Some Surprises Are In Order

~Chapter 7~

Author's Notes: Hello once again my readers. I hope that you are enjoying my story. Please review.

Angel had a very unassuming stance in front of Megan; and it worried her. He stood there, shoulders relaxed with his sword in his right hand like he didn't know how to use it. He had the most passive face; his whole demeanor was lenient.

"Angel, what are you up to," Megan asked. "You're not going to fight me like that, are you?"

The SOLDIERs laughed because they knew he would.

"Waiting on you," Angel said, never moving anything but his lips.

"Take position, then," Megan said, starting to get angry with him.

He only smiled, keeping his keep eyes upon her. "You don't get it; I have. Now start, Little One."

Megan stopped. Only one person called her that. He saw her realize it and she saw him mock her. "Damn you!"

She charged.

Her sword was in front of her and she was sprinting. Angel smiled in her face and parried the second her sword was parallel to his right leg. He rolled, pivoting off his left foot and going backwards to face her back once again; same mediocre position. She turned sharply, glaring at him. Bastard she thought.

"Never attack in anger…"

"…Period." Angel finished her thought with another malevolent smile.

"Stop it! You are just annoying. You know that," Megan asked and his face didn't change.

This time, Megan took position with a deep breath. She kept her eyes on Angel and attacked, slicing side to side at his head. Angel stood straight up, ducking left to right and stepping back as necessary; not once did he lift his blade.

The girl stopped. She looked him up and down for a moment, raised her eye and smiled. She charged again with her sword one handed in her right hand and as Angel turned into her motion, the girl switched her blade into her left hand. In the process, she caught Angel's waist, cutting the top of his pants, even a little skin and as she put the sword in her left hand, she sliced up along his exposed back, catching his right shoulder.

He fell to one knee for an instant.

SOLDIER and the Turks gasped. They hadn't expected Angel to get hit, there…hell, period! But, he kept his head down, letting his now loose ponytail fall across his shoulder. He rotated his shoulder. When he did, it looked like his shoulder blade came a foot out of his back for a moment and then went back in. His white shirt was slowly turning red and his back began to shake. Was he…crying?

Not…quite…

Angel turned his head and looked down his back. The idiot's giggling Megan thought.

Angel stood and smiled. "First blood…not bad." He pulled his hair completely out and let it fall down past his shoulders. It was long. He finally turned back and looked at Megan, who was now studying his face… again.

"What? Do I remind you of him," Angel asked mocking her again.

She glared. "No. Who are you talking about?" She looked down at his blade and smirked. "Is that an ornament, or do you really know how to use it?"

"Would you like to find out?" Before Megan could even breathe, he was on top of her. She had to put her blade across her face in the most awkward position; her right hand was all the way up on the hilt as the left supported behind it. And, on her blade, right next to her ear was a silver band of ivy…and Angel breathing down her neck. She never saw him move.

"I knew Gabriel," Angel whispered in her ear. Her eyes got huge, then she narrowed them again. She bent her legs and threw Angel off. He laughed. "Ooo, struck a chord, did I?"

"Stop it!" She charged him once again. He jumped back, but not in time; he hadn't expected to get that much of a rise out of her. She yelled and caught his left cheek. It sliced completely open along the fleshy part and blood began to ooze down the angel's beautiful face. She stepped back and smiled.

He slowly lifted his hand to his face and touched the mark. He rubbed his fingers together admiring his blood. "Heh, haven't seen that in a while." He then started to circle her. He looked her up and down as she stood still. Her smile started to leave as his grew. He dragged the tip of his blade on the floor around as he continued.

"Are you enjoying circling me," Megan spat.

"Am I worrying you," he responded. "And actually, yes, I am."

"You can't fence, can you?"

Everybody laughed, even Angel.

"You really can't! You don't take position, you only dodge side to side…you are so cocky…and I'm not the one bleeding."

Angel got in her face.

Lex looked at Kail as Mike held his breath. They knew where this could go…they knew that if Angel wanted her dead, he would have killed her already. They knew he was playing with his victim, like a cat taunting the fish in the tank.

"This is coming from the person, whose position is so full of weak points that one of my feathers could crush it into nothing," Angel whispered almost angrily into her ear and then proceeded to point them out to her. "Your form is weak, your steps are slow, most of the time you give away your attacks by throwing up. And! Shall I go on," he questioned stepping back throwing his arms open as if petitioning the gods themselves. Megan put her head down and balled her fists; she knew he was right.

