Author standardizes language used; appropriate japanese names to be used.
In a stunning announcement, the author has revealed plans for the standardization of the language used for names. Name of appropriate beings, barring those that are already translated, will be done in japanese, so as to keep the names to a similar standard.
The standardization will be done by stages, with all new chapters featuring the standardized languages. Past chapters will under go changes, with final changes being completed by the end of the year.
When approached for comment, the author has this to say.
"Too many times when i look at the tengu names, i cringe when i realized that some have english while other have their japanese names. With this new change, there will equality for the tengu names."
When asked further if all others names of appropriate youkai would receive their japanese names should they be found, the author declined comment. When asked if the author remembered that this change started under his rule, he ended the interview.
Coming up next...
OCs...useless add-ons or helpful improvements?
Vault
Sea of souls
The sea of souls.
If the magical systems of the vault could be properly explained in layman's terms, the entirety of the vault would be a pocket dimension with its own unique universe and the sea of souls would be the space in between objects within this universe. Seemingly empty but filled with the smallest of matters invisible to the naked eye, it acts as both conduit and barrier for the many components that make up the vault.
Filled with the experiences and emotions of the past souls, to even enter the sea is suicide. One stands an almost confirmed chance of losing his sense of identity, his own thoughts and emotions overwhelmed by the raw equivalent of past others.
And yet Dutch dove in and he paid the price for it.
Floating in the sea, he simply drifted, without thought or emotion... Or to be more specific, without his own thoughts or emotions. He was, at the moment, nothing more than an empty shell, perpetually filled and emptied by the different souls and their experiences passing through him, like the ocean surge washing back and forth, back and forth.. An endless cycle.
In a single second, he could experience the life of so many different people. And yet, he could never harness it. To do so he would need his identity restored and the many different experiences moving through him could never allow that.
In a way, it was a fate worse than death. To feel what others felt, to experience what others went through and because of that, never be able to return to the Self. Only watching, never understanding, never thinking until the moment you died.
But as with the cosmos, the sea of souls is a conduit, acting simply as a fluid from which one could go wherever he directed. In this situation, momentum is a very good director.
He approached a massive construction of weaves, each colourful in its own right and each equally foreboding. As luck would have it, this was the very place his salvation waited, even if she did not know it yet.
Then, like a shooting star passing its slower counterpart, another being, also filled with a lack of identity, passed by the moving body. Headed in the same direction, it had a purpose. To search for the anomaly and destroy it.
Right now, outside the tapestry, even if she did not know it, Vale's only hope approached closer and closer.
Vault
Sea of souls
Tapestry of Memories
Constructor weave
"Thank you." Vale said as she prepared to leave Dutch's memories.
Nora grinned, warmth suffusing her features.
"It's okay. Always a pleasure to help someone, especially since it is related to someone close to me. Just remember, he needs some prodding. Don't wait for him. He's a clueless person."
Vale giggled before adding conspiratorially. "He's our clueless person."
"Yes he is. Come back when you're free, will you? Now that I'm awake, it's gonna get terribly lonesome for me. Even I need some company once in a while." Nora returned.
Vale nodded before opening a hole in the weave to leave. Just as she stepped out, a white comet blazed down from the top of the tapestry. It exploded as it impacted against the weave and in the smoke, Vale could see a figure rising from a low stoop.
She froze in fear. How could she have forgotten? The vault would have classified her as a rogue entity and have dispatched hunter units to find her. She was living on borrowed time and it was all spent looking into Dutch's memories.
Liquid despair flowed down her face as she realized how cruel it was. Just when she had mustered up the power to return to him, her end had arrived. Involuntarily, she released a choking sob which seemed to decimate her entire form.
"Why? Why must it be this way?" She cried out at the unfairness of it all.
"Because there is always another answer." Nora said as she wrapped her hands protectively around the young entity. Since Vale hadn't completely left Dutch's memories, she saw all of Vale actions and deduced that the comet was probably something bad.
A split second later another projectile smashed its way through into the weave. Unlike the previous comet, this one was a forest green hue and lacked any sort of light, sound or control as it struck the weave.
Even from that distance, Vale guessed what it or to be more accurate, he was. If he was here, that meant that he...
Vale brought her hands to her mouth, her legs losing the fight to stand as she realized what had just happened. Dutch had come here. He had traveled through the sea of souls. There was only one result for a journey through the seal of souls for non-vault dwellers... It was not pretty.
"No!" She cried as she felt all of her hopes and dreams shatter. Everything that she lived for was gone.
"What's going on?" Nora asked, unprepared for the sudden upwelling of emotions.
"It's him. He came here. He threw everything away for me. All his thoughts, all of Him." Vale sobbed.
"Wha..." Nora started again but was interrupted.
"He's gone." The silvery-blue haired girl intoned, an air of hopelessness pervading her voice. Her whole body became limp as her eyes turned empty and the light in her wings dimmed. Seeing the look in Vale's eyes, Nora got fired up.
