A/N: Someone wanted to know why I say 'See you space cowboy' at the end of
every chapter. For those of you that have never seen the anime, every
episode said that or something like it at the end of every episode. I
thought it was cool, so I did it, too.
Chapter 4: Callisto Melody
Quistis laid her head back against the cushion on the couch, trying to relax against it, despite it hardness. Her eyelids fluttered halfway closed as she stretched out, and heaved a sigh. "Any word yet?"
"No," Nida responded for the millionth time since Faye and Ed had disappeared. He yawned and tried to focus on the computer screen through blurry eyes. "Wait... Wait, I think I have something!" he exclaimed.
"Hey, you guys there?" Faye's voice filled the boat suddenly.
"Valentine!" Quistis began sharply. "Where the hell have you been? Where's Ed?"
"She's not with you?" Faye asked. "I... I don't know if she made it, guys. There was this explosion... Ed pushed me off the pier just before it happened. I went back over the area with Spike to-"
"Spike?" Quistis interrupted. "You're on a first name bases with the syndicate leader?"
"I made it in, Quisty," she sighed. "He's friendly with all new applicants. Anyway, I went with him afterwards to search the wreckage for the syndicate member he'd sent with me, and I didn't see a single trace of either one of them. We think we've tracked his sister to a ship on Jupiter. Ed might be with her, but it's highly doubtful."
Silence filled the room for a long moment before Quistis finally said, "Well, I guess until further notice, Ms. Tivrusky is M.I.A. If she doesn't show up soon... We'll have to count her as dead."
"If I hear anything else, I'll contact you," Faye replied in a disheartened voice.
"I'll be waiting," Quistis replied. Once she was sure the connection was cut, she collapsed back onto the couch and shut her eyes tightly. "It wasn't supposed to happen this way," she whispered to herself. "Distract them for awhile, get them terminated from SeeD... they weren't supposed to die."
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Before him lay a long wooden table, covered in a lacy white cloth. There was one, cushioned chair at the head of the table, seeming to call his name. Upon the table, beautiful gold sculptures and statuettes stood proudly, glittering in the dim candlelight. The most important thing, however, was what was placed around them. More food than he had ever seen at any one time in his life was spread out all across the table, meant for him, and him alone. There was Peking duck, and sesame chicken, roast turkey, and enough gravy to fill a tub. He sat down at his chair and was digging in, when suddenly, a golden monkey appeared before him, and threw a cup of instant ramen in his face.
Jet slowly cracked open an eye, his vision catching on what appeared to be fire through his sleep distorted eyes. Something wet dripped onto his face, and he opened the other eye with a groan.
"Jet-person is awake!" Edward exclaimed through a mouthful of noodles. In one of her hands she held a whole cup of them, and each time she slurped them up, noodle juice went flying everywhere.
"Edward," Jet mumbled to the girl sitting happily on his chest. "What do you call yourself doing?"
"Waking you up," Ed answered innocently. "Squall-person told me to ask you what you did with the girl."
"What the hell is he talkin' about?"
"She's gone Jet," an angry voice spoke from the doorway. "Did you let her out?"
"And lose our money?" Jet asked, sitting up as best as he could with Ed on him. "Why would I do that?"
"Well, you uncuffed her last night. I though maybe you were starting to feel sympathetic."
"Are we at Callisto yet?"
"Yeah. We were set to arrive at eight. I was awake by then, and she was already long gone. If you didn't let her go, that means... We must've landed earlier than we were supposed to."
"You'd better go get her, Squall. You've been to Callisto before, haven't you? Not only is it freezin' ass cold, but there's no such thing as law and order down there. A woman like her wouldn't last long."
"I'm beginning to think she's more trouble than she's worth," Squall grumbled. "You go get the bounty, then. I'll go get that pain in the ass girl."
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She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, wishing she could somehow shield her legs from the biting winds instead. She had changed back into her mostly dry dress, finding nothing else that fit her, and taken her wallet and dagger back, along with Squall's fur-collared jacket. She was hoping that if maybe she took his defense against the cold, he wouldn't come after her.
Escaping to the city of Callisto was perhaps not the best idea. Most of the building lay in shambles, and everything was covered beneath a thick layer of snow. The streets seemed abandoned, as if no one had really ever lived there at all. It made her stomach twist in knots just thinking about it. Something was desperately wrong with this place.
As she wandered aimlessly, having no clue where to go, she heard the shuffling of footsteps in the alley on her left. She broke into a run, only to be tackled to the ground by an unseen opponent.
