Night's Children: Cetera Desunt
AN: WARNING: Extremely violent chap, sorry about that. Also, I accidentally typed Joe instead of Thomas last chapter. My b, but I'm too lazy to reupload the chap for one word. Sorry.
Soundtrack: Rise by Disturbed and The Noose by A Perfect Circle
…oh yes, and one of these, while we're at it:
DISCLAIMER!
There, that ought to do it.
Chapter Seven: Vainglory
The first reaction was the easiest when the thunder of the gun echoed and assaulted the teenage healer's ears. She screamed, loud and incoherently. The spray of red that accompanied the noise did nothing to stop her, as she inhaled again only to continue.
She was soon not the only one, her cry was met with the falsetto shriek of Lilian, and the bellow and scream of pain from the old man as he writhed spastically in his seat, rivulets of sweat pouring down his forehead as veined hands clenched at his gut.
But, louder than the screams, louder than the cries, was the deep, timorous laughter. Kiriak's dark glasses had slid down to the bridge of his nose, revealing ruby red eyes that were widened in madness as he continued to chuckle like some sort of demon.
"What the hell is wrong with you!" Came Otis, the husband.
Kiriak's laughter only increased in intensity as he swerved around to face Otis, "Wrong with me?" He cackled, aiming again for another shot. The other robbers stood by, impassive and uncaring as Kiriak shot off another round, this one going into Otis's kneecap. Tears of joy began to collect in Kiriak's eyes, as he prepared another shot, this time at Miranda's forehead.
"Kiriak," Came the cold voice of his leader, "You've made our point." The old woman stomped her cane against the floor harshly when he did not waver his aim, "Kiriak! Control yourself!"
Kiriak's laugh died slowly, and he stood there, heaving and panting before he calmly put the gun in the shoulder holster on the inside of his jacket and meticulously straightened the sunglasses back on his nose.
Both Thomas and Otis were writhing from their recent injuries, Thomas in his seat and Otis on the floor, swearing profusely. Miranda had started to fuss frantically over her fallen husband, tears streaming down her face as she ripped the hem off of her dress to use as a makeshift tourniquet for his knee. Thomas was still squirming, his back sporadically arching in spasms of pain.
Aria slumped to her knees, and she felt the blood drain from her face as she hid it behind her hands, her mind in chaos, and she found herself only able to repeat a single word, "Why? Why?"
The other passengers were in no better a situation. Lilian had begun to rock back and forth, her knees pressed to her chest as she whispered, "I just want to go home," like a mantra. Chuck still lay sprawled across the ground, but his breathing had become less deep and his eyelids were beginning to flicker as a few fingers wiggled in experimentation.
The gang of six seemed otherwise unmoved. Loki sighed and ran a hand through his orange hair, as if the whole situation was just a waste of his time, while Damien had begun text messaging on a cell phone he had withdrawn from his pocket. Rena hugged her stuffed animal to her chest, her big green eyes staring expectantly as she sucked her thumb. Suiren had not moved since she had arrived, her gaze staring blankly at nothing. Only Kiriak seemed slightly affected, as his eyes were trained to the blood dripping onto the floor, his tongue running over his lips occasionally.
"Now," Agatha stated smoothly over the continual screams of pain coming from the two shot victims, "Do you know why Kiriak shot you?" She asked them in a condescending and patronizing tone.
The two ignored her, groaning and clutching at their wounds. Agatha waited a sole moment before hissing in annoyance, moving the bottom tip of her cane quickly to jar Otis's knee in the side. He let out an animalistic scream as his wife simultaneously pleaded, "Stop it!"
"Now that I've got your attention," Agatha continued, oblivious to what she had just done, "I believe I asked you a question. You'll find I don't like to repeat myself."
"No!" Otis proclaimed, tears welling in his eyes.
"We shot you both, to make a demonstration," Agatha said, swerving on her heel to face her five minions who all immediately snapped to attention, except for Kiriak, whose eyes remained trained on the blood of his victims. "You see, you've both been shot in non fatal but extremely painful locations, the gut and the kneecap. While death is not going to be immediate, if you do not receive medical attention quickly, you will both die from blood loss in an incredibly drawn out and excruciating manner." Agatha strode over to the opposite side of the seat and sat down gently. "I do not happen to be a doctor, but I do happen to be patient."
