The Knight and the Angel
Chapter Three: The Technomancer

ווו×Doctor's Notesווו×

Yokomura Tasuke (Alias Eagle) is an original character. Granted I modeled him off of Eagle Vision of Magic Knights Rayearth, but nonetheless, Tasuke is my character

וווווו×

Slipknot played on the radio behind him at pulse-pounding decaples. Two pizza boxes lied by the modem, one of the pizzas were half-eaten. In front of the computer was a young man with short ash-colored hair and hooked up to many interfaces via his technomancy skills. He was playing Quake III multiplayer mode over the internet. Before he took a pop shot at TheRogueFox99, he shoveled the pizza crust in his mouth and drank down a large gulp of imported beer.

"Take that, motherfucker! Snipe me again, camper!" The technomancer shouted, then moved on to another target, but as he was about to move on, the phone rang. Not only did it cut his connection, but it messed him and his body count up.

"Christ!" He took off all the interfaces and pushed himself to the phone via the office chair with wheels. "Hello?" The boy turned the stereo down, his pretty golden eyes staring at the caller I.D. "Yeah I got the disc right here. Microshaft Wind-blows 98: Pirated Version, fresh from the computer of Eagle. But nothing from the computer of Eagle comes free."

There was a conversation for about three minutes until there was a knock on the door in the living room. Eagle heard the knocking and frowned. "Hey, look, DeeJay, I love to talk business but I got guests. Ciao!"

He hung up and moaned, getting out of the chair. "Dipshit." Opening the door, he saw four men standing before him. The one that was most distinguishable was the very elegant white-haired priest.

"Yokomura Tasuke the technomancer?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"We require your services."

"Oh yeah? Who says?"

Brad was the next to speak up. "The Exemplar."

Eagle's eyes showed that sparkle of recognition, and at the same time the color from his face drained.

"So you're telling me, because of a rare paradoxical backlash, your friend can no longer see like a normal human being... but can only see things around him rotting and decaying?"

"Correct." Brad nodded, still holding Basara's hand.

"This is another variation of Deathsight then." Eagle began as he paced the carpet of his living room. "The way I heard Deathsight described is differently. The walls bleed, everyone around the person looks as if they were knocking on death's door."

"I heard of that version." Brad replied to Eagle's opinion. "But that's not the case here, can you help us?"

"I think I can, but it'll take a long time..." Eagle folded his arms. "Creating such a unique item to help him see like a regular person is gonna require a set amount of resources."

"Please hurry. We're on a quest." Seishirou, who was quiet throughout the conversation, spoke up on his behalf.

"Alright alright. I'll get to work on it. Please make yourselves at home... there's pizza in the fridge." He walked into his labs and locked the door.

"Well, that went off without a hitch." Kenshirou wiped the strands of auburn hair from his face. "I hope he won't be asking for payment anytime soon. My international bank account's almost swiped."

"I still got some left over for payment." Brad leaned against the wall and rubbed his freshly cut wrist, in his mind's eye, he remembered the little boy in Germany.

//I am not afraid to die. The people inside have always comforted me.//

His midnight blue eyes closed, a sad sigh escaped Brad's lips. He knew his time had come when we arrived... the question is will the others be so accepting of their fates?

A blood tear escaped Brad's closed eyelid, he wiped it away with his other hand and continued to contemplate. Even so, I am an assassin... but why? Why do I feel ashamed to kill an unwilling victim? Am I more Knight than Assassin?

"Brad?" Basara's voice interupted his train of thought, Brad opened his eyes to see the lovely Basara standing there with a worried look on his face.

"Yes, love?"

"You look ill. Something wrong? Do you need to lie down?"

"I think I'll need to." Brad headed over to the couch and pushed the magazines and Japanese mangas off. He lied down, then allowed Basara to put his hand on his forehead. He closed his eyes and let the sleep and the dizzyness have free rein.

"Dhârien?"

He opened his eyes to see he was in the apartment, but to his utmost surprise, Basara in his true beauty was hovering over him. The beauty's wings were open and his long silky white hair hugged his face perfectly. Basara was wearing a nicely hugging angelic robe and on his forehead was a snowflake circlet.

"Dhârien?"

"Basara." He looked down to see he was clad in the armor he wore so long ago back in the days of Concordia's rule.

"Shhhhhhhh..." Basara put his delicate, soft fingers on Dhârien's lips to silence him. "Just rest... I'm here. I always will be."

"I killed a kid."

"I know." Basara lied his head on Dhârien's chest, the breastplate was warm and smooth to the touch.

"Why do you forgive me?" Dhârien frowned sadly, his eyes narrowed sadly.

"Because I love you. Nothing will change that." Basara's eyes closed to hide the tears.

"Basara."

"Dhârien... please... just rest. You need it."

"Stay with me."

Basara smiled with his pouty pink lips, he kissed the knight on the lips. "I will."

Dhârien smiled and closed his eyes, returning back to the sleep he desperately needed.

"Brad. Wake up."

There was a throbbing pain in Brad's other wrist now, he woke up, clutching it. Basara was right by his side with a first aid kit out. The white couch had been soiled with his blood, the shard must have activated during the night. He cried out into the darkness, Brad only allowed Basara to wrap the bleeding wrist with a gauze strip. Father Basara turned toward the other two and the newcomer.

"The shard must be near!!"

"The shard?? You mean THE Shard of Concordia?! So it is real!?"

"No shit, Sherlock!!! DAUGH!!!" Brad clutched his wrist tighter, screaming in excruciating pain.

"Brad!" Basara held onto his lover tightly, looking at all three of them. "Is the item ready?!"

"It needs to be tested first!" Eagle shouted over Brad's screaming. "Please shut him up! He'll wake the neighbors!"

"We can't! Seishirou screamed back at Eagle. "He's our only indication to the location of the shards! We need to keep him awake!"

"Keep it down then! I don't want to be evicted!"

"Brad!!" Father Basara stroked his raven-black hair, comforting him. "Shhhhhhh! Shhhhhhhh...!"

"I-it hurts! It burns!"

"I know, baby." The lovely young priest stroked his hair like a cat, comforting him. "Don't let it consume you..."

"Ugh...!!" Blood tears poured down Brad's cheeks, he buried his face in Basara's chest.

"Phew..."

"What are you waiting for?" Kenshirou commanded Eagle. "Get back to work!"

"... whatever." Eagle went back to his lab and closed the door.

"I'm so proud of you, Brad." Basara's smiles were also very tearful. "You didn't let the pain and the agony consume you."

Brad was safely asleep, his head in Basara's lap. Although the pain was still there, he managed to contain it... until the third shard is found.

"This is it?"

"That's the building in which the shard is kept."

"Good, as soon as we get it... we leave."

"Yes, sir."

"If anyone witnesses us take it. Kill them."

"Yes, sir. And the Exemplar?"

"Kill him too."

-Continued-