Disclaimer: I do not own Megami Kohousei, only Ernest's angst and 34's evilness.
Warnings: Mild violence. Hints of shounen-ai?
Notes: I was quite happy with this chapter; it's almost twice as long as my usual ones. Anyway, I want to thank reviewers GoldenWings and animechick for their comments. I also want to say hi to new reviewer Skydancer. And since yele is my beta reader - Trista and Kay, are you guys still out there? As always, please R&R.
Chapter 5 - Broken Wings
Ernest was dreaming again. For a moment, the white world glowed a bright pink…and everything smelled like strawberry cake. He laughed. From the sky, a white bird was flying towards him. With a flurry of wings, it suddenly landed before him. The pinkness of the world reverted back to its serene white. In the soft grass, the bird began to take shaky steps in his direction. It arched its delicate neck toward him. It was very close.
Ernest realized it was reaching out for him. He held his breath, and began to reach back.
The pain hit him like a tornado. His arm felt like a rubber band stretched too tight. It hurt. It hurt so much. The bird was mere inches before him, but the spaced yawned like an eternity between them. The pain, it was too much. He panicked. He knew he couldn't do it…he couldn't…he wouldn't…he withdrew his hand. The bird began to disintegrate before his eyes.
From the sky, fell the ashes of cremated feathers. The soot rained onto his head.
And 39 awoke.
He was heading toward the relaxation room with Tune. The girl still seemed nervous near him, so Ernest thought he could ease some of the tension between them by spending more time with her in a nonprofessional setting - meaning not when they had to work together as candidate and pilot. As they walked down the metallic corridors of GOA, Ernest looked at his repairer from the corner of his eye. She was behind him, and her azure head was bowed. She was always so humble…even when Professor Azuma had actual taken the ever-present cigarette out of his mouth to give her congratulations on her work last training session. Ernest smiled quickly at her and looked away, but Tune had caught the brief movement. She glowed.
"To make someone happy by such a simple thing…how powerful is the tiniest gesture," Ernest thought. Tune walked closer to him, but Ernest did not notice. He was now thinking about Garu's warm hand on his own all those days ago in the cafeteria. Somehow, it brightened the shadow in his heart…the dreams were becoming very disturbing.
That's when he felt it.
At the end of the corridor, a maelstrom of emotions, all consisting of ill will. He turned towards Tune with another gentle smile.
"Tune-san, I just remembered the relaxation room has been switched to autumn mode this morning. It may get a little chilly with the man-made winds. I'd worry if you caught a cold. Would you please head back the way we came to your room, and put on a sweater?"
"O-Oh, of course Ernest-san. B-but what about you?" Her eyes were worried. Ernest was a pale being, with yellow hair and blue eyes - a child of summer. Tune did not think Ernest would be immune to the cold either.
"My room's much closer if I keep walking down this corridor. I'll meet you in the relaxation room, at the oak tree by the pond," he smiled again.
Tune-san gave a quick bow.
"I will not keep you waiting, sir." She dashed away.
He heard her footsteps echo away, and then began to walk. He knew he was surrounded before he could even look up.
"H~ello, freak!"
A hand pushed at his chest.
"Well, well, well…if it isn't the mute idiot."
A shoe kicked at his legs. Ernest looked up. His blue eyes were cold.
"Ooooo…I'm so scared. What you gonna do?" A hand was trying to grab his hair.
"You moron, don't do that!"
A few more kicks had forced Ernest onto the floor and away from the hand.
"Huh, why not?"
Ernest squinted. The boy who had asked the question was new, not part of the regular group that tried to beat him up every now and then.
"Because, he's a…telepath," the last word was said in revulsion.
"Yeah, he'll read your mind if you touch him, and then screw with your head."
"He's such a weak baby…number 39. Hear he's got a nursemaid too, 37." The group laughed. The new boy looked scared, and began to back away.
"You didn't tell me he had that type of EX!"
"Quit being afraid! Ever since his kind got here, everyone's been acting like wusses. Look at him, I bet he's only in the second troop so early because he scared everyone else from fighting against him. He's nothing. Look." The boy with blue hair kicked Ernest in the stomach, then picked him up by the fabric of his shirt. As he was lifted, Ernest could read the boy's number tattooed on his wrist. It was 34. This boy had seniority over him.
"And the ones that do fight…he reads their emotions. He can do that without touching you, unlike thoughts. And then, no matter how hard you fight, he'll know which way you're gonna come during the training battles. There's no way you can win…not when he cheats the way he does!"
