A/N~ I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. I was waiting for Zoheret to watch CB so she could help me with it (But she never did, grrrr). Hopefully someone out there still cares enough to at least give this thing a review...That's all I'm asking for, kay? I'm not too demanding...
~Dove~
Chapter One: Picture Blues
***Three Months Later***
/// Okay. 3, 2, 1, let's jam!///
"Ed!" Jet grumbles as he sticks his head out of the kitchen, "Turn the damn music down!"
"But Edward is having fun! Hear the happy noise bouncing off the wall! Bouncy, pouncy, louncy, founcy, see? Huh, Ein?"
"Arf!"
Jet lets out a long sigh and mumbles something incohorent as he returns to frying potatoes, the only food on the ship. "Figures one day it'd be potatoes. Went through eggs, mushrooms..." His words fade away as he stares at the frying pan for a moment.
Behind him Faye enters the kitchen silently, a trail of smoke rising around her as she puffs once and opens her mouth, "Potatoes again? You'd think we'd have something different after turning in the Dagre guy!"
"Yeah, we would. If you hadn't spent it all at the races."
Faye doesn't respond, just smiles evily and leaves the kitchen, a drink of some sort clutched in her fist. She throws herself onto the couch, trying to not think about the fluffy haired man who used to do the same.
"Faye-Faye!"
She ignores the persistent voice yelling over the blaring music that seems to be forever coming from Ed's computer.
"Faye-Faye!"
She gives in with a sigh, "What is it Ed?"
"Edward's found a bountttttttttty!"
"Good for you Ed," she replies without any enthusiasium and continually stares at the random drink in her hand, wondering what the hell it is.
"It's a bigggggg bounty, huh, Ein?"
"Woof!"
"Fine," she replies and pushes herself off the couch with a groan. "Just turn off the music, kay?"
"Awwwwwww! Edward's tunes go bye-bye."
"So what's the guy's name?" Faye forces herself to ask, too tired to really care. The latest bounty had taken a lot out of her, leading her on an endless chase through a town on Mars before committing suicide by jumping off a bridge.
"Vere Masheta! Oh, la, la! Here lies a dragonnnnnn!"
Staring blankly at the screen, eyes taking in the salt and peper hair and brown lifeless eyes, Faye shakes her head slowly, "I don't think so Ed."
"Five million woulongs!" (Don't know how to spell. I figure that's a good sum, but I don't know how to calculate it...Someone help?)
So what if he'd been in the Red Dragons. He was gone now, never coming back. There was no point in just ignoring good bounties because they came from the same place he had.
///...When this began
I had nothing to say
And I'd get lost in the nothingness inside of me...///
Dropping the last of Spike's cigarette stash on the ground, she stomped it out, "Alright. I'll take him. Where is he, Ed?"
There was a beep as Edward threw herself into a handstand and punched the computer buttons with her toes. "Finding, finding, searching, searching...Where be the Vere-berry. Where, there, no, no, hereeeeee! Woohoo!!!"
Faye, "You seriously need to lay off the sugar."
"Silly, Faye-Faye." Edward reprimands, "Vere the berry is on Earth, hiding, biding, in an old museum."
"Oh, really. What he do anyway, except be a Red Dragon member?"
"Wellllll...He was involved in some Chaos thingymager. The other syndicates are putting bounties on anyone they know took part in it, but Edward found only Vere with a bountyyyyy..."
"Thanks, kid. Tell Jet to head for Earth, I'm going to sleep."
///...I was confused
And I let it all out to find
That I'm
Not the only person with these things in mind...///
Faye turns down the hall, ignoring the door to Spike's room as she passes it. No ones entered it since he left, no one's even attempted to open it. Like a fogotten temple, a monument to the fallen.
Her steps faulter and she considers. "It's not like he's here to get mad. He won't even know." Nodding to herself she backs up, and opens the door with one hand, a feeling she can't place in the pit of her stomach.
///...Inside of me
But all the vacancy the words revealed
Is the only real thing that I've got left to feel
Nothing to lose
Just stuck/hollow and alone
And the fault is my own
And the fault is my own...///
A chaotic mess meets her eyes and she has to wad her way through inches of clothing just to make it to the bed. She stares down at the rumpled sheets covered with a slight layer of dust, and has to force herself not to fall into it and envelop the blanket in her arms.
Her foot nudges something beneath the bed, and she bends reaching an arm out slowly, scared of what could be under there, and grasps something cool with her fingers.
A small metal box the size of her hand stares up at her and she traces the gaping keyhole with the tips of her fingers.
"What's this? Spike actually owned something beside clothes, smokes, and guns?"
