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Culmination	By : Croik Category: +G through L > Guilty Gear Views: 2646 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Guilty Gear, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
Guilty
Gear, its characters and settings are property of Sammy Studios, and are being
used in this fanfiction without permission. This fic is rated R
for violence and sexual content, and it contains yaoi
material.

Culmination
Chapter
15

Dizzy
smiled happily to herself as she pulled the brush
through Bridget�s long blond hair, all the while listening to his cheerful
prattling. He�d asked that she join him
on the ship for some favor he wanted to ask, and now that that had been concluded,
she�d agreed to help him get ready for his trip to Zepp. So far that had included telling him his
outfit looked good, brushing his hair, and listen to him list his credentials
for how qualified he was for this mission.

�Besides,
Ky needs my help,� Bridget concluded, shaking his
head slightly to get all of his hair behind his shoulders for Dizzy to take
care of. �So I�ll do my part.�

Dizzy�s smile deepened as she finished with the brush and sat back. �You really like Ky,
don�t you?�

�Yup! He�s amazing.� Bridget spun around to face her, his eyes
bright and excited. �He�s strong, and
smart, and serious, and�and amazing! I�m
going to be just like him.�

�Oh? That�s a lot to live up to.�

�Of
course it is. He�s my idol.�

�I
see.� Dizzy�s
eyes thinned in quiet humor as she watched Bridget make the final preparations
to his attire. �You really care about
him.�

Bridget
paused, caught by the subtle softening of her voice just then. When he glanced back at her his cheeks were
reddened shyly. �Well�yeah. Like I said�he�s my idol.� He turned back around,
making sure his shirt was straight.
�He�s the best guy I�ve ever met.
And he�s doing so much to take care of everyone�I want to do this for
him. So make sure he stays put here and
relaxes. Oh�and finish that thing I
asked you about.�

�Of course.� Still smiling Dizzy stood,
crossing to the door. �Shall we go? I�m sure everyone�s going to want to see you
off.�

�Sure!�

The
pair left the ship, traveling the short distance across the airfield to where
the small craft they would be taking was waiting. Johnny and Youn
were there with the Jellyfish Pirates, as well as Ky and Testament.
Bridget hopped up to Johnny and gave him a stiff salute. �Jellyfish Pirate Bridget, preparing to
depart on Top Secret mission!� he announced proudly.

Johnny
smirked. �Permission to depart granted,�
he returned in kind. �Good luck.�

Bridget
nodded, and as Youn said his goodbyes to the crew he
turned to Ky and
Testament. �I�ll be back soon with all
the information you could possibly want!�

Ky smiled, and shook his
hand. �Just remember everything we told
you,� he said. �What we really need to
know is where their factory is.�

�Right�leave
it to me.� Still beaming, Bridget shook
Testament�s hand and sent Dizzy one last grin before
boarding the ship after Youn.

Dizzy
stood back as the ship took off, and those that had gathered to wish their
friends well began to scatter. She
thought she might have caught a glimpse of something uncertain in Ky�s face as he started back towards the House, but she
didn�t have time to wonder; Testament was striding purposefully towards her,
and she straightened, a little wary of what he might have to say. He looked serious.

�Dizzy,�
he began with a slight nod. �I�m sorry,
if I worried you last night. I�.� He hesitated, uncharacteristically so. �I have a favor to ask of you.�

Dizzy
straightened curiously. �Yes?�

�I
want you to teach me how to use my magic to heal.�

*****

Ky sighed appreciatively as
the jets of warm water fell over him, sliding through his hair and onto stiff
shoulders, easing the tensions from his body brought on by too much
contemplation and confusion. Having
returned to the House in something of a daze he had quickly realized this was
the only solution�a warm shower to clear his mind and relieve his sore
limbs. Parts of his back were yet
sensitive but the sting was only minor, enough that he could ignore it in favor
of healing steam. As far as he was
concerned it was pure bliss, and he managed to keep his worries at bay long
enough to rinse the sand off him, and scrape the lingering bits of nail polish
from his fingers. His only lament was in
that he wasn�t yet able to clean the stubborn dye from his hair. Not because Testament had said he preferred
its original shade�nothing like that, like assured himself. He simply was ready to start feeling like
himself again.

