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Fall of a Thief, Rise of a (Somewhat) Hero and Avenger |
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Zzz… Wha…? Whaaa!!! Don’t DO that! Rule number twenty-seven! Never sneak up on a sleeping person! Sheesh. No respect…
Ahem. Well, now that I’m awake, I suppose I ought to introduce myself, ne? I am Onyx Nightshade, the bestest thief ever! Or I would be, if my idiot partner, Zircon Jonquil, hadn’t left me to be freakin’ captured! Hmph. Sure, I loved the guy, but I’m still mad about that, even if it was fifty years ago. Because of him, I had to spend twenty-eight years of my life doing community service, meaning I had to play protector for a town that is constantly attacked by bad guys! Stupid people, making me fight my friends. Centuries of an awesome reputation, ruined because of ONE person!
Yes, I said centuries. Saa, guess I forgot. You’re just a human. …Loser. Hey, who said that? ‘Cause I certainly didn’t. Nuuu! Don’t glare! I’ll be good, I promise!
Um… Ruby-san, has, um, Onyx-sama been eating sugar again…?
Iie. He’s just an idiot.
Oi! I heard that!
You were supposed to!
Please excuse me while I kill one of my personalities. Get back here, Ruby!
Make me, you little brat.
Um, well, while they’re playing-
We are so not playing, Emerald!
Um, right. Well, I suppose I’ll introduce both Ruby-san and myself. I am Emerald Lily, the calmest, and shyest, of the three personas residing within Onyx-sama’s mind. Ruby Rose is the violent one. She’s also the stealthy one, much unlike Onyx-sama. He’s very hyperactive and clumsy. He’s just like a little kid. It’s very adorable sometimes.
Itai… Dang it! Ruby didn’t have to hit me so hard!
Are you okay, Onyx-sama? Oh, don’t laugh, Ruby-san! It’s not funny when people get hurt!
Yes, it is.
Grrr… I’ll deal with you later. Anyway. I was explaining about the centuries thing. I’m from an alternate plane. As you know, there’s a plane where humans live. There are several other planes, including the realm of the gods, the realm of the damned, and the realm for other living creatures, where I live.
Time passes differently in my dimension. Well, it actually goes slower. Meaning I can be close to a thousand years old and look like I’m in my early twenties. We actually stop aging after about eighteen years, then age only a year for every century. In the human realm, I’m twenty-five. I’m actually seven hundred and eighteen years old.
Um, perhaps you should tell them how you became a temporary hero.
That might be a good idea.
You think?
Oh, shut up. Anyway, Emerald has a point. But that means telling you how I got caught in the first place… Oh, well. It’ll help you understand things better. So let’s delve into those disturbing (to me, anyway) memories.
~Fifty years ago~
“Zircon, I’m bored!” I whined, hanging off my partner’s neck. He was quite used to this, as it happened several times a day.
Zircon glanced down at me with gold eyes. “Good for you, shorty,” he muttered, causing me to pout. Just ‘cause he’s four inches taller than me doesn’t mean I’m short. He just ate too many veggies when he was a kid.
“But Zir-chan, I wanna play robbers with you…” I said a bit sadly, pressing my forehead to his shoulder to hide the laughter in my golden-green eyes. “Please?”
“…Don’t you mean cops and robbers?” he asked, pointedly ignoring my little act.
“No, I mean robbers. cops and robbers is fun, but only if we’re the robbers, and the palace guards are the cops…”
“True enough.” Zircon turned and lifted my chin with his forefinger, a mischievous grin on his lips. “As long as you don’t pout for the rest of the day and we do this ninja-style.”
“Hontoo?” At his nod, I cheered and hugged him tightly, immediately agreeing to his terms. “Okie dokie!”
Amused by my enthusiasm, Zircon chuckled and tugged on my long lavender-streaked black ponytail playfully, causing me to giggle. “You’ve had sugar again, haven’t you, Onyx-chan?”
I shook my head. “Nope, nope! I’ve only had a lollipop today!” I giggled again. Lollipop. What a funny word. Which reminds me… I better hide the Pixie Stix in my room…
With a long-suffering sigh, he shook his head. “Lollipops have sugar in them.”
“Hehe, Zir-chan said ‘lollipops’…” I laughed again like an insane little munchkin hopped up on helium. Which I was. Anyways, I poked Zircon lightly in the ribs. “Zir-chan said ‘lollipops,’” I said in a sing-song voice.
“Urusai…” I shook my head. No way was I going to shut up. An irritated Zircon is a fun playmate, and I was bent on getting him to come out. I kept up with my teasing, watching as my partner slapped his forehead. Apparently he’d forgotten that he’d sworn never to say that word again. That’s a story for another time.
