We're back with Ch. 2! A few Final Fantasy VII (c. Squaresoft) elements
are added this time.
DISCLAIMERS - We don't own any of the characters in this story, or the shows they came from.
Clamp, Kodansha, Yu Watase, etc. etc. - they own it all.
*************************************
CARMINA BURANA ~ CHAPTER 2
FORTUNA PLANGO VULNERA
(I LAMENT FORTUNE'S BLOWS)
By Sorceress Elcyion and *Aeris*
*************************************
The Macabre invasion of Timbergrove resulted in only a slight skirmish. The enemy oquickly fled after putting up only a weak resistance, and the Enigma and Summit armies were now headed towards the enemy encampment. Hotohori raised his hand to the level of his eyes, to shield them from the sun, which was rising in the eastern sky. He was still somewhat nervous about this whole affair. He always felt this way before battles.
Red headed Tasuki, on horseback, appeared on Hotohori's left. "What is this, Hotohori? Could it be that you're scared?"
Although Tasuki was from Enigma, and Hotohori from Summit, every knight from both countries was at least acquainted with the knights from the other, having met through tournaments and the like. And now they were thrown together more than ever because of the upcoming royal marriage. Tasuki had always been a brash one, and his teasing behavior on a day like today proved it.
"Not so much scared, just a little nervous." Hotohori replied.
"Nervous - ha!"
"Well, you sure seem happy about all of this."
"Of course," A new voice broke in.
Hotohori turned to see a smiling Kouji trotting up on his yellow dun, Chaos. Kouji and Tasuki had always been best friends. Both reckless and impulsive, nothing could ever depress or worry them. Everything was a game to them, even chivalry, and battles, and weaopns, and wars.
On a sudden, Tasuki began yelling. "It's those accursed Macabres!!", causing everyone around to strain their eyes into the distance ahead. Far away, the encampment of the enemy could be seen. Blue plumes of smoke came from the Macabre fires, and hung in the air above them, a tangible representation of the evil that place held.
* * *
Tamahome's head snapped up at Tasuki's words. He was filled with sudden dread. For some reason, he did not have a good feeling about today. He glanced down at the sword on his hip, which he had named Heaven's Cloud.
"It doesn't matter what I think. With this sword, I must fight to protect not only Miaka, but our entire empire. I only hope I can be worthy of the task," he said to himself. He noticed white hoofs on the ground next to Shapeshifter's black ones. Tama looked back up to see Tori astride Gaea.
"Are you thinking about Miaka?" he asked.
"Well, yes and no." Tamahome answered "I was thinking about her, because I have a really bad feeling about today. I don't know if I'll ever see her again."
"You don't think we can defeat Macabre?"
"It's not that.
"Then what is it?"
"I don't know. It just feels like something terrible will happen."
"Hmm...I don't know what I can say..."
"Tori?"
"Yes?"
"If I don't come back, will you tell Miaka that I really did love her?"
"I'm sure she already knows," Tori said solemnly.
Ahead of them, Prince Julian began shouting orders to the knights around him. Only three hundred and fifty yards remained between the men and the destiny they would live out that day.
As Tori put on his helmet, he lifted the visor and looked sideways at Tamahome.
"Be brave, my friend." he said.
* * *
Tasuki and Kouji could not contain themselves longer. At the exact same time, both of them screamed savagely and spurred their horses onward. Many men wanted to follow, but restrained themselves, witing for the Prince's signal. General unrest was settling very quickly on the army.
Upon hearing this uproar, hundreds of dark figures poured out of the enemy camp with amazing quickness. They created a solid line of black, standing ready and waiting. Julian recognized the Amour tunics on those from the Crag Alps. Other than this, there was no difference between the Alpine villagers and the Macabres. Julian burned with anger at this thought. Not only because they were traitors, but it was his father who had caused them to become that way.
* * *
The prince did not know of the scene that had gone on just a day before in Massif, where the touchy subject of Crag Alps was also the cause for much anger and disruption as the tardy bell at The Massif Boarding School had just finished ringing.
"You're ALPINE?" Chiriko asked Nikki, his jaw dropping. "Aren't they siding with our enemy?"
The fourteen-year-old girl pushed her glasses up her nose. She didn't look up from her book.
Chiriko snatched the book away, leaving his fellow student in surprise. "Hey, I'm TALKING to you. Pay attention."
"I-I..." Nikki stuttered. She looked up at him helplessly as Chiriko leaned over her desk.
"Why are you here?" he asked. People from the Crag Alps don't hang around in the other cities, much less here in Massif..." he gave her a curious look.
Nikki looked around nervously, seeing that everyone in the classroom was watching. She hated being in this horrid classroom. Not only did she stand out because she liked schoolwork instead of being one of the rebellious students who were all attending the school on punishment, but she also was from the Crag Alps, the allies of the current enemy, Macabre.
Chiriko pointed out the window, at the late-leaving Massif villagers headed for war. "See, it's your precious Macabre's fault for causing this," he noted evenly.
"I have nothing to do with Macabre's affairs," Nikki replied shakily.
"Yeah, you do!" Chiriko shouted. "You're entire family is Alpine, and that means you are our ENEMY!"
This caused an immediate commotion throughout the class. There were harsh whispers among them all. They were sneering at her and pointing at her like she was a mysterious being from a fantasy land. "How did he find out I was Alpine?" she murmured to herself. Nikki turned to Chiriko, who had a smirk on his face. "You better watch your back if you know what's good for you," he jeered.
"Class," said Miss Miisu, the class's teacher. "There will not be a session today due all that has been going on. Please go back to your dorm rooms and--" she stopped when she saw a teary Nikki run past her and out the door, slamming it. Miisu seemed to be the only one concerned with the young girl's feelings. The students walked out of the room as if nothing had happened just then.
Chiriko, however, stayed glued to his seat. For some reason, he felt...bad. He shook it off though, and grabbed his school books. "See you later, Miss Miisu," he said merrily, bounding out the door.
* * *
Julian was interrupted from his brief lapse into thought by the ever impatient Suboshi, his second in command.
"The signal, Sire?" Suboshi almost yelled, pushing Crescent onward.
Amiboshi, Suboshi's younger brother was right beside him, with the same furrowed brow and flashing eyes. The two could pass for twins. "Yes, yes of course." Julian brandished his army saber high above his head. It glinted in the sunlight like a flare for all to see. Men on horseback and on foot immediately rushed past them in a torrent of hoffbeats and battlecries.Without another word, Suboshi yelled and was off like a shot.
* * *
"Tori!" Tamahome called. "You take the left flank, and I'll take the right!"
"Yes sir!" Tori turned Gaea to the left.
"And Tori..."
Tori stopped and looked over his shoulder at his friend.
"I'll see you on the other side."
Tori smiled. "That's the spirit sir!"
Tamahome nodded, with a trace of a smirk on his face. He then wheeled Shapeshifter sharply to the right and galloped off into the dust.
* * *
Julian stayed for a few seconds more so the rest of the army who hadn't already seen the knights take off could see the signal, then he too, was racing towards his fate. He knew that he could catch up with knights. His pitch black horse Tornado was the fastest animal in both the Summit and Enigma Kingdoms. The only other horse that even came close was Tetsuya's strawberry roan, Frigga.
Tetsuya? Julian suddenly noticed that his closest friend of eighteen years was right next to him, keeping pace perfectly. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten that he was there all along.
"Tetsuya."
"What?"
"Most likely, it'll be me facing Nakago."
"Ah, leader versus leader."
"Yes. But, I'll need to you to be my backup man."
"You know I'll be there." Tetsuya grinned.
The two were such good friends, that there wasn't any hard feelings about one having to be the backup for the other. Tetsuya knew that Julian was the Prince, and with that came specific obligations. They both knew that Tetsuya had proved himself time and again as a worthy knight, so it wasn't like he was playing second fiddle. Tetsuya liked his job. He loved being the strategist, and a man could never get too much help if and when he got into trouble.
* * *
Tori charged headlong into the din. Astride his white mare, he towered over his enemies, easily taking them down. He looked around and observed the two brothers, Suboshi and Amiboshi double teaming a mounted enemy officer. Behind him, he noticed Chaos and Cynder, both riderless, charging frantically past the men running into battle, and back the opposite direction - back to the homlands. Tori gasped. This meant that their riders, Kouji and Tasuki, had either been killed or seriously wounded.
He was unable to see how Tamahome was holding out, since they were opposite sides of the battlefield. Tori hoped he was all right. He looked to his front, all the while still slashing at the foot soldiers around him. He saw his leader, Prince Julian, facing off with Emperor Nakago, the dreaded leader of the Macabre Army.
* * *
Nakago grinned and spread his hands shoulder width apart, creating a crescent of black light. He knew full well that his adversary could not counter it. Using magic was strictly forbidden in the Summit and Enigma kingdoms.
Personally, Julian didn't really see anything wrong with it, as long as it wasn't used for evil, but his father...well, was his father. He was so strict about the dumbest things.
"Tell me, Prince. What is it that you are fighting for?" Nakago asked calmly, even as he hurled a ball of black light towards Julian
"I'll tell you nothing." Julian growled as he dodged the attack. He was trying to think of a way to counter Nakago without using magic.
"That's just fine." Nakago replied.
* * *
Had Tori known the full story about the two riderless horses, he would not have been nearly as regretful as he was now. The first two men to enter the battle were not dead. They had been knocked off their horses by enemy fire, but were not injured. The protective mail they wore saved them from the shots, however unable to undo the sheer force of impact.
