Firedown Sun

Sorin's words echoed in my head as I raced to the Fire Pit. It was all so clear to me now. Every step of the way was something that would attract the leader's attention, make them turn their full gaze to me, and Sorin knew that. He wanted me to look as good as possible.

He would do whatever it took, wouldn't he? Even if I had no idea why. Even if loving me seemed like an improbablity for him. Apparently it was still possible.

Dragonblade murmured a hummed warning to me, and I gasped as I noticed there were indeed followers. "Faster," I ordered him hysterically. "Please go faster, Dragonblade."

He did his best, but I already knew who was behind me, and I had a feeling it wouldn't be easy to escape her.

"Get over here!" Dasumne screeched, her dark hood fallen from her pale, hostile face. She rode her own modern motor scooter, which hovered above the ground. Right, these ones could fly. Plus they were Ordermen scooters. Who knew what advancements they were programmed with.

"Kitten Zigbol, we ask you now, at once, to tell your scooter to stop. We only want to talk to you." Merrick, Lune's father, was right by his wife's side, his biceps appearing to be way bigger now that he was chasing me. Hunting and tracking me like some wild animal to be locked in a cage for eternity.

A exploded in a bitter laugh. "You really think I believe you? Go FASTER, Dragonblade, please!"

"PLEASE?" she repeated in thick sarcasm. "You talk to it as if it's a friend!"

I felt so bad for Lune. Having her as a mother must suck.

"HE is. And you know something? You don't have any friends, so that's probably why you're so shocked about it."

She growled in defiance, and I couldn't help but laugh. The truth pill was still in my system, and I had been allowed to say that. So it was true. She had no friends. Ha, was THAT something I'd have to think about later, when I wasn't being hunted down.

Dragonblade took me down the streets and around corners at his top speed, but it wasn't enough. I knew that. I pushed him more, but if I kept doing that, he'd give out. At least he wasn't a miserable grouch anymore. He knew, by just the knowledge in my head that I was a descendant of Nimeous Bloom, that I didn't need to be treated with reluctance anymore. He could be in a good mood now.

"Good job, Dragonblade. Keep going. You're doing great." I stroked his cold, rain-streaked side, and he heaved a grateful but exhausted sigh.

The Ceremony must be close to starting right about now, because there were crowds of people moving about. There were retired couples holding hands, little kids maneuvering in and out of small spaces only children could fit through, and eighteen year old mothers pushing strollers or carrying newborns.

Some people stared at me, stopping right in the way, as if I wasn't about to run into them without hesitation. I sighed and cried out, "MOVE! All of you, out of the way! Emergency, emergency!"

That last word really got them moving. They parted in various places, and I moved this way and that, zigzagging when I could to keep Dasumne and the others busy. I hadn't taken the time to count all the Ordermen and Orderwomen, but I had a feeling they'd called for reinforcements.

I was right. Above and ahead of me, two men were met up by another Orderman and woman on their flying scooters, giving each other quick glances before they zoomed toward me. The woman had violently curled, fire-red hair. That made it easy to keep track of her. I counted on that and leaned to the right, curving around a small child to avoid running him over. He screamed in fear, and I called out in apology, "Sorry, kid, important business to attend to!" He was probably only seven years old.

The flying ones were closing in. As the streak of red came within a three foot range, I placed one foot on the pavement and kicked out the other, sending Dragonblade up and around my head, right in the path of the woman's flight.

The impact both hurt like heck and met my satisfaction. The woman, with a yell of frustration and pain, was knocked off her scooter and to the ground. She tumbled across the blacktop, and I winced at both her and my injuries. It was nothing I couldn't live through, but it looked like she'd smacked her face against the rocky surface. Ouch. That would leave a mark.

I flipped around and jumped back on, ignoring the searing, blinding pain that I felt as I grasped the left handle. I gritted my teeth and was about to take off when I noticed the boy, the one I'd nearly crashed into, standing right in the way of Dasumne. Her wild, hate-filled eyes showed no mercy for even a child.

"What the heck?" I moaned and found myself racing back for him. I couldn't let him get hit. He was just a KID!

Just before there was an impact, I swept him up in my arms and twisted back around, holding him close to my chest with my throbbing left hand and steering with my right. It killed when I positioned him correctly; my wrist must be sprained or something. It didn't feel broken, just very sore and tense.

