Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Sacrifice ❯ Soul Seeker ( Chapter 84 )

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

By: MellyN

XxXxXx

Sacrifice

By: Melissa Norvell

Chapter 84: Soul Seeker

XxXxXx

Keiji woke up early in the morning and looked across to see Hiroshima, who was sleeping soundly beside of him. His hand was still over the top of the angel's. The boy slowly removed it as he stirred awake and rolled over to see Tsurugi, wide awake and perched on top of a pillow on the left wall of the room.

"Huh?" Keiji asked the brightly smiling angel as he laid sights on him.

"You were worried about him, weren't you?" Tsurugi watched the two males with soft eyes.

"I had a bad dream," the green-haired boy sat up and looked to the blonde angel. "It really freaked me out," his gaze then turned to the window as he noticed that the land was still dim and it appeared by be just before sunrise. "What time is it?"

"It's approximately 6:52 in the morning. You're up early."

"So are you."

"I went to sleep early," Tsurugi stated the fact simply as he too, looked out of the window at the sun, which had just began to peek over the tall buildings. "I actually just got back inside. I was watching the sunrise over Particle Proxy. It's very different and the weather is really warm here."

Keiji's green gaze fell upon the other members of his team as they slept in various parts of the room. As his eyes fell on Ko's form, the flashes of images from his dream reeled through his head with striking visual imagery.

'Ko?! Ko!' He called out desperately as he shook the white-haired singer and she rolled over, dead. Then it quickly switched to the scene where he stabbed Hiroshima. That painful image was still in fresh on his mind as well as the thought of everyone being dead. It was a pain that was unbearable for him.

"Ugh…" He groaned and placed a hand to his forehead, as if he were in pain. Keiji wanted those thoughts and grave possibilities out of his head.

"What's wrong, Keiji-kun?" Tsurugi was concerned about the boy's condition. Perhaps the cold rain had made him a little sick.

"It was just so real. I can't get it out of my head," he mumbled as another flash of another occurrence in his dream that brought about the reality of it all.

'You're making a mistake, kid.' The real Hiroshima looked him dead in the eyes and told him the horrible prediction for the end of the nightmare. It was a nightmare that would stick out to him as a possibility of the dragon spirit scenario.

"Ah!" Keiji called out again as he gripped his head. He soon felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and snapped his head up as he looked with wild, pained eyes at the blonde angel, who had offered him a little comfort.

"It's alright. Don't mentally exhaust yourself," Tsurugi tried to chide the boy's growing disparity.

"Tell me something," Keiji stared directly into the angel's blue eyes with a serious expression. "Do you think that we can defeat that spirit inside of Hiroshima?"

Tsurugi only answered with silence but his crestfallen expression said multitudes in the unspoken language the both of them knew so well.

"Tsurugi, don't be like that. Now is not the time to be silent." It was never good if an angel couldn't answer a question you asked them. He knew that all too well by now.

"I don't know," the blonde angel spoke lowly and wore a worried look on his face. More than anyone, Tsurugi knew the severity of the situation at hand. "I've never went up against it. If I tried, it would use my curse and drag me down to hell. Since you are humans, you have a far better change then I do."

"Good morning everyone," Chichiri stretched as he sat up in bed.

"So, you're saying you can't help us," the green-haired boy replied. Those words drove through the angel's heart like a fearsome and unforgiving dagger. There was nothing worse to an angel, then being considered useless.

"Sorry, if I could have helped Hiro-kun. I would have long ago."

"Oh, hey Chichiri," Keiji bid his good morning a little late as he turned his attention from the saddened angel, who hung his head for a moment, then smiled a little and said his good morning as well.

"Good morning Chichiri. Sorry we were lost in conversation," the blonde apologized for his late response.

"How long does he have to live?" He turned back to the angel. It was a question that had been pressing on him since he had found out about Hiroshima's deteriorating state.

"Four more months and he'll die," the answer was a lot shorter time then he had expected. That meant that they would have to do something now or Hiroshima would die. The angel stirred awake and opened his pale blue eyes as he glanced in the direction of the three males.

"Then we have to do something now." This was only added stress to his problems. He had thought that he had a lot longer but there was no time to spare. Three months was a short amount of time and even though they had just come from Shaffon, they would have to jump right into battle again if they wanted to save his life.

