Author's Note: I want to make one thing clear here people, I know the whole x'x" thing is getting annoying but people get on my case if I don't put it there. Sorry! I'm working on getting that out of my stories because I know it's annoying. Anyways, be happy and read!
The Lost Protector
This story is dedicated to Chichirui for she is the reason for most of my inspiration and without her these stories wouldn't be half as fun! So this one is for you my hyper active friend! Keep the hyperness alive!
Chapter 3: Friend of Mine
Kat sighed as she stopped under a tree. She was tired, beat, and in a bad mood. Her group had spent all day walking around the forest in circles with only one pathetic lead that they had found late in the game, but had quickly lost. Alex and Nicole's groups had just met up with them moments before and were concerned. It wasn't like they could never find someone, just the occasional few hour goose chase before they were found. But to lose someone on Zaibach grounds and that was more powerful then all of them…
Honestly, you'd think the person we're tracking was like… her thought stopped. Oddly enough, this person's tracking skills were amazing. Just like her best friend, Willow Akimo's, tracking skills were. Yet... that was when we were little. Willow disappeared in the hospital years ago. How could this person know all of Willow's tricks? Unless… Kat's eyes went wide. "The person we're tracking is her," she whispered, bringing a hand up to her mouth.
Could it be? Could Willow be alive? Her mother had told her that Willow died years ago but her body had never been found. The only lead the police ever had had been a piece of paper with a teardrop on it. I never saw the paper, she thought, but I wonder…
Suddenly Kat heard a sound to her left. "There you are, Kat. Lord Dilandau wants to-" Gatti was cut off when a figure suddenly dropped from the tree Kat was standing under. The figure landed, right in front of Kat, between her and Gatti, and whirled around. What Kat saw made her almost faint.
Willow was awoken from her nap when she heard someone speaking. She could tell that she had come in the middle of conversation but what she caught made her jump. "Kat. Lord Dilandau wants-" the voice was saying.
At the sound of her dead best friend's name Willow leapt from the tree and landed in front of a man. Could this be true? Could Kat be alive? Wasn't she dead?
The man was tall wearing a black tunic under blue armor. He had light blonde hair and blue eyes and was very tall. Willow narrowed her eyes at the man-she didn't like the large sword hanging at his side.
She turned around when she heard a sharp gasp from behind her. She whirled around and what she saw made her head spin. This couldn't be true…
The figure whirled around, stood up, and Kat saw that she was wearing a pastel-purple tall knee boots, a white mid-thigh skirt with a pastel purple tank top with a white thick line across the chest. It was sort of like her uniform only with different colors. A 5'6" slightly curved body, slim, athletic build and short dark red hair hung around the face. Dark emerald green eyes stared back at her piercing her own midnight blue eyes. "Willow?" Kat asked, amazed, surprised and in awe at her old friend.
Willow stared, awestruck, at the sight before her. There had been a noise behind her and she had turned around to meet the gaze of midnight blue eyes staring into her own; surprise and shock written in their depths. Only one person had those strange colored eyes…
The woman was petite with waist long dark brown hair hung around her face and waist as her dark midnight blue eyes shone brightly. None other then a girl with a fiery temper could stand like this woman was now. This was definitely Kat Taylor. "Kat?" Willow asked, in awe.
Her friend was alive. Alive and talking to her!
"Oh… my… God… I can't believe it's you!" Kat cried. This was definitely Willow Akimo-her best friend who had disappeared in the hospital. "But I thought you were dead!" Willow cried accusingly. How could this be?
"Dead? I'm not dead! I'm here aren't I? Not a ghost, solid." Kat clapped her hands together and then hit the tree behind her to show her point. Fear and confusion washed over Willow. This couldn't be…. Could it? "Then what happened to you?" Willow demanded, her voice cold and flat.
"After I blacked out, I was picked up by and ambulance and taken into surgery. A part of the stone was embedded into my skull. I woke up about a week later, a little confused but all right.
