"It happened on Manhattan. Jeremy told me the beginning...Rika...Rika saw it all."
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Nathanial crouched on the rooftop, his eyes on the balcony two stories below him on the
LSF apartment complex across from him. He could see the girl, clothed in a simple pink nightgown, sitting on the wide railing, her back against the wall. her voice, her beautiful voice, sang softly into the night, drifting across the street and down, making passer Byers stop and listen for a moment. If he was not enlightened, then he would feel a pang of sorrow for taking such a light.
But no sorrow, no regret would be shown to Rika Hunter.
Nathanial lifted his long throwing dagger and hurled it at the girl, it slicingin through the air to pin her through the chest to the wall.
His mission was to kill Rika as slowly and painfully as possible. She was ten, and he did not give a damn.
The dagger turned once in the air.
And was intercepted by a huge, black key, black as the night. The dagger clattered into the building, and a black-coated figure appeared, having run up the building. The man caught the key and landed behind Nathanial.
"Knight..." Nathanial allowed himself a small smile. "Found you."
Nathanial drew his mighty blade and prepared to attack. Knight threw the Keyblade straight up, and then threw off the cloak, revealing the white-clothed figure of Jeremy Hunter. Jeremy caught the blades and raised them into attack positions.
"This ends NOW. You threatened Rika Nathanial...no one lives for doing that. You will not live to regret it!" Jeremy charged, swinging his Keyblades is feints, jabs. Nathanial expertly blocked every attack. Jeremy somersaulted over Nathanial, swung around, and crossed his blades in an X, and made an X mark on Nathanial's back. Nathanial grunted in pain. He swung his blade, slicing Jeremy on the side of the neck. Jeremy ignored the pain and attacked, his mind on defending Rika. It seemed to never end. He, Nathanial, was Nomad-enhanced. But what the Nomad thought as humanity's greatest weakness was Jeremy's greatest strength. His love for Rika.
"Love...is your species' weakness."
"Love is what makes us more dangerous!" jeremy leapt with a war cry, and spun like a top. Nathanial barely blocked as Jeremy landed and slashed Nathanial's legs.
Nathanial pivoted and threw his sword at Rika.
It turned once in the air...
And buried itself in Jeremy's chest. Nathanial smiled. "Good bye Hunter."
Jeremy looked at him. "There is no greater love...then he who gives his life for a friend...and Rika is the best friend I have ever had..." Jeremy's Keyblade slipped from his hands, clattered on the roof, hung on the edge, then fell to the street.
"You would die for her?"
"I would die for her, I would die for Ellie...I would die for all I love..."
Nathanial watched as Jeremy fell backwards off the roof. Nathanial stepped forward, trying to grab Jeremy.
He missed. Later he wondered why he had done that. Jeremy's clothes turned redder by the minute, Jeremy seemed to hang in the air for a second. "I forgive you."
He plunged down, bounced off a Rhino, and hit the ground, ten stories below.
Nathanial picked up his sword and looked at Rika.
He threw another dagger.
Rika parried with Destiny Place, her keyblade. Nathanial smiled, turned around, and left. Within his mind, the old Nathanial Valentine had fought a losing battle to stop the killing, and had succeeded in this one.
Far below, Jeremy lay, bleeding, as Izzy and Ellie ran over. Izzy threw herself on Jeremy, her white dress now red as she held the dying lover.
"Please Jeremy...don't dammit, DONT GO..."
Izzy cried and as her tears hit Jeremy's face, she whispered "I'm pregnant Jeremy...you're a father now...don't go..."
Jeremy's eye flickered open, and he managed to point to his pocket.
Izzy removed a velvet box and opened it. On the top was a folded piece of paper. On the bottom was a beautiful ring. She opened the paper and read.
If I die before I say, then my Izzy this ring do you take?
Izzy cried harder as she whispered yes to him. Ellie put her head on Izzy's shoulder, her red hair spilling over, obscuring her face.
Above all this sat the Oracion, hidden in the stratosphere. On the bridge was a Black-clothed man.
He turned to Aqua.
"Prep the Pod."
"Yes Captain Paladin."
Paladin turned around and watched as the Sekhmet launched from the Oracion, and rocketed downwards to the spot where Jeremy lay, considered dead by the paramedics on scene.
Edge stood by them, and turned to contact Colonel Tainer. Jeremy was dead, but the Oracion was still missing.
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A few tears were in Ellie's eyes.
"I knew the last part from Aqua. She told me."
Ellie looked at Rika. "She enver gave up on Jeremy. Rika knew that he wasnt dead. He is one of the hardest bastards in the Sirius Sector to kill."
![[Image: jeremy10.png]](http://i40.servimg.com/u/f40/16/80/35/65/jeremy10.png)