"You're sick!" The wife accused hoarsely, weeping uncontrollably.
"Quite," Kiriak sneered, showing his gun to enhance his point.
"You can't just let them die here!" Miranda continued.
Agatha sighed and began to pick at her nails, "I must say I agree, to let someone die in such a horrible manner is entirely irresponsible."
The entire cab fell silent as Agatha's eyes drifted over towards Aria, still cradling her head in her hands and whimpering to herself. Aria slowly lifted her head up, to make eye contact, and it was then that she began to cry. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks and her lower lip trembled, but she didn't make a sound as she now understood what means the six were willing to go to.
This was insane! She was only fifteen, there was no way such a weighted decision should rest on her inexperienced shoulders. It was her life or theirs, complete strangers and older men. She continued to cry, as she looked at the leader and whispered the only word she knew at the moment, "Why?"
Agatha's nose turned up as if she had smelled something awful, "Why are you asking me? You're not a healer, their deaths have nothing to do with you." She straightened a bit in her seat. "Or do they?"
Aria began to experience a black out yet again as it felt like her lungs were squeezing the air out of her, "I don't know!" She yelled desperately, her crying reaching intensity as she clutched the sides of her head, rocking like Lilian.
"You don't know?" Agatha repeated whimsically, before lifting a finger at Kiriak, who smiled wolfishly.
"Heh," He grunted before he took the gun out with his inhuman speed and shot another round at Otis, this time in his stomach.
Bang!
Miranda fell and scrambled back as the red spray hit her, and it appeared as if she were going to faint. Otis began to let rip a sound even more primal than the last.
"Stop!" Aria begged, collapsing on her side as her knees gave way, "Stop it! They haven't done anything!"
The mistress shrugged, "Perhaps, perhaps not. But someone has committed the sin for them." Her face darkened, "A life for a life with interest, Kiriak, if you'd please."
Bang!
This time the shot hit Lilian, in the thigh, and she fell back against the seat, shrieks emitting from her.
"I haven't done anything!" Aria protested.
"Precisely my point, Kiriak."
Bang!
Thomas let loose another howl.
Aria screamed with him.
Agatha pressed her lips into a thin line, "This method doesn't seem to be breaking through," Her eyes scanned the train, until they landed on the semi-unconscious Chuck, "That one, he seems vaguely important to her." She sneered, "Through his heart."
As soon as Aria heard those words, it was as if someone had sent a jolt of electricity through her, scrambling numbly, she tried to reach the sleeping surfer, her arms outstretched as her clumsy legs attempted to get to him before the bullet.
Kiriak positioned the gun…
Aria began to cry even harder.
Bang!
"NO!" The Daughter of the Moon screamed.
Silence filled the cab, as everyone looked towards Chuck, and imagine everyone's surprise when they saw him lying comfortably on his side, a bullet hole in the wood inches away from where his heart had once been.
"He…he must have moved," Kiriak muttered in disbelief, knowing the only way he could have maneuvered like that was if he had known subconsciously that the shot was going to come.
Aria slowly felt her heart beginning to start beating in her chest once again and she exhaled. Shakily, she wiped the tears from her face with her hand, her entire being trembling. It took a few minutes to register what had just happened. The shots had switched from pain to kill, and if that bizarre and utterly strange act of Chuck rolling over in his sleep at the last moment wouldn't have happened, the laidback but generally friendly surfer would have been the first casualty. And it would have been all of her fault.
She exhaled heavily, straightening her posture as scenarios hit her like rapid-fire. Her first healing came to her, when her little brother Dylan had charbroiled his arm on the gas stove. After that came the flashbacks of the very first major healing Aria had ever done, bringing back the dreadlocked Twiggy from the brink of death. Quickly, memories came of her reluctant healings of the other Daughters, of her fixing her friend Yvette's migraine, and finally, of her saving Riley last night. Had it truly only been one day? It felt like so much longer…
Her eyes, slightly cloudy from tears, looked at the sprawled figures on the ground and benches, each moaning in pain and sorrow from their gunshot wounds. She then stared at Kiriak, the red-eyed killer, who had begun to reload his handgun.
When the words came, they were not of her own choosing, but rather just slipped out, "Aut disce aut discede, aude sapere," She whispered softly, and imagine her surprise when those strange Latin phrases sent a sense of calm and tranquility over her.
