Darkken Sidekick - Hyuga
Ricdeau
Registered: Mar
2002 Location: Helsinki, Finland Posts: 23 |
All right.
It's another monster introduction. Sorry, but I've got to try
and keep up with Tenshi and Tenken...
Know that this
is FULL OF EVIL XENOGEARS SPOILERS, and therefore, dangerous
reading. It is also full of Rurouni Kenshin OAV allusions and
references. But I'm sure you'll forgive me for that.
------
Prologue - The Rain of Blood Tastes
Bitter
Three men were standing in the shadows,
conversing inaudiably. It was night-time, if such a time could
be said to exist in Etrenank, Eden of Heaven, the capital of
the Sacred Empire of Solaris, where light and life never left
the streets. They had taken all possible precautions, quickly
slipping within areas unknown to all, into unused reparation
ducts outside the residential areas, where even the sharp eyes
of the automatic guardian robots could not follow them.
But regardless of all of their caution, they were
being watched. Two sharp eyes watched their every move through
round, old-fasioned glasses, calmly observing the direction
the conversation was taking.
Then, it seemed as though
the conversation had been brought to an end. Each of the three
men shaked hands, and turned around, preparing to depart, each
to their own direction. But on that very moment, the sound of
footsteps, ringing from the cold, metal floor, caught their
attention, as a tall figure approached the men.
The
man was wearing the uniform of a Solarian soldier. It was
custom-made, meaning that the person who wore it was beyond
the ordinary ranks. His long, black hair hair was tied with a
red ribbon, and his face was calm, almost serene, as his eyes
watched them calmly from underneath his unique spectacles. In
his left hand was a katana, sheathed into a wonderfully
decorated scabbard.
"Who are you!?" one of the three
men shouted, his hand instinctively reaching for his gun. The
other two took a few steps backward, their eyes searching for
a way out.
The man stopped moving, his face still
bearing its serene coolness. "My name", he said with a soft,
monotonic voice, "is of no importance to those who will soon
leave this world."
"The Emperor's Guardian Angel!" the
first of the three men hissed, grabbing his gun and pointing
it into the man's direction. In desperation, he pulled the
trigger, sending a hail of bullets towards him. He could
barely even see the man react. In one second, the man was
motionless, and then suddenly he launched himself at him with
full speed, his other hand grabbing the handle of the blade,
zooming out of the way of the bullets.
"Wha-" the man
started in terror, but it was already too late. In a single
move, the swordsman unsheathed his blade and drove it through
the man's chest. Fresh blood flew in the air as the man
collapsed, the gun dropping from his hand. The two other men
stared, horrified, and then suddenly the swordsman turned
towards them.
"It's no use resisting." the swordsman
said, pointing his bloody sword towards them. In sudden
resolution, formed out of fear of death and hate of fate, one
of them grabbed the sword on his side. The other one, however,
turned to flee. The swordsman reached towards him, but was
stopped by the slash of the other man's blade.
"Die,
worm of the Emperor!" the man screamed in vain defiance. He
brought his sword down on the Guardian Angel, but met only
air. He had moved aside with grace that far surpassed his
assailant. Desperately, he tried to regain his balance, but
the Guardian Angel mercilessly raised his sword and
decapacitated his enemy with a single slash.
Meanwhile, the other man had already escaped. The
swordsman thought quickly and then followed him, realizing
what he had in mind.
The swordsman quickly hurried
through a corridor which lead him to an open, unused space
within the hull of Etrenank, stretching for miles and miles.
Only some support bars and pillars went through that space.
And there, in the nearest of them, his final victim was
desperately trying to flee. The bar was only six or seven
metres away, moving to the same direction as the platform, and
close to four metres lower than the platform he was standing
on. The automatic bridge that was supposed to contact the two
was gone; the control device had been broken by the escaping
man, no doubt.
The Guardian Angel started running the
side of the platform, trying to get as near as the man as
possible. The man turned around and saw him, grabbed a gun and
fired a few badly aimed rounds at him, and then turned to run
again. His speed was no match for the Guardian Angel, though,
and soon they were seperated only by less than ten metres.
The Guardian Angel gathered his strength, and dashed
forwards. With a magnificent leap, he landed on the
construction bar, defying the death that was waiting below.
His victim was only a few metres away from him, paralyzed of
fear. The Guardian Angel walked forwards slowly but surely,
sword in hand.
