Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids, whether it is Chaotic Century, Guardian
Force, or New Century. I just write fan fictions for it, which is only for
entertainment and entertainment only...yadda...yadda...reviews are very much
welcome...criticisms sorely accepted (so long, as they're constructive) And
I'd like to have a glass of juice right now.
Last Chapter's Recap: Raven has finally realized how Van is very much important to him. The Council has given the termination order for Van, and Van has finally given Raven a clue to bring him back to his senses.
I'd really wish I could do a doujinshi on this fic (don't care what other people might think). It's just that I'm not good at drawing, and I doubt most prospective artists might be repulsed at doing a yaoi doujinshi.
Oh, hi Raven...
Raven: Morning to you too, how's Van?
Still asleep, must be having a hang-over...
Raven: I'll come back to check on him, I'll take my shower now...(leaves)
Poor Raven, must be worried sick about Van...Anyway, let's move on to the next chapter. Sorry guys! Just a hint of lemon in this scene, I can't seem to fit it anyway near the plot right now. It might ruin the mood and direction of the story. But I assure you, if anyone wants a lemon, just send in over a review. It's not nice to assume what your readers think y'know.
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Chapter 8: Exodus from Despair
"Morning, Van..." Raven spoke softly as he woke up. Van was already awake, sitting up, turning his head to Raven. The same gray eyes greeted him.
It's nice to know, at least, Van is showing signs of recovery.
Sitting up in the same position as the other pilot, Raven began thinking about what Van said to him last night.
""I'll always keep my promise...I'll return to where we made it..."
"That's it! The rooftop! That was were Van and I made a promise..." Raven realized another thing. "I'll return to where we made it...maybe Van will return to himself if we came back to that place! But..."
Raven realized what that would mean: assaulting the Guardian Force's base, to where Van belonged and to where his friends are. It wasn't a big deal to him, but what if Van indeed got his sanity back, and later knew that it was Raven who killed all his friends? What if in the process, he might destroy the one last place that would offer Van the freedom to return back to his former self? Or worse, Raven knew that Van had the instinct of destroying those that tried to hurt him, he might kill his own friends in the process of getting himself back, and he' d blame himself and might lose it again to depression and insanity.
Too much risk...too much...
Raven knew there were two options: Either get arrested and infiltrate from inside the base, or go by stealth and create minimal attention as possible. There was little chance, in the first option, that they might end up in the Guardian Force's prison cells, and the additional guards might prove a hassle for both of them, as they were marked high priority mavericks. In the second option, Van isn't in the state of mind to go undetected, and he might get both of them caught while infiltrating the base. The headquarters itself has raised its security level because of the recent attacks.
"What to do...what to do..."Raven started to worry, when a scarred hand cupped his other cheek and moved his view to the other pilot.
Van looked at him, his impassive eyes looking straight at the boy. Raven felt that Van was worrying for him, even if it didn't show.
Raven gasped as Van moved his arms to an embrace, and let his head lean on to the other pilot's strong back, hitting the pale skin with his soft breath. Raven shuddered at the sensation of Van being this close to him.
Van slowly moved his hands, brushing Raven's chest on one, and splaying his other on the pilot's torso. The rough scars on Van's hand spurred a shudder from Raven and triggered him to let his head tilt at a dangerous angle. His breathing came in short, shallow intervals, as Van brought himself down back to the bed, bringing Raven along with him.
"Van..."Raven whispered between his breaths.
And Van moved his hand underneath the loop of Raven's towel, removing the material from the young man's waist, leaving a naked Raven on top of him. He proceeded on cupping Raven's crotch as he left it there, his other hand brushing Raven's slowly hardening nipples.
Raven felt the onrush of hormones as his heart pumped furiously, trying to escape its prison of flesh of bones. He squirmed gently at the attention Van showered him, rubbing his ass on to Van's growing member. And Raven let go, abandoning the reason of holding back, shooting spurts of milky white onto Van's waiting palm. Sweat glistened in his lean body and tight muscles, his breath wheezing at the encounter he had experienced. This battle had given him more fatigue than an entire squad of enemy Zoids.
Raven looked up to Van's face. Still emotionless, Raven wondered how Van could have managed to give him such pleasure in his state. He was yet still indifferent, his hand on Raven's member, his arm on his chest...
Van lost everything to find me...now that he found me; his primal instinct is to take care of me...
Raven realized it back on the battlefield, how Van reacted upon the Command Wolf pilot's threat, and what had just happened now.
Van wanted to make him happy and feel secure.
And Raven was sure happy, after finding someone who loved and cared for him. It was enough to take his mind off his problems for a while.
After Raven rested for a little while. Slowly, he sat up and hung the towel on his shoulder. Bringing Van up to his height, he helped the other man walk as he carried him to the shower, to refresh himself up. Both had been through a lot. And Raven was glad they were in it together, every last minute.
Raven hugged Van as he settled himself on the back of the pilot, propping the boy up, as he turned the knob on for the water to come out. Streams of water ran through rivulets on their skin, with Van in front of the shower. Taking the soap from the holder, he lathered up Van until he was satisfied. Settling Van on the bathtub, he took on cleaning himself next, always looking at his side to check that Van wouldn't have drowned on the pool of bubbly water.
Helping Van up from the bathtub, he turned the water again and let the fluid wash the soapy remains off of them. Raven kept bucking at the contact as his cock brushed Van's hard ass. He was tempted to drive his cock in, but thought it would be a useless shower afterwards.
I'd have to hold back from these tortures...
"I love you Van, it's enough not to cause me to rape you or anything. I'll wait until you come back..." Raven spoke gently amidst the splashes of water around them, falling like heavy rain.
Until you come back...
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"Irvine? We're back..." Thomas waved his hand over Irvine's slowly opening eyes.
"Where am I?" Irvine looked around, his eyes squinting in the bright light of the sun.
"Back in the base, you collapsed on me last night. I had some Gustavs sent to retrieve us from the ruins last night..."
Irvine stood up, shaking his head in an attempt to remove sleep from his head.
"I remember..."
"Listen, it's hard enough for both you and me, much less Ms. Fiona and Moonbay, on what happened to Van." Thomas tried explaining. "Let's just do our best to try and bring Van into his senses before he does something wrong again."
"I guess that's the best thing we could do...Thomas." Irvine gazed at the other pilot.
"It's the only thing we can do for now..." Thomas assisted Irvine to stand up after hearing that all Guardian Force members are to report to the debriefing room.
Upon their way, the duo met Dr. D who was contemplating over something.