"Dammit! Don't just give up now! He's right there! Come on!" She yelled to Vale, bringing herself to Vale's level, hands gripping tight enough on her shoulders to produce a bone-snapping crackle.
A pair of empty sky-blue eyes stared vapidly as if into oblivion itself. "But..."
"But nothing! Come on, if some up-start thing comes to stop you, you brute force your way through it! I can help you, but I need you too!" The now fiery brunette yelled.
The words managed to pierce through the cloud of hopelessness cloying the vault entity. Eyes lit with the desire to hope, she looked back at the memory fragment of one of the most influential people in Dutch's life.
"I can bring him back. I'm part of his memory after all." Nora spoke, her tone soft, smiling and filled with the knowledge of power.
That statement really caught Vale's attention. As the young girl gave her companion a look of true hope, Nora smiled grimly.
"Now, shall we?"
Vale nodded and got to her feet, her purpose renewed. She looked out at the tapestry. She could see the figure of the hunter in the distance but more clearly, she saw the spot where Dutch had landed. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. When she reopened them, they were burning with fire. Her crystalline wings gleamed with a blinding light as she moved with a new purpose.
"Okay. Let's go."
Tapestry of memories
In a battle between hunter and hunted, the first thing that most people forget is that it is actually the hunted who decides the way the game is played. The only thing the hunter can actually do is anticipate and react. Once the hunted can grasp this simple fact, then the balance of power has shifted. Of course, having that power and actually using it is a different matter altogether. All the power in the world is worthless if you don't use it correctly.
Armed with that knowledge, Vale slowly inched closer and closer to the body of her father, careful to stay hidden among the weaves. The sterling figure in the distance simply stood like a sentinel, scanning for her. Eventually, she knew it would find her.
Before that happened, she needed to bring back Dutch. Both she and Nora agreed that he was their only chance to beat the hunter. Nora, being a memory fragment, had little to no power outside Dutch's head and the best Vale could do for her was to give her the power to at least move outside of the memories. Any encounter with the hunter killer would shred her apart.
Vale also needed to get her to Dutch's body. Apparently since Nora was part of his memory, she had the ability to 'rebuild' him, so to speak. She explained it as her actual purpose, but gracefully avoided the question when asked why something like that could happen.
What ever the reason, they had the way to restore Dutch, but they had to get to him first... And that, was the hard part.
Vale glanced behind her where Nora followed. The brunette gave her a reassuring grin even as she pressed herself against the weave to hide herself.
'Dako...she is just like you. I... I envy you. Why did you leave her?' Vale wondered, knowing her thoughts would never be heard.
"He never would have returned it." Nora said.
Vale turned her head back in surprise. How did she know?
Nora softly chuckled. "I can see it in your eyes. He never would have returned it, at least in the form I have. Yes, if I asked, he would stay but that's him. He's faithful, too faithful I might say. If you told him to stay awake for the whole week and gave a good reason for it, you will be damn sure that he would be up for the whole week."
The memory fragment grinned as she remembered a past event. "I think that's one of the reasons my feelings for him started anyway. But back to what I said. He's not able to reciprocate my feelings because of our experiences together. Dutch prefers to form his perception of people through experiences. He sees me more of a sister than anything else. I could change that, but that could change the things that made me like him in the first place."
"I see." Vale answered. If Dutch formed his perception through experiences, wouldn't that mean that she had no chance with him?
"I did say that earlier. However, you are representing something new to him. A person who loves him beyond everything else. Maybe he will be able to accept your love. Maybe he already did. Whatever happens, you can be rest assured that he will never push you away. Of all the things Dutch does, saying no to a person who matters to him is almost impossible. Perhaps he already forgave you for running away. He's like that really."
The entity nodded. At least Dutch would forgive her for what she did. That did however, make her feel slightly more guilty. At that moment, the sound of something landing above her froze her on the spot. Both of them stopped as the hunter stood up high on the weave they were hiding against. It growled as it scanned the area about it for its target, unaware that she was right under it.
Vale took the chance. She looked up and scanned the hunter killer.
She had never seen a hunter before. Certain parts of the vault were shut off to her and being the first entity, she knew that hunters had never been used before... Until now at least.
The armor of the hunter was non-existent. It simply had what would be a perfect humanoid body shape with a pair of large wings protruding from its back. Its face was featureless, a completely blank slate which simply moved around. Even though it had no visible eyes, Vale knew that it was constantly on the look out.
With a great blast of wind, the hunter took off again. its prey shivered as she watched it soar over her like a predatory bird searching for its prey. She had seen Dutch in dangerous situations but this was the first time she was close to danger herself.
It made her understand just a little bit about the man she knew. To hold down fear is not a simple thing to do.
They waited until they heard the hunter land on another weave before continuing, driven faster by the close encounter to reach their only hope.
