Sorry about how late this is... I couldn't sign in or submit a review on Sunday, then on Monday I couldn't upload it because I have to use my new computer to upload, but I had everything (mouse, keyboard, monitor, etc) connected to the old computer and using that instead. Complicated story, so if you don't understand, that's fine. Anyway...
Sigh… I haven't managed to get a single chapter written since I don't know when. My interest in writing this is really starting to drop… I'll still do my best to keep writing, tho'. And since I hate leaving things unfinished, it's very likely that this fic will be finished at some point, but I can't say when for sure…
As promised, here's chapter 18. There may be small hints of LxE, but they are completely unintentional and should be ignored. As a reviewer mentioned, you all know he's not gonna die… so who's the miraculous savior? XD Enjoy!
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Ein heard a rustling in front of him, and the sound of the axe moving through the air entered his ear. He braced for impact.
Clank!
Behind his closed eyelids, his surroundings became darker. He opened his eyes to find he was crouching in a shadow. He looked up to see a figure silhouetted in the sun, blocking the axe with a slender, glowing object. Its dress billowed along behind it, and a ribbon tied into its hair flowed along with the long hair. In its right hand, it clutched a long, glowing white needle that took the form of a rapier.
"I'll let no one touch Ein!" the figure cried, before lashing out at the previous dark figure.
Green flowed into Ein's eyes, and he recognized his savior quickly. "Fia!" he exclaimed.
With a grace and speed that Ein hadn't seen in her before, Fia danced around the figure, parrying and attacking with her new rapier. After a couple minutes, she jumped into the air and brought her rapier down like a sword. The figure parried it, and with a thrust, pushed Fia backwards through the air.
"My resolve shall prevail…" Fia chanted quietly as she flipped through the air. "Divine Punishment!" she shouted as she landed on her feet.
Fia launched back at the figure, which still hadn't fully recovered from the thrust yet. Her body glowed a soft white that rolled off her in small waves. The rapier extended, adding a small amount to her attack range. She executed several thrusts at the figure, and when some thrusts hit the axe, it shattered. After the tenth blow, she back flipped through the air, landing a small distance away. She spun around, holding the rapier out, and after a split second, a large shard of light emerged out of nowhere and smashed into the figure, splitting it in half.
The rapier returned to its original size, and Fia twirled the rapier and sheathed it at her side. "Whew…" she breathed. The split figure disappeared into specks of dark matter, and dispersed into the air. Fia walked over to Ein's side and checked his wound. "Wow, Fia, that was amazing!" Ein, who was gaping the whole time, exclaimed, completely forgetting about his wound for a moment. "Where did you get that rapier from?"
"That can wait," Fia responded. "You got hit pretty badly, Ein."
Ein looked down at his shoulder to find the wound still bleeding. He clutched it again in pain. "Yeah… Thanks for coming, Fia…"
"Er, don't worry about it," Fia answered, a hint of pink appearing on her cheeks. "Here, let me wrap that up."
"Ugh…" Ein sat down near a tree and leaned heavily on it. He pulled off his shirt, making Fia glance away quickly.
Fia reached into a pocket in her dress and pulled out a potion. "Here, drink up!" she told him, and handed him the bottle. Ein downed a mouthful of the flask, and part of the wound disappeared. Fia pulled out a long, white piece of cloth and wrapped it around Ein's wound, tying the ends together to hold it in place.
"Thanks so much, Fia." Ein smiled up at her. "I'd probably be dead if you hadn't come along."
"Um, don't mention it," Fia stammered. "Does it hurt?"
"Not really," Ein replied. "Say, Fia, about last night…"
"Do you really like Rose?" Fia suddenly blurted.
"Eh? Uh, as a friend and companion, yes." Ein looked away, face burning up. He could hear his heart beating in his chest. "But that's not really love, is it?"
"So…" Fia dropped to her knees, face in her hands. "Ah! Ein, I'm so sorry! I misunderstood…"
"It's okay, Fia." Ein turned back to her. "And I'm sorry about this morning."
"You're forgiven already," Fia answered. She suddenly leapt up into Ein's arms, taking him by surprise, and sobbed on his bare chest. "I… I still…"
Ein pulled her close and closed his eyes. Summoning his confidence, he took a deep breath. "Fia, I… you're… you're the one I love."
Fia pulled away a bit and looked up at him. Tears welled up in her eyes. "R-really?" Her voice trembled as she spoke.
"Yeah…" Ein opened his eyes slightly and smiled down at her. "I love you, Fia."
"I-I love you too…" Fia closed her eyes and tilted her head back. Ein followed up by leaning down and kissing her on the lips. For what felt like an eternity, they remained locked in the passionate embrace. Fia slipped her hands around Ein's neck, and Ein's hands stayed on her back.
After about a minute, Ein gently broke away. "So this is what you've wanted to tell me all this time?" he asked, smiling.
Fia nodded. "Ein… I'm so happy…" She gave him a gentle, teary-eyed smile. "I'm so happy that you share the same feelings…"
"I am too, Fia." Ein smiled back down for a second before pressing his lips against hers again. Sweeter than I expected, he thought.