A strong hand grabbed her roughly by the arm and jerked her around, so that she was facing him. She squeezed her eyes closed, hoping that maybe if she didn't look, she wouldn't have to face reality. Just a moment earlier Squall was the last person she wanted to see, but now she prayed that he was the one that had captured her.
"Look at me!" a gruff voice demanded from above her. She knew instantly that it wasn't Squall, and so she whimpered and tried to wiggle away. A fist colliding forcefully with her face put an end to her struggles. "I said look at me!"
She forced her eyes to open, and was met with a pair of bulging, blood shot eyes. The man's face was crusted with dirt, and his chin was covered in stubble. His mouth was open in a sadistic grin, baring yellow, half-rotted teeth and the heavy scent of alcohol on his breath. Dark, greasy hair fell in his face as his hand grabbed for the top of her dress and tore it open. This prompted her to scream once more, and kick at him. She managed to turn herself around in his grasp and stand before breaking into a run.
Just as she was certain she was home free, his hand locked around her ankle, and she stumbled, scraping her knee painfully on the pavement where the snow had been brushed away. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, trying to force her to the ground once more while one of his hands ran up her thigh. She cursed herself inwardly for being so forgetful, and pulled her dagger, which was strapped to her other thigh. In one swift movement she turned and slashed at his face.
She struggled to her feet once more and ran, looking back only once to see the man on his knees, blood pouring from his face and staining the pure white powder on the ground.
She finally stopped outside of a small, brick building with a cracked sign hanging over the door, stating simply 'Bar' in large black letters. She leaned a hand against the side, gasping for breath and wiping at the tears that were falling slowly down her face. She looked down, noticing that her black strapless bra was revealed by the rip in the top, and zipped Squall's jacket up to cover it. When she had finally composed herself, she opened the door and stepped inside, relaxing slightly at the fact that it was full of people, and warm. She sat down on a stool at the bar, grabbing a napkin to place against her bleeding knee and looking at the bartender with weary eyes.
"I'll just have some hot chocolate."
He laughed. "Sure thing little girl."
Rinoa sighed deeply, closing her eyes as she did. She had protected herself today, for the most part. So why was she still shaking in fear? Why didn't she feel any better about herself?
She noticed then, that the bar had gotten awfully quiet. She turned around to study the crowd inside, and realized that every person in there was a man, and they were all staring at her. She clutched the mug of hot chocolate the bartender sat in front of her, and tried her best to disappear into the shadows of the room.
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Spike strode out of the stairwell, his hands rested behind his head as he yawned. "Hey, Margie," he greeted. "What's wrong with the power?"
"All the computers in the building have frozen. That ship your sister's on must have a brilliant hacker aboard."
"So, what are they doin' about it?"
"They're working diligently to correct the problem, sir. Before the shutdown, however, they did manage to find Ms. Maximoto's criminal files. I have them right here if you'd like to look at them."
Spike reached over and took the files with an appreciative nod to Margie. He flipped through the files, his eyes scanning the pages of data his hacker team had collected. "Convicted of burglary, resisting arrest, and scamming, suspected of murder, and grand theft auto. Sounds like my kinda woman," he laughed and studied her mug shot. She had a bored look in her eyes, and a lop-sided frown.
"What's going on? Why are all the lights out?" Faye asked as she entered the building.
"Technical difficulties," Spike replied, then turned the file in his hands so that she could see it. "Love the mug shot."
Faye laughed, silently rejoicing that Ed was able to plant the information before her disappearance. "It was a bad day," she shrugged. "Woke up with a head ache, out of coffee, hair a mess... and of course getting arrested didn't help much."
Spike tossed the folder back onto Margie desk, and beckoned for Faye to follow him up the stairwell. "I've got a job for you," he said, once they were climbing the stairs.
"Oh really? What will I be doing?"
"Teach me all those fancy little card tricks of yours," he replied. "I'm meeting with the head of the Phoenix syndicate for a Triple Triad game, and I wanna know how to get over on him."
"Oh, I wouldn't know anything about that stuff."
"Nice try. I know you cheated on the game yesterday. But you were good at it. That's why I hired you. Most people don't have sharp eyes like I do, so most people wouldn't be able to a catch you."
"Oh, that," Faye laughed. "Well, there's more to it than just quick hand work, you know. Rare cards are extremely hard to come by. So obviously, when you do get one, you don't want to risk losing it in a game. Still, rare cards are the key to winning the game. So what would you do?"
"Oh, I've heard of this before. A lot of artists make a living by creating duplicates of rare cards."
"Exactly. You can even learn to make you own. And of course, most people can't tell a duplicate from an original, so you can make good money that way. I'll teach you how to tell an original from a fake as soon as we reach your office."
