Chapter Four
Vicious watched in amused silence as Malice chewed the pizza delivery boy out about being so late. That was one side of Malice no one wanted to see; no living being has ever gotten away with getting between Malice's pizza or ramen. When she'd sent the delivery boy away crying for his mother, Malice turned and carried the now cold pizza back to the kitchen, hoping to at least salvage it.
"Have fun?" Vicious asked, dryly. He received only a growl for a response.
"That's the last time I ever order from Pizza Hut! Three hours is too fricken' long, even for Mars!" Malice ranted, as she slammed the pizza box down onto the table. Vicious kept his face neutral, since he knew that if he smirked, he'd probably end up dead.
"What do you intend to do now?" Vicious asked, as Malice set the oven's temperature in preparation to reheat the pizza.
"Kill some pizza boys." Malice muttered, her temper starting to wind down. Vicious arched an eyebrow and shook his head. He winced slightly when he stood and stretched, slight twinges of pain emanating from his stomach from where a bullet had gone in.
"Y'know, V, I'm surprised with how fast that stomach wound is healing." Malice mused, as she sat down and waited for the oven to heat up.
"If you could call two surgeries and a month of rehab, fast." Vicious muttered, with a sour look as he remembered the two rather unpleasant occasions he'd woken up in the hospital after surgery.
"Any normal man would still be in bed, but you're up and about. Are you sure you're even human, V?" Malice teased.
"Who said I wasn't?" Vicious replied, coolly. Malice shrugged.
"Nobody in particular." Malice said, as the oven beeped, telling her that it was hot enough. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence before Malice's pet cat, a black cat that was named Leiko, hopped onto Vicious' lap and demanded to be petted.
"Demanding little one, aren't you?" Vicious asked, his voice soft and slightly amused.
"It's strange. She has really warmed up to you. Leiko doesn't usually take to strangers." Malice said, as she put the cold pizza into the oven.
"I wonder why…………" Vicious murmured, as he rubbed the cat's ears with unusual gentleness. As Malice watched him, Vicious' expression eased as he paid attention to the blue-eyed black cat, smoothing out the lines on his handsome face and bringing a certain softness to his eyes.
"He really is a handsome man. A handsome man with a lot of issues. That bitch Julia really f***ed him up." Malice thought, darkly, chuckling as Leiko licked Vicious on the nose, and watched his expression go from content to mildly surprised.
"Now that is something she only usually does to me. She must really like you." Malice said, as she stood to retrieve the pizza from the oven.
"Do tell?" Vicious said, as the cat gave him an innocent look from its position on his lap. He watched as Malice removed their dinner from the oven, surprised when he found that he was as calm and at ease as he was around Malice.
"The most feared woman in the Syndicate, and only I am comfortable around her. I wonder why?" Vicious thought, arching an eyebrow when she put a plate before him and gave him a small piece of pizza.
"What? You know what the doctors said, V. You've gotta take it easy." Malice said, from around the largest slice of pizza in the box. Vicious rolled his eyes, remembering all too well the many lectures he'd been given by the doctors about his stomach. Malice snickered.
"When I get my hands on that kid, he'll be screaming for mercy, even while his head is detached from his neck." Vicious growled, biting into and tearing at his pizza slice for emphasis.
"Please V, not at the dinner table, if you please." Malice said, her expression deadpan. Vicious smirked, ice blue eyes having a sort of mischief in them.
"Well, you know that is the truth of the matter. I wouldn't even have to worry about how much I eat if that damn kid hadn't shot me up." Vicious said, as the mischievous look faded from his eyes and was replaced by a deep hatred.
"I know, V, I know. But the Dragon Head is a powerful Syndicate. Almost as powerful as the Red Dragons. There's no way we'll even be able to get close to the kid without getting ourselves killed. Believe me, I want to get him as much as you do." Malice said, with some anger of her own in her eyes and voice. Vicious sat back and blinked.
"Why are you so angry about what happened to me?" Vicious asked; seemingly surprised that Malice wanted to get revenge for him. Malice was also taken aback.
