Chapter 14

A/N: Don't own Shadow Hearts or Koudelka. This chapter rated "M" for graphic violence, sexual content, yadda yadda yadda. There may be some confusion here, with TWO Yuri's, but please be patient. If you read it carefully you'll know which Yuri is which.

"Any second now," he muttered, adjusting his claws and rotating his shoulders. And in the next second, the monster raised her head, screaming to the cloudy heavens and the thumping sound of boots on stone caught his attention, and then a boom as lightening stuck the bell tower and all hell broke loose.

Yuri saw the shadow from below moving up the stairs quickly, head up, and not expecting trouble. Two seconds later, he was leaping down onto the unsuspecting harmonixer. His boots hit the other Yuri in the face, toppling him back down the stairs to the previous landing, tumbling backwards and with a look of utter surprise on his face.

"What the fuck?" the other one growled when he hit the landing, rolling to a sudden stop against the iron grating. He leapt to his feet just in time to see himself leaping from the bottom steps and slamming into him.

Yuri's leap took him to his earlier self's chest, slamming them both back against the wall. The jarring impact stunned the man beneath him, giving Yuri a chance to get to his feet and pull the other Yuri up by his collar. He was pulling back his fist for a punch to the head when his earlier self suddenly scissored his legs, knocking Yuri back and tumbling him down the stairs, a handful of shirt and trench coat in his hand.

"Who the fuck do you think you are," demanded the other Yuri and he dove down the stairs to land hard next to him, his foot planted firmly on Yuri's chest. "Hey, you look like me," he suddenly realized, surprise warring with anger on his mixed features.

Yuri grabbed the leg and twisted, sending the other Yuri to the floor and he scrambled to his knees, following through with a punch to the head, his claws raking along the other Yuri's face and slicing his cheek; thick red blood oozed out and washed his face and he shook his shoulders trying to break free of Yuri's restraining arm and legs which were pinning him down. The two struggled together, arms locked and legs trying to trip or twist the other and the two rolled down another curve of the stairs, bumping and bouncing until they hit the next landing. Yuri found himself on the bottom with an infuriated other-self slamming a knee into his groin and a leather-clad fist wrapping around his throat.

'Forgot I don't fight fair,' he thought and grabbed the offending arm, trying to dislodge it. He could see his other self's eyes burning red and renewed his efforts to pull free, twisting and pushing at the arm; but his lungs were beginning to burn without air and the hand pressed down inexorably and he began to see sparks as his vision receded beneath his other half's firm grip. Yuri tried kicking out, twisting his legs to catch the other but he was unable to even graze him, and that knee came down again in his unprotected groin and he felt moist and knew he was now injured there too and suddenly he knew that he had underestimated himself.

Yuri had no idea who this guy was that had jumped down on him, curiosity wanting him to ask, but survival telling him to kill the bastard first and worry about why later. He felt disconcerted with his strong right hand choking the breath out of – what looked like him... his own face staring back at him – and he forced his knee again into the groin of the man beneath him, causing more pain and, he hoped, damage. This guy fought dirty, just like him. He could hear the struggles above and wondered what was going on, suspecting he knew since Koudelka herself had told him the story just last year; but if Koudelka was there, and James and Halley's dad Edward, then who the hell was this guy struggling beneath him?

Yuri pushed harder on the man's neck, deciding then and there he was going to finish this quickly: he fused.

Suddenly Yuri found himself staring up at Inferno, his own fire class fusion soul. Now this was fucking weird, he thought. The man's fist, already choking him to death was suddenly strong enough to tear his head from his shoulders. As the spots exploded in his eyes, he knew that the gloves were off on this fight. There was one recourse left for him and that was to answer fusion with fusion. But he wasn't going to get into a punching match with Inferno. Nope, this time it was war. Reaching inside himself, he began to fuse only to find his power fading, his mind ragged along the edges and his last conscious thought was how he could have been so stupid.

Inferno shook the rag doll of a man at his feet and made sure he was unconscious. Tentatively he thought of killing him but instead tossed him further down the stairs, his body making thudding sounds as it bounced on the stone stairs before coming to a sliding stop on the floor below. With a black-lipped grin, he turned and pounded up the stairs to the roof.

