Okay, I'll make this quick because I have to go to bed. So, in this chapter we get a little backstory from Ash before Elliot heads home. Yeah, that's it. Oh, and it wasn't really such a long chapter because I ran out of ideas for it.
Thank you for the new reveiws (you know who you are!)
I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way.
~Sucker Punch~
Chapter 10: After the Storm
The pistol fell from Ash's hand and clattered upon hitting the floor. Her arm slowly went back to her side and she knew her secret was exposed; she had unconsciously called 'it' out to make sure the bullet hit its mark, seeing as her accuracy isn't too good.
How far was the incuse now?
Ash's eyes went back to Algood, and then she looked at Elliot. Meanwhile, he was in shock of her, the girl who had just shot down their enemy.
Ash had seemed to be perfectly alright; a bright personality, optimistic, kind, a good fighter, all those things. But now, he didn't know what to think of her anymore. Elliot knew the symbol that glowed through her blouse, and it was all starting to click. There was only was reason hat symbol was there, that ink black hand having moved once more.
Ash was an illegal contractor, her Chain being this…bird or phoenix, or whatever kind of Chain it was.
"Ash," Elliot started, but was cut off by the other's smile.
"I'll finish this, before I'm finished myself." Her tone was so calm, deathly calm.
"Wait, Ash-"
She didn't hear them, only raised her arm again. "Phoenix."
Her eyes turned blank and a chain suddenly flames erupted from her raised arm, leaping from her fingertips and, like lightning, shot onto the dead body in front of Elliot. In an instant, it was engulfed in flames and turned into ashes when the embers vanished.
To Elliot, Ash looked so emotionless and fierce just standing there, now lowering her arm once more, entirely opposite of what he thought she was.
Ash then smiled softly. "He's gone now, he won't hurt us, nor Leo." Elliot saw a wavering in her eyes, like she was drained of all energy. "I'm sorry, Elliot-kun."
Her smile never faded as she fell to her knees, the bird fading back into oblivion and embers still dancing in the air. Worried for the chestnut haired girl, Elliot walked over to her, kneeling before her.
Ash looked up at the other with a tired face. "Elliot-kun."
"Ash, you…you are an illegal contractor." He plainly said.
She just chuckled in response. "Yeah, I know."
"Why?" He took her shoulders, gripping them firmly. "What was it you weren't telling me about?"
"You know what I am now, so what's the point?" Elliot noticed she was still clutching her side where she had been hurt. Seeing as how she was still doing this, it might be deeper than he initially thought. The way her face was strained with traces of pain, he knew she was loosing quite a lot of blood.
"Ash, you're dying, aren't you? Even the incuse is nearly complete."
"Elliot, why do you insist upon knowing?"
Now she was starting to irritate him. "I want to know! You've helped me in all sorts of ways, so at least repay the favor before you die!"
Ash's eyes widened slightly, and it was like she seemed to realize something, a thought or a memory she had long since forgotten until now.
Elliot was right though, she had little time left. The least she could do was explain and hand off the antidote before the incuse completed the revolution.
"There's something more to…what I let onto." She began.
"It's alright, tell me." Elliot insisted. She had indeed been hiding something, and now he wanted to know what exactly that thing was.
"After my father died, my eldest brother threw me onto the streets out of fear because I was next in line to inherit our family title if he were to perish. It was then I learned of my elder brother's hatred, and that the accident my father had been involved in, he set it up to claim himself as head of the family."
"Your brother killed your own father?" Elliot exclaimed.
"Yes," She paused for a brief moment but, continued. "A short while after that, a creature heard my cries. That's when Phoenix, a Chain from the Abyss, appeared and gave me the chance to alter the past. From that day on, I was an illegal contractor, and I…sometimes killed. I took up a position working as Dr. Hall's assistant, because I was sick of killing people. The incuse started to move on its own at rare times however, and I knew it was over. At least, until I met you and Leo-kun."
'Ash…' Normally, Elliot would rarely feel pity for anyone, and Ash just happened to fit the rule of an exception. He still remembered when she had first came to the manor, how bright and optimistic she seemed, but now, now she looked broken, praying for forgiveness.
"You both gave me just a little while longer to believe, and now, I still do. Thank you."
She wanted to speak again, but she couldn't as she let out a cry of pain and shut her eyes tightly. Ash knew it was coming; and she still had something to do.
"Ash! Are you alright?" Elliot asked, concerned.
"Yes, I'm fine." Her eyes opened halfway and she reached inside her blouse with her free hand, pulling out a small bottle and holding it out to Elliot.