It is said that the most dangerous part of any plan is not the build-up or the climax but the endgame. After all, during the first two phases, it is fairly easy to expect what happens. But it's when you have completed everything and are winding down that the most unexpected flaws can appear, chew up your plan and spit it out to be stepped on.
The plan was simple enough. Get to Dutch and get him up. The execution on the other hand was hard. With the hunter watching, it would be a herculean task to get him up and running without having the hunter taking him out.
Vale and Nora both looked out at their objective. Dutch had landed on open ground, a clearing in the canvas. The hunter had passed by him, as seen from the black marks on the ground, but he was unharmed, thankfully.
"Alright, there's no other alternative. We have to make a run for it. Or at least, I have to. You must stay here and keep quiet." Nora instructed to her companion.
"But what if it comes back?" Vale returned with worry. The memory fragment answered with a smile as she ruffled Vale's silken hair.
"I'll see you soon."
With that Nora leaped up from where she hid in the weave and took off, making a mad dash for the body in the clearing. Vale watched, wishing with all her heart that Nora would make the journey unharmed.
Nora ran.
Behind her, a roar raged over her. She heard the sound of great wings whooshing, the feeling of being chased spreading throughout her body. As she sped, she grinned. This was what she lived for. To save her loved ones from danger.
Behind her, the hunter dived like a hawk, its sterling sword whistling as it reached for her. Nora ducked the blade and in a single movement, locked it around her arm. With a heave of effort, she sent the hunter crashing into the ground, using her body as a pivot to redirect it downwards. She got up, using the motion as a boost as the hunter landed in a tangle of limbs.
With a roar, the hunter reached out with its other hand, grabbing for the insolent memory fragment. Nora simply laughed with glee as she took the chance, stomping hard on the appendage. As her actions drew another roar, she jumped over the hunter and continued on her dash.
She pushed herself as hard as she could, pounding out every ounce of speed her legs could give her. She heard the sound of the hunter rising and ignored it.
'It seems that even after all that, you still can't keep yourself out of trouble Dutch. Well, that why I'm here after all.' Nora thought as she reached closer to him.
She pulled all of the memories into her palm, into preparation for what she was about to do. Already, she was starting to fade away, her body turning translucent.
"But that's you after all. Trouble has always liked you for some reason. And you never back down do you? Always striking and always keeping secrets. Oh you do love hiding things that you think are important, don't you? How many things have you hidden from her I wonder? One day, Dutch, one day." She whispered all of this as she reached him. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully, his face calm as his chest rose and fell. His body was untouched from the whole journey. To an outside viewer, he seemed to be just resting.
She pressed her palm against his forehead but paused the procedure. Leaning over him, she whispered into his ear. "You deserve a good sleep but someone needs you now. She trusts you with all of her heart. She is your redemption. Whatever you do, don't screw this up. You hear me? Do. Not. Waste. This. Chance."
And then she forced all of his memories back into his dormant mind. As she disappeared, she spoke her last words.
"Good luck."
She faded away as though mist before the early morning sun.
Vale watched as Nora faded into nothing over Dutch. She watched with bated breath, waiting for the moment when he would rise again. Her whole body trembled as eternities sailed by her.
'Please...' She pleaded, the sight of the still body pulling her down with each second.
The hunter growled as it crunched its way to the body, its blade slicing a channel through the ground as it made its way to the last location of the memory fragment.
'No!' She mentally cried out. Why now when it was almost over!
She froze as she realized how bad the situation was. The hunter was very close to her and she needed to get away from it but Dutch was there too. He was in danger from the vault creation.
"No...please..." Vale breathed.
The hunter stopped over the unmoving body. Growling even without any visible sign , it flexed its resplendent sword arm in preparation for the strike. Energy gathered along its edges as the power to erase sparked into existence over the human.
"Stop!" Vale yelled as she burst out of cover. Too late did she realise what she had done as the hunter turned around with a triumphant snarl. With a flourish, it redirected its sword at the vault entity.
'It guessed that I was here. It was a trick!' its target realized as she backed away from the powerful being sent to kill her. The hunter advanced forward with slow and measured steps, aiming the sword at her until she could see the tip of the blade pointed so straight and reaching so close that two her eyes it had acquired a blurred twin.
Whimpering with fear, Vale desperately took off in an attempt to get away from the hunter. She flew up in a shower of crystalline feathers, the sudden violent action causing some of them to break off and float down. Her hunter chuckled in a spurious manner, as if amused by its prey's futile attempt to escape it. Unfurling its own wings, it too took off, chasing after it target.
Below them, a glove shone with a radiant white light.
?
"What the hell happened?" The voice questioned the darkness around it.
"The result of recklessness, youngling. Your foolish recklessness for the child. A recklessness that is costing her right now." Another voice answered in contempt.
"Vault! What the hell do you mean!" Dutch roared.
"Right now, the child flees for her life from a hunter. She is all alone and unjustly so for you are bound to protect her. Look, youngling, for you reap what you sow." Vault answered scornfully, a massive screen appearing in front of the two speakers, showing the scene as Vale flew and the hunter chased. The picture froze in Vale's face. The raw fear in it transferred itself to Dutch's heart.
