Hey there!

Thanks for the reviews, really, they always make so happy, you don't even know.
Oh, and to set something straight;
Vinnie and his team found the remains of the camp, not Zevvi.
Zevvi was already living in the house with Abigail and the rest of the kids when they found out about the camp.
It's still unclear if Vinnie knows about her but Kiwi, and the rest with her, suspects that he doesn't, for he isn't really the type of guy to sit down and read some files.
And they're probably right about that ;)
I mean, it's Vinnie we're talking about here, hehe.

Aaaaanyway...
Here's another update.
Pretty quick, I know, but I already wrote this chapter before I even finished the previous one and I figured; why wait, huh?
So here it is.
But oh boy, the drama, hehe.

Hope you guys like it!
Enjoy! ^^

Chapter 23

'Out of difficulties grow miracles.'

A few days later…
"I think this belongs over there…", Harley mused, sitting between the blocks of the characteristic red stone and she picked one up with a frown on her face.
But when she tried to put it on another one, it soon became clear that it didn't fit and she dropped it again with a loud sigh.
She then looked at Kiwi, blowing a strand of hair out of her heated face.
"Seriously, how hard can it be to build a bed?"

Kiwi shrugged, sitting on one of the blocks with her head in her hands in defeat.
They were trying to put Zevvi's bed together for hours now, but it somehow just didn't work out and the frustration started running high.
"Apparently, very hard. Maybe we should ask Thro…", but the Martian female already shook her head to stop her, clearly insulted by this suggestion.
"No, we really shouldn't and we won't. Come on, Kiwi, look at us. We're intelligent, courageous and independent women! We don't need no man to tell us how to put a cot together!"

The human girl raised her hands with arched brows and her blue eyes wide open because of this outraged response.
"Okay, okay, chill. If you say so… Geez, must have hit a nerve…"
She then looked back at the pile of stones that was Zevvi's bed and she rested her head in her hands again, heaving a sigh.
"Though I gotta say that I don't feel particularly intelligent, courageous and independent at the moment… God, I miss Ikea…"

Before Harley could ask what she meant with that, a knock on the door made them both look up a bit surprised, for it was already late in the afternoon and Kiwi wasn't expecting visitors.
After one more frustrated look at the bed, the human girl rose on her feet and walked to the door to open it.
But when she saw who was standing on her doorstep, her eyes grew big.
"Carbine! To what do I owe this visit?", she called out, not able to hide her surprise.

But who could blame her, huh?
After all, it wasn't exactly a secret that the relationship she had with Carbine was laborious ever since they met and so, she was the last person she thought she would see here, knocking on her door.
And yet, here she was.
Feeling all uncomfortable, just like Kiwi.
"I uh… Well, this is gonna sound weird, but I uh… I have a surprise for you and I...", the light-grey-furred female started as she looked inside the room over Kiwi's shoulder but she trailed off with her brown eyes wide open when she saw the chaos, with in the middle a very frustrated Harley.
"What on Mars is going on here?"

Kiwi looked over her shoulder as well, as if she had no idea what was going on, which was stupid for she knew all too well what was happening behind her, but she was still a bit flabbergasted by this sudden and unexpected visit.
"We uh… we're trying to put Zevvi's bed together, but it's a bit harder than we thought…", she explained but then she turned her gaze back on Carbine, her blue eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean, a surprise? I mean, isn't the fact that you're standing here a surprise on itself?"
Oh, oops.
That wasn't supposed to come out.
Kiwi's cheeks turned red as she shot Carbine an apologetic look.
"Sorry, that was… tasteless."

"Actually, it was quite funny", Harley disagreed with her as she suddenly popped up behind Kiwi, who elbowed her in the ribs in return.
"Harley!", she hissed, but Carbine held up her hand.
"It's okay, Kiwi. Harley is right and, as usual, not afraid to speak up her mind. I know it's beyond weird that I'm standing here, but I am, so uh… yeah... Surprise…"
The silence that followed was more than just awkward and Carbine cleared her throat as she pulled on her collar.
"Ahem… Anyway… the real surprise is in the garage so if you don't mind coming with me?"
Kiwi glanced at Harley, who laid a hand on her shoulder with an encouraging smile on her still heated face.
"You go with her. In the meantime, I shall continue this disaster plan that's called a bed."

