Between the Shadows

By: Ethereal Fury

Chapter Thirteen: I'm Going to Regret This…

Aurora watched him disappear into the darkened mist of the Zion night, head cocked to the side in confusion, the warm feeling of his arms around her refusing to give way to any other thought. What was up with him, catching her and holding her like that, making her feel like that, only to turn away and leave her cold just when she thought they had something? Damn him for having that effect on her, leaving her dazed and speechless with his presence, making her heart pound with a mere glance in her direction, and making her lightheaded with the radiance of his dimpled smile. Damn him to the depths of Hell!

She'd never asked to be attracted to him; she'd just approached a cute lonesome guy at a party with the prospect of some teenage fun and ended up falling for him in the span of a day and a half. Love at first sight… yeah, it was corny and she'd never believed in it, yet here she was, head over heels some guy she'd just met. Love… funny little four-letter word it is. It turns the world upside down, weakens the knees, sends the pulse racing, the blood rushing, the blush creeping unbidden, all with a look or a smile or a touch. Love… could she really say she was in love with him? Extreme infatuation, maybe, but love? She wouldn't know; she'd never been in love. Yeah, she'd believed herself in love with Reed when they had first started dating early in summer; who wouldn't have? Strong, confident, charming, and sinfully good-looking; they had met at the graduation of last year's elite ZEG-worthy candidates. Reed had been looking for a party, Aurora had been accompanying a friend (the same one whose house she was headed to tonight) whose boyfriend was one of the lucky seven. Aurora had spotted the handsome midnight-haired youth who'd winked flirtatiously at her as she made her way to the punch bowl for a drink. A hand on her shoulder had startled her, and upon whirling around in surprise, spilled her drink down the front of the person's shirt— who was none other than Reed himself. Amused by the horrified expression on her face as the red stain on his shirt grew larger, he burst out laughing and silenced her mortified apologies with a request for a date. And so had their unconventional relationship begun.

Aurora convinced herself that the feeling of comfort she felt in his presence, the flattering thrill of his lavish charming affection, the sweetness of the summer nights spent together— her sneaking out of her father's punctilious scrutiny, him defying every possible Akademy rule… she'd told herself it was love. But now she knew it hadn't been; over time, it had become a relationship of convenience. Reed had never been in love with her— that much was obvious— and she had slowly realized she hadn't either. They had remained 'together' merely in technical terms for appearances and comfort; breaking up was really too much trouble. She was like a trophy Reed could parade around on his arm and boast about to to his friends, and he was her epitome of rebelliousness and independence from her father's strict control. He would play the perfect gentleman and boyfriend whenever her father was around, as if to spite him and his accusations that he was no more than a homeless, worthless, violent mutt that did not deserve Aurora, and in turn she would willingly look the other way whenever he had any of his late-night rendezvous. But now Zephyr—well, Mr. Auron Kane in her mind— had serendipitously waltzed into the scene and swept her off her feet with his mysterious—and somewhat dark and dangerous— aloof aura and hostile charm and caused her to end her charade with Reed. But despite all the 'sweep-me-off-my-feet' and 'catch-me-when-I-fall' he had unknowingly done, the question remained— was it love this time?

Yes, he sent her pulse racing with his mere presence. Yes, he annoyed and angered her and made her curse his name to the deepest corners of Hell only to take it all back with one look from those mesmerizing sapphire eyes. Yes, that short moment of closeness in his arms at the door of the tavern had made her knees weak and her head spin and her skin tingle, and had made her feel more warm and secure than all the time spent with Reed put together. Yes, he intrigued her and fascinated her and confused her and frustrated her and infuriated her and at the same time made her want to jump in his arms and kiss him senseless and forever remain lost in the warmth of his embrace. Just her luck he had to be the typical, drop-dead-gorgeous antisocial lone wolf who would rather die than have a serious talk about feelings… man, she definitely needed better taste in men. First Reed and now him… were all of the Akademy's students such creeps? But he wasn't really a creep, she could see that much; he was just scared of letting people into his heart, afraid of losing someone he loved again.

Aurora didn't know about his past; didn't know that his father had died when he was ten, didn't know how it had destroyed his mother who then turned to drinking, didn't know how much it hurt him to visit Storm and know that she couldn't escape unless he completed that assassination. He wasn't the cold-hearted mercenary he pretended to be; he was just a confused teenager whose clear distinction of right or wrong had been blurred. Was it right to murder someone to help his sister? Was it right to charge exorbitant amounts of money to fight someone else's battle? Was it even right that in the Akademy, seven-year-olds learned to be void of emotion, to do as they are told without a second glance back? It was all he had ever known, but did that necessarily mean it was the right thing? No, Aurora certainly didn't know all that, but she could see that behind that mask of stoic aloofness lay a boy that, like herself, was searching for his place in this world. Before her mind could even register what she was doing, she found herself running after him in the misty night.

