IMPORTANT!!!!!: due to circumstances beyond my control....ie- my computer deciding to hate me, this has been posted later than i intended. u_u()

A/N: Hot diggity-damn!!!! 24 reviews!!!!!!! YAYYNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^_^^_^ some more loyal reviewers to thank which i forgot to mention in the last ch. aHEm.....

Maelgwyn (sorry if i mispelt that!) I am sorrrrrrrrrrrryy!!!!!!!!!! i was going to put you in this chapter BEFORE you reviewed!!!!!!!! so there! :P nah, you're very nice! thankies!. ^_^

ShadowSpinner! same niceness aplies to you too, amigo! ^_^

There are lots of you who have reviewed, and hopefully i'll be able to fit everyone in somewheres.....(gee, that's the first time i've been able to say that!! ^_^) ehehe......be proud of yourselves guys! you've all spurred me on to tap out another chappie! (*grinds teeth* i refuse, absolutely REFUSE to use the word 'peeps'. gahhh!!!*shudders violently*) aHEm.......where was i?

t: ummmm.....i think you were about to start chapter 5.....

p: ahhhhh, yes, but first....to torture everyone longer.....RECAP TIME!

t: *sniffs* why.....why me?

p: muahahahahahaha!!!!!

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Phoenix rolled her eyes. She was used to all of this. Grabbing the back of his shirt collar, she dragged him down the slope, Tarka still muttering into his chest. She turned to go down a path, but to her surprise, someone was already standing there. A someone with a black raptor-like organoid. Phoenix gasped.

"Raven?!....."

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Chapter 5 - What you've all been waiting for! ;)

The dark haired boy standing before them frowned.

"Who are you, and how do you know my name?"

"Gee, well I ummm......" Phoenix smiled nervously and held her tail tightly, trying to think of some excuse to say.....

Raven sounded irritated and out of temper.. "Well, you what? I don't have all day, you know!"

Tarka was still muttering about lost career options in the background.

"What I mean to say is...." The ideas floating around in the flame-haired's brain clicked, and then sparked.

"I'm Phoenix. That over there is Tarka. Van told me all about you, he's out to kill me and I have no idea where to go and I was just about to start drifting aimlessly when you turned up, started to threaten me and that's everything. Happy now?" She said all of this extremely fast and in one breath.

Raven blinked.

"Riggggggght...."

Phoenix laughed nervously.

Raven frowned even more.

"Did you....did you say the name....Van?" He grimaced at the very mention of that hot tempered ignoramus.

"Yup!"

"Hnnn....."

Seconds drifted by into minutes as they stood there, Raven with a hand on his chin and wearing a mask of perplexity.

Man, what the hell is he thinking about? Why is he just standing there? Damn, I need some caffeine! Ah, screw this. If he can't make up his mind about whatever, no reason for me to be here when I could be consuming something sugar coated!

Phoenix pivoted on the spot, and began to march in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going?" a voice called out after her.

She turned around angrily ,"Look, you might be used to standing around in the middle of nowhere all day....heck! that might explain your lack of social skills, but dammit! You can't expect me to hang around here forever waiting for that pipsqueak to come hunt me down!"

Raven raised an eyebrow, amused at the weakling's outburst.

"What did you do to make an enemy of yourself to that baka?"

"Ermmmmm....*coughs* it's a rather a long...looong story."

Sitting cross-legged on the grass, he waved an arm expectantly.

"Well then, by all means, continue. Those happen to be my favourite kind."

Phoenix groaned inwardly. How did she get into all these messes? Ah yes.....unbridled temper.....*sigh* I guess I don't have much of a choice....

With that sigh she launched into a highly detailed flash back (A/N: readers, the screen has faded into blackness as the flash back ensues.... I won't post it again, otherwise there'll be more than one fan of this fic out for my blood for not getting on with the story....^_^)

Tarka interrupted the tale continually, explaining all the parts that his Authoress had specifically left out, such as the burning of Van's clothes, and the whole spray-cream incident. His punishment was many sharp slaps to side of his head.

Raven leaned forward and looked at them both hardly,

"I see. A crude, but interesting tale....of sorts."

Phoenix and Tarka huffed together in indignation.

"Welll excuuuuse me! You were the one who asked for it!"

He smirked. So easy to anger the red one.....

"It so happens that I happen to be hunting the same person you are fleeing from." He curled his fingers and looked down at his nails....(a/n: c'mon guys! y'all know the pose i'm talking about!)

"I could help you.....for a price."

