InsaneJournal

IV - Tears of Fire - IV

I'm impatient.
A masochist's blood runs in my veins,
and I'm with you, a sadist.
If I could, I want to use the poisonous kiss.
Because of grief, virtue can't be seen.

IV - ToF - IV

In the meeting room of the Condor, the Storm Hawks save for Aerrow took their seats and looked at each other curiously. They all knew why they were here and it wasn’t because of Piper, who would usually brief them of the plans, strategies and tactics for each of their missions.

Today was the perfect time to address some issues. Piper glanced around and then gestured for Finn to start.

“Okay, I think it’s safe to say that there’s something seriously wrong with Aerrow,” Finn said with a rather exaggerated sigh. Piper bit her bottom lip, while the rest either nodded their heads or murmured in agreement. “It’s like he’s not even there, ya know what I mean?”

“Yeah, I wonder what’s botherin’ him,” Junko said thoughtfully, stroking his chin. “Maybe Dark Ace has somethin’ to do with it.” Stork and Radarr were the only ones who had sensed that there was an intruder on board and the rest of their squadron only knew about that after Aerrow had walked out of his room with a strangely subdued Dark Ace. The sight itself had been hilarious, but it reminded the Storm Hawks that they needed to be more alert.

“Or maybe he just has a lot on his mind,” Piper pointed out, because she knew what it felt like to have something plague one’s thoughts. “Once Dark Ace fails all the three tests,” a sudden pause and everyone laughed, “and he’s sent back to prison, I think Aerrow would be a lot more focused. For now, we should just follow what Aerrow says and help him out. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do as a team?”

“Eh, figures you’d side with him,” Finn said with a snicker. Piper rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “We all know you got a little thing for him. When are you ever going to tell him anyway?”

“Oh shut up, Finn,” Piper muttered. She hated it when they teased her like this. “I was just playing the devil’s advocate.”

“Wait, can I say something here?” Stork asked, his eyes wide and well, paranoid, like the usual. He scratched the back of his neck and rose rather unsteadily as though he was bound to fall. “I think Piper’s right,” another pause and Finn snorted, “that we should just let things be. If it concerns us, then I know that Aerrow will tell us what’s going on. Besides,” he paused again, looking around the meeting room cautiously, “we should focus on more pressing matters, like you know, making our ship less intruder-friendly?”

“Well, whose job is that?” Finn asked with a laugh. Piper frowned and had a strange urge to just slap his face. Even throughout these years, Finn was still Finn. What would it take to make a person more mature? Did it take change? Did it take events?

They were all laughing again like four years ago. It would seem that on the surface, nothing had changed with their squadron, but Piper knew that on the inside, each individual had their demons to battle in their nightmares. How long would it take for them to crack, for the past to devour them?

“Is that all?” Piper questioned as she took out her notepad. Radarr made an inquiring sound and crawled up to her shoulder. She smiled at the cute little co-pilot and jotted down all the important details of the meeting. When the laughter finally subsided, she was about to wrap this meeting up, but suddenly, she heard two pairs of footsteps coming closer and closer…

The doors slid open, revealing their captain and…

The Dark Ace.

It was ironic, she supposed, for Dark Ace to be adorned in the clothes and armor of red and black, marks of his loyalty to himself and perhaps to the Talons, but she knew that on his back now was the insignia of the Storm Hawks, the very squadron that he had killed single-handedly.

The room was tense. Radarr was seething, Stork looked ominous with those slitted eyes and Finn, the carefree one, was glaring daggers at Dark Ace. Never mind the fact that Dark Ace wasn’t doing anything yet. Four years of struggling, mutual hatred and anger, was enough for any of them to start a fight with the Talons.

“Oh, you guys are early,” Aerrow said with a small, forced out smile. “Are you all ready?” Once again, some nodded their heads while the others voiced out the many variations of “Yes“. When the tension didn’t lift, Aerrow gazed at each and everyone of the Storm Hawks and said smooth like silk, “Don’t worry about Dark Ace. He’ll behave under my watch.”

He winked, puzzling not only the Storm Hawks, but Dark Ace as well. What did Aerrow mean by that? Wasn’t it obvious that Dark Ace was going to repeat the past, kill them all and then make a victorious escape? And then she saw it, a glittering object in Aerrow’s pocket…

Was that a Tracking Crystal?

IV - ToF - IV

Dark Ace flew around a phoenix’s nest, recalling the time he had stolen a phoenix crystal from Aerrow. If he couldn’t keep the phoenixes off his back, then how would the Storm Hawks be able to do it? How was he going to pierce the eyes of a phoenix? Anything shot at the phoenixes would go through or melt because of the flames.

