http://clampfix.fanworks.net/kenichi/magi4-15.txt </head><body><pre> "Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy." F. SCOTT FITZGERALD, The Crack-Up Chapter Fifteen The lance precented a half-crescent as it arced over the other Mashin's head. I threw my elbow straight at him during the turn, but didn't connect. It was almost as if I myself, rahter than the Mashin, who was fighting. Kore's body moved naturally to the rhythms of my fists and feet. Dis' wings swung forward and met me in a hail of feathers... Feathers like razor blades, cutting into the Mashin's steel skin. My steel skin... Mind strengthening...focus on the task at hand... A clawed fist tore into my field of vision. It was like a steel fist to my nose...complete with stars. Another blow to the midsection. I grunted, but tried not to feel it... So this is what it's like to be fighting inside a Mashin... Makes no sense at all... Why wear a huge piece of armor when everything that hits still hurts? The clawed hand of Dis screamed down toward my head. Instinctively, I whirled the lance to parry the blow. Big mistake... I let out a burst of air as the other hand, the one hidden from view, decided to take some space in my...Kore's...torso. The sky with its blacks, blues, and grays whirled around like a kaleidoscope before my eyes. What a rotten way to die... Kore and I crashed to the ground like a meteor, devastating a great part of the forest along with our fall. It hurts...damn, it hurts... <We cannot give in now...> I raised my head just in time to see a metalshod boot cover my face. The lance must have been lost somewhere; I suddenly realized that I no longer held it in my hand. The sky turned into the earth as I landed face first into the soil once again. I felt a heavy weight stomp on my back. And the voice of a magus triumphant. "Do not think that you alone can beat me, Knight. After all, it took three of the four Knights to beat Zagato, didn't it? What actually made you think that you could win all by yourself?" The voice was strong and confident. Other people would probably lose hope by now. I know I am. But Dis' monologues are just so damned annoying..... Roll. Kore's metal body pitched violently, throwing the dark mage's Mashin off-balance. I let myself twist a couple of times before rising to my feet. Incredible how such a large Mashin could move with a human's speed. "OHO! This is MUCH more like it!" I was suddenly seized with the desire to make Dis' face look worse than Clef's. [Siren's Hurricane!!!] The winds enveloped me, taking their life from the earth, increasing in size until it was twice as large as the Mashin itself. "So, you finally decide to let me taste your power, eh?" The dark mage's Mashin folded it's hands in a show of contempt. An opening. Now, while he... {Siren's Hurricane...} What the.... The other Mashin was also encased in a pillar of wind, and raced for me. No time.... Must attack... [Siren's Hurricane!!!] I propelled myself forward and met the other Mashin head-on. The sky exploded in jellybean colors as punch after painful punch met my body in the whirlwind. Now I know how Clef must feel... Plummetting... Earth flew upward in all directions as Kore's body hit the ground backfirst. It felt like someone whacking my spine with a baseball bat. An aluminum baseball bat... The Dis Mashin was still unscathed. "Don't make me laugh, Knight! Have you forgotten I was once posessor of Kore and the powers of the earth? I'm not that stupid! I know all of your spell attacks because they are mine." The Dark Mashin glowed with the earth energy as I pried myself out of the hole Kore had made in the ground. {Raging Geyser!!!} The sound of my own spell being thrown back at me was horrifying... "Counter it, Ken! Counter it!!!" [Raging Geyser!!!] The two bursts of energy exploded a safe distance away from me. I muttered a silent thanks to Zagato. "Two can play at that game, Dis!!!" The dark Mashin clapped its hands. "Excellent! So being a master of destiny is not totally predictable then! Come and make me laugh!" After I tear your Mashin to shreds, I'm going to strangle you, Dis. Your'e even more annoying than Zazu... Zazu. Dead, like everyone else. My fault. No matter what I do here, it's always my fault. My eyes met the Dark Mashin's stare. Mine and yours, Dis. We're both to blame for what's happening to Cephiro. One or both of us are going to die today. A scream rose out of my mouth as I charged full tilt at Dis. Both Flaming Dagger attacks met in the air before us, neither one hitting their mark. I followed my attack with a left hook. Lucky; it connected, sending the Mage sprwaling about the landscape. The extended battle was taking it's toll; I was already desperate, as my body began to succumb to the fatigue toxins I had built up, while Dis was taking every blow I threw at him without even slowing his pace. I gotta end this...now... I let fly with another blow. Parry... It was grabbed by the Mashin's arm. I felt the blood vessels in my own veins burst as pressure was applied to Kore's arm. I tried to break the hold....my strength was gone; Dis, however, seemed almost limitless in his reserve. I didn't even have enough strength left to curse. "It's been fun, Kenichi Kaeda. But I really must continue on my mission." Claws extended from the Mashin's hand. The claws went straight for Kore's chest... My cockpit... The Heart of the Mashin.... No, damnit! It can't end like this!!! Blood painted the walls of my chamber as I felt the cold blades tear into my chest. Dark, almost black, blood. The darkness took me before pain. Mira... I'm joining you soon.... "Ken....." The voice.... I know that voice... Rough, strong, good-natured and gentle. Gara...? "Don't tell me your'e giving up so easily..." I tried to open my eyes, but saw nothing but darkness. And the voices... "...You came this far. You swore to see it through to the end..." Gara, I'm sorry... "Do not care for us; we are dead. Help the living!" A strong female voice...? Chi...? "It is not your time just yet, Magic Knight." But I lost... I can't do anything anymore... "Kenichi..." Mira...? "Kaeda Kenichi, Magic Knight of the Earth, master of Kore the Unicorn and wielder of the black escude, listen to me...!" Mira's voice....But this time interjected with another's... "You will not die! Cephiro needs you...!" I can't fight Dis anymore; he's right. I can't fight destiny... "Yes you can. You will. Please, do it for the ones you love!" The ones I love are either dead or not here. How... "I believe in you Kenichi..." Mira..... "We believe in you..." My eyes fluttered open to see Mira' silhouette... Wait... Another silhouette superimposed onn Mira's... My eyes flew wide open. Emeraude. Princess Emeraude. "Zagato..." "Kenichi..." <We all believe in you, Ken...