"A price? But we don't have any cash!" Tarka whined behind Phoenix.

"Hnnn....well that does make things difficult, now, doesn't it?" His eyes scanned Phoenix's clothes, noting the fine embroidery and then finally, the sword.

"Give me that sword, and you have a deal."

A growl rumbled from the other's throat.

"Not unless you like your head on your shoulders."

"Now, now. No need for death threats, that's my department."

Tarka grabbed Phoenix and pulled her off to one side.

"C'mon! We need this guy! Otherwise we'll probably be tracked down, and smushed into the mud with that kid's shield-lyger!"

"I am not giving up my sword." was the stubborn reply as she gripped the pommel menacingly.

"Maybe you don't have to give it up....."

"What do you mean?"

"That." A purple finger pointed to the large ruby in the center. "You could give him that."

"WHAT??!!!! Man, now you're just talking plain crazy!"

"Listen, that guy really means business! Just think, he might be able to rid us of the twerp forever!"

"Hmmmmm....that does sound tempting." Phoenix relented with a roll of her eyes and prized the gem off with a small ki blast. If only the great elvin lord Legolas could see her now.....she grimaced....reduced to haggling with nomads...(a/n: heeheeheeheehee^__________^ in my own little fantasy land, legolas IS GOD!!!!!! BWHEHEHEEHEEHEEEHEEHEE!!!!! *wipes drool away from mouth* ehehe....onwards with the story!!)

She tossed the priceless stone in the grass at Raven's feet.

"There is your payment, and nothing more."

"Hnnnn......a coloured rock?"

One of Phoenix's eyes twitched in anger.

"Man, that just ain't any old rock you pick up out of the dirt!!!" Tarka stepped hurriedly in front of the fuming form to prevent a murder.

"That there is a ruby thousands of years old, formed when men were still evolving from apes!! It's worth more than this entire planet!!!"

"Well then, if you put it that way, it seems to be sufficient enough." said Raven, stuffing it in his pocket. Phoenix couldn't help feeling he was still staring at her sword....

"Don't get any ideas." She growled warningly. A smirk was all the answer she got.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A/N ANOTHER cliffie!!!!!! oooo.....*starts hearing growls and death threats from the audience* MuhAHAhahAHAHahaha!!!!!! just to torment the masses even MORE...

t:more? don't you think they've had enough with your craziness?

p: yes, more!!! and i prefer the term INSANITY!!!!!!!!!

t: *shrugs* whhhhatever.

as I was saying..........AN EXTRACT FROM THE UP COMING CHAPTER!!!!!!!

'Tarka shifted uneasily under the hungry gaze of the black organoid. Damn!! Just what he needed. Another robot with big pointy teeth!' *end extract*

what madness will occur??

will Raven be able to smush the evil little a/u Van??

or will phoenix and tarka end up being smushed also??? gahhhhh!!! the suspense is killing me!!!! *looks around, crickets are chirping. apparently, suspense has already killed the readers* oops! ehehe....u_u *restores everyone back to life* sorry 'bout that!

Now, on to some more thank yous!!!!!!!!! *cough* ....*phe pulls out a big, long list of wonderful people's names...*

Dark Angel

Fire Fox

Draconian Elflord

Wolfpup7

those are all i'm gonna mention for the moment....more of you next chap!!

^_^ thankayews everybody!!!!! you've all made me very happy! And a happy phoenix results in more twisted, and warped chappies of randomness!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^_^ Whoa, i can't believe i typed this up in one day!!! Wooo hooo!!!!! ^_^ i thought of a theme-song for this fic!!! welll, not really....any of you know the song from.....gee....i can't remember where.....it's the song that never ends!!!! ^_^ replace song with fic, and singing with reading.....aHEm...

t:dear lord legolas!!!!!!!

This is the fic that never endssssss....

Yes, it goes on and on my friends.....

Some people...started reading it, not knowing what it was!

And then continued reading it forever, just because!

This is the fic that never endssssss......

......

t:save me!!!!!! o.O

one last thing, any one know the name of Raven's zoid? the original one???no, not shadow.... u_u shamefully, i have forgotten it. don't be afraid to email!!!! despite what my sanity status card reads, im not that scary! ^_^ another last, last thing......you know what i'm gonna say....don't you? yup. reviews= happy. happy=chappie. chappie= '. . . ." ^__________^ so......clickie the little buttonie plzie! or don't......*sniffs, tears well up*

t: *looks at the audience* now see what you've done??!!!!

p: ehehehe.....:)

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