Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Escaflowne or The Slayers or Metallica's song Battery, not even my dear Dilandau-sama. Battery is a song I dedicate to our Dilandau-sama for all his insanity, pyromania, and well his overall need to beat the crap out of everything. Don't you see how it fits him so well? The bold typed words are those that seem to show Dilandau's persona best in a war. The next two chapters involve Dilandau feeling Akiko is 'distracting' his goals just by being around and she's causing nothing but ill luck. Don't worry folks, Hiero's around, so Dilandau won't be allowed to shrug it off.

                And a word for reviewer Kagome, the Angel of Death story was pulled down because it's a later season of my original series, which is titled Shadow Venom. I also needed to complete the first 4 seasons before I even begin on that one. Ryoku will be back someday, but in a published book once the first few seasons of my and Caliban's series are written out and published. You have to read Shadow Venom to understand the rest of the series' happenings anyway, so I didn't want to spoil anything for the readers already reading the first season. I am glad you liked Angel of Death, thank you for telling me. Ryoku will soon return once the first 3-4 seasons of the Shadow series is done.

                                                                Chapter 5

                                                      Fallen in the Devil's Domain

                                                                ~ The Abyss ~

                                                          - One Month Later -

                Dilandau sat upon his throne, thrumming his gloved fingers tightly against the arms of it, his expression sore and angry. He viciously lifted up his wine goblet from its perch with his free hand and downed it, slamming it down before filling it anew. He glared at Hiero himself, who stood but three feet away, looking up with a smile planted on his angelic features. The nerve.

                'How dare he hire a woman!! Of all things, a woman….more bad luck, another jinxing problem, dammit. How dare Hiero bring a woman into our midst. She'll give the soldiers ideas, hell, she'll make the king doubt our abilities just because I spared her worthless….life.' he thought harshly, downing the next glass.

                Hiero went on smiling, despite the thoughts he no doubt had heard. Their link was troublesome when they wanted to keep things from each other, trying to make it a point not to think anything near each other that wasn't important to the task at hand. The fact Hiero had kept that woman a secret for nearly half a month was staggering. How did he not notice her? She stuck out like a sore thumb! That dress, her flaming red hair and eyes like a coming storm were hard to ignore.

                He shook his head at that. 'Why am I thinking about her looks?! She's here and it bothers me….she's a distraction and bad luck for the missions. That's all.' He thought, and growled when Hiero grinned a bit wider at him.

Lashing out the action, returning the reaction
Weak are ripped and torn away!
Hypnotizing power, crushing all that cower!
Battery is here to stay!

                "What's so amusing, you little blue pissant!?" Dilandau snarled.

                "You….Lord Dilandau, you." Hiero chuckled, his grin never wavering. "Oh really…., why?" Dilandau replied sharply, standing up. Hiero never used his title unless he was teasing or mocking him. The exaggerated way he said it was enough to make Dilandau set the man on fire for a good hour, but then Hiero would be proven right about whatever he was considering. Dilandau wouldn't let anyone, not even his closest comrade, and control his actions.

                "Because….your thoughts betray your little coy expressional show. Why bother considering how she looks or what she wears if you're not the slightest bit distracted yourself by her beauty….hmm? Maybe you want another little kiss….am I right, Dilandau?" Hiero quipped neatly.

                Dilandau grit his teeth and snarled, but Hiero never wavered. "Aww, did I hit a wittle nerve, Dilandau? You're already aching for a little more, aren't you? Those soft little innocent lips, so warm and gentle…hmm, soft and hot?" Hiero went on.

                Dilandau hissed and flung his hand into his goblet, smashing it to pieces and spatters of wine. "Silence!! I don't know what you're talking about! Women are useless little weak fiends! They bring nothing but bad luck and distraction to those around them with their coy ways. That kiss as you so bluntly put it was pure accident and meant nothing to me….women are useless little whining rats!" he spat back.

                Hiero raised his eyebrow a bit, and smirked. "Even your mother…?"

Dilandau flinched, biting back a scream he so richly wanted to launch at Hiero for such a disgusting comment. His mother had been weak in the beginning, but she was an innocent woman. "You take that back….at least my mother wasn't a fucking jinx loser like your insignificant wife who ruined you in less than a day!" Dilandau shot back. Hiero flinched, his grin fading into a scowl.

                "That was a low blow, Dilandau….really low. You've never loved anything but yourself since you were born, how would you begin to understand what she meant to me….I know your mother was innocent and beautiful. I loved her too, but she's dead now…..and she was a woman. So not all women are useless whining rats as you put it so gracelessly. You weren't exactly fighting to get off of Miss Akiko and I saw you blushing. Maybe my wife was nothing to you, but she was plenty to me, more than what Lady Celena was to you. Don't bad-mouth the entire gender without thinking before your shit speech comes flinging out. Don't even try, you felt something, and I know it. Your thoughts are not hidden from me…"

                "Don't make me laugh, I feel nothing for that whelp. I'm more concerned about what ideas she'll give my men and that old bastard king. You best drop the subject or Reese will suffer for your indiscretions against me….Now is that getting through to your tainted mind, Hiero?!" Dilandau glowered.

Smashing through the boundaries,
Lunacy has found me!
Cannot stop the Battery!
Pounding out aggression,
Turns into obsession
Cannot kill the Battery!

                Hiero snorted, then gave off a smug smirk. "Its getting through….but before this war is over, you'll know how Alessa made me feel….you'll see that not all women are useless." Hiero smiled out.

                Dilandau jerked his head away, snorting. "Women are useless and weak, I have no need to be close to any of them. Now get out  and tend to your real duties." Dilandau sniffed.

                Hiero shrugged, and started out, stopping just as he opened the door. "All virgins say that, Lord Dilandau. Ta." He chuckled, and was gone before Dilandau enraged gaze could stab into his back. "Why you little….argh, bastard! I'll tend to your little comments later." He hissed, and sat back down and took a swig from his wine bottle.