Agatha turned her attention to the girl and sneered, "What is this nonsense?"
Aria raised her eyes up, meeting with the old woman's. It was then that she realized what she should have known all along. These six guardians ,or whatever they called themselves, that were sent by Hades had hurt innocent people. Aria may have been too proud, she may have been a coward and self-centered, but she had never intentionally hurt a person who had never done her any wrong. They were not normal people, she realized that, and somewhere in the back of her mind she heard warning words spoken by a surprisingly gentle voice.
"Fighting him will bring serious repercussions for you."
It was also then, amidst the blood and tears, that Aria remembered the life-saving interference of the woman who could have only been a goddess, and her advice. She now understood what she had to do, what she was destined to do.
"Aut disce aut discede, aude sapre." She said evenly, although her voice held a slight quake. She was terrified still, but resolved. Her feet straightened at shoulder width and her chin was tilted high.
"We heard you the first time," Grit out Kiriak, spinning the chamber of his weapon almost lackadaisically
"Either learn or leave, but dare to know," Loki translated, sending her a curious glance, "Now I wonder what that means?"
Rena raised her hand, "I know!" She supplied, but the little girl was once again ignored.
Aria bit her lip in an attempt to stop the shivers as she cleared her throat, "It means that I've learned." She stated, she glared at Agatha who sent her an all-knowing smirk, "Stop hurting them." She commanded shortly.
Agatha drummed her manicured fingers over the head of her cane, "Learned what, exactly?" She muttered, "Look at you, you're obviously frightened out of your wits."
Aria nodded, "Yes, I am," She hated how her voice quaked, "But so is everyone else," She gestured to the passengers, each as ashen and afraid as she was, "And it's my job to protect them, as a Healer of Selene, it is my duty to stop suffering."
She could feel the hatred radiating towards her at her declaration, not only from the Hades Six, but also from the passengers who had been shot because of her. She understood, she deserved their hatred, and she was going to try and make amends.
"So be it," The old woman spat, withdrawing the Judgment card from her deck, "I believe this was the card you chose? I will be most happy to see it filled and next to the others." At this she held up the other four cards.
"O Mater Lunae, regina nocis, adiuvo me nunc." Aria prayed to the Goddess, in way of apology, because she knew that the odds were against her in this fight, at about six to one, and that she would not be walking away. At the words, a thrumming of power pulsed through her, and for the first time in a long while, she felt revitalized. Her hands glowed with the signature sky blue of her healing gift, and when she stared at Agatha again, her eyes dilated and surged with a determination she wasn't sure she held.
"I'm ready," Aria spoke, loosening her shoulders and clenching her fists, preparing for an attack.
"Good," Agatha mumbled, "So are we." She turned and nodded at Damien, "You first."
Damien's face lit up with a genuine smile for the first time that night, while Kiriak looked angry and betrayed. "Why not me?" He barked, "I'm the best fighter!"
Agatha held up a hand and Kiriak's nostrils flared but he remained silent.
The boy with dark blue eyes immediately rolled up his sleeves and charged at her, and Aria quickly noted that he would be a formidable opponent. His right fist charged at her, and Aria was amazed at how fluidly and easily she was able to dodge it, rearing back and giving him a blow of her own, a solid high kick right under his chin. His head snapped back wickedly, and he lost his footing, collapsing to the ground.
Her movements being directed by an almost otherworldly source, Aria had no hesitation as she ignited her healing powers and pressed a hand solidly against Damien's chest, going back to the mentality of the night she had fought Mammon, and attempted to heal the evil within him as she closed her eyes.
At first nothing happened, but when Aria heard a deep bellow and smelled smoke, she immediately opened her eyes and saw steam rising from Damien's chest, as well as a hole burning through his shirt. In her awe, she forgot all about Damien being able to move, as he quickly kicked her in the stomach, propelling her away as he scrambled to his feet, coughing and panting heavily. Blood had dribbled down his chin and he looked at her with the purest form of contempt.
"BITCH!" He snarled, but it was not as vicious as he had intended, for his voice was hoarse and croaky.
