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Nikholas "elf" F. Toledo
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DiScLaImEr!!!
RAYEARTH is the property of CLAMP/Kodansha
Addiction to both the anime and manga series has prompted the author to
seek an outlet, withdrawal symptoms are not yet foreseen so expect more
to come.
warning: Radiation from computer monitors causes insanity!!!
(hehehe, no wonder I'm still writing this fic...)
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Reunions and Tragedies
Chapter IV
An Archangel's Wrath
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The entire NSX bridge was shocked into silence by Gryff's
threat. Zazu could only gape at their Commander in disbelief: he
could've sworn the man just went over the deep end.
"That's impossible! Admittedly, you two weren't exactly the
best of friends back in Autozam, but what could he possibly gain by
killing you guys off?" Geo heatedly protested.
"Geo, have you ever wondered why he came back here just when
everything was in the brink of destruction?" he asked, voice
dripping with sarcasm. "Because he wanted Cefiro for himself."
Gryff looked around to see disbelief written all over their
faces at his statement and bitterly laughed.
"That lying bastard really did quite a number on you guys.
But I will bring about his downfall now that I have two of the
Knights."
"Dammit, Gryff! I'm not gonna let you use them as pawns in
your sick games. If Lantis is what you say he is, then confront
him. A real warrior doesn't need hostages to issue a challenge."
Geo started to reach for the two young women but was stopped
by Gryff's saber pointed at the base of his throat.
"Are you calling me a coward?" he asked through gritted
teeth.
"No, I'm telling you that you're a bloody fool! And if you
insist in this madness, you're going to be a dead one as well!" Geo
shouted back, angrily shoving the blade aside.
He drew back one arm and his fist connected painfully with
Gryff's jaw with a crack. No sooner did he find himself staring at
a laser-rifle which the guard had trained on his chest.
"Satisfied?" Gryff asked, wiping blood from his lip. He
approached the blond girl and calmly plucked the glasses off her
nose.
"I swear, if you dare hurt a hair on their heads..." Geo's
voice trailed off when Gryff smugly raised an eyebrow.
"A hair you say?" he asked, then turned his speculative gaze
at Umi's direction.
Umi glared back, not exactly sure of what he intended to do.
Gryff walked up behind her, she felt him stroke her long hair and
lift the heavy mass from her neck. His fingers softly brushed
against her nape, sending a spark of awareness down her spine then
he... shwissh.
Fuu gasped, Geo spat out a curse and Zazu banged his head on
the console, mumbling something about Geo keeping his big mouth
shut in the future.
Only Umi was silent, her eyes wide with shock, feeling as if
she'd been doused with a bucket of cold water. Then she turned to
face Gryff who was holding her hair in his grasp. She automatically
reached for her now-shoulder length hair, holding it in front of
her to inspect the ends.
Then she screamed.
Gryff's ears were ringing, it was through sheer willpower
alone that he kept his hands from covering his ears. He suspected
that he was already half-deaf because of his folly.
"You insufferable jerk! You dare give me a haircut when you
can't even cut straight!" she cried, anger and mortification
mingling in her voice, the left side of her hair was at least two
inches shorter than the right.
Zazu toppled off his chair once again and landed head first
on the floor. Everyone else face-faulted with huge sweatdrops
appearing beside their heads. Fuu seemed to be the only one
unaffected by her friend's outburst.
Gryff loudly cleared his throat and barked at one of the
techs, "Rex!"
"C-commander?" he stammered.
"I'm putting you in charge while I'm gone."
Rex gulped, "Y-yes, S-sir!" and hastily saluted.
Gryff turned to leave, he was already inside the elevator
when he spoke nonchalantly.
"I almost forgot, please take the Sub-Commander back to his
quarters. Be sure to lock the doors, he needs to cool off for a
while."
"The HELL you will!!!" Geo growled, forcing his way against
the three guards who barred his way, "Come back here, Gryff!" he
shouted at the closing doors, "Gryyfff!!!"
______________________________
Scene: inside the great hall of Cefiro's crystal castle
As the large bronze doors of the great hall opened to admit
him, Lantis was surprised to see Lafarga, Caldina and Ferio inside
with the Guru. They were looking at the floating holo-sphere
generated by Guru Clef's magic; it enabled them to see everything
that went beyond the castle walls, anywhere within Cefiro.
