Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Sacrifice ❯ Shaffon ( Chapter 75 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

By: MellyN

XxXxXx

Sacrifice

By: Melissa Norvell

Chapter 75: Shaffon

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"This is Shaffon, a seaside city. It's five cities away from Sumeria," Hiroshima informed everyone on their current location as they stood amongst the rubble of the once seemingly holy city.

"I've heard of Shaffon. The people here aren't very friendly," Undine pointed out. It was better to inform them now then have them find it out the hard way.

"What should we do? Why would Vespa send us here?" They were questions that Zangetsu had been mulling over for a while now. Obviously, Tsurugi and Hiroshima didn't want to come to this place, and knowing that Shaffon hated angels, Vespa sent them there anyway. There was something wrong and judging by the solemn looks on the angel's faces, they had something to worry about. Usually, Tsurugi and Hiroshima seemed calm and when they were worried, it always worried the ninja.

"I have a feeling that we won't be welcomed here," Keiji pointed out the obvious. If they hated angels, then they would hate the humans in their group for traveling with them.

"You are, but we aren't," Hiroshima told him.

"What?" Ko was still confused by everything that recently happened. It seemed like a whirl of memories that went in fast forward. Everything was still hard to understand.

"This town hates angels."

"Why?" The green-haired boy looked to Hiroshima in question. Since he was the one who killed everyone in Saesugawa, then he may have killed everyone in Shaffon as well. If that was the case, the no wonder he didn't want to go to Shaffon.

"You shouldn't be seen with me."

"Why? I don't understand," Chichiri was confused. They had been traveling with them all this time. Why would they have to break up now?

"They hate angels and anyone they see with an angel will be publicly executed. Trust me, we're better off if we split up," Hiroshima didn't want to leave their side, because they may need him, but it was for the best. If something were to happen, then it should happen to either he or Tsurugi and not the innocent people that were in their company.

"We can't do that," Zangetsu spoke up. "We're a team. You didn't leave me behind, despite what happened in my country. Why would we abandon you now?"

"You could be killed." It wasn't that the ninja's heart-felt speech meant nothing, but Hiroshima was thinking about this logically.

"That never stopped is before," Ko commented. After all, they had been through hell in a hand basket already and had escaped death's clutches more than once. They had nothing to fear in this town; no more than any other they were going to. After Azmy's death, they had all accepted the fact that it could very well be their fate, but they would push forward, no matter what the consequences.

"I guess there really is no convincing you," Tsurugi smiled a little. In a way, he was grateful for their support. "Come on, let's find a place to stay."

Suddenly, Hiroshima pulled out the Crimson. "I can clear out a place." They hated angels anyway, so what would it hurt to kill some of them?

"You're gonna kill people?" Chichiri was shocked. Hiroshima hadn't felt up to killing in a while.

"Wait!" Ko ran in front of him and held her arms out to either side. "We shouldn't be so hasty. They might hate us even more."

"It won't matter. There's no convincing them," the spiky-haired angel replied. The people of Shaffon were far too consumed with hatred to give them a second chance. Even if they did manage to save them, there would be no exceptions.

"I think we should split up," Fife spoke up. When he thought about it, it was their best option at the moment.

"What?" Ko looked at him in question. Fife was always plotting something, so what could he be plotting now?

"This will be a bit underhanded but we should see if we can stay in a hotel or house without the angels. Then the angels can just float through the walls after we rent the room," the vampire stated. This was a way that the angels would not be noticed and hopefully everyone would be safe.

"Yes but can they last long out here?" Undine looked to Hiroshima and Tsurugi.

"We should be fine. Before you go, I want to tell you all that I have a few things that I want to tell you after we find a place to stay." Even though it was hard to say, Hiroshima knew that they needed to know the truth.

"Sure," Keiji smiled, happy to see that the angel was opening up to them.

"What are you smiling about?" Hiroshima asked.

