Author’s Notes: The Chapter of DEATH! *malicious laughter*
--Chapter
09: “When Sorrow Sang”--
Dawn
broke over the battlements, but went unnoticed.
No orange hues lifted the darkness as black gave way to gray. No sun warmed the ramparts or the encampment
hidden within them. Those awake
attempted to stamp out the cold the best they could, binding their bodies with
tattered cloaks, each breath producing clouds of steam.
Then,
off in the distance, a rhythmic pounding. The low, thumping sound, thousands of
boots coming down as one: the sound of an army moving. They were coming. They must have moved all
night over terrain that would kill any man.
Impressive.
Gackt
stood silent on the highest parapet as the encampment erupted into a frenzy of
shouts and warning cries. Turning to Mana, he spoke
calmly, “Lhamikta kai seeriana kora sskarakta
oristera rressekhv mevh rabledrii. Oristera. Lhamikta kaistrravachii.
[1]” As his second in command nodded tersely and sprinted down the staircase,
Gackt listened again to the pounding of an Army going to war.
It
was going to be a long day.
*****
The
ramparts swelled with people. Teams of scouts had been sent out, looking for
the approaching army, as well as men and women skilled with bows and knives, to
harass and slow the coming horde.
Archers and pike men, gripped anything which
could conceivably be used as a weapon.
The
warriors stood in formation awaiting orders to press beyond the rocky
dunes. Beyond those dunes lay the enemy,
the gods, the Fates. Beyond those dunes
lay life or death, dancing in the heat waves rising from the scorched earth.
The commanders stood in a circle, as Gackt
illustrated his plan. “We’ll meet them
outside the walls of the ruins south of here,” he pointed with his dagger to mounds
of decimated stones barely visible through the smoky fog, “…just inside bow
range, as the archers will be stationed within the rocks to give us cover. If they press us hard, we fall back to the
walls. We’ll leave three companies back there to cover our retreat. If they don’t press us, they’re probably
setting up for a siege. In that case,
the mages will have to set up a diversion.
Yu~ki, perhaps Chaos could prove of some use
to us now.” The necromancer nodded,
solemn. The mention of his pet dragon
entering the fight made him ill – such a beautiful creature did not belong on
the battlefield with the blood.
*****
The four sprinted as best they could given the terrain.
The worn soles of their boots had long been useless, their feet leaving
bloodied prints on the stones.
“Our own blood is our enemy,” Toshiya gasped between
pants to anyone who would listen as the quartet ran, bounding off of boulders
and skidding down slopes. The grains of
sand bit into their already throbbing feet.
Chancing a glance behind himself, the young man
caught sight of what they were truly running from. “Holy shit.” Needless to say, he ran faster.
“Don’t look back, keep running!” cried Hiro [2] as the troupe neared the battlements.
There was a breeze as an arrow zipped by, glancing
by Ken’s ear. The man cursed in
response, jumping at the sudden attack.
Another breeze followed by a cry. Looking beside himself, Toshiya watched as Gisho collapsed to his knees as a black arrow buried itself
into his shoulder. “Iie!” The
youth halted in his sprint for safety as he whirled to the other.
The elder groaned and heaved himself back onto his
feet and grabbing the younger’s elbow on the way,
resumed his flight from the demons, which were quickly gaining on the fleeing
scouts.
*****
Fresh cries of alarm broke the air. Four figures scrambled down the slope, one
obviously wounded. Suddenly more figures
appeared at the top. Hunched and bent, they fired arrows at the fleeing men.
One of the four, the wounded man, crumpled to the ground, his dark eyes wide
with shock. Two of the other figures
glanced back, but as the injured man urged them onward, they scrambled back up
the slope as the fourth remained to reply to the enemies’ onslaught with his
own bow as he returned for his fallen comrade.
“Fire! Cover those men!” Gackt
shouted and the air was suddenly filled with the twanging of arrows flung from
their shafts. The bronzed darts streaked towards the figures at the top of the
slope. The enemy disappeared, hit from the sudden fusillade.
Toshiya, Gisho’s
arm draped over his shoulder, burst through the gates and collapsed,
breathless. The healers instantaneously mobbed the
wounded scouts, two of them lifting the bleeding Gisho
from his savior’s arms and tearing down the hallway to the medical room.
