Chapter 10
Highway Battle
The cool breeze felt good. Lex was the driver of the truck with Ruby and Sabe sitting next to him.
Ruby had her arms crossed and was scooted far as possible from Lex.
Their argument from that night on the cruise ship was still heeding over them.
Well, it was about time that stopped. At least from Sabe's point of view. She may not have known what happened between these two, but hating forever was just part of her dislikes.
There was one way to bring it up. A way she liked rather more for herself.
Sabe looked back in her seat, staring out at the dark figure riding the Ninja motorbike behind them.
Blade.
She hadn't known for more than just nine hours now.
Still there was something about the bounty hunter. From what she heard from Reaper and his Bouncers, Cowboy Blade was a warrior without a soul. They say that because he moved as if he had no soul.
But he was human. Every human had a soul.
A thought then crept into her mind as she began putting the puzzle of him together.
Cold, strong, acts out instead of speaks and speaks only when believes words are needed.
He reminded her of Ash. Her childhood friend. The boy next door who she had fallen in love with.
…Her eyes went wide when another thought hit her like a brick.
Thinking about it more, she did manage to see he had blue eyes underneath the brim of his hat.
His hair was the same, though he was a bit taller.
There was no doubt now in her mind.
"It is him." she gasped.
Ruby looked over to the drifter. "What?"
Sabe shook her head quickly. "Nothing. I was just…thinking about someone."
Lex smirked. "Glad to see someone's not so selfish."
"Oh you should talk!" Ruby snapped at him.
"Hey! I'm the one in pain here! Not you!" Lex pointed out. "You hurt me. You actually believed that everything was all a lie to get you in bed, but in fact you were just looking for a good time."
Ruby fell silent.
"Am I right?" he asked. "Well am I?!"
At last, Ruby looked to Lex, and he to Ruby.
"No, you're wrong Lex. " she replied. "I had feelings for you as well, but I was afraid that you would wake up and scratch a name off your list."
Lex looked shocked.
After all this time that he was thinking that Ruby was nothing but a tough little bitch like Ebony, only not scheming, he now knew he was all wrong about her. And did it ever eat at his heart.
Sabe watched on with the two as neither were speaking again.
Perhaps when they stopped again, she would talk to them. They were starting to become her friends, and she couldn't stand by and let her friends hurt.
She sighed and looked back to the bounty hunter. And her eyes went wide when she noticed some tiny tots coming up from behind Blade.
"I think we've got company." she said, pointing out in back.
Lex looked in the rear view mirror as Ruby turned in her seat to look out back with Sabe.
Moments later, they saw the same guys dressed up in yellow and black leather clothes.
There were even more of them then the last time.
"Huh. So I guess those Demo Pirates or whatever are tougher than I thought." Lex smirked.
Even through the roaring of his motorbike's engine, he could hear them coming from behind.
The Demolition Pirates were back for vengeance.
Two pirates swooped pass Blade with baseball bats and chains in their hands.
They started beating on the truck.
So they attack the others to get to me, Blade thought.
That was a big mistake.
"Game time." he whispered to himself.
Charging up for speed, Blade caught up to the pirate carrying the bat.
The pirate took a swing at the warrior, a swing that Blade quickly ducked.
The pirate swung again, this time Blade grabbed the bat and quickly kicked the pirate's motorbike against the side.
The pirate lost grip of his bat and control of his motorbike as he skid to the side of the road and leaped right off his ride when his motorbike began to flip.
The pirate with the chains sped up close to Blade, spinning the chains over his head.
He got in close and slammed the chains into Blade's shoulder.
Blade didn't even wince
The pirate threw the chains again, and this time Blade caught the chains with the bat from the other pirate.
While trying to keep his eyes on the road and on the bounty hunter at the same time, it was just far too impossible for the inexperienced.
Giving a hard tug on the chain, the chain returned to the pirate, bring the bat smashing into his face along with it.
The pirate fell on the road with his motorbike skidding across the road.
The next pirate accidentally ran right over his comrade's shoulder.
"Oh jeez!" the pirate cried. But the pirates didn't even care about their fallen it seemed.
So be it, Blade thought.
Blade looked across to his companions watching frantically in the truck.
"Keep driving!" he shouted, and slowed his motorbike to catch up with the pirates.
