http://clampfix.fanworks.net/kenichi/rayfic10.txt </head><body><pre>"The real hero is always a hero by mistake; he dreams of being an honest coward like everybody else." UMBERTO ECO, Travels in Hyperreality Chapter Nine: Shield I found myself talking to a wolf. In the dead of the night, a mile from our destined point. It was desert; we had pitched camp here for the night. Rafaga and Mira were probably asleep. And I must be dreaming myself. It was on fire; No, the right term would have been that it was MADE of fire. A wolf of fire. Rayearth. He who knows the person I love most well. <Is that still what you feel?> The question was so abrupt I had no defense against it. "Pardon?" <Do you REALLY care for Shidou Hikaru?> My thoughts were mixed once again. I remember the time when Chi used her illusions to trick me into seeing Hikaru. I felt love, but I felt passion as well. And lust. All of these feelings I felt when I held what I thought was Hikaru in my arms. The desire I accepted; I had always wanted to be with her. Love? Certainly so. I wanted to care for her more than anything else in the world. It was the lust part that I was ashamed of. Do I really care for Hikaru? Or is that just my ID talking? Does it really matter? <Yes, it does matter.> I opened my eyes then. I had gathered an inkling about the personas of these Mashin, and it all fit together. Umi and Seles. Fuu and Windam. Now, Hikaru and Rayearth. Within the lupine face lay the flashing eyes of an innocent but strong soul. A fierce and pure heart, no less. The Mashin were merely extensions of the Magic Knights themselves. Each one was not only like them, they WERE tehm, as if the Mashin were the deepest, truest image of their own souls. If that is so... What was my Mashin like? I looked to Rayearth. The wolf lay down like a tame house pet, lifting its eyes to mine. <You care for her very much. That is why you do this.> Rayearth crooned a purpose to my life. <You are here because you love her.> My eyes fluttered, skeptical. "I don't get your meaning." I sighed. What else is new? <You are not here because of force, but of your own choice. Deny it you may, but that is still the truth.> The wolf's snout drew close and nuzzled my forehead. I could have sworn that it was actually smiling. <Once you accept your other self, you will understand it all. You will do what is needed becuase you will understand it.> I frowned. "If you're going to teach me another magic trick, forget it. I've had too many deaths on my hands..." <The magic is not ours to teach, to begin with.> The wolf stood an its haunches, facing me. <They are yours. The magic has always been yours, and always will be. The earth in the end is eternal, and you hold the keys.> This time, I knew it smiled at me. <You... ARE the Earth, Kenichi Kaeda.> The wolf faded away, but the desert remained. "So do you accept me now?" Zagato. Rayearth told me to accept my "Other". "I don't understand what he meant, saying it was my choice..." The cloaked figure stood to his full height. "It was OUR choice. You and me." "Our?" Zagato nodded. "I came because I had unfinished business. You..." He held his hand out; rather than pointing, he put it on my shoulder. "You wanted to protect all that she cares about. This planet. It is what I want, as well." "After all the crap I've just been through, I still don't understand." Zagato smiled. It was as if his burden had been lightened. "You understand a little. The time to know all comes soon." He walked into me like a ghost through a wall. "Ken!" I turned to see Rafaga. "Aren't you going to sleep yet? We have a long walk tomorrow." I wasn't dreaming this time? Or maybe I was dreaming and just now awoke... My shoulders shrugged as I walked back to the camp. =================================== The morning air helped revitalize us as we trekked toward our next destination. It was odd; for a desert, this area was unnaturally cool. At most, it was a bearable room temperature. Rafaga cautioned, however, that it would get hotter soon enough. =================================== Minutes into the journey, I noticed that it did indeed begin to warm uncomfortably as the morning turned to noon. I steeled myself to go on. Rafaga was unflustered, but Mira had difficulty adjusting to the searing environment, so we slowed our pace. I started to pepper Rafaga with questions, just to keep our mind off the heat. "Why don't you get help from Autozam, Fahren or Chizeta?" Rafaga stopped and turned. The sweat on his face was apparent. "Huh? I didn't hear you..." I repeated my question to his benefit, and his answer did not disappoint me in the least. =================================== "When Dis appeared again, all links between Cephiro and the outer worlds, including