Disclaimer: I own nothing
Claimer: This is based off a poem I wrote
Summary: RJ and Danielle thought dating each other would be a good idea being best friends, but it turned into a living nightmare. Will there be anything left to save their friendship? Prequel one-shot.
"Fire and Gasoline"
A wolf and a fox wasn't as usual pair as it seemed. The wolf intelligent and strong. The fox cunning and playful. The pair had the chance to be a perfect match or disastrous. The masters at the Pai Zhuq had tried to separate the two young students, but no matter what they did they were drawn together. No matter what they tried the pair kept finding each other. Once their animal spirits had bonded together there was nothing that could be done. No matter how far away they pulled them apart they always found each other again.
"Come on, RJ," teased a young girl with dark brown coils running along aside the creek.
"You're going to fall in!" yelled RJ trying to keep up with his spirited friend "Dani, we are supposed to be training."
"And we are silly. You're supposed to catch me," laughed Dani looking back at RJ grinning.
"I don't think this is what Master Mao meant by training," said RJ.
"Stop being such a spoil sport," Dani called back to her friend.
RJ shook his head before taking off after the younger girl. Dani would never stop trying to outrun him even though he caught her every time. He could run twice as fast as she could. He felt the wolf howling inside of him. He could feel the young wolf running beside him. He turned suddenly on the upper side of the back above Dani. Dani looked up seeing him catch up to her on the side. She grinned trying to run faster to stay ahead of RJ. He slid down the side of creek running straight into Dani. Dani shrieked as she tumbled into the creek with a huge splash.
The fox clambered to get out of the water. RJ offered a hand to Dani, which she took then pulled him into the creek with her. RJ laughed now also drenched. The two canine animal spirits began to dance around each other splashing in the water. Dani laughed at the fox as it ran between her legs. RJ and Dani trudged through the water sitting at edge of the bank as their animal spirits played.
"When are you going to tell your dad what your animal spirit is?" asked Dani.
"I'm hoping never," said RJ.
"One day you're going to have to," said Dani "maybe not today or tomorrow, but one day you'll have to."
"I hope that's not in the near future," said RJ.
"I guess I can't really understand since my parents aren't masters at the academy, but I'm sure he'll still care love you," said Dani drawing in the mud with a stick "after all you are his son."
"I'm not so sure," said RJ frowning. Dani gave him a big hug. RJ turned bright red unsure what to do. The young wolf tilted his head at the uncomfortable boy.
"We better get the academy before the send someone after us," said RJ breaking apart the hug. Dani looked down at the ground feeling bad that she hadn't cheered up her friend. Dani got up off the bank. The spirit animals disappeared as the two friends silently walked back to the academy.
"Where we're you two training?" questioned Master Mao seeing the two drenched children. Dani's hair had puffed out to twice its size.
"Out in the forest," said RJ not looking at Master Mao.
"What did you guys practice?" asked Master Mao catching RJ's hesitation.
"Calling upon our animal spirits and agility," replied Dani quickly.
"And how did that go?" asked Master Mao.
"I still didn't call my animal spirit, but it was okay until she pulled me into the creek," said RJ frowning.
"Wit is greater than strength my boy. Never underestimate your opponent. The fox may be a beautiful creature but it is also quick and clever," said Master Mao. Dani grinned at her friend.
Nothing stays the same forever. Dani and RJ got older and with that came responsibilities and training. They traveled different paths and it was only a matter of time before they went their separate ways. But their animal spirits weren't ready to let go.
"RJ, what the hell was that?" said Dani ripping her arm away from RJ in front of the high school bleachers.
"What the hell are you doing? He's fifteen!" snapped RJ.
"Yeah, so," said Dani crossing her arms.
"You're thirteen. You should be training not making out with guys at parties you shouldn't be at to begin with," said RJ.
"That's rich coming from you. Last time I checked you're at the party too," said Dani.
"I was invited," said RJ "you weren't."
"Actually I was invited," said Dani.
"I'm in high school and I'm in Matt class I belong here," said RJ.
"Yeah sure. If you can be here there is no reason I can't be," said Dani.
"Are you even listening to me? You are thirteen. You are too young to go to parties. You belong at home doing your homework and training," shouted RJ.
"That's right I belong home being the perfect little girl. Well, go fuck yourself. I'm not going to be what you guys think women should be. Get you head out of your ass and see you are no better than the rest of them thinking I belong in the academy my entire life," snapped Dani turning her back. The fox inside of her stirred hunching up and hissing at the wolf.
