-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-: Hey! Lulz, I managed to just barely beat a month mark this time…I think. Anyway, you guys are in for a treat this chapter, and at the same time I believe some of you may end up wanting to kill me….:Shifty Eyes:. It's nothing…Nothing at all… .:throws Jelly Bunnies at everyone to distract them:.
Just a couple of notes…Firstly, I'm in college now!! I'm going for my Associates in Art! X3 It's just a wee community college, but still, I'm excited to be doing something during the day again. And some serious drawing, too. I'm in Figure Drawing, American History(a history course is required, otherwise I wouldn't bother :o ) Ethics and German. W00t! Though, needless to say, that will provide more distraction from my fanfiction, but bear with me, please, it's college, it's my future :P Secondly, Writer's block is a b----…I had a terrible bout of it partway through this chapter, but after I got over the transition part, the rest of it came so easily. Thirdly…I HATE my computer now. It's official, I totally hate it. To get this chapter up, I had to badger it into getting to Gaia, where I PMed this chapter to myself, because it apparently didn't want to login to my FF account…To not say anything of the problems I was having with Word. .:glares:. Augh, and for a second, I'd even thought it'd deleted a long stint of writing…Thank the gods it didn't.
Disclaimer: I don't own Oban, if I did, I'd not be here on I'd be in the studio working on the actual sequel:D (Hint hint, Savin! We love you:3 )
Spellcaster Hikaru: .:glomps:. You know me and my fandom too well, Hikaru-chan! Yes, it is a Lord of the Rings reference, I forgot to mention it in the Author's note…Oh, yeah, I should totally work on that ironic Jordan picture! .:whips out a list long enough to reach the floor, pencils it in:. Right-o, it's on my list. A long list it is…I need to get started on my Shojo Beat contest entry! .:Flails about like Tohru-chan:. It's due on the 27th:0
Shrouded View: I'm sure you've seen the description that I put on her on DeviantArt, right? Yeah, it's basically that there are different regions in Nourasia, and there are several royal families that rule over some of these regions, though none hold as much power as Aikka's does.
Wild Child 15: Sugar highs, those are fun times. Ah, those two really are meant to be, aren't they? X3 And I'll be keeping an eye out for your story, hope everything goes alright with it!
Whitehitsugaya: I'm very glad she's going over so well. It should be interesting how she ties into the story and Molly and Aikka's romance, ne?
Aisha12894: Yay, I like your username, Aisha Clan Clan rocks:D I love Love triangles :3 It was one of my favorite things about the series to begins with! Only this time Aikka's the center .:Shifty eyes:. No Almene in this chapter, but we'll be seeing her soon, and see how she interacts in the triangle :)
Crystal Persian: Here you go, sorry for the wait!
DramaQueen of the Moon: Glad you like it! And yep, Janni's protective of Molly, just like her brother! X3
Fushica: Lol, go easy on her…XD And yes, sad line, but true T.T
IchikoKitsuneKoumori: Thanks so much:3 And yeah, I'm not really sure when I connected the Sending from FFX to Nourasia, but it fit so naturally. And yes, the Princess:D We haven't heard the last of her!
Thechickenlittle: Yeah, it should be a rather interesting relationship all around, I look forward to writing more of it. Glad you like Almene, and thanks for the review:3
Goldenrider: I agree! What's a story without some twists along the way?
Galonicandragon: I'm sorry about the lateness recently, but life just has it's ways of getting in the way of things…Life and crappy computers…
Keyda841: lol, have faith in our favorite couple! X3 Stay tuned and see what happens, I do hope you like it!
RedMageSalyre: Glad it's working so well. And don't worry, my lateness is probably worse! .:sweatdrop:. The ceremony was one of my favorite parts to write, too, and I'm actually going to be doing a picture for it, a request from Shrouded View! I don't know how soon I'll get it, but it's on my list! And I totally agree about the fiancée thing, that's just how royalty works, really.
Seaki Nerah: Aww, thank you! .:bows:. I still wouldn't say I'm the best though….:blushes:. And we'll see how Aikka handles things this chapter, perhaps! ;)
Daemon Chick: Here you go, thanks for waiting and reading!
OSR4ever: Thanks, here's my update, sorry about the wait.
IchigoNekoKun: LOL, poor, poor Jordy. I'm sure Janni will tell him that second part of the code… after he gets a bit roughed up :D I'm sure she's amused.
Heather547: Thanks for the review, here's an update for you!
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-Chapter 16-
No Matter What
--
It seems that Nourasia is a very peaceful place, even in times of war; this was the new Avatar's conclusion. Even with a fleet of Crogs hovering within striking distance of their planet, life continued on, mostly as it normally did. Repairs were made to damage, the fallen were memorialized and guided onto the next stage of life after death...
But mostly, the Nourasians didn't let the fear get to them. This had to be one of the essences of their people; they were strong, confident, even if put to face-to-face battle, the Crogs would be the more likely winner. They all seemed to support one another in these types of times, the kingdom was obviously quite close-knit. Watching them carry on, help each other with repairs on the broken city, even laugh with one another, one would hardly guess that they were really, in a matter of speaking, a press of a button away from another attack.
