Guilty
Gear, its characters and settings are property of Sammy Studios, and are being
used in this fanfiction without permission.
This fic is rated NC-17 for violence and sexual content, and it contains
yaoi material.
Culmination
Chapter
5
Several
hours later, Ky was holding his breath behind tightly clenched teeth as the
city of Rome rose into view along the southern horizon. It was as he remembered; a charred,
blackened landscape surrounding the shells of even darker buildings. Already he was recalling why he had been
against the idea of coming here; this city held memories for him, very few of
which pleasant, and it pained him to see the deplorable state it had been
reduced to.
“Pretty
shabby, isn’t it?” Bridget remarked next to him.
“It…wasn’t
always that way.”
They
had gathered on the ship’s bridge once Rome came in sight—by now it was deep
into the afternoon, though the sky had not yet begun to soften its shade. They were all excitable, peering at the
fallen city as it drew nearer. None of
them regarded it with the same feeling of dread that Ky felt seeping into his
chest. Most likely because none of them
knew its history as intimately as him.
Rome
had once been a prosperous city, one of the dwindling numbers of large human
settlements scattered across the globe.
Even up until the last years of the war it was a center for trade and
civilization, harboring a population over a million strong and a modest
military power. All that had ended in
the span of several hours. The Gears
that came from the north laid waste to the centuries-old metropolis, decimating
its populace and leaving only rubble.
And Ky had been there. He had
tasted the smoke from its burning residences, had watched the stone walls
crumble into poisoned ash. He’d lost
comrades to the dying city, and even now many of their bodies still rested
beneath the earth here, unnamed though not forgotten.
The
fact that Rome was currently inhabited did nothing to soften the bitterness of
his memories. In the years of
reconstruction after the Crusades, Rome had grown strong once more in the
hollowed shells of stone. Airships came
in and out of its ports daily with goods from around the world, nearly as
impressive as before the tragic attack.
However, the new Rome’s current citizenry was far less virtuous than
that of its predecessor. The fallen
buildings and ancient structures had made the city something of a maze, and a
perfect breeding ground for all manner of murderers, smugglers, and thieves. It had always been Ky’s intention to take
the city by full force and make way for a community more suitable to Rome’s
long lineage, but so far his superiors had no interest in offering their
support to such an undertaking. The
whole world was still recovering; there simply wasn’t the necessary time or
manpower.
“Will
ya look at it?” Johnny said almost admirably, his lips curled in a slight
smirk. “Not even the Assassin’s Guild
dares step in a place like this.”
“They
don’t?” Dizzy questioned curiously.
“The
Guild’s nothing but a collection of dogs.
They know better than to mess with real criminals.”
“I
don’t know what you intend to learn here,” Ky said evenly, shifting his weight
a little against Bridget’s arm. “With
how powerful the Bureau is, it doesn’t make sense for them to associate
themselves with common criminals.”
Johnny
crossed his arms, still grinning.
“Maybe not. But half the people
they’re looking for are criminals—every outlaw ends up in Rome eventually. All they have to do is sit by and pick them
off one by one.” He shrugged. “Besides, if any of those robots have been
anywhere near here, the whole city will know about it. We’re bound to pick up information.”
“And
we need the supplies, anyway,” May added.
“You’re
going down there?” Ky asked, somewhat alarmed.
He remembered then that Bridget had mentioned earlier he would be
assisting the collection of supplies as well—he didn’t like the idea of
children venturing anywhere near the city.
“That’s
right!” May chirped. “We get good
prices.”
“You
police might not know about it, but the outer edge of the city is actually
pretty peaceful,” Johnny explained.
“It’s the best place for acquiring goods, especially for an airship like
this. Don’t make that face—we can take
care of ourselves.”
Ky
wasn’t entirely convinced, but he nodded slightly. “When will we depart?”
“Ah,
hold on. No one said you were going
with us.”
The
officer straightened, turning to face Johnny squarely—and not lose his balance
at the same time. “This is my
investigation,” he said pointedly. “Not
only can I not impose on you to do my job for me, but I want to be there to
confirm the information for myself.”
This mission was far too important to risk any misinterpretation of the
facts.
“Are
you gonna go down like that?” May shot back, resting her hands on her
hips. “You can barely walk!”
“I
can manage well enough.”
