Welcome to 'Revolution', the suspenseful climax of 'Kakumei'! I'm still psyched up and ready for more action, so here we go!
A few hours ago I witnessed the spectacle of 'Final Fantasy: Advent Children'. That's going to be a huge source of inspiration for this chapter! I hope I do well on the battle scene...
All of this is going to require all of my endurance and skill! I really hope I do well! Thank you all for reading; your support means so much to me. This, to me, isn't just a story. It's a portrait, a painting of my feelings, emotions and dreams. A painting of the passion I have for a manga series. I want all of you to keep on writing! Cheers! THANK YOU TO ALL!
Here we go!
Theme of 'Revolution': 'Obsession' from .hack/sign anime.
Please note that the author made an error in regards to Shuichi's location. In the previous chapter, an officer stated that Shuichi had been removed from the 93rd floor and dragged onto the Observatory. Those two locations are one and the same. The author has altered his location to the 93rd floor. Fun fact; there are 102 floors in all! Thank you for your cooperation.
It was now...or never.
Everything had lead up to this one moment.
All of the heartache...all of the confusion...all of the agony and pain...
All of it had led to a final challenge.
The night's frosty winds whipped at his ears and forced strands of his hair to embrace the unfathomable darkness. His eyes, which were radiant with determination, scanned the endless world. His heart had ceased its frantic screaming, for it was now a captive of belligerent, fatal silence. It could barely operate, and had no desire to do so. The chambers of his heart were cold, even colder than the darkest moon. His heart was slowly pounding against his chest, fearfully awaiting the advent of devastation. A demon was still hunting it, but it had nowhere to run. It was trapped, locked within the seas of the night.
The rapid helicopter blades seemed to be moving at the speed of sound. Their melody was relentless, reckless and intolerably dauntless. The song seemed to be cheering the prince on, but he was trapped between a rock and a hard place.
The route of time came to a temporary halt. The prince closed his eyes and fell into the frozen stream...as his mind clouded over with memories of the past. They were distant memories, memories he had created with the songbird...but as they rose to the surface of the present, they became vital pieces of the present and critical pieces of the future.
His songbird had showered him with ethereal love; a kind of love no other human being had known. The young one had honored him with unmistakable, impenetrable light...and bestowed simple miracles upon his lonely soul. Unfortunately, not a single miracle made its way through to the prince's broken soul. The tragedy that occurred within the prince's past had caused him to shut down...and it destroyed his belief in true light. His heart wanted to embrace the young songbird; his soul wanted to drown in the songbird's melody. He loved the young one with a ferocity that surpassed all languages, forms of description and emotion. Because of the pain he had suffered in the past, he was unable to embrace the young one...
...and now his songbird's life was hanging in the balance.
"I don't need any stray animals hanging around here. Why don't you get lost?"
"You're nothing but a thorn in my side! I told you to scram, insect!"
"I should tie you down somewhere! That would keep you quiet!"
He had always loved Shuichi Shindou.
The songbird's disappearance had transformed him into a completely different person. He was now the person he was meant to be...the person he had always been.
His chest became tight as more images soared through time. Tears wrenched themselves from his closed eyes...as his heart endured a whirlpool of malicious memories. Each memory gave birth to a teardrop, and each teardrop disappeared into the night...as quickly as his songbird had vanished. His chest became tighter and tighter with each breathe he took...and with each memory, his love for the songbird became stronger.
"Fucking cockroach, piss off! I don't need you around!"
"You make me sick! I never asked you to stay here!"
The cold, endless night rushed into his closed eyes...as three words left his lips.
"I love you."
I've always loved you.
Translucent puffs of ice withdrew themselves...as he continued to speak to a faraway dream.
"I love you, Shuichi. I'll always love you...no matter what."
It was time for the truth to reveal itself.
11:47.
There were only two souls within the 93rd floor.
One of them was the personification of evil; the other was an entity of pure, radiant innocence.
The entire floor was engulfed by crimson flames. The air was unbearably heavy, and excruciatingly hot; completely unsuited for human life. However, the personification of evil was able to execute her twisted plans within the inhospitable realm. The demonic dragon was able to breathe, laugh and formulate ruthless schemes without difficulty, so the atmosphere was perfect for her. It was hard to believe that she was even human, for an average human would have lost their live in the midst of such horror.
The entity of purity had managed to escape from his captor's grasp, but he was unable to remove himself from her presence. He was no longer at gunpoint; somehow, he had managed to tear himself from that predicament, but ended up in a completely new one. His legs, which were covered in bruises and blood, were carrying him around the floor...and his eyes were scanning for a solution to his crisis.
The princess was searching for a way to escape from the tower.
The dragon wasn't willing to let the princess leave.
She was on the floor, crawling about in the most horrendous manner. She was no longer a human, but a red-eyed spider; a black widow, to be exact. Her eyes were a violent shade of red, and they were radiant with cold, black evil...
"There's no point in running! Don't you see? You're MINE, now and forever!"
