Ch. 8: Rebels

1 night had pass over their heads as they slept, but Kira and the others were still alert for anything from a cracking twig to the howl of a wolf. Kira himself was wishing that he had brought his sword home with him, but Lacus distracted him from it. His open eyes gazed at her sleeping figure; it was as peaceful as could be imagined. He smiled and smoothed out her hair again before getting up. He picked up his dagger, restlessly, and closed the door behind him.

As he passed the stairs, he saw that Athrun was still up, dagger in his hand and eating a leg of a chicken. His steps down alerted Athrun as he immediately shifted into a battle pose. When he saw him stand down, he chuckled.

"Always like you to do that," Athrun noted.

Kira only sat down in a chair. "Well I could say the same about you. Always ready for anything."

The both of them only chuckled and Athrun sat down, replacing his dagger and taking another bite of the meat. He looked over at the head of the amputated chicken in the yard and sighed. "It's always such a pain to live like this; to live in hiding all the time."

"We chose this path Athrun, and we can't turn back now. All that awaits us is death if we do."

"I know that. It's just-this is so hard to do. How long have we been at this?"

"As far as I remember, 4 years; 4 years we have rebelled the empire and now we are taking very grave steps. This will probably be the time for our vengeance, but I can only hope." He turned to the Go board in the corner of the sitting room and frowned. At least I didn't lose that game. If I did, I would have lost so much more, just like I did that day.

Athrun caught the scene in his eye. "What are you going to do about her Kira? It'll be dangerous to have her stay if you do want her to get hurt."

Kira sighed. "She can stay in the house. Nothing can get by this barrier after all."

Athrun looked down. "I don't know about that. We still don't know what the emperor is really capable of. So it's best not to take any chances."

"Well I can't just let her go now. Are you saying she should fight with us?"

There was silence for a moment. Athrun turned to Kira. "I'm not saying she has to fight, but she is the reason we are in a corner. Either you let her go, or you take her with us, where she could be safer." Kira's expression was one of difficulty, and Athrun knew he couldn't help. "In the end, it's your choice. But just think about our lives before thinking about what's best for us. We can't do that if we die." He got up and walked upstairs, leaving Kira to ponder what he just said.

I know he's right, but still. Lacus would be much safer inside where nothing can get to her. He stepped outside for some fresh air, breathing in deeply and clearing his mind. What should I do now?

Rau was sitting in his throne awaiting a message from his unit. Finally, the advisor came in and bowed before him. "My lord, we have received word from our generals."

Rau sneered. "And? What of it?"

"They will arrive to their target sooner than expected, given the greater weather conditions for advancing."

"Very well; if they requested a reply, tell them to continue without hesitation."

"Yes sir." And he departed. Rau's sneer turned to a gruesome grin. So the game is about to begin. Even if all else fails, I will win in the end. This nation is loyal to me, so I will have to call on its services.

Suddenly the door burst open again and Rau's trance was broken. He glared angrily. "What is it now?"

It wasn't the advisor, but a soldier that made his way in. His armor was scarred and burns covered his body. He was in grave need of medical attention. "V-villa-age…f-fire…gi-irl, pow-w-wer…" He collapsed to the ground.

Rau sprung up from his seat and stepped down to the soldier's level. "Power is it? Well, this could be very interesting." He looked up to his guards by the throne. "I'll be taking my leave now. Send word to Lord Patrick."

The guards brought their spears closer in and said in unison, "As you command my lord!" They left through the door, leaving Rau alone with the corpse.

I wonder what I'll be collecting tonight, he thought as he stood up and disappeared.

Shinn could smell the scent of smoke and knew a fire was burning. He was striding through the high grasslands, following it. As he stepped out of the tall grass, he could see where it was from; the smoke was rising from afar. He grinned and vanished.

As he reappeared, he looked around his surroundings. What he saw made him frown. The smoke was coming from a poorly covered fire set up, but no one was around. It seems they left already. I suppose-

"YAARRGH!" A blade whistled through the air and would have hit Shinn from behind had he not jumped out of the way in time. But the sword was already whizzing up at his neck and he fell over, avoiding the blow. Before he could look up, the sword was at his neck; the man holding it just standing beside him. He looked at its owner who had silver white hair and a green-black robe with 2 long slits in the skirt, revealing a set of pants covering his legs. The most interesting feature was the scar traveling across his face.