Tasuki and Kouji now stood on the ground, back to back. Laughing all the while, they turned away every foe who dared to challenge them. Tasuki's specialized sword, the Rune Blade, flashed in the sunlight as Ultimate End, guided by Kouji's hands, excluded none from their fate. There was a lull in the number of attacks, and the two young knights looked back at each other and exchanged grins. This was the life they were made for. All of a sudden, a wolfish creature, out of nowhere, appeared above their heads. He was going to land on top of them, so the two split to make room for it in between them. They turned and faced it, holding their swords ready in front of them.
"Good work, Ashitare." a female voice could be heard saying. Upon hearing this, the creature, apparently the one named Ashitare, vanished in a swirl of blue light.
"That was strange," said Tasuki.
Kouji didn't answer. "What was that about?" he thought." There must of been some reason behind it. And 'Good work Ashitare'? Who said that? Whoever it was definitely had a reason for it. What was the reason? Well, the thing didn't do anything but jump between Tasuki and me..between..separation...they're trying to separate us!" Upon arriving at this startling conclusion, Kouji instantly spun around and brought up his blade.
"Kouji!!" Tasuki cried too late. He watched helplessly as the cruel edge of the axe sliced through the Ultimate End. Sparks flew as metal met metal, and the stronger, sturdier axe quickly sliced through the Ultimate End and severed his best friend's head.
Kouji's head rolled to a stop at Tasuki's feet, his golden eyes staring up at Tasuki, meeting his horrified gaze. Suddenly, Tasuki didn't feel like playing this game anymore.
"Fortuna! Why have you done this to me?!" he screamed, the words catching in his throat. Whoever had caused this would regret it.
Tasuki narrowed his eyes, and looked to where Kouji had stood. A female warrior was waiting there, the smirk on her face taunting him. Without hesitation, Tasuki rushed at her, with his Rune Blade aimed at her heart. As he neared her, she neatly sidestepped the attack and swung her weapon in a circle, bringing the flat side down on his back with crushing force. Tasuki fell face first into the ground, coming perilously close to stabbing himself with his own sword. He lay quietly, trying to control his breathing, waiting for the inevitable approach of the warrior to finish her job. As she did so, Tasuki gripped the Rune Blade tightly. He waited until he was sure the axe would not hit him if she fell, then violently swung himself up and around, slashing the woman's legs with the sword. She gave a menacing growl and took a few steps back, dropping the axe. She was tougher than Tasuki had anticipated. He expected at least a scream, but there was none.
He charged at her again. This time, she met his blade with one of her own. "What be your name, warrior?" Tasuki asked her through gritted teeth. "I am called Soi, Master Tasuki." she replied mockingly. He wondered how she knew his name. "How do you like my Ragnarok? I think it holds quite well against the Rune, don't you? It certainly was too strong for your friend there, wasn't it?" Tasuki was baffled as to how she could not only know his name, but how she knew about his weapon. Of course, he wasn't going to let this Soi person know that. At this, Soi laughed. "Oh, Master Tasuki. Hiding it from me won't help. I know all about you, so it's useless to even try."
With these words, she leaped back and lifted her right hand to sky. Electricity crackled around it and the clouds grew ominously dark. "Oh, and by the way, how's the little magicker doing these days?" She brought her hand down with tremendous force. A deafening clap of thunder cracked through the air like a whip as lightning danced across the sky. Tasuki looked up for a brief moment, and when he looked back to his opponent, she was gone.
* * *
Li crouched down, holding his Mast Axe in front of him. The spear was of course, somewhat inferior to Mitsukake's spear, the Venus Gospel, but it served its purpose well. As the slanting rain began to beat down on him, Li examined his surroundings. He had not noticed that the sky had become dark.
"Pay attention, boy. There are more coming," he heard his teacher's voice from beside him. Li cursed the Macabres under his breath. He was angry with their persistence. Why wouldn't they just quit already?!
"An angry fighter is an irrational fighter, Li." Mitsukake warned.
"Right," Li mumbled. He knew the blacksmith really was, in truth, correct, but he couldn't help being mad. He didn't start this war, but now he'd have to fight it. As the onslaught started once again, the master and apprentice fought back the snarling animals which threw themselves upon pair, who could barely even tell that their attackers were human.
* * *
As the sky turned black, Emperor Hikitsu stood at the railing on one of Pinnacle's balconies that faced Lea Field. His chrome-colored hair billowed in the wind as he stood surveying the storm.
After a few minutes, he turned on his heel and went back into his chambers. Exactly five minutes later, he called his manservant to him, and handed him a small piece of paper, sealed in gold wax. "I want you to take this to Terada. Tell him to deliver to Empress Subaru immediately." The servant bowed and headed to the stables, where the court couriers usually hung around. Terada was the Head of the Imperial Summit Couriers, thanks to his intelligence, wit, speed, and scouting abilities. So it was he who was sent to deliver the message to Sanctuary Palace. Terada was not in any danger traveling between the two kingdoms, because he took the Underground Passage that lay underneath Lea Field.
Now this passage was not merely a tunnel. The tunnel was for crossing between Summit and Enigma, but the main section of the Underground was like a gigantic city. It had all the conveniences and luxuries of a normal town, the only difference, besides that this was under the ground, was that this place was big enough to hold all of the people from
both kingdoms. The Underground was built not only as a passageway between the kingdoms, but for the specific use that during wartime, or during natural disasters, the citizens could head to the subterranean city where they could be safe from harm.
Upon arriving at Sanctuary Palace, Terada bypassed the guards, who already knew him, and headed straight to the throne room. He delivered Hikitsu's message to the Empress personally, and stood waiting for a reply as she read it.
Empress Subaru,
This most unexpected storm is a sign that there is powerful magic afoot. If the Macabre army is able to do this, what else must they be capable of? It does not bring me pleasure to say, but there is a chance that they may defeat our own forces. In such a case, would it not be wise to relocate our people to the Underground?
* * *
A man with a painted face whirled around and found himself looking into the face of a lion. This animal was otherworldly, its eyes shone black, and its face glowed silver. It held the man spellbound. He couldn't move. He could only stare fearfully into the obsidian eyes of the beast. As lightning flashed, a perfect reflection made the bolt appear to be running down the creature's snout. The next moment, the man felt a burning sensation in his midsection, as if the lightning had pierced his soul. The pain finally enabled him to tear his eyes from the mystic lion and look down.
A sword with a translucent blue center was struck horizontally across his stomach. Human hands held it there. Was this formidable being also part man? Shocked and barely able to move, he looked to the owner of the hands, only to find a young man with a fixed, rock-hard expression. It was he who wore the helmet with the face of a lion. In what seemed like an eternity after he first encountered the lion face, the painted man collapsed in a motionless heap as the boy yanked his sword away. The dark, matted hair that could be seen from underneath the helmet shone blue with sweat. That blue shine was the last thing the man saw. He never knew the weapon that killed him had such a beautiful name. It was called Heaven's Cloud.
If the painted soldier had remained conscious seven seconds longer, he would have seen the untimely demise of his attacker as a new adversary inevitably appeared to face the magnificent knight. The enemy soldier lashed out at him, and he was knocked to the ground. The blow alone, although enough to fell him, would not have been enough to wound him. However, when the knight fell, he landed upon a fairly large rock. It was almost a boulder. Probably deposited there due a rockslide from Macabre sometime long ago.
As he fell, the knight did not know that there was anything on the ground behind him. But he soon found out, as his spine and the sharp top edge of the rock collided. He sharply sucked in a breath as the pain flooded his body. He closed his eyes, expecting to be run through by his foe. At least he would go out quickly. But the Macabre soldier was now occupied with two militia men, who together finished him off.
When the finishing blow did not come, Tamahome, the Lion Crowned Knight, opened his eyes, and saw the looks of sympathy the two shot at him. It was all they could give him, for they did not have the time to kneel down beside him and offer their aid. He tried to lift himself up, but it was to no avail. His spine was broken, torn in two by the rock. He wished he could rise and again fight gloriously for the cause..and for...her...but, it was only a wish. Tamahome knew he was dying, he could feel it...
Miaka suddenly opened her eyes and gasped. She heard the soft sound of the clock ticking rhythmically in the background, sometimes interrupted by muted claps of thunder. She listened to it closely and shut her eyes again to calm herself down. She had been scrying and watching the war in her mind, one way of using her hidden powers. She searched and searched this whole time, but she still could locate neither Tasuki nor Tamahome on the battlefield.
But that was until an abrupt thought of Tamahome struck through her mind like a thunderbolt. She could hear his voice. It sounded so real that for a second, she thought he was in her room. Tamahome was calling out her name, calling out for help, she knew it. She then felt an unbearable pain in her back, causing her to gasp in pain. But before she had the chance to do anything about it, it was suddenly gone.
She wiped away the beads of sweat building up on her forehead. She assured herself that what she heard and felt was nothing. Just a figment of her imagination. She was just worried about how Tamahome was faring in the war, letting the battle go to her head.
But she can never be too sure. Her mind would never lie. And the pain in her back felt real, unexplainably real. Her powers were telling her something. After practicing in secret for nearly all her life, Miaka would know these things. But she shook her head, denying all this. Tamahome, perhaps one of the greatest knights in the land, would never fall down and not be able to get up again.
Clearing her throat and relaxing every part of her body, Miaka sat up straighter on her bed and began to concentrate on the events at Lea, pushing the previous thought away, and succeeding in doing so. However, later, something else distracted her. There was a hand on her shoulder. Miaka jumped back, startled. All at once, she felt a flood of emotion go into her. But they weren't *her* emotions. Pain, sorrow, love, grief, hate, anger...they were all rolled up together and pushed into her like a hard gust of wind. Miaka didn't make a sound but sat there, astounded and frozen.
