Bastard!! Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Macross Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Shades of Humanity ❯ Chapter 7
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
Part Two
Chapter 7
Freedan sighed. He had gathered up several people needed to execute
his plan. Nerouki was one of the last to arrive, entering the room arm
in arm with Jemis. Once everybody had taken their seats, Freedan
cleared his throat and laid out two separate maps; one of the
demolished Elpoep Realm and the other of the Vampire Domain, in a
similar state of disarray.
"We need to find a man named Geshtar and stop him from using the
sacred sword Metsubo, which is Japanese for destruction. He will be
searching for this sword, buried in the center of the Elpoep Realm,
and once attaining it, he will destroy the Universe. Your objective:
to get it before he does. This is a fairly easy mission, my sources
say he's not that good a fighter, but just in case I'm sending
Nerouki, Jemis and Vryce out there.
"Next we need to save Joseph's friends from some sadistic bastard
who's holed up in the Domain. This might prove to be a bit more
difficult, but we've managed to pinpoint and exact location, and all
we have to do it live long enough to get there in back. Hopefully,
they're not on the move.
"We're working with a time limit. We have exactly three days to return
and form the Quartet in order to repair the Universe. If we exceed
this limit, Geshtar ultimately wins and the Universe will be reduced
to nothing. Since we have such short time, I divided us up into three
groups. Obviously, one will go the Elpoep ruins while the other two
will search the Domain for the prisoners. Nerouki, Jemis, Vryce, I
advise you to get ready and leave immediately." Freedan watched as
Nerouki left, casting him a hesitant backwards glance. He mouthed the
words I love you before turning back to the others.
"Ok! Flaem, Airiad, Joseph and Phoebe will start at the eastern Portal
and work their way towards the center. Move fast and don't stop for
anything! I will take Ice, Rhiannon and Ambergris with me."
"Who's Ambergris?" Ice asked suspiciously.
"Some orphan Airiad picked up off the street because she knew how to
fight."
"That wasn't it! She has the Gyft for darker Magicks! She just needs
guidance!"
"Right..." Freedan began to roll up the maps, tossing one to Nerouki
as she reentered in her battle armour. She grabbed it with one hand
and gestured to him.
"I need to speak to you for a moment, High Lord."
"Meet me in my room. I'll be there in a minute. Ok, everybody knows
what they're doing. I want us back here in five hours tops. We'll meet
in the lobby. Dismissed. Oh, and Vryce?"
Vryce, who was slinking around, looked up. "Yes?"
"Don't piss her off this time. I'm not reconstructing you again."
"Oh yeah! Like I knew she was more powerful than us. You!" Vryce
dodged a dagger and looked up in time to see the High Lord stalking
off down the hallways. "Damn it Freno! You're in love, and I sure as
hell hope you've admitted it to yourself as well as to her." Vryce
morphed into a panther and loped out to talk idly with Jemis while
they waited for Nerouki to return so they could set off.
<>
Nerouki was pacing his room, her boots tapping lightly against the
floor. She looked up when the door opened and flashed a brief grin.
"Freedan, I had a premonition."
"Of?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Death. One of us won't make it, whether it's you or me. The Universe
will plummet into eternal destruction."
"That's impossible! The prophecies--"
"The prophecies merely show a path, a possibility. It's like a tarot
reading, it only works for the moment."
"Nerouki! How will we save the Universe?"
"You'll find a way, I'm sure." She said glumly, looking down at the
wood floor.
"I will? Wait a minute. I'm not the one who's going to die, am I?"
"I dunno..." She mumbled. Strong fingers lifted her chin up. Their
eyes met.
"I don't believe you."
"It doesn't matter if you do!" She snapped, drawing violently away
from him. "I just thought maybe you'd care to know, since this kind of
involves you, as well as every-body in the whole friggin' Universe!"
"I do care! Why do you think I'm so upset?" He yelled.
And that was that.