"Looks like you have a visitor." Lafarga nodded towards the
sphere which showed a white mecha blazing through the skies of
Cefiro.
"The FTO." Lantis' brow knotted in a frown - it obviously had
a major overhaul from the looks of the added thrusters located at
its legs. A new mechanical hand has replaced the former three-
clawed fist. The thermal disk was nowhere to be seen on its right
hand; somehow, it didn't feel right seeing the FTO deprived of its
signature weapon.
"But who's flying it? And where's the NSX?" Lafarga asked.
"There," Ferio indicated, it was a few leagues above the FTO,
"Aren't they supposed to land?"
"Since that mech's just about to land right on our doorstep,"
Caldina put in, "We'll find out soon enough."
Lantis left the hall without a word. Guru Clef watched him
leave, feeling somehow that something was definitely amiss.
______________________________
Scene: In front of the crystal castle
The FTO's wing thrusters folded as it descended towards the
ground, the surge of hot air causing dust clouds to billow around
him as he waited for the pilot to alight from the craft. The huge
white mecha knelt down on one knee. The cockpit clicked open and a
tall young man emerged. His wheat-blond hair was tied back from his
face in a ponytail that rested at the small of his back. Mocking
hazel eyes stared back from the yellow visor, eyes which were
complete replica of Eagle's.
"Gryff?!" Lantis whispered to himself in disbelief.
"Lantis," Gryff removed his visor and leapt down from the
cockpit. "What's the matter old friend? Looks like you've seen a
ghost."
______________________________
Back within the NSX...
Rex was still having some difficulty adjusting to his new
position as Sub-Commander. God knows he never wanted this job in
the first place, one would even say he was bullied into the
position. He had his own reservations concerning the Commander's
actions: Gryff used the NSX and its crew as a one way ticket to
Cefiro so that he could get his revenge. And now, he left HIM to
deal with his precious hostages.
"Uh, Sir, what do we do with them?"
Rex was startled back to reality by the guard's question.
Meeting Umi's freezing glare only made matters worse, causing him
to stammer out his first official order.
"I... ah, hmm... I guess they could just... ah, be brought
back downstairs?"
"Yes, sir."
"Hey! How 'bout me?" Zazu cried out from his seat, waving his
hands about to get their attention, "Aren't you guys supposed to
take me along?" he asked cheekily...
"You idiot!!! You could've escaped and freed Geo or... gotten
help from Cefiro! But, nooooo! You just have to VOLUNTEER to be
taken as another hostage!" Umi fumed as she stomped around the
small room that served as their prison.
Fuu was lost in her own thoughts, thinking of what Gryff had
said earlier about Lantis. There was little doubt that the man who
took Hikaru from the hospital was the Kailu.
_But WHY? Does he really care for her or is he just using her
for his own means. And what if Gryff's accusations were all true?_
"How the heck are we going to get out!" Umi cried in
frustration.
"Through here," Zazu replied, quickly unscrewing the bolts
and prying the grill off the air vent. "It's the fastest way to
reach Geo's room." He pulled himself up through the small opening
and turned to gesture at Umi, "Well, c'mon! We don't have all day."
"In there!" she squeaked.
Zazu sighed in exasperation, "You got a better idea?"
"I can't go in there!" she exclaimed, eyeing the dark cramped
passage with claustrophobic terror.
"Fine, then stay here." He shrugged indifferently, "Fuu, you
comin'?"
"Umi, don't worry, I'll be right behind you," Fuu said,
taking hold of her friend's hand. "Besides, it seems to be the
safest way out."
Umi gulped, "Okay, you win," and let herself be pulled into
the vent by Zazu.
"Geez, Umi, you ought cut back on those pastries when you get
back on Earth."
"Zazu, how can you kid around at a time like this?" Fuu asked
from behind after heaving herself up the vent.
"Whoever said I was kidding?"
"Are you trying to tell me that I'm FAT!?" Umi asked,
emitting a faint blue glow that was very discernable in the
darkness.
