Knights Against the Night Part 10

AN: For anyone reading this blog, Knights is a Nano Camp Project, and as such written in great haste as most Nano projects are, but in order to maintain my daily updates I will be posting unedited chapters of Knights Against the Night, some will be out of order, some will randomly jump in the time line, and some parts will be rewritten scenes. And now, on with the story.

“Mars! I wasn’t doing any harm!” Beano protested as Mars dragged him into an empty hallway.

Mars was shaking, so fine Beano hadn’t immediately noticed.

“Mars?” Beano forced himself to calm down, discarding his mild annoyance at being taken from the party.

“I heard you. Why would you...”

Beano looked away, not able to bear the look of confusion and betrayal on Mars’ face.

“Because they don’t tell the kids.” Beano replied, that small ember of rage burning hot in his chest. “They didn’t tell us.”

“This isn’t the way Beano.” Mars sighed, the bear sitting down with his back against the wall, his burned side facing Beano.

Beano shifted, watchful. He watched Mars’ blind spot, and Mars watched his back. It was habit from underneath and even though they should be safe here, in the workshop, they hadn’t discarded their habits.

“What is the way?” Beano asked, the question falling flat.

"I don't understand what you want from me anymore." Beano said sadly, glancing back towards the party. It was easier in the dark, he thought but was not foolish to say so.

"I don't know either." Mars said, "I'm not..." Mars sighed again. "Do you want to go back to the party?"

Beano shrugged, the party hadn't mattered, only the chance to talk to the younger toys. He hadn't planned on giving away secrets. But...

"I have no purpose." Beano said, "Not anymore."

"We got here. We'll get another assignment. Or something..."

"No." Beano said, "They don't send toys out again, we might get into the guard, if we pass the psyche evaluation. There's teaching, again if we pass phych. I don't know what else there is for old toys."

"Beano..."

"You know I won't pass Psyche." Beano said, that flame burning bright and angry.

Mars snorted, "They won't let me teach, have you seen the teachers? Not a scar amoung them. I might frighten the kiddies."

Beano glared at him, "If you want it, go for it. You'll do a better job than any of the teachers they have here. Hell you did a better job teaching me in the field than they ever did in the classroom."

Mars shook his head, "No. I don't want it."

Beano laughed, "Then what do you want?"

Mars eyes flickered as he considered. The question had been posed before, a dozen times before. But Beano hadn't asked since they arrived.

Before the answer had been simple.

Protect the kid.

Rescue Beano.

Get out of the dark.

Get to the workshop.

All short term goals, except the first.

They had failed.

Why would anyone trust them again? Why would Beano trust him? He couldn't even trust himself.

"Mars?"

"I don't have any idea anymore." He said, all the drive lost.

They were safe. Safe and protected and useless.

"Why don't they tell?" Beano asked. "I mean it wouldn't have made much difference in our case..."

Mars snorted again, "You don't believe that."

Beano grinned sharply, "No, I don't believe that."

Beano drew his sword, the once bright blade had lost all light, almost as dark as the Dark Realms.

"Put that away." Mars said sharply, "You know what they'll do if they see it."

Beano twisted his wrist and the blade vanished again. His eyes were haunted. "I'm dead Mars. As soon as they find out..."

Mars groaned, resisting the desire to pull his own blade out, the fur on his back raising as he expected an attack. "A very good reason not to pull it out."

Beano's tail twitched back and forth, "It's not working Mars, being in the workshop isn't enough."

Mars shook his head. "It will. We'll find a way."

Beano laughed again. "Or die trying?"

"Or die." Mars said flatly.

Beano sat down against Mars. "Or die." He agreed.

Mad at Mouse Part 54

Destiny greeted the Dawn, her voice rising over the noise of last minute preparations.

If people paused in their work to listen, she paid them no mind.

She sung, not of the battle to come, but those already lost and won.

Her heart soared.

In his glory, king of heaven, dying for me.

Just as her final song began, just as the sun broke over the edge of the skyline, lightening flashed and thunder roared out of a clear sky.

Three beings appeared in the flash of light, a yell of “Destiny!” and while most were still trying to blink sight back into their eyes, Destiny was dodging.

The tallest of the three was relentless in his attack, his rage growing with ever dodged attack, every deflected strike. Almost twice Destiny’s height and whip cord thin, and an almost uniform steel colouration.

Destiny was like the wind, faster, smaller, and calmer than her opponent, she could run circles around him, but focused on drawing him away from his companions.

The other two, a woman with red hair heavily streaked with white, and a blockier man with a mop of messy black hair, watched impassionately as Destiny pulled every trick she could as she dodged, blocked and bounced circles around the other.

Mickey rushed over, warned by the flash of lightening, Keyblade ready and searched for an opening.

No. This wasn’t the army Destiny had spoken of.

“Who...?” He queried and the old woman, for she seemed ancient even if she still retained some small amount of red in her hair, turned to him and looked him over dismissively.

“Keyblader.” She flicked her gaze back over to the combatants, a narrow frown on her face. “Dilemma intended to beat Destiny black and blue for...” She shrugged and her eyes flickered skyward.

“She failed.” The man spoke.

Destiny spun, lashing out at Dilemma. Mickey blinked as Dilemma went flying into a wall, and didn’t move.

She turned to the others and nodded in greeting, “Kismet, Plight, I thought you were dead” she tilted her head at Mickey, then almost as an afterthought, “Mouse.”

The man reached for his weapons, but the woman placed a hand on his arm.

“Peace Plight. Let her speak.”

“I have a plan.” Destiny said.

