Cloths of Heaven
(i)
The spear flew past Aya ruffling his hair as it continued on it's path into the tent behind him. Dumbstruck he followed it's trajectory.
It was then that Aya saw how the rising sun silhouetted everything inside the tend making it a giant target.
Crawford looked surprised as his hands made grabbing motions at the metal spear that stood proud through his torso. There was no pain or horror on his face, only surprise.
Everyone around him was shouting. Aya could see their mouths move, he could see their panic, but as if he was watching a rehearsed play he was apart from it.
With almost clinical detachment he watched Crawford fall to his knees with his hands still ineffectually trying to grab the spear impaled through his chest. His lips were bloody as he mouthed several syllables over and over again.
Aya was surprised to see it was his own name, Ran, over and over again.
He watched himself touch Crawford's cheeks with fingertips he couldn't feel. HE thought he'd feel his heart shatter as he watched his anchor die before him but he felt nothing which horrified him, it was like it was someone else watching this, someone who didn't care, it was as if he had walked in on the climax of a badly acted play.
He felt his mouth moving as he said something but didn't know what it was that he had said.
HE watched the blood dribble from Crawford's mouth in proportion to the way the colour drained from his face. He knew he should have felt broken hearted or rage, or even something, but all he felt was a lump of ice in his chest as it overwhelmed him utterly.
Crawford died in front of him and there was nothing he could about it, and worse still he felt nothing. Farfarello was making a strange keening sound, like a wild animal, but everyone else was deathly silent.
"Yohji," Aya felt the word escape him but even to his ears it sounded like someone else. "Free," he looked at the tall man, "help me into Crawford's armour, Schuldig," he looked at the other one of his champions, "take word to the Nemesis of a temporary truce, that Inabayama will stand beside him in his war against Esset for their treachery." There was no give in his tone, in fact it sounded like a previously rehearsed speech. "There will be no mercy, no quarter. Farfarello, which of them did he promise you?"
"Layla," Free said, "he promised him the Silk Queen."
"Bring her alive to Eressea and all the toys you want will be yours." Aya heard his voice like steel grating over ice. He looked at Crawford, whose face had taken on a serene stillness. "This was not his war," he felt like he was made of porcelain. HE felt like he was completely transparent and ethereal. "but now I'll fight it for him."
Farfarello stopped keening and pulled a knife from his velt and ran the edge over his forearm leaving a bloody went along the badly scarred skin.
"Tell the men," Aya said, "there is to be no mercy, there will be no quarter. Leave no man behind you, kill them all. Be relentless. The chiurgeons are not to treat the soldiers of Esset, and execute any who disobey."
"Ran," Yohji protested.
"No," he corrected, "Aya, now help me or I'll put you down myself."
Yohji went silent and Schuldig bowed, as he would to a much higher ranking lord, before he left the pierced tent to carry the news to the Nemesis.
Crawford's armour was a dark earthy red and slightly too large to Aya, but nonetheless they helped him into the armour. Free remained impassive although Yohji was clearly worried. Aya still felt like he was watching someone else. "Aya," Free said, "are you ready?"
"Almost," he said, then unsheathed the long sword at his waist and lifting his braid cut it away, he turned placing the rope of hair in Crawford's cold hands. "Have someone say with him." HE said.
Free had, as Yohji helped Aya dress, removed the long metal spear and dressed him in a rich black robe. Aya, who was behaving like he was made of solid ice, but for a few odd gestures, which cut Yohji to the quick, had insisted on it. They had even laid him out on his campaign bed. But in giving Crawford his hair was the only time he had looked at him.
"Are you ready?" Free asked again.
Aya sheathed the sword, "I can't wait," he grated out.
If his forces expected some kind of rousing speech then they were disappointed. "Your lord is dead," Aya said in his cold voice, "murdered by Esset, follow me and I'll give you vengeance." His voice was a deep and ominous rumble, "show no mercy and we'll buy his way into the Heavens. I am Aya Fujimiya, captain of the Heaven Guard and bride to Lord Crawford. Follow me and if you die today know I die with you. Today is a good day to die, follow me to vengeance."
The look in his eyes suggested that he would happily murder anyone who stood in his path. So they unsheathed their weapons and slammed the hilts across their breastplates in a mark of fealty and followed him into the field.
(ii)
Naru bounced about the racks of rockets like a child in a candy store. "I bought several types," he enthused, "these," he pointed to the smallest thinnest ones, which were painted a rather sickly green, "have a glass belly full of pigs blood, they make a bang and splat, good to start, people think that they're hurt worse than they are, they cause a great panic." Chloe nodded, pretending to look interested. "Now these," he patted one of the rockets fondly, "is full of liquor, personally I like to use the stuff Masato brews because it burns great. They go boom and spray, it burns hot but quick, now these," he was grinning, "are full of scrap metal bits, nails and stuff, they go boom and spray bits of nastiness in a nice big circle." HE was bouncing with glee, "now these beauties are full of liquid fire, once it starts, it doesn't stop."
Chloe just nodded, feeling overwhelmed by the joy that Naru was showing.
Yuushi walked over and leant in to whisper in his ear, "there's a man here," he said, "in Heaven's Guard armour. He has Aya's pass, says he wants to speak to you."
"Let me guess," Chloe drawled, "alone."
"No," Yuushi told hi, "believe it or nor," he grinned, "he didn't specify that at all, he just asked to speak to you on behalf of someone called Ran."
"Accompany me, Yuushi," Chloe said and walked over to the redheaded member of the Heaven's Guard. "I am the Nemesis," he said, "what is Ran's message?" He choked on it slightly.