"No, I was just saying that you should cut down on those
pastries. I wouldn't like having to pull you out of a tight spot in
case you get stuck somewhere along the way... you get my drift?" he
replied baitingly.
"Why, you jerk!" Umi punched his leg, causing Zazu to yelp
out. "Get going. The faster we get out of here, the faster I'll get
even with you for that remark."
_Well, getting her mad is far better than having her scared.
Now, all I have to worry about is how to convince her to spare me
if we get out of this mess._
________________________
The door was locked from the outside. Geo, having found out
that his relentless pounding was futile, decided to try another
tactic. Stepping back a few feet, he ran full tilt towards the
door, using his shoulder as a battering ram. He hit the doors with
a resounding slam.
"Damn, that hurts," he muttered, going back for another
round.
The second time dented the doors, it was enough to put a grin
on his sweaty face and prodded him to go for a third.
"Aaaarrrghhhh!!!!" Geo screamed as he hurled himself against
the cursed barrier once again.
Then the doors miraculously slid open.
Zazu felt like a deer staring at a pair of on-coming
headlights of a truck. No, make that a ten-wheeler doing a 120 on
the highway that doesn't have any breaks to begin with.
_Ooooh shhiiit!_
______________________________
Scene: Cefiro, the castle grounds...
Gryff withdrew a pouch from the folds of his heavy brown
cloak. He turned it over and watched his enemy's reaction as the
two objects within fell to the ground.
"I challenge you, Lantis, to a duel to the death," he called
out as he reached behind his shoulder to unsheathe his saber, the
thermal blade menacingly glowing in a green light. "Refuse, and you
forfeit their lives."
The Kailu's eyes narrowed upon the wire-rimmed glasses and
the swath of blue hair that fluttered to the ground, "Is this on
account of Eagle's death?"
"Geo asked me the same question." Gryff frowned darkly,
"Don't play me for a fool, Lantis. You know why I'm here, and it
has nothing to do with my dear half-brother. You used him like you
did everyone else - the fool even died for you."
Gryff's eyes flashed with pure hatred, "I think it's time
that I reveal to the people of Cefiro your true nature." He then
charged toward Lantis, putting the full force of his momentum
behind the attack.
Lantis' blade flashed to life and he blocked just in time.
Their weapons clashed, sending off sparks. As he rammed into
Lantis, Gryff brought his knee up and tried to jam it into Lantis'
stomach. Lantis leapt aside, turned, and parried a second thrust
from Gryff's saber.
"You left me for dead the last time we fought," Gryff
withdrew another blade from the sheath strapped to his back,
smoothly swirling both sabers as he circled his prey and tsked,
"you should've killed me right off when you had the chance,
Lantis."
Lantis stared at him uncomprehendingly. Taking advantage of
his momentary lapse, Gryff pounced. Their weapons clashed, and
Gryff's swords slithered down Lantis' until their hilts locked.
"How convenient for you, with the Princess and Zagato dead,
but Cefiro restored to its former glory. Everything just ripe for
the picking, just as you've planned."
"What?!" Lantis choked out, shocked by the accusation thrown
at his face. Gryff, seeing this advantage, shoved him back and
arced his left blade sideways. A burning pain slashed through
Lantis' upper right arm, his free hand reached for it and came up
with blood. Clasping his sword with both hands, he waited for the
next fatal blow to be delivered.
"Don't disappoint me, Lantis, I came back from the dead just
to send you to hell. I promise to make your death as slow and
agonizing as the one you gave me. Maybe even more."
________________________
"I knew he couldn't be trusted!" Lafarga muttered darkly
beneath his breath as the four of them rushed toward the fight
scene.
Caldina argued, "Lafarga, if he is guilty of such things, we
would've known about it!" She turned to look at Ferio for support,
"Right, Ferio?"
"I'd rather not say, Caldina," he replied, "All I know is
that the man deemed it necessary to take Fuu and Umi as hostages
just to get at Lantis. But Lantis would have to handle him for
now." Then he made a detour towards the wide balcony instead of the
sweeping grand staircase that led to the front of the castle.
"Where you going?" Lafarga asked.