Eventually,
though, Ky�s earlier musings
got the better of him, and he stood still a while under the heated streams as
he sorted them into place. There were
too many things to consider: the Ninth and his robots and what they meant to
his order; Baiken and Anji
waiting for them in Rome with no knowledge of the danger that could be pursuing
them even now; Bridget�s journey alone to Zepp and
whether or not he�d be able to gather Potemkin�s
help; Testament�s confessions from the night before, his suffering and hate�.

And
the kiss shared that morning. He could
remember it clearly with so much warmth already surrounding him, and it made
him shift slightly, as if fearful that someone could see his faint blush. It had been so long since he�d taken a lover
that even the memory of those lips against him were
enough to curl something in his stomach.
After everything, to think that Testament might�care
for him that way�. He had no idea
what answer to give, or even if Testament was asking for one.

Ky sighed, trying to turn his
thoughts away from such subjects�it was foolish, and selfish for him to be
considering something so reckless and sentimental when there were lives at
stake, maybe even in jeopardy at this moment.
Especially considering this was Testament, a Gear�even though he had
once been human.

Ky�s mind twisted, taking his
curiosity back those many decades. He
was suddenly wishing that Testament had shared yet more with him on the beach
that night. Even if Testament claimed
his former life made no difference to him now, there were still years of human
existence buried somewhere in his memory.
Ky couldn�t help but
wonder what kind of person he had once been before he was tainted and
converted; could he have been the quiet children�s playmate that he had seen
eating breakfast with the girls aboard Mayship? The compassionate listener Ky himself had spilled his secrets
to? Perhaps he had not been so different
from Ky himself, officers of
the Holy Order during the war, struggling against impossible odds for the sake
of a peace that seemed distantly out of reach.
There were so many things he did not yet know and would have liked to
ask. About his life, the father he had
mentioned�if Sol had been as difficult and reckless then as he was now.

Ky�s eyes slid slowly open,
taking in the space of tile ahead of him, the paths of water across its
surface. He felt the liquid sliding
along his cheek and into the corners of his mouth.

Testament
had known Sol when he was still human.

Gradually,
Ky straightened, fingers
curling when the implication behind Testament�s words finally became clear to
him.

*****

Bridget
had told himself that he was going to sleep through
the ride to Zepp so that he would arrive rested and
eager. He should have known better. The entire way he bounced in his seat,
checking his yo-yos again and again, chattering on with Youn
about one thing or the other to pass the time.
It seemed to take forever. He
expressed as much to his companion often�already quite used to childish
insistence, Youn agreed each time with a smile. And then Bridget would happily repeat the
cycle over.

Truthfully,
the small craft made good time despite its size. With the wind on their side it was only a few
short hours later that the dark, formidable shadow against the sky began to
clearly form the shape of a city.
Bridget leaned forward against his seat harnesses to better see. Even in the early afternoon the sky surrounding
Zepp was coated and dark, thick spumes of heavy black
smoke rising from the countless silos and building, giving the floating mass a
foreboding air. The country that had
started as a tiny dot on the horizon was now an immeasurable mass of sculpted
iron filling the windows of their small craft.
Bridget had expected it to be grand, but he had never imagined something
so enormous; as if it were a city plucked right out of the ground and given
flight. The perimeter was jagged, the
underside a mess of protruding metal shapes surrounded by whirling iridescent
light. It reminded him of a whale, and
indeed the array of airships buzzing in and out of its ports resembled tiny
fish, the buzzing of their engines drowned out the by the low, droning hum of
the city itself.

�Is�that
it?� Bridget said anxiously, his eyes wide and excited. �That�s really Zepp�.�

�Yes,�
the man at his side confirmed, his own voice tipped with awe. �I�ve seen it twice before, but it never
ceases to amaze me.� He turned their
small craft toward a large transport barge, which was heading for what might
have been a dock on the side closest to them.
�Are you ready?�

Bridget
gulped. �Yeah. I�didn�t think it�d be so big.�

�Will
you be able to find Potemkin all right?�

�Yeah�yes! Yes, I�ll be fine.�

Bridget
puffed himself up, leaning back once more as he
watched the city surge toward them like a tidal wave.