The boy was staring up at me, blinking away the rain. Kindly, I asked him, "What's your name, honey?"

"N-Ni-Niccolo Barring."

"Well, Niccolo Barring, I'm Kitten, and I guess you're going to have to stick with me for a little bit. Does that suit you?"

"I... I guess so."

He was shaking, and I tried my best to comfort him by whispering gentle little sayings to him. "It's alright", "You'll be safe with me" and "I won't let them touch you".

"Who are they?" he whispered, leaning against my abdomen, wrapping his arms around my waist and shuddering there as he caught sight of the flying scooters advancing toward us. He buried his head against the bottom of my ribcage and whimpered softly.

"That's Dasumne, an Orderwoman, and that's her partner, Merrick. But they won't hurt you, I promise, Niccolo." I smiled down at him, and I was pleased to see the crowd thickening around us. It would be harder for them to catch up to us without making a scene. And that was the whole point, right, to do things in secret without anyone noticing the violence or hatred involved?

Niccolo suddenly cried out, "Kitten, watch out!"

The warning came too late. An Orderman appeared out of nowhere, grabbing a fistful of my hair in his gloved hand as he leaped onto the back of Dragonblade. I cried out in pain, holding Niccolo with one hand while I tried to steer with the other. "Hold on!" I hissed to Niccolo, ignoring my throbbing left hand, and he obeyed without hestitation. His little fingers intertwined behind my back, and I felt his small head dig into my abdomen. Gosh, he'd have nightmares about this for months.

"By request of the leaders, you are ordered to stop this scooter NOW," the Orderman said, jerking my hair roughly.

I clenched my teeth together and demanded, "Let GO of me!"

"Get off the scooter now and maybe I will-"

"Imbecile!" I snapped at him in disgust and let go of the boy for just a moment as I whipped back my fist and smashed it into his stupid face. Surprised, he released his tight hold on my hair and fell backward just a bit. Before he could regain his balance, I kicked him, aiming high. I caught him right in the lower chest, sending him onto the black ground in moments in a whirling, painful spin.

My hand stopped throbbing and hung limply at my side. I tried to wiggle my fingers and instead of seeing any movement, I heard a blood-curdling scream. When Niccolo shuddered against me, I realized it was my own. Some people in the crowd spun to face me, eyes wide and mouths gaping open.

Definitely broken now. Had I punched the guy with my left or right? I couldn't remember what I'd done, but my physical state told me left.

"Good job, Kitten," I whispered to myself. "You punched him with a sprained wrist and now it's broken. You're a genius."

"Kitten," the boy sobbed. "Kitten, I'm scared."

I knew that. So I bent down to kiss the top of his head. "You're going to be alright, Niccolo. I promise. Now, can you do me a favor?"

"Yes," he said, voice quivering.

"Go down into the Pit and ask the Managers if you can fill a bucket with water. Tell anyone you have to that you're doing it for civil service. Tell them you were told by... someone important that... if you filled a bucket with water before it was needed, you'd receive a treat at home... when you, um, get home. Okay?"

I felt his head move at the hem of my shirt. "Civl service?"

"Yes, Niccolo. They'll let you fill that bucket if you tell them that. Can you please do that for me?"

He was shuddering, and I wondered again how old he was. Seven, maybe? Such an innocent child... but if he could do this, I would make sure he got some sort of reward, just like he would tell all the others. It would be so much easier to do this if he could...

Niccolo reached up and patted my cheek. I glanced down. "I'll do it," he told me quietly. "For you."

"Thank you."

Dragonblade slowed down without me needing to say a word. Niccolo hopped off, waving goodbye. I smiled back at him but I didn't have time for a proper farewell. I hurried through the crowd, telling people to move when I had to and listening for the singing that I knew would carry over the rest of the noise when I got close. They had to have started already. Where were they?

I spotted Dasumne and the other Ordermen far off on the other side of the crowd, but they didnt' see me. Dasumne looked absolutely furious, and I laughed to myself. This was going to work. It HAD to.

I reached the edge of the Pit in no time, and I couldn't help but glance down to see if I could spot Niccolo yet. But he was so small compared to everyone else; it was like looking for a match in a pile of twigs.