Kiwi just nodded, not knowing what to say and Carbine stepped aside to let her pass.
She then pointed at one of the blocks at the right.
"You should start with that one", she told Harley before she turned around and walked away.
Harley stared at the chaos for a moment and then looked at Kiwi, who shrugged a bit sheepishly.
"I guess it's worth a try, right?"
And without waiting for an answer, she turned around to follow Carbine, who was already halfway the hallway.

The light-brown-furred female followed them with her eyes until they went around the corner and then shook her head as she closed the door.
"Honestly... Carbine having a surprise for Kiwi? Who would've thought? So miracles do happen, after all."
She then rolled up her sleeves, looking at the bed to be with a healthy portion of determination and renewed strength.
"Okay, bed from hell. Let's see if the universe has some more miracles to spare..."

…

After a slightly awkward and silent walk to the garage, Kiwi followed Carbine inside.
While she was still contemplating what to say to the former General to make this whole thing a bit less uncomfortable, the latter already stopped next to an object covered with a white sheet.
She then turned around to face Kiwi, her tail softly swinging back and forth, given away her unease.
"So, uh… Throttle told me about Zevvi. That Abigail agreed with the adoption and that you need to go over there as much as you can to get to know each other a bit before she moves to the base. He also told me that he and Modo are taking turns to give you a ride and I… Well, I just assumed… uh..."
She fell silent again and fiddled with her fingers.

Kiwi could only stare at her, for she had never seen Carbine like this.
She was always so… stabile.
Strong.
Fearless.
Always knowing what to say, always ready to share her opinion, whether one liked to hear it or not.
Seeing her stutter like this was just mindblown, to say the least.
Perhaps even worrying.
And it made her wonder...
What the hell was under that sheet?

After staring at her feet for a little while, Carbine glanced at Kiwi again and the human girl gave her a reassuring smile when she saw the stuffed look on her face.
Like she always did.
Always looking after one another.
To keep everyone happy.
As long as everyone was happy...
It seemed to give Carbine the courage to continue, because she grabbed the sheet with both hands, this time without hesitation.
"I just wanted to give you this…", and she pulled the sheet off in one smooth movement.

When Kiwi saw what was hidden underneath it, her mouth dropped for the second time this day.
"But that is… That's…"
"Stoker's bike, yes. I fixed it up and I want you to have it. So you can go to Zevvi any time you want… And when she's here, I figured you should be able to take her for a ride, you know… to have some uh… quality time, or whatever it is that mothers do with their daughter."

Speechless.
Kiwi was absolutely speechless.
All she could do was stare at the beautiful bike, her mouth still wide open, as were her eyes.
Her silence made Carbine even more nervous and she looked at the bike before she looked back at Kiwi again, her eyes filled with insecurity.
"You do know how to ride a bike, right? I mean, I don't wanna..."
But Kiwi already nodded to confirm before she could finish the sentence.

However, she wasn't planning on telling Carbine the whole truth.
That she, indeed, knew how to ride a bike but that the thought of doing so without having a certain white-furred someone around to guide her scared her to death.
But she didn't want to bring him up.
Not anymore.
Besides, it wasn't really the point right now.
No, the point was that Carbine was actually being nice to her.
Genuinely nice.

Miracles…
They came in many forms.
Obviously.
Perhaps she should at least try to say something, for this was starting to get awkward again.
And so she let her heart speak.
"My god, Carbine, this is…I don't know what to say... But…but I have to ask… Are you sure about this? I mean, it's Stoker's bike. I uh… I dunno, are you sure you wanna give it to… me?"

The former General let out her breath as she laid a hand on one of the handlebars, avoiding Kiwi's gaze in the process.
"Yes, I'm sure. Stoker adored you, Kiwi. I'm sure this is what he would've wanted… It's about right…"
Her voice broke and she stopped talking to grab herself together, but Kiwi just took her by the arm without thinking and pulled her in a tight hug, not able to just stand there and helplessly watch her struggle with her grief.
Not even after everything that went down between them.
No one should be alone when being in pain.
Not even the tough and bitchy former General.
No.
No one.

Carbine stiffened at first, it was clear that this sudden move surprised her, but then, she burst into tears, her whole body trembling in Kiwi's arms because of her heartache.
Kiwi just held her, stroking her back to comfort her, feeling her pain as her own.
"I just miss him so much…", the usual tough female mouse sobbed, almost clinging onto Kiwi in desperation.
"I know…", the human girl whispered, tightening her grip around the heartbroken light-grey-furred Martian.

