---- Garden 06: Three-way Cocktail Party Part A: Prelude of Happiness ----
Ran sighed lightly and cuddled up against Schuldich some more, causing the German Vampire to run a hand threw the red head’s hair. The assassin knew he was more than a bit tipsy, but didn’t really care. He felt normal, sprawled out across the couch with his head lying in Schuldich’s lap while the older man idly flipped threw television. Even if he was about 50 years older than him and still retained the body of a 22 year-old.
“Should I call you Ran or Deus?” Schuldich murmured, listening as their huge Animalin bouncers told the last few drunks to get lost. The club was closing down and soft music floated up from the speakers to the adjoining room.
After a few moments of silence, the demon responded: “Ran.”
Alone for a while I've been searching through the dark, For traces of the love you left inside my lonely heart.
Ran sat up and leaned against the German, wincing as a sharp twang of pain shot threw his head like lightning. He closed his eyes as the light burned them; falling into a hazy state and letting the song envelop him.
“Do you like this song?” Schuldich asked, not really paying attention to an infomercial for some crap called Oxymoron or something...
To weave by picking up the pieces that remain. Melodies of Life-Love's lost refrain.
“Yes.” The red head responded, voice low and tired. Schuldich tucked locks of his fire engine red hair behind his ears.
“Go to sleep love. Your tired.” Schuldich leaned against the armrest and put Ran into a more comfortable position. Ran nodded daintily and drifted off under the veil of sleep.
Our paths they did cross, though I cannot say just why, We met, we laughed, we held on fast, and then we said good-bye,
The German flipped threw the channels again, landing on a strange late-night/early-morning showing of Queer as Folk.
---- Part B: Coffee and Controversy ----
Luna held his coffee in both hands, trying to warm his small body up. It was a harsh winter day, snow covering everything in almost a foot of the fluffy white stuff. Across from him, Persia sipped at a mocha.
“Ran’s biological family wasn’t killed by Kritiker.” The older man began solemnly, coming out of the blue with it. “Well, not the kind of Kritiker agents you’re used too. We had no interest in his powers and he could have been living a normal life if not for Serinta Uematsu.”
“Serry? What’s she got to do with it?” Luna was clearly curious.
“She is a Fierce, a very, very powerful one at that. But she doesn’t know it, and doesn’t remember ever using her powers. But she is the one who destroyed the Fujimiyas. Well, sort of her. More like her body.”
“You’re not making any sense.” Luna frowned.
“You know Reiji rallied the army to take over the human world. Deus stopped him. Reiji sent his “self” into the future in the form of an ice blue pendant. The same pendant Serinta wears.” Persia folded his arms across his chest. “Serinta met Ran when he was 7 and she was around 5. Reiji and Deus clashed, but Deus didn’t awaken. Reiji scrounged up enough control to completely obliviate the Fujimiya household, killing Ran’s parents and his younger sister, Aya, in the process.”
Luna stared for a few moments before mumbling, “Fuck...So, why was he placed with them? I know Kritiker had something to do with it.”
“Kritiker is, as you know, a branch of a much higher power. What power is yet to be discovered? Maybe we didn’t have anything to do with it and it was mere coincidence, or maybe whoever was in charge wanted Deus to awaken. Or maybe Reiji had something to do with it. For whatever reason, Ran was placed in the Uematsu household. And neither Reiji or Deus has awoken to take claim to Earth.” Persia shrugged. “It confuses even me.”
Luna sighed and was silent for a few moments, watching the snow slowly tumble in the sky out the window before speaking. “And you’re telling me this because you want to do something about it. You want to know who’s been pulling the strings.”
“Yes.” Persia smiled faintly.
“And you want me to help. Yeesh, how do I get myself into these things?” Luna held his head in his hands and groaned in mock misery. “Do you think Zodiac has anything to do with it?”
“I don’t know if Zodiac really exists anymore. Last I heard it was beginning to crumble. It’s been a while since I had anything to do with the underground channels.”
“Well, that’s what we need to do first them.” Luna leaned back into the booth, folding his arms across his small chest. “We need to see the state of Zodiac. I say we start with the Dante Cathedral. If that’s gone, well, we can safely say that it’s hit the fan.”
“That’s an five hour drive. I suggest leaving tomorrow morning.” Persia responded and sipped at his mocha.
Luna nodded.
