Z Star: Well tonight will be the New Year!
Kai: Goodbye crappy 2005! For this was the year Z Star joined FFN!
Z Star: Ah yes! It was also the year I got my braces off, got a stupid retainer instead, knocked out the school yobs… no the last thing did not happen, but it's what I want to do next year! Hehehe! Kai-
Kai: Do the disclaimer and all that bull? Ok. Z Star The Hidden Dragon owns nothing! Melanie Lindo belongs to miaka54321 and the other characters you don't know belong to Z Star. Happy?
Z Star: Of course! Happy New Years guys!
Chapter Eleven: A Thousand Miles
In the crowded city of Moscow, everyone was getting on with their lives, not caring about the other passers by. Not even caring about what was going on around them. Unlike the smallest person in the sea of people. Bright eyes wandered around the place, wondering she was. Only those innocent eyes could see the magnificence in all the hustle and bustle, which fascinated the young girl so much.
"Wow…" Raven gasped. "I never noticed how big this place was before. If Kai's not here, I'll eat my head scarf!" She giggled. She shivered under the cold frost, only her arms wrapped around her kept Raven warm. "I really should have took my coat with me before I left the hotel… oh well!"
Raven stopped and turned. She had found another busy spot in the alleyways. She was interested in the bustling market place and decided to explore it, like any normal, curious child would do. Raven pushed her way through the giants that towered over her like the skyscrapers back in the city. Too caught up in this new atmosphere, the brown-eyed girl failed to notice she was being watched.
MELANIE'S POV
Hmm… what to get, what to get… 'Sigh' why did I even come here? This market doesn't have anything, just old junk. That no one even wants! Oh well, at least I have my nice fur coat to keep me warm. By the way it's not real fur, I care about animals unlike the caring and sensitive rich snobs you see over there. Note the sarcasm… Hey… what's that shining? I picked up this beautiful ring that was incrusted with this radiant diamond that shone from every angle. I also noticed the small writing incrusted into the little ring… now I can't put my finger on it, but this ring seems so familiar…
FLASHBACK
(A.N: This is set at the begging of the American tournament guys.) "What's the matter Raven?" I asked the little girl. She was curled up on the floor on the Persian rug Ray had bought. The Bladebreakers were off training and had left Raven and me at the hotel, as always. Raven was near to tears when she saw me; I almost did the same when I looked into those sad, adorable eyes.
"I've done something awful Melanie!" Raven whimpered. I sat on the floor with her and put her head on my lap, caressing her lavender and purple hair. "And I can't tell Tyson about it because he'll be mad."
"It can't be that bad Raven." I cooed. "Tell me what you did." Raven sniffed and calmed down a little bit.
"Ok… well, I kind of lost my Mums ring. You know the one that she gave me when she had to go to Tokyo so I wouldn't miss her? Well… I… dropped it in the river."
O.O Oh my freaking God. I thought. How was I going to fix this? "Well… Raven, anyone could make that mistake. It's not like you did on purpose but let's just keep this between us Ok?" I said, getting a tissue out to wipe those chibi eyes. Raven blinked twice, before getting of my lap.
"Ok… but do you think we'll be able to find my Mum's ring?" She asked. "Well… not exactly, but you could get lucky! You never know…" I smiled, before Raven happily went off to play…
END OF FLASHBACK
"This is the ring!" I screamed, catching the attention of passers by. "Hey old dude! How much for the ring!" I asked the man in the hug Russian hat.
"50 Rubels." He said.
"50 RUBELS! Come on, I'm not a tourist Ivan, don't think you can rip me off!" I said, crossing my arms.
"'Sigh' fine, 20 Rubels but that's my final offer." Ivan smirked. How do I know this guy? I've seen him around the block a couple of times, I gave him a piece of my cake, and he gives me some old jewelry that their owners didn't want. Long story, the guy used to be a beggar.