Standing
off to the side of the group, Testament snorted quietly, drawing their
attention. “And how will it look when
the head of the police, missing for almost a weak and accused of shirking
duties, appears in Rome among pirates?”
He tilted his chin up a little.
“Not that it’d be safe for a police officer entering Rome under any
circumstances. Every man and woman in
that city will know your face.”
“But
still…” Ky pursed his lips thin, hoping
to clearly convey his unwillingness to back down on the issue. “I must know for myself.”
Bridget
piped up suddenly from his side.
“You’ll have to go in disguise.”
Everyone
turned to stare at him, and the boy straightened. “Hey, what? It’s a good
idea! We could dress him up really
well—he’s so handsome, no one would believe he’s really a police officer.”
May
rolled her eyes. “Hmph—handsome? You can’t even say that with Johnny standing
right here.”
Dizzy
giggled, and Johnny made a bemused face before replying himself. “If we can get him to dirty himself up a
bit, it might work,” he said. “I’d be curious to see that, at least.”
Ky
lowered his head a bit, irritated that all of them seemed to have thought this
through more carefully than him. “If
you think it best, I have no qualms in disguising myself for the purpose of
investigation. Though…I hope you have
nothing too outlandish in mind.” He
turned a significant eye on Bridget, who blushed.
“Don’t
worry,” he assured. “I’ll be good.”
“Anyway,
we’re not going anywhere near the inner city tonight,” Johnny told them,
bringing the focus of the discussion back to him. “Not even I am reckless enough to challenge the streets of Rome
in the dark.” When it looked like Ky
might protest he continued anyway.
“We’ll take the rest of the day to gather supplies and fix the ship up
after the storms we’ve been getting.
That way Ky can rest up, and maybe we’ll even get around to finding
something he can wear that fits him.”
Ky
flushed a little in embarrassment; he was still wearing the oversized pajamas
that Bridget had selected for him earlier that morning. “I would appreciate it.”
“All
right, then,” May declared suddenly, gathering herself up. “We’re landing in less than an hour, so
everybody better be ready. Johnny and I
are going into Rome to—”
“And
me,” Bridget interrupted happily.
May
shot him a glare. “And Bridget,” she
amended, “to get supplies. Ky stays in
bed or no field trip tomorrow.
Testament and Dizzy guard the ship.
Got it?” Though neither Ky nor
Testament seemed entirely satisfied with their assigned duties she was speaking
again before either could think to protest.
“Good. Now everyone off the
bridge—I’ve got a ship to run, here.”
As
everyone filed off the bridge Ky turned briefly to Bridget, giving his elbow a
tug. “Bridget. You won’t pick anything…odd…for me, will
you?” he asked with some concern. He
spent so much time in his uniform he wasn’t used to wearing much else, and his
mind was conjuring all sorts of bizarre attire the boy might select for him to
wear. He eyed Bridget’s sailor suit
especially with apprehension.
“Oh,
don’t worry,” Bridget assured happily as he led them back in the direction of
the room they shared. Out of the corner
of his eye Ky caught a glimpse of Testament, who had started to turn down the
same way but paused when he realized the two blondes had beat him to it. He disappeared down another corridor, and Ky
frowned slightly to himself.
“It’ll
be really good,” Bridget continued, having not noticed the Gear. “Something cool, like Johnny, but not too
gaudy. We should get you some dye for
your hair, too, just in case.”
“Dye?”
Ky echoed, his attention drawn back in full.
He didn’t like the sound of that at all. “Let’s try to keep it simple….”
“Too
simple and you’ll get caught. Just
leave it to me—you’ll be perfect.”
Bridget giggled, which did nothing to reassure the officer as they went.
---
True
to his word, no more than two hours later Bridget was digging through a long
rack of various black-leather clothing articles. None of them seemed to be just right, but he was optimistic, as
could be gathered from his light-hearted humming. Already impatient with his shopping adventure, May was quick to
scold him. “He’s not exactly a fan of
that sort of thing,” she pointed out from the sidelines, arms crossed. “What makes you think he’ll wear anything
like that?”
“It’s
black leather,” Bridget replied as he delved deeper, pushing several pairs of
pants and a few corsets out of his way.
“It’s manly.”
“Oh
yeah?”