The lightening had stuck the bell tower and the stone and metal structure began to crumble and then fall, crashing down onto the tower floor. The bells chimed and boomed, rolling over the side of the tower and crashing to the churchyard below. Without thinking, James grabbed Koudelka's arm and pulled her away, jumping out of the way of falling brick and metal to huddle against the crenellations. They both covered their heads and waited for the destruction to abate before looking up to survey the damage. The steeple was gone, only the lower structure still stood, striking upward into the sky like accusing fingers; the struts holding the bells were bent and broken, some having fallen to the floor, others had joined the bells over the side of the building. And standing amidst the ruin, her head held high and her wings fluttering in nervous anxiety, was Elaine, fully transformed into the embodiment of their nightmares. James rose to his feet, his hands shaking and his stomach churning: this was Elaine, his one-time love, the woman he gave up everything for… this monster. How could it have gone so wrong?

Koudelka checked her pack and then loaded her gun; there was little either of them had that could really hurt the monster, but perhaps they could get lucky. If they could use bullets and magic, and if Yuri would hurry… She stepped up to James who had approached the insect-like woman, his eyes misting with emotions. He too had loaded his rifle but seemed unwilling to begin battling his former love.

"James, she's not human anymore; she's only a monster," Koudelka said and James nodded.

"I know," he replied, his voice more of a rasping whisper than its usual robust self. Elaine moved, four of her legs carrying her across the debris-scattered roof and bringing her within six feet of two waiting humans. There was a chittering sound coming from her, and both James and Koudelka looked at her with trepidation and Koudelka began to summon her magic. Nor did they have long to wait for Elaine to act as the frantic movement of her wings stopped with a snap and an explosion of dark energy blossomed beneath her, washing out from her belly like a black tide and sweeping over everything in its path. James went down, knocked to his knees, gasping and shuddering, his breath torn from his lungs and toxins running through his body like water. He fumbled with his pack, trying to reach the antidotes and his shaking fingers grasped the leaves and brought one to his lips. Koudelka too was on her knees, but she still she summoned, her face a mask of concentration.

When her flare magic finally broke over Elaine, it was with relief that Koudelka hung her head, taking the antidote James offered.

"Where the hell is Yuri?" she growled deep in her throat, the pain of the toxins making her jaw clench tight.

"I don't know. I saw him go downstairs just as Elaine came up the outer wall."

"I wish he would hurry," she said and took the antidote, chewing on the leaves and slowly climbing to her feet. "All right, let's do that again, James. She didn't seem to like the fire," she said and James nodded. The flare magic had washed over Elaine and the insectoid female had cringed in pain, her wings fluttering, and her features made a voice-less screech. Koudelka quickly summoned.

Inferno clambered up the last set of stairs to the rooftop and the crumbled bell tower. He paused on the top step, looking around, his dark eyes taking in the crushed and broken masonry, the giant insect and two humans struggling against it; then he blinked. One of the humans was a priest, but the other… Startled, he found himself nearly blinded by the sudden flare of the woman's magic as it burst over the monster. Blinking several times, Inferno climbed the last step and stomped his way toward the monster.

Elaine had hunkered down at the second fiery flare and when the flames had washed away, she rose on her back legs and slammed her front legs into Koudelka and James, slamming them to the stones, one sharp razor claw piercing Koudelka's leg and pinning her to the stones. Koudelka screamed in pain and tried to pull her leg free from the pinning claw. But the monster was too big and too strong.

Behind her, Inferno was stomping across the roof, pausing just long enough to grab a metal strut from a pile of debris. Swinging it in his hand, he then leapt up and over the fallen woman, landing in front of the giant insect and bringing the pipe down hard on her head. There was the crunch of exoskeleton before Elaine swung around and snapped a foreleg at Inferno, knocking him aside. He landed nearly on top of Koudelka and James who were both scrambling away from the flying fusion monster.

"Yuri, watch out!" James shouted and he pulled Koudelka away as the giant fire fusion thudded to the stone floor. The shock of hitting the hard stone left Inferno lying on the floor for a moment, then as he climbed to his feet, he released the fusion, Yuri falling to one knee again.

"Koudelka? Yer Koudelka… I'd know you anywhere," the young fighter said between deep breaths. "I don't suppose ya have anything for magic or such? I could use some mana right about now," he said. Koudelka eyed the man in front of her, wondering why he acted like he hadn't just spent the night fighting at her side; then she realized he wore a battered brown trench coat and no armor.

