A Portrait (Vash/Rin)

[Vash, the Angel's Moon]

"So, you want to visit the coliseum, and there's someone you'd like to meet?" I inferred. "Of course I'll take you, Rin. You're my student, now; it's my responsibility to take care of you until you're fully trained. After that, you won't need me to take you anywhere - you can go where you please." I smiled. "A Lunar Knight's destiny is her own to decide; other than your responsibility to Ryn, and to your own Successor, when that time comes, it's your choice where to go and what to do."

[Rin Tezuka]

I let a small smile cross my lips. I'd been smiling a lot lately. It felt kind of uncomfortable, yet at the same time, not so much. "Thanks, Blondie." I try painting the awkward bangs of his that randomly spiked forward from his spiked-back hair. I kind of liked it. And it wasn't difficult.

A little exaggeration on the bangs made it more appealing to me. The next few minutes proceeded silently. "Tell me more of the Lunars. The spirits, I mean... Ryn gives me metal powers. What do the rest do? Do they all want order, like Ryn?"

[Vash, the Angel's Moon]

My smile widened as I watched the sky. "There are thirteen... well, fourteen, of them; they each represent one country and one element. All of them have different personalities, but... mostly, they want the same things. Kerrian, the Lunar of Void, chose 'Guo; he's a bit of a sarcastic jerk, but he has a good soul underneath."

Not that I would ever let him hear me say that, it would be bad for my health.

"Rynsaeth, of course, you've met; she's one of the more easygoing Lunars, strangely enough for the spirit of Metal. Tarran, the Spirit of Earth, is one of her greatest allies, though he's possibly the most stubborn of the Lunars. The only one that might be worse would be Valerian, the Spirit of Fire." I chuckled. "Kelcia, the Spirit of Ice, is Valerian's exact opposite, playful and kind. Seren and Kaia are twins, the spirits of Twilight, which can't be embodied by a single person." I sighed. "I'm sorry.... I suppose I'm rambling a bit..."

[Rin Tezuka]

"Nonsense. Keep going. The look in your eyes is perfect. I need to capture it. Keep going, blondie." My voice was rather excited. It was a look of so many emotions. There was such a dim shining to it, one of a sorrowful joy. It was perfect. I immediately stopped what I was painting, picking up a new brush to get the green we had pre-made for his eyes.

[Vash, the Angel's Moon]

The look in my eyes? Bittersweet memories, conversations with each and every one of them. The rush, the thrill, of bringing them into this world, the rush and desperation of creating them, and then having to hide them away.

"Fourteen sounds like so many, but sometimes it seems that there are too few," I replied to her. "I know all their names... and the names of all the Knights that fell in Ketuluna." Then, with a small shake of my head, I looked back up at the sky. "The wisest of the Lunars is Rasen, the Spirit of Water. All of the others look to her for advice and counsel if they need it, though... admittedly, some need it more than others. Sayara, the Spirit of Darkness, is the only Lunar accepted by the land she represents, since Nerezza was the only country to accept the Ketulunans' gift. She's sly and cunning, and from everything I've heard, she has a wicked sense of humor."

I paused, smiling - my two favorite sisters.

"Now, let's see... Raiden, the Spirit of Lightning, is a bit of a grump. I seriously wonder if he took another Knight; he's a stickler for tradition, and Lunar Knights were originally only created from people with the old blood of Ketuluna. Adeira is the Spirit of Life, and somewhat shy; Aedan, the Spirit of Light, is closest to her. Finally, there is Zephyr, the Spirit of Wind. Of all the Lunars, he and Valerian probably have the worst tempers, and Zephyr's the quickest to act. The two of them are good friends. All the Lunars consider each other brothers and sisters, family because of how they came into the world, the shared story of their birth..."

[Rin Tezuka]

I give a sly grin to Vash. "Good job. That was great." I had tuned out about when he mentioned Adeira, because I had begun capturing the image I wanted to paint. And it was executed without flaw in the painting. His overall presence was pure art. A figure that desired to be painted.

"Alright. We're going for some red now. Make sure you don't move your coat too much..." I command. "So why are you so emotional about the Spirits, Blondie? And so much knowledge about them..." I give him the most cockiest of smiles. "I'd be willing to bet you were one." He'd never directly said it. But the tone.. it was like he was talking about his beloved family. "Of course, I could just be some silly little girl whose imagination is bound to be her downfall... You just seem to know so much, Blondie..."