None of it was her imagination. She saw clearly in her mind, a warrior whose face she could not make out making a swish with his sword, Tamahome falling on top of the large rock, the sickening crack of his backbones breaking, the blood oozing onto the stone, the look of extreme pain on his face. "No!" she cried scratchily, bursting into tears.
Miaka proceeded to lay herself on her bed, but stopped. A still, almost peaceful feeling suddenly filled her body. It was an empty feeling, as if some part of her was broken away. It was very unpleasant, as though something horrible had happened. She couldn't put her finger upon what it was.
No. After thinking it over some, she figured it out. She knew. And she never wanted to experience something like that again. "Ta-Tamahome..." she whispered tearfully. "He's gone."
Immediately after she uttered those words, the ceramic vase Tamahome had given to her days before crashed to the floor, shattering it into myriad pastel-colored pieces. Miaka turned to the broken vase and to her surprise, found a small piece of parchment with the shards, rolled up and tied neatly with a blue velvet ribbon.
Cautiously, Miaka picked up the paper and untied the bow. It was a letter, written in Tamahome's reasonably neat writing. "My dear sweet Miaka," she read, "If you find yourself reading this, then assume that I am no longer with you." Miaka sighed inwardly, holding back her tears. "For the last two years, I have watched you and Sir Tasuki," she continued, "and I had wondered if there would ever be a day you and I would return to each other. I know that sounded selfish and desperate of me, but I never recovered from the day you walked out of my arms, apologizing and saying you didn't love me that way anymore. I am still in love with you, and only you. But now that you are reading these words, I know that we can never have a second chance."
Miaka had to stop. Her voice was cracking uncontrollably and her hands were shaking violently. Her breathing had quickened and she suddenly felt uncomfortably agitated in the room. Tamahome didn't just say he loved her. Every second, the maiden was feeling more and more guilty. But she forced herself to go on.
"I have watched you from afar. You were so happy. I deeply apologize for being unable to provide you with that sincerity I had fallen in love with. But Tasuki is a good man. Don't feel bad because of what I am writing. I just wrote this to tell you I love you and I'll always be there, even if you cannot see me or feel my presence. God bless. Love always, Tamahome."
"Oh, Fortuna..." she mumbled, dropping the letter. It floated to the ground, landing softly at her feet. Even though her feet were incredibly weak, she walked over to her window and opened it. Staring up at the sky, she murmured, "Good-bye...Tamahome..."
For a second, she thought she had heard an answer to her call, the brave spirit of Tamahome in her room, saying his final good-bye to her before ascending to the sky.
Miaka shook her head. She must be hallucinating. She didn't even fully understand anything that had happened to her during this previous hour.
* * *
Nakago was still shooting rounds of magic at Julian, who in turn would skirt around them and go for any opening he could get to damage Nakago, hoping to gruadually wear him down.
Nakago shot a shimmering ball at Julian, but this time, the prince wasn't able to dodge it. He didn't have the time. Not even Tornado, his lightning-quick stallion could react fast enough. The blast hit Julian square in the chest, knocking the prince clear off his horse, and sending him to the ground, smoke rising from his armor. Luckily, the metal armor was enough to keep from getting Julian injured, but now there was a hole in it suggesting the damage done. It was raining so hard now that Julian didn't even bother to squint from the rain. He just let the drops fall onto his eyes as he pulled himself up with his sword, the Spirit Lance. Standing in fighting stance, he made ready for more of Nakago's masterful sorcery.
Nakago smirked at him. Julian stared back at the ruler of Macabre. He looked confident, perhaps *too* confident. Before he could realize what was happening, Nakago shot something at him in what seemed to be a blur. Julian dropped to his knees, holding the wound in his shoulder. A drop of blood slid down the front of his chest plate and onto the Spirit Lance.
"So, my dear little Julian. This is all you have to show for all your years of training. Much good it did you. See how powerless you are to defeat me?"
"As if you had any right to talk about power." Julian gritted his teeth, "Using evil magic to make up for your pathetic lack of power..."
Nakago hardened his expression into a sinister smile and took up shooting little speeding spark after spark, thinking that slowly causing more injury to the prince would be rather enjoyable. For all of Julian's brave words, Nakago knew that he lacked the endurance to hold out for much longer.
Tetsuya had been watching all this time, yet he hadn't done anything to help his ruler and best friend. Most likely it was his fear of getting caught using magic. At this, the knight snorted. Why does that matter anymore? This was war! The Emperor or Empress aren't able to watch their every move on a gory field like this!
Checking anyway to see if anyone was watching him behind the stone, Tetsuya gathered a small sphere of energy that resembled a ball of water and quietly shot it at Julian's back. "I really hope I did that right," the eighteen-year-old whispered to himself. He hasn't used his magic in a very long time.
Julian was about to give in at Nakago's firing mini-blasts, but suddenly, he felt something cold and liquidy bounce into his body from behind him forcefully, causing Julian to lean forward a little. Nakago had stopped to stare at him in bewilderment, wondering what kind of spell that was and who performed it.
The power of the water ball, or whatever that was, flowed through Julian's entire body, calming and cooling it, healing the wounds and even fixing the armor. "Wow," Julian whispered before giving a swish of his sword and leaping at Nakago with it.
Nakago had the sense to create a barrier to block out the sword. The weapon and shield clashing at each other made Julian bounce back to where he stood before.
Nakago was about to take time to gather energy for his next attack, but he couldn't concentrate on keeping that shield up and gathering power for a spell at once.
The shield around the Emperor of Macabre was starting to dissolve, leaving Julian to get a cheap shot. The prince was able jump at his opponent again and with an elegant swing, he slashed Nakago's throat, the blood pouring out like a waterfall of red.
Tetsuya, still keeping an eye on his leader, grinned proudly. He always knew that shy noble had it in him. Deciding to let Julian take all the glory, even the healing part, Tetsuya slowly moved away and headed into the scene of massacre.
* * *
Nearly the whole of the Macabre army had been vanquished, and only a few of it's fighters were left standing. Tori finally had a clear path to the eastern theater of the battle. He was anxious to know how Tamahome had fared. He galloped Gaea the one and a half miles to where his friend had entered the battle. Halfway there, he saw Tasuki standing alone, using his arm to wipe the raindrops and perspiration from his forehead. Pulling up on Gaea's reins, he shouted to the knight.
"Tasuki!! I thought you were dead!!"
Tasuki looked up, but he did not look at all like his usual happy self. "No. I'm not dead, but Kouji..." He trailed off, but motioned to a spot on the ground to his left. It was Kouji, or rather his body. His head lay on the blood soaked ground a foot away from the rest of him.
Tori gasped. "What happened?"
Tasuki just shook his head, unable to say anything.
"Tasuki..I'm sorry." For the second time that day, Tori was at a loss for words. He never was good at finding something to say for times like this. Like this morning, when Tamahome said he had a bad feeling. Tamahome. He had yet to see his friend.
* * *
Soi surveyed the battlefield from her floating position in the air, watching as her army was slowly being destroyed. As she continued to take in the sight, she saw that her beloved leader Nakago was nearly defeated, under heavy attacks from the Prince Julian. Taking it all in, Soi slowly realized that she and her countrymen were going to lose this fight.
She grew white-hot with anger. The Macabre army was the greatest in the land! It could not lose! The Summit and Enigma kingdoms couldn't even use magic!
And what an impertinent little brat that boy was, daring to speak to Nakago in such manner! Even the fiercest knights she knew did not even try to address him as Julian was doing now. The mighty warrior shook with rage as hundreds of these thoughts ran through her head--
No, she had to refocus on the battle if there was going to be any chance for Macabre to win. As she did so, the first thing she saw was the silver haired prince as he slashed open the throat of her leader, the blood gushing from Nakago's neck now splashing to the ground. Soi screamed such a bloodcurdling scream that every single individual on the battlefield, from all three kingdoms, stopped what they were doing and searched for the source of the terrible sound.
Chelsea covered her ears and cowered behind the thick bole of a tall tree. She was within the safety of the forest at the northern end of Enigma, but she had a clear view of the engagement. As she looked up again, the back of her neck prickled. She gasped as she saw the female knight high up in the air, and she knew what that knight was about to do.
"No!" Chelsea silently screamed. She knew what she had to do, although it would be risky. If she was found practicing magic, she would be severely punished, and possibly even executed. But she could not just stand by and watch as Zachary and the others were obliterated after they had fought so hard and come this far.
She hastily stood up, took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and held her hands out in front of her as if in prayer. They sparkled as she separated them, creating a shallow dome of glowing purple light. Bringing her hands behind her back made the dome grow in size, becoming large enough to cover Chelsea completely. After this, she quickly thrust her hands forward, sending what was now a wave of purple out onto the battlefield
"Please protect them," she whispered, watching as the dome grew bigger and bigger, and began to cover the men closest to her.
* * *
Tori's musings were cut short as the bone-chilling shriek rang out, causing his horse to rear up violently. Tori wrapped his arms around her neck, barely managing to stay in the saddle. He and Tasuki shot confused looks at each other, but then Tasuki suddenly gasped as he saw something in his peripheral vision. He turned and looked up and to his right. Tori followed his gaze and spotted the mad woman floating up in the air. She cackled as the lightning in her hands crackled brightly. Inferno Mountain's demonic face seemed to spit forth pure brimstone below her.
Tasuki recognized her as the woman he had fought with -- Soi. What the heck was she doing? From behind him, he could hear other soldiers shouting at each other to look at the sky to the west. Out of curiosity, he turned, and he saw a translucent purple mass moving over his head and toward the eastern side of the field. He was in complete awe. Was this the work of Fortuna?