"Fuu might be aboard the NSX, I'm going to get her back. She
and Umi may have an idea on what this is all about."
"Guru Clef, surely you don't think that Lantis is capable of
such treachery!" Caldina again pleaded.
"No. Lantis isn't guilty of treason, nor was he responsible
for the death of those men under Gryff's command," Clef answered
almost to himself.
Caldina fell behind, rooted in the middle of the hallway,
frowning at Guru Clef's last statement.
"Whoever said about Lantis killing anybody?" she whispered to
herself.
"Caldina."
She turned at the sound of her name and found Hikaru walking
towards her. Caldina immediately forgot about the trouble outside.
She welcomed her embrace and leaned back for a better look at her
young friend.
"So, you're finally up and runnin' huh?" she said, smiling
down at the redhead. Then she spied Presea standing just a few feet
away, beaming at them.
Hikaru was dressed in a long, flowing peach gown. It was held
up by two thin gold straps attached to a gold triangular
breastplate decorated with carvings and inset with rubies. Her gown
was belted at the waist by a rose-colored sash, the only accessory
she wore aside from Lantis' medallion was a pair of drop ruby
earrings. Her long red hair was in its usual plait and tied at the
end with a gold tassel.
"Nice work, Presea, now she really looks like a lady!"
Caldina exclaimed with a saucy wink.
"But, of course! Now, if she'd only wear these as well."
indicating the pair of satin slippers she held in her hand.
"Presea told me that you're married to Lafarga. I'm so happy
for you!"
"Thanks. Too bad you weren't here for the wedding, but I'll
make sure you'll be here when the baby comes. Even if I had to get
Lantis to bring you to Cefiro!" Caldina declared.
"That's wonderful! Ah... I mean about the baby."
Hikaru softly blushed. Caldina watched her in amusement when
she suddenly remembered the duel going on outside.
_Damn! I've forgotten all about it. If Hikaru hears what that
guy said about Lantis..._
"What's wrong, Caldina?" Presea asked, seeing her frown.
"I... ah, nothing," she lied.
Just then Ascot breezed by, he was already a few meters away
when he turned back and started towards them.
_Oh no!_ Caldina groaned silently.
"Haven't you heard? Lantis is caught in a duel out there with
some guy from Autozam. It doesn't look good at all - that guy's out
for his blood!"
"What?!" Hikaru's eyes rounded with fear and confusion.
"Where are they?"
Ascot answered, "Outside, in front of the castle. The..."
He didn't get to finish - she was already sliding down the
banister and was running barefoot for the castle doors even before
the two women could take a step to stop her.
"Hikaru! Wait!!!" Presea called out worriedly as she ran
after her down the stairs, still holding the slippers in her grasp.
Caldina glared at Ascot and grabbed him by the collar, "You
dimwit! Now, look at what you've done!!!" She shook him so hard,
Ascot feared that his neck might snap. For once, Caldina wished
that Ascot was back in his former size so that she could clobber
him senseless.
"Stop it! She was bound to know about it sooner or later,
right? Look, that lunatic also has Fuu and Umi. I'm going to get
them back," he stated firmly.
She knew he was also daring her to stop him. Once when Umi
was taken by the Princesses of Chizeta as their prisoner, Caldina
hypnotized him, rendering him unconscious so that he wouldn't be
able to go after the blue-haired magic knight.
"You're old enough to look after yourself. Besides, Ferio
already had a head start, no doubt you'll run into him." Caldina
released him and kissed him on the cheek, causing Ascot to blush.
"Watch your back, and good luck."
"I will." He whispered, before making his way for the wide
balcony where he summoned a half-man, half-eagle creature to carry
him off to the NSX.
"The boy has finally grown into a real man," she stated, a
touch of sadness mingling with the pride in her voice.
________________________
Scene: inside the NSX
Geo was carrying an unconscious Zazu on his back, and flanked
on both sides by Umi and Fuu. The three of them were running away
from a mob of soldiers that were hot on their trail. Upon reaching
the next intersection, Geo turned right and hurriedly opened a
door. He shoved the girls inside the small compartment and put his
index finger to his lips, bidding them to keep quiet before
entering the cramped space himself.
