"If I may have your attention," Dawn Star called, addressing
the increasing din of the guests. His voice cut through their
mutterings and whispered conversations, and as one the crowd
turned and looked at their leader. Dawn smiled, spread his hands
and then gripped the sides of the podium.
Prometheus stood to one side of him cautiously sneaking
glances at Hikaru. The thief was being held with his hands behind
his back by a guard. Amaterasu and Yamato were positioned
together, but they had tazers pointed in their direction by the
two guards standing at their sides. It certainly didn't look good
if the arrogant smile on Dawn's face was any indication. Most
people would have been racking their brains to find a way out of
such a tight spot, but Prometheus knew that patience was almost
always the best course of action. Wait and observe; find the flaw
in the other's plan and exploit it. There was always something
you could use to you advantage if you kept your head cool and your
eyes ready.
"My honored guests," Dawn continued, once he was certain
he'd left them in silence for a dramatically long enough period.
"I welcome you to this meeting of the South and West." He smiled.
"This is the first time in many, many centuries that such a
meeting has taken place. Tonight was to be a night of
celebrations-- a night of finally seeing our two lands joined
together in friendship."
Applause followed this remark, and Dawn smiled and waited
for it to quiet again. "But, I am saddened to announce that
tonight's joy has been dampened by the discovery of traitors
within the West." An expression of deep hurt played across his
face. "You have all heard the stories of the winged-demons of the
North," he began. "The evil ancestral enemies of our Southern
friends that we call the 'Tazo'. Long have we thought them gone
from our world, but tonight, to my horror, I discovered this is
not so."
Prometheus' eyebrow raised ever so slightly at this speech,
and she filed the comments away for later.
Dawn gestured to the guard and Hikaru was shoved forward.
"You have all heard of the accounts of the demon thief who plagues
our nations," he continued, "stealing our most sacred of treasures
for his own evil purposes." He narrowed his eyes. "I know some
of you will creature beside me," he said, darkly. "He claims to
be the son of the King of Pentagrams, but he deceives us all.
This is no child, my friends, but the evil we know as 'Hihane'."
A gasp went through the crowd. Prometheus noted Dace was
playing his part excellently. The Southern Lord looked shocked,
then deeply hurt, and then simply angry. He shook his head and
muttered something under his breath. A few Stars at a nearby
table gave him a sympathetic look.
The blond-haired and presently pale blue-eyed Hikaru simply
gave the crowd his best 'Hihane' grin. "Gosh, it looks like
you've got me," he remarked.
Dawn Star gave Hikaru a very cold look. "Don't try
anything, Demon. Your days of fooling our Kingdoms are at an
end."
"When my days are at an end is for no one but Judgement to
decide," Hikaru replied, simply. "Are you suggesting that you
have His authority to make such decisions?"
Dawn Star glowered at Hikaru and quickly turned his
attention back to the crowd. "We must be careful," he announced,
"for the silver-tongued devil will trap us in his web of deceit if
we listen to his falsehoods."
"Me lie," Hikaru snorted. "Now, that's funny."
Dawn Star pointedly ignored him. "This demon came to me
earlier tonight," he continued, "taunting me with what I thought
to be lies he'd concocted about our fair princess Amaterasu. The
demon claimed that he-- not our Prince Daylight of the noblest of
our houses-- was the father of young Darkness."
A shocked gasp swept through the crowd. Chairs scarped as
people turned to whoever was beside them to verify what they had
heard. The noise of hushed conversations grew steadily until Dawn
had to once again motion for silence.
"Of course I disregarded it as just demonic chatter," Dawn
told them. "However, it did make me curious and-- at the risk of
doing just what the demon wanted-- I related to our Princess what
I had been told." He lowered his eyes taking a moment before
continuing. "Our Princess broke down, and she told me that what
the demon claimed was true." He looked at Yamato. "That our
Prince Darkness was not our Prince-- not even a true Star."
Yamato's eyes narrowed. Prometheus wished she was close
enough to tell the boy to act a little more surprised. Perhaps it
would have been best if Yamato hadn't known.... Prometheus shook
her head. There were more important things to focus on. Like
what Dawn could hope to accomplish by revealing Yamato's parentage
to the assembled Courts.
"Tonight we had planned to announce our Prince Darkness as
our heir," Dawn Star announced. "The demon thief no doubt chose
to reveal this secret in hopes of making us without an heir and
thus throwing our kingdom into chaos and uncertainty." He smiled.
"But we have outsmarted the demon." He pulled the crystal orb
from his pocket. Turning and walking over to Yamato, Dawn Star
extended the orb. "This crystal is an ancient power that can
grant the wishes of those who are worthy," he told Yamato.
"Within it is the key to renouncing your demonic heritage."
*
Darkness: Songs
Seven: Melody for Hope ~ Finale
by: Chandra Rooney
darkness@cloak-and-dagger.co.uk
*
Revised: August 2001
*
Prometheus saw Hikaru grit his teeth and clench his fist.
The scent of cinnamon rose in the air, and Prometheus knew she had
no choice. She moved across the stage and slapped Hikaru across
the face. The guards were too stunned by the sudden appearance of
the woman in the green gown to move. Dawn Star turned from
Yamato, with an expression of mild annoyance on his face.
"Don't you think you've made things terrible enough, you
devil?" she asked, harshly. "Don't you try anything. Accept your
fate."
Dawn Star looked surprised, but then he just smiled smugly.
He pushed the orb closer to Yamato. "You could be a true Star,"
he told Yamato. "I know you've always wanted to belong somewhere,
Darkness. What better place to belong than as the heir to all the
Western Vaults of the Heavens?"
Amaterasu stared at Yamato and with tears in her eyes nodded
for him to take the orb. Hikaru was wearing a look mixed of
indignation and dismay. The imprint of Prometheus' hand throbbed
red against his pale cheek.
"What of my mother and father?" Yamato asked, softly.
"Become my heir, and I will place their lives in your
hands," Dawn replied.
Yamato looked as if he was considering it. "What of Tenkou
Stone?" he inquired.