“Yeah.” Bridget paused to inspect another pair of
pants, but it had too many straps—not good for a fighter like Ky. “Testament wears black leather.”
May
turned her nose up disdainfully.
“Testament is not manly.”
“Johnny
wears black leather.”
“That’s….” May’s cheeks burned bright red as she glared
at him. “Ooh, forget you. Just pick something already and come
on—Johnny’s waiting for us.” With a
snort she spun on her heel, leaving Bridget behind in the shop, which was
precisely what he’d been hoping for all along.
“Much
better,” he concluded as he returned to his search. “She was ruining the atmosphere.”
Rome
had turned out to be quite different than Bridget had imagined. The city outskirts they were traversing now
were nothing like the labyrinthine corridors and darkened alleys from his
brain’s excited predictions; everything was brightly lit, being still fairly
early in the evening, the shops seemed well tended, and all the people he’d met
were pleasant enough. A few looked like
they might have been criminals, but to Bridget that was nothing new. He even recognized a few bounty hunters, and
though his greetings usually went without return that small fact did nothing to
curb his enthusiasm. Though the city
was obviously still not in the best of shape, as many of the buildings were
lying on their sides or at odd angles, it seemed that its new populace had
learned to adapt around the bizarre scenery.
All in all, it was a lively town and Bridget was enjoying himself greatly.
The
task of hunting up Ky a new outfit merely added to the boy’s mirth; it was
proving to be a particular challenge.
He’d spent some of his time earlier studying the outfit they’d found Ky
in, though because of the fight it wasn’t in any reasonable shape. He would have to do the best he could to
decide what kind of clothing would be best for relaxing and fighting in.
Once
Bridget had finished in that particular shop he paid for his purchases and
hopped lightly out into the street.
From there, it was easy to spot Johnny and May further down the row of
establishments; the former seemed to be haggling with the owner of a machine
shop. Bridget began to follow, but
paused when his gaze caught on a man opposite his two fellows. The stranger was dressed in thick, ragged
cloaks, as if he might have been wearing some other attire beneath them, and a
hood had been pulled up to disguise his face from any casual passer-by. In Rome, a man of such suspicious appearance
was commonplace, and normally Bridget wouldn’t have given him a second
glance. But the man was staring in the
direction of Johnny and May, judging by the direction of his hooded face. Something shifted beneath the mass of coarse
fabric.
Bridget
trotted quickly forward, placing himself between the stranger and his pirate
companions. “Hey you two,” he declared
loudly, gathering a few stares from the people around. “I finished with the leather. What are you up to?”
“Will
you cut it out?” May snapped at him, doing her best to prevent him from ruining
Johnny’s business transaction. “We’re
busy here—why don’t you go…act like a girl somewhere.”
“Well
actually….” Bridget glanced over his
shoulder carefully, but already the stranger he’d noted was turning away,
continuing down the street. He breathed
a quiet sigh. “…I think I will,” he
finished, snapping his attention back to May.
“I need to buy some new wire for my yo-yos, after all.”
May
rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that is pretty
girly.”
“Better
than an anchor,” Bridget replied lightly, stepping back quickly to avoid a
smack to the head. With a laugh he
turned to continue down the street ahead of them. “I’ll find you later!”
May replied by sticking out her tongue.
Bridget
grinned, but by the time he had distanced himself from May and Johnny his
expression sobered. He could still see
the stranger moving along the shops ahead of him, pausing at a few stands just
to make it look as if he were showing interest. Again, not necessarily suspicious behavior for an inhabitant of a
city of criminals, but when the man turned slightly Bridget was clearly able to
see a flash of richly toned skin and round, dark eyes.
“I
wonder if that’s….” Bridget licked his
lips, falling into step several meters behind the man. He wasn’t sure what he thought he was doing,
but there was something about the stranger that was straining his senses, and
as a bounty hunter he had always trusted his instinct. Forgetting for a while about his
companions—and his shopping duties—he continued down the street in the man’s
wake.
--
Ky
managed to wince only slightly as he unwrapped the bandages covering his
hands. By now the burns, having been
meticulously cleaned and cared for by the crew medic, were now a stretch of
healing scar tissue and remaining scabs.