Realizing she needs a key she carefully places the box on the bed and wades through the clothing to a small dresser that normal people would stuff with clothes. Pulling open the top drawer, she frowns as the bottom wood panel stares up at her. "Figures," she mutters.
The second drawer is the same, which causes her to frown slightly and wonder if there's any point to searching the last one. But she opens it anyway.
A pack of cigarettes covered in dust and a single key the size of her pinky are the only articles that she finds.
///...I want to heal
I want to feel
What I thought was never real
I want to let go of the pain I've held so long
(Erase all the pain 'til it's gone)
[It's gone]
I want to heal
I want to feel
Like I'm close to something real...///
She grabs the key, not feeling anything as she opens the box. After all she's cheated people of their money thousands of times. She's ruthless. The guy is dead, why should she feel bad for opening something he left behind. It's not like he's going to walk through the door and yell at her...
...And yet, something in her chest seems to hurt...
There's only one thing in the box. Something that makes her cringe and stifle a sob at the same time.
///...I want to find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong...///
A slightly faded black and white picture of three people in black standing on some sort of bridge. Two of them seem to be talking, unaware of someone taking a picture. Spike and Vicious, looking no more than thirteen years old. It hurts to think the lunkhead was ever that young.
What surprises her is that the third one isn't Julia. She supposes they must not have met her yet. An old man stands on the fringes of the picture. Someone she's seen before.
Mao.
///...I want to heal
I want to feel
What I thought was never real...///
*
Yawning, Chaos stretches his arms, popping joints and ignoring the few people around him as he stands up. The clothes don't feel right, they never feel right, but he wears them anyway. Maybe, he thinks, black isn't my color.
The few people sitting around the table stare at him drearily, before casting a glance at the clock on the wall, the big hand just reaching the 12.
"Midnight," groans Ryen, "couldn't pick a better time could you?"
Chaos smirks cheerfully back, "Gotta keep you on your toes."
The other people stare stoicly forward, refusing to take part in the idle banter.
Shrugging, Chaos jumps onto the rectangle shaped table with one bounding leap, and precedes to stride across it, narrowly missing stomping on a few gloved hands.
"You want to know something?" Chaos demands, going from playful to dangerous in seconds, and casting glares at the people staring up at him.
No one offers a reply, so he continues, "I think you let him go."
Stephen, a man in his mid-twenties shakes his head rapidly, and as a representative from the Third Pinion Assault Group, is forced to speak, "W-w-we had no idea Vere had left, truly. You can look over the reports, Lord. W-we..."
Chaos shakes his head and flops down onto the middle of the table, sitting Indian-style in front of the man. "You know what, I don't really care that the bastard got away, 'cause he's gonna die soon anyway," he smirks, "but I want to know why he left. That's what gets me."
Stephen stares open mouthed up at the Red Dragon leader, obviously in awe of the man, and doesn't seem to be able to form a reply.
"Aw, this is stupid," Chaos declares and catapults off the desk, landing near his chair. "If any of you were helping him, and you know who you are, you might want to reconsider your loyalties. And don't worry about Vere, he's getting what's coming to him."
With that, Lord Chaos turns on his heel and leaves the room of representatives to their thoughts, Reyn running to catch up to him.
"So which one of them helped Vere?" He asks curiously, forced to crane his neck slightly, because, well, Chaos is just so damn tall.
The Red Dragon leader gifts him with a smirk before replying, "None of them."
"...So who helped Vere get away?"
"I did." Chaos replies sharply and flings open the doors to his office, taking the time to kick a box resting in the center of the room, into the corner.
"I don't understand you."
"Either do I." Chaos mutters darkly and flings himself onto the couch on the side of the room.
Reyn considers if it's smart to delve further. "So, you help him get away, and then scare the reps into thinking your mad at them, and know which one of them betrayed you, when none of them really did, and they're all extremely and scarily loyal?"
"Yup."
"..."
"You see, Reyn, they're less likely to even think of betraying me if they think I know everything."
"But what about Vere?" Reyn questions, not really caring about the man, but curious as to whether Chaos even kows.
"That annoyance will be dealt with. He was always trying to tell me what to do."
///...Easy go, Easy come...Or visa versa...///
A/N~ So the ending of this chapter was kinda weak, but I really don't know how a syndicate works, it's not like I'm in one...*cough* Anyway, please review, kay?
Responses (Cause if you be nice, I'll be nice) :
Sessy Da Fluffy one: I'm really grateful you liked it so much, thank you. I hope somehow you find this chapter and like it just as much...Although I dunno...
Amuro: Awwww thank you...I was hoping someone would notice...I'm just reallllly like the mushroom episode...heh
Koyasha1: Well, hopefully my fic will get a little more original as it progresses...Thanks for the wonderful review!
Please Review People, 'cause it's the thing to do! Yup! ^_^