"Hey doc, is everything okay?" Thomas asked, shaking the doctor back to reality.
"Oh, it's you Thomas. I was just wondering about Zeke..."
Thomas looked at Irvine, who prodded him to ask further. "Why doc? Is there something wrong with Zeke?"
Dr. D stared at the ceiling, his mind still far away. "Ever since Van left, Zeke has been acting all withdrawn and, well, you can say "rabid". He refuses to associate with anyone else, even Ms. Fiona. And when I meant rabid, I mean red-eyed-biting-and-hitting-people-with-your-metal-tail-and- keeping-at-a-corner kind of rabid..."
"Who wouldn't get upset with what happened to Van anyhow..."Irvine commented.
The doctor continued. "Then, there is that strange gash I found on Zeke. I know that Shadow was the one who gave it to him, but the strange thing is that no revitalization process is happening to heal the wound. It would seem as if Zeke is preventing it from happening..."
"So...you saying that Zeke is stopping himself from getting better?" Thomas tried to summarize.
"It would seem like that, and unless recovery happens, Zeke might..."Dr. D hesitated to continue on. Thomas and Irvine understood what the doctor wanted to say.
"Irvine!!!" Thomas shot up. "The meeting! We're gonna be late!" Thomas said, dragging Irvine along.
"See y' later doc!" Irvine hollered.
Dr. D just shook his head. "Sometimes, I wonder with those two..." continuing his walk along the corridors.
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At least Van looked more presentable.
Raven inspected the newly dressed Van, who donned his old clothing back. All the dirt and grime that was in Van when he found him was all gone, and Van was all clean and ready.
As Raven put his clothes on, his eyes shifted to Van's hair. The usual shock of mane had settled on different directions. Van looked pretty much awkward with his hair tied in that kind of hairdo. What was the deal with the band anyway? Grasping the thin material, Raven snapped the band and let his hair fall on his shoulders.
Raven gaped at Van, how the shocked tresses of his hair lightly fell in feathery ruffles. He looked very different.
"He looks beautiful..."Raven mused, a smile forming in his lips. But something seems missing...
Digging through the pockets of his trouser, he found what he sought for. A small pair of onyx-studded earrings that he brought at a local market two days ago (author's note: refer to Chapter 6 when Raven returned to find Van hanging on the wall, if you want to know the time span.)
Well, that was putting it the merciful way.
The dealer ran away after seeing whom he was facing with and took off with his life. Raven just sighed and paid for it, leaving the money as he took the pair. He was thinking of putting it on when he saw Van and forgot all about it.
But now that he's here...
"God...you look...stunning. " Raven still cannot believe what he was seeing. Van had undergone complete transformation with just a tweaking of his hair and the addition of the earrings. He could have passed off as another person if not for his clan marking on his cheek. Heck, he looked like a rock star in his outfit.
Raven stopped gaping enough to dress Van up back to his desert gear, the yellow coat that Van had been wearing over his lieutenant's uniform. Fitting the goggles back to his eyes, Raven took Van out of the room, where they loaded up on the Geno Breaker to the outskirts of the nearby town.
"Whew...we made it." Raven said after the long walk across the arid valley, shrouding the Geno Breaker and Shadow inside with a terrain-cloaking device. Van was closely following him, quietly observing the young boy. It was nice that Van was finally responding to Raven's constant prodding and nudging where to go.
Wearing his hood and cloak to keep him from being recognized, Raven took Van's hand towards the city, where they headed to the nearest inn to rest and have a cup of coffee and mocha java.
The inn was bustling with people and it was very crowded until Raven eyed a table at the corner that was empty. Taking their seats, Raven ordered for both of them, looking out suspiciously at the other people. It was a good thing Van was unrecognizable, but even so he earned a few stares from the waitresses who passed by and the town maidens who took a glance at the window.
"Hey handsome..." A female rogue pilot popped out of nowhere, staring at Van. Judging by the almost lack of clothing to cover her body, and the number of piercing on her ears, lips and navel, Raven assumed that she was one of those rebel pilots that inhabited the mountain areas, snagging cargo from unsuspecting transporters who passed by the highway.
What's with the getup of copying my hairdo? Raven observed that her bob of hair was the same as his, except hers was dyed in pink.
"You wouldn't mind me taking in on your boyfriend, do you?" The pilot faced Raven, before licking her lips as she closed the distance from her face to Van's. Van remained indifferent of her.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you..." Raven spoke up from under his hood. The female pilot was taken aback upon hearing a deep, male voice.
"Ohh?" The pilot taunted. "And why should I?"
"Because bullets are a hard thing to waste, and I don't think that you would want one in the innards of your gut...would you?" Raven coldly replied, pointing his revolver on the stomach of the pilot.
"Sheesh, fine. Have it your way..." The pilot raised her hands in exasperation as she left. But not before she berated "Homo jerk..."
Raven tucked his gun away just in time for the coffee and java to arrive. As Raven raised his mug to his lips, he noticed that Van did the same. Looking at the ebony-haired boy, he waited for him to drink. After a few minutes of lingering, Raven drank the hot liquid, impervious to the temperature of the coffee. He was very much amused as Van did the same, him being impervious to the java as well.
It was such a lovely morning.
All of a sudden the doors burst open to reveal two persons and an organoid come in. A strangely familiar combination of pilots and Zoid...
"Shit...it's the Guardian Force..."Raven muttered under his breath as the trio searched for a place to settle in.
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Earlier that morning...
"So, here is the final plan." Karl cleared his throat as he solicited the attention of each and every member in the room. "Van is out and is gonna destroy any base he can please. I assume that the next place he's gonna appear is here..."Karl said, pointing to a remote town in the far eastern location of the Valley of the Rare Hertz.
"This was the last sighted location where Flyheight was located. I want Karl and Thomas to go there. Fiona, you stay here and monitor for any sightings on Van, as we might not expect him to show up here. Moonbay, do what you can to assist the people around here. I'm personally going up to the empire and try to petition to the Council to revoke the sentence on Van's head..."
A soft growl...
Karl stared at the dark figure in the corner of the room. It was Zeke, who apparently had recovered from his state of Zoid "rabies", only a scar on his thigh from the former gash that he received. Fiona approached the organoid as Zeke made small whimpering sounds.
"Colonel, Zeke says that he wants to accompany Irvine and Thomas."
Karl sweat dropped at Zeke. "And why would he want to do that?" looking back at Fiona.
"Raargh...ragoompah...raaaruummmroruum..."Zeke did a bit of charade, squirming on the floor with his claws flailing on the air.
