Dragonflame by Shelly
CHAPTER TWO
As luck would have it, Tania missed the combat trial between the Lightning Saix and the Blade Liger as she had an appointment with the doctor for him to check on how her leg was healing. He looked it over, poked and prodded at it, and eventually said he thought it was okay for her to ditch the crutch as long as she kept it wrapped tightly until she could walk without limping. She couldn't help but think that sometimes these visits were a waste of time as she could've determined that for herself.
The doctor gave her a cloth bandage to use and sent her on her way, and as she emerged from the doctor's office she nearly ran into Fiona who was coming in. "Fiona! I'm sorry, I didn't see you coming!"
"I should be the one apologizing, Tania," the young woman exclaimed.
"It's okay, really," she assured her, suddenly realizing how little she actually knew about Fiona. "Would you like some coffee? I was just about to go get some and you're more than welcome to join me."
Fiona smiled. "Sure. That sounds good."
Soon they were in Karl's suite enjoying their coffee as they got to know each other better, Tania becoming used to the fact that Fiona put salt instead of sugar in hers. She asked about Fiona's past of which there wasn't that much to tell and Tania told her a little about her past as well.
Fiona took a sip of her coffee, feeling a little more comfortable around Tania the more they spoke together. "I was actually looking for you to tell you that Colonel Shubaltz had a meeting to attend after the combat trial was over."
"Oh? Who won the trial?" Tania asked.
"Well, there was no real winner as the sole purpose was to determine how the Lightning Saix operates in a combat situation. They played at fighting for a while before they were called back, acting like a couple of children out there."
Tania laughed. "I can imagine. Did Irvine manage to survive this time?"
"He did well," she answered. "He knew what he was getting into this time around." Then she looked down at her cup for a moment.
"Fiona, what is it?"
She smiled when she brought her gaze up which was still filled with a bit of sadness. "I really don't know how to go about saying this, but I really need someone to talk to, another female if you know what I mean. You don't know how happy I am that I'm not the only one here."
"If you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you. And anything you say will be kept between us, I promise," she said as she took the younger woman's hand in hers.
Fiona smiled. "Thank you, Tania. It means a lot to me." Then she looked down at the hand holding hers, which happened to be Tania's left hand. "It's so beautiful," she commented as she raised the ring up so she could look at it then allowing Tania to take back her hand. "You're so lucky, Tania, having the kind of love that you do. I'd give anything to have that happen to me one day."
Tania studied Fiona closely. "What about Van? From what you've told me, you've both been through some tough situations. Surely that must account for something."
A small smile appeared as she thought of Van and her memories of them together. "Yes, I had somewhat of a crush on him when we were younger. And when we went our separate ways after the war, I immersed myself in my work so much that I thought about little else. But when we met again after Doctor D and I were attacked, I was amazed at how much he had changed. He had matured so much and seemed so much older."
Tania nodded. "To me, Van has always seemed older than his years. He takes so much responsibility upon himself to save others from being hurt that I fear that one day it will take its toll on him. I worry about him sometimes and I wish there was something I could do to ease his worries."
"It seems like you love him," Fiona pointed out.
"I do, but only as a friend," she replied. "What about Thomas? I get the feeling that he has some sort of thing for you, too."
Fiona laughed. "Well, whatever type of 'thing' he has, I do not return it. He is a good enough person but I only see him as a friend."
Tania chuckled. "Poor Thomas," she lamented. "I'm sure that one day he will find someone out there that is meant for him."
"If there have been any two people out there that were meant for each other, it is you and Colonel Shubaltz. You both love each other so deeply that it shows in your eyes, and when you're together...it's so unreal."
Tania laughed shyly. "Yeah, it's unreal how we have fallen in love so deeply in so short a time, although we have loved each other for years even though we weren't together."
"If I had known that being with her could make me this happy then I wouldn't have let her leave all those years ago, no matter what her father said," Karl added as he walked in the room, stopping in front of Tania and kissing her before going to get himself a cup of coffee.
Fiona winked at Tania. "I better go now and give you both some time alone," she said as she rose to her feet. "I appreciate the time we have spent together. Thank you."
