Author's Note: Yes, I'm finally back. Took me long enough! I don't own the Storm Hawks. Before my shout-outs, I want to make a little announcement: this fiction is rated "T," and it's not about to change. So don't expect any…well, you get the point.
I Can't Bother Logging In: I don't mind at all, I'm just thankful you're reviewing in the first place! Thanks so much, and I hope you like this chapter too!
Helliexx: Thanks! As always! You're awesome!
Zapwing: No! But Zapwing's one of my favorite authors! He can't have a seizure! Hey, can I make a deal with Moorwen, too? Actually, I don't really have anyone I want to kill, but he sounds like someone fun to meet…after all he is a friend of Zapwing. Demongo, you rock! Well, maybe I like shadows a lot, but I'm not showing favoritism…ok, you're one of my favorite shadows ever!
Dancing-with-the-devil 1995: Thanks! It's cool to act six every once in a while! And I know the feeling when you just can't wait for more!
Cowgirls Angel Rita: You'll find out! Anyway, it is a rarer pairing, but I think it's rather fun to write. Thanks for reviewing!
The Fallen One: Thanks. I agree, the DA was seriously starting to creep me out, not that he isn't creepy enough to begin with. I hope he's a bit more in character here. Thanks so much for your review!
Paigy-Lou: Sorry! I planned on writing it sooner, but I just got busy!
000000000000000000000000000000
I looked into his merciless crimson eyes, and the old me would have felt doubt. However, now I was just mad.
"I'm going to give you one chance," I said, backing up as he stalked forward. "Stop, and no one will have to get hurt."
He laughed. "You don't want to get hurt? Then don't fight. The bed is right there."
I took another step backwards, and my foot touched the base of my IV. A makeshift weapon, it could double as a staff. I yanked it off the floor and whirled it. The Dark Ace smirked. "Do you really want to bring weapons into this? Because if you're going to play that game, so will I." I whipped the staff towards his head as my answer. He ducked underneath, yanking out his red energy blade and slashing the head of the IV. The bag of liquids burst open, guzzling all over his floor. He smiled; he didn't need to speak. The message was clear: he had a better weapon, he was stronger, and he was a better fighter. I didn't have a chance.
Something about me and impossible odds. I liked them too much for my own good. But what did I care about my own good?
He brought the blade in a huge, swinging loop down towards my head, and I briefly raised the staff above my head, before letting my momentum carry me forward, rolling past him. Like I had hoped, his sword easily sheared through my makeshift staff, giving me two fairly equal-sized metal sticks. They weren't nunchucks, but they were the closest thing.
He stopped laughing, and his eyes were narrowed in concentration now. He lunged forward, and I sidestepped, bringing one metal pole down on the crystal of his blade. It exploded—duh, it was a Firebolt crystal—and both of us were thrown back. I hit a chair, knocking it over, and he slammed into a wall. Neither of us seemed too badly hurt, and the only evidence of the explosion was a black burn mark on the floor. His sword had been completely destroyed, but I had also dropped my sticks. We were back to hand-to-hand combat.
I groaned and pushed myself up, noticing that he was already standing. He grimaced, and spitting blood. I bent my knees, trying to hide the trembling of my legs, forming a standard fighting stance. He laughed. "You don't ever give up, do you?"
I jumped forward, throwing a series of spinning kicks, each which he expertly dodged. When I landed in front of him, suddenly, he was behind me, grabbing me in a bear hug. I dropped my weight so he couldn't pick me up.
He squeezed tightly, and I swear I felt my ribs groaning in protest, so that I couldn't wiggle from his grip. "You're not escaping this time, sweetheart," he whispered into my ear, his warm breath making me shiver involuntarily. Then, he leaned down, kissing the nape of my neck.
Disgust and anger gave me another burst of strength, and I shoved my elbow back, hearing a satisfying CRACK! as it connected with his chest. Then, pain splintered up my joint. He dropped me, winded, and I clutched my arm to my chest. I tried to move my elbow, and it hurt a bit, but not excessively. I decided it was badly bruised, so I switched up my fighting stance so that my left foot was forward. His emotionless red eyes noted this, and I knew he would fight harder to make me expose my weaknesses.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked. "I heard you arguing with Cyclonis. You don't have to! You can make the choice!"
"Sweetheart, I've watched you snoring on that bed for three days. I'm happy getting any reaction from you. You were starting to bore me," he laughed. "I'm the bad guy. I enjoy others' pain."
My eyes locked with his, blazing red with sparkling green. "I don't believe that. You were a Sky Knight once. Surely a part of you underneath is still good, still wants to rejoin the human race."
He laughed, a deep, chilling sound that made me shiver. "Star-girl, you are so innocent and naïve. I don't know how you lasted so long on your own. There are no happy endings. There is no goodness in everyone. Sometimes, you've passed the point of no return. Sometimes, you don't even want to go back."
Deep, probably true, and an insight into his mind. Interesting; when he was fighting, he was more likely to let something slip. "Sometimes it's not our fault," I shot back. "I watched my friends die. What's worse than that?"
His red eyes looked nostalgic, almost…regretful? "I watched my friends die, too. Only I wasn't lucky enough to have some Raptor to push the blame onto. It was my own hands that ended their lives."
I snorted. "Oh, I'm sorry, I feel so bad for you. You had a choice! You murdered your own squadron for Christ sake—practically your family! You betrayed the entire Atmos! You expect me to feel sorry for you? You're a bloody murderer and a traitor!"
