"There's Just Something About Gaia…"
A Beyblade Fic
Brought To You By Sakin
A/N: I changed a few things in the past chapters, revising them and all that. There IS one extra scene I added, at the end of chapter 7, which I'd really like you guys to check out (hint: it's what Kai thought Ray had done with Gaia…). If you want, you can read the whole story over again, it's really up to you, but I would recommend it.
So, if you are planning to give me a review, don't do it before you have checked out that scene. I think I might have to change the rating…
Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade except for my OC's; Gaia, Riku, Keira, Ma Jin Loans and so on and so forth.
Chapter 9: 'The Twilight Hour'
(Tokyo, Hiwatari Mansion, late evening…)
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Kai swallowed hard, trying to fight the sense of fear that was threatening to overwhelm him. He kept his face cold and impassive, but underneath he just wished he could get this over with.
"What do you want?" he said gruffly, staring Voltaire in the eye.
"Come, now – I am away in prison for so long and that is all you have to say to me? Tsk, tsk, Kai. Your manners are, as always, lacking."
A muscle twitched in Kai's jaw.
"While I've been gone, you have evidently been slacking off your duties. I know where you've been–" Voltaire got up, and went towards Kai. A vindictive smile came over his face, and Kai was reminded of a snake that was about to pounce.
He continued. "-And I know what you are hiding, Kai."
Kai backed away, his heart plummeting to his shoes. What was the old coot talking about? He couldn't possibly know about…
"…I don't know what you're talking about."
"Why else were you sneaking around for? What are you smuggling up to your room? Where have you been all summer? You can't hide from me, Kai; I have ears everywhere."
Kai smiled grimly. "Hmph. Trust you to employ spies and crooks to keep an eye on me. Paranoid, old man?"
Voltaire glared at Kai, anger twisting his face. "I'll show you paranoid, you ungrateful little bastard!"
Kai was exuding coldness now. He knew that the old man was only bluffing earlier on – he didn't have JACK on him.
"What're you gonna do," he challenged him; "That you haven't done already?"
Suddenly Voltaire jumped on him, his large hands clamped around Kai's neck, strangling him. Kai clawed at his grandfather's hands, feeling the air being slowly squeezed out of his lungs. He kicked, hitting Voltaire's chest. He released him, and Kai fell, gasping for air. Voltaire was panting, steadying himself against the wall.
"You little brat…" he gasped, and Kai shot him a withering glare;
"I raised you from scratch, trained you to become the best blader in the world…"
"But instead you turned me into a cold-hearted monster…" Kai retorted, "…Like you. I hate your guts, Voltaire. You expect me to be grateful to you after… after everything that's happened?! You only kept me because it suited your plans!"
Voltaire got up, and grabbed a handful of Kai's hair, and pulled it hard.
"AH!"
"While the wealth of your parents remain in my hand, boy, there's nothing you can do to stop me. One day I'll have Biovolt up and running as before. And then I'll make you pay for your insolence!"
Kai was biting his tongue, trying to ignore the pain in his head.
"You're crazy, old man!" he shouted, and Voltaire rewarded him by smashing his head on the wall.
"UHN-!"
"You WILL hold your tongue!" Voltaire roared, and Kai struggled with him, trying to get away. Voltaire hit his head on the wall with a dull [Thunk!] and sparks went off in his head.
"Filth!" Voltaire spat, and let him go. Kai crumpled onto the floor clutching his head. It ached dully and everything was spinning madly in his eyes. He felt queasy, like he'd been on a roller-coaster.
"I'll be going back to my… accommodation, now. I'll be gone for a long while, so don't mess things up. And I'll be watching, boy, so don't try anything I wouldn't."
"Good… riddance to you… then," Kai groaned, trying to stop himself from throwing up.
Voltaire suddenly came back, and swung his leg, kicking his grandson's stomach very, very hard. So hard, that he passed out cold.
Voltaire looked down his nose at him, pleased at having silenced Kai so effectively. Better not break him, though. He needed him if Biovolt was to be established again. That Boris, though… he needed somebody to replace him, someone he could trust.
And what better person than Kai?
The old man grinned at his unconscious grandson, and poked him with his boot. He hardly reacted. Definitely lights-out.
"After all, what ties are stronger than family?" Voltaire mused.
"My dearest grandson."