Kismet looked her up and down, before she nodded once. “Then we have things to discuss.”

“Inside?” Mickey suggested.

Mad at Mouse Part 53

“Two Days.” Destiny said, throwing the council a considering glance. They had been quiet, their preparations made long ago and far away.

“We know.” Maleficent replied, with a quirk of her lips, a cold smile, but a smile none the less.

Destiny nodded. Everyone knew. War was coming.

Her eyes turned skyward, looking beyond the blue, “I could...” She considered, “I could divert them. Send them chasing wil o’ wisps.”

“No.” Jafer said, “Let them cross the killing ground. Let them die.”

A murmur of agreement, “We gain nothing from the wait. Let them come.”

A snicker, “Let’s see how well they die.”

Maleficent gestured, and silence ruled again, “We are ready.”

Destiny nodded, “Yes. We are.”

Mad at Mouse Part 52

Three Days Destiny thought, watching the sky. Just three days and it would be over.

Three days and he would be here.

She hadn’t picked up any colour since giving the last of her power to the seed, her hair was wispy white, her eyes a clear grey, and her skin almost ashen.

There was still something broken behind those eyes, and she refused to touch, or be touched.

“Three days.” She told the mouse, he didn’t, wouldn’t trust her. He shouldn’t. She had brought War to his doorstep.

Yet between his allies and his enemies it seemed the mouse didn’t have the time or energy to devote much thought to a neutral party.

She sang in the dawn, feeling the gathering power.

This would not be forgotten.

Perhaps these brave souls would one day be the ones to restore the World.

Maybe they would succeed where her people had failed.

Hope.

I believe.

Heaven calls.

Honda's Ghost Part 4

For all of that effort, we can be undone by the simplest things.

We traded letters back and forth, painfully polite but finally cordial. I don’t know what was going on in Honda’s mind, but then he probably felt clueless when it came to me.

I could sense emotion when he felt it strongly enough, but the pathways his mind trod down were closed to me.

That was probably a good thing, I’m too good at getting inside people’s heads as it is, if I could see Honda’s thoughts, or even get a clear picture of his reactions I could probably have manipulated him into just about anything. I wouldn’t have done it on purpose... at least, I don’t think I would have, but some things come naturally as breathing, and if he hadn’t been able to escape me at least partly...

I’m thankful for small favours.

But we were foolish and paid for that foolishness.

Cooperating as we were, we did not see any harm in trading back and forth.

The Honda’s mother came home.

I was in charge at that point, quickly tossed control back to Honda, he stood up and we passed out again.

At which point we spent several days in hospital as the doctors tried to work out what was wrong.

I never did get a clear understanding of what they thought was happening.

By the time we returned to school, a filming crew had been and gone, the gossips were buzzing about a dozen different stories, to my surprise a few were about Jonouchi and Yugi, I couldn’t get a straight story out of anyone, and Jonouchi was hunting for the school’s “star”.

Personally I walked into our classroom and froze upon seeing the puzzle.

It’s one thing to know Yugi had completed it, it is quite another to see it.

It is fortunate that Honda was clueless, and covered for me. My mind was whirling with the implications.

Despite my expectations I didn’t get immediately Shadow Gamed.

I was just very aware of the knife being held to my throat.

He wasn’t going to be happy when he noticed me haunting one of Yugi’s friends.

Most people had no idea what to make of Jonouchi’s sudden turn about, but he had thrown himself full heartedly into his friendship with Yugi, and was suddenly coming down hard on bullies.

That wasn’t to say he was a completely changed man, he was still a teenage boy after all. But I no longer had doubts about maintaining the friendship, and if he seemed a bit suspicious of me, well, it was up to Honda to tell him, I had left that in his hands.

I faded to the background, and I think Honda almost forgot about me at times, then he would see my handwriting in his books, or find himself somewhere he wasn’t expecting...

I couldn’t forget. We might be pretending to be ordinary, but things were going to start going wrong soon, and I needed to prepare.

I needed money. I needed a way to earn money, something not too time intensive that I could do for a couple of hours each morning. It’s a shame I couldn’t proof read... I turned to thought over in my head. Why couldn’t I? Other than my apparent age?

Well, maybe not proof read, but how about translate? I now knew English and Japanese. There must be...

I let the thought settle to the back of my mind as I focused on class.

I wondered who would be the next target.

I knew there would be another, Yugi was such a pretty target for those with bad intentions. A honey trap.

There were plenty of possibilities, from fellow students to various teachers, and I was starting to worry about this school. Who was hiring these people? I couldn’t be the only one to notice.

Then again, it could be a case of one bad apple having spoiled the entire barrel. The school needed cleaning out.

The best I could do was watch Honda’s back, and extend as much of my protection to Jonouchi, Yugi and Anzu as I could.

It wasn’t much.

I worried constantly.

Then Hanasaki came to school in a state, looking grateful towards Yugi and I realized I had missed a Shadow Game.

I had missed a Shadow Game.

How? Why? Who?

I sighed, and added Hanasaki to the list of people to watch over, the boy had a terrible habit of fading into the background.

And Yugi, if what I remembered was correct, had a terrible habit of saving people, completely changing their lives, and then forgetting them as someone else needed saving.

I didn’t want Hanasaki to turn into a Jonathon type, someone who knew about magic and would later turn against us because we forgot about him as we went on to deal with new and bigger threats.

But I was screwed, I couldn’t protect Yugi, I couldn’t deal with the Spirit of the Puzzle, and one day soon that Spirit was going to find out about me.

I could only hope that when that time came, I would be able to put up a fair fight.