For a little while, they just stood there.
Holding on to each other.
Both missing someone like an amputated limb.
Not able to walk straight without the other.
It was cruel.
But at least they understood each other now.
As it turned out, they weren't so different from each other after all.
They shared a pain that only those that lost a loved one could understand.
Mutual pain.
It creates a bond.
Sad, but true.

When Carbine eventually calmed down a bit, Kiwi gently untangled herself so she could look her in the eye.
"Thank you, Carbine. From the bottom of my heart. This is the sweetest thing someone has ever done for me and it means the world. Especially now..."
Carbine nodded, clearly not knowing what to do with this compliment as she wiped away her tears with a trembling hand and Kiwi smiled, although it was a sad smile.
But when she looked back at the bike again, she suddenly felt two hands grabbing her shoulders in a tight grip and she looked up a bit startled, straight into Carbine's burning hazel-colored eyes.
"You hang on, you hear me? Things will get better, sooner than you think. Just… hang on."

Kiwi froze by hearing these words.
Well, more by hearing the compelling tone in her voice.
Somehow, it felt as if the former General was giving her a message.
An important one.
One she didn't understand.
But before she could ask, Carbine pushed the keys of the bike in her hand and made a hasty retreat, leaving a very confused human girl behind.
What on Mars was she talking about?

...

That night, Kiwi couldn't sleep, no matter how hard she tried.
It was kind of strange, for this day had been more than exhausting, mainly because of that stupid bed, which had been child's play to put together after Carbine's golden tip, as Harley had told her when she came back from the garage, completely mentally drained by Carbine's surprise.
Still, despite all that, she couldn't sleep.

Ever since her head had touched the soft pillow, there was a certain restlessness that kept her awake and she wasn't sure what it meant.
Of course, Carbine's vague but compelling message kept her busy, her brain constantly trying to figure out where the light-grey-furred mouse was getting at.
But it wasn't just that.
Something was eating her.
Gnawing on her insides.
Something that felt a lot like fear.
And she suspected that it had something to do with Zevvi.

Even though she was absolutely certain that she had made the right decision to take Zevvi in, she was beyond scared.
Scared to do something wrong.
Scared to fail the little white-furred child that had become so important to her in this short matter of time.
That sweet child that counted on her now.
Next to all that, she was scared to do this alone.
Of course, she had her little but loving family to help her.
But still.
She somehow felt alone.
As if there was a piece missing.
And here we go again...

Heaving a sigh in annoyance, she got upright and turned around to lean against the cold wall.
After wrapping her arms around her legs, she rested her chin on her knees and her blue eyes wandered over the small bed across the room before they gazed out of the window.
More than a million stars looked back, twinkling like diamonds in the pitch-black sky.

Although she lived here for a little while now, the breathtaking sight still managed to amaze her every time she saw it.
Which was good, because she desperately needed the distraction.
To stop her heart from forcing her brain to think about a certain person that she didn't want to think about.
Oh no.
He was the last thing she wanted to think about.
Now and forever.

But luckily, the sight mesmerized her like it always did.
It made her calm, too.
Well, not entirely, perhaps.
But at least enough to not feel the constant urge to go outside and run away as far as she could.
Fear for the unknown tended to make her do that sometimes.
Run.
Just like… him.

Argh!
Stop it, young lady!
He's dead, remember?!
He doesn't exist, not anymore.
Every thought dedicated to him was a spilled one, nothing more than a figment of her imagination.
A waste.

But despite her anger because of what he had done to her, there were still moments such as this one.
And during these moments, her heart forced her brain to remember, even though she tried to stop it with everything she had in her.
But it didn't care about what she wanted.
It forced her to remember anyway.
To remember what she had lost.
Loneliness...

Everyone kept telling her that she wasn't alone.
And most of the time, she believed them.
But when she wasn't surrounded by the loving warmth of those that she considered being her family, she felt lonely like never before.
It became worse by the day, strangely enough.
The void he had left behind.
It became bigger, a shadow that was always there, ready to swallow her.
Darkness...

No matter how hard she tried to forget, she couldn't deny that she was simply incomplete without him.
It was a fact.
The harsh and unadulterated truth.
And there was nothing that could change this truth.
Not even her anger.
Not even his awful betrayal.
Not even Zevvi...

