READ AND REVIEW!
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Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids, or its characters...I'm just borrowing the idea and characters...Don't get what I mean...Ask someone!
Warnings: Yaoi, Shounen-Ai, Lime, mature themes, lots of cussing, angst, ect...Expect all this and more in this fic... :)
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Could This Be True?
Chapter 1: Unexpected...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Wha..?" Came a groggy male voice from underneath a bundle of blankets.
"Ya gotta wake up! Its past lunch already." Came a cheerful, high-spirited, female voice that made the man shrink back and want to cover his ears from the pounding headache it stirred.
"Fiona don't be so 'chipper', when waking someone up with a hang over." He replied while reaching one of his long tanned arms out to the bedside table and grabbing his magnifying eye patch.
"Ok Irvine." She told him while she threw a pair of pants toward him, quickly followed by a pair of dark blue boxers. "Better get dressed and down to the Mess Hall before Van is down there to long." Fiona commented as she headed out the door.
"Yeah, yeah." The man grumbled as he at up finally, and threw the covers away from him. His bare skin being met with full force by the cool air that filled the room. Scratching his head lightly, he got up and proceeded to pull on the clothes Fiona graciously threw him. After pulling on a gray tank top, he headed out the room, and down stairs to the sparsely occupied Mess Hall.
"Hey Irvine!" Van called, and winced slightly from the profuse and vicious headache he still had. The reply was a indistinguishable grunt as the older pilot flopped down into a chair.
"I've got one question..." Irvine began, and paused for a moment. "Did you know he could drink like that?" He finally came out and asked, which made Van's confused look disappear with a smirk.
"No idea!" He stated and chuckled lightly while handing the older man some aspirin. "Thomas tried to warn us though...Who ever woulda' guessed that 'prim, proud, and proper' Col. Shubaltz could drink 25 shots!?" Van said exasperated.
"He was still going strong when you passed out." Irvine kindly reminded him. "I think I remember 30, before things got fuzzy." The blade liger pilot almost face faulted.
"Damn...O, what's with what I've been hearing about you wetting your pants?" The brunette asked with a chuckle, and was met with a glare.
"No, that was Thomas and Rudolph that wet themselves...I ended up spilling my 28th shot." Irvine retorted, and recalled the only thing past his 29th shot, was being dragged to his room by Zeke, a drunk Col. and Moonbay.
"He was up this morning at eight o'clock and reported for overtime duty! Moonbay said he didn't even seem to have a hangover!" The Lieutenant huffed in annoyment, and got chuckled out of the other.
"Lucky bastard...Must have a really fuckin' high tolerance to the shit, or something..." Irvine jested, as he looked out the window and into the sky, that was shrouded in dark storm clouds. "Bad storm setting in..." He suddenly changed the subject, from the drinking tournament and the heart blonde Karl.
"Yeah, I heard its supposed to last the whole week." Van added, noticing the slight pink tint that flushed Invine's cheeks for a few moments, only seconds ago.
"The old man sure won't be happy...He's got some new equipment he wanted to test out." He commented while still looking outside, but his thoughts anywhere but the weather.
*~*~*
"Aw, Raven don't be like that!" The blue haired zoidian complained to the retreating form of a ash gray haired man.
"Reyes, I've told you before, try something like that and you'll pay." He hissed at her, as he headed down the corridor and toward the hanger where Shadow and the Geno-Breaker were.
"Fine!" She huffed at him, and headed t he opposite way down the corridor, in the Whale King. "I'll just tell Hiltz." She stated, as a cruel smile curved her lips. While Raven stopped dead in his tracks, and his heart skipping a beat.
"You wouldn't dare Reyes...You wouldn't want him to know just how far you've tried to get with his 'attack dog'." He snapped at her, figuring she'd change her mind and leave him be.
"I don't give a damn what Hiltz thinks, will think, or wants to believe. I just want you, or see you suffer." She drawled at him and cackled lightly, which made Raven cringe slightly.
"Fine, I can take what ever that red haired goon dishes out." He retorted as he started to walk off again, but stopped when he heard a 'tsk'.
"Aw, Raven I'm hurt." Came a masculine voice, tinged with malice. "I think you need to be taught a lesson to be talking like that. And thinking so highly of yourself, don't you agree?" Hiltz questioned, and Raven glared fire at him, but deep down, he knew exactly what would happen, and he'd be useless to stop it.
