Chapter XVIII

Memories

Song: The Craneberries- Zombie

The Shaman Council. The finals were coming and they had to hold an important discussion. Akira tried to seem as bored as she could and eventually she left the room to smoke a cigarette. In fact, she wanted to avoid a subject, something that would come up sooner or later…

"You left quite quickly for a smoke break." Silva appeared on the balcony where she was standing.

"Hm. I suppose Goldva sent you after me? Tell him I'll be there as soon as I finish my cigarette. At least let me enjoy this kind of freedom, with all those meaningless tradition you patch tribe have." She scoffed, trying to seem not even slightly nervous.

"Some of them disturb me as well…" Silva continued with a sigh. "But at least you, apart from me, you have the choice to leave whenever you want. But your own self isn't the reason why you requested temporary joining the Patch Tribe, is it?"

Akira exhaled the last smoke taken with a sigh.

"She evolved quite fast. Honestly, I hoped at first that she would eventually lose, so I wouldn't be the one that will destroy her dreams…" she said with a sadness masked by nonchalance.

It was about her daughter. They would request that Akira would expel Rilury from the tournament. After all, this was her own responsibility she had to assume.

She…wasn't allowed to participate from the beginning. From the day she was born. Because what she held deep in her spirit was the key of destruction. Something that if it made contact with the Great Spirit itself, it would destroy the whole balance of the world.

She was cursed with shattered aspirations. When Akira saw her that night, she knew that she could at least try to offer her an illusion. A fake chance that would make her happy.

But now, the curtains had to be opened.

Rilury woke up early that day. She couldn't sleep too much anyway. She decided to take a morning walk to relieve the tension. It didn't have any effect, but when she saw the gigantic column of light, her mind emptied in a matter of second.

She stood up on a hill, looking at it until noon. She was mysteriously attracted to it, maybe because it was oddly calming…

For the first time in this whole period full of remorse, she felt optimistic and remembered the first time when she wanted to join the tournament. She wanted to do it for her own fufillment, she wanted to be…the shaman queen.

"One day…" she said while holding her hand open, trying to grab something that belonged with a forgotten part of her. She stood up and left, because the final battle was about to start.

Behind the hill, sitting somewhere hidden, somebaody was watching her.

Most of the shamans who have stared at the Great Spirit more than five minutes, would had instantly fainted. But she hasn't.

A dark smirk appeared upon the lips of a powerful boy, the one which has been aiming for the same thing for a thousand years…

"Maiden-sama is everything allright? The fight is starting soon."

The English boy was staring with worried green eyes at the silver-haired girl with the angelic figure. He searched for her, being worried by her sudden disappearance. He knew that she was bothered by something and wanted to leave her alone to take some time for herself, but Marco insisted in sending his apprentice after her.

Jeanne was out from the Iron Maiden, wearing her favorite dress. She was standing by the lake, being absorbed in her deep thoughts. She looked at him with a smile full of kindness.

"Yes Lyserg, there is no need to worry for me. My problems are something little compared to the fate of the world."

He looked at her suspiciously. The answer wasn't satisfying enough. He couldn't let Jeanne tormenting herself like this. He impulsively touched her hand and asked:

"Is it…about the fight? I will do anything to keep things right."

She looked at him with her surprised red eyes, thing which made Lyserg quickly remove his hand. He realized that what he did wasn't appropriate.

She turned her look. Her face had a sober and serious expression.

"Tell Marco that I will be at the Stadium."

She spoke plainly with an expressionless voice. Such a resemblance…

She stood up with her back and left, her hair waving in the cold evening breeze.

It was time.

The X-laws had their steady position, Marco being the one calculating a plan for attack, Lyserg being ready to take orders and Jeanne locked in the Iron Maiden. A well prepared team, apart from the Black Pearl which seemed to be sort of, disorganized…

Alejandro was trying hard to impress with his charming posture, looking at a certain figure in the public, a blue haired girl who was constantly rolling her eyes. Rilury was agitated, making all sort of movie scenario in her head. Only Miyako had a creepy composure.

Radim announced the start. Marco was the first who stepped on the stage, ready to put his plan in application. Miyako had an odd smirk on her lips.

"Rilury, there is no need to be agitated. It is now you time to relax. My assistant and I will take care of all. "

The brown haired girl had a surprised expression. At a hand gesture, Alejandro stepped on the stage, knowing quite well what he was doing.

