Heart of the Melting Blood
Legend of the Moonlight
Written and conceived by:
Lone Wolf NEO

Lone Wolf NEO does not own any of all the games or anime or manga featured in this story, but he owns the copyright to all his original ideas in this fiction. The author would really appreciate it if readers do not plagiaries everything inside this story without his knowledge.

Chronological Note: Heart of the Melting Blood: Legend of the Moonlight takes place scarcely half a year after the event in Heart of the Melting Blood RELOADED, and currently runs roughly in parallel with Guilty Gear: the World within and Without written and created by Sheo Darren. This is Heart of Melting Blood: Legend of the Moonlight's new arc, the Awe of She Arc, which takes approximately a week after events in FATE Arc, and takes place in a peaceful, seaside town away from all the chaos and disorders. This is the arc where another half of the story will be revealed, thus completing the story… hopefully.

Chapter 20
Contradanza

Weeks had passed. The relationship between Alex and Dizzy grew fonder, and the affection they shared became warmer. They had the opportunity to know each other closer, and they had the chance to spend the days at the secluded forest together. Their relationship was even given approval by Testament, even though the humanoid Gear had to take a bitter decision in letting Alex to stay at Devil's Living Place.

And today, Alex and Dizzy were walking around the flower garden. It was Dizzy that requested him to accompany her while making headdress from flowers that grew in abundance around the garden. He was reluctant at first; he thought Dizzy was trying too much in fostering the friendship. Yet the girl was as persistent as she always was, and he soon realized there was nothing else he could do but to follow her desire.

"Ah, yes! I know," she spoke and ran toward a field of magnolia flowers, "I'll make you a beautiful flower headdress. I used to make some of it for Testament."

"Please, Dizzy, you don't have to," he declined.

"Why not? We're friends, right?" she insisted, as a playful smile appeared across her face.

He just stared at the girl, who happily hummed the heavenly song of Mizu to Akashi, and sighed. He realized of how importance the girl was to him, yet he knew that he could not forever stay at the forest and protect her.

"Say, Dizzy."

Dizzy stopped picking the flowers off the ground and turned to him. "Yes, sir? What is it?"

"I was wondering," he spoke. "I was wondering whether… something would come across our path. Like… being forced to abandon each other because of inevitable reasons."

The question surprised her, yet being a woman with an inevitable innocence, she merely chuckled. "What are you talking of, sir?" she asked and put a ring of flowers upon his head. "I don't think we'll come across such a thing, because we're going to stay together." And here she seized his hand and held it very tightly. "This is what I've been looking forward. Imagine, the two of us –just you and I— living together in this place, and not having to worry of anything."

Astounded, he stared at Dizzy. For once, he could not believe what he had heard. "Both of us? Living together? But Dizzy, why in a sudden…?"

The grip on his hand tightened. The ruby eyes were deeply gazing at him. "Why can't we? Is it because you fear that Testament will hurt you?" She giggled and put an assuring palm upon his face. "Don't think like that, sir. He may look unfriendly, but I'm very sure he will accept you as a part of our family."

"Family?"

"Yes, we are family," she answered with a very wide, sincere, smile. "And you know what… I have something to tell you." He stared at her, and noticed that she frowned, as if trying not to let him see her blushing face. "I… I've wanted to tell you this since you arrived here." Her blush grew redder, and she tried to no avail to hide it. "Each time I think of you, my heart would go crazy and… and come to think about it, I feel strangely happy every time you're with me. I…"

"What are you talking of, Dizzy?" he asked.

"Sir," and here she lifted her face, revealing her hopeful eyes, "would it be alright to you if I tell you…"

"Would be alright if what?" he replied.

She gulped, gathered the best of her courage and opened her mouth. "…if I tell you that I love you?"

It was probably the most unbelievable revelation he had yet to face. His mind was blurry, and he had no idea that he would hear the confession from a woman he regarded as a mere friend. To deny the answer would mean to break her heart, and to accept it would lead him to the most painful fate since the death of his dearest Hikaru. But he wanted to tell her how he loved her, how he cared of her. All along the time, she had reminded him of the Gear woman whose heart was as pure as snow, and he could not run away from the fact of how similar she was to her.

"Sir? What's the matter?"