"Do you not want to help him?" Tsurugi knew that Keiji's dreams were giving him trouble and it was true that they could kill Hiroshima in the process but it wouldn't be what he thought the risk was. The dark angel sincerely hoped that Keiji would reconsider lending his aid.

"I just don't want to accidentally kill him in the process." It was the one thing that haunted him. It was the one thing that he could not live with himself if he had ever committed such a sin.

"Don't worry about me, kid," Hiroshima spoke up from his position in the make shift bed.

"Huh?" Keiji froze upon noticing that the angel had been awake. His voice was clear and he seemed aware of what was going on- a sign that he had been awake for a while. Keiji wondered what all he heard the two of them talking about.

"Do what you have to do. I'd rather die being helped with a possibility of being saved then just let it kill me," Hiroshima had never imagined his death being dramatic or something grand. He simply saw it as fading out, cold and alone. The angel would have rather died without the love of anyone, and then hurt someone who grew close to him when he died. That way, he would leave no burdens behind with his passing.

"I think I interrupted something," Chichiri wasn't too sure of what they were talking about, but he was certain that it was important.

Fife then woke up and rubbed his eyes a little. "What's everyone talking about?" The vampire stretched, the conversation had stirred him from his sleep. "Oh, and good morning."

"Good morning, Fife-sama," Tsurugi responded.

"Good morning," Keiji greeted.

"What they said," Hiroshima looked at the navy-haired boy and pointed to the two males who had greeted him prior.

"Yeah," Chichiri agreed.

"Why do you all look so serious? That's not a good way to start off the morning," Fife chimed innocently, trying to lighten the mood.

"Huh? What's going on?" They heard the groggy Ko's voice from another part of the room. She had just woke up as well.

Zangetsu looked up from his seated position. "Seems as if everyone is awake."

"Oh, I didn't see you awake. You've actually been awake for a while, have you, Zangetsu?" Tsurugi glanced to the man who possessed a wing for an arm.

"I actually saw you wake up, Tsurugi. I decided to keep watch while you were out watching the sunrise."

"You're so kind."

"No problem."

Just then, the two male's attention was averted to Hiroshima, who grabbed the cane and struggled to get up. He nearly fell as his legs wobbled below his weight. Ko looked a little concerned and asked him if he needed any help.

"I'm fine," the stubborn angel replied. "If I don't start walking now, I'll forget how. Wouldn't want an invalid angel on your team, would you?"

"Your way too hard on yourself. Are you always this stubborn?" Ko was irritated that he had refused her help even though he was hurt so badly.

"I'm independent," Hiroshima shakily walked over to the door and grabbed his clothes to get dressed.

"Have fun getting blasted out," Fife commented on the loud music that played in the club. Usually when you opened the door, you either got a head ache or permanent deafening.

"The bands haven't started to play yet. I don't even think Iva is here," Tsurugi commented. When he had walked through the pub earlier, there was no one around. It was as if it were completely desolate.

"What are we going to do about Undine, you guys?" Chichiri reminded them of another important goal that they were trying to achieve. They couldn't forget about the girl that they had lost in Shaffon. He wondered where she was and what she was doing, or even if she was still alive.

"I'm really worried. I mean, who knows where she is," Ko also was upset by that unfortunate turn of events.

"We need to find her as quickly as we can," Tsurugi was serious about that subject. It was imperative that they found Undine before Soel or anyone associated with her could get their hands on her.

"But who knows where she is," Chichiri replied in dismay. Finding her was definitely harder then it seemed, especially when they had no clue as to where she was.

'Undine…' Fife looked out of the window.

"She was zapped in Shaffon by one of the townspeople, but why weren't we able to find her?" Keiji wondered aloud. To him, it just didn't make sense that she didn't appear with all of them.

"I don't think that she's in Shaffon," Tsurugi stated. Actually, he knew that she wasn't in Shaffon at all.

"Do you think that she could be in Particle Proxy?" Ko asked.

"No," the blonde angel closed his eyes and wore a serious expression.

"She's far away from Particle Proxy," Hiroshima entered the room, dressed in the same white and blue outfit that he had on in his dream. Keiji, however, didn't seem to notice at the time.

"You guys know where she is, don't you?" He was too wrapped up in the conversation.