But to say that the fear wasn't still imminent, more importantly, that the threat wasn't still imminent, would be a mistake. The Nourasians knew, the Avatar knew; the Crogs weren't done yet. How could they be? With only moderate damage to the royal city, Kross's loss not yet avenged on either front, Nourasia or Earth. The Crogs would deem themselves lowly cowards were they to leave their business unfinished.
No, the Avatar knew, the Crogs were biding their time. It wasn't so much a question of if they would once more attack Nourasia, Aikka, and Eva, but a matter of when. Behind the leader of Kross, their leader who'd miraculously survived the last race of Oban, a feat that earned him great respects despite the fact that he was outdone by a human(which they even began classifying as a fluke on Eva's part...), the Crogs waited, staring down though Kross's one uninjured eye at the supposedly pitiful, primitive little planet known as Nourasia.
"General Kross, sir," One Crog officer announced himself dutifully, standing rigidly at attention before a Kross, who was staring out onto the waters and lands that Sekai and Sera had created long long ago. "The warships that have returned from Earth have been properly resupplied. We are awaiting your next order."
"Very good..." Kross sneered at Nourasia, recalling the report that had come yesterday, and not to his surprise; his officers he'd sent to capture a certain 'Molly' of Earth, reported having seen none other than Prince Aikka, actually preventing them from attaining their goal. They'd lost the girl and the prince when they'd made it to that Earthen track, and there was no doubt in Kross's mind, that the girl was now wherever the prince was. He'd actually almost expected the prince to be dead, before he'd recieved word from the Earth attack, given the information that Toros had supplied to him, the would-be mortal wound he'd inflicted on the prince. Though, he wasn't surprised at all, the prince's precious 'princess' probably helped him to stay alive once they were reunited. Which, for the moment, was alright with the General, as he himself wanted the satisfaction of teaching the prince his place.
"I have been very forgiving of yours and the other's failure to retrieve the human, but you must understand your mistake and make up for it." Kross said coldly to the smaller Crog, who shrunk slightly as Kross turned a narrowed eye to him. "Luckily, I do believe we can manage this."
The smaller Crog was obediently silent as Kross turned fully from the window of their space craft. He heard the faint sound of mechanical joints as Kross raised a vast hand, flexing it as he watched it work. Glaring at the hand with malice in his one eye, Kross growled.
"That human brat will pay..."
With that, Kross's hand formed into a fist.
--
Janni Wilde sighed lazily, thinking that her personal hand gun could not be any cleaner as she broke out of a trance. Staring out over the first plain of the racing canyons, the 'bleachers' below her and listening to the sound of mechanical tinkering as Stan, Koji and Eva inspected the Phantom's damage, Janni let her hand sink slowly, her gun glinting with a flash of red from the sun. What else had she been thinking about, other than the persistent subject of Aikka's marital status?
It was hard to think of other things, when her best friend was falling for the possibly engaged prince...and they hadn't seen either the prince or the princess since the matter came up. Janni almost had half a mind to just ask Canaan or Takai straight out, for better or worse, but then again, asking Canaan may not herald a merciful answer. And Takai, she just hadn't seen for a while either. But, looking at a pair of dark brown eyes reflecting in her gleaming gun, inspecting her obsessive work on the thing, she tried to convince herself to stay out of the subject; that this was in Eva's control now. Hers and the prince's...
"If I may ask, what exactly is that thing?" A familiar voice sounded behind her, as smooth as Aikka's but deeper. Turning, she saw Takai standing above her, an odd look of curiosity in his eyes. She grinned amusedly, and patted the stone ledge next to her, motioning for him to sit down. He obliged, folding his legs underneath him and sitting up straight, a posture reminiscent to Janni of the Japanese back home on Earth.
"It's a gun. A laser gun, to be exact." Janni explained, at which Takai nodded.
"How does it work?" he asked. Though his question was honest, Janni worked to keep herself from laughing. Instead she simply held out the gun as if she were aiming to shoot the opposite wall of the canyon.
"Simple, just aim and shoot," Janni said, grinning evilly at her would-be target. Looking back at Takai, she shrugged. "That's all there is to it, really."
"Hmm, but this is a much smaller version than the Crogs use..." he said obviously. Janni nodded.
"Well, this is just a compact version. Easier to carry around with you." She explained. "And let's face it, the Crogs are showboats, they like to gloat any way they possibly can!" Takai gave a laugh, and Janni actually smiled, finding that it was a nice sound.
"I can't disagree with that!" He said amusedly. "But may I see it?" He asked, almost childlike. Janni laughed slightly, but nodded.
"Sure, just don't hurt yourself," She said, placing the weapon into his waiting hand, watching it sink with the weight of the metal. Takai's eyes widened slightly at the feel of steel as his hand wrapped around the handle as he'd seen Janni using it. Aiming it towards the same cliff, Janni watched with a knowing grin as Takai pressed in the trigger, his eyes shutting halfway in anticipation for the foreign firearm to shoot, but then immediately looked puzzled as nothing happened.
