Saints and Sinners
Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.
Kilnorc: Time for the first major battles of this series, folks! Wonder what Gabriel and Anderson are capable of besides brainwashing people? Let's find out! I would like to thank my friend and Kairi's owner, Wolfen-Ways for helping out in this chapter!
The lyrics you see here are from an episode of Death Note and I figured Kairi would be perfect for that. Do not own that either.
Kairi gawked at the piles of unconscious, brainwashed townspeople around her as Axe flung a few of them on top of the piles. He dusted his hands off and stepped back, "Well, that takes care of that problem," he looked at her and gave her the victory sign, "Wasn't such a chore, now was it?"
"I thought you weren't going to hurt them that much?!" Kairi screeched, pointing at a nearby pile of moaning children, "What's wrong with you?!"
Axe blinked, "I didn't hurt them that much. I hurt them good enough to get them outta the way, but not bad enough to kill them. I thought you didn't want that to happen?"
Kairi's eyebrow twitched, "You are so screwed up in that head of yours...," she muttered.
"People say that a lot to me...dunno why," Axe scratched his head, "I don't know my own strength, anyway, so sue me!"
"I just might!"
Axe waved her off, "Whatever...now," he looked around, "What were we supposed to be doing...AH!" he snapped his fingers and turned to Anderson and Gabriel, "Now, I remember," he cracked his knuckles, "Where do we start?"
"I don't know," Kairi tapped her shoulder with Heaven's Savior, "Whatever we do to them, we can't kill them,"
"Doubt it'd actually come to that-,"
"Please, Axe," Kairi looked at him, "For me? Don't kill them,"
"You do know they'll try to do that with us, right?"
"I don't care," Kairi sighed and looked back at the two former pirates, "I can't kill anyone, even if it's in defense,"
Okay, maybe it wasn't a good idea to have someone like her to be my first choice as a crewmate. If she's not willing to do what is necessary when the time comes, things could get ugly real fast. No sense in worrying about that now... he cracked his neck, "Let's do this,"
"I'm right behind you,"
As the two of them advanced on them, Anderson leaned to Gabriel, "Take care of them. This has been an unexpected development, so I'll go and make things better for us,"
"Yes, sir," Gabriel nodded and began to walk briskly towards Axe and Kairi, "You two dare to raise your hand against God, and you shall be-,"
"Oh, SHUT UP!" Axe muttered, slugging him in the cheek, sending him flying off to the side a short distance, "You're mine, Preacher!"
Anderson chuckled, "Perhaps not, my son. God is on my side, and He always helps people on His side,"
With that, he turned and bolted through the back door.
"Oh, Goddammit," Axe muttered under his breath, earning a slap upside his head, "HEY!"
"No swearing in church,"
Axe rolled his eyes and started to run after Anderson, "You can run, but you can't hide, Preacher!"
"Hehehe...he has no idea...,"
Kairi turned to see Gabriel rising to his feet, a large bruise already forming on the side of his face, "I'm surprised Axe was able to hit you hard enough to send you flying like that...I'm also surprised that you can stand up after being hit like that,"
Gabriel spat some blood that was pooling in his mouth, "You'll find that I'm full of surprises, Kairi. I may have been a stoic man after being with Father Anderson here, but in my pirate life, I was a force to be reckoned with," he flicked his wrists and Kairi watched as small, strange swords popped out of his sleeves and into his hands.
The Holy Knight scowled, "What in His name are those?"
"These little beauties are called butterfly swords, and they are more dangerous than they first appear to be. For example...," he trailed off and with amazing speed, he went from his landing spot to just inches from Kairi's face, and before she could bring up her sword to protect herself, Kairi was punched hard in the face.
She was pushed back a few good feet as blood dribbled down the front of her face.
"I'm faster and stronger than I look, Kairi," Gabriel smiled as he held up the hand he punched Kairi with. The hand guard of the butterfly sword had little spots of blood while the blade itself dripped crimson.