He looked around and saw Piper waving at him. She caught up with her Heliscooter and handed him a sky-blue staff. He glanced at the tip and saw a blizzard crystal. Feeling rather puzzled, he flew back and watched in the sidelines as the Storm Hawks finally put their plan into action.

Aerrow zoomed in, jumped off his skimmer and dove down, snatching one of the crystals easily. The phoenix screeched, flapping its huge fiery wings, and tried to snuff Aerrow out. He rolled to the side of the nest, dodging the phoenix’s powerful beak, and jumped back on his skimmer. He waved the crystal in the air and threw it at Finn, as though they were playing a game of ’Keep Away’.

The phoenix screeched again, the flames intensifying. Dark Ace moved in, landing on the nest softly. He held the staff up in the air, pointed it at the angry beast, and declared:

“No mercy, you stupid bird.”

The phoenix flapped its wings and soon enough, a circle of flames was surrounding the nest. The phoenix tried to drive its beak down on him, but he jumped back and let the ice stream out of the crystal. Because of the rising flames, it melted the ice and vaporized the water. The heat around him began to thicken, filling up his lungs. He coughed suddenly; he couldn’t breathe.

He glanced at the staff and aimed for the eyes. He wasn’t sure if this was going to work, but he took another shot. As expected, the ice went through, melting into water and eventually evaporated. Strangely enough, the phoenix froze as though it was in shock, two fiery tears falling from its eyes.

Dark Ace gasped and saw Piper flying in to collect the tears. The pair of tears settled into the cylinder and the flames rose again. It tried to engulf her as though angry for what she had done, but she flew her way out and left Dark Ace in the raging flames.

“So this is the end,” Dark Ace muttered with a hollow laugh. The Sky Council was intending to kill him after all. How ironic to be dying by his own element. In his mind, he saw glimpses of his past: the earlier times of Cyclonia, the beginnings of the Sky Knights and their rebellion against the Cyclonian Empire.

He saw his parents, mere pawns in the war, screaming in agony and pain as the fire burned and consumed them all. One would think because of that incident, he would hate fire, but instead he wanted to control it, master it, and wield it like a weapon so it would never hurt him again.

IV - ToF - IV

When Aerrow heard from Piper that she had left Dark Ace to die in the fire, he suddenly turned his skimmer around and headed back to the nest. He could hear Piper screaming behind him, reminding him that wasn’t this what he wanted? Didn’t he want Dark Ace to die? He ignored it all and ventured forward, thinking not with his mind, but feeling with his heart.

The phoenix by now had already left, probably looking for the phoenix crystal. He took this chance to circle around the nest, trying to find an opening. Once he found it, he plunged down, pushing his skimmer beyond its limits.

Seconds before it crashed into the nest, he leaped out and looked for the Dark Ace. He found him lying in the middle of the nest, the staff rolling out of Dark Ace’s hand. Aerrow picked up the staff and wondered whether Dark Ace knew how to use it correctly.

“What the hell are you doing, Aerrow?” Dark Ace coughed, lifting his head. “Why can’t you just be yourself, drop the heroic antics and leave?!” He struggled to get on his knees, only to collapse back into the ground. “Stupid fool! Now we’re both going to die. That piece of crap you’re holding is useless! Get the hell out of here!”

Aerrow stared at Dark Ace and wondered why he was doing this again, but the moment he slipped Dark Ace’s arm around his neck, it became all too clear. “We had a deal,” Aerrow grounded out as though that explained everything between them.

He raised the staff, the blizzard crystal gleaming, and blasted the furious flames with the ice. Even as it melted, he didn’t stop because he knew that with the departure of the phoenix, there was nothing to fuel the flames anymore.

“Aerrow…” Dark Ace whispered. The flames had finally died, the nest now frozen. “How?”

“The phoenix’s gone,” Aerrow explained softly. He sat on the nest and lay Dark Ace on the ground. In the cloudless sky, he could see the Condor flying towards them. He waved his hand to signal that they were alright and stared at Dark Ace again, at his usually smug face.

Those strange eyes of his could be so many things; it could be the blood of the people he had killed, the evil of a demon, the fire of anger or perhaps, even passion. But those same eyes that Aerrow found so oddly entrancing blinked once and then slowly closed.

IV - ToF - IV

The raging flames, the haunting memories and the humiliation of being saved by his damned opponent once again all seemed so much like a nightmare to him that when he woke up, he truly thought that he was dreaming. Once he looked around the empty, empurpled room, he realized that it had happened and it was real and he had almost died.

Again.