"Where to now?" they heard one of the guards ask.
"The three of us will go on ahead, you two check the left and
you two take the right. And remember, set your lasers to stun. I
don't want any of them hurt."
"Yes, Sir!"
Scurrying footsteps were heard as the soldiers went their
separate ways. However, the sound of oncoming footfalls told them
that they weren't safe yet.
Umi had her back to the wall with Zazu's head right in front
of her, his hair tickling her nose. She held her breath, stifling
the sneeze that was clamoring inside her nasal passage. Fuu was
crouched down, peering behind Geo's leg. Cold sweat rolled down
Geo's forehead, hovering on his brow, but he didn't make a move to
wipe it off. A loud tap on the door made Fuu flinch, she intently
watched as the doorknob slowly turn.
"C'mon, the four of them couldn't possibly fit in the utility
cabinet."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Let's check the storage room
instead."
"Ahhhch-"
"Hey, you hear somethin'?" one of the guards asked.
Zazu, was holding a finger across Umi's nostrils, stifling
her sneeze.
"Nah, you're just paranoid, man. Must be that 'SCREAM II'
movie you watched back on earth getting to ya."
"Don't remind me, I spent most of the movie trying to stop
the girl who was sitting next to me from cutting off the
circulation in my left arm."
"You lucky dog! At least you had a babe clinging to ya - the
person who was making the moves on me was a guy!"
"And here I thought you get turned on by THAT sort of thing!"
"You jackass!"
"Faggot!"
The sound of footsteps faded as the two guards ambled away,
trading insults as they headed for the general direction of the
storage room.
"Man, that was close," Zazu remarked. He along with everyone
else, finally managed to breathe a huge sigh of relief as they
stepped out of their hiding space.
"I think we'd better split up. That way it'll be easier for
us to lose them," Fuu suggested.
"Right. Zazu, take Umi with you and sneak into the docking
bay here in the lower galley. Fuu and I will head for the GTO in
the upper deck. I have to get down there and stop Gryff, even if it
means that I have to face him myself."
"Nooo way. Baaad idea." Zazu shook his head disapprovingly.
"You got a problem with me calling Gryff out? You think I
can't handle him?" Geo scowled.
"That's not it! Why don't YOU go with HER instead," the
younger man exclaimed, pushing Umi next to Geo while latching on to
Fuu's arm.
"There's a bigger chance of Umi killing me first before I
could get court-martialed for mutiny," Zazu explained, giving the
blond girl a wink.
"Fine!" Umi snobbishly replied, "C'mon, Geo, let's get that
deranged commander of yours before this incident escalates into a
full-fledge war."
"Well,... umm, good luck." Geo said, giving his friend a
jaunty salute.
Zazu returned his salute and waved them off, all the while
wearing a beatific smile worthy of a choirboy. Only when he was
sure that Umi wouldn't overhear them did he share his thoughts with
Fuu.
"Hah! Believe me, he's gonna need it more that I would with
that blue-haired termagant!"
_________________________
Guru Clef stood at the edge of the crowd that had gathered
around the fight. He looked up to the sky, his eyes tracing the
spiral pattern the clouds were forming. A great sorcery was at
work, extremely subtle, yet the very air seem to be pulsing with
it. She had began casting the spell, there was no turning back.
"It is time," he whispered.
________________________
Geo lead Umi to the upper deck hangar where his mecha was
kept. The two of them managed to sneak inside without any trouble
with security. They were currently hiding behind a stack of crates
that littered the area while Geo surveyed the area.
"There it is, the GTO," Geo whispered, pointing at the 15-
foot monstrosity that was standing on the platform. He actually
smiled when his eyes fell on the newly-installed boosters that Zazu
promised him.
_Amazing what a bottle of booze can do. Imagine, I could
commission Zazu to build me an entire battle cruiser for just one
barrel of vintage brandy._
"We're up against three armed guards; think we could pull
this off, Geo?" Umi asked.
"Not 'we', I'm pulling this off," he corrected. "You stay
here and wait for my signal, okay?"
Umi gave him a rebellious look and refused to answer.
