Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Caged Bird ❯ Song ( Chapter 4 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: MellyN 
Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Psychological / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.02.2015 | Pages: 6 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 270 | Status: Work In Progress
Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Psychological / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.02.2015 | Pages: 6 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 270 | Status: Work In Progress
XxXxXxXx
Caged Bird
By: Melissa Norvell
Chapter 4: Song
XxXxXxXx
"Aside from being a billionaire, Eien is one of the top-ranked soldiers from the Japanese Army. He's made several technological breakthroughs and he currently uses that island for experimental military weaponry. They say that if you go to that island, you never come back," Suzukawarned.
"What happens to those who do?" Zeshen asked her. Since the priestess had so much information regarding the island, perhaps she knew what had happened to those who were captured by Eien. He wanted to know of the dangers that faced him if he decided to go forward with saving Kohanna. Any further information would make him all the more knowledgeable of what he was up against.
"I hear that they are executed," It had been one of the very reasons that Suzuka worried for his safety. She didn't want him to die and she felt an ominous feeling about him even thinking about going to that island. Certainly, something bad would happen if he decided to go and face off against Eien.
"What about Kohanna? I can't just leave her there, not after everything that she's done for me," the black-haired man argued. "I owe her so much and I refuse to let her suffer because I am too cowardly or self-centered. I became a priest to help people and I cannot do that if I'm idly sitting by and letting that girl suffer." No one, not even Suzuka would try and convince him otherwise.
This was something that he had to do.
The defeated priestess looked down at her hands, which were folded neatly in her lap. "I just worry about you," Suzuka’s voice was low. She didn't really want him to go but she knew that it was a battle that she had been slowly losing, "Zeshen, I have a bad feeling-"
The priestess was cut off as she was hugged tightly by her friend.
"You are my best friend, Suzuka," the male rested his chin on her shoulder.
"You are also mine," the black-haired priestess laid a hand on his back. She would cherish this hug, in case he could not come back to her. It was hard for her to accept but it may be her last moment she could spend with him and she decided to revel in it for simply a few moments more.
"But I have to do this," Zeshen leveled the priestess with a serious gaze as he pulled away from the hug and looked into her purple eyes. "Kohanna needs me. I must go to her. I will return to you when I am done. I told you that I would show her to you, didn't I?"
The priestess looked a little surprised that he had remembered. "I suppose you did," she smiled hopefully. Maybe things would be alright. Maybe she was simply getting worked up because of the disadvantage that he had. Then again, people have pulled through more miraculous things. Doubt still clung to her heart, but she would only think of the positives. What kind of friend would she be if she didn't support him?
"I'll be leaving in an hour to go to the island," Zeshen stood and looked down at the woman in the purple kimono.
"I'll pray for you."
"Thank you, Suzuka."
'Don't worry, Suzuka, I'll come back to you.' The priest thought as he took one final glance at his friend, seated in the traditional teaceremony style on the wooden floor. The fire bathed her form in orange light as he saw her face sadden. He knew that she was trying to be strong for him but things were hard.
Zeshen walked away and headed off one of the side roomsto prepare for his trip. He looked in the closet, knowing that there were a few of the men's priest outfits that he could take along with him. The short-haired man didn't want anything that would get in his way when he fought. It would have to be something simple.
As he was moving away a few uniforms, he spied a black, long, trench-coat with a large, red X on the back of it and a pair of black, form fitting pants. They were unlike any of the other clothes that had been in that closet and it looked nothing like any of the priest outfits. Zeshen seemed entranced by this piece of clothing and for some reason, simply looking at it made him feel nostalgic.
"Huh? What is this?" Zeshen picked up the hanger and looked at the clothing.
As soon as his hand touched the fabric, visions of things he had long sense forgotten ran through his head. Visions of Kohanna, laying on the ground, covered in blood, the ribbons that attempted to pull her from him in the past and that fateful moment when their hands slipped apart and she was drug back up to heaven. His blue eyes widened at these images. They were so vibrant. It was as if they had happened to him personally. Was it even truly him in them, or simply someone who looked like him? Was Kohanna giving him those visions? Were they real or fake? 'What is this? Was that...me? Why?' He thought as he placed a hand over his forehead.
