A/N: Well, hello there. I would just like to announce something... THERE'S ONLY TWO MORE CHAPTERS LEFT!! DX -dies- Naw, I'm not really dead. I just thought I'd let you know how much time the characters have alive. MWAHAHAHAHA!! Just kidding! I won't kill them unless I feel that it is necessary. Whoops! -pushes dead body back into pages of story- Heh.
WARNING: GORE IN 'DIS CHAPTA'! XD Ain't it great? I just lurve gore! XD No, I really don't lurve gore. I just tolerate it! XD
WARNING: SUICIDALNESS!! No one ACTUALLY commits suicide, but they give it a damn good try.
WARNING: THIS CHAPTER HAS A err... I suppose it's a Lime... or a Citrus... I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAY IT!! Let's just say it's a close-call. HOWEVER, it's obviously clean enough that I decided to keep the story at T Rating.
I'll come in and give you a heads-up in bold before the scene, if you want to skip it and I'll add another bold note afterwards to give you a place to start again, if you don't want to read it... -sweatdrops- Heh, heh. By the way, if you don't read that, the next couple of sentences afterwards will let you know what happened (unless you are totally clueless) without the details. I DON'T NORMALLY WRITE CITRUSY STUFF!! I APOLOGIZE BEFOREHAND!! SORRY!!
Oh yeah, Lyrics in this chapter are property of Breaking Benjamin. No copyright infringement intended.
Warnings aside, please enjoy this chapter and remember to drop me a review!
Chapter 10: Fireflight
"Where are you?" The familiar, yet malevolent voice called into the house once the dust had cleared. I choked down a wail and buried my face even deeper into Shadow. Manic turned around, hazel eyes flickering in anxiety. Shadow gave him a reassuring nod and the two exchanged some sort of male telepathy. After a few uptight seconds, Manic's fingers closed tighter around the blade he held and he leaned into a more offensive position to look out into the hallway.
"Go." Manic muttered quietly and Shadow pulled me into a crouch and leaned over me.
"We're gonna get out of here." Shadow whispered into my ear and placed his hand on my back. As he guided me to the back door, another gunshot pierced our efforts to remain silent, and I covered my mouth with my hand as the bullet soared just over Shadow's head. He snarled and swore under his breath, ducking further down so that his chin just barely touched the top of my head. "Through there." Shadow cast a glance backwards at Manic and nodded. With that silent command, Manic rose to his feet and let out a battle cry. Another gunshot flew into the kitchen and I felt Shadow tense and heard a thwip as the bullet hit something.
Manic charged out of sight and yelling and gunfire followed us out as Shadow barreled through the door, bursting through it and splintering the thick wooden door with a protective arm over my face and a body over mine. Shadow sprinted to the crime tape and leapt over it nimbly with me in tow. He over-propelled himself however, and launched us several yards from the cars, but he turned himself to break my fall. When I crash-landed on top of him, we lay there for a few seconds as Shadow regained his breath. He closed his eyes tight and his breath came in short and he heaved to get enough through his system. In those few seconds, I pulled my ears back against my head and enveloped Shadow in a huge hug as fear pulled me closer to the dark incarnation of my long lost hero, then turned onto my back again. Suddenly, I felt something wet, hot, and sticky against me and I rolled off of Shadow to look for what it was. It took me a split second to register what the red stuff on my back was, but when I did, I started bawling. Shadow winced at my cries and tried to stand as I slid back to his side and pushed down gently on his chest.
"Amy… get off." Shadow growled and grabbed my arm to try to remove my resistance to his movement. However, when he pulled my hand away, his blazing ruby eyes fell to a bullet hole in his abdomen. He winced and sat up slowly.
"Shadow, please." I cried softly and begged him to stop with my eyes.
"I'll be fine… I'll probably just… n-not eat as much." He chuckled in a strained voice and stood up, pointing to where the wound was. "Clean shot, though… right through." He turned his head to look for a point of entry. It seemed as though the bullet went in at an angle, entering in the left side of his back and exiting on the right side of his tummy, probably punching a hole directly through his stomach. I moaned quietly and sniffled. "Hey, c'mere. Let me show you something." He gave me a pained grin and spread his arms to me. I slowly walked to him and allowed him to embrace me. I gave him my side and he pulled my head to his chest fluff. "Listen." He ordered gently and pressed my ear to his chest.