"I'm glad that you're getting to be more open with us, that's all," the green-haired boy replied. It was nice that Hiroshima trusted them. He felt like they were actually getting somewhere.

"Yeah, well don't expect it all of the time," the angel crossed his arms, trying to regain his cold façade.

"Of course not." Keiji held out his hand to the stubborn angel.

"What are you doing?" Hiroshima looked leerily at his hand.

"Let's officially be team mates," Hiroshima had never admitted to being their true ally and their first meeting wasn't exactly the friendliest one. Keiji wanted to make them a true team and by doing this, would hopefully join their boundaries and bring them closer to understanding each other.

"Sure," Hiroshima smiled faintly and took his hand in his. It was the first real smile the angel had given since their travels together. Usually, he wore a smirk plastered to his face, but this was a genuine smile.

"It's nice to see you smile for once," Keiji knew that Hiroshima was truly happy with wanting to be closer to them.

"Well, let's all look for a place to stay at least for the night," Zangetsu suggested as Tsurugi reached into Chichiri's pocket. It temporarily startled the boy, making him jump at the contact of the long, slender hand.

"Hey!" He shouted in surprise at the blonde angel.

"We'll see what our main objective is with Vespa while you all hunt around. We can hide in one of the alleyways. We should be alright for a while." Tsurugi informed. After they figured out what their current goal was, they could report the information to the others once they reached a safe place to do so.

"Are you sure that you'll be alright?" Ko was worried about leaving the angels alone in a place with so many execution stations.

Tsurugi placed a hand on his lover's shoulder. "We'll be fine. While you're at it, find everyone some appropriate clothes. We stick out too much dressed like this," the angel gestured at everyone elaborate clothes. Looking aristocratic would only gain them more attention then what they cared to have.

"I'm glad that King Vasca gave us some money before we left," Ko replied. They'd be poor otherwise.

"We could possibly rent a house for what we have," Keiji stated and it was a good thing too. They needed to save their money, however, in case something was to happen to them. It was wise not to think big and make it stretch as far as they could.

"That would be awesome!" Chichiri, on the other hand, was thinking the most simply of all. "I'll finally get some rest."

"We'd be better off at an inn. Its chapter and we might need to save our money," the white-haired girl thought things through.

"Good idea," Fife suggested. The inn would be full of people, but it was better than splurging all of their money on a house.

"Well, it's all up to you," Hiroshima told them. Whatever they did was fine with him.

"Fife can send you a telepathic message when we get a place," Keiji suggested. It would be the best way to contact the angels.

"We'll also contact you with our mission," Tsurugi informed.

"Alright," everyone replied as they ran off in search of a place for everyone to stay. Hiroshima and Tsurugi quickly darted into one of the nearby alleyways before they decided to summon the Red Witch.

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Ceres walked around the town square, dressed in a long, red robe with a hood. She looked up and saw the enormous angel statue that had been decapitated. 'This is Shaffon City? What a hell hole.' The black-haired woman commented as she continued to look around at the damage that had been done. "I can't believe Mistress Soel wants me to stay in this place. Well, I should get around to gathering information…though I don't know why Hiroshima would be in a place like this."

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"You've summoned me?" Vespa appeared before the two angels once more.

"Yes, we did," Tsurugi replied with his usual peaceful smile.

"Where are the others?" The witch looked around as she noticed that the angels were the only two present. She wondered why she was only in the presence of the two angels and no one else. Did they have a special request for her that didn't involve the humans, or did they wish to speak of their pact with her?

"They went to find a place for us to stay," Tsurugi informed her of their current position.

"You're staying here?" Vespa was a little surprised to know that they actually wanted to stay within the boundaries of the city and not on the outskirts as he had previously thought.

"Don't we have to get a magical item here?" The blonde angel continued. It was, after all, their purpose to gather the items.

"There is one item in Shaffon," Vespa informed them.

"What is it?"