* * *
Soi frowned at the purple shield forming over the soldiers. It was moving at a snail's pace, patiently covering the people below her. She had to get to *her* spell first. She zapped the lightning into the sky. For a second, absolutely nothing but silence happened. But then, a laser of blinding white light crashed to the middle of Lea and exploded into a deafening roar, with smoke and fire rolling towards its victims like swiftly moving clouds.
* * *
Unbelievably, Zachary had been able to remain unscratched throughout the entire battle. Thanks to his incredible analytical abilities, he had been able to anticipate every move that any of his adversaries had made. At this particular moment, he was pursuing one of the last remaining Macabre soldiers, who was apparently trying to run back towards the Inferno. Zachary spurred Avalanche onward, which was not easy task. He had to clear hundreds of the still corpses that lay on the ground, bathed in a sea of red. Yet, he persisted, and soon the hunter and the prey were beyond the borders of the battlegrounds. Once again, the land was only the green grass.
Free of the human terrain, the knight quickly gained on the fleeing man, and with a swift blow to the back, the runner plunged forward to join his comrades on the field of death. Zachary felt a strange force coming up from the direction of the battlefield. He stood, staring, in wonder of the massive blanket of purple that seemed to float above the field. It was traveling towards him when the world turned blinding shade of white...
* * *
There was mayhem everywhere. Everyone was trying to find a place to hide. The magic that had forced its way down from the sky blocked the path of the barrier, causing it to begin closing over the people it had covered in the western and middle parts of the meadow. Those on the far east were in grave danger.
The panicked soldiers screamed shrilly at the scorching fire that came after them in all directions, burying them in its heat. Those wails of pain and anguish were unheard due to the volume of the great fire coming everyone's way.
The warriors that had managed to make it into the now-closed barrier watched with horror as the fire then headed into the northernmost towns, destroying them too. Most of the villagers had evacuated to the Underground, but still, the land they all had so proudly lived in was all charring, all burning to the ground. This was especially true for the hated town of Crag Alps. In a matter of minutes, the city had been completely wasted. This meant that not only the town was gone, but all of it's inhabitants as well. Upon receiving the summons to the Underground, the Alpine leaders shook their heads and refused to be moved. They did not consider themselves to be a part of the Summit Kingdom, and would not take refuge with them. Although the leaders' views did not necessarily reflect all of the villager's views, the few townspeople who did not agree with the decision that had been made could do nothing to change it. No one was allowed to leave the area after the courier came and went. Sadly, this meant that even the innocents who lived in Crag Alps perished along with the city.
* * *
Chelsea gasped as even the castles were hidden in the ash and flame. She figured that the blast would have weakened at least a little by the time its repercussions hit the palaces, but she couldn't really be sure. She could only hope that they were strong enough to withstand whatever melee came their way.
Soi stared, a clear barrier surrounding her, as fire overtook the kingdoms. The fire clouds buried both of the allied lands, making it impossible to see them. Her eyes turned to gaze at those inside the green shield and then slowly moved toward a certain rock with a certain girl behind it. She too, had a shield surrounding her, shocked at what was happening. With an eagle's vision, Soi saw the girl's eyes go wide in horror at the thought of her homeland being burned to the ground. Soi had to laugh a little at this. Try as she may, the young girl's powers could never match hers.
However, Soi's quarrel was not with this peasant. Not yet, anyway. Satisfied with her work, she phased out into nothing--just before her spell backfired and finally reached her own kingdom.
Macabre was the kingdom closest to the battle, so it was strange that it would be the last to be claimed by the explosive power of Soi's spell. Still, it was claimed nonetheless, and since it was nearest Ground Zero, the kingdom was totally annihilated. All of the Inferno crumbled and melted first. It produced a gargantuan ball of fire, which rolled up into the mountains, swallowing all of the kingdom's villages, and finally reaching Phantasma Palace, engulfing it in flame. Macabre Kingdom was drowning in the fire of its own creation, and it lit up the sky brighter than any sun. Soon, nothing of what was once the huge and forbidding Macabre Kingdom was left. Absolutely nothing at all.
* * *
All through that night, the remaining members of the two armies had the grisly job of taking care of the dead. And not just human dead. There were huge mounds of horseflesh all over the ground. They couldn't be buried, because the animals were so big, that the graves would have to be very deep to bury just one. And because of the rain, the dirt would eventually washed away from a usual, makeshift, shallow graves, exposing the rotting body once again, so the graves would of had to have been extremely deep and extremely wide to hold all of the horses. The only thing that could be done with them was burn them.
As Julian set fire to yet another pile of dead animals, he saw a grey horse in the stack. It reminded him of Sir Zachary of Enigma's steed, Avalanche. It occurred to him that he hadn't seen Zachary since early that morning.
"Amiboshi, do you know where Sir Zachary is?" Julian asked the person closest to him, which was Amiboshi.
"No sir. I have not seen him," Amiboshi replied as he began to dig another grave.
He held the shovel at a forty five degree angle against the ground, then kicked the top of it to get the spade deep enough under the soil.
"You might ask someone from Enigma, though. They would be more likely to know than I," he added.
"Yes, I suppose you are right. Thank you for the advice." Julian said.
* * *
Chelsea, still hiding in the woods, ventured closer to their edge, and once out, she creeped closer to the aftermath of the bloody conflict. The first person she was able to see closely was Sir Tasuki, the Fire Headed Knight. If she remembered correctly, he belonged to Lady Miaka. Oh, how Chelsea wished that her relationship with Zachary would turn out like the knight and the lady's...
...Zachary. She had almost forgotten about him! She searched around and around, but she couldn't find Sir Zachary. She spotted several other knights at the battle scene, burning the corpses of dead animals and digging up graves for the dead soldiers. She saw Sir Tori, the knight closest to her, but Prince Julian reached him first, seeming to be urgent. She stepped a few feet behind, wanting to hear what the prince had to say.
"Tori, of the knights of Amour, who has...passed away?" Julian asked rather quickly.
Tori looked around a bit and spotted young Chelsea a couple yards away, but he didn't say anything. "Sir Kouji, sadly, had his head severed. Several are injured, and I know a couple villagers who have died, and I don't know about the--"
Tori's eyes had been wandering the whole time and then fell to a corpse with a lion helmet upon the dead knight's head. Tori's face immediately turned white.
"What is it?" Julian asked, and turned to the direction the knight was facing. Chelsea did too, out of curiosity.
"Master Tamahome!" Julian cried out, hurrying to his side. He lifted the man's wrist, but could not find a pulse. He slowly picked up a chipped Heaven's Cloud, dimmed and scratched from the duels it faced. A great knight was dead. Chelsea put a hand over her mouth to keep from yelling out. If this is what happened to the Lion Crowned Knight, then what if Sir Zachary...? Chelsea didn't want to think of it. She turned to look at His Highness Julian and Sir Tori again, but they were already gone.
* * *
The air was filled with the stench of the smoldering horses when Li entered the field hospital. He asked Layla, a red-headed nurse, if she knew where Mitsukake was. She directed him to the cot in the middle of the tent, where the blacksmith was laid out.
"Master," Li whispered as he knelt on the ground, right in a warm pool of blood that had dripped from Mitsukake's head. Li barely noticed it.
"Master, it was my fault. I'm sorry. I was supposed to be watching your back, but I failed. If I'd been paying more attention, this never would've happened. I'm just...so sorry." the young boy blurted out as uncharacteristic tears began to run down his face.
"Li. It wasn't your fault. It was no one's fault." Mitsukake soothed. He tried to move his hand out towards his youthful charge, but winced in pain when he did. He didn't want to let Li see, so he hid it as best he could. It was too late, Li noticed, and cried even harder than before.
"But Mitsukake...I didn't even want to fight..." he sobbed, his voice rising. "I...I...I thought this whole thing was really stupid...just because I didn't start it. That was..the reason...I didn't want to come here. Now I know that I was the one who was stupid," he choked out. "If only I'd tried harder, then maybe..." Li couldn't finish his sentence. He moved from a kneeling position to a sitting one. He leaned against one of the many poles that held up the huge canvas tent.
"Don't worry, Li. I'll be just fine. Look! Here is the doctor. Everything's going to be all right." Mitsukake tried to cheer Li up. The apprentice smiled gratefully up at the master.
"I'll stay with you, Master Mitsukake. Even if I have to stay up all night, I'm going to do it." Li resolved.
"I thank you, my apprentice."
As the doctor began to dress Mitsukake's wounds, Li rested his head against the pole, and closed his eyes for just a moment. He hadn't realized how drained he was from the day's battle, and the moment turned into several minutes. Soon he was fast asleep.
Close to an hour later, after all of the wounded soldiers had been taken care of for the night, the nurse Layla happened to pass by Mitsukake's bed. He was sleeping peacefully, but she noticed Li, still asleep in that uncomfortable position against the tent pole. She went to retrieve a clean blanket and pillow from near the entrance, where the supplies were kept. Upon returning, she gently moved Li onto the ground, placed the pillow under his head, and covered him up with the grey, standard issue army blanket.
Her bright red hair brushed against his cheek as she softly kissed him on the forehead. "Sweet dreams, little soldier of fortune," she whispered.
******************************************
Ugh. Very long. _ With lots of little * * * everywhere.. 23 at last count.
...So, did you like it? We sincerely hope that you did. It took FOREVER to write just this one chapter!!
We would be very grateful to you if you would honor us with a review.
OK, ao Aeris wrote part of this after she watched Gladiator for the first time. And yes, the lion helmet was taken from that movie. Yeah Yeah Dreamworks owns it and we don't.