"You are robbing me blind old man." I said, passing him the money and taking the precious ring. "If this wasn't for a friend of mine, I'd be mad to buy this." The old guy chuckled when I left and waved goodbye. At least Raven will be happy… what am I saying? She's happy most of the time! Well replace the word happy with hyper and I would be right.
Speaking of the little squirt, there she is…. Wait! What is she doing here? And by herself! Well Tyson is sure a responsible big brother. I better go get her before she gets lost.
"Raven! Raven!" I called to her. I forced my way through the crowds still calling Raven's name. "Raven! Comeback!" But she couldn't hear me and just kept walking away. The nest of people became too hard to push through and rushed over me like the strong current of ocean waves. Then the little girl was wrong. "OH great! Thanks a lot everyone, now I just lost a little girl thanks to you!" I yelled out for no apparent reason.
"I know how you could catch up to her."
"AH!" I screamed, almost jumping out of my skin. "Who are you? And where are you?"
"To answer your second question I'm right behind you." I turned around and saw a girl. About my age, had red hair and icy blue eyes. She wore a sky blue bandanna and was dressed in dark blue. "I'm Tayla Ivanov."
"Melanie Lindo." I smiled. "You said you could help me finds a lost little girl… but why?"
"Oh… she just happens to know a very good friend of mine." Tayla smirked. Let me rephrase that sentence you just heard. It means Raven just happens to be a friend of a boy she likes. Go figure. Hehe, judging by the glint in her eye she would make a good match for Max. "But we better hurry." Tayla said. "If we don't get moving now, we could lose Raven." And so I followed this stranger…
PLEO'S POV
You know the feeling when you've wanted something for along time and you finally have it? But it's not as great as thought it might be? I have wanted to taste Kai's lips just once more since the day he left… but… I cannot forget all the things he has done. He left his team; he broke my heart two times and fell into darkness… all because of his greed for power.
I keep finding myself asking the same question. What happened to Kai? The Kai I knew all those years, the Kai I had to say a painful goodbye to…
FLASHBACK
A cold frost kept hitting my pale skin and playing with my hair, but that was the last thing that bothered me. I ran and ran as fast as I could, that my lungs burned. I huffed and puffed my way through the heavy snowfield, following the tracks that would lead me to where I wanted to go.
The tracks had found the old and nearly torn down train station. It was the only source of travel for miles. If you didn't want to go to Moscow for travel, this was the place to go. And this was the place I saw Kai for the last time…
I anxiously searched for slate hair and blue triangles in this isolated man made land.
"Kai!" I screamed running towards the scarlet-eyed boy. His eyes widened, he was shocked to see me there, I could tell.
"Pleo?" I stopped right in front of him, catching my breath.
"So this is it!" I screamed with icy tears falling from my eyes. "You're just going to leave without saying goodbye?"
"Pleo-"
"No! Just because you were stupid enough not to listen to me when I told you using Black Dranzer was a bad idea, doesn't mean you have to leave!" I yelled with as much venom as I could put into that sentence. I covered my wet and white face with my hands, not wanting the rogue blader to see me cry for the second time in our lives. "No one cares about what you did… I don't… You're one of my best friends Kai and I don't know what I would do without you."
"Pleo." Kai began, putting down his rucksack and putting his hands on my shoulders. I looked up at him curiously. The least I could do was hear what he had to say. "I'm not leaving the Abby forever. Not without you or the others. But my Grandfather is sending me to Japan to get treatment or my mind could deteriorate from the accident."
I stared at Kai with disbelief. I didn't realise he was that badly hurt in the accident. I couldn't believe I accused Kai as being a traitor.
"Oh… sorry Kai, I didn't know… I thought…" I lowered my head in shame, wrapping my arms around myself. Until Kai pulled me into a warm hug and rested his chin on my head, caressing my back as he went. I cried on his shoulder, holding him and not wanting to ever let go…
"Oh Pleo." Kai sighed. "You know I would never leave you in a place like the Abby, if I didn't have to. No matter what happens, no matter how far apart we are, even a thousand miles apart, I will always care for you. I won't forget you either and I hope you do the same."