Silence descended thickly, blanketing everything in the room. Nerouki
stared at her boots, while Freedan stuffed his hands in his pockets
and rocked back on his heels. He looked up at her and she could sense
those piercing eyes. She looked up too.
"What is it?" She asked numbly.
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" She asked, puzzled.
"Yes," he said, looking disgusted. "I'm sorry for being such an
arrogant, unfeeling, cold-hearted, untrusting, manipulative,
argumentative, unthinking chauvinistic, stereotyping assumptious jerk
all the time. I'm sorry for holding back when I should have let go.
I'm sorry for letting the past rule the present. I'm sorry I couldn't
just open up to you as you have me and I'm sorry that I won't be there
when you'll need me most."
Tears welled up in her eyes and she took several steps forward,
pressing the back of her hand against his cheek. He closed his eyes,
head bowed. "Freedan, don't be sorry."
He looked down at her and heaved a big sigh.
"We need to get going," he whispered. He started to leave.
She nodded and straightened her clothes. "Yeah... Hey Freedan?"
He turned back around. "What?"
"Take care, huh?"
He smiled sadly. "You too, `Uki, You too..."
<>
Shadowic custom forbids one to abbreviate another's name unless it's
because they're lovers. The Shadows have stuck by this firmly all
their lives, even though to outside cultures the tradition seems
silly. However, I believe that when Freedan abbreviated my name,
making it a term of endearment, it wasn't because he wished he had
made love to me, although on some level I'm sure he did. Because we
are lovers. Lovers of the soul and of the mind. Sex isn't just
physical; it's a mental thing, an emotional thing. Sex isn't all about
pleasure; it's about connecting with another and showing them how much
you truly care about them. So in that one small word, we made love. I
have no regrets. I am ready to die now.
"Nerouki? Are you paying any attention?" Vryce snapped.
"Huh? Wha--oh, sorry. What's up?"
"Look around you." Vryce waved a hand, as if displaying the vast
wasteland they stood in the midst of. "Where the Hel are we?"
Nerouki hooked special optics into her eyes and let her wing unfold
from her back. She flew up high and surveyed the land through shades
of red. One small area in the center of her view was almost glowing;
it was a deep black and had an ominous feel to it. She took out the
optics and landed. "We head northeast. Our target is there."
"See anything weird while you were up there?" Jemis asked, unsheathing
his sword. Nerouki struggled to keep her voice cool, calm, nonchalant.
"Nope. Not a thing."
<>
The Domain was nothing more than a pile of rubble. Freedan and his
companions picked their way through carefully, pushing away pieces of
debris and hunks of corpses. Freedan stopped, holding his hand up, and
knelt in the ground. He wedged his hands underneath a large granite
stone and grunted, trying to lift it. His muscles bulged and strained
as he tried to lift it up. He stopped, panting. He was drenched in
sweat and his armour was confining. I shouldn't have become their
lousy priest to begin with, he muttered to himself as he stripped off
his cloak and tried again.
The stone began to give and he felt immense pain shoot up his arms.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw tendons snap beneath his flesh,
tingeing his skin red until the blood oozed from his pores. He bit his
lip and with a rush of adrenaline, heaved the huge stone above his
head and over towards a building, still standing. He stood there,
panting. His acidic blood running down his arms to drip from his
fingertips. He grabbed his cloak and slung it over a shoulder as he
urged his men on.
He was too tired to chant the Regenerative spell, not even in his
mind. But he was able to trigger that small reserve of his Gyft he
kept untapped for small wounds. His tendons began to rebuild
themselves. Rhiannon squinted through the darkness and brought them up
short.
"Wait, I see someone."
"Who?" Airiad asked skeptically.
The woman who was walking towards them, materializing eerily from the
swirling mist, was heavyset and couldn't have been more than five and
a half feet tall. She carried in one gloved hand, a dagger with a gold
hilt, studded with rubies. She wore all black, unflatteringly
form-fitting clothes. Her short brown hair hung limp over her eyes,
which burned with malice.
"I see you've returned, Rhiannon Rahl."