"But I tried. I tried..." He whispered as he went on his knees.
"Try harder. You have progressed further than any other owner the Vault has ever had. For that, you have set in motion something that is beyond your wildest imagination. The Vault is awakening because of you but it needs a final piece. You must step up and be that final piece." Vault said.
"What needs to be done?" The owner asked.
"Save the child. She is the vault made physical and she controls its changes. More importantly, the two of you are interlinked in a way that I never expected would happen. Her heart belongs to you, Vault Owner. She's yours, mind, body and soul. Everything she has done is for you. Don't make it for naught." Vault warned.
"I...I...can't. I just can't." Dutch pleaded, silently begging for another way out.
"You can and you must! Do not let simple words blind you! All that she has done, all that she has said, are driven by her feelings for you. She proclaimed you as her father because she sees you as such but she desires for more than that. The question is, are you willing to reciprocate her feelings?" Vault questioned, the words poised to strike to the heart.
It aggravated the young man. "I don't know! I need more time! But this is not important, not at least now! I need to save her first!"
A short silence descended as Vault deliberated. "Fine. You shall have your time. Go save her."
A tear opened in the darkness. As Dutch moved towards it, Vault spoke its last.
"I have linked your glove to the Control Room. When you are ready to head back, it shall be your vessel. Return with the child and learn about her youngling. Treat her not as your descendant but as a fully fledged person who desires for you. Grant her heart's desire."
Then the light flashed caustically.
When Dutch opened his eyes, he was looking at the most intriguing background he has ever seen in his life. A blank white canvas covered in a constantly changing multicolored weave, each a symphony of colors. It was a beautiful sight, easily one that would fetch millions should it be an attraction.
It was ignored as though a doodle beside a priceless masterpiece.
Getting up, Dutch looked in the distance where two figures dueled in the air. Checking to see his glove was in place, he took off in a dead run
'Let me be in time.' He pleaded as he balled his fists.
The hunter dodged the spray of bright crystals, using the flat edge of its arm blade to stop one of the projectile. The white bright crystal burst apart as it struck the metal-like surface, its shards disappearing as it fell. The hunter laughed scornfully, its prey's attempts to fight back lifting it to new heights of pleasure.
Vale whimpered as her attack was stopped yet again, by the seemingly insurmountable hunter killer. In her fear, she had discovered that she could fight back. Her cries for help, both internal and external, were answered in the form of her new-found ability to create white crystals and fire them as lethally as she could. Now armed with a way to counter attack, she tried to hold off the hunter. But it was like trying to hold off an ocean. Her attacks constantly missed and the ones that did hit seemed to have no effect whatsoever. She was quickly losing hope of surviving.
'No! He's coming!' She told herself, shoring up her resolve. With a resurgent fire in her eyes, she created another array of bright crystals and launched them.
The hunter growled in frustration as it dodged the attack. This entity was persistent and did not want to simply die. its sword arm crackled with energy as it flexed the lethal appendage.
When the last bright crystal shot past it, the hunter suddenly shot forward in a sudden burst, its wings leaving a trail of energy as it accelerated.
Vale cried out in fright at the suddenly approaching hunter. Attempting to run away before it got her, she thrashed her wings, hoping to gain enough speed to avoid the oncoming hunter.
She was partially successful.
Her frantic movements allowed her to dodge the hunter's swipe of its sword arms but the other hand of the hunter shot out and grabbed her leg. Energy crackled as the hunter started to pump its erasive powers into Vale's leg.
"AAAAHHHHH!"
Vale screamed out in pain as she felt her very essence being destroyed. Already her leg was starting to fade away. In a last ditch attempt to save herself, she fired off a flurry of bright crystals blindly at the hunter.
A lucky shot managed to explode against the arm of the hunter connected to the offending hand. Shrieking in pain, the hunter ceased pumping energy into Vale but it didn't release her. Instead, it whipped her around like a rag doll before flinging her towards the ground.
Crash!
Vale cried out pitifully as she smashed into the ground, the impact making her wings shatter with a splintery snap.
"Dako...please..." Vale implored, begging for the appearance of the one person in her life that mattered to her. As she picked herself up weakly from the ground, a sudden feeling inside her made her violently cough out, sending her back onto all fours.
Splat!
Blood splattered across the devastated ground as Vale forced out the blood in her lungs. Her body shot from the whole ordeal, she collapsed back into the ground, staring at the blood. She trembled as she lay on the ground, helpless and weak.
She heard the sound of the landing of the hunter. As it brought deceptively gentle caressing winds that flowed around her, the hunter landed on the ground with its peerless feet. Growling in satisfaction, it sauntered towards her, the sight of the legs approaching giving her a sense of finality, a rush of release as she waited for the blow, already letting go of all her thoughts.
