Revenge
So this is another fic from me. Its set around the lines in 'As Time Goes by', by Xenolord, that says
"Rayne... All I remember of Rayne is how she died. It was the stupidest thing you'd ever think, and you won't believe me when I tell you... but she was killed in a freak accident when a Drakel scientist was showing the people of Battleon how to use guns. I guess those bullets gotta come down somewhere...
"Lizzie was shattered with Rayne's death, and went on a five year rampage throughout Drakel lands, killing countless of them, trying to bring Rayne back. She blamed the Drakel for Rayne's death... and I suppose in a sick way, she was right. Her blood rage was finally ended when she was brought before the Drakel courts in their Super City of Ren-Tiak, found guilty and executed. If that wasn't enough, they hung her corpse outside the city for all to see... She was such a sweet little girl..."
Disclaimer – I own Lizzie, Rayne, Trip, Kay, and Felix. Xenolord owns Maria, Natalya, Serras, Gale, and Jess. Flame-tiger and I own Felix. All others do not belong to me.
This is the real story. It's becoming kind of long though, so I've decided that I'll probably break it up into chapters.
A scream
A sickening crunch.
"Die."
A click of a blade sliding into place.
Blood.
The stench of death.
Corpses.
Everywhere.
All of these sights, sounds, and smells assaulted the senses of the person who stood right in the middle of it all.
That person looked on silently, not a word out of their mouth. They stood, right in the center, yet all of the sights, sounds, and smells did nothing to them.
With but a swish of a black cloak, and a light clank of armour, the person left, not a trace of emotion betraying their dull, lifeless green eyes.
"As you can see, dear people, these 'firearms' as we call them, will revolutionize Lore as we know it!"
The crowd 'oohed' and 'aahed', and some shook their heads in disbelief at what the Drakel scientist was saying.
Rayne Anasi, however, simply rolled her eyes. People were so easily impressed. They didn't realize, was that these firearms might 'revolutionize Lore as they know it', but along with that revolution would come more violence.
"Something on your mind Rayne?"
Rayne looked as the source of the voice, that being Trip Hitai.
"I'm just thinking, really."
"Gold piece for your thoughts?" Trip asked.
Rayne shrugged. "Just about how while this man goes on and on about the greatness of his weapon, he doesn't realize that all they really do is give people easier ways to kill and fight amongst themselves. Honestly, I wouldn't even be here right now."
Trip looked quizzically at her friend. "Then why are you here?"
"I was asking Maria if she wanted to get some lunch earlier. She said she was too busy, because the captain had sent her on an errand. Then Krieger came up, and asked me to supervise here."
"Wrong place, at the wrong time, huh?" Trip said, sympathizing. Rayne nodded.
"I could've been spending time with Lizzie and Kay, or training, or eating, or...or..."
"Be doing anything other than this?"
"Exactly." Rayne agreed. Her eyes flicked back at the Drakel, who was on a makeshift stage of a few wooden planks upon some stilts. "Oh, look, he's about to show us how it works."
Trip looked back up at the Drakel, who smiled, and waved the gun around himself.
"Now watch, as I show you all just exactly how it works!"
The scientist held up his large gun, and aimed it at a set up target. Grasping the trigger with a clawed singer, he squeezed it, expecting the bullet to fly and hit its target.
But at that moment, he had taken a small, almost unnoticeable step forward. That step caused him to trip, and lose his perfect aim. Instead of the bullet hitting the target, it flew in a different direction, ricocheting off of the head of a large metal nail, and headed back into the crowd, here it found itself lodged...
Right in the chest of Rayne.
Rayne looked down for a moment, at the blood that she could see slowly seeping out from the wound, and into her shirt.
"Oh no." She whispered, and collapsed.
Lizzie smiled as she headed down Main Street, with Kay at her side.
"Think mom will be surprised?" The woman asked her mother, holding onto a basket in one hand. "I mean, we haven't had a picnic since I was a little girl."
"Hopefully." Lizzie responded. "I know for a fact that the captain said that once the demonstration was over, she can have the rest of the day to herself until further notice. So at least we've got a guarantee about our picnic happening."