"Gypsy?" Rhiannon gasped, hand flying to her mouth while the other
pulled her sword free. "What are you still doing here?"
Gypsy spread her left hand. "I am Vampire, I live here. You did too,
at one point. Now you are unfit to remain in my beloved Domain."
"Your Domain?" Freedan asked, his eyes widening. "I'm the Original
now, so this would be my Domain!"
"The Original?" Gypsy asked skeptically. "Who do you think you are?"
"The High Lord among other things." He snarled, reaching back for his
sword, The Shogun. Rhiannon's hand fell to his arm and he looked down
at her.
"No, don't. This is my fight."
"Why do you think there will be a fight, Rahl?" Gypsy asked, taking
out a matching knife. "You act as if we're enemies."
"You're holding knives towards her!" Airiad screamed.
"That means nothing." Gypsy snarled, unable to come up with a decent
come-back. She fixed her black eyes on Rhiannon who was holding her
sword in both hands.
"It means everything. Why did you do this to yourself?"
"Stand up for myself? Find friends other than you? Anybody else would
have done the same, trust me, Rahl."
"No!" Rhiannon snapped, her eyes flashing with anger. "Anybody else
would have talked to me or requested a break from me. They wouldn't
have sold their body, their dignity, their honour, and then run off
with punk ass stoners! These people don't care about you, Gypsy. But I
do!"
"If you care so much, why can't you accept me?" Gypsy yelled, running
forward. Her knife missed Rhiannon's throat but a breath. Rhiannon
landed, dropping from the pile of rubble she had leapt to. She knelt,
panting.
"I accept you for who you are on the inside! Not for who you think
makes you cool!" She dodged another attack and came up behind Gypsy.
She had the perfect opening but she left it. Gypsy whirled around, her
ample chest heaving as she fought to catch her breath.
"Nonsense!"
"Gypsy! You're..." There was a brief pause, "beautiful and you're...
uh, funny! You could be doing so much better than this! Leave those
rogues behind and come back to Geria with me!"
"I don't trust traitors!" Gypsy roared as she ran towards her.
Rhiannon jumped to the left and Gypsy flung a blade out. It nailed
Rhiannon in the meat of her right shoulder and she went down hard. She
grunted as she rolled out of the way, the heel of Gypsy's boot
crushing the pavement where her head had just been. She jumped to her
feet and stumbled backwards as Gypsy landed a clumsy punch in her
throat.
Holding a hand to her heart while hefting her sword in the other, she
locked eyes with Gypsy and began to circle her. She feinted in an out,
throwing Gypsy off several times and using those moments to try to
disarm her. Gypsy was fast for a woman of her girth, but she was
sweating heavily and constantly wiping the sweat off her forehead with
her free hand. Rhiannon ground her teeth together, but spoke.
"Gypsy, this is your last chance. You don't stand any chance against
these men, so why not give in to me now?"
"Winners aren't quitters and quitters aren't winners!" Gypsy gasped.
"How insightful," Freedan mused, crossing his arms over his chest.
Rhiannon jumped high into the air, and Gypsy waited a moment before
jumping to, kicking Rhiannon and throwing her to the ground. Rhiannon
rolled to her feet and did a spin kick, knocking Gypsy's legs out
beneath her just as she landed. She fell heavily and Rhiannon reared
back, and slammed her fist into Gypsy's face. Gypsy was momentarily
stunned, and Rhiannon took advantage and managed to rip out Gypsy's
right eye. Gypsy grunted and kicked Rhiannon off of her. Rhiannon
landed painfully, hitting her cheek on a stone before she jumped to
her feet and narrowly missed a clumsy punch. Joseph looked on with an
intense interest that puzzled Freedan.