"Blade, Be careful!" Sabe shouted to him.
She thought it went unheard. But it didn't.
Why should she care, he thought. She hadn't known him for too…AGH!!
Blade felt a metal pole slam against his arm in the same spot the chains had hit.
The pirate raised his pole high over his head, and Blade jabbed him hard even with his helmet on.
The biker flew straight off his motorbike which kept on going.
Three down, three more to go.
Actually, all together it was five more to go with two pirates on each two motorbikes, and the Kong-like thug on the third one.
"We're gonna smash your face in, freak!" the Kong-like thug growled.
Blade saw the truck was now out of sight. He would catch up to them later.
He turned his attention to the closest motorbike of pirates.
And there just happened to be another biker of two pirates next to them. They were trying to angle themselves.
Perfect, he thought.
He reached into his leather raincoat and pulled out the sawed off shotgun, aiming it at the bike's engine.
"NO!!" the driver of the motorbike screamed, and lost control as he swirled right into the motorbike next to him.
The bikes clashed, and suddenly exploded after the fire of a gunshot, leaving all four pirates in the air and crashing against both the road and the side.
"One more."
Blade gained up speed in the motorbike, driving far a distance from the pirate leader.
Then, he swirled around in a stop with looking down the street to the Kong-like thug who stopped as well.
He twisted the handle of his Ninja motorbike, zooming up the engine.
The Kong-like thug couldn't see it in his eyes. But he knew just what the bounty hunter had planned.
"Yeah! You're toast, Jesse James!" the Kong-like thug laughed.
Blade's lips curled into a disgusted scowl.
Jesse James?! Of all the people…!
At that, both riders charged straight dead ahead for each other.
He's so stupid it's unbelievable, the Kong-like thug thought, waiting for Blade to quickly move to the side.
But the bounty hunter kept on going straight.
The pirate leader felt a little sweat on his forehead. Either it was from the sun, or his nerves were getting to him.
"Come on. Turn!" he hissed.
But the warrior still made no turn.
As he was getting closer, the Kong-like thug could see now that a smile was planted on the bounty hunter's face.
His eyes went wide in horror.
"Oh sh…!"
The pirate leader quickly turned to the side quickly. Too quickly as he hit a ditch, and just by hitting a ditch that his motorbike lost balance and he was thrown from his transport.
Blade came to another stop, looking over to the Kong-like thug's form.
The pirate leader started getting up, but fell down again.
Nobody else was coming. The highway battle was over.
"And it was just getting good." Blade smirked, and rode off to catch up with the others.
"Stop here!" Sabe pointed out to a gas station.
"You heard what Blade said. We have to keep going." Lex told her.
"Don't worry. We'll be safe there. We can wait for him there."
Ruby looked to Lex. "We DO need some food and water. We're almost out."
Lex sighed defeated, and parked towards the gas station.
Ruby and Lex walked into the store to find some items, while Sabe glued herself to the street.
She was waiting for him. She had been for so long.
"Come on, Ash." she said to herself. "A few bullies couldn't stop you from before."
So far nothing.
"It's no use waiting out there in the heat, Sabe! At least we can hide in here…"
Sabe turned sharply at Lex.
"Uh…you know, just in case." he concluded.
Sabe turned back to the road.
Watching the drifter for awhile, Ruby handed her items to Lex and walked out to join the drifter.
"Hey." she smiled.
Sabe barely replied.
Ruby sighed and crossed her arms. "Sabe, you've only known us all for a couple of hours. Either me or Lex is suppose to be the one shaking in our boots and waiting anxiously for him to return."
Sabe looked to her friend. "You are."
Ruby's friendly smile returned. "Yeah, I guess I am."
"He sure has a way on you, doesn't he?" the saloon owner laughed.
The drifter's eyes fell to the ground. "Blade. He…reminds me of someone. An old friend."
"Oooh. Boyfriend?" Ruby asked interested.
Sabe thought for a moment.
"Sort of." She looked up at Sabe.
"But did you love this friend?"
"A little interested in other people's business, are we Miss Ruby?" Sabe smiled with a raised eyebrow.
"Just starting up some more conversation." she said.
Sabe nodded her head.
"Hey! Our golden boy's back!" Lex shouted as he pointed out to the road.
Coming up fast was Cowboy Blade on his Ninja Motorbike.