"Just remember, if you need anything just ask," she added as she walked her to the door and closed it behind her. She returned to the main room to see Karl had disappeared, and looked around to see him in the bedroom removing his uniform to change into something more comfortable. Walking up behind him, she slid her hands underneath his shirt to pull it over his head as she kneaded his lower neck with her hands and ran her fingertips lightly down his back, pleased to hear his moan of pleasure. "How did your meeting go?" she asked as he turned to sit down on the bed so that he faced her, wrapping his arms around her waist to hold her close. She tunneled her fingers through his hair, enjoying the silky feel of it sliding across her knuckles.
"I'd rather not discuss army business here when I can spend time with you instead," he sighed then looked down at her leg. "What are you doing standing without your crutch?"
"The doc said I could do without it as long as I keep it wrapped," she answered. "It hurts only a little now."
"That's good news," he replied. "What were you and Fiona talking about?"
"Oh, girl stuff," she answered, pushing him back onto the bed so that she could lie beside him and wrap her own arms around him.
"Girl stuff," he repeated. "And what exactly does that consist of?"
She laughed. "Why, are you worried that I'm giving out details of our lovemaking?" she asked as she began to lightly kiss along his neck.
"It's not that," he groaned, his desires threatening to come undone as her fingers trailed across his chest.
She looked into his eyes, pleased to see them dazed with desire. "Apparently there are those out there that are jealous of us, my love. I suppose Fiona was merely trying to tell me how lonely she is."
"Let them be jealous," he said as he teased her mouth with feathery kisses. "The men are probably jealous that I have such a beautiful, tempting woman to call my own."
She laughed softly. "I don't know about the beautiful and tempting part, but I am your own whenever you want me," she said, their kisses becoming more demanding as their desire for one another took over.
Raven rose slowly to his feet, not really seeing where he was going but determined to keep putting one foot in front of another. He felt Shadow's presence nearby, had known that Shadow had been with him since that day but hadn't shown himself yet. "Shadow, come to me," he called, and the black organoid appeared silently at his side awaiting his orders. "It's time that Van gets what he deserves. Him and that pitiful excuse for an organoid of his."
Shadow roared in response, glad to see that his master had returned.
"Let's go. The first thing we need to do is find a zoid." He had only taken a few steps before Shadow jumped in front of him in a gesture of protection that took Raven by surprise. In front of Shadow stood a red organoid, and a growl from behind had him spinning around to see a blue organoid as well causing him to unconsciously strike a defensive pose.
"Don't worry," a smooth voice assured him. "Neither Ambient nor Specula mean you harm."
Raven saw the owner of the voice step towards him, a man dressed in red with red hair to match, but he kept his guard up as he trusted no one but himself. "What do you want?" he asked.
"We want only what you want, Raven," the man replied.
"We know that you want to destroy Van Flyheight," a woman's voice joined in.
He glanced behind him to see a woman dressed in blue with blue hair. How fitting, he thought. And here I am dressed all in black with a black organoid. For some reason the situation struck him as funny. "Who are you? And what do you want with me?"
"My name is Hiltz, and she is Riese. We are only here to help you if you will only agree to help us in return."
Raven eyed him warily. "I work with no one," he replied flatly. "My revenge on Van will come as a result of my own doing, not someone else's."
"Do not refuse my offer so soon," Hiltz pressed. "What I mean to give you could help you realize such revenge that would more than surely satisfy you. All I ask is that you do one simple thing for me."
Raven thought a moment. "And what would that be?"
An evil smile spread across Hiltz' face. "Kill Prozen's daughter for me, for if she lives then I cannot give you that which I have promised you."
"Why would I want to kill her? The last I remember she was loyal to the Empire," he pointed out.
"Whose side she is on is of no importance," Riese answered. "She is in a position to put a stop to our plans, although she doesn't know this yet. Which is why she must be destroyed as quickly as possible."
Raven considered the offer, looking at it from all angles to see what advantage he could gain by helping them. It appeared that this thing, whatever it was, was extremely powerful, and with it he could destroy Van.
A smile spread across his face. And then they would be next.
********************
Uh oh! What does Raven have up his sleeve? And for that matter, why do Hiltz and Riese want Tania killed? *Bites nails in suspense.* You'll have to keep reading and find out. ^.~ Oh, and review too!