"Why are these images flooding into my mind?" Zeshen broke into a cold sweat. 'Have I...forgotten something?' He wondered as a green and white bird flew through his window at a fast pace, distracting him from his thoughts.
The bird then landed on his shoulder and he could tell from the green and white coloring that it was exactly what he had wanted to show his friend. Blue eyes widened upon seeing the familiar bird. 'The Red-Eyed Vireo...'
"It's that bird," he said lowly, and then called out. "Suzuka, come quickly!" Zeshen knew that he might not get another chance to tell her of this rare bird, so he hoped that she could get into the room in time to at least catch sight of it for a short moment.
The bird flew around the room and by a shelf, knocking off a picture and sending it falling to the ground. Suzuka sat down her tea cup immediately and ran into the room where she heard a crash. The glass frame shattered as the bird flew back out of the window and took off into the sky. The priest stood in the middle of the room and looked out of the window until the bird disappeared from sight. He then glanced to the smashed picture on the ground.
"A Red-Eyed Vireo," the priestess watched the bird fade into the skies. She had only seen them in books and was amazed that she'd seen one in person.
"I told you that was the bird that I saw," Zeshen finally said something, breaking the silence between them.
"Are you superstitious?" Suzuka looked as if she'd realized something.
"No, why do you ask?" The male turned his head towards her.
"That was a bad omen," His friend was shaken up by the fact that the bird was in the room with them.
"Bad omen?"
"If a bird flies into a house and lands on a person's shoulder in the room, then it means that they will die soon." The priestess' words were chilling to the priest; even though he was not superstitious it seemed all too creepy. It was as if he spent a moment in a horror movie with an omen like that. It was definitely something that nerved him.
"It's just paranoia,” her friend commented. He didn't want to think of the 'what ifs' of what had happened. Nothing would shake his confidence and he had to remain focused on the task at hand.
"It did land on you, didn't it?" Suzuka was worried for her friend's safety, more than ever now.
"That's not important," Zeshen shook it off. "I won't die." He told her as he bent over and picked up his clothes from the ground. "I have not achieved my goal yet. I made a promise and I intend to keep it."
She said nothing and looked to the ground. Zeshen left and came back a few minutes later, dressed in the black outfit. For some reason, he wanted to wear those clothes so he tried them on to see if they fit him. It turned out that they fit him perfectly, almost as if they were tailored specifically to his form.
The light tap of dress shoes caught the woman's ear as she looked up to see the black-haired man walk casually back into the room. Purple eyes gazed up at the black-clad form. The attire made him look like an assassin from head to toe. "How do you like it?" He asked.
"I've never seen that before. Where did it come from?" Suzuka asked.
"I don't know," Zeshen paused and looked thoughtful. "It's been hanging in my closet." He took a gun from the holster on the side of his black belt and pointed it up into the air. The gun metal shone in the dim lighting of the room, "I also found this."
"Is there something that you want to tell me?" Suzuka knew at this point that he had been hiding something. For some reason, it just seemed all too strange that he had an outfit like that which fit it so perfectly and knew how to handle a gun so skillfully.
The man just looked at her in blank question. "What do you mean?"
Please...
Please help me...
The Red-Eyed Vireo flew through the bars of the cage and past the singing, lonely angel, who sat in her paradise-cage.
"Before I met you, I had always been alone. I never knew loneliness until I met you. Being by myself was natural so I never know the pain of being alone...and the fear of losing you."
Caged Bird
By: Melissa Norvell
Chapter 4: Song
XxXxXxXx
"Aside from being a billionaire, Eien is one of the top-ranked soldiers from the Japanese Army. He's made several technological breakthroughs and he currently uses that island for experimental military weaponry. They say that if you go to that island, you never come back," Suzukawarned.
"What happens to those who do?" Zeshen asked her. Since the priestess had so much information regarding the island, perhaps she knew what had happened to those who were captured by Eien. He wanted to know of the dangers that faced him if he decided to go forward with saving Kohanna. Any further information would make him all the more knowledgeable of what he was up against.
