Chapter 9
Disclaimer: DN Angel… Owned, unfortunately, by Notme.
…
Krad's POV
I was sitting on the edge of a cliff, the sea thousands of feet below me. My eyes were closed against the setting sun, but the light pierced through my eyelids, staining it the color of blood. I heard a ship's bell from below. It must have been a subconscious signal, because I felt my wings spreading, and felt myself jump…
I was walking through a corridor with mirrored walls. Ryoushi paced at my side, and Fenga (I was sure it was her) sat on a throne at the end of my path. But the further I walked, the more Fenga began to change, until she was a drifting shadow sitting just above the throne. The shadow opened its mouth to speak –
I found myself again whisked away. Gray sat next to me, her wings folded at her back. We were at the cliff above the sea again. "How can I save you?" Gray was asking me. "How can you save me?" Then she stood up, as though she was about to jump. I leapt up and grabbed her wrist, but my hand passed through her like she was smoke. Gray jumped, and spread her wings, and flew off. I made as if to follow her, but Ryoushi bit my hand. I shook him off, and he opened his mouth and spoke. "Krad!"
"Krad, wake up!" The voice wasn't Ryoushi's. It was Candra's. Ryoushi hadn't bitten me, but her fingernails were digging into my palm. I opened my eyes. "Thank God," she said. Then her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed. I sighed and pushed her off of me.
"Ryoushi, watch her," I ordered. I must go find Satoshi-sama." The dog barked, and I walked out of the crystal cavern. I was thousands of miles from Azumano, but magic would aid my flight. The cave had certain healing properties, and I had discovered it many years ago. I rarely went there, but seeing as how Candra had been almost dead and I needed her to find Gray, it had seemed like the only option at the time.
Satoshi-sama, I thought, where are you?
Krad! He sounded relieved, which was strange. How good are you with riddles? Riddles? What on earth was my tamer talking about?
Where are you? I asked, ignoring the question. The ground was a blur beneath me.
We're in the museum still, Satoshi replied. We need to find the answer to a riddle.
We? I almost didn't want to know.
I'm stuck with Dark. I sighed. Of all the stupid things my tamer had done, this one had to place second (first place, if you must know, still goes to his brilliant cross-dressing scheme). We're… well, I don't know where we are exactly… if I had Dark send you a signal, could you follow it?
Yes, I said. Did he think his ancestors had called me a hunter for nothing? I practically existed to figure out where Dark was –and kill him, although at the moment I didn't think much about that. A moment later, I had found the signal Dark sent me and was following it.
It took me five minutes to get to the museum, and then another two to find the hidden door. The three locks on its face puzzled me. They were padlocks, but there were no keyholes on them anywhere. They were, to me, completely solid. I tugged on one, hoping it would open, but to no avail. I let it fall back to the door, and it 'clunked' heavily against the wood frame. Satoshi-sama, how am I to get in?
No clue, he replied. Here, answer this: You cannot outrun me. You cannot hide from me nor can you touch me. I am a part of darkness, but my existence is in vain without the light. What am I? So that was the riddle he couldn't solve.
I thought for a moment. Have you tried dark?
Yes.
Shadow? There was a long pause.
No, Satoshi replied, That's it! I sighed.
I'm coming in, I said, conjuring a sphere of white-hot magic around my hand. Wood was flammable, the last time I had checked. But before I could destroy the door, I hear something.
"Krad," a hoarse voice whispered, "I must speak to you." I whirled around, startled. That voice…
"Gray?" The figure, silvery like mist with floor length hair and combat boots, sighed.
"Baka," it snapped, "you don't recognize me?" It clicked then. This woman was blind.
"Hateshiganai?" I was amazed, to say the least. The figure nodded.
"I figured the boots must be comfortable," she explained. "They're a bit clunky though." She laughed to herself. "But in all seriousness, Krad, I have come here with something to tell you. You asked me if I could tell you anything more about your quest, and I have just Seen something that will interest you."The misty figure paused. "This is unlike anything I have ever Seen before. I have Seen writing, of course, but mostly on signs. This is… different."
"Just tell me!" I snapped. Hateshiganai arched her eyebrows, but continued to speak.
"This was golden script on white air. It was like a poem… or a prophecy, if you believe in those." She stopped again, and took a breath. Then she spoke, and I felt my breath stop.
"Calling all angels
calling all rebels,
the black winged seraph
and the white winged devil.
Call upon magic
and call upon death
the mystical beauty
of a single, last breath.
And call on old friends,
and call on old foes
and when River doth rise
call on the dark crow.
Rid yourself of all sins
release all old strife
oh angel of death,
now searching for life
the one you seek
is so far yet so near
but what you wish for her
is the one thing that she fears…
A storm winter night,
near the end of a fight
against she who was thought
to be dead…
Yet for her whom you seek
your thoughts remain bleak
and the blood flows
amongst tears that are shed.
And the Violet will rise
and the black wolf's cries
will slowly give way
to mist…"
Hateshiganai's form stopped then. "Something is coming. I must leave you now." And like that, she was gone. I stared at the spot she had been standing at for a long time, wondering how she had been there, and where she had gone. Probably back to her flowers, if she was anything like I imagined her to be.
I heard footsteps behind me; heavy footsteps, ones that I had heard many times in Satoshi-sama's head. I turned quickly. "Who the hell are you?" It was police inspector… Sahara or something like that. Sayhara? Saehara, that was it. "What are you doing here?" I was cornered. There was really only one thing I could do.
Satoshi-sama, don't come out. With that, I snapped my wings open and jumped; flying over their heads and away from them.
"Hey!" The man yelled from behind me, "Stop!" Like I had any intention of doing that. These people were idiots. I turned right at the first corridor I came to, and found myself in a large gallery. There were many artworks there I had seen before, and a few I hadn't. I didn't dwell on it though –I had to hide from those infernal police before my picture was on every newspaper in Japan. I swooped upwards into the rafters; into the shadows. I waited.
I heard them coming before I saw them. Their footsteps were heavy and quick; there were at least ten of them. They ran through the archway, carrying flashlights, and I was thinking, this is the most cliché thing I have ever seen. But then one of their flashlights landed on something that made me gasp.
Sitting on a pedestal in a glass case stood a tiny rosebush. A silver rosebush.
"A silver rose awaits you," Hateshiganai had said.
I had found it. "Gray!"
…
AN: This is so late I don't even have words to apologize. However, I'll try anyway. I'm so, so sorry. I'd also like to apologize for this being mainly a filler chapter... but it had to happen sometime. :) Anyway, reviews would be amazing, so please click that blue button below! More to follow (hopefully) soon!