This story is dedicated to the only person I know who has a heart of gold and a talent for the art of story telling. CrimsonFire my friend, you've been there for me when I've needed you and you're always willing to help me out no matter what situation I'm in. So this one is done for you!
Chapter 8: Meet the New BoysThree days past since the failure of the attack on the Vione and Alex and Nicole were in high spirits working with Hitomi as they came up with all sorts of plans to rescue Kat. On the 4th day, they were all sitting in the garden, taking a well-needed break when 2 boys walked up. The boys looked about a year older then Nicole and Alex, and were very cute.
"Ah, Carlo, Tai, welcome. Please sit down," Hitomi said, standing up and shaking the boy's hands.
"Thank you, Miss Hitomi," a boy with messy black hair and sparkling golden brown eyes wearing brown boots, black pants and a white shirt said as he sat down next to Nicole. The second boy had short brown hair that had blond colorings at the tips. He wore black boots with khaki pants and a yellow tight sleeveless shirt.
"This is Alex and Nicole; they are guests of mine. Nicole, Alex, this is Carlos and Tai," Hitomi introduced them.
Quickly both Alex and Nicole figured out that Carlos was the one with the white shirt and Tai was the one with the funky hair do. "Nice to meet you," Nicole said as she shook hands with both Carlos and Tai.
"A pleasure to meet such a beautiful lady like yourself," Tai commented as he kissed Nicole's hand. Nicole blushed.
Alex smirked at her friend. She wasn't really affected by the boy's presence-well, not much. But that didn't matter because soon they were all enveloped in talking out plans. Apparently both Carlos and Tai knew about the Protectors and who Kat was. It turned out that they were the sources Van had talked about. Hitomi smiled to herself as she watched the 4 teens flirt with each other. Love at first sight with these 4, she thought happily.
Kat opened her eyes and moaned softly. She had just had the weirdest dreams ever. She had seen Alex and Nicole flirting with 2 boys that she didn't know. What was weird was that the teens didn't notice her presence even though she could touch them and talk to them. It was like she wasn't even there to them. But then that's when she saw herself on balcony of an unknown castle a cloaked figure standing in front of 2 bodies. She had approached the figure and peered over its shoulder.
Close up she saw that the bodies were those of the 2 boys she saw flirting with her friends. Suddenly with a grim understanding settling over her she knew why the cloaked figure had killed them and who the figure was.
Kat got up and walked around her room. Her back felt tons better but she was curious to how it was healing. So standing in front of her full mirror opposite of her bed she unwrapped the bandages that covered her chest and watched as they fell to the ground. Craning her neck around while reaching for an extra shirt that she had on her bed she saw that her wound was healing without infection. Pulling on the shirt, she continued to walk around her room.
It was fairly big and standing from the doorway of the hall you found a double bed to the right of the room, a window seat and window in the middle of the wall that faced the doorway with a dresser in the corner left corner. Continuing down the right wall you found a walk in closet and to the right there was a bathroom. There was a wooden trunk at the end of her bed, and that was it. The floor was some kind of ugly gray metal and the walls were a plain white color. The late moonlight spilled across the room, lighting it up with a sort of gentle glow that radiated from every aspect of the room.
Kat walked over to her dresser and fished around in the drawers. The rough unfinished wood bit at her arm as she tried to fit her arm into the small crack that she managed to build-the drawer was broken and could only be pulled out a certain width before becoming lodged. She really wanted to take a shower because she felt like weeks worth of grime and dirt had suddenly crawled up underneath her skin. Where's that robe? She wondered as she felt some unfamiliar fabric touch her fingers.
Frowning, she gripped the fabric and gently tugged it free from her other clothes. Once it was out of the drawer she held it up in the dim moonlight and found that it was a midnight blue turtleneck sweater. Kat frowned even more. I know I didn't have this before. Only black pants and shirts, she thought. Just as she began to ponder the mystery a folded note fell from the sweater and fluttered to the ground.
Kat stared at it for a second and then picked it up. She carefully unfolded the tender paper, her heart racing. She didn't know why she was excited about a stupid note and a sweater; it wasn't like she wasn't used to nasty surprises. "I love you," she whispered shocked as she read the note. Those were the only words scribbled on it as if the writer was in a hurry. Suddenly the realization hit her like a freight train.
