A/N: Hello and welcome! Now before we begin, I have some bad news to report. I'm sorry but I've lost inspiration in Waves of Blue. I'll pick it up during the summer though when I don't have too much work so it's going on temporary hiatus. Anyways, onto the second chapter! New surprises and trials for our heroine and hero! Now disclaimers from our little reaper boy!
Danny: The authoress owns nothing. Especially not my little angel from the Heavens above! (grabs Sam possessively)
Sam: (glare) Get your little demonic hands off me, reaper boy before I holy water them off.
Of Portals and Pretty Faces
The wind in the cave-like place did wonders to tempers and minds. For one, it blew with such ferocity that it made Sam's short hair stick to her face and she hated when that happened. She blew at it miserably but it refused to move away. Her feet ached; she had never walked for long distances before and she glared every so often at a smiling Danny who clutched the diary tightly in his hands acting as if he had no other care in the world.
It angered and annoyed her to no end.
"What are you so happy about?" she almost screamed in frustration, eying him menacingly. He turned to her, a puzzled smile on his face.
"What ever do you mean, my dear little Sammy?" he asked innocently after a long silence. A layer of icy steel shielded the pain in his voice. She shivered at the severity in it and wished for some warmth from someone or something. She huddled her white healed wings around her pale frame.
Things had become awkward between them after Danny had kissed her. He seemed hesitant in speaking to her and when he did, his words were barbed with steel.
"Are we close?" Sam grumbled. She couldn't help it but she hated each and every moment with the sardonic reaper boy. He got on her nerves. One moment he was sweet and caring. The next, he had this mask on like he wanted to distance himself from her.
"Not yet, I'm afraid," Danny slowed down a bit before coming to a complete stop. He stared at the map and then at the terrain. In front of them were two tunnels. Sam caught up to him and watched him expectantly.
"Well, Reaper Boy?" Sam collapsed next to him, her eyes trained on the book. "Where do we go next?"
Danny's emotions were going haywire now. Inside his mind, he was frantically thinking up plans to evade her questions without scaring her before quickly shooting them down again. His silence made it all the worse though.
"It seems we have hit a snag in our journey," he replied, "No matter." He closed his book with a definite shut. He picked the tunnel on the left and took out his scythe. He let it hover in the air and offered his hand to her, his green eyes cool and level.
Sam accepted it reluctantly. She didn't want to trust the boy but she had no choice in the say.
The wind stopped. That was the first sign of disturbance for Danny. He narrowed his eyes for the dangers he knew was ahead.
"Danny?" Sam whispered to him, tightening her grip around him, "Do you hear that?"
"I hear nothing," he replied, trying to ignore her and focus on what she was trying to show him.
"Are you trying to hurt my feelings on purpose?" Sam glared at him before sighing exasperated, "Fine, just stay quiet and listen."
Danny obeyed, perking his ears up so he could listen. And then he heard it. A soft lilting voice, singing in a soft and beautiful lulling manner as if to lure them closer. It was definitely feminine and most likely young too. Although, one could never tell in the neutral zone.
"Should we go near it?" she asked, shivering slightly. The voice was frightening in a way. It seemed eerie and solemn yet it soothed her all the same. Like a siren's song of sorts.
"Might as well," Danny replied. His body tensed. He had heard this voice before, a long time ago. Although from where, he did not remember.
As the scythe flew past the rock walls of the tunnel, the voice became clearer and louder. The song climbed higher and higher until only a clear, long note was heard before silence covered their ears like a dense cloud.
"Danny," Sam was forced to admit, "This is creepy."
"I know what you mean," Danny reassured her, "Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine."
And they came to a large clearing like the gardens before but this one was dark and damp with water dripping of the stalagmites on the ceiling. In the middle of the barren rock floor was a pedestal-like formation and on that was a figure of a girl. She looked like she was wrapped in a cloak much like the one Sam had seen Danny wear.
But something irked her. A light golden glow surrounded the girl like she was an angel but pulsated like she was a demon.
"Sam," Danny grabbed her to comfort her, "I want you to stay behind me." She nodded before moving behind him as he put his scythe in an alert position.
Under the cloak's hood, the girl's rosy red lips moved and suddenly a long solitary note was produced before silhouetting into another song.
My loneliness is of no importance.
Dreams were not meant to be heard.
My words mean nothing to you.
Can you see the lance in my heart?
"Such a sad song," Sam couldn't help but remark out loud. The voice and the lips stopped abruptly before Sam could stop herself from speaking anymore. The hood fell off the girl's face.
Beautiful. That was the one word that suited the girl perfectly. Golden eyes that smoldered like fire penetrated the soul while pure ebony hair fell around her evenly sculpted shoulders in waves of silky smoothness. Her pale white face stained a rosy pink in the cheeks, contrasted against her high cheekbones and long slender neck.