your Earth, were cut off. That is also why Clef was intruiged by the black orb that brought you here. After all that's happened, it was unlikely..." He gave a sigh as he paused a moment. "...No, impossible that someone could have passed through." Mira was wiping sweat off her brow. The heat was becoming oppressive. We all decided to stop for a rest. The heat of the midday sun would kill us if we ventured out any further in our condition. =================================== A dark form swept over us, granting temporary relief from the sun. I looked up, hoping to see rainclouds, or even one of those damn floating islands, hopefully one with a waterfall flowing from it. The shadow swooped overhead. At first, I thought it was a vulture or some other creature. Maybe even one of Ascot's weird flying things... The shadow, however, had a vaguely humanoid outline. A Mashin? I forgot all my tiredness and broke into a run, all the while ignoring Rafaga and Mira's pleas. =================================== Rafaga and Mira barely caught up with me by the time I reached the mountain. The heat here was even worse than when in the desert. Only it was no mountain. It was a volcano. THE volcano. So it all made sense, the visitations by the spirits of the three Mashin. Seles near the seashore, Windam in the mountains, and now Rayearth in his own lair, the volcano. The huge humanoid figure I saw earlier settled to a landing in front of the volcano just meters from where we stood. No, not a Mashin. Fatigue green and pale white made it out. It looked vaguely like the robot models I used to collect. Rafaga cursed under his breath. What I was seeing was an Autozam Mecha. It made sense. Gara was from Chizeta, Chi from Fahren... It was no long shot that the third and last orb would be protected by one from Autozam. The huge machine's chest opened. Inside stood a tall young man dressed in accents of green and beige. The uniform of an Autozam militiaman. His gait was strong, almost flamboyant. Yet he did not seem that much older than me. On his right arm nestled a large metallic gauntlet. A device of sorts. Probably the controls for his robot or some other weapon... He turned to where we watched, a slightly malicious grin creasing his features as he hopped down from his perch to meet us. It was so haughty and careless that I somehow did not feel the remorse I would have had facing the next guardian. "You made it this far? Congratulations...For a boy, a little girl, and an old man..." Rafaga obviously didn't like the other's attitude. He also seemed to know him better than I had expected. "Zazu, you idiot! Don't tell me your'e the last guardian!" Rafaga's hand was on his blade, but the last guardian showed no sign of fear. Only a mocking contempt. Zazu? Zazu Torque? The boy who was a friend of Eagle, of Autozam. He who was once an invader himself. But htis? I had known from Clef's lecture, that he was just a young boy when he first arrived. I never knew him to be so... cocky. This Zazu's demeanor did not diminish in the least from Rafaga's threat. "Tsk. Come on, Rafaga. You remember the rules. No one but the Magic Knight must fight with the guardian or the deal's off." The Dal was seething, but he stood down. The Autozam youth turned his gaze to me and produced a self-satisfied smirk. I felt my own anger simmer at the attitude he practically shoved in my face. Zazu folded his arms across his chest. "If you think your'e going to beat me the way you beat Gara and Chi, you've got another thing coming, kiddo. I'm not going to be half as stupid as they were." His patronizing tone was grating on my nerves. That and the utter flippance with which he regarded them. "I killed them. I didn't want to, but I did. How could you talk about their deaths like that?" The smile he cast upon me was infinitely mocking. "You win some, you lose some. It's life. Deal with it, kiddo." Two of his compatriots died, and he did not feel a thing for them? Why? He really couldn't care less about what happened. If there is anything I know worse than hate, it's indifference. Rage welled up within me. Mira must have seen it, as I saw her lifted by Rafaga's strong arms before both scuttled away. Her eyes were filled with dread. The walls of a psi shield formed around us, as they did with Gara. Zazu smirked, and folded his arms on his chest as he looked at me with bored dissatisfaction. The sheer confidence he had in himself was annoying me out of my mind. "Go ahead..." Zazu mocked me with the tone of his voice. "Kill me." =================================== I didn't even bother to pull out my weapon, or even call up an attack. I just hurled a fist straight at that infuriating smile, just to blow it off of his smug face. Instead, I felt a surge of electricity roast me just a foot from my intended target. I collapsed to the ground, shaking the effects off like some bad hangover. Zazu simply clapped his hands, and I then noticed an odd and intricate design tattooed across both his arms. "Very stupid. You should never let your emotions get away with your actions, kid. Any knucklehead could see I was protected..." "Any knucklehead would just shut up and fight!" I'm going to shut that mouth of yours up permanently, Zazu. <<RAGING GEYSER!!!