"I hear that they are executed," It had been one of the very reasons that Suzuka worried for his safety. She didn't want him to die and she felt an ominous feeling about him even thinking about going to that island. Certainly, something bad would happen if he decided to go and face off against Eien.
"What about Kohanna? I can't just leave her there, not after everything that she's done for me," the black-haired man argued. "I owe her so much and I refuse to let her suffer because I am too cowardly or self-centered. I became a priest to help people and I cannot do that if I'm idly sitting by and letting that girl suffer." No one, not even Suzuka would try and convince him otherwise.
This was something that he had to do.
The defeated priestess looked down at her hands, which were folded neatly in her lap. "I just worry about you," Suzuka’s voice was low. She didn't really want him to go but she knew that it was a battle that she had been slowly losing, "Zeshen, I have a bad feeling-"
The priestess was cut off as she was hugged tightly by her friend.
"You are my best friend, Suzuka," the male rested his chin on her shoulder.
"You are also mine," the black-haired priestess laid a hand on his back. She would cherish this hug, in case he could not come back to her. It was hard for her to accept but it may be her last moment she could spend with him and she decided to revel in it for simply a few moments more.
"But I have to do this," Zeshen leveled the priestess with a serious gaze as he pulled away from the hug and looked into her purple eyes. "Kohanna needs me. I must go to her. I will return to you when I am done. I told you that I would show her to you, didn't I?"
The priestess looked a little surprised that he had remembered. "I suppose you did," she smiled hopefully. Maybe things would be alright. Maybe she was simply getting worked up because of the disadvantage that he had. Then again, people have pulled through more miraculous things. Doubt still clung to her heart, but she would only think of the positives. What kind of friend would she be if she didn't support him?
"I'll be leaving in an hour to go to the island," Zeshen stood and looked down at the woman in the purple kimono.
"I'll pray for you."
"Thank you, Suzuka."
'Don't worry, Suzuka, I'll come back to you.' The priest thought as he took one final glance at his friend, seated in the traditional teaceremony style on the wooden floor. The fire bathed her form in orange light as he saw her face sadden. He knew that she was trying to be strong for him but things were hard.
Zeshen walked away and headed off one of the side roomsto prepare for his trip. He looked in the closet, knowing that there were a few of the men's priest outfits that he could take along with him. The short-haired man didn't want anything that would get in his way when he fought. It would have to be something simple.
As he was moving away a few uniforms, he spied a black, long, trench-coat with a large, red X on the back of it and a pair of black, form fitting pants. They were unlike any of the other clothes that had been in that closet and it looked nothing like any of the priest outfits. Zeshen seemed entranced by this piece of clothing and for some reason, simply looking at it made him feel nostalgic.
"Huh? What is this?" Zeshen picked up the hanger and looked at the clothing.
As soon as his hand touched the fabric, visions of things he had long sense forgotten ran through his head. Visions of Kohanna, laying on the ground, covered in blood, the ribbons that attempted to pull her from him in the past and that fateful moment when their hands slipped apart and she was drug back up to heaven. His blue eyes widened at these images. They were so vibrant. It was as if they had happened to him personally. Was it even truly him in them, or simply someone who looked like him? Was Kohanna giving him those visions? Were they real or fake? 'What is this? Was that...me? Why?' He thought as he placed a hand over his forehead.
"Why are these images flooding into my mind?" Zeshen broke into a cold sweat. 'Have I...forgotten something?' He wondered as a green and white bird flew through his window at a fast pace, distracting him from his thoughts.
The bird then landed on his shoulder and he could tell from the green and white coloring that it was exactly what he had wanted to show his friend. Blue eyes widened upon seeing the familiar bird. 'The Red-Eyed Vireo...'
"It's that bird," he said lowly, and then called out. "Suzuka, come quickly!" Zeshen knew that he might not get another chance to tell her of this rare bird, so he hoped that she could get into the room in time to at least catch sight of it for a short moment.