The man closed his eyes and clasped his
mouth shut, resigning to his fate. There was a quick slash and
the sound of steel entering flesh, followed by a restrained
scream of pain. "Who... are... you...?" the man uttered his
last words, coughing up blood with each word, as his blood
drippled down into eternity from the end of the gigantic
construction bar.
The swordsman looked at the dying
man for a moment, and then said quietly, "I am Hyuga Ricdeau."
And then he slashed the air with his sword once, ridding it
from the blood, and then sheathed his blade, turned and walked
away.
------
Hyuga was laying on his bed,
staring at the ceiling, listening to the news.
"...three men were killed yesterday in an accident in
a construction area in the third level. The police state that
there are no suspects, and offer their condolences for the
families of the deceased-"
Hyuga shut the television
off with the remote and fell back to the bed.
Families? I wonder if they knew what those men did?
If they knew, what would they think about them?
They
were all second-level citizens. They may well be demoted...
perhaps even brainwashed, just to make sure.
If I ever
met them, what would I say to them? What reason would I give
for having killed them? What would I...
Suddenly,
the door opened. "Hi there, Hyu", a familiar said, accompanied
by the sound of footsteps. "You all right? You look a bit
down."
"Sig?" Hyuga asked, incredulously. "But-"
"Shh, don't worry, old boy. You're such a worrier, you
know that? Things have a way of working out."
"Sig..."
Hyuga said, feeling more and more like a moron.
"C'mon, let's get out of this place. We can't have you
wallowing in your misery like this, can we?" Sigurd retorted.
He offered Hyuga his hand.
"You know you cannot bear
alcohol, Sig..." Hyuga said.
"Don't give me that.
We'll go to the top of the highest building in the city and
watch the stars, just like in the old days, you hear me? The
stars aren't real, but they're still pretty, and together with
alcohol, they might clear that head of yours. Let's get
going... Jessie is waiting for us." his hand reached closer to
Hyuga's, and then-
Hyuga's eyes opened. He turned
around, and saw that he was lying on his bed. He must have
fallen asleep in his ponderance.
"Stupid dream..."
Hyuga snapped to himself. Sig was gone, returned to the
surface... Jessie had disappeared, too. Kahr... he had grown
different, and they barely talked anymore. The others had
moved on, Hyuga had not. It had taken him months to realize
that now he was, in fact, completely alone.
Hyuga
stared into a mirror. From his pocket, he took a tooth comb,
and started stroking his hair absent-mindedly. His long,
well-kept hair had been his joy and pride ever since his
youth. Now, though, it was tangled, rough and unclean. Hyuga
sighed, and put the comb away. What did it matter anyway?
Hyuga looked at the shelves on his room. They were
full of books... he had read so much in his youth, dedicated
to reach for the stars, to conquer each and every challenge
given to him. How full of energy and naivete he had been,
thinking that he could help everyone through science. He took
one of the books - it was a book on nanotechnology, once given
to him by Krelian. He opened it, his eyes catching word after
word, but unable to connect them into sentences. The pages
flipped faster and faster, as sweat started flowing down
Hyuga's cheeks. Then, with a shout of frustration and anger
that surprised even himself, he threw the book down on the
floor.
"Who am I kidding?" he asked quietly, and
bolted out of the room.
------
Hyuga entered
the chamber of the Emperor. He did not know why he had been
summoned, but he knew it had to be very important. The only
time it had happened earlier was the time he was promoted to a
Guardian Angel.
Emperor Cain was ancient. Hyuga did
not know how old, and had never seen his face, but clearly, he
was beyond human existence. He was wrapped into a thick,
purple cloak, and on his face was a gigantic, sceleton-like
mask made of gold. Few people could watch that face and not
feel their soul crumble, and it was said that no man had the
strength to raise a weapon against the Emperor.
"...your Majesty?" Hyuga asked, bowing.
"Hyuga
Ricdeau." The Emperor was unmoving, as he always was. Hyuga
wondered if that living corpse ever moved. "I have chosen to
give to you a task of great importance. As you know, we have
been planning an attack against Shevat for some time. You have
been chosen lead the direct assault upon Shevat."
Hyuga's eyes widened in surprise.