"It's...not working," Takai observed, looking from the gun to Janni. "Did I do something wrong to it?" He looked genuinely worried and apologetic, but Janni still burst out into laughter.
"No, no…The safety was on! You always...put the safety on when you clean your guns...!" She said between attacks of laughter, bewildering Takai even more. His tan cheeks darkened as he realized he'd just been fooled by the human girl, and he swiftly returned the gun to her hand and looked away. Janni then caught on as soon as the cold metal touched her hand, and stopped laughing.
"Oh, wait, you're not mad, are you?" She asked, a deep flush coming to her own cheeks as she leaned towards him. "I-I didn't mean it like that, I mean, it was just a little joke!"
He still did not look back at her, aside from moving his brown eyes to put her in his peripheral vision. This was mainly a precraution in case the temperature in his cheeks proved to be present in color as well. He couldn't say he was mad, in fact, hearing the human girl laugh, it was almost infectious...
Janni, though, could then tell that he was just more or less, sulking as of now, and unseen to Takai, grinned. She decided that surprising him was a fun thing to do when left on her own in a strange world, and decided to plow on.
"Huh, and I was hoping you could show me how to use a bow..." She said disappointedly. To her delight, this brought Takai out of his wayward staring, his brown eyes wide.
"You...wish to use a bow? You want me to teach you?" Takai asked her, raising an eyebrow. Janni smiled and leaned back onto the heels of her palms.
"Yeah, it's always looked pretty cool, gunning is awesome and everything but I wanna try something different, you know? It takes a lot more skill to shoot a bow than to pull a trigger...Maybe it'd even help improve my aim in general!" Janni said to an intently listening Takai. "And what better place to learn it then Nourasia, right? Only I don't know anyone than you and Aikka...and let's face it, Aikka'd rather teach Eva, if anyone!" She finished with a laugh. Takai raised both his eyebrows at this, but had to agree.
"Yes, I can see where that may be a problem," Takai said. "But I suppose if you are serious, I could be your teacher..."
"Really? You're serious?" Janni lit up, leaning off her hands and towards the Nourasian. She didn't even happen to notice the slight blush spreading on her cheeks. "That's great! I'll be a good student, I swear!"
Takai smiled as she exclaimed her eagerness, raising a fist in determination. Setting one hand on his hip, he grinned down at her.
"Very well, we'll start tomorrow, then," he told her, taking a liking to watching the light in her dark eyes get brighter and brighter. "Just don't be surprised if I hand you a rigged bow, at least then we'd be even."
Janni blinked a couple of times at this, but then, at his playful grin, realized that it had been Takai's take at humor. She burst out laughing and gave him a play-shove on the arm.
"See, I knew you weren't a total stiff!" she continued laughing.
Takai looked at the girl, still finding himself confused by her unusual behavior, but somehow found himself surrendering a small bout of laughter as well. He even surprised himself by mimicking her playful gesture and lightly pushing her back. Footsteps sounded behind them as their laughter began to fade, and a familiar voice called them back to reality.
"Am I interupting anything?" Aikka asked from above them, a tilted smile at seeing the two interacting so freely. He almost felt a longing to have that for himself and Eva again, it seemed like so long ago that they'd last laughed together...
"Nope, not a thing," Janni said cheerfully as she got to her feet, sticking her gun in the back of her belt again. Takai soon joined them, and looked at the prince inquisitively.
"Is there anything you need, Aikka?" Takai asked dutifully, while Janni felt herself fade just slightly into the background of things. Aikka then recalled the reason he was talking to them, and resumed his business-like face.
"Well, you recall that the knighthood is doing the city errands today? I have consulted my parents, and they've consented," he looked at Janni. "That Lady Janni and Lady Eva can come with us, to help out, and to see more of the culture and the city. The Crogs are holding their lines, so my father deems it safe enough."
Janni made a noise of disbelief, and stared wide-eyed at the prince, while Takai nodded. Aikka could tell that Janni hardly believed him, so he continued on.
"I know, it seems hard to believe, but there is the shield over the city, and the fact that the Crog fleets are currently on the other side of the planet right now, to consider." Aikka smiled. "And Eva will have three guardians with her, and we will be using cloaks to keep a lower profile. There's really little to worry about." Aikka assured her.
Janni slowly nodded, and then caught sight of Eva making her way towards them. Stan and Koji were seen in the background continuing maintainence of the Phantom. Even Rick seemed to be sitting off to the side, watching the Nourasian boys and the human girl with a knowing little grin on his face as they all converged. Janni felt a little pinprick of nervousness, looking at Rick, he was looking at her too, in the same knowing way he looked upon Aikka and Eva. She didn't need to see past the glasses to see that. Scratching the back of her neck awkwardly, the gunner turned back to the group.
"So, when do we leave?" Eva was just eagerly asking the prince. Apparently she'd already heard the news before Janni had.
Aikka only looked at her with a smile that showed both signs of happiness, and of a vague sadness. It seemed that only Janni happened to notice this, and took it to note for later contemplation, as the group headed back towards the bridgeway to the palace.