The man sneered. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Shinn's eyes widened as he saw more people step out from behind the sword master. Most of them were just men with black armor and helmets over their bodies, and they wielded spears with swords at their waists, and bows strung across their backs. The only one who stood out was a girl, no older or younger than him, wearing a blue blouse and a white skirt with a sword tied around her waist like the others, as well as a bow and quiver on her back. Her hair was yellow and her eyes, lavender.

"Answer me!" the man snapped.

Shinn's eyes turned back to him angrily and his vanished, reappearing behind the man, curved sword raised. "Why not tell me who you are first?" The other men raced at him, but Shinn batted them away with a barrier.

The girl on the other hand managed to break her way through, surprising Shinn as he dodged her swift sword stroke. So she's a magician too, he thought, blocking her next swing with his sword.

The girl took a leap back and the white haired boy lunged forward. Just as Shinn stepped back to avoid it, the man vanished in the blink of an eye and sped to Shinn's side. It was not teleportation. It was pure speed.

The stunned Shinn could barely raise his sword fast enough, so he blasted the ground with an energy bolt, creating a dust cloud. By the time the man had swung at him, he was gone, then returned from behind and held his sword up to his adversary's neck. "I'll ask you again; who are you?"

The man grunted. "Why would I speak to a dog of the empire like you? You have no right to know who I am!"

"Dog of the empire? I don't follow the emperor's lead. I am a rebel like you are."

The man was stunned. "How would you know?"

Shinn grinned. "Only someone who hated the empire would call a follower a dog. Now let's talk and lower our weapons." He dropped his sword arm to his side, still grasping the weapon.

The man grunted again and sheathed his own. "You're quite clever I gather. Very well then, my name is Yzak. My band here and I have been rebelling against the empire for months so far. We only managed one raid a day ago and gathered many supplies from it." He held up his hand and turned to the other rebels. They all stepped forward and Yzak pointed to the girl. "That's Stellar, the only magician we've come across. Her parents were murdered and she was able to escape and we found her in the woods. Ever since then, we've all traveled together."

Stellar bowed. "It's good to see another one like us," she said.

"I'm glad to hear that, Shinn replied, and I think I should introduce myself as well. I am Shinn, a sorcerer. In other words, I am able to use dark magic. And I'm not the only one. I come from another smaller band of rebels; there are only 4 of us, including me. We also conducted a raid and gathered many things from it."

Yzak gasped. "Only 4 of you? How can you live with only 4?"

"We-we are all sorcerers, and powerful ones at that. We've rebelled against the empire for 4 years…after a great tragedy that occurred in our old home." His last words were filled with great remorse and despair.

Yzak's expression didn't change. "What tragedy?"

Shinn turned away. "I don't-we don't want anyone to know."

Yzak sighed. "I understand. So anyway, what did you come out here for?"

Shinn turned back to him. "I went out in search for help from other people; we are planning to take this fight to the next level."

"Take to the next level?" Stellar asked. Suddenly she gasped. "You don't mean-"

"That's right, we plan to invade the palace. But we know that it will take more than just us 4 to accomplish this. So I left to find others who also are doing the same as us, fighting the emperor."

The men were talking amongst each other very nervously as Shinn continued. "This could be an opportunity for all of us if we form an alliance against the nation."

A man shook his head. "Trying to invade the palace is another way of saying suicide. Guards are everywhere, soldiers swarm the place, and it's said that the emperor himself is a master of the dark arts of magic!"

The other men nodded and blurted out similar protests. Yzak shook his head. "They're right about it being suicide, but then again, we're already on the run from him. It makes me wonder." Everyone was staring at him; even Shinn. "Should we just hold out until they catch us, or use this chance to end this forever?"

A long silence followed as everyone was lost in their thought. Finally Stellar spoke up. "I came with you so I could get revenge for my parents. If we cower out of this, I'll never get the chance again. I think we should go." Her vengeance shone in her eyes and both Yzak and Shinn could see it.

Then Yzak smiled. "That's right. We all have a grudge against his majesty, so why are we just giving up when we start? I agree with Stellar. Any of you who want to back out can just leave."

Not one man moved. "It's a ridiculous idea, but we're behind you until the end. After all, 6 is not much better than 4, no matter how strong you are."

They all clenched their spears and stood at a command pose. Shinn was delighted. "Thank you, all of you." He bowed to Yzak and Stellar and they both smiled.

"So then, where do we go Shinn?" Yzak asked.

All Shinn did was turn around and fingered them to follow.