"Yeah! Taka-kun's still in third troop because he couldn't beat Ernest!" So, that was why the blue-haired boy was beating on him so much harder than the others.
"Shut up!" The hand let go, and Ernest's head slammed against the floor.
"Aren't you gonna say anything, 39? Aren't you going to call for your nursemaid, that loud-mouthed idiot 37?"
"Don't you…dare…say anything about him!"
The group froze. For the first time, in all the time that Ernest had been beaten, candidate 39 had actually spoken back. Then, the blue-haired boy sneered.
"Well, where is 37? Gee…he really cares about you, huh? While you're getting knocked around, I bet he's out hanging around his repairer slobbering all over her."
Ernest gritted his teeth, if he spoke back again, he might lose it and strike back. Fighting was forbidden in GOA outside of the approved matches on training grounds. The punishment was over 10 demerits, and ranged higher, depending on the severity of injuries.
Many promising candidates had lost their chances at the top because of their anger.
Ernest had made sure he did not tell Gareas about the last assaults.
It was Garu's greatest dream to make it to pilothood.
He would not tell him about this time either.
"Do you think he's your friend? He's just afraid of you."
No…he's not. But in Ernest's mind, he remembered all the times Garu had been hesitant to touch him. He flinched. 34 noticed, and his smirk grew.
"Yes he is. He's leaving you here…letting us beat you up. I bet he's laughing at you right now."
No…no…it's only you who would laugh at me…Garu…would never…abandon me…Then Ernest remembered, that time when he had left Garu in the hall. He'd been so angry, so jealous of something so trivial as high-fives, so hurt. He had nearly screamed at Garu to leave him alone…but his heart had said something else. He really didn't want to be alone…but Garu had left him - into the dreadful dream where the feather had crumbled in his hand. Into the dream where it rained a coldness that numbed him, and covered him like death.
"He's just using you to pull himself up."
The group laughed. They sounded like hyenas.
And then Ernest remembered the words of their first meaning. Garu…he had happily said,"…with your ability, we'll be in perfect synch." And even without being able to read Garu's mind, Ernest had learned enough about his partner's emotions to practically read his thinking, and to make them an unbeatable pair. Unbeatable…but inside Ernest, something was beginning to crumble away.
"He's using you, idiot telepath! He doesn't care about you at all. Maybe he's just hanging around you because he likes your blond hair and blue eyes. You look just like a girl, just like his repairer. She's been turning down his advances, you know. Maybe he can't get her into bed, but I bet you'd go into it like a good little wh-"
The punch came out of nowhere in sudden fury, and it was not Ernest who had thrown it.
Green eyes burned with the fires of hell.
"You shut up, right now!"
34 clutched his cheek and ran away with the others. The new boy looked as if he had nearly urinated on himself. Gareas snarled at their retreating backs. From the floor, Ernest watched Garu's charged hair wave slightly. It glowed eerily green. Garu had been mad enough to use his EX. Ernest mind was foggy, and he felt very weak. Vaguely, he realized Garu might get demoted from all the demerits he would get for breaking 34's jaw.
Garu turned and clamed. It was very lucky that he'd just happened to be wandering around, searching for 39. His EX aura faded away and he bent down to get a closer look at his friend.
"Ernest? Are you okay?"
Ernest struggled with the veil around him, and slowly, his mind began to focus again.
Garu was reaching his hand toward him.
His green eyes, never had Ernest seen them so gentle. They were so worried. Ernest looked down at the tanned, outstretch arm again. Gareas…he was offering…his sympathy. He was offering his friendship again, wasn't he?
"He's using you, idiot telepath!"Even if Garu was offering his friendship, and truly doing so, it did not ease away the phantom pain in Ernest's right arm. He struggled to move it. Something within himself, a mysterious emotion that had long been sleeping, rolled in his heart.
This time, Garu's friendship wasn't enough.
Ernest let his arm drop. Green eyes widened. Unfamiliar footsteps were softly making their way down the corridor.
Somehow, Ernest had the fleeting thought it would never be enough.
His eyes drooped.
"E-Ernest-san!"
Somewhere in the universe, a white bird was struggling to fly…
Its wings were broken.
TBC…
7/21 was my birthday. If you want, you can leave a late birthday present for me in the form of a review. In return, I might put up two chapters instead of one the next time I update.
Thanks lots to all my readers : )
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