"Another couple weeks past and my mother told me you had disappeared in your hospital room, the only trace they found was a teardrop mark on a piece of parchment. I was so devastated, I thought I had lost you forever!" Kat said, frowning. Why was Willow being so… unemotional?
Willow shook her head. "No, the man told me you were dead. I thought I had killed you… but then..." she said, murmuring to herself. Kat had hypersensitive ears so she caught most of what she said. Willow stopped herself.
Kat frowned even more. "Willow..." Kat asked, concern and confusion mixing together and taking over her features. Her voice shook slightly. What was Willow saying? Why wasn't she happy that they had found each other? Why wasn't she smiling? The girl she used to know with a smile always on her face.
Willow shook her head again. "All that matters is that you're not dead," she replied.
Kat's face showed the hurt that she felt. Willow was talking like she didn't care. Why didn't she care? There was something odd about her… suddenly it came to her. It was fast and lasted only five seconds but it was enough. Kat felt Willow's soul and for some reason unknown to her, it had changed.
Things that Kat wouldn't have noticed became apparent to her. Willow's stance was different; she seemed more demanding, her weight resting on the balls of her feet ready for action, he legs stiff, her shoulders pushed back, her head held high and stiff. Her eyes were hard and cold, almost devoid of any emotion. Her muscles were more defined, the reward of many hard training sessions from an expert trainer. Everything about Willow screamed that she was a soldier.
This information came very fast to Kat and it took her a couple minutes to recover. She shook her head and looked at Willow. It was like Willow was highlighted in yellow lights; she looked at Willow and felt like she was ready to cry. This was why her friend was so different, not because she hadn't seen Kat in years, or even didn't remember, or something stupid like that. It was because she was a solider. A trained solider. "Willow, you're a soldier," Kat whispered. Willow instantly went on alert. How'd she know? She wondered.
As Kat stared at Willow more things popped into her head. It wasn't like when she noticed every little thing with the Dragon Slayers or even Dilandau. Images popped into her head so fast that she was having a hard time remembering everything. However, the most apparent things spilled from her head to her mouth like a waterfall. "You've killed many innocents just to make your name…" Kat breathed. "You don't care… You like the blood that is spilled on a battlefield… People fear you, you are obeyed at any cost…"
She saw how Willow stood, exactly like Dilandau's. From experience, Kat had learnt how to spot things like how many people a person has killed and if they had a name or not. Willow's body screamed all this information to her along with the images.
Willow's eyes narrowed as she glared at Kat. "So what if I have? I'm sure you've killed some yourself," she spat. How dare she lie to her and then accuse her of killing? She knew that Kat had also killed. A warrior knew another warrior and Kat, by all means, was a warrior.
Kat was slightly taken aback by Willow's sudden harsh tone. She hadn't expected her to react like that. Kat meant nothing by it and was just surprised at the facts… or had she? "Not as many as you, Will. What happened to you? After you disappeared?" Kat asked, trying to take Willow's hand. She had to find out.
Willow pulled away her eyes a blaze with hate and anger. "None of your business! You weren't there for me, Kat, and now I realize why! You never did think I was your best friend and you never cared for me! When I disappeared I bet you didn't even shed a tear for me! Now you're here but don't think that'll change things. You lied to me. I will carry out my mission! Whether I have to kill you to finish it or not!" Willow screamed.
She turned and ran away from Kat. Kat watched as her best friend ran away from her, tears forming in her eyes. Hanging her head Kat tried to fight the tears. Her best friend was back but she thought Kat didn't care that she had been gone? That she had lied to her? Confused and hurt, Kat began to cry. "No, I shed tears over you, thinking you were dead but always hoping you weren't, Will," she whispered between silent sobs.
There was a hand on Kat's shoulder and she looked up at the face of Gatti. He had a sad look on his face. "Come on, we better get back," he said quietly.