"Where do you think you are going?" spat RJ as Dani started to walk off.
"Away from you," Dani responded distantly.
RJ choose to go away from the academy and study under an elusive master that lived in the forest alone. Rumor had it that the master had the wolf spirit and RJ could use a mentor with the same spirit as himself. Dani didn't show up to see RJ off nor did she send any letters to him. In a year's time when RJ returned he found that Dani had befriended a blond haired guy that was her age. The wolf growled seeing the fox playfully dancing around the stranger.
"Who's he?" snarled RJ approaching Dani.
"What's it matter to you?" said Dani the fox disappearing in a mist. The guy backed up a bit seeing RJ's aggressive stance. RJ had several inches on the guy and the wolf was glowering in RJ's eyes.
"You should be choosing your training partners wisely that's all," said RJ.
"Well, at least he doesn't disappear whenever we fight," said Dani.
The fox was no longer a kit but mature vixen. The wolf wouldn't come near the beautiful fox just growled from deep within its person. The fox was squishing her tail back and forth calmly unbothered by the wolf.
"I bet he can't go on runs with you," said RJ.
"Actually he keeps up with me. I just run in open now," said Dani.
"A cub should be training not going on runs with you," said RJ.
"Well, he's been here for a year now so I wouldn't call him a cub," said Dani glowing at RJ.
"I think I'm being called," said the guy trying to get away from the arguing pair.
"Don't even think about it Dom," said Dani. Dom sighed as Dani grabbed the back of his shirt.
"Look –erm," said Dom.
"RJ," interrupted RJ.
"Look RJ I'm not trying to cause trouble. Obviously you two have a history, but I'd appreciate not being pulled into it," said Dom.
"You never had a choice in the matter. Don't you know that a fox is a deceptive creature? You think you know them then you see it's all a lie when they turn around and stab you in the back. She didn't befriend you for no reasons she knew it would make me angry when I returned," said RJ.
Dom turned to Dani looking for some sort of denial of this. He found rage burning inside. He wasn't sure if RJ was right or wrong and he wasn't going to ask. He didn't think that Dani would do that to him. But they had obviously know each other for a long time so maybe RJ was telling the truth. He was really confused on what to believe.
"I never deceived you RJ. You wanted to keep me caged up like all the others. If you truly knew me you would have never tried to use your animal spirit to scare me into submission," said Dani with venom.
"What was I supposed to do? Just let you hang out at a party making out with a guy that was just using you," said RJ.
"I never asked for your help! I never wanted your help! And I was perfectly capable of seeing what he was doing, I'm not stupid!" shouted Dani getting into RJ's personal space.
"You're completely nuts. Playing with guys like that is disaster waiting to happen," said RJ.
"You don't get to tell me what I can or cannot do with guys," hissed Dani.
The wolf and fox began to circle each other. The wolf growled and snarled at the fox. The fox gave out warning yelps and hisses. The two animals danced around in a circle. The wolf lunged at the fox. But something blocked his way. The horned tank-like rhino stood defiantly between the wolf and the fox. The wolf growled but slowly backed down. The fox curiously sniffed around the rhino.
The unlikely trio became a force to be reckoned with. Powerful animal spirits with students strong enough to tame them. But all good things come to an end. The trio would travel on their own paths.
Like the wolf eventually the rhino left on his own journey. The fox was left alone with the wolf. It was only a matter of time before they would once again get too close for their own good. The wolf and the fox so easily drawn together, but neither were a good match for each other. It ended in a bloody battle of strength and stealth. The pain went deeper than the surface wounds. Both parties as guilty and innocent. Like many masters had predicted the bond between the wolf and fox would end in painfully for both. It was just their nature.
AN: Thanks for reading. I really enjoyed writing this. It was fun to play with a different style than I normally do. The idea came to me a few days ago after looking through some of my recent poems. One of the poems I wrote based on relationship I had was easily related to relationship of Danielle and RJ. Danielle is an OC from Silver Hills University: Freshman Year. I'm hoping this brings things in perspective for both the character and the events leading up to start of Silver Hills University: Freshman Year. I have also added in the original poem that inspired the story bellow.
Beta: AdamTobiasGrayson
You are the gasoline,
I'm the fire.
We are no good for each other,
but we are drawn together.
I know it's a mistake,
but love me,
if only for tonight.
You are the fuel to my fire,
don't let me burn out.
Just one last time,
fatal to each other,
a lethal force.