"Hey! Hey! Wait! Don't leave me here by myself!" she shouted into the darkness, her ragged breathing and the thudding of her shoes on the pavement the only sounds piercing its otherwise-calm blanket. There was no reply; perhaps he hadn't heard her… she couldn't see him up ahead after all.

"Hey! I said… whoa!" she began, before having the wind knocked out of her lungs as she was abruptly grabbed by the wrist and pulled into a darkened side alley. Panting, she turned to see who it was that had grabbed her and came face to face with the gleaming blade of a knife, and beyond it, the black-clad figure of a man about twice her size with probing silvery eyes. They seemed to be regarding her with the amused expression of foreboding with which a predator watches its helpless prey. There was no way out. Any form of physical assault on her part would just result in her being hurt, and he could hinder any escape she may attempt with his massive body. He knew it, and he was sure she knew it too, yet she still searched futilely for a way to escape. It was amusing really to a trained killer like himself. Had circumstances been different, he would have spared her— she seemed like a good kid— but the situation called for her elimination. The man had never failed before and was not about to start now. With an almost apologetic shrug of his shoulders, he began advancing on the girl. Aurora, trying to buy herself more time for an alternative course of action, did the first thing that came to mind—yelled 'Help', and loudly.

Zephyr had been walking at a brisk pace, trying to rid his thoughts of any lingering memory of the comforting weight of Aurora's slender body against his own… and failing miserably. She seemed to occupy every inch of his thoughts. Dammit, why did she have to come along and complicate everything? he cursed inwardly. His keen ears picked up the faraway sound of a shout floating through the night. He stopped in his tracks—was that Aurora's voice? No, it couldn't be; she was probably still back at the door of the tavern and he'd been walking briskly. He was probably too far to hear her. With a shrug, he kept walking, trying to distance himself as much from her as was possible. Another distant shout of distress drifted to his ears—this time he was almost sure it was Aurora's voice. For a brief second he considered just ignoring it and continuing his journey back to the Akademy—she was probably capable of dealing with whatever it was she had encountered. But his feet seemed to have a mind of their own and he found himself running back the way he had come.

She's got you so whipped Leonstrife, his inner voice snickered. Zephyr ignored it and kept running, the shouts for help becoming distinctly louder with each hurried step. He felt his heart hammering against his chest and the adrenaline pounding forcefully in his temples, mixing with the bittersweet pain of pushing his tired muscles to their limits. That afternoon of training had taken a lot out of him; the only way for him to vacate his mind had been to push himself to the brink of exhaustion. He tried to decipher the source of the pleas for help as his boots thudded dully against the pavement in an almost entrancing quickened rhythm and his breath escaped in forceful ragged bursts. Damned Zion mazes had to complicate everything; every darkened corner was a possible hiding place… He skidded to a stop as his sharp eyesight caught sight of the reflection of the street-lamp glinting off a metal object and turned into a dead-end alley on his left. Sure enough, Aurora was nervously backing away from a giant with a knife, scanning the darkened byway for a route of escape. Without a second thought, Zephyr stalked up behind the man, pulled out the gun strapped to his boot and pointed it at his head, the cool nuzzle digging into the man's flesh.

"I suggest you leave her alone, unless you want your head so full of lead it could be used as an X-ray shield," he growled menacingly, his trademark sarcasm evident in his voice.


The man froze, startled. Damn, the girl had someone with her… and he was armed. That complicated things… the boy had to go too; couldn't have any witnesses. Zephyr cocked the barrel of the gun, pressing it against the nape of the man's neck. Any moment now, he turns around and tries to slash you with his knife, his inner voice drawled with boredom. The man swung his massive arm around in an attempt to catch Zephyr off guard, but his swiftness allowed him to easily sidestep the attempted blow. Told ya. Man, can't these guys ever be a bit more original? his inner voice commented with a smirk as Zephyr directed a powerful kick to the man's groin and punched him square in the nose. The man stumbled, slightly off-balance, his face registering surprise as his silvery gaze fell on Zephyr. A breathless gasp escaped his lips; the boy was… his train of thought was interrupted as a powerful knee connected with his stomach and he doubled over in pain. Silver eyes flashed in the dim light and a streak of red glinted off Zephyr's gun as the man slumped to the floor, a semblance of a smile on his features. He would be so proud…

"Be glad I'm not emptying this on you," Zephyr stated icily, spinning his gun around on his finger and aiming it at the now-injured man once more. "Come on, let's go," he said to Aurora, pointing behind him with his thumb.

