http://clampfix.fanworks.net/rgv-fix/heavenst.txt </head><body><pre> Heaven's Tears: Taishakuten's Fateful Day The glittering shock in his sunset eyes--almost as though he had not expected pain--is like a tangible blow across the face as his impaled figure lurches against me, the ruby blood drenching his golden armor. . and mine. The silent shriek of Shurato as it clatters to the ground, slipping from his limp grasp, numbs my mind as I turn, I fleeing blindly, mindlessly, like a wounded animal. "Defy the heavens, rail against the constellations." Help! Help me! I'm drowning in the memory of Ashura-ou's soft, pleading voice--drowning in the haunting pools of sunset gold. The feel of his weak fingers clinging to my breast plate lingers still. "Change Fate." Somebody, please stop this insanity. His silken hair of liquid obsidian curtains his face as his mouth spews forth a stream--vomit of blood. The wind ruffles my hair, dries my hot tears--the rumble of distant thunder fills my ears. Breathless, I fall to the ground, hugging my stomach and trying to soothe away the cramps. The acrid scent of bile fills my nostrils as a warm, yellow liquid pours out of my gaping mouth. It forms a shallow pool on the ground, a twisted reflection of the sky. Bracing the ground, I try to compose my scattered thoughts, too weak to rise. Failure. They are tiny specs of ash thrown in all directions--given to the four winds. Time does not exist. The world darkens as the last rays of the sun disappear from the evening sky; night will reign forever and ever. . . The cold winds of the North wrap around my bones yet I feel nothing. I deserve the pain. "Taishakuten--" My head shakes, rattling my cobwebbed brain. The whispery voice is incessant. I cannot recognize my own voice as it hoarsely snarls, "Go away." A velvety cloak is thrown about my shoulders, enclosing me in a silken cocoon as warm arms flutter about my shoulders. Fidgeting, I awkwardly try to disentangle myself, yet they are as bands of iron in my weakened condition. "Shhh. . ." The tingling breath caresses my right ear. One hand strokes my long, platinum hair. "It's all right." Almost against my own volition, I drink in the warmth, the fading light of the day. I lean my cheek against the soft flesh, not caring who it may be. The sweet fragrance of Orange blossoms wash away the awful scent of blood, of death. "Ashura-ou. . ." "Come on," I lurch to my feet, and for a moment, the earth reels crazily. The slender form by my side, graceful like a young cypress, is the foundation of strength, silhouetted against the falling twilight. Peering into the face, I find the features of the ice maiden--Kaolin. Darkened brown of old blood is smeared across her cheeks, the front of her dress. Her hands are painted dark, dark crimson. "What are you doing here?" I haven't even the strength for sarcasm. An index finger is pressed against my lips. "Later." I do not know how we made it in to my chamber, stumbling up the endless flights of twisting stairs. Four buckets of water had to be dyed red before the all the blood had been washed from our skin; yet, I even find myself smiling, lying against the cushions while she carefully wipes my face with a warm, damp piece cloth. Her nimble fingers undo the clasps of my armor, polishing it in counter-circles until it gleams once more in the torchlight like molten silver. "You have much to do." Her trembling voice betrays her emotions. "What do you know of it?" "I know why Ashura asked you to. . ." she does not complete her sentence--she does not need to. We understand. Her head had been bowed before; now, it snaps up. Our gazes lock. "You know what you need to do." "What of you?" I prop up on both elbows, studying her. "What of me?" Leaping to her feet, she shuffles to the door. Her motions are abrupt, disjointed. Then, more quietly. "Look outside, God of Thunder. The Heaven weeps with you." The pitter-patter of rain drops fill the air with a suppressed anguish. No raging lightening, no winds of fury; just quiet mourning of what had been--and will be. "You are the new emperor. Take care." My eyes followed her, wordlessly, at this curious change. Why is she so kind to me? How does she know so much? A star gazer like Kuyo? "Kaolin!" "You're secret is safe with me." "Where are you going?" A cold dread was settling in the pit of my stomach, unsettling. A faint smile, slightly sad, touches the corners of her lips. "To a place where Heaven weeps with happiness." Her soft footfalls are drowned by the softly moaning wind. "Where it always rains Sakura petals." "And where is that?" She is silent for a moment before answering, barely audible. Her lips form the words, seeming to echo across time--across space, "Find Ashura, and you shall find it." The image of Kaolin with her father's sword flashes again through my muddled mind; I understand. She pauses by the doorway, "Farewell, Emperor Taishakuten, God of Thunder." Her presence vanishes, yet I stare at the door for the longest time, until the torches sputter out, plunging the chamber into darkness once again. Still, the rain continues to fall. Heaven's tears. </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>