"Hiltz if you..." That was all that escaped his mouth before a blur of red collided with his side, throwing the youth to the wall, and down to the floor. The red head looked on in amusement as his 'dog' got up slowly, apparently, a good deal of damage was done from that single blow.
"You can have fun with him after me Ambient." He called to the metallic organoid, who was growling menacingly at Raven. Hiltz jumped down to the place where the red organoid was, and walked toward the younger man.
"Fucking bastard." Raven managed to spit out, before he received a solid punch to his jaw, knocking him back.
"Tsk, what lashing. Your going to pay dearly for such language, my dear Raven." That was all he could remember hearing, as he blocked away his conscious feelings. This was a skill he'd learned years ago, not long after he'd met Prozen. The less you feel while it happens, or notice happens, the better, and the faster you'll heal, that's what he'd told himself.
*~*~*
Pain. That was the first thing that he registered as he started to wake. Lots of pain, actually. His head arm, legs, and chest hurt, but especially his much abused ribs and his ass. 'The fucking ego maniac bastard...I can't even barely move.' That was just the beginning of a string of curses and damnations he was thinking of.
He struggled to actually open his eyes, and seen sand. Lots of sand, and he was shocked, he had fully expected to wake up in the isolation cell, not the desert!
Hearing a grunt like roar, Raven immediately registered it was his black organoid's grunt. "Shad...dow..." He barely managed to rasp out the name. The metallic creature padded in front of his master, and lowed his eyes to Raven's level, as his master tried to get up.
"Rahh?" He growled, concerned at how bad off his master really was, he hadn't expected him to be as messed up as he was.
"Find...a zoid." That was all that Raven managed before he was welcomed into a dark abyss of unconsciousness. Shadow immediately took off toward the North in search of what he was instructed to find, any zoid that he could fuse with and get it back to Raven.
*~*~*
"I was so stupid!" A brunette yelled at himself as he stuffed things into a pair of duffle bags. He felt like a total ditz, for making that bet! It was Saturday night, and Van had decided he would just drink leisurely, and not compete, but when Col. Shubaltz and Irvine got into a disagreement...Well, they decided to settle it with a drinking competition, and Van decided to make the better of it.
He bet Karl could beat Irvine by 2 drinks, and what was his due? If he lost, Irvine got Zeke for a week for every drink after 30 he downed before passing out. The outcome? Karl 30, before he phased out and gave in, but Irvine was determined to keep going, he downed 33 drinks before finally passing out. So, Zeke got to be Irvine's for three weeks, and Van was totally distraught.
He threw the last of his things into the bags, and zipped them up, and scrawled a note on a piece of paper. 'Gone, don't look for me, I'll be back...Probably. ~Van' That was all he put, and he pinned the note on the bedside table in plain view from the door, when someone would entered. With that, he quickly made it out of the base without being caught of seen, and took the blade liger.
Not knowing where to go, or even knowing where he was, in the first place, after an hour or running, he noticed he had no idea where he was. "Damn!" He cursed himself for being so stupid for not paying attention to where he was going. Van finally noticed he could barely make out building in the distance to the West, and so he headed toward the town.
In all the sand it was hard to miss a quite large town, with green surroundings, and an obvious well supply of water. As he came closer to the town, he noticed that there weren't a lot of zoids, and those that were, were definitely soldier owned, except two or three that were civilian owned, because they were labor based zoids. So, he figured that the occupants of the town weren't Zoid efficient, which was fine with him. He left the blade liger right on the edge of the town, in a good sized grove, that could conceal it mainly.
*~*~*
When Raven finally came out of the black abyss, he felt that he was moving, and in an upright position. Opening his eyes, he saw a console in front of him, and the surrounding desert outside. He was in a zoid, and after trying to focus a little better he realized he was in a command wolf. "Where are we?" He found he wasn't so forced to breath and talk anymore, which was probably because he wasn't laying down, with his weight pressing against his lungs.
Quickly and suddenly a screen was pulled up, a map of the surrounding area, and Shadow punctuated where they were going. A large town, practically a city called Red Sand, it was a good community, and a perfect place for Raven to recuperate. Knowing where they were going, he relaxed some, and listened to Shadow telling him about how he fount the Command Wolf.