'It's over. Everything is over.' She thought to herself as the hunter stepped in her blood, its image casting a shadow over her. Somehow, even with out looking, Vale knew that the hunter was about to plunge its sword into her,
"Dako...I'm so sorry. I...I made a bad mistake. I wish we could have made it right." She whispered as she closed her eyes, awaiting the sensation of the sword driving down.
Thud!
Instead, she was rewarded with the sound of two bodies ramming into each other and a scuffle breaking out on the ground. Opening her eyes, she gasped as she saw Dutch on top of the hunter on the ground in front of her, ramming his wrist blades into the torso of the hunter.
The hunter shrieked after being introduced to pain for the second time in a minute. Beating its wings violently, it managed to blow off the human on top of it. Free of the burden, it moved quickly to escape the human, but Dutch was quick on the recovery. A second right after he landed, he snapped his arm out and grabbed the nearest part of his enemy. It just so happened to be its wing.
"Why do you need this anyway? You seem to be fine on the ground." He quipped with a heart-chilling smile. Yanking the wing, he pulled the hunter back onto the ground. Hopping onto its broad back, he grabbed the wing with both hands and with a grunt of effort, wrenched it out.
Crack!
The sound of bones breaking made Vale wince, even in her injured state. The hunter howled as its bones were pulled out. The joint connecting the wing to the back jutted out unnaturally as Dutch went to work on the next one.
Crunch!
Vale shut her eyes as the hunter shrieked mournfully. The sound of more breaking filled her ears along with the accompanying cries of agony. Then came the sound of a tumble. She opened her eyes to see Dutch getting up, his opponent growling painfully as it charged its attacker.
Dutch simply sidestepped it as he whipped out his pistol and fired. The bright bolt struck the knee joint of the hunter, making it collapse upon the ground. Walking up to it, he stomped on the sword arm and twisted it, to the sound of pain from the hunter.
"Why, that looks like something too dangerous to be waving around." He scoffed with his heart chilling voice. Phasing in his diamond knife, he gripped it in a downward direction and without a moment hesitation, stabbed it down.
Vale closed her eyes again as the sound of sawing and screams overwhelmed her ears. She kept her lids closed for what seemed an eternity as Dutch attacked the hunter.
Finally, with a keening death rattle, she was greeted with silence. She opened her eyes to see Dutch, both his hands clasped on his knife jutting out of the hunter neck, he breathed deeply and slowly, as if trying to force out the cold-hearted fighter inside himself.
Then his head snapped up as if remembering something important. Getting off the corpse, he rushed to her, phasing away all his weapons.
Vale looked up at the figure of the man above her. Standing over her with a concerned face, clothed in his forest fatigues, hands by his sides, the glove glowing brightly, he cast an image that made her, even in her weakened state, smile with happiness. This was the person that she loved, the person who created her and transformed her dull existence into one of indescribable joy.
He bent down to her and lifted her gently, careful to support her weakened body. "Sorry for being so late."
Vale smiled weakly. Bringing up her hands, she caressed his face with a dainty hand, leaving a trail of blood along his cheek.
"I knew that you'd come."
Dutch looked at his angel. To him, there was no other way to describe her. He had learnt that the hard way.
She looked horrifying, enough to crush his heart and soul. Aside from the surface damage which already was bad enough, her wings were both twisted in unnatural angles and she was coughing up blood. Her eyes had a taken on a dull sheen and her wings seemed pallid. Even so, he could see the pure feelings she had for him displayed on her face.
"Yeah, well here I am." He answered sheepishly. The two laughed at the dumb answer, sharing for a while the mutual humor.
Then Vale coughed again and blood splattered across Dutch's combat fatigues. He ignored the wet stain as he looked on with a sad realization.
She was dying. And there was nothing he could do. The thought made his eyes fill with liquid despair.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He cried as he hugged her. Vale smiled softly as she returned the hug, her blood staining his clothing.
"Dutch...please?" Her lips formed her request, almost silently, her eyes pleading. Dutch answered her eyes with his own, the wordless request returned with a wordless answer.
He released her from his hug and slowly moved over to her lips, his eyes taking in her image every single second. Then, as her mouth opened expectantly, he kissed her gently, lovingly.
As their tongues slowly intertwined and her taste flooded his mind, Dutch felt it all. He felt the pure and strong feelings of love she had for him in the movements of her tongue, the unquenchable desire for him and him only. As he savored those feelings, Dutch came to terms with himself. Discarding his uneasiness and looking at it freely, he realized, just like the girl in his arms who loved him, he too felt the same.
He loved her.
There could be no doubt. Never against the emotions that bulwarked themselves in his heart.
As they ran out of breath and broke away, Vale smiled serenely as her body started to weaken.
"Thank you." She breathed out in a heartfelt whisper before she closed her eyes, her limbs, her body becoming lifeless. Dutch looked with horrified eyes at the still body of the girl that managed to make a impact in his life.