The bird flew around the room and by a shelf, knocking off a picture and sending it falling to the ground. Suzuka sat down her tea cup immediately and ran into the room where she heard a crash. The glass frame shattered as the bird flew back out of the window and took off into the sky. The priest stood in the middle of the room and looked out of the window until the bird disappeared from sight. He then glanced to the smashed picture on the ground.
"A Red-Eyed Vireo," the priestess watched the bird fade into the skies. She had only seen them in books and was amazed that she'd seen one in person.
"I told you that was the bird that I saw," Zeshen finally said something, breaking the silence between them.
"Are you superstitious?" Suzuka looked as if she'd realized something.
"No, why do you ask?" The male turned his head towards her.
"That was a bad omen," His friend was shaken up by the fact that the bird was in the room with them.
"Bad omen?"
"If a bird flies into a house and lands on a person's shoulder in the room, then it means that they will die soon." The priestess' words were chilling to the priest; even though he was not superstitious it seemed all too creepy. It was as if he spent a moment in a horror movie with an omen like that. It was definitely something that nerved him.
"It's just paranoia,” her friend commented. He didn't want to think of the 'what ifs' of what had happened. Nothing would shake his confidence and he had to remain focused on the task at hand.
"It did land on you, didn't it?" Suzuka was worried for her friend's safety, more than ever now.
"That's not important," Zeshen shook it off. "I won't die." He told her as he bent over and picked up his clothes from the ground. "I have not achieved my goal yet. I made a promise and I intend to keep it."
She said nothing and looked to the ground. Zeshen left and came back a few minutes later, dressed in the black outfit. For some reason, he wanted to wear those clothes so he tried them on to see if they fit him. It turned out that they fit him perfectly, almost as if they were tailored specifically to his form.
The light tap of dress shoes caught the woman's ear as she looked up to see the black-haired man walk casually back into the room. Purple eyes gazed up at the black-clad form. The attire made him look like an assassin from head to toe. "How do you like it?" He asked.
"I've never seen that before. Where did it come from?" Suzuka asked.
"I don't know," Zeshen paused and looked thoughtful. "It's been hanging in my closet." He took a gun from the holster on the side of his black belt and pointed it up into the air. The gun metal shone in the dim lighting of the room, "I also found this."
"Is there something that you want to tell me?" Suzuka knew at this point that he had been hiding something. For some reason, it just seemed all too strange that he had an outfit like that which fit it so perfectly and knew how to handle a gun so skillfully.
The man just looked at her in blank question. "What do you mean?"
Please...
Please help me...
The Red-Eyed Vireo flew through the bars of the cage and past the singing, lonely angel, who sat in her paradise-cage.
"Before I met you, I had always been alone. I never knew loneliness until I met you. Being by myself was natural so I never know the pain of being alone...and the fear of losing you."
Kohanna looked up to a
small hole on the top of her cage as the bird flew up and out to
freedom- something that she wished that she herself could do. In
many ways, she envied the wandering birds that got to fly around
and go wherever they wished.
Sitting here
Watching the world
Decay all around me
The essence of life drains
Caged bird with broken wings
Horror picture moving in slow motion
As Zeshen floated across the pond, he could hear the angel's intoxicating song fill his senses. He looked to the island as he neared his destination.
"Her song…"
Won't you please?
Please help me
As soon as Zeshen's boat hit the shore, he jumped off and ran to his destination as quickly as he could. Soon, he came to the forest and darted through the trees. High above him, several sentinels were perched in the treetops. A few of them had been hidden behind the trees and watched as the black-clad man ran by.
"Hey!" One of the sentinels shouted and shot from behind a nearby tree to see the red X planted between the man's shoulder blades. That very symbol caused his eyes to widen in shock. He had never thought that he would see him again. "What? How can he be alive? I've got to inform Mr. Nakayama."
The sentinel disappeared into the trees and ran off in the direction of Eien's mansion.
XxXxXx
Kohanna flew down to the bars of her cage when she saw Zeshen approach her. She was surprised to see him dressed in his old uniform but disregarded it as she asked him if he would be the one to help her. The black-clad man reached out to her.