He raked a hand through his hair and rose to his feet. Even with the Merb’s slight modifications of the Condor, he knew it like the back of his hand and could still find his way around here. He began to walk, practically taking a stroll as he went out of his bedroom and entered the hallway.

It didn’t take him long to find Aerrow’s room. Like last time, he found the door unlocked and he slipped inside. He glanced at Aerrow and unlike last time, he truly was asleep. Dark Ace moved over there and wondered why Aerrow had saved him again. He could understand the first time because of his rival’s thirst for vengeance, but the second time? Was it truly because of a stupid little deal?

He liked messing with this little fool and playing with his heart and mind. That was why Dark Ace had kissed him earlier and had touched him in such a way that would probably creep most guys out. But he couldn’t seem to forget the feel of those lips against his or the firmness of Aerrow’s back under his hand. A part of him wondered what it would feel like to have Aerrow struggling under him, either because of a duel or something else…

Never the one to deny himself of anything, Dark Ace leaned in and pressed his lips against Aerrow’s. Let him play with Aerrow’s heart a little more so he could twist it and slice it into pieces. Those lips were so soft and as those brilliant green eyes slowly opened, he pulled away and acted as though nothing had happened. Aerrow rubbed his eyes and glanced at Dark Ace.

“Do you have a crush on me or something?” Aerrow yawned, glaring at him now. “Or are you just screwing with me?” He sat up and stretched his arms. Was Aerrow that tired from the phoenix incident? Aerrow didn’t strike Dark Ace as someone who would be so worn out from only one event. Even at the age of eighteen, he was still too young.

“I’ll let you figure it out,” Dark Ace chuckled. He sat on the floor and leaned back on the side of the mattress. “I have a new theory. I think these tests, these tasks are all meant to kill me, am I right?” And if he survived all three, then he could have his freedom even if it was most likely going to be limited by the Sky Council again.

“Hmmm,” Aerrow murmured, a small smile on his lips. “How about I’ll let you figure that one out.” That small smile twisted into a smirk and Dark Ace had this strange feeling that he was rubbing off on this kid too much. He didn’t know if that was a good or a bad thing. He found it strange even, for them to talk like this as though they weren’t enemies at all. Maybe they were too tired to truly put up a fight.

“Touché,” Dark Ace muttered, rolling his eyes. “Let me ask you this. What were you testing through that task? Were you testing my bravery?” He snorted and Aerrow laughed. “Were you testing on whether I would turn down the challenge? Or something else?” He really wanted to know, if only to figure out the Sky Council’s motives.

Aerrow gazed at him thoughtfully, his eyes gleaming, and said softly, “I was testing to see whether you would take that chance to escape or even kill me during that time I dropped down from the skimmer.” He paused and frowned a bit. “But I guess you either have a lot of self-control or you’re just biding your time.”

“Why? Do you want to die that badly?” Dark Ace inquired with an arched eyebrow. “That can be arranged now if you want.” Aerrow laughed again, though surely Aerrow by now would have already taken him seriously. A small part of him had to wonder though, whether things between them would have been different if they had met in the right time and the right place.

IV - ToF - IV

Terra Mont was a terra of tall mountains, deep caves and rainforests. It had been home to the dragons because of its easily accessible resources. Despite this, they had become prey to the humankind and particularly to the ancestors of Cyclonis.

Because they had been extinct for centuries, the terra became a secret sanctuary to Master Cyclonis. She was standing on one of the mountaintops now, no longer adorned in her dark, stylish robes that reminded of her past, but dressed instead in simply tight black pants and a long, sleeveless white shirt.

She let her hands fall to her sides and closed her eyes. She felt the calm breeze, caressing her skin and her hair. She took one of her shorter locks, placed it behind her ear and opened her eyes again. She would never forget that event of her rebirth, her second chance at life.

But why?

Why couldn’t Piper kill her?

Was it because Piper wanted her to suffer a slow, painful death? Or was it because Piper, even throughout the harsh, horrific years of the wars, still had the goodness and the innocence in her heart to let Cyclonis live?

Piper was certainly no Aerrow, who had let Dark Ace deep into his skin. That was why she had believed that Piper was so much stronger than Aerrow. It wasn’t just because of the amount of knowledge Piper had or even the crystals.

And after Piper had left her in the remains of the Cyclonian Empire, she hadn’t much of a choice, but to use of what she called a Sacrifice Crystal. She had held that black crystal next to her dying body, cleared her mind of unnecessary thoughts and closed her eyes.