"I………I don't know! I guess I…………." Malice stammered, then collected herself and shook her head. Vicious knew by that movement alone that he wasn't going to get any more answers from her for that train of thought. Later, after dinner was over and the dishes had been washed, Vicious reclined on the couch with the cat on his chest, reading a book. He could hear the water running in the shower, and knew where Malice was. With her absence in the room, he had time to think clearly. Why was it that he felt so comfortable around her? It had even been that way a long time before his run-in with Spike, when they would see one another in the hall, they would greet the other in their own fashion. And still he couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity. For some reason, he'd known something about a few of her mannerisms before she'd even displayed them.
"What is it about her that is so familiar?" Vicious wondered, not even bothering to look up when Malice entered the room in her solid black bathrobe, toweling off her hair while she walked. Across the room, there was a full length mirror, and this was the one Malice usually used to help her brush her long raven hair after a shower. Then something unusual happened as Vicious watched Malice begin to brush her hair; her reflection was replaced, for the briefest of moments, by something else. It appeared to be a beautiful neko youkai, like the ones that were supposed to have roamed the ancient land of Japan when the Earth was still populated. The youkai's delicate black ears were pricked, listening for the slightest sound, and deep, slitted blue eyes were intent on the job at hand. A long, sleek tail curled delicately around the stool she was sitting on, twitching in time with the brush strokes. Vicious blinked and rubbed his eyes, but when he looked again, Malice's reflection was back, as though the youkai image had never been there to begin with.
"What was that just now?!" Vicious wondered, shaking his head to clear it of the image he'd just seen.
"What's wrong, V? You look like you've just seen a ghost." Malice said, as she gave him a look that had a minute trace of concern in it.
"Nothing. Any word from the Van?" Vicious asked, his face taking on a look of distaste when he mentioned the Red Dragon leaders.
"Not a word. It seems they're giving us a break for a change." Malice said, smirking when Vicious knocked on the wooden arm of the couch.
"Yeah, knock on wood. As though we could ever get that lucky." Malice muttered, as she turned and walked out onto the balcony. The night was clear and cool, perfect for stargazing; an activity Malice found herself doing more and more often since Vicious had come to live with her. She smiled slightly when Leiko jumped onto her shoulder and purred in her ear.
"The stars sure are bright tonight. I wonder what they look like from Earth? They must have looked even more beautiful, especially with the moon hanging like a silver jewel in their midst. Feh, there I go again. Getting all poetic and mushy." Malice thought, fighting the urge to shiver as a chill breeze blew past. She jumped when she felt something get placed on her shoulders, and turned to find Vicious standing there.
"You're going to make yourself sick if you keep doing this." Vicious said, coolly. Malice smirked.
"I didn't think you had any of that kind of kindness in you." Malice said, repeating the words Vicious had said to her that day when he'd woken up after being unconscious for a week.
"You'd be surprised." Vicious muttered, not intending for her to hear that, but she heard it anyway. Malice cocked her head and arched an eyebrow.
"Do tell." Malice said, grinning when she saw a faint blush appear on Vicious' face. As comfortable silence settled between them, Malice wrapped the coat tighter around her. It was Vicious' coat, she could tell by the smell; it smelled pleasantly of cigarettes and cologne. It was a comforting scent.
"A gentleman in disguise. Who would have guessed?" Malice thought, as she leaned back into him, smirking slightly when she felt him tense in surprise, then relax. She was surprised, however, when he wrapped his arms around her, his arms crossed in front of her chest, and his hands gently grasping her shoulders. He then settled his chin on top of her still damp hair and sighed. For a moment, Malice wondered what the hell she should do in that moment; kill him, or allow him to hold her. Then her mind cleared and she realized that he was content just to hold her, and not go any further than that.
"He's holding me! He's actually holding me! Not Julia, nor any other woman, but me! Why?" Malice wondered, as she listened to his heartbeat. It was calm and steady, signaling that he was comfortable with the situation. At the same time, Vicious also noticed how at ease he felt, while holding Malice.
"As ludicrous as this sounds, I actually feel complete. This is right, somehow. What is happening?" Vicious wondered, knowing that he should probably let go before Malice decided to do something drastic and decidedly detrimental to his manhood. Yet neither one moved; both were content to just stand there, and enjoy one another's company.
Author's Note!
In case some of you haven't noticed, a part of this chapter is connected to Archaic Raven's story 'Cat Scratch Fever'. Go and read her story in order to better understand what parts of this chapter mean. ^ ^
Gemini