"What am I listening for?" I asked and looked up at him.
"Shh… just listen, will ya?" Shadow hushed me and I returned my ear to the previous spot. Eventually, I heard the gentle Da-dum, da-dum that made up his heartbeat. I looked up into his burning eyes again, wondering what I was supposed to hear. "As long as that thing's still beating, I'll still be fighting, you got that?" He said, a determined edge returning to his voice. I nodded in reply and he released me. "Now, you've got to do something for me. It's very important and I can only trust you with it. You think you can handle it?" He questioned, giving me a 'well-can-ya?' smirk.
"Yeah." I said, ears pricking up as more gunfire ensued.
"Well, here's what you need to do." Shadow led me to his convertible and leaned into the car, beginning to dig through the console. "You're gonna take this." He pulled a revolver, a Ruger Super Redhawk with swing out cylinder, from the depths of the console with a devious smirk. I received it reluctantly and instantly tried to give it back. "Calm down, you'll do fine with it." Shadow huffed and slammed the console shut, then wandered around to the trunk and opened it. I followed, holding the revolver carefully extended away from my body and Shadow. "It's not cocked." Shadow looked up and tapped the hammer on the gun.
"I know how to cock a gun." I snarled and let my fingers fall more comfortably around the handle.
"Yeah." Shadow replied distractedly and dove into the shadows of the trunk.
"You alright?" I called into the darkness as I heard a yelp from within. "Hey, you're gonna be unarmed if you don't take this, so I think you should have it back." I tried to get rid of the gun. It felt strange and alien in my hands at first, but now it was starting to feel like an old friend.
"Yeah, just bumped my head." Shadow replied and crawled out of the trunk with a M16A4 in his hands. I immediately backed away and gave him room. Shadow stood up once again, this time with the M16A4 in his hands and five magazines in a makeshift belt around his waist. "And I think I'll be just dandy with my old buddy here." He said, admiring the gun he held at his side. "Now, take these." He pressed a small box of bullets into my hands and I shook my head at him. "And come with me." He pulled me to Manic's Hummer as bullets soared over our heads. "You get in here." He opened the door to the passenger's side hastily and I climbed up into the green metal beast as fast as I could manage. "And Manic and I are going to do a trade-off." He said as he climbed in on the other side and cranked the Hummer.
"What? No! You're already hurt!" I exclaimed and pushed the gun behind my back and sat up straighter to conceal it.
"I may be, but if anyone can convince a raging twin-tailed kitsune that's hell-bent on killing us to change his mind, I believe it's me, unless you can raise the dead… which I wouldn't doubt based on all the crazy shit I've seen lately. But still, I have to do this." He pulled the M16 up into the car beside him and leaned it against the door. "Manic's not strong enough to handle Tails, but he's going to take you back to my apartment in this car and he's going to wait with you there until I get back, okay?"
"Then, what's the gun for?" I inquired anxiously. He gave me a pained look and adjusted the seat to fit him. "What's the gun for, Shadow?" I pressed on, not willing to take a no response for an answer.
"I don't trust him, okay?! I just don't!" He burst out, violently punching the dashboard and denting it with the glancing blow. I stared wide-eyed in surprise at the ebony and crimson hedgehog that used to desperately try to avoid me, but now didn't want to leave me alone. "I just can't bring myself to trust him! I can't do it and I won't! You're, like, the last thing I have to hold onto…" His ruby irises flickered in concern and painfully hidden terror. Our eyes locked and I felt another wave of tranquility run over me. However, a frightfully close round of gunfire tore me from the placidity.
"SHADOW!!" Manic's desperate cries reached us even through the thick walls of the Hummer.
"Can I at least try to stop the bleeding before you go out there?" I asked pleadingly, tearing off a strip of cloth from the bottom of my skirt and another from my shirt. He slammed on the brakes just before going through the crime tape and turned in his seat to look at me. "Please." I begged urgently.
"Yeah, fine." He scooted close to me and I tossed one side of the cloth over him. He handed it back on the other side of his body. "Make it quick." I tied the cloth tight and smiled at him as he turned his head to look at me. We repeated the process five more times, interchanging between my skirt and my shirt, and I soon found myself with much more thigh showing than would have been comfortable around anyone else and a little stomach visible and thanking God that I worked out, even in the slightest.
"Okay, you're good to go." I said confidently and tugged on the last knot.