Matches. I stopped Dragonblade and dug into my pocket for them. I had to take a shaky breath, thinking of doing this for real now. Sure, planning this out with Sorin and even breaking into the Shack with Pharis hadn't been so bad. But doing this?

If it wasn't for the reason it was for, I would never be able to convince myself it was okay. But I had to do it. For Monten. For Sorin.

For my friends.

Suddenly something squirmed at my back. I thought it was another Orderman, and I flipped around, ready for a fight. But it was Baine, somehow flying his way out of my bag. I tried to grab him, so I wouldn't lose him in the crowd, but he zoomed out of reach before I'd even lifted a finger.

"Baine!" I cried after him.

The flashing blue and green robby was gone within moments, and I realized he wasn't my priority. So I turned to the Pit and hurried down, the matches tight in my grasp.

*

Lune staggered as a rushing man dressed in all black crashed into him, appearing out of nowhere. "Watch it!" the adult snapped and ran off, not even bothering to apologize like he should for so rudely bumping him.

Then Lune realized why all the black. It was Yvirik, one of his dad's most trusted recruits to the Force. That was what he called the group of Ordermen. Saying "Ordermen" all the time got long and repetitive, so he shortened it to "Force", which was easier to say and sounded cooler.

"Hey, Yvirik!" He sprinted after him, which was pretty simple because Yvirik wasn't too fast of a runner. "What's going on?"

"Not now, kid. Your dad's got me on a special mission," the man huffed, glaring at him from the corner of his eye. "Now back off, would you? You're crowding me."

Lune laughed. "Ridiculous, Yvirik. It's always crowded at the Ceremony."

"Shut up, kid. Shouldn't you be down there, singing your soprano heart out?"

"I'm a tenor, you ninny. And no, it's not time yet."

Yvirik looked confused. "What? I thought that was supposed to happen right before the Ceremony. And the Ceremony's in what? Eight minutes?"

"And counting," Lune replied curtly. "So what would you be doing with such little time running around like a chicken with its head cut off?"

"Chasing after your girlfriend," Yvirik snarled. "Your mum and dad shouldn't be too far..." He glanced away. "I shouldn't tell you that, though. It's top secret."

Right. Like Yvirik could keep a secret. "Are you talking about Kitten?" he asked, just to be sure.

"Who else, pinhead?"

Lune's head started to swim. Not because Yvirik had called her his girlfriend, although he couldn't help but like the sound of that, but because of the intensity of the situation. They were chasing after her? What the heck FOR? She hadn't done anything wrong!

"Why?" he demanded. "What has she done to you, huh? Tell me, or I'll-"

"Aw, don't bother with your threats. I know how you feel about her, so you're just getting protective. Ridiculous crap, I say."

"Tell me, Yvirik!"

"There's not much to tell, kid. 'Parently she's got the city in an uproar. We're chasing her down and she's gonna head up to the sun to talk with the leaders. Didn't you read that message in the sky? Or are you REALLY more oblivious and stupid than I thought? Now, really, back off! I've got a job to do." And he raced off without another word.

Lune's feet ground to a halt. Message in the sky? He'd been in the basement, how could he have seen anything from there?

Frantic, he searched for his parents, trying to place them among the mob of adults, and he gasped. There were so many of the Force out there, blurs of black speeding through, seeking a girl that was so sweet and so innocent.

Why would they be taking HER? Lune's hands clenched into fists. He couldn't face his parents, but he had to do something. He couldn't let them touch Kitten. No, they wouldn't dare lay a finger on her! Would they? He didn't know. She WAS a rebel, after all. They had reason to be at least suspicious of her.

Then he remembered the sirens, and he groaned outloud, "Aw, Kitten, please don't tell me you did something! Please be innocent!" He couldn't bear to think of her in trouble, let alone being caught.

He had to do something NOW. Yvirik was out of sight, so he couldn't talk him out of it. Who knew where the other Blazes were, or anyone else useful. They were probably heading to the place where they were going to sing. He should head there, too, but... not with Kitten on the run. Not with her in danger.

All of a sudden, something crashed into the side of his face. "Gah!" he yelled, reaching up to rub his ear. "What-" But as he spun around to accuse the criminal, he was surprised to see a robby flying two inches away from his face.

No, not just any robby. The one he gave to Kitten. "Hey," he whispered, ignoring the burn in his ear and cheek. "Where's Kitten, huh? Can you take me to her?"

