Quicksilver�s Quill Offers:
Pawns
Mbsilvana@yahoo.com
Disclaimers:  KKJ isn�t mine, but you should know that
by now.  Arina is the genius behind it, and Full Moon
wo Sagashite, which I currently am plotting for!
Dedication: Um� for the man on the moon.   Cause he
seems a lot more accessible than most of the guys I
end up dating!

NOTE: Not recommended for those of you who are not
fans of shoujo.  This is shoujo to the extreme.



	�Maron!�

	To her surprise, Maron slept better than she had in
months.  When Fin woke her up the next morning, she
rolled over, prepared to swat the pesky juntenshi away
so she could go back to sleep.   To her surprise, her
hand was caught in a light grasp.

	�Maron, that�s really not nice!� an amused voice
said.   �And you have to get up.�

	Something about Fin�s voice sounded wrong.   Maron�s
fuzzy mind didn�t quite grasp what the thing was, so
she opened her eyes.  �Fin� go�Fin?� she whispered,
wondering if the stranger in front of her really was
her angelic friend  

	Beside her bed knelt the most gorgeous woman she had
ever seen.   She looked like a full-sized version of
Fin Fish, with hair that would reach to her ankles
were she to stand up.   Her gown of white and green
floated around her like a pool of quicksilver,
accented by gold ribbons and jewelry, and the face had
been honed into perfect beauty.   She wasn�t cute�she
was breathtakingly beautiful.   Looking upon her would
cause sinners to repent, and atheists to believe.  
Such a marvel could only be sculpted by God�s own
hands, and Maron was taken aback.

	This� was Fin Fish?

	Right now she was holding Maron�s hand in hers.  
�Maron� we need to talk,� she said.   �You�ve slept
long enough.�   Her voice had deepened from its
high-pitched squeak into a deeper soprano, one that
sounded like a well-tuned harp.   Bright green eyes
regarded Maron as she jerked upright as she roused
from her surprise enough to move.

	�Fin?� she whispered in shock.  Part of her mind knew
that it was, but another part couldn�t believe it.

	The angel dropped Maron�s hand and folded both of her
own against her breasts in a praying position.   �I am
the True Angel, Fin Fish.�   She smiled at her
confused charge, and it was full of love.   �The time
for concealment is past.   There is no more confusion
among heaven�s ranks, and enlightenment has been
bestowed.  It�s time that you and Sindbad work
together.�

	Maron looked at her and blinked again, wondering if
this was trick. �What?�   Her mind was still reeling
from the shock of seeing Fin larger than she was� and
beautiful.  Fin was cute; Fin was her friend.  This
new Fin was someone who inspired awe and worship, not
teasing and bickering.

	Fin�s eyes were deep with sorrow and concern.  �It�s
time, Maron.  It�s time to shuck aside the lies, and
embrace the truth.  It�s time to for you to speak to
Sinbad, and understand why he has acted as he has.� 
Fin reached out to touch her, and Maron flinched away
instinctively. 

	The angel appeared wounded. 

�I�" Maron said, trying to express the confusion in
her heart, but unable to find the words.
	
�Maron� are you afraid?� the angel asked, her eyes
concerned.  She raised her folded wings, and spread
her arms wide.  �You must trust in yourself, and
embrace the world� Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne, the chosen
wind of God, has nothing to fear!�

	�I am not!  I am Jeanne!  I am courageous!� Maron
pronounced, throwing the covers off her bed.  She went
over to her dresser and yanked her clothes out, and
raced to the bathroom, ready to take a quick shower
and get ready for the day.  �You go tell Chiaki to be
over here in an hour�I know he can see you.  I�ll make
breakfast then.  We�re going to settle this, right
now.�  Her eyes flashed dangerously as Fin rose to her
feet.  �And he�s free to bring Access, too!  I feel
like hitting something right now!�

	Fin blinked, and starting giggling.  �Hitting Access
is my job!� she protested.

	Maron looked at the beautiful angel, and saw the
juntenshi inside the beautiful true angel who appeared
before her now.  �Fin� I don�t care WHO I hit! 
Someone is going to get it!  I have to miss school
again!�

	She was going to skip school�again.  Math tests
didn�t matter, compared to saving the world.  Still,
she doubted the teachers would be understanding.  