A cry tore itself from Shuichi's soul as Yoshiki grabbed onto his left knee, smiling...
"I've taken you MANY times, and I'll take you again! I'll force you to give yourself to me!"
Words tore themselves not just from his mouth, but from his spirit as well. Strength was not a bountiful crop within him, but a strong flow managed to rise from his heart, and it struck his captor savagely.
"I'll never give myself to you! I'D RATHER DIE!"
"Fine! I'll take you in death, and EAT EVERY LAST DROP OF YOU!"
In many tales, the smallest individuals possessed phenomenal strength. Such was the case of Shuichi Shindou. The vocalist of Bad Luck appeared to be small and weak, but he carried an unbelievable amount of strength. With a single kick, he forced Yoshiki several yards away from him, and sent her into the world between consciousness and sleep.
He knew her trip wasn't going to last long at all...and so he had very little time to act.
His incandescent eyes fell into the windows before him.
11:50.
If I fall...you'll catch me...won't you?
You'll be there...to save me.
I'm not going to let her take me...
...because...I...
"Jonah!"
Eiri's sharp voice struck the helicopter pilot like a whip. The pilot, who bore the name of Jonah, looked back at the novelist and gasped; the prince's eyes were filled with immeasurable determination. He was about to pull something, but what?
"What is it?"
"How fast can this thing go?"
Claude K. Winchester glanced at Eiri worriedly. The novelist chose not to acknowledge his fearful, confused glance.
"This little baby can go pretty fast! Up to 210 miles per hour!"
The novelist's next words were delivered with perfect execution. They were bold, strong and radiant with unbreakable courage.
"I want you to rise to that speed!"
During his years as an officer, Claude K. Winchester had encountered a variety of challenges. He had witnessed many heroic deeds, and had crafted many of his own heroic deeds. He was notorious for pulling off life-threatening stunts, and loved the spirit of battle. However, he had never witnessed the true depth of love before. Eiri Yuki had never taken a helicopter ride in his life, but he was willing to make his first ride a death-defying one. The officer had never seen such courage within a human's eyes before.
The pilot had never witnessed such valiance either. The maximum speed of his aircraft was safe for the aircraft, of course, but it was dangerous to its riders. Going 210 miles in a land craft was dangerous enough, but this nut wanted to fly in a helicopter at the same speed!"
"Are you INSANE? We're at 95 right now! You've GOT to be out of your freakin' mind!"
Eiri gave him a look that surpassed a thousand black nights.
"Listen to me, pal. Someone I love is in danger! If you don't take this thing up a notch, I'M GOING TO CHUCK YOU OUT AND DRIVE IT MYSELF! Did I make myself clear?"
11:52.
Silent winds brushed Shuichi's shoulders...as his gentle eyes scanned the world around him. He was trapped, trapped within a world he knew little of...a world he no longer wanted to be a part of...
"Yuki..."
She was right behind him...crawling...laughing...
...holding a gun within her left hand...
...and his back was turned on her.
"If you won't let me take you alive, I'll just hold your cold, lifeless body..."
"You'll...you'll catch me, won't you?"
Will you save me?
11:55.
Time was moving at the speed of sound. The world was frozen, hundreds of people were oblivious to the chaos...
Time was moving, and it was moving fast...
11:58.
"He has jumped! I repeat; the hostage has jumped from the 93rd floor! THE HOSTAGE HAS JUMPED FROM THE BUILDING!"
They were right in the midst of time, soaring to the falling songbird...
Time threw itself in the form of a thunderbolt...
Eiri's heart came to a violent stop.
"SHUICHI!"
K whipped his vigilant eyes on the frightened pilot, who had never been involved in such an urgent mission before. His highest speed was 100, but at the moment, he was being forced to fly at a phenomenal 212...
"JONAH! GET IN THERE, NOW!"
The officer's eyes crashed into the novelist's face. Just a short while ago, the author's face was a dead portrait of silence. Now it was alive, a vibrant canvas of fear, sorrow and hope. His loyal companion took on a gentle tone, but it was also an urgent tone...
"Eiri! We've got ONE chance at this! I want you to make sure Shindou has a nice landing! Do you understand? We've got ONE shot! If we miss, it's over!"
His heart resumed its screaming...but its screams were silent.
His chest began to burn turbulently...his eyes froze in the midst of time...
Everything became a part of a dream...as time flew by him...
He had ONE shot at happiness. One, and ONLY one shot.
One chance.
The pilot's skills were enduring an intense test. He had never been a participant in a life-or-death mission before, but now he felt as if the entire world was on his shoulders. With newborn determination, he took his two companions into the line of fire...towards the falling songbird...
One shot.
A flash of golden light pierced Eiri's eyes.
"I'll catch you."
Time froze itself, but at the same time, it took on a speed that surpassed the speed of sound.
An eternity took place within a second.
Several things happened simultaneously.
K shouted to the helicopter pilot...