--
Going through the streets of Daalan, one could hardly tell that there was a war going on, if they weren't properly informed of recent events. Aside from damages that were being busily repaired by the knights of Nourasia, the city bore hardly the image of a war torn civilization. People milled about, not with worry or fear, but with cheer and laughter.
Perhaps it was just their desensitization to the Crogs' presence that made this so, but either way, it did Eva good to see the people carrying on, to see children able to play out in the streets as she, Janni, Takai and the prince passed by.
The hoods, of course, didn't prevent their human traits from being obvious, and many stopped to greet them, along with the prince, recognizing them as the humans who had been referred to during the Sending ceremony just the other night. Eva's worries about being accepted by Aikka's people began to dwindle fast as the afternoon progressed.
Meanwhile, the prince and his troupe helped wherever the help was needed, repairing the wooden and sometimes stone structures that had been victimized in the Crogs' attack, much as they'd seen other knights do on their way. Keeping to the idea of keeping a lower profile, they were currently working in the less-crowded, side streets of Daalan, which also happened to be where the damage was the lightest.
As they set out again after helping a small Nourasian family with their torn roof, the group set out again. Aikka and Eva took the lead, with Takai and Janni bringing up the rear, involved in casual conversation, most often on the discussion and sometimes debate of long-range weapons of choice. Eva grinned at the fact that the two had found something in common to talk about, but then faded as she remembered her own predicament with the prince next to her. The silence between them, to an outsider, would look pleasant and comfortable, but in both Nourasian and human, there were bubbling feelings of anxiousness over the same silence.
Eva reflected, under the crimson star and soft red-white clouds dotting the sky, that she'd fully intended to, somewhere during the day, get the prince to talk to her, to ask him about Almene. But so far she'd been silent about the subject that she'd been pondering over against her will the previous night, and working had distracted her quite efficiently. Besides all that, just trying to form the words was one of the hardest things she'd tried to do in a while.
Aikka, similarly, was still trying to figure out how to exactly how to bring it up and tell Eva about his engagement lightly, along with when he should do so. It wouldn't do to just mention it out of the blue, he had to have her in a serious setting, and he'd actually rather take care of it without the company of Takai and Janni; this was between himself and Eva, and she had to know that despite this engagement hanging over his head, that he did care about her. Of all the times to be a prince, this was one of the hardest.
The ache in his chest at this haunting thought was drawn away from Aikka's attention, however, when a middle-aged Nourasian woman, holding a bundled child, came from the side of the road where the Crogs' marks were only slight on her house. Despite the fact that her house seemed nearly perfect condition, the woman looked positively frantic with worry.
"Prince, Prince Aikka, what a relief!" she said, bowing before the group. "I'm in need of help, please!"
"Yes, Lady Juni, you'd like help with your wall?" Aikka suggested politely, bowing back. The woman actually vigorously shook her head, a frown set into her face.
"No, no, that can be easily taken care of, I won't bother you and your group with that…" She said, giving passing glances to the others, only barely taking notice of the two human girls. "You know my son, Taaku, he is missing!"
Aikka stiffened slightly at this, while Eva glanced between him and the woman. Aikka knew this boy?
"When did you last see him?" Aikka asked.
"Just this morning, but I called him for the mid-day meal, and he was gone!" Juni panicked. She suddenly looked as though she recalled something, and looked at Aikka with wide eyes.
"The forest, he may be in the forest, he has a friend, on the other side…He's said many times since the attacks that he's worried about her!" She said, pointing off towards a stretch of the Nourasian forest that, sure enough had reached from the edge of Daalan and into the vast city. "The way through the forest is the quickest way to get to her house! I would go myself, but, my youngest needs me here…" She said, giving a loving but worried glance at the baby in her arms.
"Don't worry, I'll do what I can to find him." Aikka nodded, and turned to the others. Takai, Janni, why don't you stay and help Lady Juni with her repairs while Molly and I go look in the forest?"
"No way, Princey, wherever Eva goes, I go. Avatar's orders." Janni immediately said, clutching her brother's dog tags in her hand. Aikka sighed at her stubbornness, but Takai cut in.
"It's alright, I can handle it alone. You three go on." The knight said, meeting Janni's eyes last, and giving a smile to her. Janni hesitated just for a second at this gesture, but straightened herself out, clearing her throat.
"So, let's go find Taaku, already!" She said cheerily. Juni couldn't keep from smiling at the bunch.
"Thank you so much, I'm sorry for inconveniencing you like this," She gave a deep a bow as the cooing baby in her arms would allow.
"It is no trouble, we will return soon." Aikka said kindly, returning a bow.
Reaching the edge of the forest in no time, Aikka led them in by way of a curving dirt pathway into the forest of violet. Soon enough, they were far enough into the rough forest route that all sounds of the city around them were lost, that it was nearly wilderness, were it not for path markers of swirling bronze wood on the side of the 'road'. In here the trees were wilder, more so than what little Eva had been able to see before then, anyway. Their trunks were formed of several winding pieces, and she was sure there were similar things on Earth. Looking up, the branches from all the trees almost seemed to weave and wind with each other, sometimes until you could not tell where one branch ended and another began. And all throughout, crimson beams of light poured into the thick woods.
