Delirium (part 9 of 9)

There’s times when one believes that something special is going to happen. It is more of an intuition, a feeling in the middle of the stomach that keep swelling, swelling, and swelling until it’s like a conflagration, a fire burning inside. A feeling that you just know that something important will transpire, an indescribable sensation. Something so hard to describe, but it exists, it exists—

They met.

It just happened; there was no way it could have been planned. She turned around and suddenly her eyes locked onto hers. She felt her muscles tense. Around them, time seemed to have frozen—it might as well have, seeing how they had no use for it. No use for such a fickle entity between them. There was surprise in her eyes as well as in the other’s. She wasn’t too sure which one of them gasped, but one of them did.

Perhaps, somewhere in her mind, she knew that there was a possibility of meeting the other on this day. It was the thought in the back of her mind, the true reason why she decided to come to Fuuka Gakuen. She already rehearsed her lines so many times, ready for that small possibility of a chance encounter. But she never expected for it to come this suddenly, this abruptly. It just couldn’t be…things don’t…weren’t supposed to be this way…they were supposed to be like…something else.

It just happened. They met on this Saturday afternoon. What were they supposed to do?

For some reason, they both instinctively went to that flower garden. For some reason that resonated deeply within them. Somehow, they knew that the other would be there in their hearts, but that didn’t mean that their minds couldn’t be shocked at the outcome. Shocked into silence with their tongues lodged, unmovable, in their mouths, eyes locked onto the other’s, unable to turn away.

Why, they thought, why did it happen as it did? Was it supposed to be this way? A chance encounter in some cursed school that held far too many pleasant, awful—pleasantly awful memories? Memories of a past, present, and a soon-decided future would soon begin to mix together, churning in this moment.

Neither knew exactly what to do. But one of them was guided by a malevolent spirit. That spirit knew the meeting was going to happen, sooner or later. She was waiting for this chance. Therefore, she wasn’t going let it pass by.

It would all be decided on this cloudy day.

*~*~*~

Shizuru’s tired, blood red-colored eyes stared unyieldingly at Natsuki’s. Before she could make a move or open her mouth, however, Natsuki shouted.

“Shizuru!”

The way she said that name, that forceful tone that was so customary to that woman—the delivery was strong, full of purpose, the emotion that was carried through—it resonated deeply in the Kyoto-native who came, as requested by the Chairwoman and school board, for a meeting held at the academy. The voice was so strong, so unlike that other time when Natsuki had shown up in her office. This time, Natsuki knew what she wanted and was not going to be caught off guard again even if their encounter had been unexpected. She had gone to the academy on a whim and was led, by her memories, to this place where she had first met the golden brown-haired woman.

But not only had Shizuru hardened her emotions towards Natsuki; she was not herself. It was only partly her who only stared at her with emotionless eyes; the other part was the one that had finally fallen into Kiyohime’s sway.

“Hello Natsuki,” she heard her own voice say with a tone that was sharper than a knife and unnaturally calm. Something she wasn’t feeling; she was in turmoil. But not quite…something inside of her whispered to her, things that made her mind go blank and muscles tense, ready to fight.

“Shizuru! I want to talk…” The voice is drowned out by the familiar sound of an Element materializing.

Her only reply to the half-formed sentence was a single word. A name. The name of Shizuru’s greatest benefactor, her greatest enemy:

“Kiyohime.”

There was a great roar that resounded through the Academy. The air around them crackled with energy. Her long, golden brown hair swayed in the unnatural breeze. She saw with eyes that barely saw. Everything around her was hazy. But the sound of her beast, her Child, cut through the mist. The deformed ghost shrieked.

Natsuki’s eyes became hard. Determined, unyielding in a fashion that was different from Shizuru’s; her emotion was clear as the other’s was muddled. She wasn’t going to give up. She was ready to fight for what was hers. Her Elements appeared. Her twin revolvers were pointed not at Shizuru, but the ghost.

“Give her back.”

“ANCHIN!” The beast shrieked. Both she and Shizuru rushed at her.