Kat nodded and followed him silently as they walked back to the camp, Kat still crying.
A few hours later Willow had stopped running. She now sat at the base of a tree, looking up at the night sky, tears silently falling from her eyes. What she had said to Kat was true, as much as it pained her; she had seen it in Kat's eyes when she turned around. The look that said, "to think I didn't care about you!" The look you got when someone is surprised that you're still alive.
Why? I know Kat isn't like that! Why Kat? Why did you give me that look? Why was I so cold to you? Why do I hate you so much? She wondered, staring at the sky. This wasn't like her.
"She wasn't there when I needed her. All those nights alone, crying, wishing she were there… no, I have a mission to finish. Kat must be one of those girls… yes it makes sense. Kat has powers, I might have to destroy her if I wish to finish with my mission," Willow whispered into the night, wiping away the tears. Inside she resolved not to let emotion get in the way.
Dilandau watched from the shadows at the edge of their small camp, leaned against a tree. He hadn't liked the fact that Kat had just slipped away when he wasn't watching, quickly disappearing into the night. He didn't want her out alone with their target on the loose. So he had sent Gatti out to find her. He figured that wherever she was he would be able to find her.
As Gatti entered the camp without a sound, looking slightly disturbed, Dilandau looked for the familiar form in the shadows; a few seconds later Kat walked in on Gatti's heels. There… he started to think before he caught sight of the way she walked. Light, uneven steps, like her mind was somewhere else. He frowned as he saw Kat's face; it looked as if she was in emotional pain.
Silently he left his spot and walked over to her, stopped at the edge of the camp. She didn't notice him coming up from behind her. As he got nearer he sensed that something was greatly wrong, her whole body screamed pain. Why, what went on? He wondered.
He gently put his hand on her shoulder and she slowly turned around, looking up into his eyes. He almost fell over when he saw her eyes. Never before had he seen her eyes looking like hey did. Their deep dark blue depths were even darker then usual, a glassy cover coating them, the pupils melting into the blue like it was bleeding. Her eyes conveyed so much emotion it was like an overload.
At that instant he wanted to pick her up and hold her in his arms, tell her everything was all right and that he would protect her. I don't even know what's wrong and I still want to do something totally stupid, he thought. "Anything wrong, kitten?" He asked gently. Like she'd tell you, Kat's independent. She won't concern you with something she thinks trivial. I'll have to break her of that.
Kat shook her head, a few strands of loose hair falling around her face as she did. Tell Dilandau what was on her mind? No, she wouldn't-couldn't. Willow was her friend; this was her problem, no one else's. Besides, he was head of a small army he probably had more important things on his mind right now and didn't want to listen to pathetic squabbling of a small issue. "No, everything's okay. Find any new trails?" She asked, changing the subject. Maybe I should at least tell him I saw our target…
"No, it's too dark to see anything. We'll pick up tomorrow at dawn," he replied, moving his hand up to her cheek, brushing away a strand of hair. "Are you sure nothing is wrong?"
She leaned into his hand as it rested on her cheek. She intertwined her fingers with his and she looked dead on into his eyes. "Positive."
"You do know that you're engaged to me, right?"
"Of course."
"So that means that I want to know anything you're feeling. Any idea, thoughts, questions, answers, problems, anything-understand?"
Kat laughed softly. "Sure, but you have to do the same."
"Fine. I think that you need something to eat. Come on," he said as he dropped his hand, taking hers in his and leading her towards the small fire they had going. Kat followed him silently. Would she tell him about Willow? What about Nicole and Alex? What am I going to do? She wondered. This is so thick I don't know if I even move a little if the walls won't come falling down.
God, Willow, what is with you? I thought you were dead and now you show up, alive, with a major attitude change. What made you so cold? Why are you here on Gaea? Why did you kill… where you like me, forced? Oh God… I know I'm a killer and everyday I see the slaughter's blood on my hands and it drives me crazy but you… are you like that?