"Alright then." Shadow picked up the M16 and loaded it. He cocked the gun and carefully replaced it.
"Go, Shadow." I mumbled. His head jerked back over at me and he gave me a wily grin before slamming down on the gas petal and literally putting petal to the metal. Shadow tore through the yellow warning tape and barreled through the yard to smash on the brakes and whip the huge car around so that the driver's side faced the back door. Shadow leapt from the car and hoisted the gun above his head and let out a war cry. "Shadow, wait!" I yelled just as he started to run. He stopped and doubled back, an aggravated look on his face.
"Yeah?" He asked. "Make it fast. My trigger finger's itchy." Shadow's eyes were wild and ablaze with fear and excitement.
"Promise me… you'll come back okay." I leaned across the console to get closer. His brow rose at that and he padded back up to the car. "Because… I d-don't know wh-what I would d-do if y-you-." Tears started to well up in my eyes and I couldn't help but stutter a little in fear.
"Hey, don't worry about me." He leaned on the driver's seat, holding the gun at his side. "Because I want another one of… these…" He hopped back into the car and I couldn't help but lean into him. Our arms encircled each other and our mouths met, this time with no hesitation beforehand as the electric current that was desire and revelation made our lips catch fire in anxiety. I got caught up in the smell of his breath as he jerked away for a split second to take one, the look in his eyes as they beheld my own frantic expression, the flame of deep-ran passion and complete…
Love?
The caress of his hands on the small of my back, and the utter sense of belonging as his arms pulled me closer. Despite the tranquility of the moment, gunfire called us back to our shattered reality. Shadow pulled away, a longing flame now in his crimson eyes, and exited the car to begin walking away.
"Shadow…" I said and he turned around.
"I will… I promise…" He grinned brightly and, with a determined air about him, walked across the lawn. He said something else, but it was drowned out by gunshot.
"What?" I called. He shook his head and waved instead as he strode confidently into the house.
Oh dear God! What have I gotten myself into?
Several tense minutes later, a bloodied Manic stumbled through the burst open doorway and into the yard. He limped across the lawn, tripping occasionally on clods of grass or dirt. When I got out of the car to help him, he waved me back. Just before he entered, I readjusted the gun behind my back and pressed the box of bullets into the crack between the seat and the door.
"How'd it go?" I asked anxiously as Manic climbed into the driver's seat. He looked over at me disbelievingly, but when he saw the expression on my face, he frowned slightly.
"I was grazed more than once." He huffed and cranked the motor again.
"Oh, that sucks." I replied disappointingly.
I really wanted more gory details than that… no pun intended.
"So, we're meeting Shadow at his place?" I asked, trying to get some sort of mutated form of a conversation started up.
"That's the plan." Manic sighed as he took two attempts to pull out of the position Shadow had driven his Hummer into.
"Hmm… okay then." I muttered and looked out the window, watching a flash of yellow cross the doorway, followed by a blur of black and red. My eyes grew wider and I looked away. I could still feel Shadow's lips on mine.
"You have an alternative?" Manic asked willingly, driving slowly up the embankment.
"No, just asking." I said in a taken aback kind of tone.
"Oh, okay." Manic's face fell despondently. As I took one last look at the house, Manic jerked the Hummer quickly onto the only road out.
Shadow.
When it became apparent that conversation would be scarce as water in the Sahara Desert, I took to staring out of the window. However, it wasn't the cars that interested me, but the sunset. At first, it started with shades of orange and yellow, individual reflections on clouds changing every second as the pressure noticeably dropped, allowing for more menacing clouds to move in and blot out the smaller, more wispy cirrus clouds. These newer clouds looked heavy and brutal as they seethed around the pulsating ball of light that descended to the edge of the horizon almost reluctantly. With the first distant rumble of thunder, the sky ignited with hot pinks and electric oranges. The clouds darkened from deep violet to pitch black, but the last rays of the sun defiantly remained to spite the darkness. But, the resistance couldn't last forever as the source of the light slipped over the edge. The last reflections of red and violet were swallowed in blackness as a fierce lightning bolt raced across the skyline and struck them down. I sighed heavily as thunder roared much closer to us and thick raindrops finally began to slide over the windshield.
