Blood and Magic
By Princess Thil Galel
I DO NOT OWN
Thank you
R&R
Please Enjoy
Release
He was running.
The night air was cool, the wind teasing at his fur. It called to him, urging him on. The hunt, the promise of the kill. The scent of prey filled his nose as he raced through the back alleys. He paused, clawtips digging into the concrete as he glanced around him. Trash littered the ground, and the reek of garbage was all around him. But there was another scent, one that made his mouth water.
Rats.
He had lived off the vermin for years down in the pits, catching them whenever they wandered into his black and red simian licked his lips, saliva dripping down his chin. He waited silently, remaining perfectly still, hiding for direct sight behind a pile of garbage. Hunger gnawed at his belly as a fat rat darted in his direction. Fang pounced, claws snapping the vermin's neck before it even knew what happened.
Mouth watering, he sank his razor sharp teeth into the rat's thick haunch. Fresh blood flooded his mouth, flowing down his throat. He ripped into the small carcass, swallowing chunks of warm meat whole. He could have easily ate the rat in one bite, but he needed to taste it's flesh first. He shoved the meaty morsel down his throat, and glanced around. One rat wasn't enough.
Unlike the watery tasting rats in the pits, Shuggazoom's rodents had flavor to their flesh. Although, not much. They wouldn't satisfy him for much longer. He'd been sneaking out to feed every night since the fight with Celty had started, and even now that it was settled, the urge to kill prey still roared in his brain. But these street rats weren't enough. He needed more flavor, more meat, more prey.
The rattling of glass bottles and empty tin cans drew his attention. He kept low to the filthy ground, the reek of decay filling his nose as he crept forward. He peered around a trash can, tail twitching in excitement at what he saw. A skinny, dirty, raggedy stray dog. To anyone else, it looked like an ugly mutt to be avoided. On the other hand, Fang drooled at the sight, hungrily licking the rodent blood from his lips. He couldn't wait to sink his teeth into it's scrawny neck, and slice it's jugular with his incisors.
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O
Warm water cascaded down over Celty's coat, slicking her fur against her skin. She couldn't remember how long she'd been sitting in the shower, long enough to shampoo and condition her fur twice and scrub her metal parts clean with a brush until they shined like new. The female sighed, combing her fingers through the fur on her neck. Again she looked down, the scratched metal of her wrist stared back at her.
Because her wrist was metal, it didn't hurt, but it wouldn't heal. She'd have to get Otto to fix it, but she was afraid that he would ask how it happened, and the last thing she wanted was to tell him the truth. The rattle of the curtain made her jump. She tilted her head back, and found Fang's red eyes staring down at her. "How long does it take you to shower?" he asked, "You've been in here for over an hour."
Her arms and legs reflectively covered her body. There was no difference physically from being in or out of the shower, but mentally it felt weird. "Could you please knock next time?" she said, "The first purpose of a shower is to get clean, the second is privacy."
He raised a brow as she rested her chin on her knees. The male climbed into the shower, much to her distress, and sat down beside her under the stream of warm water. Rumbling softly, he began grooming the back of her neck as her cheeks burned red. She curled up tighter, hoping he wouldn't see, and wouldn't stop nibbling her shoulder.
"You were restless last night," he stated, "Another nightmare?"
She nodded slowly. "It keeps coming back, over and over again." she murmured. "But it doesn't feel like a dream...more like a memory." He grunted, showing he was listening. Celty slowly reached over and turned the water off. She pushed herself up onto her feet, grabbing her towel, and began drying herself off.
Fang watched silently, tilting his head curiously. His hand moved as if it had a mind of it's own. It reached up, and brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek. She looked at him, blinking as her cheeks felt warm. He turned his hand over, resting his palm on her cheek, and teased her fur. "It feels softer," he commented, "And I don't smell your scent as much."
"That's the shampoo and conditioner." she replied, wrapping the towel around her shoulders. "It makes my fur soft and shiny, and it's perfumed, so it makes me smell like peaches and cream. Do you like it?"
He glanced past her to the bottles on the hanging shelf under the shower head. Then his gaze returned to her. "I like what it does to your fur," he replied, "But I like your natural scent better."
Celty's cheeks turned pink, she attempted to hide it by drying her face. Fang had a way of getting to her. He could make her blush without even trying, cause her heart to race with just a glance, send chills up her spine with a single touch. She needed to be careful around him, lest she lose herself. The last thing she needed was to develope a crush on someone who didn't return her feelings.
He might say things that were sweet; he owned her, she owned him. But he didn't know about love. He knew possession, and maybe even lust. But love and kindness were things she wanted to teach him. She wanted him to learn love, and she wanted him to return it to her. Yet she was afraid to trust her heart to him-to anyone, and she didn't know why. But still, she wanted to.
She stepped out of the shower, and shook out her fur, then handed the towel to Fang. "Dry off before you get out." she said, and headed out of the bathroom. "I'm going to start breakfast."
Fang looked down at the cloth in his hand. There was still a few things that confused him, and showering was one of them. It was sort of like the way he had always groomed himself, but rather different. He quickly scrubbed his wet fur down, and tossed the towel on the floor as he followed after Celty.