"She would be yours as well," Dawn replied. "It is of
little concern to me if Tiferet uses her or not. There are many
pretty girls out there."
"You would give me three lives," Yamato remarked. "What do
you want me to give you in return?"
"Swear undying fidelity to me." Dawn paused, leaning in
closer. "I need a fresh face for my throne. Your mother is much
loved by the people, and because of that you're much more
appealing to them than Daylight. What do you say? It seems a
small price to pay for the health and well-being of the three
people you love the most."
"Let them go," Yamato replied. "You and I will talk. Not
here, though. I don't trust you to speak honestly in front of all
these people."
"Most would feel safer before a crowd," Dawn remarked,
pocketing the orb. He turned back to the crowd. "Guards,
imprison the thief and the princess while Darkness and I discuss
this matter further in private."
"No." Yamato shook his head.
" 'No'?" Dawn repeated, a puzzled look on his face.
"Let them go," Yamato repeated, firmer. "Not later. Now.
Release them into the custody of the South."
Dawn Star's expression turned sour. "Into the hands of
Avalon," he concluded.
"My faith in your word is rather low at the moment," Yamato
told him, with more daring than he felt. "I'd feel much more
willing to consider your offer if I knew that you were going to
uphold your end of the bargain."
Dawn Star growled then plastered on a gentle smile and
turned back to the crowd. "As a show of our good faith," he
began, "I will release the demon into the custody of the Lady
Avalon. I trust she will see to it that its crimes against the
Southern Vaults are aptly punished."
"To full extent of our Spiritual Doctrine," Prometheus
assured him. Dawn Star nodded and the two guards prodded Hikaru
forward. Prometheus made a show of muttering and waving her hands
in the air around Hikaru. "The demon has been rendered harmless,"
she announced, and grabbed Hikaru by the arm. "I will transport
him back to the South immediately, Lord of the West."
Dawn nodded to her, but Prometheus heard him instruct the
two guards to follow them as she led Hikaru out through the
ballroom.
"The Princess shall be returned to her loving husband," Dawn
indicated to the guards around Amaterasu. "My apologies to you
all, as this does delay tonight's events. However, I feel that
this matter must be resolved immediately." He lightly placed his
hand on Yamato's arm. "To my study, Prince Darkness, where we may
converse privately."
Yamato cast a look over his shoulder as Dawn led from the
room. Prometheus was leading his father away-- had that been part
of their plan? And his mother was giving him a pleading look as
Daylight approached her. She looked as if she was trying to tell
him something by mouthing out her message, but before he could
decipher the movements of her lips Dawn pulled him into the
hallway and the ballroom vanished behind them.
*
Someone touched her shoulder gently. "Tenkou," he said.
She moaned and slowly opened her eyes. After a moment her
vision cleared, but her head still throbbed painfully. "Where--"
she began, and then slowly let her gaze drift around her. She
appeared to be in a lounge area, laying on a chesterfield that was
too modern in style to be really comfortable. Someone had spread
a long dark green coat over her as some sort of blanket.
The figure crouched at her side was a little older than she
was, probably in his early twenties. His dark brown hair was cut
close against the back of his head, but the strands around his
face and ears where long and half-concealed his eyes. He was
dressed simply in a pair of stylishly faded denim trousers, a red
sweater and dark brown hiking-style boots.
She moaned as she tried to sit up and he placed his arm
underneath her shoulders to support her. "Easy," he warned. "You
took a pretty hard hit." His tone was soft, but his voice had an
edge and a chill to it. There was also a vaguely familiar musical
quality to the way he spoke.
Tenkou looked up at him, watching as he pushed at his fringe
with one hand. After he tucked the strands behind his ear, she
could see his eyes. They were an impossible dark violet; they
were the violet that eyes were when you colored them with felt
markers-- and bright in a way that human eyes could naturally not
be. They were distinctly unique eyes that you could not help but
remember.
He smiled, sadly, reaching over and brushing her hair from
her face. "You're beautiful when you're asleep," he told her.
"You're even more beautiful when you're awake."
Tenkou felt the blush rising in her face. He smirked-- it
probably had meant to smile, but that was how the expression
naturally appeared on his face. There was an ease to the way he
was supporting her, as if he'd done it before. "You're not
Yamato," she said, finally, as she looked up at him. "Are you?"
"Does it matter?" he asked, bringing his free hand up to her
face. His thumb gently rubbed her cheek.
"You're not Yamato," she repeated, catching his wrist. The
sudden action took them both by surprise, but it succeeded in
making him stop. "Who are you?"
He leaned in closer, his mouth near her ear. His silky dark
brown hair fell against her cheek. "You don't have to be
frightened," he whispered. "I wouldn't hurt you."
"I know you," Tenkou whispered, paling. "I've heard you
before--"
"Shhh," he whispered, pulling back and tipping her face up
towards him with his hand. "I knew I wanted you the first time I
saw you."
"What are you talking about?" Tenkou asked, unable to break
the hold his eyes had on her. "When did you first see me?"
"That night at the Temple," he replied. "You remember." He
smiled. "I told you that you didn't strike me as the sort of
woman to say 'please'."
"You're Darkness?" Tenkou blinked. "But-- Yamato--"
"Is not me," he replied. "Although I have often been him."
He lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry. It was unfair of me, but it was
the only way I could see you. Until now, of course."
"I don't understand," she told him. "How could you be here
if Yamato isn't--" she stopped. "Am I dead?" The moment she said
it, she knew it had been the wrong thing to say.
To her surprise, he chuckled. "Far from it," he assured
her, "despite the best intentions of Dawn's people."
"Am I dreaming then?" she asked. "Like I was when I met
'Taeo'?"
"That was not a dream," he replied, simply. "Neither is
this."
"Requiem and Yamato told me who you are," she said, after a
moment.
He looked amused. "Requiem doesn't know enough about me to
tell you anything, and Yamato knows better," he replied. "They
told you what I am."
"There's a difference?" Tenkou asked.
"A couple thousand years ago there wouldn't have been," he
replied, with a shrug.