"Of course I will."
XxXxXx
"What?" Eien turned around with shock spreading across his blue eyes. "Kashaktan Zeshen?" The very name was enough to send sickening and angry sensations through his body. It was a name that he thought he would not have to hear again.
"Yes, that's who I saw, sir," the sentinel confirmed, he was just as shocked.
"So, he's come to get his revenge by stealing my only happiness...That bastard will burn in hell for this!" He declared and turned to his underling. "Go! Shoot him down! Don't stop firing until he's dead! We can't let him touch that angel!" Under all circumstances, he did not want his plans to save Haruhi from her disease ruined. He would achieve the ultimate sacrifice of the angel's soul so he could live in happiness with the love of his life.
"Yes sir," the guard ran out of the door, leaving the blonde alone to think to himself.
'So...' Eien smirked. 'It's all come down to this...I knew that you wanted to assassinate me and stop my use of mechanical warfare on the innocent people that I've used as test subjects who happened to wander onto this island by mistake but I had no idea that you've been searching for me all of this time.'
"I should go out and personally welcome you to Industrial Island," the blonde walked outside to face his long-time enemy. He knew that this would be his final showdown. Only one of them would walk out alive and he would make sure that it was not Zeshen.
This time, it was more than personal. Each of them was fighting for their dreams.
XxXxXx
Inside of the cage, Zeshen teleported in front of the angel, brought into the cage by her powers. Kohanna grabbed him around the waist and jumped up as about hundreds of sentinels crowded the bottom of the iron structure. The two of them shot through the skies as they both headed towards a piece of metal at the top of the cage that was shaped like a circle. The pair decided that they were both going to break through the glass and escape into the outside world.
The sentinels fired their laser guns upward, trying to hit the pair but Kohanna skillfully flew through the beams. She never once looked to the ground. The angel's only sights were locked on that single hole, the one thing that could ensure her freedom. Kohanna knew that if she tried to escape herself, she would be caught but with Zeshen at her side, she at least had a chance now.
Zeshen grabbed his gun from the leather strap around his right thigh and looked over his shoulder. The man pointed his laser gun in between a group of guards and fired it. The laser beam dug into the ground, causing it to explode. Pieces of debris and bodies flew in all directions as several screams were released.
The angel's eyes shone with determination as she quickly sped towards her destination. She was inches from freedom with the man that she loved held tightly in her arms. 'If am to get freedom, it will be now. I know with you, we can grasp freedom together.'
Zeshen looked up from the guards and saw that they were nearing a large, glass window of some sort. With a single shot, he managed to shatter the glass as the two of them flew through the small hole to freedom. He could see the shards bounce from their clothes and body parts around him like a crystal rain, shimmering against the light. That moment seemed to go by in slow motion.
Slowly, the two of them inched away from the large, metal birdcage and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tall, refined-looking blonde man standing near the broken glass, looking up at them.
"So, you've returned to try and steal my happiness," Eien’s voice was dark as he looked up at the two with great anger and concentration. "Well, that won't be happening!" He threw up his arm up in a commanding gesture and shouted, "Go fourth, my cage! Kill them!"
Suddenly, the bars of the cage splintered off from the base, reaching up to them like large, robotic arms. Zeshen valiantly tried to shoot them but his lasers were simply either, deflected, missed completely or caused very little damage. By a fluke, he managed to shoot one in one of its many joints, which caused it to go down in a fit of angry white lightening.
The two of them zoomed around in the massive conglomeration of fast-moving arms. It seemed as soon as they were in one place, the arms were quickly behind them, ready to strike them down. Kohanna could barely get away from them. Both of them knew that it was only a matter of time before they were hit.
"Zoom through them and go to the left!" Zeshen finally ordered after a good ten minutes of thinking.
Kohanna nodded and did as she was told as they zoomed through the twisted mess of robotic arms and shot to the left with a jerk. The massive structures curled around them, like spider's legs upon their prey. One of the large beams of metal managed to hit them as they tried to make their way through, knocking them apart. Kohanna screamed and landed harshly on the ground with a thud. Zeshen landed on his back, nearly toppling head over heels. He quickly recovered and popped up to his feet, running towards the fallen angel.