>> The force of the water shorted out Zazu's field, but did not injure him in the least. I used the delay to whip out the lance, charging as I went. I heard a terrifying scream of hatred, and somehow knew, deep inside, that it was my own voice that powered it. The blade edge sung, cutting the heated air as I made to slash at his throat. A blade of pure light came out of Zazu's gauntlet to meet my lance head-on. The two edges, one of the magical escude, the other of pure and solid energy, met in a resounding clash of sound and color. Every attack I made, Zazu had easily parried. He, on the other hand, was no more successful in his attacks; I had difficulty believing myself that my skill with the lance had improved. I heard him breathing heavily... Was he sick? It could have been hours or just a few minutes, but the two of us were so evenly matched, there seemed just no end to it all. Zazu blithely snapped away from my next attack; I heard an audible click as he adjusted the setting on his gauntlet. He pointed the metalshod glove in my direction. OH, SH---! Flashes of light spewed forth, sizzling needles missing just inches away from my face. I scampered for cover before a second volley ripped at the air above my head. Only there wasn't really that much in the way of cover out here in the desert. I faced Zazu, drawing strength from the earth as I did so. Odd; the earth responds to me only in my time of need? <<SIREN'S HURRICANE!>> The needles glanced off the spiraling vortex I encased myself in. All of the shots buried themselves in the ground beside me. Now. Attack. Before Zazu can reload. I leapt at him, the chaotic spinning of the Hurricane giving me the needed lift. The hail of wind and fists struck him squarely in the chest, knocking him backwards and to the ground. Knocked back, but not hurt badly. The grin on his face was positively impish as he rose again to his feet. "If we don't kill each other, I'm going to enjoy talking to you more in the future..." Cheerful? He was being far too overly flippant on the matter. He definitely didn't care about Gara or Chi. Dosen't he care if he himself dies or not? The hurricane died away, and I lunged at him again, swinging a hard left arc cutting into him at a sharp angle. Zazu brought about his beam blade to meet my lance. His mistake. The blade spun backwards as I redirected my momentum. He had been completely fooled by my feint and left his side almost thoroughly unprotected. I threw a swift side kick, hoping to incapacitate him quickly. There was a loud clatter as my boot collided with his chest. Clatter? The thought hit me with an almost physical force. Zazu was no idiot. He was probably wearing a chest armor plate hidden underneath his clothing. I felt sick as I realized that my kick not only connected with metal instead of bone, but it lacked the force needed to topple Zazu. The gauntlet came crashing into my face not long after that. My lips ate sand as I hit the desert floor. My hands were burning with the heat of the sands. "And here I thought I was going to have more of a challenge..." Zazu... I was angry, and the Earth obeyed me once more. The rage flowing through my veins. My hand was enveloped in fire. The dark red flames tapered into a spear tip as my fingers enclosed it, caressing the heat within. I lunged at Zazu without warning. <<FLAMING DAGGER!>> =================================== My hand buried itself up to the wrist into Zazu's left side before I realized what I was doing. His shock was nowhere near mine; I had not idea that I could lose control like that. Zazu's look of surprise as he stared at me, dumbfounded. "...And here I was, thinking I'd end up like Eagle..." I felt him bend over, as I drew my hand away. "...What I said... about Gara and Chi being stupid..." He was smiling, without malice, as he looked at me. "...I didn't mean it... I just needed... To make you mad." He coughed dark blood, and then the sheer weight of the Autozam military dress he wore dragged him to the desert floor. The instant he fell, the psionic walls crumbled. No. Much as I disliked Zazu, I did not want another death by my hands. My right fist was still soaked in his blood, making my grip slippery. "Mira! Rafaga! Help!!!" =================================== "He's