Lead me, save me from my solitude...

She hated it.
She hated herself for it.
That she still had moments like this one.
Moments of weakness.
It made her sick.
Only thinking about him made her sick.
It tied her insides in a knot.
It made her feel like there was a stone in her stomach, making her heart heavy at the same time.
It made her nauseous.
Her mind knew he wasn't worth the trouble.
Not anymore.
But her heart just didn't listen.
Her aching heart.
Her yearning heart.

Without really realizing it, she closed her eyes, which was a risky move.
Dangerous.
To let herself be distracted from the distraction.
Because it wasn't only darkness that looked back, no…
He was there too.
Looking back at her with those ruby-red eyes that burned.
Burned with love…
...true love…

No.

It was as if something slapped her in the face, something that looked a lot like reality and her eyes flew open again.
She was about to give herself a huge inner scolding for allowing herself to be carried away like that, but then, that strange and maddening restlessness washed over
her again.
It made her body tremble like a blade of grass in the wind and she frowned in confusion.
Confusion that soon grew even bigger when, despite the cold that defined the lonely Martian nights, her body temperature rose and sweat already started to form on her forehead.
She reflexively threw the thick blanket off of her, the blanket that was supposed to give her warmth and comfort but now felt like a prison instead.
A golden cage without sunlight...

But it didn't help, in fact, panic joined the confusion when nausea pressed against her windpipe, making it very hard to breathe all of a sudden and a sharp pain in her head made her almost look cross-eyed.
She had no idea what was going on here, but she knew one thing.
She needed air.
Fresh and cooling air.
To cool down her overstimulated body.
Jesus.
Was she having a heart attack?
Or was this how dying felt like?

God, no.
Despite the huge aching hole in her heart, she didn't want to die.
Not anymore.
Zevvi needed her.
She needed Zevvi.
Goddammit.
She had found back a purpose.
She couldn't be taken away, not now.
Not now she had something to fight for again.
Not even the universe could be that cruel, right?
Air.
She needed air.

Still shaking, she slid off the bed, but when she put weight on her legs, she noticed how weak they were.
As if they were made of rubber.
Biting her lower lip, she stumbled a few passes towards the balcony, determined to get there, no matter what.
But she was only halfway when her legs gave out and she dropped down on the floor like a sack of potatoes.

The cold of the floor entered her body through the bare skin on her knees and rushed through her veins, making her teeth chattering.
But despite the cold that froze her aching heart, she was still sweating.
In fact, it now streamed down her back, soaking the shirt she always slept in and she bend over, resting her weight on her hands.
She still had difficulty breathing and she squeezed her eyes shut when the panic grew even bigger.
What the hell was going on here?

But then, she heard something behind her.
At first, she didn't recognize the sound, her mind still too occupied with trying to figure out what was happening here.
But when her brain finally processed the signal that her ears send up, she froze.
The door.
It was the door of her room sliding open.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, and she suddenly could breathe again.
It was shallow and therefore hardly sufficient, but it was ten times better than that awful feeling of being choked to death.
Nevertheless, it all made sense now.
Because even without looking behind her, she already knew who was standing on her doorstep.
From the moment the door opened, she knew.
She felt it in every fiber of her body.

"Things will get better, sooner than you think…"

A hint of the most wonderful fragrance that existed in this entire universe and beyond caressed her nostrils, making her heart flutter in her chest.
It tickled her from the inside, causing her to feel pins and needles all over her body as goosebumps spread throughout her skin.
For a moment, she just stared at the floor, at her fingers that clung onto the red stone of the floor in her room.
The silence was deafening.
Heavy.
Loaded.

Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation...
Darkness stirs and wakes imagination...

Was this a dream?
Or even worse, was she dead?
No.
It felt too real.
It had to be real.
Slowly, she pushed herself back upright and her hands clenched into fists from the moment she let go of the cold floor.
Trembling fists.
She was still shaking like a leaf.
God.
Help me.

A lump formed in her throat and no matter how hard she tried to swallow it away, it stuck to her gullet like glue.
Somehow, the thought of looking over her shoulder frightened her.
As if she was scared to be disappointed.
That he wasn't really there.
That her body and mind were playing some sick and twisted game for whatever reason.
But her heart couldn't lie, right?
And it was her heart that told her to look over her shoulder.
That it was okay.
So, after taking a deep inhale through the nose in an attempt to take back control over her still shallow respiration, she slowly turned her head...