His gloves had managed to absorb most of the shock from the electricity,
as always, and his natural ability for controlling the magic had helped as
well—he could move his fingers with ease, even if there was still a sting of
pain that crawled through the limb when he did so. It would still be a few more days before he’d be able to hold his
sword, though even then he wasn’t sure he’d be able to wield it with any
efficiency. And there was still his
back to consider.
All
in all, he was not satisfied with his current recovery. Even though it would still be a few days
before Zepp came in range enough to attempt boarding, he was anxious to be
combat-ready once more with so much already at stake. The following morning he would venture into the interior of Rome,
and he dared not meet those stone streets again without a sword at his hip he
could be depended on to use.
Ky
was awoken from his thoughts by a soft knock on the door, and though he was in
no mood for company he sighed, and called, “Come in.”
He
had been expecting it to be June, checking up on him again, or even one of the
crew members—a few had been around earlier to “check up” on him as well, which
from what he could gather really meant teasing him about his pajamas and
ruffling his hair. He was surprised
when he found it to be Dizzy’s calm face staring at him from across the room.
“Mr.
Kiske.” She stepped forward slowly,
carrying a bowl with some bandages under one arm and a large thermos in the
other. “I…hope I’m not bothering you. June is helping with some of the repairs
around the ship, so she asked me to come look after you. If…that’s all right.”
“No,
it’s…I mean yes.” Ky’s jaw worked
somewhat anxiously as she stepped further inside. Even after all she had done for him there was still a part of him
that shifted uneasily whenever she came too close. He was ashamed of himself for it. All the same he pushed back from the table a bit, welcoming her. “Though I am feeling much better, thanks to
everyone’s support.”
“I’m
glad to hear it.” Dizzy strode forward,
setting her things out on the table.
“June suggested that I change the bandages on your back,” she explained
as she emptied some of the thermos water into a shallow bowl. “It’s important that they stay clean to
avoid infection.” She offered what was left
in the thermos to him. “You should drink the rest of this. Your body still needs the fluids. At least…that’s what June says.”
“Yes,
I know.” Though he wasn’t proud to
admit it, by now Ky had a very good idea about how to best treat burns. He drank the water down obediently as Dizzy
pulled a chair closer for herself. He
kept an eye trained on her as he finished, and set upon removing his
shirt. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust
her—she had no reason to harm him—but he didn’t like being so vulnerable in
front of anyone, let alone a Gear of her power.
Ky
sighed quietly as he at last set the fabric aside. “Disgraceful,” he murmured thoughtlessly.
Dizzy
straightened, her eyes thinning somewhat with his remark. “Mr. Kiske…?”
When
he realized he’d spoken aloud he flushed in shame and embarrassment. “Not you,” he quickly assured. “It’s…me, I’m afraid.” He turned in his chair so that his back was
to her. “I’m sorry, you came here to
help me and I’m being foolish.”
Dizzy
hesitated a moment before reaching out carefully, beginning to unwrap the
layers of white gauze. “It’s all
right,” she replied softly. “I
understand.”
“I….” Ky sighed again. “I know it’s awful of me,” he found himself continuing, even if
Dizzy was one of the last people he should have been saying these things
to. “All this time I’ve been trying to
convince myself that I’m not a vengeful person. But I can’t help…this feeling of uneasiness.”
“Because
I’m a Gear,” Dizzy filled in needlessly, her hands slowing a bit in their work.
Her voice sounded solemn. “You don’t have to explain.”
But
Ky didn’t want to accept that. He had
long since learned that not all Gears were evil; even now Dizzy was dressing
his wounds, while his own people conspired against him. Dizzy, whose life he’d almost taken for no
other reason than her birth…and Testament, who despite the blood shed between
them in the past had saved his life.
There should have been no reason left for animosity between them. “I’ve been wrong,” he said. “About so many things. You, and Testament…my own Order….” He closed his eyes. “I’m not pleased with this side of myself.”
Dizzy
was silent for a long moment again before responding; by now she had finished
unwrapping the bandages, and she set them carefully aside as she dampened a
small cloth to begin cleaning around the burns. “If that’s the case,” she replied at last, “you should fix it.”
Ky’s
lips curled in a thin smile. “Yes, I
suppose so.” He stretched his shoulders
a bit, ignoring the sting—he liked the feeling of the cool water over his
healing skin. “At least Testament and I
have reached something of a truce.”
