Arc II: Chapter 07
Display of Evil
Chihiro absentmindedly pushed her stray hair away from her eyes, stuffing it back under her black toboggan. Her fingerless gloves weren't doing a particularly good job of keeping her hands warm, but it was better than nothing. She was even wearing long johns beneath her racing jumpsuit, but was still grateful that the wind wasn't blowing very much. Taking in a deep breath of the cold mid-morning air, she looked down from her perch high above the city.
The tower that she was standing on looked more like a vertical scaffold than anything else. It had been cobbled together from recycled metal and planted at an intersection, centered in the street between four buildings that were each six stories high. They did their best to fabricate high tension wires to keep the towers from swaying. It had been quite difficult anchor the lines to the surrounding buildings, let alone balance the load between them properly.
Still they had managed, and today they would finish this one, just like the others. Looking across the cityscape, three other towers rose above the buildings. Atop each one sat a swivel-mounted turbine, each powered by three large blades that spun in the wind. They were a major source of electricity for the city, even though they could hardly power more than a fraction of it. Chihiro was still proud that her own hands had helped to build them.
"Okay, this side's good!"
She smiled in excitement. "It took you long enough, Morisato! I've been done for five minutes!"
A short laugh arose from the other side of the turbine. "Sorry, sorry. We're good to go now, right?"
"I think so," she mumbled, quickly running her eyes across the machine before her. She talked to herself as she followed colored wires, looked at all the exposed bolts, and ensured that there was grease only where it was supposed to be. "Yeah, we're good up here." Poking her head over the edge of the platform, she yelled down as loud as she could. "You guys ready down there?" She heard someone yell something that sounded like an affirmative, but couldn't quite make out the words. "We're unlocking it now!"
"I'm ready when you are," Keiichi's voice again came around the large device.
"Alright then," she replied, still grinning as she shifted herself near the main shaft. They had set up a large brake to clamp down on it and stop the blades when they needed to do maintenance. Grabbing the lever on her side, she could see Keiichi's face around the turbine housing. "Let's do this! One, two, three!"
They yanked the levers simultaneously, freeing the three-bladed windmill to spin. Though it was slow since the blades were turned with their edge to the wind, it started to rotate with a small metal groan. She and Keiichi grinned at each other as they waited and watched. It didn't take long for the people on the ground to pull the levers and crank the blades around. Catching more air, the windmill made its first full rotation as her partner crawled around the platform to her, reattaching his safety line as he looked at the analogue gauges on their generator.
"We're getting current," he said over the green and red muffler he had wrapped around his neck. He smiled at her as best he could with his numb face, and Chihiro suspected that her nose was just as red as his was from working eight stories in the air for two hours. "Looks like another successful project, boss!"
"All right, Team Whirlwind!" They laughed a little as they high-fived each other. "Looks like we'll be able to keep a few more people warm on Christmas Eve!"
Their laughing abruptly stopped when they heard a distant noise. "What was that? It sounded like the biggest car backfire in history." They began to look around for the source of the sound, and it didn't take long to find it.
"Look," she pointed, "there's smoke over there! Looks pretty close to the city wall. You don't think…"
"It's probably nothing," Keiichi interrupted her, sounding only marginally concerned. "I think that's where the Marines are setting up. I know they've got explosives with them. Maybe they're just setting one off as a test or to drive off some enemy."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Chihiro nodded before cupping her hands over her face and breathing on them. "Okay, it's great that our wonderfully designed and constructed wind generator works. Now let's get the hell off this thing. I'm about ready for a hot cup of coffee."
"In here," the guard said roughly. "The Admiral is waiting."
Skuld felt the human prod her through the door with his rifle. Normally she would have blown them to bits with one of her custom made bombs, but Gil had suggested that they take their captivity with a grain of salt.
Not that she liked the idea of being ordered around by these rude men. In fact, it was taking every bit of restraint she had to keep herself from turning around and strangling them.