*****

The
first few hours of the day Testament spent in quiet concentration in one of the
House�s many rooms. He had been serious
when he made his request of Dizzy, and she had responded in kind, sharing with
him all that she had managed to learn and adapt. It was difficult to know if he was making any
progress, given that he had no one to practice on�being both Gears themselves their own instinctual healing would render any
test of his magic unreliable, and neither would even consider for a moment
using someone else as a test subject.
Still, Testament had always been a master at the manipulation of magic,
and though he wasn�t used to projecting the more docile side of his abilities,
with time he came to grasp the concepts Dizzy was doing her best to
explain.

She
was pleased with him. He had always been
relieved when in her favor, and her simple, calm company helped to quell the
lingering apprehension left over from the night before. He was still a little anxious about meeting
with the children again, especially if some of them took to questioning him
about his absence at the last dinner.

�Then
you don�t have to,� Dizzy answered simply, her smile slight but sincere. They were seated together on the bed,
enjoying the slight breeze seeping through the open windows. �There�s no need to push yourself,
Testament. You�ve done so much already,
and�I understand, that you need time.�
She squeezed his hand gently.
�I�m just so relieved that you�ve already come this far.� She ducked her head. �I�m proud of you.�

�Dizzy.� Testament sighed quietly, placing his other
hand over their already joined ones.
�Thank you. I�would like to try.�

�I
know.� She straightened, giving her
wings a small shake. �You can stay with
me today, if you want,� she suggested.
�I promised Bridget I�d work on something for him, so I�ll be staying
put most of the day. If
you needed some time away from everyone.�

Testament
was admittedly tempted by the offer, but a moment later he was able to call
back to him other matters that deserved more attention than him hiding
away. �Thank you. But�I think I should go find Ky.�

�Ky?� Dizzy echoed curiously. �He was acting rather�reserved, this
morning.�

She
was silent a moment, her lips tipped in a thoughtful frown that Testament was
easily able to interpret�he saved her from asking. �He stayed with me last night,� he
explained. �And I think I may
have�distressed him, somewhat. I don�t
want there to be a misunderstanding between us.�

Dizzy
giggled quietly, and he frowned, watching her.
�What is it?�

�It�s
just kind of cute,� Dizzy admitted shyly.
�Ky seems to attract very different kinds of
people to him.�

�You
mean�Bridget?� Testament asked
curiously.

�Yes, actually. I think he�s quite taken with
him.� She tilted her head to the
side. �And the two of you have spent a
lot of time together lately. I almost
wouldn�t have thought it possible.�

�Nor
I,� Testament agreed, a thin smile pulling at the edges of his lips. �But�he�s tolerable, for a human.�

Dizzy
sighed, shaking her head. �I really mean
it,� she protested.

Testament�s
eyes softened. �Yes, I know. And yes, we have been�getting along.� He wasn�t sure what to call it anymore. Something had happened between them. Or maybe just to Testament himself. �I must admit that I feel very close to
him. We are, perhaps, not as different
as I would have once believed.�

Dizzy
watched him, her eyes widening when she seemed to realize that he was telling
the truth. �I�m glad,� she said softly,
her voice thickening with elated emotion.
�I really am.�

�As am I.� Testament pushed to his feet,
passing a hand back through his hair to push it from his shoulders. �Thank you, Dizzy, for your
help. Though I should hope I
never have to use such power.�

�Of course.� Dizzy was still smiling as her
eyes followed him to the door. �If you
feel anxious at all, you can come back,� she offered. �I�ll be here.�

�Yes,
thank you.� With a slight nod Testament
left the room.

Once
outside, Testament took in a deep breath of the salty air. He hadn�t been lying earlier�his demeanor had
greatly improved from the state he had found himself in last night, thanks to
the efforts of so many people looking out for him. Especially Ky. The irony was enough to draw a quiet chuckle
from him as he ventured to the lower level of the House. Ky,
global leader and killer of Gears, had cradled him in his lap through the
night. It was mysterious, and warming,
making him wonder what words he could possibly conjure for when he faced the
man again.

Especially after�.

Testament�s
thoughts were interrupted suddenly by a flare against his senses�a surge of
magic of some kind, closer than it should have been. He would have been concerned if not for the
cheer of children�s voices that followed.
Frowning, he made his way outside on long strides. Of all the things he would have expected to
find, what he came upon was not one of them.