DISCLAIMERS - We don't own any of the characters in this story, or the shows they came from.
Clamp, Kodansha, Yu Watase, etc. etc. - they own it all.
*************************************
CARMINA BURANA ~ CHAPTER 2
FORTUNA PLANGO VULNERA
(I LAMENT FORTUNE'S BLOWS)
By Sorceress Elcyion and *Aeris*
*************************************
The Macabre invasion of Timbergrove resulted in only a slight skirmish. The enemy oquickly fled after putting up only a weak resistance, and the Enigma and Summit armies were now headed towards the enemy encampment. Hotohori raised his hand to the level of his eyes, to shield them from the sun, which was rising in the eastern sky. He was still somewhat nervous about this whole affair. He always felt this way before battles.
Red headed Tasuki, on horseback, appeared on Hotohori's left. "What is this, Hotohori? Could it be that you're scared?"
Although Tasuki was from Enigma, and Hotohori from Summit, every knight from both countries was at least acquainted with the knights from the other, having met through tournaments and the like. And now they were thrown together more than ever because of the upcoming royal marriage. Tasuki had always been a brash one, and his teasing behavior on a day like today proved it.
"Not so much scared, just a little nervous." Hotohori replied.
"Nervous - ha!"
"Well, you sure seem happy about all of this."
"Of course," A new voice broke in.
Hotohori turned to see a smiling Kouji trotting up on his yellow dun, Chaos. Kouji and Tasuki had always been best friends. Both reckless and impulsive, nothing could ever depress or worry them. Everything was a game to them, even chivalry, and battles, and weaopns, and wars.
On a sudden, Tasuki began yelling. "It's those accursed Macabres!!", causing everyone around to strain their eyes into the distance ahead. Far away, the encampment of the enemy could be seen. Blue plumes of smoke came from the Macabre fires, and hung in the air above them, a tangible representation of the evil that place held.
* * *
Tamahome's head snapped up at Tasuki's words. He was filled with sudden dread. For some reason, he did not have a good feeling about today. He glanced down at the sword on his hip, which he had named Heaven's Cloud.
"It doesn't matter what I think. With this sword, I must fight to protect not only Miaka, but our entire empire. I only hope I can be worthy of the task," he said to himself. He noticed white hoofs on the ground next to Shapeshifter's black ones. Tama looked back up to see Tori astride Gaea.
"Are you thinking about Miaka?" he asked.
"Well, yes and no." Tamahome answered "I was thinking about her, because I have a really bad feeling about today. I don't know if I'll ever see her again."
"You don't think we can defeat Macabre?"
"It's not that.
"Then what is it?"
"I don't know. It just feels like something terrible will happen."
"Hmm...I don't know what I can say..."
"Tori?"
"Yes?"
"If I don't come back, will you tell Miaka that I really did love her?"
"I'm sure she already knows," Tori said solemnly.
Ahead of them, Prince Julian began shouting orders to the knights around him. Only three hundred and fifty yards remained between the men and the destiny they would live out that day.
As Tori put on his helmet, he lifted the visor and looked sideways at Tamahome.
"Be brave, my friend." he said.
* * *
Tasuki and Kouji could not contain themselves longer. At the exact same time, both of them screamed savagely and spurred their horses onward. Many men wanted to follow, but restrained themselves, witing for the Prince's signal. General unrest was settling very quickly on the army.
Upon hearing this uproar, hundreds of dark figures poured out of the enemy camp with amazing quickness. They created a solid line of black, standing ready and waiting. Julian recognized the Amour tunics on those from the Crag Alps. Other than this, there was no difference between the Alpine villagers and the Macabres. Julian burned with anger at this thought. Not only because they were traitors, but it was his father who had caused them to become that way.
* * *
The prince did not know of the scene that had gone on just a day before in Massif, where the touchy subject of Crag Alps was also the cause for much anger and disruption as the tardy bell at The Massif Boarding School had just finished ringing.
"You're ALPINE?" Chiriko asked Nikki, his jaw dropping. "Aren't they siding with our enemy?"
The fourteen-year-old girl pushed her glasses up her nose. She didn't look up from her book.
Chiriko snatched the book away, leaving his fellow student in surprise. "Hey, I'm TALKING to you. Pay attention."
"I-I..." Nikki stuttered. She looked up at him helplessly as Chiriko leaned over her desk.
"Why are you here?" he asked. People from the Crag Alps don't hang around in the other cities, much less here in Massif..." he gave her a curious look.
Nikki looked around nervously, seeing that everyone in the classroom was watching. She hated being in this horrid classroom. Not only did she stand out because she liked schoolwork instead of being one of the rebellious students who were all attending the school on punishment, but she also was from the Crag Alps, the allies of the current enemy, Macabre.
Chiriko pointed out the window, at the late-leaving Massif villagers headed for war. "See, it's your precious Macabre's fault for causing this," he noted evenly.
"I have nothing to do with Macabre's affairs," Nikki replied shakily.
"Yeah, you do!" Chiriko shouted. "You're entire family is Alpine, and that means you are our ENEMY!"
This caused an immediate commotion throughout the class. There were harsh whispers among them all. They were sneering at her and pointing at her like she was a mysterious being from a fantasy land. "How did he find out I was Alpine?" she murmured to herself. Nikki turned to Chiriko, who had a smirk on his face. "You better watch your back if you know what's good for you," he jeered.
"Class," said Miss Miisu, the class's teacher. "There will not be a session today due all that has been going on. Please go back to your dorm rooms and--" she stopped when she saw a teary Nikki run past her and out the door, slamming it. Miisu seemed to be the only one concerned with the young girl's feelings. The students walked out of the room as if nothing had happened just then.
Chiriko, however, stayed glued to his seat. For some reason, he felt...bad. He shook it off though, and grabbed his school books. "See you later, Miss Miisu," he said merrily, bounding out the door.
* * *
Julian was interrupted from his brief lapse into thought by the ever impatient Suboshi, his second in command.
"The signal, Sire?" Suboshi almost yelled, pushing Crescent onward.
Amiboshi, Suboshi's younger brother was right beside him, with the same furrowed brow and flashing eyes. The two could pass for twins. "Yes, yes of course." Julian brandished his army saber high above his head. It glinted in the sunlight like a flare for all to see. Men on horseback and on foot immediately rushed past them in a torrent of hoffbeats and battlecries.Without another word, Suboshi yelled and was off like a shot.
* * *
"Tori!" Tamahome called. "You take the left flank, and I'll take the right!"
"Yes sir!" Tori turned Gaea to the left.
"And Tori..."
Tori stopped and looked over his shoulder at his friend.
"I'll see you on the other side."
Tori smiled. "That's the spirit sir!"
Tamahome nodded, with a trace of a smirk on his face. He then wheeled Shapeshifter sharply to the right and galloped off into the dust.
* * *
Julian stayed for a few seconds more so the rest of the army who hadn't already seen the knights take off could see the signal, then he too, was racing towards his fate. He knew that he could catch up with knights. His pitch black horse Tornado was the fastest animal in both the Summit and Enigma Kingdoms. The only other horse that even came close was Tetsuya's strawberry roan, Frigga.
Tetsuya? Julian suddenly noticed that his closest friend of eighteen years was right next to him, keeping pace perfectly. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten that he was there all along.
"Tetsuya."
"What?"
"Most likely, it'll be me facing Nakago."
"Ah, leader versus leader."
"Yes. But, I'll need to you to be my backup man."
"You know I'll be there." Tetsuya grinned.
The two were such good friends, that there wasn't any hard feelings about one having to be the backup for the other. Tetsuya knew that Julian was the Prince, and with that came specific obligations. They both knew that Tetsuya had proved himself time and again as a worthy knight, so it wasn't like he was playing second fiddle. Tetsuya liked his job. He loved being the strategist, and a man could never get too much help if and when he got into trouble.
* * *
Tori charged headlong into the din. Astride his white mare, he towered over his enemies, easily taking them down. He looked around and observed the two brothers, Suboshi and Amiboshi double teaming a mounted enemy officer. Behind him, he noticed Chaos and Cynder, both riderless, charging frantically past the men running into battle, and back the opposite direction - back to the homlands. Tori gasped. This meant that their riders, Kouji and Tasuki, had either been killed or seriously wounded.
He was unable to see how Tamahome was holding out, since they were opposite sides of the battlefield. Tori hoped he was all right. He looked to his front, all the while still slashing at the foot soldiers around him. He saw his leader, Prince Julian, facing off with Emperor Nakago, the dreaded leader of the Macabre Army.
* * *
Nakago grinned and spread his hands shoulder width apart, creating a crescent of black light. He knew full well that his adversary could not counter it. Using magic was strictly forbidden in the Summit and Enigma kingdoms.
Personally, Julian didn't really see anything wrong with it, as long as it wasn't used for evil, but his father...well, was his father. He was so strict about the dumbest things.
"Tell me, Prince. What is it that you are fighting for?" Nakago asked calmly, even as he hurled a ball of black light towards Julian
"I'll tell you nothing." Julian growled as he dodged the attack. He was trying to think of a way to counter Nakago without using magic.
"That's just fine." Nakago replied.
* * *
Had Tori known the full story about the two riderless horses, he would not have been nearly as regretful as he was now. The first two men to enter the battle were not dead. They had been knocked off their horses by enemy fire, but were not injured. The protective mail they wore saved them from the shots, however unable to undo the sheer force of impact.
