Episode X: Angels and Demons
Ichi numbly poked her food as she sat in the cafeteria with the rest of her comrades and friends (actually, calling them Friends would be a stretch, as she had barely known any of them for a year). It was the same relative din floating around the room, and even though Ichi was surrounded by people, she still felt… lonely. The cause of her loneliness was simple enough: even though she was loved and accepted by all the people of the Angel Resistance, she still felt like the odd one out, the one distant from everybody. And then, there was Tobi to consider…
Ichi wanted to throttle the person that coined the phrase “Absence makes the heart grow fonder”. Never had she felt more distant from anybody than right at that moment. All her friends from Sion IV, her family, and the one woman she had known and love since preschool days…… they were all gone, either lost forever in the obscure rivers of space, or else their ashes were scattered in the wind. She was alone now, the last of her kind in a way, and even though the people around her did their best, it was difficult to comfort her.
She was at least glad that the fearsome Demon’s Twenty was no longer around to deal with, especially their most dangerous weapon at all, a human-like creature named after his number in the organization. That was all he appeared to be, a mere number meant only for one purpose, and absolutely adamant about fulfilling that purpose. He had been a terror all his “life”, but Ichi had the capabilities to destroy him and anything else that threatened the livelihood of her colleagues.
But how did I come about to having these powers? she would always wonder. Somewhere between the attacks on my colony and when I woke up with the resistance, I was “changed” forever, given these radical abilities that allowed me to wipe out even the strongest members of the Demon’s Twenty without effort. I’m thankful for them, of course, as they saved my life and the lives of all my new friends--I just want to know where I got them. I most certainly didn’t ask for them, nor did I even want them--but now that they’re a part of my life, I may as well use them properly.
These people are counting on me, though I don’t know why. It’s my responsibility to teach them, train them, and protect them from creatures like Thirteen and those other Demons. I don’t mind, as it gives me a purpose, and it keeps my mind from wandering too much… but… I’d like to know who or what did this to me. Damn it…! Why can’t anybody give me answers??!!
Oh… I’ll bet that Thirteen knew. He seemed to know, at least. Too bad he had to explode into tiny little bits. Oh well, I’m not going to cry over it. I’d rather be safe than have that knowledge and be in some kind of trouble. But damn whoever did this to me! I’m barely eighteen frickin’ years old; I’m still a frickin’ kid!! I don’t need these responsibilities and burdens placed on me just yet!!
“Hey, pretty lady, snap out of it!” Ichi stirred out of her daydream as she was nudged by Xyphon, the half-bird half-man creature who was one of her closest friends in the resistance. He called most all women pretty, whether they liked it or not, so it didn’t bother Ichi. He had a serious look on his face as he shook his friend.
“You looked ready to break this table in two!” he exclaimed, looking worried. “Is something going through your mind?”
“…Yeah,” she replied honestly. Xyphon didn’t need to be told what it was.
“It’s about your little lot in life again, eh? Well, none of us have any answers, I’m sorry. You’ll just have to sort things out as best you can.”
“…Yeah…” He smiled at her lackluster conversation skills and tipped back a cup of soda.
“Just try and eat. You can worry when it’s time to worry; now you should eat, because it’s time to eat. Maybe later we can find some poor dope to vent all your frustrations out on.” Ichi couldn’t help her smile, and looked over to her friend so she could share it.
“Thanks. I’m gonna need it. Sorry for throwing a pity-party.”
“Hey, if anybody needs it, pretty lady, it’s you! (Gulp!) Ah, good stuff. Jeez, but whaddya gotta do to get more??”
“Ask?” offered Ichi wryly. Xyphon gave her a nasty look. “Or else get it yourself. You’re so lazy.”
“You’re depressed, I’m lazy, and Gerrand is never in the mood for fun. We’d make a bizarre team in life, wouldn’t we?”
“And you talk too much,” said Ichi as she drank from her cup. Xyphon muttered something bitterly, but Ichi didn’t hear it as she took her tray and cup and disposed of them. Xyphon was right; she needed something to beat up.