"If you'd like," Angel said turning around and speaking very slowly with a touch of an accent, "we can play this…your way…"

Angel took up position…

…and it was seamless.

He had his right foot forward and cocked outward a little with his left foot behind in a lunge, balanced perfectly. He held his left hand back and arced up; rather traditionally. He then flipped his sword tip up in his right hand to about his eye level and smiled.

Uh oh… Megan thought as she watched him. Lex was right; she wasn't that good.
"On guard," Angel said. Megan took her position and he attacked.

Angel was much faster than she had expected; all she could do was parry. He kept attacking her, with each motion the feathers on his sword flying around in the wind with his hair flapping like a golden cape behind him. Then it hit Megan. He's just playing with me!! The whole time that Angel had been attacking her, he never really went at her. He aimed for the easiest places, letting her defend.

This finally did it for Megan. She wanted to see what he really could do. He has the speed, the grace, the style to be probably the best she's ever seen, or anyone for that matter. So why was he holding back?

At Angel's next attack, she didn't parry; she completely dove to the side and rolled past him. She flipped up and stood closer than she had wanted to be to Angel's back, but figured that was okay; she was going to teach him not to play games with Megan Valentine. It took Angel a moment to realize what she had done. He turned, and as he did, she smiled and slashed at his face yet again. This time, she didn't catch his cheek…but his hair. Again, SOLDIER looked at them wide eyed and the Turks…well, they just laughed.

His long, blond hair… It went from the middle of his back to the middle of his neck in a heartbeat. Megan stopped and giggled. She had only caught the left side of it, so half of it was still long.

"Ooops," Megan giggled out. Angel just blinked a couple times and smiled even let out a laugh of his own.

"Ah, well," he said. He then grabbed the rest of his hair in his left hand and leaned down. He drew his right hand up to his hair and sliced the rest of it evenly off, leaving it a little shaggy. He then held it out to her. "You want it as a momento?"

Megan stared. She couldn't believe he just cut his hair off. She only shook her head.

"You sure? Last call…"

"Positive. Now will you actually try," she asked regaining herself. She had now come to the sound conclusion that this man was nuts! He wasn't even angry.

"So be it, if you really want me to." He dropped the ponytail to the ground and turned to the Turks. "Hey Midnight! When this is finished, you're cleaning this up," referencing to his hair.

"Do I get overtime, Boss," Lex yelled back with a grin.

"No, babe!"

"Damn…" she mumbled putting her head down sarcastically as the other two Turks laughed.

"Boss? Lex, why are you calling Angel boss," Megan asked relaxing onto her right foot.

Angel smiled as Lex never answered.

"You have got to be kidding! Him…as in Angel, I thought Mike was the Head" Megan said taking up her position again.

"What? You don't think I'm the head of Turks," Angel said with a side smirk returning to his loose position and shaking his hair back from his eyes. "Great, now I feel like Kail…"

"Hey," Kail yelled back. "My hair is better looking."

Angel smiled and shook his head.

"You could never be head of Turks," Megan said getting Angel's attention back.

"Never say never…" He attacked again. This time, he really went at her. He came up and slashed her backhandedly, cutting open her left armpit and then he came behind her and elbowed her in the kidney. She fell to her knees wheezing.

He's also stronger than I thought Megan reflected to herself as she brought her hand to her side. "Hey," she yelled at him.

"What," Angel asked.

"This is fencing…"

"…Turk style…" he said with a grin. She glared. "Oh fine…" he sighed. He walked over to give her a hand up—trying to be somewhat sportsman like—placed his left hand on top of the loop with the tip on the sword ground and offered her his right hand; the feathers were hanging at her eye level. Megan suddenly got the most malevolent smile. She slashed at his feet and Angel slid back lifting his sword a little…but her sword caught something. She hopped up and he froze.

A single white chunk of feather silently blew past Angel's ear.

He snapped. He looked up at her and his eyes flashed lilac once more and an accent flared out of his throat. "You may cut my hair, mock me, tell me everything that you believe that I am not…but you will NOT, defile these feathers…" He slowly began to walk towards Megan, and she was scared. She couldn't scramble back fast enough. He had a murderous look in his eyes…and no one could help her. She could hear Mike stand up and yell "Angel!" a couple times…but it was no good.