"Damn storms." Manic muttered and flicked on his windshield wipers. I glanced over my shoulder at him, but decided to keep quiet. I turned back to the now totally black sky just in time to see another burst of lightning rip through the clouds and illuminate every imperfection in their surfaces. Although I wasn't paying much attention to the road and the signs outside due to nature's firework show, I was able to notice Manic tense up as he turned the car slightly. I didn't pay him much mind.
Probably just switching lanes. I thought to myself and looked down into the hiding place of the bullet box.
After what seemed like hours, the thunder finally ceased and left the rain to finish off the storm. However, the rain eventually smoothed out into a shower rather than a waterfall. Minutes later, I found that the engine was no longer cranked and the headlights were now off. The only light that gave me any reassurance that I wasn't alone was a lone streetlamp off several yards to the left and behind a wall. I jerked my head to Manic questioningly; discovering that the only thing I could see was his outline.
"Manic, where are we?" I asked nervously. "This sure as hell doesn't look like the parking lot of Shadow's apartment." I remarked, laughing uneasily.
"That's because it isn't." He said simply, shrugging in the darkness.
"Well, where are we?" I repeated the question more urgently this time.
"In one of the alleys in Station Square." His voice was more hoarse than normal.
"Well, why are we here?" I nervously looked out the window and watched a car pass on the street.
Driver didn't even glance over here…
"No one will ever know." Manic's eyes flicked up to me and caught the light curiously. He moved closer and I scooted closer to the door. Just as my hand closed around the handle, the locks clicked down. "Child Safety Lock's on. You can only open it from the outside." His lips curled upwards and fangs that couldn't have been there before glinted in the dim light.
"Wh-wha-?" I breathed, not yet comprehending the full danger I was in. Manic sniffed the air and I clamped my mouth shut. He moved in closer and dug his nose just behind my ear.
"Hmm… seems my luck's changing… but I smell… Shadow." He growled at that last word.
"Wh-what does Shadow smell like?" I plucked up enough courage to ask, obviously not adept in sensing the different males' scents.
"Kinda like vanilla… but that's beside the point." He seemed distracted for a split second as he removed his face from behind my ear, but then refocused on me. I felt my eyes widen as fear took up a chokehold on my neck and I swallowed a scream. His eyes switched from my face to my slightly exposed belly and my shortened skirt.
Shit.
A/N: Hey, it's me again! Here's your warning! Scroll until you hit the next bold area if you feel uncomfortable about close-calls. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!
"Manic?" I whispered and struggled to draw his attention. He looked up briefly, but the Manic that I knew was long gone. His eyes had a reddish gleam to them now and his face was more wild and sly.
Red eyes only look hot on crimson-streaked ebony hedgehogs.
"The point is… Shadow's scent won't be there when I'm through." His grin turned more maniacal and his hand slid across the console.
"Wai-!" I started to scream and a hand closed over my mouth. Manic's head rose back up to my ear and hovered there.
"I wonder… what will Shadow do when he discovers this little catch?" Manic laughed insanely. I soon felt something rough invade my fur behind my ear and knew… Manic had just laid the ultimate claim on me, other than actual… well… intercourse. I pulled away and my ears folded back against my head, but Manic's arm snaked around my back and pulled me into him. Manic pried my ear from my head and licked me again, but this time I wretched away violently.
"Stop!" I hissed angrily, prepared to ram my fist into his face.
"No one will ever know." He grinned again and his other hand migrated to my thigh.
"Don't even." I snarled.
"Oh, why would I ever?" His hand slid under the skirt and progressed up my thigh, stopping when it met the hem of my panties, his body moving over the console and into my seat. His breath was hot on my face and his eyes dared me to oppose him. "You know, I can do so much better than that fake hedgehog probably ever could." He breathed into my ear.
"You make one more move and I'll-." I warned, voice shaky in fear.
"What? Scream for help? No one can hear you." He replied confidently. Just as he started to pull down my panties, I remembered the gun.
A/N: OKAY, YOU CAN LOOK AGAIN NOW!! Sorry for the citrus... -whimpers and hides- Don't hate me for it!
With a snarl, I whipped the revolver out and pressed it to his temple.
"Hands off me." I growled venomously, pressing the barrel further into his head. He instantly removed his hands and scooted over in the seat. "In the driver's seat." I added, taking note of the tight space. Manic obliged and climbed into the driver's seat, all the while with me holding a gun to him. As I wiped Manic slobber off of my ears and fixed my skirt and readjusted my underwear, I held the gun one-handed in front of Manic.