She easily dodged the ghost’s attacks. Her madness made her actions predictable. She shot a few freezing rounds. The ghost’s hands were frozen solid. She could not savor her victory as Shizuru’s extending naginata forced her to roll from harm’s way. Before she could regain her balance, however, the former President of Fuuka Gakuen swung again, the flat of the blade knocked into stomach; Natsuki felt her breath escape her as she went flying.

The Element was then swung again, but she was ready. She flipped in the air and shot twice. The power of the shots forced the blade to stray from its intended course and Natsuki landed softly on her feet, unhurt. She ran forward, shooting inexhaustible bullets at Shizuru.

Shizuru calmly deflected every single one of her attacks, never getting hit. When she found an opening in Natsuki’s defense, she swung her Element. Her attack was expected and this time Natsuki used the blade like a springboard and leaped into the air with the inhumanly grace customary of the HiME.

She landed behind Shizuru. By this time, Kiyohime had freed herself. The ghost was screeching again but, before she could do anything, Natsuki shot her with speed and power she didn’t knew she had. The jaws of the Child were frozen, along with much of her bottom half. Before Shizuru could turn, she embraced tightly from the behind. One arm around the other woman’s waist, the other wrapped around her neck with both hand and Element touching her cheek. Despite the situation, the blue-haired woman reveled in the contact. Words could not describe how much she missed it. Instead of slowing down, her heartbeat began to beat faster, faster than it did even during battle. She felt the older woman’s do the same; her heartbeat racing, matching hers.

“Shizuru.” She murmured into her ear, hoping her voice would reach her.

It was then she felt a sensation so familiar to her. It had been so long since she felt it, but how could she forget it? The feeling of power building her up, so strong, stronger than she had ever felt it. It burst from her inside; the magnitude was enormous. It first coursed through her Element, traveling through the arms that held it, and then the rest of her body. Her hair blew wildly in the summoned energy as her body was swept with a familiar, inviting cold. It could only be one thing.

Duran, her Child, was back.

The wolf-like beast let loose a howl. The sound was so pure, so strong. The ice around him shattered into pieces, surrounding him thousands of glittering pieces. There he was, nearly ten times the height she had first seen him, towering over everything around her. He had shed that cloak and the shell that encased him and returned to his original form. He had nothing to hide from. Now, he was so much more fearsome, so much more powerful than he used to be. This was the form he was meant to be in. And this was the strength that she fed to him, something she could’ve done so much sooner. The strength of her conviction.

Shizuru looked up in shock. And then, she pushed Natsuki away from her. She caught it only for a second, but she saw a glimpse of tears in Shizuru’s eyes.

“Do you hate me that much?” She whispered softly, looking off to the side. The comment seemed out of place, thought unfinished, likely the result of Kiyohime’s manipulation. Shizuru had paused and seemed to be listening to a voice only she could hear. However, her indecision lasted only for a moment before her gaze hardened into an expression that was colder than any ice Natsuki could ever summon. The grip on her Element tightened as she moved into a fighting stance. Shizuru was now serious.

“Kiyohime.” Shizuru uttered her adopted Child’s name with dark red eyes. The ghost instantly shattered the ice that once bound her and transformed. The giant snake-like being matched Duran in height. She hissed angrily at the other Child, rearing her six heads.

Natsuki barely dodged Shizuru’s blindingly fast slash. She ran, trying to put distance between them, shooting at the burgundy-eyed woman at the same time. While she excelled at martial arts, she wasn’t stupid enough to fight again a weapon with the insane reach like the other woman’s Element. Her former lover pursued her. Her naginata was a blur as she continually blocked every bullet that came her way.

Near them, their enormous Children fought their own desperate battle. Duran fought valiantly with his claws and fangs against the independent six heads. He was more suited to fight at a farther distance but he currently didn’t have that luxury.

Natsuki instantly knew that something was wrong as she ran deeper into the campus, avoiding the attacks that followed her. She felt like she was being lured somewhere, directed. However, she didn’t have the ability to change the path. She was far stronger than her teenage self, but so was Shizuru. At this point, they were fighting to a standstill although, because she was spending so much effort running away, Shizuru was able to manipulate the direction of where she ran.

