Time for Reconciliation
As Aster began to start swinging his swords around he began to think about the many styles that he had just formulated. Aster's mind was a sharp one, but that still didn't mean that there weren't flaws to his styles. The Dragon Style that he was currently using had one major flaw that Rayde could see. It didn't allow much room for improvisation.
I recognize those movements, Rayde inwardly smiled, This will definitely be interesting; his dance is a deadly one, but one that can be easily defeated if I use the right attacks.
Rayde turned away from Aster's practicing to continue to hear the history of the world, from the golden age of the Dragons to their fall and the rise of Humans after they were thought to be extinct with his death.
Aster continued his basic dance of blades in the style of the dragon until he was sure that he was used to it. He then continued the movements but added in the harder techniques that he witnessed in his vision.
He was a deadly whirlwind of blades in every second that he moved, until he added his wings into the picture, for which he needed to slow down.
Looks like I'm gonna have to get used to using my wings for something other than flying. He thought.
He began again slashing and stabbing at imaginary enemies with both his wings and swords.
Okay, He thought time to speed up.
He continued this pattern with his swords and wings on the ground until he was sure that he could deal with just about anything. Aster then flapped his wings twice and began a graceful, yet deadly attack pattern in the air.
Okay, he thought, aerial fighting is much more awkward than fighting on the ground. Maybe I should go through some aerial exercises and maneuvers first before I begin using the swords. He chuckled in spite of himself, I'm becoming my own teacher!
With a slight smile he began doing flips and spirals and many other complicated maneuvers both offensive and defensive in the air. He continued doing so until he caught a certain girl with azure hair and spacey eyes.
He hovered there for a few minutes while they just stared at each other, but once she became aware that it wasn't just anyone staring at her, but Aster, She ran out of his sight.
Aster remained stagnant in the air with a thoughtful expression on his face. Why did she run? Why did he see panic in her eyes? And why did he want to know all of a sudden?
As he asked himself these questions, he allowed himself to lower to the ground next to a small pond where he began absent-mindedly playing with the water using his powers.
Why is it that I can't stay away from her? He frowned lightly, I can't be around her and that's that. She told me that she found someone else, so it would be for her own good, even if it hurts like hell. But what was with that mix of feelings that I saw in her face while I hovered there?
His thoughts were cut off by a plunk in the water. He parted the water to see what fell in to see a clear glass ball with a note inside. He then used the water to bring it over to him and see what was inside.
He opened the sphere and saw who the letter was from, Aqua.
For the answer to all of your questions and for a resolution to this tiring situation between us, meet me here at the pond after sunset, while the moon is at its peak.
-Aqua
Why did she want to see him? He shook his head and set his jaw. "I need to focus right now." He muttered.
So he lifted into the air and began his aerial exercises again and repeated them several times before suddenly adding his swords and wings to the mix.
The speed with which he did his dance in the air was astounding, however Rayde didn't see a bit of it; Ultima made sure of that,
He wanted improvement; well I'll give him improvement. He smiled to himself as he continued his story to Dekrosna and Rayde.
Rayde looked up at one of the many clocks in the study and saw that Aster's time was up. He rose and began walking out the door.
"Oh, not without me you're not." Ultima quipped, and so the walked to the meadow together to see Aster waiting expectantly and playing absentmindedly with the water of the pond.
"I take it you're ready to begin again?" Rayde said, drawing his fang sword.
"Yes." Aster stopped playing with the water and stood up, and then to Rayde and Ultima's surprise, he walked across the pond (A/N- Yes, on the water people!) to stand in front of them.
"I see you've not been slacking on your elements," Ultima commented, bewilderment in his eyes, "It took Leda much longer to master actually walking on the water."
"She told me a secret or two, like I have to be in a calm mindset instead of frustrated." Aster said off-handedly.
Aster drew his swords and said, "Are we gonna use the barriers like last time, Ultima?"
"Indeed we are." Ultima proceeded to apply the protective barriers to their swords, and then walked to his previous vantage point on the top of a boulder next to the pond.