...the pilot released a cry of resolution...
...and Eiri Uesugi caught Shuichi Shindou.
The two of them crashed into the right side of the helicopter...as the pilot began to remove them from the battlefield's presence. Claude K. Winchester rushed over to his friends immediately...and felt his chest swell with tears. A small whisper left his frozen lips...as his heart shivered with immeasurable disbelief...
"It's him...Shindou...it's really him...our Shuichi..."
The desire to break down and cry struck K's heart for the very first time. He became a parent that had wandered the earth for a lost child; his eyes filled themselves with ethereal emotion, and oceans withdrew themselves from his eyes. For the very first time, he threw off his officer aura and became an ecstatic father...one that had just been reunited with a very dear child. He kept his eyes on his two loved ones, trembling with sobs...
"It's him...it's really him..."
What occurred between the reunited couple brought him to his knees.
Shuichi was lost within the tides of unconsciousness. His eyes were closed, tied down by the cold hands of pain...and his body was drenched in horrid wounds. His gentle features were moist from the descent of starlit oceans, and his body was even colder than an iceberg. His attire, which had served as an elegant blue outfit, was no longer a picture of elegance; it was in horrific, bloodstained shreds. His hair wasn't radiant with its usual pink jubilance; it was the shade of an endless evening.
There was one more horrifying fact.
The songbird was covered in gasoline.
For the very first time...
...Eiri Uesugi held the unconscious songbird close to him.
The very one he thought he would never see again...the one he had neglected...the one he loved with all of his heart...
...was in his arms.
He held the sleeping vocalist in a gentle, passionate embrace. He brushed the body of his loved one gently, treating him as if he were a tiny crystal shard. His hands caressed the inches of the songbird's body...as his heart absorbed the presence of newborn love. His soul drank in the scent of Shuichi's hair, his eyes absorbed Shuichi's body, and his heart fell into the vocalist's silent tears. He held him close...and didn't want to let him go...
"Shuichi."
His voice was a soft, empyrean whisper...a zephyr of undying love...
"Shuichi, it's me. I'm here. I'm here, Songbird."
He sent passionate kisses to the songbird's forehead, and then nuzzled him gently.
"I'm here. Everything's going to be fine. I've got you."
I love you...
I love you so much...it hurts...
"I'll make sure you smile again. I'll take care of you. Just...promise me...you'll wake up..."
Cascades of eternal light fell from his eyes...and found their havens on Shuichi's silent eyes. The novelist placed his forehead against Shuichi's...his gentle breath falling onto the vocalist's chilled body. A familiar song drew itself from his heart...in the form of an eternal dream...
"Be exposed in a state of purity...
Like a flower whose petals have fallen
You're just beginning to notice
The days are shining jewels cupped in your hand..."
I love you...
Teardrops fell from Eiri's heart, and they embraced the vocalist's silent tears...
"I love you, Shuichi Shindou. Please...wake up."
A miracle bloomed between the two of them...and a seed of true love was planted.
Eiri's warm lips fell into Shuichi's...for the very first time.
It was a blissful, passionate kiss...an embrace that shattered all boundaries and description. It was an embrace that held the promise of the future, and the dreams of the present. It was a warm, rich kiss that defied the limits of life, death and time...a kiss that would never be forgotten. It drifted into the depths of eternity, and brought about another miracle. Shuichi Shindou opened his eyes...and...
...saw the face of his prince.
His voice was small, so small and fragile...so weak...
"...Yuki?"
An immortal smile bloomed on the novelist's face. His voice was warm, infinitely warm and soothing...
"Hey. It's me. I've got you. Everything's all right."
I've got you.
What happened next caused him to break into sobs.
Shuichi's eyes were once again tied down by darkness. They slowly closed themselves, unable to keep themselves open...and the songbird snuggled against the warmth of his prince. He was small, so delicate and...
...beautiful...
"Jonah."
The pilot was stunned to hear his name, since his customers were in the midst of a reunion. He looked back at the prince, who was still holding the ethereal treasure within his arms...
"What is it?"
Eiri Uesugi's eyes pierced his soul...and filled him with perpetual admiration.
Eiri's next words shocked both him and the loyal officer.
"Once Shuichi is taken care of, take me back to the 93rd floor. I've got some business to settle."
The reunion between Eiri and Shuichi was a play on 'Sleeping Beauty'. Since Shuichi is a heavy believer in fairy tales, I thought it would be cute for them to have a fairy-tale like reunion. The song Eiri sang to him was Bad Luck's 'Sleepless Beauty', which fit the occasion perfectly. The relationship between Tifa Lockhart and Cloud Strife inspired me too.
EVERYONE'S REACHING THEIR TRUE POTENTIAL! EVEN THE PILOT! ISN'T IT GREAT?
I hope I did a vewwy good job on the reunion! UP NEXT; THE SHOWDOWN BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL! WHEE! WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT? ONLY TIME WILL TELL! Stay tuned, faithful friends!