Mai was shown to Kai's room by an anxious Butler. She was led through opulent halls, filled with crystal chandeliers and wide leather sofas with elegant small side-tables decorated with ornamental silver-ware. There were gilded mirrors, huge bed-rooms, entire bath-rooms decked out in ceramic mosaics, sometimes coated with gold or silver. It was all magnificently shiny, but something about all this disturbed her.
Everywhere she looked, the rooms were freezing; and all of the furniture had a thin layer of dust. She looked at the butler.
"Does anyone ever come here?" she asked, and he shook his head, looking mournful.
"None of these rooms are ever used, Miss. A fine waste of money, I should say. They were intended for parties and celebrations, but…" he shrugged, very un-Butler-like.
Mai felt flattered at the 'Miss'. "Please," she waved her hand, "Just call me Mai. There's no need for formality!"
The butler bowed, and she felt a little irritated. "As you wish, err… Mai. Shall I take you to Master's rooms?"
"Alright."
(Tiger River village, Gaia's yard, afternoon…)
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"At least now I'm home, right?"
"I don't know where we're going to get a doctor from if you get one of those… attacks again."
"Well, you know First-aid, don't you?"
"Yeah, but…-"
"-'Yeah, but' this, and 'Yeah, but' that… Rei, if I get an attack, then so be it. I'm sure our new healer can take care of me."
"Gaia, I'm worried about you, can't you see that? I just… I just want you around for as long as possible. Is that-!"
Gaia leant over the fence, and planted a kiss on each side of his face, his fore-head and his lips, and squeezed his hands. His innocent, amber eyes beamed at her, and Gaia felt a warm, melting, chocolatey feeling inside her. Rei held her hands across the fence, and smiled. Once again she'd shut him up in the best possible way. Gaia grinned back, then, spotting his mother coming towards them, quickly bent down and pretended to be weeding her garden.
The garden was a real mess, and she had been trying to clean it when he came along and distracted her.
"Rei-chan, what are you doing out here? I thought I told you to get inside and do the dishes!" Ma barked at him.
Rei felt like he had been caught doing something bad. As he mumbled his apology and trudged inside, face downcast, his mother leaned on the fence and stared down at Gaia pretend-weeding.
Gaia was sure that they hadn't been caught, and was about to stand up to go inside and get herself a cuppa, when she felt something poking her head. She looked up, and saw that it was Rei's mom.
A look of pure shock plastered itself on her face, and Ma smiled benevolently down at her.
"Hard at work, I see." Ma stated dryly, and Gaia swallowed.
"Err… yeah, weeding away!"
"And seducing my son in the process," Ma smiled even wider. Gaia's eyes widened, and guilt made her hands tremble so hard that she ripped the weed she was pulling out into halves.
"No…" she whispered; "It's not like that…"
Ma made it all sound so dirty when she said it like that. Gaia thought of Rei's clear, innocent face and amber gaze, and the way he always held her, like she was so precious. As if she would fall into a million pieces if he let her go. 'Seducing' wasn't the word for it!
Ma realized she had offended the poor girl, and sighed. She put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have said that."
Gaia looked at her, her gaze just a little cold. "Yes. You shouldn't have, Mrs Kon." She moved to go inside, when Ma grabbed her hand, trying to apologize.
"Look, Gaia, it's not that I don't approve. I know that you are much too responsible to do something as stupid as…" here she faltered, clearly too embarrassed to continue. Mrs Kon looked a lot like Rei, especially when she smiled. But Gaia didn't want to let that make her soft on her.
She stared at the older woman, daring her to say what she meant.
"Well, you know…" Mrs Kon fidgeted with her basket. "…Sex."
"MRS KON!!!"
"Oh, don't give me that, I know what the youth of today get up to! I'm just worried that something will happen. He's too much of a distraction for you, and you are a single young woman, in charge of your own home. You must marry soon, and, well…"
Gaia smiled bitterly. "You don't want me to break his heart, right?"
Mrs Kon looked very awkward. The younger girl smiled coldly at her discomfort, and shook her head. "You think I'm capable of something as cruel as that? Why would I lead him on if I was planning to marry somebody else?"
Ma found the shape of one of her tomatoes very fascinating.
"Mrs Kon, I promise you," Gaia clutched the fence so tightly it cut into her skin; "I promise you that I will not marry anybody for the rest of my life. I will not hurt your son like that, unless… unless it was to save his life, in the most urgent of emergencies."