                So what if he was a virgin? Love was meaningless to him. It just died and went away anyway like everything else not as blessed as they were. His mother had died, because his so-called asshole of a father Folken had raped her and ultimately caused her innocent death. Hiero had told him that Folken had not been himself fully. Part of the evil Dornkirk had tainted Folken's body and soul. Sora was to blame for what happened as well. She had started it all, a woman. Bad luck and anguish, she'd brought that and more to their lives. Guimel was dead because of her most of Fanelia and other places were tarnished because of a woman.

Cannot kill the family!
Battery is found in me!
Battery!

                Now both parties caused this war, but still the women seemed to welcome it all the more, killing baby boys for simply being born male. How it sickened him. Now this girl, no, this cursed Mystic Moon woman, was walking around the halls now, though with Reese assigned to escort her everywhere. Irritating as her presence was, he felt a mite strange about it. It had been a long time since he'd seen a female in the Abyss. He'd seen none after Alessa vanished so long ago.

                He was particular about the servants being male as not to give the men ideas, those that cared particularly for a woman's touch anyway. Dilandau didn't want anyone touching him ever, man or woman, and Hiero would overstep his bounds when teasing him. He cared for the man deeply, but Hiero was sometimes a bit too much to handle in all respects.

                Worse for himself, Hiero was his own worst enemy sometimes, spouting off or going into one of his insane fits over hyper active rushes then suddenly quieting into his own deepened depression. Manic depressive was the term said technically described it, 'the love of the gods' he called it most often when he was in hyper mode.

                'Hiero's not the problem…..fully, its that woman! The red head…hair of blood….and flame…..ah. Still, how dare she grace this place of the strong and powerful. She better keep herself in line….or may Gaia help her, no one else will. I assure that.' He thought, a light creak of the door sounding. His eyes focused out of his mind and to the door, and his lips became a sneer. There was that woman, standing like a cowering fawn in the doorway, holding a bottle of wine on a metal tray.

                "Don't just stand there, woman, bring it here." He barked. She started a bit, but walked in, in a similar dress from the first and last time they met, but without the rip. He watched her carefully, the light sift of the hem of her dress just barely grazing the floor, her hair neatly shifting with her soft movements, the gas lamps making her hair as blue as her stormy eyes.

                She practically breathed weakness. Her presence was so soft and quiet, like a cherub in the sky. You never saw it till the arrow struck. He shook his head angrily 'What a creature to consider with this sheep in my face….she'll ruin us all. Women always ruin everything.' He thought and growled a bit.

                The young woman stopped about five feet away, the noise possibly making her grow fearful of approach. He smirked at her. It was beautiful, the thing called fear. It could crush countries that boasted to have the power of gods, make priests turn away and renounce their faith, and now the slightest thought of Death, that fear of death so close, could make anyone tremble.

                He stood up and walked to her, his red, blazing eyes raking over her form like razors. He saw he cringe, and it made his blood boil with triumph. Yes, this was petty, anyone not as strong as a soldier or a god's avenging angel like himself was a better use of his time, but she was still alive. Her presence bothered him, made him think too much about how betrayed he felt. Still, he had to take his anger out on someone, even if not fatally. He'd never really kill one of his own ever, unless they tried to kill him first. All bets were off then.

                "Stand up straight, lamb…." He said sharply. She did it quickly, her eyes a bit worried and nervous. 'Good….now I have your attention, whelp.' He thought and reached to her. She stayed still, perfect as a statue. Her hair still moved in the slight drafts from the vents, the light of the room making her look like cold fire at times. Fire, there was beauty, the flame was all-powerful, where the warriors soul dwelt. The fire had to be tended constantly to keep it burning. Burning forever, so he would fight forever against everything if he had to. He would always be strong, no woman would ruin his skills as they had Hiero's.

                "State your name, woman….yourself. Hiero's not here to help you now….I want to hear it from you….your voice." He stated snidely. More so, he wanted to hear her trembling voice, the shake of fear as his eyes infected her with it. She would know her place now.

                "Akiko….H-Hitodama, Lord Dilandau." She stated, her attempt at being calm almost laughable. Her voice was sweet though, like his mothers. He smiled faintly, remembering his mother humming while he was in her womb. He hadn't been a normal baby, only a soul trapped until the moment came, so he heard everything, from his mother's mind, her mouth, her heart.

                "Now I have rules, woman," he said, pointedly not referring to her by name," You will not go near the soldier's quarters unless we are going to battle. You will clean the floors and the kitchen area, you will not touch any of their things. They can do their own clothes washing. If anything is out of place, you will be reprimanded unless you come clean about it, then it won't nearly as bad….nearly."

                He gave a sly grin. She didn't deserve to be called by name, no for infiltrating his fortress through his lunatic friend and walking about freely without him knowing. Insult him, would she? Well, now it was his turn. He gazed right at her stormy blue eyes and smirked. "You will also never enter my room under any circumstances. You will be severely punished if you even touch the floor there. Understood, woman!?" he growled.

                She nodded softly. "Yes Lord Dilandau. I won't break the rules…sir." She replied gently, her voice reminding him again of his sweet mother. Celena, dear sweet Celena. He'd grown used to her manners and sweet personality, all be it she wasn't as strong as he was. He had still been a part of her, and she grew nearly as strong, but never enough. When he saw Hiero through her eyes, he was shocked with the love she felt for the boy, so much she had kissed him. Dilandau had been with her till her end, and understood her feelings, as they were also his. Just her eyes, when she'd look in her mirror to brush her hair or fix her earrings, he would get lost in the storm of her gaze. It was an exiting yet pleasant feeling. To be in such chaotic innocence was divine, how he missed those eyes. 'Mother….' He thought, missing her more suddenly.

                Celena had been the perfect angel, his twin, his mother, and now gone because she gave him a second chance to fight. He sighed a bit, the world was less interesting without her innocent eyes. He could almost see her in his mind's eye, those stormy blue eyes deep in thought, wide and innocent as a newborn. He reached for that, considering how someone so perfect could have suffered him.

                "Lord Dilandau?" a soft voice replied. He nodded a bit, then shivered, his daydream leaving him as quickly as it had started, only to see Akiko in front of him, looking slightly puzzled at him. His gloved hand was softly to her cheek, the fingers tensing upon the recognition. 'How the hell….ah!' he raged and yanked his hand from her like from a hot needle.