Rhiannon raised her leg up high, dropping it on Gypsy's right shoulder
and knocking the woman's arm out of socket. Gypsy cried out in intense
pain before she lowered her head and ran straight at Rhiannon. Stunned
by such stupid antics, Rhiannon waited until she was close enough
before she grabbed Gypsy's head and brought her knee right up into her
face, knocking her to the ground in a splash of blood. Gypsy, with
amazing recovery time, rolled to her feet and stared at Rhiannon,
panting, blood pouring down her face. With intense speed, she
unleashed a dagger and through it at Rhiannon, drawing another one.
Rhiannon tried to dodge, but she too was tiring, and felt the knife
lodge itself in the meat of her shoulder.
Gritting her teeth, she ripped it out and a splash of blood came with
it. A coppery taste filled her mouth. Rhiannon glared at Gypsy, who
was staring at her with such soulless black eyes. She let out a mighty
battle roar and Rhiannon braced herself. Then, she threw a gold coin
to Freedan, who caught it reflexively as he watched what transpired
next. Rhiannon and Gypsy ran at each other at the same time, crying
out as their bodies hit. And then they seemed to freeze. Rhiannon
finally broke away and jumped up, her hands resting on Gypsy's
shoulders as she drew her body up into a handstand. She twisted hard,
with all her body, breaking Gypsy's neck. Rhiannon began to fall back,
kicking in the base of Gypsy's spine before landing in a crouch, her
breathing beginning to slow. Gods help me...
<>
Nerouki didn't know how much longer she could run. Her legs were tired
and sore from the inhuman pace she had set for herself, Jemis and
Vryce. She began to have a hard time breathing and felt as if she were
slogging through slime. She looked up and saw the others having an
equally difficult time.
"We must be getting closer!" Nerouki cried through the thick air.
"What tipped you off?" Vryce grunted as he shouldered his way through
the air as it tried to solidify around them.
But they plowed on and eventually a figure came into view.
"Can I help you?" Called a female voice. Vryce and Jemis stopped but
Nerouki acted as if she never heard the voice, she kept moving. Her
teeth were clenched and a muscle in her jaw spasmed in time with her
heartbeat. Finally, Nerouki was about a yard away from the cloaked
figure.
"I'm looking for a man!" She panted.
"There are many men."
"I'm looking for one here."
"Could you describe him? I was gathering corpses when you barged in
here."
"I only know he has red eyes. How many people have red eyes?"
"Shadows and Elementalis, of course." The woman said. "Do you know
anything else about this man?"
"His name is Geshtar."
The cloak fell away into mist and the man that stood before them was
handsome in a very feminine way, with narrowed red eyes and thin lips.
He stood, with his hands clenched at his sides, his chest heaving.
"Who wants to know?"
"The High Lord wishes to speak with you as soon as possible." Vryce
said.
"The High Lord can come to me!" Geshtar shrieked.
Nerouki reached forward a hand and he slashed it with a knife. She
pressed the wound to her stomach and he stared in horror at the bluish
green blood oozing thickly down his blade.
"You're.... You're Ban'nin de Morte!" He gasped.
The air loosened around them and they all relaxed.
"You're the enemy!"
Nerouki leapt back as he unsheathed a sword and swung it down where
she had been standing a moment ago.
"Enemy? What are you talking about?"
"You're Death's hand!"
She dodged to the left and then jumped. "I'm Death's host, if
anything!" She snapped, grabbing her Nunchaku. "Why are you attacking
me?"
"The voices said that the Ban'nin de Morte will act as the hand of
Death--" downward slash "And kill me!"
"Do you believe all the words you hear?" Nerouki snarled as she flung
out her Nunchaku, hitting him in the face. He stumbled back, dropping
his sword. She stomped her boot down on the blade and lashed out with
her Nunchaku again.
He caught it this time and yanked it from her hands. She lurched
forward, and reached for her whip. She lashed out with it, catching
him by his ankle as he dove for the sword. She snapped her arm back
and he flew high into the air, the snake-like whip whistling through
the wind.
He landed with a grunt. "I listen to only what makes sense," he
wheezed as he jumped to his feet, releasing a knife in her direction.