Finally, Zircon got so fed up with me that he pounced on me, knocking me to the floor with my hands pinned by his own to keep me from poking him again. “Calm down, or I’m not taking you anywhere,” he growled lowly, his eyes narrowed and his long jet black hair hanging loosely, making him look quite scary.
I gulped. This was the side of my partner that I didn’t like at all. In fact, this side scared me greatly. I usually retreated and Emerald would take over, knowing just what to say to make Zircon calm down again.
You see, Emerald was born of my fear of Zircon’s super scary side. Ruby was born of the arrogance I exude when we go out to steal things. Hey, I have a right to be cocky. I’ve been a thief for six hundred and forty-three years, and I’ve never been caught.
“O-of course, Zircon-san. I-I didn’t mean to anger you…” Emerald stuttered out, stuck in my place. I absolutely refused to face the older male in situations like this. He absolutely terrified me.
It took a few minutes, but Zircon calmed down and let me up, apologizing as he did so. Emerald let me take over again, and I mumbled a response, staying quiet for the rest of the day. I know it bothered Zircon greatly, but I didn’t want to risk upsetting him again.
By nightfall, I was back to my usual self, and bouncing all over the place. We both wore all black, since we were doing the ninja thing, and were keeping to the shadows. I let Ruby take over, since she was stealthier than I, and we crept along silently until we reached the palace vault.
Zircon - excuse me, Lightning Death, (that’s what he goes by when we go thieving) - picked the locks to the vault while I - er, Ruby, or Blood “Shadow” Dragon, her name when we work - knocked out any alarms. Turquoise Cosmos (that’d be Emerald) kept watch, warning us whenever she saw the shadows of a guard.
Once all of that was taken care of, Lightning gestured to me, silently telling me to follow him, which I did. “Oi, Catalyst,” he whispered once we were in. “Grab that sword over there.” I followed his finger with my eyes until they landed on a beautiful sword with sapphires set in the hilt. “Kirei na…” I breathed.
“Just get going, Catalyst!” Oh, yeah, I have a thief’s name, too. Catalyst Nightmare. Some people have started combining our names when speaking of us. No one is safe from the Lightning Catalyst thieves, they’d say. And they’re right.
Oh, right, the sword. I quickly retrieved the jeweled work of art and strapped it to my belt, then assisted in the gathering of random objects that happened to catch our eye. Or, in my case, were shiny enough to warrant being taken to keep me amused.
We soon cleaned out what we wanted and started back the way we came. We were halfway to the doors when the guard whistle rang out behind us. With a muted curse, we both broke into a run. So close…
I tripped on the way down the stairs and fell, turning my ankle. Lightning saw this and returned, reaching out his hand. I lifted my own to be helped up, but he just ignored it and took the sword from my belt. “No hard feelings, koi,” he said, smirking slightly as he turned and ran.
I couldn’t help it. My jaw dropped and I just know I looked so betrayed, as though the kindest master in the world had just kicked a puppy. “Uragirimono!” I screamed after him. “I hate you! I swear I’ll make you regret this!”
I’m not sure if he heard me, because, at that moment, the guards descended and hauled me away to the dungeons, there to await my trial.
~
I won’t bore you with the details of the next few weeks, mostly because I don’t remember them. But I do remember one thing. I remember thinking that my fall from thieving glory reminded me of that one song by Oomori Shouko. Oreta Tsubasa de, I believe it was called. I hummed it all the time.
“Kizuite ita nda / Mou nido to tobenai tte koto o / Wakatte iru no sa / Oreta tsubasa ja tobenai tte koto o / Dare ka ga naiteta / ‘Yume ga sugata o kaete yuku yo’ / Dare ka ga akirameta ai wa mou, doko ka e kieta / Woo, oreta tsubasa de / Woo, with broken wings.”
I've noticed that I'll never fly again. I know that I can't fly with broken wings. Someone cried, "A dream will change your shape." The love that someone abandoned has already disappeared to somewhere. Woo, with broken wings. Woo, With broken wings.
That’s the first part. I know that now that I’ve fallen, I will never be a great thief again. And even if I am, I’ll never be able to have my original glory again. Zircon abandoned me. Left me to face a punishment that we should have shared. Dear Kami, how could he do this to me? The jerk told me he would never leave me. Honor among thieves. Ha! I’ll be lucky if I can even show my face again in my homeland.
Anyway, when they announced my sentence, I was given two choices. Rot in jail., or do some community service and get this little incident expunged from my record. Hm, decisions, decisions. Since a pretty guy like me wouldn’t do well in prison (I don’t really fancy becoming Big Bubba’s personal playmate), I chose community service. I probably should’ve thought about it more, but let’s face it. I don’t like thinking.
