Chapter 11

"We are estimated to arrive at the capital within the hour, Sir."

"Very well. Schedule an appointment with Miroku as soon as we land. I do not wish to spend a minute more than is required in that place lest I have to meet with Shiroki again."

"Sir, if I may, I believe Miroku-sama specifically requested you meet Shiroki-sama in order to resolve the hostilities between the two of you in an amicable fashion," the young soldier shifted nervously under Ayanami's gaze.

"Tell Miroku I have no interest in playing politics with his lackeys," replied Ayanami, not removing his attention from some paperwork on his desk.

"But, sir, if-"

"If he insists upon it," began Ayanami, "tell him that I bring with me someone he will want to meet."

"Someone, Sir?"

"That will be all, corporal," with a wave of his hand he dismissed the man.

"Yes, Sir!" The young soldier saluted and stepped out of the room.

There was something inexplicably ominous about the Chief, many of his subordinates agreed. He was a generally agreeable enough man but due to his rather reserved personality it was impossible to know what exactly he was thinking at any given time. It was widely known around the ship that diligence would get you a long way with him whereas negligence would… well, get you the same treatment Major Hyuuga received. Suffice it to say no one wanted to garner that kind of attention to themselves.

Amongst the crew, however, it seemed only the members of the Black Hawks seemed to be different; or rather, at times it almost seemed as though they relished in getting any kind of attention from Ayanami… especially Major Hyuuga.

The young soldier walked down the hallway pondering how exactly he was to explain to Miroku-sama that the Chief had not only refused to settle his dispute with Shiroki-sama but had flat out refused to meet with him at all. He just KNEW he was going to blame it on him. Well, you go argue with Ayanami then! He thought to himself as he dreadfully approached the operations room.

Hyuuga walked by the young soldier and noticing his apparent turmoil curiously asked him the cause. Not seeing anything wrong with it he relayed the entire story to him making the Major grin mischievously.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it," said Hyuuga reassuringly. "Miroku-sama was probably already expecting something like this."

The young corporal nodded and thanked Hyuuga before disappearing down the hall.

Hyuuga quickly headed to Ayanami's grinning profusely so as to keep other crew members from striking any kind of conversation with him. The moment he got there he paused for a second before knocking on the door. This encounter, he knew, could go down in one of two radically different ways. On the one hand he could lift Ayanami's suspicions of him and regain some leeway when it came to his involvement with Mikhail; on the other less desirable hand, however, he could get bludgeoned to death by a slightly irked Ayanami. Taking a deep breath and readjusting his smile he softly knocked on the door and made his way into the room without waiting for a reply.

"Aya-tan~" he chirped cheerfully. "I just ran into a very confused young boy outside your door…" he let his words hang in the air for a moment expecting a reply from his commander but receiving nothing but an exasperated stare.

"He seems to be convinced we are headed for the Capital rather than District 2 which was our original destination…"

"What is it you want, Hyuuga? I have no time for your ambiguity," replied Ayanami coldly.

"I'm not sure I'm at liberty to say, Aya-tan," he challenged.

"Speak at once or leave."

"Very well," began Hyuuga slowly stepping closer to him while wiping away his make-believe smile. "I want to know what is going on. You say Teito-kun doesn't have the Eye but you keep warning me to steer clear of him. You say he isn't the one we are looking for but now, against previous orders, we are suddenly en route to District 1 for you to meet with Miroku-sama himself. I want you to tell me the truth. I want-."

"Hyuuga," interrupted Ayanami abruptly. "Would you die for the Empire?"

"What? I… Yes, of course. It is a soldier's honour to lay his life down for-."

"Enough. If you want the truth from me, I will have it from you. I ask you Hyuuga, not the Major; would you die for the Empire?"

There was a brief moment of silence before Hyuuga's reply came.

"No."

Ayanami sneered.

"And the Emperor, would you die for him?"

"No."

"How about me, would you give your life for mine?"

"Of course!" he replied without a second's pause.

Ayanami raised from his seat and with calm, deliberate steps approached Hyuuga. He smirked, satisfied, and in a low voice began to speak.

"Would you choose of your own free will to forsake this shameful Empire and follow me to war, to glory, to annihilation?"

