Hey everyone! I'm really sorry for the little updates! But…school's almost over and all of my teacher's are giving me last minute projects. I hate it when they do that. :P Anyways, I've also sort of lost momentum in writing my story, to tell you the truth…but it'll come back, like always. I promise I'll finish this story. And I just realized something really really really really really really bad. I haven't given Melinda an age yet! (At least I don't think…) *sigh* That is so sad! I can't believe that…that's usually the first thing I write in my story. I guess I'll just choose the age now (Tell me please if it sounds like her age)

Raven's New Start

What's Wrong?

Chapter 4

Melinda sighed heavily. She would finally get these burdens taken away…or get it heavier. She cringed at the thought, and thought about Raven instead. She sighed heavily again.

Things were bad with them. Really bad. They sort of demoted to friends, just as Fiona and Van had done. Irvine and Moonbay were together, happy as can be. Melinda felt like she was being torn in half. She didn't know why, but it was just a feeling. It's a dumb feeling. It means nothing. And yet, it meant so much to her.

She was 17. She's been with Raven for half a year. His old self seemed to be coming back. It seemed they had been bickering even more ever since Raven asked to get back with her. They haven't kissed in over a month, which was a for sure bad sign, since they used to kiss every 10 minutes. Why did I come looking for him? Why? Do I even love him anymore?

Do I just like the feeling of being protected, in his big, safe arms at night, with comfort from his large, warm, protective body? Is that it? Am I just LONELY?

She sighed and rubbed her head. Why is love so complicated? Or if it isn't, then why is my life complicated? Melinda thought deeply about this.

"Hey, some bandits are coming up. Do you want to fight them?" Raven said.

"It's up to you. You choose if you will or me." Melinda replied.

"I'll fight them then." He said, then sped up the Hellcat. There were 3 Command Wolf's and a single Saber Fang. (That's what it's called, right? I haven't watched Zoids in a while, so I'm a bit rusty on their names.) They all looked up and got into a battle position. They did some kind of formation, and waited for Raven, who was a little confused by this organized act, but ignored it.

Raven went for the first Command Wolf in reach, and was suddenly attacked by each of the Zoids. He knocked the Saber Fang away, but the 2 Command Wolf's got him good. They had Raven held between them, leaning on him so he couldn't move. The first Command Wolf Raven was going to take out backed up while getting a really big gun out.

"Raven, get out of their hold!" Melinda screamed.

"I can't move anywhere!" He yelled back. He kneeled down then suddenly sprang up, getting out of their hold. But they still had a paw caught between them, and down the Hellcat went.

"We're gonna die!!!" Melinda yelled frantically.

Raven twisted around so they wouldn't land face first into the ground, instead they landed on their side. The Saber Fang came down on them, frantically stomping, smashing, doing anything to destroy them. And he was aiming for the cockpit the whole time.

Raven aimed one of the guns where the brain cells of the Saber Fang should be and shot 5 times. It was instantly down. Raven pulled Midnight's leg out between the 2 Command Wolf's hold, and sprang for 3rd Command Wolf, which was about to fire at Raven. He took him down right when he shot, and narrowly missed the beam. It was like a mini version of a charged particle gun. Instead it hit one of the other Command Wolf's. Raven smashed the cockpit of the Command Wolf he was on and whipped around and caught the last Command Wolf in the head right on time.

Melinda fell back into her seat. It was scary being the passenger in the cockpit while in the middle of the battle. She felt like she was sure she was going to die throughout the whole battle. She sighed heavily and raggedly.

"You ok?" Raven asked, twisting to look at her from his seat. She nodded her head yes. He sat back into his seat, and started saying to Melinda, "That was a charged particle gun. Not a real one, but a smaller kind. It's a lot less powerful, but it must still be pretty valuable, and these guys had to be pretty good if they could steal one."

"Whatever. Let's get on with our trip."

Raven turned Midnight back on track and went full speed to Laken, Melinda's birthplace.

Fiona closed her eyes. She felt the smooth running of the Blade Liger, barely making her bounce in her seat. She shifted in her seat. Van was a lot heavier than her and the seat had molded to his shape and weight, and it sunk down too low for Fiona. She was trying to figure out where Raven was. She could somehow feel him getting farther away from her. Her breathing was short because she was anxious. She really wanted to see Raven. The crush was really serious now.

'Dumb Melinda.' She thought. 'She ALWAYS has to get in the way!!!' A new voice came in.

"Since WHEN has Melinda been in the way?" It asked.

'Well, ever since…ever since…I don't know, she just was like a barrier between us!!!' she protested in her head. "Just like I thought. You just want to blame her because SHE is Raven's girlfriend, not you!" The voice remarked.