Fia broke the kiss gently but reluctantly. "Why don't we continue this later?" she suggested. "You better get some rest, or your wound won't heal." She put a finger on her lip where she'd made contact with Ein. Tastes so good… A hint of a smile came onto her face.
"Yeah, you're right." Ein picked up his shirt, then wrinkled his nose. "Darn, that thing ripped a hole in my shirt, and now there's blood all over it too…"
"Who was that anyway?" Fia asked. "Seems like he wanted to kill you."
"I have no idea," Ein answered. "Must be one of Orion's minions."
"Could be." Fia linked her arm in his. "Come on, let's go." She pulled him in the direction of the village.
"That way? I knew it!" Ein exclaimed. "Lina played another trick on me!"
"What did she do?" Fia asked, surprised.
"She… oh, forget it." Ein smiled. "Just another of her small tricks."
"Um, okay." Fia smiled back, and the two made their way back to the village, where a late lunch was waiting for them.
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"Huh? You say something attacked you?"
Ein nodded in affirmation to Rose's question. "Probably one of Orion's minions. He got me defenseless too."
Ein and Fia had arrived at the house, and were now talking to Rose and Ledah in the living room.
"And then you jumped in and saved him." Rose nodded at Fia, who nodded back.
"Seems like this Orion is some dirty player," Ledah remarked. "Attacking in broad daylight, though… doesn't that seem a bit odd?"
"He could be stupid, or really good," Rose speculated. "At least it wasn't in your sleep, or you'd be dead."
Ein shook at the thought. "Yeah…"
"Well, are you feeling better now, Ein?" Fia asked. She rubbed at his shoulders. Ein just nodded.
"Say, Fia, what's that rapier you got there?" Rose pointed at the glowing white sword sheathed at Fia's side.
"This?" Fia pulled the rapier out. "I call it the Needle of Light. It's the most powerful rapier there is so far."
"My, my, doesn't that look interesting…" Rose plucked the rapier from Fia's hands. "It's like Ein's new weapon, but I'd say Ein's is more powerful by far."
"That's true." Fia continued her caresses across Ein, who trembled gently. "It's a divine rapier I found in a temple somewhere."
"A temple somewhere?" Ledah gave her a sideways glance. "You don't happen to remember which temple?"
"Um…" Fia thought for a moment. "Not really…"
"Well, that's okay." Rose set the rapier down on the table. "It's gonna be a big help to us."
"Yeah," Ein spoke up. "Without Oracion, I'm completely defenseless."
"Looks like Ein's got a weakness!" Rose teased. "Better not let it get taken from you, you hear?"
"I know, I know." Ein got up and headed for the kitchen. "I'm kinda hungry. Anyone up for some lunch?"
"Sure." Ledah got up and helped Rose to her feet. The two of them followed Ein. Fia stayed behind.
"I just ate not too long ago," Fia explained. "I'm not really hungry."
"Okay," Ein answered.
As the three of them entered the kitchen, Fia leaned back in the couch. A misunderstanding… I should have known… she thought. So Ein does love me… A smile came onto her lips. I hope we can be happy together…
In the kitchen, Ein quickly threw together three sandwiches with Coco's help. Coco grabbed three cups from the cupboard and filled them with applecot juice.
"Okay, all ready!" Ein stacked the sandwiches on a tray and brought it over to the table. Coco brought the cups to the table one by one, and then went back to her cleaning.
"Thanks, Ein." Ledah picked up a sandwich and bit into it. "Take it easy with the mayonnaise," he commented.
Rose bit into her own sandwich. "Yeah, just a little. And a sandwich isn't a sandwich without fish."
"Heh…" Ein rubbed the back of his head. "I'll remember that. But fish?"
"Yeah, a little bit of fishy in a sandwich makes it taste better!" Rose explained.
"Fishy?" Ledah glanced at Rose, who giggled. "Well, I'm not such a big fan of fish…"
"Hey, I used to be a cat, okay?" Rose protested. "At least, pretty close to one."
"That's all in the past," Ein replied. "You're not a cat anymore." He bit and chewed thoughtfully. Swallowing, he continued, "A cat?"
"Well, cat-like, okay?" Rose propped an elbow onto the table, sitting facing sideways. "I still liked fish, well sort of."
"I see." Ledah made a small mental note as he finished up his sandwich. "I feel a bit strange being so relaxed at a time like this." He sipped the applecot juice. "It's good," he said.
"I guess you're right, but what can we do?" Ein asked. "Might as well let them come at us. We're not looking for a fight, they are. We're looking to defend Riviera, and attacking them in Asgard is different than that." He took in a mouthful of the juice.
"Well, we should at least spar a bit," Ledah argued. "These are Grim Angels coming after us. A team of demons was easy for you, but you can't fight a bunch of Grim Angels at once, even with your new power."