"Oh of course I will you stupid idiot!" I sniffed. I was still a little angry but my sadness balanced it out. I was saying goodbye to the best friend I ever had. I didn't know when I was going to see him again. Or if he meant what he said. Would he forget about me?
I forgot all about my worries when Kai pulled away from the embrace, capturing my hand in his. He stared down at me with a mysterious glint in his eye. What is he thinking? I asked myself. His face was unreadable. Until he saw my lips. He took a step forward and gave me my first kiss.
Compared to the burning kiss, this was a sweet and innocent kiss. As all first ones are. And I loved it. I wasn't going to forget the way his lips taste, how he gripped on my hand to make me feel safe, the shivers that were going down my spine. It was heaven. That's how I knew how I felt about Kai. But now… I'm not sure what I think of Kai. I wish things were the way they were before this.
The sirens went off; meaning the train was coming. When Kai pulled away, I felt a cold smack in the face. He got on the train never turning back, before taking one last glance at me. I watched the train take him away until the faithful day in the park where I would see him again…
END OF FLASHBACK
So there you go. That's when Kai left. That's how he broke my heart the first time. Everyday I waited and waited till he might have returned. I told no one what had happened that day. For the years he was gone, I was in love with him. He never left my mind. But… then I got tired of waiting for Kai to come back. My love for him just disappeared. I had other things to worry about. It was killing me not having Kai there to tell me everything was going to be all right.
So why is Kai doing this? Didn't he say he had out grown me? He's the one who made me miserable. Argh, he's even making me sound like a lovesick fool!
"That's it, you let it out! That boy took you for a ride and now it's time for some payback! You tell him who Pleo Tachikawa is! A psycho bitch who doesn't want to be pushed around!"
Frostic Dranzer's words kept echoing through my mind. I had forgotten everything that she told me. To be the strong woman that I want to be I have to have a little self-respect.
"No!" I pushed Kai away running back to my room and slamming the door behind me. Now I have more secrets to keep under the rug. And I won't be able to face Kai for the rest of my life! What else could go wrong…?
KAI'S POV
Oh my God… what have I done! Shit! Damn! Now I won't be able to talk to the albino freak! No she's not a freak… wait, yes she is, no she isn't, yes she is! No she isn't. Argh! What have you done to me Pleo?
RAVEN'S POV
Hehe… this isn't so bad… I'm doing fine on my own. Oh who am I kidding! You guys know I'm completely lost! 'Sigh'… where are the Bladebreakers when ya need them? Especially when you're wondering through a dark, damp place under a huge bridge with no idea what that horrible noise is coming from and the eerie feeling of being watched following you around. Eeep! I want my Mummy!
"Hello? Anyone there?" I called out. "I need a little help!" Nobody answered, except for the echoing of my voice. I screeched at the sound of rustling coming from behind me. But it turned out to be just a rat. A RAT!
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I ran into a random direction, waving my arms about like a lunatic. I didn't care where I was going as long as the rat couldn't get me. But possessing the dumb luck that I inherited from my dad I found a small tunnel out! "Hooray!"
I literally jumped for joy! I knew I could survive without the Bladebreakers! Just this once!
? POV
I was perched on a tree branch, waiting for my prey to come into my trap. Many people have teased me about how I resemble a bird called a falcon, but the fools hardly know what I am capable of. My ears perked at the sound of a girlish scream coming from under the bridge. Out came a small kid. Purple and lavender highlighted hair, orange headscarf, chocolate brown eyes and smooth tanned skin. Exactly how Voltaire described her.
I jumped down in front of my victim, examining her with cold eyes and my arms crossed. The little girl stopped right in front of me and fell back on her behind. She gasped from the shock.
She quivered in fear. Her bottom lip quivered as she tried to crawl away from me. I looked down at her with an emotionless mask, frightening the little kid more. Those innocent, big brown eyes softened with tears, with soft whimpers escaping her.