The scenery actually had Eva and Janni quite occupied for a while but eventually the silence was broken.
"So who exactly is this kid, and how do you know him?" Janni asked Aikka, who strode on the opposite side of Eva. Eva then glanced sideways at Aikka, curious herself.
"Taaku is a boy, who is training to become a knight. I personally know him because, aside from knighthood, he is quite enthusiastic about racing and beetles. He even has one of his own, up at the stables. He actually visits and trains quite frequently so the two of them can obtain a bond such as the one G'dar and I have." Aikka explained, leading them a bit downhill where the path was rougher and a bit more jagged than it had been.
Aikka suddenly stopped, his long ears adjusting to the sounds of the clearing. Glancing around silently, Eva took note of the clearing here. A large cliff of stone bordered the north western part of the place, near where they'd just come in, even a creek ran through the valley of a clearing. Purple leaved trees still bordered on all the other sides, but the branches seemed more 'normal' here and didn't wind and tangle together as much. Although, they were still rather thick.
Aikka was currently staring up through the branches, and suddenly smiled.
"Taaku! Come down here," Aikka called up to the trees, and sure enough, there was soon some rustling, a bit of purple leaves raining down on their heads, before a figure dropped nimbly from the trees.
"Prince Aikka!" the boy said, straightening himself up, only coming up in height to Eva's chest and looking only about nine or ten, by human time. He had the same sandy brown hair as his mother did, and large green eyes that seemed to pierce whatever they looked at.
"What were you doing up there?" Aikka asked, with a raised eyebrow as Taaku brushed himself off.
"I was hiding, what else?" He responded evenly. "I heard noises…I didn't know what it was, but it sounded big…Then you guys showed up!" He said cheerfully. "You two are the humans that the king was talking about, weren't you?" He said admirably to Janni and Eva. Janni and Eva nodded, only blushing slightly; they were beginning to be desensitized to the surprise of being revered as heroes.
"Anyway, what in the name of the spirits are you doing out here alone, without telling your mother, no less?" Aikka asked, sounding the part of a worried, scolding father. "Your mother was so worried when we reached your house!"
Taaku looked away, part ashamed, part wanting desperately to prove his point. He turned out of his wayward pouting, to exclaim to the prince his case.
"But I have to see her! I have to make sure she's safe!" Fiery green eyes faced all three of the others, while a light pink touched his cheeks on top of the Nourasian tan of his skin.
"See who?" Eva asked curiously, coming to a knee to be on the level with him. The boy blushed a little more, and looked downward.
"Kisara. She's my best friend…and I…" He stopped, the words dying in his throat out of sheer timidity. "I gotta tell her that I…"
Aikka felt his eyes widen; he suddenly had a distinct idea of what Taaku was trying to say.
"That you what?" Eva asked Taaku quietly.
"That…" Taaku hesitated, looking at Eva's crimson eyes. "That I love her!" he said hoarsely, the blush on his cheeks only increasing. "I have to tell her…"
"Well, can't that wait? Aikka's right, your mother is worried sick!" Janni put in.
"No! I have to go now, if it's not too late…Before something else happens, before we're attacked again!" Taaku cried in objection. "I don't even know if she's ok!"
"What do you mean, if it's not too late?" Eva asked gently. Taaku looked away, it was evident that the boy was holding back tears.
"I haven't heard from her since before the Crogs attacked us. And then I didn't see her at the Sending…" Taaku said, evidently becoming more worried the more he thought and spoke of it. "She could be hurt, or…" he trailed off.
"You…You'd want to know if someone loved you before something happened to you, right?" Taaku asked Eva quietly. "If you loved someone, you'd want to know if they loved you back before it was too late, wouldn't you?"
At this Eva was dumbstruck, and Aikka watched on as if it were happening on a screen in front of him; a scene he could see but not touch. As if he were stuck from interacting with it.
"Wouldn't you want to know, no matter what?" Taaku's voice sounded distant not only to Aikka, but to Eva as well. This question burrowed deeper than the others had, and she had to keep a strong hold on herself to keep from delving into dark thoughts surrounding Aikka's possible engagement as she stared back at Taaku. Aikka, meanwhile, felt the breath in his chest freeze, as if the next words to come out of Eva's mouth were the most important of his life. Eva glanced down at the ground, in thought, for just a second.
"You know what, I would," She said softly, crimson eyes meeting up with green again. Aikka didn't know what to do with this information, and stood stoicly to the side where he'd been, watching the scene on the screen before him.
"But I also wouldn't want the person I love to be out, possibly putting themselves in danger in times like this like you are." Eva said jokingly, setting her hands on her hips. Taaku felt slightly more at ease, and crossed his arms.
"Huh, I can take care of myself, human." He gave a little harumph. Eva laughed at this.
"Well, tell you what, maybe if we go back and let your mom know you're ok, maybe we can take you over to Kisara!" Eva suggested. "What do you say to that?" She winked at the boy.