"You were the one who killed Hod and Netzah," Tenkou
wagered. "It was through Yamato, but it was you." He simply
nodded. "I suppose it was you who scared off Matthew in the
coffee shop," she continued. "That would be why Yamato didn't
know what had happened." She paused. "It was also you through
Yamato who sent Gevura running, and I guess you must have then
done something to Tiferet."
"I killed him," he replied. "But it wasn't through Yamato."
"But you look different now," Tenkou protested. "You looked
like him before. I saw him."
"You were supposed to," he replied. "As was Tiferet."
"Why? What's the point of making Yamato look like a
murderer?"
"The point," he sounded a little testy, "is that the members
of the Sefirot think that 'Darkness' is killing them. Dawn Star
hasn't bothered to tell them who-- what-- Darkness is."
"Darkness is Yamato's Star form," Tenkou replied.
He gave her a disappointed look. "Yamato is not a Star.
How could he have a Star form?"
Tenkou stared at him. "Every time Yamato was Darkness, it
was really you?" she asked. "You can't expect me to believe
that."
He shrugged again. "I don't expect you to believe anything
involving Yamato," he replied. "It's of little concern to me
whether you do or not. It doesn't change what's happened."
Tenkou stared at him. His attitude was certainly familiar
and something that she'd seen flare up in Yamato. Maybe what he
had said wasn't as far-fetched as she'd first thought. "If Yamato
isn't Darkness, then what he is?" she asked.
He smiled that smirk of his again. "That's what we're going
to find out tonight."
*
The heel of Prometheus' palm made contact with the guard's
chin and the man's head snapped backward with an almost audible
crack. Moaning, he fell to the floor. Hikaru had already made
short work of the other guard, who lay curled up in the fetal
position on the floor whimpering pathetically.
Prometheus looked at Hikaru. "Using your powers for someone
as simple as these two?" she asked. "You're getting lazy,
Hikaru."
"No, just angry," Hikaru replied. He looked around the
hallway and then selected a door and pulled it open.
Prometheus sighed and waited. Brilliant silver light
flooded from the seams around the door. It faded away quickly,
but Prometheus stood outside the door for another five minutes.
Hikaru liked his privacy.
When she judged that it had been long enough, Prometheus
pushed open the door. Beyond it lie a smaller exhibition room,
which was empty save for the bench, silver garbage can, and
solitary figure in the center of the room.
Hikaru pushed at his pale blue hair, with its silver
highlights running through his fringe. He had already pulled on a
pair of black trousers and tight black sleeveless turtleneck, and
he was in the process of donning his long black gloves. His black
coat lay across the bench. Upon his back, vibrant golden
feathered wings shimmered in the darkness of the room, and the
silver flames danced along the feathers. It was still not light
enough to see Hikaru's spiral marking, but Prometheus knew it was
there.
They stood in the silence for a few minutes, with the flames
casting strange shadows across both their faces.
Finally, Prometheus sighed. Black flames danced in the
darkness of the exhibition room for a moment. Once they faded, he
was returned to his proper form and attire. He stretched his own
wings, with their golden feathers set between dragonic spurs of a
deep black color, and toyed with the many links of the chains
about his waist.
"I'm scared, jiichan," Hikaru said, softly. "What happens
now?"
Prometheus sighed, letting the links slip from his fingers.
He walked over and placed his hands on Hikaru's shoulders. "We
hope," he told Hikaru. "We hold tight to those hopes."
"I'm not a creature of faith," Hikaru told him. "I'm a
creature of truth."
"I know, Hikaru," Prometheus smiled, gently. "But this is
Yamato's turning point. We must let him make his own decision.
We have to trust in him to make the right one." He squeezed
Hikaru's shoulder. "I have a job for you."
Hikaru looked up. "Now?" he asked. "Prometheus, I'm in no
state of mind to be--"
"It's a family matter," Prometheus told him. "Something
only you can take care of."
Hikaru's protesting look vanished. "What do you need me to
do?"
*
Binah said nothing, so Stone shook her again. "Binah," he
repeated. "We have to get security or the police," he told her.
"That young-- that man, Zellar-- whatever his name is. Look, he's
very dangerous."
Binah finally turned her gaze from Tiferet's corpse. "I
chose him," she said, mutely. "Did you know that? I chose him to
be Tiferet. He was such a good boy-- a kind boy. Then he became
Tiferet and he wasn't the same. It looked like the same boy, and
it had his smile and his laugh-- but it wasn't him anymore. It
was something else."
Stone shook his head. "Binah, you're in shock," he said,
quietly. "Come on, we'll go and get security. Someone will call
the police and then they'll find Zellar and--"
"That creature wasn't Yamato Zellar," Binah told him, as she
seemed to regain her focus and began pull him away. "It was the
other. Hurry, if we're found here they'll think we had something
to do with this."
"Binah," Stone stammered as she pulled him from the studio,
"someone was just murdered-- we have to report it to the police."
"Alan," she stopped, turning her blind eyes on him. "I know
you don't understand this-- but please just trust me. That was
not a young man. That was something as old as time itself."
"What are you talking about?" Stone asked, swallowing the
chalky taste in his mouth.
"I know its voice," Binah said, clutching his sleeve. "I
know that its face was the last that Viola saw. The last that
anyone sees. Don't you understand? What you saw wasn't murder.
It was Death-- plain and simple death. They won't find anything
suspicious about it."
"He buried a knife in Tiferet's heart!" Stone exclaimed.
"That seems rather suspicious to me."
"Suicide," the voice said calmly.
Stone turned to see the mulberry-eyed young man standing
behind him. The young man's hair was blond, and a swatch of it
on the left side of his face looked as if it had been bleached
white. His fringe fell jagged around his face and mostly
concealed his eyes. Behind his right ear hung two indigo hair
wraps. "They'll say it was suicide," the young man repeated. He
was wearing ordinary enough looking clothing, a pair of dark denim
trousers, and a white long-sleeved shirt beneath a blue collared
t-shirt. "Natural causes are how they explain the peaceful
deaths," he continued. "Suicide usually covers the more violent
ones. Sometimes even freak accidents. Occasionally, they even
get it partly right and say it was an act of God. But they'll
never call it murder. He doesn't 'murder' people, you know."
