Okay, got some response for the second chapter, that's all I really needed. To Duo: where as That Man may be one of the "good-guys" his methods are not always as such, I'm trying to show that and create as many layers as possible in this one. To Razorblade Sigh: maybe Testament would not use Hell, but he would more than likely use "kisama" which is the most negative way of saying 'you' in Japanese, since this is in English (and NOT Engrish) I felt that it was the best way to get his emotion and state across. Well in any event, on with the show. See chapter one for disclaimer.
Promise Kept
"So how does it feel Kinju?" The shadowy man spoke to yet another shadowy figure. "It will take some getting used to but this should work out even better for you than your old one."
"My name is not Kinju, it's Eddie." The shadow examined itself. There were no real features to describe
the shadow, only dark red eyes seemed different from the rest. It's musculature was carved from the very night itself and it had what could be described as either ears or horns protruding from it's head. "Don't confuse what I am with who I am."
"Please Excuse me," That Man bowed elaborately, "but you have still not answered my question. I need to know how your body works in order to see if you need a better one. From all my research this should be enough but when you have been around as long as I have you need to be ready for... inconsistencies."
"The body works fine," the creature called Eddie said as he flexed his wrists, "and this will sustain me so long as I don't over exert myself you said?"
"Yes, the body was created from original gear technology. If you keep yourself well you should not even need to eat." From the folds of his cloak he produced a gray wristband. "This device is a power limiter, once activated it will keep you from going beyond yourself. As time goes on and you become more accustomed to the body and you should no longer need it."
The creature eyed the device suspiciously. It was not accustomed to such random acts of kindness, he knew that this person would require something in return, for that was how all beings, humans, gears and otherwise acted. "And if I refuse?"
"Then you refuse." There was something timeless about That Man, something that said he had seen more than his share in life. It was a quality that he did not trust, yet there was little he did trust about the human world. "Now are you up for a little task?"
"I knew it." He said to the man. "What would you have me do? Slay your enemies? Destroy your rivals? Or would you rather I just wantonly killed?"
"Nothing like that." That Man placed his hand unafraid on Eddie's swirling darkness at his shoulder. "Rather I would like your aid in saving the world."
"Tell her friends that I'm sorry." Ky Kiske said to Johnny as he held Dizzy's unconscious body. "I had hoped that she would be able to say good bye, but it looks like that is not possible."
Ky was about to board a smaller airship that had docked with the Jellyfish's own Mayship. Dizzy had remained motionless, only the slight rise and fall of her chest indicated that she was still alive. Since she had fallen Dizzy never left Ky's arms.
Ky's smaller ship hummed in sync with the Mayship. Standing at the threshold of his ship the wind blew strong, fueled by the exhaust systems.
"It won't be pretty, everyone here loves Dizzy very much." Johnny patted the girl's head as he spoke, "We'll all miss her," Johnny's eyes gleamed from behind his sunglasses, "but I'll think of something."
"Thank you." Ky nodded to the Air Pirate. With nothing more to say to him, Ky turned his back to Johnny and entered his own airship.
"Hey Kiske!" Johnny called out, causing Ky to turn again, "Take this with you."
"This is?" The Air Pirate presented the Knight with a sword, it wasn't his Fuuraiken nor did it look anything like it. This sword was a least as long as his old, but the blade was engraved with strange runes. The crosspiece was reminiscent of the Holy Cross and on the hilt was a bright blue crystal.
"I got it from you old master," hearing this Ky looked confused, "relax I didn't steal it or anything, he gave it to me with instructions for you oddly enough. He said to give it to you when you found something more important to you than justice, not sure why though."
"Thank you," Ky did not understand the full meaning of his old master's words but accepted the weapon. As he was still holding Dizzy, he put the blade in the crook of his arm, then when his bundles were secured, he left.
"Johnny," hearing that familiar voice he turned in surprise to see the May standing behind him in her pajamas. She looked half asleep and not aware at all of her surroundings, "what's going on?"
"Dizzy's gone." He spoke in a deadpan, showing none of the emotion that he felt. "She left with someone not more than an hour ago."
"What do you mean?" Hearing his blunt statement woke the young girl completely. "If you are joking it's not funny." He was sullen, something that threw May off entirely. He couldn't be serious, could he? "Bring her back." May seemed scarred. "Bring her back right now!"
Johnny did not speak, there was nothing more he felt he could say. May needed to understand the situation and prepare for it in her own way. He moved his arm to comfort her but she batted it way.
"Don't touch me," she whispered, her voice with a distinct edge, "it's your fault, you should have told me, everyone, she was part of our family..." Johnny had cut her off, hugging her deeply.
"May," he whispered into her ear, "we need to talk."
The sun poured in, bathing her in it's light, so much so that she felt the need to shield her eyes. The blanket was warm and the bed soft, it made her not want to wake up. She felt like she could lie there for years, maybe even forever. That would not do though, sooner or later Necro or Undine would force her awake.
So then, why couldn't she hear their voices?
"No!" She screamed as she jumped from the bed. She panicked, not knowing where she was. Her breathing came in ragged gasps, her eyes wide as she quickly scanned the room. Nothing was familiar, this wasn't her room. This wasn't her home.