Many
of the House�s children had gathered, seated in the
sand or on small beach chairs, their attention cast anxiously inward to what
was a surprising spectacle: Johnny and Ky circling
each other, barefoot and swords brandished.
The former had shed his coat and hat and was grinning smugly to himself�his opponent, however, was as stone-faced as
Testament had ever seen him. As the Gear
watched they gauged each other carefully over the tops of their blades, and
struck together. Thunderseal,
bearing odd colors, moved in a wide, sweeping arch, Johnny�s katana in sharp
swipes, the pair of them meeting only in brief moments of reflected light and
metal. Johnny was on the defensive, a
bit of clever footwork keeping him safely out of Ky�s
striking distance, as they were both aware that his katana could never stand up
to the weight and power behind Ky�s prized
sword. They met, parted, and circled,
adorned by the cheers of their audience.
Testament came forward slowly, carefully watching the sparring match as
it continued.

�Keep
an eye on our feet,� Johnny was saying, and though his voice was light there
was no doubt that, behind his sunglasses, his eyes never swayed from Ky�s moving form. �In fighting your balance is everything, and nothing can topple you as easily as poor
footwork. Always be light on your
feet. Like this!�

Johnny
leapt, bringing his sword down in a vertical slash�Ky pivoted on his left foot, taking him easily out of
the attack. With that slight momentum he
turned all the way around, intending a strike to Johnny�s uncovered back. But the pirate was expecting as much, and as
he landed he ducked, allowing Ky�s
sword to pass over him. When he extended
his leg in a sweep it was then Ky
who took briefly to the air, landing away from him, allowing Johnny to rise to
his feet once more.

�Get
him, Johnny!� May hollered from the sidelines, and was echoed eagerly by her
companions.

Testament
frowned as he reached the line of children, his eyes following the duel a while
longer as they pair continued to trade blows.
He turned to one of the girls at his side. �What�s going on?�

�Mr.
Kiske was practicing out here by himself,� she piped
up, eyes bright with excitement, �so Johnny asked if he wanted a match. Isn�t it cool?�

Testament
nodded vaguely and went back to watching them.
Something was wrong in this.
Though Johnny was still speaking easily to the children, playing the
part of a demonstrating teacher, Ky�s
eyes were sharp and intense as if in real combat. There was a line of tension in his spine that
should not have been there for so innocent an exercise. His musings were confirmed when a vein of
electricity slipped from Thunderseal�s tip during
their next exchange, sending a puff of sand into the air where it
impacted. The children were impressed,
but Johnny must have seen the slip of control for what it was, as Testament
could easily see the muscles of his jaw tightening.

With
Ky fighting seriously it was
only a matter of time before the pirate found himself felled, on his back in
the sand with a sword tip at his throat.
The crowd was a mixture of cheers and disappointment at the abrupt end
of the match. Ky turned, without offering any remark or assistance
as he moved several paces away from his brief opponent. And he stood there, posture stiff and voice
unused, long after Johnny had been helped to his feet and returned his hat.

It
was then, while the children were focused on Johnny and his well fought match,
that Testament took it upon himself to approach the unmoving officer. It was a little intimidating with still so
many people about, but he did his best to pay them no mind. He was only watching Ky now, the tension that was still apparent in his
shoulders and his grip around Thunderseal�s
handle. Frowning, he called to him. �Ky.�

Ky flinched, some of the
children hushing as he turned to flicker his gaze back at the approaching
Gear. His expression faltered; from
stern attention, to confusion, to shame, and then again into hardened
intensity. �Yes?�

�What
is all this?� Testament asked evenly.

Ky tipped his chin up
slightly. �Just some exercise. To work out some extra
energy.�

Testament
considered the man for a long time, trying to puzzle out the unusually coarse
tone of the officer�s voice. He
recognized it�that voice that he had heard on Mayship�s
wing, not long ago. That night when they
had spoken of Sol�.

The
answer came to him suddenly, and Testament�s eyes thinned as he realized what
was taking place in front of him. He felt a sudden surge of bitterness in his
chest for the man who caused Ky�s
expression to harden, his hands to tremble tensely at his sides. Ky
knew. �It�s him, isn�t it?� he asked,
and it wasn�t until Ky
flinched that he realized how similar he had sounded to Ky�s
greeting to him the night before.

��Yes.�

�Are
you all right?�

�I�m
fine,� Ky replied
tersely. �I just need to deal with
it. In my own way.� Though his face was hard his hand was shaking
a little, as was clear from the tiny trough Thunderseal�s
tip was carving in the sand.