"Zeke wants to have a breath of air, besides he might find Van..."Fiona cheerfully said.
Karl was happy that Fiona finally smiled. At least she seemed to get it over with. "Fine, as long as he doesn't interfere with the surveillance mission of Thomas and Irvine."
Zeke jumped on Karl and nudged his head on the struggling Colonel underneath him. The others just sweat dropped at the scene and began walking away.
"Uhhh, Zeke. Will you let go of my brother now?" Thomas interrupted with Zeke's performance. After a few attempts, Zeke finally let go and went ahead to the hangar.
"I swear if that organoid was just acting as weird as Van was in the last few days, I would have sent it to quarantine..." Karl said in annoyance, brushing himself off the dirt and examining the wrinkles on his suit.
"We've seen enough weird things around here to last us a lifetime, thank you very much..." Irvine said in sarcasm, folding his arms behind his head. "Let's go, Thomas. The earlier we leave, the earlier we arrive at that town. We can form our strategy there." Irvine added, leaving the scene as he made his way to the hangar.
"I have to go now, Colonel. Duty calls!" Thomas said in his most I'm-the- best-damn-officer-there-is tone, leaving a salute before running down the hallway, hollering out for Irvine to wait for him.
Karl's eyes twitched. 0o
"If my eyes are twitching, then there is something goddamn wrong that's happening around here..." Karl thought, his right eye twitching more visibly, as he prepared himself for his trip to the Empire.
"Zeke! Will you stop sniffing the cockpit of my Saix?!?!" Irvine yelled, screaming at the white organoid that was obviously rummaging the cockpit, visible only by it's tail. Zeke raised his head, his mouth carrying some pieces of paper with it...
"Oh, goddamn shit! You put that back Zeke, before I auction you out at the black market!" Irvine began his assault on the silver organoid.
Zeke, in his panic, jumped off the cockpit, scattering the pieces of printed-paper on the floor, the wind blowing it around the hangar.
"Aaaah! Zeke, I'll get you for this!" Irvine shouted, flailing his arms out to catch the floating paper around.
"Hey, Irvine. Let's...mmmph!" Thomas was cut short as a piece of paper hit him square on the face. "What the..."
Irvine was still collecting the scattered paper around, his eyes darting to and fro for any white sheet that lay. It would mean big trouble if one leaked out...
"There, that should keep this away from that nosy organoid." Irvine mumbled packing the papers, as he felt a hand brush his behind. Jerking up in response, Irvine's head hit the cockpit window of the Saix.
"What the...WHO DID THAT?" Irvine said in half-shout, rubbing his head as he turned around to identify the perpetrator.
"THOMAS?!?! What the HELL did you do THAT F..." Irvine asked exasperatedly, his speech cut short by Thomas' weird action. Thomas was smiling like it reached his ears, his canines showing prominently. His eyes were small slits, and the mood of his smile was as if he found something very, very interesting. His right hand was folded on his back, while his left hand held something that sent Irvine shivers on his spine.
It was a piece of paper.
"Ohgodohgodohgodohgod..."Irvine said in disbelief. Thomas just continuously smiled like an over grown Cheshire cat. His cheerful eyes now put on a devilish aura.
"Ehm...did...you...did you read...that?" Irvine half-heartedly smiled back, hoping that the answer would be a wild no.
"Me? Read this? Now, why would I? Ooops, but I did..." Thomas said in his most sarcastically dangerous tone. Irvine's apple ran through under his throat, like an overworked elevator.
"Found anything interesting..." Irvine started to sweat heavily.
"Let's just say the page was titled "Love at First Sight..." Thomas said menacingly.
"Oh no..." Irvine shuddered at the possible tortures and blackmails he will receive from the grinning boy below him. That was one of the papers where he kept his dark, dark secrets.
"Anyway, I'd try to change the title if I were you." Thomas flung the paper back at Irvine, who was shocked at the sudden turn of events. "It's sounds a bit dragged and too corny, anyhow."
"Wha...wha...I thought you read this" Irvine said in disbelief.
"Only the title." Thomas said, smiling back at the older man.
As Irvine sighed heavily and tucked the missing page along with the others, Thomas loaded the Dibison up for their trip ahead. He had many things to think about...
'But I did read it, Irvine, and I was glad that you admitted it to yourself. Don't worry, I'll help you out with your problem...' Thomas thought at the back of his head, as the Saix and Dibison left the base for the town near the Valley of the Rare Hertz
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Why did it have to be them?
Raven pondered at that question, cursing under his hood at the untimely arrival of the unexpected company. And guess what...
The only empty table was next to theirs.
Such luck...
"Oh, friggin' shit!" Raven hid more and more under his hood as the two pilots and the organoid came closer and closer to their table.
It wasn't him that he was worried about, it was Van. He may have looked different, more stunning perhaps, but he was still recognizable as Van Flyheight. Maybe to his friends that is.
Which is who those people are.
And that organoid. That creature can recognize scents of any person they can remember and identify. That organoid might blow both our covers off. Better to leave now while we can...
Too late...
Zeke had settled himself on the only way that led out of the inn, sitting up like a dog. Irvine and Thomas sat down beside their table, a meter away from their own.
Can't do anything now...might attract attention...
Raven just prepared himself in any case, grasping his gun in the pockets of his trouser. Van still continued drinking his java, impervious to the tension around him, his eye still set on Raven. The other pilot knew that Van was looking out for him, one wrong move from any person that meant hurting him and all hell would break loose with the name "Van" on the banner.
"So, if we survey the mountain sides for any clues as to where Van might be located; there is a possible chance that he might just turn up..." Thomas droned on, eyeing a chance where he can use his technical expertise.
"Even so, remember that we are near the Valley of the Rare Hertz. It wouldn't be nice to bring along our zoids, and I doubt Zeke will follow us through it. "Irvine commented.
"Which is why we are going on foot, I've reserved a room for us here in the inn. We can do a three-day search on the valley with my scanner. "Thomas said with finality, leaving no room for Irvine to argue.
"Argh! Fine, you got me! But I'm not going there unarmed." Irvine roused up.
"We have no choice, this locale is located in the boundary of both territories. It is not under the jurisdiction of even the Guardian Force, because technically this is an "inside" matter." Thomas emphasized the quotation on the word. "We are looking for Van, that is all. If we find a rebel group, we do nothing. That would just mean trouble for us, for both countries, and for this town. I suggest we pass ourselves as tourists in the meantime."