Ma saw that she meant it, and nodded, satisfied. Gaia was a good child… woman, she corrected herself. Even though the girl was too self-possessed and quiet, it was obvious that she loved him, and that Rei doted on her. The way they'd tried to hide it from everyone… ha! Ma shook her head, and gave Gaia a grim look.
"See to it that you don't."
Gaia went back inside, dying for a cold cup of water. The sun constantly shone in Rural China, and she was aching for the misty cold of Hong Kong. Perhaps she should pay Keira a call?
Gaia checked her purse. ACK, no money!!! Oh, dear. She would have to go to Fong's and beg for her job back. Or maybe she could go to the grocer's, work as a till-lady? Gaia decided to check the notice-board in the market for vacancies.
(Later, in a place not very far away…)
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"And what's in it for you?"
"Reclaiming the honor of the Li clan. Anyone who associates with an exile is our enemy, and must be destroyed."
Lee glared at the woman. "I dunno about destruction… I just want her to be mine. How will you accomplish that without being seen?"
The black-clad woman smiled ghoulishly, and in the half-light of dusk, Lee thought he could see the black snake tattooed on her pale face move a little towards her nose. He shuddered, and decided to keep this pleasant meeting as short as possible.
"She'll fight back. Do you think you can overpower her alone, and without waking up the neighborhood?"
"We have our ways," she said, and disappeared swiftly, seemingly leaping three feet backwards in an instant.
Lee watched her go, and exhaled, glad to see her gone. He mounted his bike, revved the engine, then swung it around, and rode it home.
(Just you wait, Gaia,) he thought, feeling triumphant;
(You'll soon be mine!)
(Tokyo, Hiwatari Mansion, night-time…)
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Mai had been taken to her room next to Kai's and she had taken a shower, changed, gotten dressed, made supper, sat in the kitchen and waited a little. Then she'd eaten the supper, brushed her teeth, and was now sitting in Kai's room in her PJ's, waiting for him to show up.
Couldn't go to sleep without saying goodnight, you know.
He was very late. It was 11 o'clock, and Mai had even briefly gone to sleep, jumping awake at the chime of a clock somewhere deep in the bowels of the house. The place was pretty lonely, and Mai wondered how anyone could have slept in here at all.
She got up, and went to snoop in his drawers. To her dismay, they were empty. Mai sighed, and gazed around the room. A huge wooden double-bed with a roof, with white blankets, pillows, a white duvet and stuff like that. The cupboards next to the bed were a light color, probably oak or something like that.
Mai lay down across the bed, and breathed in deeply. Not the slightest trace of Kai. Then again, he had been gone for a while… and the servants (servants!) probably washed it all, anyway. She bent down to look beneath the bed, and saw what looked like a crinkled piece of paper.
Mai fished it out, and unfolded it. She gasped. A picture! But… could this be Kai?! There were three people in the picture: a man, a woman and a boy.
The boy was small, barely reaching the man's knee. He had big, crimson eyes, familiar blue/gray hair, and a round, innocent face. The boy was shying away from the woman, who was holding him and giving him a kiss. Maybe he was embarrassed by the photographer, or maybe he was just shy, but he nevertheless had a wide, lop-sided grin on his face, which showed that he enjoyed the attention.
There was a blue stain on the child's white T-shirt, and around his mouth – a Popsicle, maybe? – and he wore a pair of red shorts. The man was holding the boy's hand, his mouth half-open in the middle of a sentence, but Min could tell he was the boy's father. He had dark-brown hair, an expression of fatherly pride, and the same eyes as the child. There was a white scarf tied around his neck, the same one Kai usually wore.
The woman who held the child was kneeling and smiling at the camera, and at the same time kissing her boy. She had the same blue hair, but with green eyes and pale skin, like she spent a lot of time indoors. They all looked very happy and together-y, like a commercial family advertising tooth-paste.
The child was Kai.
Mai stared at the picture. What had happened to his parents? He'd never told her. He'd never said where he got his scarf from, either. Mai had the feeling there were many things he had not told her about. Maybe he couldn't bring himself to confess. Whatever, they were his secrets to tell, and Mai would simply try to be there for him.
The young boy looking up at her from the picture was so different from her Kai! His expression was completely innocent, his eyes full of the childish hope of getting Mommy to buy him another ice-cream… never worrying about what tomorrow might bring.
When was this photo taken? She turned it around, and looked at the back. 1990! Min did some mental calculations.
"He must have been 4!" she whispered. "Whoa."
