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Well, you're right, it probably is ying and yang, but I'll just move along with yin which is sometimes right as well...plus it just sounds better. Just to make you happy anyway, when I label the next chapter, it will be "Ying and Yang, Part Two". The next chapter by the way, being the final, final part that has Gear in it.
Also, I am now typing to you from another computer yet again. My AOL no longer works on my laptop...which makes that the third computer I have been writing this story or a side-story to this one on.
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The wind blew by gently as the evening sun painted the ground orange. Jet's fallen body given red to the ground instead from his right mechanical limb where the hand would be. From his elbow down gone to him for good. The medicine on Filgaia did not seem to be at a point in which an appendage MIGHT have a chance to be rejoined back onto the body. They might try to sew it back on, but without leeches it would be pointless, as well as for other reasons.Gear grinned as he moved one of his unruly bangs aside to take satisfaction in the pained expression on Jet's face. The way his counterpart clenched his eyes shut as his facial muscles worked overtime. The silent groans that Jet felt but did not verbally produce.
The amalgamation scoffed as he put his hands on his hips. "Stay down this time and die with some dignity," he suggested. "Be content with that much." He let his hands fall to his sides as he held his one foot in the air ready to move. "Now...to purge Filgaia of it's sin." Gear turned away from his fallen enemy, satisfied that he was done for. He stabbed his hands into his jean pockets and slowly made his way in a casual walk to the SAND. Virginia trembled for a moment watching her beau, but got it together enough to place herself between Gear and the path to the SAND as Sakura watched from nearby. Gear came to a gradual halt in front of the brunette. Glancing over her frame he gave a curt laugh. "Don't you have something more important to do? Your lover is slowly dying over there." Gear inwardly scowled. Some reason, he found Virginia attractive. He had found none other that way except her so far. Maybe he should have spent less time before the wedding and dealt with Jet sooner so they would be married. He shook that off. It was not him talking. It had to be the same thing that held him back from harming her earlier. "Heh. You know you aren't strong enough to stop me, so don't try it."
The two of them stared at one another for the longest time, but Virginia finally decided on her actions. She was a bleeding heart sometimes. That's what led her to slowly move around Gear and run to Jet's fallen body. Tears falling behind her along the way. Not out of the fact that Jet was hurt. She cried enough of those already by now. She was not worried about Jet like that. No, she cried because of how weak she acted when she should not have. Jet would be ashamed of her. Clive would be too. The older man would probably have said to fight until there was no means anymore that could be utilized to fight. In laymen's terms, he would say that as long as you have a breath in your body, you can still fight.
Gear glanced at Sakura who looked away ashamed and guilty. So Gear began his slow walking trek to the SAND in the distance. Sakura hugged her body as she looked to Gallows who still seemed a bit shell shocked from earlier, and knew he would not be able to help at the moment. It was a horrible moment for Gallows to zone out. She glanced at Emilia who lied beaten on the ground. Emilia could get back together, but not before Gear would heal himself. There were only about fifteen minutes until the revealed time in which Gear could use the Twilight Moon to absorb the fears of the people on Filgaia and restore his health—probably getting stronger in the process.
Finally Sakura's gaze landed on the man she loved. She felt even more guilty as she saw him. She could not do anything. Gear had a way of taking the strength from people. Making them weak. He had done it to Jet and Adven by getting them riled up, and he had done it to Sakura and Virginia right now. Adven had saw through that, and Sakura wished she could too now. She did not have his strength or power though. All she had was his love and his child, and she did not want to risk the baby.
Sakura listlessly moved her body and began to look ahead to her destination. Virginia was on her knees at the side of Jet looking over his injuries and asking if he was fine, but only saw pain in his face. Sakura saw the two, and made that her destination.
"Jet..." Virginia pleaded, "Jet...I'm so sorry...Jet." Balls of salty water fell around her cheeks. She was sorry that she could not put up a fight and came to him instead. She did not show as much strength as Jet would have if she had been in his place.
Jet's left hand found the stub that ended his right arm now, and let out a groan as he applied pressure. The bleeding by now had slowed down and most likely began to clot. Still, a bandage on it would help. He was not in the right frame of mind, and the wound hurt so badly right now after getting it, that he would not be anytime soon. His eyes remained shut, but they were looking at Virginia.
"V-Virginia...I..." His words could not come out.
"Don't move Jet." Sakura suggested as she calmly came to the two. Bent on her knees she examined the separated appendage and the wound quickly.
Virginia felt foolish for not being as calm as Sakura right now. "Right," was all she could say, agreeing and reinforcing Sakura's words. She shook that initial grief and sorrow off. That was not who she was. She was an optimist at heart. Love sometimes makes you forget who you are. She began to try and rip the hem of her dress off as a bandage. "We need to bandage your arm and remove the Raven shards." She told her lover in a calm and comforting voice. She was not going to panic, and she did not want him to panic either. She learned a bit of First Aid and that was always the first step, and then telling the person what you are doing helps as well.