The Templar didn't seem to be enjoying the situation any more than she was. She could still feel his energy swirling in the air around him. The Goddess knew that he could put these human in their place whenever he chose, but he was holding himself in check and she knew exactly why. The two had been sent to Yokusuka to find out the condition of the military forces here. Knocking them all senseless, or worse, wasn't going to help anyone.
Stumbling into the room, she spun around to glare at the guards. They didn't seem very impressed when she stuck out her tongue at them, but it made her feel a little better. Turning back, she looked around the room she had been thrust into, noting immediately that it didn't seem to belong on a warship like this one.
The walls were a darkly stained wood of excellent craftsmanship. The beige carpet was a stark contrast to the dull grey metal deck through the rest of the ship she had seen. All manner of miniature anchors and helm wheels adorned the walls between pictures of sailors and ships, while a nautical chart of the Pacific took up a large portion of the right hand wall. A globe stood near the large map, along with a brass compass on a metal stand.
In the center of the room was an old oak desk with an Armillary sphere setting to one side, a detailed model of the carrier sat on the other side, though it looked a bit damaged. In front of the table were two cushioned leather chairs, and behind it was an almost elderly man in uniform. He eyed the two coldly as they entered.
"I apologize if my men mistreated you," he told them in a less than apologetic tone. "Unfortunately, these are difficult times and we cannot afford to trust anyone. I'm sure you'll understand." He motioned briefly to the chairs in front of his desk.
Settling down into her seat, Skuld spoke up. "So, are you the one in command here?"
"Yes," he nodded, "I am the senior officer on board the USS Enterprise. Admiral Julian Garland, United States Navy."
Gilgamesh leaned forward a bit in his seat. "If I remember my Earth military classes correctly, the commanding officer of a United States vessel like this should be a captain."
"I will ask the questions for now, if you don't mind, boy." His voice became sharp as he eyed the two. When the two Celestials remained quiet for a few seconds, he continued. "The Master at Arms informed me that you two claim to be Gods. I can't say that I am inclined to believe such a story, so why don't you tell me who you really are, and what you are doing on my ship?"
"Well, technically you're correct, Admiral," she replied before motioning to her companion. "Gilgamesh is a God, I'm a Goddess."
The Admiral's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't play with me, little girl." Little girl? Oohh, I'm gonna get this guy! "You expect me to believe that you're both deities? I'm sorry, but I happen to be Christian. That means one God!"
Skuld was getting ready to snap back at the older man when Gil spoke first. "That's just a label misunderstanding. Kind of a mistranslation, I guess. You're right in that there is only one Almighty in Heaven. Gods and Goddesses are just what we refer to ourselves as."
"That's right," Skuld jumped in, "I think the word most monotheistic religions would use to describe us would be angel." She thought they were making good progress until she was startled by the human slamming his hand down on his desk.
"So you infiltrate my ship, carrying weapons I might add, and then expect me to believe that you two are angels? Do you take me for a fool?" His face was red, contrasting sharply with his white hair, as he glared at them. Standing up, he planted his hands on his desk as he leaned forward menacingly. "I don't suppose you can provide any proof to back up your claims?"
Proof? Like displaying our powers or something? The Goddess looked at Gilgamesh, who nodded at her unspoken question. "Very well, Admiral Garland," she said with a slight smile. "If you want proof, then I'll give it to you." I'm going to savor the look on his wrinkled old face when he sees this!
Leaning forward in her cushioned chair, clasping her hands together close to her heart, she closed her eyes and searched within herself. Reaching into the ethereal world of her soul, she felt something warm and bright. Smiling at the familiar feeling, she reached out to grasp it, only to have a small hand reach back and grasp her own.
Extending her arms out before her gracefully, she called out, "Come forth, my angel! Noble Scarlet!"
At her summons, a wisp of cloud appeared from her back. From atop the swirling white came a small girl with short, blond hair. Her deep red eyes closed as she offered the Admiral a winning smile. Garland, on the other hand, looked ready to have a heart attack.
Skuld's satisfaction at the old man's expression lasted only a split second. Normally she would have been oblivious to the movements of the four guards near the door behind them. However, with her angel present her senses were sharpened. It wasn't difficult to notice the humans raising their rifles. It was even easier to hear the clicks as the weapons were switched from safe to fire. In that moment, she realized with chill just what they were intending.
