A.N.: I can't believe the last time I updated was in October! I'm so sorry! I was negligent with both the fic and you readers. Please accept my sincere apologies!
Remember, some dialogues are in Japanese because that's the phoenixes' native language (in this story), but the translations are in parenthesis right next to those foreign quotes.
This is the last chapter before the epilogue (which won't, unless something dreadful happens, take this long to be uploaded). Enjoy!
THROUGH ETERNITY
CHAPTER 6 – BLACK DRANZER
Dranzer broke through the glass panels on the roof, despite her sorry state; Black Dranzer right behind her. However, when they finally managed to locate their target, the sight that greeted them was a painful one: Kai laid motionlessly in Tala's arms... and the phoenix didn't look very much alive.
One look at the redhead holding his friend and Black Dranzer lost it. He attacked everything and everyone, destroying whatever and whoever happened to be in his path. With a raging phoenix on their trail, all the scientists ran away from the laboratory, afraid for their lives, not really caring about completing the contract they had signed with Voltaire. In a matter of seconds, the only ones who remained in the laboratory were Voltaire, the phoenixes, Tala and the Demolition Boys Hunting Pack.
Dranzer, who had remained as if paralyzed from the moment her green eyes landed on Kai and Tala, suddenly seemed to come back to herself, and she lost no time attacking. Soon, the redhead was between her teeth, ready to be shredded by the enraged phoenix, after all, from her view, it did seem like Tala was responsible for all that was happening.
Before she could tear his head from his body, however, Bryan once again aimed his faithful bazooka and fired, successfully driving her away from the redhead. Spencer picked up Kai and placed the dead phoenix on his shoulders, while Ian helped Tala get up and away from the Fire Phoenix, heading back towards the others.
When finally the whole group was together, a mute agreement seemed to take place, as they all silently understood each others' thoughts: Voltaire-sama and Kai, which to protect. The first was almost like a foster father to them, having shielded the four from the world when they had been abandoned by it, taking them in and raising them when everyone else chose to ignore the small kids on the streets of Moscow asking for forgiveness from the heavens, even though they had been too small to really have done anything worthy of such a punishment. No, Voltaire had been kind to all four of them, giving the boys a home, education and food; in return, "all" he asked for were the animals he so much desired, but having given his "sons" a good training, none had ever really endangered their lives, though they'd gladly do it for him. The second was a special phoenix they'd just met, who was innocent in all of this, but having fallen victim to Voltaire's ambitions, it wouldn't be fair to just leave him. Besides, there were two very angered phoenixes on their tails because of the said boy - creature.
Looking between them, the group nodded and came to a silent agreement, hoping all would go well. Spencer handed Kai to Tala, the human-like mythical creature feeling very light in the hunter's arms, at which the redhead inwardly flinched. While Bryan and Ian got Voltaire out of his hiding place and guided him to safety, Spencer seemed to be busy trying to keep Black Dranzer from seeing the three... and Tala walked up to Dranzer, the mighty phoenix still recovering from the previous shot.
The hunter approached her carefully, crystal blue eyes watchful of her every movement. As the Fire Phoenix regained her vision, angered at herself for having been so weakened at a time like that, green orbs landed on blue ones, and silence held them motionless, glued to their spots.
Not knowing what to do, Tala did what his instincts advised: holding Kai in his arms, he placed the limp body in front of the majestic creature, which seemed to now be eyeing his every movement in silence, but when her eyes landed on the bluenette, the calmness turned to havoc and she was suddenly berserk again.
Tala, however, remained impassive and unmoving, as if waiting for his punishment; although nothing could bring Kai back, if such a penalty could have brought the crimson-eyed creature to his side again, the hunter found himself wishing for it. His stubborn look met Dranzer's despaired one, and they locked once again. The phoenix ceased all movements for a few seconds, but was jerked back to reality as the truth dawned on her once more; the grass-eyed creature abruptly struck a wing at him. The redhead clearly saw the action, as it wasn't very fast, probably due to Dranzer's weak state, but he made no effort to avoid it... in fact, Tala remained still as if binded, ready to take the blow at its maximum power.