Aurora nodded and carefully stepped around the man that was now alternating between holding his injured groin and his broken nose, knife lying forgotten on the cold pavement. She stepped somewhat meekly behind Zephyr's protective stance, resisting the overwhelming urge to wrap her arms around his waist and rest her head on his back. He'd already come to save her; she wasn't about to try his patience with unwanted physical gratefulness. Besides, she was infuriated with herself at having had to be rescued like the stereotypical damsel-in-distress. Sure, it had been great to see him come running back like a knight in shining armor (make that a gorgeous knight in shining armor) to help her out of the dilemma she had gotten herself into; and it thrilled her to know that despite his callous exterior, he did seem to care. But if there was something Aurora hated, it was having people do things for her and not allow her to fend for herself… and God knows she got enough of that at home with her overprotective father who insisted she be escorted everywhere by a bodyguard and a maid. Despite his insistence, Aurora steadfastly refused and would often defy her father and march out of their home unaccompanied, today being one of those times. She wasn't rebellious, not really; just resentful of the way of life imposed on her because of her father's political status. She had a right to live her life the way she wanted to, not the way his father or his advisers wanted her to. That included dating whomever she chose— yes, even rowdy Akademy students— and staying out as late as she wanted. She was seventeen, she didn't need a curfew anymore; why couldn't her father see that?

Satisfied that the assailant posed no threat, Zephyr whirled on Aurora and glared at her. He was about to comment on her stupidity but the look in her eyes stopped him, a mixture of fear, anger, relief, gratitude… and anticipation. She really expected him to totally blow up on her, like he was about to do… but technically, he had left her standing there by herself at this ungodly hour. He'd be damned to admit it openly, but it had been his fault. Like I said, WHIPPED, his inner voice chuckled. Instead of yelling at her, he sighed in resignation and walked past her to the better-lit main street.

"So, where is it that I'm supposed to walk you?" he queried in fake annoyance, crossing his arms over his chest. He was actually relieved that he hadn't ignored the distressed shouts and had returned to help her. The picture of what could have happened was too grisly to even begin to imagine. Don't even think about letting your thoughts take that direction Leonstrife, his inner voice warned, the last thing we need is that chick meaning something to you. He kicked at a pebble on the street mindlessly; it may already be too late. Damn it all

"Um… I… don't know. I just know how to get there from the tavern… and I have no idea where we are. I don't… um… usually venture this far," she replied sheepishly, all anger dissipated from her features, glancing around at the myriad alleyways branching off in every possible direction, then looking back up at him. The pebble he had been kicking at stumbled over to her sneakered feet.

Zephyr sighed again. "So you're lost…" he stated matter-of-factly, looking at her intently. Nooo… look AWAY Leonstrife. As in, in the OTHER direction, his inner voice urged, gleeful enjoyment in its voice at his inability to force his gaze from her. You got it bad Leonstrife.

Aurora looked away shyly, feeling the now-familiar heat of a blush rise in her cheeks under his intense gaze. Damn those penetrating blue eyes of his; whenever they were trained on her, she seemed to lose her train of thought and her ability to speak. Great, not only was she behaving like she were thirteen, to boot, now he probably thought she was stupid and completely incapable of fending for herself… just peachy. She nodded uncertainly, looking up at him hopefully and pouting slightly… he wasn't going to leave her all alone and lost in the middle of Zion, was he? As mad as she may be with him or herself, right now she needed him to help her out of there. Help. There was that damned word again; the thing she disliked most from people, she desperately needed from the man standing before her. She would have to forsake her pride—not like she had much of it to salvage anyway— and accept the unconventional offer for aid… but damn him, did he have to look so tantalizingly handsome in the dim light with his arms crossed over his expansive chest and the moonlight glinting off his unruly locks? Wasn't it enough that she had to depend on him to get home; did his proximity and mysterious allure have to taunt and tease her with a prospect of 'them' that would never be?

Zephyr brought a hand to his forehead. Damn… that pout is going to be the end of me. I'm going to regret this for the rest of my days, he thought, briefly debating what to do. Sighing in resignation, he shrugged his shoulders… she was going with him. There was no way he was leaving her all alone and lost in one of the worst neighborhoods of Zion after what had happened. He may be cold, but he wasn't cruel… and hell, he enjoyed her presence. He would rather incur the wrath of Instructor Blade than admit it, but deep down it was true. He knew it… and truthfully, it scared him. He was beginning to feel again. He didn't have time for such nonsense; feelings were a sign of weakness, and he was everything but weak.

"Wonderful. Well, while you figure out where you have to go, I have a gunblade to pick up. Come on," he said, beginning to walk towards one of the many zigzagging alleyways, Aurora close behind him. He knew Zion like the back of his hand, having lived in its streets for a while after he left home and before he joined the Akademy… and it wasn't pretty. Glancing inconspicuously over his shoulder every time they crossed another alley to confirm she was still there, they made their way towards the old man's gunblade shop.

Whipped. Surprisingly, the word didn't annoy Zephyr as much as he would have expected it to; it gave him a strange sense of peace. She could make him do essentially anything she wanted him to with her pout and her smiles; he knew it… and for the first time in his life, it didn't really matter. Zephyr Leonstrife was smitten and he didn't care.

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R&R!