Rayde immediately took his stance, I know this stance, Aster thought, He's serious now. Good, that'll make it more interesting. He smiled inwardly before he took his stance, his right arm by his head and his sword pointing toward Rayde, his left hand out front but his sword pointed up at an angle.
Rayde had to blink a couple of times before he actually saw Aster. He looks exactly like an adolescent Dragon on his hind legs, his wings are even spread in open challenge to me. Rayde nodded once.
Ultima looked at both of the swordsmen and knew that they were sizing each other up; Ultima already could tell that those three hours were enough for drastic improvement on Aster's part. Now it's time he puts it into practice. He thought in anticipation.
Rayde lunged at Aster's legs and he sidestepped, attacking Rayde's left shoulder, but missing because of Rayde's last minute dodge-roll. They were back up to a stand off, standing still for at least ten seconds before Aster made a lunge to Rayde.
Rayde caught his first attack but had to dodge the second and was immediately knocked off balance from the third. He was now on the defensive; a side of the battle that he did not like to be on. He dodged Aster's many attacks and the ones he couldn't dodge he blocked until Aster suddenly stopped and launched himself into the air and made some distance between himself and Rayde.
That's not going to work. He observed, Either I'm going to have to attack his left continuously, or I'm going to have to improvise, but what to do…
He attacked Rayde again, but with much greater speed, and still using only his swords, until he saw an opening.
Rayde knew that Aster saw the opening when he saw his bright green eyes dilate and focus on the spot, but what attacked wasn't what he thought would. His wing barb immediately thrust forward and he narrowly dodged a bloody, torn-up right shoulder.
At that, Ultima called a pause in the fight. "We're here to train each other, not kill each other." He said when he began putting the barrier on Aster's wing barbs. Aster then began calling at him telepathically.
'You might want to put that barrier on the field around us; soon I'll implement what elements that I've learned.' He chuckled to himself, nodded and then cast a field barrier, placing a protective barrier on anything that might kill or injure.
Rayde then attacked unexpectedly, but found himself only attacking air as Aster jumped away. Aster grinned and then launched into the air and began swooping at Rayde, knowing he had the advantage.
Damnit, Rayde cursed, I didn't think he was this smart. He knows that I can't reach him without expending energy. Those wings of his are natural where mine would be made purely from crystal. Looks like I have no choice. Rayde blocked an attack from Aster, formed his wings, blocked another attack, and launched into the air, chasing him.
Aster smirked, "Gotcha." He turned and sent a compact whirlwind at Rayde, sending him for a loop, knocking him to the ground, and breaking his wings of crystal.
As Rayde stood up, Aster dove straight for him, but he wasn't holding his swords. Rayde dodged his dive and looked at him, What was he trying to do? Then realization dawned on him and he blocked one sword and dodged the other. He looked at the sword he had in blade lock and noticed the slight garnet glow to it, Earth Element, damn! He dislodged the sword and narrowly dodged its twin, before he noticed a line of stalagmites coming straight for him. He jumped backwards only to be knocked of balance by the disembodied twin swords and then he tripped over a tree root from a nearby copse of trees.
He was beaten Aster's swords were at his neck and there was nothing he could do. If he knocked away the swords, the stalagmites would hit him, skewering him. If he tried to dodge the stalagmites, the swords would slit his throat. Rayde threw away his sword; he knew when he was beaten.
Aster appeared out of the ground, "Do you give?"
Rayde nodded, "Yes, and let me say, I am thoroughly impressed." He smiled when Aster offered him a hand up.
Rayde accepted it, but Aster knew that Rayde was holding back. Had that been a real fight, Aster would have lost easily, and he knew that. I still have a ways to go. He thought resolutely.
Ultima came up to the two applauding. "That was fantastic, Aster." His eyes showed laughter and Aster felt proud, yet humble at the same time.
"Yes, that was a very ingenuitive way to use your swords, well done." Rayde said determination in his eyes. "I think that I'll have myself a very good spar partner in the near future, eh Ultima?"
"Yes that's exactly what I think will happen," Ultima laughed, "He certainly is capable."
"Yes, but now he must get back to his elemental studies as well as those concerning magic, correct?" Rayde smiled knowingly.