                "What are you looking at!?" he screeched at her. She shook her head, bowing it slightly. "Nothing, sir….You weren't speaking, I got worried." She stated quickly. He shrugged off the concern in her voice and snarled. "Get out of my sight….go tend to your duties and stay away from the men. Go!" he hissed, stalking back to his throne. He looked back, frowning to see she was standing by the cracked open door, watching him with those eyes and not leaving. It hurt to look at her now, what possessed him to touch her face like he cared? He didn't care, he would never care for anything but his true love, war.

                "I said leave me, now, woman! Are you deaf?" he snaked out, turning about. He'd slap her if that's what it took. "I…can't, Lord Dilandau." She let out softly, a tinny of fear and hurt in her voice.

                "Why the hell not!?" he yelled.

                She held up a little note. He glared at it and harshly walked up to her and snatched it away. "Reese got called away….he's my escort in the halls to make sure I don't get lost again, sir." She told him. Dilandau raised an eyebrow and read the note.

Miss Hitodama,

                Uncle needs me in the alchemy labs. I am sorry. Lord Dilandau can take you back to the kitchen, it's of dire importance.

                                                                                                                Reese      

                Dilandau's eyes narrow sharply, a growl escaping him, that of a dragon ready to charge. Hiero did this, how dare he force him near this woman. He knew Hiero had done it on purpose, to get back at him for the comments about his jinx of a wife. 'But I can't let her wander, then she will definitely give the men ideas….Link and Grego at best….Nothing more I detest than those two thinking women are playthings, especially if Link has charmed Grego's way of thinking…..Hiero, you'll pay for this, you blue bastard.' He thought, the note setting on fire in his tight fingers. Akiko yelped a bit, then gasped as Dilandau roughly grabbed her by the elbow.

                "Keep quiet….I'm not in the mood to be trifled with." He hissed. She nodded, patting his hand awkwardly. He stared at her a moment, pulling her out of the room, then put his hand in hers, tugging her along like a bad child to the kitchen. 'Why does she give a shit if I'm mad now? Women….stupid creatures….Hiero's going to regret fooling with my perfect order.' He thought, leading the flame haired girl through the halls in silence.

                                                      ~ Alchemy Lab 13 ~

                "You're sure I won't get in trouble for this?" Reese asked quietly, handing his uncle a vial of snake venom. Hiero gave off a sly grin and took the vial. "Dilandau won't say a word to you….really. I just hope he enjoys the long walk home." Hiero giggled and poured the green fluid into a boiling beaker of red fluids, it churned around becoming a dirty maroon color, little sparks erupting on the glass.

                "Why did you need me, Uncle? What so important?" Reese asked, stirring up a blue jar of thick fluid. "Chemistry, Reese, chemistry…."

                Reese flinched a bit, eyeing him a bit. "How so?"

                "Oh, you want me to teach you chemistry? How forward…..but that's so like you, always wanting to learn more….It makes me very happy my brother had such a smart boy, may Gaia rest his uneasy soul." Hiero quipped softly. And let the dirty fluid boil. He walked up to his papers a moment and tore a little piece of it off, nothing on it but some ink dots.

                "Consider two forces….say this paper strip," he let out and pointed to the burner," and that flame. Both in their own set of perfect harmony, tranquil, placid….boring. Not how something should be. Now mind you, these examples don't get along, fire and paper because…."

                He paused and put the paper to the flame, and soon it was engulfed in the hot tendrils, blackened as it fell from Hiero's fingers. "Fire burns paper, as it burns most things if they get too….close. Are we on the same page with destructive chemical reactions?"

                Reese nodded a bit. "Doesn't seem like basic chemistry, but I understand fire destroys things. All things, Lord Dilandau is proof fire is dangerous."

                "Very good, but you are wrong on one point, fire does not destroy everything. With the right material introduced to it, the right distance, chemical reactions come and are quite interesting to behold." Hiero grinned.

                "You mean like cooking food and stuff?" Reese asked, but Hiero half shook his head. "Its true, fire prevents us from dying from bacteria in dead meats, but when you have come from the coldness of the world, it is a wonderful reaction in your skin and blood to a warm fire. To warm your cold body, the heat…..the prickle of your skin, keeps you from dying from that void of cold. Hiero began, looking to the side a moment, a light smile playing on his lips," Most of the chemicals here need the fire to warm them to create chemical reactions for useful things necessary for life."

                Hiero took the boiling, dirty fluid to the blue slime Reese was still stirring and poured the steaming brew into it. The chemicals met and churned, lapping around in a sort of cyclonic symphony of colors. It settled at last to a warm purple and bubbled softly.

                "Chemical bonding is a great force of attraction, be it heat to cold or the other way around, but heat, in Gaia, tends to help most of them along, as it does with this anti-venom. The atoms within that glass jar bonded with the others from the beaker, and made a new form, electrons spinning in a wild euphoria to do so. The chemicals swam together in almost the same manner, close as a breath, then closer until they were in union. A slick form, so placid and gentle, alone and useless to anything but itself until the heated companion comes, then the reactions surge up, bubbles on the surface. Now, the forms made something very powerful, useful and unbreakable."

                "And that is?" Reese asked, a little flush in his cheeks. Hiero sighed softly and took the jar with his bare hand. He heard Reese suck in a sharp breath as the hot jar scalded his uncle's palm. Hiero set it on a burner with a low flame, a dying flame Dilandau would have sadly called it, then looked back to his 'nephew.' Reese just stared down, at the scarred flesh of Hiero's palm no doubt. The scalding hurt, but Hiero didn't feel it was an important pain, nothing to worry about. Dilandau would be beating the crap out of him soon for forcing him to be alone with Akiko.

                Not that he regretted it. Dilandau was jackass stubborn, too proud to admit anything unless it was slammed into his face with a spiked hammer. Dilandau would understand soon what he meant. Death would be but a dream of ignorance to that flaming angel of the said god. Dilandau would see there were worse things than dying, worse things than an insult or losing a battle. Much worse, he'd see, even if Hiero knew Dilandau would never be the same after it, but Dilandau would never understand if this wasn't going to happen.