Hyuuga hesitated. He had always known Ayanami was obsessed with obtaining the Eye. The reason behind his obsession had never been a subject of interest to him. Quite frankly he had simply assumed that the prospect of holding that amount of power in his hands was the whole point of the endeavour. How tiny his own ambitions were that he had failed to recognize where Ayanami's sight had been set from the beginning. It seemed so obvious now, of course. Why covet the power of a god if not to become one?

In that instant his resolve wavered. Hyuuga had always known where his loyalty lay. Ayanami was not merely his commanding officer; he was his saviour. The man who had given purpose to his existence. The one who had looked beyond the insignificant boy he was and had seen the worthy man he could become. If Ayanami was truly planning to wage war on the Barsburg Empire then he already knew where his sword was pointed. Except…

"What will happen to him?" Hyuuga blurted almost unwillingly.

"The boy?" asked Ayanami unamused by the change in subject. "In the end his fate will hinge upon his own decisions."

Not the boy. Mikhail... thought Hyuuga; but he could not bring himself to speak the words. Taking a deep breath, he smiled bitterly. As he placed his right hand over his chest and slowly bent his knee he fleetingly reminisced about his conversation with the archangel.

"From this moment forth," he began, bowing down his head to Ayanami. "I pledge to you my unwavering allegiance. Whatever destiny will bring me I shall stand steadfast under your command. I relinquish my life to you from this day until the day the Lord releases me; and only then may my soul know solace."

"So be it," Ayanami grinned wickedly as he placed a gloved hand on Hyuuga's shoulder and beckoned him to stand.

How interesting, Hyuuga mused as he rose slowly. He imagined whoever had been in charge of writing that pledge of allegiance had not envisioned it being used in this rather specific context. It made no difference to him however. He was, if anything, a man of his word after all. A soft chuckle escaped his lips. Hyuuga held no particular interest in war or glory. Annihilation on the other hand, now that he could get behind… provided he was not on the receiving end of the equation.

"Now then, my lord," he said regaining his confident smile. "What's our next move?"


As the airship slowly descended into the docking bay Teito desperately clung to the railing. He glanced sideways at Mikage who simply stood there unconcerned by the fact that the ship was about to plunge into the ground. His hands started shaking frantically the instant he made the mistake of directing his eyes down. The rattling sound of metal caught the attention of every soldier on the deck but none except Mikage and Hyuuga dared to look his way.

"I told you it's going to be fine," the blonde whispered smiling reassuringly.

Teito simply nodded stiffly and closed his eyes wishing for the whole thing to be over with; which he would immediately grow to regret. No sooner had the ship docked than the railing he had been holding onto for dear life was released, and after it came Teito unceremoniously toppling down the ramp.

Ayanami's escort came trickling down the ramp behind him as they all walked past Teito without as much as a glance his way. Mikage lagged behind and held one hand out to him while stifling his laughter with the other.

After he finally got on his feet he turned to look back at the airship. For the first time since having boarded it he understood how futile his attempt at escaping had been. How stupid he must have seemed. Ayanami had always known how meaningless it was for him to struggle to escape from the metal flying fortress that was his ship; yet he had sadistically let him hope there was a way out.

Teito turned around to look down at the city and an immediate sense of dread invaded him. The sound of chirping birds and the warm soft breeze were drowned by the loud pounding of his heart against his chest. The tall white buildings stretched as far as the eye could see; but all Teito could see were flames. As he scanned the surroundings his eyes finally landed on a monumental fortress right at the centre of the city. It almost seemed to float above the rest of the constructions save for two colossal columns connecting it to the ground below; and underneath it a hole so massive he couldn't even imagine the magnitude of the weapon which had been used to produce it.

Mikage approached his panicking friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. He had heard the stories about the Raggs war but he had never witnessed anything like it. As he watched Teito's horror-stricken face, he got the feeling that he would never truly be able to understand the extent of the destruction and pain it had caused.

Once home to the Raggs royal family, District 1 had been made capital of the Barsburg Empire in order to display the empire's dominance over its foes. Mikage briefly wondered whether having taught Teito about it had been a good idea. Would he have realized where he was had he not told him?

He followed his friend's gaze toward Hohburg Fortress, where years ago the Raggs palace had stood. Now nothing but a crater was left to mark its place. As a final insult to any remaining survivors, Hohburg had been erected on top of it, the crater purposefully left intact in order to remind everyone of the empire's power.