She took it between the eyes and then ripped it out, a malicious grin
spreading across her face. She threw the knife back and pinned him
against a wall, the knife sliding cleanly through his shoulder. He
cried out in anguish but didn't struggle as she pulled his other knife
free and pinned his other shoulder against the wall.
"Tell me about this sword."
"It is the sword of Inochi. The sword of life."
"Nonsense! It's the Metsubo!"
"Look at this!" Vryce was kneeling by the sword. On one side of the
blade it said Metsubo, and the other side Inochi. "The hilt holds the
real name and its owner is who determines which nature will come out.
The sword itself says Tsurugi to iu Hakari. The Sword of Balance."
With a roar, Geshtar ripped his body from the building and tore
Nerouki's sword from its scabbard. He backed her up against the wall
and grinned, making the air extremely thick around Vryce and Jemis,
who fought like Hel to move.
"It seems the tables have turned, Lady Takashi."
"How do you know so much about me?" She yelled.
"How do you know so much about me? It's all in the prophecies. And
now, I have prophesized your death!" And with that he lopped off her
head before impaling her on her own sword. Her head rolled slowly
through the palpable air and hit Jemis' boot. With a burst of
Mercurial Dream Magicks, Jemis tore free of the spell and lunged at
Geshtar, who was too stunned to move fast enough. Vryce watched in
horror as Jemis clawed the man to death, with his own bare hands. The
spell dissolved.
"Nerouki! No!" Jemis screamed, ripping the sword from her body and
catching her corpse. He lifted her into his arms, tears running down
his face along with the blood. "Oh Gods, no!"
Vryce picked up the head by her hair and dropped it in her lap, his
nose wrinkling in disgust. Freedan's gonna shit himself, Vryce thought
with a frown. "Jemis, we need to get back to Geria. Freedan said we
were all to meet there, remember?"
"Grab her sword, Vryce."
Vryce picked up the elegant weapon and followed as Jemis walked
slowly, as if in a funeral procession, towards the Portals. And
perhaps he was, mourning the death of a friend, a woman he had been
destined to be with, to guard and to guide.
"I have failed." Jemis whispered.
"What do you mean?" Jemis asked, looking over at the forlorn Elv'n
demon.
"People like to believe they control their own lives, but some people
have destinies, fate guides them you know? Well, what if..."
"What if?" Vryce prodded as he tucked the sword in his undulating
body.
"I had a destiny to fulfill. I was born centuries in advance for the
woman who would be powerful enough to take me. Nerouki is the woman I
have been living in anticipation for. And now, she is dead. My job was
to protect her, let her live happily and fulfill her own destiny with
as few problems as possible."
"You're taking this too seriously. People live to live. To procreate
and be happy."
"Your destiny is the same. You're born of the High Lord, somebody
powerful enough to take you, and if you didn't come out here to help
Nerouki kill Geshtar - which we didn't, I'm disgusted to say - then he
would die and you would have failed in your mission." Jemis looked up
at the Portal as they neared it. "Understand?"
"But wait." Vryce said as he slit their hands. "If Fate guides us,
then perhaps this was supposed to happen and therefore, you didn't
fail."
They flew towards Geria, the malfunctioning Portal bucking beneath
their feet.
"Perhaps... But I don't think so." Jemis whispered.
<>
"We're all accountable for except for the Elpoep team." Freedan said,
irritably.
"No, we're here." Vryce walked in and Freedan frowned.
"What's the matter with you? Why aren't you being your normal cocky
self?"
Jemis walked in, and Freedan exploded from his seat.
"What is that and why is it bleeding on my carpet?" he roared.
"Freedan, it's Nerouki." Jemis removed the blanket covering the head
and Freedan felt as if the ground had fallen from beneath his feet. He
promptly passed out.
"Put her in the infirmary," Phoebe told Jemis gently. Jemis nodded
weakly and shuffled off. Airiad, looking as if he wanted to follow,
but holding greater loyalty towards the High Lord, picked him up and
set him down on the couch.
"This could make him lose it again," Phoebe was moaning. "What if he
goes insane and starts killing people again?"