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O
Two simian were already sitting at the table when Celty walked into the kitchen. She paused, briefly confused, but then she smiled. "Mandarin," she greeted, "It's so good to see you joining us at the table."
Antauri and Mandarin smiled at her as she made her way to the sink. It had taken quite a bit of persuasion, but Celty had finally managed to convince the silver simian to let his brother out. "I hope you plan on eating a big plate," she said playfully. "You're still so skinny."
"I am not," he protested, "I'm the perfect weight for my size."
"Darling, you turn sideways and stick out your tongue you'll look like a zipper." The orange simian blinked, and then he and Antauri laughed. Celty giggled, enjoying the sound. This was how brothers were suppose to be, like good friends. She turned on the stove, and opened the fridge."So, do the others know you're out yet?"
Mandarin scratched the back of his head. "No, not yet." he said, "That's why I'm waiting in here with Antauri. Hopefully the others won't be so surprised."
She gave him a bright smile over her shoulder. "Just have faith, Mandarin. Everything'll work out." she said, then looked to Antauri. "Nova and I are going out together today. She said she wanted to take me to the mall. Is that alright with you?"
"Of course," he said, "You two enjoy yourselves, just be careful."
A growl drew their attention to the doorway. Fang glared openly at the orange simian, his fur bristled while his eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you doing out, rat?" he snapped.
Celty sighed softly. "Fang, please be nice." she begged, and decided to quickly change the subject to distract him. "I'm going somewhere with Nova after breakfast. What are you gonna be doing?"
The effect was immediate. His focus switched instantly, and Mandarin became the last thought in his mind. He pinned his gaze on her back as she moved about the kitchen. "I'll be following you." he stated, "What else would I be doing?"
"You're gonna be bored out of your mind." she warned with a giggle. "I mean, it's going to be two girls running around, possibly looking at clothes, jewelry, and sampling perfume. Trust me, ten minutes and you'll want to scratch your eyes out and run for the hills."
"And the last time I listened to you and left you alone, you got stabbed." he said, growled towards the orange simian.
Celty rubbed her temple, feeling a headache starting to form. "Fang..." she sighed, "Alright, I'll tell Nova you'll be joining us."
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O
Nova glanced back over her shoulder. He was still following them. "So much for girls day out." she grumbled, and looked to the white simian beside her. "Why'd ya' have to bring him again?"
"Sorry, Nova. But he's just so convinced that I'll get into horrible trouble if he takes his eyes off me." she said, "Besides, at least this way I won't be leaving him alone with Mandarin. Who know what kind of trouble those two would get if we left them alone."
The sunshine female sighed. She'd been hoping to get Celty alone for a little one on one girl friend time. The two hadn't had any time together to just be girls since Fang had shown up. Nova didn't really mind the black and red male, but Celty was her friend too. She wanted to spend time with her, just the two of them.
They walked past several stores, looking at the clothes in the windows. Nova wasn't very into clothes, but that didn't mean she couldn't look around once in a while. They walked down the mall strip, stopping at the booths set up outside to sample the wares as they went.
As they headed towards the food court, Celty suddenly stopped in front of one of the stores. Nova paused, and saw her staring in the window. She went back to see what had caught her friend's attention. Fang came up behind them, looking over their shoulders.
Grand Music's Shop.
Celty's eyes sparkled as she spotted something inside. "Come on!" she said excitedly, "Let's go inside!" The white simian grabbed Nova's hand, and dragged her into the store. Fang followed just behind, curious to see what had captured the female's interest so strongly. The yellow female was pulled through rows of musical instruments, being lead towards the center to the shop. Celty looked around, she'd seen it from the window, now she just had to find it.
The display stands can to an end, and the room opened up. The center of the store was an open circle, making it easy to get to any part of the store quickly. It was designed for flow, and to display a beautiful treasure. A gorgeous, midnight black grand pianoforte.
Celty released Nova's hand as she stepped closer to the instrument. She tenderly brushed her fingertips over the polished painted wood. She trailed her fingers across the surface as she stepped around to the front of the piano. The ivory and ebony keys gleamed under the overhead lights, the stark contrast of white and black shining with simplistic beauty.
A chill ran up her spine as she tapped a key, the note ringing through her body as if she were a hollow bell, resonating the sound. She climbed up onto the bench, placing her fingers over the keys as her tail went down to the pedals. Her fingers curled, as if she were cupping apples, setting them in perfect position. She touched one key, closing her eyes as she listened to the note, then tapped another, and another. A melody formed in her mind, silently playing in her ears.
Her hands moved by themselves, guided by a forgotten memory. Slowly, a song arose from the black and white keys. There were no words, none were needed. The music alone spoke for itself. Sound woven with emotions flowed from under Celty's fingers, a tale of loss and sorrow. It echoed through the shop, glided out into the strip, and called to every heart it touched. Celty's eyes slid shut as she played, letting herself be moved by the melody.