Finally remembering how to breathe, Hiro looked about him and inquired, “Where’s Gackt?”
“Here,” came the reply.
The scouts struggled to stand and give their
report. “Sir, the enemy is much closer
than expected.”
“How much closer?”
“Much closer,” replied Ken, who knelt,
coughing.
“How much time do we have?”
“Not much time.
If we are to move, we must move now.”
Gackt seemed to turn that knowledge over and over
again. Nodding curtly, he turned and
gestured to his officers who in turn nodded and dashed to their regiments.
It was time.
*****
The march had been hurried, tensions hung on every
breath taken, every heartbeat. Taking
their position by the ruins, they watched in growing dread as the enemy emptied
out of the hills, out of the caverns, out of the earth like roaches. Spilling over the stones and sand, they
weaved their way towards the mortals like a grotesque plague.
The officers lifted their blades. The columns of men and women poised
themselves. The cry was given.
The
sound of the collision of the mortals and demons was deafening. The roar of the battle enveloped man and
beast until all was lost in the maelstrom.
They
were swarmed.
*****
Hellish demons and monsters
fought cloaked men and women upon a field of flames. Blood flooded the earth as body upon body
fell. Malevolent battle cries bled into
the screams of agony of those who were cut down by the blows of the enemy.
Hyde panted as he ran through
the fray, picking off a random Hell Hound as he went. Pausing, he turned to his right. "Yukihiro?!" The other man had fallen to the earth, forced
down by the strength of the winged demon who swung a
broadsword above him. Hyde watched in
horror as his friend's strength ebbed, his parries beginning to fail him.
The singer reached behind him,
obtaining two arrows. Taking quick aim,
he fired them in rapid succession and watched as one pierced the sinful villain's
snake-like eye, the other - it's throat.
The creature fell with a shriek
upon the crimson ground below. Hyde
sighed in relief as his band mate rolled over to look upon his savior. The drummer was anything but reassured as he
paled, pointing past Hyde, and cried, "Behind you!"
But it was too late. Hyde felt the cold iron of another's sword
thrust through him, severing his spinal cord and gouging his intestines. Looking down, he saw the blade protruding
from his abdomen, the silver gleam painted a vulgar red.
As the blade was withdrawn,
Hyde collapsed, sputter and coughing, to the ground. The sounds of battle continued - the war
cries, the screams, the clash of iron - as his consciousness
faded…he understood…
*****
Masa fell to the ground, clutching at the bleeding wound in his chest. Looking up at his dark assailants, he gasped
painfully, the bane from the blade beginning its devious work. The demon lord and his minions cackled above
the youth, jumping about and licking their lips. Raising his broadsword, the winged monster
signaled the feast to begin. Masa cried out, his voice strangled in his throat.
As
the monsters made to leap upon him, another form leapt, crouching above the
fallen man. Masa
watched as black wings thrust out from the other’s back, the minions of the
demon lord jumping away with fright.
Brandishing his blade, the winged savior snarled and hissed at the
monsters, driving the smaller ones away.
Infuriated, the demon lord roared in a rage.
The
dark blades rang out as the combatants dueled, one for the life of the wounded
Seer, the other for death and damnation.
Masa watched in drugged awe, his vision
blurring and fading in and out, never able to see his savior’s face. His eyes widened in horror
however when the winged one faltered.
Seeing
his chance, the demon lord thrust his blade forward, skewering the other. Masa struggled to
cry out, but could only manage a few desperate gasps. All faded from view around the three.
Looking
up at the demon lord, the winged form stated, almost flippant, “Seeaira kora Maikai…” [3] The enemy, snake
eyes widening in sudden fear, stumbled backward, abandoning his sword within
the other’s slight body. With a cry, the
winged one raised his own blade and threw it
forward. The demon lord toppled to the
ground, decapitated.
The
winged savior stood, shoulders heaving from strained breaths. Looking down at the blade – or rather, the
hilt of the blade – which was embedded in his midsection, he grasped it, and
taking a deep breath, wrenched it from his body. After dropping the bloodied sword at his
vanquished opponents clawed feet, he turned to look down at Masa.
The
youth wheezed, trying to speak without avail.
Mana stood before him, disheveled, tattered,
blood flowing freely from his wounds and his mouth. Kneeling, the vampyre
pulled his lover into his arms and stood.