Kairi's hand went to her face and she felt warm blood oozing down her cheek, He not only punched me, but he managed to cut into my cheek at the same time?! I didn't even feel the cut... she looked hard at him and raised her sword, "This will be quite a challenge,"
Gabriel nodded, "I'm sorry that it had to be like this, Kairi. Despite our ages, I really liked you,"
She facefaulted, That sounds so wrong...
"Come on, preacher man, where are you hiding?!" Axe shouted as he walked down the stone corridors beneath the church, "You keep going down, you're gonna get yourself trapped like a rat!"
Where the hell is he, I know he went down here...? he wondered as he kicked open the fourth door he came across, If I were an evil, manipulative preacher, where would I go...besides Hell and or prison?
After kicking the door down, Axe entered the large room behind it and took a good look around, "Whoa...okay, I think I just found where they were brainwashing people,"
"Careful what you do,
'Cause God is watching your every move.
Hold my hand in the dark streets,
for if you do I know that I'll be safe...
Even I'm far away and alone,
I can be sure that you'll
find me there, this I know
You draw me so close for
awhile, so quiet.
You tell me everything
If I forget what you say,
then you'll come to me
and tell me, again.
Yes, you'd tell me once again...
But what happens when
I know it all?
Then, what should I do after that?
What, then?"
Kairi's voice echoed through the gathering hall, her singing joined with the metal collisions of her rapier and Gabriel's butterfly swords. She didn't know why, but whenever she had a difficult task ahead of her, she sang that song, the song from her childhood in the church, before she became the Holy Knight. The song always helped in the past, and she prayed that it would help her now.
Gabriel was far tougher than any enemy she had fought since she became the Holy Knight of Sanctus Island. He was faster, stronger, and more resilient to her attacks than the others. Whenever she gave a thrust, he hit it with a butterfly sword, knocking it out off course. After that, he lunged inward and sliced her across the front, tearing the cloth that protected her bare body.
She cried out and stumbled back, one hand covering her new wounds as she held onto her rapier tightly, He wasn't lying...he can fight, he is faster, he is stronger! I can't stop though, if I do, they'll kill me and the island will be under their control! I gotta keep fighting!!
The Angel of Death frowned as he and Kairi exchanged parries and blows, She's become stronger than I thought. No matter though, I'm more than capable of killing her for our ambitions!
"Juunshi Tenshi!"
Shit! Gabriel leapt back, but not far enough and was forced to use his blades to deflect each of Kairi's twelve jabs.
"You're going to have to do better than that tired old move to even come close of beating me, Lumina!"
"Oh, really?" Kairi gave a sly smile and stepped back to a pillar, bringing her rapier over to a nearby torch, one of the few that was left on the walls from the fight earlier. She raised it just above the flame, "If you want to see a new move, then you're in for a treat, Gabriel,"
She's trying to burn her own weapon? Here I thought she was a smart fighter, but this is a foolish act, she's going to damage her weapon by doing that! What does she hope to accomplish?
Kairi removed her sword and Gabriel was surprised to see that it wasn't damaged at all, and that the entire blade was glowing red hot, something that wasn't possible in such a short amount of time over that low of a flame!
"What the...?" Gabriel shook his head, "What did you do?"
"Hot Fencer!!" (1)
A strange, red blur appeared in Gabriel's vision and seconds later, he screamed out in pain as a great burning was felt on his chest. He looked down to not only see some of his clothes had been burned with wisps of smoke rising into the air, but the flesh underneath were burned badly as well.
He looked up at her, clearly startled by what had just happened, "What did you do?!"
"That's my Hot Fencer technique," Kairi pointed her glowing rapier at his face, "If you thought my techniques were strong before, the heat on my blade increases the damage, making it harder to fight with wounds,"
Gabriel growled and threw away his upper clothing, leaving him bare chested and revealing the full burning injury, which smelled like burning meat.
There's no possible way she could've heated up her sword in that amount of time under that flame! How in the world is she able to do that? It doesn't make sense!!
"Surrender, Gabriel," Kairi ordered in a firm voice, "Just surrender and help me return these people back to normal. If you do that and leave this island, then I'll be happy,"
He smirked, "I can't do that, Kairi. The Templars must rise again. Grand Master Anderson will usher in a new age of peace around the Four Seas, then the Grand Line! We will be the harbingers of peace for the World Government! No hate, no killing, no crime...," he shook his head, "I thought that was your dream, Kairi? To end the senseless killing of the world, no matter who the victims are?"