"Whatever..."Irvine's gaze tried to shift to another view, just to keep it away from Thomas' piercing eyes. And it fell upon the strange boy with the nice hair.
"Shit...why is Irvine staring at Van...hope he doesn't recognize him..."Raven muttered. His heartbeat was still calm, yet his mind was screaming.
"Uhm, Thomas. Aren't clan markings unique? That there are no others like this in the whole continent but only to one clan?" Irvine asked the other pilot.
"Yes...why?" Thomas looked up from the boring tablecloth.
"Look..."Irvine motioned his eyes to prod Thomas to look at the direction he was pointing. True enough; Thomas' mouth gaped open as he recognized the vague, yet recognizable red mark on the boy's left cheek.
"You think..." Thomas whispered discreetly at Irvine.
"Yes, let's follow em' later on." Irvine confirmed the pilot's thought.
And as if to confirm their suspicions, Zeke started sniffing the unsuspecting Van, who didn't mind the organoid as he continued sipping his java. Raven just kept on drinking, yet his mind was already forming a plan as to how to escape a possible world of mess.
After Van had placed his mug down, signifying that he finished his java, Raven led both of them out towards the crowded market streets; by way of Zeke. It was very much obvious that Zeke had identified both Van and Raven, as the silver organoid rose from his position and started to follow the duo in a distance. Irvine and Thomas were now sure of their suspicions and followed Zeke as well. They hadn't expected to find Van in such a short span of time.
"And I assume that our mystery hooded character would be none other than Raven, would we?" Thomas asked Irvine, who nodded in reply to the other pilot.
"Whatever it is, Van obviously has a serious mental problem. Destroying military bases, unofficial leave, and now, finding himself in the company of Raven. What else don't we know about them?" Irvine softly said.
"Ehm, you sure that was Van?" Thomas asked the older man, who was squinting at where Raven was leading Van. The crowd was sure thick during this time of day.
"You said it yourself that clan markings are unique, that it only belongs to one clan. And that marking clearly shows of the Flyheight clan." Irvine replied, not looking back.
"Besides, I think Zeke recognized Van. It was a good thing he caught up with him."
"Let's just keep it low, who knows what Raven might do if he found out we were following them..." Thomas was cut short as a stall came crashing down, and baskets came flying from the distance. Looking through the crowd using his eye patch, Irvine saw what just had happened.
Raven was running, with Van in tow.
And Zeke was at their trail.
"Oh, shit Zeke. What was that thing about keeping low Thomas?" Irvine looked back as he started to run towards the direction of the chase.
"Never mind..." Thomas replied, taking a weird looking pistol from the folds of his uniform.
"Hey, hey! Take it easy! I know it sounds tempting and all to shoot Raven, but this is a different..."
"Who said about shooting?" Thomas smiled, amused. His eyes were now locked on to the pistol's sights. "I'm gonna place a tracking bug on Van."
The blonde shot with accuracy and the bug landed on Van's coat, digging itself discreetly into the fabric. Thomas couldn't have been more proud.
"Let's go! "the pilot urged on, the tracking device on hand, following the signal emitted by the bug, as they reached the borders of the town. At a distance, Raven's hooded cape and Van's undone hair were all that was visible as silver flashed on their trail.
"Shit, they're moving too fast." Irvine mumbled, as their chase grew more and more indistinct as the minutes went by. The paths of the Valley were twisted and elevated at certain sections, giving direct visibility a disadvantage.
Upon the next turn, they nearly crashed upon a silver heap on the path.
"Zeke!" Irvine gasped as he dragged the organoid back to a safe distance.
"I've detected a weak signal of the Rare Hertz. It must have knocked Zeke out." Thomas commented. "We can't leave him here, can we?"
"Guess we can't. The rebels in here might pick him up, and Zeke's head would cost millions in the underground market." Irvine replied, carrying the poor Zeke on his shoulder. "We still have their signal right?"
"Yeah, we'll come back tomorrow. Van is somewhere around here, in this vicinity." Thomas eyed the surrounding terrain. His eye caught a glance of movement in the corner. "We better leave, now."
Raven watched them carefully; as he made a last minute attempt in spying that the trio had left the area. Although it would have been easier if he just took them down personally, Raven was worried Van might be a bit harsher than him. After all, he clearly remembers them when he had his amnesia. And they seemed nice enough...
"For homosexual werewolves that is..."Raven mused as he looked back at Van, who was hugging his knees, his eyes carefully observing the boulder by the corner.
Raven sat close by Van, his hood still covering his face. He was tired all morning, and never expected that they would show up. He had many plans for Van and him this day. Maybe shopping for new clothes (peh, they needed new disguises, didn't they?), go sightseeing in town (Hiltz and Ryss appearance started to bored him, and I guess he assumed Van felt the same) and by night, see the stars across the night sky, while lying on the cornfield across town. It was his favorite sanctuary after all...
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Mr. I-own-this-cute-and-handsome-guy..." Raven looked back to who it was.
It was the rogue pilot (who sported the same hairdo as Raven's) they met at the inn. Apparently, she brought her sisters along (who also sported the same hairdo, although one was yellow and the other was neon green).
"I never forgot you. Now, you'll pay for insulting me!" Pink hair snapped.
"When you insult one..." Yellow hair continued.
"...You insult us!!!" Green hair finished.
And with a weird, and strangely funny, group pose, the trio shouted.
"The Black Crow Gang!!!"
Raven sweatdropped under his hood, as Van just stared at them like some malignant cancer.
"Amateurs..." Raven finally spoke.
"Grrr, how dare you taint our ears with your childish rebellion and insolence!" Pink hair grew a vein on her knuckles.
"Let's teach him about manners, sisters!" Pink hair commanded, as the three women brandished leather whips that were earlier strapped on their hips.
The women were particularly dangerous-looking already. And it seemed that Raven and Van are gonna experience a whole world of pain...
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Yeah!!! I finally got my first review!!! (starts to flood tears)
Raven: What happened B?
I got my review Raven! My first review!
Raven: Good for you...(looks back at the sleeping Van)
Oh...right. Sorry, Raven...
Raven: It's ok, just go on with your work. I'll mind Van for a little while.
Raven's having one of those mood swings, I guess. I really sympathize with him, it's been a day already and Van is still sleeping. But...
...My first glorious review!!! Ne, chocolate-kun!
Thank you very much!!! Domo arigato gozaimasu! Thanks for the whole 4 reviews!!!
It's nice to receive a review; it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I promise I'll work overtime starting tonight to round up the next chapters for this fic. Raving mad to move my fingers on the keyboard!!!