“You can’t die yet,” he gasped.
“He still needs you.” He spread
his tired wings and took off into the sky.
*****
The man, broken and bleeding,
struck out again and again, downing any who dared combat him. Fight
on, fight on…can’t yield…mustn’t yield…
“Gacchi!” Someone was calling him. Shut
up, damn you all! He groaned,
clenching his bloodied hands to his temples as the battle roared around
him. The screams, the spells, the clang
of metal, the swish-swish of arrows flying, the flow of blood…they melted about
him, drawing him into their macabre dance of death.
He whirled,
mad, on an opponent, disemboweling the demon in one swift stroke. “Gacchi!” Shut
up! “Gacchi!” He
snarled, dispatching another shrieking foe.
A winged figure dropped down before him.
Feathers…Feathers have no place
here amongst the mortals, amongst the blood and death. He cried out and lunged.
*****
Kozi parried at the last possible second as
Gackt struck out at him with his blade over and over. “Gaku! Stop! Rresska! [4]” The other, blind, fought on. The
wings… the vampyre thought, instantly retracting
the black-feathered prominence.
“Kozi?”
“Gaku – we have to retreat
now. The lines are breaking, the enemy
is innumerable --”
“We can’t yield,” Gackt stated,
retrieving his fallen blade, lopping off the head of an oncoming pursuer in the
process.
“We must!”
“Isdrea! [5]” Another fallen
demon joined his comrade on the ground.
“Gackt!
People are dying!”
This made the mortal falter,
costing him a stab in the shoulder from his current attacker. Thrusting his sword forward, impaling his
assailant, he paused and looked about him.
The warriors fell alongside the monsters they had slain. Blood flowed freely, saturating the earth
upon which they stood. An ocean of
bodies heaved and rolled out to the horizon.
Gackt stood motionless, staring
at the carnage unfolding before him. A
solitary tear streaked down his stained face, cut a clean path through the
blood and grime. People…dying…
“Call the retreat.”
*****
Slowly,
Yu~ki wove his way through the mêlée, cradling his
fallen companion in his arms. Mana’s wounds were too deep; his blood saturated the white
cloth that enveloped his lithe frame.
The black-feathered wings which had once looked so majestic now hung,
bent, twisted, broken from the vampyre’s
back. Looking down into Mana’s clouded, dying eyes, Yu~ki
whispered, “It’s not your time yet…”
*****
Levin
lay in the battlefield, unable to move, unwilling to die. He coughed, blood sputtering from between his
pale lips. So this is how it ends…?
“Levin!”
Someone…calling for him. Who…?
He wanted to call back, wanted to cry out. He coughed again. More blood.
Footsteps. Nearby. “Levin! Kami-sama…” Someone’s arms…Hiro-san…?
The
water elemental wrapped his arms around the redhead. Koji looked up at his friend and, seeing the
slight man’s eyes were closed, he shook his head. Hiro bit his lip
and held Levin tighter. “You’re going to
be alright Levin…just lie still…don’t worry…” he whispered stroking his
hair. Flecks of blood and dirt had
encrusted the soft strands, marring the once-vibrant locks.
The
other’s body began to spasm violently in Hiro’s
arms. Between gasps, he murmured, “You
were never…a good liar…Hiro-san…” Opening his eyes a bit, he watched Koji’s
lips move, conjuring a spell. “Don’t
bother…”
The Healer stopped abruptly, staring wide-eyed.
The
redhead cut off any sort of protest when he stretched a shaking hand forward,
touching a slice on Koji’s face caused by an enemy’s sword. “…You’re not even strong enough to heal
yourself…”
“Demo --” Hiro objected.
“Urusai…” The two
friends lapsed into silence. “Tell Onii-san…” he paused, coughing. Blood trailed from his lips. Koji moved closer, taking his companion’s
hands in his own as the elemental clung tighter to their dying comrade. “Tell him…that it doesn’t hurt…I…I don’t want him…to worry…onegai…?”
“We’ll tell him…”
Levin smiled and closed his eyes, tears trailing
down his pale cheeks…then lay still.
Koji
and Hiro glanced at each other in horror as tears
fell from their eyes. The Healer stared
up into the unforgiving sky, pleading why, the tears hot against his cooled
skin. The elemental continued to be
contented with stroking the deceased’s tangled hair.
