Dream ♠ oo9

[defector]

Warnings: Spoilers for Eureka Seven manga.
Dream Effects: [Optional] Viewers will generally get a sense of worry, some shock and guilt, determination towards the end, and above all, love and a desire to protect.

TheEND has a cable tied around the typeZERO, but neither Dominic nor Renton have any time to react when the typeZERO is suddenly slammed against the core wall. The shell of the cockpit shatters on impact, sending pieces of red glass flying. A few tear through Dominic's uniform, cutting his skin. He winces as a shard cuts his cheek, leaving a streak of red.

Renton is the first to regain his senses, as he resumes piloting.

"--But no way am I letting it end here!" he says. The typeZERO throws a boomerang at theEND, slicing an arm off. TheEND's eyes stare as it falls, almost as if it were alive. At this point, Dominic wouldn't be surprised if it were.

"One more shot--" Renton moves in for another attack. For a moment, Dominic panics, before putting a hand on Renton's arm.

"Don't do it!" The boy gives him a confused look, but Dominic's attention is on theEND now.

"TheEND isn't attacking us! It's..." He watches with wide eyes as cracks begin to form on the LFO. "... suffering, in pain..."

Anemone.

"Cracks are starting to--!" Renton's noticed it as well, apparently.

"It's not just the unit that's--!" As Dominic speaks, cracks run along the core wall. More important, though, is the trapar that bursts behind theEND, taking on the appearance of butterfly wings. They light up the area, shimmering in the colours of the rainbow.

It's beautiful--yet horrifying, at the same time.

"The Ageha Project..." Dominic says, more to himself than to Renton, while the wings fade. TheEND is starting to infect the Coralian...!

Pieces of the core wall are breaking off around them, revealing the sky. While Dominic doesn't know exactly what this means for the planet, he can take a guess--and it's far from pleasant.

"And the colonel..." --is murdering this world.

He has no time to grieve, though, as theEND attacks and Renton defends. However, Dominic's focus isn't on winning--because winning would mean defeating theEND. And that--that would mean possibly harming the pilot, Anemone.

What Dominic is focused on is the state of the LFO.

"Its beams are overshot...! Its body is melting in the heat!" he notes, worry rising within him.

"It's not much better for Nirvash!" Renton replies. "How're we s'pposed to get away without attacking it...?"

Anemone is inside that thing... Dominic thinks--and it's then that he knows what he can do.

"... You leave theEND to me," he says. Again, he earns himself a look from Renton, though this one is more surprised than confused. Dominic glances at the cable, the one that's still connecting the typeZERO to theEND. "I'll use this to guide me, and--"

"No, you will not!" Renton interrupts him. "You'll get hit by beams--get killed...!"

It's too late, though, really. Dominic's already starting to climbing out of the cockpit. He admires Renton, despite the boy being an idiot, but nothing he says will change his mind now.

"I thought you knew this," he says to him. "What's important isn't staying alive, it's protecting what matters."

For someone who's about to do something so reckless, he looks rather calm. And he is--he thinks of Anemone, and that's enough to erase any doubts he might've had about this. No matter how dangerous it is, he has to try to save her, at least. Otherwise, even if he survives this, he'd never forgive himself.

He might as well let himself die, if he can't even protect her.

"... Soon as theEND stops, escape. Got that?" Beams are flying around him now, close enough for him to be able to feel the heat emitted from them. He's not afraid, though. A bit nervous, perhaps, but his mind is clear and set.

"... Wait," Renton says, causing Dominic to look back at him. "When I redesigned Nirvash, I made the cockpit big enough for Maurice and the others to fit too."

Dominic simply stares blankly.

"So... that may be Eureka's seat and all, but..." Renton continues. "... what I'm saying is that I can still prob'bly fit the two of you as well!"

At this, Dominic smiles. He's touched--he truly is--but he knows that that's impossible. It's not a matter of whether or not the typeZERO can fit him and Anemone; it's a matter of whether or not Renton can afford to wait for them, and he can't. Thus, Dominic says nothing, knowing that that'll convey his thoughts well enough.

And then, he jumps.

---

[When Dominic wakes up, he looks over at the vase on his bedside the table--the one containing a certain type of flower. Then he checks the date, not surprised to find that it's the 14th.

He smiles lightly, and then, softly:]

... Happy Valentine's Day, Anemone.

Comments

[thoserookieeyes.livejournal.com]

[So he gave up his life so everyone else can escape. He was really that noble, wasn't he? Still, she was a little more focused on what that robot was had doing to that world.]

So that bastard really did try to destroy an entire planet...

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

[Actually, he survived that. The whole "giving up his life to save everyone" came later.]

... Yeah. Though, with any luck, he didn't succeed.

[ragnalol.livejournal.com]

Ah. Such is love.

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

[asglkjalsd you. Dominic will just be glaring at Loki, slightly red.]

[ragnalol.livejournal.com]

Did that really happen or...?

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

... Yeah. It happened.

[scientize.livejournal.com]

So that must be the lucky girl...

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

Y-Yeah.

[scientize.livejournal.com]

What's she like?

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

Um...

[How to do this without this seem like an abusive non-existent relationship?]

[onkittypatrol.livejournal.com]

Oh... Dominic, that was dangerous!

[Way to point out the obvious, Ada. :| But still, she feels the need to reprimand him for being so reckless.]

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

Huh? Oh, uh, yes...

[That was unexpected.]

... But it had to be done.

[onkittypatrol.livejournal.com]

[Siiigh. She's heard this somewhere before, she knows it. ]

But it was also reckless! I hope everything turned out all right....

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

[... Define "all right."]

... Yes. I got her out of there.

[Of course, he got badly burned and she kind of fell into a life-threatening coma before that, but, uh.]

[dissidentt.livejournal.com]

...Are you all right?

[...He partially knows this pain]

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

I'm fine. It happened a long time ago.

[And even if it hadn't, he'd still be fine. In the midst of everything, there were bigger things to worry about.]

[dissidentt.livejournal.com]

[a small scoff]

As if time matters in these cases...

[solidarity.livejournal.com]

[This guy risked his life for the people he cared about. "What's important isn't staying alive, it's protecting what matters." -- words that Snake can agree with.]

...Did it work?

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

... It did. I got to her and the typeZERO managed to escape.

[After that, things didn't work out too well, though.]

[carpo-vita.livejournal.com]

[...So that's what Dominic's world was like, a bit.

Did he make it?

...Well that didn't matter as much. The desire was there - he could relate.

His just wasn't that... concentrated. A tightly-knit nakama is still different from having one special person that you'd devote anything to, though.

But love is love. This is why we do stupid and seemingly impossible things - so that we can protect the ones we care for. So he smiles faintly, with a touch of understanding.]

She means everything to you, doesn't she?

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

Y-Yeah... she does.

[carpo-vita.livejournal.com]

You have really good friends, too. That's not hard to relate. [We're not so different, c:]

[alphaophiuchi]

...touching. [but largely because he couldn't do that sort of thing. He just tries to hide it behind his usual sneer.]

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

[We can't all be cowards like you, Draco.]

Is that all you have to say?

[alphaophiuchi]

[Merlin help the world if everyone were.]

Give or take a bit, yes.