Itte kure! ima ore ga samishisa ni chi wo nagashitetemo
Never say good bye tobu koto wo kimeta nara mae dake muita mama
"Tell me!" Now, no matter whether blood pours out from the wound of my loneliness,
Never say good bye if you'd decided to fly away, you'd just stare ahead like that.
It was a clear skied day and very peaceful. After all of that havoc had passed, this was blue, a clear calm blue. There were aspects of peace that I've never really looked at before. Blue, perfect blue.
I worried about you, I thought about you and wondered, but I had dared myself to let you go. It was over now, no need to see you, no need for longing or stress, no need to leave this, this perfect blue.
The college was closed and our basketball team dismembered as well. I couldn't find anything to do, no teams in the area of my age group. I had my fill of symbology, not wanting to continue in that major. I'd decided to just relax, lay low, and enjoy the blue.
You know, at times like these, you realize that you can't really relax. Even the clouds are changing, everything around you is swirling in the wind and moving, changing as well. You can't stand still, ever.
My heart, Albel, my heart will not be stilled!
I thought that maybe coming here would cure me of my need for you, to stop my longing and lusting after you. I had just gotten your trust and friendship, I refused to crush it with my... my abnormal feelings.
But... I NEED you. I can't ever be compete at peace, without you. I needed to see you, to hear your voice. I needed, I confessed to myself, to hear you say that you loved me too. I was booked for a flight on a commercial shuttle to Elicoor and we arrived in a week. The whole way I pondered your heart. The longer the wait, the more I was torn on the inside. I felt my very heart in pain as it was torn, and pained more with the needles that were to sew it together again. When we did arrive in Peterny, the traditional crossroads, I headed south as fast as a rented lum could take me. I had even changed into my 'Elicoorian' clothes just for this occasion.
I entered Airyglyph castle and looked for you everywhere. I asked the maids for you and they became giddy, giggling amongst themselves.
"Lord Albel is searching the dungeons. There's been strange disappearances from the Black Brigade as of late. He went to look and see."
"Thank you."
"If you would like, I could show you to his room and you could wait for him there."
"No, I'll go find him. I have a bad feeling about this."
Running down the stairs, my heart was in panic. I wasn't sure why, they made it sound like a simple easy mission. But you never went for the simple and easy, did you, Albel?
You had left an odd trail for me to follow. Stones missing from walls and such, but in a clean way. To a normal person, it seemed normal, but I had been here before and knew that this wasn't a normal doorway nor normal stairs. I headed down.
I heard the yell, that glass shattering yell. And there you stood. Beautiful in the dim torch light. The image of perfection that I had sought. Blood creating perfect contrast on pale skin. Perfection. The one who scorned to never see me again.
"Explosion!" I held my hand out to you, aiming my symbology where you aimed your sword. You rushed into the light, the enemy now blind. I drew my sword and charged in as well. Now, I could feel again. The numb sensation of perfect blue was replaced with the blood warmth of your skin on mine as we fought side by side.
We were knocked back by the flaming sword of an unseen enemy. Blood was washed across your face. My blood. Your fingers felt the thickening crimson as your teeth grit. You stood swiftly, knocking me off your right shoulder as you did. "You scum!" Your sword was swift, the Crimson Scourge of legend indeed. The grace of your movement was enough to get me off my knees and back in the fight, bearing my shoulder for the time being.
"I see, you've called for back up? It makes no difference! I can crush six of your men with ease, I can crush you all!" The awful vampiric figure mocked. I took a quick glance around me as I jumped out of the way. There were bodies, bodies in black armor wrapped in the skins of animals. They were covered in blood completely. Their hearts had been beating, that meant, as they were slowly cut apart. Now you were fighting to avenge them, weren't you? Before you wouldn't have cared less for these 'weaklings,' but now... now you really are a great commander. Your father would be proud.
I jumped back in at the figure, letting a swift sidekick at his waist. He moved too quick. By then you were at my ear. "Stay out of this."
"I couldn't, ever."
"You're not in command anymore."
"But I'm still your friend." and with that, I rushed in for an attack. I saw it. The bright flames of Hell coming towards me through the dank corridors. It was too late to move. And there you were. Metal clanked on metal as you locked the sword against your katana and your claw, forming an x together.
'Go for it, Fayt!'
I hopped back, calling up explosion and rushing in to strike. My sword never hit. Instead, solid warmth was thrown up against me. There, against the wall, we were. You were doubled over, the metal on your claw broken and your dead arm and broken chest bleeding. "Albel..."
"I-"
"THERE you are, Romero!" Came a shrill female voice, though not as bad as Farleen's.
"Drat!" The evil figure settled on the ground, mid cast, and rolled his eyes.