Ichi usually wore a long, lightweight coat, made of a gray material to distinguish itself from her milky-white complexion. She resembled a ghost with her skin, hair, and even her eyes giving off an ivory glow, and the only way anyone even knew a human was there was by the coat or else the light gray makeup she wore. In the training room, however, she took off her coat and threw it on the floor, revealing little more to cover her smallish chest than a T-shirt.
Since most everybody was still at lunch, Ichi walked over to a punching bag and pushed it gently, testing its weight. As it swung back to her, she gave it her strongest kick, ripping through the material and sending the sand inside pouring out. She sighed as the floor became dirtied, and with a single chop, she finished the job and cut the bag loose. It fell to the floor, making even more of a mess, and Ichi sighed as she figured she ought to clean it up.
“Forget this,” she muttered as she turned her back on the fallen object. She quickly found a rack with very heavy weights on it, picked two up, and began to perform the martial arts routines taught to her by her friends. Her mysterious powers enabled her to perform many feats that were impossible to other humans, but even the greatest sword could be sharpened into something greater, so she honed her flexibility and fluid motions as she slowly waved her hands around, each carrying an 80-stone weight.
She had not closed the training room doors, so anybody could come in and join her if they pleased. Ichi was concentrating on her movements as somebody came through the open doors and into the room with her, so for awhile, she didn’t see them. However, as she turned around to dispose of the weights, her crystal-colored eyes spotted her visitor, and widened in surprise. She numbly dropped the weights which crashed into the floor (breaking two holes into it in the process), and swallowed as she dared to believe it be true.
“To… Tobi? Tobi, is that you?” A sunny blonde woman, roughly the same height and build as Ichi, smiled warmly and nodded her head, sending her hair flowing like wheat in the wind. Ichi’s crystal eyes grew moist, and a smile that had been dormant for many months now was coming out of hiding to grow. Without a second wasted, Ichi ran towards the blonde and embraced her tightly, being sure not to exert too much power on the other woman.
“Oh, Tobi! Tobi, Tobi! I… I…” The blonde chuckled and placed her finger over Ichi’s mouth, smiling warmly as she silenced her.
“No need for words, Ichi,” she whispered. Ichi sighed with happiness as she heard the honeysweet sound of her girlfriend’s voice, and every memory she ever kept locked up in secret came back to her, beautiful and pure and warm as all those lost summer days. Ichi quivered, and fearfully placed her crystal eyes into Tobi’s blue, her pale hands on the girl’s light-pink skin, her shaky breath mingling with her calm sigh.
“Is it really you, Tobi? You… you have not changed at all, precious…”
“But you have,” smiled the other woman. “What’s the matter, did you fall in a bag of flour or something?” Ichi chuckled and wept at the same time as she heard a joke from her dear friend, and drew the woman in close so she could smell that same familiar scent of the ocean in her hair.
When she inhaled, however, she smelled lavender instead.
“You’re not Tobi!!!” Ichi fiercely thrust the woman away from her, her eyes wild and her face scarred with deceptive betrayal as she stared in horror at the woman. Tobi moaned slightly as she got back up from the floor, and shook her head as she peered at her dearest friend.
“Ichi, why did you do that? I thought that you would be overjoyed if you saw me!”
“Damn you, you tricked me!” snarled the pale woman. She ran towards the blonde and delivered a crushing kick right in her stomach, sending the woman reeling backwards in agony. As she wheezed for breath and tried to stand up once again, Ichi exposed the fake for what she really was.
“You’re a shape-shifter, aren’t you? You look like Tobi and you talk like Tobi, but you sure as hell don’t smell like her! I knew her better than anybody, and I know for a fact that Tobias Kay Faraday never used lavender shampoo! That woman was just too superstitious to change from her same old ocean-scent brand! She never used anything else in her life, which is something that only I would know about! That was a big mistake, shape-shifter!!” The creature posing as Tobi growled, and sensing its defeat, tapped its face with the palm of its hand, revealing itself.
The creature’s true form was that of an angel--or at least an angelic creature. It had wings and a heavenly aura to it, except that one of its two wings was like a dove’s, and the other was like a raven’s. He was taller and a little more heavyset than Ichi, with a stern look on his face and a fire in his emerald eyes. The creature crossed its arms and spoke, a deceptively-gentle voice unfit for his divine frame.