Footsteps. Nearby. Taka skidded to a halt at the scene. “Kami-sama…” he
gasped, collapsing next to them.
Silence reigned.
Cradling
the slight man in his arms, Hiro stood, and looked at
the other two. “Let’s get him out of
this Hellhole, ne?”
“Hai…” Taka stated,
scrubbing his eyes. “Shuse
will want to see him…”
*****
Megumi
ran towards the returning men. Grabbing
Ken and Yukihiro she gasped, “Where is he…?”
With
a sidelong, remorseful glance to his fellow, Yukihiro pulled a ring and pendant
from a pocket hidden by his tattered cloak, handing the trinkets to the woman
before walking away, eyes downcast.
Taking the jewelry numbly, she stared out into
space, denying yet knowing all too well.
Coming up behind the crushed woman, Kaori took the other’s shaking form
in her arms. “Kaori…Hyde…he’s…he’s…”
Megumi choked on the words, unable to utter them.
“I
know…” the other replied, her own tears painting her face. “Come on…”
She tried to pull her away.
Breaking
away from the comforting embrace, Megumi cried to the bloodied field, “YOU
BASTARDS!” Looking down at the ring and
pendant, she whispered, “Hyde…”
Tetsu stepped forward, taking the woman in his arms and stroking her dark
hair. “Hush…”
As
the pair led their friend away, they tried not to listen to the inane ramblings
and vows of vengeance.
*****
Aiji wandered the ruins, lost, alone.
Through the maze of hallways, passageways, and staircases, he walked,
blind to the goings-on around him.
Please don’t let it be true… he begged whoever would
listen. Stepping into one room, he
stopped.
Kohta lay on the bed, as if asleep.
The soft moonlight filtered in through a window, bathing the supine body
in an ethereal glow. The scene would
have been awe-inspiring had it not been for the blood that saturated the bed
and the body.
Stepping
forward, Aiji suddenly became aware. Jun knelt beside the bed, sobbing softly into
his arms. Reaching forward, the Seer
meant to comfort the miserable creature but a hand on his shoulder stopped
him. Turning, he looked into the dark
eyes of Takeo, who shook his head before glancing
back at crying man.
Aiji nodded, fighting the tears
in his own eyes, and mouthed one word: “Kirito?”
Takeo mouthed in return,
“Rampart.”
Nodding, Aiji left the
room again, with one final look upon the melancholy scene.
Out on the ramparts, Kirito
stood, silent, rigid. Aiji approached, wary.
“Kirito…?”
The
other didn’t respond. Aiji drew near, looking out over the lands. They stood in silence until the Mimic
whispered, “…My brother’s dead…”
Aiji wrapped his arms around his
companion’s waist and murmured, “I know…”
Kirito remained silent. The Seer held
him tighter as he began to shake, sobs wracking his body. “Iie…Kohta…iie…Otouto…” Turning, he buried his face in the other’s
shoulder and mourned.
*****
“How the Hell could this happen?!”
“This is war! People die!”
Die collapsed on the floor, face in hands,
shaking.
“Die…?”
Toshiya inquired, making his way to his fallen comrade, wrapping his frail arms
around the other, brushing back strands of red hair.
“Shinya…”
he gasped, sobbing, “Why Shinya…?” The
man clung to his lithe friend, lamenting the loss of his companion.
Kaoru
sat against the wall, trying to control his own grief as Kyo
sat at the window staring off into space and muttering.
“You knew…didn’t you Shin-kun…?”
*****
They
sat in shock in the stone room. Their
fallen comrade was laid out upon the tattered bed, his wounds cleaned and
dressed, his sword placed at his side. Hisashi looked away from the body. Death pressed down upon them, choking the air
in his lungs. Teru… Glancing up to Takuro, he whispered,
“So…what now…?” not knowing what else to say.
The
other responded, hushed, “We keep fighting…for him, for his, and for our
own…” Jiro,
who stood at the other man’s elbow, nodded solemnly.
Looking
to the bed once again, the trio watched as Yumi held
Ami in her arms, stroking the woman’s matted hair as she cried silently. Hisashi’s eyes
traveled of their own accord to the tearful woman’s swollen belly. Teru…why now…why God…?