He narrowed his eyes, and any regret he may have had was long gone. "You don't understand me, so don't even try." He lunged forward, kicking, and though I got out of the way, I was forced to block with my right hand. My elbow groaned in protest, and I whirled backwards, shooting a jab at his ribs. He too, leapt back, clutching his side.
I was starting to get tired. After all, this was the first time I'd been up in days. My head throbbed, my elbow hurt, and my muscles were all aching. I was out of breath. I was going to have to end this fight soon, before it ended in a way that I didn't want it too…
He came at me, charging with his fists raised, and I barely managed to block and sidestep. I kicked him in the knee, but he still continued raining blows fast and hard that I could hardly parry. I tried to get out of the way, and he pushed forward, moving faster. Surely he was tired too?
My foot hit something, and I realized that I had backed up against the wall. The Dark Ace had noticed, too. "Can't back up anymore. Checkmate, sweetheart." He stepped forward, pinning me with his body.
I panicked, flailing, and he quickly grabbed my wrists with his strong, calloused hands. "Really, Star-girl, if you stop struggling, you might actually enjoy it," he whispered, then before I could freak out even more, he pushed his lips onto mine. My mouth opened a bit in surprise, as if to say "Oh," and he shoved his tongue into it.
A wave of heat washed over me, and I was lost in a whirl of confusing feelings. I had experienced love before, love for my ideals, love for my parents, love for my close friends, but never such…inflammatory feeling. I didn't even like him, in fact, I hated him, but I still wanted him. In all my years training, becoming a Sky Knight was my only focus. After I had been chosen by the Interceptors, all I did was fight. When they were taken from me, I worried about revenge, and protecting the innocent. I had never had time for boys. I had never experienced…lust.
It was a strange feeling, almost like the anger that fueled me. It was hot, like fire all through me, but it didn't pain me, at least not in a way that I was used to. I knew it was bad, and I knew it would only hurt me, but somehow its danger only made it more appealing. It felt good in a guilty way. I couldn't fight this fire, but I sure could enjoy it.
With a shock, I realized that my lips were moving with his. I was kissing him back.
I was kissing him back and I liked it.
It was only human. I should have known that I'd have to deal with this soon enough. I hadn't skipped all this as a teenager, I had just delayed it. Every girl deals with hormones.
Why was I kissing him back? He was the freakin' enemy! He had killed so many!
So had I. Two parents, four fellow members of my squadron, three Raptors, and ten Nightcrawlers, and counting.
Were we really that different? Sure, I hid behind the morals of a Sky Knight, but at least he didn't call what he did anything but the truth. I tried to ignore my darker side, but he embraced it.
I had tried to ignore my darker desires, but now…
I was kissing him.
And it felt good.
Snap out of it! I kicked backwards as hard as I could, and the wall caved in behind me. Everything was confusing as we fell down, and tried to scramble up, chocking on the dust that filled the air. Neither of us could see anything.
My hand hit something hard: one of the pole-halves that I had fought with! I yanked it up, swinging it, and there was a "Clank" followed by the solid "Thump" of a body hitting the ground.
My breath came in irregular gasps as I sat there in a heap on the ground, waiting for the thick dust to settle. I was more tired then I had been in recent memory. All my muscles were groaning in pain, and I was lucky that nothing was broken. I was covered in bruises. I hadn't eaten for I-don't-know-how-long. I was shaking; I realized that tears were pouring down my cheeks.
I was a mess. A big, painful, emotional mess. How could I have done that? I kissed him back when he was trying to rape me! What was wrong with me? Somehow, I managed to mess up everything. I wonder if they would have survived if they didn't pick me…
The air cleared, and I saw his body lying there, looking so vulnerable on the ground. What are you waiting for? Get out of here! Escape! Don't be an idiot! He looked so much younger and more innocent. A trail of blood ran down the side of his head from where my flailing pipe had hit him. Was I really just going to leave him there on the ground?
No. I couldn't. Being a Sky Knight meant acting honorably, and that meant not killing in cold blood. That meant helping injured people, despite whether they would have helped you or not. Besides, despite whatever Master Cyclonis told him, he had saved my life, and I hated being in debt to him. You idiot! I told myself, You're starting to sound like Harrier!
I couldn't owe him my life. He would bring it up when I least needed it, during a battle or in an important negotiation. I couldn't give him that power over me. If I returned the favor, we would be equal. He'd have no leverage over me. And it was the good, honorable, Sky Knight thing to do, helping him.
Groaning, I stumbled to his limp form, and grabbed him under the arms, dragging him towards his bed. Miraculously, the bed was still made, and it didn't have a bit of dust on it. It was the one spot of order in the dirty, ruined room.
I hauled him up, using all my remaining strength to get him on top. Finally, he was positioned. I looked at the lump on his head. It didn't seem fatal. In fact, he should wake up in a few hours, in which I would be long gone.
The bed looked so soft. I was aching all over, and I was so tired. I wouldn't make it anywhere in this state. Surely it wouldn't matter if I rested for ten minutes? The bed looked so soft and inviting…
Idiot! Get out of here while you can! I ignored the smart little voice in the back of my mind, shoving him unceremoniously to make room for myself. If I closed my eyes and forgot he was there, it actually felt quite relaxing…
My eyelids fluttered close, and the world went blissfully dark.
0000000000000000000000000000000
Okay everyone, and that's the end! (of the chapter, TeeHee!)
Please review!
Weekend is coming up, so hopefully I'll post the next one before Sunday. No promises—school is in full swing, so things get busy.
Reviews=faster updates!