A surge of power quickly filled the room, and out of the corner of her eye Skuld saw a flash of white as the Templar's wings unfurled. The Goddess' ears popped from the changing air pressure as she and Scarlet ducked to the floor. The sudden gale force winds that swirled around the cabin very nearly blew her over, despite the fact that she was crouched. Several loud crashes and clatters sounded over the papers that were flying everywhere. Behind her were several grunts and cries as she heard their weapons fall to the deck.
The wind subsided as quickly as it began, and Skuld dared to venture a look at her surroundings. Is this what it's like in a tornado? The chairs they had been in were blown over, several of the pictures that she could see were hanging askew if they were still on the walls, and papers were strewn about everywhere with some even sliding off her arms as they helped push her into a kneeling position.
A few white sheets still fluttered to the ground around Gil, his feathery wings outstretched. The God quickly spun toward two more guards who had burst into the room. They took one look at the four unconscious guards and immediately zeroed in on the two Celestials. As they took aim he raised his hand toward them. She could hear the firing pins click, but no shot rang out. The guards looked rather confused and a bit frightened as they checked their rifles, getting ready for another try.
"Stop this now!" The winded, though still commanding, voice of the Admiral filled the room. "Stand down, men." Skuld looked up at the old man who was struggling to his feet behind the desk. Quickly looking back, she was relieved to see the humans slowly lower their weapons.
"Get out," Gilgamesh commanded them harshly, "and take your friends with you. If I was going to kill anyone, I would have done it already."
With a nod from Garland, the guards slung their rifles over their shoulders. Gil was plainly having trouble maintaining his patience as he waited for them to remove their unconscious brethren. As the last human exited the Templar flicked his wrist, causing the hatch to slam shut and lock.
Skuld and Noble Scarlet took this time to return their chairs upright, but Gil didn't sit. With a look she had never seen in his eyes before, the God turned his gaze on the Admiral, who had picked himself up off the floor and was flexing his right arm painfully.
"Admiral Garland," the Templar's voice shook with rage, "that was a warning. If anyone on your vessel so much as takes his weapon off safe in our presence again, people will die."
Noble Scarlet watched Gil with worry and a small bit of fear, a mirror of Skuld's own feelings as he deliberately stepped toward the human. I've never seen him this angry before. Should I do something?
"Do you understand me?" Gilgamesh slammed his hands on the oaken desk hard enough to crack it. "I will destroy this ship and everyone in it if I have to. I will not allow you to harm her!"
Garland had flattened himself against the back wall, eyes wide and breath quick. Well, looks like he at least regrets treating us the way he did. He looked over at her, his eyes pleading for help. This is too much, though. Even this arrogant old human doesn't deserve this.
"It's alright, Gil," she said softly. He flinched as she placed her hand over his. She could see the inferno burning within him. "I'm alright. Now please, calm down a little." The Goddess watched as the flames diminished, but they weren't snuffed out.
He looked back at the old man across the desk, obviously wanting to say more. Worried that his anger would reignite, she was about to try again to calm him when something surprised them all.
Gil's intense glare at the Admiral was broken by Noble Scarlet. Skuld's angel had floated over the desk and positioned herself in front of the furious God, wearing a nervous but determined expression on her child-like face. The Templar had only enough time to blink before the blond haired angel moved forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.
His eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the form that was embracing him so tightly. Skuld, whose face had become quite red, felt uncomfortably warm at the sight. After all, an angel shares not only the powers of her Goddess, but also the feelings. One heart, two bodies. I wonder if Gil knows about that?
The God's great wings disappeared, leaving only a few feathers drifting to the floor as proof that they were ever there. An unsure smile grew on his face as he spoke gently to Scarlet. "You we're just worried about me, weren't you?" The youthful angel looked up at him, tears in her deep red eyes, and nodded silently. "I'm alright now," he told her, returning her hug. "Thank you for helping me, Noble Scarlet."