Willow what's wrong?
Sleep didn't come to Kat easily that night. They had all been issued a standard roll of thin cloth to sleep on and they had divided up the guard duty to two people every three hours. Currently it was Alex and Guimel on duty, poking at the fire in pure boredom.
First she had started out next to Nicole but had found that her friend was insistent bout sleeping next to Chesta so she had gotten up and moved over to Gatti who was nearby. Gatti had been snoring along with Dallet and the two were proving to be a very hard duo to ignore. So again she had moved. This time she moved over to Dilandau out of pure desperation.
Yet even snuggled up against Dilandau didn't help any. Sighing, she looked about the camp. Alex and Guimel were still on watch, Nicole and Chesta were snuggled together sleeping comfortably and the rest of the Slayers were sleeping with the occasional extremely loud snore from either Dallet or Gatti. There's no hope, she thought. I need to sort things out.
"Hey, I'm going to take a walk," Kat whispered to Alex as she got out of her bedroll and stood. "If anyone asks, I'll be back before dawn."
"Don't stray far," Alex warned.
"Of course not."
She pulled on her boots, or actually Dilandau's boots since hers were still across the camp, and grabbed his cloak as walked out of camp. The night air was chilly with a presence of solitude. It made her shiver as she walked silently through it, staring at the empty branches and sleeping animals. Everything was so quiet…
What Willow said to me… it was like she thought I was a traitor? They way she looked at me and then spoke. How could she ever think that I was anything but a friend? I didn't know where she was, the police didn't know, and no one could explain it. The video cameras didn't show anything…
What if… I was taken to Gaea and no one else saw that light that took us. When we returned we had been gone only two hours when in time we had been gone four months. Time had almost stopped on our world. But when I returned just two years ago there had been two years past. Why did time freeze that one time? Is it frozen now? I can't tell…
If Willow were taken to Gaea in the hospital, would cameras pick up the light-maybe not. So if she was taken to Gaea then that means that all the time she was gone she was growing up here. How'd she survive? Was someone there to take her in, expecting her? I need answers Willow.
Kat shook her head. There's nothing I can do. Unless Willow thinks that I am useful in some way, then I can't do anything to make her come with me. She's like me and I know her... or at least I did. I don't think her personality has changed much, at least I hope so.
Suddenly an idea popped into Kat's head. Maybe… quickly she started towards where she last saw Willow.
Willow watched as the fire crackled. She had set up camp again far from where she had last seen Kat. The memory was still playing in her mind. She was angry with herself for acting like the monster she was. Out of all people Kat was the one who would understand.
Part of her wanted so badly to go back and apologize, beg Kat not to disappear again, to come back and hold her again like she used to do when Willow was feeling down. Another part told her that it had all been an act, hat Kat was dead and if she was still alive she had lied to her. Pretend to be dead to lose her. She was silently fighting a war inside of herself.
Was it something that the man did? Did he put something inside her head? When he injected her with all those needles? She could feel it on the edge of her mind-it was slowly taking over her body. Making her think differently. Making her act different. Willow wanted to cry; who was she?
"Take over this world. Once you have done that, you can use the people here to take over Earth. Then you'd have your revenge on those who challenged you and hurt you," a voice whispered.
"No…" she whimpered. "No one hurt me. People challenge people all the time; it's natural. I was different-they were afraid… no one hurt me…"
"You were hurt more then you know. Remember all the people that laughed at you? Thought you were stupid. "Just a girl," they said, "she can't do anything". You must take over this planet. Use the Protectors. Get Kat back for making you think she was gone."
"No, she's my friend and I won't use her!" Willow yelled, enraged that the voice would even suggest her hurting her best friend. There was a splitting pain inside her head before Willow blacked out. She was losing this fight. She was becoming more and more unsure of whom she was or where she stood as the line between reality and fantasy blurred.
From the shadows a dark figure smiled. "Well, this is certainly interesting," it said in a silky soft voice.