Tasuki and Kouji now stood on the ground, back to back. Laughing all the while, they turned away every foe who dared to challenge them. Tasuki's specialized sword, the Rune Blade, flashed in the sunlight as Ultimate End, guided by Kouji's hands, excluded none from their fate. There was a lull in the number of attacks, and the two young knights looked back at each other and exchanged grins. This was the life they were made for. All of a sudden, a wolfish creature, out of nowhere, appeared above their heads. He was going to land on top of them, so the two split to make room for it in between them. They turned and faced it, holding their swords ready in front of them.
"Good work, Ashitare." a female voice could be heard saying. Upon hearing this, the creature, apparently the one named Ashitare, vanished in a swirl of blue light.
"That was strange," said Tasuki.
Kouji didn't answer. "What was that about?" he thought." There must of been some reason behind it. And 'Good work Ashitare'? Who said that? Whoever it was definitely had a reason for it. What was the reason? Well, the thing didn't do anything but jump between Tasuki and me..between..separation...they're trying to separate us!" Upon arriving at this startling conclusion, Kouji instantly spun around and brought up his blade.
"Kouji!!" Tasuki cried too late. He watched helplessly as the cruel edge of the axe sliced through the Ultimate End. Sparks flew as metal met metal, and the stronger, sturdier axe quickly sliced through the Ultimate End and severed his best friend's head.
Kouji's head rolled to a stop at Tasuki's feet, his golden eyes staring up at Tasuki, meeting his horrified gaze. Suddenly, Tasuki didn't feel like playing this game anymore.
"Fortuna! Why have you done this to me?!" he screamed, the words catching in his throat. Whoever had caused this would regret it.
Tasuki narrowed his eyes, and looked to where Kouji had stood. A female warrior was waiting there, the smirk on her face taunting him. Without hesitation, Tasuki rushed at her, with his Rune Blade aimed at her heart. As he neared her, she neatly sidestepped the attack and swung her weapon in a circle, bringing the flat side down on his back with crushing force. Tasuki fell face first into the ground, coming perilously close to stabbing himself with his own sword. He lay quietly, trying to control his breathing, waiting for the inevitable approach of the warrior to finish her job. As she did so, Tasuki gripped the Rune Blade tightly. He waited until he was sure the axe would not hit him if she fell, then violently swung himself up and around, slashing the woman's legs with the sword. She gave a menacing growl and took a few steps back, dropping the axe. She was tougher than Tasuki had anticipated. He expected at least a scream, but there was none.
He charged at her again. This time, she met his blade with one of her own. "What be your name, warrior?" Tasuki asked her through gritted teeth. "I am called Soi, Master Tasuki." she replied mockingly. He wondered how she knew his name. "How do you like my Ragnarok? I think it holds quite well against the Rune, don't you? It certainly was too strong for your friend there, wasn't it?" Tasuki was baffled as to how she could not only know his name, but how she knew about his weapon. Of course, he wasn't going to let this Soi person know that. At this, Soi laughed. "Oh, Master Tasuki. Hiding it from me won't help. I know all about you, so it's useless to even try."
With these words, she leaped back and lifted her right hand to sky. Electricity crackled around it and the clouds grew ominously dark. "Oh, and by the way, how's the little magicker doing these days?" She brought her hand down with tremendous force. A deafening clap of thunder cracked through the air like a whip as lightning danced across the sky. Tasuki looked up for a brief moment, and when he looked back to his opponent, she was gone.
* * *
Li crouched down, holding his Mast Axe in front of him. The spear was of course, somewhat inferior to Mitsukake's spear, the Venus Gospel, but it served its purpose well. As the slanting rain began to beat down on him, Li examined his surroundings. He had not noticed that the sky had become dark.
"Pay attention, boy. There are more coming," he heard his teacher's voice from beside him. Li cursed the Macabres under his breath. He was angry with their persistence. Why wouldn't they just quit already?!
"An angry fighter is an irrational fighter, Li." Mitsukake warned.
"Right," Li mumbled. He knew the blacksmith really was, in truth, correct, but he couldn't help being mad. He didn't start this war, but now he'd have to fight it. As the onslaught started once again, the master and apprentice fought back the snarling animals which threw themselves upon pair, who could barely even tell that their attackers were human.
* * *
As the sky turned black, Emperor Hikitsu stood at the railing on one of Pinnacle's balconies that faced Lea Field. His chrome-colored hair billowed in the wind as he stood surveying the storm.
After a few minutes, he turned on his heel and went back into his chambers. Exactly five minutes later, he called his manservant to him, and handed him a small piece of paper, sealed in gold wax. "I want you to take this to Terada. Tell him to deliver to Empress Subaru immediately." The servant bowed and headed to the stables, where the court couriers usually hung around. Terada was the Head of the Imperial Summit Couriers, thanks to his intelligence, wit, speed, and scouting abilities. So it was he who was sent to deliver the message to Sanctuary Palace. Terada was not in any danger traveling between the two kingdoms, because he took the Underground Passage that lay underneath Lea Field.
Now this passage was not merely a tunnel. The tunnel was for crossing between Summit and Enigma, but the main section of the Underground was like a gigantic city. It had all the conveniences and luxuries of a normal town, the only difference, besides that this was under the ground, was that this place was big enough to hold all of the people from
both kingdoms. The Underground was built not only as a passageway between the kingdoms, but for the specific use that during wartime, or during natural disasters, the citizens could head to the subterranean city where they could be safe from harm.
Upon arriving at Sanctuary Palace, Terada bypassed the guards, who already knew him, and headed straight to the throne room. He delivered Hikitsu's message to the Empress personally, and stood waiting for a reply as she read it.
Empress Subaru,
This most unexpected storm is a sign that there is powerful magic afoot. If the Macabre army is able to do this, what else must they be capable of? It does not bring me pleasure to say, but there is a chance that they may defeat our own forces. In such a case, would it not be wise to relocate our people to the Underground?
* * *
A man with a painted face whirled around and found himself looking into the face of a lion. This animal was otherworldly, its eyes shone black, and its face glowed silver. It held the man spellbound. He couldn't move. He could only stare fearfully into the obsidian eyes of the beast. As lightning flashed, a perfect reflection made the bolt appear to be running down the creature's snout. The next moment, the man felt a burning sensation in his midsection, as if the lightning had pierced his soul. The pain finally enabled him to tear his eyes from the mystic lion and look down.
A sword with a translucent blue center was struck horizontally across his stomach. Human hands held it there. Was this formidable being also part man? Shocked and barely able to move, he looked to the owner of the hands, only to find a young man with a fixed, rock-hard expression. It was he who wore the helmet with the face of a lion. In what seemed like an eternity after he first encountered the lion face, the painted man collapsed in a motionless heap as the boy yanked his sword away. The dark, matted hair that could be seen from underneath the helmet shone blue with sweat. That blue shine was the last thing the man saw. He never knew the weapon that killed him had such a beautiful name. It was called Heaven's Cloud.
If the painted soldier had remained conscious seven seconds longer, he would have seen the untimely demise of his attacker as a new adversary inevitably appeared to face the magnificent knight. The enemy soldier lashed out at him, and he was knocked to the ground. The blow alone, although enough to fell him, would not have been enough to wound him. However, when the knight fell, he landed upon a fairly large rock. It was almost a boulder. Probably deposited there due a rockslide from Macabre sometime long ago.
As he fell, the knight did not know that there was anything on the ground behind him. But he soon found out, as his spine and the sharp top edge of the rock collided. He sharply sucked in a breath as the pain flooded his body. He closed his eyes, expecting to be run through by his foe. At least he would go out quickly. But the Macabre soldier was now occupied with two militia men, who together finished him off.
When the finishing blow did not come, Tamahome, the Lion Crowned Knight, opened his eyes, and saw the looks of sympathy the two shot at him. It was all they could give him, for they did not have the time to kneel down beside him and offer their aid. He tried to lift himself up, but it was to no avail. His spine was broken, torn in two by the rock. He wished he could rise and again fight gloriously for the cause..and for...her...but, it was only a wish. Tamahome knew he was dying, he could feel it...
Miaka suddenly opened her eyes and gasped. She heard the soft sound of the clock ticking rhythmically in the background, sometimes interrupted by muted claps of thunder. She listened to it closely and shut her eyes again to calm herself down. She had been scrying and watching the war in her mind, one way of using her hidden powers. She searched and searched this whole time, but she still could locate neither Tasuki nor Tamahome on the battlefield.
But that was until an abrupt thought of Tamahome struck through her mind like a thunderbolt. She could hear his voice. It sounded so real that for a second, she thought he was in her room. Tamahome was calling out her name, calling out for help, she knew it. She then felt an unbearable pain in her back, causing her to gasp in pain. But before she had the chance to do anything about it, it was suddenly gone.
She wiped away the beads of sweat building up on her forehead. She assured herself that what she heard and felt was nothing. Just a figment of her imagination. She was just worried about how Tamahome was faring in the war, letting the battle go to her head.
But she can never be too sure. Her mind would never lie. And the pain in her back felt real, unexplainably real. Her powers were telling her something. After practicing in secret for nearly all her life, Miaka would know these things. But she shook her head, denying all this. Tamahome, perhaps one of the greatest knights in the land, would never fall down and not be able to get up again.
Clearing her throat and relaxing every part of her body, Miaka sat up straighter on her bed and began to concentrate on the events at Lea, pushing the previous thought away, and succeeding in doing so. However, later, something else distracted her. There was a hand on her shoulder. Miaka jumped back, startled. All at once, she felt a flood of emotion go into her. But they weren't *her* emotions. Pain, sorrow, love, grief, hate, anger...they were all rolled up together and pushed into her like a hard gust of wind. Miaka didn't make a sound but sat there, astounded and frozen.