"Stop being stubborn! You get to truss them up like
thanksgiving turkeys when I'm through with them, that okay with
you?" he bargained, trying to keep a straight face; the picture he
painted was so hilarious that Umi just had to give in and nod her
head in silent amusement.
________________________
Meanwhile, Fuu was still puzzling over Gryff's reason for
wanting Lantis dead. His words about doing the Cefirians a favor by
ridding them of a snake in their midst came back to haunt her.
"Zazu, Gryff mentioned leading a recon expedition where his
men got killed, and he holds Lantis responsible for their death.
Just when did it took place?"
"About the same time we were sent here to Cefiro under
Eagle's command. They were gone for almost a year actually, and
Gryff was the only one to come back alive. It was only then he was
informed of his brother's death."
"Surely you could've contacted him about it beforehand."
"Well, we would have if we could find them during that time.
After three hours of surveillance, his team simply vanished without
a trace on the radar screen. A search party was rounded up five
hours later and they searched that particular quadrant for a week
and still failed to come up with anything. After one more week,
they were officially presumed dead."
"And Gryff miraculously turned up a year later. How was he
able to explain his companion's deaths? Surely the council would've
demanded a report."
"The report said that they were sucked into this wormhole and
crash-landed on a planet, and that his companions died in the
crash. He had amnesia and actually believed himself to be a native
of that planet since nobody told him otherwise. It was only when
his memory was revived that he decided to return to Autozam."
"That's it?! No mention of Cefiro or Lantis?"
"The planet he mentioned in his report was a galaxy away."
Zazu's forehead knotted in a frown when he realized where their
conversation was heading. "Fuu, don't tell me you actually believe
that Lantis is guilty of.."
"I'm not sure of that myself. But Gryff obviously lied in
that report to cover something up; maybe to exonerate Autozam from
his own personal vendetta against Lantis."
They were in for another surprise when they reached the
docking bay: contrary to their belief that the place would be
crawling with soldiers, it was completely deserted. Still, they
didn't lose any time locating his hovercycle.
"How come there aren't any guards around?" Fuu asked, "Not
that I'm complaining, of course," she hastily added when Zazu shot
her a look that said 'why-can't-you-just-thank-your-luck-stars-for-
once?'.
"This is our ticket out." Zazu reached for a spare helmet in
his trunk and handed it over to Fuu. "Here, wear this."
"Thanks..."
"Stop right there, Zazu!" an armed guard called out from
behind them.
Fuu was so startled that she dropped her helmet. This time,
it was her turn to give him a look that said 'I-told-you-so!'.
Zazu turned around and raised his hands, glaring at Fuu.
"Alright, come along quietly now," the second guard said,
gesturing with his rifle.
Zazu sized up the two of them: they were side by side,
perhaps three yards from him. Spying the helmet on the floor, Zazu
saw an opportunity and went for it. He took a step forward, as
though surrendering to them, then quickly brought his right foot
against the helmet, launching it square into the face of one of the
guards. He threw his own helmet into the other one's chest while
making a grab for Fuu's arm to drag her away toward the hovercycle.
"C'mon, get on and let's get outta here!" He shouted as he
straddled the cycle and revved up the motor.
Then suddenly, from the corner of his left eye he saw a white
blur. Zazu turned his head, the next thing he knew, he was staring
at a gloved fist heading right between his eyes.
_Oh man, not again!_
He vaguely recalled telling Fuu to run away before everything
turned black.
________________________
Umi got up from her hiding place when she heard Geo's
piercing whistle.
_Geo certainly didn't need any help with those three,_ she
thought to herself as she surveyed damage the Sub-Commander had
wrought: one guard was already unconscious, the one gripped in
Geo's left arm well on the way and the third was more than halfway
there.
"Well, they're all yours," he said, tossing the two sentries
aside dismissively. He slapped his hands against his pants and
proudly crossed his arms over his chest as he smugly looked at his
handiwork.
Later inside the GTO...
"Do you really have to knock their lights out?"
"Hey, those guys were lucky, I took it easy on them," he
stated absently as he started flipping switches on the command
console.
The skylight opened and revealed the blue sky above, the
platform served as an elevator and a launch pad as it ascended
toward the skylight. The GTO's wing thrusters unfolded, a blast
from the rockets catapulted the mecha into the air.