He was startled and turned his attention to the young woman. Forcing a smile on his face, he gently caressed her face. "Let me guess. You love me… because I'm a friend to you. Is that what you want to tell me?"

"You're more than a friend," she answered. "You're… everything to me. I love you because… because I believe I've found the right person for me."

Again, he forced himself to chuckle. "That's so sweet of you, Dizzy. I'm so happy to hear that."

"But why you look sad? Do I remind you of someone, sir?"

She was right, he thought. She did remind him of Hikaru, and there was no way he could deny it. He wanted to tell her the truth, but somehow his tongue was shackled. The innocent eyes were too pure for any bloody truth he was going to reveal. He was reluctant, because he realized the consequences if he were to break a heart. Nevertheless, he could care less of everything as he found himself closing the distance between them, cupping the flushed cheeks and lowering his face toward hers. She gasped at the careful, featherlike touch she felt upon her face, yet didn't do anything to prevent the consequences from happening. And then they were close to each other, and their lips were about to be sealed…

Ravens suddenly shrieked and scattered from trees. An explosion had shaken the whole of Devil's Living Place, and so loud it was that took the couple completely by surprise. Alex pulled away from Dizzy and turned to the direction of the explosion. "Something's wrong… I'm going to check it." He seized Black Sabbath, moved away and headed to the forest, leaving the startled Dizzy behind. "Dizzy, stay wherever you are and don't leave this place!" he shouted.

He arrived at the place he heard the explosion and was awed at what he saw. A patch of scorched land was stretching as far as an eye could see, filled with fresh fragrance of charred wood and smokes. "What on earth is going on here?" he demanded and looked for any sign of the would-be arsonist.

"Urgh…"

He saw a man lying under a burnt tree, and immediately approached him. He found that the man was Testament, and asked him of what had happened. "It's him…" he spoke in a trembling voice, "and he's after Dizzy…"

"What!"

Another explosion was heard, and this time it was coming from Devil's Living Place. Realizing Dizzy's life was in jeopardy he left Testament and ran back to the place. It was disturbingly silent when he arrived, and he looked around for Dizzy while calling out her name.

"KYAA!"

He turned to his right, and was horrified. A man was tossing a gigantic fireball at Dizzy, sending the female Gear toward a boulder. Reacting on instinct, he jumped in and snatched her body before she crashed, and was in frantic as she was found unconscious. Driven by angry, he glared at the attacker. And he was in shock.

"Sol!"

The owner of the name turned to Alex in response, and merely had an unconvincing look upon his face. "What the hell are you doing here, Lone Wolf?" He was promptly attacked, but it was so weak he lazily repelled it with one arm.

"What have you done to her?" Alex shouted.

Sol was glowering at him. "Her? Dizzy? You just have no idea of who you're dealing with. She's a bounty, and protecting a bounty is the most idiotic thing you would do," he said.

"You didn't answer my question!" Alex pounced back at Sol, delivered a kick onto his chest that was deflected by the Corrupted Flame's Fireseal. Sol counterattacked but Alex was too fast for his Bandit Revolver, and the lone wolf now caught him from the behind. "You didn't answer my question, Sol. Don't make me do this," he threatened as the kodachi was brought across Sol's neck.

"Shut up, kid." Sol grabbed Alex on the collar of his black uniform, Wild Threw him off the ground and knocked him flat with Volcanic Viper. He left the defeated wolf and walked back into the forest.

"Sol!"

The Corrupted Flame halted, turned around, and saw Alex getting back on his feet. Now he was grumbling to see the undeterred stubborn of the wolf. "Don't you ever think of giving up, kid?"

"Why are you doing this? Why are you attacking Dizzy? Answer me, please!" he shouted.

Sol snorted. "For a knight who'd do anything to protect a Gear, you're such a simple-minded kid. Why don't you leave this place instead of lurking like a freeloader?"

That was the most irritating insult someone would hear from a Corrupted Flame, and the person who heard the offence happened to be the lone wolf. "Damn you, Sol! I won't let you leave this forest!"

Again, Sol growled. "Fine. If you insist to, then meet me at the cliff this midnight." That was his only answer before he resumed his walk, and disappeared in the woods. Alex was left, altogether with his anger and hatred burning inside of him. The soul of the wolf was howling bitterly, demanding him to let it free to feast upon its prey, the Corrupted Flame named Sol Badguy.