Suddenly, something crashed through the door, and Mai felt her heart leaping in her chest, and quickly stuffed the picture under the pillows, then climbed off onto the floor.
She peeked around the corner of the bed, expecting to get caught by Kai's grandfather, and saw that, instead, it was Kai! She got up, relieved to see him.
"Where were you all day?" she asked him, but he was turned away. Suddenly, he stepped back, and buried his fist in the wall so hard that Mai jumped in surprise. She stared at him, her eyes wide. "Are you-"
He punched the wall again, and she flinched. What'd happened to him, to get him so mad?! She cautiously moved forward, flinching whenever his hand smashed brutally into the wall. When she got close enough to see his expression, she gasped. Kai looked so angry, his face was red, and there were marks on his throat.
"Kai! Hey, stop it! What are you doing to yourself?!" Mai said, trying to get through to him. But he continued to tear at the wall, punching it in blind rage, leaving blood-red stains on the wallpaper. Mai winced as she caught a glimpse of his bloodied knuckles, and the image of the 4-year old Kai came into her mind. They were so different…!
She couldn't take it anymore.
Mai grabbed his arms, and tried to pull him away without hurting his hands. He jerked free of her grasp, and hit the wall with renewed strength. "Kai! NO!" Mai cried, and, wrapping her arms around his waist, kicked at the wall.
For a second or two they teetered – then Kai fell backwards on top of Mai. They hit the floor with a heavy [thud!]. All the air whooshed out of her body, but it was as if he hadn't noticed. As soon as her grip on him slackened, he turned over onto his knees and tried to scramble away.
Mai was scared by the sudden change in him. But she wasn't about to let him do this to himself. Her hand shot out and grabbed his leg, making him trip and fall. She winced, but quickly went over to him and twisted his arms so that he lay flat on his stomach. He struggled, but Mai definitely had the upper hand. She put her knee on the small of his back to pin him down, trying not to cause him too much discomfort.
"Kai; what's wrong with you? What happened?" she asked, her voice full of concern. He struggled some more, then suddenly flipped over so that Mai was now beneath him. She saw the look in his eyes; pure, stone-cold hatred radiated out of his soul, so that she had to force herself to keep looking at him, and not turn away. "Tell me what's wrong!" she said, too stubborn to let up. "Maybe I can help."
"There are some things you can do something about, Healer," he snarled, speaking for the first time, his voice thick with an emotion Mai did not recognize; "And there are some that you should just leave alone!"
He tried to get up, his head full of conflicting emotions and thoughts, but she wouldn't let him. She tackled him again, and he tried to shake her off, to make her let him go before-
-Suddenly, he flew into a rage, and pinned her down. Kai wasn't thinking when he pulled his arm back, ready to vent all of his anger on her. Mai had ceased to be Mai in his eyes: she was just an irritating obstacle in front of him, an obstacle that had to be removed in order for him to feel better again.
Mai felt a sharp bolt of fear in her chest, together with a sense of shock, and flung her arms up to protect her face. She squeezed her eyes shut, breathing in deeply to fight the panic rising inside her, waiting for the inevitable jolt of pain.
It never came.
Mai slowly looked out from behind her hands, blinking in confusion. Kai was crouched above her, arm raised, a look of pure amazement on his face. She lowered her hands, sad acceptance in her eyes. She breathed in, her chest rising. Then she slowly breathed out, and fought to keep her voice from shaking.
"…You would hit me?" she asked quietly, and her words seemed to break him out of his trance. He lowered his arm and sat back, realizing that he had almost done what he had promised himself to never, ever do: he had almost hurt the one that he loved. Kai tried to find words to express how much he regretted it, but Mai turned away, and something twisted itself in anguish inside him.
"I… I didn't mean…" he faltered, then stopped; what excuse would be good enough? The fact that he let his grandfather beat him around then wind him up so hard that he'd almost… almost HIT her, was enough to drive him up the wall.
Mai turned away, then got up, her heart beating at triple speed. How could he have scared her like that? For one awful minute, Mai had thought that he was really going to hurt her… she tied her hair up into a tight, tight bun to keep herself from falling into pieces, then gave him a cold, disappointed look, and went to her own room.
She looked back at him before she left, feeling pain and anger conflicting in her heart. She wished he would say something to her, anything at all.
(Call me back, fool, say something! Say you're sorry…) Mai glanced at her feet, on the verge of tears: (…Tell me… tell me you love me.)