"Yes, yes, there is that." Ultima puzzled. "But there will be time for him to spar." The smile returned to his face. "Now I think that we, "we" being you two, need some rest, am I right?"
"Actually, I feel fine." Aster lied; I don't want to leave the meadow. I might as well stay here, but I could use a good stretch.
"I think I'll take you up on that offer, Ultima." Rayde accepted.
"Okay, Aster I'll leave you to your own devices then, okay?" He said knowingly, Something's going to happen, but what is the question; I'd better keep an eye on him this afternoon, oh, it is already this evening isn't it. "Come Rayde, there is some other things which I neglected to mention to you before." And with that, Ultima and Rayde were once again gone in the temple.
Aster approached the pond, trying to organize his warring emotions. "For what reason does water seem to calm me?" He randomly asked no one. He again began absentmindedly began to play around with the water using his powers.
"She has someone else. If she wants to cut off all relationship with me, then fine." He brooded. "They, whoever they are, better be taking care of her…" He trailed off.
"Why do I feel so dejected?" He muttered, "And if not that, why do I see rage in my face every time that I think of whomever she's with!" His voice grew in volume with every word.
He sighed, "Why do I feel this way only around her?" He calmed the water that he had previously turned into a whirlpool, "Is this feeling jealousy? Why am I jealous?"
He suddenly felt distaste toward himself, "Perfect, Aster. You're pushing away the only person that can answer those questions!" He splashed the water angrily and snapped out of his rage when some fell on his face, instantly calming him.
He remained the rest of the day playing with the water, or working on water techniques.
When the moon was at its peak and Aqua finally walked out into the pond, she heard splashing in the direction she was going.
"I guess he never left." She said, her hands fidgeting.
She continued on and decided to go through the copse of trees near the pond so she could see what he was doing, and what she saw astonished her.
Aster was practically glowing in the moonlight as he moved the water around in the air creating new techniques that were beautiful, and deadly to any unaware of its power. She looked for his eyes and when she finally glimpsed them she saw that they were soft, determined, and yet ambivalent. Are his emotions warring against each other? He's torn at what to do? Then how his he controlling the water so precisely?
As she was thinking these things she absentmindedly let down her left hand and a twig snapped. And Aster's eyes flew open and all the water fell into the pond, yet he stayed as he was, still and calculating.
"You can come out now, Aqua." He said his voice without feeling. She rose and appeared from the trees and looked to his eyes, but immediately wished she hadn't. What she saw were not the eyes of the Aster that she wanted to see. His eyes were solid ice and his expression completely stoic. She didn't want to speak to this Aster so she asked the main question on her mind, "Why did you run?"
She saw a flash of confusion run across his eyes, but was quickly concealed, "What?"
"Why did you run from me on that day?" She knew she was wearing her emotions on her sleeve, but at this point, she didn't care, she wanted the real Aster back. She wanted her Aster back. "You didn't let me finish."
"There was nothing else to say." He snapped she saw that his ruse was breaking; the rage and jealousy was plain in sight before he reeled it in.
"Once again, you didn't let me finish!" She said harshly, "I was going to tell you something else, but at this point I don't know if you are the one I want to talk to. What happened to you, Aster?"
He was confused and she saw it, "You act as if you have had your emotions run ragged, been in one thousand battles in which you lost your dearest friends, and you act as if you had been betrayed a hundred times! None of that has happened and you know it!" She walked out onto the water to close a little distance. "Why did you change?"
"You wouldn't understand." He spat, "You never would have, and even now you never—" he was cut off by a slap across the face.
Aqua was visibly shaking now, shaking in rage. The water surrounding them started to move as in agreeing to her sentiment. "You really think I wouldn't understand? How long have I known you, you idiot!" She slapped him again. "I'd never get the chance to understand if you don't talk to me damnit!"
Aster's ruse had finally broken and he was shaken emotionally. He saw what had happened to his friend. With his vision cleared from his own sentiments he could see that she was hurt, betrayed even, and angry. But under all of that, there was still concern for him, even though she just slapped him twice. Wait, she just slapped me! Twice!