"Just as predicted." Marco said, arranging his glasses.

Alejandro pulled out the red blanket. The giant fierce bull appeared, waiting to plunge its horns in the victim.

"I will make it a fair fight. My angel will have a normal size." Marco specified, while the angel rose from a burst of light.

"I appreciate the chance, but doesn't this mean that the spirit energy is more condensed now?" Alejandro said with a smile.

"Perspicacious. Your master made a well choice." Marco said with a smirk.

"I am just a loyal servant." He responded, while nonchalantly throwing the red blanket on the white angel.

The bull attacked. The angel plunged in the sky, avoiding the powerful collision.

"Just as thought. Your spirit can fly, so it would make my attacks quite useless, considering that my bull's medium is the ground." Alejandro said composed.

"Judging by you expression, you have a plan."

"Of course I do. "

The red blanket flew up and wrapped the angel's wings, making it fall on the ground. The bull ran towards it and attacked with its horns. But they immediately broke, being hit with a sword.

"Impressive, but my spirit isn't an ordinary angel. It is the well-known Michael, a great warrior with a solid sword." Marco said proudly.

Alejandro poked his fingers. The bull's horns grew and became more white.

"Nacre. A material more resistant than metal."

The bull started shaking its head enraged, while the Angel was constantly blocking the thrusting. The fight was equal but Alejandro knew that his level of furyoku was smaller than Marco's. He had to end the fight quick, in a last and grandiose attack.

He clapped his hands, three times. The blanket rose and unfolded itself, making a huge red tent which was compressing over the two spirits, making a more smaller area, with no escape.

"You know, every year in Pamplona takes place the Sanfermines festival."

Lightning lanterns appeared, making a festive atmosphere . The bull took a steady position. Marco seemed to be confused. It appeared that the lanterns were actually sparkling red and fierce eyes. Tens of other bulls were watching him, ready for overrun him and his spirit.

"This celebration is well known for the Running of The Bulls."

An echoing bellowing was heard.

"We are both in this tent of massive attack." Alejandro smirked. "Try to stay out of it alive."

The place flooded with running hooves, moving horns and massive animal bodies that would smash the human body in a second. There was no chance of escape from this chaos.

Suddenly, a bull was thrown out through the tent wall. It was a sword which moved like a propeller.

The angel started spinning and forming a deadly roulette. Not only that the tent was being torn off, but the bulls were also disappearing. Of course. The best way to kill a group is to spread it apart.

Alejandro watched everything with admiration and disappointment. The fight was over for him. There wasn't much furyoku left from that attack, so it was easy for the angel to break his oversoul with a sword plunge in his last bull.

*song plays*

"You lost. But even so, you fought well." Marco said, putting his glasses back on. He was a bit ravaged.

The red cloth fell ragged on the ground. He took it.

"I'm so sorry, mistress." He said with a sad smile.

A black tentacle came from his back and violently pushed him off the stage in its way. It was aiming for Marco.

It was so quick that it grabbed him. His shocked eyes were fixated on the silver-haired girl with shadowed eyes. She was holding a scary octopus toy which was emanating a threatening black aura.

"Such a waste of time. If I knew it from the beginning, I would have ended it more quickly." She said with a monotone and scary voice.

The Angel went to protect Marco, but all it did was to destroy itself.

The tentacle smashed the spirit with one hit, and the last reyoku was used to save its own master, since his body also took part in the collision.

Marco was thrown out the stage. Lyserg ran towards him, screaming his name. He couldn't but mumble a few words. At least he was still alive.

"Why are you still hiding in that cage?" Miyako asked with shadowed eyes.

"How could you-!" Lyserg said, preparing himself to attack her.

"Stop!"

He remained still, surprised to hear Jeanne's voice.

"This is not about you. I'm sorry that I implied you in this fight, Marco."

"There isn't the need to apologize, Maiden-sama." He said, heavily breathing but maintaining his dignity.

The Iron opened. Jeanne stepped out, dressed in her armor.

Miyako smirked.

With slow, but firm steps, she went on the stage.

"Finally…having the courage to face your family feuds?" Miyako asked with a satisfied smug.

Everybody remained surprised. But their eyes were even more shocked when a dark haze surrounded the arena, making it impossible for anyone to see a thing.