Apparently the soldier had been on his way to Red Sand, his auto pilot was on, and set at the coordinates of the town. Also there was a duffle bag of clothing and two uniforms inside, apparently he was deciding to stay for a few nights. The soldier, a lieutenant by his uniform, was sleeping, and Shadow fused with the zoid, and ejected the Lieutenant, which rendered the man unconscious, after landing. So Shadow came back and retrieved Raven, and continued onward to Red Sand.
*~*~*
"Yes sir, we've got a few rooms left available...A Lieutenant Andrews has reserved a room for himself, and many other officers have reserved rooms, so we are quite full for a change." The bar keeper told him, who was apparently the manager of the large inn and tavern.
"Ok, I'll take a single room, thanks." Van told the man, and handed him the money that was required for the room. After receiving the card key, he retreated up to the room he was given a key to, and entered, throwing down his bags. "Well, I'm glad to get a hot shower, and, then go back down to the bar." He told himself, as he pulled a change of clothes out of his bag and headed toward the bathroom, and marveling at the large tub that was there. "I'll have to take a bath tonight or tomorrow...Its a waste to ignore such an inviting invitation such as this." He mused as he cut the water on.
After the shower and pulling on his change of clothes, he headed back downstairs toward the bar. Wondering what he should get to drink, he faintly heard a zoid approaching the inn, and didn't think much about it. "What would you like, young man?" The tender questioned, and Van looked up, and quickly answered.
"Two beers, will be fine." He answered, not thinking of a specific type as he heard someone enter the bar.
"What type, sir? We have a varied selection!" Van looked back up again, and noticed the manager talking to a Lieutenant, apparently the one who just entered.
"Yes Lieutenant Andrews, here's your key, and the rest of your things are upstairs already." The said lieutenant nodded curtly and stepped up toward the stairs, but turned to the bar.
"Get Lieutenant Flyheight your best, that'll satisfy him." The cold voice told the tender who nodded and rushed to get two of their best type of beer.
"Who the hell are you? You know me, but I don't believe I know..." The words were cut off when he turned around and caught a perfect glimpse of the pale face. Lavender eyes coolly looking at him, a grim smirk on the lips, gray spiked hair protruding from under the cap, and the unmistakable marking on his cheek. "Raven!" He whispered, and said man nodded slightly and headed upstairs.
"You know Lieutenant Andrews?" The tender questioned him, and Van nodded without turning to him, still starring at the spot where his greatest enemy had stood moments before.
"You could say we've met a few times on the battlefield." He replied after he turned round, and grabbed one of the beers, and took a quick swallow, and was surprised by the taste of it. Looking at the bottle and reading the label, he smirked, the beer was strong, but had a satisfyingly refreshing taste, a couple more bottles and he'd be completely care free of why he'd left so suddenly.
But those plans were shot to hell once he heard the tender talking to this 'Lieutenant Andrews', who was really Raven in disguise, again. "...a whole bottle." Was all he managed to fully comprehend, and he turned round from his table and looked over to Raven who had a frown on his face.
"What's got you in a sour mood?" Van questioned, looking for someone to talk to, since he had no one else. "A 'plan' of yours gone wrong?" He jested, and the disguised one, glared murderously at him.
"That's none of your damn business, or concern." Raven quickly retorted, and if Van wasn't mistaken, he saw a surge of pain in the lilac eyes. 'I'm just hallucinating, and why the fuck do I give a damn anyways?' Van thought to himself and looked back up, at the tender who handed Raven a full bottle of vodka.
"Plan on getting doused do you Lieutenant?" Van asked, and he received a hard glare, then suddenly a smirk!
"I don't get flat ass drunk, Flyheight. I don't often just drink to be drinking, and I for one, know my limit." Came the answer, and as Raven was paying for the bottle he added an extra amount of money, and the tender nodded to what ever he was told. "Where's your tag alongs? Isn't it their job to be your 'gang'?" He questioned, knowing he'd hit a nerve but the flicker of resentment and something else, Raven didn't feel like distinguishing, passed in the shorter one's eyes.
"That's none of your damn business." He retorted and noticed he'd been backed into the situation he'd backed Raven into. "Damn you." Van chuckled, realizing that was what the gray haired youth, he'd become greatest rivals with, had actually meant to do.
"See...Now, next time think about what you're gonna ask, before hand, Van." He told him, and turned around, heading back toward the stairs.
