Author's note: Erp. I'm scared. O.o; No flames, onegai - I'll just give
them to Nagi to play with. ^^ Anyway! I guess I'm just ready to post this
now. O.o; Don't worry, it will -NOT-, by any stretch of the imagination, be
a purely fluff fic. You can see plenty of angst in THIS chapter, and
truuuuust me, it'll get worse. I'll be torturing Nagi and Suki a LOT. ^^
Just had to kind of establish them meeting in this chapter. Anyway, enough
of my pointless ranting. Now, on with "Flying on Broken Wings"! ^^
**=italics
-Flying on Broken Wings- ::Chapter 1 - Escape::
A click. The door was opened and closed, a small form slipping into the night. Deep brown eyes cast their sad gaze back. *I've had enough. Schwartz doesn't need a fourth assassin.* Nagi turned away, leaving the closest thing he had to a home behind in the darkness.
~*~*~*~*~*~
*Stay away!* She wanted to scream, but her voice had been strained to and beyond its limits. Running. All she knew was running. There was something in her way.....what? It hadn't been there until now.....She crashed, she was falling, *they* were falling, she was going to die.....
Nagi hit the ground, the pain in his arm dulled by his confusion. The girl that had fallen on him was rushing to her feet; she suddenly froze when she noticed him. "Get away from here, or they'll kill you, too." A desperate fear was in her deep blue eyes, contrasting against the dark brown of her long hair. She started to run, but Nagi grabbed her by the wrist. "Wait. Who's going to kill you?"
She was looking forward into the emptiness instead of at him. "*They* are. And you've waited too long. Now they're going to kill you, along with me."
"Don't be so sure." Nagi took a step forward just as the silhouettes of at least ten men appeared. Each of them carried various weapons, and a loud male voice, apparently their leader, shouted out, "Abazureon'na! You've never been worth the trouble you've caused!"
The girl shrank back, as though afraid to so much as breathe. The man who had been speaking had come into full view now - dressed in expensive- looking red clothing, and armed with a large gun, he smirked. "Got yourself a little bodyguard, hm? No matter. You'll die, either way, but now you'll be bringing him along with you!!!"
Several guns rose, along with various other weapons. A shrill scream escaped the girl's lips, drowning in the sounds of firing guns. "Not enough." Nagi narrowed his eyes; the air in front of him wavered slightly, the shots and slashes and throws of their weapons and their final screams were lost in his power. A few confused seconds passed, but when it was over, the bodies of every one of the men were strewn about the dark alleyway, their weapons useless beside them or sticking out of the ground or walls.
There was a clear, sharp intake of breath behind him, followed by a whispered voice. "How....did you.....?"
"I am....." Nagi tilted his head to the side a little, moving his hand with the movement of a slowly floating dagger. Pausing as he watched it. ".....strange."
She blinked, watching the pale moonlight's dull gleam upon the blade. *Why are you so sad....?* She wanted to ask; she'd noticed it from the moment she first saw him, but had been too afraid at the time to think about it. "Who are you....?"
Nagi turned around, slight confusion within the blank look of suppressed sorrow. He dropped the dagger. ".....Naoe Nagi. Why did he call you....*that*?"
She flinched slightly at the reminder of the "name". "It's what he always called me, when he was angry, or drunk, or tired. Any other time, I was whichever *other* crude insult he decided on. It was.....the only life I knew. I'd been there since I was five, Nagi. I was a *slave.*" Her eyes found a place on the ground interesting, all of a sudden. ".....It's Suki. My name, I mean."
"Suki," he repeated slowly, taking in her appearance. Pale skin, sharply accented by the dark brown framing her face. The front sections of her hair were considerably shorter than the waist length dark waterfall thrown behind her, only reaching less than midway past her shoulders. A short-sleeved black jacket covered a silver shirt patterned with the same ebony coloring, skirt and boots to match. She didn't appear to be any older than him, but the childlike happiness present in most their age was gone. "Why were they trying to kill you?"
"I ran away. I refused to do something he 'asked' me to, so he and those other men hit me, trying to force me to. I escaped, and when one of them came at me with a knife, I.....had to kill him, to get away. If I hadn't I would've died. Of course, Kaseru didn't care about that. As you can see, he had plenty of other men to apprehend one girl that's been giving him trouble for ten or eleven years now. Or he thought so, anyway. My refusal must have been the last he was going to take from me." She paused, a look of thought and remembrance in her eyes. "It's been too long. I've been there....too long."
"You're not there any more. We should....." He stopped to look away, considering his words, finding them strange somehow. "Find somewhere to stay. I've got nowhere to go, and you can't go back there. It's late...come on."
Suki nodded, though confused, and began to follow Nagi through the unfamiliar streets. They managed to find an empty, under-construction business, taking it as a temporary shelter. Though with dawn already coming, neither of them felt much like sleeping. Suki rested against a half- complete wall, allowing the warmth of the growing sunlight to touch her slowly. Nagi watched her from within the cool darkness of an area sheltered by comforting shadows. She seemed...strangely gentle, but at the same time her expression was somewhat hardened by her tortured life. Bruises patterned her arms, a few - but less - marking her face. Nagi gave a soft sigh; she shouldn't have been brought into something like that. But because of it, she was forced to kill someone. That had probably been when the last trace of her innocent appearance had failed her. Now she wore the scares of her past in her eyes - just like he did.