Kai looked up at her from where he sat, unable to move his mouth, to even apologize. (She would never forgive me,) he thought, all of his hope faded to a bitter sense of guilt and disappointment. Right now, as she stood in the doorway, her green eyes shining with unshed tears, her raven locks framing her pale skin and down-turned lips, tumbling over her shoulders and down her back, Kai felt her beauty tormenting him, felt himself lessen in her eyes and fall in her esteem.
It was so easy to fix: one heartfelt apology and a kiss, and they'd be happy together again. But… it was as if something had sealed his lips shut, and stolen his voice too.
Crimson eyes met green gaze, and for a moment, that special connection sparked between them, this time carrying with it only a feeling of bittersweet longing to be in each other's arms.
Then it snapped, and she turned away with a frosty "Goodnight, Hiwatari." Kai heard the click made by her closing door, and got up, everything inside him aching for Mai. Too bad. She was beyond his reach now.
Kai threw himself on his bed, and grabbed his pillow, crushing his face against it to try and relieve his migraine. Something papery touched his face, and he looked up from his pillow, and picked up the picture that Min had hidden there.
He closed his eyes when he saw it, but it was too late. The sight of his 4-year old self, the forgotten memories of sunny days and long-lost parents welled up inside him, and his heart felt heavier than ever.
He pulled his blanket up to his head, and curled into a ball, clutching the old photograph in his hands and drowning in the dark pit of his sorrow.
He needed her so badly.
Mai was sitting in her bed, trying to make herself comfortable in the cold sheets. God, why had she gotten so angry? Why had she let herself get scared? Perhaps she was so vulnerable to Kai that he could break her like a twig whenever he wanted. For the first time in a while, she felt uncomfortable with herself, with the way she felt about him.
Did she really want this, if it meant getting herself torn to pieces like that? She loved Kai – didn't he love her anymore?
(Don't be silly,) she scolded herself, (Of course he does! He just has… a few anger management problems, that's all. I think.)
The way he'd towered over her had frightened the living daylights out of her, and she had lost all ability to think. To move. She could only stare at him as he crouched over her, fist raised and a sort of madness in his eyes. Mai didn't want to know what had made him so senselessly angry. It had, no doubt, something to do with his grandfather. She tried to get comfortable in the bed, and twisted and turned hopelessly, her mind chugging away like a machine, too awake to go to sleep.
She sighed, and stared out of the window at the full-moon.
Tonight would be long and restless.
(Back in Tiger River village, in the twilight hour…)
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Gaia came home after a successful job hunt. She had landed herself a job at the grocer's as the till-man's charming assistant, with a few welcome bonuses. She was allowed to take home a basket of the leftover vegetables everyday, which meant she didn't have to waste her money there. She also got a discount on the meat and so on, which she didn't eat much of anyway, so all she really had to use her money on was milk; water was found naturally in a spring deep in the forest on the northwest edge of the village. Near Mai's old home.
Gaia felt a cold gust of wind blow across her back, sending chills up her spine. She shuddered. It was the twilight hour, where untold things lurked in the darkening shadows of the night. She shouldn't be out here, walking alone in the deserted alleys of the village – she should be at home, perhaps spending some time with Rei before his mom shouted for him and he scurried over the fence as fast as he could.
Gaia remembered the conversation she had with his Ma. The things she'd suggested… Gaia was not so stupid as to do something as risky as that!
Suddenly, the night she'd spent in hospital with Rei blasted back into her mind, like it sometimes did, in all its Technicolor, sweet glory, and Gaia felt her pulse begin to race madly.
(Whoa, steady on, girl!) she thought, wearing a silly smile and feeling a little short of air; (No use in fainting in the middle of the road!)
After catching her breath, Gaia felt a sudden chill of foreboding, and began to walk a lot faster than before, her basket swinging on her arm. Something was not right tonight: she didn't like the way the atmosphere felt. Desperately she tried to think of something lighter, more cheerful, but nothing came to her.
Fear already had a cold, iron-grip on her heart.
She turned the alley, practically running now, thinking only of reaching her home, her white hair flying behind her and a sheen of sweat on her dark forehead. She ran, her shoes pattering on the earth, trying to keep the food inside the basket and failing miserably.
Soon, she saw her house looming up in front of her, and clutched her keys, her breath coming in small gasps. She jammed the key into the lock, glad she hadn't locked up very well, and after three heart-stopping seconds, burst through the door and into the gloomy interior of her house!