That little aversion to using my brain led to me having to do something very annoying. I would spend the next fifty years in the human realm, protecting a small town called Fumetsu from random bad guys.
Oh, joy.
~
About six weeks into my time as the guardian of the town of immortality (funny nickname, if you ask me), I had to face the first “bad” guy. So I put on the really cool clothing I’d decided to use as my trademark look. Don’t ask why. Apparently it was part of the rules or something. These clothes consisted of form-fitting black pants, a tight long-sleeved fishnet shirt, and a black silk dress shirt. I left the top three buttons undone and added the black leather choker I’ve been wearing since I was six, as well as a pair of black feather earrings. I then added a silver chain belt and black boots. After all that, I tied my hair back and checked the time. Two minutes. Woohoo! New record!
Oh, right. I need a mask to top off the outfit. That black porcelain mask on the wall looked like it would do nicely. I walked over and took it down, then lifted it to my face and tied it on. I had to adjust it slightly so that the sun's rays caught the thin silver streaks outlining the amethyst detailing. The mask was designed so that it had slits for the eyes, kind of like a cat’s pupils. There were two very small holes carved into the mask to allow me to breath. Obviously, they’re only there so I don’t pass out. Oddly enough, though, the mask allows me to speak easily. I know because I tried.
I ran out the door and headed east towards the nearby forest. Hey, there’s a nice breeze… Whoa, no time to be distracted if I want to get this over with and get back to my thieving ways!
Once I spotted the bad guy, however, I stopped and nearly groaned. No! Of all the people in the world, it had to be a friend of mine! He wouldn’t make fun of my situation ‘cause it happened to him a while back, but still. Why Jiyuu? He’s such a sweet guy. I’ll bet he’s only doing this for his friend Kashaku…
“Ji-chan,” I greeted, moving to a spot where he’d be able to see me better, and I could size him up to see how time had affected him. He’s only two years younger than I am, and we still look like playful teenagers. Hey, he streaked his black hair with silver. Looks good, especially with his hazel eyes, which were going wide.
“Onyx?” he asked, and I nodded. “I’d heard you gotten into a spot of trouble. I see the rumors were true. You took the same deal I did. I told you not to if you ever got caught.”
“You know how I am, Jiyuu. I rarely remember advice. Mind like a sieve, ya know? Besides, you know how I feel about guys named Big Bubba.” I spotted the villagers sneaking closer as my friend nodded in understanding. “Sorry, but I think we’re gonna have to fight now. Let’s try ploy nine hundred and eighty-four.”
“You mean the thing where you pretend to beat the living daylights out of me and I slink off with my tail between my legs?”
“That’s the one.”
“I suppose this will require the use of the Stanislavsky system?” I suppose I made a slightly confused noise, because my equally absentminded friend shrugged. “‘Shaku says it sometimes. It’s apparently the fancy way of saying ‘method acting.’”
“Ah. Can’t he just use layman’s terms? ‘Cause we’re not that bright.” The villagers were nearly within earshot. “Time to start the act. Oh, and by the way, I have to give my ‘guardian’ name. Since I was lazy, I decided on Catalyst Nightmare.”
“You’re right. You were being lazy. Sheesh.” In this time, Jiyuu and I had run at each other, swiftly pulled swords clanging against each other. We used that and the dust we kicked up to cover the conversation we were having. It surprised me to learn that he had a pet snake now. He’d named it Shishuu, since he liked poetry so much. Funny. I’d always thought he was a fox guy.
Our little ‘fight’ (more of a sparring match, really) soon ended. “Give my best to Kashaku,” I said quietly, gently nudging him in the ribs to get him going. It looked like a hard kick to the spectators, since Jiyuu groaned and rolled over. Only I could tell what he was saying.
“I will.” After a moment he shakily got to his feet and stumbled away, weaving as though in a drunken stupor. I have to admit, the kid’s a good actor. It’s nearly impossible to tell that he’s trying not to laugh. Unless, of course, you know him really well. Which I do.
The townspeople cheered as Jiyuu stumbled off, and I held in my laughter. What idiots. I must say, humans will never cease to amuse me.
Things continued in this way for the next twenty years of my sentence. I would hear the call to protect the town and get dressed, then head off only to find that it was a friend of mine. We’d chat while we sparred, then I’d send them off and they’d sneak back at night to talk some more.
Of course, there were a few who came that I didn’t care for. I gave them a beating they never forgo t. Zircon was one of them.
~
Zircon attacked in the dead of night. I remember because I was sound asleep, doing a great impression of a dog chasing a rabbit. Don’t ask. Anyway, when the alarm sounded, I fell out of bed and greeted the hardwood floor with my face.