Highway Battle
The cool breeze felt good. Lex was the driver of the truck with Ruby and Sabe sitting next to him.
Ruby had her arms crossed and was scooted far as possible from Lex.
Their argument from that night on the cruise ship was still heeding over them.
Well, it was about time that stopped. At least from Sabe's point of view. She may not have known what happened between these two, but hating forever was just part of her dislikes.
There was one way to bring it up. A way she liked rather more for herself.
Sabe looked back in her seat, staring out at the dark figure riding the Ninja motorbike behind them.
Blade.
She hadn't known for more than just nine hours now.
Still there was something about the bounty hunter. From what she heard from Reaper and his Bouncers, Cowboy Blade was a warrior without a soul. They say that because he moved as if he had no soul.
But he was human. Every human had a soul.
A thought then crept into her mind as she began putting the puzzle of him together.
Cold, strong, acts out instead of speaks and speaks only when believes words are needed.
He reminded her of Ash. Her childhood friend. The boy next door who she had fallen in love with.
…Her eyes went wide when another thought hit her like a brick.
Thinking about it more, she did manage to see he had blue eyes underneath the brim of his hat.
His hair was the same, though he was a bit taller.
There was no doubt now in her mind.
"It is him." she gasped.
Ruby looked over to the drifter. "What?"
Sabe shook her head quickly. "Nothing. I was just…thinking about someone."
Lex smirked. "Glad to see someone's not so selfish."
"Oh you should talk!" Ruby snapped at him.
"Hey! I'm the one in pain here! Not you!" Lex pointed out. "You hurt me. You actually believed that everything was all a lie to get you in bed, but in fact you were just looking for a good time."
Ruby fell silent.
"Am I right?" he asked. "Well am I?!"
At last, Ruby looked to Lex, and he to Ruby.
"No, you're wrong Lex. " she replied. "I had feelings for you as well, but I was afraid that you would wake up and scratch a name off your list."
Lex looked shocked.
After all this time that he was thinking that Ruby was nothing but a tough little bitch like Ebony, only not scheming, he now knew he was all wrong about her. And did it ever eat at his heart.
Sabe watched on with the two as neither were speaking again.
Perhaps when they stopped again, she would talk to them. They were starting to become her friends, and she couldn't stand by and let her friends hurt.
She sighed and looked back to the bounty hunter. And her eyes went wide when she noticed some tiny tots coming up from behind Blade.
"I think we've got company." she said, pointing out in back.
Lex looked in the rear view mirror as Ruby turned in her seat to look out back with Sabe.
Moments later, they saw the same guys dressed up in yellow and black leather clothes.
There were even more of them then the last time.
"Huh. So I guess those Demo Pirates or whatever are tougher than I thought." Lex smirked.
Even through the roaring of his motorbike's engine, he could hear them coming from behind.
The Demolition Pirates were back for vengeance.
Two pirates swooped pass Blade with baseball bats and chains in their hands.
They started beating on the truck.
So they attack the others to get to me, Blade thought.
That was a big mistake.
"Game time." he whispered to himself.
Charging up for speed, Blade caught up to the pirate carrying the bat.
The pirate took a swing at the warrior, a swing that Blade quickly ducked.
The pirate swung again, this time Blade grabbed the bat and quickly kicked the pirate's motorbike against the side.
The pirate lost grip of his bat and control of his motorbike as he skid to the side of the road and leaped right off his ride when his motorbike began to flip.
The pirate with the chains sped up close to Blade, spinning the chains over his head.
He got in close and slammed the chains into Blade's shoulder.
Blade didn't even wince
The pirate threw the chains again, and this time Blade caught the chains with the bat from the other pirate.
While trying to keep his eyes on the road and on the bounty hunter at the same time, it was just far too impossible for the inexperienced.
Giving a hard tug on the chain, the chain returned to the pirate, bring the bat smashing into his face along with it.
The pirate fell on the road with his motorbike skidding across the road.
The next pirate accidentally ran right over his comrade's shoulder.
"Oh jeez!" the pirate cried. But the pirates didn't even care about their fallen it seemed.
So be it, Blade thought.
Blade looked across to his companions watching frantically in the truck.
"Keep driving!" he shouted, and slowed his motorbike to catch up with the pirates.