Smiling happily, she patted him on the shoulder before returning to Skuld. She gave one last wave to him before disappearing behind the raven haired Goddess.
Gil finally returned to his chair, breathing a heavy sigh. The Admiral was still eyeing the Templar warily, but regained his composure as he righted his own chair. "I…I must apologize for my behavior," he said slowly. "I did not believe that you could possibly be who you claimed. However, I cannot disregard what I have seen with my own eyes."
"What's done is done, Admiral Garland." Skuld tried to imagine what Belldandy would do in this situation, and did her best to show the same genuine smile that her sister would have shown. "Since we all know that we're on the same side, I think we should try to put this behind us."
The human took his seat, looking much older than he had before. Rubbing his chin, he nodded to them both. "Yes, that would be for the best. My men were startled by your demonstration. I will have word sent out that you are here as my guests. You have my word that there will be no more misunderstandings, Miss…Skuld was it?"
"Yes, sir," she nodded, though a curious look soon appeared on her face. "Before we get onto business, there's something I'd like to ask."
The grey haired man arched an eyebrow at this. "What would you like to know?"
"When we first came in, you said that you couldn't afford to trust anyone," she said. "What exactly do you mean by that?"
His eyes closed as he leaned back in his chair, sighing heavily. "Well, let me start from the beginning. I was the commanding officer of the carrier battle group, with the Enterprise as the flagship. This was to be my last tour before retirement, and we were sailing around the world to commemorate it. The group made a port call here at Yokusuka before heading to Pearl Harbor, then finishing in California. The Hell Storm hit as we were leaving Tokyo Bay.
"A meteor crashed into the ocean south of us, we figure about ten miles out. It was a big one, and the tsunami it triggered was incredible. Every ship in the group was torn apart, but by luck or act of God the Enterprise managed to survive in one piece, more or less. We were washed several miles inland, and more than a few sailors were lost that day. Still, after all that, I suppose that we only lost four hundred people could be considered good luck.
"Most of our communications equipment was damaged, but even with the radios that still worked we couldn't contact anyone. Our jet fuel stores were ruptured, so we couldn't launch any of the aircraft that managed to stay flight worthy. So when the creatures started to appear, we had only ourselves and the weapons in the armory to count on. After a few days, we managed to set up a few bunkers for the heavy guns, and modified the Phalanx turrets to fire at a negative angle, so it was pretty much impossible for them to get anywhere near the ship. They were fast learners, and stopped trying to hit us with straight out assaults. We figured that we had them spooked, that we had driven them off for good. Unfortunately, they proved far more devious than we had believed."
"Chancellor Marduk?" Peorth leapt to her feet when he strode into the control center. "What are you doing here, sir?"
The leader of the Council of Heaven was glancing around from station to station, barely acknowledging her presence. "Have Lord Daedalus and his men arrived yet?"
What? Why would the Supreme Commander of the Templar Order be coming here? She looked over at Belldandy, who was standing nearby. The other Goddess returned Peorth's confused look. "No, Chancellor. Might I inquire what this is about?"
"You seem very agitated, Chancellor Marduk," Bell spoke with concern. "Is something the matter?"
The God turned to the pair as if he had just noticed them. "Is anyone in the Haguruma right now?" The abrupt question threw Peorth even further off balance.
"One of our technicians," she nodded. "She just went in with Lord Sephiroth a half hour ago."
"Chancellor," a resounding voice boomed through the control center. The Goddess of Roses looked up and over her shoulder to see an older God with long brown hair descending to the command platform, flanked by a squad of nine Templars. "I came as quickly as I could. These were all the men I could raise at such short notice."
"It should be enough, Daedalus," Marduk replied as they touched down. "We don't have much time." He seemed quite sure of himself as he spoke.
In contrast the Templars, Peorth saw, seemed ill at ease. Even Daedalus seemed a bit uncertain as he looked at Marduk. His voice was grave as he asked, "Are you sure about this, Lord Chancellor?"
