Sleepwake (Part 9/?)
See Part 1 for disclaimer.
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Xiaoyu walked through a silver forest. Translucent leaves formed a canopy overhead, tinted with an impossible variety of colors -- purple, green, pink -- and a brook flowed nearby. It was beautiful. It was silent.
She wanted to leave.
Xiaoyu increased her pace, moving from a brisk walk to full out sprint. The foliage changed before her, colors shifting and graduating. Silver became dark green. Green deepened into red, so red it looked black. And then the forest began bleeding. The trees rained blood on her, fat red drops splashing on her skin, running down her hair.
Her legs moved as fast as they could, trying to outrun the trees and the rain, as a scream built in her throat, but she couldn't do that here, couldn't shatter the perfect silence, couldn't escape, couldn't couldn't couldn't-
She couldn't save him.
Xiaoyu jolted awake, gasping for air. Her heartbeat was like a hundred pounding drums in her ears; for a moment, she could hear nothing else.
"Xiaoyu!" a voice was shouting. She was faintly aware of someone gripping her shoulders and shaking.
"I can't save him!" She twisted blindly, but the hands were strong. Fingers pressed into her skin, holding Xiaoyu firmly without inflicting pain.
"It's just a dream Firefly, wake up." A face loomed over hers. Everything was a blurry wash of gray and black, and she blinked, calling the image into focus. Recognition took a moment to set in.
"Hwoarang?" she asked, her throat feeling scratchy. She was thirsty; Xiaoyu thought of the brook. The brook that was rapidly evaporating from her memory: confusion took its place. What brook? What?
"You okay?"
"Huh?"
The redhead removed his hands from her shoulders and stood up, looking unsure.
"You fell asleep sitting up. You had a nightmare."
"I- I did?" She rubbed her eyes. Her head was so hazy, and her muscles felt cramped. She tried to stand, but something heavy weighted her to the bench- oh wait, Jin.
"You don't remember? Just a second ago, you were thrashing around like somebody drowning." Hwoarang's eyebrows furrowed. Dim lighting cast him in a pale yellow-white glow, and he looked wan, restless.
"Oh. I guess I don't have a very good memory," said Xiaoyu, smiling a little sheepishly. She started to take off her coat to put under Jin, but Hwoarang handed her his leather jacket.
"Are you sure?" she said.
"Go ahead."
She carefully folded the jacket and slid it beneath Jin's head, as she stood and stretched. Finally, she sat on the ground, sighing:
"That feels so much better. Thanks."
Hwoarang shrugged. He leaned lightly on the bars, well-defined arms crossed over his chest. The sleeveless gray shirt he wore didn't seem very warm to Xiaoyu, but if he was cold, he didn't show it. His dark copper head bent slightly forward, and if not for the look of contemplation in his eyes, she might have thought the Blood Talon was posing. Xiaoyu bit back a snort: not that posing wasn't unjustified. If she looked like that, she might've been tempted to do the same.
Then she wondered how long he had been standing there.
"Have you gotten any sleep?"
"Don't need it."
"Ah, a creature of the night," Xiaoyu said, nodding sagely.
"I'm a vampire, didn't you know?"
"A vampire who carries Band-Aids around."
"It makes sense when you think about it," said Hwoarang, the corner of his mouth lifting.
Xiaoyu thought about it.
"No it doesn't."
He sighed wryly. "Mere mortals wouldn't understand."
A pause.
"I was trying to think of an escape plan." His voice was softer, but still light for the benefit of any officers who overheard.
"Escape? How?"
"I'm not sure yet, but we'd need some kind of distraction, like-"
Jin sat upright with the wide-open eyes of a fevered sleepwalker.
"They're near," he said, his voice not like his own. It was too sure, the timbre too low to seem real. Watching Jin's lips move, Xiaoyu had felt as though she were living through a scene from a badly dubbed foreign movie, with some anonymous actor substituting his horrible voice for Jin's familiar, gentle baritone.