"Blade, Be careful!" Sabe shouted to him.
She thought it went unheard. But it didn't.
Why should she care, he thought. She hadn't known him for too…AGH!!
Blade felt a metal pole slam against his arm in the same spot the chains had hit.
The pirate raised his pole high over his head, and Blade jabbed him hard even with his helmet on.
The biker flew straight off his motorbike which kept on going.
Three down, three more to go.
Actually, all together it was five more to go with two pirates on each two motorbikes, and the Kong-like thug on the third one.
"We're gonna smash your face in, freak!" the Kong-like thug growled.
Blade saw the truck was now out of sight. He would catch up to them later.
He turned his attention to the closest motorbike of pirates.
And there just happened to be another biker of two pirates next to them. They were trying to angle themselves.
Perfect, he thought.
He reached into his leather raincoat and pulled out the sawed off shotgun, aiming it at the bike's engine.
"NO!!" the driver of the motorbike screamed, and lost control as he swirled right into the motorbike next to him.
The bikes clashed, and suddenly exploded after the fire of a gunshot, leaving all four pirates in the air and crashing against both the road and the side.
"One more."
Blade gained up speed in the motorbike, driving far a distance from the pirate leader.
Then, he swirled around in a stop with looking down the street to the Kong-like thug who stopped as well.
He twisted the handle of his Ninja motorbike, zooming up the engine.
The Kong-like thug couldn't see it in his eyes. But he knew just what the bounty hunter had planned.
"Yeah! You're toast, Jesse James!" the Kong-like thug laughed.
Blade's lips curled into a disgusted scowl.
Jesse James?! Of all the people…!
At that, both riders charged straight dead ahead for each other.
He's so stupid it's unbelievable, the Kong-like thug thought, waiting for Blade to quickly move to the side.
But the bounty hunter kept on going straight.
The pirate leader felt a little sweat on his forehead. Either it was from the sun, or his nerves were getting to him.
"Come on. Turn!" he hissed.
But the warrior still made no turn.
As he was getting closer, the Kong-like thug could see now that a smile was planted on the bounty hunter's face.
His eyes went wide in horror.
"Oh sh…!"
The pirate leader quickly turned to the side quickly. Too quickly as he hit a ditch, and just by hitting a ditch that his motorbike lost balance and he was thrown from his transport.
Blade came to another stop, looking over to the Kong-like thug's form.
The pirate leader started getting up, but fell down again.
Nobody else was coming. The highway battle was over.
"And it was just getting good." Blade smirked, and rode off to catch up with the others.
"Stop here!" Sabe pointed out to a gas station.
"You heard what Blade said. We have to keep going." Lex told her.
"Don't worry. We'll be safe there. We can wait for him there."
Ruby looked to Lex. "We DO need some food and water. We're almost out."
Lex sighed defeated, and parked towards the gas station.
Ruby and Lex walked into the store to find some items, while Sabe glued herself to the street.
She was waiting for him. She had been for so long.
"Come on, Ash." she said to herself. "A few bullies couldn't stop you from before."
So far nothing.
"It's no use waiting out there in the heat, Sabe! At least we can hide in here…"
Sabe turned sharply at Lex.
"Uh…you know, just in case." he concluded.
Sabe turned back to the road.
Watching the drifter for awhile, Ruby handed her items to Lex and walked out to join the drifter.
"Hey." she smiled.
Sabe barely replied.
Ruby sighed and crossed her arms. "Sabe, you've only known us all for a couple of hours. Either me or Lex is suppose to be the one shaking in our boots and waiting anxiously for him to return."
Sabe looked to her friend. "You are."
Ruby's friendly smile returned. "Yeah, I guess I am."
"He sure has a way on you, doesn't he?" the saloon owner laughed.
The drifter's eyes fell to the ground. "Blade. He…reminds me of someone. An old friend."
"Oooh. Boyfriend?" Ruby asked interested.
Sabe thought for a moment.
"Sort of." She looked up at Sabe.
"But did you love this friend?"
"A little interested in other people's business, are we Miss Ruby?" Sabe smiled with a raised eyebrow.
"Just starting up some more conversation." she said.
Sabe nodded her head.
"Hey! Our golden boy's back!" Lex shouted as he pointed out to the road.
Coming up fast was Cowboy Blade on his Ninja Motorbike.