	Fifty minutes later, she was setting the table,
wondering why she was acting like nothing had changed,
and she was merely inviting Chiaki over the breakfast
he had always trying to worm out of her. It was sadly
ironic that he was finally getting what he wanted,
over this. 

	The doorbell rang, but she made no move to answer it.
 It buzzed again, and she sighed.  �Fin, get the door!
 If it�s not Chiaki, I�m not home!� she called.  It
was so weird to be able to send Fin to get the door,
but it was nice to be able to rely on someone else.

	There was the sound of the door opening and the quiet
murmur of voices, but Maron forced herself to tune
them out.  She grabbed the pan out of the stove and
set it on the stove, waiting for it to cool.  She
grabbed a spatula and spun towards the door, waiting
for her guests to arrive.

	Chiaki stood in the doorway, and he was staring at
her with carefully shrouded eyes.  She nodded to him,
and pointed to a seat, the one furthest from her. 
�Sit,� she commanded.  �Breakfast will be ready in a
second.  Orange juice okay?�

	He murmured an affirmative and took his place. She
grabbed the pitcher of freshly mixed juice placed it
on the table, set the dish on the table, and cut four
neat pieces before spooning it out.  �This is
something that I don�t know the name of, but Fin likes
it as much as I do,� she stated.

	�What�s in it?� he asked as he poured himself a large
glass of juice.

	�Bread, eggs, milk, cheese and ham, and then you
bake.  I assume Access eats?�

	�Twice as much as I do, even when he�s in kurotenshi
form,� Chiaki replied with a weak smile.

	�Where are they?� she  asked.

	�We�re here,� came a deeper voice than she had been
expecting, and Access Time walked in, in the form of a
true angel.  Maron dropped the spatula.

	His midnight wings swept the floor as he walked, and
his golden eyes looked like two miniature suns burning
in his pale face.  He, too, had lost the cuteness he
once had, and had been sculpted into a figure of pure
beauty.  He wasn�t handsome; he transcended it.  His
body was draped in clothing unlike anything she had
ever seen and his sharp-features promised heaven if
only you believed.  There was a sense of danger to
him, though, that Fin Fish lacked, and Maron glanced
at Chiaki, and realized that Access and Fin held the
same contrast Sinbad and Jeanne did.

	Still, they were complements.  Seeing the two angels
together was like seeing a jigsaw puzzle fall into
place.  Fin and Access took the seats on either side
of Chiaki, and picked up forks, murmuring prayers over
food before digging in.  Maron picked up the spatula,
set it in the sink, and then turned to Chiaki.  �Fin
says� that the demon is Named.� 

	Chiaki took a bite of his breakfast.  �I suggest you
eat�you�re going to need your strength,� he stated
calmly, before taking a sip of juice.  

	Maron�s temper flared.  �I�m sick of being told what
to do!  I want to know what�s going on!  I want to
know how long you knew I was Jeanne!  I want to know
exactly how dangerous this demon is, and how to Seal
it!  I want to know why you were playing with me, and
whose side you�re on!�

	�I�ve always been on God�s side� and your own,� he
said.

	Maron ate a little, though she had no appetite.  �Why
are you� Sindbad?�

	�Because magic has always been my gift� and the
demons steal magic from the earth.  There are two
paths the world has been fighting between�� he lowered
his eyes, �magic and science.  My family has been the
only thing, sometimes, that�s kept magic alive.�

	Access glanced over at Fin as he finished his first
piece, and grabbed a second.  �Not all the angels in
heaven agree on the best path.  I serve Uriel-sama. 
Fin-el serves Gabriel-sama and Michael-sama.�  He
turned his eyes to Maron.  �Still, we all oppose the
devil, in our own way.�

	Maron�s head throbbed, and she gave up all pretense
of eating.  �Fin talked about combining our powers�
what does that mean, exactly?

	Fin answered.  �You�ll make your final
transformation.  We�ll set up the conduit� but you and
Chiaki will be the ones who have to change on your
own� and once you change�� Fin�s voice broke off, and
Access dropped his fork, so he could take her hands in
his own.

	�We�re like the safeties,� Access Time said, even as
he looked at the angel seated across from him.   �Fin
and I allow you to use power from God, but keep your
human bodies from being overwhelmed by it.  This time
you and Sindbad are going to ask for the power
directly� and it will consume you.�

	�What does that mean, exactly?� Maron asked
nervously.  