“Seems I’m dealing with smarter prey than usual. Doesn’t matter; I’ll win you over yet.”
“Dealing with prey?” she mimed in confusion. “What, are you a bounty hunter?”
“Of a type, yes. I can be if the situation calls for it.”
“Okay, so who sent you? What, is it somebody who wants to take revenge for what I did to the Demon’s Twenty?”
“Not revenge,” he said casually, “just… you. I wasn’t told why. I’m just getting paid to take you in to Madame Galaga Starik, alive and undamaged. I’d like to fulfill her request as accurately as possible, so I tried luring you in with an illusion. May God forgive my incompetence for neglecting that single minor detail!” Ichi snorted, and stood in battle position as she studied the angelic creature.
Tobi had once told her that all true angels were beings of shapeless form, neither male nor female, and that they radiated with a blinding fire. Oftentimes they had footwear of bronze, and their wings were not usually those of animals conceivable by humans. They usually had more than one set of eyes. The fact that this creature had a light wing and a dark wing made her doubt its divine origins even more.
“Well, that single minor detail has caused you to fail,” she growled quietly. “Tell me, who are you?”
“Just Matthew Dark. Not a very original name; not like yours, anyway. Come now, are you going to fight or come peacefully?”
“I’m needed here,” indicated Ichi with a jerk of her head. “These people need me. It’s a turbulent life, but at least I’ve got a purpose and people who’ll be there for me. I don’t wanna give it up just so I can follow you to this… Gala-whoever-it-was.”
“Galaga Starik.”
“I don’t care. Leave at once, or I’ll force you to leave!” The angelic creature with an ordinary name, Matthew Dark, sighed in defeat and sat down on the hard training room floor, crossing his legs. Ichi stayed up, studying him as he sat and lamented about something.
“This is getting me nowhere. I can’t fight you because I won’t get the reward if you are injured, and I can’t leave or else I’ll have lost my money. Indeed, we are at an impasse…”
“I could just kill you,” she offered darkly. He looked over at her and shrugged.
“You could… but it would be in cold blood. I have not made any moves to attack you, not even to inflict harm upon you. Would it really stand well with your morals if you slew me, even as I sit here pondering over what to do next?” Ichi frowned darkly--or as darkly as her colors would allow--and relaxed her body. Carefully, she walked over to the mysterious creature and sat down next to him.
“You said that Galaga Starik sent you?”
“More or less. Why?”
“Well, I heard from a few friends of mine that she teamed up with the nobleman Kagai Shazou, and also the infamous underworld kingpin, Grady Dorina.”
“Grady Dorina??!!” At the mention of the old tyrant’s name, Matthew jumped out of his seat and tensed up significantly. Ichi slowly rose up to join him, not sure what sparked the sudden emotional change.
“Yes… you know him?”
“That man is an enemy of mine!” snarled Matthew fiercely. “He has been orchestrating several of the most terrifying acts of depravity this galaxy has ever had the horror to record! I know, because I have friends who swear to it on their own blood! Have you heard of the slave camps they illegally set up on Inferno?”
“…No.”
“What of the hostile takeover of the Space Station over Mint?”
“Never heard of it.”
“Surely you have heard of how Olto was completely taken over by his own daughter!”
“…I’m sorry.”
“The bank of Chimera was sent into financial turmoil!”
“Nope.”
“The plans for making a large adamant-powered weapon with the capabilities to destroy whole cities?”
“It’s news to me.”
“He is in league with Gz’roxi!” Now this caused Ichi some concern, as she showed a fair amount of surprise. With the infamous name of Gz’roxi known to most everyone in two separate galaxies, Ichi finally understood what kind of person Matthew Dark was fighting against.
“…I’m sorry for doubting you,” she whispered slowly.
“And I must also apologize for what I have done!” he exclaimed, his face perspiring slightly. “I almost aided the very man I despise! Lady Ichi, can you forgive me?”