It was not long, however, before Hyuuga walked up to the pair and eyed them strangely. Mikage tried to think of an explanation. Survivors of the Raggs War were few and far between, yet even then there seemed to be an implicit agreement within the military that were any to be found they should be neutralized, as they put it.

"Major Hyuuga, I think he's in a bit of a shock after the landing," spoke Mikage quickly. He did not know if Teito's identity had already been found out but he thought it wise to err on the side of caution.

Hyuuga on the other hand, being fully aware of the situation even beyond what Mikage could fathom, smiled knowingly and proceeded to promptly ignore him as he dragged Teito away by the arm. The blonde could only look on in dismay as he watched his friend being led away while his commanding officer gave his unit the order to move out.

A brief ride on a small airship and more than a few guard checkpoints later, Teito found himself within the walls of Hohburg Fortress, a glorified military base and, more importantly, the current home of the royal Barsburg family and official seat of the Empire's government. He looked around feeling lost. Trapped inside an unfamiliar cage. The fear he had felt gazing down at a city he could recognize from his dreams had all but vanished like one.

Beauty had never been a priority in Barsburg architecture. Structural soundness and optimal use of space trumped aesthetics in a society where military power and a lack of territory defined the early years of a small kingdom turned empire. This in turn made Hohburg an unappealing addition to the otherwise picturesque landscape that was the former capital of the Raggs kingdom.

The capital had been spared most of the destruction that came with the war until the very last moments of it. It took a single strike at the heart of the city, the decimation of the soul of an already broken kingdom, and then it was over. Hope turned to despair as waves of soldiers hunted and murdered anyone not wearing the same colours as them.

They walked quietly down the maze of corridors until Ayanami and a stout, little man with grey hair and a matching moustache came into view. Teito instinctively froze and stared at the old man as a name formed in the back of his throat and unconsciously escaped his lips.

"Miroku," Teito's hesitant voice echoed throughout the empty stone halls making Hyuuga spin around in horror.

The man in question turned his gaze toward the boy and gaped in astonishment.

"Is… is it really him?" he asked.

"Let us discuss this in private," replied Ayanami walking through the open door behind him and motioning the others to follow.

The four men stood in silence for a moment before Miroku finally approached Teito and grabbed his hand and held it up to his face.

"Tiashe," he exhaled, dropping to his knees. "You are alive."

He knew him. Teito knew this man. He knew his name, his face, his voice. But how? Where had he-?

"You were reported dead! Your whole family… God forgive me. I shouldn't have believed it, I should have-. And the Eye? Is it still with you?"

"It is," replied Ayanami. "As I said, I have upheld my end of the bargain, Miroku. It is time you uphold yours."

"Indeed," the old man calmly stood up. "I always hoped this day would come. Ever since you were born, I knew you would bring nothing but ruin."

Teito stared at the man in bewilderment.

"Your mother, she always protected you, but I always knew what you were capable of!"

"Miroku, that is enough," spoke Ayanami impassively. "He has no memory of his past; you are wasting your breath."

"No memory!? How convenient for you! Do you think that changes what you have done!?" screamed Miroku as he grabbed Teito's collar.

"Enough! Hyuuga, take him away," Ayanami pointed at the young boy and turned back to Miroku. "We have business to discuss."

Hyuuga nodded and saluted his commanding officer before dragging Teito out of the room, confusion written all over his face. The Major was not absolutely sure what had just happened in that room either. Luckily, he knew exactly who would have the answers to all of his questions. He smirked mischievously as he led the way further into the fortress.

Teito followed absentmindedly. His body simply moved automatically as he tried to process what had just happened. Miroku, the Eye, Tiashe… An image suddenly flooded his senses. A fragment of a long-lost memory sealed away somewhere in his heart. A slender, young woman with long brown hair tending to a small garden full of lavender and lilies. A scent so sweet he could almost smell it and a voice so familiar he could almost hear it. Beside her stood a stout, little man, smiling fondly down at her.

"Now then," Major Hyuuga's voice finally cut his daydream short as he turned the key on a grand wooden door. Somehow the friendly, inviting smile on his face made Teito feel like a rabbit being coaxed into a wolf's den.

"Shall we talk?"


A/N: Honey, I'm home.

To be continued…