	Fin Fish looked at her charge.   �It means that you
can never be Maron again�there will be no way to
transform back.�

	She blinked, trying to process that knowledge. 
�Couldn�t I just die my hair and wear contacts?� she
asked.  

	Chiaki shook his head.   �Jeanne and Maron are two
distinct people.  Everything about you will change. 
No one will recognize you even if you physically look
the same as Maron, your fingerprints will be
different, and even your aura will change.   Haven�t
you noticed?�

	�Huh?  Aura?� Maron asked.

	�It�s the sum of your being.   You don�t think the
same way when you�re Jeanne, and I don�t think like
Chiaki.   Sindbad is much more serious and less prone
to laughter.  Jeanne is much more confident and more
likely to take chances.   It will be like Maron and
Chiaki died.�  Chiaki�s voice was soft, and she heard
that dread that laced it.

	�I�ve been helping you tap into your future self,
Maron,� Fin admitted.   �I knew that this was a likely
outcome, but we really didn�t have a choice.  The
demons needed to be sealed, and you have the same soul
as Jeanne d�Arc.   You are the one God trusts with the
task.  Access is part of the other faction of angels
who tries to give the humans more and more
freewill�but that�s what caused Lucifer to fall in the
first place.   I was part of the group that didn�t
like what he was trying to get Sindbad to do, so
Michael-sama sent me to reawaken you.  You were the
only one who could go against the scion of Merlin and
win.   Jeanne is the only one with that much power. 
You�re not the first reincarnation of Jeanne, but you
will be the last.�

	�Last?� Maron asked, trying to assimilate what the
three were trying to tell her.

	�If you succeed, you�re going to become the Kamikaze.
  Jeanne d�Arc didn�t�if she had, she would have
lived.   The Kamikaze is immortal.�

	Chiaki watched her, seeing the realization of what
immortality mean dawn on her.  Her eyes wavered in
fear, and she shivered slightly, even though the room
was warm.  �It won�t be an easy path, Maron� but we
have no choice.�

	�We?� Maron said, lashing out.  �I hear no �we� in
this! I transform, and get stuck!  You transform,
change back, and lead a normal life!�  She rose to her
feet and leaned into his face wanted to claw his
expressionless face.

	�You think that�s the case?�  he asked, and this
time, there was a sense of rising anger in his voice. 
�I am your compliment, Maron!  How do you think I am
going to make this transformation?  Do you think that
I will be able to help you without paying a price
myself?�

	�Chiaki�� she whispered, pulling back from him
slightly.

	His brown eyes flashed, and he grabbed her arm
tightly.  �Maron� I am not happy about this!  I wanted
to be a doctor!  I wanted to do something with my
life, but when you become the Kamikaze, I�ll become
the Tsunami!  There have been prophecies in my family
about me for a millennium�do you know what that�s
like, growing up with people expecting that of you? 
You had a normal childhood� I never did.�

	Access placed a calming hand on Chiaki�s shoulder,
and the angel�s touch seemed to take the anger away
from the teen.  �Chiaki� you�ve had your entire life
to adjust to this possibility.  Be a little kinder,
okay?�  Then his amber eyes shifter over to Maron. 
�Still, he does has a point.  Being the heir of Merlin
is not an easy burden to bear.�

	�Merlin?� she said, recognizing the name.  She, like
most girls, had gone through a phase where she had
been obsessed by Camelot and the Arthurian mythology. 

	Chiaki blushed and for once seemed embarrassed, but
Access fluttered his wings and puffed out his chest. 
�I have been the guardian of the heirs of Merlin!  
Chiaki�s family is of Merlin and Nimue�s direct line,
and Chiaki is the culmination!� Access pronounced.

	Maron blinked.  �You mean� Chiaki is��

	Chiaki seemed to be considering how to phrase it. 
�The earth is, in her own way, sentient.  She has
chosen a champion to match the Kamikaze, and I�m it. 
When you make your transformation, I�ll make mine�and
there�s no going back for me, either.�

	She knew she shouldn�t rejoice, but a small, selfish
part of her did.  She was supposed to be pure; she was
supposed to be God�s representative on earth, but the
knowledge that someone would be sharing her fate gave
her strength.  She wasn�t going to be alone.

	�Access�I want to talk to Maron alone.  You and Fin
can start the prayers you�ll need�� Chiaki said
suddenly, and she shivered slightly, wondering if he
had seen the selfish part of her.  �Come,� he ordered,
holding out his hand.

