Thanks alot for the reviews guys! Maybe I should've made clear in which version this takes place, but I havent really thought about it, but I like the marvel comics, so.. xD anyway...
The rain had increased, pouring down like if someone had turned a big bucket upside down, and darkness was falling fast but that wasnt a problem for Snake Eyes. Darkness was his friend. Darkness kept him hidden at times when he wanted to escape unwanted attention. This evening however, he didnt need to hide from anyone. He was just a normal citizen, walking down a lonely street. As normal as you could be, wearing a ninja suit. His outfit was already soaked with cold water even though he was wearing a coat over it, and he shuddered, trying to cover himself from the rain but pretty much failed. He looked at the display- windows of the closed stores that he passed by, wishing that at least one of them would be open so that he could warm himself up a bit before continuing on his little trip. Storm Shadow's hideout wasnt really that far away though, but then again, Snake Eyes wasnt 100% sure if it was the right place or not. It should be the right place....Along the way, he met a few lonely people walking the other way, and he wondered what they were doing out in this shitty weather, so late at night. A couple appeared from a by-pass, crossing his way. Both of them were wearing dark raincoats with seemingly too big hoods, covering most of their bowed down heads. Snake Eyes stopped momentarily, looking around the dark, gloomy alley. Mostly because he was unsure of where to go from there but also to study a lone lady and her dog, which at the moment, was busy with marking its territory on a rusty lamppost. The ninja let his eyes travel further up as the lamp flickered shortly and then the whole street drowned in darkness. At least the moon provided him with some light. He didnt know how the people around him had reacted to the sudden darkness but he didnt really care either. Instead, he continued down the street, hurrying towards his destination.
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G.I. joe HQ
"I cant believe he just left...without even telling me", Scarlett muttered, obviously the one most upset about it all.
"At least he left a note", Beach Head waved it in front of her nose where they sat at a table in the corner of the dining room.
"I dont think he'd go if it wasnt important", Stalker pointed out and then drowned the last of his water. Scarlett's eyes pierced him and she snorted, before going back to staring at the table.
"But it's not like him..skipping training and all..." she fiddled with her hands while Beach Head raised from the table, holding the note in a firm grip.
"Well...since Snakes wants this handed to Hawk, I better make sure he gets it" the man said and nodded to his friends before leaving the room. As he walked down the corridor to the general's office, Beach Head re-read a particular line on Snake Eyes' note.
(I'm going away to say farewell to Storm Shadow....)
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Lightning struck again but Storm Shadow didnt react. He just kept stirring the liquid in his bowl on the floor, listening to the falling rain outside. He added some herbs and watched as swirls formed in the mixture.
"Hmm..", letting out a frustrated sigh, he realized that something was missing. An important ingredient. While tapping his fingers thoughtfully on his chin, he looked around for the seemingly missing object. "Not again...", he muttered and got up on his feet.
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Snake Eyes' heart skipped a beat as he spotted the old construction site building. He was finally there. He couldnt deny the fact that he was a bit nervous about meeting the other ninja. They had, after all, only met a couple of times since Storm Shadow left Cobra. Before that, it had been such a long time.....Not thinking of it any further, he hurried over to the building instead, wanting to escape the rain. He took the liberty to push open a random door, expecting his friend to notice his presence and show up....it didnt happen. Well inside, he shivered, holding his arms around himself in a try to warm up. The place seemed totally abandoned and it was slightly darker than the streets outside. He wandered through the different rooms, avoiding puddles of water where it had leaked in through the ceiling. The walls were all in horrible shape. A grey/brown-ish color was covering them and the wallpaper had fallen off at several spots. Making his was into the next room, Snake Eyes noticed a weak light coming from somewhere down the hallway to his right. Turning very carefully, he walked on, following the small sliver of light. A much bigger room appeared at the end of the corridor and he peeked into it, suspisiously surveying his surroundings. The light was coming from a small lantern in the corner and a lot of stuff was spread out all over the place, revealing that someone was obviously living there. Maybe for the moment, maybe always. He couldnt really tell. A sword was hanging on the far wall. A sword with the Arashikage clan sign on it. Snake Eyes stared at it for a minute before disappointment struck and he realized that Storm Shadow was not there. Figuring that his friend would return sooner or later since he'd left all his stuff here, Snake Eyes removed his coat and dropped the bag on the floor next to the burnt out bonfire. That mattress looked more and more inviting for every step he took towards it and he allowed himself to sit down, eventually letting his body fall to the soft, warm surface. He closed his eyes and shuddered, still cold from the rain, but tried to relax. It wouldnt hurt to rest for a minute...right?