Nodding confidently, Marduk turned to the Goddess standing beside Peorth. "Lady Belldandy, I must ask that you come with us. I understand that you are quite adept at healing programs. We may be in need of your skills."
Peorth suddenly felt very worried, and Belldandy seemed quite shocked at the Chancellor's words. "I-I am at your disposal, Lord Marduk. If you have need of my abilities, then I accept."
"Very good," he said simply before turning to the Templars. "Let's go, Daedalus."
The Goddess in charge of Yggdrasil had no idea what was happening. "Wait, where are you going, Chancellor."
He called over his shoulder as he lifted off the platform, "To the Haguruma."
The others followed him, and Belldandy exchanged an uneasy look with her before joining them. As she watched them soar across the control center, Peorth felt a ball of ice form in her chest. Looking down at the three consoles before her, she prayed for the safety of the Goddess assigned to the empty center seat.
He opened his eyes tiredly. "Do the two of you know of the Vietnam War?"
Skuld shook her head while Gil sat with his eyes closed. "I was a young Navy pilot back then. On my third mission, I was shot down by the VC's. For many this would have meant becoming a prisoner of war, but I was lucky. A platoon of Marines rescued me before I was captured, and I spent several days with them before I was able to be transported out. While I was in that camp, I saw a few of the enemy's assaults on our forces. I saw some of the tactics that they used, things that will haunt me for the rest of my life."
Skuld leaned forward, hands on her knees. "What kinds of things, Admiral?"
"The VCs knew that they couldn't beat us in a fair fight, so they used anything they could to kill our men. One tactic that they liked to use was to send civilians, women and children, into our camps, pretending to be refugees. These 'non-combatants' would be persuaded by the VCs to conceal explosives under their clothes. They became weapons, walking bombs."
The Goddess put her hands over her mouth in disgust. "That's horrible! Barbaric! I can't believe anyone would do such a thing."
The old man leaned forward on the cracked desk. "I saw it with my own eyes, Miss Skuld. Never will I forget the look of that girl, the one who killed herself and two Marines with her." He paused for a moment, rubbing his eyes. Skuld didn't have the heart to say anything.
Urd swooped out of the sky, the Masamune strapped over her back. She had heard the explosion on the edge of town, and not long after Keos sent a messenger to bring her to the site. She didn't know what had caused the blast, nor did she know if anyone had been hurt. However, the fact that Keos had sent for her made her fear the worst.
Touching down gracefully, she saw several men in camouflage with their rifles pointed at the trees beyond the fencing. The fire had been extinguished, but the shallow crater of scorched, black earth told her exactly where it had been.
"It's about time you showed up, Urd." Marler wore a grim look as she approached. "You aren't going to like this. Hell, I'm a Demon and even I feel a little dirty after this."
The white haired Goddess painfully noted the two white sheets concealing the victims of this event. "What happened?"
The Demon sighed and pointed to a badly cracked wall. "You should ask those two." Urd looked over to see Keos speaking to two large men who were sitting against the fractured concrete. She was surprised to see that she was quite familiar with both of them.
"Tamiya? Otaki?"
The Templar looked over at her as she walked up. "Lady Urd. You know these two?"
She nodded in response. "Yeah, they're Keiichi's upperclassmen."
The two humans looked at her, the agony clear on their faces. "Miss Urd, it was terrible," Otaki managed to say.
"They saw the whole thing," Keos told her grimly, looking disgusted with the whole affair.
The Goddess knelt in front of them, placing a hand on both their shoulders. She spoke as gently as she could. "Tell me what happened."
Tamiya had to clear his throat before responding. "We got ta be pretty good friends wit some of da Marines, and we was helpin' dem ta set up their machine gun. Den dis girl comes walkin outta da forrest."
Urd felt a chill run down her spine. No one said anything about a girl.
"When she came up," Otaki continued in a strained voice, "we were back here, getting sandbags with a couple of other Marines. The two guys up there walked up to talk to her. We were coming up to see what the little thing was doing in the woods, since those guys couldn't speak any Japanese. All of a sudden…she just…" His voice caught in his throat, unable to say any more.