"Jeanne!" Lyserg screamed, his angel attacking the mysterious fence of darkness. There was no use.

"I've created a furyoku barrier, so that no one could interfere." Miyako's voice was heard from the inside. Then, it was complete silence.

Still. Lyserg didn't stop hitting the barrier. He desperately wanted to rescue her, with the price of his own life.

Jeanne was left in obscurity. She also heard her voice. The mist was suffocating her. The silence was heavy.

She heard footsteps. They were louder and louder, every second felt more horrible than the other.

She saw Miyako, walking towards her. She held thigh the octopus with empty eyes. Behind her was standing a powerful, threatening creature which seemed to be the devil itself. With a blank creepy face, with its black suit ripped by the eight huge tentacles emerged from its back.

The only piece of light was a blue rose.

Upon Miyako's lips there was the darkest smirk she ever had.

"Just the two of us, after all this time…Haven't you missed me, Onee-san?" (*insert image here)

Jeanne's heart ached, as it was hit with a poisoned sting. A blue withered petal fell from the beautiful rose.

"The only fragment of hope you have, is this rose of death. It is what is left from your sanity."

The pitch black darkness enveloped her sight. Her read eyes were desperately trying to find the palpable blue flower.

It was her own mind her sister was playing with. Her medium.

"Do you like my guardian? You can call him a demon if you want, because after all, he just wants to steal souls…"

Three tentacles plunged from the monster's deformed back, directly at her. Jeanne was captured by them, held in the air like a bug, ready to be squashed.

"And what he enjoys the most is feasting with saints…"

Everything was squeezing her heart.

The dark, the fear, the guilt…

It was all coming back to her.

X

"My dear child, just pray…pray for your little sister, because she is at the verge of losing her soul in hell."

Her father, a priest, was caressing her hair while she was kneeling on pungent rose tulips. Suffering, as her long missed mother told her, was the sacrifice she had to make so that she would be listened.

By someone she has never seen, nor felt since that day…

Her parents believed she was sent from Heaven. When she was talking to herself, they believed she was discussing with angels. A sacred jewelry to be proud of.

Until the day her little sister was born. The day her mother died after screaming in terrible pain, in a full moon night.

A bad sign. Her father was brought in despair. Of course, he thought, after a blessing also comes the evil to test the pure family.

The child of the demon was sent upon them. Miyako…

Her own little sister. Quite introverted, always talking to herself. Her strange shamanic abilities made it hard for her to control them.

"Father, why does she have to stay there?", she asked with her pitiful red eyes full of tears.

"To purify herself. She has to receive daily punishment. " he said categorically, brutally pushing her away with a medieval tool.

X

"Shamash!" Jeanne screamed in tears.

The spirit appeared in a short sparkle, breaking her out of the grip.

"Your little guardian is here to protect you?" Miyako scoffed.

Another black tentacles came from the darkness, constantly trying to hit her. They were blocked by Shamash, which was taking the hits by his own will. A loyal spirit.

There soon was a circle of attacking black snakes, making the medusa of death. Miyako was staring at her with black eyes and a strange dark smirk.

"Physical protection is useless. In your head, there are zombies."

A blood drop, falling from her forehead. As red as her eyes sank in despair.

Another petal has fallen. Another horrible memory.

X

Slowly going down the stair with trembling hands, which could barely hold a candle, some bread and a glass of water. Her father, who has started punishing her more often, hasn't visited Miyako for days. He was just sitting on his old rusted chair, staring blankly at the walls and playing with something made of metal…She couldn't come closer to him more than five meters without being shouted at and getting hit with a thrown object. He arrived at the irreversible madness.

She wanted to help her little sister. She arrived at the place she has never seen before. The room was pitch black. She couldn't help but feel a dark and strong pressure. And fear.

She heard a chain rattle. The light of the candle showed a little girl with bruises and long silver hair, looking on the ground. When Miyako heard her name, she looked at Jeanne with dreadful empty black eyes, looking right though her soul.

Jeanne startled and her candle fell off. It wasn't because her sister, but because of the door which suddenly opened. Her mad father entered.

"How do you dare coming here? You too have fallen in the devil's trap!" he shouted, with the gun nervously rubbing his temple.