"No! No no no! Not like this!" He cried as he scanned her for any signs of life. But she simply lay in his arms lifelessly. The sight smashed his heart into pieces as he wept.
"Please..." He begged anything that could hear him.
"There is a way." Vault said as it appeared in front of him. The human looked at the hovering orb with pleading eyes.
"She still exists but her essence was damaged by the hunter killer. In time, she will disappear. However, You can save her but it would require something of serious power. Something you have." Vault , its tone hinting at a decision that was coming.
Dutch asked the next question with breathless anticipation. "What does she need?"
"Material to repair her essence. The closest one is you, your soul to be more specific. With it, she can be brought back to life. In exchange, part of your soul will be bonded to her. She will be linked, through your soul, to you."
"Use it." It was all the answer he would give, it brimmed with unwavering conviction.
"Are you absolutely sure about this? Do not making such an important decision so rashly. You are literally giving away part of your soul." Vault warned.
Dutch snapped. "Dammit Vault! You wanted me to save her, well now I am trying to save her! Do it!"
"So be it."
Vault extended a thread of light from its orb-like form and linked the end to the hearts of the two. It then backed away, leaving the line to hang in mid air, connecting the two together.
"She shall be soul-linked to you. In exchange, for your sacrifice, she will be returned to full health." Vault answered as a portal suddenly enveloped the two.
As the two disappeared, Vault simply hung there, as if silently contemplating the scene it had borne witness to.
"Those are big words you say youngling. But can you commit yourself to them?" It mused.
And then it disappeared.
Dutch stared at the thread that connected him to the still lifeless girl in his arms. Bright white, it hung in the air, unmoving and awaiting in the void, the world around him a sphere of color from which he stayed inside.
'Waiting for what?' He thought calmly yet desperately.
At his question, the thread started pulsing with soothing blue light. The pulses came in erratic patterns, speeding up, slowing down, staccato and legato. It continued in this random pattern until it finally settled into a reassuring throb of a heart, the deep sound vibrating through his chest.
As Dutch felt the throb wash over him, Vale lit up in his arms. The entity floated away from his as light peeked out of her body, dissolving her clothing until he was looking at the blinding figure of the vault entity.
As Dutch shielded his eyes from the blinding light, a sharp pain, more spiritual than physical, arced throughout his body. He gasped as he felt Himself being carved apart and pulled away. The feeling centered around his heart where Dutch could feel his life literally draining away.
He instinctively grabbed what he knew was the source of the pain, the thread of light, and started to pull it out. His mind gripped with raw terror at the prospect of losing the one thing that tied him to life, he slowly pulled out the line, his body working thoughtlessly to take out the thing that was taking his soul away.
As the thread slowly came out, the pain started to recede, slowly fading away from his body the longer he pulled out the thread. As the pain left, his ability to think clearly slowly surfacing from the sea of pain and terror in his head. The relief from the hurt made him pull faster as he worked as fast as he could to get the thread out of his body.
Just as Dutch felt the tip of the thread started to surface, he stopped. His mind was free enough that he could think clearly, even through the burning pain in his heart. Dutch looked at the thread, now weakly throbbing tandem to his heart beat. He traced it with his eyes, following it to the figure of the vault entity, still blinding white but alarmingly fading away around the edges,
'It's connected to her. The thread is taking away my soul to save her.'He realized. The terror he felt and his instinctive pulling away of the thread must have been his body's natural reaction to protect his soul. Therefore, to save Vale...
Dutch looked at the thread over his heart where it burned. He then looked back at Vale. Reaching deep into himself for support, he took the thread, sucked in a deep breath and thrust what he pulled out back into his body.
Automatically, his hands twitched as they followed his own body attempts to pull out this intruder. Dutch stopped himself, fighting against his own body as he continued to push the thread inwards. He felt it spread deeper into his soul, probing deeper and deeper, each centimeter forcing him into a new dimension of pain and terror.
When he felt that he could pull no further, when the terror and pain he suffered was strong enough to break his resolve, Dutch released his hands from the thread, pulling his untrustworthy hands away from the thread of light. The line pulsed as it sucked away parts of his soul, the white Life-giving substance reaching into the entity opposite him and restoring her image to its proper form, the faded edges slowly lighting up.
Dutch felt his hands twitch back to the thread, the rebellious appendages following his unthinking mind, betraying his consciousness. He mustered what resolve he had felt and poured them into his hands, stilling them.
While its supplier fought against himself, the thread continued on its job, sucking and converting his soul into material to repair the vault entity. As it reached its final task, the thread pulled out the largest portion yet and channeled it into the entity.
Dutch screamed into the void around him. His hands gripped the thread but he fought the urge to pull with what willpower he had left, his mind struggling against the titanic primal need to defend his soul.
Finally, when he felt his resolve completely shatter and his hands started to tug at the thread, Dutch felt the pain started to fade away. As he let out a sigh of relief, he gathered his control and stopped his hands.