*~*~*
He went upstairs, and into the room that he'd conveniently been able to snag, after dressing in the uniform he'd fount in the Command Wolf. Once there, he leaned against the wall and sunk to the floor, his arms hugging his ribs. "God damn it!" He cursed, and heard a grunt from outside, and looked up to see Shadow sticking his head through the partially opened balcony doors.
After a few growls and grunts, Shadow got his concern across, and reasoned Raven into taking a bath and bandaging himself up.
"Whatever...You need to find the Geno-Breaker, tomorrow, but make sure *they* don't see you." He told the black organoid who grumbled an affirmative. He'd been informed of how he had survived, the only way it was possible was that when Hiltz had finished with him, he'd thrown him in the isolation room, for Ambient and Specular to 'toy' with awhile. Thankfully Shadow had followed the two menacing organoids, and found Raven. After fighting off the other two metallic 'dinosaurs' he pulled Raven into him, and flew off, but not after his master received quite a bit of damage from the others. They'd had figured the boy dead anyway, by the way Shadow tried to explain it.
*~*~*
After a long, hot, refreshing bath, Raven was busy gritting his teeth while Shadow tightly pulled gauze around his busted midsection. "UGH! Damn it that hurts!" He finally spit out, and the organoid grunted at him, and received a glare. "Of course, you know what's best!" The gray haired man mocked, and Shadow tilted his head slightly, not liking his master's mockery.
"OW! I take it back!" Raven yelped, as he was nudged in the side by a claw hand, that was tearing the material of the gauze, to finish up the process of bandaging. He chuckled lightly, only lightly bitter, at the good humor he only ever could share with Shadow. The black organoid was his only confidant, the only one Raven trusted, and even liked or cared for. Shadow knew this, and he knew he was the only one who could ever get away with anything with his master.
Finally done of 'Shadow's torturous doctoring', Raven stepped outside his room, and over looked the jungle like surroundings to this side of the Inn. About to jump over the rail, he was abruntly pulled back by Shadow's hold on his robe. Sighing, he admitted defeat and carefully climbed onto the organoid's back, and was taken down to the jungle. Grumbling some fierce words at the metallic creature, he got off and walked away, into the jungle.
A few minutes later, he'd 'cooled down' and was walking leisurely, when Shadow walked up, beside him. "Yes?" Raven questioned, with a smirk. A roar of dissatisfaction and other grunts were issued before the man talked again. "So what? I can be nice, can't I?" He jested to the organoid, who sweat dropped and growled. "You're right...I think I did get damage to my head, to do something *that* nice. Especially for Van Flyheight."
"What!? No way Shadow!" Raven nearly yelled, at the suggestion the organoid made. "I'll admit that he is...and I don't have resentment toward the punk anymore, but...That's just out of the question you stupid hunk of junk!" He told Shadow, who was doing the equivalent of snickering. "UGH! You should grow up." He grumbled as he walked on, but his train of thought was now on what his 'pal' had suggested. 'Me like Van!? Damn that metallic monster! Where the hell has he gotten an idea like that!? Me, the 'Dark One' have a 'thing' for cheery and friendly Flyheight!?'
Of course Raven knew the truth, he'd always respected Van, even though he never seemed to, he would always have high regard for the boy who defeated him more than once. Though the reason he had hated Van wasn't because of he'd beaten him, but because Van had friends who cared for him. Also that those friends would sacrifice their lives for the brunette, and Van always had someone to turn to, not to mention he'd never been through anything like what Raven had. In fact, it was jealousy, interpreted as resentment and hatred. The more he thought about it, Raven fount more and more he liked about the other youth, and kicked himself mentally for such thoughts.
The conversation was going pretty well, and just about leisure stuff, till Raven scratched his arm, and felt the bandage. He scowled and his attention turned to what had been done to him the day before. "He'll pay for what he's done to me Shadow. I swear to it, that red headed fucker will die." He nearly growled out, and his companion nodded his head, and grunted that the others would get their dues also. "Of course all four of them will pay." So interested into their conversation and planning, they didn't realize they weren't alone in the jungle.
"You really should try and be a little more quiet...There are plenty of people trying to sleep less than a hundred yards away." Came a voice from not far ahead.
"VAN! What the fuck are you doing out here!?" He asked, more like demanded, his heart speeding up from the shock.