"Awake are you Young Miss Dizzy?" She turned to hear the voice, emanating from the doorway. Not hearing any protests the voice entered. Seeing his eyes Dizzy immediately calmed, there was something in them that she felt she could trust.
"Who are you?" She asked the man. He was an older man, that much she could tell from the lines in his face and the gray hair. His smile was so familiar as well, almost like her Grandfather did before she met Testament. He wore a suit and seemed to be a servant of some kind.
"I am Bernard," he bowed elaborately saying his name, "I am Master Ky's faithful servant." In one arm he held a covered dish, in his other was a garment slung carefully around his wrist and a bowl of water with a damp cloth. "The Master asked to see you when you awakened, I have brought you something to eat and a change of clothes Young Miss."
"Where am I?" Dizzy sat up in her bed, toughing her head with her fingers as she fought a slight ache.
"You are in one of Master Ky's Airships, the Atonement. The Master wished you to eat something and thought that you might like to freshen up a bit, if that is all right with you Young Miss." As he spoke the butler placed the dish and bowl on a tray at Dizzy's bedside and the garment at the foot of her bed all the while not spilling a drop of the water anywhere.
"Where is Ky?" She asked, "I would like to see him if that is alright." She longed for some familiarity in this strange place, something she knew and could understand.
"Unfortunately he is predisposed at the moment," Bernard said as he bowed, once again at the entrance to the room, "but he will be able to see you shortly. Now if there is anything you require of me Young Miss please don't hesitate to ask."
"Please don't call me that," Dizzy blushed as she looked away from the old retainer, "I am nothing as special as that, please just call me Dizzy." She smiled somewhat nervously, her eyes still bright.
"Regrettably I cannot Young Miss," he bowed again, "but I thank you for the offer." Never showing his back to Dizzy, the old man closed the door to her room and left her alone.
With no one else in the room Dizzy was made painfully aware of her own loneliness. She did not want to think about what was going on, less she cry. For the moment she focused her thoughts on the covered tray that rest at he bedside. She had realized that she had no idea how long she had been asleep and felt very hungry at that moment.
Removing the tray she looked to find a portion of cooked meat that she had never laid eyes on before, next to it were two eggs fried exactly how she liked them, next to the dish was a glass filled with orange juice and an ornate tea cup filled with a tea that was sweet to her nose. On another plate were two slices of toast with a cup of what she thought was cranberry jam in between them.
With all the grace she received from both Testament and the Jellyfish she quickly ate the food before her. With her appetite sated she then looked over the garment that lay at the foot of her bed. It was a simple sun dress made of cotton and light blue in color.
It was then that she realized she was still in her sailor outfit that she had last seen Ky in. She blushed slightly when she thought of the Knight trying to change her in her sleep and was glad that was not the case.
Using the cloth and bowl of water she cleaned herself, careful to get underneath her wings like Leap always told her too. She stifled her emotions as she realized that neither the kindly big sister if the Mayship or her wings were still there.
She must have looked over the dress for an hour, at least that was how long it felt like to her, before she started to change into it. Taking her time Dizzy wondered about her benefactor. What was Ky doing at that moment?
Ky stood on the deck of his airship Atonement, the sword that Johnny had presented him earlier held in the palm of his hands. He had tried to make out the runes that ran down it's sides, believing them to be more than mere ornamentation. Their meanings escaped him and the sword itself worried him.
One was not often given a weapon without a reason to use it, was this another of God's tests? He was tired of fighting, never resting, always one battle after another. He wanted to be forgotten by the world, to have at least some peace for himself. Even if it was a short peace.
"Excuse me Sir," his retainer Bernard broke him from his reverie, "but the Young Miss has awoken. I have given her a meal and prepared some clothing for her. I suspect she will get curious about her surroundings and leave soon."
"It's alright Bernard," Ky was still looking to the sky around them, "she won't get very far in her current state."
"She wishes to see you Sir." The old retainer could swear he saw his master tense when he said as such, but he knew better than to speak of such things. "Shall I summon her to you?"
"No," he answered a little too quickly, "I'll go to her soon." Satisfied with his master's response Bernard left. "Master," Ky looked to the heavens, "I will try to make myself worthy of your sword."
"Hey Sol," Axl Low spoke. At the moment both he Sol and the two Japanese Baiken and Mito Anji were on the banks of a strange lake, "what on Earth is here?"
"A Jinki," the Corrupt Flame stared out to the expanse of the lake that was no more than a few miles around surrounded by a green valley. What made this lake so strange was the fog that surrounded it, it seemed static in nature, like it would never leave no matter what time of day.
"Oh," the Japanese woman Baiken spoke, "then why don't we get it and go instead of spending three hours here like we have been." The swordswoman threw her sword, which remained in it's sheath, to the ground where it stood. "I didn't come along with the two of you to look at the pretty water, now either we get this Jinki thing and go or I'll-"
"Same as always Baiken," hearing her name being spoken by no one in her current group the swordswoman spun her head to see who was speaking, "I thought you were taught patience when you learned how to swing that sword of yours."