"You'd really do that?" Taaku asked uncertainly. Eva nodded.
"You'd better believe it!" Eva smiled, standing up again. "That is, if that's ok with Aikka," She looked over at the prince, who was still in a wistful daze. Drawing himself out of it, he nodded.
"Great! Then lets get going before the daylight runs out on us!" Eva said enthusiastically. Janni nodded with a laugh for the other girl's sudden knack with children.
"Right, let's get back then!" Janni said, leading the way back up the sloped path. Taaku, catching sight of her handgun sticking out of the back of her belt. Chasing after, spouting questions about it, the boy followed Janni, with Eva close behind, laughing as Janni flustered over the Nourasians' fascination with guns. Aikka began to follow after them all, but the sounds had all but faded out for him.
'Wouldn't you want to know, no matter what?' Taaku's words rang out in his mind, followed by Eva's answer. And no matter which way he looked at it, Aikka found himself with a new perspective on his own problems. Stopping in his tracks, he couldn't help himself, his heart had somehow made up his mind for him. Eva had to know the truth. The whole truth. He wanted her to know.
"Ah…Molly…" His voice came quiet, it was a wonder Eva had heard it, she thought to herself. Watching as Janni and Taaku went on up the slope, Taaku still marveling at the gun, she turned crimson eyes to a rather awkward looking Aikka, standing only a few paces from where he began. His sapphire eyes held a rare nervousness, one that Eva'd never seen there before. Finally, he swallowed his fear, and stepped forward just a few more paces.
"I…need to tell you something." Eva looked at him oddly, before her breath caught. Could this be the talk she'd feared from him?
Taking careful steps down the uneven pathway to come level with him, Eva never took her eyes away from his once. Aikka, similarly, didn't look away. And somehow, he could almost sense the knowing that Eva held for the situation. Perhaps she and Almene had met already?
"I'm listening," Eva said softly, looking up at the prince. The clearing was silent now, save for the running creek. It took Aikka a few seconds to summon the words, as he looked away slightly.
"Eva, I…" the words faded as he set eyes on her again, illuminated by the dull crimson light that reached into the clearing, her eyes reminding him of the Nourasian star. She was completely concentrated on him, and so close, to reach out to her would be to put her into his arms…And before he could stop himself, all words were abandoned and he was leaning in closer.
Eva's eyes had widened significantly; the prince's use of her real name in such private circumstances had surprised her, but this, the prince leaning closer, feeling his hand searching for hers…that was enough to make her heart jump at her throat. She felt her heart increase its rhythm against her chest, her cheeks warming up, but before Aikka's hand enclosed around hers, just as she felt the prince's steady breath against her mouth, it all stopped. All of it ended with the simple sound of snapping twigs, and a deep, malevolent laugh.
"I'm starting to see what you meant when you said your friendship with the Earth team was a 'personal matter', young prince," The cold, hard voice of General Kross sounded behind Aikka.
Eva momentarily felt as if someone had poured ice water all over her as she heard the voice, caught sight of the large shadow that stood some feet behind Aikka. Whirling around and concealing Eva with his whole body, the prince reached for the sword at his hip.
Noticing this move all too easily, Eva objected. As his hand closed aroung the hilt, hers closed around his.
"Aikka, no! What are you doing?!" the girl hissed desperately, as Aikka glanced sideways at her, not taking his main focus off the Crogs standing just yards away.
"Get out of here, Molly. Get Janni and Taaku and run!" he told her back. Eva immediately shook her dual-colored head.
"No, I'm not leaving you alone!" Eva said stubbornly, still keeping a hold on both his sword-seeking hands. The memories of the wounds he'd suffered in the last attack on his people ran threateningly through her mind as she stared him down.
"I'm not asking you, Molly, now get out of here! I will not have you hurt!" Aikka growled back.
"I'm not leaving without you!" Eva's voice elevated, her eyes full of both frustration and fear. Aikka opened his mouth to retort, Kross chose then to make himself known again.
"Let her stay, prince," He said with a cackle, "That way, she can see just what she did to me on Oban!" His one eye narrowed into a slit again, while Eva stiffened, and Aikka turned the rest of his attention to the Crog.
Stepping more into a patch of light, Kross put the emphasis on his right arm, putting it forward. Now Eva could see, along with Aikka, the line that seemed to band his upper arm, jagged and bare, the mark of a scar. The rest of the arm downward seemed to be completely mechanical, including his giant, gauntlet-fitted forearm and hand.
"I may have managed to survive that race with my life in tact, even with my reputation, but you cost me a great deal of time, energy and pain, you worthless human." Kross leered straight past Aikka and into Eva's crimson eyes. "Robotic limbs and biological mass do not mix peacefully, and I intend for you to pay the full price for this!" Kross made a fist with his bionic arm, with the sounds of metallic clinking answering from the joints.
Aikka took a step back, Eva having no choice but to follow suit. Footsteps reached both of their ears, and Eva turned her head to the entrance of the clearing. Sure enough, Janni and Taaku appeared there seconds later.
