the crowd said.

Nash looked up in astonishment to see Borus walking towards him.

"Borus?" Chris asked, equally surprised.

The blond knight nodded. "Caesar has already established that I will not be fighting Luc alongside of you, milady, and I wish to help any way I can."

Borus met Nash's eyes, but to his further surprise, the knight's expression did not contain the slightest trace of malice.

"Thank you, Borus," Chris said. "Together, I'm confident you'll be okay."

We must hurry," Caesar said suddenly. "Luc isn't going to wait around if we want to stop him."

"Can I just have a quick word with Chris?" Nash asked.

"There's not much time," Caesar replied.

"I assure you, it will be fast," Chris said, to Nash's surprise.

The two of them stepped off to the side.

"What is it?" Chris asked in a low voice as soon as they were out of earshot.

At that moment, Nash wanted nothing more than to tell Chris the truth about everything, like he had intended to the night before. However, he knew from the impatient glances from the others that he did not have the time. He then remembered his fever-induced dream.

"Did you kiss me in the infirmary early this morning?" he heard himself asking.

"W-What?" she gasped, clearly not having expected him to pull her aside to ask such a question.

"On the cheek."

"Nash, there isn't time for this – this nonsense!"

"Just answer the question, please."

"No!"

"'No' you won't answer the question, or 'no' you didn't kiss me."

"Both!"

"Both? You can't say no to both. As soon as you say no to the question, you've answered it."

"You're wasting time!"

He could see she was getting quite flustered. "You did, didn't you?"

"I did nothing of the kind!" she exclaimed, though she avoided his eye.

He continued to press her. "Are you sure?"

"Nash, you had a fever, your face was hot enough to start a fire. You must have been hallucinating," Chris said hurriedly, still using a low voice so that the others couldn't hear.

"Perhaps." Nash could have pursued the fact that, at the moment, her cheeks also looked hot enough to start a fire, but he knew he was running out of time, and so changed the topic.

"Be careful with Luc. You have to live through this so that we can finish our talk from last night," he said.

"Nash, I'm not sure I'll even see you after this."

Nash paused, considering this. "That's right, you're not really the type to stick around for the celebration party, are you?"

"No, but neither are you."

There was a moment of silence that was interrupted by an impatient cough from Caesar.

Nash finally attempted a grin. "Good luck. Don't die."

Chris shook her head, turned from him, and paused. "Good luck to you as well, Nash."

Nash watched as she walked away, following Hugo, Geddoe, and Caesar through the entrance to where Luc was waiting for them.

A/N: I've been agonizing over this chapter for the longest time... It seems that the nearer I get to the end, the harder it gets to write. I feel that I might need to change this chapter, but I'm fairly certain I won't have to. Anyway, This story will be coming to end in a couple of chapters. I hope you have been enjoying it! Thanks again for everyone's continual reviewing and encouragement!