"You want to know what's wrong?" the water began to act as if it were boiling, "I'm so fucking confused about what I feel that I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO FEEL ANYMORE!" The water reacted to his outburst and rocketed upward and brought Ultima and Leda running to their balconies to see what was going on.
The water to both of their faces calmed them down, but not enough to stop Aster's rampant emotions. "I act the way I do because I have felt confused. Everything that has happened lately shouldn't be possible, but it is, and you are involved in it as well!" He yelled blindly. He turned and walked to the edge of the pond his voice considerably softer, "I still don't know what to feel…"
Aqua did something that she knew he needed, she knocked him off balance with a wave and caused him to fall into the pond with a splash. She started laughing even as he surfaced glaring at her, his pupils nothing short of feral. Then he started laughing himself once he could stand again. "Thanks, Aqua, I needed that badly." He said mirthfully. "What were you going to tell me earlier?"
Aqua looked into his eyes and knew that he was the one that she was looking for; he had come back to her. "I turned him down, there's another that I'm waiting for, but he's too oblivious to see it. But how about this, we start over from where we left off and act like that whole misunderstanding never happened."
Aster turned around walked a little more, as he was now next to Aqua, "Depends," He looked at her over his shoulder with a smirk, "on if you can beat me in a water duel."
Aqua's competitiveness kicked in and said, "Oh, you're on mister Diamond Dragon." Aster grinned and took his stance as Aqua took hers.
Ultima and Leda looked at each other, nodded, and subtly began to effect changes to their field. Ultima took the light from the moon and began to increase it slightly and angle it and Leda took the little droplets of water and allowed them to float around the two.
These changes went unnoticed by Aster and Aqua as they began their duel. They matched each other water blade for water blade and continued to gracefully match each other in a deadly dance of blades.
Aqua took this time to actually see Aster as he was naturally; she knew that he loved the water. With his pale skin, green eyes that seemed to glow, silver hair and dragon wings, he looked nothing short of ethereal, and the droplets like diamonds in the air only accented what she saw. She was so mesmerized by what she saw that she barely put up a water shield in time to block the spiral water blade attack that Aster sent her way, but this time their positions were now reversed.
Aster took in her appearance with the moon in the background as well as the floating diamonds around them. She looked completely celestial. Her blue hair sparkled with the residual splashes from their otherwise innocent-looking dance, and her dark eyes held determination that he saw in no other. Her skin shined against the moonlight and her beauty was only increased by Ultima and Leda's subtle changes. She began a finishing sequence and Aster decided that he would take a dive. She won't like it, but she doesn't know what I can do with this stuff; I don't wanna hurt her.
Aster blocked two hits and dodged three others before faking a trip and Aqua delivered the finisher, a water blade poised at his neck.
Aster chuckled at his supposed clumsiness and Aqua did too. He looked into her eyes and saw the disappointment at his dive, but also understanding that she was not yet ready to battle him for real. They let the water fall and Leda did as well. Ultima then subtly decreased the light to its natural level while Aqua helped Aster up.
"We're cool right?" Aqua asked.
"Of course." Aster laughed, "That was better than I thought it would be."
"What do you mean?" Aqua moved slightly closer to him.
"Well for one, I had fun with the water duel." Aster explained. "I was actually glad that you had it at the pond, I wouldn't have been very civil anywhere else."
Aqua laughed and said, "That is true, that is very true."
Okay, I don't have anything really to blame the lateness of this chapter on, except laziness (Procrastinators UNITE…tomorrow) so I'm really sorry that I didn't get this out as early as I wanted to.
Alright, I need someone as a beta, or really just to check over what I've written on my first draft so that it would be that much better for here, so anyone wanna take a crack at it? PM me if you're interested and I'll tell you what I'd need from you and such because I'd send the draft as an attachment through email.
As for reviews, I'd like to thank everyone that has been keeping up with this. Just to let you all know, I like long detailed reviews that REALLY tell me what you think. Just be sure that it's the right kind of criticism. There is such a thing as DE-structive criticism; I want CON-structive criticism. As far as flames go, look at my profile page, I have a little place set up specifically for that.
Until next time!
-Ultima