"Aikka, Eva, you coming or…" Janni called out to them, trailing off as she caught sight of the Crog looming over the two. Her mind jolted for a second, from her brother's memories, this was none other than General Kross himself.
Taaku came just behind her, and looked dumbstruck at the scene. Janni pressed him backwards as she reached behind her for her gun, and running forward a few paces, pointed it at Kross, who looked unperturbed.
"Dammit, Aikka, I thought you said there was a shield over the city!!" Janni yelled at the prince, not taking her eyes off the Crog. Aikka went to reply, but again, Kross beat him to it with a heinous laugh.
"Amazing, how easily your precious shield can fall when just one of your primitive mages is taken out," Kross suggested lazily, turning a sneer to Aikka, who now looked, above all else, appalled. He tried again for his sword, but Eva's hands were still preventing him from unsheathing it.
In this moment, Janni decided to take advantage of the fact that Kross had his eye on Aikka and Eva, and shot a generous round directly at Kross's head. It brought Eva and Aikka out of their fight for his sword, as Kross merely lifted his mechanical gauntlet to effectively block each and every one of Janni's shots. Laser fire ricocheted off the metal, some of it firing straight through the trees, others hitting the dirt and creating little clouds of dust.
"Pitiful." Kross hissed at Janni. "Now let me show you mine."
With that, he extended his arm out, palm facing Janni. Red light began gathering there in the palm of his hand, and his arm seemed to give a technological hum. Eva, knowing, or at least having a guess, at what exactly was happening before her, never wanted to run so much in her life, though she seemed to find herself completely paralyzed there, hands glued to Aikka's. Aikka was in a similar position, and Janni found herself contemplating whether she was staring down a Crog or Death itself.
As the light grew, Kross took full note of surroundings, including the scared little boy in the back of things, too scared to move away from the bottom of the cliff. Just as his gun-hand fired, Kross brought his hand upwards, shooting at, not Janni, but the cliff itself. Janni was dumbstruck at what just happened, meanwhile, Aikka and Eva both gasped as the cliff began to crumble.
"Taaku!!" Eva screamed as the rock rained down, the boy noticing the avalanche above him, but still being too petrified to move. Aikka suddenly felt his hands go free in that instant, and he only vaguely recognized that Eva was pelting off towards the rockslide itself.
"MOLLY!" He suddenly cried as he realized it wasn't a dream after all, as Eva dove under rocks and tackled Taaku to the ground as a massive piece crushed the spot where he'd been standing.
The damage rupturing the cliff was bad enough, though, that they were almost out of harm's way, but not quite. "Un Sekai shalenar!!" A blue orb formed at Aikka's outstretched fingertips, before zooming off, growing by the second, to rest with Eva and Taaku in the middle, protecting them from more rockfall.
"You sonnuva…" Janni turned a glare back at Kross after ensuring that Eva and Taaku had survived, thanks to Aikka's magic orb. She knew pointing her gun at him would be pointless, though, and immediately settled for running to Eva's side.
Aikka finally drew his sword, meanwhile, and shuffled over to set himself directly between Kross and the rubble where Eva, Taaku and Janni were. Kross glared down at the prince in front of him, laughing almost amusedly.
"Perhaps I should really take you out first, Aikka, then my retribution to the human will be all the easier," He said, raising his mechanical gauntlet again, this time the metal shifting around itself to reveal an arm blade, not unlike the ones other of his kind usually equipped. Aikka's eye flashed at the blade that had come out of nowhere, but his attention was mainly focused behind him, where he heard the scuffling of Janni making way through stone to Eva.
"Eva, you ok?" Janni asked frantically, kicking rocks maliciously out of the way and kneeling down to the two. Taaku seemed alright, but still dazed, and above him, Eva had regained herself, but was holding her right forearm.
"Yeah, I'm fine, but I…think I landed wrong…" She said through gritted teeth. Crimson eyes then sought out Aikka, finding him and Kross in another stare-down. She was suddenly fearful about who'd make the next move, and when. She only vaguely felt Janni's fingers quickly scanning her wrist and arm, only vaguely felt the pain that coincided with it.
"Well, it's not broken, that's a good thing…Now what the Hell are we going to do?" Janni's eyes narrowed towards the confrontation between Nourasian and Crog. Before anyone could do anything, however, more twigs in the surrounding wood snapped, and in several places, large footfalls could be heard.
Janni hunched closer to Eva as they revealed themselves, two more Crogs stepping out into the open. Aikka gaped at each of them, processing the new information. Looking back, he saw the other three huddled in the rubble, just next to the pathway back to the city.
Repositioning himself to be in front of all of the Crogs instead of just Kross, Aikka yelled over his shoulder.
"Get yourselves out, NOW!" His heart raced, but he knew he just wanted Eva out of this whole mess. "I'll hold them off, all three of you go!!"
Eva of course, opened her mouth to protest leaving him behind as the two Crogs drew swords of their own, stomping up to level with Kross and glaring almost amusedly at the scene before them. Her protests didn't reach far, however, as Janni grabbed her by the cloak and shirt underneath and dragged her along towards the exit.