I can't do it… she reminds me too much of Luca. He makes that same look when I want to clobber him for trying to steal my beyblade…
"P-please don't hurt me!" She blubbered. Aww, how can anyone except me to kidnap her when she's got those chibi eyes? Oh no, now they're getting bigger! If that is possible. No I can't hurt her… Damn you Tala! You had to get the Scientist's daughter instead!
"Umm… are you lost little girl?" I asked, kneeling down to her level.
"Aha." She said nodding her head like a puppy dog excited about getting its favourite toy.
"… What's your name?" I asked. The little girl blinked twice before crossing her arms.
"Not telling." She huffed. "My parents said I'm not allowed to talk to strangers, and you're pretty strange."
I cocked an eyebrow, after I made a huge sweat drop. Is this kid for real?
"Well… if I told you my name first then I wouldn't be a stranger would I?" I cleverly said. Ha, I'm so smart! Kidding, jeez, you don't have to glare at me. The puppy-eyed girl lifted an eyebrow too.
"Ok. What's your name?" She asked.
"Bryan." A sugary smile appeared on the girl's face and shook my hand.
"I'm Raven Natsumi Granger. Nice to meet you Bryan." Raven grinned.
"Where do you live Raven?" I asked.
"I don't know if I should tell you." Raven hesitated. "What if you're a rapist or a murderer?"
"O.O Do you even know what those things are?" I asked. I had to fight back the anime fall coming.
"…No…" She began. Awe screw it! I'm doing an anime fall; either that or I jump off a bridge! "But my brother said not to 'Bring stangers into the house because they might be a rapist or a murderer.' My brother is not usually the smartest person, but everyone else agreed with him, so it must be true." Raven shrugged.
"I swear I am not a rapist or a murderer. Cross my heart." I said.
"… Do you pinky swear?" She said holding out her smallest finger. Oh my God is this kid fed sugar on a daily basis? (A.N: Yes.:)I feed her three bag a day XD)
"Well… Ok." I grip my little finger onto hers and we shook on it. God if Ian, Tala or Spencer or any of my other friends saw this I would die.
"I live in Moscow Plaza Hotel. For as long as I'm staying in Russia." Raven said, smiling up at me. I stood on my feet and held my chin.
"Hmm… I think I know where that is… come on Raven." I said turning around.
"Can I hold your hand?" Raven asked in a sweet tone.
"O.o; Ah… sure." The hyper child grabbed my hand with a tight grip. This girl is one strange kid. Luca wouldn't let anyone except Spencer touch him until Pleo tried to hold his hand. Like this. Hmm… maybe this is what people are like outside the Abby.
"You know Bryan… you're kind of cute." Raven smirked.
"O0O Ok! If you're going to say things like that Raven I will throw you in the bloody river!" I glared at her.
"Eeep! Kidding! I was kidding! Hehehe…" Raven giggled. Jeez, what psychopath. He's worse then Kai! "Ooooohhhh! I'm going home! Nanana!"
"No singing either." I said.
"Can I whistle?"
"No."
"Can I hum?"
"¬.¬ 'sigh' all right."
"H-h-hum! H-h-huuummmmm!"
End Of Chapter Eleven
Z Star: Aww another chapter.
Bryan: Yep.
Z Star: You know… you were kind of cute when you cared for Raven…
Bryan: I'll throw you in the river as well!
Z Star: Eeep!
Ray: Hey! Don't make me beat you up!
Bryan: Bring it on pussy!
Z Star: Ray you don't have to fight him for me. I can defend myself. Oh Raven! Go after Bryan please!
Raven: (appears from nowhere) Hi Bryan!
Bryan: O.O AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! (Runs away)
Raven: Come back you silly boy! (Chases after Bryan)
Z Star: Well… I hope you guys loved this chapter. I know I loved writing it!
Ray: Bye! And have a good New Year!