With a soft groan, Jin doubled over, his arms covering his head, the tendons straining and visible. The thought rose to Xiaoyu from out of the blue: a shield. A shield to protect him from what's inside his own mind. If only she could feel what he felt. . .
"Jin, what's wrong?" Xiaoyu put her hand on his arm, and jerked back in surprise at the heat. She stared at her palm, almost expecting blisters. There were none, but it felt as though she'd held a burning ember.
But then Jin painfully uncoiled, his breaths grew less forced, a sheen of sweat covering him. His eyes looked even more confused than she felt.
"I-" he said, hesitating. "I think that the Tekkenshu are coming here."
Xiaoyu stared.
What just happened here?
He just has a hunch, you're overreacting, she thought to herself. But if it was just a hunch, then why did his skin burn like that? Why was he shaking like an addict during withdrawal?
Xiaoyu opened her mouth without knowing what she meant to say, but Hwoarang placed a finger in front of his lips, signaling for quiet.
They heard voices, faint though clear.
". . .here for the three prisoners in your charge."
"Kazama, Ling, and the leader of the street gang?"
"Correct."
.
.
Author's notes:
I know, I know, another cliffhanger; but hey, this time it's _not_ because I'm mean and I want to torture you ^_^. This scene is really drawing out longer than I expected: if I didn't stop here, I'd need take another millenium to get the chapter posted, or cut it off at some place even more idiotic. Sorry guys.
But yay! I've been on a Card Captor Sakura binge: seven hours straight of sugary, pastel-colored innocence and joy! I love that series: it just makes me want to go out and fill my room with pink plush bunnies. Unfortunately, the store only had the first three volumes ::whaaaa!:: so now I'm gonna just have to watch the WB substitute until they get more. WB is evil evil evil: the only thing that redeems them in my eyes for maiming CCS is Jackie Chan Adventures. Uncle is just too funny.
Also, thanks again to Sam Blackcrow for beta-reading!
Okay, that's enough of my incoherence for now (I ate too much candy, does it show ^_^?)
.
.
Constructive criticism will be printed out and framed. Flames will be used to toast marshmallows. Yum.
See Part 1 for disclaimer.
.
.
Xiaoyu walked through a silver forest. Translucent leaves formed a canopy overhead, tinted with an impossible variety of colors -- purple, green, pink -- and a brook flowed nearby. It was beautiful. It was silent.
She wanted to leave.
Xiaoyu increased her pace, moving from a brisk walk to full out sprint. The foliage changed before her, colors shifting and graduating. Silver became dark green. Green deepened into red, so red it looked black. And then the forest began bleeding. The trees rained blood on her, fat red drops splashing on her skin, running down her hair.
Her legs moved as fast as they could, trying to outrun the trees and the rain, as a scream built in her throat, but she couldn't do that here, couldn't shatter the perfect silence, couldn't escape, couldn't couldn't couldn't-
She couldn't save him.
Xiaoyu jolted awake, gasping for air. Her heartbeat was like a hundred pounding drums in her ears; for a moment, she could hear nothing else.
"Xiaoyu!" a voice was shouting. She was faintly aware of someone gripping her shoulders and shaking.
"I can't save him!" She twisted blindly, but the hands were strong. Fingers pressed into her skin, holding Xiaoyu firmly without inflicting pain.
"It's just a dream Firefly, wake up." A face loomed over hers. Everything was a blurry wash of gray and black, and she blinked, calling the image into focus. Recognition took a moment to set in.
"Hwoarang?" she asked, her throat feeling scratchy. She was thirsty; Xiaoyu thought of the brook. The brook that was rapidly evaporating from her memory: confusion took its place. What brook? What?
"You okay?"
"Huh?"
The redhead removed his hands from her shoulders and stood up, looking unsure.
"You fell asleep sitting up. You had a nightmare."
"I- I did?" She rubbed her eyes. Her head was so hazy, and her muscles felt cramped. She tried to stand, but something heavy weighted her to the bench- oh wait, Jin.
"You don't remember? Just a second ago, you were thrashing around like somebody drowning." Hwoarang's eyebrows furrowed. Dim lighting cast him in a pale yellow-white glow, and he looked wan, restless.