Binah whispered something that Stone couldn't make out, as
her eyes widened. The young man looked at her. "You should be
more careful of what you go around 'seeing' if you're meant to be
blind," he remarked.
"Binah," Stone began, "who is this boy--"
"So you're Alan Stone?" the young man asked, looking at
Stone. He scratched his head. "You're not what I expected Viola
would like." He laughed a little. "But I guess you people have
that funny habit of getting older."
Stone stared at the young man. "Do I know you?" he asked.
"Oh, we've never been formally introduced or anything," the
young man assured him. "I was sorry to hear about Viola. I would
have been to see her, but all Hell seems to break loose when the
two of us go somewhere together." He paused. "You'd think it
would be just the opposite but no. It's like this planet just
can't handle both of us in close proximity to each other.
Prometheus only knows what's going to happen because of our visit
tonight."
Understanding washed over Stone's face and he took a step in
front of Binah. "What do you want?" he demanded, hoping he
sounded braver than he felt.
"Don't be like that," the young man groaned. "Look, _I_
don't kill people, and if I wanted you to be harmed you wouldn't
still be standing. All I want is to talk to Miss Binah here for a
moment."
"That other one," Stone began, a little calmer. "He's your
friend?"
"You might call him that." The young man paused, looking
thoughtful. "You might call him a lot of things," he continued.
"Friend, brother, soulmate, complement. There's a rather long
list of adjectives various groups choose from."
"Where has he taken my daughter?" Stone demanded.
The young man shrugged. "Beats me. That's his business."
"You mean you don't know?"
"It seems more likely he just doesn't want to tell you,"
Binah said, venomously. "Judgement can't do anything without
Twilight knowing about it."
The young man gave her a cool look. "So how do you want to
do this? Should I call you a bitch, or do you want to yell at me
to get the hell off of your world first?" He paused. "Of course,
you'll never hear my offer if we go about it that way, but why
knock a system that's worked for several hundred years, right?"
Binah took a deep breath. "Alan," she began, calmer,
"perhaps, you ought to go and get security."
Stone looked hesitant. "I'm not sure if it's a good idea to
leave you alone, Binah," he replied.
"It's the best idea," the young man told him.
Stone looked at him for a moment, then slowly he nodded. It
was the best idea. Clearly Binah could handle herself. He could
tell she knew this stranger well enough from the conversation, and
it was safe to bet that the young man wasn't going to hurt her.
Besides, someone really ought to go and tell security about the
body-- he could ask them if they'd help him find Tenkou while he
was at it. With another nod to himself, Stone turned and walked
away.
"What do you want, Mattaeo?" Binah asked, once Stone was
gone. "Keep in mind there's no one left to convince me I should
listen to you."
"Well, we all know who's fault that was, don't we?" Mattaeo
asked, sweetly.
Binah's scowl turned angry. "What do you want?" she
repeated.
"So you and the old doctor?" he asked, instead. "Now, why
would you want to draw him into this? Hasn't he suffered enough?"
Binah prickled. "Well, think about it," he continued. "Two more
siblings and then it's your turn."
"Go on," Binah said, after a moment of silence. "I'm
listening."
"I was just thinking that if I was in your position, I might
start giving some thought to my future," Mattaeo told her, smiling
as he managed to snap a loose thread from his shirt hem.
"You could never be in my position," Binah told him. "You
don't worry about things like death."
"No," Mattaeo admitted. "I certainly don't." He paused.
"You know what I do worry about, Binah? I worry about my family.
When someone helps me put my mind at ease about their wellbeing, I
feel like they've done me a personal favor."
Binah sighed. "What sort of help?" she asked, finally.
*
Dawn Star and Yamato never made it to the Star's office.
Dawn stopped a safe distance from the ballroom in a small gallery
instead. "Here," he held out the orb to Yamato. "Now, renounce
your belief in Twilight and Judgement. Announce that you are a
true Star and my heir. Grant your wish to belong to me."
"Who said that was ever my wish?" Yamato asked, annoyed.
Dawn Star's eyes narrowed, and then he backhanded Yamato
across face. Yamato winced and reached up to touch his stinging
cheek, as the Star glowered before him. "What's to discuss?" Dawn
asked. "You renounce and become my heir or I kill your mother and
Tenkou Stone. It seems very straightforward to me, Darkness."
Yamato was quiet for a moment. He could taste the spicy
sweetness of his own blood in the back of his throat. "I have
always wondered," he began, carefully, "why you called me
'Darkness'. It wasn't the next title."
"Did you honestly think we would call you 'Twilight'?" Dawn
spat. "As it was, you took too much pride in being 'Darkness'."
Yamato was silent for a moment. "You must have known that I
was a candidate for Judgement," he said, softly.
"Of course," Dawn replied, hauntingly. "Very little happens
that I do not know of." He sneered. "You, on the other hand--"
"I never believe Daylight was my father," Yamato said,
softly.
"Very well," Dawn waved his hand. "So you knew you were
Hihane's little whelp. Did it ever occur to you to find out what
that meant?"
Yamato hesitated. Sometimes with Dawn, the best answer was
no answer at all. It appeared that it was one of those times.
"Of course you didn't," Dawn continued. "You don't have an
inkling of who or what Hihane _really_ is." His expression
softened, and his voice turned smooth and sweet as honey. "If you
did know, you'd see that I'm offering you salvation. With me,
Darkness, you can belong somewhere. As my heir no one would dare
argue against you being a rightful Star. I can offer you
security, power, wealth, and well-being."
"But you don't want me," Yamato protested. "You want
'Darkness'. Surely you must know that technically _I_ was never
the being that referred to himself as 'Darkness'." He paused,
watching Dawn's face. The Star looked concerned, and Yamato
almost wanted to laugh. How could Dawn think that this act would
draw Yamato to him? The Star couldn't seriously be changing his
tactics, could he?