Author's Note: Yey! The end of chapter 1! ^^; Sssssooooooooo, what do you think? I need REVIEWS! REVIEWS, PEOPLE! If you've got sensible criticism, on with it, but let me remind you that pointless flames will be given to Nagi to play with. ^^
~Next chapter preview~: She feels drawn to him, and he to her, yet they both fear the pain to come. A meeting with a former teammate leads Nagi to leave again - but how long must he run from his past? Suki realizes that if she stays with Nagi they'll both be hurt, but she has no idea how much..........
**=italics
-Flying on Broken Wings- ::Chapter 1 - Escape::
A click. The door was opened and closed, a small form slipping into the night. Deep brown eyes cast their sad gaze back. *I've had enough. Schwartz doesn't need a fourth assassin.* Nagi turned away, leaving the closest thing he had to a home behind in the darkness.
~*~*~*~*~*~
*Stay away!* She wanted to scream, but her voice had been strained to and beyond its limits. Running. All she knew was running. There was something in her way.....what? It hadn't been there until now.....She crashed, she was falling, *they* were falling, she was going to die.....
Nagi hit the ground, the pain in his arm dulled by his confusion. The girl that had fallen on him was rushing to her feet; she suddenly froze when she noticed him. "Get away from here, or they'll kill you, too." A desperate fear was in her deep blue eyes, contrasting against the dark brown of her long hair. She started to run, but Nagi grabbed her by the wrist. "Wait. Who's going to kill you?"
She was looking forward into the emptiness instead of at him. "*They* are. And you've waited too long. Now they're going to kill you, along with me."
"Don't be so sure." Nagi took a step forward just as the silhouettes of at least ten men appeared. Each of them carried various weapons, and a loud male voice, apparently their leader, shouted out, "Abazureon'na! You've never been worth the trouble you've caused!"
The girl shrank back, as though afraid to so much as breathe. The man who had been speaking had come into full view now - dressed in expensive- looking red clothing, and armed with a large gun, he smirked. "Got yourself a little bodyguard, hm? No matter. You'll die, either way, but now you'll be bringing him along with you!!!"
Several guns rose, along with various other weapons. A shrill scream escaped the girl's lips, drowning in the sounds of firing guns. "Not enough." Nagi narrowed his eyes; the air in front of him wavered slightly, the shots and slashes and throws of their weapons and their final screams were lost in his power. A few confused seconds passed, but when it was over, the bodies of every one of the men were strewn about the dark alleyway, their weapons useless beside them or sticking out of the ground or walls.
There was a clear, sharp intake of breath behind him, followed by a whispered voice. "How....did you.....?"
"I am....." Nagi tilted his head to the side a little, moving his hand with the movement of a slowly floating dagger. Pausing as he watched it. ".....strange."
She blinked, watching the pale moonlight's dull gleam upon the blade. *Why are you so sad....?* She wanted to ask; she'd noticed it from the moment she first saw him, but had been too afraid at the time to think about it. "Who are you....?"
Nagi turned around, slight confusion within the blank look of suppressed sorrow. He dropped the dagger. ".....Naoe Nagi. Why did he call you....*that*?"
She flinched slightly at the reminder of the "name". "It's what he always called me, when he was angry, or drunk, or tired. Any other time, I was whichever *other* crude insult he decided on. It was.....the only life I knew. I'd been there since I was five, Nagi. I was a *slave.*" Her eyes found a place on the ground interesting, all of a sudden. ".....It's Suki. My name, I mean."
"Suki," he repeated slowly, taking in her appearance. Pale skin, sharply accented by the dark brown framing her face. The front sections of her hair were considerably shorter than the waist length dark waterfall thrown behind her, only reaching less than midway past her shoulders. A short-sleeved black jacket covered a silver shirt patterned with the same ebony coloring, skirt and boots to match. She didn't appear to be any older than him, but the childlike happiness present in most their age was gone. "Why were they trying to kill you?"
"I ran away. I refused to do something he 'asked' me to, so he and those other men hit me, trying to force me to. I escaped, and when one of them came at me with a knife, I.....had to kill him, to get away. If I hadn't I would've died. Of course, Kaseru didn't care about that. As you can see, he had plenty of other men to apprehend one girl that's been giving him trouble for ten or eleven years now. Or he thought so, anyway. My refusal must have been the last he was going to take from me." She paused, a look of thought and remembrance in her eyes. "It's been too long. I've been there....too long."
"You're not there any more. We should....." He stopped to look away, considering his words, finding them strange somehow. "Find somewhere to stay. I've got nowhere to go, and you can't go back there. It's late...come on."
Suki nodded, though confused, and began to follow Nagi through the unfamiliar streets. They managed to find an empty, under-construction business, taking it as a temporary shelter. Though with dawn already coming, neither of them felt much like sleeping. Suki rested against a half- complete wall, allowing the warmth of the growing sunlight to touch her slowly. Nagi watched her from within the cool darkness of an area sheltered by comforting shadows. She seemed...strangely gentle, but at the same time her expression was somewhat hardened by her tortured life. Bruises patterned her arms, a few - but less - marking her face. Nagi gave a soft sigh; she shouldn't have been brought into something like that. But because of it, she was forced to kill someone. That had probably been when the last trace of her innocent appearance had failed her. Now she wore the scares of her past in her eyes - just like he did.
Author's Note: Yey! The end of chapter 1! ^^; Sssssooooooooo, what do you think? I need REVIEWS! REVIEWS, PEOPLE! If you've got sensible criticism, on with it, but let me remind you that pointless flames will be given to Nagi to play with. ^^
~Next chapter preview~: She feels drawn to him, and he to her, yet they both fear the pain to come. A meeting with a former teammate leads Nagi to leave again - but how long must he run from his past? Suki realizes that if she stays with Nagi they'll both be hurt, but she has no idea how much..........