Time just stopped ticking.
So was her heart.
In fact, everything that could halt stopped from the moment she laid her eyes on him.
Him.
Her missing half.
The person that was once her entire world.
The person that she never imagined seeing again.
But there he was.
Standing on her doorstep.
Just like that.
So it was true what they said.
Once you stop chasing the one thing you desire more than anything, it will stop running and come to you.

True indeed.
Almost eagerly, as if her eyes needed to convince her brain that he was really standing there by taking in every detail, her gaze wandered over his worn-out biker shoes, his baggy black biker jeans, his soft-yellow shirt that was tight enough to show the greatly shaped body that was hidden underneath it…
His muscular chest.
The very same chest where she had rested her head on for countless times already.
To listen to the calming rhythm of his heartbeat.
A chest that was once her safe haven.
His muscular arms.
The very same arms that had wrapped around her for God only knew how many times.
To comfort her.
To make her feel safe.
Arms that were once her shelter.

Her eyes darted up to his ears, almost desperately avoiding his gaze, for she wasn't ready yet.
She wasn't sure if she would ever be ready.
So she studied his ears with an almost obsessive precision.
His big ears, the left one still carrying the black and red diamond studs, the token of their love.
Love that was now turned into stone.
Cold and hard stone, like the floor she was sitting on right now.
Love that was once their binding.
Their core.

It became their downfall at the same time.
Doomed to never be able to walk alone.
Doomed to never be whole without the other.
Doomed to be together forever, something that once wasn't so bad.
Quite the opposite, actually.
It used to feel like a privilege.
But now…
Now she had felt the cold of true loneliness, now she had seen the darkness of incompleteness, she wasn't so sure anymore.

It's the things we love most that destroy us...

Shrugging off these horrible thoughts, she now quickly let her still eager gaze wander over the silver mask.
A mask that hid more than just his physical scars.
A broken soul.
Hiding in the darkness.
Trapped.

I fought so hard to free you...

Next up, his antennas, which he had used once to share his love for her, that night on Earth after the Stalkers were defeated.
It was before they connected.
Or maybe it was that very moment that they connected.
She wasn't sure.
It didn't matter either.
Her eyes followed the mask down to his nose.
To his cute buck teeth, the purple bandana around his neck, his sleeveless black hoodie, his tail...

Every muscle in her body tensed as her blue eyes wandered up again and she braced herself, knowing she couldn't stop the inevitable from happening.
But damn, she was scared.
How long had she yearned for this moment to come?
How long had she dreamed of this moment to happen?
Too long.
And now the moment was there and all she feared was disappointment.
What if he wasn't the same anymore?
What if he was no longer the mouse she once knew?
The mouse she once loved?

But despite her fear, she looked up and when she finally, finally… after all this time of hoping and dreaming, looked into his mesmerizing ruby-red eyes again, a shock went through her body.
Her fears were unfounded.
Obviously.
Holy shit.
There was no doubt.
It was him.
It was really him.
He was back.
Vinnie...

There were no words that could describe what it did to her to see him standing there.
To see him looking back at her went even beyond that.
But even though his eyes were so familiar, they looked back at her sadder than she'd ever seen before.
He somehow looked older, too.
As if he had been away for twenty years instead of just one and it broke her already broken heart.
How did it come to this?
She slowly turned around without breaking eye contact, still sitting on her knees.
For a moment, all they could do was just stare at each other, both completely paralyzed.

But then, something changed in his eyes, the sadness got accompanied by both love and desire.
His backpack slid off his shoulder and landed on the floor with a thump, but Kiwi hardly heard it.
Her eyes took in every movement, every detail of his beautiful face, for she knew what was next.
She didn't blink, she simply didn't dare to, beyond scared that she would miss it.
She couldn't miss it.
Not after yearning for it for this long.

Again, he didn't disappoint her and the left corner of his mouth curled up into that crooked and arrogant smile.
That smile, that was once able to rock her world.
Her entire existence.
It still did.
Goddammit, it still did.