"What do you mean you're not Darkness?" Dawn asked.
"It was the terms of the compact between myself and
Judgement," Yamato explained. "I willingly allowed him to use me
to accomplish his goals, but it was under the condition that there
be some sort of distancing between us. He proposed the idea of
'Darkness' to me."
Dawn's look changed to one of sincere interest. "What
exactly did he propose?" he asked.
Yamato hesitated. The entire conversation had a bad feel to
it, and he would have rather ended it there than drag it out
further. "The night was primarily his time," he said, finally.
"I had the day to do whatever I pleased, and if I should happen to
need his assistance all I had to do was ask."
"I see." Dawn pursed his lips. "What an intriguing
arrangement," he muttered. "A much more involved relationship
than the previous candidates. A disturbing new development in his
social skills." He looked up at Yamato. "And how did that make
you feel?" he asked. "These times when he would 'borrow' you?"
"Many times the acts he committed through me disgusted and
horrified me." Yamato paused, looking down at his hands. "The
blood that stains my hands was always by his will. I had never--
have never killed anyone on my own."
"Swear yourself to me, Darkness," Dawn told him. "Renounce
him and he will never be able to use you as his puppet again."
He had to give Dawn credit; it was certainly the right
approach to take. Yamato would have used the same argument if he
had been in Dawn's position.
"Well?" Dawn Star prompted. "Can't you see that there
really is nothing to discuss here?"
"The people he killed always deserved it," Yamato said,
firmly.
"My dear boy," Dawn smiled, slyly, "do those who transgress
against me not deserve to be punished?" He held up his hand when
Yamato opened his mouth to protest. "Don't tell me that mine are
selfish reasons. Judgement is an individual, just as I am. My
goals are no more selfish than his."
"Judgement wants what's right for the universe," Yamato
said, dumbly.
Dawn laughed. "Does he?" he asked. "I think not.
Judgement wants what he thinks is right. Who is to say that he
knows what is truly best for the universe?" He put a hand on
Yamato's shoulder. "You need to let go of this dogma that has
been instilled in you, Darkness. Judgement used you. There is
nothing higher about his purposes or reasons for doing it. He
used you."
"That's not entirely true," Yamato replied. "Perhaps I
didn't understand at the time, but it was always revealed to me
eventually. Yes, he used me-- but he never disguised his
intentions or reasons for doing so."
An ugly look came over Dawn's face. He leaned down to stare
Yamato in the eyes. "You would sacrifice your own mother and the
woman you love because of some stupid belief you have? If you
honestly believe that what he does is a part of some higher plan,
some divine and noble justice--" He stopped and spat in Yamato's
face. "You're even more deluded than I thought, Darkness."
Yamato stood his ground. "I would rather be his puppet than
yours." He calmly wiped the spittle from his cheek.
Rage colored Dawn's white face a deep shade of red. "You
stupid child," he snarled, "do the smart thing for once in your
life and think for yourself." He thrust the orb forward.
Yamato found his hand reaching forward to take the orb from
Dawn. The small sphere was warm to Yamato's touch, and as he held
it he thought he could hear the faint echoes of some beautiful
melody playing. It was a familiar harmony, something that he was
certain he knew each note of-- despite the fact that he was also
certain he had never heard the tune before. "I didn't expect you
to understand, because you don't believe in anything other than
yourself." He'd spoken the words before he'd realized he had
formed them, before he'd even had the chance to wonder where they
had come from.
Dawn's nostrils flared. "Don't preach to me," he growled,
"you ignorant little snot. I know things you have no concept of!
You think you serve some noble higher authority." He spat again.
"There is no higher authority! You think there's a grand plan for
the universe?" He chortled. "Let me tell you something about
your precious Twilight and Judgement, boy; they are creatures of
flesh and blood. If you cut them, they bleed. They play
favorites, they make mistakes, they get things _wrong_. They're
as susceptible to emotion and indecision as you are. They don't
know what is going on with the world any better than you do. Now
you tell me, what sort of gods are those?"
Yamato almost pitied Dawn. The Star had no idea how it
worked. Of course Twilight and Judgement weren't 'gods'. They
were guides, directors of forces beyond the average individual's
comprehension. Their very being alive was what kept things
running smoothly. It wasn't because they necessarily did
anything-- if things were going well, they didn't have to.
Dawn withdrew something from his suit jacket. Yamato looked
at the dagger. Its wavy blade was double-edged, and its hilt was
decorated with elaborate symbols and carvings. He recognized it
immediately. It was the ceremonial dagger that Hika-- that his
father had stolen from Dawn's collection. "Take the orb," Dawn
said, his voice deadly calm and cold. "Renounce Twilight and
Judgement. Swear yourself to me. You've lost this ideological
battle."
Yamato looked at the dagger and then up at Dawn. "Or?" he
asked.
"Or you die," Dawn replied, smiling. "And then your mother,
and your little FlameSong friend follow."
The bastard was bringing Requiem into it? Yamato swallowed.
"What about Tenkou?"
Dawn chuckled. "I'm sure she could produce me a sufficient
heir."
*
Tenkou sat on one end of the couch. The green coat was
wrapped around her shoulders. The strange violet-eyed boy was
sitting at the other end. She was almost ready to believe he was
who he claimed to be-- after all, hadn't stranger things happened
since she'd met Yamato?
"You're here because someone's going to die tonight," she
said, finally. "Aren't you?"
"Yes." He looked at her. "You're a very intelligent woman.
Just like your mother."
Tenkou froze. "What does my mother have to do with
anything?" she demanded, as he moved closer to her. "What are you
doing?" He had resettled right next to her, and he was holding
one of her hands in his own.
"Shhh," he placed the fingers of his free hand against her
lips. "I don't have much time with you, Tenkou. I'm only here to
say goodbye."
"Goodbye?" she asked, moving away from his touch. "What do
you mean? Where are you going?"
He was quiet for a moment. "Yamato and I are very alike--
even if he doesn't realize it," he said. "You can't imagine what
it's like to care and guide someone for over three hundred years.