"The plan
will be set into motion in twenty-four hours. You will prepare
yourself for ground assault. Our goal is to occupy the city of
Aphel Aura. The full plan will be forwarded directly to you
later. You will be required to lead the assault on the spot,
and possibly make changes to the plan if something unexpected
happens."
"Yes, your Majesty." Hyuga bowed.
As
Hyuga left the room, there was a sound of someone entering the
throne room.
"What is it, Krelian?" Emperor Cain
asked.
"Your Majesty." The man called Krelian said,
bowing. He was wearing a Solarian uniform, coloured yellow,
white and dark grey. He had long, pale hair, tied with an
extraordinary hairband. His whole being radiated a certain
ageless quality. By far the most remarkable thing about him,
though, were his piercing, all-knowing eyes, cold and
calculating, shining of intelligence and hidden knowledge.
"Majesty, why are you sending Hyuga Ricdeau against
Shevat?" he asked straightforwardly.
"It is not yet
time to break the equalibrium of the world", Emperor Cain said
duly. "We merely need to keep Shevat at bay, so that they
cannot interfere with our mission."
"I understand,
your Majesty", the pale-haired scientist said. "However, why
send this man? You know as well as I do that his ether
potential is tremendous. He has the capability to control an
Omnigear - he is a true Animus. Why would you send one of the
chosen ones on a suicide mission? I was against appointing him
as a Guardian Angel in the first place..."
"Ah? Have
you not studied him enough already, Krelian? And did you not
already create a being capable of controlling all Omnigears?"
Cain asked with a sneer. Krelian shook his head vehemently.
"My concern for this man's life is not only due to his
scientific potential. He is unique, and as such he is
invaluable. Even my creations cannot match the creations of
God. And that's why..." Krelian left his words linger, his
sharp eyes trying to penetrate through the Emperor's
impermeable mask.
"We are all men of deep fates,
Krelian. Creation of God, you say? If he, indeed, is one
chosen by God, his fate is no longer in our hands."
"You are avoiding my question, your Majesty", Krelian
snapped.
"Everyone has a certain potential to live up
to, Krelian", Cain said. "Hyuga has yet to discover his true
self. I hope that this mission will teach him who he is, and
where his place is. Only that will make him a true warrior,
and the Guardian Angel that I wish him to be. He may live, or
he may die. If he lives, he will become something greater, and
if he dies, the loss will be regrettable, yet not serious.
Only a man of special virtue and power can be granted the
right to watch over our 'Anonelbe', and I will have nothing
less of Hyuga."
Krelian thought of Cain's words for a
moment, and then smiled. So, he realized, this was not a
battle for the man's life, but for his soul, and to whom it
would belong in the end. There were only three alternatives
for the man - To serve him, serve Cain, or die. And Krelian
had always been one to play with high stakes.
"So be
it, Majesty." He bowed to Cain and then left the throne room.
------
"Your Majesty, we have received a
transmission from our spies in Etrenank. Solaris is planning
to attack. They are going to assault Aphel Aura directly. They
have sent an aerial fleet to hold our gear forces, and the
ground forces will break through our barrier in an hour's
time."
Queen Zephyr stood up. "Evacuate all civilians
to designated areas", she ordered. The man bowed and left.
"Call the gurus here immediately. I wish to speak of them."
Then she turned to a blonde-haired female officer standing
next to her. "Yui, you will lead the defense. I leave
everything to your hands."
The woman bowed, and walked
out of the throne room, taking her sword from one of the
guards on the way out.
-----
Hyuga went
through the dimensional shift that would send him immediately
to the battlefield.
Was this just another dream? Hyuga
couldn't help but wonder. He was shouting orders, there were
gunshots and screams all around him, but it all seemed so
distant, as if it didn't really conern him. He was only barely
conscious of the fact that they had taken control of the
central parts of Aphel Aura, and that the victory was only
moments away from their reach. He felt a bullet go next to his
ear, but he hardly noticed it.
I wonder... is this
what it's like to die?
There was an explosion next
to them, sending Hyuga into the air. He landed on his feet,
and then, as though a curtain had been pulled from his eyes,
he realized that Shevat's Gear forces had returned. How could
it happen? What of Solaris's air fleet that had been sent to
intercept them? what had went wrong?
"RETREAT!" He
shouted to his communicator, finally fully aware of himself.