But the mechanism was beeping furiously at him, too fast for him to comprehend. It was hard to hear with all the noise the crowd was making anyway. The Ceremony must be almost starting, or else they would shut up a bit more. He leaned in toward the robby and asked, "Can you slow down a bit? I can't understand-"

"Loooo!" the thing screeched. "Yooo, looo!"

"Yes, yes, I'm Lune. Where's Kitten?"

"Lune!" a voice from behind called, and he jumped. At first he thought it was Kitten, and his heart raced, but it was Hexa. The two sounded so much alike, especially if he didn't see who was speaking first.

"Gah, what do YOU want?" He glared at her. He'd heard about what she'd said to Kitten earlier. About how she'd stormed off, accusing Kitten of being a fake, lost to the pills. But she wouldn't do that. Kitten wouldn't betray them!

She ran to his side. "Lune, what the heck is going on? It's madness out there! So many Ordermen. Even the Peacemakers, with their Grus and... What were those sirens? I'm so lost..."

"Good, you should be," he growled, feeling uncomfortable with her so near. How could she have mistrusted Kitten? Weren't they supposed to be best FRIENDS?

"Oh, give it a rest, lover boy. Hex was acting on instinct at lunch. Leave her alone."

Resh came up behind Hexa, hands on hips. She was just as sarcastic and just on time as usual. She always appeared just when he didn't want her to but exactly when she was needed. She gave him a pointed look, and he knew she understood his aggravation toward Hexa.

Hexa's eyes narrowed. "Oh, right. Well... her eyes were black, Lune. What did you expect me to do, shake her hand and congratulate her for turning to the dark side?"

He ignored her and said to Resh, "This robby. It's Kitten's, right?"

"You made it for her, shouldn't you know?"

"I just want to make sure. Because..." He paused, clearing his throat. "I think it's trying to tell me something."

Resh nodded and immediately her eyes softened. She turned to the robby and asked in the sweetest, most kindest voice he'd ever heard, "Baine, can you say it again? What do you want to tell us?"

The robby made a disgruntled moan, then sang in a high octave, "Mooshree, gopp ree annleee keetenn shree zann ha tee."

Resh nodded, as if his gibberish made complete sense to her, and Lune and Hexa exchanged a confused look of "what the HECK?"

"He says..." Resh began, her voice breaking a bit, "that they're... taking her... I didn't really understand the last part, but there's no doubt he's talking about Kitten, and she must be heading up to the sun... But... that makes no sense."

Hexa's eyes bulged, and she screamed, "No, over my dead body! They're not taking her!"

Lune went over to her just before she could run off and attack someone in her rage, holding both her arms behind her back. "Calm down, Hexa," he ordered, then turned back to Resh. "Did he say anything else?"

"Yes, something about... about a teacher. And... that things were going to be fine, it was just... all crazy, so we wouldn't comprehend it right away."

"All that beeping said THAT?"

Resh ignored Lune. "Baine knows where Kitten is. He's hers, since you gave him away. So he's shared a bond with her... Maybe he'll lead her to us."

Hexa struggled against Lune's tight hold. "Please let go," she asked nicely, and Lune trusted her. For now. So he relented.

"Why HER?" she said, once she was free.

Resh nodded in agreement. "Why her. Good question. It's not like she did anything, right? Well, nothing worse than normal. I mean, I heard the sirens, but I just didn't think..." Her bright, sad eyes flashed to Lune's hazel ones. "Lune, do you think it was her? Like, maybe she messed up? Broke a rule out in the open or something? She's being drugged, so-"

"No she's not!" Lune hissed, his fingernails digging into his palms. "Kitten wouldn't do that! She never would!"

"Lune," Resh said before he could continue his angry lecture. "Trust me, okay?"

"I do," he moaned, "it's just, this is KITTEN we're talking about. She wouldn't... she couldn't... she's not stupid enough to take a pill! She's not one of THEM!"

"Hey, look, I know how you feel about losing someone who you love. I lost Tyeson, remember?" Resh's voice cracked again, and Lune couldn't help but feel horrible. But she continued, "Just think. Maybe it wasn't her choice. We all saw her this morning. She was normal. And then, by lunch, she was different. Maybe someone forced her."