--- Part C: The Four Pillars ---
Setsuna sighed and rolled his shoulder, massaging it with his left hand. When the woman, “Hell”, and tossed him into this room, he had landed right on the joint and now it ached. The room was huge and not exactly what the small brunette had expected. It had an exquisite feel too it, covered in hues of red and gold and a lush carpet that you wanted to walk bare-foot on. He was sitting up against the huge duvet set at the head of the bed, leaning into its plush embrace. One of the twin oak doors was pushed open slightly and a thin finger crept inside, carrying a tray of food. The figure was short and would reach about Setsuna’s shoulder, maybe a little taller. Its hair was shoulder length and pitch black in color; Setsuna decided it was female by its trim waist. Her eyes were an icy green color, pure and liquid. What was really strange was that adorning her head was a pair of black cat ears and swishing nervously behind her was a long black tail. She was very flat chested, wearing a no-sleeved white turtleneck along with a long purple skirt. Dancing to the beat of the plum fabric were a group of falling cherry blossoms, almost twisting and turning in the wind. She walked across the room and laid the tray before him.
“This...This is for you.” She looked down at her feet, clasping her hands in front of her. Setsuna narrowed his smoky eyes at the tray, stomach telling him to wolf it down. He hadn’t eaten since breakfast and it was nearly midnight. The girl noticed this. “It’s not poisoned.” Something told him the girl wasn’t lying, she seemed too innocent too lie. Setsuna prided himself in his ability to read people and he was sure he hit the nail on the head. Or perhaps he was just hungry, but oh well. He picked up the fork and pecked at the plate of stereotypical Western style food before finally convincing himself and eating it. As he ate, he felt conscious that the girl was still there, waiting for something, playing with her skirt. Finally, she spoke. Her voice was very quiet, almost a whisper, like she was afraid somebody else would hear.
“Please, don’t hate them.”
“You mean...those four women?” Setsuna asked around a mouthful of food.
“Yes.” The girl sniffed lightly. “They haven’t been themselves lately...They used to be...so kind.”
“What happened?” Setsuna asked, out of curiosity and because he wanted her to stay. He hated being alone and the current situation didn’t help.
“About two years ago, a man came to the estate. He was badly wounded, and they took him in. A few days after that, they got very strict. His name is Masafumi...” The girl sighed heavily and Setsuna scooted over. She sat down and flattened her skirt as she spoke; “I don’t know why they took you. They’ve never done it before.”
“What is this place?”
“It’s a place for Animalin like me.” She reached up and touched her left ear. At his look of confusion she explained; “Animalin are people who can transform into animals. Sometimes, if we transform when we are too young, this happens. My transformation was forced, so I’m stuck with cat ears and a tail.” She folded her hands in her lap. She held out her small hand. “My name is Nikki.”
“Setsuna.” They shook quickly and Setsuna cocked his head at her. “Are you a girl or a guy?” Nikki blushed and tucked locks of hair behind her shoulder.
“I’m a boy.” Setsuna blinked and then looked quite embarrassed.
“Uh, sorry.”
“It’s all right.” Nikki responded warmly. Suddenly, the double oak doors slammed open the one called Neu stormed in. The boy stood up immediately, paling greatly. Neu snarled at him and backhanded him across the face, causing him to stumble and fall. He held his cheek and clenched his eyes closed for a moment before standing up.
“Get out!” Neu shrieked. He walked briskly from the room, and once he was out the door he took off at a run. The teal haired woman kicked the doors closed behind him and turned to glare stonily at Setsuna.
--- Part D: Rumors of Lost Angels ---
Ran woke up slowly, the soup of sleep quietly leaving him, as he became aware of the warmth surrounding his entire body. He blinked and noticed the locks of fiery orange toppling down over his shoulder and memories came flooding back to him. He remembered dancing till his feet hurt in those damn boots, before Schuldich nearly carried him upstairs. Then he just sort of feel asleep in the German’s arms. The red head sighed and leaned back into the Vampire. A small alarm clock on the nightstand told him it was noon. Schuldich wouldn’t be up for another few hours. Ran sighed. He then noticed a small note on the clock and picked it up, unfolding it slowly as his brain began to function normally.
Ran,
Feel free to do whatever you want until I wake up. Everybody knows your hear and they shouldn’t give you trouble. If they do, tell Omi.
Schuldich
Ran blinked and faintly wondered what an Omi was. He sat up and blahed lightly. He headed for the bathroom, taking note of the set of clothes laid out on a chair. After he had finished, he took a quick shower and slipped into the clothes; a pair of lose dark blue jeans and a tight, form fitting shirt, tarnished-green in color. He pulled on some socks and walked out into the hall. The house was decorated in reds; blues and black, drapings hanging from the ceilings at odd places with strange furniture placed everywhere. He briskly made his way down a flight of stairs, determined to find some food.
“You have no life I swear.” A voice drifted from a room.
“Shut up Yohji.” Another voice, this one lighter in pitch, snapped back. Ran pushed the door open and found two young men in the room. One was tall with a slender build much like Ran’s. His hair was chin-length, very wavy and dirty blonde in color, sprinkling into a pair of emerald green eyes. The other was a bit shorter and younger, with short caramel hair and a pair of bright azure eyes.
