Title: Lord of Death 26?
Author: Seraphim Grace
Archive: if you want it ask.
Feedback: Always appreciated and replied to.
Rating: R.
Pairings: Burgeoning 1x2
Warnings: Angst. Some gore.
Notes: AU, and features necromancy
Duo and Heero are taken to a strange world where Duo is worshipped because he calls himself Shinigami
A cadre of Senshi met them at the gate. Mamoru waved his hand and barked orders. "I'll accompany them." Josian said suddenly, Tobin blinked as he looked at his companion. "They'll need the devil's own luck."
"Mamoru," Minako said, breaking her silence, "it will be best if you accompany them, Tobin and Heero are both more than capable, they can keep me safe till Meirin."
Mamoru frowned, his expression grew even more dour, "are you sure?" He asked her, he looked very fragile suddenly in the light from the torches as it reflected and danced across the planes of his face.
She nodded, but her face was out of the halo of the light, it shone on her golden hair where the silk veil she wore was pulled back. "You are my champion." She said, but her tone was firm as if she was trying to convince herself. "There will be a better chance if you lead the Senshi in the diversion against the Seraphim. I believe in you." The last words had the ring of formality, like she was giving him her blessing.
Mamoru finally lowered his eyes. "you five," he pointed to the Senshi, "accompany the Tennosha to Meirin. As Senshisha, I command, and if a single hair on either of their heads comes to harm I will chase each of you in to the hell of being cut into many pieces, if you fall in her defence you will be admitted to heaven."
"Hai, Senshisha." They called out as one, falling into a close formation about them.
"You are to obey the boy as Senshisha, and Tobin as Ouji-sama." There was a slight tremor in his voice as he barked out the orders. "Or I will use the powers of the Senshisha to make your lives miserable, am I understood?"
"Hai, Senshisha." The barked out in answer.
"Then go with Acuya," he said, and then he looked at Minako and his gaze softened slightly, something only someone who knew him very well could see in him. "I will see you in Meirin, don't do anything stupid, like getting yourself killed in the meantime."
She offered him a wan smile, then nodded slowly, but her expression was hidden by the darkness.
Standing next to Mamoru Duo was sure he heard the soldier mutter "Mina, daisuke da yo." But he could not have sworn to it.
"Protect her." He said firmly, and then with Josian beside him rode off towards the Senshi, with a cadre of Senshi numbering at least twenty behind him.
Minako watched him go, "I believe in you." She said calmly for everyone there, "but this still breaks my heart." She said under her breath so quietly that even Heero, who sat next to her, was unsure that he had heard her, to Duo it was just a slow, sad exhalation. "I guess twenty years isn't that long at all." She patted her horse's neck as if for comfort. If the dead offered her counsel Duo didn't see it.
The Seraphim brought fire with them, putting everything in their path to the torch. It was fortunate that the escape route past the Tor was uninhabited or there might have been a slaughter. As it was a few trees along the way burned brightly in the night.
Mamoru was charged with a holy purpose as he faced what must have been a hundred Seraphim with only twenty men and Josian of whom he had his suspicions.
He pushed his horse hard, the sooner these upstart Seraphim were destroyed the sooner he could return to Minako and make sure that she was safe. They would be apart weeks this time, when they longest they had ever been apart was a few hours in all the time that they had been married. The thought weighed heavily on him. He took a deep breath and strengthened his resolve, he would simply have to take his anger out on the Seraphim, something his teacher and tried to advise him against but was still prepared to use.
In battle, Mamoru repeated to himself remembering the lessons of his teacher, who was long dead, one must be like water. Water feels nothing. Water wants nothing. Water is immutable. Nothing can stand in the way of water. Water erodes rocks. Water drowns kings. In battle there is nothing, only water.
He looked at the gathered Senshi he had brought with him from Shiro, the golden light of Josian, who shone with an inner radiance. Yes, he thought to himself, we will be water, and he, he could see Josian and the look of determination on his sharp features, he will reveal himself to be fire.
The Seraphim started their chanting as soon as they saw them. Senshi dressed in black with their masks pulled tight around their faces and the golden form of Josian turning to silver in the moonlight. "Angharad!" They chanted.
Although they carried no banner the Senshi were in no doubt who they served, raising their heads they answered in the ancient battle-chant of the Senshisha, twenty two voices raised as one to call out the oldest of warcries "Shi-ne!" And with the thunder of hooves and the chorus of yells they collided, and then they unleashed Hell.
He plunged into the melee with his round shield held high to protect him from the rain and storm of arrows as he drove his horse through the Seraphim screaming "Meirin!".
Within the fray all was chaos, the silver armour contrasted against the lacquered black wood of the Senshi and everywhere horses churned up divets of mud and sod that splattered across them punctuated with sprays of blood and waves of thick black water. Mamoru could feel the blood pounding in his veins like a Senshi war drum as his men charged with their horse's hooves rolling like thunder even on the rain slicked plain as the moon raised her silver head through the thick black thundercloud. "Meirin!" Mamoru screamed using the sword Minako had given him to slice through a Seraphim's throat as he smashed another away with his shield.
Within the battle Mamoru was aware of the changing tides of battle even if he couldn't see them. Back and forth like a coquette at a ball the line moved, then he fell as his horse was cut out from under him by a lucky Seraphim knight. He hit the ground rolling, losing his shield as he fell. It didn't matter. He came up baring the sword Minako had called Ran even as he brought up his bracer to join the fight. The sword hungered. Even in all this chaos the Tennosha and a Seraphim Knight could duel.
They launched at each other like cats, hissing as they struck and lunged without pause or block. Like animals they fought, or boys pretending to know the forms. The finesse of "breeze parting the reeds", or "carefully pacing tiger" were lost in the blindsided desire to kill. So they hacked and they slashed, Mamoru blocking with his bracer to strike with his sword, and the Seraphim blocking with his sword to slash with the knife fitted under the bracer. The Seraphim was as relentless as he was. Mamoru wanted to defend his Lady and the Seraphim wanted the witch's heart in a jar. There was no impasse. Both wanted the other dead enough that they were incapable of using the forms. They were both evenly matched.
Mamoru overstepped and the Seraphim jumped into the breach pushing the sword clear with a flurry of blows. Mamoru smiled and the sword blade across the bracer disembowelled the man. The Seraphim stumbled back into the fighting as was swallowed by the press of men as if he had never been there.
It was then Mamoru felt the wetness running hot against his fingers where the rain was biting cold. "Mamoru!" Josian said pushing his way through the fighting with the flat of his shield. He blinked slowly wondering why suddenly his arm was so heavy, and his head so light. "Mamoru," Josian said catching him as he fell.