"Perhaps that way I might be able to ease her pain." Tala thought. "After all, it was my fault that Kai was caught and... this happened."
The big red wing struck him with full force, or at least as much as she could muster at that moment. The redhead was sent a good 10 meters away, hitting a wall with such force, some cracks were visibly made on it, as Tala seemed to have dived in it. Struggling to keep his consciousness, he got up and walked back to her, eyes boring straight into hers again.
"Dranzer, I know you can understand me, so don't try to avoid it, please. Look, I know you don't want to believe me, but I didn't want this to happen. Please... just... stop all of this! It's not going to bring Kai back! I'm really sorry, but I tried to avoid it, I really did! But... I couldn't...I," the hunter tried reasoning, his head bowed in shame, bangs covering his pretty face. "I'm really sorry..."
The Fire Phoenix seemed to have been shocked, for she no longer moved. To the amazement of Voltaire and the Demolition Boys Hunting Pack, a beautiful voice, but a sad one all the same, came from the mystical creature. "Tala, you really took no part on this, did you?" She asked.
The redhead bowed his head almost imperceptibly, but she noticed it... and if she had a mouth, certainly a small smile would be gracing it at that instant. "Youkatta (Thank goodness)!" She whispered. "I really didn't want to accept that you were responsible for all of this. You seemed like a good human, I really wanted to believe that a good human existed... but, when I saw Kai dead, I..."
"Doranzaa, nani shiten'na! Kai o torikaeshite! Kono ore ga subete o kowasuzo (Dranzer, what are you doing! Get Kai back! I'm going to destroy everything)!" An enraged voice shouted, which turned out to be Black Dranzer's, who was currently very irritated with Spencer because the blond boy was constantly picking on him and managing to evade his attacks.
The said Fire Phoenix hesitated, but within a second's time Kai's limp form was already safe on her back. "Tala, we're going to burn this place down. Get out of here!" She cried out. "And take whoever is innocent of Kai's death with you!"
No sooner had she said that, the mighty, but tired, phoenix was flying towards Black Dranzer and together both of them literally began ripping the laboratory apart. Ian, Bryan and Voltaire had long since exited the place, but Spencer and Tala were still trapped inside.
Hearing her words, Tala knew there was no way they'd save the lab, so he quickly pulled the older boy with him and dragged the other along a run to join the others outside. When all five were together, they watched, Voltaire on his knees, as the whole house went down in red and black flames... and two shadows hovered above it.
Black Dranzer, who was still furious, quickly caught the group in his vision and was about to attack when Dranzer placed herself in front of the other phoenix. "Mou ii'nda, Buraku. Kai no karada buji da yo. Donna koto shitemo mou ikirarenai kara sa. Hottoke (That's enough, Black. Kai's body is safe. No matter what we do, he won't come back to life. Leave them)!" She said.
"Sore wa dame da! Kai wa mou ikirarenai kara! Nanimo shitenai nara kitto ato de kurushii ni naruze (That's not possible! Kai no longer lives! If I don't do anything about it, I'll surely grieve later)!" He shouted.
And to that, Dranzer couldn't reply, since she was feeling exactly the same things... mainly the urge for revenge. Kai's life could not end that easily without anyone being punished.
But...
To kill innocent people would surely not make them any better.
The Fire Phoenix was at a loss for actions, but as soon as she saw Black Dranzer heading in Tala's direction, she immediately knew something had to be done, for the hunter wasn't really at fault, therefore killing him wouldn't accomplish anything. So, without realizing what was happening until the very last minute, Dranzer shot forward and placed herself between her partner and the humans, making the male phoenix stop in his tracks.
"Doranzaa! Nani shiteru'nda! (Dranzer! What the hell are you doing!")
"Kore o ware ni makasete kudasai, Buraku (Leave this to me, Black)," she asked almost in a whisper.
