Intermezzo on the Wind
Chapter One: Return to the Forest
**********
What a way to work around things.
A slight wind whistled through the network of bristly oak trees and
rare to a world fauna at the turn of dawn. Albeit the cheery chirps of
morning birds and innocent squeals of the tree jumping squirrels, only
a few sounds could be heard. The sound of feet patting a monotonous
march into the distance, and the flocking of a withered cloak, rustled
by the quiet breeze.
These were the makings of Millia Rage.
It had been over a whole year since that fateful day. The day of that
tournament. The day that Millia had confronted Zato-ONE. The day of his
defeat.
It was obvious to anyone that Millia had believed that her duties and
ties to Zato-ONE had been severed that day. But how far from the truth
could that be? Even though she had successfully beaten her nefarious
other half, her guilt from her master’s fate took its toll on her.
After months of maddening dreams about that shadow’s grim fate, the
force of her only conclusion hit Millia.
Kill Zato.
It was the only way out. The only way to settle the score. Unless she
could finish him by her own hand and put him to rest, the pain of the
remorse would not die.
At the end of the entire struggle of fighting and chasing, Zato’s fate
had been decided. And indeed, death was the path he would now walk. Yet
still, that was not enough for Millia to feel truly free from
Zato-ONE’s influence.
His shadowy corpse needed to be put back into the soil. As long as the
shadow known as Eddie paraded that rotting cadaver across the world,
Millia would never have the freedom she so desired.
It was time to end the saga of Zato-ONE.
As Millia’s slow walked led her out of that serene forest, and the hood
over her cloak fell behind, her beautiful sapphire eyes gazed out at
God’s wonderful creation. The vast countryside in which the animals ran
wild and the wind grazed the emerald tinted land. A bright beam of
sunlight cut through the willowy clouds hung high in the sky,
highlighting the majesty of the sight gracing Millia’s eyes. Hard to
believe that just six or so years ago, this beautiful area was
tarnished by the harsh chains of war.
But to her, this scene served no more purpose than to remind her of the
life that awaited her on the day of Zato’s burial. A life she so longed
to embrace.
“Zato...” Millia breathed in heavily from simply thinking this. “It
will be all over soon enough. You and I shall finally rest in peace.”
“That ‘peace’ you desire may be your reckoning, you know.”
Millia swerved sharply to her left as a very gruff and hoarse sounding
voice spoke to her. Her keen eyes narrowed down on a fairly tall man, a
pipe lodged in his mouth, a unique cross-shaped tie adorning his chest,
with an archaic monocle over his left eye. With his left hand in his
pocket and a knowing stare, Millia observed this man’s disposition
closely. Even though this man did not appear to be all that
significant, the ex-assassin’s hair buzzed with intent.
That was reason enough to know that this man was not to be taken
lightly. “Who might you be?” Millia asked. “And what business do you
have with me...?”
“Forgive me. You are Millia Rage, I believe.”
Millia nodded. “That is correct...now what do you want?” A more urgent
thought came to mind. “Are you an assassin?”
Slayer pondered that for a few seconds. He had been thinking about it.
“No...but in some respects, you could regard me as such.”
The moment she heard that, one of Millia’s elegant hand clutched onto
her ashen cloak and tossed it aside, in preparation for what was to
come. Though the Assassin’s Guild was in a critical state, they still
found time to send more drones after her.
Slayer saw this and eased back. “Don’t be so hasty now. I am not here
as your executioner.”
Millia’s eyes thinned out. “So then why are you here?”
The wind picked up again, with an ominous howling. “I came here to put
Zato’s body to rest.”
“I’m afraid that’s my responsibility.”
That had Slayer curious. More of a curious prodding followed this. “Is
this so? What exactly does he mean to you?”
Millia clenched her fist as memories of the past came flooding back. “I
could not possibly hate him enough.”
“...Is that all?” Slayer asked.
A biting anger set into Millia. Who was this man to intrude into her
business? “Enough talk! I have things that I have to attend to. Now
stand aside.”
Slayer did not move. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. You must realize that
the shadow is in control of his corpse? Zato is dead. Why not let this
go?”
“I cannot.” Millia said. “I have to finish him myself.”
Almost out of reflex, Slayer cracked the knuckles of his right hand.
Things always had to be this way when dealing with humans. “I see. I
assume that you cannot be swayed then. Well in spite of that, I still
have my duty to fulfil as the founder of the Guild.”
This man was... “You...are Slayer? Well...I understand why my hair has
been so uneasy now. But I have come this far, I do not have the
strength to turn back after all I’ve done. Forgive me.”