*****
In
another room, a tattered and torn Mana lay in Kozi’s arms. The
coherent vampyre struggled to bring an earthen goblet
of cooling blood to the other’s lips, urging, “Drink Mana…”
“Iie…” came the reply, as
the feminine immortal pushed the chalice away.
“It’s cold.”
“You’ll die if you don’t,” responded Yu~ki, standing off to the corner.
Looking
up, Mana seemed optimistic as he inquired, “Honto?” The
necromancer lowered his eyes, blinking back tears, which threatened to
fall. “Oh don’t cry Yu~ki,
I’m not worth it,” the vampyre sighed.
“You are to me.”
“And
me,” Kozi added, placing the cup down on the floor,
seeing as it was serving no real purpose.
“And
me…” the whispered response caught the companions’ attention. Shifting their gaze to the door, they found Masa, pale, shivering, unable to meet the others’ eyes.
Mana smiled softly. “What is it Masa…?” Walking
forward, the youth took the elder’s hand as Kozi
extricated himself from behind his friend.
The other vampyre motioned to Yu~ki and they exited, leaving the star crossed lovers to
their own. Tugging gently on Masa’s wrist, the youth complied and lay in Mana’s arms. “Now
tell me what’s wrong…” implored the vampyre, stroking
the youth’s face and bared shoulder.
“You’re dying because of me…” whispered the other,
monotone.
Mana’s hand paused mid-caress
before asking, “Why do you think that?”
Closing
his dark eyes, Masa buried his face in the other’s
neck. His voice breaking, he answered,
“If I wasn’t so stupid you wouldn’t have to fight that…that thing…and you wouldn’t have gotten
hurt…and you wouldn’t be dying now…”
They were both silent for a moment, holding each other close, realizing
that it was nearby. “…Why don’t you drink?” the young man
inquired after some time.
Mana began to run his hands through the other’s hair once again. I never
noticed how silken his skin was…how soft his hair was running between my
fingers… “I don’t want to,” he answered.
“You’ll
die…”
“I
know.”
“Please?”
“No.”
Masa raised himself on his elbows to look into the other’s eyes. White
irises…? Blood loss…God, no…Don’t take
him away from me too… “Then drink of me and live!”
The
other sighed and took the youth’s face in his shaking hands. “Tell me, Masa, how
old do you think I am?”
Rubbing viciously at his tearing eyes, the youth
stuttered, “I…I don’t know…”
“I
was born in 1520 in
“Can…Can I stay here with you…?”
Mana’s eyes blinked open, weary. He
smiled, his own dying eyes brimming with unshed tears. “I’d like that…”
*****
You
stood in the dark room, silent, shocked, shaking. His love lay still on the cot Ren and Toshi had lain him on. The blond man’s eyes were burned out, only scorched depths remained of his sparkling brown
eyes. His lithe body was covered in
slashes and broadsword wounds. Dried
blood matted his once glossy locks and stiffened his clothes. Thankfully, the arrows had been removed and
his face and hands had been cleaned. The
living blinked back tears as he inquired, “…Did you know that this would
happen…?” Silence met him. “DID YOU KNOW?!”
From the shadows, Gackt whispered, “Yes…I knew…”
You whirled on the other. “Why didn’t you tell me?!”
“Because…Because he told me not to and…I…I didn’t want to lose you too…”
Shaking his head in disbelief, You
murmured, “Nani…?”
Gackt
wrapped shaking arms about his thinning and bloodied body, hugging himself,
fighting back the sudden chill of his onii-chan’s
stare. “If I told you…you would’ve gone
out to save him and failed and died in the process.”
“How the Hell could you know that?!”
“Because I know you…and…and you’ve done it before…”
This made the frenzied man pause. “…Nani?”
“We’ve
done this a million times over…maybe more, but I can’t remember that far
back. I didn’t tell you the first time
because I didn’t know this would happen…and you killed yourself when we found
him.” You said nothing, but listened,
staring. Gackt continued, “From then
till now…I…I told you because, I thought that maybe you would be able to change
the outcome but you died just the same…I told you, blindly hoping that it
wouldn’t happen again…Chacha and I both agreed to
keep our mouths shut this time around.”