"You're not Yuri," she said.

"What are you sayin?" the dark haired man asked and James waived them both back.

"If we don't fight now, we are going to be dead," he said and finished a quick summons of flare magic. Koudelka looked up and screamed; the monstrous insect had taken the few seconds of their distraction and approached them from the side, her sharp forelegs poised to stab downward. She scrambled to her feet, lurching over a nearby pile of stone blocks and began to summon. Yuri followed, skirting the bell rope opening and rudely reached into her pouch.

"Sorry, but if I can find anything to help, this will go a lot better for everybody."

He pulled out leaves and a handful of Roman nuts, dropping them to the stones before finding a small bottle labeled listel. He showed it to Koudelka who nodded and he pulled the cork to drink. The dark liquid flowed down his throat and exploded in his stomach like a fireball. Eyebrows raised, he looked at the bottle: "High Listel" it said in faded letters.

"Good shit," he muttered and grinned when he felt his energies renewing with the spread of the warmth from his belly. "All right, now you're mine bitch," he growled and reached for his fusion. Once again, Inferno was called and he used his renewed strength to form a fireball out of the very air itself, fueling it with his personal energy, his anger and his pure unadulterated joy at fighting. He let it go with no hesitation, and followed it up with a physical attack; making one remarkable jump from their shelter to confront Elaine. One fist pounded into the nearest foreleg, snapping it in two and he took up the broken limp, hanging from pieces of ligature and pulled, separating it from the body and then used it as a weapon.

Koudelka finished her summons and shouted a warning before letting the magic fly toward Elaine, engulfing her in red-hot flames. Inferno grinned, his black lips pulled back to reveal sharp canines, and he tossed aside the battered limb and formed his own fireball, sending it under the monster's belly to explode with such force that she was lifted up slightly from the ground. But no sooner had her taloned feet hit the stones again when Elaine sent out a scream of anger and followed it up with a black cloud of poisonous gas that swept across the roof. Almost instantly black lightening formed over their heads as well, striking down from the miasma and sending James, Koudelka and Inferno flying across the roof.

Yuri came awake slowly, his body aching and his head pounding. He opened bleary eyes to stare at something fuzzy in front of his nose then sneezed, sitting up. The plant stem, as big around as a tree, was in front of him, its drooping petals dipping down onto his head and dripping a clear, viscous fluid. Sticky, Yuri rolled out from under the plant and stood up, shaking himself. He was back on the fourth floor of the church, and his body felt like it had hit every stair on its way back down.

"God damn sonofabitch, I'm a stubborn bastard," he growled and ran for the stairs. But his foot had no sooner hit the stones when the entire building shook. "What the hell you doin' up there," he wondered aloud and noticed the opening above for the bell ropes. That gave him an idea. With a grin, he fused.

What was going on was a firefight between Inferno and Elaine. Inferno's fireballs crashed into Elaine with explosive force, pushing her back to the edge of the tower while her black lightening had pushed James and Koudelka to the ground, nearly dead. Inferno was doing his best to ward off injuries and attack the monster woman, but he was also feeling the effects of the poisonous gas and the electrical discharges. Koudelka, on her knees, was trying to summon another flare spell, while James was teetering on unconsciousness, his face slack and his eyes nearly vacant, a thin trickle of blood seeping from his parted lips. Another crash of electrical energy caught them up and Koudelka slid to the stones panting, her energy gone; Inferno had taken a direct hit, his tough skin crisping under the onslaught, but he refused to surrender. One of his four fists grabbed one of Elaine's limbs and was trying to pull her into a better position but he didn't have the strength.

It was this scene that Yuri saw as he flew up from the bell rope hole, flew up on black wings, his hair standing up and crackling with energy, the same energy that enveloped his body as Seraphic Radiance. Black eyes, flecked with crimson, scanned the bell tower roof, taking in the collapsed forms of Koudelka and James and just beyond, the struggling Inferno and Elaine. Eyes narrowing, he gestured, a flick of his hand and a mere thought and Elaine's body was surrounded in coruscating energies, which bled away from her and came back to James and Koudelka in the form of health and vigor. Then, with a flip of his wings, he circled around the yet struggling Elaine and Inferno and landed, his feet barely touching the cold stones. With a sweep of his hand, Elaine found herself pushed back nearly to the building's edge, momentarily stunned. And Seraphic Radiance looked down at the exhausted fusion at his feet and, without hesitation, bent down and ripped the head from its neck, and raising it up, he gazed a moment at the head of Inferno before it blurred and changed, becoming once again human. Yuri wore a peaceful expression on his face, and Seraphic Radiance tilted his head thoughtfully before tossing the head aside and turning to James and Koudelka.