                "Uncle….did you hear me?" Reese said a bit louder. Hiero sighed and nodded. "I did….what this new form is, well, its….." he began, but the door swung open hard and slammed loudly into the wall. Several beakers nearly feel from the force of the sound.

                He looked up and there was Dilandau, seething and growling in the doorway. "Obviously having an effect on the fire…." Hiero blurted coyly, unable to prevent himself from smirking at his angered leader. Walking back with her must have had some effect, and he had no blood on him, so the slight risk that he might kill her had passed.

                "Who do you think you are, Hiero!? How dare you make me walk her to the kitchen…she's Reese's responsibility. NOT MINE! How dare you meddle with my affairs!" Dilandau hissed out, entering the room. He slammed the door shut, his fists clenched tightly at his sides and shaking with hate.

                Hiero shifted on his hips a bit and shrugged. "Your affairs…so she is your business? How cute…"

                "CUTE!? Dammit, I am not your plaything or a mission of that damned Delphine of yours. I never said she was of my affairs….but if you ever shove her into my presence again, I'll cut every part of your body that sticks off your torso and face off! You keep her away from me, she's already creating chaos for me."

                "For you, Dilandau? Not the men? That sounds odd to me, how could she create chaos if she's not distracting your men….hmm? Dilandau, if she means nothing to you, why care? Chaos is what you say, then why yell at me….or are you not admitting something and you have to yell at me to eliminate those thoughts of yours. You're so loud, I can barely hear your thoughts…." Hiero smoothed out, grinning.

                Dilandau growled loudly and before Hiero knew it, his leader's hand came crashing into his cheek, snapping the cheekbone. 'Ow, got it bad to break bones now….you can't hide from me, Dilandau….what happened in the throne room….' He thought, and gave Dilandau's mind a slight push.

                Dilandau didn't have time to block Hiero out, and soon he saw images of Dilandau speaking to Akiko, then looking into her stormy eyes, and touching her face. Hiero thought it was sweet, the eyes were very alluring, and for Dilandau, the memory of what those eyes did for him were a sort of comfort.

                Hiero's mind backed out as Dilandau's lurched forward, then he blinked. Dilandau looked enraged, his hands reaching out for Hiero's neck. Hiero took a quick sidestep and Dilandau missed, grabbing the table instead. Hiero opened his mouth to tut his leader, but Dilandau moved again, his pale hand grabbing Hiero's healing hand sharply. Hiero blinked a moment, then Dilandau was gone, the lab was gone.

                He blinked again and saw the Abyss below his feet. He was floating in mid-air, high above the towering floating fortress. 'A vision….but why react to Dilandau's touch….I've touched him before….this shouldn't happen unless….what? Is something going to happen to him?' he wondered, then yelped as he was violent tugging into the Abyss, melting through the rock and metal like specter.

                He shut his eyes a bit, the whoosh of darkness stinging at his cheeks, till he felt his body lurch. He let an eye peer open, and saw nothing but a figure in the dark and a noose around his neck. The hair and body was jerking into different styles and poses, Link's frosted blonde, Reese's cyan, wind-blown hair, Blake's frosty brown, Chesta's honey blonde, then came Gatti's silvery blonde and Grego's dark brown and Migel's light chocolate brown hair. Dilandau's quicksilver locks bled across the hair and the beautiful flaming swirls of Akiko's, then his own sapphire wisps. It kept repeating over and over again like a flipbook, jerky and spastic in its motions.

                Dark light filtered in suddenly, the figures bloody blade in Hiero's sights. The room was blue as a dark midnight moon, hovering around the figure's eerie, twitching figure. He saw the blade was embedded in the back of a Dragon Slayer's armor, but the body inside it was like an oil slick of skin, the sick flesh sewn to the neck to hide the facial features. It was a tortured soul, as near as Hiero could figure. The figure bled heavily on the floor, the blood squirming like a river of maggots around the victim and killer. The hands were by the lap, clenched in pain and restrained by its own veins. Hiero didn't like this vision anymore than when it started.

                'Did the killer change his mind? Is Blake safe now? Who is he going after, gods be damned stop riddling me to fucking death!!' he screamed mentally, but received no reply, as if he really ever did anymore.

                The killer looked up at him, Hiero taking a few steps back. The eyes were stitched shut and caked with dried blood. A sick grin was planted on its twitching face and a serpent's spiked tongue sliming out of its mouth. Bugs slithered out of that horrible grinning mouth, crawling into the blood and around the thing's boots.

                'Monster, and blinded….nice work, brain. Really will settle my stomach when I wake up near Dilandau….that'll make him real happy when I vomit in his face. Puke….' He thought, screwing his face up. The figure approached, stopping every so often to twirl the blade, to show off. Its head jerked to the side a bit, the neck ripping in the motion before slapping back down like fleshy fangs. "I am the best….Death awaits you. I am….all. You are….nothing." it said, its voice sounding like it was talking with a throat full of broken glass.

                "No way…I won't let you live, whoever you are…." He began, but it rushed up at him in seconds and pinned him to the wall with his blade. Hiero's eyes widened a bit, dropping a bit as the pain came through his body. The being was wearing Dragon Slayer armor again, like in the last vision. "One of us….you're one of us." He croaked out, watching its terrible tongue pour out of the mouth and lance towards this heard.

                "I will be the last one standing…." It gurgled, its face twitching around into random faces, all the Slayers features melding with others like an oil painting. The pain exploded in his brain.

                                                                                ~

                "GODS NO!" Hiero screeched loudly in Dilandau's face. Dilandau slapped him hard, shocking his senses. He blinked and looks at Dilandau, then Reese. Dilandau looked angry still, but worry was in his eyes as he held Hiero up by the cuff of his armor. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you screaming….?" Dilandau hissed.