"That is my dream, but not my vision of it," Kairi snapped, slowly advancing on her opponent, "I will bring about my dream of peace through a means that doesn't force people to be forced against their will. If it is accomplished by that, then it is no dream at all, but a nightmare!"
"If you want to stop us, you'll have to kill us then, Kairi!"
"I won't kill you...I can't!"
"Then you will fall here!"
Again with surprising speed, Gabriel darted forward and before she could defend herself, Kairi let out a gasp as both butterfly swords went through her torso. Gabriel leaned forward and whispered, "Now, you shall see how I earned my nickname...," he slowly twisted his blades, making her gasp in pain, "...I am the Angel of Death,"
"You're...you're a monster,"
"And you're dead," Gabriel pulled his blades out and stepped back, watching Kairi fall to a knee, blood staining her front, "If only you could've been turned to our cause, you wouldn't suffer like this," he knelt down to look into her eyes, "You see why we do this? We do this so no one shall suffer any pain, any grief, and any heartache,"
Kairi lifted her head, a small trail of blood trickling from her lip, "It's not so easy, Gabriel,"
"What are you talking about?"
She winced a little, "There is suffering in the world, I know that. But, I also know that everyone must suffer at points in their lives, otherwise they don't live their lives at all, they just...," she shook her head, "I don't know what they are, but they're not living!"
Gabriel frowned, "What do you know about this? You haven't been around as long as Anderson and I have,"
"Perhaps, but I've spent my entire life learning God's teachings and protecting those I can whenever I have the chance," she gave a small smile and slowly rose to her feet, ignoring her wounds, "They must suffer in order to be happy. With suffering is endured, then the good things in life can begin and people are free to live their lives the way they want. If you take this away from them," she raised her rapier, a determined look in her eyes, "You're no better than a thief!"
The platinum-haired man frowned deeply, "A thief? THIEF?!"
"You heard me,"
"I'm more than just a thief!" Gabriel raised his butterfly swords again, "MUCH MORE! I AM THE ANGEL OF DEATH! I AM A SERVANT OF GOD!!"
"Keep telling yourself that,"
Gabriel let out an angry cry and lunged towards her.
I'm sorry Gabriel. You were my friend once upon a time, but you are lost now. I cannot treat you as a friend, but as an enemy now... Kairi closed her eyes, sighed, and raised her sword, Forgive me, Gabriel, but there is no other way.
She opened her eyes and ducked under the oncoming butterfly swords and when she saw the opening she needed, she thrust her rapier into Gabriel's body, sending bits of blood flying and splattering against her face. Stunned, Gabriel dropped his swords and the sound of the blades clattering on the stone floor echoed around the hall. He looked down at her, eyes wide as his blood slid down her thin sword, the smell of flesh burning in his nostrils.
"K-Kairi..."
I am so sorry, Gabriel...so sorry! Kairi shut her eyes tightly, pulled her sword out of her former friend and moved out of the way, letting him hit the floor. It sounded like a heavy sack of potatoes hit the stone floor of the church, and after that sound entered her ears, she fell to her knees and cried.
God, forgive me...
Kilnorc: And so, the first of two enemies have fallen. How will Axe's fight go since he doesn't have his trusty weapon, and can he find a way to free the people of Anderson's control? Find out next chapter! (and yes, with fencing style, which rapiers are usually affiliated with, and her singing, Kairi DOES seem like Brook)
(1) Hot Fencer - A technique of Kairi's that increases damage of her attacks with heat. Blade can be heated up in various, and rather surprising rates and ways.
On the next chapter of Origin...
Axe: Didn't find my axe, but at least I found where the people were taken.
Anderson: Why can't you understand what I am trying to do, my son?
Axe: You compensating for something with that thing, pal?
Kairi: No matter what he may do in the future, I must have faith in him to make things right!
Judgment of the Almighty
Anderson: Let this storm wash away the evil of this island bring about the full return of the Templars!