The metal limbs were quickly nearing her, trying to impale her but he managed to grab her hand and quickly drag her up. Kohanna stumbled to her feet, her lolita dress bobbed and swayed with her awkward movement as she took large steps in order to keep pace with him but it was short-lived as the two stumbled forward, being pelted with debris from the arms’ assault.
Angel and human stumbled forward with the blast. They continued to run along the ground. Soon, they headed towards a cliff. As they ran along the ground, seeing it suddenly dropped off and caused the two of them to skid to a stop and turn around, facing the monstrous metal legs as they twisted and jerked into the ground, walking like a discombobulated spider.
Eien stood beside of the shattered glass as he looked across the horizon, the gentle wind toyed with his blonde locks, making them to dance in the wind. There was tension so thick in the air that it could be cut with a knife.
'You can't escape from this island. No matter where you go. An angel is something that cannot belong to anyone. If the angels begin to consider someone precious to them, it's as if you are saying that the world is in the hands of the one who is thought of like that. This is why the angel is left alone. That's what the legend says; anyway...That is why the bird remains caged. A single soul, trapped without a real body...but all things must be reincarnated at one point or another, as will this angel. No one will stop me from acquiring a way for my dear Haruhi to be rid of her crippling disease.'
"Kill them!" Eien commanded from his place atop of the center pole of the cage.
'What now?' Zeshen thought as the mechanical objects quickly closed in on them.
"What do we do, Zeshen?" Eyes full of confusion bore into blue as the angel truly looked frantic and baffled.
"Are you hurt?"
"No, I just got slammed around."
"Can you fly?" The former priest thought as he quickly thought up a plan.
"Yes, I can,” Kohanna replied with a nod.
The dark-haired man narrowed his eyes, then took a flying leap off of the edge of the cliff with all of the strength that his body had in it. Kohanna darted down after him as quickly as she could as the two free-fell into the open sky below.
"What do we do now?" Kohanna didn't see how this was going to solve their problems with the giant, mechanical arms but she was willing to do anything that the young man asked of her. Surely there was some genius idea behind all of it. Like the days of old, the man always seemed to have a great plan that put him several steps above the rest of his competition.
Then again, these were not the days of old and a significant part of his memories were lost.
"I want you to fly me back towards him," Zeshen had stern willpower.
The angel agreed.
"Grab me and fly me back up the cliff. I'm going to make sure that he never gets his hands on you again." The dark-haired man vowed but just as he had finished his sentence, his eyes widened as pain shot through them. Blood flew past Kohanna's face in a large stream, causing her eyes to widen and look back towards the man, who was once free-falling but was now suspended in the air by the tip of one of the mechanical arms.
It had come through the wall of the cliff and shot through his right shoulder. Kohanna reached her arms out and screamed his name as tears flooded down her cheeks. The arm tried to pull him into the cliff but his body simply bounced painfully off of the wall and fell down limply. The blue-eyed man struggled to keep his eyes open but they remained half-lidded with so much pain that his body had become numb.
Suddenly, a phrase that Suzuka had said to him before he left ran through his thoughts.
'If a bird flies into a house and lands on someone's shoulder in the room, it means that person will die soon.'
The realization came to him as those words faded from his senses. Omens do come true and this one was very real, whether or not it had been simply coincidence or not.
Zeshen smiled weakly. "Well, I'm glad that I finally helped you become free."
...To Be Continued...
Watching the world
Decay all around me
The essence of life drains
Caged bird with broken wings
Horror picture moving in slow motion
As Zeshen floated across the pond, he could hear the angel's intoxicating song fill his senses. He looked to the island as he neared his destination.
"Her song…"
Won't you please?
Please help me
As soon as Zeshen's boat hit the shore, he jumped off and ran to his destination as quickly as he could. Soon, he came to the forest and darted through the trees. High above him, several sentinels were perched in the treetops. A few of them had been hidden behind the trees and watched as the black-clad man ran by.