"Hello, my dear lady," Danny greeted, trying to be polite and civil as to not disturb or perturb the girl. He had to admit though. She was beautiful and he felt his cheeks color as he felt enchanted by her face.
"We were just passing and would like to know if you happen to know the way out. Would you be so kind as to tell us?" he gave her his most winning smile.
"Hello," her voice melodiously flowed in Sam's ears, "I am Elodia and I reside here. I do not know why you are here or how you have stumbled into my lovely abode but you are not welcome."
Behind her, Sam could see was an opening. Another tunnel. Another way out. The girl saw where her eyes wandered and she hopped off the stand smoothly before quietly commanding the opening to close. A slab of stone blocked the entrance off with a loud resounding boom. At the same time, the entrance behind them sealed shut too. They were trapped.
"If you wish to progress any further, I will not allow it," the siren whispered, "I will obliviate you before you can disturb our realms again." With that, her once bell-like voice turned sharp and ugly. Her molten gold eyes turned frightening and snake-like. And her pale skin turned even paler, matching Danny's own white hair.
Her songs started again, but they were sung in a language that seemed menacing. At once, Danny stiffened.
"Hey, Reaper Boy?" Sam tried joking but her tone betrayed her words. She was worried and terrified, "You okay?"
"S-Sam," Danny whispered, suddenly convulsing horribly. "G-Get away from me! Now!"
"Get her," she hissed, her voice bouncing off the walls and entering Sam's ears like a death warrant. "Obliviate her."
And before Sam could help it, she saw Danny's eye cloud over. His pupils turned a solid shade of emerald and the familiar warmth she had seen was lost.
All thoughts in his head were gone and he saw himself in a small corner that remained silent and unhearing. He only heard the words prancing like harlequins across his mind, commanding and persuading him to do as they told, his face emotionless and blank.
"Yes, my mistress," he said monotonously. Instantly, he sprang forward, slicing down his scythe with such force that Sam just barely escaped as the stone floor next to her broke and shattered into a thousand fragmented pieces.
"Danny!" she shrieked, "Snap out of it!"
"Attack her," Elodia replied in a shrill voice, "Make sure she does not escape!"
Danny ran against his will, charging at her with lightening agility. Sam readied herself for the attack and leaped at the last second to the other side of the room.
"Danny," she called out desperately, "Listen to me! Don't do this! I know you hate me but I know you're in there somewhere!"
A swipe of his scythe told her differently and she felt a gash on her left leg.
"Ooh," Elodia giggled, licking her lips and showing rows of white fang-like teeth, "Angel blood. Such a delicacy! I shall have a feast at the end of this!"
Sam panted as the onslaught of attacks continued. Trying to convince him to snap out of it was out. Her best bet was to wrestle his scythe away from him. But how? He easily overpowered her in height and weight.
She had no time to think as his weapon came down like a sword, barely missing her by a few inches. She reacted quickly while his scythe was still in the ground. She charged at him and elbowed him in the stomach. He stumbled a bit as Sam felt her shoulder dislocate itself by the sheer force of the tackle into his abdomen. Her hands grabbed the weapon and she used her weight to pry it out of the ground.
Once in her hands, she felt utterly stupid. Here she was, holding a weapon and she knew nothing of how to use it. Even the sheer size of it was daunting.
"What do I do?" she whispered, her arms shaking to keep it up, "What do I do?"
"Mistress," a voice whispered quietly in her head. Her eyes widened as she almost dropped the weapon. Where were these voices coming from?
"Mistress," another voice whispered, "Listen to us. We will help you save our master."
And then Sam knew. They were coming from Danny's scythe. Somehow, there were spirits or some sort of being in it. That would be a story for another day. One of the voices was screaming at her.
"Mistress," one of the voices told her, "Let us help you. We want our master back."
Tendrils of writhing black wood took her arm and wrapped around it, securing her arm to the scythe. It did not hurt or prick her. On the contrary, it felt warm and familiar.
"Will you hurt me?" Sam whimpered, slightly nonchalantly, not afraid at all but in need of some reassurance.
"No," they whispered in unison, "You are our master's precious one. We are here to save him and you. Now relax and we will do the rest."
As she pondered what they meant when she was his 'precious' one, her muscles relaxed. She felt her legs and body being encased in the same warm tendrils and controlling her movements as if she were a puppet on strings.
"I will save Danny," she whispered to herself as she sunk into the tendrils' embrace.
Her arms swung and her legs sprang up, dodging the incoming Danny and heading straight for Elodia. On her face was the look of pure determination. She felt her arm reel back, readying to slice the girl to ribbons.
"Protect me!" she commanded Danny. The spirits cursed out as Danny jumped in front of her and they veered off course, nicking him in the cheek. He remained oblivious to his injury as blood poured out of it freely, flowing down it like a small river.