"It's a large blue feathers that has been blessed with the powers of wind," the witch told them of the magical item. "The head master of this village possesses it in a large, crystal orb. This item is regulated by Zameln and is considered to be one of the strongest with items in existence."

"Why? Why this place?" Hiroshima asked. It was something that had constantly been on his mind. He foresaw what would happen and he didn't like any of it but was helpless to turn against fate.

"I knew that neither of you wanted it but you could consider it a sacrifice in exchange for my help."

"I've got no choice," the spiky-haired angel sighed and closed his eyes in defeat. He knew that he was beaten in that aspect. When it came to fulfilling his wish, he would make any sacrifice no matter how large.

"We made a promise, you know,” Vespa reminded him of what the two had arranged.

"Not even I can from fate," the green-haired angel hated that he knew what would happen but had no control over trying to change it. Hiroshima knew that fate of everyone in his group and it reeled through his head when he had nothing else to think about. When he looked at someone in his group, the only thing he saw was their burdens and sorrow and what was to come in the future. For that- he felt guilty in not being able to help them relieve those pains.

"This has been nothing but one disaster after another," Tsurugi looked a little sad in turn. While he appeared to be happy on the outside, the disparity of the situation ground on his sanity. A lot hung on both of their shoulders and with Hiroshima, Tsurugi had his own worries to contend with as well.

"No one told you that it would be easy." Bringing them to the brink of their sanity was something that the mission was going to do, as angels; both of them knew that factor all too well. Seeing Tsurugi's pain made the witch feel a little sympathy for the two angels but once something this grandeur was put into action, when the pain and sacrifices stopped, then everything downward spiraled back on fate's cruel path.

"Thank you for the pointers, Miss Vespa," Tsurugi sighed a little and looked down.

"My pleasure. This trip will be worth it- for all of you. Even now, you are making good progress," the witch smiled calmly at the two angels. Giving them a pat on the back for what they had done so far wouldn't hurt. She thought that they needed it after coming so far.

"What do you mean?" Hiroshima asked. At this point in time, he didn't see what the worth of it was. So far, it was nothing more than stress and if it helped anything, it helped him become more tired and worn.

"You've already been accepted by those children."

"Huh?" Hiroshima was shocked by it all. He didn't see how they had accepted him. Keiji and Fife might have, but Ko was another story. They had not got along since point one, what made her think that she liked him?

"They want to get to know you. I think that you should open up to them. You don't have to do it all at once, and there are some things that they'll have to learn on their own but the first step of becoming someone greater then who you are now is to face your fears and allow someone to get in to try and understand you. I know that it's a very hard thing for you to trust after Saesugawa betrayed you but you shouldn't keep it inside because it's easier for you to hide your past them face it. You should learn to swallow your pride. You've tried to build up far too much immunity to other's judgments and it's made you insecure," Vespa pointed out many of the angel's emotional flaws. Hiroshima could not deny the fact that he was insecure. He could not deny that he was distant and wanted nothing more than to die without anyone knowing the horrible truth about him. He didn't want anyone to know that like most angels, he was also shy by nature, nor did he want them to know how weak and helpless he truly was and how dependent he was on others. These were crippling flaws that he'd rather die with those weaknesses then ruin the image he had as a strong warrior who gave in to no one.

"I don't need you to tell me that. I know it already." Even the sound of those weaknesses, as they were being listed off reminded him of what a true disappointment he was. "I've been thinking about it while I was in King Vasca's castle. I finally have built up enough trust to tell them something about myself. I plan on it when we're spending time alone. I want them to know, even if they'll hate me. It couldn't be worse then what they've thrown at me in Saesugawa," Hiroshima closed his eyes and smirked happily. "Bring it on!"

"Hiro-kun…You're actually starting to trust them?" It was something that he thought his lover would refuse, so it surprised the blonde to know that Hiroshima wanted to tell them about what was truly wrong with him.

"I don't want to miss my opportunity and put another tally on my foolish pride," the green-haired angel replied.

