Disclaimer: If you recognize 'em, they're not mine. /cries/ But it's alright; I'm dealing...
Chapter 1- Calm Before the Storm
Pressure building
but life goes on
as normal as possible
before the tempestuous chaos,
the raging thunder
and stabbing lightning.
But for now,
revel in the light serenity,
the calm before the storm.
Lakota skidded to a stop in an alleyway and smiled as Blade came to a rest next to her. They stood in silence for a while, gasping in great gulps of air to replace what they'd lost on their run. Their attempt at rehabilitation came to an abrupt end with the eruption of shouts from down the street.
Lakota's eyes widened, and she looked at Blade. "I thought we'd lost them." Blade simply shrugged and pulled the floppy brunette wig from his head, ruffling his spiky, bleach-blonde hair. Pulling her own wig off, Lakota finger-combed her dark, thigh-length hair. The two threw their used wigs in a conveniently nearby dumpster.
Just before leaving the alley, Blade slipped an arm around Lakota's shoulders. "We'll just have to play happy couple and try to blend in."
"Yes, and being the only two Americans around for miles will surely allow us to do just that quite nicely," Lakota quipped as she put her own arms around Blade's waist. "Of course, I don't think the baddies got a look at our faces anyway, so it shouldn't matter too much."
Blade used the arm already over her shoulders to give Lakota a quick, one-armed hug. He was just about to say something sickeningly sweet and sentimental when Lakota's expression changed from thoughtful to enthusiastic. "Look, Blade! Flowers!" She smiled up at him quickly before pulling herself away and dashing towards the little shop.
By the time Blade got to the shop himself, Lakota was already lost in the sea of girls packed into the relatively small space. He sighed and began scanning the crowd. Finally spotting her near the register studying an arrangement, Blade began pushing his way to her. Shortly after, Lakota glanced up and caught sight of him. "Blade!"
With Lakota's shout, every eye turned to look at him. Blade ducked his head and continued on his way toward her. "Lakota, what in the world were you thinking?" he hissed. "We've talked about you just running off on your own like that!"
Resentment flashed in Lakota's eyes as she took a step back. "So, what, I'm just little child now? I need you to hold my hand when I cross the street? While we're at it, maybe I shouldn't be allowed to play outside after dark either." Without giving Blade a chance to respond, Lakota spun on her heel and stalked to the other side of the room.
"Problems with the girlfriend? You should buy her some flowers while you're here. They always love that." Blade glared at the blonde guy- obviously one of the shop's florists- before pushing past him and stalking after Lakota. Unfortunately for him, where Lakota had passed through the crowd fairly easily, Blade just couldn't break through the mass of people.
Then, like a godsend from Heaven, the red-haired kid impatiently called out, "If you're not buying anything, leave!" The majority of the girls slowly, and with many whining protests, made their ways to the door. With the suffocating press of bodies mostly dissipated, Blade easily made his way over to Lakota's sulking form.
Before he could even open his mouth, Lakota started speaking. "I'm not a child, Blade. I'm seventeen, and I can take care of myself." She turned away from the flowers she was studying to face him. "You're the only family I have, and I love you with all my heart. You know that. But you can't keep sheltering me. I have to be allowed to grow up, Blade."
Blade sighed. "When you're right, you're right. I can't argue with that. I don't have to like it, though." Lakota gave him a quick smile before hugging him then turning back to the flowers she'd been looking at. "Well, Kota-girl, I'm thinking we need a bit of work on our 'happy couple' act."
Lakota crinkled her nose and looked over her shoulder at him. "Or, y'know, we could just never do that again. No offense, Blade, but me and you? A happy couple? That's just... icky. You're way too old, for one thing." She turned, once again, to the flowers in front of her. Blade, meanwhile, was looking indignant.
"Old? Excuse me? What do you mean by old?!" He followed as she walked slowly around the shop, observing every potted plant and colorful bloom. A small smile crept onto her lips as she tried valiantly not to laugh at Blade's whining. "Lakota! What are you smiling at?!"
"I'm thinking lilies, but the daisies are nice, too. And, of course, I always love baby's breath." Behind her, Blade huffed to show that wasn't what he was talking about. Lakota finally gave in and laughed out loud. "For me, Blade! You're too old for me! You're, like, 30, so that's like 13 years between us! And I don't care how you wanna look at it, that's just wrong."
Stopping mid-stride, Blade stared at Lakota's back and shook his head. "Kota-girl, that was just mean." Lakota smiled softly, and Blade realized that it was time to bring her back to reality. "Why are we in here, Lakota? You know we don't have any money," he reminded her quietly.
Her eyes widened, but she didn't look away from the flowers. "None? At all?"
Blade glanced at the prices. "Well, not enough. Not if we want to eat tonight."
Pulling her hands back from the flowers, Lakota sighed and stepped away. "I guess we'd better go check in with Genesis, then. He'll want to know what happened today, anyway." She walked to the door, took one last longing glance around, then left the little flower shop. Blade sighed and trailed after her.
TBC