Dilandau Albatou had fallen in love with her.
"Oh, God," she whispered to the darkness as she dropped the sweater and note. She watched as the sweater hit the floor with a soft sound and the note fluttered to a stop on top of it. She stood and backed up until she was against her bed. Sitting down heavily on it she put her fingers gently against her lips.
Words from dreams forgotten in day came flooding to her. He had stood over her sleeping form, watching her with soft eyes as she healed. He had been by her side in heated dreams where she had cried out for help and received none. He had whispered that she was different from the others in her ear while she slept. He had told her a thousand times that he loved her. She had whispered it back a thousand times.
"God, is it true? Am I in love with a monster?" She asked herself. Mentally slapping herself-she had seen in her dreams what he had done, what she had done. Everything he had ever said to her and done came flooding back begging her brain to look at what they meant. She closed her eyes and asked herself how it could of happened. Suddenly ever second she had been in his company or seen him or thought of him went running through her head.
Her fingers slowly traveled to the right side of her neck, where a slight scare lay. Invisible to the eye, Dilandau had somehow noticed it and grasped onto it, stroking her hair back as she slept and asking who had lashed out to her. "Then again you probably killed them for hurting you, didn't you? You don't take shit from anyone," he had said to her.
"He's a monster!" She hissed, tears building in her eyes.
You're the one who killed your father in cold blood, a voice in her head pointed out.
"No, it wasn't in cold blood. It was in self defense," she replied.
That's what you think.
"No, it's true. I didn't mean to kill him, but he could've killed my mother and I. He already got my brother, and after he was done with us he could've moved on to others and done the same thing."
Are you sure?
"Yes. I've had a friend who died of that same reason. She was too weak to protect her loved ones so she died with them."
True. But do you think it's that wrong that you are in love with someone who is only half as bad as you?
"Damned voice; it obviously is! It just means I'm as much as a monster as he is and I don't want to see that! Seems as if my head doesn't have much say in this."
Oh, no I do. I've told you that you should go to Dilandau before your heart knew that you even liked him. You just didn't listen. So know will you listen to us?
Kat bit her lip as she stroked the almost invisible scare. She nodded to the darkness and stood up. She knew better then to doubt her heart, and right now it was pointing to Dilandau. How could this be happening, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that something was guiding her actions and she agreed with it.
She stood up and walked over to the sweater, kneeling down and picking it up she put it on the dresser. She then grabbed some clean clothes and quickly changed into them then walked out the door. He's probably going to deny it was him who gave it to me, she thought as she wandered down the halls, her footsteps light.
He won't. It's been bugging him for days, so he'll give in. Besides, who can resist you? The voice replied. Kat giggled at the last thing. "What's so funny?" Someone asked. Kat stopped and whirled around. She saw Dilandau leaning against the wall behind her, wearing his uniform. "Caught wandering unauthorized decks again, little kitten. We'll have to fix that," he said with a smirk.
"What if I said that I was looking for you?" Kat asked slyly.
Dilandau quirked an eyebrow at her and stood up straight. "Why would you be looking for me?" He asked.
"Because of all the things you've said are now running through my head," Kat replied as she stepped up to him. She quickly brushed her lips against his, barely even touching his so it was the faintest of feelings and then turned back the way she came from and started walking. "Thanks for the sweater," she called over her shoulder.
"I don't know, Alex," Nicole said, unsure. They were in their rooms discussing Carlos and Tai, with Alex folding clothes on her bed and Nicole looking out the window. "They're nice and all, but some things not right with them. The way they kept asking about personal things... like they were prying; I don't like it."
"Come on, I'm sure it was nothing!" Alex shot back.
Nicole sighed and looked out their window. There was no way she could convince Alex. Alex believed that the boys were harmless, but Nicole thought otherwise. Sure she had a small crush on Carlos, but there was something off with him and Tai. She couldn't quite place it.
"Hey, Alex, remember how Kat always said that people could never fight the moonlight? How it had a mesmerizing bond on every person? And she sung that song? How'd it go again?" Nicole asked, looking at the full moon. She wanted so badly to hear Kat's voice again to comfort her in this time of uncertainty.
Alex stopped folding their clothes and came up next to her and shrugged, also looking at the moon. "I don't know. But I wish I did," she replied solemnly.