He turned away, staring at the ground, still boiling with anger. "Well, I'm going to find whoever did that to her. How dare they! How DARE they hurt her!"

"She's not in any pain," said a voice from behind. Lune spun, but he should've been able to place it before seeing his face.

"And how would you know, Pharis?" Lune asked as nicely as he could. He saw the way Pharis looked at Kitten, and he couldn't help but feel edgy around the guy. "Spit it out, or I'll KNOCK it out of you."

"Whoa, dude, what's with the threat?" Pharis put up his hands for good measure, as if that would prove his trustworthiness. "Yes, maybe I do happen to know a lot about this, but that's just because I was in on the plan, too."

"What plan?" the three others said simultaneously.

"You'll find out. Probably in less than three minutes, actually. That's when Sorin said-"

"Sorin?" Lune's head started pounding. He felt like he would explode. "This is Sorin's doing?"

"Yes." Pharis' black eyes became shiny with laughter. "But it's not what you think! Trust me, Kitten is the best one for this. No one else could do this as well as she could-"

"Do WHAT? You haven't clarified yet!"

"Someone's got anger issues," Pharis mumbled.

"Oh, and I suppose you really don't care about her at all, huh, and that's why you're perfectly okay with her being kidnapped!"

Resh came to stand beside him and dragged him back a few inches. "Dude, calm down. He hasn't done anything stupid yet, so don't freak out at him, please?"

Lune would rather punch Pharis in the face, but he just nodded and kept his fists clenched tightly at his sides, glowering at the ground at Pharis' feet and mumbling, "Sorry, man, I'm just-"

"Worried about Kitten. I know."

Hexa came over to him and placed a warm hand above the crease at his elbow. Her fingers were so small and he felt like a giant next to her. Not that he would say that to her face; he noticed the hilt of her most trusted harmonica blade at her belt and knew not to tick her off. "It'll be okay" was all she whispered to him before her touch was gone on his arm.

"Thanks."

"We're all worried about her," Resh said, her voice so sad that Lune could do nothing but believe her. Of course. They were all her friends. Even Pharis, although the thought made his nails dig into his palms in anger.

The freak's right, he thought miserably, I DO have anger issues.

Suddenly, there was an explosion that rocked the earth below Lune's feet. He saw the others collapse to the ground just before he fell face first against the dirt. He spat as dust filled his mouth and felt blood trickle down his lip. He wiped it with his left hand and knew somehow that explosion had something to do with Kitten.

Before the others could stop him, he got to his feet and sprinted back toward the Fire Pit, screaming her name and having a heart-wrenching feeling he wouldn't make it in time.

A man carrying his toddler-aged daughter was in his way as he made his way toward the edge, and he placed a hand on the guy's shoulder, asking, "What the heck just happened?"

"Like I know," the man grumbled. "But there was an explosion in the Pit, just after the Singing stopped. Some girl ran by and then things just burst into flame. Some say it was that same girl that started the fire..."

"What girl?" Lune demanded, desperate. The little girl was staring at him, her thumb shoved in her mouth. Her hair was a reddish brown, curly and shining in a strange orange light.

"I don't know. About sixteen or so, running around like some lunatic. She had a box of matches, and she just threw one, and everything started to spark. And then the explosion."

"What exploded? Is she hurt?"

"No, no one's hurt. But... well, go to the edge. See for yourself."

Lune, breathing hard, went to the edge without hesitation and his eyes widened.

He hadn't been kidding. Huge rolls of black smoke rolled up to the sky. Why hadn't he seen them before? Oh, right, because he was too centered around Kitten to notice anything else around him. Everything had caught fire, it seemed and there was Kitten, rushing around with a sloshing bucket with a small boy at her side doing the same thing. They were trying to put the fire out. In vain. It wouldn't work. No one could put that fire out. Not without more help.

"Kitten!" he screamed. Of course she couldn't hear him. But he tossed a "thank you" over his shoulder at the man who'd helped him- the little girl was still staring at him with gray eyes, calling something garbled after him that he couldn't understand- and hurried down the circular stairs to get down to the Pit. He shoved people out of the way, apologizing when he could but mostly just running on, on, on. He had to get to Kitten.

He felt ragged breathing against the back of his neck and heard a "Get out of this, son, it's not your business!"