A tear left her right eye and rolled down her cheek as she slowly climbed back on her feet, not able to turn her gaze away.
Jesus, he was so goddamn sexy.
It was almost a crime.
Her body immediately responded.
Of course, it did.
He was standing there, in his full and handsome glory.
How could she not be affected by that?
God, she had missed him so much.
It was still very hard to believe that he was standing there, being more real than he'd ever been for the past year.

With their eyes still locked, she did a few steps into his direction, her body and heart yearning to feel his soft fur under her fingers.
To feel his strong and safe arms around her.
To taste his lips…
But just before she dropped all her defenses, before she completely succumbed to him, it suddenly felt as if she got struck by lightning and she stopped dead in her tracks.
What on both Earth and Mars was she doing?
Let us not forget that this wasn't just the mouse that had once meant the world to her.
The mouse that used to be her one companion.
Her lover and her friend.

No, let us remember that this was the very same mouse that had left her behind, broken and irreparable.
The mouse that betrayed her like no one ever had.
Not just that.
He had denied her.
Humiliated her.
And here she was, about to jump in his arms as if all of this had never happened.
Seriously, where was her self-respect?
Well, in her defense, him popping up completely out of the blue was… shocking, to say the least.

Still.

As soon as she stopped moving, he seemed to come back to senses as well, for his smile vanished like smoke in the wind and his ears drooped as he turned his gaze away in shame.
Seeing this transformation only sparked the anger that had been overshadowed by shock up to this moment.
The very same anger that had made it possible for her to go back to her life, right after that horrible conversation.
To move on, despite the aching hole in her heart that kept reminding her every goddamn minute of the day that she wasn't whole.
That she was incomplete.
That anger.

It now chased away the last remnants of shock and she clenched her fists again, but this time with so much strength that the remains of her already broken nails cut in her flesh.
Not that she cared.
She hardly felt it.
With a little effort, she succeeded to open her clenched jaws, even though she wasn't sure if she could trust her voice.
But she asked the question, the one that was burning on her tongue, anyway.
"What are you doing here?"

Much to her relief, her voice cooperated.
It sounded hoarse, thick of emotion, but at least it worked.
Not just that, there was even an undertone as sharp as a knife audible, one that gave away her anger.
Her pain.
Her misery.
Her heartache.
It gave away every amount of emotion, tiny and big, that came with being humiliated like she was.
With being betrayed.

His shoulders slumped as he bit his lower lip, clearly deeply affected by hearing the pain in her voice.
Good.
It was the least he deserved.
After staring at the ground for a while, his tail twitching in unease, he looked up again and the guilt that was written upon his face almost made her anger vanish like snow under the sun.
His words, however, stopped that process before it could even begin.
"Look, sweetheart, I… You're angry. I get it…"

Kiwi blinked a few times when she heard him call her 'sweetheart'.
After everything he did to her, he still had neither the presence of mind nor the decency to call her by her name.
He knew damn well how important that was to her, how much that meant to her and yet, he didn't.
Next to that, how could he possibly know what she felt?

The tears I might have shed for your dark fate, grow cold and turn to tears of hate...

She gritted her teeth, hardly able to control the anger that now fired like a missile because of these empty and stupid words.
"You get it? You get it?! How dare you even think that? You have no idea…", she started almost hissing, but she had to stop again to get herself back under control, to stop the tears that were now burning behind her eyes.
Tears of anger.
Tears of pain.
Tears he didn't deserve.

She closed them for a moment, taking a few deep breaths before opening them again.
"You have no idea what I've been through. You have no idea what it did to me… what you did to me by leaving me like that. Because you left, remember? You…"
Again, she got overwhelmed by her emotions, but this time, she wasn't able to stop it.
To stop this almost hysterical anger that was forged by her broken heart.
That was waged by his betrayal.

Before she could even process it, or he for that matter, she was already standing in front of him and after planting both hands on his chest, she pushed him away with all the strength she had in her.
He stumbled backward, but managed to remain on his feet as he looked at her with those piercing deep-red eyes of his...
...those pleading eyes…

"You left! You just left me, even though you promised to be there for me! You promised me on our wedding that you would follow me anywhere, that you would always be with me and beside me, to guard me and to guide me, for all eternity!", she yelled at him with breaking voice as the unwanted tears blurred her vision, making her unable to see the burning guilt in his eyes.
Which was probably a good thing.

