Brad stood in front of Bit, his face burning in shame. He cursed himself and his greed.
"Bit…I'm sorry…"
"Yeah, whatever." He said looking away.
"Bit, please, listen…" He pleaded. "I'm not making enough with this team, in a month or two, I won't be able to pay for Tori's stay. I had no choice."
"Will you think of something else?! That's all you do! Wallow in self pity! Didn't you think of anyone, or anything else?" Bit let out, his voice shaking slightly.
"Bit…I…She's all I have left.." He faltered in a whisper, his throat tight and constricted. He felt like he'd been slapped.
"Didn't you think of me!?" He didn't let Brad answer, "No, you didn't, did you? You're just a liar! A back stabbing liar! You lied about everything, didn't you!?"
"Bit, No!—"
"I loved you! You told me you loved me!! Why did you do that!?!" Bit yelled as Brad choked on his words.
"I do—"
"Fuck you. It's over." Bit ended, turning away, not wanting him to see him cry. "I guess you got what you wanted. Huh?"
Brad couldn't answer, his throat was so tight, his hands clenched into fists and turned abruptly as well, and made his way to the ShadowFox, tearing out of the hangar.
*—*
Brad sat on a small cliff, looking at the blood red sunset., hearing Bit's angry words echo in his head. He inhaled shakily, staring down at his knees watching his tears plummet from his cheeks and land on his worn khakis, darkening the colour. He thought about the ShadowFox; His avarice had cost him his one true love and made him destroy one of the last of his Father's possessions. Tori came into his mind too, and a wave of guilt washed over him. /I'm no more sane than she is…./ He thought, placing a hand on his leg. /If anyone deserves to be locked up it's me…/ But he had put her there for her own good, so she wouldn't pick up any more of his bad habits.
~
Doctor Tauros called Brad into his office a few days after the 'ShadowFox Incident'.
"Sit down, Brad." Doc told him as he shook his head, staring at the model of his old Command Wolf AC.
"That's okay, you can spare me the speech. I'll go pack my stuff." He said in monotone as Doc chuckled.
"I'm not going to fire you; sit."
"Oh." He looked relieved and did, moving a model the Liger Zero off the chair, held it a second and placed it on the desk, cluttered with dozens of others.
"Is everything okay? You've been really out of it since you obtained the ShadowFox. I assure you, that I and the rest of the team hold no grudge against you."
"Bit does." He mumbled.
"Beg pardon?"
"Bit does. He called me a 'backstabbing liar'. He pretty much wants me to die." He said louder as Doc leant forward on his elbows, hands under his chin, clearing away all signs of previous childish madness.
"You and Bit…you were close friends, am I correct?" He asked as Brad answered softly.
"We were lovers, too. Were." The words were painful and alien.
"Really? I thought so." He smiled. "I always thought you two would make a good couple."
"Not anymore."
"Do you still love him?"
"Of course."
"Then, that's all that matters."
"I wish people would stop telling me that. It's better to let go and not get attached."
"Do you really think that?"
"…I wish I could, now."
"If you don't mind me asking, why did you do it?"
"Leyon….he was…he was going to blackmail me, sort of…I thought he might hurt someone…but….he was right…and if I didn't bring in any sufficient prize money…I'd be in trouble."
"But why, Brad?" He asked. "Listen, everything you tell me, is between us."
Brad hesitated, thinking of all of the guidance councilors after his father's death, but it all seemed different now.
"My sister Tori." He said finally. "She's sick. But…not really. She gets depressed and has outbreaks. That's why I had to leave that day…..I'm no better than she is, In fact, she probably learned it all from me." He admitted, pulling up the leg of his khakis, showing a pale calf covered in thin and thick scars, in all directions, in colours ranging from a paler white to a light pink, and a scabby red, freshly made. He un clasped his arms and showed him the fleshy undersides of his arms, crisscrossed with fewer scars, right above the veins in his wrists, a few on his hands.
Doc's mouth hung slightly ajar, and Brad pushed down his pant-leg and re-crossed his arms across his chest.
"Brad….how, when did you start? Why?" He asked as the mercenary shrugged.
"I don't really remember when…sometime during High school, maybe. It was, it is, my way of letting everything out. Ever hear the saying, 'Bleed to know I'm alive'? I was never good enough for anything….I always had this sinking feeling that I was letting everybody down, and that if I didn't work harder it'd be the end of the world, so to speak. I still do, a lot. Ever since my Father died, about, 5 years ago…It got worse then. I felt like I'd let him down most. Naomi and I both had our demons. We tried to escape by that."
"Naomi?"
"We grew up together. She's basically like my sister. We've been trying to take care of Tori together…but…we haven't done a good job…that and we're pretty much broke from trying to pay hospital bills."