"But..." Sakura let escape, she wanted to stop her words, but she could not, and she continued, "We've let him escape."
Virginia abruptly looked to her with warning. "Sakura...no." She wanted to let Sakura know how wrong it was to start that right now, but she didn't have enough time. Things were starting to catch up with Sakura.
"But we did!" Sakura admitted. She allowed her bangs to cover her face. "My mother and the others stand no chance of defending SAND over there...and Adven won't be recovered enough until a week passes at least. Emilia is out cold and will be dead by the time she wakes. Gallows is in shock." She paused. "We have to face facts...he beat us in the end...Nobuo...he...won this time."
Virginia remained quiet. As much as she wanted to fight her friend on that, she could not. "...I know...I know...but, I didn't want to give up hope."
The two women remained still for a moment, but were snapped to attention as Jet sat up in pain. He should not be moving, and they were about to tell him that and lay him back down. "If," Jet uttered with his face lacking pain and remaining calm, "If I had done all I could, I'd be dead, Gear." The two women glanced at each other. It was like he weren't talking to them, but to Gear who was too far away to notice them now. "If...I had...did everything to try and fail...I would have died." Suddenly Sakura remembered what she thought Clive would have said if he were here. Jet's labored breathing continued as he parted his lips to speak again as he opened his eyes to look on at the ground with glazed eyes. "AS long as there...still is some life left...there's always a way." Alone, Jet slowly stood up on his feet. His body seemed to be reacting to something, because it started to glow blue. It was a ghostly blue aura that started to surround him as he stood.
"Jet?" Virginia questioned. She was worried, confused, and suddenly filled with an odd strength, all at once. Just looking up at the carpenter's face.
Jet's eyes met her own. "I really wanted to marry you, Virginia." He spoke, for the first time it seemed acknowledging her presence. "I'm not dying before that happens."
She closed her eyes for a moment, but quickly pushed her knees and stood up to meet him. His eyes following her the way. Slowly, as if she was sure of what she were doing, Virginia moved closer and gingerly made her arms wrap around him and embrace his softly. "I love you, Jet." She stared at him a moment and moved her mouth to his own, giving him the first kiss she ever gave that held all her heart and feeling for him. All the other ones did not mean as much as this one now, even though this one was over quickly. She broke it and looked into his eyes. He did not seem to show any emotion on the outside, but she saw past that. Virginia had to learn to do that with Jet, a man who often showed his true emotions on the inside rather than the out. The brunette ran her hand along his left temple, and spoke, "Please be careful."
Jet did not reply. He really had no need to anyway. Virginia's arms fell away from him, and he moved around her form. He took a breath, and began to limp boldly after Gear.
"Jet!" Sakura cried out. He stopped to look at her. "I love you too, we all do." She said to him with a smile. "You know what else?" She questioned with a laugh. "Adven would tell you something great now. He would say something that sounds like the wrong thing to say, but, it would be very right. And he'd finish it off by telling you: 'Don't go and die on me! I'm the only one who's supposed to kill you. Don't let some weakling like Gear do my job! I'd never forgive you!' But we all know what he would really mean..."
Jet blinked. "There's a mission that I don't want to do." He stated. "I don't want to kill anyone. I don't want to kill him...but the only way to protect and preserve life is to do that now." The carpenter paused a moment before turning away. "Take care of the others." His foot moved forward, and his body limped after, his eyes looking ahead to the SAND that still had faint smoke coming from it's hind quarters.
Ahead of Jet walked the gray-haired, but green on the lower backside, sort of copy, named Gear. His smirk plastering his face. It was wide and showed signs of satisfaction. This had to be the glorious moment in his life—his life has not really been that long though. Whatever the case, as soon as he had SAND under his control, and could get it to move, he would have the means to complete his goal. He had Generator Eon in him, so it would not be hard to fix the sandcraft he downed. Generator Eon was, in fact, the first sandcraft, after all.
He entered the shadow of the ship as he neared it. "I'm sorry for hurting you, my dear SAND, but I will nurse you back in time."
The door to the ship had been very open though, and in the opening there stood a disgruntled Pike and Catherine. Catherine scoffed. "How can you nurse it? All you are capable of is destruction."
Gear glanced at the two and chortled. "Catherine Winslett and Pike. A woman who is related to me in a way. Clive was related to Nobuo, after all." Gear tilted his head. "Both of you seem as persistent as I imagined. I can guess that neither of you would wish to help me."
"I'd rather die." Pike remarked. He was not one to fight, but he always had a pension for having strong beliefs and not being cowardly when he wanted to protect those. He was not a coward when he met Jet what seems like a forever ago.
"We are prepared to give our lives." Catherine remarked. Not having any real...well, anything. She had no skills like the others, and would not be any fight, but like Pike she held beliefs of what is right and wrong; what you should stand up for and against. She knew what her husband would do.