                Hiero's head hurt, he couldn't see who the killer was. 'Alessa…oh gods, I need you….I can't see who's doing this….I miss you too much to concentrate, it hurts so much, darling.' He thought tears rolling down his cheeks, exhaustion setting on his tired and injured mind. It was one of their own soldiers after all, not a spy in their armor. It was one of their own trusted soldiers.

                "The killer…." He wept out. Dilandau stared at him, his eyes widening slightly. "What about them? An Artemis bitch!? Someone working for that stupid elf king? Who!?" Dilandau demanded, shaking him a bit. Hiero rattled a bit, his eyes lidding. "He's….a Dragon Slayer…." Hiero let out before his mind fell prey to the pain his vision assaulted him with, and passed out in Dilandau grip, leaving him and Reese utterly stunned.

                                                           - Five Months Later -

                                                                  ~ Lavatory* ~

                Blake stretched a bit as he left the sword room, and started for the bathrooms quickly. At least some were near the training area. Dilandau and Hiero had been really hard on them very edgy about them going off alone anywhere in the Abyss. Still, he needed this training for getting sick a few weeks ago. Dilandau would be proud of him, all be it pleasing his master was difficult unless he showed no hesitation or weakness. He'd had to hide in the sword room for two hours so it'd be clear and no one would hear him sneak back to his room. That was safe enough. The murderer had to be long gone, but they really had no leads, or nothing Dilandau or Strategos Hiero were letting out.

                The Strategos and Lord Dilandau had been most quiet, but perhaps the murderer had been discovered by them and ran. Security was the same, and no new orders had been administered. He sighed, running his hand softly through his frosted brown hair, sweat beading on his fingers.

                He stopped a moment and held his groin. If whoever had been in the training room hadn't taken so long, Blake would have gotten in deep trouble for relieving himself in a corner out of desperation, if anyone knew he'd been there. His bladder hurt like hell now, two hours was a long time to wait. He held it back and started running softly now. 'Yeah, better hurry up or I'll be the first Dragon Slayer to piss himself off duty. Link would never let me live it down, the creep….always teasing us.' He thought, wincing a bit as he saw the bathroom door coming up.

                He hated that. Every time anyone saw a bathroom and had to go, the bladder thought for itself and tried to empty at the mere thought of being that close. It was if it thought in the bounds of humiliation when someone saw that door. He pushes his way in and started unzipping fast. 'No, not now, come on, cut me a break.' He thought, a warmth boiling in his pants. He got to the toilet before his bladder gave out.

                'Just a little drop….that's standard…nothing…ahhh….wrong with a drop.' He smiled, empting himself out happily. Next time he'd drink a lot less, no more long waits. It wasn't his fault someone was coming down the hall as he was finishing his extra training. A half hour into his wait, his bladder began to hurt, and then it was painful leg crossing for another hour and half. "If I ever find out who was in there for two hours, I'm kicking his ass….after I shove dragon shit in his armor. Bastard…." He groaned.

                He finally emptied out, a great relief in itself, but now he had to sneak back. He gave himself a shake, then zipped back up. As his fingers began to release from the zipper, he felt a sharp pain in his back…then it came to his chest. It was hard to breath now. He grabbed for the pain, only to lose a finger. He yelped in a blood gurgled voice, and looked down. His eyes watered with fear and pain, a sword 's red kissed form staring back at him. 'Oh…no….I'm….gonna…..' he thought, then the sword jerked up through his face, and Blake thought no more.

Crushing all deceivers, mashing non-believers,
Never ending potency
Hungry violence seeker, feeding off the weaker
Breeding on insanity!

                The figure above him grinned, wiping off the blade gently. "Kick my ass? Yeah, sure….Dead men don't bother me, Blakey." It grinned and unzipped, using the bathroom himself before leaving the severed corpse to bleed across the floor. The blood swirled upon the dark tiles, like worms to the soil, until the darkness was gone and only the drip-drip of the sinks could be heard.

                                                           ~ Throne Room ~

                                                                - Next Day -

                "This can't be happening! The murderer suddenly comes back after months of silence. Two Dragon Slayers dead and we are not closer to a suspect other than your scattershot visions. One was too many, Hiero! We need to take action now, no more excuses that you're not sure." Dilandau roared out.

                He'd called Hiero to the throne room when Chesta had found the body of Blake in the lavatory. Dilandau rushed to the sight with Migel and Gatti and Chesta to clean it up. Val had been given orders to instruct the remaining Slayers, at least he was good for something. Dilandau would end up killing on or all of them himself if he went to training today. Hiero's vision hadn't been exact enough, or what he'd told him. Hiero had said it was one of them, and then said nothing more, his depression flooding his features each day. Hiero hadn't spoken since then and Dilandau found it annoying. He blamed Hiero for this death, for not telling him more. It was atrocious and weak, letting his heart guide him and not his strengths.

                "I wasn't sure….I think its Link or Grego….I'm still not sure, they're both arrogant and don't like either of us in many ways. Or it may be both of them….I'm sorry, but if I was wrong, we'd have taken someone down for no reason. I am sorry, for Blake and Morse, but I need to be sure. They're going to go after us all….whoever's doing it. It is Dragon Slayer…but which one….I only have those two in mind. Grego is strong though, he was captured, but he is one of us. We've trained them since infancy….but…."

                "But….something has changed it. Grego is a bully, but a good soldier. He would never challenge me. Link maybe, he's such a brown-noser, but it could be an act. Your nephew….now I suspect him…." Dilandau began, but Hiero growled at him.

                "Leave Reese out of this, if you make him a suspect, Slayer Bolero should be included for hating you for hitting him. Neither of them like you…hey, let's throw Slayer Olita in because he's the 'quiet' one, eh? No, maybe Chesta, innocence is a good disguise, pretending to just blow his breakfast all over the bloody bathroom floor would throw us right off, you know. And Gatti, he's the one who keeps seeing Link near a murder scene, how about that, ole Gatti lying because he's the k…." Hiero spouted off angrily.

                "SILENCE!" Dilandau shouted. Hiero stopped, his expression still enraged by Dilandau's statement. "Fine, Link and Grego will be watched….that's why this is a private meeting between us, so we can watch our suspects without being exposed by innocent conversation." He continued.