"Chip?" Anji looked all around him in vain, hoping to see the aggressor, "Chip Zanuff is that you?"
"Nice to see you again Anji," as he spoke the American Ninja appeared in front of Anji with a familiar bundle in his hands. "So did Sol manage to talk you into this or are you just tagging along with miss Personality here."
"Give me that," Sol said as he ripped the bundle of cloth from Chip's hands, "We don't have time to play around." Taking one end of the bundle in his hands Sol removed the blanket to reveal the Fuuraiken.
"That's," Anji spoke awed, then looking to Chip he saw a strange tooth like object ingraned in his wrist guard. "Another Jinki?"
"Oh you mean this," Chip pointed at his wrist, "yea Sol called it something like the Sango I think."
"Senga," the American grunted, "and we're here to get the Kojouhaku, but in order to do that you need the key, the Fuuraiken." Thrusting the Jinki into the waters caused an electrical reaction. Then before their eyes the mists began to gather around it until there was no more white on the lake and a chain lay before the Fuuraiken.
"Here," Sol picked up and threw the chain at Baiken, "You'll make the most use out of this one." Catching the chain with her hand the Japanese woman grunted then, placed it in the folds of her right sleeve where it disappeared.
"I guess we're moving on to the next one then." Chip spoke as he put his hands behind his head and walked away with Sol and the rest.
Anji lingered for an instant, silently wondering to himself what he had gotten involved in.
It hadn't taken Dizzy long to wander out of her sleeping quarters. It was in her nature to be curious about her surroundings. She had idly indulged in a memory she had of wandering into a bear in her forest, after she had met Testament. She did not dwell too long on the matter though, for it would only bring back painful memories.
For the moment she used a nearby wall as her guide. She didn't have her tail anymore and was not as well balanced without it. Everything about this ship seemed elegant though, there were no metal walls or echoing corridors, in truth it looked like the entire interior had been made of some kind of special wood. The corridors were wide, the lighting was clear as the day outside, why it even the floor was carpeted. True the Atonement was a creation that made the Mayship ugly by comparison.
Following the main corridor the young gear found herself in what must have been the grandest library in the whole world. Books seemed to line the walls from the floor all the way to the ceiling, there were soft chairs, desks and lamps enough to accommodate half a city.
Dizzy thought she could spend her whole life reading in this very library and still not make the slightest dent in it. Truly this was paradise. A wealth of knowledge at her very fingertips. She craned her neck to take in every last one.
Looking at the spines of some nearby books she saw titles like, 'The Great Gatsby', 'A Tale of Two Cities' and 'The Raven'. She willed herself to fly to the highest book and just look at it all from there.
Only try as she might she could no longer fly.
"Undine," she whispered to herself, "Necro." Dizzy fell to her knees, hugging herself tightly, fighting back bitter tears. It was like she had lost her closest friends, as if she had lost more than parts of her body, but parts of her soul as well. "It's not fair." She cried into her own arms.
"I would imagine not," a familiar voice spoke, but her watery eyes could not make out more than his shadow. "It will get better though," as he spoke Dizzy felt rough but warm hands cleanse her of her tears. "Come one, stand up." Feeling one hand gently brace her back and holding another with her own she once again stood.
"Ky," once she was again standing, Dizzy placed both her hands over her heart, "why did you bring me here." She looked at him with pleading eyes. Eyes desperate for any answer that he could bring. "Why did you take me away from the Jellyfish, from my family?"
"Because of my failure," she gasped at his even statement, "because I did not want what happened to another happen to you." The Knight turned away from Dizzy, looking instead to a book that lay on a desk. "There was another self reliant gear that I helped before I met you, her name was Solaria."
"Solaria?" She gazed at his back mesmerized.
"Yes, but she passed away, because of my mistake." Ky strained to hear every breath she took, to try to hear her very heart beat. "I left her in someone's care much like I did with you and the Jellyfish Pirates, however she was discovered, by my own superiors. It didn't take long after that for the Shussen Kanrikyoku to discover her as well."
"Then what did they do?" Dizzy was frightfully paralyzed by the story, the quaking in Ky's voice enough to scare her. In the short time she had known the Knight she had never known him to speak in such a way.
"They," he paused, trying to force out the correct words, "dissected her. They took her apart in hopes of finding some means to control other gears." Ky turned to look at Dizzy, his tears streaming down unchecked. "That girl didn't do anything wrong, she was just born that way. I thought of the same thing happening to you and I couldn't bare it."
"Ky," she reached up to touch his face with her fingertips.
"You are too important to die like that," he stared into her eyes, reaffirming his silent pledge, "I would die a million times over to keep something like that from happening to you. That was why I faked my death, after I discovered what had happened to Solaria I knew had to get away from that corruption. Forgive me."
She removed her fingertips from his face then, brining much shock to his eyes. Then before he could breathe a sigh a gasp or anything else, Dizzy wrapped her arms around his neck.
Ky returned the embrace all the time whispering, "Forgive me."
-to be continued
So as chapter three comes to a close I'm left wondering who is reading this thing? Well anyway please review read and be happy. I know if you do both of those things I'll be happy.