"The girl must have been hiding some kind of explosive device," Keos nearly spat. "That, or someone put some kind of program on her. Either way, this poses a problem for us."
Urd found herself fighting back tears as she looked back at the two men concealed beneath the white sheets. They never had a chance. And neither did that girl. Someone took advantage of her.
A tingle in her back reminded her of Masamune's presence. I know. It's almost too horrible to believe.
"After the flood waters subsided, over three hundred people who had somehow managed to survive came to us, begging for help. A few more trickled in over the next couple weeks, but not too many. We took them aboard, of course, and they are living as well as can be expected, under the circumstances.
"Captain Jameson, the skipper of the Enterprise, was below decks about two weeks ago, checking on the civilians. It turned out that one of them had a makeshift bomb on them. It killed eighteen people, including the Captain.
"Since that day, I have been in command," the Admiral spoke quietly. "Though it pains me, I have decided not to allow any more refugees on board."
"What do you mean?" Skuld blurted out. "There are people out there who need your help! You can't just leave them out there to be slaughtered by the Cruel Angel's minions!"
"So that's what you call the thing that we're at war with, eh?" He was speaking with an odd calm, as if it was all out of his hands. "The Cruel Angel. It certainly is cruel, I'll give you that." He leaned forward, his voice becoming more forceful. "Listen, Miss Skuld, I want to help those people out there as much as you do, but I am responsible for the lives already on this ship. There are nearly three thousand sailors and civilians here. Men, women, and children. I know a lot of them by name, and I have promised all of them that I will allow no harm to come to what's left of their lives. I will not risk another suicide attack on them. I would rather die than break my promise to any of them."
Skuld felt torn as she listened. "Even if that means sacrificing the innocents that are still out there?"
"There is no other way that I can see," he answered sadly.
"That is a difficult choice to make, Admiral." They both looked over at the words of the previously silent God, who was now looking at the human with an unreadable expression. "It is not the course I would have chosen in your position, but I cannot fault you for trying to protect these people."
Belldandy felt uneasy as she walked through the Haguruma. It wasn't that she was worried for her safety, as the Templars had formed a defensive circle around her and were ready to protect the Goddess from whatever may have been present. Her problem was the Haguruma itself.
The grate metal catwalks clanked audibly, echoing off some unseen surface in the darkness, as they made their way through. Massive, toothed wheels of pitted iron turned slowly while huge pulleys twisted and tugged on thick wires that disappeared beyond the edge of the dim light that surrounded them. The mechanisms of the titanic machine had patches of rust in various places while a fine layer of dust accumulated on anything that didn't move on a regular basis. The Celestials footsteps seemed deafening compared to the quiet churning of the clockwork system.
The Goddess of the Present could feel the loneliness of this place, the solitude. Thousands of years ago, Celestials would have been everywhere. Gods and Goddesses floating about carefully oiling the joints, cleaning the gears, maintaining the springs and pendulums. That care vanished when it was abandoned by its former masters almost nine hundred years prior, and since then virtually no life had returned. It had probably been centuries since so many Celestials had stepped foot on these suspended metal floors. All that time the Haguruma continued to function, to run in the only way it knew how, all alone in the darkness. She felt very sorry for the place.
Bell assumed that they were going to find the thing that had caused the disappearance of the two Goddesses from before, but she was beginning to wonder if that was all there was to it. As she studied the expressions that the Templars wore, she could see a hidden pain that most would never have noticed. She could see the conflict in their hearts, the battle between sorrow and anger, between confusion and clear resolve. Even Daedalus, the Supreme Commander of the Templar Order, had what looked like traces of doubt on his face.
Chancellor Marduk, on the other hand, was far surer of himself. A clear look of determination shone in his eyes, as if he were looking forward to what lay ahead. She wasn't sure why, but that look disquieted her more than the edgy appearance of the Templars.
No one would tell her what was going on, either. The Chancellor had ignored her, while Commander Daedalus flatly refused to tell her anything. He assured her that no harm would come to her, that he and his men would protect her with their lives. She smiled at his men and thanked them, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong, especially when the Templar Commander muttered something under his breath that hadn't been meant for her ears. "I just hope it doesn't come to that."