                Hiero nodded. "Thank you…now what about Akiko?"

                Dilandau glared. "What about her?"

                "She might be in danger….maybe we should leave a guard behind with her for today's assault." Hiero suggested. Dilandau snorted sharply. "No….the battle field is no place for a woman at all, those Artemis bitches are proof of that. They're weak and nothing but bad luck, get that through your blue skull, Hiero. She stays behind where she can't cause trouble for us."

                Hiero shrugged and gave a curt not. 'Us or you …hmm?' Hiero thought, and Dilandau growled deeply at him. "Get out of my sight and rally the men, I'll join you shortly….no more backtalk…." Dilandau hissed.

                Hiero nodded and bowed. "Yes…LORD Dilandau." Hiero left without another thought or word, but Dilandau knew deep down Hiero wanted to lacerate him with taunts and teases, all over one little touch, and an accidental kiss. He hadn't meant any of it to happen, he just wanted to kill her believing she was a spy. He had no inkling to kill her now. She was perfectly harmless physically, no real strength or military talents, nor was she tough or hyper.

                Akiko was a reserved, curious and enchanting creature, and that was bad around rough soldiers. He didn't like it, she would distract them, and it was obviously working. Blake was dead now, following Morse to the Walk of the Dead. Blake had always been so alert, though a bit defiant at times. He was still a good soldier and mechanic. Now he was food for the worms and scavengers of the dark soil. Dilandau had not been able to believe the soft-spoken youth could have been killed in such a manner. Why didn't he turn around, why was he out there instead of in his room like the others. Hiero should have told him instead of hiding his suspicions. Blake would still be alive if Hiero had fought the sorrow of the loss of his foolish wife.

                He snarled a bit and stood. Today was a day for bleeding, and the Artemis women would be the donors. They would appease his anger in blood and flame, for Blake and Morse. No more were to fall, if it was one of their own, that soldier would pay with his life. Grego, he'd watch Grego for now. Link was arrogant, but he was not stupid enough to risk Dilandau's wrath. Why Grego would dare to harm his own after the reprimand he'd been given for botching their kidnapping of the princess was pure insanity.

Smashing through the boundaries,
Lunacy has found me!
Cannot stop the Battery!
Pounding out aggression,
Turns into obsession,
Cannot kill the Battery!
Cannot kill the family!
Battery is found in me!
Battery!!

                'Still….insanity is just one step closer to hell….one step closer to the Devil…me. If it is him….mercy is a foreign concept. No quick stab to the heart. I'll cut him to pieces slowly.' He thought with a wicked grin, drumming his fingers on his sword hilt. "You have this day, murderer, but I'm the better murderer. Soon, I hunt you…." He said lowly, smirking mildly before exiting the throne room.

                                                               ~ Kitchen ~

                Akiko scrubbed her final platter, her hair damp and wilted slightly from the steam of the water. She could see her face in it, looking so tired and worn out from her duties, but it was safer than being owned by that awful man who nearly raped her in public.

                Hiero had given her a selection of dresses over the months, flat shoes to match, and a shawl or two for the cold seasons. He was very nice to her, and let little tidbits about Dilandau come her way. She was appreciative, but she doubted Dilandau would ever care for her as she did for him. Her crush on him kept growing, so much she'd sneak away from rapidly finished duties just to watch him train. He was so graceful, like an animal, sleek and sure of himself. The way his silver locks danced with his movements was heavenly for her.

                Her favorite time was when Dilandau was sparring against Hiero, while laughing and shouting at Hiero. The blue-haired young man seemed to be able to break Dilandau's movements down in minutes and aggravate him to the point he'd break out in a sweat. To see those clear, crystal beads slip across his porcelain features was enticing for her. She smiled a bit, as her cheeks grew warm and blushed softly.

                Dilandau had won a few matches against Hiero, and vice versa, but he always pulled off his armor after sparring with Hiero. Her heartbeat would quicken at his slender frame, so elegant and refined, yet rugged and wild with the glistening sweat on his skin and stomach. Her heart skipped several beats when he's move, shaking his head to relieve his silver locks of the sweat. He was a beautiful creature and she bet he knew it. He'd smirk at Hiero wickedly and tell him," Better luck next time," or "I'll get you next time." He was so devil may care with the rage of hell itself swimming in his eyes. He was like the Devil himself, only ten times as beautiful and as if sculpted by heaven and hell.

                Last week held in her mind as well. Her cheeks grew bright red at the mere thought of a mere accident. She'd been rummaging in the closet, looking for a broom to clean up the kitchen floor when she heard a door open. She peered out carefully and saw him, standing in only an off-white towel about his lovely hips. She was so startled that all knowledge to shut her eyes and move away left her, her stormy blue eyes trapped on his body. He'd just come out of the showers, carrying his dirty clothing and armor in his leather sack, but dear gods was he gorgeous.

                Her whole body grew hot and goose pimpled at the same time, her heard hammering in her chest. She never came here unless she needed something, but never had the luck to see him half-naked, nor did she remember that the showers were in this hall. Either way, he was as beautiful as ever, his pale skin like porcelain dreams and his red eyes the color of romance, though the more she looked at them, the devilish nightmare that was his warrior's spirit toiled within the garnet orbs. Those nightmares, oh how she would gladly jump into them just to find his heart. She could almost see herself on a flame-ridden landscape, having to leap through the flames around him just to tell him how much she was in love with him. She near ran out and kissed him before she noticed he'd walked away during her daydreams.

                Akiko giggled a bit and set the last dish away., her job complete. Her face had to be red for it was burning like wild fire. How she wanted to know him, for him to know how she felt, but he was always so angry. It was never at anyone in particular, not really. She'd seen him slap someone for a completely different reason. He didn't tolerate disloyalty, failure, or weakness, but she wasn't that strong. She had no ambition to be a solider or some prophetess.