She knelt on the floor, trying to catch her breath. Never again would she go home alone at night! No way, no how. She didn't notice the shadow that slipped in behind her, through the open door. Gaia picked her basket up, and grabbed her keys, remembering to close the door behind her. she placed the basket on the hallway table, and put her keys there, too.
"Home, sweet home," she exhaled, relieved to be safe again.
Suddenly, arms caught her around her waist, surprising her.
"OH-!"
A hand clamped her mouth shut, and she struggled against whoever it was, but her captor was stronger. She felt something bumpy pressed against her back, and realized that whoever was holding her was a woman!
"Now, listen to me, my darling…" the woman said in a soothing voice, and at once Gaia's fears were quelled. Something in the woman's low, whispering voice calmed her, made her docile and weak. Tired. She still resisted, though – anyone who meant her good would not ambush her in the dark!
"That's right… calm down… you can trust Nhadala, my sweet…" the woman purred, and Gaia felt something squeezing her heart, though not painfully. She felt herself relax, and her limbs get heavier.
"Nhadala will keep you safe. Do you promise not to scream when I let you go, hmm? I will be very disappointed if you do…"
Gaia really did not want to disappoint this nice lady, so she nodded. "Okay…"
Nhadala smiled. The poor young girl was like putty in her hands! This was almost too easy. Nhadala turned her around so that she could get a nice, long look at her victim. Silvery hair, dark complexion, wide brown eyes and a fine figure… now how to find the vital spot.
Gaia smiled fuzzily at the woman… she was a kind lady. Gaia liked her very much. Suddenly she tipped forward, and the woman caught her in warm, welcoming arms.
Gaia was reminded of her own mother… she recalled the few fragments of memory, the impressions made on a young mind… she recalled a scent of cherries and rose-red lips. Her mother had loved cherry-trees and red lipstick.
Nhadala turned her around again, and undid the first few buttons on her shirt, exposing the swell of Gaia's breasts. She lifted her arm, and the girl in her arms suddenly shifted, realizing something was very wrong… but by then it was too late.
"Your friend Nhadala will send you into a deep sleep…" the woman whispered, and her arm plunged, stabbing a poisoned needle deep into the young girl's flesh.
The poison began working its way down to the heart, slowing its beat, and paralyzing her limbs before Gaia could as much as cry out! An expression of horrified shock gave way to the calm face of a deep dreamer, as Gaia lost her consciousness, perhaps for the last time ever.
Nhadala gazed at the girl lying slumped in her arms, her hair tumbling over her face and shadowing her closed eyes. She wondered if she had perhaps overdone the poison… the worst it could do was either turn her into a comatose vegetable, make her lose her mind, paralyze her, or, well… kill her. Then she shrugged.
"What business of mine is it?" she said in her strange, soft voice that sounded almost gentle; "So long as I have made her suffer?"
(A little while later…)
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Lee stood, waiting nervously at the crossroads near Mai's old home. It was very dark, and the woods were far too noisy in his opinion. He tapped the handle-bar of his bike, wondering not for the first time, how far he was willing to go just to spite his one-time best friend, Rei.
Suddenly he heard someone rustling in the shadows, and flicked his pocket-knife open, ready for whoever thought they could try to take him on.
But it was just that weird woman Nhadala, and Lee gasped as he saw her carrying Gaia in her arms. (She must be strong,) he thought, then got down to business.
"Here she is," the woman hissed softly, "As promised…"
Lee glared at her suspiciously. "Are you sure there isn't something you want? This hardly seems like something one would do out of generosity of heart, you know."
"Your concern touches me, Lee, but…" she sighed dramatically;
"There is nothing you can give me."
Lee put Gaia in the little buggy-thing that he had attached to the side of his bike, covering all but her face with a warm blanket. He smiled malevolently at her still body. He glanced at the woman, and grudgingly thanked her.
Nhadala smiled coldly, more aware of the danger he was putting himself in by taking Gaia from her than he was. If he was lucky when it all came out, then maybe he would be able to talk his way out of the hangman's rope, and end up with a life-sentence.
Fool.
"Oh, you're very welcome, Lee. You are very, very welcome."
Then she had an uncontrollable urge to laugh in his face – the little idiot really thought he was going to get away with it!
Lee revved his bike, not really wanting to stay any longer, and sped away to the sound of her hysterical, mocking laughter.
A/N: Inspiration strikes! And this chapter is the result. I can promise you, worse things are lying in wait for our white-haired heroine! Oh, yeah.