"If you are prepared to give them, then I will take them." Gear grinned raising his hand, but he held it there when he caught sight of one other woman behind them.
"So...you really are his reincarnation, sort of?" Carole emitted a short laugh. "You are much younger."
Gear stood cold. Frozen in his place. Like with Virginia, he held some sort of attraction for this woman. He was not sure why. Was it Clyde? Why did he suddenly suffer from these odd feelings right when what he truly desired was in reach? Gear could not bring himself to kill Carole as much as he would want.
It was not the same as with Virginia. Virginia was only...that odd woman whom when you see, you want to bag. That was all she was to him in that fleeting moment. Carole, Gear truly loved.
"I thought you were going to kill us?" Carole wondered. "Take the SAND and finish what you started. When you played me for a fool."
"No!" Gear protested. "That was never me!" He denounced.
She looked at him quizzically. "You...aren't Nobuo. Right...it really is more complicated than that."
"Carole Enduro...move away from the SAND." He demanded in a lowered tone. "I won't kill you with those two. Not a weak woman. I can feel...a weak heart in you."
"It is a strong heart...for being so weak." Carole replied. "I will stay and protect the same things that my friends do."
"You're just the traitor to Nobuo and Eon's desires! You forget, he was the one who used you!"
"And I won't let you use me."
Gear formed a fist as he lowered his hand from the air. His whole body trembled with a high level of stress that created fury in him. Why could she not just listen to him? He bit his lower lip. "Bah! Then as a traitor I will...I will...just have to kill you as well."
"Then do as you wish, Gear. I will do as you do. Kill me and I will kill you."
"You know all three of you are too weak to challenge me!"
"But I'm not."
Gear stood still for a moment. "Oh...for the love of..." He slowly turned to face Jet who stood behind him. Jet wore a face of neutrality as his thin pale blue aura surrounded him. Gear really didn't pay much mind to that new aspect and was oblivious to it. He grit his teeth. "You're still in my way."
"As long as I live, I will protect this planet and the life on it. Protect it from people like you who wishes only to harm them."
"How do you plan to stop me with only a will?" Gear laughed. "Your stamina is near nil. Your blood leaves you still."
"But...Hawthorne made a sword," Jet remarked, "A sword that reacts to the emotion one has when they feel the need to protect something...a sword that uses hope...that is what I still have." Jet's left hand firmly grasped the hilt of the Raven's Wing.
Gear noticed the object. "What can you do with a shattered sword? It is much like your arm: still there, but useless." Gear stared at him for a moment. "What is your game? You have no sword to use."
"No, the blade is the only thing gone, but the sword is still here." Jet argued. "It isn't just a simple blade." He paused as a powerful night breeze from the ocean came through. Sunset was fast approaching. "Like the Twilight Moon...it has some odd shade of humanity!" With a strong fluid motion in his left arm, Jet sent the bottom of the hilt and stabbed it into his bloody stub showing no signs of pain or anguish. It could be that he was just numb to pain by now for one reason or another, but Gear saw it as something far more supernatural. Gear finally saw the odd aura that surrounded Jet. "Raven Phoenix Wing!"
Before Gear could react, a powerful gust of wind sent his limp body through the air, slamming him into the hard metal hull of the SAND. His meat tenderized, he fell to the ground in a pile and gazed over at his foe.
Jet stood before him with what looked like a human-sized wing sticking out of his right arm where the stump began. The wing was the same unearthly blue as the aura around him, but Gear soon noticed that all of the aura seemed to be gone and only the wing remained. The shards of the Raven's Wing were no longer where he could see them before.
Jet rested his astral blue wing at his side. "The Raven Phoenix will rise from its ashes stronger than before when it uses my body as the blade it lost."
Slowly Gear realized the situation he faced. Twilight Moon took on some sort of human identity. It had the human instinct to survive and took the DNA of Nobuo-Eon and the DNA within Nobuo-Eon and made Gear as a response. The Raven's Wing used too much of it's power two years ago. It had to rest, and using Jet as it's new body, it was ready to be used again in a stronger form. It only got stronger and stronger each time it healed itself. It was not just Jet he was facing now.
Gear stood up with a grin. "Fu fu fu fu fu," he laughed. He looked to Jet with excitement. "This has just been made all the more interesting."
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So that is where I leave off at. I could go on to write the next chapter now. It will probably be short anyway, but hey, I wanted to keep the final fight on it's own and not mixed in with all of this mess. I really went all out on this prose. I mean, I took two and a half pages of material, and made it into eight! Usually I can only make it into half that amount. I also took some new liberties in this story though that weren't really touched on in the original script format for the original story. Plus, Pike and Catherine were originally only one person and all.
Anyway, I think I outdid myself this time. I have a good feeling about it.
I heard a rumor that authors can't do ANs or something. Well, I'm still doing it. I don't understand why I could not. Talking to the reader is often important if I need to explain some things or something.
Next Time...