Nova pressed her hands to her chest, her eyes watching Celty, but not seeing her. She was transported backwards in time, to a moment when things had been so much simpler in her team, her family. Mandarin had just pulled her away from slapping Sparx for pulling her tail. He'd talked calmly to her, telling her that Sparx was only picking on her because she was beautiful and he simply couldn't tell her with his mouth, so he tried to do it by teasing. She'd felt a little better, but had still been grumpy. But Mandarin had quickly taken care of that. He'd tackled her to the ground, pinning her arms behind her back, and tickled her until she had tears in her eyes from laughing too hard.
The song reminded her of how much she had missed him after he'd been banished, and even more so when he'd gone to Skeleton King. He'd always been there for her, until he wasn't. Mandarin had started changing into the monster he'd become piece by piece. An uncalled for shout here, a violent outburst there. She'd seen the signs, and ignored them. Even when he'd outright told her he wished to one day unite all of Shuggazoom under his rule, she hadn't said a word. She'd carried the guilt around for years, feeling that if she had simply told someone, she might have saved her big brother.
Fang watched the white simian rock and sway on the bench, gazing at her with curious eyes. The sounds she called forth from the instrument were foreign and strange to him, and they made something inside him do a funny flip-flop. He felt the urge to touch her, to feel her soft fur sliding through his fingers, the warm caress of her breath on his skin, the closeness of her body leaning against him. The black and red male didn't know exactly why he felt the need for those things, but his body wanted so bad to move towards her.
Finally, he couldn't resist. He brushed past the seemingly dazed yellow simian, and stood behind the white female. Fang leaned on the bench, watching her fingers glide across the keys. He tilted his head slightly, puzzled by how simple rectangular pieces of wood could produce such odd sounds. Slowly, he reached out, and tapped a key with his claw.
The out of place sound startled Celty, awakening her from her trance-like state. She blinked several times, pulling her hands away from the instrument. The white simian looked down at the keys, and then at Fang. Nova came up on her other side, smiling brightly. "Wow, Celty, I didn't know you played piano." she said, "That was beautiful!"
"I didn't really know I could either." she admitted, resting her hands on her lap. "But it felt familar, and the music just came to me," she then glanced at Fang with a playful glare, "Until someone interrupted the song." The male shrugged, seemingly unfazed. Celty rolled her eyes with a smile, turned on the bench, and hopped off.
The three headed out of the store, the females walking side by side, while the male trailed just behind them. "You know what? Maybe the next time we all come out here, we could come back and you could play for everyone!" suggested Nova, "And maybe playing the piano will help your memories come back."
Celty giggled. "Maybe, you ne-"
A loud thunderous crash shook the ground beneath their feet. Celty gasped as she nearly pitched forward. Down the street, barely three blocks away, an entire building collapsed. A giant shadow fell over the citizens and the three monkeys. The shadow belonged to a towering creature, something that Celty could only describe as a monster. It's body was nothing but a skeleton, and it appeared to be some sort animal. It's jagged teeth stuck almost straight out, and a set of curled ram-like horn crowned it's wide skull.
It turned it's massive head towards them, blazing green orbs served as eyes in the otherwise empty sockets. Celty instinctively took a step back. "N-Nova," she stammered, "What is that thing?"
"Big trouble, with a capital 'T'."
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O
An alarm blared within the robot. Gibson rush to the control panel, bringing a visual on the screen. "The city's under attack!" he announced, "The creature is destroying the downtown section."
"That's where Nova and Celty were headed!" exclaimed Chiro, "Monkeys mobilize!"
"But what about Nova?" asked Otto, "We can't activate the Super Robot without her!"
Mandarin glanced at the screen, watching as more buildings fell. People ran for their lives, screaming in terror. A fire burned in his chest. Those people were under HIS protection. How dare that thing attack them! "I'll pilot the Foot Cruiser." he announce, "There's no time to wait for Nova. That thing could wreck half the city by then!"
The team turned to Chiro, the choice ultimately being his. Did they trust him and act now? Or not trust him and wait for Nova? The boy looked to the monitor, seeing the monster crashing through the city. Then, he looked to Mandarin. The orange simian's eyes burned with a righteous fury, and yet a hint of uncertainty.
He wanted to help them, that much Chiro could see. "There's no time to waste, Mandarin'll pilot the Foot Cruiser." he decided, "Now, let's hurry!"
The team ran to the tubes, each monkey headed into their own. But before Mandarin could climb into the yellow tube, Chiro rested a hand on the orange simian's shoulder. The monkey turned to the human, eager to get going. The boy's blue eyes stared straight into Mandarin's, a power of leadership beyond his years met the orange simian's gaze. "I'm trusting you, Mandarin." he said, "Don't let me down."
"I assure you, there is nothing to fear." he replied, "The things I have done, they are nothing more than bad memories, and reminders of why I must stay on the righteous path. Now, let's save our city."
Chiro smirked, and nodded. They ran into the remaining tubes, and were transported to their cockpits. Mandarin landed in the sunshine cockpit, the automatic seatbelt latching around his waist. It was more than a little snug, clearly his sister was of a much slender figure, but there was no time to worry about his own comfort. He leaned back, letting the connector insert itself into the back of his helmet. The team sounded off, and the robot jumped into action.