None of it was her imagination. She saw clearly in her mind, a warrior whose face she could not make out making a swish with his sword, Tamahome falling on top of the large rock, the sickening crack of his backbones breaking, the blood oozing onto the stone, the look of extreme pain on his face. "No!" she cried scratchily, bursting into tears.
Miaka proceeded to lay herself on her bed, but stopped. A still, almost peaceful feeling suddenly filled her body. It was an empty feeling, as if some part of her was broken away. It was very unpleasant, as though something horrible had happened. She couldn't put her finger upon what it was.
No. After thinking it over some, she figured it out. She knew. And she never wanted to experience something like that again. "Ta-Tamahome..." she whispered tearfully. "He's gone."
Immediately after she uttered those words, the ceramic vase Tamahome had given to her days before crashed to the floor, shattering it into myriad pastel-colored pieces. Miaka turned to the broken vase and to her surprise, found a small piece of parchment with the shards, rolled up and tied neatly with a blue velvet ribbon.
Cautiously, Miaka picked up the paper and untied the bow. It was a letter, written in Tamahome's reasonably neat writing. "My dear sweet Miaka," she read, "If you find yourself reading this, then assume that I am no longer with you." Miaka sighed inwardly, holding back her tears. "For the last two years, I have watched you and Sir Tasuki," she continued, "and I had wondered if there would ever be a day you and I would return to each other. I know that sounded selfish and desperate of me, but I never recovered from the day you walked out of my arms, apologizing and saying you didn't love me that way anymore. I am still in love with you, and only you. But now that you are reading these words, I know that we can never have a second chance."
Miaka had to stop. Her voice was cracking uncontrollably and her hands were shaking violently. Her breathing had quickened and she suddenly felt uncomfortably agitated in the room. Tamahome didn't just say he loved her. Every second, the maiden was feeling more and more guilty. But she forced herself to go on.
"I have watched you from afar. You were so happy. I deeply apologize for being unable to provide you with that sincerity I had fallen in love with. But Tasuki is a good man. Don't feel bad because of what I am writing. I just wrote this to tell you I love you and I'll always be there, even if you cannot see me or feel my presence. God bless. Love always, Tamahome."
"Oh, Fortuna..." she mumbled, dropping the letter. It floated to the ground, landing softly at her feet. Even though her feet were incredibly weak, she walked over to her window and opened it. Staring up at the sky, she murmured, "Good-bye...Tamahome..."
For a second, she thought she had heard an answer to her call, the brave spirit of Tamahome in her room, saying his final good-bye to her before ascending to the sky.
Miaka shook her head. She must be hallucinating. She didn't even fully understand anything that had happened to her during this previous hour.
* * *
Nakago was still shooting rounds of magic at Julian, who in turn would skirt around them and go for any opening he could get to damage Nakago, hoping to gruadually wear him down.
Nakago shot a shimmering ball at Julian, but this time, the prince wasn't able to dodge it. He didn't have the time. Not even Tornado, his lightning-quick stallion could react fast enough. The blast hit Julian square in the chest, knocking the prince clear off his horse, and sending him to the ground, smoke rising from his armor. Luckily, the metal armor was enough to keep from getting Julian injured, but now there was a hole in it suggesting the damage done. It was raining so hard now that Julian didn't even bother to squint from the rain. He just let the drops fall onto his eyes as he pulled himself up with his sword, the Spirit Lance. Standing in fighting stance, he made ready for more of Nakago's masterful sorcery.
Nakago smirked at him. Julian stared back at the ruler of Macabre. He looked confident, perhaps *too* confident. Before he could realize what was happening, Nakago shot something at him in what seemed to be a blur. Julian dropped to his knees, holding the wound in his shoulder. A drop of blood slid down the front of his chest plate and onto the Spirit Lance.
"So, my dear little Julian. This is all you have to show for all your years of training. Much good it did you. See how powerless you are to defeat me?"
"As if you had any right to talk about power." Julian gritted his teeth, "Using evil magic to make up for your pathetic lack of power..."
Nakago hardened his expression into a sinister smile and took up shooting little speeding spark after spark, thinking that slowly causing more injury to the prince would be rather enjoyable. For all of Julian's brave words, Nakago knew that he lacked the endurance to hold out for much longer.
Tetsuya had been watching all this time, yet he hadn't done anything to help his ruler and best friend. Most likely it was his fear of getting caught using magic. At this, the knight snorted. Why does that matter anymore? This was war! The Emperor or Empress aren't able to watch their every move on a gory field like this!
Checking anyway to see if anyone was watching him behind the stone, Tetsuya gathered a small sphere of energy that resembled a ball of water and quietly shot it at Julian's back. "I really hope I did that right," the eighteen-year-old whispered to himself. He hasn't used his magic in a very long time.
Julian was about to give in at Nakago's firing mini-blasts, but suddenly, he felt something cold and liquidy bounce into his body from behind him forcefully, causing Julian to lean forward a little. Nakago had stopped to stare at him in bewilderment, wondering what kind of spell that was and who performed it.
The power of the water ball, or whatever that was, flowed through Julian's entire body, calming and cooling it, healing the wounds and even fixing the armor. "Wow," Julian whispered before giving a swish of his sword and leaping at Nakago with it.
Nakago had the sense to create a barrier to block out the sword. The weapon and shield clashing at each other made Julian bounce back to where he stood before.
Nakago was about to take time to gather energy for his next attack, but he couldn't concentrate on keeping that shield up and gathering power for a spell at once.
The shield around the Emperor of Macabre was starting to dissolve, leaving Julian to get a cheap shot. The prince was able jump at his opponent again and with an elegant swing, he slashed Nakago's throat, the blood pouring out like a waterfall of red.
Tetsuya, still keeping an eye on his leader, grinned proudly. He always knew that shy noble had it in him. Deciding to let Julian take all the glory, even the healing part, Tetsuya slowly moved away and headed into the scene of massacre.
* * *
Nearly the whole of the Macabre army had been vanquished, and only a few of it's fighters were left standing. Tori finally had a clear path to the eastern theater of the battle. He was anxious to know how Tamahome had fared. He galloped Gaea the one and a half miles to where his friend had entered the battle. Halfway there, he saw Tasuki standing alone, using his arm to wipe the raindrops and perspiration from his forehead. Pulling up on Gaea's reins, he shouted to the knight.
"Tasuki!! I thought you were dead!!"
Tasuki looked up, but he did not look at all like his usual happy self. "No. I'm not dead, but Kouji..." He trailed off, but motioned to a spot on the ground to his left. It was Kouji, or rather his body. His head lay on the blood soaked ground a foot away from the rest of him.
Tori gasped. "What happened?"
Tasuki just shook his head, unable to say anything.
"Tasuki..I'm sorry." For the second time that day, Tori was at a loss for words. He never was good at finding something to say for times like this. Like this morning, when Tamahome said he had a bad feeling. Tamahome. He had yet to see his friend.
* * *
Soi surveyed the battlefield from her floating position in the air, watching as her army was slowly being destroyed. As she continued to take in the sight, she saw that her beloved leader Nakago was nearly defeated, under heavy attacks from the Prince Julian. Taking it all in, Soi slowly realized that she and her countrymen were going to lose this fight.
She grew white-hot with anger. The Macabre army was the greatest in the land! It could not lose! The Summit and Enigma kingdoms couldn't even use magic!
And what an impertinent little brat that boy was, daring to speak to Nakago in such manner! Even the fiercest knights she knew did not even try to address him as Julian was doing now. The mighty warrior shook with rage as hundreds of these thoughts ran through her head--
No, she had to refocus on the battle if there was going to be any chance for Macabre to win. As she did so, the first thing she saw was the silver haired prince as he slashed open the throat of her leader, the blood gushing from Nakago's neck now splashing to the ground. Soi screamed such a bloodcurdling scream that every single individual on the battlefield, from all three kingdoms, stopped what they were doing and searched for the source of the terrible sound.
Chelsea covered her ears and cowered behind the thick bole of a tall tree. She was within the safety of the forest at the northern end of Enigma, but she had a clear view of the engagement. As she looked up again, the back of her neck prickled. She gasped as she saw the female knight high up in the air, and she knew what that knight was about to do.
"No!" Chelsea silently screamed. She knew what she had to do, although it would be risky. If she was found practicing magic, she would be severely punished, and possibly even executed. But she could not just stand by and watch as Zachary and the others were obliterated after they had fought so hard and come this far.
She hastily stood up, took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and held her hands out in front of her as if in prayer. They sparkled as she separated them, creating a shallow dome of glowing purple light. Bringing her hands behind her back made the dome grow in size, becoming large enough to cover Chelsea completely. After this, she quickly thrust her hands forward, sending what was now a wave of purple out onto the battlefield
"Please protect them," she whispered, watching as the dome grew bigger and bigger, and began to cover the men closest to her.
* * *
Tori's musings were cut short as the bone-chilling shriek rang out, causing his horse to rear up violently. Tori wrapped his arms around her neck, barely managing to stay in the saddle. He and Tasuki shot confused looks at each other, but then Tasuki suddenly gasped as he saw something in his peripheral vision. He turned and looked up and to his right. Tori followed his gaze and spotted the mad woman floating up in the air. She cackled as the lightning in her hands crackled brightly. Inferno Mountain's demonic face seemed to spit forth pure brimstone below her.
Tasuki recognized her as the woman he had fought with -- Soi. What the heck was she doing? From behind him, he could hear other soldiers shouting at each other to look at the sky to the west. Out of curiosity, he turned, and he saw a translucent purple mass moving over his head and toward the eastern side of the field. He was in complete awe. Was this the work of Fortuna?