"Do you really want to see me fence? Huh? I was being kind and generous. But now…forget it. I'll show you what I can really do," Angel said as he kept walking towards her. His steps were measured and his shoulders were pressed back. He started to speed up and then came to an abrupt stop.

All hell broke loose…

Before Megan even realized he had moved, he'd slashed her stomach, back, chest, and leg open. He was back in front of her when she had realized what he'd done. She tried to lift her sword but he slashed it out of her hand in one fluid movement. It was as though the sword was a part of him.

Megan looked up at him as a deer in headlights. He looked down at her and asked back in his normal calm tone, "do you give?" She shook her head no. He raised a brow. "Fine."

He attacked her again, catching her cheek this time and slamming her back into the far wall near her sword; she skittered for it. He stopped and stood in front of her as she picked up her sword and stood up wearily.

"How about now," Angel asked yet again.

"No," she mumbled.

He only shook his head and slammed her back into the wall. Her sword dropped and he stood his sword length away from her. He placed the tip of the blade underneath her chin. It was so sharp, it was cutting her already. "You should heed my final warning. No more…" he said.

"No! I…I don't give up…" she spat.

He pulled his blade away, back to his side. "A coward dies many times before his death… A fool dies before he is even born… Heh, stubbornness has blinded your good judgement, child…" He sheathed his sword, picked up hers and walked away.

"Turks…" he called. The three stood up and hopped off the staircase; none of them said a word. They just walked past, leaving Megan a bloody mass on the floor. As Kail walked past Angel, Angel whistled and tossed Kail the sword; Kail caught it one handed without looking. The three Turks just impassively walked past—even Lex—but she gave Angel a meaningful look before she put on her sunglasses.

Angel just stopped and stood there for a moment. "Ah…damn…" he mumbled stopping the Turks. He reached his hand out to Mike who tossed him a little green sphere; it was a cure materia. Angel sighed, unsheathed his sword and walked towards the girl who was trying to get up. She stopped and looked up at the approaching man. She noticed something; she was bleeding…but he wasn't……?

That was…awkward… Maybe he already cured himself? Meg thought. But she dropped the idea when he stopped in front of her yet again. He put the orb in the only slot in his whole sword; the loop. He breathed out, spun the sword in his right hand outward and laid it open as the spell spun around him and gently healed her, completely. She stood and asked, "how did you do that? No regular materia heals like that."

"Yes, it does…if you know what you're doing," Angel said dislodging the orb. He threw it across the massive training center to Mike who put it back in his pocket. The other Turks began to walk towards them, rather slowly, too. Angel spun his sword around again, except this time, he did it in the opposite direction and placed it in his back sheath. He turned his head to the side and put his hand out towards Kail. Kail tosses Angel back the sword. He spun the sheath in his hand and held it out to Megan. She was taken aback by his action.

"what's with the sword" she said.

Angel shook his head. "Winning isn't always the victory itself." He held the sword out to her. "Take it. You've earned it." She gently grabbed the blade with both hands and let her mouth drop a little. Angel only smiled at her and began to walk away.

"Angel," she called. He stopped. She continued. "Who are you? Really. The cocky bastard that just whipped me…or…"

He stood there a moment as everyone put their eyes on him; both SOLDIER and the Turks smiled in unison for some reason. Angel just dropped his head and lifted it again and continued to walk off ahead of the other Turks as she just watched him.

"Come on, Turks," Mike said as Angel stopped.

Angel pulled his hands from his pockets and crossed his arms as he turned to Mike. He relaxed his weight onto one leg, raised a brow and cracked a smirk. "Who died and made you head a Turks?" He walked towards Mike.

Mike shrugged sharing Angel's smile and said, "her," pointing towards Meg. "I just kinda miss being head of Turks; it's been a while." The three Turks laughed.

"Feeling insecure, Mikey," Kail asked.

Megan cocked her head at the Turks "So who is the real Head?" she looked at Mike.

Angel smiled and step forward. "No, hunny. Those three are mine." He lifted his hand and pointed to the Turks behind him. They had fanned out; Lex was behind him, Kail to his right and Mike on his left, in a diamond. All three were smiling wide.

"Who are you," Megan asked narrowing her eyes at Angel to study him once more.

He's smile grew as he stepped towards her. "You shouldn't be so ashamed of your middle name, Little One." Angel took another step forward and almost laughed.

"And, why is that," Megan asked.

Angel just stopped and looked at her. He bowed to her and said articulating each word perfectly,

"Gabriel…

Moore…"