DB>>I'm so sorry. I know I haven't written a part to
my story in years. However, I just started college, my time management skills
are shitty, and I don't have time to breathe...much less write another part for
this fic. So now that I have the spare time, I'll continue. But before I start I
want to say a few things...
THANKS!!! Everyone has been so supportive of
my story. Even my criticism was nice. I would like to really thank the people
who actually took the time to write a review. You just do not know wonderful it
feels to invoke response through writing. Next, I wanted to address a review
left with me about the story. It went along the lines of, "I like the story, but
I wish you would hurry up and finish it." Well, I'm kind of like that too. But
unfortunately, this story does not have an ending in sight. So I'm going to be
writing this fic for a long time. I hope the rest of you will understand, I'm
not rushing this. Oh yeah, one more thing..... I'll be posting the rest of the
chapters under this new part. This is because Fanfiction.net will not let me
post separate parts any longer. I really don't like this, because Fanfiction.net
has so many fics that sometimes people are not going to scroll through over
20,000 fics to find a good one. But rules are rules. So from now on just go to
the little fanfiction.net search engine, and type Sonflour for the author
search. All of my stories are there. And now enjoy the
story.......
Zechs
looked at Noin as she gathered her powers about her. Through his own haze of
power, he could sense so many of her emotions. Fear, helplessness, and
confusion, were amongst the most common. But of course, who wouldn't be scared
in her shoes.
He had to stop that. He had to put a rein on his
admiration of her. It was driving him mad. It was almost as bad as his want for
her. He desperately needed to remember that he was here to win this battle. He
couldn't do that if he allowed himself to feel too much for the beautiful rival,
who faced him in a sky blue glow.
He gathered his own powers. For more
than a century, no one had ever inherited Lorn's element of power itself. Zechs
was the one exception to that rule. As a controller of pure energy, he had one
of the most powerful abilities in Carania. But water enhances energy, he thought
traitorously to himself. Why, he asked silently. Why must you be so stubborn
Noin? You have no idea what I can teach you, he mused silently, wanting to show
her that he could protect her. You have no idea what we could share.
He
knew the air was turning a deep midnight blue around him. He watched cautiously,
but with wonder at how well the color of her energy complimented his own. Stop
it, Milliardo. He scorned his self brutally. Now is not the.......
Time.
Time was what Noin needed. She had just thrown a bolt of high power at Zechs. He
easily brought up his shields. Zechs was quick, too quick. Lightning Count
indeed. He was effectively dodging all of her damned attacks. Damn it, was the
bastard Fey?!
As if that was not enough, she had to face the fact that
every attack she used caused her regret. Damn it, Lu. You have to fight. Zechs
doesn't give a damn about fighting against you. She ruthlessly justified herself
defense against the handsome mage and she forced herself to concentrate. She
needed more power. Rain. The water would distract him. She closed her eyes to
gather even more energy about her and........
Cold steel was at
her neck. She opened her eyes and saw the cruel beauty of Zech's face standing
close to her. She snarled at him. No one told her that they could use weapons.
That crafty bastard!!!! She struggled internally with feelings of respect for
his cunning, and anger for his unfairness.
"And here I was thinking that
you were honorable," she seethed.
Zechs didn't even flinch under her cold
words. He didn't care whether she hated him or not. He needed to make her his
first. Then he would worry about those complications later. Complications such
as how he was going to stop himself from completely ravishing Noin once he was
alone with her.
"Noin, you could have avoided this. I play to win. Since
you came to a duel unprepared, you forfeit. I suggest you surrender
now."
Noin silently asked him to forgive her for what she was about to
do. She kicked him hard in his groin, and she then stole a sword from an
onlooker nearby.
"Hellish bit--!!" He was promptly cut off. She thrust at
him hard. He forcefully ignored the pain she had just inflicted on him, and he
blocked her blow with a powerful thrust.
"Damn you Zechs," she said in
frustration.
She had just went from fighting one of the most powerful
mages in Carania, to parrying with the supposed 'Lightning Count'. Zechs was as
good with a sword as he was with his powers.
Meanwhile, Zechs forced
himself to calmly block her blows. He wondered where the hell Noin had learned
to fight so well. No one had ever last this long in a fight against him. He
continued to parry, trying to find a weakness.
Noin was tiring quite
quickly. Because, she had used so much energy earlier, she was almost worn out.
If she didn't end this soon, she was going to pass out.
Zechs could see
she was getting weaker and weaker. However, he would not allow himself to feel
any pity. He could take care of her after he had beaten her.
While Zechs
was caught up in his own thoughts, Noin used his momentary distraction to strike
his sword from his hand. It went flying across the floor, and she held her sword
to his neck.
"You will never own me," she seethed.
She nicked him
lightly to make her point. She kept the sword against his neck, and then she
noticed Zech's eyes turn almost black blue.
Noin never saw the bolt
which thrusted her away from her powerful rival. She landed on her back, and
when she finally got the strength to rise again, Zechs let another bolt of blue
black energy go. He was tired of playing with her. This had gone on way too
long.
She struggled against the impact of the bolt. It sent her reeling.
She tried to get up again and she ended on her knees. As soon as she tried to
catch her balance, he threw another at her. Each attempt to recover from his
attacks left her more and more exhausted.
"I will not give up," she
whispered in despair. Despair turned to hot anger. With every attempt to attack
Zechs her angry turned to a cold indifference.
The crowd had gone beyond
not believing. Not even the senior mages could manipulate magic for this long.
The powers of these two mages had not been seen since the age of Lorn himself.
Many of the onlookers shouted to Zechs to finish her off. However, at the moment
he was not paying attention to anyone except Noin.
Something was wrong.
She got back up. Her earlier desperation was replaced with the cold wash
of power. The fury of the rampant tide, the restlessness of the raging river.
All of it washed through her, fortifying her with a kind of cold power. She
began to glow intensely. At first a light blue, and then brighter, and brighter.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew her body was too weak for this type
of power, and yet her mind which would not let her submit in peace, her heart,
which would not let her give in... She knew she would not survive this attack.
Better to die than to be enslaved.
Zechs looked at his lovely opponent.
She was bone weary from their fight. Her dark hair curled at the base of her
neck from the sweat of the effort she had put into this battle. He wanted
nothing more than to pull her into his arms and keep her there.
He
noticed the last final gather of her power. But this was different. The only
thing that was sustaining her powers was her need. She was like a dying candle.
It would flicker the brightest, just before it went out.
"Don't do this,
Noin," he called to her.
She didn't hear a word he said. She kept
gathering her energy. What was that emotion playing across his face? Admiration?
Never. Not from Zechs. She stopped continuing to care, and she gathered more
energy. Flashbacks entered her exhausted mind. The faceless man leering between
her open legs. Tears now came down her face.
" Damn you! You are going to
die," he was the desperate one now.
Finally she had enough. No man would
ever enslave her again. No man would ever touch her again. She raised her hands
and let go.
The pain that came from restraining that much power was
incredible.
Zechs yelled, "Nooooo!"
He quickly threw one of his
own bolts to counteract it. The lash from the power hit Noin hard. More pain.
Through the haze of pure unadulterated energy, she sensed a name.
'Milliardo',
She cried once more and darkness surrounded her. One
word entered Zech's mind. Lucreztia.
Zechs dropped all of his powers. If
she had been tricking him, he would have been at her mercy. He didn't care.
Zechs ran to her side. He cradled her to his chest. For what good it had done
her, she had been made his. Through the conquering of her, he had gained her
name.
