Chapter Summary: Wing and Star Saber's morning sparring doesn't go the way they planned.
Note: Okay, the nature of this chapter and the chapter after it necessitates me explaining what's happening here so no one gets hopelessly lost. This is based off an AU of the AU where fusion exists and it is used in warfare (i.e., Drift and Turmoil fuse, Wing and Drift fuse, etc.) I ended up thinking of a fusion between Star Saber and Iudex, who cannot stand each other in the No Man's Land verse, and just how weirdly awesome and destructive that could be. OniGil and I ended up gushing over it and I wrote some drabbles based on it. As of now, I haven't finished the other parts, but hopefully I can wrap this up sometime!
"All I want to do is see you turn into a giant woman, a giant woman! All I want to be is someone who gets to see a giant woman..." -Steven Universe
Dawn had broken not too long ago; the sun was still low on the horizon, bathing only the top part of the tallest buildings in her light. Few were awake this time of morning, mostly those with duties or jobs that required them to be awake before the general populace. Or those who were naturally early risers, like many of the city's knights. The quiet and calm that the dawn provided was the perfect time to center themselves and practice their routines in the Warrior's Halls.
This morning, however, the Halls were not quiet. There was the faint sound of swords crashing together, just loud enough to be distracting to those trying to meditate.
"They're already at it?" High up in the balconies of the sparring rings, a few knights watched two of their own fighting down below. "Primus above, can't they give it a rest until it's at least some sane hour of the day?"
"You know them," another knight said, leaning on the railing as she watched. "They won't give it a rest ever."
"If they did," one chimed in, sitting against a support pillar as she also watched. "Then the world would probably stop turning."
"Or the war would come to a stop." Another pointed out. A few tired laughs came from her companions, attention briefly deviating as a shout came from below as one of the swordfighters pushed back her opponent near the edge of the ring.
"Who do you think is going to win this time?" The first knight asked, dark eyes on the dancing knights.
"Well, they're fighting with swords, so definitely Star Saber. Wing's never going to beat her." The knight learning against the rail replied, confident in her assessment.
"Don't let her hear you say that. She'll beat you up."
The group laughed again, more amusement than exhaustion this time. "Wing wouldn't beat me up. She'd probably sabotage my food or hide my sword. Star Saber would be the one to beat people up."
Her friend shuddered. "You'll never catch me saying that around her. Wing maybe, but definitely not Star."
"Aww, you don't want a chance to spar with one of the Order's best Knights?" The sitting knight asked, faintly teasing. "It would be a great honor, considering everyone's beneath her in her mind."
"No thank you. I've seen her when she spars; I don't feel the need to go visit Redline for punctured lungs and broken bones."
Her arms and legs burned as she parried and swung her sword, her bones ringing with the force of metal hitting metal. Her lungs screamed for air, despite her attempts to keep her breathing regulated. Focus, she reminded herself. Remember your core. If she slipped up for even a moment, it would be the end.
A well-placed blow forced her back, her opponent grinning down at her as she launched a furry of attacks, forcing her to keep her guard up or open weak spots for her to attack. She gritted her teeth, watching for an opening she could use. Her enemy couldn't keep this up forever.
There.
In a burst of speed, she swung her body, using her momentum to bring her sword against her foe's weapon. Now she could get close enough to disarm her-
Her sword only hit empty air, throwing her off for just a moment too long. The sharp blow of her enemy's sword came from nowhere and Peerless flew from her hands. A sudden kick in the next moment brought her to the ground, followed by the cold bite of steel sliding against her neck. She froze, not daring to move with that lethal weapon so close to her.
"Pathetic." Her opponent sneered, maneuvering her blade to force her defeated opponent to look up at her. Sapphire eyes blazed, taking obvious delight in the situation in front of her. "Did you honestly think I would fall for that? You're stupider than I thought."
Wing scowled, refusing to answer as a wave of anger, rooted in humiliation, rose up in her. Star Saber laughed, a cruel sound, shaking her head. "Oh, Wing, when will you learn that you can never beat me? I am the best no matter how many times you fight me. Just accept the truth."
"Never say never." She spit out, trying for calm and failing as she quietly repeated the mantra's of a knight in her head. A Knight never responds in anger, she told herself firmly. Don't let her get to you. Easier said than done; Star Saber had a way of getting under her skin just by being there. "Your arrogance will be your downfall one day."
"Better than being a humble, atheistic failure." She retorted, her grin growing at the spark of anger in Wing's eyes. "Aww, did I hurt your feelings? You don't want to think about 'that'?"
"Again," Wing ground out, slapping the flat side of the blade away from her neck and rising to retrieve Peerless.