[Vash, the Angel's Moon]

Over the last several thousand years, I've gotten pretty good at controlling my reactions; so, when Rin just casually guessed my secret identity, I didn't do more than twitch. Well, I choked on what I was about to say, going into a coughing fit as I accidentally inhaled some of my own spit.

As I started to breathe again, I asked, not quite as calmly as I wanted to, "H-how did you get that idea? THat's.... crazy."

My existence was crazy, but... well.

[Rin Tezuka]

I laugh lightly. "If you say so, Blondie..." I darken certain strokes to remind me where to take the black later. I let the next few moments pass in silence, using more paint. The red would be gone soon. "But whenever you're ready to stop lying, let me know, okay?"

[Vash, the Angel's Moon]

"You remind me a little," I told her quietly, "of someone I used to know. A blind man, who saw more than any of us could... A long time ago."

It wasn't really an answer, but... it was as close as I was willing to get.

"He had the ability to see the truth of things, but in return, he had to give up his mundane sight. He was an artist, too, but he painted his pictures with words..."

[Rin Tezuka]

I smile softly at my victory. "Maybe I'll go blind, too. That'd be an interesting experience. But how could he see more than anyone if he-- Oh. You. And your word-play... That's not fair, Blondie." My gaze is annoyed as I send more paint onto the canvas. "I get what you mean, though. Of course there's repercussions..." And as if answering the question of what it was, a long period of time passed as I got lost in the red I was painting. A yawn forced me out of the trance.

"Tell me, then, Blondie... About you. What country do you favor? What powers do you bestow?"

[Vash, the Angel's Moon]

I smiled. "I'm the last of us, Rin. The end of the journey... I'm Death." I sighed quietly. "I... don't have a Knight, Rin. I've only ever taken one..." I closed my eyes. "Some memories," I said quietly, "are too painful, when you live long enough to regret them..."

[Rin Tezuka]

"You're a downer." I say real smooth, almost as if it was a compliment. "You're not deserving of the color red. Red is beauty, grace, life, bravery. It is the beginning of things. You're just looking at the end..." My tone is serious. It was always playful somehow, but not now. "The past is the past, Blondie. Leave it there. Learn from it..." I stop painting now. The thought of making him red disgusts me now.

"I don't know what happened to you. And now, I don't think I care. Your view is terrible." I sigh, and fall back, hitting my head on the ground. I acted as if I didn't feel it. "I was painting the traits of red. But now I see you don't have them. You're the last, Blondie? Why be so dark? You've survived. Change things. Don't just accept them and call yourself 'Death.' Why can't you be 'Birth' or 'Life?'"

Truth is, this was more-so me ranting about myself... When I wanted to paint, and people told me I couldn't... I had no arms. I was helpless. A child.]/i] I needed to have everyone tend to me.

The tear that clouded my eyes for a while rolled off my cheek and onto the ground. I proved them wrong. If I could do it, why can't a divine power like a Lunar Spirit change his life? Change other lives? It was pitiful.

[Vash, the Angel's Moon]

In four thousand years, you hear a few speeches, but... very few of them ever have that much heart to them. None of them had ever touched me so strongly, and I got up from the stool and, without even thinking of it, gathered her into a hug. Tears began to fall as I closed my eyes.

"Rin," I said quietly, "I am Death. I am the Spirit of it, was created to channel it and give it strength. But Death isn't always an ending. I am the last, because I begin the cycle of life again... Rin, please. Don't... don't ever give up." I couldn't help but smile down at the ground, over her shoulder. "Rin... you carry red inside you. I wear it because I promised someone that someday, I would, as well."

[Rin Tezuka]

"That's better..." I reply calmly, smiling softly. I made the Lunar of Death crack. That made me laugh lightly. Light... Come to think of it, I felt a little dizzy. "Hey, Blondie..." I rest my head on his shoulder. "My red is leaking out..." I could feel blood trickling down my neck from falling on the ground. "Think you could help me?"

[Vash, the Angel's Moon]

"Red is...?"

I looked. "Rin," I said, somewhat alarmed, "you're bleeding...! We need to get you to a doctor..."