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He awoke to the sparkling sound of fire and was shocked to realize that he'd fallen asleep. So he quickly sat up and stiffened as he noticed that a whiteclad man seated by the now lit bonfire. But his back was turned to him. With new found strength, Snake Eyes started to get up carefully, not taking his eyes of Storm Shadow. On unsteady feet, he approached and rounded the other ninja, coming to a stop on the other side of the fire. The man looked up at him calmly and smiled under the mask.
"Snake Eyes..", he said simply. "You came...", he then returned to stare at the fire, looking like he was deep in thoughts. A moment of silence passed by, but Snake Eyes didnt move and Storm Shadow's eyes focused on him again.
"I'm sorry I couldnt be here to greet you", he said and threw a small stick into the fire. "I had to get a very important ingredient", with another smile, he showed his friend the chocolate bar that had been lying behind him, together with the strange bowl. Snake Eyes stared at his friend and couldnt help but smile, but it soon faded as he remembered why he was there in the first place. He took the liberty to sit down next to the other ninja and let out a sigh, shuddering slightly as the warmth from the flames reached his cold and wet body. Storm Shadow turned to look at him.
"You're wet", he pointed out the obvious and then looked outside. A low rumbling could be heard in the distance and the rain seemed subdue slowly. He threw another stick into the fire.
"You should take those clothes off", he commented and Snake Eyes turned to look at him, before shaking his head no. He had no other clothes to change to. He lifted his cold, stiff arms and gesticulated something to his friend. Storm Shadow looked confused for a moment before opening his mouth.
"You...came to say goodbye?" he didnt try to hide his disappointment but kept calm. "I dont understand", he got up and grabbed his bowl, heading to another part of the room where he proceeded with putting some unidentifiable stuff into the bowl. Snake Eyes hesitated before actually getting up on his feet again. He went over to his friend and watched as he stirred the mixture with a wooden spoon. Even though Storm Shadow seemed like he rather wanted to ignore the other ninja at the moment, he still payed attention to him when he started gesticulating again. Storm Shadow's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Why does he want us to stop seeing each other?" the white ninja wanted to know, a hint of anger showing in his voice as he walked away from Snake Eyes again, and back to the fire. After having placed the bowl in front of it, he wandered away and the black ninja followed. "I do not work for Cobra anymore....I never really was....", he then stopped and turned to face his friend, looking just as frustrated as Snake Eyes felt. Thunder struck outside again and lit up the whole room shortly.
[I know] Snake Eyes gesticulated. He then shuddered and yawned, wrapping his arms around himself. Storm Shadow watched in concern.
"I hope you didnt catch a cold." He then walked over to the mattress and pushed it further into the corner. "Come here, you need to rest." He straightened up again and went over to something that could be called a working bench. Bottles and other similar stuff were neatly lined up along the wall. Snake Eyes watched the other man hesitatingly as he walked over to sit on the mattress.
[Where are you going to sleep?] he gesticulated, once Storm Shadow turned to him again. The whiteclad ninja blinked. He hadnt thought of that.
"I dont know." He started unwrapping the bandages on his arms. "I've slept on floors before." Snake Eyes frowned and got up again, crossing his arms over his chest and Storm Shadow watched him with a questioning look on his face. Even though you couldnt see the black ninja's face, Storm Shadow still got the impression that Snake Eyes didnt like his answer.
[It's YOUR bed] the man gesticulated.
"Cant let my guests sleep on the floor", the white ninja replied simply and dropped the bandages on the floor, before going over to the mattress. "Besides...", he looked his friend up and down once. "You look like you could need some well needed rest.." Snake Eyes shook his head slowly.
[I'm fine] he tried to convince the other ninja. [You take the bed] but before he had the chance to even move, Storm Shadow grabbed his arm.