"I guess not…" Ein sipped the juice thoughtfully. Rose just sat back and listened. "It would be a good idea to train. If each of us could take on a Grim Angel alone, then we're good to go, but…"
"I doubt that. Maybe you could, and I might be able to, but I don't think the girls can." Ledah curled his hands around the cup, staring into it. "Divide and conquer?" he suggested.
"It might have to come down to that," Ein agreed. "We'll have to take them on one at a time, together."
"If we can do that, then we should be able to win, but it also means repeated battling," Ledah added. "Could we maybe take on more than one at a time?"
"Hm, possibly," Ein answered. "Maybe two or three at a time, but three at most."
"The odds are still stacked, don't you think?" Ledah asked. "Maybe if we could get some of them on our side…"
"That's a good strategy too," Ein said. "Our main goal isn't really to fight, it's to prevent the destruction of Riviera. We can still accomplish that goal if we don't kill every Grim Angel in sight, don't you think?"
"Yeah, that's what I'm saying." Ledah finished up the juice and set the cup aside, along with Rose's cup. "We need to look for the Grim Angels who seem to lack purpose or who seem to be suspicious of Orion, like you were with Hector. Asking them to defect to our side shouldn't be that hard."
"And we only defeat the Grim Angels who follow Orion with utmost loyalty, is that it?" Ein chugged down the rest of his juice before continuing. "Sounds like a good plan."
"Remember what Ursula did with you?" Ledah asked. "She gave you amnesia and had you live with the sprites for a while, right?"
"Yeah, but I can't lock memories like she can," Ein replied. "We'd have to show them how the sprites live with their memories and their mission still present."
"That's right," Ledah affirmed. "It might be dangerous."
"Might be? It's going to be!" Ein exclaimed. "But what other choice do we have? Kill every last one of them?"
"If you're confident you can, then you could try that, but do you have any idea how big their army is?"
Ein shook his head. "No, but it can't be too big, right? You can't just recruit to become a Grim Angel. It takes more than an average being to become one."
"I don't know either, but you're right for that part," Ledah agreed. "I suppose we're going to have to get some to defect to our side. Each one we get on our side will raise our odds significantly."
"Do you think we could, um, get some of the girls to seduce them onto our side?" Ein suggested jokingly.
"Wha?" Rose sprang up. "Ein! You perv!" She smacked Ein on the back of the head, and Ein stopped his head just before it hit the table.
"I was joking! Joking!" Ein held his hands up, grinning. "It would be a desperate last-attempt move, though, right?"
"If there are perverts in their army, it might work," Ledah remarked. "But you know what? I seriously doubt there can be too many of them."
"So it probably won't work too well." Ein rubbed the back of his head where Rose had smacked him. "Maybe a 50-50 chance at best, but we'll keep that plan at the end, where nothing else would work."
"The fact that you're even considering it makes me sick," Rose exclaimed. "Geez, Ein! And you too, Ledah!"
"Huh? Me?" Ledah raised an eyebrow. "I'm just stating facts, you know."
"You're still thinking about it!" Rose poked Ledah in the side, but he showed no reaction. "Sheesh…"
"How come he doesn't get hurt as much as I-"
"Shut up!" Rose shouted, making Ein cringe. "I… ah, forget it." She stormed off towards the living room, leaving her cup on the table. "Always was a pervert, still a pervert, always will be a pervert…" she mumbled.
"Um, what's with her?" Ein asked after Rose left.
"You're better off not knowing, Ein." Ledah got up and brought the cups and plate to the sink. "Don't worry about it." He ruffled Ein's hair, smiling softly, and left the kitchen, leaving Ein gaping after him.
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A/N: Fishy! Ah, that word brings back memories. My crazy friend would bring his English-Chinese translator to school once in a while, and plug in random things to make it speak. One of his all-time favorites was/is "A lot of fishy." He'd add stuff and take stuff out here and there, of course. Ya know, stuff like, "I eat a lot of fishy!" or "wtf, why is there a lot of fishy?" (When you put wtf into the translator, it actually comes out as "duboyu tee eff," but I think lol comes out as "lawl") Yeah, when I say crazy, I mean it XD
Anyway, getting back on track, I honestly don't know what Rose likes to eat. From what I'm having her eat, she's definitely not a cat. Cats are actually carnivores, so they don't eat any kind of vegetable or grains. Rose ate a sandwich, so that proves she's not a cat… but I wonder if her eating habits change with her transformation into a sprite? Now that complicates things a lot. Instead of uselessly debating it with myself, I'm gonna leave it at that XD.
Oh, and yes, thy mishundershtanding ish offishally sholved! (Yes, typos are intentional XD) Wait, solved? More like resolved. Yeah… Anyway, I feel happy for them too, even though I'm the author XD. Ah, and the mental note that Ledah made… I'm sure someone's going to ask. The note is simply "Rose likes fish" or something similar. That should clear it up XD
On the next chapter of The White Wings…
Chapter 19: A Short Training Session (Release on September 17, 2006)
After drinking juice together, Ein and Fia go off to a grassy field to spar. Ein's new sword wreaks havoc, and Fia's strength is zapped by Oracion…