He frowned. Of all people, he had wished not to face Sol in person, his worst enemy after the discriminating knights of the order. He realized; to meet and challenge the Corrupted Flame himself would put him into an agonizing trouble. The trouble he had struggled to avoid.

x-x-x-x-x

Alex panted heavily. The first round of the duel was all but enjoying. Fatigue, wound, agony and fury were taking over. His black Holy Orders uniform was torn all over the place, and his scarf was almost shredded into pieces. Red tears of blood was dripping from his eyes, dampening his clothes and staining them with the smell of body fluid. Yet all of them didn't matter to him, neither did the fact that he was fighting his own comrades.

Alex lowered his weapon and put a hand over his eye. "What an irony," he uttered and grimly laughed. "The three of us, once served the Holy Orders as their knights of virtue, now pitted against each other in a battle neither of us can predict its outcome. What will become of each and every one of us, I wonder."

"Silence, Alexander!" Ky demanded and pointed Thunderseal at his position. He, too, was battered after an intense first round he and Sol had faced. Furious as he always was, he wasn't impressed with Sol's back-laid tactic against the lone wolf. All thoughts of the matter were put away, he thought as he decided to put an end on the duel. "I'm going to punish you, I'm going to put you into agony like what you had done to our fellows, and I'm going to show you what it takes to become a holy knight!"

Alex laughed. "Really? Do you expect you're going to win everything by just following your so-called ideas of justice? If I were you," he spoke and pointed Black Sabbath at Ky, "I'd not have blindly followed believes that everything that against the will of God is enemy of mankind."

"Insolent! You're mocking the teachings of the God! I must kill you!" Ky pounced forward in Ride the Lightning motion and charged toward the fallen knight.

"Come and get me." The lone wolf suddenly disappeared from the place he stood. Ky's Ride the Lightning missed –literally—and he almost tripped. He turned around and saw Alex flying over the ground, and the knight immediately executed a Vapour Thrust. The uppercut was parried, and Alex counterattacked with a dive kick that hit Ky's head. Staggered and almost dizzied, Ky tried to regain balance when a slipstream sliced his arms. He screamed in pain and attempted a counterattack Crescent Slash; it missed, and he was now open.

"You are finished!" Alex reappeared from nowhere and grabbed Ky's head before pounding it onto the ground. The Holy Knight got back on his feet, only to find himself razed by invisible wind. The lone wolf was too fast for his eyes to follow, and he was in the situation where strength seemed to be outwitted by sheer speed.

Or is it?

Ky spotted a loophole in Alex's faster-than-wind sprint. He charged the Thunderseal, unleashed the sword's inner force, and plunged its tip into the ground and…

"SACRED EDGE!"

A concentrated lightning bolt struck the ground from the night sky, and it caught Alex off-guard. The lone wolf was electrocuted and crippled by the multiple thunderbolt attacks that followed the initial strike. Ky seized the opportunity, ran toward the stunned opponent and…

"TAKE THIS!"

With that said Ky slashed the Thunderseal across his face and it directly hit Alex's eyes. He was knocked back several steps behind and almost crashed on a boulder. Ky seized the chance from the confusion his archrival was facing and charged forward, aiming the fully charged up Thunderseal at Alex's chest.

"RISING!…"

The knight in black leaned slightly backward, and suddenly disappeared from sight. Ky was shocked by the unexpected move Alex would do but he was already too far from the point of turning back. Trying to slow down, he saw a very faint shadow of the former assassin passing through his body, along with a slipstream that was barely felt. Time was brought to a very haunting slowdown as he felt his body slowly numbing, and went to a halt.

"Are you…"

Ky slowly turned to his back and saw Alex in a crouching position, Black Sabbath and marionette strings fully deployed.

"Awake in your sleep?"

Before his eye could blink, Ky's chest was pierced by one of the strings, which zapped right through his heart. "What's… going on?" he moaned before an explosion ruptured his body and knocked him off the ground. The combination of the slipstream, marionette strings and Black Sabbath's deadly precision had claimed their victim of the night; Ky was defeated.