In order for the crystal to work, she had to sacrifice the most important thing to her. For her to live, she had chosen her goals of taking over Atmos because taking back what was hers was the hardest to let go. The black crystal had glowed and with the power of it, her mind and her will, she flew away from the fallen empire, settled into Terra Mont and started to recover.

One might wonder why she didn’t use that crystal before, but it was simple. She didn’t want to bind herself to something so dark and dangerous (because she wasn’t that desperate until the very end) and if she were to use it before, she would have to sacrifice her control over Atmos and her empire anyway. Even if she dared to go against the dark crystal now, it would kill her instantly. There were no other Crystal Specialists in Atmos who could possibly reverse this gifted curse except for perhaps, Piper herself.

However, Cyclonis no longer wanted to depend on anyone else, be it Dark Ace or her stupid henchman to get to where she needed to be or to get what she truly wanted. Without her goals, she didn’t know what to do with the rest of her life. In society’s eyes, she was still young, merely an eighteen-year-old girl, who knew too much and had used it to the fullest advantage.

Are you still alive, Dark Ace?

She would never know until she ventured out of this sanctuary, found the pieces of her past and learned how to truly live in this world of not black and white, but shades of gray.

IV - ToF - IV

A week had passed and the Storm Hawks still have a hard time accommodating to the changes of the Condor. Dark Ace’s presence made the early mornings, lunch times, dinners and even simplistic missions all the more intense and nerve-racking.

Aerrow had noticed the different ways his teammates responded to Dark Ace. Aerrow had always kept an eye on him, be it through the crystal or just his own eyes.

On the other hand, Piper had avoided Dark Ace entirely, refusing to talk to him or to sit across from him during dinner time. Aerrow would bet that if he ordered her to simply socialize with Dark Ace, she would actually defy him and lock herself in her room.

Finn, being the sociable one, had actually talked to Dark Ace a few times, or rather just goaded and taunted him endlessly until Dark Ace had all lost his patience and threatened to slit his throat. That hadn’t went well and that didn’t stop Finn from being himself either.

Stork, Radarr and Junko had been more careful, observant and cautious like Aerrow. They had watched Dark Ace’s every move, heard and analyzed what he said and so far never lowered their guard around him ever since he had easily sneaked into the Condor.

Aerrow understood why they had acted the way they did. Having Dark Ace with them, he realized, was a burden. He would even go as far as to say that Dark Ace was the embodiment of the past, to remind them of the haunting memories, of the things they had lost and would never regain back.

IV - ToF - IV

With the Sky Council’s room empty of its usual audience and criminals, it was a place of discussion and recreation to the Sky Council members. In the middle of the room was a maroon, rectangular table, and sitting around the table were the members of the Sky Council themselves. On one side of the table was a chessboard made of glass along with its positioned pieces.

“He survived the first test,” said the old man with the monocle in amusement. He had the white pieces and his opponent, a wise, but quieter man with a yellow cloak around his bald head, had the black pieces. The Whites always made the first move and so he pushed one of his pawns up a square. He glanced at his opponent and cracked up a smile.

“So he’s still alive,” the cloaked one muttered. “Is it because he was lucky that time or was it because of Aerrow again?” He moved his black knight forward and gestured for the other to not only answer him, but to make his move. “Something tells me that it’s both…”

“Hmm?” the other one inquired. He too moved his white knight because it was only fair. Knights were often tricky and could easily slip away from your grasp. Sky Knights were so much harder because they could fly. The sky was never the limit after all. “It’s better that he’s still alive. He will lure Master Cyclonis out, if she has indeed used that forbidden crystal.”

“Ahh,” his opponent murmured, smiling softly. He moved up the black knight again, taking out one of the pawns. Many of the Talons would do the same, take out the weakest ones and then kill their way up to the top of their best squadrons. “If she did use that forbidden crystal, then perhaps Atmos can finally breathe. Maybe we should let the Storm Hawks have a little vacation.”

The other members, who have been watching the chess match, all agreed. A soft pang echoed throughout the council room as the white knight moved from its position and knocked the black knight aside.

IV - ToF - IV

Darkness.

Nothingness.

Was he falling into an abyss?

His surroundings slowly morphed into something that was achingly familiar; the warm red carpets, the colorful walls, the awards and the medals hanging on those walls, the loving pictures of his happy blond mother and his courageous redheaded father, and the cozy feeling of home.

This was his home.

Was.

There was a difference between a house and a home. When his father was still alive (he could remember his childhood very well, though he wasn’t sure why), Aerrow had a home. His smiling mother had radiated the comfort, love and affection that he needed to grow, but after the death of his father, everything had changed. One by one those pictures vanished because his mother had taken them down.