"Hey!" One of the sentinels shouted and shot from behind a nearby tree to see the red X planted between the man's shoulder blades. That very symbol caused his eyes to widen in shock. He had never thought that he would see him again. "What? How can he be alive? I've got to inform Mr. Nakayama."
The sentinel disappeared into the trees and ran off in the direction of Eien's mansion.
XxXxXx
Kohanna flew down to the bars of her cage when she saw Zeshen approach her. She was surprised to see him dressed in his old uniform but disregarded it as she asked him if he would be the one to help her. The black-clad man reached out to her.
"Of course I will."
XxXxXx
"What?" Eien turned around with shock spreading across his blue eyes. "Kashaktan Zeshen?" The very name was enough to send sickening and angry sensations through his body. It was a name that he thought he would not have to hear again.
"Yes, that's who I saw, sir," the sentinel confirmed, he was just as shocked.
"So, he's come to get his revenge by stealing my only happiness...That bastard will burn in hell for this!" He declared and turned to his underling. "Go! Shoot him down! Don't stop firing until he's dead! We can't let him touch that angel!" Under all circumstances, he did not want his plans to save Haruhi from her disease ruined. He would achieve the ultimate sacrifice of the angel's soul so he could live in happiness with the love of his life.
"Yes sir," the guard ran out of the door, leaving the blonde alone to think to himself.
'So...' Eien smirked. 'It's all come down to this...I knew that you wanted to assassinate me and stop my use of mechanical warfare on the innocent people that I've used as test subjects who happened to wander onto this island by mistake but I had no idea that you've been searching for me all of this time.'
"I should go out and personally welcome you to Industrial Island," the blonde walked outside to face his long-time enemy. He knew that this would be his final showdown. Only one of them would walk out alive and he would make sure that it was not Zeshen.
This time, it was more than personal. Each of them was fighting for their dreams.
XxXxXx
Inside of the cage, Zeshen teleported in front of the angel, brought into the cage by her powers. Kohanna grabbed him around the waist and jumped up as about hundreds of sentinels crowded the bottom of the iron structure. The two of them shot through the skies as they both headed towards a piece of metal at the top of the cage that was shaped like a circle. The pair decided that they were both going to break through the glass and escape into the outside world.
The sentinels fired their laser guns upward, trying to hit the pair but Kohanna skillfully flew through the beams. She never once looked to the ground. The angel's only sights were locked on that single hole, the one thing that could ensure her freedom. Kohanna knew that if she tried to escape herself, she would be caught but with Zeshen at her side, she at least had a chance now.
Zeshen grabbed his gun from the leather strap around his right thigh and looked over his shoulder. The man pointed his laser gun in between a group of guards and fired it. The laser beam dug into the ground, causing it to explode. Pieces of debris and bodies flew in all directions as several screams were released.
The angel's eyes shone with determination as she quickly sped towards her destination. She was inches from freedom with the man that she loved held tightly in her arms. 'If am to get freedom, it will be now. I know with you, we can grasp freedom together.'
Zeshen looked up from the guards and saw that they were nearing a large, glass window of some sort. With a single shot, he managed to shatter the glass as the two of them flew through the small hole to freedom. He could see the shards bounce from their clothes and body parts around him like a crystal rain, shimmering against the light. That moment seemed to go by in slow motion.
Slowly, the two of them inched away from the large, metal birdcage and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tall, refined-looking blonde man standing near the broken glass, looking up at them.
"So, you've returned to try and steal my happiness," Eien’s voice was dark as he looked up at the two with great anger and concentration. "Well, that won't be happening!" He threw up his arm up in a commanding gesture and shouted, "Go fourth, my cage! Kill them!"
Suddenly, the bars of the cage splintered off from the base, reaching up to them like large, robotic arms. Zeshen valiantly tried to shoot them but his lasers were simply either, deflected, missed completely or caused very little damage. By a fluke, he managed to shoot one in one of its many joints, which caused it to go down in a fit of angry white lightening.