"No. I wont", he then pulled Snake Eyes back and gave him a push in the direction of the bed and the blackclad ninja stumbled, stunned at the sudden action. But after having recovered, Snake Eyes pushed Storm shadow back, in a childish way and was slightly surprised when the white ninja threw himself at him, pinning him down on the mattress.
"Why so stubborn?", Storm Shadow asked, using the weight of his body to hold the struggling man down, though, he had a hard time controlling him since Snake Eyes' clothes were wet and slippery and he soon found himself kicked off. He let out a grunt as the black ninja slammed him down on the mattress and he struggled, beginning to wonder why this fight had started in the first place. As he felt the grip on him suddenly loosing up, he took the chance and pushed Snake Eyes off and pinned him down on his back again. However, this time he didnt need to hold the other man down, but he didnt let him go either. Time seemed to stop momentarily.
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G.I. joe HQ
Hawk crumbled the note in his hand, not liking the message he'd received from Snake Eyes. He had asked the man to cut his connection to the cobra ninja, but he hadnt really expected it to happen this way. Rounding his working desk, Hawk pondered on the problem, coming to the conclusion that maybe it didnt matter in which way it happened, as long as the connection was cut. He was fully aware of that Snake Eyes didnt want to do this, still, it had to be done. Sitting down in his comfortable chair, he grabbed his cup and took a sip of the now cold coffee.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Snake Eyes", he said to no one in particular and stared out the dark, rainy window.
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the Construction site
Panting a little, they stared at each other for a long time, in silence, before Storm Shadow looked away and rolled off his friend, turning on his back beside him. The two ninjas both stared at the ceiling, listening to the rain outside.
"I guess.....", Storm Shadow swallowed and glanced at Snake Eyes. "we can both use the bed." The blackclad man nodded and silence filled the room again. After a while, they both fell asleep eventually.
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Snake Eyes awoke and he blinked a few times, before realizing that the pitch black darkness that surrounded him was caused simply by the fact that it was still night-time. He was still lying on his back, the same position as when he'd fell asleep, some unknown time ago. The thought of G.I. joe HQ and his friends made him stiffen. He wondered what their reactions could have been and if someone was mad at him. He hoped not. Turning slowly, carefully, as if afraid to wake Storm Shadow, Snake Eyes moved to lie on his side instead, facing his friend. Sadness overwhelmed him and he closed his eyes hard, feeling so miserable and helpless. Even though Storm Shadow was so close right now, he was still so far away. When this night was over, they were never going to see each other again...
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The next morning, a few rays of the sun forced their way into the abandoned construction site building, lightening up the place a bit. Snake Eyes awoke again and sat up slowly, stretching his stiff body, while yawning. Why did the morning have to come so quickly? Not that he and Storm Shadow had had a very good time, since they'd been sleeping most of the time, but still. Snake Eyes didnt want to leave, simply because it would mean farewell. Letting out a heavy sigh, he made an attempt to pull himself up but a firm grip on his arm stopped him.
"Going already?" came a soft voice from behind him. Snake Eyes turned his head slighly to look at the drowsy man. He nodded hesitatingly and pulled his arm free, getting up on his feet.
[I need to go] he gesticulated. [I've already been gone for too long] he bowed his head at this, not wanting to meet Storm Shadow's eyes. The whiteclad ninja got up slowly and picked up his friend's bag, handing it to him and Snake Eyes took it after having put his coat back on.
[So. I guess this is farewell] the black ninja gesticulated.
"That depends on you", the other ninja replied, locking eyes with him. "I am here if you need me.." with that said, the horrible decision was once again resting on poor Snake Eyes. Not that it had ever been anyone else's decision, but right now, the matter felt more present than ever. Snake Eyes reached his hand out slowly and Storm Shadow lowered his eyes, focusing them on the hand. Not all too willingly, he too, reached out and they grabbed each others hands carefully, but they didnt really shake them. Instead, they stared at each other, both of them hiding an undeniable, emotional pain. Sooner or later, Storm Shadow released the grip on his friend's hand and pulled back, deciding that it was time to let the other man go and Snake Eyes took a step back before turning his back to the other ninja and walked away.
"I will miss you...'brother'", was the last words that Storm Shadow uttered before Snake Eyes disappeared out of sight.
Phew. Finally got this chapter done. So, what do you think?