On the next chapter...the creation of friends and recognition of enemies.
Go figure!
Last Chapter's Recap: Raven has finally realized how Van is very much important to him. The Council has given the termination order for Van, and Van has finally given Raven a clue to bring him back to his senses.
I'd really wish I could do a doujinshi on this fic (don't care what other people might think). It's just that I'm not good at drawing, and I doubt most prospective artists might be repulsed at doing a yaoi doujinshi.
Oh, hi Raven...
Raven: Morning to you too, how's Van?
Still asleep, must be having a hang-over...
Raven: I'll come back to check on him, I'll take my shower now...(leaves)
Poor Raven, must be worried sick about Van...Anyway, let's move on to the next chapter. Sorry guys! Just a hint of lemon in this scene, I can't seem to fit it anyway near the plot right now. It might ruin the mood and direction of the story. But I assure you, if anyone wants a lemon, just send in over a review. It's not nice to assume what your readers think y'know.
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Chapter 8: Exodus from Despair
"Morning, Van..." Raven spoke softly as he woke up. Van was already awake, sitting up, turning his head to Raven. The same gray eyes greeted him.
It's nice to know, at least, Van is showing signs of recovery.
Sitting up in the same position as the other pilot, Raven began thinking about what Van said to him last night.
""I'll always keep my promise...I'll return to where we made it..."
"That's it! The rooftop! That was were Van and I made a promise..." Raven realized another thing. "I'll return to where we made it...maybe Van will return to himself if we came back to that place! But..."
Raven realized what that would mean: assaulting the Guardian Force's base, to where Van belonged and to where his friends are. It wasn't a big deal to him, but what if Van indeed got his sanity back, and later knew that it was Raven who killed all his friends? What if in the process, he might destroy the one last place that would offer Van the freedom to return back to his former self? Or worse, Raven knew that Van had the instinct of destroying those that tried to hurt him, he might kill his own friends in the process of getting himself back, and he' d blame himself and might lose it again to depression and insanity.
Too much risk...too much...
Raven knew there were two options: Either get arrested and infiltrate from inside the base, or go by stealth and create minimal attention as possible. There was little chance, in the first option, that they might end up in the Guardian Force's prison cells, and the additional guards might prove a hassle for both of them, as they were marked high priority mavericks. In the second option, Van isn't in the state of mind to go undetected, and he might get both of them caught while infiltrating the base. The headquarters itself has raised its security level because of the recent attacks.
"What to do...what to do..."Raven started to worry, when a scarred hand cupped his other cheek and moved his view to the other pilot.
Van looked at him, his impassive eyes looking straight at the boy. Raven felt that Van was worrying for him, even if it didn't show.
Raven gasped as Van moved his arms to an embrace, and let his head lean on to the other pilot's strong back, hitting the pale skin with his soft breath. Raven shuddered at the sensation of Van being this close to him.
Van slowly moved his hands, brushing Raven's chest on one, and splaying his other on the pilot's torso. The rough scars on Van's hand spurred a shudder from Raven and triggered him to let his head tilt at a dangerous angle. His breathing came in short, shallow intervals, as Van brought himself down back to the bed, bringing Raven along with him.
"Van..."Raven whispered between his breaths.
And Van moved his hand underneath the loop of Raven's towel, removing the material from the young man's waist, leaving a naked Raven on top of him. He proceeded on cupping Raven's crotch as he left it there, his other hand brushing Raven's slowly hardening nipples.
Raven felt the onrush of hormones as his heart pumped furiously, trying to escape its prison of flesh of bones. He squirmed gently at the attention Van showered him, rubbing his ass on to Van's growing member. And Raven let go, abandoning the reason of holding back, shooting spurts of milky white onto Van's waiting palm. Sweat glistened in his lean body and tight muscles, his breath wheezing at the encounter he had experienced. This battle had given him more fatigue than an entire squad of enemy Zoids.
Raven looked up to Van's face. Still emotionless, Raven wondered how Van could have managed to give him such pleasure in his state. He was yet still indifferent, his hand on Raven's member, his arm on his chest...
Van lost everything to find me...now that he found me; his primal instinct is to take care of me...
Raven realized it back on the battlefield, how Van reacted upon the Command Wolf pilot's threat, and what had just happened now.
Van wanted to make him happy and feel secure.
And Raven was sure happy, after finding someone who loved and cared for him. It was enough to take his mind off his problems for a while.
After Raven rested for a little while. Slowly, he sat up and hung the towel on his shoulder. Bringing Van up to his height, he helped the other man walk as he carried him to the shower, to refresh himself up. Both had been through a lot. And Raven was glad they were in it together, every last minute.
Raven hugged Van as he settled himself on the back of the pilot, propping the boy up, as he turned the knob on for the water to come out. Streams of water ran through rivulets on their skin, with Van in front of the shower. Taking the soap from the holder, he lathered up Van until he was satisfied. Settling Van on the bathtub, he took on cleaning himself next, always looking at his side to check that Van wouldn't have drowned on the pool of bubbly water.
Helping Van up from the bathtub, he turned the water again and let the fluid wash the soapy remains off of them. Raven kept bucking at the contact as his cock brushed Van's hard ass. He was tempted to drive his cock in, but thought it would be a useless shower afterwards.
I'd have to hold back from these tortures...
"I love you Van, it's enough not to cause me to rape you or anything. I'll wait until you come back..." Raven spoke gently amidst the splashes of water around them, falling like heavy rain.
Until you come back...
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"Irvine? We're back..." Thomas waved his hand over Irvine's slowly opening eyes.
"Where am I?" Irvine looked around, his eyes squinting in the bright light of the sun.
"Back in the base, you collapsed on me last night. I had some Gustavs sent to retrieve us from the ruins last night..."
Irvine stood up, shaking his head in an attempt to remove sleep from his head.
"I remember..."
"Listen, it's hard enough for both you and me, much less Ms. Fiona and Moonbay, on what happened to Van." Thomas tried explaining. "Let's just do our best to try and bring Van into his senses before he does something wrong again."
"I guess that's the best thing we could do...Thomas." Irvine gazed at the other pilot.
"It's the only thing we can do for now..." Thomas assisted Irvine to stand up after hearing that all Guardian Force members are to report to the debriefing room.
Upon their way, the duo met Dr. D who was contemplating over something.
"Hey doc, is everything okay?" Thomas asked, shaking the doctor back to reality.
"Oh, it's you Thomas. I was just wondering about Zeke..."