Testament
didn�t say anything for a long moment, feeling the eyes slip between him and Ky, listening to the soft,
confused murmurs spreading behind them.
He could imagine Johnny�s worried look without having to see him. And though Testament had not come here
prepared to face Ky in such
a state as he was in now, he was not about to abandon him to it, either.

His
fists curled at his sides. �Then fight
me.�

Ky started, turning to face
him squarely with a startled look.
�What?�

�Fight
me,� Testament repeated, clasping his hands together. A swell of magic drew into form the curved
blade and long wood of his scythe. It
rested heavily in his grip. �If you need
to take it out on someone, take it out on me.�

Their
eyes met, unblinking and without falter, and Ky stood a little taller, his face a mix of
frustration over tightly concealed pain.
But by then Thunderseal was already humming in
his grip.

*****

Following
the excitement of having reached the city and swept easily through Zeppian customs and checkings,
Bridget found himself suffering the first bouts of
uncertainty. Youn
had been made to wait at the docks, having no visa himself, leaving Bridget
alone in unfamiliar streets. Everything
was busy and loud, from the people milling about to the sounds of distant
machinery and the low, constant rumble of the city doing its best to stay
afloat. It was making his ears ring; he
earned several pointed and condescending glares as he kept his hands clasped
over them for the first several minutes he spent wandering about. There seemed to be streets twisting off in
every direction, each as smelly an unappealing as the others.

�Stupid Zepp.� Bridget kicked idly at the ground as made his
way further into the city. No one looked
very helpful or very willing to give him directions. He had figured he�d just be able to head for
the tallest building and that would be the capital, but�all of the buildings
were tall, and ugly, and none of them looked right. �I�m going to have to ask,� he thought aloud,
quite disconcerted by the entire affair, trivial as it seemed. He had been hoping for a triumphant,
confident beginning to his mission.

Bridget
asked around to a few people, and from them received clipped responses and
half-hearted directions; they could tell, he realized,
that he wasn�t a native. And though he
bristled indignantly there was nothing he could do about it. �Come on, Bridget,� he said to himself as he
marched down the street an old man had vaguely indicated. �Let�s find us a Potemkin.�

At
least, he would have, if not for the sudden murmur he caught spreading behind
him. Curiously Bridget turned, and he
gasped quietly at the sight of the figure making its way down the street. With a quiet eep he
ducked behind a building corner so that he could watch without being spotted;
though why his vigil required such caution, he could not have explained.

The
man was clearly not from Zepp, judging by the amount
of attention he was gathering from the bystanders, more so than Bridged had
attracted a while ago. He was tall, and
thickly built�a tattered black and red shirt was stretched tightly over his
wide chest, pale, faded jeans encasing muscled thighs and long, sturdy
limbs. His skin was tanned from years of
exposure to the elements, though the effects of that same lifestyle had not
been quite so kind to the mess of brown hair secured at the back of his
skull. Everything about him was coarse
and worn, from the cuff of his gloves to the bored frown twisting his features,
the dull gleam against his sword as he strode purposefully forward. The tarnished metal at his belt bore the
crudely carved word, �Free.�

Bridget
held his breath when he realized what he was looking at�it was Sol Badguy, the legendary mercenary that Anji
had talked about. He had the sword, the
belt, and the headband, just as had been described. This was him, striding so boredly
through Zepp�s busy streets, as if having no idea of
how remarkable he looked. Bridget�s
sprits were only dampened by the thought that it was this man that had caused Ky such distress back in
Rome. If Ky knew he were here�.

But
Ky wasn�t here, and
this�this was his opportunity. If Sol
was here, if he, as Ky had
believed, knew what was happening, then he might have information. Or, at the very least, know where to find
Potemkin.

Bridget
licked his lips. He was going to have to
get his attention somehow, to make sure that Sol wouldn�t just brush him
aside. It would have to be something
good.

With
a deep breath Bridget snuck out from behind the building, following the crowd
until he was a good distance ahead of the man, hopefully without having been
spotted. From there he broke into a
run. With so many people about and given
his already short stature Sol didn�t see his approach. Soon Bridget was close enough that he could
hear the man muttering under his breath, make out the
dull brown gleam of his eyes.

He
brought his foot back, and kicked Sol in the shin as hard as he could.
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Culmination