"You defeated the holy boy," Sol uttered. He was appalled by the outcome of the duel, and was not amused at what had happened to Ky. "This duel between us won't be an easy one especially after you're blinded," he sighed and put down the Fireseal.

The lone wolf slowly stood back, took off the scarf and tied it over his bloodstained eyes. Not batting an eyebrow or panting a breath, he lifted the kodachi and pointed it to Sol – right on where the Corrupted Flame was standing.

"You're next."

x-x-x-x-x

She could only frown. The only glimpse of the duel she had before she was forced to leave the vicinity agonized her heart. Already she realized that the battle would be unfairly against Alex, whom had yet to recover from his body ailment. But what else she could do? She had no strength to stop the battle from lingering, and she was powerless against the three fighters.

"Please, Dizzy-chan," Kagura soothed her. "I don't know what makes you worried, but don't worry about Sol-kun too much. He won't go over his limit."

Dizzy shook her head in denial. "But Alex can't fight them both…!" she whimpered and clenched a hand on her blouse. "I'm worried if Alex can't make it… I have to stop them." She stepped forward and found herself standing in front of the disapproving Kagura. "Please let me go, Kagura! You must understand that Alex will die if he keeps fighting them."

"I'm sorry, but I cannot let you go," calmly Kagura replied. "This is their business; we have no right to interfere."

"Why can't I!" she cried. "I don't care of what Sol and Ky are doing, but I must save Alex! If I have to die, then I will!"

"Nobody wants to die today, and I'm sure Alex-kun doesn't want to either," Kagura told her. "And I'm very certain he doesn't want to see you die as well, Dizzy-chan."

The quote gave the innocent Gear a tremendous shock. Never in her life would she hear such a saying, and she almost broke into tears. "But I want to save him… I don't want him to die…" she whimpered and fell to her knees. "I… I just want to live with him…"

"Wow, what is going here?"

The two girls turned around and saw three visitors coming to the graveyard. They were surprised: it was Justine, Athena and Rheo, with the former twos looking around the boulevard in surprise. "I think someone has turned this place to a battlefield," Justine spoke as the group of three approached the centre of the graveyard.

"Maybe if we can ask anyone here," Athena suggested and looked around for people when she spotted Dizzy and Kagura. "Hey! Aren't those Dizzy and…?"

"Kagura-chan? Then Sol-chan must be around!" Justine immediately rushed toward the girl. "What are you doing here with Dizzy-chan, Kagura-chan? And where's Sol-chan? I thought he's with you." Kagura just shrugged and threw her sight to the other side of the horizon. The humanoid Gear was puzzled and turned her attention to the equally surprised Dizzy. "And what happens to you, Dizzy-chan?"

The Gear woman jumped onto her feet and grabbed Justine's arms. "You must help me! Please stop them from hurting Alex! I beg of you!" she pleaded, even as she violently shook Justine's body.

Instead of Justine answering her, an explosion shook the whole vicinity. It was later followed by a battle cry so disturbingly loud that it was mistaken as a cry of an angel of death. They turned to the direction of the explosion and saw a column of fire blazing up to the sky. There was a moment of silence that followed the blaze, before they saw two figures jumping out of the fire pillar and crashed on the ground. Justine, as well as Athena blinked in surprise as they recognized one of the figures as Sol.

But not for Dizzy.

She released Justine from her grab and ran toward Alex but halted dead when she heard his deafening cry. "STAND BACK!" roared the lone wolf, and she stepped back in terror. Terrified by the fact that the sound was not of a sane person, but of a blood-driven killer. All she could do was to stay away and watch with a despaired heart.

x-x

It was the end of round two. Both Sol and Alex were stalemated, and neither had shown any sign of fatigue. They were equal in their own sense; Sol was enveloped by flames of Dragoon Install that didn't dissipate while Alex was still in his Warrior Berserk, the latter not showing any sign of disintegration. It was time for round three, and they were determined to end the battle tonight.

"Want to know the most ironic of things, kid?" Sol spoke and loosened the grip on the hilt of Fireseal. "We had met in the very same night, the very same hour, and we were dealing with the very same matter."

"It is an irony, indeed," Alex replied. "I thought we would never meet again after the duel at the forest, but fate was unfair enough to bring us back together."

Sol chuckled. "Ah, the day you were defeated. How can I ever forget it?"