To _be_ them when they couldn't be themselves. To spend so long
carefully arranging everything-- only to find that you'd destroy
it all to have it for yourself." His hands fell to the small
space between them. "I love you," he told her. "I've probably
loved you from the moment I first saw you, and I'm sorry."
"What?" Tenkou blushed furiously. "You don't even know
me!"
"No?" he asked. "Do you really think that?"
Tenkou hesitated. If he really was telling the truth, then
he knew as much about her as Yamato did. And what reason did he
have to lie to her? "Why are you sorry?" she asked, quietly.
"It was never part of the plan." He sighed. "I'm sorry,"
he repeated. "I shouldn't have stayed. I'll do something we'll
both regret and upset you. I-- I should go-- now."
"I-- it's just that I don't understand," she began,
flustered. "Why me? And-- what happens now? You just say this
and disappear?"
"Yes," he nodded.
"Why?" she demanded. "How can you say something like this
and then just walk away? It's not the end."
"It's the end if I say it is," he replied. His hand slipped
down to cup her chin gently. "I don't want to hurt you," he
replied. "And it's not fair to him."
Tenkou blinked. "To Yamato," she said.
"He needs you more than I ever could," he told her, softly.
"You don't understand, and I don't have time to explain it to you,
but your mother made a bargain with me. I gave her something she
wanted more than anything in the world." He paused. "In exchange
she gave me you. Before you were even born she promised that you
were mine."
Tenkou felt something cold settle in her stomach. "You're
here for me," she said, blankly.
"No. I'm here to tell you that you're free from your
mother's bargain." He looked down. "As I said, Yamato and I are
very alike. I know him better than he knows himself. So I know
how much he loves you." He looked back up at her. The expression
on his face was so human-- pain barely concealed by a brave front.
It was the face of someone who was doing what had to be done, even
though it was destroying them. "He needs you now. There's
nothing more I can do for him here."
She wasn't quite sure what he meant by that. "So you're
leaving," she said, after a moment. "Not because he did something
you didn't like--"
"It's time," he finished. "There were others before Yamato,
other candidates. There's been so many I've lost count. But I'll
remember what it was like to be him because he had you." Then,
before she could respond he leaned over and kissed her. Gently,
almost hesitantly closing his mouth over hers-- as if he shouldn't
but couldn't help himself any longer. Tenkou was caught
unprepared but found herself kissing back. The coat slipped from
her shoulders, as his fingers worked their way up into the hair
along the back of her neck.
And then he stopped, and it was over as he pulled his head
back. "I shouldn't have done that," he whispered, resting his
chin against her forehead as she remained pressed against his
chest. "It just makes what happens next harder."
"You can't leave yet," Tenkou protested, quietly catching a
hold of his shirt. "I don't even know your name-- your real
name." She paused. "I don't know if you even have one."
"There aren't many who do."
"I deserve to be one of them, don't I?"
He sighed, then murmured it quietly into her hair.
"Goodbye, Tenkou," he told her, kissing the top of her head.
"Goodbye, Nathanael," she whispered, and felt him slip away.
*
Daylight tightened the bongs around Amaterasu's wrists
securing her to the chair. "I am sorry about this," he told her.
"After that scene in the ballroom, it's probably best for you to
keep a low profile for a while." He stepped back from her. "It's
only for a moment, my love. Just while I finish this one last
task for my father--"
"One last task after another," Amaterasu said, bitterly.
"It was always 'just after this one last task'." Her gaze was far
off, but tears had gathered at the edges of her eyes. "There was
a time when I could have grown to love you, Vincent. But that was
before you started undertaking all these endless 'final tasks'."
Daylight swallowed. "I don't understand why you have to be
so hurtful," he whispered. "My love for you is what keeps you
alive. My father would have killed you all those years ago if it
hadn't been for that."
Amaterasu choked out bitter laughter. "Your father kept me
alive because it kept you out of his way," she replied. "And
because he didn't wish to start a war with the Eastern Vaults
before he had the support of the South." She shook her head.
"Your father is a politician, Vincent. He only cares for people
if it will help further his own designs."
Daylight's cheeks burned. "There was a time when we liked
each other, Amaterasu," he said, finally. "Before Yamato-- we
could actually enjoy each other's company."
"I don't hate you, Vincent," she replied. "I hate what
you've become-- and what you forced me to become because of it. I
know you could have never loved Yamato as your own, but you could
have at least tried. It was all he ever wanted from you."
Daylight clenched his fist. "Every time I look at that
child, I see the reminder that I was never good enough for you."
"It's not a matter of 'good enough'," she protested. "I
love Hikaru, and that's beyond my control. It has nothing to do
with wanting to spite you. It's just what happened."
There was silence for a long while after that. "My father
is going to kill you," Daylight said, finally. "As soon as he
finishes with your son." A tear trailed down Amaterasu's cheek.
"But," he continued, "even after all this time, I still can't bear
the thought of you being harmed." He bent down beside the chair.
"Vincent?" she asked. "What are you doing?"
He reached for the bonds around her feet. "You told me
once, Amaterasu, that the man you hoped to love would not be
afraid to follow his heart, even if it meant disappointing and
disobeying his father." He finished and reached for the bonds
securing her hands. "I'm tired," he told her. "I'm so tired of
that disappointed look in your eyes." He touched her cheek, then
stood and turned away from her. "Get out of here," he said,
coldly. "Go immediately to your father's estate. This is all I
can do for you. It's the last thing I'll ever do for you as your
husband."
Amaterasu stood. She rubbed her wrists as she looked at his
back. "Vincent--"
"Go, Amaterasu," he snapped. "While the guards are on their
break."
"Thank you," she told him, quietly. Without another word,
she turned and left Daylight alone with his misery.
*
"What?" Yamato swallowed. "You'd marry Tenkou?"
"Of course not," Dawn Star replied, laughing. "She's not my
type. But my wife needs a sufficient body to act as a conduit.
Miss Stone would do. Does that give you pause to reconsider?"
Yamato felt the comforting warmth of the orb in his hand.