Flames climbed the highest rooftop; water boiled in the intense heat; bodies were scattered and torn; blood covered the streets. The sign of death loomed over the once peaceful Washington. And in the center of the village stood a girl with red hair, blood coating her new black gown. Like Lacus' nightgown, it had slits through the falling skirt, but 2 of them instead of 1; the embroidery was combination of red, gold and silver, but most of it was covered in red and brown dried blood. He arms were protected by long stocking-long gloves which were also black and bloodstained.

She was not even fazed by the sight around her, or the ruined silk she wore. All she cared about was that she was more powerful than ever before. She laughed hysterically, shaking at the delight of her newfound strength. This is power, she thought, not even my own father could muster such strength, and he's one of the greatest magicians ever known. Not even Sage Clyne could do anything to stop me now! No one can stop me!

Her power was bursting in flames inside of her, bellowing in victory. She was not yet through; she still wanted even more. Her greater power also gave her more abilities she could never use, such as detection and teleporting. She used her power and found yet another small village to feast on. It's all for the taking. Once I've devoured all of the life here in the empire, I will be invincible, then I will rule for eternity! What an idea!

As she was about to teleport, a man began to struggle in getting up. She gazed at him darkly and held out her hand. The man began to wither and Flay felt more power flowing from within. But something surprised her. The man wasn't withering at all. In fact, he was grinning widely, catching her off guard.

Suddenly the ground from below her rose and restrained her feet, trapping her where she stood. She gasped and blasted the steel soil with magic, but nothing happened. Her efforts were in vain as the ground began to swallow here whole, and the old man stepped up to her. She was suddenly dizzy and unable to think. All she saw was the man suddenly changing into a taller man with yellow luster hair and a white mask across his face, and 2 dark obstructions sticking out from his back.

Lacus slowly opened her eyes as she lay on the bed. She turned to the side and saw that Kira was not there, so she got up and walked to the window. Just as she expected, Kira was standing outside. She gave a small sigh and knew she couldn't escape today. Are they always on alert like this? If they are, it will be impossible to get away! What can I do? Her eyes shut as she let out a noisy breath.

"So what are you doing awake?"

Lacus jumped and turned to see Kira standing behind her. She turned back to the window and saw he was gone from there. That was rude, teleporting on me like that, she thought. "I couldn't sleep."

"Could I help you then?" Kira was smiling normally, but Lacus sensed something suspicious.

"No, I can get back to sleep myself-hey!" Kira brought her into his arms and felt over her slim waist. "What-what is this?"

"Nothing too special, Kira replied, but I can tell you're restless. This should help." He began rubbing the back of her waist and neck, making Lacus feel very awkward.

"Mmmhm, stop, I'm fine-really." Despite her protests Kira didn't stop and she began feeling tired all over again. She finally lost her footing, but Kira managed to catch her. She looked up at him, watching him look down at her so protectively.

"Nothing will go wrong as long as I'm around Lacus." He carried and placed her back on the bed, gazing at her face. He could see the same emotions within as he carried in himself.

Lacus knew he was still bothered, but she was able to produce a smile at last. "I-believe you Kira. But please, don't make me just a burden." What am I saying? She screamed in her head.

Kira didn't answer her and left the room. Before closing the door, he turned back to her. "Goodnight Lacus," was all he said before shutting it.

Lacus' smile faded as she turned to the still lit candle and blew it out, drifting into peaceful sleep.

The sky was starlit, but Athrun's frown didn't waver. When he heard Kira and Dearka join him, it only made it worse. "They're coming, he said, and they will be here soon."

All 3 of them covered their heads and looked up at the moving torches approaching. The battle was only beginning, and they knew it as well as anyone else.

Yeah yeah, these chapters seem short to me too, but it can't be help right now. I may be able to make them longer in time, but don't count on it. I also can't update as frequently from now on. I have a tight schedule until the 16 of August, when school starts for me. This is all you're getting for awhile, or maybe not. From now on, my updates for all stories will be pretty random, and Undying Semesters won't be getting as much attention for the most part. And please review if you read; it gets pretty discouraging to see fewer reviews as you go. The only reason I got so many that one time is because of what I said about even later updates, but still, I don't want the reviews just for myself. I want them to see what you guys like about the story and what you hate, as well as what you would like to see, so I can see if I can make adjustments. You can't get what you want if your voice isn't heard people! So remember, read and REVIEW!