"It's getting through the whole thing that we have to worry about." Kay said, and both redheads shared a laugh.
"I can see her now!" Lizzie smiled, as she caught sight of Rayne. She was standing next to Trip, and both were without armour. It was just a harmless demonstration after all; there was no need to be suited up for battle.
They both heard the drakel's announcement, and they both heard the firearm go off.
And they both saw, almost in slow motion, the bullet piercing Rayne's body. The picnic basket fell out of Kay's hand, as they watched Rayne collapse.
The same sweet smile on both mother and daughter's face disappeared instantly, and were replaced with looks of horror.
"MOM!"
"RAYNE!"
Lizzie and Kay screamed simultaneously. Both ran as fast as they could, pushing at anything and anyone in her way. Nothing mattered at that moment, except for getting to the injured woman.
Lizzie reached Rayne's side first, dropping to her knees; she didn't care if her clothes became dirty. Kay got there a moment later, and made her way to the other side of Rayne.
"Rayne? Sweetheart?" Lizzie whispered, brushing a lock of hair out of Rayne's eyes, not noticing (and not caring) about the horrified crowd that had drawn around them. Trip, looking pale, stood next to Lizzie and Kay, her own eyes wide with shock.
Rayne coughed, and looked upwards. "Lizzie?"
"Oh thank goodness." Lizzie sighed, taking Rayne's head and placing it in her lap.
"Kay?'
"I'm here mom. I'm here." Kay responded, grasping Rayne's hand within her own, shaking one. "You're going to be okay."
"I'm afraid not." Rayne said weakly, a trail of blood coming from her mouth. The dark red liquid slowly made its way down her neck.
"You will be fine, Rayne." Lizzie said frantically, tears forming in her eyes, "W-we'll get a healer...and you'll be alright..."
"I'm sorry Lizzie." Rayne said, shaking her head slowly as Twilly began to rush down the hill and fight to get through the crowd. "I'm afraid that these aren't magical paintballs..."
"Don't say thing like that, mom..." Kay sobbed, her own tears making tracks down her face.
"The truth can hurt, Kay." Rayne said, making Kay grin bitterly through her tears.
"Oh, Rayne." Lizzie bit her lip, stroking the woman's glossy, yet eternally slightly mussed dark hair.
"And...I guess I'm alright with it." Rayne stated. "I knew my time would come...I just wish that maybe, this would have come from different causes... and I wish that maybe I had more time."
"You will love, you will." Lizzie murmured, saying it to reassure herself more than for Rayne. "You just have to hold out a bit longer..."
Rayne looked up at Trip, with half-lidded eyes. "Trip?"
The brunette swallowed thickly, looking down at her dying friend. "Yeah, Rayne?" She asked, dropping to her knees.
"I want you to know...you've been a great friend to me, throughout the years."
"Thanks, Rayne." She smiled sadly, taking the hand that wasn't holding Kay's, and giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Promise me something."
"Anything."
"Promise me that..." Rayne's sentence was interrupted by a coughing fit. "Tell everyone how much they mean to me. Felix, Blaze, Maria, Gale...everyone. Tell them that I love them all, and that I'm gonna miss them."
"Of course." Trip whispered. Rayne nodded, and coughed again. The crimson blood came out of her mouth, more of it trickling down her neck, staining the flawless skin that was growing colder and less responsive by the moment.
"Kira?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you. And I wish that I could have watched you live the rest of your life."
"M-me too." Kay said, finally accepting what was happening.
"You're a great person. Remember that."
"I will, mom."
"Lizzie?"
"Yes Rayne?" Lizzie inquired, her voice chocked with emotion.
"I'll miss you the most."
"I..." Her voice tightened, but she swallowed, and forced it out. "I'll miss you as well.
"You've been so good to me throughout my life. You're my best friend, and the person who's given me the most strength through the years," Rayne pulled her hand out of Trip's, and used it to cup Lizzie's cheek. Lizzie turned her head and placed a light kiss on Rayne's palm.
"I cherish your love and friendship more than anyone else's Lizzie. Know that. And know that I..." Her voice faltered, and her eyelids grew even heavier. "I love you, Elizabeth Miura." I'll never stop."