Aria moaned from the hit as she got back up on her feet, her hands still glowing blue, but with a slightly less brilliant hue. For some odd reason, she knew that this was a borrowed strength, and that she needed to use it sparingly. Her fast reactions was all that saved her as Damien reared back his fist again, this time for her face. She had no time to dodge, but brought up her forearms in an 'X' shape across her face to absorb some of the force. It stung like hell when his fist connected, but she knew it would have hurt a hell of a lot more if it had gotten her where he had intended.
As fast as she could, Aria swung her left fist down, landing a solid punch into Damien's stomach. She sent some healing force into his gut, and he staggered backwards. Swaying, the two opponents stared each other down. Damien sneered, "I'm through with playing nice little girl," He growled, his eyes glowing even more vibrant, "Time to hypnotize you into destroying yourself."
Aria felt like someone had shoved a ball of tacks down her throat as she realized she had no idea to counter this sort of attack. Tessa and Riley were the masters of mental attacks, not her. She grit her teeth and offered up another silent prayer to her mother goddess, "Please, please, please." She muttered.
Damien just smirked as his eyes unfocused, staring straight at her, and Aria felt the distinct sensation of something heavy falling over her. Damien's eyes, the dark blue of his iris swirling like a spiral, widened further and Aria braced herself for the worst.
Imagine her surprise, when Damien began to cough up blood, doubling over and clenching his stomach over the wound Aria had just inflicted upon him. The heavy feeling that was over her vanished, as he hit the ground, face down.
"DAMIEN!" Cried Rena, rushing forward and shoving his shoulder, "Get up! Bad lady didn't hurt you that bad!"
Agatha stared at him and said, "He's still breathing," as if she were remarking about some sort of cockroach, "He'll be fine." Agatha nodded at Aria, something of approval on her face, "I wanted him to gauge your strength, and I see that now I'm going to have to fight dirty. I underestimated you." She turned and looked at Kiriak, seeming as if he were about to burst from excitement, "You'll have more of a problem with Wrath and Acedia, I'm hoping." She cleared her throat, "Kiriak, Suiren, take care of this."
She didn't even have enough time to draw a breath as Kiriak charged at her, his supernatural speed making it almost impossible to predict his blows as he moved in flashes. Suddenly, she felt his fists connected at her sides and back, peppering her with hits that knocked the air out of her. Aria strained her eyes to see that Suiren had yet to move, she just observed languidly as Aria felt her ribs beginning to bruise.
Dumbly, she attempted to bat away his blink-of-an-eye hits with her own hands and arms, but she was always just a second too slow. An agonizing rippling of pain hit her as a particularly vicious punch landed in her stomach, sending her backwards. The back of her head connected with the wooden seat, and a dizzying array of stars danced across her vision as she let loose a pathetic groan.
Suiren decided to jump in then, and Aria's hope left her when she observed that Suiren was now moving just as fast as Kiriak, sending alternations of kicks and punches at her. Seeing the heel of Suiren's boot come crashing towards her head, Aria ducked at the last possible moment and rolled into a somersault, managing to get about three feet away. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw that Suiren had broken through the entire seat in one clean swipe. However, her foot was now stuck in the fallen chunks of wood, and she struggled with it for a few seconds.
Aria was aching all over, and she coughed pathetically, some blood getting on her chin. Completely forgetting Kiriak, she closed her eyes and began to internally heal herself, a light blue encompassing her whole body. Yet as soon as she had almost finished, she felt a heavy foot connect with her mid-spine, making her arch her back and howl in pain. Kiriak sneered down at her, as he grabbed her hair and drew her head back even more horrendously. Aria's eyes began to water and she attempted to send some of her soothing power into Kiriak, but concentration was hard to maintain as the agony intensified.
When she heard Suiren pull her foot free, and Kiriak's laughter, she knew that she had to move or be done for. Her suspicions were confirmed when she felt cold steel pressed against her temple.
Time seemed to freeze.
She could hear Kiriak mutter some sadistic goodbye, the aching cries of the passengers that had already been shot, and the sniff of disdain coming from Agatha. The hammer on the gun cocked back, the sound echoed and hollowed. And Aria knew that this was not how she wanted it to end.
Quickly, she jerked her head down, despite the grinding ache that assaulted her scalp as a few of her hairs ripped out, and brought her leg up as far as she could, managing to kick the gun out of Kiriak's hand. Mentally, she thanked all those years of gymnastics from when she was younger.
"Shit!" Kiriak proclaimed, startled by the sudden action as his prized firearm skittered across the cab, under a seat.