"We cannot harm our master," they hissed. Sam thought.
"Knock him unconscious," she explained to the voices, "She can't control him then." Her stomach churned while she waited for the spirits' approval.
"Yes," they finally murmured back, "But it will take a great amount of force. Our master is strong and agile even without us."
"Try," Sam urged the scythe. Her arms automatically swung up and she felt herself race forward. In front of her, Danny stood, blank and not realizing the attack headed for him. Elodia laughed.
"You're going to cut up your own master?" she giggled in delight, "Oh, what fun this will be to see. Stand your ground, pawn."
And suddenly, the hilt of the scythe came down hard of Danny's head. His blank eyes suddenly had their color back and his arms instantly flew to his cracked skull.
"Shit!" he rubbed his head, his words slurring horribly, "Damn, Sammy! That hurt like hell!"
Elodia let out a string of curses much like Danny was now. Sam panted, her arms letting go of the weapon. The tendrils slowly undid themselves from her, eager to get back to their master.
"Ah well," she goaded herself, allowing herself a dainty smile, "I have one last trick." Out of her cloak sleeves, strings flowed out like vines and ensnared Sam. The scythe's tendrils released the hold they had on her body and she was left defenseless.
From her cloak, Elodia drew a wicked looking scythe. The difference from hers and Danny's though was that hers had an eerie red aura and the wood was very gnarled like someone had carved it clumsily. It went under Sam's neck, the blade playing with the pale skin of her throat.
Sam felt like screaming but sucked in her breath as far as it would let her to avoid the blade.
"Sam!" Danny picked up his scythe. His eyes lit up with fury, "Let her go! She is mine!" He raced forward but stopped when Sam let out a muffled scream as the scythe sliced a thin line across her skin.
"Do not come near," she yelled at him, "Or I will send her to the Gates of Oblivion!"
He hesitated, before stopping a distance away from Sam and Elodia.
"Drop your weapon."
He did so, letting it clatter on the ground next to him.
"Now let her go," he glared at the being holding his precious Sam. His hands curled to fists.
Elodia feigned pondering about it, using her free hand to tap her chin thoughtfully. After a moment, she just stared at him.
"No," she replied, her lips curling into a taunting smile.
Sam let out an internal scream as she felt the blade press against her throat.
"This is it," she thought, her mind allowing her the beauty of unconsciousness. "This is it."
"No!" Danny snarled, springing forward, "Don't you dare touch her!"
Shortly, Sam felt herself being jolted awake as the strings loosened themselves around her. Her wings snapped up and she hovered an inch from the floor. She landed softly, clutching her sliced vocal cords before collapsing.
"Suffer!" his eyes had pure murder intent in them. His scythe seemed to shine with a green light before he brought it across, slicing the siren across the stomach.
She screamed bloody murder before a portal appeared where the gash was and she was sucked inward. Her screams trailed off as Danny glared at the spot where she had been before running back to Sam.
A pool of blood was around her head and she lay unconscious.
"Damn it, Sammy," he held up her head. He summoned as much power as he had in him and pressed gently on her neck. "I turn my back for one second and I find you in a pool of your own blood. Why does it always end like this?"
Instantly, the skin and tendons repaired themselves. Sam's eyes opened suddenly and she jumped out of his hands, coughing and sputtering.
"You jerkoff!" Sam screamed, reeling back her fist and sending it crashing into Danny's cheek, "You left me lying there while I was dying, again!"
"Ow, woman!" he rubbed the spot where she had hit him, "You're welcome."
She stuck out her tongue, clearly mocking him. He laughed and blew a raspberry back at her. They both enjoyed a moment of pure childishness in amusing themselves as they laughed despite of the trial they had just faced.
Sam smiled contently. He was finally talking and laughing with her.
The slab of stone on both entrances slid open. The laughing ceased and Danny let out an awkward cough of embarrassment. He got up and collected his things.
"Come on," his voice regained the cold exterior. "We must advance forward."
Sam frowned. She was so close to getting past the wall he put around his heart.
"Hey, Reaper Boy?" she asked hesitantly.
Danny stopped. His heart almost broke when he saw the hurt expression on her face.
"Yes, Sammy?" he allowed her one last look at his warm smiling face before he shielded his eyes with ice. She smiled back for a moment too.
"Nothing," she beamed.
She ran close to him as they exited the tunnel. But as they did, the wind picked up again but they heard a voice, lilting higher and higher into a beautiful melody. Loud and clear.
My loneliness is of no importance.
Dreams were not meant to be heard.
My words mean nothing to you.
Can you see the lance in my heart?
A/N: And I am done with another chapter of Of Angels and Reaper Boys! A really eerie ending, isn't it? Please review! I'd like to know if you enjoyed the story so far!