"Does this mean that you'll let them help you with your curse?" Tsurugi smiled a little hopeful that his significant other would say yes.

"If they can, I'll let them," Hiroshima's answer made his mate smile in happiness. Maybe there really was hope in saving his life after all. "I'm the one who reeled them into this. I set this whole plan into motion, and now it's time to take some responsibility. It's time to stop acting petty and actually try to help them."

"I was waiting for the day you'd come to earth with the rest of us," Tsurugi smiled playfully.

"Was I that bad?" The spiky-haired angel sincerely hoped that Tsurugi was over exaggerating things.

"You'd rather die converting to a vampire then rest," the blonde was quite the stubborn one when push came to shove.

"Did you have to go there?" The other was slightly irritated that he'd point that out about him.

"Yes," Tsurugi smiled as Hiroshima crossed his arms and made a 'hmpf' noise, sticking his nose in the air and frowning. The blonde simply smiled warmly and replied. "I knew you had a good heart…Well, half way."

"It's not my fault that I'm a genetic fuck up," Hiroshima knew that it was his lover's way of making a black-and-white joke about him.

"Good luck boys," Vespa told the two as Tsurugi thanked her. Once again, the witch bid them farewell as her form turned into a swirling circle of fire and dissipated into the air. Just as she was gone, they had both received a telepathic message from Fife.

'Hey, we found a place!'

'Where?' Tsurugi asked mentally.

'You should know! You're the angels!' Fife teased happily.

'Screw off, will you?' Hiroshima decided to relay a message of his own. He didn't have time for the king to be so damned difficult.

'Just tell us, Fife-sama. We don't want to be caught out here.' As much as Tsurugi was trying to be kind, he agreed with Hiroshima that they didn't have much time before they would be found out by someone.

'Oh-kay…' Fife sighed playfully as he gave then directions on where to go. Tsurugi thanked him and grabbed Hiroshima's hand with a smile.

"Come on, Hiro-kun!" The blonde teleported both of them away from the dingy alleyway. They ended up in a large room with white walls and wooden floors. Both of them appeared in mid-air and landed in a pile of pillows that had been assembled on the ground. Zangetsu, Chichiri and Keiji walked into the room to see the pillows fly up into the air, signifying the fact that they had landed. It surprised the three of them and nearly made them jumped backwards.

"Oh, it's just them," Zangetsu sighed upon noticing that it was only the angels coming to them.

"Dear God, I almost peed myself!" Chichiri exclaimed.

"I didn't want to know that," a disturbed look crossed Keiji's face.

"We're here!" Tsurugi sat cross-legged in the mass of pillows.

"But where is here?" Hiroshima glanced around at the large, spacious room.

"Well, here is the Seabright Inn," Ko informed him from her position in the doorway. "This place has large, spacious rooms and they were for a good price. We'll all have to share this room but I think we can handle this. What about you, guys?"

"I'm fine with that," Tsurugi replied. As long as he had a roof over his head, he was fine with anything that they suggested.

"Anywhere but in the street," Hiroshima was tossed a simple, white button-up, long sleeved shirt, red suspenders and black slacks. Tsurugi was also tossed an olive-green, form-fitting jacket with a white, button-up shirt, black tie, brown slacks and a brown, round hat with a black band.

"Here, sorry if it's not your style but it's the best I could do. I tried to pick something I thought you'd like," Ko knew that she'd seen the angel's wear similar things before but she wasn't sure if they'd like them at all. The two angels went into the bathroom and changed into their new outfits. When they came out, they examined themselves.

"The colors are odd but it doesn't look bad. Thank you, Ko," Tsurugi commented, as he noticed that everyone else had on a new set of clothes as well. Chichiri wore a white, short-sleeved, button up shirt with a red bow-tie and brown slacks. Ko wore a sweater with a baggy neck line that was purple with two white lines across the breast line and a short, tight-fitting brown skirt with a black zig-zag across the middle. Undine wore a navy blue sailor uniform with long sleeves and a long skirt that was navy blue in coloration with a bed bow and white trim.