“Your finally awake.” The tall one muttered, a smirk gracing his lips.
The younger one rolled his eyes. “Don’t mind him. I’m Omi, this is Yohji.” Ran nodded.
“We already know who you are. Hell, everybody does.” Yohji flopped down into a chair and began munching away at a bowl of corn flakes. Omi sighed again.
“Are you hungry?” He asked, closing the lid to the laptop he had been working on. Ran nodded.
“Don’t speak much do you?” Yohji asked around a mouth of cereal.
“Not really.” Ran responded as he sat down across from the older man. Before Omi could leave the room, his laptop began beeping wildly. He darted back to it and opened it, midday eyes widening noticeably. Yohji had stopped in mid-chew, thinking not much got the smaller blonde to react like that.
After a few moments of silence, Yohji swallowed and asked: “What’s up?”
“It’s a message from Ouka.” Omi responded, his skin growing pale. “The Blade of Ages was attacked last night. Fatali has him.”
“Him?” Ran asked curiosity peaked.
“Yes. People who can transform themselves into weapons are called Fierces. The Blade of Ages was Deus’s personal weapon. It was also ‘reincarnated’. Not really reincarnated, but another human became a Fierce when it chose him to bear it.” Omi took a deep breath. “That human was your friend, Setsuna.”
There was a moment of heavy silence, rage rolling off Ran. Omi was sure the red head was going to break something, maybe the table.
“Where is Fatali?” The assassin’s voice was calm, but peppering it was a cold malice.
Yohji went bug-eyed. “You can’t be considering going after him alone! That’s suicide!”
Ran turned his plum eyes at Yohji and raining into those endless irises was some undefined emotion that simmered and burned with absolute resolve. “Oh well.”
“We should wait till night.” Omi began. “We are going to make a rescue attempt, but it’s just the three of us right now. Schuldich, Brad, Ken and Nagi are all Vampires, so of course they can’t go into the sunlight. Ouka and Sakura, an Animalin and a Black Mage, are on their way here. We have to wait. We can’t go barging in there half-cocked.”
“Fine.” Ran’s voice was clipped, like he had swallowed a nasty retort. He stood swiftly and walked out, the door closing in such a final way. Omi sighed quietly.
“I could feel it.” Yohji’s emerald eyes were churning with fear and worry. “I shouldn’t feel that crap. I’m a Leather Wing, not a fuckin’ telepath.”
Omi nodded, worrying on his lower lip as he sat down. “I hope...Setsuna is all right.” The Lunar mage sat down and began taping away at his computer.
“What are you doing?” Yohji asked, leaning to look at the screen. It displayed a tower of numbers that Omi was rapidly crunching, the blonde’s slender fingers jumping from key to key.
“A mages power is judged in Rings. It’s hard to explain really, but a Master Mage, who judges the strength of his powers and how far they can reach, along with his control of them, gives Rings to a Mage. Most Mages are one to five rings. I’m a five Ring.” A square chart appeared and a circle was drawn. “That’s probably how far Ran’s powers would stretch.”
“It doesn’t look so big.” Yohji mumbled. Omi typed in a few keys and the ring was placed over a map of the United States. The red circle stretched off the coast of California and into half of Maine. The Leather Wing’s emerald eyes once again flourished into wide irises.
“I just took an educated guess here, but that’s close to him. If his powers were to suddenly be released, the damage would stretch for hundreds of miles. When I say damage, I mean massacre. Everybody would die; it’d be like 20 nuclear weapons going off at once. Nothing could survive that, not even Deus himself.” Omi leaned back into his chair and gently massaged his temples. “This isn’t a hit and run battle like we first thought. Deus only set the spell on his powers.”
“What?” Yohji asked as he began munching away at his cereal again.
The smaller blonde sent him a disapproving look. “Are you completely clueless? There is a spell that will have whatever you set it on reincarnated to a certain extent. Deus set the spell on his powers. So Ran doesn’t have his memories or his skills. So we have to train Ran to control his abilities, or else they could explode. A very strong emotion can set off storms of power.”
“So...At the moment, Ran’s basically a ticking time-bomb?”
“Sort of. With the right situation, he could very well wipe out an entire country.”
“Well...Fuck!”
