She huffed as she dodged another attack, and flew back a couple meters. The battle had already been quite lengthy, and her opponent showed little signs of tiredness. Just as she was about to attack, the enemy used a binding. Her opponent Shadow calmed down some and headed towards her slower that earlier, for what need is there to hurry if you're immortal? Plus, an enemy who can't move is just a fun toy that you're allowed to break. Shadow was now close, and about to stab her fatally. This was the end. She knew it. Not many would miss her, for those who cared were few, and she would eventually be forgotten. Now, everything was against her. Even the eyes she was proud of, was slowly draining her energy away, and she couldn't even deactivate the magic. The end of Tsukiko had come sooner than she had expected. She closed her eyes, and her last thought was, 'I failed', as the sound of a sword cutting flesh echoed through the trees.
There was no pain as the blood splattered. The only thing heard was heavy breathing and the sound of a sword being slowly and carelessly taken out of flesh. She opened her eyes and saw white. Slowly it moved downward, and she felt something slump against her leg. In front of her was Shadow with her sword now bloody, smirking and looking at something at Tsuki's feet. She looked down...and her eyes filled with emotion, for there lay Oliver, stabbed.
"How useless," Shadow smirked. "All he managed to accomplish was waste my time, and that wasn't even enough to protect you."
Tsuki couldn't say anything. Hadn't it only been two days ago that he had admitted his true feelings to her?
"But I don't matter. Only you do...This love, it hurts me, but as I feel this pain, it's like a fog has been lifted...I'd give my soul to protect you from death."
He told her that he loved her, and he'd protect her no matter what. Even if it meant his own death, and here he was now, lying at her feet, dying, and all she could do was stand and watch as he suffered.
"Oh, that love struck fool," said Shadow, wiping her sword on the grass, "He loved you, and you won't even shed a tear for him. All he managed to do was dirty my sword." She raised the lifted again, to kill Tsuki. "Ah, but you two can settle that topic in the afterlife, in the deepest pits of Hell."
"No," muttered Tsuki, and hung her head. "I won't be going where he's headed." Shadow smirked, and raised the blade to strike. But as she was about to finish off Tsuki, an ivory spear struck her in the back, and came out the front. Shadow staggered, grabbed the spear stuck in her body, and drew it out. "He just won't give up!"She exclaimed, and kicked his dead body.
Shadow lifted her sword for the final time. Just as she was about to strike, a gleaming dagger pierced her neck, and she slowly evaporated into a dark matter and disappeared. The binding magic was released, and Tsuki slumped onto the ground once she saw who it was handling the dagger. Her guardian angel, Oliver. Now a true angel, indeed.
"Oliver..."
"Tsuki."
"I told you I'd protect you...but I guess that in the end, I was still useless..." He reached for her hand and she took it. His touch felt cold and lifeless, much like body that lay beside her, but it was different. More like a cold light, than a lifeless being. She held back tears that started to fill her eyes, but still couldn't completely rid herself of the emotion and pain. So when he kneeled down, she couldn't stop herself from hugging him. He hugged her back as well, and wrapped his wings around her. He still felt cold. Everywhere, but a part of the left side of his chest. Slowly, but noticeably, the aura around him shone brighter. Its radiance kept increasing until its glow was too bright to look at...and then he was gone, leaving nothing but one white rose in her hand. Still fighting back the tears, she examined it, handling it as if it were a young bird instead of a flower. Oliver's body sighed, and the pure white rose was now splattered with red. It formed a heart. She turned the rose around, and a few tears escaped her when she saw it...Three words.
I love you.
A drop of blood near Oliver's eye slid down his cheek, and his body shifted so it looked like he was trying to hug her. She couldn't hold back her feelings anymore.
She hugged him tight and as her eyes started overflowing with tears, she had no strength left to hold them back. She let the emotions take over her. She cried until she had no tears left.
Of course, it's just her luck. Crappy. Only a few moments after, the one she would hate to see any day appeared. Payne.
"Well then, what do we have here? Tsukiko is actually capable of expressing emotion!" When she didn't reply to him, he continued, "Why do you care for him now, anyway? He's dead. Get over it." Payne walked over to Oliver's body and kicked it. That made Tsuki twitch.
"Don't touch him," She muttered threatingly.
"Oh?" Payne questioned in a why ever-not way, and kicked him again, harder.
"I said don't touch him!" Tsuki growled and gave Payne a death glare. Payne, now amused, kicked him once again. That made Tsuki go a bit crazy. Her only thought was to harm the enemy as much as possible, so she did what first came to mind. She bit his leg. Hard. Her canine teeth had formed into fangs, and blood ran down his leg. He exclaimed and had to kick her head a couple times before she was knocked away. "Damn cat." He muttered. "Fine, I'll go for now. I'll have plenty of other chances to kill you. Until we meet again!" He dissapeared.
Tsuki sighed. There was no point in just sitting around. Who knows, perhaps Payne really did go off to find the undertaker. The man isn't to be taken lightly if he wants to kill you.
"I don't know much about funerals," She muttered, "but hopefully, this should work." From her pocket, she took out a small wooden box engraved with complicated designs, ancient symbols, and a nine-pointed star on the lid. She stared at it, almost as if regret and began unfastening the clasp. A rustling in the undergrowth nearby stopped her. She looked up, startled, to find Amber emerging from the forest. Last time she checked, they weren't on the best of terms, but Shadow was an enemy of both. So her presence seemed...less threatening.
"What are you doing?" questioned Amber. After not receiving an answer from Tsuki, she looked next to her and whispered, "Is he...?"
Tsuki silently nodded, her eyes gaining moisture again.