CHAPTER TWO
As luck would have it, Tania missed the combat trial between the Lightning Saix and the Blade Liger as she had an appointment with the doctor for him to check on how her leg was healing. He looked it over, poked and prodded at it, and eventually said he thought it was okay for her to ditch the crutch as long as she kept it wrapped tightly until she could walk without limping. She couldn't help but think that sometimes these visits were a waste of time as she could've determined that for herself.
The doctor gave her a cloth bandage to use and sent her on her way, and as she emerged from the doctor's office she nearly ran into Fiona who was coming in. "Fiona! I'm sorry, I didn't see you coming!"
"I should be the one apologizing, Tania," the young woman exclaimed.
"It's okay, really," she assured her, suddenly realizing how little she actually knew about Fiona. "Would you like some coffee? I was just about to go get some and you're more than welcome to join me."
Fiona smiled. "Sure. That sounds good."
Soon they were in Karl's suite enjoying their coffee as they got to know each other better, Tania becoming used to the fact that Fiona put salt instead of sugar in hers. She asked about Fiona's past of which there wasn't that much to tell and Tania told her a little about her past as well.
Fiona took a sip of her coffee, feeling a little more comfortable around Tania the more they spoke together. "I was actually looking for you to tell you that Colonel Shubaltz had a meeting to attend after the combat trial was over."
"Oh? Who won the trial?" Tania asked.
"Well, there was no real winner as the sole purpose was to determine how the Lightning Saix operates in a combat situation. They played at fighting for a while before they were called back, acting like a couple of children out there."
Tania laughed. "I can imagine. Did Irvine manage to survive this time?"
"He did well," she answered. "He knew what he was getting into this time around." Then she looked down at her cup for a moment.
"Fiona, what is it?"
She smiled when she brought her gaze up which was still filled with a bit of sadness. "I really don't know how to go about saying this, but I really need someone to talk to, another female if you know what I mean. You don't know how happy I am that I'm not the only one here."
"If you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you. And anything you say will be kept between us, I promise," she said as she took the younger woman's hand in hers.
Fiona smiled. "Thank you, Tania. It means a lot to me." Then she looked down at the hand holding hers, which happened to be Tania's left hand. "It's so beautiful," she commented as she raised the ring up so she could look at it then allowing Tania to take back her hand. "You're so lucky, Tania, having the kind of love that you do. I'd give anything to have that happen to me one day."
Tania studied Fiona closely. "What about Van? From what you've told me, you've both been through some tough situations. Surely that must account for something."
A small smile appeared as she thought of Van and her memories of them together. "Yes, I had somewhat of a crush on him when we were younger. And when we went our separate ways after the war, I immersed myself in my work so much that I thought about little else. But when we met again after Doctor D and I were attacked, I was amazed at how much he had changed. He had matured so much and seemed so much older."
Tania nodded. "To me, Van has always seemed older than his years. He takes so much responsibility upon himself to save others from being hurt that I fear that one day it will take its toll on him. I worry about him sometimes and I wish there was something I could do to ease his worries."
"It seems like you love him," Fiona pointed out.
"I do, but only as a friend," she replied. "What about Thomas? I get the feeling that he has some sort of thing for you, too."
Fiona laughed. "Well, whatever type of 'thing' he has, I do not return it. He is a good enough person but I only see him as a friend."
Tania chuckled. "Poor Thomas," she lamented. "I'm sure that one day he will find someone out there that is meant for him."
"If there have been any two people out there that were meant for each other, it is you and Colonel Shubaltz. You both love each other so deeply that it shows in your eyes, and when you're together...it's so unreal."
Tania laughed shyly. "Yeah, it's unreal how we have fallen in love so deeply in so short a time, although we have loved each other for years even though we weren't together."
"If I had known that being with her could make me this happy then I wouldn't have let her leave all those years ago, no matter what her father said," Karl added as he walked in the room, stopping in front of Tania and kissing her before going to get himself a cup of coffee.
Fiona winked at Tania. "I better go now and give you both some time alone," she said as she rose to her feet. "I appreciate the time we have spent together. Thank you."