"So do I, Sol," uttered the lone wolf and pointed Black Sabbath at Sol's face. "Because of that day, I had been forced to abandon her, when I didn't even tell her my feeling. And because of that day, I had lost faith in humanity for the second time, when I thought she could help me regain the belief."

"You're still as persistent as ever kid, even when you know you might lose again," the Corrupted Flame said.

"But it will not be the same," Alex replied and pounced at Sol. "I SHALL AVENGE MY DEFEAT TONIGHT, SOL BADGUY!"

The uppercut kick was evaded, and Sol counterattacked with Bandit Revolver. The revolving kick knocked Alex back to the ground, and the Guilty Gear fired a tense Gun Flame at the lone wolf. Nimbly Alex evaded the projectile and tossed a marionette string at Sol's position. It missed, and he found himself facing the Dragon Installed Sol.

"VOLCANIC VIPER!

The uppercut attack was too fast for him to avoid, and Alex was sent tens of feet to the air before brought back to the ground by Sol's knockdown kick. Sol didn't stop there; like a machinegun, he tossed aerial Gun Flames at Alex's positions. Against all odds, Alex deployed defensive walls made of strings that repelled the thousands of pounds of elemental projectiles and escaped before the wall collapsed under pressure. The blindfold warrior fired a marionette string at Sol in counterattack attempt; it snatched the Fireseal, and the Corrupted Flame was immediately under control of the assassin knight.

"Don't tell me you're going to do that again, kid!" Sol roared as he tried to set himself free from the entangling string. The blindfold knight ignored the demand and tightened the string before he jumped over Sol and rained a volley of dagger at his head. The Corrupted Flame unleashed a defensive fire wall, protecting himself from becoming a target dummy for the daggers. As if knowing what became of the tactic, Alex fired a marionette string at Sol's leg and brought him flying to the air, whilst he landed effortlessly on his feet. He spun the string-controlling palm in rapid movement before brought Sol back to the ground.

"Once I defeat you, then the vengeance will be complete. I will have accomplished my major task in avenging the death of the Gears." The assassin knight leapt toward the knight, lowering the position of the kodachi, and disappeared from sight. Sol got back on his feet, only to find himself engulfed by slipstreams of wind that started razing his body.

"You're still with those thoughts of yours?" Sol growled and hastened to lift the tied Fireseal. "I don't think so! SAVAGE FANG!" The tip of the sword was plunged into the ground, and a column of fire the size of Napalm Death exploded from crevasse beneath. The lone wolf was caught in surprise and had to abandon the instant kill attempt to avoid from being trapped in the inferno. He did not see Sol coming, and was grabbed on the neck. Trying to flee, he felt the hand unusually hot and burning through his skin.

"Wake up, kid. Your delusion is over tonight."

But instead of Wild Thrown, he was punched on the midsection, and was tackled by a Grand Viper. But it was not the move that the Corrupted Flame executed; it was the move Sol had long neglected from the day he became a Holy Knight. It was the move that proved to be even deadlier than Napalm Death, the symbol of Sol's excessive manipulation of the element of flame.

"Baptism."

Alex managed to turn to the source of the voice.

"By Fire."

In an instant, a giant cross made of fire scorched the ground, taking the black feather with it. Dizzy screamed in horror when the blazing cross engulfed Alex with intensity nobody dared to approach. Justine, Athena, Rheo and Kagura who rushed to the scene were appalled and tried to get closer; the blistering heat hampered their effort and they were forced to stay at a safe distance.

The cross of fire dissipated. Sol stood back from his Grand Viper and turned around; he was not impressed at what happened to his rival. Alex was left on the centre of the burnt ground, kneeling with Black Sabbath plunged into the earth. His black Holy Orders uniform was totalled, and his scar-ridden chest was exposed to the mixture of hot and cold air. The blindfold, the trousers, the sword and the marionette gloves were almost destroyed in the fire as well. Yet somehow the 'flame cleansing' failed to bring him down.

"He survived it?" Sol growled and brought Fireseal over his shoulder. "This calls for an extreme measure. Napalm!…"

"No, stop it!" Dizzy ran to the scene and stood between the two warriors. "Stop this at once! He can't continue this fight anymore!"

"Step back, I said," Sol demanded.