"We made it!" Umi cried, smothering Geo in a hug.
"It's not over yet - I still have Gryff to contend with
and..."
"Stop! You are not to go any further!" a disembodied voice
thundered.
"Is it a warning call from the NSX?" Umi asked.
"No. I just shut down the hailing frequency between the NSX
and the GTO," Geo answered.
Just then, a huge winged creature with a body of a man and a
head of an eagle swooped down in front of them.
"A talking griffin?!" Geo uttered in disbelief.
Umi stared at the scene before her. A young knight
resplendent in his battle armor stood atop the creature's right
shoulder, his dark green cape billowing in the wind.
"Get the hell outta my way!" The irate Sub-Commander shouted.
"Turn around NOW, or I will be forced to restrain you."
"That voice, I know that voice..." Umi whispered, more to
herself than to the man beside her.
"Oh yeah?! We'll see about that!"
"No! Geo, stop! Open the cockpit, I'm going outside."
"WHAT!" He cried, eyeing her as if she'd completely lost her
sanity. "That thing's probably going to have you for lunch!"
"No, it won't." Umi explained, "It's one of Ascot's pets, and
I bet that's him perched on that thing's shoulder."
Geo's camera zoomed in on the creature's shoulder - sure
enough there was someone standing there.
"You mean to tell me that this kid actually keeps this freak
as a PET?!" he said, tapping at the picture displayed on his
monitor.
"Ascot is NOT a kid and that is NOT a freak! Got that?!"
Umi was on the verge of tearing her hair out in exasperation.
She took a deep calming breath and even managed a sweet smile.
"Geo, just open the cockpit. Please."
He finally complied with her request.
Ascot eyed the green mecha warily. The plate covering the
chest started opening as its right hand came in front of it. Then
to his amazement, a blue-haired girl stepped out of the cockpit and
onto the mecha's hand.
"Ascot."
The knight's green eyes widened in surprise as they fell upon
her. There she stood, smiling sweetly up at him like an angel. He
swallowed once, twice, before he trusted himself to speak.
"Umi, Are you alright?" he asked hoarsely, returning her
smile, but he dare not blink for fear that she might vanish like a
dream.
"Yes, thanks to Geo," she stated indicating the pilot of the
mecha.
"Oh." The younger man's smile began to falter. "Actually,
I... ah... I was on my way to..." Ascot paused to clear his throat
then forged on, "to come to your rescue, myself."
Geo glanced at Umi's blush then turned his attention toward
Ascot's besotted expression.
"ARRGGGHH!!! Cut the mushy act already!" Geo growled through
the GTO's speakers, effectively breaking Ascot from his trance.
"Hey, kid! Aren't you gonna rescue her or what?! I don't know
about you guys, but I've got more important things to do than sit
here and watch you two gaze at each other like a pair of
lovebirds..."
________________________
Scene: at the same time, inside the NSX docking bay
Fuu turned to run as soon as she heard Zazu's warning; she
didn't bother to look back lest his attacker caught up with her,
too. She had no choice but to leave him behind. She knew that she
was no match against the guards, the most logical thing to do now
was to find Geo and Umi for help.
The footsteps behind her were getting closer. She painfully
gasped for air as she quickened her stride to lengthen the distance
between them. Suddenly, she felt him grab her from behind, his arm
around her waist as he lifted her bodily off her feet. Fuu let out
a helpless little cry before her mouth was covered by a gloved
hand. She started clawing frantically at him...
"Fuu... Fuu, it's me, Ferio. Listen, you're safe now, okay?"
Ferio felt a shudder pass through her slight body before she
went limp with relief. He removed his hand from her mouth and
turned her around in his arms, enfolding her in a fierce embrace as
he soothingly ran his hand over her back, pressing a kiss on her
hair while murmuring all the reassurances she needed to hear.
Fuu's hands clenched on his shirt front as she buried her
face in his chest. She had put on a brave front throughout the
entire ordeal - only now did she allow her defenses to crumble as
her tears fell unheeded down her cheeks. She was tired... tired of
running, tired of pretending to be brave, tired of trying to make a
sense out of Gryff's twisted logic... she was just tired of it all.