"Just remember, if you need anything just ask," she added as she walked her to the door and closed it behind her. She returned to the main room to see Karl had disappeared, and looked around to see him in the bedroom removing his uniform to change into something more comfortable. Walking up behind him, she slid her hands underneath his shirt to pull it over his head as she kneaded his lower neck with her hands and ran her fingertips lightly down his back, pleased to hear his moan of pleasure. "How did your meeting go?" she asked as he turned to sit down on the bed so that he faced her, wrapping his arms around her waist to hold her close. She tunneled her fingers through his hair, enjoying the silky feel of it sliding across her knuckles.
"I'd rather not discuss army business here when I can spend time with you instead," he sighed then looked down at her leg. "What are you doing standing without your crutch?"
"The doc said I could do without it as long as I keep it wrapped," she answered. "It hurts only a little now."
"That's good news," he replied. "What were you and Fiona talking about?"
"Oh, girl stuff," she answered, pushing him back onto the bed so that she could lie beside him and wrap her own arms around him.
"Girl stuff," he repeated. "And what exactly does that consist of?"
She laughed. "Why, are you worried that I'm giving out details of our lovemaking?" she asked as she began to lightly kiss along his neck.
"It's not that," he groaned, his desires threatening to come undone as her fingers trailed across his chest.
She looked into his eyes, pleased to see them dazed with desire. "Apparently there are those out there that are jealous of us, my love. I suppose Fiona was merely trying to tell me how lonely she is."
"Let them be jealous," he said as he teased her mouth with feathery kisses. "The men are probably jealous that I have such a beautiful, tempting woman to call my own."
She laughed softly. "I don't know about the beautiful and tempting part, but I am your own whenever you want me," she said, their kisses becoming more demanding as their desire for one another took over.
Raven rose slowly to his feet, not really seeing where he was going but determined to keep putting one foot in front of another. He felt Shadow's presence nearby, had known that Shadow had been with him since that day but hadn't shown himself yet. "Shadow, come to me," he called, and the black organoid appeared silently at his side awaiting his orders. "It's time that Van gets what he deserves. Him and that pitiful excuse for an organoid of his."
Shadow roared in response, glad to see that his master had returned.
"Let's go. The first thing we need to do is find a zoid." He had only taken a few steps before Shadow jumped in front of him in a gesture of protection that took Raven by surprise. In front of Shadow stood a red organoid, and a growl from behind had him spinning around to see a blue organoid as well causing him to unconsciously strike a defensive pose.
"Don't worry," a smooth voice assured him. "Neither Ambient nor Specula mean you harm."
Raven saw the owner of the voice step towards him, a man dressed in red with red hair to match, but he kept his guard up as he trusted no one but himself. "What do you want?" he asked.
"We want only what you want, Raven," the man replied.
"We know that you want to destroy Van Flyheight," a woman's voice joined in.
He glanced behind him to see a woman dressed in blue with blue hair. How fitting, he thought. And here I am dressed all in black with a black organoid. For some reason the situation struck him as funny. "Who are you? And what do you want with me?"
"My name is Hiltz, and she is Riese. We are only here to help you if you will only agree to help us in return."
Raven eyed him warily. "I work with no one," he replied flatly. "My revenge on Van will come as a result of my own doing, not someone else's."
"Do not refuse my offer so soon," Hiltz pressed. "What I mean to give you could help you realize such revenge that would more than surely satisfy you. All I ask is that you do one simple thing for me."
Raven thought a moment. "And what would that be?"
An evil smile spread across Hiltz' face. "Kill Prozen's daughter for me, for if she lives then I cannot give you that which I have promised you."
"Why would I want to kill her? The last I remember she was loyal to the Empire," he pointed out.
"Whose side she is on is of no importance," Riese answered. "She is in a position to put a stop to our plans, although she doesn't know this yet. Which is why she must be destroyed as quickly as possible."
Raven considered the offer, looking at it from all angles to see what advantage he could gain by helping them. It appeared that this thing, whatever it was, was extremely powerful, and with it he could destroy Van.
A smile spread across his face. And then they would be next.
********************
Uh oh! What does Raven have up his sleeve? And for that matter, why do Hiltz and Riese want Tania killed? *Bites nails in suspense.* You'll have to keep reading and find out. ^.~ Oh, and review too!