That was it. Even though Millia didn’t like fighting people like this
she had to put Slayer out of her way. The sooner she finished off what
was left of Zato, the better. Millia ran forward at Slayer, as he stood
quietly for Millia’s strike. With all the skill a highly powerful
assassin could muster, the blonde’s hair sharpened out into the form of
a sleek dagger, sharp and tearing in its appearance. Millia lunged
forward with this attack at the ready, clearly having Slayer in her
sights. But then she blinked as Slayer’s now transparent body edged
forward slowly and then disappeared.
{What the...?}
Millia slid into a stop, and her hair went back into its normal
configuration. But the second Millia did so, she yelped as Slayer’s
fist, encircled with the mystical energies of the ages, knocked into
her back with a deadly precision. In the instance that Millia felt
contact, her blood ran cold. There was much more to this man than meets
the eye.
The force pushed Millia forwards, her shoes dragging along the cold
blades of grass scattered around the grassy fields. She lowered herself
to one knee then risked a look over her shoulder. Slayer was not in a
fighting stance. He wasn’t even serious about this battle at all, yet
he threw a punch that powerful...
Slayer was not a commonplace fighter in any way.
“You...really are the founder...aren’t you?” Millia asked.
Slayer simply nodded. “Yes.”
“Why are you protecting him?” Millia asked again. “Don’t you understand
what he is?”
“I am not protecting him. But he is a reflection of your fate you know.
Not now but...if you continue to pursue him...you will follow along his
way.”
Millia managed to stand up. “I will not become like him.”
“As long as you chase him...and if you allow yourself to rely more and
more on that hair of yours, you could very well be meeting a similar
predicament.”
Millia suddenly gripped her waist. Hard as it was to believe, this man
had struck her there in that previous clash. To throw a single punch
then hit two spots at once? What kind of creature was this 'Slayer'?
The blonde woman groaned, then collapsed to her knees. tense feeling,
a sensitive tingle slipped through the marrow of her bones. Slayer had
effortlessly brought Millia to her knees. None the less, she could not
allow herself to be defeated. Or allow Slayer to surpass her in pursuit
of Zato.
"Damn!" Millia barked. "I was too careless..."
Slayer adjusted the pipe overhanging his jaw. "Carelessness and
recklessness go hand in hand, my dear. You and I know that a person's
fate can only be detirmined by that person themselves. I will not
lecture you on how to run your life... but simply take this as a... a
warning. You are cursed by a set of shackles born from your
subconscious. You see the death and destruction of the black one as a
key to your freedom. But this is simple a means to strengthen that
which imprisons you. Cast aside your shackles, or face being trapped in
them forever."
Millia's hand shook. "What are you talking about? Stop speaking in
riddles!"
"I think..." Slayer mused. "That following a path toward the answer
will give you better understanding of my words. A simply explination
from a stranger such as me would never really ease you."
Millia stamped her fist in the ground as Slayer began walking away.
This man had bested her as though she were nothing. He had the nerve to
tell her how to live her life using his twisted words, and now he shows
his back?
"Come back here...!" Millia cried, digging her fingers into the earth.
There was no reply. In the sudden blink of Millia's sky blue eyes, that
man known as Slayer was gone, no trace of him left. Though Millia might
have found a way to pursue him, that oportunity was not open to her.
What she now had to consider was her own health. The former assassin
felt a twinge in her stomach, and her body reacted in turn. Her pink
lips seperated and her throat regurgitated, throwing up over the grass
of this outer territory. Whatever Slayer had done, he had done it to
disable her, most likely to stop her from chasing after that walking
corpse. Had she only studied her enemy better, she might have been able
to defend herself against that strike. But now it was too late. Slayer
had the advantage in the race toward Zato-ONE.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Do you think this is a good idea, Johnny?”
A slow solitary finger traced its way along the map. Just as the others
had been, April spread across the small wooden table she stood beside.
The map was of the lower world, miles below the strong metal wings of
the Mayship. I didn’t matter how many chores she finished up on the
main deck, nor did it matter how well she performed them, she always
found herself navigating the maps. It was a boring and un-lively
process, but it had to be done. Luckily, alternation between
crewmembers of such tasks was still happening on this ship. It just
happened to be that April’s turn was today.
The young brunette sighed. While Johnny was manning the rudder,
observing the skies through the massive glass window adorning the
bridge, some of the other girls were around the room, either helping
out Johnny with details about the degree of depth or even simple
details about the strength of the wind there weathervane was picking up
on.
Johnny looked over at April, his hands still gripping the rudder. “What
did you just say, April?”