You said nothing. Hesitantly,
Gackt stepped forward, reaching out for the other. “…You…?”
“Get. Out.”
Gackt
took another step forward, “Nani…?”
“GET
OUT!” With lightning reflexes, You reached out to his fallen lover’s hip and drew moukin. He launched the blade at his companion before
thinking out his actions. Fate was on
his side however, being a bad knife thrower in general, and the blade nicked Gackt’s cheek, embedding itself into the door behind the
wide-eyed man.
Turning,
the other reached out and yanked the dagger from the wooden slab, glancing down
at it and his own blood which glistened on the silver
blade. Looking back up to the infuriated
man, he whispered sadly, tears choking his words, “Gomen
nasai, You…” Moukin fell from
limp hands to the floor, clanging loudly in the sudden silence, as Gackt fled.
You,
shaking, walked to the dagger and picked it up.
So light…fits so well… He
glanced back to the bed, upon which Chachamaru’s
bloodied form lay. Striding back, he lay
down beside his lover. While stroking
the fallen man’s pale face and staring into the hollow eyes sockets, he choked
back tears. “Kiko
koibito…Ai shiteru…Kore kara zutto…itsumademo…” He
raised the blade to his heart, took a deep breath, and…
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you…”
Startled,
You shot up and glared into the darkness. “Who are you?” Stepping from the shadows, Kozi presented himself.
“What do you want?” the younger man sneered.
“What
do I want?” Kozi repeated, ambling towards the seated
man. “I want to stop you from doing
something incredibly stupid.”
Placing moukin on the bed, You held Chacha’s limp body to him.
“Go away.”
“No. Not yet at least.” Hefting the dagger, the vampyre
turned it over in his hands examining the fine detail, before licking the blood
off of the blade. “Gackt…” he whispered
more to himself than anyone. “He’s
probably told you some of it already. Maybe that’s why you’re so jittery…”
Shivering
violently, the younger man held his lover’s body closer. “I told you to go away.”
“And
I told you that I wouldn’t.”
Noticing something in You’s eyes, Kozi tilted his head and leaned forward. “Are you afraid?”
“Iie…”
“Good,” the vampyre nodded and turned away,
before glancing back over his shoulder and inquiring, “Why do you cling to
him?” gesturing to Fujimura’s body. You looked
down, not really knowing how to answer.
“He’s dead, You. He’s dead and he’s not coming back. No one here can change that.”
Now
defensive, You clung harder. “You’re a necromancer. You and Yu~ki and Nanase…I know there’s others. Can’t you
fix him?”
Sighing,
Kozi replied, “I could…demo…he wouldn’t be the man
you love…” You looked down at his
lover’s body as the vampyre continued, “He wouldn’t
sing, wouldn’t play, wouldn’t laugh.
Wouldn’t breathe, wouldn’t speak…he’d be little less than Mana is now.” He
paused, blinking rapidly and making a quick swipe at his eyes. “…He wouldn’t feel emotion. He wouldn’t hold you in his arms like he did
last night, he wouldn’t know how and he wouldn’t be able to learn. His eyes would be empty when you looked at
him. He’d be hollow…You’d fear him. Is that what you want? To condemn both yourself
and him to that?”
The
tears flowed freely as You held Chacha
to his shaking body, clinging desperately to hope, to love lost. His tears pattered down
upon the other’s upturned, silent face.
“Iie…iie…”
Walking
over and taking You’s face in his hands, Kozi looked into the younger man’s eyes. “You fear for him don’t you?” The man bit
his lip and averted his eyes from that omnipotent gaze. “Look at me You.” When the other had reluctantly complied, he
resumed, “He wasn’t afraid if that’s what you want to know. He loved you and I’m sure he does still where
he is now.”
“How do you know that…?”
“He
told Mana, and whatever Mana
hears, I hear.” He paused to let that
statement sink in. “Gakuto
only told you half of the story. Yes, he
doesn’t want you to die but there’s another reason than the one he gave you.”
“And what would that be…?”
“You’re a key.”
Disbelieving, You shook his
head. “Iie…”
“We’ve
been trying to fit the keys into the right locks since the beginning. The pieces to this giant jigsaw puzzle were
falling into place the moment you were born.
The moment I was born and that
was a long time ago. Every time you die, you cause a chain of reactions.