                She was only human, just Akiko Hitodama, she wasn't the popular girl or the tomboy or even the bad girl in her school. She just wanted to help others without having to be seen that way. She just wanted to be a lady, nothing more or less.* She didn't need to prove herself. She'd help for the sake of helping, that's all that mattered. Though she missed girls like that from her school, Makato, Rika, and Sadako**….they had been good friends, always trying to get her to be more assertive, more bold, and to stop wearing skirts and dresses. Not Akiko, she liked dressing up, going to parties, and being reserved to a point. Everyone was different, and she liked the way she was very much.

                'Now if only I could reach him….I know he's a general and famous and all, but he can't simply want all that by himself. There has to be room for love….Proving my myself strong is one thing, which I can't do, but my heart is strong and so is my mind. I'll find out more about him, he might be very sad and lonely deep down and his anger is to hide it. I don't have to prove anything, I can, when he's ready tell him that I am in love with him. Nothing wrong with that….' She thought softly.

                She shrugged, the red dying down. Akiko walked out of the kitchen and went to her room. Reese and her had made sure she knew the entire Abyss, but mostly the way to her room where she could bathe in private as opposed to the men's showers and bathrooms which she wasn't allowed in. Silly rule, but she had to agree a little. If she was in there and a man walked in for his shower and saw her, Dilandau would blow his top over it. She didn't want to make him any angrier than he was. That and she'd never live it down.

                Reese had shown her everything, snickering that what Lord Dilandau didn't know, wouldn't hurt them. He even showed her the marvelous view of the lands around them from the bridge. He'd been explaining how they operate it when footsteps were heard and she had to hide behind a console for a good hour to wait for the coast to be clear. Funny old Reese, such a troublemaker and so rebellious towards Dilandau, but boys would be boys.

Tink! Tink! Clang!

                "Huh?" she said softly, looking around a moment. Nothing was there, but she'd heard something. She walked back a ways, and stood near the stairwell. She listened hard, but nothing was coming to her. 'Maybe the dragons left behind are rough housing….or something's broken….' She thought and turned back around.

Clang! Tink! Whir…Creeeeaaaakkkkk!

                She stopped stiff then. She knew that noise. Reese had showed her escape hatches all over the ship, in case the Abyss every got damaged in flight, they were there for easy escape via dragons or what few of their odd guymelefs were left. They were about as big as the top part of a guymelef at least, but codes were required in to open them from the inside. 'Someone's inside or….someone broke in from outside….I don't know how to fight….Oh gods, now what do I do?!' her mind raced. Footsteps came, maybe a few halls down, several of them.

                Akiko yanked her shoes off and ran barefooted up the stairs quickly, keeping her ears perked to the other sounds. Her shoes would click as much as theirs if she wore them while running. Sneaking out of the house back home had trained her for this at least, but not much else. 'Control deck, the bridge, maybe one of the buttons is security system….or at least scare them away so they think Dilandau and the others are here….anything….' she thought as the first voice picked up from below.

                "Now douse everything in oil….those dirty humans are going to regret coming to our lands. Its elves only….death to the humans!" yelled a man.

                "For Lateni! Destroy their home, then hunt them down like the trash they are." Another yelled, then cheers erupting, the clunking of cans and barrels knocking together ringing in her ears. 'No….their home, my home, no….I have to get them out….I hope.' She thought and raced up without stopping. Much as her body hated her for it, her legs aching, her lungs begging for a break, she ran all the way up.

                                                                       ~

                Akiko reached the bridge as the smell of torch oil reached her. She was running out of time now. If the fires were lit, they'd reach the dragons, and those things might panic or feed the fire more. She stared at all the consoles, wishing hard that Reese had been able to tell her what everything did. 'Please don't have a self-destruct button, please….oh…' she thought nervously and scanned the controls. No labels, just buttons, levers, dials and knobs. "Oh…make this count, Akiko….." she whimpered and pressed a light blue button.

                All the lights on the bridge went on and snaked down the stairway. "That might make them think somebody is here…but not enough….security, where's the security system….anything….oh….where Scotty*** when you need him!?" she grumbled and pushed a green one. She heard random clicks and slams under her feet and a loud yell. "AHHHH!! The door….ahhh!!" the man's pained voice ran out. "Well, that counts….lucky push….I should wish more often. Sorry if the guy is dead, but they wanted to set the place on fire….Oh Lady Luck, don't fail me now…" she gulped and stabbed at the red button.

                The alarms went off, blaring in her ears. "Ah!" she yelped and covered her ears quickly. 'How am I supposed to know they're gone anyway….no cameras inside this place. I can't do this alone….Oh Dilandau….he's fighting in just west of here….I can get him while their in a panic….Or before the fires get to bad, ah stop being a nervous nelly and go!" she scolded herself and ran back down, to the dragon stables.

                                                                ~ Battle Field  ~

                Dilandau's blade crashed through the Artemis warrior's skull, pushing its way out as the body jerked on the blade. He snarled at her as the blade sliced out with a shower of gray matter dipped in blood.

                "Ha….too easy, this battle is barely worth my time, and the king calls this petty little outpost a major problem. What a fop….blind old fool, eh wouldn't know a battle if it bit him on the ass."

                Hiero cut down another woman, laughing, but not at her. "Blind….hahaha, this coming from the king of blindness."

                Dilandau hissed at him, his blade coming up sharply as a woman dove at him with daggers. Both halves of her fell to the ground in a surprised wet heap. "what are you laughing about, you idiot?!" he growled. Hiero smiled, grabbing up another warrior by the neck and snapping it like a twig.

                "You….You're so blind to love that you'd need ten seeing-eye dogs….Blind, hah, funny."

                "Love!? What are you going off about? We're in a war now, which has nothing to do with love, shut up and fight, blue boy!" Dilandau yelled. Hiero grinned. "Mhmm, whatever you say, Romeo….whatever you say…." Hiero hummed and jogged off to Val and Reese.

                Dilandau grumbled, angered more by the statements Hiero had made than this boring and less that worthy battle they were in. Love, what utter blasphemy, he didn't love anything but himself and war. Of all things to say, when he was already pissed off about this stupid battle not being up to par, Hiero, who'd been so quiet all this time was teasing him again. 'Crazy….and people say that about me, he's simply out of his mind with what he wants or sees. Love, such an emotion is for the weak. I don't need love when I have a war.' He thought, hissing to himself as he looked back across the battlefield.