“Hello, my dear. So we meet again. You seem a bit…dirtier this time. Have you bathed lately?” I mumbled sleepily.
With a yawn, I got up and dressed, then wrapped my sword belt around my waist and away I went. It was easy to see which way I should go, because the southern part of town was ablaze. As I neared, I spotted a lone figure in the middle of a sea of flames.
“Oi! We just fixed that stable!” I shouted from a nearby rooftop, highly irritated. Not only had I been woken from a deep sleep, this guy was burning down stuff I’d helped build. I was about to let loose an angry tirade when the person turned their face toward me, and anything I was about to say died on my lips.
The figure wore a mask I recognized all too well. It was black with gold detailing, an old assassin’s mask used by the best ninjas in my homeland. “Lightning…” I breathed. I never thought I’d see him here. Never in a million years.
“What are you doing here?” I snarled, jumping down from my perch to stalk over. Probably not the best idea I’ve ever had, but I had to know. I had to know why he was in the human world when he once said he’d never be caught dead there.
He stood. “I got bored,” he said simply. “Things are no fun without my koi by my side.”
“Don’t call me that,” I snapped without thinking.
“So this is what’s become of my dear Catalyst, is it?” I could just hear him smirking.
“Uragirimono,” I hissed. “I hate you for what you did to me!” I know he said something, but I didn’t hear it. Something inside of me had snapped, and Ruby took over.
I don’t exactly remember much about the fight, except for how it ended. Zircon had me pinned like he had so long ago, except this time he had a dagger pressed against my throat. He untied my mask and threw it to the side, removing his own as well
“You know, I always did like you when you looked so scared,” he murmured, pressing the blade closer. I was too scared to move. “Shall I rip off the butterfly’s bloody wings? Or leave it alive to wallow in agony for the rest of its days? I wonder how much it will suffer.”
“Go ahead and kill me,” I growled. “Or else I’ll hunt you down and kill you.”
“Like you could.” He thought a moment. “But that would be fun to see.” He got up and put his mask back on, then leapt back to land on a nearby roof that hadn’t yet been destroyed by our fighting or by the flames still dancing in the darkness. “Break me if you can,” he challenged before disappearing into the shadows.
“You’ll regret letting me live!” I shouted after him. I didn’t bother waiting for a reply that wouldn’t come. I retrieved my mask and tied it on, glaring after Zircon as I did so.
That night, something changed. My personality and Ruby’s were hard to tell apart after that. I no longer listened to Emerald’s hesitant advice. I struck down every attacker mercilessly, except for the friends who kept me sane. I trained and made myself stronger so I could take down my old partner. That was my life for the next thirty years.
I wanted to be ready the next time I faced him. That’s why I did all of that. Because I wanted to be able to take him down, even if it meant losing myself in the process.
~
Sweet freedom. I was finally able to leave that little hamlet to do what I wanted. But first, I had to find a place to wait. So I returned to my homeland to see what I had to work with.
I spotted a castle not a hundred miles from where my informant told me Zircon was staying. That meant he’d be around sometime soon. Good.
I waited until nightfall, spending the few hours of time I had planning my moves. By the time I was done, it was time to get going. And so I attacked, silent as a shadow, and put my plans into action.
Come sunrise, the castle was swimming in mutilated corpses, save for the guards. One of which I currently held captive by the throat.
“Spread the word,” I growled in the short guy’s face. “Catalyst Nightmare is back. And he’s out for Lightning Death’s blood.” I released my grip on the man’s collar and glared. “Well? What are you waiting for? Get going!”
“H-hai, Catalyst-sama,” the man stuttered, and darted off, obviously terrified. Ah, it’s good to be back. Like they say, revenge is a dish best served cold. This dish has been cooling for thirty years. Time to serve it up.
~
That’s my story. Now that I can pursue Zircon without having to pause to save a town, I can act like I used to. Hyper and childish.
Wait, what’s that noise? Sounds like the alarm to alert the guards to a hostile threat. “Lightning Death is approaching the gates!” a guard cries out, and I grin in a predatory way.
“Finally. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time…” I growl, making my way through the halls. From out of no where, the lyrics of a song written by Nakazawa Kenji plays through my mind.
“Total Slaughter / Total Slaughter / I won’t leave a single man alive. / La de da de dai / Genocide/ Le de da de duh / An ocean of blood. / Let’s begin the killing time.”
I couldn’t agree more. Let’s settle this once and for all, Zircon. Lightning against Catalyst. We’ll see who’s the weak butterfly now. This time, I won’t lose.
 Lady Blood Rain · Tue Dec 19, 2006 @ 05:50pm · 0 Comments |
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