She pushed him again, but this time he was prepared and he managed to stay put.
It made her even angrier.
In fact, she had never been this angry in her entire life and she just snapped like an elastic band that was stretched too far.
A red mist formed before her eyes and she started to hit him on the chest with clenched fists, over and over again.
"You promised me a world with no more night and you just left me… all alone… in the dark… How could you do that to me?! How could you betray me like that?!"
At first, he did nothing.
He just stood there, letting it all happen and Kiwi burst into tears, still hitting him and pulling on his clothes with everything she had in her.
"I needed you, so badly, but you just left me… without blinking… You broke me...", she sobbed hysterically, tears streaming down her face.

It was then when she felt two hands gently but firmly grabbing her wrists and she shook her head as she already tried to yank herself free again.
"No, let me go!"
But he didn't.
Goddammit, he didn't.
"I said; let me go! Now! You have no right! Not anymore!", she cried fiercely, squeezing her eyes shut as she still struggled to get free.
For fuck sake, he needed to let her go.
And quickly, too.
Feeling his hands, his warm hands, around her wrists took her off guard.
It distracted her from the main course here.
She couldn't let that happen.
To let down her defenses.
If she did, she had no idea what would happen.
And truth be told, she wasn't sure if she was ready to find out.

Wildly my mind beats against you...

"I hate you, you hear me?! I hate you with everything I have in me…"
But her voice was losing its strength.
So was her body.
Her attempts to get free became less powerful for she needed to use all her energy to remain on her feet.
"I hate you…", she whispered heartbroken, now leaning against him to stop herself from collapsing.

I try to resist…

Suddenly, his right hand let go of hers and she felt his fingers, his furry and soft fingers, under her chin.
They gently forced her to look up, but she stubbornly kept her eyes closed.
She couldn't bear to look at him.
To look into those eyes that told so many stories.
Those eyes, that were the windows to his soul.
His wandering soul.
Searching for a home.
For safety and security.
She heard him breathe in and she already violently shook her head to stop him from saying anything.
She couldn't bear to hear his voice.
To hear the voice that was fulfilled with promises.
False promises…
"Kiwi…"

...yet my soul obeys...

She froze as her heart almost exploded out of her chest and her lower lip started to tremble again.
He said her name.
Before she could stop herself, she slowly opened her eyes.
His face was just inches away from hers and his scent suddenly filled her nose when she unconsciously lowered her defenses.
It made her dizzy, for some reason.
As if the ground underneath them was moving like waving water.
Like the ocean on Earth.
But there was no sun.
No fresh sea breeze.
No sound of boats and seagulls.
Only darkness.
Cold and silent darkness.

Floating, falling...
Sweet intoxicating...

"No…", she mumbled, one last attempt to stop this before it could even begin.
But it had already begun.
He let go of her chin as she stared into his eyes, his mesmerizing eyes…
Tenderly, he took her face in his hands.
His thumbs wiped away her tears and she gave him an almost pleading look, knowing she was close to her breaking point.
Close to the point of no return.
But he didn't back down.
On the contrary.
He looked back at her with a frown that made him look even older.
Burdened.
"I'm so… so sorry for leaving you…", he whispered as he gently tucked a strand of her black hair behind her ear.

Touch me, trust me…
Savor each sensation...

His low voice, the one that carried so many memories with it, took her breath away and without thinking, she raised her hands and laid them on his arms.
Her fingers slid through the white fur a bit hesitant at first, but soon thereafter, she let out her breath, for it felt like coming home.
To feel the soft hairs under her skin.
Finally...
It seemed to have the same effect on him because he closed his eyes from the moment he felt her touch and she felt his body relax a bit.
A tear got caught in his lashes, but eventually managed to break free and it slowly rolled down his cheek, glittering in the soft light of the stars that shined down on them through the window.

As her blue eyes followed the tiny drop that reflected his pain, her anger got suddenly accompanied by something even far more dangerous.
Desire.
It set her whole body on fire.
It made her forget about right or wrong.
About 'if' or 'when'.
About everything, actually.
Boundaries fade at the point of no return.
There was no good or bad anymore.
Only fire.
Flames as hot as the sun, ready to consume them.

No use resisting...
Abandon thought and let the dream descend...

