To Love An Angel
Disclaimer: I do not own Burst Angel. It owns me.
Warning: This chapter contains a scene that depicts sexual abuse. If you don't like that sort of thing, then the writer suggests that you don't read it. You have been warned.
Soft moonlight filtered in through a barred window, illuminating the cold and gloomy room with a gentle glow.
Meg hung limp from an old stone wall, too exhausted to stand, only being supported by the chains that bound her wrists. The details of her kidnapping were fuzzy in her mind. All that the red head remembered was that she had been carried many miles by Takane, dragged across rooftops and through dingy alleyways, until they had arrived at wherever she was now. The other details of the experience were lost from her memory, all except for one, vivid scene.
Jo.
A single tear trailed slowly down the cowgirl's cheek as she recalled her last moments with the ruby eyed fighter. She remembered how Jo had struggled with the monstrous creature that was once her friend, staying just out of harm's way as Takane tried to rip her to pieces. She remembered the look of pain that crossed the gunfighter's face when her shoulder had been rent by the beast's terrible claws, and the sickening sound that was made as she collided with the wall. But what stuck with Meg the most was the sight of Jo lying bloodied and torn in a heap on the ground. In all the years that she had known her friend, the red head had never seen Jo like that. Indeed, over the countless battles and skirmishes that the two had been through, she had grown to believe that the silver haired female was unbeatable. However, seeing her idolized image of Jo shattered and broken had hit home a simple truth: that the woman was not invincible. That notion alone was enough to reduce Meg to a whimpering mess, and she wept openly.
"A pretty girl like you shouldn't cry".
Meg whipped her head up at the words, startled. Through teary eyes, the cowgirl could make out the figures of two people standing by the doorway at the far end of the room. As the smaller, hunched figure closed the door that the two had obviously entered through, the taller one moved towards Meg. As the unknown person came closer, the red head could see that it was a woman. She wore a figure hugging and very revealing suit that appeared to be made from leather, and her snowy hair was set into an odd design.
"Who are you?" asked Meg, uncertain as to whether this was friend or foe. The woman smiled kindly, moving to stand before to cowgirl.
"My name is Maria," replied the woman in her sultry voice, "and I believe that you already know my friend".
Meg turned her gaze towards the other figure, who came scampering across the room to sit on her haunches at Maria's side. Takane nuzzled the scantily clad woman affectionately, purring in satisfaction as her master reached down and stroked the creature's back.
"It's amazing," continued Maria, moving her hand through Takane's long hair, "even when they are left stranded miles from home, pets still instinctively know their way back".
It took a moment for the full gravity of what the other woman had said to sink in before Meg understood. "You mean...you did that to Takane!?".
"She's more useful to me this way" answered Maria simply. Having had enough attention for the moment, Takane wandered away from the violet eyed female, moving off to find a corner to curl up and sleep in.
"Why did she bring me here?" asked Meg, unable to comprehend her current predicament. The cowgirl shivered slightly as the white haired female grinned wider.
"Because you will soon belong to me".
A mixture of confusion and anger flared within Meg. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?".
Maria chuckled to herself, inching closer to her captive. Meg shuffled backwards, pressing herself as hard as she could against the cold stone wall behind her.
"It means that your precious Jo will come looking for you," replied Maria, ignoring the other woman's blatant attempts to put distance between them, "but when she finds you, I will be waiting for her".
"What!?" asked Meg, shock and incomprehension registering in her voice.
"And when she tries to come to your aid, I will destroy her," continued Maria, edging so close that now her and Meg's noses touched, "I will beat her black and blue. I will leave bloody tears in her flesh and break every bone in her body. And when she is lying broken and defeated at my feet, I will take you, her precious mate, as my trophy. I will finally prove to the world that I am better than her, and you will be my testament to that".
Meg gasped as Maria grasped her chin. Tilting the cowgirl's head sideways, the scantily clad female brought her face down to the exposed area, inhaling the scent.
"You smell nice" she cooed, brushing her lips over the curve of her captive's throat.
"Let me go" pleaded Meg, squeezing her eyes tightly shut and trying to block out the unwanted sensation. She whimpered slightly as the other woman began nipping a path up her neck.
"I bet your beloved Jo never paid this much attention to you" responded Maria, tracing the tip of her tongue across the cowgirl's earlobe.
"Please...just leave me alone" whispered Meg, letting her head drop forward and allowing her long hair to fall about her face in an attempt to obscure the tears that were forming in her eyes. Maria ignored her, allowing her hands to roam freely over the contours of the other woman's body. The violet eyed female smiled as she let her fingers glide over the red head's breasts, feeling the nipples harden under the flimsy fabric of the shirt.
"Please...stop it" Meg sobbed, hating the way her body was reacting to unwanted ministrations of her captor. Her pleas fell on deaf ears as Maria allowed her hands to wander lower, coming to rest on the cowgirl's stomach.
"You may struggle now," purred the white haired female in a sexy voice, "but soon you'll come to me willingly. When your little girlfriend has been dealt with, you'll beg me for this". Maria let her fingers move beneath the hem of her captive's tight fitting shorts, and Meg struggled.
"No...please" she whimpered, but again Maria refused to listen as her fingers found their way to Meg's most personal space. The cowgirl shuddered violently as Maria stroked her labia, sending shock waves through her body.