The soft melody continued to play out in his head. "All right,"
he said, carefully. "You have my attention. I have to admit I'm
curious how a little glass sphere could do what you claim it can.
What exactly is this thing?"
"It's a talisman I've had in my possession for some time,"
Dawn replied, sounding testy. "In case I should be in need of its
use."
"How does it work?" Yamato asked.
Dawn looked hesitant. Could it be that he didn't know? "It
reacts to your wishes," he said, finally. "To your hopes."
"My hopes," Yamato repeated, his eyes focused solely on the
orb.
"Yes, _your_ hopes, your wishes," Dawn waved his hand. "The
mechanics of its nature are unimportant, as is the source of its
power. All you need know is that it is capable of doing what I
claim it can."
Yamato looked into the gentle luminescence. He hoped he was
going to make it through the night alive. He wished he knew
someway to save Tenkou and his parents. But there was so much
else going on that he didn't understand. He didn't know how to
play these political games that dominated Dawn's world. The only
world he knew was the one he'd spent his life hoping to one day
feel at home on. The world that he had roamed for centuries
hunting down those that threatened it and its people. Who would
protect it if he was gone? Could he live knowing he'd forsaken
the only home he had?
"Darkness?" Dawn prompted. "Are you listening to me? It's
time to make your choice."
The orb glowed brighter, as if it agreed. There was really
only one way to be free of Dawn's influence and power. Yamato
nodded to himself, wondering why he had never thought of it
before. Fear perhaps-- fear overwhelming his hope that it was the
right choice to make. Yet, now he was standing there with the orb
glowing softly in his palm and knowing that he couldn't live with
himself if he made any other choice. Fear had ruled his life for
many years, and wasn't it really just fear that was keeping him
from Tenkou?
"Well," Dawn demanded, waving the dagger a little, "are you
going to renounce?"
Yamato looked up into the cold silver eyes of his adoptive
grandfather, and then he answered the only way he could. "Yes,"
he replied, nodding. "I renounce all ties to the Stars. I
renounce you."
An ugly look spread across Dawn Star's features. "That was
the wrong choice," he told Yamato. Driving the dagger forward, he
pierced through the orb and thrust the cold metal into Yamato's
chest. "You have your father's sense of personal honor," he told
Yamato, holding the boy's back so he could drive the dagger in
deeper. "But all that means in the end is that you're as big as
fool as he is."
Yamato's eyes widened as the dagger drove into his chest,
and he gasped and choked for air. He did not scream, which
irritated Dawn. The Star had always pictured this moment
accompanied by the death wail of the pathetic nuisance. His
annoyance at this failure for reality to match his expectations
took some of the sweetness away from the victory.
He let Yamato go, and the boy slumped to the ground. The
dagger was in deep, and it remained wedged in his chest as he
struck the floor. Dawn Star raised his foot and stomped on the
butt of the dagger's hilt. The blade slammed downward as the
extra force shattered the orb. Yamato's back arched up against
the dagger, and then the boy was still and pinned to the ground.
Dawn shook his head. It was a waste of a collectable, and
the dagger was going to be rendered useless by the boy's tainted
blood. But he was rid of the problem, and he'd successfully
unmasked Hihane in front of the entire vaults. All in all, it
hadn't been that bad of a night. Adjusting his clothes, he turned
and walked out of the gallery back towards the ballroom. He'd
think of someone way to turn this in his favor. He always did.
*
Stone wandered the halls, feeling like a failure. Why had
he left Binah with that strange man? Who had the man even been?
He was certain he'd known only moments ago, but the knowledge was
slipping from his mind like sand through his hands. He stopped,
looking up as he was certain he had just heard Tenkou's voice.
"I appreciate your concern, guys," she was saying as he
turned a corner and found himself at the gallery's main doors.
"Really, I do, but I can't just leave. What sort of message does
it send to Yamato if we desert him when he needs our support the
most?" She was standing between two boys, and the three of them
looked like they were having a heated discussion.
"Yamato wouldn't want you to put yourself in danger," the
purple-haired one told her. "It would kill him if you got hurt
because of him."
Yamato? Stone blinked. Who-- wait, wasn't that what Binah
had called Zellar? Yamato Zellar?
"I can't leave," Tenkou repeated. "He promised to come
back. It will kill him if I'm not here." She dug around in her
purse and then handed a set of keys to the purple-haired one.
"Here, go on. I'll just wait for Yamato. He's coming back."
"How do you know that?" the blond one asked.
Stone blinked. He recognized that voice-- it was Tiferet's
young charge, Matthew Tyler, who had been calling for Tenkou. A
feeling of dread settled in Stone's stomach. What would happen to
the boy now that his benefactor was dead? Would the Order toss
him out-- or would another council member take him under their
wing?
"What do you mean 'how do I know'?" Tenkou asked the blond
boy. "He promised me he would, Matthew."
A sick feeling settled in Stone's stomach. Tenkou had been
spending so much time out with someone this week. He had assumed
it was Matthew-- but what if it had really been Zellar?
"Yeah, but...." Matthew trailed off. He shrugged. "I guess
it doesn't matter, does it?" he laughed. "We're all damned
anyway. Might as well hope at least one person we know can come
out of this happy."
"What are you talking about?" Tenkou asked him.
"Nothing," the purple-haired one replied. "Please, Tenkou,
stop thinking with your heart for just a second. You're in big
trouble--"
Tenkou gave him an exasperated look, as if this was
something they'd been over many, many times. "Requiem, he's in
bigger--"
"You're human," Requiem reminded her. "He's not."
"He can still die!" she protested.
"Who can still die?" Stone asked, unable to just stand there
unnoticed any longer.
The three of them turned. Strangely enough it was the Tyler
boy that looked the most concerned about seeing Stone standing
there. "Professor," he gulped. "How long have you been there?"
Stone ignored him. "Well, dear?" he prompted, looking at
Tenkou. "Who can still die?" He gave Requiem a dirty look. "I'm
very interested in hearing what sort of company you've been
keeping."
"Dad," Tenkou blinked. She looked hesitant for a moment,
then she just stuck her chin out and stubbornly met his eyes.