One of Kiyohime’s heads shot towards her, the adopted Child’s incredible mouth was open, ready to crush her. But she easily leapt onto the head, avoiding the attack, and ran along the back of the summoned beast. A second head came after her and she managed to jump onto that one as well and leap off of it. It was when she was unprotected in the air that the third head whipped forward. Thankfully Duran’s paw came stomping down onto the head while his tail blocked the attack Shizuru had just executed. Natsuki landed safely on the back of her Child. From above, she directed one of her Elements at Shizuru, and the other at Shizuru’s Child.

Unfazed, Shizuru only looked up at her with empty eyes. Looking into those emotionless eyes, Natsuki could barely recognize the woman below her. It was her fault that the other woman was like that, a shade of her usual vibrant self. The grip on her revolvers tightened even though Natsuki looked away.

Seeing that her adversary had lost her focus, Kiyohime attacked. The six heads went hurtling forward. Out of instinct, Duran bucked Natsuki up into the air as four heads crashed into him. The other two managed to redirect themselves upwards towards where Natsuki was, mouths open, ready to tear her apart in their menacing jaws. They came too quickly; she didn’t have a chance to evade this time.

Suddenly she felt something wrap around her—it was Shizuru’s naginata—and then throw her. Her back crashed painfully into the glass of the church windows and yet the sheer momentum of the throw caused her to continue to travel. With another quick stroke, Shizuru’s Element cut through what held the bell to the top of the church, causing it to fall just as blue-haired woman flew underneath its shadow. Natsuki slammed into the underside of the bell, landing in a crumpled heap of flesh and bones. She was badly shaken although it didn’t seem like any of her bones were broken. Her Elements had disappeared. And with them, Duran.

Oddly enough, it seemed that she wasn’t being attacked anymore. Outside, the movements of the others had stopped. After she had picked herself up and regained her balance, Natsuki slammed her fists into the bell that she was trapped underneath. The bell barely budged. She was about to summon her weapons again before a voice stopped her.

“Do not bother. It will not work.”

Surprised, Natsuki turned around. It seemed that she wasn’t the only one trapped under the bell.

*~*~*~

Outside the once well-kept building, Kiyohime let out an angry hiss. All her eyes were directed at Shizuru.

“Why did you do that? I almost had him!”

Shizuru brought her naginata down to her side. She closed her eyes and said:

“I will not let you have Natsuki.”

Her voice was soft; her eyes had focused. She even had her trademark gentle smile on her face as she turned around to face the ghost.

“You understand why, do you not, Kiyohime?”

The only answer was an angry screech.

*~*~*~

“W-who are you?”

The monk smiled. The expression was more forlorn than happy—like he was ashamed of himself.

“I am Anchin, the pitiful fool.”

“Eh?”

Sitting behind her, the monk only continued to smile dejectedly. “I am the one that created the monster you are now fighting. I do not know how to apologize for my grievances.”

Natsuki blinked, trying to grasp the ordeal she was put under. With a sigh, she sank down and sat facing him. It seemed that she had time and she might as well attempt to understand her situation better.

“So you’re the monk from the legend?”

“Yes. I am the one that she continues to cry out for, even after all these years,” he sighed. “No matter how many times she possesses, manipulates different girls, it always ends up the same. They and their loved ones are always brought here for her revenge. I am trapped here, helpless, only able to watch as she keeps recreating our past with different players.”

“Why?”

The monk looked down, lost in the story he was telling. “She is consumed by rage; all she wants is to make me suffer. Killing me and everyone around me in the past was not enough; she continues to stay in this world and makes me watch as she drives, no, possesses others and forces them to feel and act upon the same desperation she feels. She knows that is the best way to continually hurt me. And yet, I cannot rest without her. I have to stay until I know that she is safe from herself.”

Here another smile was given. “It is rather pathetic. Although I left her, in reality, I could not. I never could.”

Natsuki continued to listen patiently. “What happened in the past that made her so angry at you?” she probed lightly.