"Brad, I knew your father, we were pretty good friends, He'd intern at the academy every once and a while. Do you know how proud he was of you? All of you, Naomi and Tori too. He'd go around showing pictures saying, 'Look at my son, he'll be a great Zoid warrior with my training! Such potential that boy's got!' and 'So Smart too! Could you believe it!! College Level Courses, Junior Year!! A Regular Einstein!' he was so proud of you. You never let him down…"
"Really?" Brad looked up, shyly.
"Really." Doc lowered his hands onto the table. "Brad, I'm willing to lend you some extra money, just so you can pay off your debts."
"No, I-I couldn't… I don't want your pity money." He said sitting up.
"It's not pity money. It's a small loan. You'll pay me back when you get settled. It's the least I can do for the son of an old friend." Doctor Tauros said smiling and with quite a bit of persuasion, Brad finally agreed.
———
Bit sat in the hangar, working on the Liger Zero. He heard heavy footsteps and jingling, seeing the boots stop next to him, set assertively with anger. Naomi stood over him, dressed in a black bra-top and a see through fishnet top over it, that hooked on her thumb, showing off her stomach and pierced navel. She wore a black skirt that was layered and beat up looking, with demolished fishnets and the boots, along with a bondage cuff on each wrist, a bondage belt and a 2inch spike collar around her throat.
"So what's the deal." It was a demand, not a question. He looked at her again, black lined eyes narrowed, black lips pressed tightly together, hands on her hips.
"What deal?" He feigned stupidly and looked away.
"Don't bullshit me, Bit. About Brad."
"What about him?" He controlled his voice, ordering it to not show how he felt. "It's over." He hated saying those words. "I don't want to have anything to do with him." He hated those even more. Bit saw Naomi's lips separating slightly, her look growing softer, full of sadness and concern.
"He loves you more than anything, Bit, can't you just see things through his eyes?"
"If he did love me, he wouldn't have done that." He hated those words since they seemed so true, entreating to be believed so. "All he cares about is Tori." He turned away but not before he met her eyes, brimming with echoes of grief and pain.
"Bit! Don't give me that crap! Brad does everything he has to because he feels guilty, we feel guilty. Give him a break. He tries…he's doing the best he can…" Her voice changed a little.
"What's the point, he's a liar and a backstabber." His words echoed in the empty hangar, his voice betraying him, echoing all of the anger and pain he felt. "I don't want to have anything to do with him."
Naomi's clunky boots tapped heavily on the floor, her fists clenched tightly, her black nails digging painfully into her palm.
"I wish…" She took a shaky breath, "I wish he could just get over you. And get on with his life, coz, know what? You don't deserve him." Bit stood angrily holding back sharp, acrimonious words. "And the thing is, Bit, you know it." She added, turning and storming from the hangar. Bit held back the sobs he'd shut in and turned, slamming his fist into the Liger's leg, who let out a sad growl.
———
Leena had begged her father to let them have the afternoon off at the beach and with the help of teary, shoujo, puppy-dog eyes, he caved.
Brad carried armloads of gear with out complaint walking behind Bit and Jaime, while Leena frolicked ahead empty handed. The auburn haired mercenary set the paraphernalia down with the two others and Jaime looked at him.
"Why aren't you wearing shorts? It's so hot out!" He asked eying Brad's khakis as He fumbled for an excuse but not before Bit could put in.
"Does it have anything to do with a certain silver, Brad?"
He blushed angrily and walked a little away from the rest and set himself out of the way, sitting and hastily lighting a cigarette as Jaime gave a clueless look.
[End Chapter Four: To Be Continued…]
A/n
Goddess! School's started already. Shoot me now. Um okay, arigatou to all my reviewers! If they are authors, read their fics! Okay, some free advertising on my part: Like my crap? Desire to read more of it? Even moreso if you want Brad and Naomi (-.-) and Bit-x-OC (female, -.-) and Leon-x-OC (female too, but Samantha's cool) read A Warrior's Path, Author(s): Akili Moonwolf with Naomi Hunter, me. Eh yeah. Read Blood Lus† too! I like it, but then it was just so fun to write,
Okay, about chapter four. Masochistic tools are sometimes referred to as "silver" and Masochism. Bad habit, don't start, you won't be able to stop that easily. Speaking from experience here. Now R&R please. Make my day. Moutaku! ((honestly!)) Yare! (well) Oyasumi nasai!((G'nite))
--Naomi Hun†er --here's Goo Goo Doll's "Iris", don't own it, love the song.
Iris
And I'd give up forever to touch you
'Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now
And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
'Cause sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight
And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything feels like the movies
Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive
And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am