Thomas looked at Irvine, who prodded him to ask further. "Why doc? Is there something wrong with Zeke?"
Dr. D stared at the ceiling, his mind still far away. "Ever since Van left, Zeke has been acting all withdrawn and, well, you can say "rabid". He refuses to associate with anyone else, even Ms. Fiona. And when I meant rabid, I mean red-eyed-biting-and-hitting-people-with-your-metal-tail-and- keeping-at-a-corner kind of rabid..."
"Who wouldn't get upset with what happened to Van anyhow..."Irvine commented.
The doctor continued. "Then, there is that strange gash I found on Zeke. I know that Shadow was the one who gave it to him, but the strange thing is that no revitalization process is happening to heal the wound. It would seem as if Zeke is preventing it from happening..."
"So...you saying that Zeke is stopping himself from getting better?" Thomas tried to summarize.
"It would seem like that, and unless recovery happens, Zeke might..."Dr. D hesitated to continue on. Thomas and Irvine understood what the doctor wanted to say.
"Irvine!!!" Thomas shot up. "The meeting! We're gonna be late!" Thomas said, dragging Irvine along.
"See y' later doc!" Irvine hollered.
Dr. D just shook his head. "Sometimes, I wonder with those two..." continuing his walk along the corridors.
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At least Van looked more presentable.
Raven inspected the newly dressed Van, who donned his old clothing back. All the dirt and grime that was in Van when he found him was all gone, and Van was all clean and ready.
As Raven put his clothes on, his eyes shifted to Van's hair. The usual shock of mane had settled on different directions. Van looked pretty much awkward with his hair tied in that kind of hairdo. What was the deal with the band anyway? Grasping the thin material, Raven snapped the band and let his hair fall on his shoulders.
Raven gaped at Van, how the shocked tresses of his hair lightly fell in feathery ruffles. He looked very different.
"He looks beautiful..."Raven mused, a smile forming in his lips. But something seems missing...
Digging through the pockets of his trouser, he found what he sought for. A small pair of onyx-studded earrings that he brought at a local market two days ago (author's note: refer to Chapter 6 when Raven returned to find Van hanging on the wall, if you want to know the time span.)
Well, that was putting it the merciful way.
The dealer ran away after seeing whom he was facing with and took off with his life. Raven just sighed and paid for it, leaving the money as he took the pair. He was thinking of putting it on when he saw Van and forgot all about it.
But now that he's here...
"God...you look...stunning. " Raven still cannot believe what he was seeing. Van had undergone complete transformation with just a tweaking of his hair and the addition of the earrings. He could have passed off as another person if not for his clan marking on his cheek. Heck, he looked like a rock star in his outfit.
Raven stopped gaping enough to dress Van up back to his desert gear, the yellow coat that Van had been wearing over his lieutenant's uniform. Fitting the goggles back to his eyes, Raven took Van out of the room, where they loaded up on the Geno Breaker to the outskirts of the nearby town.
"Whew...we made it." Raven said after the long walk across the arid valley, shrouding the Geno Breaker and Shadow inside with a terrain-cloaking device. Van was closely following him, quietly observing the young boy. It was nice that Van was finally responding to Raven's constant prodding and nudging where to go.
Wearing his hood and cloak to keep him from being recognized, Raven took Van's hand towards the city, where they headed to the nearest inn to rest and have a cup of coffee and mocha java.
The inn was bustling with people and it was very crowded until Raven eyed a table at the corner that was empty. Taking their seats, Raven ordered for both of them, looking out suspiciously at the other people. It was a good thing Van was unrecognizable, but even so he earned a few stares from the waitresses who passed by and the town maidens who took a glance at the window.
"Hey handsome..." A female rogue pilot popped out of nowhere, staring at Van. Judging by the almost lack of clothing to cover her body, and the number of piercing on her ears, lips and navel, Raven assumed that she was one of those rebel pilots that inhabited the mountain areas, snagging cargo from unsuspecting transporters who passed by the highway.
What's with the getup of copying my hairdo? Raven observed that her bob of hair was the same as his, except hers was dyed in pink.
"You wouldn't mind me taking in on your boyfriend, do you?" The pilot faced Raven, before licking her lips as she closed the distance from her face to Van's. Van remained indifferent of her.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you..." Raven spoke up from under his hood. The female pilot was taken aback upon hearing a deep, male voice.
"Ohh?" The pilot taunted. "And why should I?"
"Because bullets are a hard thing to waste, and I don't think that you would want one in the innards of your gut...would you?" Raven coldly replied, pointing his revolver on the stomach of the pilot.
"Sheesh, fine. Have it your way..." The pilot raised her hands in exasperation as she left. But not before she berated "Homo jerk..."
Raven tucked his gun away just in time for the coffee and java to arrive. As Raven raised his mug to his lips, he noticed that Van did the same. Looking at the ebony-haired boy, he waited for him to drink. After a few minutes of lingering, Raven drank the hot liquid, impervious to the temperature of the coffee. He was very much amused as Van did the same, him being impervious to the java as well.
It was such a lovely morning.
All of a sudden the doors burst open to reveal two persons and an organoid come in. A strangely familiar combination of pilots and Zoid...
"Shit...it's the Guardian Force..."Raven muttered under his breath as the trio searched for a place to settle in.
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Earlier that morning...
"So, here is the final plan." Karl cleared his throat as he solicited the attention of each and every member in the room. "Van is out and is gonna destroy any base he can please. I assume that the next place he's gonna appear is here..."Karl said, pointing to a remote town in the far eastern location of the Valley of the Rare Hertz.
"This was the last sighted location where Flyheight was located. I want Karl and Thomas to go there. Fiona, you stay here and monitor for any sightings on Van, as we might not expect him to show up here. Moonbay, do what you can to assist the people around here. I'm personally going up to the empire and try to petition to the Council to revoke the sentence on Van's head..."
A soft growl...
Karl stared at the dark figure in the corner of the room. It was Zeke, who apparently had recovered from his state of Zoid "rabies", only a scar on his thigh from the former gash that he received. Fiona approached the organoid as Zeke made small whimpering sounds.
"Colonel, Zeke says that he wants to accompany Irvine and Thomas."
Karl sweat dropped at Zeke. "And why would he want to do that?" looking back at Fiona.
"Raargh...ragoompah...raaaruummmroruum..."Zeke did a bit of charade, squirming on the floor with his claws flailing on the air.
"Zeke wants to have a breath of air, besides he might find Van..."Fiona cheerfully said.