"Makasete'te (Leave it to)..." He repeated her words. "Wakatta yo. Kai o mamoru'te kimi no ninmu datta darou? Dakara makaseru, Doranza (I understand. Protecting Kai was your mission, right? I'll let you handle this, then, Dranzer)."
"Arigatou (Thanks)," she replied, slowly turning to face the humans behind her. "Kai o kizutsuketa zettai ni yurusenai! Demo Kai o koroshita kara, ware wa kisama o korosu (I'll never forgive you for hurting Kai! But because you killed him, I'll kill you too)!"
And as soon as those words were pronounced, the mighty phoenix charged straight at them. "Sumimasen, Tala (I'm sorry, Tala)!" She thought, hoping her mind would reach him, somehow.
Stopping a few inches in front of them, and no one had time to react anyhow, a fire, a strong fire came out of her beak in rage to circle them, the flames dancing around the small group as if celebrating a wonderful event.
Bringing their hands to their faces in an attempt to protect it from the heat, the male humans looked up towards the hovering phoenix above them.
"Why this? He was a phoenix, right? If Kai was a phoenix and you have his body, there's surely a way to bring him back, isn't there? Why are you after us!" Voltaire shouted, his shock long since forgotten.
"Aren't phoenixes supposed to revive from ashes? Why are you so angry!" Ian reinforced.
Black Dranzer came closer, hovering above them beside his mate, finally speaking in a language they could understand better. "You bastards know nothing! We, especially Dranzer, received the mission to protect the most special phoenix, Kai, because we're also Fire Phoenixes... he was like a son to us... and he was a very good child. But you idiots killed him!" He shouted.
Dranzer decided to continue. "Hurting a phoenix is already a bad sin, but killing one is the worst! And the fact that hurts us most... because he was such a special phoenix, he's the only one to have guardians, but that's because if he dies, Kai can't return so easily! He's not like us, normal elemental phoenixes, who can be almost instantly reborn! For a special phoenix like him to come back... it can take more than a hundred years! And even so, it is unlikely that it would be KAI; usually it's a new special phoenix of a different element than the previous one!"
As the female creature finished, Voltaire fell to his knees, hands in front of him to support his arched body.
"Voltaire-sama!" The Demolition Boys Hunting Pack cried altogether, immediately coming to aid the old man. Tala, however, remained unfazed, still watching both mystical birds above them, the fire still surrounding the small group.
"What have I done?" He whispered. "How could I have let my greed come this far?"
Though it was mostly out of fear, at least the man seemed to be regaining his common sense; for that his adopted kids were greatly relieved.
"Do you understand how wrong you were! Because of your greed, Kai is dead! It's practically impossible for him to return! This means war! I can no longer stand the idea of sharing the same galaxy as these egoistic species! I hereby declare war on the humans!" Black Dranzer shouted in rage. "Starting with you."
"No!" Dranzer shouted. "That's enough, Black! It won't help, most of these people, especially the redhead, are innocent of all this! If we kill them this way, if war is declared, we will be no better!"
"Shougane na (There's nothing to be done about that)! Kai's dead already, so who cares!"
"I do! I don't want the world where I live with you to be contaminated by blood!" She cried, flying up to his side and nuzzling Black Dranzer's neck. "Kai wouldn't want that... I'm sure of it!" She whispered, a few tears escaping.
"Dranzer..." The dark phoenix whispered, touched by the green-eyed phoenix's sad pleas. "All right, I understand. We'll leave them, if you really want to have it that way," he answered, responding to his mate's caresses. Then, turning to the four boys and one man below him, he gave one simple warning, voice with heavy anger and eyes clearly filled with hate:
"Da ga, kisama-tachi no hitori dake demo ore-tachi no yama ni chikaku ni kitara, zette sugoku itami de moeruze (But if any of you EVER come near our mountain again, I'll fry you with as much pain as I can)! Omoerou (Remember that)!"
The others nodded, clearly relieved that their lives were spared.
But Tala remained unfazed, still looking up at the two legendary creatures above them.