Kat looked around for she had been following Willow's tracks for hours; so long she didn't know what time it was. Her efforts had been in vain for she could only pick out the faint marks of several trails. "Man, she's better as hiding her trail then she used to be," Kat muttered, rubbing her eyes.
She was tired, no sleep and staring at the ground in limited light made her eyes sore and her body tired. This wasn't helping her mood at all. "Willow, where are you? What's happened to you?" Kat sighed and turned back. She started towards the camp, heavy hearted with very little hope left. Willow didn't want to be found.
When Kat got back to camp, an hour later and all ready half an hour past dawn, a very worried Nicole and a pissed off looking Alex met her. "Hey, what's wrong?" Kat asked as Nicole hugged her. She had barely set foot in the camp when the relieved girl attacked her. Obviously something was wrong.
"Wrong? You want to know what's wrong?" Alex yelled, catching everyone's attention.
"We just heard that Willow's back. Why didn't you tell us?" Nicole asked, hurt in her eyes. She was quick to cut Alex off before the brunette went ninja on Kat's butt.
Kat had forgotten that Nicole and Alex had known Willow too, but none were as close to her as Kat were. "Sorry, I just forgot. You know, in all the excitement of her being alive and… well, here," Kat said, sounding ashamed.
"Well, you've got two major problems now. One pissed off husband to deal with and the fact that you were gone three hours before you were supposed to be back," Alex added, her anger subsiding.
Kat looked at her surprised. "Why?" She asked.
"He woke up today with you gone, which totally freaked him out. When I told him that you went for a walk, thinking that would help, he asked when so I said sometime in the night and that you never came back. That sent him over the edge anger wise. Then he found that all of Willow's tracks disappeared. He was super-duper mad. Also, to add onto that, I told him the whole Willow story and then he was just plain pissed off."
"So he's mad at me for disappearing, not telling him that one of my major best friends-who I thought dead-came back, alive, turned on me, that she's our target, and that Willow's tracks disappeared-after all that junk about problems too. Damn it."
"You better believe it. Oh, and Viole found Willow's things in her last camp with a stroke of luck. Do you want to leave them behind for her?"
"No, I'd rather take them. Maybe they'll help some."
"Okay. Uh oh, here comes Dilandau, we'll go now."
With that, Nicole and Alex walked off no wanting to get caught in the major blow up that was about to happen. They disappeared as a very mad Dilandau came up to Kat. "Um, hi?" Kat tried. She wasn't sure what to say. She could justify her reasons, argue that everyone else had problems they kept quiet, say she lost track of time… but nothing seemed to fit.
To her surprise Dilandau just sighed and rubbed his eyes. He looked like the greatest pressure had just been released. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked quietly.
"Uhm… because I didn't think you'd understand. I don't think I was ready to explain either," Kat replied, also quiet.
"Kat…"
She moved forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her head into his shoulder. She hoped this would work. "I'm sorry-I didn't mean to freak everyone out. I was just in overload mode. I just… needed to sort things out in my own way before I said anything."
Dilandau's arm encircled her waist and he picked up her head with his other, making her look at him. He tipped her head back a little, looking into her eyes. "Do you trust me?"
"With my life, heart, and soul."
"We've been through a lot together, but we've always made it out fine. I'm here for you, you can talk to me."
She nodded.
"Good. Come on, we have to pack up and go back to the Vione," he said pulling her along with him. "For future reference, I'm not letting you out of my sight now."
Kat smiled a little and they set to work packing up, not noticing the dark figure as it smiled, watching the hustle. "Why, Kat, why so down? You're friend will be okay. She just needs a push in the right direction to come around," it whispered, and then disappeared.
Author's Note: Wow! What a long chapter! Hope y'all like it. But what's with the dark figure? Hm? Interesting…. Until my next chapter!
~The Shadow That Takes Form as a Kat~
~~ShadowKat~~