Karl was happy that Fiona finally smiled. At least she seemed to get it over with. "Fine, as long as he doesn't interfere with the surveillance mission of Thomas and Irvine."
Zeke jumped on Karl and nudged his head on the struggling Colonel underneath him. The others just sweat dropped at the scene and began walking away.
"Uhhh, Zeke. Will you let go of my brother now?" Thomas interrupted with Zeke's performance. After a few attempts, Zeke finally let go and went ahead to the hangar.
"I swear if that organoid was just acting as weird as Van was in the last few days, I would have sent it to quarantine..." Karl said in annoyance, brushing himself off the dirt and examining the wrinkles on his suit.
"We've seen enough weird things around here to last us a lifetime, thank you very much..." Irvine said in sarcasm, folding his arms behind his head. "Let's go, Thomas. The earlier we leave, the earlier we arrive at that town. We can form our strategy there." Irvine added, leaving the scene as he made his way to the hangar.
"I have to go now, Colonel. Duty calls!" Thomas said in his most I'm-the- best-damn-officer-there-is tone, leaving a salute before running down the hallway, hollering out for Irvine to wait for him.
Karl's eyes twitched. 0o
"If my eyes are twitching, then there is something goddamn wrong that's happening around here..." Karl thought, his right eye twitching more visibly, as he prepared himself for his trip to the Empire.
"Zeke! Will you stop sniffing the cockpit of my Saix?!?!" Irvine yelled, screaming at the white organoid that was obviously rummaging the cockpit, visible only by it's tail. Zeke raised his head, his mouth carrying some pieces of paper with it...
"Oh, goddamn shit! You put that back Zeke, before I auction you out at the black market!" Irvine began his assault on the silver organoid.
Zeke, in his panic, jumped off the cockpit, scattering the pieces of printed-paper on the floor, the wind blowing it around the hangar.
"Aaaah! Zeke, I'll get you for this!" Irvine shouted, flailing his arms out to catch the floating paper around.
"Hey, Irvine. Let's...mmmph!" Thomas was cut short as a piece of paper hit him square on the face. "What the..."
Irvine was still collecting the scattered paper around, his eyes darting to and fro for any white sheet that lay. It would mean big trouble if one leaked out...
"There, that should keep this away from that nosy organoid." Irvine mumbled packing the papers, as he felt a hand brush his behind. Jerking up in response, Irvine's head hit the cockpit window of the Saix.
"What the...WHO DID THAT?" Irvine said in half-shout, rubbing his head as he turned around to identify the perpetrator.
"THOMAS?!?! What the HELL did you do THAT F..." Irvine asked exasperatedly, his speech cut short by Thomas' weird action. Thomas was smiling like it reached his ears, his canines showing prominently. His eyes were small slits, and the mood of his smile was as if he found something very, very interesting. His right hand was folded on his back, while his left hand held something that sent Irvine shivers on his spine.
It was a piece of paper.
"Ohgodohgodohgodohgod..."Irvine said in disbelief. Thomas just continuously smiled like an over grown Cheshire cat. His cheerful eyes now put on a devilish aura.
"Ehm...did...you...did you read...that?" Irvine half-heartedly smiled back, hoping that the answer would be a wild no.
"Me? Read this? Now, why would I? Ooops, but I did..." Thomas said in his most sarcastically dangerous tone. Irvine's apple ran through under his throat, like an overworked elevator.
"Found anything interesting..." Irvine started to sweat heavily.
"Let's just say the page was titled "Love at First Sight..." Thomas said menacingly.
"Oh no..." Irvine shuddered at the possible tortures and blackmails he will receive from the grinning boy below him. That was one of the papers where he kept his dark, dark secrets.
"Anyway, I'd try to change the title if I were you." Thomas flung the paper back at Irvine, who was shocked at the sudden turn of events. "It's sounds a bit dragged and too corny, anyhow."
"Wha...wha...I thought you read this" Irvine said in disbelief.
"Only the title." Thomas said, smiling back at the older man.
As Irvine sighed heavily and tucked the missing page along with the others, Thomas loaded the Dibison up for their trip ahead. He had many things to think about...
'But I did read it, Irvine, and I was glad that you admitted it to yourself. Don't worry, I'll help you out with your problem...' Thomas thought at the back of his head, as the Saix and Dibison left the base for the town near the Valley of the Rare Hertz
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------
Why did it have to be them?
Raven pondered at that question, cursing under his hood at the untimely arrival of the unexpected company. And guess what...
The only empty table was next to theirs.
Such luck...
"Oh, friggin' shit!" Raven hid more and more under his hood as the two pilots and the organoid came closer and closer to their table.
It wasn't him that he was worried about, it was Van. He may have looked different, more stunning perhaps, but he was still recognizable as Van Flyheight. Maybe to his friends that is.
Which is who those people are.
And that organoid. That creature can recognize scents of any person they can remember and identify. That organoid might blow both our covers off. Better to leave now while we can...
Too late...
Zeke had settled himself on the only way that led out of the inn, sitting up like a dog. Irvine and Thomas sat down beside their table, a meter away from their own.
Can't do anything now...might attract attention...
Raven just prepared himself in any case, grasping his gun in the pockets of his trouser. Van still continued drinking his java, impervious to the tension around him, his eye still set on Raven. The other pilot knew that Van was looking out for him, one wrong move from any person that meant hurting him and all hell would break loose with the name "Van" on the banner.
"So, if we survey the mountain sides for any clues as to where Van might be located; there is a possible chance that he might just turn up..." Thomas droned on, eyeing a chance where he can use his technical expertise.
"Even so, remember that we are near the Valley of the Rare Hertz. It wouldn't be nice to bring along our zoids, and I doubt Zeke will follow us through it. "Irvine commented.
"Which is why we are going on foot, I've reserved a room for us here in the inn. We can do a three-day search on the valley with my scanner. "Thomas said with finality, leaving no room for Irvine to argue.
"Argh! Fine, you got me! But I'm not going there unarmed." Irvine roused up.
"We have no choice, this locale is located in the boundary of both territories. It is not under the jurisdiction of even the Guardian Force, because technically this is an "inside" matter." Thomas emphasized the quotation on the word. "We are looking for Van, that is all. If we find a rebel group, we do nothing. That would just mean trouble for us, for both countries, and for this town. I suggest we pass ourselves as tourists in the meantime."
"Whatever..."Irvine's gaze tried to shift to another view, just to keep it away from Thomas' piercing eyes. And it fell upon the strange boy with the nice hair.