Ice put an arm around her. "Don't analyze everything, Phoebe. Why
don't we tuck Freedan into his bed and then go see what we can do
about the Lady, ok?"
She sniffed and nodded, letting him guide her down the hall. Airiad
sighed and picked up Freedan's limp form again. At least he's lighter
than air, he thought wryly.
He lay there in the bed, his face pale and his body unmoving, save his
slow and steady breathing.
"It's as if he's asleep with his eyes open!" Airiad mused.
"Maybe he's in some sort of trance-like dementia?" Ice asked.
"I call it shock." Phoebe said dryly. "Airiad, go get me a tray of
water and fresh foods. Nothing with meat or dairy." Airiad nodded and
ran off down the hall to the kitchen. Ice looked down at his friend,
his pale eyes darkening with remorse.
"I can't believe this is happening to him..." he whispered.
"He's in love." Phoebe smiled sadly. "Nerouki spent so much time
convincing Freedan she would never leave him, he probably feels
betrayed by her death."
"In... love?" Ice smiled slightly but kept his eyes on the High Lord.
"How touching." He said coldly, standing up abruptly. "I must check on
the Lady."
Airiad swooshed in moments later, looking harried. "Jesus tap-dancing
Christ! What's the matter with him?" He griped as he gently set the
food tray down by the High Lord's head. Freedan merely blinked.
"Ice is upset and he doesn't know how to cope."
"Aren't we the expert on everything?" Vryce seethed as he strode into
the room.
Phoebe looked up, her eyes a dull blue. Airiad felt like crying. "It's
called psychology. I don't even want to delve into your head, you
twisted fuck."
"Shut up and heal us!" Vryce snapped.
"Us? Are you hurt by her death too? You certainly spend a lot of time
pissing her off. You miss abusing her, is that it?"
"STOP IT BOTH OF YOU!" Airiad suddenly screamed.
All eyes went to him. Except Freedan, who was fascinated by the
ceiling.
"Freedan is in shock. Nerouki is dead and possibly unable to
resurrected. Could you maybe just save your personal wars until after
this one is won? If the Quartet isn't whole by tomorrow evening, then
the Universe will be destroyed! And I, for one, wouldn't sacrifice the
world for the sake of an argument. I'm going to make sure Ice is ok.
Hurry up and help Nerouki if you get a chance, Lady Freno." Airiad
bowed, his expression cold, before he stalked out of the room. In that
moment, Ice and Airiad were one, Phoebe mused.
<>
It's cold and dark down here and I don't even know where I am. Perhaps
I'm trapped in the cage of my own mind, perhaps I died during my fight
with Geshtar? That sounds vaguely familiar... I wish Freedan was
here...
I am here.
Freedan! Where am I? I don't have a body, or anything... I'm so
scared... I don't like this place!
You're dead, Nerouki. Geshtar must have killed you during battle. You
were decapitated and your heart was impaled on... your sword...
Oh my God! How is Jemis doing?
Not so good...
Poor Jemis. Are you dead too?
No. I just... left my body for the time being... I needed to talk to
you.
Ok.
Nerouki, unless the Quartet is whole by tomorrow night, the entire
Universe will be destroyed! I can't let that happen. We need you...
I need you...
I need you too, Nerouki. Please, tell me. Is there anyway to bring you
back to life?
Do you still have my head?
Yes.
Good. Reattach it to my neck and rebuild my throat and heart. Don't
worry about a scar or whether my body does anything weird. When it's
done, come back and get me. I'll use you as a line back to my body.
Nerouki... I can't get back to my body.
Are you dead?
No! I'm just... I'm lost. It's like I'm in this twisting, misty place
and I can't find my way back home.
The Twisted Kingdom...
The what?
It's called the Twisted Kingdom. It's where shattered minds go when
the body has endured too much stress for the mind to handle. It flees
to the Twisted Kingdom, gets lost and the body eventually dies from
malnutrition.