"I love you too Rayne." Lizzie said again, leaning down and pressing a last kiss against Rayne's barely reciprocating mouth, ignoring the coppery taste of blood on her lover's lips. "I'll always love you, even past our lifetimes."
"Same here." Rayne whispered. With what little strength she had left, she squeezed Lizzie's and Kay's hands, and smiled.
Twilly broke through the stunned (and now mourning) crowd, a moment too late. For Rayne had died, a smile upon her face as she lay in the arms of her wife and child.
"Mom..." Kay sobbed, not bothering to wipe the tears that poured down her face.
"Rayne..." Trip breathed, struggling not to break down and cry right then.
The scientist began to panic, and dropped his gun. "I-it was an accident! I swear!" He yelled. Lizzie looked up at him. She stared at the Drakel, the face of the man who killed her Rayne forever imprinted into her mind. And a second later, she looked away from him, and cradled Rayne's still and bloody body in her arms. She let out an anguished cry.
"Please don't leave me..."
A few weeks later, Lizzie wore black for the first time in her life.
Previous to that day, she had never, ever even worn the shade before, and never planned to. To her it was 'a boring, moody colour' and 'more of Rayne's thing anyways.'
But now that Rayne was dead, she couldn't really have a thing, could she?
Lizzie stood in front of the open grave, covered in black from head to toe. The only things on her that weren't black was her hair, pale skin, and empty emerald green eyes.
All the people around her were wearing black as well. All were quiet and sombre, as Felix got up, and began to speak.
"I knew Rayne since she was a child, and let me tell you, she was as quiet and serious then as she was now."
A small chuckle was elicited from the crowd, and Felix continued on. Lizzie was oblivious. Felix finished, and Trip went up. Still, Lizzie stood, staring blindly.
People ended their words, and more people continued on, until everyone finished. As the men began to fill in the hole, Lizzie sill didn't react.
It was only when almost everyone was gone, that Lizzie finally did something. She kneeled in front of Rayne's grave, and read the new grave marker:
RAYNE ANASI
Determined warrior
Caring mother
Loving wife.
She will be missed.
She raised her hand, and began to trace her fingers through each of the letters of Rayne's name, over and over again. Nothing was said, and nothing was done, except the constant repeating motion.
Rayne Anasi
Rayne Anasi
Over and over again. A light hand on her arm stopped her from tracing the first 'A' on the last name. She looked up, and saw Kay, who looked oddly blurry.
Lizzie didn't realize she had started crying.
"Mama." Kay murmured, eyes red from her own tears. "Mama, we have to go home..."
Lizzie said nothing, but stood up, and walked back home with Kay.
Once she was back, Kay disappeared and came back with a cold plate of food in hand, and gave it to her mother. Had Lizzie been in a normal state, she would have laughed at the irony of it; usually, it was Lizzie giving Kay her meals.
Lizzie ate, but didn't taste the food in her mouth. When she had finished, along with Kay herself, it was quite dark. Kay made sure that when Lizzie had gone to bed that night, she was properly changed and prepared.
Kay forced a smile. "Good night." She said, before rushing off to her room so Lizzie wouldn't see her break down.
Lizzie didn't reply. She just lay awake, staring at the ceiling, until exhaustion overcame her.
That night, instead of cold sheets and emptiness in the bed, Lizzie felt the warmth of her lover's body surrounding her. Her dreams were filled with many happy things, but the moment she woke up, the memories she had of them left her as she remembered that the woman who had held her in her sleep was gone forever.
Days past, and each was the same. Be coaxed into eating by Kay, do whatever had to be done during the day, be coaxed into eating once more, and go to sleep. She never even left the house, except for twice a day.
The first time, she would go to Rayne's grave and trace the cuts in the stone over and over again, until someone came and led her home. Most days it would be Kay. Other times, it would be Trip, Aria, Gale, or any other of her friends. Once, it was even Riles. Lizzie had been taken off of active Guardian duty as well. The captain realized that she needed time to cope, and didn't want to pressure her until she was absolutely ready.