“Oh?” This caught Dizzy’s attention. “You spoke with him?”
“Yes,
a little earlier.” Though it hadn’t
been the most pleasant of exchanges, it had left him feeling more confident for
when he next had to face the Gear. “I’m
not sure how much we were able to resolve, but for the moment we’ve agreed
there’s no reason for us to fight any longer.”
“I
see.” Dizzy re-wet her cloth and
returned it to his back. “I’m glad.
I…was a little worried about him.”
“About
Testament?” Ky glanced over his
shoulder curiously, and was treated to an expression on Dizzy’s face he hadn’t
expected; she was smiling, but her wide red eyes were downcast and solemnly
thoughtful. Twisting in the chair,
however, put an unnecessary strain on his back, and he turned forward once
more. “He seems to be doing all right.”
“He
does,” Dizzy agreed slowly, “but still, I wonder if he’s really changed all
that much.”
“He
was fine with the children this morning—I think this place must be good for
him.”
“I’m…not
so sure about that.”
Another
silence passed between them as Ky contemplated the meaning of those words. It was not his place to ask—whatever
relationship Testament and Dizzy shared it wasn’t for him to know. But he could not deny that he was curious,
and at last he worked up the courage to ask.
“Is there something wrong with him being here?”
“It’s…not
that, exactly,” Dizzy tried to explain.
She continued to move the rag over his back, but by now they could both
tell she wasn’t paying much attention to aiding in his recovery. “I’m glad I got to see him again. But he can be so sensitive—he doesn’t approve
of Johnny using the girls for his piracy.”
She sighed quietly. “And he’s still
so protective of me. I appreciate his
concern, but in his mind the two of us are still so different from humans. All I want is to be a part of this crew,
and…it’s difficult, when in his mind he’s protecting me from them.”
“I
see.” Ky frowned, wishing there were
some words of comfort he could share with her.
“Testament…I believe he has a good heart. He does care deeply for you.
It is merely our pasts that binds us.”
He
could almost feel the nod of Dizzy’s head.
“Yes, I think so, too. It’s just
difficult, trying to know what I can say to him. I’ve already done all I can to move on, but as long as Testament
is still wary of humans….” Her voice
lowered. “I feel that by trying to be
more human myself, I might be somehow betraying him….”
“Dizzy….” Ky turned around in his chair so that he
could face her properly. He had never
expected to hear such words, such complex emotions, coming from the voice of a
Gear—for that brief moment he was able to forget the origin of the girl sitting
before him, and he reached out, setting his hands over hers. “He wants you to be happy,” he said
quietly. It was the one truth he was
perfectly certain of. “If that means
your place is here, with these pirates, I’m sure he understands.”
“Yes.” Dizzy smiled slightly as her hands curled
tentatively over his. “Yes, I…I hope
so.”
Ky
smiled thinly himself, watching her to see if his words had helped. Before he moved to draw his hands back,
however, he paused to better feel the warmth of Dizzy’s palms against his own. He could sense the magic circulating beneath
her skin, and it seemed to bestow a new sense of vitality into his hands,
similar to the grip of his own Thunderseal.
Dizzy
followed his gaze, and she straightened somewhat. “Mr. Kiske, would it—”
“You
can call my Ky,” he interrupted gently.
She
blinked, then smiled, nodding.
“Ky. Could I…try something? I think I may be able to help you.”
Ky
frowned thoughtfully, unsure as to her intentions, but there seemed to be no
harm in it. After all the vows he had
made to strive to trust Dizzy and her kind with greater sincerity, he wasn’t
sure he could refuse. The prospect of a
faster recovery was greatly appreciated as well. “Yes, please. If you have
some idea.”
“Yes….” Dizzy took one of Ky’s hands in both of
hers, drawing her fingertips across his open, scarred palm. Her eyes fluttered in concentration; the
officer gasped quietly as gentle warmth flooded into the limb, soothing the
ache of his burns. To his amazement,
some of the scarred tissue seemed to melt away beneath Dizzy’s touch, leaving a
few patches of clear, unharmed skin.
“Dizzy….” He shivered, realizing that what he’d felt
had been the heat of her magic—a Gear’s magic—passing through his flesh.