"We expect you to come back alive, Princey!!" Janni yelled with a near-shaky voice. Eva couldn't believe what she was seeing, the prince fading away as she had no choice but to follow after Janni's stronghold on her clothes.
"No, I'm not leaving him behind!! Aikka!" She shouted, abandoning her injured arm to reach out to the distant prince, who only stood before the Crogs, staring over his shoulder as they left. The Crogs made an advance after the humans on Kross's commands, and Aikka turned his attention to his sword, running a swift hand over the blade, chanting a spell that was lost to Eva's cries. He lifted the sword as the other Crogs ran toward him, but Eva saw no more as the scene was lost to her, due to the twists and slope of the pathway.
"Aikka!!"
--
By the time they reached the edge of the forest, Eva's voice was growing hoarse, her face drenched in tears and sweat. Janni, similarly, was coated in sweat as well, mainly from keeping the stubborn Eva from running back. Taaku was simply mortified at all that happened.
"Why, Why'd we leave him!?" Eva shouted, more tears rolling down her cheeks. "Against three Crogs, what kind of chance could he have alone!? You didn't see what they did to him last time they attacked! You haven't seen the scars!!" She yelled at Janni, who stood, understanding at Eva's anger.
"We were useless in that fight Eva, we would have only been another target for him to protect!" Janni retorted just as loudly as Eva began to shake with a cross of fear and rage. "Let's go get Takai, the knights will do something. If anyone can help him, it's them."
Janni then turned and marched off after Taaku at a hurried pace. Eva whipped her head to look away, glaring at a hapless shrub on the side of the forest. As much as she hated it, Janni was right, they were no use there. Not even Janni's gun had done any good, and Eva herself was of course injured. But leaving the prince behind? Why couldn't they just have all run away together?
"Dammit!!" Eva resisted the urge to scream the profanity at the top of her lungs, and just settled for repeating it a few times more at a more hushed tone.
Looking back at the pathway into the forest, she had half a mind to run back in there. But a terrible throbbing meant that her injury was finally catching up to her as she leaned over, clutching her arm. Cursing her uselessness once more, she stalked off the short distance to Takai and Janni, who were presently herding Taaku's mother back into her house.
"Three Crogs, one the General…This is bad…" Takai was muttering as he slung his bow over his shoulder, and whipped an arrow from his quiver. Chanting a spell and pointing the arrow directly upward, he shot off a blue-blazing arrow. The thing soared into the sky, before stopping high above, a blue orb emanating from it. Beams then shot out from several sides, much like the avatar's symbol on the flying temple had done everytime there was a race. With this motion, there seemed to be a heavy sound that could be felt all the way back into the town, and a collective mood settled on Daalan, one of present fear and apprehension. It was Eva's idea of a Nourasian siren, of sorts.
Takai surveyed the skies impatiently, and within a minute, forms of giant beetles could be seen across the sky, all seeming destined for the same place, the edge of the forest where the alarm had been raised by Takai. Taaku stood staring fearfully at all that was around, no doubt thinking about his friend Kisara, Eva forlornly thought.
"Taaku, here's your first important mission as a Nourasian knight in training;" Takai said urgently, kneeling down to level with Taaku. The boy's green eyes widened significantly, but he made no objection. "Guide Lady Eva and Lady Janni back to the palace. Stop for no one. If you see a Crog, immediately switch courses and send up a flare shot." He said, handing the youth both his bow and quiver. "Stay at the palace until it is deemed safe to come out into the city again, do you understand?"
Taku looked nothing short of overwhelmed at the task, but true to Nourasian form, was determined to not back down and succeed. With a deep bow, he accepted Takai's presentation of arms.
"I will, Master Takai," With that, Takai again stood.
"What about you?" Janni suddenly asked with a shaky voice.
"What else? I go after Aikka." Takai's eyes blazed as he unsheathed both his swords in one liquid movement. He caught Janni's scared look, and tried to smile. "Don't worry, I will return." He looked at the tearstained face of Eva. "With the Prince. That's a promise."
Janni opened her mouth to say more, but nothing came out as Takai sprinted off at alarming speed into the forest. Eva glared at the other girl, now she knew how it felt to be forced to leave someone they loved behind. She thought back to Aikka, the last bit she'd seen of the fight, trying to picture in her mind what would have happened next to ensure Aikka's safety. How would he have next moved the blade to protect himself?
"Come, follow me," Taaku said, still shaky and nervous of his sudden duty, but ready to see it to its end. Eva looked back at the forest once more, and prayed to the spirits of the moons, that she'd be able to see Aikka alive again. That perhaps, that last, near-intimate moment between them, wouldn't be their last.
She momentarily reached the back of her hand up to wipe some moisture from her slightly swollen eyes, and then began after the others under the blue light of the still-swirling signal that Takai had sent up.
-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-: .:dodges barrage of angry reviewers:. Heh, please don't kill me…I think that's all I have to say…Other than I really love Nourasia's scenery in my head… .:Sparkly eyes:.