Suiren just sighed, as if this entire situation was just too taxing, and brought her own leg up to kick Aria in the side. Aria, using reflexes fueled by adrenaline, grabbed her ankle, and light blue pulsed from her hands. Suiren whimpered as the healing powers of purification began to burn her, and quickly withdrew her foot.
Kiriak wasted no time, however, and using the grip he had on Aria's hair, he launched her across the room in the opposite direction of the gun. Aria gave out a sharp cry as she slid on her side, hitting the metal legs of the seats with a painful velocity.
Immediately, she began the process of her regeneration, gritting her teeth, and knowing the healing capabilities that she had borrowed were steadily growing weaker. She blinked, and that was all the time it took for Kiriak to appear right in front of her, his hand enclosing around her throat just as he had done to Chuck earlier. As if she weighed nothing but air, the bald man from hell lifted her up and shoved her against the wall. Aria reared back her fist and punched him hardly in the face, and glee filled her when she heard something shatter.
The grip around her throat tightened, and she was finding it hard to breath, but she looked to see the damage she had caused anyway, and was disappointed to find that she had only managed to break one lens of his sunglasses. A solitary vermillion eye glared back at her, and she could feel the hatred flowing through him as if she were an empath.
Black fuzz was beginning to creep up in her vision, and in a last pathetic attempt to save herself, she charged her hands with her power and placed them over Kiriak's forearms. The clothing sizzled and smoke began to rise from his skin as it blistered, but there was a deranged look in Kiriak's eyes, and she realized that nothing short of severing his arms would save her now.
Her amber eyes drifted to Suiren, who was watching the struggling goddess warily, seeming almost afraid of her and her burning hands. Aria began to flail then as she felt the life fading from her, her legs kicking weakly.
Agatha was eyeing her with intensity, as were the other members of the group sent by Hades. The passengers' hate-filled glares seemed to evaporate and they watched her with something akin to pity and graciousness. Aria coughed slightly and hoped that the guardians would let them leave after she was dead.
Blackness had overcome her, and her head desperately wanted to loll to the side, but Kiriak's hands around her neck kept her propped up. She thought of Tessa, Imy, Riley, and most importantly Jimena then. She wondered how they would ever free their souls if no one but herself knew where they were. She bitterly pondered about how she had let them all down. She had let herself down, really.
She exhaled then, and opened her eyes for one last time to stare at the night sky outside of the train's window. Sure enough, a full moon shined in the night, its milky light illuminating the darkness like the light in a storm. Aria felt rather stupid for never admiring its beauty before.
"Any last words, bitch?" Kiriak swore, his teeth still bared like a dog's.
Aria just smiled, "I've learned a lot." Was all she stated.
Kiriak stared at her in confusion for a moment, and opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted when a loud noise reverberated throughout the otherwise silent moments of Aria's death.
Bang!
Aria's conscious lingered long enough to be confused as Kiriak's grip faltered and went limp around her neck as he sagged down on top of her. Aria, having no strength left to hold him up, sunk to the floor, landing on her butt with the Russian on top. She quickly began to cough and gag as air filled her lungs, and she rubbed her throat tenderly.
When her wits and oxygen returned to her, she realized that something warm and sticky had begun to coat her front, and with horror she quickly pushed Kiriak off of her. When she lifted her hands to eye-level, she gaped in disgust when she discovered that they were painted red. Her stare trailed numbly to Kiriak, who, now that he was laying facedown, obviously had a neat, circular hole through his back.
She stood up awkwardly and looked across the cab of the train, where there stood Chuck, holding a shaking, smoking gun in his hands.
Everyone seemed far too shocked to react as he whispered quietly, "You okay?"
Aria replied, in the same tone, "I guess."
"That's good, because I'm sure as fuck not."
Then the screams began.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
And thus, Aria finally 'gets it.'
Do you guys think I should move the rating up to 'M'? I'd rather not, but I've already had my account frozen four times by ff staff so I don't want to take any chances, what do you think?
Man, I didn't want to kill Kiriak, but it was either him or Aria…shucks, I love(d) 'em both! I hate it when this happens!
Next Up: Aria finds a new ally in Chuck, and perhaps a little something more? But will two against the remaining guardians of Hades be enough? Lives are on the line, as well as the futures of the Daughters of the Moon!