Zangetsu's outfit consisted or a black, Chinese, style sleeveless shirt with two rows of buttons going up the font, black slacks and a long, black cape that covered his wing. Keiji was clad in a long, blue coat that went to his mid-thighs with golden buttons, white cufflinks and a black tie with white slacks. Fife's outfit consisted of a black, half-cape that tied in the front with a large red bow, a red coat similar to Keiji's with a black sash and starch-white pants. It was not the style of dress that they had been used to and definitely the most common that they had worn.

"It will work for now," Hiroshima glanced around to see their outfits. After being in Sumeria for so long, it was odd to see them in such plain clothes.

"We look the most down to earth that we ever have," Chichiri commented on the clothes.

"We are quite casual," Undine informed.

"I feel like a waiter," Chichiri pulled at the bow-tie with one finger.

"Hey, I need to talk to all of you," Hiroshima decided to tell them what he had to tell them, since everyone was settled down. The angel sat cross-legged on a pillow. "Can you all sit down? This will take a while."

Everyone grabbed a pillow from the pile and took a seat around him in a circle as they listened to what he had to say.

"What did you want to ask, Hiroshima?" Undine asked from the right side of the circle.

"I want to tell you all a few things. I think you should know some things about me."

"You're usually so secretive. This isn't like you," Fife pointed out. The Hiroshima he knew wouldn't usually tell them anything about himself unless the situation were dire. It was a nice change and something that he didn't expect.

"Ever since I was turned into a vampire, I've been thinking about how things have developed," the angel began to tell them what had brought about his revelations. "After Azmy died, I thought about guilt and secrecy, about how it drove her to kill herself. She would have rather died then betray anyone here. I tried to save her but she had already shot herself. A secret isn't worth keeping if it makes you feel like shit and I'd rather get help then go it alone. The worst that can happen is that you'd all hate me. I don't blame you. I've never done much of anything that was reputable."

"What about the princess, or whatever?" Chichiri held up a finger and asked the question, but he was soon hit in the back of the head by Ko.

"Don't say 'or whatever'! He's a hero!" The girl scolded.

"Ouch!" The blonde held his head.

"I am but it was really just getting into something that I thought was a good idea at the time," Hiroshima explained. "I offered to protect her and in return, she promised that I would be pardoned when we got to her kingdom, but…she was secretly plotting to kill me and take the Crimson. The two swords caused a lot of trouble and completely broke our group apart. There were those who were friends and faithful to the princess and those who wanted to stop her corrupt ways. I lead the group who tried to stop her. She was going to lead us to her country in promise of making us members of her royal court and pardoning any bad reputations that we might have, and instead she was going to execute us. It's not that big of a deal," the angel dismissed the subject.

"I don't get it…I'd be happy if I had that reputation…Why aren't you?" Chichiri couldn't figure it out for the life of him. Hiroshima was one of the hero's who had saved so many people and stopped the destruction that came with the swords. Wasn't that an honor?

"Why would you think an assassin is a hero?" Hiroshima asked.

"Depends…Who is he assassinating?" Keiji asked.

"Huh?" The angel looked to his green-haired counterpart in question.

"What if an assassin killed someone who was going to blow up a country? He'd be a hero to that country, wouldn't he?" The green-haired drummer wanted to make a point to the angel. When he killed someone, he was someone's hero as well, especially if that person's death meant the harm of another's life.

"I never thought of it like that before," the spiky-haired angel seemed thoughtful at the new point that was made.

"What did you have to say?" Ko brought him back up to speed on his current subject.

"About my curse, when I was a child, a spirit possessed me. It often comes out and takes control of my body. Afterwards, I don't remember anything."

"Like at Serenande's place?" Chichiri remembered when they had found Hiroshima at the castle's entrance. He was passed out and he didn't remember anything that had happened.

