Chapter 19: The Gorgeous Blue Sky(1)

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are a work of art that is hard to compare with other great architecture. For the Hanging Gardens, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Where numerous species of trees, shrubs and vines grew. It is truly a great engineering structure.

The sky was filled with black clouds from which it was pouring rain. At the edge of the Hanging Gardens, stood a girl. Whose hair was wet because of the rain, her appearance was lonely. Dressed in green clothing that helped her hide in the woods... She is an excellent hunter.

Her head was turned toward the moon, which was hidden behind the clouds. Cold raindrops were falling on her face, but she didn't seem to dislike it... Suddenly her ears twitched, as if she heard something...

- Don't sneak up on me.

- I didn't sneak up on you, and how could you hear me in this pouring rain?

Atalanta's disgruntled voice made the rider jump up from behind the tree where he was hiding.

- Why did you come?

She asked, turning her head slowly, toward Achilles... Her wet hair, and her clothes... her eyes, with a little animal luster, created a beauty simply indescribable, which the goddess of beauty herself, Aphrodite, would have envied.

Atalanta's beauty, it stunned the rider. So he froze, just looking at her...

- Are you ignoring me? - Archer asked in a calm voice, though she could not hide her slight displeasure.

- No, no, not at all, it's just... You know, you were very beautiful just now...

- If you're through with the jokes, why don't you tell me why you're here?

- I wasn't kidding... - The rider continued with a grimace, - The Master is calling us.

- And he decided to send you?

- Yes, because you haven't signed a contract with him yet, - Achilles said, a little angrily, - You could have disappeared, I mean, I know you're an archer, and you can last about a week, but why wait so long?

- I wanted to think about what he said, whether he would really make all the children of the world happy... Do you remember what Avenger said before he left?

- You mean what he said about saving humanity?

- Exactly. His words: "You will save mankind, and in doing so you will bring them despair... men and women will have no need of faith... and children will drown in a world without hope. There can be no chaos without harmony, just as there can be no peace without war."

- I think he's right. No matter how long you live, you still realize that the world spends most of its life in wars amongst itself.

Atalanta looked thoughtful as she headed toward the master of the red faction.

***

On a beautiful sunny day, when the sky was clear and showing its blue beauty... In the street in front of a small diner, two persons were sitting. One of them, a tall and fearful man, with a scar on his face, and also dressed in black leather clothing. The second person was a girl who was dressed, in a short top that completely exposed her stomach, also hanging from her chair was a crimson leather jacket that also seemed to belong to her.

At this moment, both persons were looking in the same direction, namely at the young man and the little girl who held his hand. It was Ciel, and Jack, and now all four were looking at each other in surprise.

- I didn't expect to see you here, - Ciel walked over to their table and asked permission. He sat down at their table with Jack, - Do necromancers really know how to talk to the living?

Ciel's words were sarcastic, but Kairi had no reaction. He just smiled:

- They have to be alive before they die, after all.

- Oh, so that's how it is.

To other people, they looked like two people who were about to start a fight. Such an aura came from both of them, despite the fact that they weren't planning anything of the sort. Because of this, the waiter standing to the side hesitated to approach them.

- E-excuse me, may I take your o-order? - he said uncertainly, thanking himself for having the courage to approach them.

- What?

- E-excuse me... May I take your order? - the poor fellow, pale as a ghost, could barely manage to speak through his fear.

- I'll have one black coffee... Ah, my daughter, the children's lunch. - With a soft smile Ciel replied, showing his friendliness to make the waiter calm down.

But it didn't Ciel's smile didn't seem friendly at all. He was drenched in sweat and quickly left to take his order, and most likely to quit his job...

- You know, your looks really scare people.

- That goes for you too, your smile looks fake friendly.

A minute later another waiter returned, with coffee and a children's lunch. And he, too, hurried out of there quickly.

Finally when the people around, calmed down. They could sit in a little silence and talk to each other. Somehow Jack and Mordred, found common ground, and went to play with the cat.

- You're not going to follow the plan, are you? - Sipping his coffee, Avenger asked.

- Of course we will, after all, it will determine whether we win or lose.

Ciel looked into his eyes, to which Kairi responded in kind. The conversation threatened to turn into a tense dialogue.

- I don't believe you... you and your servant are both insane, and not likely to follow through with the plan... though I must confess I don't care. I only want to know what you wish for?

Kairi tried not to show emotion, but the more a man tries to show confidence, the more he fails. And Ciel noticed it right away...

- I had a daughter once... I wanted to give her my magic mark, but she died. The curse was on us from the previous generation, and it activated on me. So I can't produce children. So my wish is to bring prosperity to my clan.

- Not a surprising wish, all you wizards want the same thing... It's boring. - Ciel muttered, stretching. - Though you mages always lie to others as you lie to yourselves.

- What do you mean?

- Well, from your story, I gather you don't want to bring prosperity, blah, blah, blah, blah. Rather, you wish to... resurrect your daughter, necromancer.

Ciel's smile and eyes showed there was no hiding anything from him. As if to say he knew more about them than they knew about themselves.

- If you say so. - tired of the conversation Kairi said, - So why did you come here, your "daughter" needs hearts?

- Ha ha, - Ciel laughed falsely, - Jeanne called us here.

- Ruler? - he went on with his interest, - why did she call you here?

- I don't know, she didn't say.

Kairi had seen many people and wizards in his life as a bounty hunter. But this was the first time he'd ever seen such a man... or rather a servant. His eyes were so dark you could tell he was evil incarnate. But, at the same time, they were as pure as Jeanne's eyes. His often shifting emotions, which told you that he had a mental disorder.

- You really are an interesting man, Avenger.

- You think so... - he continued thoughtfully, - you know, I guess I understand your desire.

His eyes were fixed on Jack. Ciel's eyes expressed a purity... one you could tell she meant a lot to him.

Kairi could only smile at the fact that Ciel seemed to be beginning to think of himself as a father...

- Mother, are you finished?

...Or mother.

- Am I late?

Breathing a little hard, stood the girl dressed in something like a school uniform. But it should be noted that these clothes well emphasized her beauty.

- No, we came before time, - he continued with a smile, - we did not have to be bored here...

After Ciel's words, Jeanne finally noticed that both the saber master and the saber himself were here.