The two of them zoomed around in the massive conglomeration of fast-moving arms. It seemed as soon as they were in one place, the arms were quickly behind them, ready to strike them down. Kohanna could barely get away from them. Both of them knew that it was only a matter of time before they were hit.
"Zoom through them and go to the left!" Zeshen finally ordered after a good ten minutes of thinking.
Kohanna nodded and did as she was told as they zoomed through the twisted mess of robotic arms and shot to the left with a jerk. The massive structures curled around them, like spider's legs upon their prey. One of the large beams of metal managed to hit them as they tried to make their way through, knocking them apart. Kohanna screamed and landed harshly on the ground with a thud. Zeshen landed on his back, nearly toppling head over heels. He quickly recovered and popped up to his feet, running towards the fallen angel.
The metal limbs were quickly nearing her, trying to impale her but he managed to grab her hand and quickly drag her up. Kohanna stumbled to her feet, her lolita dress bobbed and swayed with her awkward movement as she took large steps in order to keep pace with him but it was short-lived as the two stumbled forward, being pelted with debris from the arms’ assault.
Angel and human stumbled forward with the blast. They continued to run along the ground. Soon, they headed towards a cliff. As they ran along the ground, seeing it suddenly dropped off and caused the two of them to skid to a stop and turn around, facing the monstrous metal legs as they twisted and jerked into the ground, walking like a discombobulated spider.
Eien stood beside of the shattered glass as he looked across the horizon, the gentle wind toyed with his blonde locks, making them to dance in the wind. There was tension so thick in the air that it could be cut with a knife.
'You can't escape from this island. No matter where you go. An angel is something that cannot belong to anyone. If the angels begin to consider someone precious to them, it's as if you are saying that the world is in the hands of the one who is thought of like that. This is why the angel is left alone. That's what the legend says; anyway...That is why the bird remains caged. A single soul, trapped without a real body...but all things must be reincarnated at one point or another, as will this angel. No one will stop me from acquiring a way for my dear Haruhi to be rid of her crippling disease.'
"Kill them!" Eien commanded from his place atop of the center pole of the cage.
'What now?' Zeshen thought as the mechanical objects quickly closed in on them.
"What do we do, Zeshen?" Eyes full of confusion bore into blue as the angel truly looked frantic and baffled.
"Are you hurt?"
"No, I just got slammed around."
"Can you fly?" The former priest thought as he quickly thought up a plan.
"Yes, I can,” Kohanna replied with a nod.
The dark-haired man narrowed his eyes, then took a flying leap off of the edge of the cliff with all of the strength that his body had in it. Kohanna darted down after him as quickly as she could as the two free-fell into the open sky below.
"What do we do now?" Kohanna didn't see how this was going to solve their problems with the giant, mechanical arms but she was willing to do anything that the young man asked of her. Surely there was some genius idea behind all of it. Like the days of old, the man always seemed to have a great plan that put him several steps above the rest of his competition.
Then again, these were not the days of old and a significant part of his memories were lost.
"I want you to fly me back towards him," Zeshen had stern willpower.
The angel agreed.
"Grab me and fly me back up the cliff. I'm going to make sure that he never gets his hands on you again." The dark-haired man vowed but just as he had finished his sentence, his eyes widened as pain shot through them. Blood flew past Kohanna's face in a large stream, causing her eyes to widen and look back towards the man, who was once free-falling but was now suspended in the air by the tip of one of the mechanical arms.
It had come through the wall of the cliff and shot through his right shoulder. Kohanna reached her arms out and screamed his name as tears flooded down her cheeks. The arm tried to pull him into the cliff but his body simply bounced painfully off of the wall and fell down limply. The blue-eyed man struggled to keep his eyes open but they remained half-lidded with so much pain that his body had become numb.
Suddenly, a phrase that Suzuka had said to him before he left ran through his thoughts.
'If a bird flies into a house and lands on someone's shoulder in the room, it means that person will die soon.'
The realization came to him as those words faded from his senses. Omens do come true and this one was very real, whether or not it had been simply coincidence or not.
Zeshen smiled weakly. "Well, I'm glad that I finally helped you become free."
...To Be Continued...