--- Part E: Echoes of Omission ---
Luna silently stood in front of his bathroom mirror, running a brush threw his violet veiled moonlight hair. He sighed quietly to himself and set the wooden brush down on the white marble countertop. He began to run threw the days previous events over in his mind as he began to meticulously set his hair into two perfect plaits. Guilt laced his thoughts, turning slowly into self-blame. For nearly a century he had followed blindly, becoming nothing but a drone in a hive full of monsters. He was a tool to the building of something horrible, a gear in a clock that would strike midnight when thousands would die. He knew it. It was his idea to keep Ran on as an agent. He hadn’t felt pity for the boy; he was just another victim in Kritiker’s quest for purity, a hopeless wanting of justice. Now, however, Luna was ready to give his life for the apathetic red head. He didn’t know why. He had to help him; he would follow him to the ends of the earth. It wasn’t love or anything close to the sort. It was a sense of right from wrong which the Atrox and Zodiac had buried deep within him nearly five hundred years ago. He had done wrong; he had caused an innocent suffering and agony. He wanted to make it right, he wanted redemption. When he was done setting his starlight locks, he set about getting ready for the trip to the Dante Cathedral. He quickly packed clothes, though he probably wouldn’t need them. Most of the journey would be underground, and his Jewlet took care of needs such as clothing. He cast his laser blue eyes onto the crystal. It was cold, hard emerald, set into a no-fingered tan leather glove that would run itself up to his elbow. It simmered lightly, glinting on his nightstand with an unusual brightness. He hadn’t used the thing in nearly one hundred years, when he had first taken the transfer option into Zodiac’s Kritiker unit. He dressed in a pair of lose dark grey/blue khakis and a black turtle neck, this under a maroon vest, which he zipped up. He quickly finished packing and slung his bag over his shoulder. He turned to stare at the Jewlet, a pained look ringing hollowly against the rims of his fierce blue eyes. Slowly, he reached over, and picked up the small armlet. It felt light in his hands, and the rough-looking leather was actually soft as silk. He ran his fingertips over the emerald encased in it. He closed his eyes and sighed as an odd emotion overwhelmed him. He allowed himself to be reunited with a savage power, to be bathed in a sense of completeness. He wasn’t Luna anymore, a master in the medical field. Luna was now buried deep into his mind, hidden behind the buffer of Abduco, Third Winged Atrox, Barer of the Jewlet Starluck. He slipped on the leather-bound gauntlet, tediously buckling the straps. He stared at it incasing his rather slender arm, rolling the limb up in a blanket of raw power. He turned it over staring at it; flashes of memories and faces running threw his mind’s eye. A knock at the door interrupted his musing, and he looked up to see Persia standing in the doorway. The older man’s eyes trailed down to the armlet, coffee irises focusing with a distant appearance. Both knew the effect the Jewlet had on the mind, and both knew how hard it was to let that sense of power go.
“Are you ready?” Persia asked.
Luna slowly undid the straps and carefully set the Jewlet into his bag. He turned to the man and nodded lightly, lunar beams toppling gracefully over his shoulder. “Yes.”
“Let’s go.” The man turned and walked down the hall. Persia followed. Luna looked up at the tall brunette.
“What’re you doing in my house anyway?” He asked, amusement turning his lips upward.
“I knocked, but you didn’t answer. I was afraid something had happened, so I came up. I sensed Starluck had awoken when I was about to go into your room, so I decided to give you a few moments to reunite with it.”
Luna nodded distantly. “How is Fireborn dealing?”
“Good.” Persia responded. It was a rarity for Atrox to converse openly with one another about their Jewlets, for they were highly prized and protected. They walked down to a rented Explorer, which was considerably larger than Luna’s Jetta and more equipped for traveling threw forest terrain than Persia’s cruiser. After putting their stuff into the back, the two took their seats and prepared for the five-hour drive to the hidden entrance to the Dante Cathedral. Their destination was a small town set in the depths of a large forest called Claudian. More precisely, they hoped to reach the Claudian Cemetery. For the first half-hour, the ride was relatively uneventful, for it took about forty-five minutes to get clear of the city anyway.
Luna had his elbow sitting on the door-side armrest; his chin propped in his palm. He stared with sightless eyes out the window, a masquerade of blank covering his handsome features. Out of the blue he asked, “How did we allow ourselves to become so blind?”
Persia didn’t respond for a few moments, and Luna lost hope of his friend replying. The brunette did, slowly, as if he was contemplating their meaning, “I think a better question is why? Why did we let our selves ignore something so big going on right beside us?”
“Because we were weary of the battlefield? I think not.” Luna leaned back into his seat and folded his slight arms across his chest. “Even if a mission came up that we tried to ignore, we eventually got around to it.” An ironic smile curled his lips slightly. “And we knew we were always waiting for a fight, always wanting it but too ashamed to request a mission.”
Persia nodded solemnly, a brittle bitterness running along the edge of his words as he spoke; “We were never told much about who ran Zodiac. In fact, we were told nothing. We have no idea as to what sort of abilities or how strong they are. Considering it is them and their will that has kept humanity from noticing us for nearly a thousand years, I wouldn’t be too surprised if they could veil our minds to anything they wish. Or am I just tricking myself, hopeful to wash away any blame?”
“I don’t know. Chances are, I won’t live to find out.”