"Hey, why the long faces?" Someone asked. Nicole and Alex both looked out the window and saw Kat crouched on the ledge of their window, smiling.
"Kat!" Alex cried as she threw open the window for her.
Kat climbed easily through the window and was immediately glomped by Alex and Nicole. "Are you ok?" Nicole asked as she hugged Kat.
Kat laughed lightly. "Of course I am! You know me, I wouldn't break to those bastards any day of the week," she replied.
"How'd you get out?" Alex asked, leading Kat to her bed.
Kat sat down with Alex on Alex's bed while Nicole sat on the trunk. "Easy. You know that nothing holds me down. I just simply waited till everyone "trusted" me and was fast asleep, phased through some walls, lowered a rope and slipped off it and into the trees. Not easy especially when you can't see where you're going but I survived and I came here to warn you," she replied, suddenly sounding serious. "Fanellia's going to be attacked, and Zaibach wants everyone dead. Including you 2 if you don't come peacefully."
"Are you sure? I mean..." Nicole asked, biting her lip. She hated to doubt her friends, but she wasn't sure if they could trust Kat. Her reason for escaping was reasonable but she doubted Zaibach would just let her go that easily. If she could escape this easily now why didn't she do it before?
"Guys, it wasn't my choice to join the Dragon Slayers. Heck, I don't even know why I even killed that guy to get into the Slayers. Or why I suddenly fought in the siege. I guess Fate just had that in store for me, and so far its served me well. I was able to get the plans from Zaibach and I'll be able to save lives," Kat said, her voice soft.
"Kat, we trust you, we always have. It's just that the last act, with you killing those soldiers, we weren't quite sure whose side you were on," Alex said gently.
"Yeah. I know. I'm on your side, but I'm pretending to be on Zaibach's for the time being. So can we show Van and Hitomi the plans I've got? Zaibach's attacking at dawn," Kat asked.
Nicole nodded and the trio stood up. Nicole walked out of the room to get a servant, and Alex and Kat went down to the meeting room. Kat found tht the meeting room was very plain, wood floors and walls, a huge round table with wooden chairs around it, and a huge map of Fanellia on one wall and window opposite it. After waiting for half and hour later Van and Hitomi walked in, looking very sleepy, with Nicole trailing them.
"Sorry about the interrupt, folks, but we've got a big problem," Kat said.
Van registered Kat's presence and eyed her carefully but didn't say anything.
"I'm on your side, and after I show you what's going to happen you'll be glad I am," Kat said. She pulled out a map and laid it flat on the table. It showed a map of Fanellia, but only it had a red line all around the city. "These marks are the Dragon Slayers," Kat said, pointing to where the red line had 12 dots in it.
"This is Dilandau and his back ups are positioned around the city," she pointed to a bigger dot, in the back of the city, and then motioned to the rest of the red line.
"That's the only escape out of the city, besides the front gate!" Hitomi cried.
Kat nodded gravely. "I know. Dilandau wants everyone killed. So our only choice is to fight. I plan to make it look like I got here to make sure no one knew about the attack, and make it look like I'm on the Slayer's side. But really I'll be killing the other Zaibach soldiers and helping you guys. They attack at dawn."
Van nodded and then glanced out the window. The sky was starting to get light meaning dawn was only a couple hours away.
"I'm sorry, this is the best I can do," Kat said apologetically. "I only wish I could do more to make up for murdering your soldiers."
"No, you've done ok. You're helping us, that's more then we can ask for," Hitomi reassured her.
Kat nodded. "I also want you to know that you have 2 spies on your hands. Anyone new come around lately?" Kat asked, remembering the other reason why she came.
"Only Carlos and Tai," Hitomi replied.
Kat's eyes narrowed. "I want you all to keep an eye out. It may not be them, but still, watch your backs," she said through gritted teeth. "I'll be in the town, watching for the battle. Remember, I'm a spy so don't go easy on me in the fight," she added as she walked out the door.
"What's made her so snappy with the names "Carlos" and "Tai"?" Nicole wondered out loud.
AN: So Kat's a traitor now? Why aren't Nicole and Alex very happy? What are these questions that are nagging at their brains?! Oh, the turmoil of this psyche! The new chapter will explain some questions... will it? R+R!
~ShadowKat