“I said,” April repeated herself with slight irritation. “Do you think
this is such a good idea?”
“What is?”
“Taking Dizzy to the surface so she can... visit that guy.” April
answered.
Johnny looked back curiously. Though all members of the crew, big,
tall, cute, small, none of them were as fussy about Dizzy as April was.
It was strange in a certain way, but Johnny really couldn’t place it.
“It’s what she wants, April.” Johnny supplied. “She’s earned it really.
Nobody works harder than she does, and hell, after all that business
with the psycho-guitarist, can you really blame her for wanting to get
away?”
April looked downwards, back at the maps. “I know... but she hasn’t
recovered from that fall yet. She hides it, but I can tell.”
“You should stop worrying so much about her, you know. Besides, she
wants this.” After instruction on a dip in angle, Johnny made an
adjustment to his grip on the rudder. “Not that I’m Testament’s biggest
fan, but he helped us get her back. It’s no surprise she wants to see
him again.”
April just shrugged. “I guess so.”
It was then that Johnny looked back at April and noticed something. The
heart of a woman was not an easy thing to dissect, but it was fairly
easy to read. The normally cheerful and vibrant April had been acting
like a shell just recently. Johnny accurately guessed that it had
something to do with the Mayship’s troubles with I-no and Dizzy. And
after the crap that Johnny and May went through to get Dizzy back, it
was really no surprise that they all felt a little uneasy. Thankfully,
they needed to land again to pick up the basic essentials, food and
fuel, the general supplies that the Mayship consumed with its
overpowering self. Thus presented the perfect oportunity to blow off
that proverbial steam. Of course, there was a snag, and that was that
Johnny wasn't going. He had left a lot of flight duty to the other
girls in the crew while pursing I-no and Dizzy, and in some respects he
felt responsible in overworking them. Johnny was a stern captain, but
he was not heartless. If his girls needed a break then it was only fair
to give it to them.
"Hey, April." Johnny began. "How would you like to go with her and the
rest of the girls?"
April blinked. "Huh? But I didn't ask for..."
"I'm giving you permission." Johnny said with a smile. "After all, I
can handle things up on the bridge, as long as I have a few other of
the girls with me. May and June are going too, plus the dropships need
another run through."
April smiled sweetly. "Thanks, Johnny."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Oh yeah! Kuradoberi is back in business!"
The Chinese cook smiled with glee as she strode around the freshly
re-designed kitchen of her new restaurant. It had been one hell of a
struggle, descending back into the madness of bounty hunting, and it
had taken its toll on Jam in more ways than one. But finally she earned
enough money to build her new restaurant. Three months it had taken.
Three agonizing, toil-filled months. But in the end, she had finally
gotten there. Kuraboberi's stood proud and strong as it's older sister
had done though short few seconds it had existed before.
The young woman checked everything. Every possible detail that could
not be ignored. The pots, pan, woks and kitchen utensils had to be on
the razor's edge. The floor and surfaces had to be as clean as whistle.
Even the ovens and cookers had to in tip-top shape. No less was
expected for Jam Kuradoberi. But, luckily, the people whom had built
restaurant from the cinders of the old one, had spared none of their
powers of design. Tough job as it was was, they had made everything to
a level that was, in Jam's opinion, mildy satisfactory. With a probing
sigh, she ran the tip of her finger along a chopping bourd on one of
the many counters. She looked at her finger. Not a hint of dust or dirt
on it.
"Perfect." Jam mumbled privately. "As soon as my lazy staff get here, I
can-"
Wham. Jam blinked as she heard a strong sound of a bang at her door.
The young chef swung her body around and looked at the kitchen door.
This one led out into the alleyway, where usual deliveries of food and
spice were made by the merchants who lived within the confides of the
village.
"They're here already?" Jam questioned. "It's still early, though."
Rather than worry about without need, Jam grabbed the bull by the horns
and walked to the door. She clasped at the knob and then swung the door
open, to see who was there.
"I thought you guys were coming at... what the hell?"
Jam groaned with struggle as a cloaked figure stummbled through her
back kitchen door and collapsed into her arms. It took a little effort,
but she managed stand this person up a bit and maintain her own balance
at the same time. Not that Jam was evil or anything, but she was not
going to put up with that.
"Who the hell are you?" She demanded.
The cloaked figure said nothing, just instead, removed the hood of the
cloak itself. Jam eyed the person curiously, when they turned out to be
female. A woman, obviously a little older than Jam was, and blonde too.
Her slightly stained lips moved slowly, whispering a few simple words
before she lost consciousness.
"H-Help... me..."
**********
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