As a little child, here he was in the porch, standing by her and looking at her. She had always dressed in vibrant clothes, but ever since his father’s death, she wore clothes of only black, white and gray.

All was silent.

He was reliving a memory in his dreams.

He dreamt of this quite often. He would never forget the look of utter grief in her eyes, her unsmiling mouth and she was so cold, silent and very lonely. It was true that she had continued to take care of him, offering the money he needed and giving him a place to live, but it was obvious that she couldn’t bear the sight of him simply because he looked so much like his father and acted like him too.

Without her to truly guide him, he had to force himself to grow up and be responsible. He never let her grief weigh him down because he was lost in his own. Only through training and being with his friends, did he become happy again. He had decided that he would never let anything bring him down again, that he would always remain optimistic and strong because all in all, attitude made all the difference in life.

But he wasn’t so sure anymore.

All he knew now was the cause of this endless unhappiness:

The Dark Ace.

His surroundings were changing again, memories flittering in his mind like photographs. Now he was lying under the soft covers of his bed, waiting for something, but what was it? What did he want? And then, he felt something moving under the covers, a naked body now resting on top of him. He gasped at the sight of those red eyes, now so dark with passion and lust.

He wanted to speak, to protest and rebel, but he couldn’t move. He was just watching and feeling now as Dark Ace kissed him. It was a soft kiss, just the feel of lips against lips and suddenly, he remembered that Dark Ace had stolen two kisses from him. Aerrow wondered if that man was crazy enough to have a crush on him. But then he felt those lips move, trailing up his neck. He shuddered at the pleasant sensation, but could do nothing else.

“Say my name,” Dark Ace whispered huskily to his ear.

No, he wanted to say, I can’t.

What happened afterwards became too quick to follow; he could only see flashes of sweat slicked skin, heated flesh sliding against heated flesh and cries of passion and release and then—

He woke up, rather violently.

He was sitting up, trying to catch his breath. He moved the blankets away from his body and realized that he was achingly aroused. Disgusted with himself, he swiftly made his way out of his room, practically ran in the hall and took a quick, cold shower in the bathroom.

With only a towel wrapped around his waist, he came out, feeling much better and clean from the taint and filth of those dreams. He didn’t know what those dreams mean and frankly, he had other things to do than to try to figure them out.

Once he was back in his room, he donned himself of his regular Storm Hawks attire and saw a messenger bird sitting patiently by the windowsill. He took the note from the bird’s beak, read it, and watched the bird fly away. He smiled at the letter. Even though they weren’t an official squadron, the Sky Council treated them like one, and through the letter even told them to take a vacation.

His team could probably use a break from all the tension, but who would watch Dark Ace? Did the Sky Council also mean for Dark Ace to take a break too? Since he was technically part of the Storm Hawks now, it would seem so, but Aerrow would never let his guard down around Dark Ace. If he did, it might be the death of him.

He went to the bridge and greeted his team. All of them were here save for Dark Ace. A quick glance at the crystal told him that Dark Ace was still in his room. He took the note from his pocket and cleared his throat.

“I have a few things to announce,” Aerrow paused, looking at each and everyone of his teammates. Finn had taken off his headphones. Piper was looking up from her maps. Junko finished eating his bit of bread and from the twitch of Stork’s pointed ears, Aerrow knew that Stork was paying attention. Radarr squawked happily and immediately took his place on Aerrow’s shoulder.

“So… what is it?” Finn asked gleefully, “Do we get any rewards or what?”

“Number one, the second test for Dark Ace will take a while because somebody still has to find the scattered members of the Murk Raiders. That’s going to be Starling’s job. And number two, according to this letter,” he waved said letter in the air, “because of our hard work, we’re granted a vacation in Terra Tropica!”

The Storm Hawks cheered, gave each high-fives and laughed. They definitely deserved this. Aerrow wasn’t so sure about Dark Ace.

IV - TBC - IV

A/n: I had second thoughts on that one line “Do you have a crush on me?” but then again, that series does have its funny moments. And I find it hilarious. XDD It’s also a Saiyuki Reload reference. (There’s also another literal reference somewhere ^_~)

I was aiming for 8000+ words, but I realized from my past experience that I’ll just burn myself faster that way. Plus, I need some time to think about the next scenes. And I also need to work on other stories that isn’t as intense this.

The first half of this chapter was kind of hard to write, (because I’m an editing freak), but the other half was alright. Do you guys have any questions?

Feedback please? XD Feed the muses!

Oh, and if you’re offering up concrit, please be veeeeery specific and detailed so I know what you’re talking about because I really do look back on the chapter and fix things.