"Its a public place, isn't it?" Came the reply, and Raven scowled at that, as the shorter man came out of the grove of trees.
"Damn you!" With that, he started to walk again, without turning to look at Van, who was smirking at him. "What the fuck do you want?" He finally asked, after hearing the other following them, he whirled around to face him.
"I wanted to ask you something..." Now Van was getting a little pink on the cheeks, apparently embarrassed about something. "Why'd ya go and pay for me?" The brunette asked, and looked expectantly at the taller one. Raven could only smirk, and turned back round to walk again, though his pace much more precise, and careful. They walked side by side in silence for a moment before the answer came.
"You heard me answer Shadow...I was being nice, for a change...Consider it my good deed for my life time." He said with a light laugh, one not bitter but light hearted, and it surprised all three who were walking.
"By the look on your face, that's the first time you've actually laughed, isn't it?" The answer was a glare, and a slight nod, this made Van beam. "So..." Raven groaned silently, he'd just gotten in to deep, for his own good. "What was this I heard Shadow saying, bout me?" The black organoid swung round, and looked at his master expectantly, and Van laughed.
"He asked if I still hated you..." There was a pause, and if it were daylight you would make out a blush highlighting the pale cheeks. "I told him no...I never really ever hated you, actually." He answered, and mentally kicked himself for admitting his none hatred for Van.
"Really?" The shorter one was nearly jumping around, and Raven couldn't get it, what had he done to make Flyheight so hyper? 'Is he drunk? No, I don't smell the alcohol, he must be in a good mood...Its annoying as hell! But entertaining I must admit.' It was a battle of his conscious of just what Van was, and it came out as entertaining, to see someone so energetic and in a good mood.
"Stop that." He finally growled, and Van tilted his head in confusion.
"Stop what?" No, he wasn't confused, he knew he was getting on Raven's nerves, and loving it.
"God, and I thought Shadow was immature!" That got a chuckle of amusement from Van and a growl from the organoid.
"You understand Shadow perfectly, ne?" Van questioned and for a moment Raven didn't know what he meant.
"Yes...I have to, since he's my only decent company...Usually my only company at all." Was the answer and the Blade Liger pilot nodded, and walked on, calmly and silently now. "Where are your friends?" The gray haired man asked, and Van groaned.
"Uh...I lost a bet, and I guess I couldn't take it being round them till the times over." That got a quirked eyebrow from Raven, and Van sighed. "Col. Shubaltz and Irvine were drinking, and I bet that Shubaltz could beat Irvine...I bet with Zeke...For every drink after, Irvine could have Zeke for a week...He won by 3 drinks." Raven chuckled, and received a glare.
"No wonder you ran away."
"I didn't run away!" Was the retort, and it raised a smirk from the 'Dark One'. "Ugh! You're strange...You know that right?" Van told him, and Raven nodded, confidently.
"Yeah but your a baka." Van gaped at him, and Raven kept on walking, but quickly stopped with a groan. "Damn it." He cursed as he held his side, and slowed his pace.
"What's da matter?" The brunette was met with a glare, and backed away a step or two.
"None of your damn concern..." He growled, fighting back the pain of one of his broken ribs rubbing against his muscle, very painfully.
"You're hurt..."
"No shit." Van sighed, and walked to the side of the ashy gray haired man. "What the hell are you doing?" Raven asked, eyes narrowed, as Van lifted his arm from his side.
"Helping you, what does it look like?" He bit back, and felt the other one tense as he inched his arms round his waste, for support. "You're in no condition to walk all the way back." Van, was dead set with this 'helping you out' thing, so Raven just endured it, which he actually didn't mind a bit. He liked the warmth of the other man, and the grip on his waist, he felt...Safe? Content? Peaceful?
No! That couldn't be it, you haven't felt none of those things in as long as you can remember!
So why with Van? Love?
NO!
What then?
I...
Its love.
UGH! It can't be!
Why not?
Where should I begin!? One, I don't think some one could love, 'Raven the Dark One', Murderer of thousand! Two, who would love someone with such a tainted and disgusting past? Three, I don't think I could or can love someone! I don't even know what love is, for crying out loud!
You're oblivious then?
SHUT UP!
~
With that mental dispute over, he started to seriously contemplate what he was feeling.