“I do not remember why, but for some reason, we fell in love. But I was afraid. I was so used to my life as a monk that I did not want to give up the stability that it offered. At the same time, I could not give up my relationship with Kiyohime. I kept her by my side because I sincerely liked her, wanted to be with her. I was planning to escape with her but, at the very end, I balked. I feared what that powerful emotion made me do and had made me do. And then, I left her waiting for me even though I had no intention of going back to her. Not a day passed that I did not think about her…but…

“It was Kiyohime that came for me, not the other way around. But, by then…she was now the monster you see. And so I am stuck. Trapped here as you now see, Kuga Natsuki.”

The parallel between her and the monk was uncanny. But perhaps that was a part of the reason why Shizuru had been chosen as the ghost’s medium. Natsuki felt a slight pang of pity for the ghost.

“So what are you going to do now?” She asked.

“Nothing. I can do nothing.” He replied. “Forgive me, you and your love one will both fall to Kiyohime’s wrath. I can only pray that you both will be reunited in your next life.”

Natsuki could not help scoffing. “That’s it? You’re not going to even try to change anything?”

“I have tried before. Countless times. I…I can not take it anymore, believing in others and then watching them helplessly get crushed. Goodbye, Kuga Natsuki. I will remember you.”

Out of impulse, before she knew it, Natsuki had stood up and somehow grabbed hold of the supposedly corporeal monk’s robe and slammed him against the side of the bell. “It’s not going to end like this. We’re stronger than this.”

There is a pause and then the monk raised his head.

“I have to admit, your precious one has lasted longer than most. Even now she is still struggling to regain herself.”

Natsuki grinned. “Then I just have to help her.”

“W-wait! You can not just—

Too late. She had already summoned her Elements. The pistols glowed as they made contact with Anchin while the ghost became dimmer and more transparent. It was as if he was be sucked into her weapons. Natsuki felt a foreign sensation in her, a new kind of power enter her.

“And you’re going to help me—Duran!”

She didn’t know exactly how she did it, but even without contact with her Key, she felt the familiar power stir in her and then was released, summoning her Child. The sheer size of Duran as he emerged from the ice beneath the church destroyed the building just as she shot and broke the bell that she was trapped under.

Both Shizuru and Kiyohime turned around, even as they were locked in their mental battle for control.

“Impossible.” Shizuru whispered just as Kiyohime cried out, “No!”

“It’s time to redeem ourselves,” Natsuki said softly. The Anchin-possesed Duran nodded. Then, in a louder voice, she shouted.

“Go!”

The ghost shot out from Duran just as Natsuki shouted out:

“Duran, load silver cartilage.” The wolf-like Child took aim. “Fire!”

She wasn’t exactly sure how she knew or that she completely trusted Anchin, but her actions were instinctive. She just knew that Anchin, after giving her the power to summon Duran again, would release his hold from her Child and go after Kiyohime just as she knew that the monk would somehow manage to pull the remains of the innkeeper’s daughter out of the Orphan before Duran’s attack hit.

It all happened within a few heartbeats yet that moment seemed to be played in slow motion—Anchin, with his arms open, passing through the body of the possessed beast and coming out with Kiyohime in his arms, the snake-like Child then reverting back into the grotesque Orphan version of itself just as the weapon in Shizuru’s hand disappeared…however after that time seemed to return to normal. There was the sudden, explosion of Duran’s silver cartilage attack hitting the now Orphan.

If she had blinked, Natsuki would have missed the image of Anchin, still embracing a very content, human looking Kiyohime, in the sky. She swore she saw him give a grateful nod. However, when she blinked, they were gone.

Finished with his duties, Duran bent his giant head down and whimpered for attention. The action made Natsuki smile as she walked towards her enormous Child and patted his nose.

“Thank you,” she said.

With an affirmative bark, her Child also disappeared. And that left…

Turning, Natsuki faced Shizuru, who was determined to look everywhere but at her. In fact, in that rare unguarded moment, the blue-haired woman could tell that the other was about to run away.

Natsuki laughed nervously. The clouds were getting darker and darker. It seemed like it could rain at any moment now.

Shizuru looked up, at her. Oddly enough, her gaze seemed hopeful although there was a sense of fragility there, as if she wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

That made the two of them.

Seeing how Shizuru wouldn’t speak, Natsuki decided she had to be the one to take initiative.

“Um. I think we should talk…”

The look Shizuru gave her was incredulous.