"No...no...I don't want...no" cried Meg, tears flowing freely down her face as she tried desperately to focus on anything but what was happening to her. Maria smiled cruelly as she entered the girl, enjoying the way her prisoner bucked against the intrusion.
Her captor's penetration was too much for her body to handle, and Meg climaxed hard, feeling the muscles in her pelvis contract and twitch erratically. Satisfied, Maria withdrew her hand, grinning triumphantly to herself as she studied the clear fluid that now coated her fingers. Meg slumped forward, letting herself hang uselessly by her arms as she sobbed uncontrollably.
"I'll send someone along with a meal for you later" stated Maria, licking her fingers and motioning for Takane to follow her as she strode across the room. Meg said nothing as the two exited through a doorway by the far wall, hearing it being locked from the outside. As she listened to the complete silence within the now empty room, the red head felt a cold numbness creep over her.
She wanted to be sick.
She wanted to die.
And yet, even as the horrors of what she had just endured began to sink in, Meg felt that, in some inexplicable way, she had hurt Jo. Fresh tears began to fall from the cowgirl's sapphire eyes as that thought alone began to tear her heart in two.
"Jo...I'm sorry".
It was dark by the time Jo regained consciousness.
Wincing slightly in pain, the gunfighter sat up from her bed and looked around, taking in her surroundings. From what the silver haired female could make out, she appeared to be back in her own room in the team's camper truck.
"How the hell did I get back here?" she asked herself, not quite remembering when she had returned home.
"Amy tracked you down through your communicator, so we brought you back" replied a familiar voice. Jo turned her attention to the source, and noticed Sei sitting casually in a small chair in the corner of the room. The team leader smiled as she rose from her seated position, crossing the room and sitting back down on Jo's bed.
"You got pretty beat up out there," continued Sei, indicating towards Jo's shoulder, "looks like you got into a fight".
Jo looked down at herself and understood immediately what her older friend meant. The gunfighter was covered in cuts and bruises, many of which were wrapped in bandages. The wound that she received on her shoulder was heavily stitched, and her back still hurt from where she had hit the warehouse wall. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind.
Meg!
Sitting up straighter, Jo tried to climb out of bed, only to have Sei push her back down.
"What the hell do you think you're doing!?," shouted Jo, trying to sit back up, "Meg's in trouble!".
"I know" stated Sei calmly, trying to restrain the crimson eyed mercenary.
"Then let me go!" said Jo fiercely, struggling against her older companion.
"No" replied Sei simply, keeping a firm hold on Jo. The response caught the gunfighter completely off guard, and she stopped her struggles immediately.
"No?"
"You're in no condition to fight," said Sei, releasing her grip on her now cooperating friend, "you've been unconscious for over twenty-four hours. You've sustained extensive injuries, in total seventeen bruises, twenty two minor cuts, one major laceration to your shoulder and four cracked ribs. Right now, you're not going anywhere".
"I don't care, I'm gonna go save Meg" replied the gunfighter, ignoring her friend and trying to get out of bed again. Once more, Sei pushed her back, this time with enough force to let the other woman know that she really meant it. Jo glowered up at her.
"If you try anything rash in your condition, you'll die," stated the dark haired woman, glaring back at Jo, "and if you die, then Meg won't get rescued".
Jo didn't say anything. Deep down, she knew that Sei was right. Instead, she chose to scowl at the other woman, just to make herself feel better. For several minutes, the gunfighter and her employer just glared at each other, both letting the other know that they were not in the mood to be trifled with. However, it wasn't long before Sei turned away, her expression softening, and she asked Jo an unexpected question.
"Why do you do it?"
Jo's expression changed to one of confusion, not understanding the question fully.
"Why do I do what?"
"Why do you put your own life at risk to ensure Meg's safety?" asked Sei, turning her gaze back towards Jo.
"Because she's my friend" replied Jo, unsure as to why that answer should be so mysterious.
"I'm aware of that," continued Sei, smiling to herself, "but what makes her so special that you would move heaven and earth to make certain that she's safe? Why is it that you will not rest, even if you're grievously wounded, even if the odds are stacked against you and even if your opponent is more powerful than you, until you know that no harm will come to her?".
Jo stared at her companion, dumbstruck. She didn't know how to reply.
"You love her, don't you?" finished the older woman, making the last part more of a statement than a question.
The words hit the gunfighter like a physical blow.
Was that what the answer was? Was that the word that she had been searching for all this time? Jo knew that she couldn't describe her feelings for her red headed friend, but that was because she didn't know how. After so many years, after all the inner turmoil and confusion that she had suffered for so long, could this finally explain what she felt? After what seemed like forever, the crimson eyed mercenary turned her attention back towards Sei.
"I...I think...I do".
The dark haired leader smiled, patting Jo on her uninjured shoulder.
"I know you do".
A/N: Well, I seemed to get that chapter up pretty quick, eh? So, what did everybody think? I know, I know, Meg got abused, but I promise that her experience will play an important part in the later development of the story. Also, it finally seems like Jo has made a decision about those feelings that she kept on mulling over way back in the earlier chapters. See? I didn't forget about them! Ok, as I say every time, please be generous with your reviews. I really love reading them, plus they keep me writing. Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter!
Until next time!