"...Raven?" Van asked, and the 'Dark One', suddenly realized he'd 'zoned out' for at least two minutes.
"What?" He asked, cheeks tinged lightly for an unexplained reason. He scowled at the feelings Flyheight had stirred up in him.
"You ok?" 'Why do I suddenly give a damn? Especially so much!?' Van couldn't understand why he was drawn to the cold, silent, stubborn, murdering youth. 'Danger? Pity? Nah, it couldn't be...I get enough danger as it is, and why feel sorry for Raven? He's a fucking cold blooded killer!' After thinking another minute, he shuddered. 'What the hell could make him so cold and bitter? Just what has he gone through, to become 'The Dark One'?' He thought he'd missed Raven's reply, since he'd been wrapped up in his own thoughts, when he heard a sigh and the reply.
"I'm alive...That not the answer to satisfy you?" Came the slightly mocking reply, and a bitter chuckle, apparently he'd fount something offensive or what not in the question.
"You act like I want you dead." Van retorted, and Raven raised an eyebrow. "God! If you're gonna take it in any way other than what I meant, then just think of it as, I need to bring you in alive!" The look on Raven's face was a 'once in a lifetime' kinda thing, he had this look of being stunned, but almost like he wanted to smirk. He laughed, a hearty laugh at that and both of their eyes widen at the sound.
It took a minute or so to pull himself together, getting lost in the new, exotic feeling of actually laughing like that. Van was beaming after his initial shock, and Raven held his side in pain but a fake scowl on his face at the brunette. "That hurt." He announced and it was Flyheight's turn to laugh.
"I'd guess so." He told him, as they walked into the Inn, and headed up the stairs to get to Raven's room. Since going the way they got outside was out of the question. Once up the stairs, the taller one was exhausted, but refused to admit it, barely even to himself. 'Damn, that wasn't a lot, but I can barely keep walking. Fuckin Ambient and Hiltz!' He cursed the two for causing him to appear to weak.
"You can leave now, you're not obligated to stick around." Raven told him as he swiped the card key in the lock, and opened the door, practically stumbling inside, in the process of walking in.
"You'd kill yourself, left unattended." Van smirked, as he left the older ones side, and flopped out on the couch, looking expectedly at him.
"I'm touched." Came the overly sarcastic and mocking reply, as he laid back carefully on the bed, looking at Van with a piercing gaze. "Stop starring at me!" Raven nearly shouted, and Shadow made a grunt-like snicker, from his place in the corner where he was laying, enjoying the scene. "No body asked for your damn opinion."
"How'd you get injured, Raven?" 'DAMN! What the hell possessed me to ask!? Oh well, can't take it back, lets see what he says...' The gray haired man on the bed sighed, and closed his eyes momentarily before looking back at Van, who seemed to be having an inner battle over, what he'd just asked.
"You really want to know?" 'WHAT!?' Van nearly face faulted, and stared at Raven as if he'd gone mad. Though the words were in a softer tone, they were cold, and Van knew that this wasn't like Raven, though he was compelled to understand him.
"Yeah, I mean..." He was at a loss as to what to say.
"Hiltz, and those two damned organoids...Specular and Ambient. That's how I got it." His voice, cold, bitter, and dripping with hatred, and Van was shocked.
"What!? Why'd he do that?"
"There is a lot more to it, than just a simple answer." The feared pilot of the Geno-Breaker, looked straight at his only true equal, he'd ever fount. "Ever since I met Prozen, I've been used to harsh punishments, trainings, and 'treatments'...Do something wrong, I'd be punished...Though usually not just by beating, starving, or isolation...Prozen fount joy in more intimate things, stripping my childhood and innocence away, in every way possible..." After a heavy sigh he continued, noting the look of shock, and confusion, yet the budding of horrid understanding spreading on Flyheight's face. "For the years I was under his 'training', I bared him, and his sexual tendencies..."
"He raped you?" 'I can't believe this! Why is he telling me this? ME of all people!? I knew something terrible had to make him like he is, but this!?! God...I really do feel sorry for the guy, yet my feelings grow stronger, and more concerned toward him! Damn it.'
"Yeah, are you that dense? And I'm not finished...When I met Hiltz, it was a whole renewed cycle, but he was different...He knew that I'd isolate my conscious, and I was totally passive to it...He'd not only punch me, or what ever physical pain, he brutally done it to me."