Dangerous indeed.
Because when he opened his eyes again, when she saw his pain, his desire, his love… she was lost.
Completely lost.
Past the point of no return.
He was really here.
She grabbed his bandana to pull him closer before she practically crashed her lips on his.
It took him like a nano-second to respond, clearly surprised by this sudden move.
Yeah, well.
He wasn't the only one.
But then, he kissed her back with a hunger she had never felt before and that was saying something given their history.

By the gods...
Again, she couldn't find the words to describe what it did to her to feel his lips on hers again.
To taste him again.
It was crazy what he did to her, in both presence and absence.
Even beyond that.
It was simply incomprehensible.
Love…
It was treacherous.
Erratic.
Defining.

He deepened the kiss as he let go of her head and when she felt his strong arms wrapping around her, she broke down crying again.
How much she had yearned for this moment.
And it felt even better than she had dared to dream.
Everything else was forgotten for now.
He was back.
He was holding her again.
Her home.
Her shelter.
Her everything.

She clung onto him, kissing him almost desperately as tears still streamed down her face.
He pulled her even closer to him and their bodies entwined, defenseless and silent.
There was no going back now.
No backward glances.
No...
Not anymore.

He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her to the bed without breaking off their kiss.
Their passionate kiss.
Passion driven by anger, pain, love and desire.
Mostly pain.
Mutual pain.
He gently laid her down on the soft blankets and her hands already slid down his back to his pants.
Her fingers pulled on his belt, but her hands were too shaky and she moaned against his lips in frustration.

It was then that Vinnie broke off the kiss and she opened her eyes, only to see him looking back with eyes as black as the night, letting her heartbeat rise to an unprecedented level.
"Kiwi… my sweet, sweet Kiwi…", he mumbled softly as he ran his right hand through her black and messy hair.
Oh god, his voice.
That low and raw voice.
It made her cry even harder and for a moment, he seemed to be a bit unsure about what to do.
She couldn't really blame him, for all she was giving him were contradictory signals.
But she just wasn't in control.

There is always some madness in love...
But there is also always some reason in madness...

She reached out her trembling hands and touched his face with only her fingertips as she studied it with her blue eyes wide open.
It was as if she saw it for the first time.
It was so breathtakingly beautiful.
She couldn't get enough of it.
"Say… say you love me…", she sobbed as her fingertips slid through the soft fur on the left side of his face.
The unharmed side of his face.
His true mask...
When he heard these words, his ruby-red eyes filled with tears as well and he laid one hand on her cheek with a tenderness she never knew he had him.
"You know I do…", he whispered with a husky voice.

Love me…
That's all I ask of you...

It was all she needed to hear for now and she grabbed his ear to pull him closer before she kissed him again.
That was clearly all he needed as well because his breathing accelerated the moment their lips made contact again.
His kissing became more compelling.
His hands more targeted.
He too had reached the point of no return.
There was only one thing to do now.
Let the flames consume them.

The bridge is crossed, so stand and watch it burn…
We've passed the point of no return...

As the skilled mouse as he was, he managed to get them both out of their clothes without breaking off the kiss, and soon, he gently made his way inside.
It was as if a bomb went off in her body the moment she felt him inside of her and a soft moan escaped her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
She needed to hold him.
To feel him.
To smell him.
To reassure herself over and over again that he was really here.
He moved almost painfully slow, resting his weight on his elbows, his hands holding her head with fingers woven in her hair.

"Kiwi...", he breathed against her lips as he picked up the pace a little bit and a soft red light now joined the already warm white light of the stars.
Before she could process what it was, her whole body suddenly convulsed under him when his pain became hers again.
When his love became hers again.
When his desire became hers again.
When his everything became hers again.
A connection made by love, once brutally broken, now restored.
She was whole again.

You alone can make my song take flight...

So, the prodigal son returns... for reasons that will be revealed further on in the story.
I truly wonder; did you guys see it coming?

Either way, he's back now.
So how will things continue after this, let's just say, heated reunion?
Will Kiwi be able to forgive him?
And what about his bro's?
How will they react when they find out about his return?
And what will Zevvi be to Vinnie?
There's still so much to find out, gosh.
If you want answers to these questions, I suggest you stay tuned ;)

So, I hope you guys liked this chapter.
I really put my heart and soul in this one, that's for sure.
Feel free to leave a review, always very much appreciated and they sure as hell keep me motivated.
The next update will take a bit longer though, just so you know.

Till next time, my friends!
BYE!