They continued their search as Bell pondered everything that was happening. For nearly twenty minutes they made their way through the dark spaces of the Haguruma. She was about to make a comment about how massive this place was when everyone abruptly stopped.
Without warning, Marduk dove over the edge of the catwalk with the other Gods following quickly. The Goddess followed as well as she could, dodging chains and gears, touching down only a moment after the last Templar.
She could see a shadow ahead of them on the darkened platform, apparently humanoid. The Chancellor raised his left hand, creating a ball of light overhead. The illumination allowed Belldandy to more clearly see the form. It had its back to them, and was dressed in black. A long shock of straight, snow white hair fell down its back, a spot of glistening crimson staining it near the shoulders. She knew immediately who it was.
"Lord Sephiroth! Are you hurt badly?" She leapt forward through the Templars, getting surprised looks as she wove between them, only to be stopped by the arm of Marduk. "What are you doing, Chancellor? Why are you stopping me? He's hurt, I need to help him, Chancellor!" Her struggle ended when she saw the look of grim satisfaction on the High Council leader's face.
Confused, she looked around to the other Templars, only to find that they had drawn their swords. All stared hard at the center of the platform, a deadly anger in their eyes. Bell followed their glare back to Sephiroth, who was now turning toward them slowly, bloody sword in hand. The intense look of hatred on his face made her want to step back from him, despite the several meters that separated them already. Then her eyes spotted something else. She saw the limp form lying in a pool of blood behind him. Oh, no. Oh, please no!
Faster than anyone could stop her, Belldandy rushed forward. Glancing cautiously at the white haired God, his green eyes watched her coolly as she passed him. Not caring about her robes, she knelt in the blood that covered the plate metal floor beside the unconscious Goddess. Placing her hands over the deep wound in her chest, Bell threw everything she had into her healing program.
Several tense and silent seconds passed. She could feel her eyes sting as the gut wrenching realization came. It was too late. There was nothing she could do to save this girl. No! I can't give up! I can't…
A small, wet cough broke Belldandy from her thoughts. Looking down, she saw that the young Goddess had opened her eyes, looking sadly at the person trying to save her. Bell leaned forward, lip trembling and tears streaking her cheeks, as the girl tried to speak. She gently smoothed the dying Goddess' blood soaked hair as she told the girl in a strained voice, "It's alright, I'm here."
Barely a whisper, Belldandy very nearly had her ear to the girl's lips to hear one word escape her mouth. "Xan…der…"
Sitting back up, with her hands in her lap, she wished with all she had that she could have done more. Looking at the blood flecked face of her young friend, she began to weep. Reaching forward, she gently passed her hand over the dead Celestial's eyes, closing them for the last time. She shook with each stifled cry as she tried to smooth the bloodstained robes, only to tightly grip them in her fists as her grief overtook her. Her tears flowed freely, dripping over the still heart of the slain Goddess.
"Sephiroth." The Chancellor's voice echoed through the clockwork machinery. "I am placing you under arrest in the name of the High Council of Heaven. You are charged with high treason and with the murder of Goddess First Class Ex."
A/N:
I've received almost fifty reviews for Zankoku! I'm very pleased with this response, especially since it's been so positive. I guess I'm doing something right.
NavyPolice83: Since so much is going on right now in the story, it's almost impossible to keep things from slowing down without ignoring many of the characters. Also, I think a little bit of slowdown can make later action scenes seem more dramatic. I don't want to slow down too much, though, so let me know if things start to get dull.
(): As always, thank you for you generous review! Always happy to hear the word 'fantastic' used to describe your work! Wanders off to deflate head
Of course, thank you to my other two reviewers (LunaticPandora1 and Mangaka in Training), whom I have replied to directly on their comments. I'm happy to hear from you!
And to all my other readers out there, thank you for reading! I love to hear from you guys, so don't be timid. Throw a comment my way and let me know what you think!
See you all next chapter!
Katamari Damacy