"I missed you," she whispered on a sigh, nestling closer to
him as her arms wrapped around his waist.
He didn't answer. Instead, he angled his head down to softly
brush his lips against hers. She startlingly pulled back from the
brief but sweet contact. His amber eyes gazed solemnly down at
hers; soon, she found herself touching his lips with her
fingertips, leaning up on tiptoes to skim her lips against...
"Stop it, you two! I'm too young and innocent for this!"
Fuu immediately blushed a fiery red while Ferio drew out his
sword and drew her behind him.
"Man, take it easy, I'm on your side!" Zazu explained,
motioning with his hands as if to fend off Ferio's suspicion.
"Zazu, what happened to you?!" Fuu exclaimed, taking in his
bruised eye that was starting to turn blue-black. Suddenly, she
turned to Ferio and saw his sheepish expression.
"I... ah... thought he was trying to stop you from escaping
so I..."
Zazu intervened before Fuu got it in her mind to start
blaming Ferio, "Hey, it's nothing, man. Given the circumstances, I
couldn't blame you if you thought that I was one of the bad guys."
"Red Alert... Red Alert... The GTO has been launched without
authorization. Guards proceed to section 3, an intruder has been
sighted in the said area. Seal all possible exit routes
immediately."
"Damn, they're on to us. You two better get outta here!" Zazu
pulled down a lever, the door opened to reveal the open skies.
"But what about you?!" Fuu cried as Ferio carried her in his
arms, bracing himself for a jump.
"The most they can throw at me is suspension, I wouldn't
worry about that if I were you," he explained with a lopsided grin,
giving her a wink and Ferio a jaunty salute.
"Hey, sorry 'bout the eye, and thanks," Ferio shouted as he
leapt down with his lady and landed squarely on the back of a huge
four-winged bird.
________________________
"Lantis!!!" Hikaru screamed. Her voice was almost drowned out
by the clashing blades of the two swordsmen. She stopped dead in
her tracks and choked back a sob when she saw him bleeding.
_Oh my God! Blood... so much blood, Lantis..._
Lafarga turned and blocked her path, he loomed over her,
immovable as a mountain and twice as rugged.
"Lafarga, you've got to stop them!"
The Dal looked down at her with a expression that seemed like
pity or maybe even regret, but he simply shook his head in silent
refusal.
Hikaru was filled with dread as she watched the two warriors
parried each other's blow. She didn't spare a second thought for
her actions, her only objective at the moment was to stop the
fight.
"Hey! What the...?"
Lafarga turned to see Hikaru take a sword from one of the
castle guards standing nearby, her eyes flashing with determination
as she ran towards the duelists. Lafarga went after her, he grabbed
her swordhand and forced her to drop the stolen blade.
"Let me go!" she screamed, twisting her wrist from his grip
but to no avail. "I must stop them!"
"Gryff!" Geo maneuvered his mecha in a low pass over the
crowd gathered below, causing the two fighters to break apart. "I
got some bad news for you, buddy - I just got out of detention!
Care to check it with the NSX, Commander? Seems to me that your
hostages just got rescued, too."
Lantis retracted his light blade, since Fuu and Umi were now
safe, there was nothing to keep him from withdrawing from the
match.
"Fight me, dammit! What are you? A damned coward!" he shouted
at Lantis. But the Kailu only shook his head and walked away.
"Damn you, Geo!" he muttered darkly. "I'm not finished with
you yet, Lantis," he delivered as a parting shot before he ran to
his mecha and boarded the cockpit. He put on his visor and raised
the GTO on the tacnet.
"Okay, Geo, you want a piece of me. Come and get it."
Geo was psyching himself up to face whatever Gryff was
planning to dish out. Suddenly, all the instruments on his console
started acting like crazy.
"What the hell is going on here!!!" he heard Gryff cursed
over the net.
The very air seem to change in texture, as if the very fabric
of time and reality was about to be ripped wide open. The clouds
gathered in a tight spiral and a blinding ball of light dropped
from its center. It grew in size, increasing in volume 'til it
exploded, bathing everything in a golden light.
________________________
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