"But do not worry, my little girls." His eyes were leaking tears and had a psychopathic smile. "We will all be reunited with your mother. We'll all be happy where she is, doesn't matter hell or heaven…"

The metallic pipe was now pointed at Jeanne.

"I would end it all myself…"

A short chain rattle.

The light of the candle left on the floor extinguished.

A deafening rumble. The deafening scream of her father.

Broken chains. The house collapsed.

The next thing she knew was waking up in an orphanage.

X

She fell on her knees. The blood was still dripping. She was pulling her hair in despair.

"Of course, you was only at the age of six and you were already left with nothing. But I had nothing from the day I was born. Not even a life." Her sister spoke as an outcome.

The tentacles attacked together and scattered Shamash, taking her body in a strong grip.

Miyako giggled.

"And now, I'm thinking if I should take yours or not…" she spoke with a mad figure.

The grip was tightening. They felt cold and metallic, just like chains…

"Jeanne-sama! Jeanne, please answer me!"

She flinched. A familiar voice, the voice of a boy who really depended on her life.

"Perhaps…I was the monster all along…"

The faded, but firm voice of her big sister made Miyako flinch.

"Yes…this is why, all along, I was locked up in that torture device…All I did was punishing myself. Killing people who didn't obey my own dreams. But now I realize, I was nothing but our own father. I wanted to make a world full of saints so that no one could suffer. I'm sorry."

A white aura appeared and the tentacles faded. But it was still darkness.

The rose, which was about to die, suddenly brightened up.

"Final redemption, huh?" Miyako scoffed.

" There is no need for punishment. There never was. There was always the need for love."

The little girl frowned in anger. The Slender Man cam with heavy steps towards Jeanne and put its bare hand on her neck.

Jeanne had a warm smile.

"You could kill me if that will give you peace, my little sister. But that wouldn't change anything. I would still love you with all my heart, onee-chan."

Miyako remained paralyzed in shock.

Thing which made her loose control again like in that day. The day she only wanted to save…her sister.

Still, that didn't change what she was. The murderer of her own parents.

The barrier has crashed on the pressure of Lyserg's hit. Miyako oversoul was shortly disrupted.

X

The Slender Man could be seen for a split second, a second full of torments in the head of many people in the stadium.

'Stop it, STOP IT!'

The echo of their thoughts. Fear.

"Jeanne-sama, are you allright?!" Lyserg ran towards her and held her in his arms.

"Lyserg…thank you" Jeanne said with a smile, and fainted exhausted.

'She's a monster!' 'The demon itself!' 'Die!'

Miyako clenched her fists.

Anger.

"You fool!" she shouted at Lyserg and a tentacle hit him, making him drive away a few meters.

She chuckled.

"Such a little lover pest, disturbing my important meeting?"

She started coming towards him with slow steps. The oversoul was formed again with her toy.

"Miyako, I think that's enough."

She stopped at the hearing of Rilury's firm voice, who was looking at the ground, with her trembling fists clenched. Then she stared at her with green determined eyes.

"You are already out of the game, because Lyserg disrupted your oversoul. I will deal with the rest." She stepped on the stage.

Miyako's expression came back to normal.

"Hmph. Fine. It would have been a boring fight anyway."

She passed by her, with her silver hair fluttering in the wind, with the same mysterious aura. She still had some secrets left unveiled…

To be continued…

Note: In the anime, Jeanne is the same age as the others (like Anna, Yoh, etc - so 15, right?)

*Image can be found on my deviant account, posted on my profile. Or try this link:

imgur(...) (slash)fIPhWSH

(...) means dotcom

dot means .

you get the rest :D

**what is written between the X-es are memories, but I thing you've figured that out xD

Author's thoughts: Well, at last here comes a long wtf-ish chapter! Sorry for not warning you from the beginning xD.

Well yeah, I wanted to write more, sorry about the cliff hanger (actually, not, BWAHAHA). No, really, I just wrote more than I thoughts about these two XD.

Like the twisted plot? I always like the way Jeanne was looking, but wasn't quite happy about her character so BAM : made a sister for her aaand added character development (since in the anime they don't quite mention the X-LAW'S change on mentality ).

So yeah, hope you've enjoyed! And pleeease leave reviews, I was quite upset that on the last chapter I didn't receive any :( (even if maybe you though it was boring as hell T_T )