“You can make it up to me later,” she muttered as she took his hand. “For now, I’d better alert everyone of where I’ve been. They worry about me if I don’t report very often; think of it as me being a child in a room full of parents. C’mon.” Ichi hastily walked Matthew through the hallways and corridors back into the main room, not concerned at all that she was leading an utter stranger through the secret base of her comrades. Matthew certainly wasn’t making stuff up when he was talking about his enmity towards Grady, and mentioning Gz’roxi’s name was nothing that a person did casually.
Ergo, for the moment, she had to trust the angelic man.
----------
Ichi blew out a weary breath as she and Matthew patiently waited for the elevator to rise up to their level. It didn’t matter how many years of technological advancement went into the thing; it would still be painfully slow. Matthew had considerable more patience than Ichi, who paced back and forth as he kept his arms quietly crossed. The man was a very quiet type unless something needed to be said, and then he only said what was necessary.
Finally, the elevator let out a little ping, and the doors slowly opened again. Ichi froze, however, as she saw just who was standing in the car. Standing as tall and muscular as a giant, his spiky black hair and concealed green eyes giving him a more devilish appearance, hidden underneath a sharp business suit and an aura of dark mystery, was the Demon’s Twenty’s fiercest member, its Thirteenth.
Ichi was so aghast at seeing Thirteen again that she was paralyzed, too speechless to even croak. Matthew Dark seemed to recognize the tall man as well, and produced a long fighting dagger from his belt. Thirteen smiled, stepped out of the elevator, and greeted Ichi with a bow.
“The reports of my demise,” he murmured, “were greatly exaggerated. And now, dearest Ichi, you must be wondering why I am still alive.”
“I was… about… to get to that…” she managed. Thirteen smiled again.
“Well, let’s just say that… thirteen is a very lucky number for me. I was injured in that explosion, but definitely not killed, oh no. It will take far more than that to detour me from my objective.”
“And what’s that?” she asked, getting into fighting position again. Thirteen kept on walking towards them, his smile never leaving as he took step after lumbering step.
“Just the same as always, that’s all. Oh, I’m not going to try today. I’ve gotten significantly stronger since the last time I saw you, but I’m sure you have, as well. It’s not the time yet. Oh, and don’t think that I’m the last of my kind: the Demon’s Twenty has been revived.”
“You mean they survived, too?” she whispered fiercely. Thirteen shook his head.
“No, I was the only one. They were weak, too weak to continue, so you did well in disposing of them. No, there is a new Demon’s Twenty, a new lineup which consists of the deadliest fighters, the most cruel barbarians, the most cunning minds, and the most ruthless of creatures. A few of them are almost as terrifying as myself… or the people who assembled them.”
“I can guess who they might be,” she spat. “So what do you want? How did you get in here?”
“Oh, I have my ways,” he sang gently. “And today, I just wanted to greet you, keep you on your toes, make sure you haven’t forgotten about me. I know that I have not forgotten about you, my beautiful twilight moon. We shall cross paths again, Ichi, but when you least expect it, and in more… violent terms. Well, good-bye.” He snapped off a sarcastic salute, and with a single leap, he broke through a window in the room and fell into the distance, where he vanished in the misty clouds hovering beneath.
Naturally, Ichi followed him to the window, and leaned over to see what became of him. The wind outside blew at her long white hair, freezing her with its chill and getting a bit of moisture on her pale face. She withdrew from the window, hugging herself out of fear and cold, and wondered what was going to happen next.
“Miss Ichi, perhaps we should inform your colleagues of more than just your safety and my arrival,” suggested Matthew. Ichi took a shaky breath (having forgotten about him already), agreed, and pressed the button for the elevator again. They both had to wait as it ascended up to their level, but this time around, Ichi didn’t mind.
She had some thinking to do.
Closing comments: Thanks go out to Darkangel for Matthew Dark. If I haven’t said it before, I’ll say it now: I’m no longer accepting any more characters, no matter how good they are. I have enough. So sorry--but not to worry, this will be a good opportunity for everyone else to write their own interactive story! Preview of next chapter: Max’s message is decoded, Silvara finds her niche, Captain Lazarus meets a girl, and Eien tries to reach out to Kit--aww, how sweet! (I think)
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