They were struggling to rise, Koudelka's injured leg forcing her back to her knees in pain and James, watching the creature before him suddenly blur and resolve itself into Yuri, his armor torn and his body showing signs of bruising, yet alive, and he crossed himself.

"You – you killed him," he said, swallowing hard.

Yuri knelt down at Koudelka's side, taking her hand in his. "I had no choice. I had to stop myself from killing..." he shook his head. "Doesn't matter now. We just need to stop that thing," and he indicated Elaine, climbing back to her feet in the near distance.

James looked up and watched the monster collect herself, knowing that the creature would attack again in the next moment and he closed his eyes in prayer, pulling his crucifix from the chain around his neck and holding it.

"Dear God, is this my fault?" he said quietly. "Do you blame me? Are you punishing us – punishing me now because the path of my faith was tainted?" James looked over at the young fighter who was helping Koudelka to her feet, the look of love in his eyes plainly obvious to James. He had just killed ... himself, to prevent his killing someone important – Koudelka – sacrificing himself for the good of the future. And looking over at Elaine, now back on her feet, her wings twittering and fluttering as she called on dark magic and the look of vacant hostility in her eyes – James' mind dwelt on his own sacrifices, his giving up his love for a better man, his taking the oath to the Church. How was his sacrifice different than that of this young man? Yuri was willing to slaughter his own self in order to assure the future of mankind; he was the lamb on the altar of his own offering. James blinked, seeing in his mind's eye the images he had seen in the Vatican, the artistry of those who fervently believed in the Word of God being translated into works of impassioned art. And that very Lamb of God, His own Son, sacrificed to save all mankind.

James slowly rose to his feet, crucifix clutched in one hand and a look of determination and conviction filled his eyes. His first hesitant steps became firm and Koudelka noticed him moving away and called out. But he did not answer, his own mind filled with the light of his belief, the faith of his soul and he yanked hard on the little crucifix, breaking its chain and holding it high in front of him.

"I accept my fate, O God," he said more clearly, "if it is Your wish then I accept my fate." His eyes now glowed with a passion he had not felt in years as he offered up his prayer. "He who has an ear let him hear: if anyone is to go into captivity, then into captivity he will go," he said and stepped closer to Elaine. She had hesitated at his approach, her wings' flutter ceasing as if waiting to see what the human would do. "If anyone is to be killed with a sword, then with a sword he will be killed. I am what I am, I am content with my lot," he shouted now, his voice a paean of praise and faith raised toward heaven. The little crucifix was raised high now above his head and Elaine stepped back, shying away from the cross, her movements now nervous.

Behind him, Koudelka and Yuri both were on their feet, Yuri holding Koudelka firmly in his arms, his eyes glowing in a feral light, shifting from amber to red to near black.

"He's going to kill himself," Koudelka said softly, trying to pull away from Yuri's grip.

"Yeah, I know. But it's meant to be," he said quietly.

James was standing now in front of the giant insect that Elaine had become, the little crucifix facing her monstrous visage. "I – I always loved you, Elaine," he said, his voice breaking as tears flowed from his old eyes and the sky above, roiling black with magic and clouds suddenly broke as a shaft of white light descended from the heavens, a bolt of lightening arcing down to strike the ground beside the church and a wind like a tornado suddenly swirling the clouds, the air, the dirt and debris around, lifting them upward. James saw figures in the light, descending as on wings of gossamer and voices singing high and sweet and the light swirled around, lifting Elaine and James together above the bell tower remains, and hanging between then, his little cross.

The lights swirled about them, each pass touching the monster and James and shedding a little bit of Elaine's exterior; first her legs, then the wings, the exoskeleton fell away, revealing clean white limbs bathed in purity; and her face, finally revealed from beneath the insect mask, her vacant grey eyes pulsing once as the empty shell joined with the soul and the eyes closed and then opened, their blue light shining like the ocean. And James, his body purified by that same light, reached out a hand to her and took her own delicate fingers in his, both of them awash in the blinding light.