Fiona snorted. "Do you know what kind of girl you're turning into?" The voice inquired.

Fiona thought deeply of that comment. What was she thinking, trying to steal Melinda's boyfriend. She stopped the Blade Liger. "I knew you'd begin to see." The voice commented. With that, it disappeared.

She sighed. "But why is it so impossible to be with him?!" She said quietly.

She turned the Blade Liger around reluctantly, and she went back to the base.

Raven and Melinda arrived at the village. It looked like nothing had happened, like Raven had not attacked a few months ago. They both jumped off and started heading toward the village.

It looked like it had actually gotten smaller. But people were there. Melinda stopped to ask a woman a question. "Do you know if my mom is alive?"

The woman blinked at Melinda, startled to be asked such a question. "You know, uh, Becky? Becky Wilson?"

"Oh, a Wilson? I believe they are over on that hill…" She said, pointing to a small shack at the top of a hill. The hill had dry, brown scratchy grass, and there was a little dirt trail going up to the shack. "Thank you." Melinda said, and smiled sweetly at the lady.

Raven followed behind, a dark expression on his face.

It took ten minutes to get up the hill. A few little girls of about age 3 sat in some green, soft grass, and were playing dolls. Some boys a few feet away were pretending to be swordsman, fighting off demons (she suspected).

Raven and Melinda walked up to the doorway, and knocked. A woman bustled out. She was tall, thin, and very tan. She had a few wrinkles, and very bony hands, with thin, purse lips.

"Who are you and what business do you have here?" She demanded. She had a high, hoarse, scratchy voice.

"Um, I've come to see Becky." Melinda said.

The woman straitened. "Um? Is that the first word I've heard?"

"Uh, I mean, um. NO! I mean, uh, NO!"

"No, you have no business with us."

"No."

"You do have business with us."

"No. I mean, yes, we do have business with you."

"And whom have you come to see?" A small smile spread across the old woman's face.

"Becky. I have come to see Becky Wilson."

A big smile came upon the woman's face. A distinct smile, one that Melinda could have sworn she saw before…

"M-Mrs. Docks?" Melinda breathed.

Mrs. Docks grinned. "Come here, child!" She said, opening her arms.

Melinda grinned, and ran to embrace the woman. Raven went to the side of the shack, and leaned on it. There was no way he was going to get tangled up in these feminine emotions.

"Melinda, child, I thought you were dead!!!" Mrs. Docks said, her eyes shining.

"I thought the same about you." Melinda whispered, a smile on her face that seemed that it would never go away. She was just so happy.

"No, no, when that Zoid attacked, I was out at the Lake, teaching the children how to swim! It was far beyond that hill, so the Zoid couldn't have seen us. We also took the children with us, so they weren't harmed in the attack." Mrs. Docks explained. "But enough talk about this. Let's go inside and have some lemonade." She suddenly noticed Raven.

She walked up to him. "And who is this handsome, strapping young man?" Mrs. Docks inquired.

Raven grinned at being called a 'handsome, strapping young man'.

"What kind of posture is that? Come on now, stand up straight, shoulders back, chest out." She remarked, grabbing Raven and putting him in the posture she had described.

"Oh, Mrs. Docks, you should leave him alone." Melinda commented.

Melinda looked at Raven. He actually looked taller now that he had stood up straight.

Mrs. Docks nodded her head. She turned away. "Much better posture." She turned back at him. "And wipe that silly smirk off you're face, it makes you look evil. There, much better."

Melinda looked at Raven. Once Mrs. Docks had turned to go into the shack, Raven slouched and clenched his fist.

"Raven, calm down. She's just used to people being…proper. Ok, just…go with it, please, for one day." Melinda begged. Raven glared at Melinda, then straightened, and followed Melinda into the shack.

"Now…" Mrs. Docks said, pouring them lemonade. It was very sweet. "Why did you decide to come back to this wretched old village?"

"I wanted to see if my mom is still alive." Melinda said, after gulping down some lemonade.

Mrs. Docks' face went pale. Melinda's mouth turned to a frown, and Raven started listening more intently.

Mrs. Docks' eyes roved around the room while she answered, "Follow me."

 They followed her out of the shack and down the hill, Mrs. Docks walking briskly, Melinda getting worried, and Raven was also getting a little nervous, but of course didn't show it.

Hmmm…I'm sort of heading towards a writers block, I believe… Anyhow, review please! And please remember to tell me if Melinda sounds about age 17 please! (I just CAN'T believe I forgot to give her an age!!!)