"Shit...why is Irvine staring at Van...hope he doesn't recognize him..."Raven muttered. His heartbeat was still calm, yet his mind was screaming.
"Uhm, Thomas. Aren't clan markings unique? That there are no others like this in the whole continent but only to one clan?" Irvine asked the other pilot.
"Yes...why?" Thomas looked up from the boring tablecloth.
"Look..."Irvine motioned his eyes to prod Thomas to look at the direction he was pointing. True enough; Thomas' mouth gaped open as he recognized the vague, yet recognizable red mark on the boy's left cheek.
"You think..." Thomas whispered discreetly at Irvine.
"Yes, let's follow em' later on." Irvine confirmed the pilot's thought.
And as if to confirm their suspicions, Zeke started sniffing the unsuspecting Van, who didn't mind the organoid as he continued sipping his java. Raven just kept on drinking, yet his mind was already forming a plan as to how to escape a possible world of mess.
After Van had placed his mug down, signifying that he finished his java, Raven led both of them out towards the crowded market streets; by way of Zeke. It was very much obvious that Zeke had identified both Van and Raven, as the silver organoid rose from his position and started to follow the duo in a distance. Irvine and Thomas were now sure of their suspicions and followed Zeke as well. They hadn't expected to find Van in such a short span of time.
"And I assume that our mystery hooded character would be none other than Raven, would we?" Thomas asked Irvine, who nodded in reply to the other pilot.
"Whatever it is, Van obviously has a serious mental problem. Destroying military bases, unofficial leave, and now, finding himself in the company of Raven. What else don't we know about them?" Irvine softly said.
"Ehm, you sure that was Van?" Thomas asked the older man, who was squinting at where Raven was leading Van. The crowd was sure thick during this time of day.
"You said it yourself that clan markings are unique, that it only belongs to one clan. And that marking clearly shows of the Flyheight clan." Irvine replied, not looking back.
"Besides, I think Zeke recognized Van. It was a good thing he caught up with him."
"Let's just keep it low, who knows what Raven might do if he found out we were following them..." Thomas was cut short as a stall came crashing down, and baskets came flying from the distance. Looking through the crowd using his eye patch, Irvine saw what just had happened.
Raven was running, with Van in tow.
And Zeke was at their trail.
"Oh, shit Zeke. What was that thing about keeping low Thomas?" Irvine looked back as he started to run towards the direction of the chase.
"Never mind..." Thomas replied, taking a weird looking pistol from the folds of his uniform.
"Hey, hey! Take it easy! I know it sounds tempting and all to shoot Raven, but this is a different..."
"Who said about shooting?" Thomas smiled, amused. His eyes were now locked on to the pistol's sights. "I'm gonna place a tracking bug on Van."
The blonde shot with accuracy and the bug landed on Van's coat, digging itself discreetly into the fabric. Thomas couldn't have been more proud.
"Let's go! "the pilot urged on, the tracking device on hand, following the signal emitted by the bug, as they reached the borders of the town. At a distance, Raven's hooded cape and Van's undone hair were all that was visible as silver flashed on their trail.
"Shit, they're moving too fast." Irvine mumbled, as their chase grew more and more indistinct as the minutes went by. The paths of the Valley were twisted and elevated at certain sections, giving direct visibility a disadvantage.
Upon the next turn, they nearly crashed upon a silver heap on the path.
"Zeke!" Irvine gasped as he dragged the organoid back to a safe distance.
"I've detected a weak signal of the Rare Hertz. It must have knocked Zeke out." Thomas commented. "We can't leave him here, can we?"
"Guess we can't. The rebels in here might pick him up, and Zeke's head would cost millions in the underground market." Irvine replied, carrying the poor Zeke on his shoulder. "We still have their signal right?"
"Yeah, we'll come back tomorrow. Van is somewhere around here, in this vicinity." Thomas eyed the surrounding terrain. His eye caught a glance of movement in the corner. "We better leave, now."
Raven watched them carefully; as he made a last minute attempt in spying that the trio had left the area. Although it would have been easier if he just took them down personally, Raven was worried Van might be a bit harsher than him. After all, he clearly remembers them when he had his amnesia. And they seemed nice enough...
"For homosexual werewolves that is..."Raven mused as he looked back at Van, who was hugging his knees, his eyes carefully observing the boulder by the corner.
Raven sat close by Van, his hood still covering his face. He was tired all morning, and never expected that they would show up. He had many plans for Van and him this day. Maybe shopping for new clothes (peh, they needed new disguises, didn't they?), go sightseeing in town (Hiltz and Ryss appearance started to bored him, and I guess he assumed Van felt the same) and by night, see the stars across the night sky, while lying on the cornfield across town. It was his favorite sanctuary after all...
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Mr. I-own-this-cute-and-handsome-guy..." Raven looked back to who it was.
It was the rogue pilot (who sported the same hairdo as Raven's) they met at the inn. Apparently, she brought her sisters along (who also sported the same hairdo, although one was yellow and the other was neon green).
"I never forgot you. Now, you'll pay for insulting me!" Pink hair snapped.
"When you insult one..." Yellow hair continued.
"...You insult us!!!" Green hair finished.
And with a weird, and strangely funny, group pose, the trio shouted.
"The Black Crow Gang!!!"
Raven sweatdropped under his hood, as Van just stared at them like some malignant cancer.
"Amateurs..." Raven finally spoke.
"Grrr, how dare you taint our ears with your childish rebellion and insolence!" Pink hair grew a vein on her knuckles.
"Let's teach him about manners, sisters!" Pink hair commanded, as the three women brandished leather whips that were earlier strapped on their hips.
The women were particularly dangerous-looking already. And it seemed that Raven and Van are gonna experience a whole world of pain...
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Yeah!!! I finally got my first review!!! (starts to flood tears)
Raven: What happened B?
I got my review Raven! My first review!
Raven: Good for you...(looks back at the sleeping Van)
Oh...right. Sorry, Raven...
Raven: It's ok, just go on with your work. I'll mind Van for a little while.
Raven's having one of those mood swings, I guess. I really sympathize with him, it's been a day already and Van is still sleeping. But...
...My first glorious review!!! Ne, chocolate-kun!
Thank you very much!!! Domo arigato gozaimasu! Thanks for the whole 4 reviews!!!
It's nice to receive a review; it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I promise I'll work overtime starting tonight to round up the next chapters for this fic. Raving mad to move my fingers on the keyboard!!!
On the next chapter...the creation of friends and recognition of enemies.
Go figure!