"God...Raven, I...I'm sorry you went through that..." Van told him, and Raven snorted.
"You know, that's all I have ever known so I didn't really give a damn to much...I can't remember anything before I was about eight, that's when I met Prozen...Though Hiltz will really fucking pay for it now." Raven told him, and threw his robe to the floor beside the bed, laying back down, he looked up at the ceiling.
For the next few minutes it when by in silence, and Van decided to break the silence. "Do you know what ever happened to your parents?" He waited for a reply, but none came, and he looked over to the man on the bed, and noted the sound of even, slightly irregular breathing. 'He's asleep!'
Carefully, and quietly he walked over to the bed, and gazed a moment at the innocent looking face, of the man he'd been in pursue of, for nearly five years. 'I can't do it...Its not right, I'll deny ever seeing him.' Shadow grunted lightly, and Van smirked, but nodded to the black organoid. Pulling the blanket from the bottom of the bed, he eased it over the sleeping form.
Walking over to the balcony door, he quietly closed it, keeping the cold night air out of the room. Moving across the room, and towards the door, prepared to leave, he couldn't help but turn back once more. He watched the near serene, and appeared to be comfortable Raven, sleeping. 'He was eight, for crying out loud! How could he stand it, and why does he still put up with it? He's near 19 years old by now!' Sighing in frustration and sympathy, he ended up walking toward the bed. 'He looks innocent and calm, laying there...You'd never imagine him to be the feared 'Dark One'...He's still innocent, of the true ways of life...He's never felt real love, or at least can't remember it.'
Reaching his hand out, he fount himself brushing a lock of gray hair away from the pale face. 'He'd surely kill me, if he knew I cared for him...Hell, I'd be lucky to make it a few seconds after he realized it...' Smirking at the thought, he fount himself talking out loud, but in a soft whisper.
"I respect you more than anyone as a pilot...I don't see how you could go through so much. But, for being able to, I admit I have 100x more respect for you, you know? And as a person, not a pilot." Van ran his fingers gently across Raven's pale cheek, and jaw-line, watching how his face seemed to soften slightly.
Realizing what he was doing, and that he'd never willingly admitted his sexuality, Van blushed crimson and realized he really was more interested in men. 'What the fuck? I've always figured myself as gay, but why am I so attract to Raven!? Pity and sympathy wouldn't attract me like this, no this is a thousand times stronger, and more intense!' He couldn't figure it out, and he quickly withdrew his hand, and turned to leave.
"Uhm..." The groan came from the bed where Raven was stirring slightly, as he rolled over. Van's blood ran cold, as he stared at the gray haired male. 'Oh shit.' Was all that could come to his mind, his body frozen in place as he watched lavender orbs be revealed from their lids. A soft smirk curved his lips, and the brunette paled considerably. "You could be considerate and wake me up...I'm not that dire for sleep, I was out for about 18 hours earlier." Raven commented, as he slowly managed to get off the bed.
"Uh....Uh...I mean..." Van was tumbling over his own words, and his mind kept telling his body to move and leave. Logic was screaming danger and run, but another part of him was soothingly saying to stay. He couldn't understand it, and the confusion was easily read on his face.
"Shut up, you don't need to explain a damn thing to me." 'What the hell? O fuck, I'm in a hell of a lot of trouble, or Raven may take pity upon me...Who the fuck am I kiddin'? I'm dead.' That's what his logic was screaming at him, and his heart raced from the unknown and expected.
"Raven, I..." He shut up when he realized the taller man was right in front of him, and still breathing irregularly. "You should really be laying down...You're gonna mess up your ribs more..." This time his mumbling was interrupted by something against his lips.
Realizing two fingers rested against his lips, he looked into lavender eyes, expecting to see the cool, impassive look to them, but the lavender eyes he met, were swimming with emotion. Though the emotions weren't clear, Van couldn't help but smile against the fingers, and he witnessed, a scary thing to anyone else, a soft smile on Raven's face.
"You talk to much, ya know that?" Raven asked, and Van rolled his eyes, but he grinned widely. Finally able to move, he moved to the side of the 'Dark One', and wrapped his arm round his waist, trying to persuade him to go and sit down.