While he floated, opposite the body of Vale, Dutch closed his eyes, feeling the border of a portal envelop him and his love.
Vault control room
The portal reopened and the two landed on something soft and comfy.
Dutch blinked as he realized that he was looking into a bed. Lifting himself up, he turned to the person next to him.
Vale slept, breathing softy and peacefully. She was back to her full glory, her wings in their untwisted form, her clothed appearance clear of any injuries. He realized that he too was clean. It was as if the past events had never happened, as though the ordeal had been no more than a bad dream. The thread that connected both of them together was gone but somehow, he could feel something. He looked inside himself, searching for a way to describe it.
As he touched the feeling, he could not help but smile warmly.
Love. That was the closest thing he could describe the feeling as. Strong and invigorating, it gave him a feeling of life that he knew he should have had, but had lost in the dark days of his past. It recharged him, giving him a feeling of energy that made him smile.
How did that feeling come about he wondered.
Then he looked at the young girl sleeping beside him and had an epiphany. It was her, he realized. She was the one that was sending the feelings to him. The young vault entity was transforming the former soldier with her feelings.
He learned something else that made him chuckle as he stroked her hair. Vault was right, they really were interlinked emotionally and with the soul-binding, spiritually too.
There would be an aftermath, he knew, but that would have to wait. Yawning he settled to sleep alongside an angel who adored him... Who adored him? Placing a loving kiss on her forehead, he knew that he would accept her love with no regrets.
Because it was all worth it.
Sometime later
Dutch opened his eyes to a pair of sky-blue eyes staring back. He felt the comfortable warm embrace of a blanket over the two of them even as they both lay on the bed.
"Sleep well?" He asked.
Vale nodded silently as she beamed radiantly, her smile laced with gratefulness.
"You saved me." She announced with a sense of awe.
Dutch grinned. "Well, I need someone familiar to work the vault after all. Besides, it's a real joy being around you."
She giggled in answer before leaning in closer, her arms coming up for a heart-felt hug. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she drew him closer until they were intertwined.
"Thank you. What you did was...was..." She stuttered into his ear.
"Was for my angel. I can't bear the thought of you missing out on your life before it even started. Think of it as a father's duty." He answered as their heads backed up to look into each other eyes.
Vale smiled at him with tears in her eyes. "You're the best father a girl can ask for."
Dutch grinned. "I think we have gotten our definition of fathers wrong. Fathers normally don't kiss their own daughter nor fall in love with them."
The aforementioned daughter giggled. "But we are not normal after all."
The words made him chuckle. "You're right. But I must ask something important. Why?" He asked as his expression turned serious.
Vale took the question with a guilty face. "I thought that I was sure if I left, you would be able to get over me. You were hurting yourself, Dako." She answered sadly.
Those words made Dutch smile with equal sadness. "Don't do that again. If anything happens, we will solve it. But please, just don't run away again. It brings far more problems without answers."
His smile then turned bitterly inward. "Besides, it is my fault. If I hadn't spent so much time outside the Vault, I would have noticed your feelings."
Vale adopted an angry expression before lightly banging their heads together. "Stop! Dako, my feelings are my own. It's not your fault. So please, stop." She scolded.
With that, her frown turned into a warm smile. "Besides, because of the vault, I'm yours. There is nothing stopping you."
Dutch looked thoughtfully. "You're right. There's nothing stopping me from doing this!" At that word, he launched a barrage of attacks against Vale's side.
Vale laughed and flailed her limbs around under the powerful assault. Her wild action caused her wings to break free of the blanket and release a shower of feathers.
Finally, after laughter filled the air to the maximum, Dutch released her from her torture. Panting from the exertion, Vale pulled back the comfortable blanket and embraced him again.
"I wish we could stay here forever." She whispered into his ear as feathers drifted down lazily around them.
"Well I don't. Wouldn't it be better if we could do this in far more beautiful places? This room isn't exactly the most decorative of places." He answered back cheekily.
Vale laughed when she heard his answer. Nuzzling into his neck, she breathed in his scent, her warm breath tickling his skin and sending shivers down his spine.
Happy she could get a reaction out of him, Vale brought herself to face him, where they both stared into each other, each communicating their emotions through their eyes. Hesitantly, she inched forward, their lips getting closer.
But then Dutch laughed softly. As Vale opened her eyes in surprise to his strange action, he grinned like a Cheshire cat.
"This isn't your first time." He said before closing the distance and kissing her.
Vale moaned as she felt their mouths connect. Both their tongues met in the center, coiling around each other. Then, almost teasingly, Dutch pulled back his tongue, slowly retreating back into his mouth. Come in if you can, this was the message his movements seemed to be putting across to her.
She took up the challenge, forcing her way into his mouth. Inside, he let her have her way with him, docilely letting her flood his mouth with her taste. She wrapped her hands around his neck as their bodies intertwined further, pressing her body against his as their legs interlocked.