               Circle of Destruction, Hammer comes crushing,
Powerhouse of energy!
Whipping up a fury, Dominating flurry
We create the Battery!

                "Probably should make the best of this. Whatever is so damned important about us being here, I must have missed it. Grrr, sickening, how could I have missed anything, we've been here for two damn hours and these women couldn't fight a dog to the death. The king will hear of this, as will his sources. Dilandau Albatou is not a grunt. I am a general and deserve only the most worthy fights, not whining stupid children with weapons." He boasted out.

                He sniffed and started to move towards a cluster of soldier fighting Link and Grego, to keep his eyes on them both. Good friends might be good allies, as well as partners in crime. One could be picking the victims and the other killing. Link had had an altercation with Morse the night he died and Link had been caught getting back to his room late, the same night Blake died. At least that was according to Gatti's report.

Smashing through the boundaries,
Lunacy has found me!
Cannot stop the Battery!
               'Hiero said so himself, his visions aren't clear, it might be both of them. They're both strong, arrogant, and bullies to the younger recruits like Morse and Reese. It could be them….' He thought absently, sneering. Then they'd die together for betraying him, die slowly and painfully by his hand.
               Link looked up a bit as he severed his opponent's limbs from her body, the torso falling as streaks of blood fountained from her stumps. His eyes looked puzzled a moment, then widened. "Lord Dilandau….! Look out!!" he yelled.
               Dilandau whirled, the melding of steel ringing in his ears and through his hand as he felt his blade knocked away. He expected it to be Raven Ai, the only person who somewhat seemed worthy of his skills, but to his disappointment it was just a warrior, one who got lucky, very lucky. She brought her blade back as his own flew out of reach, impaling a warrior woman through the back. 'Least I got to kill something before this insult….' He thought and reached for his dagger.
               "No you don't, bastard male!" she laughed and stuck him in the hand. "Ah!!" he screeched and shoved her away, his hand impaled right through. He could hand either hand, but the wound would keep bleeding unless he got Hiero to fix it. He'd have another damn scar. How dare she! He'd gut her for this.
               He reached again, then stopped when a cold sharp tip met his throat. 'Shit….stupid whore….' He thought, his garnets eyes looking up at the  woman hatefully. She grinned. "Finally, now I'll be the best, the one who beat the legendary piece of trash human. Raven will be pleased…." She grinned and her wrist clenched, a slight push piercing his skin, the blood slipping under his armor.
Pounding out aggression
Turns into obsession
Cannot kill the Battery!
Cannot kill the family,
Battery is found in me!
Battery!
               He kept his eyes open, he wouldn't die like them, he wasn't afraid of her, but now he'd never get any more wars. He'd die pissed, it was already in his mind.
               "Dilandau!!" a familiar voice shouted, a roar accompanying it. The warrior woman blinked and batted away by a dragon's tail, the sound of her spine snapping filling Dilandau's ears delightfully.
               He touched his throat a moment, feeling it was only a slight cut, nothing to concern himself with, unlike his sore hand. Dilandau looked up to the dragon thoughtfully, looking around its head to see who had saved him. His heart seemed to tighten at the sight of young Akiko. The battlefield was no place for a woman, why was she here putting herself in danger. It was obvious she was no warrior. 
               "Why?" was all he could get out, still getting over his shock. He'd been utterly cruel to her. She was useless to him, but still she came out here, risking the dragon would knock her off in midair or kill her and that the enemy might attack her. Knowing that, and she still came and saved him from an embarrassing death. She looked winded and nervous, like she was afraid. "The Abyss is under attack…They broke in one of the escape hatches somehow….they're going to burn it down!"
               "What!? Someone dares invade our home!? How did you escape??" he let out, getting to his feet. "I ran to the bridge… and pressed a few buttons. I got the lights on, doors locked, and the alarms going, but I don't know if it was enough….they said they were from Lateni….Please, you have to help, I don't know if they left…." She let out, her voice breathless. 'She risked herself to tell me this….why?" he thought, bothered by the act of utter selflessness. 
               He shook his head and got on the dragon, not caring at the moment she was on it too. "Dragon Slayers!! Back to base, the Abyss is being attacked!! Back to base now!! They die another day! Hiero, get everyone back to base immediately!" he yelled.
               He saw Hiero smiling at him in the nod, and almost growled at how smug it was, but he let it slide for now. Dilandau spurred the dragon and it let out a great roar before spreading its wings. They were aloft soon, Akiko's arms suddenly around his waist. 'Just doesn't want to fall off….that's all it is, don't think about it.' He thought, but the warmth in her skin was getting through his armor. He head was pressed to his back tightly, and he felt her shiver a few times.
               "I'm afraid of heights….especially on something that can throw me off." She said softly, fear quivering in her soft voice. He sighed. "Just close your eyes…." He said, half regretting it. 'I don't need to comfort her…but….she did save my life and risked her own more than she should have. Why am I being nice to her again….first I touch her, now this….I hate being confused….war is so much easier to understand than….women.' he thought mildly, and continued on to the Abyss.
               'Why did she even bother when all I've done is hate her? I don't understand….why don't I understand?' Dilandau's mind toiled, his garnet eyes settling on the Abyss, finding it safe, but still….Lateni knew better than to anger him. How did they know the Dragon Slayers were gone? Only the king and his army knew that.

            'One problem begets another….the king will answer for this….once I figure out Akiko….gods….why did you save me?' he mused, and flew inside the Abyss.

                                                                        To Be Continued….

Teaser: Akiko strives to find a way to get Dilandau to open his heart up to love, and is willing to even listen to the words of Grego to do it. Dilandau is toiling over Akiko's behavior, saving his life, and wondering what she is doing to him….Grego wants Akiko dead for ruining his beloved princess' plans and seeks to get her killed by Dilandau. As romance and betrayal runs rampant, Hiero tries to find reason in what they are to do by consulting their captive Princess Rheanna.