* * *
Soi frowned at the purple shield forming over the soldiers. It was moving at a snail's pace, patiently covering the people below her. She had to get to *her* spell first. She zapped the lightning into the sky. For a second, absolutely nothing but silence happened. But then, a laser of blinding white light crashed to the middle of Lea and exploded into a deafening roar, with smoke and fire rolling towards its victims like swiftly moving clouds.
* * *
Unbelievably, Zachary had been able to remain unscratched throughout the entire battle. Thanks to his incredible analytical abilities, he had been able to anticipate every move that any of his adversaries had made. At this particular moment, he was pursuing one of the last remaining Macabre soldiers, who was apparently trying to run back towards the Inferno. Zachary spurred Avalanche onward, which was not easy task. He had to clear hundreds of the still corpses that lay on the ground, bathed in a sea of red. Yet, he persisted, and soon the hunter and the prey were beyond the borders of the battlegrounds. Once again, the land was only the green grass.
Free of the human terrain, the knight quickly gained on the fleeing man, and with a swift blow to the back, the runner plunged forward to join his comrades on the field of death. Zachary felt a strange force coming up from the direction of the battlefield. He stood, staring, in wonder of the massive blanket of purple that seemed to float above the field. It was traveling towards him when the world turned blinding shade of white...
* * *
There was mayhem everywhere. Everyone was trying to find a place to hide. The magic that had forced its way down from the sky blocked the path of the barrier, causing it to begin closing over the people it had covered in the western and middle parts of the meadow. Those on the far east were in grave danger.
The panicked soldiers screamed shrilly at the scorching fire that came after them in all directions, burying them in its heat. Those wails of pain and anguish were unheard due to the volume of the great fire coming everyone's way.
The warriors that had managed to make it into the now-closed barrier watched with horror as the fire then headed into the northernmost towns, destroying them too. Most of the villagers had evacuated to the Underground, but still, the land they all had so proudly lived in was all charring, all burning to the ground. This was especially true for the hated town of Crag Alps. In a matter of minutes, the city had been completely wasted. This meant that not only the town was gone, but all of it's inhabitants as well. Upon receiving the summons to the Underground, the Alpine leaders shook their heads and refused to be moved. They did not consider themselves to be a part of the Summit Kingdom, and would not take refuge with them. Although the leaders' views did not necessarily reflect all of the villager's views, the few townspeople who did not agree with the decision that had been made could do nothing to change it. No one was allowed to leave the area after the courier came and went. Sadly, this meant that even the innocents who lived in Crag Alps perished along with the city.
* * *
Chelsea gasped as even the castles were hidden in the ash and flame. She figured that the blast would have weakened at least a little by the time its repercussions hit the palaces, but she couldn't really be sure. She could only hope that they were strong enough to withstand whatever melee came their way.
Soi stared, a clear barrier surrounding her, as fire overtook the kingdoms. The fire clouds buried both of the allied lands, making it impossible to see them. Her eyes turned to gaze at those inside the green shield and then slowly moved toward a certain rock with a certain girl behind it. She too, had a shield surrounding her, shocked at what was happening. With an eagle's vision, Soi saw the girl's eyes go wide in horror at the thought of her homeland being burned to the ground. Soi had to laugh a little at this. Try as she may, the young girl's powers could never match hers.
However, Soi's quarrel was not with this peasant. Not yet, anyway. Satisfied with her work, she phased out into nothing--just before her spell backfired and finally reached her own kingdom.
Macabre was the kingdom closest to the battle, so it was strange that it would be the last to be claimed by the explosive power of Soi's spell. Still, it was claimed nonetheless, and since it was nearest Ground Zero, the kingdom was totally annihilated. All of the Inferno crumbled and melted first. It produced a gargantuan ball of fire, which rolled up into the mountains, swallowing all of the kingdom's villages, and finally reaching Phantasma Palace, engulfing it in flame. Macabre Kingdom was drowning in the fire of its own creation, and it lit up the sky brighter than any sun. Soon, nothing of what was once the huge and forbidding Macabre Kingdom was left. Absolutely nothing at all.
* * *
All through that night, the remaining members of the two armies had the grisly job of taking care of the dead. And not just human dead. There were huge mounds of horseflesh all over the ground. They couldn't be buried, because the animals were so big, that the graves would have to be very deep to bury just one. And because of the rain, the dirt would eventually washed away from a usual, makeshift, shallow graves, exposing the rotting body once again, so the graves would of had to have been extremely deep and extremely wide to hold all of the horses. The only thing that could be done with them was burn them.
As Julian set fire to yet another pile of dead animals, he saw a grey horse in the stack. It reminded him of Sir Zachary of Enigma's steed, Avalanche. It occurred to him that he hadn't seen Zachary since early that morning.
"Amiboshi, do you know where Sir Zachary is?" Julian asked the person closest to him, which was Amiboshi.
"No sir. I have not seen him," Amiboshi replied as he began to dig another grave.
He held the shovel at a forty five degree angle against the ground, then kicked the top of it to get the spade deep enough under the soil.
"You might ask someone from Enigma, though. They would be more likely to know than I," he added.
"Yes, I suppose you are right. Thank you for the advice." Julian said.
* * *
Chelsea, still hiding in the woods, ventured closer to their edge, and once out, she creeped closer to the aftermath of the bloody conflict. The first person she was able to see closely was Sir Tasuki, the Fire Headed Knight. If she remembered correctly, he belonged to Lady Miaka. Oh, how Chelsea wished that her relationship with Zachary would turn out like the knight and the lady's...
...Zachary. She had almost forgotten about him! She searched around and around, but she couldn't find Sir Zachary. She spotted several other knights at the battle scene, burning the corpses of dead animals and digging up graves for the dead soldiers. She saw Sir Tori, the knight closest to her, but Prince Julian reached him first, seeming to be urgent. She stepped a few feet behind, wanting to hear what the prince had to say.
"Tori, of the knights of Amour, who has...passed away?" Julian asked rather quickly.
Tori looked around a bit and spotted young Chelsea a couple yards away, but he didn't say anything. "Sir Kouji, sadly, had his head severed. Several are injured, and I know a couple villagers who have died, and I don't know about the--"
Tori's eyes had been wandering the whole time and then fell to a corpse with a lion helmet upon the dead knight's head. Tori's face immediately turned white.
"What is it?" Julian asked, and turned to the direction the knight was facing. Chelsea did too, out of curiosity.
"Master Tamahome!" Julian cried out, hurrying to his side. He lifted the man's wrist, but could not find a pulse. He slowly picked up a chipped Heaven's Cloud, dimmed and scratched from the duels it faced. A great knight was dead. Chelsea put a hand over her mouth to keep from yelling out. If this is what happened to the Lion Crowned Knight, then what if Sir Zachary...? Chelsea didn't want to think of it. She turned to look at His Highness Julian and Sir Tori again, but they were already gone.
* * *
The air was filled with the stench of the smoldering horses when Li entered the field hospital. He asked Layla, a red-headed nurse, if she knew where Mitsukake was. She directed him to the cot in the middle of the tent, where the blacksmith was laid out.
"Master," Li whispered as he knelt on the ground, right in a warm pool of blood that had dripped from Mitsukake's head. Li barely noticed it.
"Master, it was my fault. I'm sorry. I was supposed to be watching your back, but I failed. If I'd been paying more attention, this never would've happened. I'm just...so sorry." the young boy blurted out as uncharacteristic tears began to run down his face.
"Li. It wasn't your fault. It was no one's fault." Mitsukake soothed. He tried to move his hand out towards his youthful charge, but winced in pain when he did. He didn't want to let Li see, so he hid it as best he could. It was too late, Li noticed, and cried even harder than before.
"But Mitsukake...I didn't even want to fight..." he sobbed, his voice rising. "I...I...I thought this whole thing was really stupid...just because I didn't start it. That was..the reason...I didn't want to come here. Now I know that I was the one who was stupid," he choked out. "If only I'd tried harder, then maybe..." Li couldn't finish his sentence. He moved from a kneeling position to a sitting one. He leaned against one of the many poles that held up the huge canvas tent.
"Don't worry, Li. I'll be just fine. Look! Here is the doctor. Everything's going to be all right." Mitsukake tried to cheer Li up. The apprentice smiled gratefully up at the master.
"I'll stay with you, Master Mitsukake. Even if I have to stay up all night, I'm going to do it." Li resolved.
"I thank you, my apprentice."
As the doctor began to dress Mitsukake's wounds, Li rested his head against the pole, and closed his eyes for just a moment. He hadn't realized how drained he was from the day's battle, and the moment turned into several minutes. Soon he was fast asleep.
Close to an hour later, after all of the wounded soldiers had been taken care of for the night, the nurse Layla happened to pass by Mitsukake's bed. He was sleeping peacefully, but she noticed Li, still asleep in that uncomfortable position against the tent pole. She went to retrieve a clean blanket and pillow from near the entrance, where the supplies were kept. Upon returning, she gently moved Li onto the ground, placed the pillow under his head, and covered him up with the grey, standard issue army blanket.
Her bright red hair brushed against his cheek as she softly kissed him on the forehead. "Sweet dreams, little soldier of fortune," she whispered.
******************************************
Ugh. Very long. _ With lots of little * * * everywhere.. 23 at last count.
...So, did you like it? We sincerely hope that you did. It took FOREVER to write just this one chapter!!
We would be very grateful to you if you would honor us with a review.
OK, ao Aeris wrote part of this after she watched Gladiator for the first time. And yes, the lion helmet was taken from that movie. Yeah Yeah Dreamworks owns it and we don't.