Like a soft prayer, Elaine's gentle voice washed over all of them, even Yuri and Koudelka standing in awe below, and as her fingers touched James' they vanished in a cascade of light.

"Let's go home James, let's go home. I have such fond memories of those days."

There was a blast of brilliant light and they were gone but just as both Koudelka and Yuri were blinking the brilliants from their eyes, another explosion greeted them from below. Gouts of flame surged up the bell rope opening and spouted like a geyser into the air. Beneath them, the stones shook and another explosion rocked the church itself, sending them both to their knees.

"Oh no!" Koudelka exclaimed. "The flames – we're trapped!"

Sure enough, the stairs leading down were now an inferno, flames licking up the stones and blackening the walls and there was no other way off the tower. Koudelka stood staring into the pit of flames burning in the depths from the bell rope opening and sighed.

Yuri gave her shoulder a squeeze before moving away, checking first the inner grounds from the roof and seeing flames pouring from the church's front doors, before going to the opposite side. Below, the flying buttresses were draped in black smoke and just beyond, he could make out the monastery's graveyard and the grave of Daniel Scotius. To his left was the roadway leading up and Yuri nodded, seeing old Roger Bacon shuffling down the road toward safety.

"Come on Koudelka, this way," he said and went to her when she was slow to move. "This way, Koudelka."

She looked up at him, her eyes bleary in fatigue and shock and she nodded.

"Trust me," he said. "We'll be just fine." He bent to sweep her up into his arms, calling his fusion at the same time so that when he stood it was as the black winged Seraphic Radiance. He looked down at the diminutive woman in his arms, her eyes suddenly wide and he smiled. He carried her to the edge of the tower and spread his wings, the feathers ruffling in the morning breeze from off the sea, and then leapt. The wind lifted them up, catching under his wings and letting them soar, yawing to landward Seraphic streaked over the stone and steel gates of the monastery, flying above the burning mansion and out over the grasslands beyond. Flying was full of trust and joy for him, trust in the wind, trust in his wings and strength and the sheer joy of flight itself. Today was no different, save he held a beautiful woman in his arms, and felt the life in her thrilling at the flight, her heart beating fast and the pulse throbbing at her throat.

Koudelka felt her heart in her throat as Yuri, the young man she had fought beside all night, suddenly lifted her up and leapt off the building. He was Yuri, she could see that, and yet he was much different; his skin was pale white with black patterns like tattoos along arms and one side of his face; and his shock of brown hair stood straight up, as if a jolt of electricity had sent it there – and his eyes… his eyes were now black, a flecking of red pulsing through them and part of her was both terrified and excited by his solution to their problem of escape. And one little part of her wondered why he hadn't used this one before.

Seraphic turned on his wings again, letting the air luff through the feathers and he descended at a fast clip, the grasslands whipping by just inches below them, the occasional smack of a tall frond whipping his body in passage. He turned amused eyes onto Koudelka riding in his arms, her face a mixture of awe and delight and she giggled as he swept them up again into the sky to skirt around the eastern monastery grounds, to float above the front gate. She looked up at him, her arms wrapped around his neck and smiled then nodded down toward the earth.

"We should land, don't you think?"

Seraphic nodded once and they descended, ever so gently, until his feet landed on the dirt of the roadway. He set Koudelka down next to him and she moved back, looking him up and down, eyes taking in the not-quite Yuri-ness of him. And she giggled, hand covering her mouth as she pointed.

"Doesn't leave much to the imagination, does it?" she said behind her hand, giggles erupting again. Seraphic looked down at himself and shrugged. "So what are you supposed to be? An angel?"

He shook his head and grinned. "A God of Earth," he said and his voice was strangely a mixture of Yuri's and something else, something deeper and yet more ethereal.

Koudelka nodded. "Well that fits," she said and indicated him with a wave of her hand. "Most Earth Gods are represented that way," and another giggle fit bubbled to the surface.

Seraphic's lips pressed close and he narrowed his eyes. "I can prove my claim," he said and the smirk escaped his control.