> the pain raced back to me as I lifted my head in small, agonizing increments. My hands clasped in reflex as I fought every shattering nerve crying out of my body. Lance... My weapon stood upright, one tip embedded in the soil. I grasped it tightly, propping myself into a standing position. The Dis Mashin recoiled in shock as it saw me rise. "What...? Impossible!!! I tore out your heart!!!" Fresh blood cascaded down my body from a cavity in my left chest. I fought the urge to look. "Dis.... I swore I'd kill you.... I always keep my promises..." I hurled the lance at the dark Mashin. A silent prayer to Presea's weaponsmithing... Obey. It split into two sections, each a weapon in itself. Twin arrows piercing the enemy Mashin's legs, pinning him to the ground. Dis screamed out of surprise, but not pain. "What in the...You think pinning me down will stop me...?!?!?" Kore's voice danced within my head. <You must use one more technique, Knight. I pray you use it well.> Understanding... I let the knowledge fill my mind. One final spell. One that could save Cephiro or end it. The earth's force. Known as "Dragon Currents" to Feng Shui practicioners. Source of the Earth's life and energy. And when the Mother Earth rages, woe be to all who live upon it. "I know what your'e thinking Dis...about the prophecies on the Palace wall....They won't come true..." Dis jeered. "If you kill me, you will destroy Cephiro as well. You know that." A morbid smile came to my face. "Only if I want to destroy Cephiro..." "What...!?!?!" The earth's energy was flowing through me madly now. I could even feel the tassel on Kore's helmet rise from the ambient power I held. And still, it wasn't enough. "You think that if you make me angry enough to kill you, you'll win, right Dis?" "How...you..." I picture Dis's face must be one of complete shock by now. "You yourself said it. You are destiny, and the fact is that you were once the master of Kore..." The earth was beginning to rage. "You want to destroy Cephiro because destiny demands tha pillar system be reinstated, right?!? Start again, from scratch, start again with the four Mashin and the four Knights to do the killing, right?!?!?" Dis was absolutely terrified by now, as he tried vainly to relieve himself from the lance. My weapon held him fast and mercilessly. "How did you know...?!?!?" "No one remembers the past as well as the earth itself does... It is the constant observer, forever watching what happens. This cycle...Pillar, Mashin, absolution of Pillar, destruction, rebirth...It all has to stop!!!" "You'd be insane to try! The only way you can stop that is if you kill me, and you can't do that without destroying Cephiro yourself!!!" He was probably right. The attack Kore wished me to use was incredibly powerful; It could well doom all of the people in Cephiro. But I hoped that my plan would work. I summoned my strength into an attack. But not the one Dis was expecting. [Raging Geyser!!!] My fist burst into the ground, and the earth around us erupted in violent spasms. It was going to work. Dis was still stupefied as the area which was our playing field suddenly burst upward, supported by a pillar of water millions of miles into the sky. the power was immense, as evidenced by the fact that we were thrown into the dark realms above the planet. Chizeta, Fahren, and Autozam were bright glowing stars in the distance, cheering me on. Dis was aghast, unable to find his proper footing on the tiny islet. "You... You can't do this!!!!" "Can't I...?" I let the earth speak to me. It obeyed. One final burst. One last attack. All or nothing. If I succeed, I win. I fail, we all lose. [Earth's Fury!] Black became shattering white. The dark Mashin eroded into the light. Kore too, began to fade away, her steel skin turning into shards of white dust, floating in the darkness. <Thank you... Thank you....> Then her voice ceased to be. Silenced forever. Another death to add to my sins. Ahead... The dark figure of Dis... Being approached by another figure... Zagato...? "Thank you, Ken...." The dark mage and the dark priest looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity, floating above me like spirits in a dream... Zagato's voice, bitter at first, softened... Prodigal son returning... "Father....Iv'e come home...." And then the light took them both. Only myself and mine armor.... I watched as the pale blue world of Cephiro welcomed me into her arms once again. Blue, like my own Earth. Whole and undamaged. The prophecy denied. I did it. I defeated destiny... Weariness crept through me as I felt the warmth increase. Dropping back into Cephiro's atmosphere. Blue. Welcoming. Mira's world. Mira was Cephiro for me. I've kept my promise to Mira. To Hikaru. To everyone. I closed my eyes for what was to be my eternal rest. Falling... Icarus, his wings melting... Into the blue beauty of his beloved world.... Hands...? Small, gentle... Yet firm... "Ken-San!!!!!" Voices.... Small hand holding mine. A face. Face of someone I trusted and cared about. "Don't let go!!!!" Why? I've done my duty. Let me rest now... "Iv'e got you!!! Fuu-San! Call an ambulance!!!" "He's slipping!!!" Let me go, please...I don't want to go on anymore... "No, I've got him...!!!" All this noise.... Just let me go... "Ken...!!! Don't die!!!" I just want to rest now... The darkness claims me once more. But this time, I find no more agony or question. Only sweet, gentle peace... And silence... </pre><p><a href="./">Back</a></p><p><a href=http://www.dreamhost.com/donate.cgi?id=216><img border=0 alt="Donate towards our web hosting bill!" src=https://secure.newdream.net/donate1.gif></a></p></body></html>