	She took it, and was surprised at how gentle his
touch was.  He led her to her bedroom and shut the
door, before releasing her grip so he could produce
his rosary.  Compared to her elaborate gold one, his
simple wooden one was almost laughable, but she could
feel its power.  �Maron� Do you really understand what
this means?  Did Fin ever tell you what becoming
Jeanne would do to you?�

	Her eyes filled with tears and she sank to the floor.
 �It means� it means that I�ll never be Kusakabe Maron
again.  It means that I�ll never go to school, or have
a normal life.  It means that I�ll always being
fighting a cosmic battle, that no side will ever truly
win.  It means� I�ll never reconcile with my parents�
and I�ll never see my friends.�  She placed her head
in her hands and allowed herself to mourn, for the
first time, the loss of everything she cherished.

	Chiaki let her cry for a few minutes before bending
down and cupping her chin between his fingers.  �You
also will have the chance to change the world. 
People�s lives will be better because of you� and I
will help you,� he promised, brushing her tears away
with his thumb.

	She gave him a weak smile, but it came from the
heart.  �I know� and thank you.  I�m just.. Chiaki�
It�s selfish of me, but I�m glad I�m not alone.  I�m
glad it�s you who�ll follow this path.�

	He helped her to her feet.  �And only for you would I
accept this destiny.� 

They looked at each other, clutching their rosaries.  
�It�s odd to think this will be our last
transformation.�  She looked at Chiaki, memorizing his
face as it was.   Even if they survived this battle,
only their alter egos would remain.   Maron and Chiaki
would be gone�only Jeanne and Sinbad would remain. 
�I�m afraid,� she confessed.

	His chocolate eyes met hers.   �I�m scared as well,�
he said, brushing her bands back from her forehead.  
�Are you going to leave a note for Miyako?�

	Maron looked down at the ground.   �I was thinking of
it, but� I just can�t.   How can I tell her that I�m
Jeanne?�

	�Can you live with never seeing her again?� Chiaki
asked.  �Can you live with her not knowing what became
of you?�

	She winced.  �I�ll have to, won�t I?   Her friendship
is one of the most important things to me, but what is
our friendship compared to the lives of thousands of
people?� She paused and raised her eyes, meeting
Chiaki�s gaze squarely.   �If Miyako knew what the
circumstances were, she would encourage me.  She
believes in protecting the weak.�

	�Even at such a cost?�

	�There is no cost,� Maron said firmly.   �I may not
seem her the way I used to, but I�ll always love her,
and know that she once loved me.   That�s the precious
thing about friendship, real friendship.  Our hearts
are always together.�

	They nodded, and he leaned over and kissed her
quickly.   �I admire you.�

	�I love you,� she confessed in return.   She held her
breath, waiting for his answer.

	Chiaki seemed to expand, and fill the room.  His eyes
became deeper. Suddenly she was in his arms and her
head was pillowed against his chest.  �No matter who
you are, I love you, too,� he replied.

	They stayed like that for an eternal moment, before
she forced herself to withdraw from his arms; it was
one of the hardest things she had ever had to do. 
�Come.  Fin and Access are waiting for us.�



Notes:

Credits, as always, to Elysia for being a beta.  She�s
simply so outstanding.  I wasn�t sure about this part,
but she reminded me that is necessary for the next
one- which should contain more of the action I adore! 


The meal Maron fixes is actually a Christmas tradition
in my family: bread, eggs, milk, cheese and ham, throw
in a secret mix of spices, leave it out overnight,
bake it and voila.  I am not a fan, but everyone else
looks forward to it�Maron didn�t let it set, but this
is fanfic.  ^_~  We�ll assume it�s just as wonderful
as people say it is.

THIS IS AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE!  I have stated that
REPEATEDLY.  FANFICTION.  Stop pointing out
canon�you�re not going to get it. Sit back,
reader-san, and enjoy this for what it is.

Feedback is appreciated�just drop the canon issue! 
Fanfiction is different, remember?


=====
Don�t ask of me to tell you where I�m from. 
Don�t bury me in the lost yesterdays. 
Don�t stop me any further. 
Even now in my heart sleeps, my dream that like a storm is still raging. 
I Want to Become the Wind
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Quicksilver/
http://www.midnightrevolution.org/quicksilver/

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos & More
http://faith.yahoo.com

             .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----.
             | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com |
             | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com |
             |     Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject     |
             `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'