"Yamato Zellar."
Stone felt the anger color his cheeks. "Zellar?" he
repeated, voice rising. "You saw him after I specifically forbade
you to see him again?"
"Yes," Tenkou replied, evenly. "I saw him every night this
past week. I came here with him tonight."
"Why?" Stone demanded. "I told you that he was dangerous!
His kind are nothing but trouble."
She simply folded her arms and regarded her father calmly.
"And what 'kind' would that be, Dad?"
Stone lowered his voice again, wringing his hands as he
looked at the purple-haired boy suspiciously. "You know," he
said, "his kind."
"Yamato and I are not of the same 'kind'," Requiem told him
curtly. "I'd trust him with my daughter."
"And you are?" Stone demanded. He shook his head.
"Nevermind, it's better than I don't know." Stepping forward,
Stone took Tenkou by the arm. "You and I are going home, young
lady, to have a long talk about this."
"Dad--" Tenkou protested, shooting looks at Matthew and
Requiem for aid.
"Do what your father says," advised a calm voice behind
them. Stone turned to see a young man with Tuscan red hair that
fell down his neck and eyes the color of yellow-gold, holding a
small portfolio. He took in the young man's multiple markings,
stopping at the cross-flanked black spiral on his forehead. Stone
paled and then began to shake.
"Go on, get out of here," the young man told Tenkou. "I'll
be leaving as well-- Requiem, you'd be wisest to come with me.
We'll see to it that you get to have a proper discussion with Dace
in a safer location. He'll not be signing any treaty after what
happened tonight."
"But what about Yamato, Prometheus?" Tenkou protested. "I
can't just leave him!"
"You are going to," Prometheus told her, firmly. "Don't you
worry about Yamato. He's tougher than any of you think." He
turned to Matthew. "As for you, I think you'd better go find
Binah."
"Why?" Matthew asked, suspiciously. "Who are you, anyway?"
"Someone that tells you what to do and then you do it,"
Prometheus replied. "If you insist on knowing why, then I'll tell
you. Tiferet is dead and you're in need of a sympathetic soul to
keep from being tossed out with the rest of that idiot's trash."
"Tiferet's dead?" Matthew repeated.
"Don't sound too happy," Prometheus warned. "Now, shoo.
Off to Binah."
Matthew cast a look back at Tenkou and Requiem. "Do what
Avalon says," Requiem told him. "You'll live longer." Matthew
nodded and then hurried off down the hall.
"Now that's taken care of," Prometheus brushed off his
hands. "Come along, young FlameSong, we'd best be off as well.
Miss Stone," Prometheus bowed his head to her, "it was a pleasure.
I do mean it in the best way possible when I say that I hope it's
many years from now that we meet again."
"I'll-- have Rekki give you a call," Requiem told her,
quickly hugging her. "Let's hope for the best." Tenkou nodded.
Requiem walked over to the doors where Prometheus waited.
Prometheus handed the FlameSong the portfolio. "What am I
supposed to do with this?" Requiem asked, as Prometheus pushed
open the door.
"Carry it," was the reply.
"Why?"
"Because you're young and I'm old," Prometheus told him as
the heavy doors swung shut on the conversation.
Tenkou looked back at her father. Something alien had crept
into his eyes-- a look of half-forgotten fear. He shook his head
and set his mouth in a stern expression. "Home," he told her,
fiercely. "You and I are going to have a long talk about some
things."
Tenkou wondered what was going on. Nathanael had killed
Tiferet-- so what was keeping Yamato? Why hadn't he returned?
Her father secured his grip on her arm, and he began taking
her towards the gallery doors. She considered objecting,
insisting that they wait for Yamato, but a look at Stone's face
told her that she had got herself in enough trouble as it was.
"Please be safe, Yamato," she whispered, so her father
wouldn't hear. "Remember your promise."
*
The two winged figures stood above the body in the hallway.
The one whose golden feathers were accented with violet flames
dropped down to the floor. Gently he pulled the dagger from
Yamato's chest and placed his hand over the wound. The boy's
flesh knit back together, until all signs of his injury had
vanished.
"You're upset, Nathanael," said the other, whose flames were
the same golden shade as their feathers. He knelt down and picked
up the pieces of the shattered orb.
"It seems strange, Mattaeo, doesn't it?" asked Nathanael.
"You're the one who usually gets all emotional."
Mattaeo smiled a little. His mulberry eyes met Nathanael's
deep violet ones. "You did the right thing, Nat," he told him.
"Placing her happiness over your own. It was what someone who
loved her would have done."
"If it was the right thing," Nathanael began, easing
Yamato's body into his arms, "then why do I feel so awful about
doing it?"
"Because it's seldom easy to do the right thing," replied
Mattaeo, as he dropped the last piece of the orb into his palm and
straightened to his full height. "If it was easy to do the right
thing, then it wouldn't be made into such a big deal when someone
did." He closed his fist and then reopened it to reveal the orb
reformed and complete once again. "Look at our grandson. He did
the right thing, and it got him killed."
Nathanael nodded, lifting Yamato's body as he stood. "Yes,
it certainly did." He shifted Yamato in his arms, finding a
comfortable position to hold the body.
"Well, I suppose we should get going," Mattaeo remarked, as
he pocketed the orb. "There's a lot of work to be done before
this one's going to be ready to be back on his feet again."
"You don't worry about what will happen while he's gone?"
Nathanael asked, following Mattaeo down the hall. None of the
guards seemed to notice they were there. Daylight didn't even
look up as they entered Dawn's office and stepped towards the
ornate mirror positioned against the wall.
"I have a feeling the kids will keep everyone too busy to
notice," Mattaeo replied, chuckling.
Nathanael smirked in agreement, as he lifted his hand to the
surface of the mirror. The glass rippled, and the violet light
burned at the edges of the mirror's frame. The reflection in the
mirror changed to that of a darkened temple room. "It will be an
interesting few weeks," he remarked, as he stepped through the
mirror. "For all of us."
*
3.57 9.2.01
11.27 9.3.01