People start dying off whether by their own hand or other means.” Kozi stood, his
back to You who followed him with his eyes. “Gakuto doesn’t
want to see that happen again. People
die and we lose and the world ends. The
Dark One has free reign for another eternity.
Innocent people suffer…and…and Gakuto sees it
all. It destroys him.” Looking back at You,
noting the man’s obvious horror, he asked, “You’ve never heard the voices of
millions of souls cry out in agony, have you?”
The interrogated, awestruck, shook his head. “Hn…No, of course
not – you’ve always been dead when it begins.
But judging by Gakuto’s reactions every time,
it’s not a pretty sound.”
You
sat stunned into silence. “I…I can’t
believe that I’m…I’m the one who starts all this…” Looking down at his hands, his body shook
with oncoming sobs.
“I didn’t expect you
to. You’re very human, You. I admire you for
that.”
Looking up at the vampyre, the mortal asked, “What must I do?”
Kozi paused to think.
You blinked a few times, sitting in the sudden
silence, every now and again glancing at the dagger. Turning back to Chacha,
he stroked the man’s face. “Wait for me
koibito…onegai…?”
He kissed the cold lips and stood, sheathing moukin and walked to the
door. Opening it, he found Ren, tear
stained, blood spattered here, there and everywhere, with his arm outstretched
to knock.
“Ano…You-kun…?”
“Where’s Gaku?”
“Eto…” Ren turned and
pointed back to where he had apparently come from. “The balcony…he’s alone…I think…”
“Domo,”
You replied, terse, heading off in said direction.
“Wait…You?”
The other stopped, spinning
on his heel to look back at his petit friend.
“What?”
“…Are you alright?”
“…Eventually,” he replied and continued on towards
the balcony, deliberately missing the shorter man’s tearful gaze. A few brisk strides later, You
entered the balcony Ren had indicated through a gossamer curtain someone had
draped across the archway some time before.
Gackt stood, silent, staring at the landscape as he leaned over the
balcony rail. The light from the moon
and unknown stars cast their white light through the darkness, caressing tear
stains that lined the man’s cheeks and gave him an ethereal glow. Shaking his head, You
cleared his thoughts and questioned, “Admiring the night view?”
Gackt jumped and whirled to look at the other, mouth
agape. Lifting a hand, it appeared that
he wished to step forward, but didn’t dare, should his beautiful dream suddenly
vanish into the night air. “You…”
“You look as if you’ve seen
a ghost, Gaku…”
“I fear I am seeing…”
Walking up to the frightened man, You
took the raised hand and pressed the knuckles to his lips and squeezed the cold
fingers in his own palm. “Let’s deal
Fate a new card, ne?
She needs some variety.” With
trembling lips, Gackt lunged into the other’s arms.
They embraced to each other,
seeking solace for those lost to them forever.
[1]
“Lhamikta kai seeriana kora sskarakta
oristera rressekhv mevh rabledrii. Oristera. Lhamikta kaistrravachii.”
= Pronunciation:
(lay-me-k-tah k-(h)igh
see-ree-anna ch-(school)-ore-ah
scar-ack-ta ore-eese-terra
(rolled ‘r’)-ess-keh-v meh-v
rah-bull-eh-dree.
Ore-esse-terra. lay-me-k-ta k-(h)igh-ch-rah-vah-chee)
= That’s a mouthful, ne? The literal translation is “Make men we are
need Earth-Sky who can fight. Earth-Sky. Make
men-begin,” which is in turn translated as “Form the men up, we are going to
need everyone who can fight, everyone. Gather the commanders.” Earth-Sky here is interpreted as
“everything/everyone/etc” and “men-begin” as “first men” as “commanders” or
“leaders.” (c)
-Britts- Apparenttly Gackt has very bad Rssurix grammar.
[2]
Hiro of the band “Maschera.” You know, I think there are as many ‘Hiro’s as there are ‘Yukihiro’s in JRock…-_-;
[3] “Seeaira kora Maikai…” = “You are the
Dead…” (c) -Britts-
[4] “Rresska!”
= Pronunciation: (Reh-ss (kiss)-kah) = “Don’t/Stop”
(c)
-Britts-
[5]
“Isdrea!” = Pronunciation: (is-dray) = “No!” (c) -Britts-