"NO! If you're going to kill him, then do it on me as well!" she replied.

Sol growled at the demand. "Dizzy, don't make me do this. I don't want to hurt you, so step back."

"Never!" And here Dizzy glowered at Sol with the eyes of a human woman. Sol exchanged his sight with her, and groaned in both anger and amazement at the determination she showed. "I will not allow anyone to hurt him! Not even you or Ky!"

"It's alright." Dizzy was startled when she felt arms wrapping about her shoulders. "It's alright, Dizzy. It's over now. Sol won't need to do it, and I won't need to fight him either," she heard Alex weakly whispering.

Tightly she held the charred arms and buried her face beneath it. "But Alex, they hurt you…" she whined. "Sol hurt you, and Ky hurt you too…" She, then, leaned against the firm figure of the knight and went into tears. "You don't know how hurt my heart was to see you like this… you just don't know…"

The fallen soldier, instead, chuckled and pulled the woman into a warm embrace. "I'm sorry, Dizzy," he whispered and brushed his lips on her supple cheek. "I didn't mean to hurt your heart… I'm sorry…"

Sol could only sigh in relief and lowered the Fireseal when he saw a shadowy figure standing behind Alex with a sword lifted erect. "Kid, behind you!"

It was too late.

As soon as Alex turned around, the sword was stabbed into his chest and thousands of volts of electricity were zapped through his body. Alex was stunned, severed and could do nothing as Ky pierced the Thunderseal deeper through his chest. Dizzy, who was pulled away before the sneak attack was struck in horror to know what happened to the lone wolf but the blade pierced through her midsection before she even knew who was attacking. Sol roared in anger and caught Dizzy before she fell to the ground. "Hey, Dizzy! Can you hear me?" he called out her name. The woman was still blinking, yet she was downright dumbfounded that she could not say anything. Her mouth was murmuring something, while her shivering hand was trying to reach for Alex. "Hang on there, Dizzy, just hang on," he told her.

"You're dead, traitor…!" Sol heard the anger-driven voice of Ky and looked back. The Holy Knight, battered and outwitted from the previous duel, was seen charging up the Thunderseal as if he was going to unleash the Rising Force, and the hand holding the hilt was trembling. "You're going to die tonight!"

"No," Sol later heard Alex answering. "I will not die tonight." With that said the black feather grabbed the blade of the sword, enduring the violent lightning surge as he did, and pulled it out of his body. He immediately delivered a thrusting kick onto Ky's throat followed by a punch onto his solar plexus, before Instant Killed him for the second time.

Slowly he turned to Sol and Dizzy, the latter was looking at him in horror. "Hey, don't make that kind of face, Dizzy," Alex said, as if knowing the reaction she would have.

"But Alex…!"

"Don't worry about me. I can look for that doctor to treat me," he assured and put his hand on the scar. "If only… she didn't see this coming…"

The fallen soldier collapsed. The wound on his chest, altogether with the rest of injuries he had endured throughout the agonizing two hours of duel, was too much. Blood was gushing freely from the scar, and he was on the verge of losing too much body fluid. Dizzy jumped away from Sol, ignoring the bleeding wound she sustained, and snatched Alex before he crashed on the ground. "Alex! No, don't die!" she cried, yet the knight gave no response to each call she shouted. "No! Alex! Don't die! Alex! ALEX!"

x-x-x-x-x

Wolves were heard howling at the forest nearby. It was a long, heartbreaking and unbearable howl, and it was echoing through each and every corner of the street. It was as if the wolves sensed a catastrophe falling upon their kin, and before long the howls were heard all over the town.

She gasped. The glass she was holding dropped to the floor and shattered upon impact. "What… happens?" Sion whimpered and put a hand on her chest. She felt her heart thumping in unusual speed and she felt as if there was a disaster happening outside the mansion.

"Sion, what's wrong?" along came Ciel's voice as she walked into the kitchen. The alchemist turned around, and the Vatican agent gasped at what she saw. "Sion, you're crying!"

"I… I what?" Sion put her hand on her cheek and felt hot stream of tears flowing freely from her eyes. She was tongue-shackled, aghast at the spontaneous reaction she was having. It was only after seconds of silent that she realized what had happened. "No… it cannot be…"