"Well, we can't lie to you. We know more then we let anyone know. To be honest, we do know where Undine is and we have for a long time," Tsurugi looked down. He knew what he would hear from them, and he dreaded it. He hated letting things take their course and being of next to no help when he had all of the answers.

It was the fatalist in him. The fatalist that God bestowed upon all angels.

That very thing was one of the many that made the angelic race superior to humans.

"Aren't you worried about her?" Ko glanced to Hiroshima. "I mean, she's your childhood friend, isn't she?"

"In a way," the spiky-haired angel replied nonchalantly, as if the subject was so easily shoved aside.

"What do you mean? Is she or isn't she?" Keiji was confused by his change of heart on the matter.

"She is not the one that I knew."

"Then how can she in a way be that person?" Chichiri didn't get the logic behind that one.

"They resemble each other," Hiroshima replied. It was true. Undine resembled his childhood friend but she was not the girl that had been his only friend when he was small. Undine was different in attitude in many ways and over time, he had deciphered them all.

"Think they are somehow related?" Zangetsu asked.

"They are but not in a way anyone would think." It was hard for him to even explain what was going on with that situation, but in a way, he didn't have to. It would play itself out just as everything else in their journey would.

With or without him, they would know the truth behind his intentions.

"Are they different people, like twins?" Ko was interested in Undine's origins, since she herself had never said anything about her past to anyone in the group.

"In theory."

"Can't tell us, huh?" Chichiri was used to it by now.

"The situation hasn't been expounded on enough for that," Tsurugi interrupted.

"Hm? What do you mean?" The blonde was confused.

"We never really did know much about her," Keiji brought up a point that was more than strange about the girl. Undine was remarkably quiet and never said anything about herself. It was odd, considering the angels had even made revelations about themselves before she did and they were creatures of the utmost secrecy.

A gentle rain began to fall as Fife glanced out of the window. Chichiri's look followed the vampire's as he watched the droplets beat against the tinted glass.

"Looks like we're stuck inside."

Hiroshima sat down beside of Keiji, and then it hit him like a freight train. His green eyes widened in horror as he noticed what he was wearing. 'Those clothes' He thought as a flash of the Hiroshima in his dream appeared. "…Nah…I'm overreacting." He then convinced himself that it was some sick little joke that someone was playing on him.

"Are you talking to yourself?" Chichiri gave Keiji a strange face.

"Just thinking out loud," the green-haired boy replied. What was wrong with him today? The stress had really gotten to him lately. Maybe everything was just building up. Keiji arose and spoke. "Come on guys; let's get to practicing a song for Iva. We have three days to get it done so let's make it count."

"Um…Can I take a shower first?" The blonde couldn't remember the last time he'd had a nice, hot shower and it was one of the things he was looking forward to. Aside from that, he didn't really want to practice when he was dirty.

"No joke, we just woke up," Ko didn't expect to jump right into it either. His band member's comments made the drummer nearly fall as a single bead of sweat ran down the back of his head.

"These are nice. She's very good at making clothes, isn't she?" Tsurugi looked at the long, black, jacket with small, belt-like pieces of material around the arms that she had picked out for him.

"They are very elaborate," the blonde guitarist held up his coat, which looked more like something Hiroshima would wear, being long and to his knees with two rows of buttons going down the front. He had never dressed that fancy before, minus being in Sumeria and EVERYONE dressed fancy there.

"I feel like a model," Ko held up her yellow dress that only had one sleeve and a strange neckline with pieces of black fabric that stuck out like spikes. It was an odd, yet beautiful dress and she had not seen anything like it.

"Actually, the Kaidiri fashion line is quite famous," Fife noted. "These clothes were sometimes worn by people in Sumeria."

"Oh yeah, you guys like those fringe fashions up there," Chichiri noted.

"Yes, most of us wear Victorian, Neo-Victorian, Steam Punk or Lolita fashions."

"Well, I like them just fine," Tsurugi smiled, happy with his new clothes.

"We'll get dressed, and then we'll start practicing. Meet me behind stage, we'll see what's back there and work from that," Keiji grabbed his clothes and headed out of the door to take a shower.

"Why does he get to take a shower first?" Chichiri whined. So much for being the first one to take a shower.

XxXxXx

Soel stood in Particle Proxy with a lace, sheer, white umbrella as the rain poured down. She looked around to see bustling crowds of umbrellas moving along, doing their daily tasks. Every once in a while, she saw the occasional pedestrian run through the rain with no umbrella.