going into shock...I'm not sure if I can help him..." The Nar's face was stern with seriousness. I could see that she did not wish to lose another life any more than I did. Mira laid her hands on Zazu's chest, and a warm, comfortable glow, warmth unlike the oppressive heat that surrounded us, seeped into his body. She was visibly weakening, but there was little improvement; her strength was not enough to keep the Autozam soldier from dying. Rafaga told her to give up, that she might kill herself in the process as well, but Mira, stubborn little Mira, didn't stop. "He's... He's too weak to fight this on his own. I have to at least try..." If only there was something I could do... <There is...> Rayearth? <Lay your hands on the girl. Let the power of earth heal instead of hurt...> But... <The Earth is a kind mother, who heals her own sick children.> It sounded worth a try. "Mira, put your strength into it. I'll try to give you the energy you need. Ready?" Her only answer was a tired grin. Rafaga was the only one perplexed as I placed my palms on Mira's shoulders. "What are you doing...?" "Trying to save them both, that's what. If the earth can take lives..." Rayearth's words rung sense in them. "...Then why can't its energy be used to save life?" =================================== I let the earth flow through me once more. It was without malice or harmful intent this time around; the life of the soil, the trees, the plants, the earth in general, pulsed into me with a gentle rhythm. The force that allowed such incredible destructive abilities such as those I manifested before... I let the energy flow from me into Mira. Her healing art improved as a new power took over. Zazu's chest was healing quickly. He would be up soon. I also noticed the strange designs, the inscribed dark movements on his skin, closely, and marveled as those too, withered away in Mira's gentle light. =================================== Mira collapsed into my arms just as she finished. Her smile told that she was lacking in energy but happy nonetheless. And her next words explained Zazu's suicidal attitude. "He was very sick. That's why he wanted to die..." With that, she rested her head and went to sleep. The Autozamian groggily rose from his position. He looked at the spot where the killing blow should have been, was aghast to see the tainted marks gone from his body, and then he turned to Rafaga, to Mira, and finally, at me. Frankly, he seemed very disappointed. "I was just about ready to die..." He scowled at us all. "...Then you three idiots had to up and save me." =================================== "So, I guess you deserve this, after all." The Autozamian was not visibly happy, but I knew that he was somehow inwardly grateful. Mira's healing stopped his disease as well as cured his injuries. Reluctantly, Zazu gave over his part of the escude. Zazu meekly handed the third and final orb to me. I was not surprised in the least to see that it was a deep, fiery red in color. I was only happy that I didn't have to take a third life in claiming it. Clutching it, I stepped back and let the magic work its way. Indeed it did, as the power flowed into me once again, sending chills of both pleasure and pain into my body. It was far stronger this time around, and I was torn between torture and ecstacy as the energies took me aloft. I was somewhere on the razor's edge between Hades and Nirvana. Everything went black... =================================== I awoke on the floor. Rafaga's worried face was the first thing I saw, as Mira and Zazu looked just behind him. "You had us all scared for a minute there." I rose slowly, suddenly realizing that my entire wardrobe had been altered drastically. My jacket and pants were gone, replaced with a strange jumpsuit-like clothing and shoulder armor. The final iteration of the armor I needed. All I lack now was the Mashin itself. "Aaaah. I guess that means it's all over for me. I'm outta here before something else sappy happens." Zazu turned away, toward his Mecha. He must know why. "Zazu!" The tall figure turned to meet my voice. "Why? Why did the three of you serve Dis and try to stop me?" The look of utter surprise on his face was genuine; Zazu clearly had no idea what I was talking about... But what...? "You have to be joking! I'd no sooner serve Dis than I'd sleep with him! Why would I or anyone here serve that good-for-nothing...?" I was absolutely perplexed, as were my compatriots. "If not Dis... Who told you to protect the spheres?" Zazu laughed as he strode toward his machine. "For crying out loud, Clef told us to keep these safe in the first place! How else could we have gotten them, anyway?!?"</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>