"I've been looking ALL OVER for you!" A girl dressed in puffy white clothing materialized beside him. "Oh, what are you doing now!" She looked over the bodies. "So sorry for the trouble." She bowed to us.
"Uhh... who are you?" I stared.
"Why, I'm the lovely Vita, of course!" She grinned. "The queen of life!"
"Queen of life?"
"Life and death, what's one without the other?" She smiled, holding Romero's arm.
"I-I'm still going to kill him!" You struggled to stand.
"Come on, Albel, let's go, I think she's got it covered."
"He killed them! He made me kill them!" You glared. Oh, Albel, so that's what happened. Forced to kill your own men, how awful! "I need to chase these rats out!"
"Well, where do you suppose we go?" Vita tapped her foot impatiently. "Our home was destroyed and we were separated. Where can we go?"
"Go live with the wretched earthling woman for all I care!" You spat.
"You mean Sophia?"
"Yeah, she could use a 'King of Death' around." Smirking, your eyes looked to me with a strange sense in them.
"Oh, Sophia? She sounds so cute!"
"Yeah... I guess..." I blinked.
"And she's on Earth?"
"Roak, right now, I think." I corrected the petite queen.
"Oh, yes, let's go there! Come on, Romero! Thank you! I promise I'll find a way to pay you back later! Bye bye!" And she had dragged the king away, even as he protested.
"Huh?" I found myself completely confused in what just happened, but you had already staggered across the room and had one man lifted onto your shoulder. The animal skin fluttered onto the floor, as if it meant nothing. We each managed two on our shoulders, bleeding as we carried them upstairs.
There was crying by many, as we lay the bodies into the pile of wood and oil, but not you. You just stared. With regret, maybe? Sorrow? Loneliness?
"Hey." I replaced a tear on my cheek with blood as a drew a wounded arm across it. "You did what you could. They were probably happy to serve under you. Your father would be proud."
"That isn't enough." You turned your back to the fire. What if that had been you? There was silence broken only by the crackling of flames and the hysterics of mothers and widows. "I thought you were 'back where you belonged.' I was hoping you'd stay there."
"I couldn't stand to be alone anymore."
"You could have gone with that wretch, or that idiot, or any of the other fools."
"But I wanted to be with you."
"Whatever." You walked back up into the corridors of the castle. I followed without a scolding. We entered your room. It was of moderate size, but the emptiness seemed to enlarge it. It could have been small, but I couldn't tell due to the illusion. You plopped down on the bed, staring out the window where black smoke billowed.
"You can see the smoke from the infirmary, too. When my father died they slaughtered a dragon in his place to burn. He didn't have anything left to burn..."
I sat next to you, looking over your blank face. No, not blank. Those red eyes seemed to scream for tears, least they die. They pleaded to be cleansed. You wouldn't cry, even when the black soot came in with the wind. But they danced. Your eyes danced with a sadness like no other.
"Albel, why didn't you want to see me again?"
No response.
"Albel?"
Nothing.
"Please?"
"Because you drive me insane."
"Insane?"
"Yes, fool, insane! You drive me insane! We've been over this before, haven't we? Do I need to explain it again!" Now your head swung away from me.
"No, I'm sorry. I'll leave." With head hung low, I sulked as I stood. If you continue fighting a dying battle, you'll only die. If we just accept what we're told to accept and don't even try to make a difference, then we had minds well be dead! That voice echoed in my head. The heartbroken, lonely voice that didn't matter. But the words meant everything. "But, Albel, I'm glad to have seen you. Since we split, no, since that morning, I haven't been myself. I need you, Albel, as more than a friend, and I won't let that go. So, please, if you can just tell me how you feel, I can leave and let live."
"I want you to stay away from me, to make a distance. Those men who died, they died because they worked close to me. My father died protecting me. I can't save those who are close to me, only let them die. So go away and live."
With that I turned and looked at you. Your face was back to the window. There was one. One solitary little spec running down your pale face. As it was absorbed by a bandage on your cheek, it stung with salt, I could tell.
"Albel!" I was on my knees to the floor, his hand in mine as I cried into it.
"H-hey! Don't be such a fool!" Your voice sounded unsure, nervous. With that I just collapsed into a fit of sobs, releasing your hand and burrowing into your almost bare mattress.
You never responded to me, not in words. But you did haul my shivering body onto your bed and pull the sheets securely around my shoulders. And you left me there until I was asleep. You walked away.
And Sophia was never heard from again? Well, I guess so, if Romero makes her a mute servant. But his other mute servants could say commander... hmmm... I liked Vita (Vita meaning life in latin, just like Penna means feather). Next chapter we're off to exotic locations! Well... we've already all been to the Mts of Barr, but there's locations that the boys have yet to discover in their hearts .O-O.
P.S. I want to see Fayt and Albel ride a lum together... -spends all of algebra class thinking about it-