Dizzy
looked up into his face to see his reaction.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“No,
not at all.” Ky drew his hand back
carefully, inspecting the suddenly healed tissue. “That’s…I didn’t know Gears could do that.”
“All
Gears have a natural talent for healing,” Dizzy explained, her cheeks a little
flushed. “And since we’re able to
project our magic when we attack, I thought…maybe we’d be able to project that
healing magic, as well.” She ducked her
head shyly. “I’ve been practicing with
it, here on the ship, so that I can be a better help to June and the rest of
the crew.”
“I
see.” Ky curled his fingers,
testing—they really did seem to have healed.
“That’s…that’s amazing, Dizzy,” he said, truthfully awed. It made something in his chest ache. “That you can use your power in such a
way….”
Dizzy
smiled, clearly pleased by his praise.
“I can’t do it very much,” she admitted. “I get tired out pretty easily.
But if you like, I could help your other hand, and maybe some of the
pain in your back, before I finish bandaging it.”
Ky
nodded eagerly. “Yes—yes, please. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate
it.” Relieved, he felt no more
apprehension in offering up his other hand to her care.
---
He
had only meant to return to the room for a moment; now that Bridget had left
for the city he would be able to try on and examine the outfit prepared for him
in peace. But when Testament returned,
the sound of a pair of familiar voices halted him before he could make his
presence known. And there he had stood,
arms dangling at his sides and head slightly bowed, as he listened to the
exchange within. He was not yet sure
what to make of all their talk—the remorse of Ky Kiske, the soft, sorrowful
tone of his precious Dizzy. The way
they spoke of him with such contemplation and pity. It nursed in him some deep, unnamed emotion, the effects of which
never reached as far as his face.
Without a word or breath he turned, moving soundlessly away from the
room so as to not attract any notice from the pair.
----
Bridget
tailed the cloaked stranger for newly twenty minutes before discovering
anything of interest—they were heading deeper into the city’s interior. He wasn’t concerned yet. As an experienced bounty hunter, and being remarkably
cute, he’d always managed to sneak out of dangerous situations and places, and
not even Rome herself held any fear for him.
He reminded himself of that a few times as they ducked down a side
alley, and his quarry seemed to all but vanish.
“Man….” Bridget pursed his lips in pout, scuffing at
the ground with his toe. “Lost
him.” But then he was drawn by the
sound of a voice from a nearby building, followed by the unmistakable whirl of
gears from a machine. Face lighting up
once more he clutched his parcels to his chest and investigated, peeking
through the broken glass of a dusty window.
The
man was indeed there, still wrapped in his many cloaks, now surrounded by
several hunched figures dressed in the same.
He couldn’t see any of their faces.
As he watched, the stranger seated himself heavily at a table near the
center of the small, broken-down room.
“He’s
here.” The man’s voice was a low, harsh
grumble, the sound of which made Bridget’s flesh crawl. “If the Jellyfish Pirates are here, he must
be. They were the only airship in range
when we took Kiske down—they must have him.”
The
man reached up, tugging his hood to reveal a round, richly toned face and
deep-set, obsidian eyes. This time
Bridget couldn’t help a tiny sound of what might have been excitement—he’d
found the man, the man with the dark eyes that Testament had spotted in the
rain. The man that had attacked and
nearly killed Ky,. But his momentary
lapse cost him, and Bridget gasped again as one of the hooded figures turned sharply
in his direction. He caught sight of
the glare of iridescent eyes before jerking away from the window. They were Robo Kys, all of them, and Bridget
turned to bolt from the alley in case he’d been spotted.
The
sound of glass shattering chased him back out into the street; he glanced back
only briefly, eyes widening as several of the cloaked robots tumbled out of the
window and gave chase. They were fast,
and the first two were upon him long before he could put any speed into his
run. Their yellow eyes gleamed
dangerously from beneath the thick hoods.
“Eek! Stay away!” Still gripping his bags in one hand Bridget yanked one of his yo-yos off his belt, swinging it a wide arch over his head. Having not expected the attack the first of the robots caught the full force of spinning metal in the forehead, denting its cranium so that one of the glowing eyes popped grotesquely out of its socket. But it kept coming, and Bridget ducked low, another jerk of the wire sweeping both robots off their feet. His yo-yo snapped back into his hand as he was up and running again, another trio of mechanical Ky’s only a few paces behind.