In an instant, he knew what it was. "The antidote! You found it!"
"Yes, now, Elliot-kun, go." She said as he took it from her shaking hand. "Get away from me."
"Huh? Ash-"
She didn't hear the rest of what he said, she was distracted by a glow in the floor beneath them. "Elliot-kun, please, get away from me, or else you'll be dragged into the Abyss!"
Ash really meant it, and so, taking her warning, he stood up and took a few steps back.
What happened next, it would become a sealed memory later on.
A purple glow erupted beneath her, chains coming out and wrapping around her body. Then tightened around her arms and legs, and Elliot could only watch her from afar, not wanting to get dragged in with her. The chains, and her whole body, seemed to glow with a fiery color, and through it, the Nightray saw her smile.
"Go, Elliot-kun. Leo-kun is waiting for you."
With those softly spoken words, the glow disappeared in a flash, and, as the chains receded and vanished, Ash's body turned black, and crumbled away into the very same thing her name represented.
Ash had turned to ashes before his eyes.
Eyes wide, Elliot walked back to the spot where she had previously been, the glow now gone. He bent down, and picked up some of the ashes with his free hand.
'If she had been dragged into the Abyss, that was a very strange way of doing so.' Elliot pondered as he let the ashes fall from his hand. 'Even so, she's still…'
He already knew the answer; ether way, Ashley Phero was dead.
Elliot sighed as he stood up, his gaze going to the antidote that they had long been seeking, and then the remains of Ash. Her actions were commendable, and she had not thrown away her own life to do so; she had gone down fighting.
Elliot redirected his attention back to the antidote, and he remembered. This was the very thing that was going to save Leo, and now that he had it, there was no time to waste. Elliot needed to return home to his servant, and it was time to move forward again.
He needed to get back home to Leo.
Taking one last look at the ashes, he whispered her name.
"Ash."
And he left her there as he walked out the door of the fencing studio.
It was 6:47 A.M. by the time he got back home the next day. The sky was getting a bit lighter, and the air was cold, much like it had been during the night. It had taken him the rest of the day to get halfway home, but had barely slept and sometime in the middle of the night, set out for home again.
Elliot had snuck inside with ease, carefully closing the door behind him. Everything inside was quiet, and he did not expect anyone to be up at this hour.
Well, at least until he happened to run into a certain Gilbert.
Unbeknownst to the other, Gilbert had been on his way to the kitchen to get started on preparing breakfast. He had not know his younger brother had returned, and was quite surprised to see him.
"Elliot!" Gilbert exclaimed, having run into him on his way to the kitchen.
"Gilbert." He quietly answered.
"I didn't know you were home. Did you find the antidote?"
"Right here." Elliot replied, taking the antidote from his coat, showing his older brother the substance of cloudy liquid in the bottle.
"Good." He then glanced behind Elliot, as if expecting someone else. "What of that girl?"
There was silence, but Elliot eventually answered. "She was shot and killed."
He had to do this, he couldn't let Gilbert know what Ash really was, that she was an illegal contractor. That was becoming a blurry memory though. Maybe he was still tired.
"I'm sorry." Gilbert said in a soft tone.
"Yeah, but she's probably in a better place now." Another lie, but, then again, he wasn't really sure if she had been dragged into the Abyss by those chains. "Forget that, how's Leo doing?"
The raven haired man was quiet for a moment, and during that long span of silence, Elliot had begun to assume the worst.
"He's fine, at the moment, but during the time you were gone, he's gotten much worse." Gilbert explained. "I wasn't sure myself how much longer he could last, so I'm glad you've come back."
That was enough information for Elliot. "Is he asleep?"
"Yes, but he hasn't been sleeping well."
"Okay." He was about to rush past his older brother, when he remembered something he needed to say. "Oh, and Gilbert."
"Yes, Elliot?"
He smiled, and it was a rare one indeed. "Thank you for taking care of him."
Gilbert smiled back. "Sure thing."
No more need to be said, so Elliot took off running to his room, where he knew Leo would be. Gilbert had said that his servant had gotten worse, and he wondered just how bad that 'worse' really was.
'Clam down. I'm back now, back for him.' Elliot thought as he ran down each hall, making his way to their room. 'I'm here, Leo, so don't worry anymore.'
Elliot just prayed he wasn't too late.
Yup, so not much left to the story now. Again, sorry for making this chapter so short. I'm half way through writting chapter 11, so it should be sometime tomorrow (of coruse I have school first). Until then, feel free to leave a reveiw.