As she made her way through the crowd, she came across a figure in a blood red cloak. The two passed each other as Soel slowly glanced over her shoulder to see that it was Ceres. Ceres' eyes widened as she saw who had just passed her and she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Mistress Soel…" She uttered in a surprised voice. Soel was the last person that she wanted to see, especially since she had promised her that she would not fail in her quest to bring Hiroshima back to her.

Soel stopped, her back turned to the sorceress as she looked over her shoulder. "There you are, Ceres," she cracked a small smile. "Tell me, are you avoiding me?"

"I said that I wouldn't come back until I finished my mission, and I won't. I will get that legend for you and those annoying brats. I know that I have failed far too much for your liking and I cannot show my face until I accomplish my mission."

Soel turned to her. "It's ironic that we should meet here in Particle Proxy, considering I met you here originally."

Ceres closed her eyes. "Yes…"

"This is your birthplace, is it not?" The sorceress asked.

"I hate this place," Ceres' voice was low and spiteful with a hint of misery to it. "That's why I left. There are too many memories here. I hope I don't stay for long."

"Well, you have less of them to worry about, since you sent Undine back to her place of origin," Soel reminded her that the group was less of a threat and short one member.

The robed figure nodded in response. "You did state that you wanted her returned there."

"Of course, I need her to stay there until we can make our sacrifice and then my plans will be set into motion."

"Of course, by collecting the items of Zameln, we can assure that we'll have enough magical power to carry out your wishes." For that, she needed the legend as well. He was a key role in Soel's master plan.

"And when we get the legend, I can finally realize my wish." Dim blue eyes glanced up at the gray skies above as the gentle rain poured down over Particle Proxy.

XxXxXx

Keiji sat back stage in a 70's style chair as he scribbled on a blank music sheet, strategically placing the notes in a specific order to create a musical tune for the song that they were working on together. He then glanced over to the blonde guitarist.

"Hey, Chichiri," the blonde glanced up from strumming a guitar that he had found. "Come look at these notes and tell me if you agree with them."

"Okay," Chichiri walked over to him.

Fife sat on a wooden box nearby, leaned forward with his hands on his chin as he watched the band prepare their song.

"Hey king, you having fun over there?" Ko asked with a playful smile.

"Just watching. I've never seen anyone make a song from scratch before." To the vampire, this was an interesting sight and it was not as if he had anything else to do at the moment.

"It takes a lot of work," Chichiri stated.

"We have to make sure that the music and the lyrics go together well," Keiji agreed.

"So, what kind of song are you writing?" Hiroshima asked from his position, standing a few inches behind Fife as he propped himself up with his cane.

"It's a secret," the white-haired singer teased with a smile.

"What's so secretive about a song?" The spiky-haired angel didn't really see the point behind hiding something as miniscule as that. It was just a song, after all. What could possibly be so special about it?

"You'll see," Ko replied. "I want you to sit in the crowd tonight and listen to us sing it. Oh, and no mind reading!" The white-haired girl pointed at Hiroshima with an accusing finger. She knew how angels were and she didn't want him to ruin the surprise for himself by reading ahead.

"As if!" The offended angel retorted. "Besides, why are you just pointing to me?" After all, Tsurugi was an angel too. Why didn't she point to him?

"Because, you're suspicious."

"What? Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's because you look so dark, Hiro-kun," Tsurugi agreed. Hiroshima did look suspicious without even try to. His mate had an extremely dark aura to him and most would question his motives if they did not know him well, and it was not because of the fact that he was an infamous legend.

"He is kinda creepy looking," Chichiri agreed.

"Like you look innocent or something," Hiroshima shot.

"Well, I obviously have no comment," Zangetsu spoke up with a slight smile.

"Uh-uh," Fife shook his head. "I'm not talking. Everyone already has too much ammo against me."

"Sub-72 is a rock band, right?" Tsurugi changed the subject, and he actually wanted to know what kind of music they played or specialized in. When he first met them at the Rose Hip, he had heard rock music.

"Yeah, we play hard and soft rock," Ko informed.

"Man, we haven't played since the Rose Hip Club was destroyed," Keiji's mind was flooded with memories of the day that he had met the two angels.

"That's how we first met." It was as if Fife had read his mind.