"I guess that's what happened," Hiroshima replied as his next news shocked everyone who had heard it into silence. "Also…the curse…it drains my life span."

"What!?" He heard everyone exclaim with the exception of Tsurugi, who looked guilty about not telling them.

"Angels live to be 300 years old. When I became a vampire, it added 250 years to my life span but it's been shortened still. At this rate, I'll die by the end of the year," Hiroshima looked a little saddened at relaying this news to everyone.

Keiji frowned as he got up, his fists balled to his sides. The boy walked over to the angel punched him hard in the head. So hard that Hiroshima was laid out on the ground on his side. The spiky-haired angel held the top of his head as he propped himself up with his elbow and looked absolutely flabbergasted that he was hit. It was the most shocked that Hiroshima had ever been.

"Keiji!" Ko knew that Hiroshima shouldn't have hidden that from them, but did Keiji have to punch him that hard?

"Was that really necessary?" Zangetsu was concerned.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Keiji glared down the shocked angel, who still didn't know what to say.

'He must be shocked. He probably didn't think Keiji would hit him.' A sly smile crept across Fife's face. "Your face…" The vampire couldn't hold it in anymore, he busted out in a fit of giggles. To him, the fact that Hiroshima looked so shocked was humorous.

He had been completely caught off guard.

"What about it?" His words even sounded uncertain as he answered Fife's comment.

"You look so shocked to be hit like that," Zangetsu explained as Hiroshima laid there in silence. For a kid, Keiji had quite a punch.

"Why would you hold a secret for that long? You think it would matter to you," Keiji scolded him for keeping something so important from everyone. That fact that he was dying wasn't funny in the slightest and if they could prevent it, then they wanted to before the moment passed them by.

"You really think that no one cares about you, don't you?" Undine looked a little concerned about what Hiroshima really thought. It was dangerous to think that about his team mates. He truly was disjointed in many ways that were frightening to her.

"Why should I? I don't deserve sympathy," the angel knew that he had made his bed and now he was to lay in it.

"It sure sounds like you want to be helped," Keiji told him.

"Huh?"

"I owe a lot to you, even if you destroyed Saesugawa. We're a team and we're going to help each other. We've come too far and lost too much to just give up," the boy reminded him of what their bond really meant. Hiroshima couldn't go around hiding those types of important things from everyone and expect them not to care.

"You really shouldn't be so hard on yourself. You try to carry too much guilt," Zangetsu told him sympathetically.

"We care if you die, Hiroshima," Ko replied. They may not have had the closest relationship of everyone in the group but she would never just wished that he'd die because he was difficult to get along with.

"Yeah, even if we don't know you that well, we've all spent time together and got to know each other," Chichiri told him.

"We're more like family then a team," Fife had learned the meaning of their bond when he was found out in Sumeria and everyone still accepted him. So, they would all accept Hiroshima as well, surely.

"Yeah, so let's act like one," Ko smiled.

Hiroshima frowned and looked down sadly.

"He's sulking! He loves us!" Fife threw his arms up and smiled brightly.

"H-Hey! Shut up!" The angel stammered awkwardly at the kind statement. On the inside, he felt fuzzy and strange. It was a warm and dry feeling and he wondered if it was what acceptance felt like.

"Now he's bashful! How cute!" The vampire put his hands together in glee.

"Why don't you go and bother Keiji?" Hiroshima pouted.

"I'm on vacation!"

"Is there anything else we need to know?" Keiji asked as everyone's sights were redirected to the serious topic at hand. Hiroshima began to talk but the only word that escaped his mouth was 'well' before the door opened and a black-haired woman in a pink dress carrying a decorative tea set walked in the room with a bright smile on her face.

"Would you all like some tea-" The began to ask, before her expression turned to one of shock as she gasped and the tea set tumbled from her hands and clattered on the floor, spilling hot tea everywhere as her horrified voice rang through the halls. "A-Angles!"

…To Be Continued…