The second time she went out was to take a walk. She went before she would go to the grave site. Lizzie would walk around, usually in the forest, in a daze. Nothing bothered her, for she was usually within the Battleon boundary, but when she accidentally wandered out, Lizzie still wasn't harmed. Unknown to her, Robina shadowed her. The ranger was always out on patrol that time, and she did it out of sympathy. Lizzie was her friend too, and she didn't want anything else happening to Lizzie.
So Lizzie's days continued on like this. Until one day, when Robina caught cold, and couldn't do her daily patrol...
The forest. Lizzie loved the forest. Well...she did. Once. Before Rayne...
Still. Even now, she held some sort of attachment to it. It was one of the only places now that she felt...soothed. Almost alive.
Lizzie wandered onwards, not knowing where she was going, not particularly caring. Suddenly, she heard a noise. A guttural, strangled cry that Lizzie could signify stood for help. Slowly, she walked towards it. She came out of the forest, and up to a cliff where the sound was coming from. Peering over the edge, she saw it.
There was a Drakel man, hanging off of the rock ledge that looked as if it would break of at any time. The Drakel's head was scratched and bleeding, and there was noticeable dirt covering it. Lizzie foggily remembered Kay telling her about the new monsters that had recently taken up residence within the forest. They were something like oversized moles, and while they were harmless, they were pesky; they kept on creating giant tunnels that weakened the ground substantially. As well as the tunnels, there were cliffs that they created when surfacing, or digging down.
The Drakel looked up at the moment. He screamed something in his mother tongue, and Lizzie cocked her head to the side, and stared quizzically down at him. He took in a few quick, shallow breaths. "Help!" He said with difficulty.
Lizzie didn't move, and didn't answer. She waited, until the Drakel was about to fall. She leaned down, and the Drakel looked up into her cold, uncaring eyes. Lizzie spoke for the first time since Rayne's death.
"Never."
The Drakel fell, and Lizzie watched him. And as she watched him drop, Lizzie knew then what she had to do.
She waited until that night to put her new plan into action. She knew she had to make sure that Kay was asleep; otherwise her plan would never be set into action. Lizzie slept that night, but only for a few hours. She rose at midnight, and dressed quickly.
As quietly as possible, she packed as many of the necessities as needed. Grabbing her spare clothing and shoving them into her bag, she then headed down the stairs. As she moved, she paused at a single door. The door that lead to Kay's bedroom, in fact.
She looked at the door. She placed her hand on it, and her other hand reached for the knob, but she hesitated. She pulled her hand away slowly, and her eyes shut. She kept her hand on that door, before crouching down, and slipping something underneath it. As she stood back up again, her eyes opened, and they flickered with something, something that was like a mixture of sorrow, regret, and longing. Longing for times past, and what used to be.
But they only held such emotion for a moment.
She continued onwards, and made her way to the lower floor. Once there, she filled her bag with water, and what food she could carry without fear of spoiling. With her bag almost full, she rushed out of the house.
The next thing she knew, she was at a room in the Guardian tower. Striding around the room, she began to take various things that were inside of it.
The room used to be theirs, but when they moved out, they had converted the room as a sort of armoury for them and the others on the floor. Their armour and weapons – sans the standard issue armour and blades that they kept at the house- were all there.
She swept up a few weapons and attached them safely to her belt. With those weapons, was her special Sacred Staff.
She reached automatically next to the spot where she usually kept her staff. Instead of grasping onto a hilt, all that was there was thin air.
She looked at the spot, and scanned her eyes around the room for whatever was kept their. Alas, it wasn't to be found, and her quick visual search was in vain.
It seemed that the Holy Blade, just like its owner, was gone.
She stopped for this fact for only a moment, before she got to work again. She needed to finish soon.
Swiping some health and mana potions, she tucked them neatly into the bag. It was swelling now from its contents, but she knew it would hold. It had gone through wars, through battles, through disasters with her, and it always held. Much like-
She shook her head. She couldn't think about her now.
She double checked her bag, also making sure that she had gold on her. Everything was secure, and everything was ready to go. She also made sure that the special armour she had donned was fastened securely, and wouldn't fall off at any time. Satisfied, she thought-
'Only one thing missing now.'