"It was…Man, that was a long time ago." When he thought about it, Chichiri didn't realize all of the time that had passed since they first began their adventures and how close all of them had become.

"In a couple of months, it will have been a year and a half," Tsurugi commented.

"You all knew each other that long?" Zangetsu asked with a little shock. He joined the group when everyone was already together, so he had no idea how long they had been traveling together before that. He was surprised to know that they had been together that long.

"Yeah, it's kind of crazy when you think about it," Ko commented. When she thought about it, they had all come a long way from when they first knew each other. Everyone had changed so much since their adventures had first started. It was hard to even tell that some of them were the same people.

"I hardly realized that it's been that much time," Ko had Fife thinking about things, and until the subject was brought up, he never gave it much thought until now.

"You know, I'm actually used to looking at your faces every day," Hiroshima had to admit that he had grown fond of the small group that he had acquired.

"I'm glad no one's ugly," Fife stated innocently.

"Fife!" Ko scolded with a blush of embarrassment.

"That's pretty shameless of you," Zangetsu noted.

"Speak for yourself," Hiroshima thought a little differently on the subject. He had never found himself attractive and hated mirrors of any kind. If he didn't have to look at himself, then he wouldn't.

"You're not ugly," his mate teased. "Stop being so modest."

"You're actually very good-looking. Then again, I don't think I've ever heard of an ugly angel," Fife wrapped his arms around the angel's neck gently with a smile. "We love you, Hiro-sama!"

"Yeah…" Hiroshima looked annoyed and grumbled in response.

"You know that you love us too!" The vampire chimed.

"Shut up, Fife," the spiky-haired angel grumbled.

XxXxXx

"So, you're going to the country of Sumeria…but why?" Ceres asked after she heard about Soel's voyage.

"I need some assistance and there's someone there who can help me."

"All that's in Sumeria are demons and vampires," the robed figure responded. What help would Soel need from any of them?

"The assistance I need is from neither one."

"What? Then who?" Ceres was puzzled at her logic. Who in Sumeria could possibly help her that wasn't a vampire or a demon? Last she had been through Sumeria, there was no one there of the sort. So, who exactly had she been trying to seek out?

"A very special person that may assist me in getting my wish. Besides, if I can pull off this plan, then I may not have to travel back to Saesugawa when I've acquired the magical items of Zameln," Soel informed her of her plans. If there was a short cut, then Soel would definitely rather do things the easy way.

"Then, why are we doing this?"

"This is a part of my main plan. Don't let that concern you, Ceres. Everything is a part of my plan and everything will be used. It doesn't matter what's lost of even if the legend himself is, the plan will still work." It was fool proof. Legend or no legend, the plan would still go through and her wish would still be fulfilled. The legend's life was not a huge interval in her plans. There was really only one thing she needed from him.

"But, you're not making sense, Mistress Soel," Ceres was confused beyond words. They were going after the legend this whole time and she had just stated that her plans could work without him? If they didn't need the legend, then why were they looking for him and trying so hard to get him? What exactly was the point of their mission?

"It makes perfect sense. You just don't understand the intricacy of this plan. Anyone who has a good plan will make it to where anything can be sacrificed to get some result, even the prime factor, if need there be." Soel stated. In order to have a good plan, one would have to make certain that missing one thing would not hinder it at all.

That, was surely the best type of plan.

"I really don't understand this," Ceres replied. How could someone possibly have a plan like that?

"You really don't need to understand, just know that you'll get what you desire from it."

"Right," the red-clad sorceress nodded a little unsurely, "there is still something I wonder about though."

"What is it?"

"What was the point of separating Undine from them? Wasn't she supposed to help them get back to Saesugawa?" If they were still sticking to their original plan, then it made no sense to withdraw Undine from the group, but since Soel had told her that none of the factors mattered and any one of them could be taken away without affecting anything, she began to wonder if the plans she had been told about were even still in effect.

"They'll go back no matter what. Fate will pull them back there. Besides, I still have a pawn in play," Soel noted. As long as one of her two pawns stayed with the group, then they didn't have to take any alternate actions.

"Really? Who?" Ceres' was interested in who the other mystery pawn could have been. The only one she had even been told about was Undine.

"You'll find out in due time. Soon, you'll see my plans unfold and there will be no way for them to escape their fate."

…To Be Continued…