"I'm sure you can," Koudelka teased and then laughed as the sudden blur that was Seraphic Radiance had them both tumbling in the grass beside the main gate, his black wings spread out to cover them both. "But what if someone…" she started to say and then burst into giggles, unable to resist Seraphic's insistent tongue.

The grass was damp with evening mist and Yuri wished he still had his trench coat, not for himself but for Koudelka. She was curled up in the grass, and the wind from off the Irish Sea was turning bitter. Looking up at the monastery ruins his eyes spotted the pile of goods left behind by Edward Plunkett, and next to that was a splay-legged horse that must have belonged to Koudelka. With a snort, he rose and sauntered along the wall, catching up the reins and clicking softly at the horse's nicker of alarm. Holding the reins in one hand, he knelt to investigate Edward's goods.

"Ah-ha!" he exclaimed and pulled out a canvas tent with retractable poles; next came a knapsack with food and clothing, and a bedroll. Gathering these up he moved away from the wall and set up the tent, hammering a peg in the hard dirt to hold the horse. He was setting the bedroll inside when Koudelka walked up, her eyes brimming with humor.

"Scavenging again, Yuri?" He laughed.

"Well, Edward won't be needing it and we will," he indicated the tent and bedding. "An' I intend to get good use out of it too."

Koudelka chuckled softly. "I just bet you do. Plan to sleep alone?"

Yuri looked down at the diminutive gypsy woman, his hands resting on his hips and a smirk playing on his lips. "Like hell," he said.

"I really should be going, Yuri," Koudelka said and waived one hand at the evening mist and clouds again scudding across the sky. "It will rain soon and I need to get going."

Yuri pointed at the splay-legged horse chomping on some grass behind him. "On that old nag? Come on, Koudelka. I've got a nice warm tent here, there's some food, and we can be warm and toasty together," he said and, reaching out, pulled her closer by her belt, pulling her into his arms.

"But Yuri… we've already … I mean, you don't have to do this… it's not as if you…" He bent down and covered her mouth with his and her protests died, but after a minute she pushed against him, moving back from his arms. "Yuri…"

"Koudelka," he said huskily, "I love you."

"Yuri, you can't possibly… you – you don't even know who you are, or what you're doing. Have you… have you fixed what you did wrong?" she asked, and she looked up into his amber gaze and saw him turn away, a frown beginning to crease his brow and his bit his lower lip.

"I – I don't know," he said quietly.

"Then how can you know if you love me?"

"I – I know I do, that's all. I know I'm supposed to be here … an' I know I'm with you... that's all," he finished quietly, his gaze never leaving the pounded earth. Koudelka sighed.

"Yuri, you saved me; you protected me like you promised, but you're here. Are you supposed to be here, in this time and place? Is this what you are supposed to be doing?"

Yuri shrugged, diffidently. "I guess," he said and when Koudelka moved away, he sighed. "I don't know. Maybe yes? Maybe no. I – I don't remember much anymore, I wish I did. It's all a jumble in my head like snowflakes. I know that I had a wife; an' that I messed up killin' you … but I fixed that- yer alive, but I don't know if it's all right now or whatever. I mean, Edward's still dead…" he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Fuck, am I supposed to save him now, too?"

"I don't know, Yuri," Koudelka said with a sigh, "but we'll see what we can find out, shall we? You and I?"

Yuri looked up and, like a child, grinned, making all that went before become a forgotten memory.

"Yeah, an' we can sleep together too maybe? An' maybe a lot more."

Koudelka laughed softly. There was more going on here than she knew or understood, but she wanted to stay with Yuri – to help him as he had helped her. And he wasn't an unpleasant man to be with, if a little childish and insistent. But overall, someone she could be comfortable with for a while. She looked up at the grey and black monastery, wisps of black smoke rose above the burnt out church and she spotted movement; down by the graveyard the old hermit was shuffling with a heavy armload of books.

"Why don't I see what kind of food I can whip up from those supplies Yuri, while you go help the old man," and she pointed up the road to the graveyard.

Yuri followed her gaze and snorted.

"Him an' his books," he said. "Sure, I'll help him," he leaned forward to give her a peck on the cheek and sprinted up the road.

A/N: Hopefully haven't bored you all to tears. I know this seems to be dragging on. Be assured, I will not leave you all in the lurch - the story is complete on my end, just needs editing. So please, look forward to the next one shortly.