He turned around, agitated, trying to come up with something
that he could do in this moment of chaos. Then, he turned and
saw a dozen of his men, cornered and under attack by Shevat
troops. He grasped his sword and reached the place with a
couple of leaps. With a couple of quick strikes, he made a way
through the enemy lines, and saw the men escape from the back
of his eye.
Then, before he could notice it, he was
surrounded by troops. He raised his sword warningly, preparing
to die taking as many with him as possible. Next to him lay
the corpses he had slain to retrieve his men, and for a
moment, his enemy hesitated. Then, from the troops, a woman
stepped forwards. "I will defeat him myself", her soft voice
said.
The woman was dressed in the uniform of the
Shevat defense forces, but he couldn't discern her rank,
signaling that the uniform was custom-made. In her hand was a
long, well-crafted fencing sword, which she held gracefully
and calmly. Hyuga took his sheathed sword behind him, and
crouched slightly, preparing to react instantly to whatever
move the woman would make.
Her eyes were strange,
Hyuga thought. Few men he had fought had ever been able to
hide their fear, let alone had such eyes that reflected
everything back to him, like mirrors. The woman was beautiful,
with long, blonde hair, and her eyes wore a look that was
serene and calm.
Suddenly, the woman charged forwards.
She kept the blade in front of her, readying herself to stab
him. Hyuga sent himself onwards, as well, and drew his sword
with inmeasurable speed, intercepting his enemy's sword and
directing it to his left. An opening! He thought, preparing
himself to cut the woman's wrist. Suddenly, though, it no
longer was there. The woman seemed to disappear, and suddenly
spun around, slashing with her blade. Hyuga crouched and met
the blade with his sword again, and now pushed forwards,
intent on making the woman lose her balance.
To his
surprise, the woman pushed back with all of her might. From
between their crossed blades, they could see each others'
eyes... there was no fury, no passion in either of them, only
the iron will to win. Hyuga took a step left and drew himself
backwards, and the woman did the same in perfect agreeance. So
far, it was a stalemate.
Hyuga changed his pose. He
pointed his scabbard at the woman, while raising the sword
above his head. The woman remained unmoving, ready for any
possible move. The battlefield was completely quiet now -
either the rest of the Solarian troops had been able to
retreat, or they had already been taken captive. Hyuga could
feel his mental composure starting to weaken. He was all
alone, whether he liked it or not.
Suddenly, he
charged forwards, raising his scabbard into a strike to the
head while preparing to slash with his sword. To his surprise,
the woman responded by leaping into the air, dodging the
strike, and coming down on him with her sword pointed at his
heart. Hyuga quickly crossed his weapons, catching his enemy's
blade. The two of them moved onwards and backwards, determined
to break the other's stance. Hyuga concentrated his strength
into a powerful push, which sent the woman flying into the
air. Hyuga reacted immediately and slashed with his sword. The
woman blocked with her sword, but it was too late - Hyuga's
katana cut a long slash in the woman's right arm. Wincing in
pain, the woman took a step backwards, quickly swapping the
sword to her left hand.
Hyuga put the scabbard to his
belt, and raised his sword above his head with both hands. The
tide of the battle had begun to turn. The woman pointed her
sword on towards the ground, and advanced with short, fearless
steps. The two charged at each other again, both striking the
other, Hyuga barely dodging a strike that would have cut his
face open, the woman skilfully blocking what would have been a
mortal blow. The two figures parted again, but the difference
between them was greater than ever.
Hyuga sheathed his
sword, preparing again for his greatest skill, the
instantaneous sword draw. The woman was starting to look
exhausted, and with her loss of blood, she probably couldn't
avoid this attack. But her eyes hadn't changed, they were
still as strong, beautiful, unreadable and resolute. The idea
of killing the light in her eyes sickened Hyuga, but that
choies was not his to make. Hyuga charged forwards, his hand
reaching for the handle of his sword. The woman lunged at him,
keeping the sword close to her face, aiming it at Hyuga's
chest.
There was a flash of light, and Hyuga no longer
saw anything, as he felt cold steel enter his body. This was
madness. Only Ramsus and Krelian himself had ever equaled him
in swordplay. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be
happening. The light consumed him, and suddenly, he no longer
felt anything.
"YUI!" one of the troops shouted. As
the light passed, the battleground of the two fencers was
empty.
__________________ A naked blade glowing in
moonlight / two hearts ran through with it / Wind blowing
through leaves of autumn / The face of tomorrow, a memory
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