"You must really want to be punished for your failure." Star Saber said, backing up into another starting position as Wing returned to her place. Charon gleamed in her hand, alive with the energy of its wielder.
A Knight is always calm. Her emotions are like water, flowing through her and out, Wing reminded herself, breathing in and out in an effort to control her emotions. She didn't answer, raising her sword and waiting for Star Saber.
"No response? I'm disappointed, Wing. Where's that silver tongue of yours? Did I cut it out?" Star Saber raised her sword in readiness, confident and relaxed.
Inner peace. Wing's answer was a lunge at her opponent, her sword arcing down on Star Saber's. She followed with several successive blows, trying to keep her opponent defensive. It didn't work and Star Saber quickly pushed her back, laughing in her face as she did so.
A knight was serene, never letting her emotions get out of her control. She was not swayed by anger or sadness or pleasure; she was a leaf in the wind, calm and peaceful as she let the world move around her. Some of the greatest of their order and of the Sisters had this completely mastered, their calm unflappable no matter what happened to the City and her people.
Wing was fairly decent when it came to controlling her emotions, but one pleasure she couldn't deny herself was the thrill of fighting. She never felt more alive when she fought, never felt more powerful than when she pushed her body to its utmost limits. It was probably the one thing she shared in common with Star Saber, but even that was stretching it. She loved to fight with companions, pushing each other to do their best and learning from their mistakes. Star Saber fought to destroy and dominate.
But Star Saber provided a challenge like no one else did; Wing had quickly risen to become one of the best Knights, even surpassing Axe, her teacher. Few could beat her. Star Saber was the only exception, and it both infuriated and excited her.
"Oh, if only I could do this properly." The redhead said as the fighting paused for a moment, circling each other. "Slide my sword through your pretty little skin, put you out of your misery."
"Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't you?" Wing retorted, her words nearly lost in the screech of swords as she darted forward. She was warm all over, her skin and bones tingling. Instead of feeling exhaustion, she felt a rush of energy coming from somewhere deep in her. Peerless' gem flashed, eliciting a similar response from Charon.
She felt alive and wonderful in a way she hadn't in so long. Whole and complete.
In hindsight, the glowing skin and buzzing in her bones should have warned her what was coming, but she was so caught up in the moment of fighting that she didn't realize until it was too late.
A deafening symphony of thoughts swallowed her, drowning her. Calmness and passion, burning hatred and the warmth of love. Unconditional surrender to One greater than her, an old wound that never stopped hurting. Belief she was better than anyone, belief that she had to help people. The sharp sting of loneliness, the comfort of companions and friends. Pride and humility. She swung from one extreme to the other, never able to settle on the middle ground. It wasn't who she was; for her, there was no middle ground.
But who was she…?
Her vision swam perilously as she opened her eyes (had she shut them before?), images wavering and doubling before they finally seemed to settle back to normal. She was kneeling, the familiar weight of her sword in her hand, bones burning and blood pounding as adrenaline poured through her body.
The conflicting thoughts and emotions screamed in her, driving her to do something. Burn the nonbelievers. Protect the innocent. Burn those who stood against her. Help those who stood in need of comfort. She was Primus' ordained, her chosen to purify this world. She was one in a sea of many, wanting to help those who couldn't help themselves.
She was a warrior, the best. None could stand before her sword and might and defeat her.
She wasn't Wing, nor was she Star Saber. They were both weak, inconsequential compared to her.
She was…she was…
"Wing, Star Saber? Guys, what happened? Why are you fused?"
Her gaze focused on the knight in front of her, her blonde hair spilling down her shoulders and brown eyes wide as she stood cautiously in front of her. Her companion stood behind her, sword in hand as she looked on in worry.
Sword. Fighter. Enemy.
I will destroy them ALL.
A moment later, the knight was flying across the sparring area, hitting the wall and crumpling against the ground where she stayed. She could feel a maniac grin spreading across her face as the other knight dropped into a defensive stance, openly shocked. It was so natural; after all, she always smiled. It was the last thing her foes saw before she brought judgment down on them. She was Primus' judge, unstoppable and powerful. The unworthy and the wicked burned before her.
"Wing, Star Saber? Guys, what are you doing?!"
She laughed, high and cold. Her sword, Peerless and Charon together as one, was raised high above her. So much power, she had so much power. The strength of a thousand soldiers, an army personified. "I am neither Star Saber nor Wing. I am Iudex, and it is time for you to be judged."
Also, I realized I never saved the edited version I had on Tumblr that fixed Star Saber's modified dialogue. So this is my unfortunately incorrect take on OniGil's Star Saber. Sorry about that!