"Crawford," the man, Schuldig, said, "was murdered this morning, Esset launched a missile into his tent and," he stopped.
"How is," he stopped himself, "Ran coping? I know Crawford meant the very world to him."
If that surprised Schuldig he gave no outward sign of it. "He has taken control of the Eressean state army for the duration of the battle, and he has offered you a temporary truce, then he will be predisposed to talk terms on behalf of King Mamoru."
"It is too late to go to him." Chloe said, "but not too late to join the battle, Yuushi accompany this soldier, protect him as you would me."
"He's going to take the field," Schuldig said, "in Crawford's place."
Chloe swore, "Masato," he yelled, "Reiichi, Aya is going to take the field, if you can, stop him."
"Free's with him," Schuldig said, "and Yohji, they won't let him come to harm." His eyes were a calm and drowning green. "It's not safe for you here," he said, "I think it would kill him to lose you both, and I swore before the king of Inabayama that I would do everything in my power to protect Ran, the king may be an idiot but it makes my vow no less binding."
"I don't understand," Chloe said.
"As much as I would like to take the field in Ran's place, I know him, I know that he loves you and as shattered as he is right now it is all that is holding him together. I must trust Yohji and this Free of yours to protect his body, and I must protect what is left of his soul. Ran was a gentle soul with the warmest smile and the kindest heart, the man that returned to us last night was cold but still with Ran's kindness." He took a deep breath; "there is nothing of that now in the man preparing himself for this battle." He met Chloe's gaze evenly, "he is in Crawford's armour," he swallowed, "I think he wants to die."
Chloe gave no expression beyond a flicker that he quickly suppressed. "Then we won't let him," he said, "but don't' call me nemesis, I'm Chloe."
At that revelation Schuldig pulled back his fist and punched him hard, "Schuldig," he said, "that was for lying to Ran about who you were."
Chloe turned back to Naru, "when you're ready, unleash Hell."
(iii)
Aya was an avenging angel moving through the armed mass of Asset's forces, carving his way through ruthlessly. His sword was like a beam of liquid light slicing seamlessly through his enemies. Heads and limbs flew around him but Aya seemed untouched by the blood. His skin remained porcelain white and his hair was like phoenix down flying loose about his head.
To his left Farfarello had coated himself in the carnage with an unholy glee and Free seemed larger than life, he fought with two serrated hooks and was as relentless as his master.
The forces of Eressea looked on the three of them with a sense of wonder and knew that they would win, how could they not when the very forces of Heaven were leading them.
The shouting and screaming was punctuated by the wheeze of rockets, then the heavy bang of it landing and the inevitable shower of dirt. Occasionally a rich male voice shouted, "Shi-ne," and the forces of the Nemesis rallied to it.
Horses squealed as they died.
Men sobbed.
But through it all Aya was passionless and icy, like a porcelain statue come to life.
"Pretty little kitty," Farfarello grinned, grabbing Layla by the ostentatious golden wings on her armour, "all dressed up but you're mine now, little kitty, and it's going to be a long time coming." He reached around and licked her cheek, "You're the whore's gift to me, you killed my lord, pretty kitty, so I won't kill you, oh no, I'll stroke my kitty, I'll pet my kitty, and use all the toys I have to make her happy."
Layla saw the terrible hunger in the golden eye and for the first time in her life knew real fear.
"Beautiful boy," Geisel said, spotting Aya approach him, "If you aren't the loveliest thing I've seen today," he held him sword at a battle angle, "I might keep you as a trophy, and you'll find out why they call me the Horned King." Aya didn't answer him, with an elegant step forward he raised his sword.
"You want to fight me beautiful boy." Geisel asked, "If you can," he smirked, "then kill me, I'll even give you a free strike, go on," he lowered his sword, "hit me."
Aya said nothing, he stepped forward and without breaking stride slit Geisel's throat and went to push past him as the blood spread down his chest like a scarf but Geisel put his hand on his arm to hold him back. Aya just pushed him away with his eyes returning to gaze forward, Geisel grabbed at his feet so Aya turned and cut away the offending hand.
"Shi-ne," Aya said finally, crushing his boot heel into Geisel's head, "I have no further interest in you."
Berger was a cannonball mowing down all who crossed his path relentlessly. HE swung a huge axe through soldiers with the same regularity as a metronome keeping time.
Yuushi faced him in his golden armour, his dagger tail hanging at his side. "The Nemesis' white knight," Berger drawled, "this should be fun." His smile was vicious and mean, "you're no match for me, Hotspur."
"Maybe not on his own," Masato said.
"But what is it you said of us, that we were vermin, that we travel in packs," Ken said from behind him, "care to play with the three of us." Clenching his fists the three blades on the back of his hands shot free.
Each one alone against Berger didn't stand a chance, together Berger was hard pressed. As he avoided Masato's spear either Yuushi's dagger tail whipped him, opening up wounds with the razor sharp blades or Ken scraped him with his claws before they both jumped back out of reach of the axe.
If he barreled at Yuushi both Masato and Ken harried him, as agile as monkeys.
When he attached Masato Ken took the opportunity to unsheathe his claws into the small of Berger's back, and his kidneys. Berger launched forward, pulling himself off his impalement and straight unto Masato's spear. "None of you are a match for me," Berger spluttered through the blood in his mouth.
"I am," Yohji said as he wrapped his wire about Berger's throat and pulled it tight. Berger flopped and kicked, "there is no way such arrogance is a match for the Heaven Guard." Berger fell dead at his feet. "If you want to say that you killed him," he said, "I won't gainsay you," and then he was swallowed back up by the fighting.
|