"I'm told often I talk to much...Don't you start on me too!" He jested as he made way to the couch. "If you won't go to sleep, at least get over here to the couch..." Making it over to the couch, he went to let Raven go, but he was abruntly pulled down onto the couch when the Geno-Breaker pilot collapsed down, issuing all his weight for the couch, causing to pull Van along with him. "UGH! You did that on purpose!" Van accused, as he landed face first into the cushion of the large leather couch.
"So, what if I did?" Raven asked smugly, and Van wrinkled his nose, as he turned around and got comfortable. 'I bet he's worried I'll beat the hell out of him...Not to worry my dear Flyheight, I don't ever plan to hurt you...You're the only one to ever care for me, and I have to admit, I care for you too.' Raven was surprised that he admitted this to himself, and sighed in acceptance to it, he couldn't lie, he had fallen for Van Flyheight, his enemy, a member of the Guardian Force, his only equal! He was in deep, and he didn't give a damn either.
"Are you cold?" Van asked, he saw Raven shiver slightly, but barely, apparently trying to not appear so, or maybe he was remembering something...Either way the brunette couldn't tell, and he looked at the lavender eyed man curiously.
"Yeah, but I'll be fine." He mumbled, and crossed his arms, trying to keep his body heat to himself. Raven had always been used to the cold, but for some reason, now, it was a lot colder and affected him more. 'To care for and be cared for, but unable to touch...Its the coldest thing there is...' He supposed, and he closed his eyes on the notion. Feeling the weight beside him shift, and something envelope him, he opened his eyes, and realized he was covered in a blanket. Closing his eyes only for a moment, Van moved again, and Raven was pulled toward him. "Wha..."
His question was answered when his eyes flew open and he felt arms encircle him. "Shh...If your comfortable go to sleep, will ya?" Van told him, with a soft smile, and Raven's tense muscles quickly loosened up slightly, as he thought about the warmth that enveloped him.
"You shouldn't be doing this, you do realize, that the GF will be pissed to find out you got a thing for their top criminal...'' Raven tried to rationalize, not really wanting to part, but knowing nothing good could come of this, especially for Van... 'Everyone I've ever cared for, have either been hurt, killed, or turned on me...I can't stand for that to happen again...' He shuddered at the thought of Van being hurt, or used against him.
"You ok?" With a sigh, Van replied to Raven's statement. "So, they can fuck off...Its my life, and they don't know you at all...I think I know more about you than most people...I'm starting to understand you, more and more..." The brunette rested his head on top of the other's, and breathed in the scent.
"You really mean that, Van? I mean, you'd tell 'em to fuck off, for me?" Raven questioned, leaning back against the smaller one's chest, and almost fully relaxed now, and extremely content.
"Yeah, I mean it...You're not the cold bastard I thought ya to be...Now that I've gotten a chance to find out more about you, I think I understand you a hell of a lot better...You've got emotions, but are afraid to show them, or more like their dormant...You've never had a reason to show them." Van explained, and when he heard a heavy sigh escape Raven's lips, he knew he'd rationalized correctly.
"You really do know me...But I don't know nothing but the basics about you..." Raven said lightly, while his eyes got heavier, and he leaned more against the man behind him, wanting as much warmth as he could receive.
"I'll tell you all about me...Everything ya wanna know..."
For the next hour, Van told Raven of his life as a kid and how he got Zeke and met Fiona...Also how he'd met Irvine and Moonbay, then the nutcase of a dr. Dr. D. He told him how the shield liger evolved into the Blade Liger, then about his life in the Guardian Force.
"Ya know what...Irvine's got this major crush on Colonel Shubaltz, but he refuses to admit it...I've fount it really funny, because Irvine doesn't like to commit to nothing but the lightning Saix, but he's head over heals for Karl." Van grinned, and Raven smirked slightly, and let a yawn pass, causing Van to chuckle. "Ya really do need to sleep...I'll stay here, if you want me to..." Van was afraid of rejection, and it tainted his voice, causing Raven to furrow his brow, and look up at the brunette.
"You think I'm gonna throw you out? I'm to damn comfortable to let you move, much less go any damn where..." Came the reply and a grin lit up the Blade Liger pilot, and Raven smiled lightly, before situating himself again.
Van moved slightly, and laid back, pulling Raven up slightly, more onto his chest, letting the gray haired man lay his head on his shoulder. "Good, cause I'm comfortable too..." He mumbled as both men slowly drifted into dreams.
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