She pulled one last item off of a hook on the wall. Turning it inside out, she draped it onto herself. With a satisfying click and a firm knot, it fastened around her neck.
She headed out of the dorms, and walked outside.
Dressed from head to toe in black, the moon shone its silvery light down on her. The pitch black armour she was wearing reflected the light back, with every step she took. And she walked, her lover's cloak upon her shoulders. Her steps never faltered.
Lizzie kept on walking until she was out of Battleon, never turning back for a last glance.
"GALE! TRIP!"
Gale looked away from the elder woman, and was hit by a blur, knocking her back into Trip.
"Oof! She grunted. Looking down, she frowned. "Kay?"
"Sh-she left." Kay sobbed.
"Who did?"
"Mom. When I woke up this morning, I found this." In her hand, she clutched a paper.
"Have you read it?"
Kay leaned her head against the breastplate of Gale's armour, and shook her head.
"Then how do you know she left? Maybe she just went out, and-"
Both Kay and Trip shook their heads.
"I know Gale." Kay said. "I just know."
Trip walked, not stumbling once, to Kay. Very gently, she took the paper from Kay's hand. Kay quieted her sobs, and trip began to read.
My Dearest Kira,
I'm sorry. I'm sorry I've left without telling you, but it had to be done. You would have tried to stop me, and we can't have that,
I've left for a reason, Kay. A reason for which you can't know of, but you will learn soon.
Kay, please don't try to find me. You have so much to live for, and you can't waste your life on mine.
I haven't been much of a mother lately, but know this Kay; I love you. Tell everyone else that as well. Though I probably will never again come to Battleon, I will always remember it. The town, and all its residents, especially you and my friend, will be in my heart.
Goodbye,
Elizabeth Miura-Anasi.
P.S – Tell Captain Krieger that I've resigned, and went to travel.
P.P.S – Tell him I'm sorry for kicking him those times.
-
Kay let out another cry, and Gale began to soothe Kay once more. Trip sighed, and ran a hand through her short brown hair,
"I knew this would happen, sooner or later." She mumbled, closing her eyes,
Both Gala and Kay looked at the brunette. "What?"
"Lizzie believed strongly in justice. Sometimes, though, it takes her a while to figure out what she has to do for what she believes is justice. I knew; don't ask me how, that she would leave eventually." Trip smiled ruefully, eyes still shut.
"She could be as stubborn as Rayne sometimes. I'm afraid we can't do anything now. She's made her decision, and we can't do anything."
"Are you crazy?" Gale asked, staring at trip as if she had five heads. "We have to find her!"
"There's no point. You saw her letter; you saw what she wrote, and-"
"How can you say that? I thought you were her friend! If you really were, you'd go after her and not just be as aloof and carefree as you are right now!" Kay yelled.
"It only looks like that Kay." Trip sighed once more.
Kay was confused. "What?"
Trip opened her eyes, and Kay was surprised to see that tears were swimming in her sapphire eyes.
"Kay, it's hurting me just as much as it's hurting you." She whispered. "I've just lost two of my best friends; the kind of friend that you expect to have for life. I've had them for years and years, and we've been together through so much. Those two were...are...some of the most important people in my life. And I'll let you know now, that as Lizzie's lifelong friend, I'll do what she asks, and not go after her."
"Gale, I'd advise you not to go after her either. She has to do whatever she's going to do alone. There is a very slim chance of you finding her if she doesn't want to be found."
Kay finally saw the reason in Trip's words, and nodded slowly.
Finding the reason didn't stop Kay from crying though. And she did just that, as she was pulled out of Gale's embrace and into Trip's.
As both women cried over the loss of loved ones, Gale stood to the side, watching helplessly as her hands –as well as her heart- clenched and unclenched.
Gale couldn't help but wonder how she was ever going to piece Kay's shattered self back together.
So, that's part 1 of chapter one. It was getting kinda big, so I'm splitting this up. I hope you enjoyed, and please review!
Oh, and good job on the latest chapter of 'As Time Goes By', Xenolord.