That sounds a lot like what always happens to my goddamn body! It's
because I don't eat to begin with, isn't it? Is there anyway to get
back to my body?
There is. You know what your chalice is, right?
Yes.
You need to rebuild it.
Rebuild my core? That could take years!
We don't have years, Freedan! Go!
But--
<>
And he was plummeting back towards the Twisted Kingdom. He landed in a
heap of intestines and urinary tracts. He leapt off of it in disgust
and brushed off his clothes. Maggots crawled over his boots and he
sighed. He reluctantly dropped to his knees and began to dig and
search for shards of his chalice. He got a jolt of memory when he
touched a black sliver of it, and in that jolt he saw his sister
toddling around the front lawn with him, when they were little. His
expression grim and soul braced for the emotional battle he was about
to indulge in, he began to rebuild his chalice from that one little
memory.
The slender glass reminded him oddly of himself, and not just because
of it's shape and memories. He held the glass gently and examined it.
"Shit," he muttered, and began digging for the one missing piece.
"Can I help you sir?"
"Not now," he snarled without looking up. "I'm busy."
"Too busy for an old flame?" Came that same shy British voice.
He froze, his hand clutching the found shard, and his green eyes met
the warm brown ones of Tara Lee Braxton. He hastily fastened the shard
in and saw a blinding road light up. He stepped into the center of it
as he gazed at Tara Lee.
"Tara, what are you doing here?"
"I'm dead and insane," she smiled sadly. "At least, everybody else
here is insane so I must be too."
"Where's your body? Where's your chalice?"
"My body is guarding the Gates and I destroyed my chalice."
"Destroyed your - but why?!"
"Freedan, I realized after I left you that I had let go of something
very precious. You were a gem, Free, and I knew I couldn't live
without you. I was able to cope when you were insane and wouldn't go
near a woman save your sister, but when you took the Queen of the Dead
in, I became jealous and then depressed. I took my own life. My body
is disintegrating, but the instant it's gone, another Keeper will be
born.
"Her name will be Setsuna. She is already in the world, but her
abilities have not yet been awakened. In my death, there is birth and
there will always be birth. For birth is the death of nothing."
"Um, Tara, it was lovely chatting with you - no, really it was! But I
truly must get going now. Bye Tara! Take care and good luck with the
crazy people. I live with some and they can be a real handful."
"Freedan wait!"
He looked back.
She was crying.
He began to cry too.
"Aw, Tara don't--" He reached for her but she screamed.
"Don't!" He drew back as if burned. "Don't step off the road or you
will lose the way and you'll never be able to get back to your body."
"Um... I won't." He winced against the blinding light of that road.
"And Freedan, you can only go so fast on the road to recovery. Don't
overdo it or you'll be worth nothing to the cause. Take care." She
blew him a kiss before she sank into a sea of blood. All around him
there was blood.
Putting his head down, he crossed his arms over his stomach, bent at
the waist and began to run with inhuman speed. He wouldn't stop until
he had his Uki back.
<>
Phoebe screamed hysterically as Freedan entered the room.
"Phoebe, shut up!"
"You were in this dementia!"
"Well, I'm not anymore. I've recovered. Go get her head." Numbly, she
did as she was told, rebuilding her nervous system and fixing all the
damages.
"I still don't see what this will accomplish, and you're pale and
sweaty. Maybe you've lost it Freedan." He thought about his fragile
chalice.
"Maybe, but at least I'm not giving up. Winners aren't quitters and
quitters aren't winners."
She felt as if she were Nerouki, or what she supposed Nerouki would be
feeling in her current state, which was nothing. Phoebe entered this
void, this emotional void that is even harder to describe than it is
to merge yourself into. She pictured Nerouki's body without the skin,
just a heaping mass of tissue, muscle, tendons and cords. She slowly
began to remove and add, fix and redesign. There would be no scar, but
to Freedan, there would always been something different. Some small
piece of his sister dwelling inside the woman he loved.
Phoebe gave him a look before she sat back with a sigh. "It's done."