"Ha!" Manic cried and snatched the gun from my grasp. I wailed and lunged to retrieve it, only to be batted back down into my seat. "It's loaded, right?" I saw a bit of the old Manic come back as he turned the gun over and over in his hands. Then, he held it to his own head and pulled the hammer down. "See you on the other side." He snarled, malicious form returning.
"No, Manic!" I screamed as he pulled the trigger.
Click. Nothing happened.
"The hell?" Manic glared at the gun and flicked the barrel open. "Misfire then." He waved it off and returned the gun to his head. He yanked the hammer down again. He pulled the trigger again and I winced, bracing myself for a loud bang.
Click. Still nothing.
"No, I just want out of this hellhole! NO!" He refused to accept no for his fate.
Click. Click. Click. Zero. Zilch. Nada.
"WHY CAN'T I DIE!?" He screamed angrily, tears starting to flow freely down his muzzle and desperation tangible in the air.
Click. Nothing.
"WHY!?" He wailed and unlocked the car, tearing out into the alley. "KILL ME!!" He screamed to the unhearing night sky.
"That won't happen, Manic." I called and opened my door, glaring at him and ignoring the bullet box that just fell into the mud. He turned back in that instant and scowled at the bullet box.
"You planned for me to betray you?" He barked disbelievingly.
"N-no." I stuttered.
"Well, who did?" He reeled and collapsed in the mud in a heap.
"I… I don't-" I walked to him and stood over him.
"Shadow did, right?" He reached up and yanked me down by my shirt. I shook my head and bit my lip, reluctant to give Shadow away. His eyes went blank for a split second and his expression faded.
"No." I lied, looking away from him.
"You know what I just saw?" His breath was expelled explosively. I shook my head vigorously. "Shadow's dying. He'll soon be just as dead as your last boyfriend." Manic laughed evilly and a demonic smirk perched itself on his lips.
"You're wrong!" I spat defiantly.
"And then you'll be all alone and wishing you had me back." He continued in a singsong voice.
"NO!" I cried out and flattened my ears against my head again.
"And you'll just grow old and the autumn effect will take you." Manic pressed on like a bat out of hell, clambering out of the mud and pushing me away. A flash of metal and blood flickered across my mind and I knew someone's time had come. "Hell, I might as well just leave you here." He walked to the end of the alley and looked out into the road.
"Manic… don't go out there." I muttered. Manic turned around to get a good look at me.
"Screw you." He growled and stepped out into the street.
"MANIC!" I wailed incessantly.
"What are you afraid that the only thing you have left is going to get run ov-? At that second, a bus careened down the street and slammed headlong into Manic. Manic burst like a balloon, splattering me with blood as I screamed bloody murder. I fell to my knees in the mud and remained there, crying despairingly.
"Damn you, Manic." I moaned and let the tears run rivers down my face since no one could tell the difference between tears and raindrops. A low rumble of thunder returned my cry and I despondently glared at the sky. Then, I fell into a sobbing fit that I couldn't stop. My cries weren't for the hedgehog whose blood ran my shirt red, but for the hedgehog that was the only thing I had left to hold onto, but was doomed. I continued bawling…
…Until I heard the music.
"Just call my name
You'll be okay
Your scream is burning through my veins"
My phone's ringing! Shadow's ringtone! What the hell, why not?
"SHADOW!!" I called into the broken night sky. Thunder roared in reply and as quick as a lightning strike, a thought popped into my brain.
Shadow's apartment.
Despite my confidence as I leapt into the driver's seat of the Hummer, my whole body shook as Shadow's broken and bloodied body flashed across my mind's eye.
"As long as that thing's still beating, I'll still be fighting…" Shadow's voice echoed determinedly in my mind.
But, how much longer will it keep beating? I threw the Hummer into drive and charged out onto the street.
--
A/N: Well, that was an entertaining chapter, huh? XD Once again, sorry for the citrus/close-call! -winces- Hey, the ShadAmy kiss makes up for it though, right? YOU GOT YOUR WISH!! Hooray for the couple, but will they be alive long enough for Shadow to tell Amy he loves her? YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL CHAPTER 11!! I'm working hard to try and get it up soon!
The whole lick behind the ear thing... (If you didn't read the citrus, you won't understand) was invented by a wonderful author on here, Fortune. I give that credit to Fortune.
Thanks so much for reading! Don't forget to review!