Everything must come to an end however and Vale regrettably withdrew as that they could break for air. Their lips broke, a thin trail of halcyon saliva linking the two together. They drank in each other's gaze as their breaths .
"How did that feel?" He asked as he smiled roguishly.
Vale smiled. "It felt right."
"You mean it felt wrong before?" He grumbled, the hurt look on his face making Vale panic.
"Ah no! It was because at that time I did not..." Vale gushed as she tried to explain why she had said what she said. As she spluttered, Dutch leaned in and silenced her with another kiss.
Again, Vale's arms pulled him in closer as their tongues dueled for access into the other's domain. Then as they fought, Dutch detached his mouth from hers and moved down. Vale let out a huff of longing as her mouth was left empty which soon changed to a squeak of surprise as Dutch worked his mouth on the creamy skin of her neck. She shuddered and moaned as he traced her jugular, leaving a line of cool saliva on her neck as he licked and kissed downwards, following her blood as it made its way back to her heart. Her life throbbed under his lips as he worked his physical magic on her.
He stopped at her collarbone where he traced it with his tongue, leaving liquid evidence of his attack everywhere he touched. He then traced her carotid artery, following her blood as it journeyed upwards to her head, all the time attacking her skin. Vale's shuddering and moaning reached a euphoric level as her body twisted in pleasure around Dutch, this new attack of pleasure wiping out all coherent thoughts in her head. She panted as he slowly worked his back up, mindlessly content to simply let him have his way with her. Once he could not follow her blood any further, he lifted himself away from her neck, sending a breath of air that combined with the saliva on her neck to make her shiver.
He finished where he started, closing over her panting mouth where they both hungrily devoured each other, fruitlessly trying to sate the burning hunger in their hearts. Finally, reluctantly, they pulled apart, their breaths washing over each other, eyes connected.
"I love you."He announced, the words seeming so right to him.
Vale smiled. "And I love you." She sighed before moving beside him and giving his ear a bite and lick attack. It sent shivers down his spine as he tried to resist her onslaught. Finally however, he gave up and moaned as she kept her attack on him.
Victorious, Vale pulled away, returning to his gaze.
"So, am I your lover or your father?" He asked as the last shivers faded away from both their bodies.
Vale giggled. "You're both. Can't we have both of them?" She asked with a inquiring expression that promised something if he said otherwise.
Dutch grinned mischievously. "I don't know. In theory, I can only be one or the other. You're going to have to choose and choose carefully."
Vale pouted. "Not fair."
He laughed at her expression."Don't worry. Whatever happens, you will always be my angel." He said before kissing her on her forehead.
Vale stared at him with a blank look but as he looked back, he saw a spark of feeling, one he had never seen before in her eyes and yet seemed so familiar to him. Before he could guess why, Vale attacked him with a sudden forceful kiss.
Surprised, his mouth was left open to attack. Vale rushed her tongue in, holding his tongue hostage as she started an almost violent assault in his mouth, her tongue pillaging every corner of his mouth. Stunned, Dutch could only drown in her taste as her hands became twin vises that pulled him against her and their intertwined legs became locked together.
Once she had filled every spot of his mind with her taste and made it as lingering as possible, she released him from the wonderful torture she subjected him to. Stunned, Dutch could only speak one word even as his fogged mind raced to connect that strangely familiar spark in his head.
"Wow."
Vale grinned victoriously as she watched the aftermath of her assault in the man. Bringing her plump lips over to his ear, she whispered her words into his ear with all the finality of a queen. It was at this point that Dutch realized when he had encountered that feeling before.
He had seen it in the eyes of Tenma just hours earlier. He even remembered what he called that feeling. Possessive devotion. And if that wasn't enough, her words confirmed what he saw. That raw constrictive love present in her voice made it very clear.
"Whatever happens Dako, remember this. Just like I'm yours. You. Are. Mine."
Memories
Nora grinned as she watched Dutch's stunned reaction to Vale's adamant declaration. The actions of the entity met with her approval.
Vale had just drawn her battle lines. This would be very interesting indeed.
"She loves him. But what about himself?" Vault intoned from behind her as it appeared from the rainbow wall of memories.
"He will not betray her. Never for anything no lesser." She answered as the two planners stood and floated next to each other. She knew all of Vault's interests from Dutch's memories and she had deemed it not to be a threat.
"But there is something just as strong. Someone in the real world. Someone that has shown the same possible measure of love for him as she has. What is to stop him from heeding the other's call?" Vault warning ended in yet another question.
Nora chuckled. "He won't. Although, I believe he will surprise us. He definitely surprised me a couple of times." She said as she sauntered back toward the memories.
She stopped as she decided something. "Although... I think I can make it more surprising.
Well. then, unless you are a bad reader, pairing are now set. OCxOC won. Or did it?
Any, sorry for the extremely long wait. Some unexpected things happened and someone's computer has to be sent to be tinkered with.
Big thanks goes to Ban3 for editing this chapter.