"Hey, Mom," he laughed. "Funny seeing you here."

She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pinned him against the dirt wall of the Pit. "I'm serious, boy, you stay out of this!"

He couldn't help but keep laughing, even if that only gave him a slap in the face. "You can't stop me any more than I can stop you, Mom. Quit trying."

"That girl," his frantic mother accused, pointing a finger in the direction of the hungry flames eating away at the bottom of the Pit, "has caused enough trouble to be locked up, maybe even killed!"

"You'll have to go through me first," he growled, angry now, "before you EVER hurt Kitten!"

"Oh, how sweet," she hissed. "You're in love with a rebel. Might as well lock you up, too, then."

"Go for it!" And with that, he pushed himself out of her grasp and leaped over the stair railing, even though it was several feet still until the bottom. His knees protested as he landed, and his mother screamed vulgarities after him, but he didn't care. She could chain him upside down to the side of a building with no meals for a month and he still wouldn't give in to letting Kitten get hurt. He would fight for her safety no matter what he was threatened with. Especially if she was in this much trouble.

"Kitten!" he cried, and this time she spun at the sound of his voice.

"Lune?" Her eyes bulged, and she appeared to step forward, but then she twisted back around and hurried away, crying, "Stay out of this, Lune! Please!"

"Not likely," he mumbled, running faster. He caught up with her easily- she was quick, but his legs were longer- and pulled her to a stop. "Hey, what's going on, Kitten? What's with the explosion? Are you insane-" His voice stopped short as he saw her eyes.

They were black as the midnight sky and just as empty. He couldn't breathe and suddenly he hated Sorin with a passion.

"How could he do this to you?" he choked out, feeling hot tears in the corner of his eyes. But he would hold himself together until he was alone. He never wanted anyone to see him cry, particularly Kitten. She looked upset enough, what with so many people after her. Especially after the latest decision to blow up the Fire Pit.

"Lune, please," she begged, her own eyes watering. The sight felt like a punch in the gut. "I'll explain it all later, I promise. Just not now. You wouldn't understand, and I don't have time-"

"Don't you leave!" he said as she tried to pull away. "Tell me what's going on! It can't be that hard to understand!"

"Yes it is," she whispered, avoiding his gaze. Maybe because she was sorry. Or maybe because she knew how much he hated the fact she'd taken the pills. Either way, it made him feel worse. "I'm sorry, Lune. But don't get involved in this." She started to pull away, but then she caught sight of probably his mother and the Force over his shoulder. With a pained expression, she looked him directly in the eyes again and abruptly pressed her lips to his cheek, her tears spilling over. "I love you, Lune. Goodbye."

Her farewell stung. Like she'd slapped him, not kissed him. But her last words echoed in his mind, and he stood there, frozen in place.

Of course. That had been her purpose. If she kissed him, it would pull him up short, and she could run off and do what she needed to do without him following her.

He was in even more danger of crying now, but he just rushed forward in the direction she'd gone, howling out her name one time, three times, a million times. But he saw the hovercraft appear in the sky with the sun's shape painted on the side, the symbol for the leaders of Monten. And he saw her being lifted up into it, the doors closing, her words playing in his head again. "I love you, Lune. Goodbye."

She'd known everything that was going to happen. She knew she'd be taken away. Maybe even knew she wouldn't be coming back.

His mother's hand was on his shoulder, and she sounded hysterically furious. "She got away!" was her first complaint. "How could those filthy, rotten...!"

"Mom, they work for the leaders. She's going right where you would have sent her, anyway." He could hardly recognize his own voice, it was so broken and full of grief.

"Yes, but I was supposed to take her MYSELF, not leave it to those mongrels." Groaning in disgust, his mother hissed, "But she's going to be becoming a leader, so I might as well get used to it."

Lune shook his head defiantly. "No. No, Kitten wouldn't. She would never-"

"Oh, like you know her that well," his mom said dismissively and started to walk away.

He grabbed her hand and looked her in the eye, snapping, "I do." Then he let her go and spun around on his heel and walked away from her, from the crowd, from the flames.

"I love you, Lune. Goodbye..."

He began to run, hearing the beeps and hums of Baine at his ear, and he didn't care if the thing saw, or if anyone saw, the fresh tears pooling down his face and dropping to the blurry ground.