Lament of the Lamb

Lady Moon-Chan

Chapter 4: Brother Dearest

"You first." Nora said, uncurling slightly from her ball.

"M-my name is Alessandro..." the boy seemed nervous. He reminded her of Hans, back when he was still so innocent, before he'd wanted to destroy the world for not accepting him.

Nora's eyes softened. "Don't be nervous. I won't hurt you..." she placed her hand on his forehead, under his bangs, seeing a tall, formidable man, the blonde woman from earlier, and the boy himself between them, nervous, afraid almost, of his two forceful siblings. There was a feeling of immense pressure, and nervousness, insecurity, fear of making the wrong decision.

"Poor boy..." the witch murmured, lowering her hand, "To be put under such immense pressure, and then to be pressured by each sibling in turn into caving to their will."

"How...how did you..." His eyes were wide with fear, and he began to back away, but Nora grabbed his hand.

"Please don't be afraid. This is just the way I am."

Alessandro paused, looking down at her from his vantage point of standing up. "Who are you?" his voice was still soft, but a little less timid now.

Nora grinned. "Nora." there was a brief silence, then Nora said. "You know, when you get angry at him for trying to pass genocide off as the will of God, it's okay to show it."

"W-what?" the boy looked shocked.

"The tall man who shouts a lot. It's okay to be mad at him for doing and ordering such bad things." Nora 'clarified'.

Alessandro tilted his head to the side. "How did you know that?"

"I looked." she placed her hand to his forehead and closed her eyes. "You've been given a heavy burden you don't even want at such a young age, pushed into it by siblings who can't do it themselves even though they want to." she removed her hand and tilted her head to one side quizzically. "Doesn't that ever make you feel used?"

Before Alessandro could answer, there came a crackling sound, and the hedge near their heads burst into flame.

Nora stood. "Brother..." she ran out of the maze, and saw her brother's silhouette on the nearby wall that separated the gardens and the Vatican from the rest of Rome. "Brother!"

His head turned toward her. "Nora." A fire sprang up immediately to her left, and she dodged to the right to avoid getting burned.

Hans jumped down from the wall, rushing toward Nora with a sword drawn. She threw up her arms in the only defense she had, lacking a weapon of her own, mentally preparing herself for the the blow or blows.

They never came. She looked up again to see Abel in front of her in Krusnik mode, his hair defying gravity, blocking Hans' attacks with his blood scythe.

"Shell Man..." Nora murmured.

Hans was looking at Abel in amazement. "So the rumors were true. Mein Herr Contra Mundi's brother..."

Gunshots rang out, bullets rushing towards Hans, only to be caught and destroyed by a wall of flame, while another wall forced Abel to back away or risk burning.

Nora grabbed a sword from a conveniently placed suit of ceremonial armor and met Hans' next lunge, parrying his thrust with a little effort.

The siblings continued to charge at each other, with Hans sending up a ring of fire to keep anyone else from interfering with the fight.

Finally, Nora knocked Hans' sword out of his hands and discarded her own, starting toward her brother.

Hans glared up sharply, causing flames to spring up right in the place she'd been about to step. Then he stopped the fire behind him, running up to the wall and climbing over it, disappearing into the night.

"Hans! Hans! Come back! Please!" Nora fell to her knees, tears streaming from her eyes, the borrowed blade dropping from her hand to the ground. "Brother..." she whimpered. Her eyes did not leave the place where he'd jumped over the wall.

Sister Esther moved forward to lay a hand on Nora's shoulder, but the girl shook her head, falling forward so that she rested her weight on her elbows and knees, beginning to shake. She cried. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Come back, Brother!"

Nora curled into a ball, letting out a veritable howl of despair when only the wind answered her.

AN: Review please. Flames will be given to Radu for obvious reasons.