"Oh. I guess I don't have a very good memory," said Xiaoyu, smiling a little sheepishly. She started to take off her coat to put under Jin, but Hwoarang handed her his leather jacket.
"Are you sure?" she said.
"Go ahead."
She carefully folded the jacket and slid it beneath Jin's head, as she stood and stretched. Finally, she sat on the ground, sighing:
"That feels so much better. Thanks."
Hwoarang shrugged. He leaned lightly on the bars, well-defined arms crossed over his chest. The sleeveless gray shirt he wore didn't seem very warm to Xiaoyu, but if he was cold, he didn't show it. His dark copper head bent slightly forward, and if not for the look of contemplation in his eyes, she might have thought the Blood Talon was posing. Xiaoyu bit back a snort: not that posing wasn't unjustified. If she looked like that, she might've been tempted to do the same.
Then she wondered how long he had been standing there.
"Have you gotten any sleep?"
"Don't need it."
"Ah, a creature of the night," Xiaoyu said, nodding sagely.
"I'm a vampire, didn't you know?"
"A vampire who carries Band-Aids around."
"It makes sense when you think about it," said Hwoarang, the corner of his mouth lifting.
Xiaoyu thought about it.
"No it doesn't."
He sighed wryly. "Mere mortals wouldn't understand."
A pause.
"I was trying to think of an escape plan." His voice was softer, but still light for the benefit of any officers who overheard.
"Escape? How?"
"I'm not sure yet, but we'd need some kind of distraction, like-"
Jin sat upright with the wide-open eyes of a fevered sleepwalker.
"They're near," he said, his voice not like his own. It was too sure, the timbre too low to seem real. Watching Jin's lips move, Xiaoyu had felt as though she were living through a scene from a badly dubbed foreign movie, with some anonymous actor substituting his horrible voice for Jin's familiar, gentle baritone.
With a soft groan, Jin doubled over, his arms covering his head, the tendons straining and visible. The thought rose to Xiaoyu from out of the blue: a shield. A shield to protect him from what's inside his own mind. If only she could feel what he felt. . .
"Jin, what's wrong?" Xiaoyu put her hand on his arm, and jerked back in surprise at the heat. She stared at her palm, almost expecting blisters. There were none, but it felt as though she'd held a burning ember.
But then Jin painfully uncoiled, his breaths grew less forced, a sheen of sweat covering him. His eyes looked even more confused than she felt.
"I-" he said, hesitating. "I think that the Tekkenshu are coming here."
Xiaoyu stared.
What just happened here?
He just has a hunch, you're overreacting, she thought to herself. But if it was just a hunch, then why did his skin burn like that? Why was he shaking like an addict during withdrawal?
Xiaoyu opened her mouth without knowing what she meant to say, but Hwoarang placed a finger in front of his lips, signaling for quiet.
They heard voices, faint though clear.
". . .here for the three prisoners in your charge."
"Kazama, Ling, and the leader of the street gang?"
"Correct."
.
.
Author's notes:
I know, I know, another cliffhanger; but hey, this time it's _not_ because I'm mean and I want to torture you ^_^. This scene is really drawing out longer than I expected: if I didn't stop here, I'd need take another millenium to get the chapter posted, or cut it off at some place even more idiotic. Sorry guys.
But yay! I've been on a Card Captor Sakura binge: seven hours straight of sugary, pastel-colored innocence and joy! I love that series: it just makes me want to go out and fill my room with pink plush bunnies. Unfortunately, the store only had the first three volumes ::whaaaa!:: so now I'm gonna just have to watch the WB substitute until they get more. WB is evil evil evil: the only thing that redeems them in my eyes for maiming CCS is Jackie Chan Adventures. Uncle is just too funny.
Also, thanks again to Sam Blackcrow for beta-reading!
Okay, that's enough of my incoherence for now (I ate too much candy, does it show ^_^?)
.
.
Constructive criticism will be printed out and framed. Flames will be used to toast marshmallows. Yum.