And that fact in itself got the biggest of them curious: "Oi, akai atama, naze sonna mama miteru no ka? Kowakunai ka (Hey, redhead, why do you keep looking at us like that? Are you not scared)?" Black Dranzer asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Kowakute... kamo shirenai kedo... sonna koto ja nakute (It might be that... I might be scared... but it's nothing like that)," the boy replied, a little surprised that he was actually able to speak that much Japanese. "Tada... shinpai shite iru... Kai wa daijoubu (It's just... I'm worried... will Kai be all right)?" he asked.
The question itself was enough to really surprise the male phoenix, but the sincere look of worry in the human's sky-blue eyes convinced him to throw away any suspicion. "Hontou ni ki ni naru da ne? Naze (You really are worried, aren't you? Why)?" He asked.
At this point, however, before Tala could answer, Dranzer interrupted the conversation. "Buraku, kono ningen wa mae ni wareware no yama ni ita. Sore wa ware to Kai no himitsu data demo ii ko dakara iin'da. Kai no koto hontou ni kare wa shinpai shiteru kamo shirenai (Black, this human was on our mountain before... but that was Kai's and my secret, but he's a good boy so it was OK. He really might be worried about Kai)," she explained, eyes locked with the cerulean orbs below her.
Suddenly, she descended a bit, just enough so Tala could touch her should he choose to, and asked him a simple, but meaningful question. "Tala... mou ichido Kai to aitai ka?"
And to the Demolition Boys Hunting Pack and Voltaire's surprise, the redhead immediately bowed his head in affirmation.
Black Dranzer would have smiled if he had a mouth for that. Kai had finally found a friend. Not a family member like the other phoenixes, a guardian like him or other animals who followed him out of fear, though there was really no reason to be frightened of gentle Kai at all… this time it was a true friend, and the most surprising thing was that it had come in the form of a human child. The dark phoenix had thought it would be impossible, since Kai was so different from the other mythical creatures... and approaching humans were out of question, for these had always been regarded as cruel and unforgiving, but this Tala kid had proved otherwise.
And Black Dranzer found himself silently thanking the redhead for it.
"Then come with me," Dranzer offered matter-of-factly, unknowingly interrupting her mate's thoughts.
At this, Tala hesitated a bit: as much as he felt responsible for Kai's death and was willing to do almost anything to make up for it, not to mention that he really did want to see the special phoenix again, the Russian hunter was not yet ready to betray his "father" and employer... and therefore looked back to where the old man was standing with the help of Bryan and Spencer.
Voltaire, immediately understanding the look on his "eldest son's" face the moment he saw it, smiled and gave a curt nod. The other three boys noticed the small movements and picked up their surroundings; despite the fact that they'd rather Tala stayed, none had the heart to stop him, so they smiled in approval too.
Seeing the scene, the redhead almost thought back his decision, but soon changed his mind again: he wanted to see Kai, apologize for everything and regain the phoenix's trust... and perhaps his friendship... so that's exactly what he would do.
With a final hug and a wave to his "family", Tala climbed atop Black Dranzer's back, and as Kai was passed to him from Dranzer, the redhead held on to the bluenette, keeping the body from falling and hopefully giving it warmth too.
As the two birds lifted off to the skies, gaining altitude, the remaining four Russians remained below, looking at them until the giant creatures melted with the horizon, silently praying everything would turn out right...
Praying that their mistake could be somehow corrected...
That Kai could somehow come back to life...
And that Tala would somehow be there to see it.
END of CHAPTER 6 – BLACK DRANZERA.N.: Kyaaaa... finished, yay! Just the epilogue missing now! Will Kai come back, will he not? Will Tala be able to live the hundred years minimum required for the special phoenix's birthday? Find out on the last part of "Through Eternity".
OK, let me leave this clear, I'm the one writing that Black Dranzer is a male, but I don't know if that's really the truth!
Did I make any mistakes?
Please do tell me if I did in a REVIEW!
KaiLi Syaoran-Lover signing out!