They had finally come to the door, and Spike stepped in front of her and tried to open it. It wouldn't budge. "Dammit... must be that stupid back-up security lock! I guess we gotta go back to the lobby."
The two rushed down the stairs to the lobby door, only to find that it too, was locked. They banged on the heavy steal door and screamed for Margie to let them out, but no one ever came.
"You think Margie's ignoring us?" Faye asked as she sat down on the bottom step.
"No, these doors are just sound proof. We're stuck in here until the computers come back on."
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The only way out of the city was to hitchhike. At least, that's what the bartender had told her, with a small chuckle. Rinoa had stumbled out of the bar, feeling weaker with every passing moment. The frosty air attacked her legs once more, and she slowly came to a stop, leaning against the wall of a building and sliding to the ground. She curled up in a ball, trying to capture all the warmth she could, and her shoulders began to shake with silent sobs. She was certain she would die there.
Through the haze of sorrow clouding her mind, she could vaguely make out the sound of boots treading through the snow. She tried to sink into the wall, and prayed that she wouldn't be seen. The person, however, kneeled in front of her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up long enough to see the ocean-colored eyes staring at her, before she stood and made one last attempt to run. Before he could chase after her, her legs gave out and she stumbled to the snow-covered street.
He knelt beside her once more and gently placed a gloved hand on her chin, guiding her eyes to meet his. "What happened?" he asked softly as he studied her.
Her mascara ran in thin black streams down her face, and her left cheek was swollen, and had turned a nasty bluish-purple. He noticed the large scrape on her knee and carefully touched it. "You're freezing," he commented. "What happened to you?"
She shuddered at the touch of his warm hands, and the comforting sound of his voice. She didn't want to admit that she was glad to see the very man she had run from, but she couldn't help the relief that flooded her body. "I was... and this man, he... and I just..."
"It's okay," Squall replied quietly. He didn't need to hear anymore to understand what she was trying to say. While he was searching for her throughout the town, he kept cursing her in his mind, and anticipating the moment he found her just so he could tell her how utterly stupid she was. He decided now that it could wait. He slid his bulky black winter coat from his shoulders and laid it over her body before picking her up in his arms.
"Won't you get cold?" she asked groggily as she snuggled closer to his chest.
"I'll be fine," he answered. "Let's just get you back to the ship."
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"There's a tiny circle on the upper right corner. You can only tell if it's there by feeling for it. If you can feel that circle in the corner, then it's an original card. Otherwise it's a dud. See?"
Spike nodded. "I get it. And most of yours are duds?"
"The ones that I play," she replied. "No one ever taught you this stuff before?"
He shook his head. "I'm usually to busy to play cards, or to learn how to play."
"With that sharp eye of yours, you'd be great at it," she complimented. A slight frown tugged at her mouth, and she chewed nervously on her bottom lip. "By the way, since I've shared my secrets with you... I've been wondering for a while now... why are your eyes two different shades?"
He looked up at her, surprised that she would ask such a personal question. In the years that he had been a syndicate leader, none of the people he'd ever met had dared to ask him that. "An accident," he replied curtly. "I had to have a fake one put in, and they couldn't find one that matched exactly."
"I see. What kind of accident?" she pressed.
"The kind of painful, twisted mess that only a woman can get you into."
"Oh, an old lover," she retorted, as if in understanding. "What did she gouge your eye out or something?"
"No... Just my heart," he mumbled, so low that she couldn't hear it.
"Hmm? What was that?"
"Nothing," Spike sighed. "Look, I'd really rather not talk about it. It's in the past now."
Faye leaned her elbows on her knees and stretched forward so she could see his eyes better in the darkness. "You know, when I look into your eyes for too long, I get a funny feeling... Maybe it's the color. Or maybe it's something else?"
He glared at her sharply. "Look, I hired you on a professional bases, not because I needed a friend to chat with."
"Hmph! Well, if that's how you want it," she spat, standing up. "Just because some bitch dumped you isn't a reason to get all touchy."
"She isn't a bitch!" Spike shouted, he too standing up. "And she didn't dump me! You wouldn't understand."
"Yeah, you're right, I don't understand. Men are such sentimental babies. She dumped you, and probably laughs her ass off every time she thinks about how she had you wrapped around her finger. And here you are, still carrying a flame for your old sweet heart, acting like Mr. Heroic and defending her name. You don't get it, do you? It was just a game! You made too much out of it, so she dumped you!"
"You're fooling yourself if you think every woman is as heartless as you are! You obviously have something wrong with you, damn shrew!"
"Lunkhead!" she yelled back. "You're just living in a fantasy! It's really disgusting."
The door suddenly opened, and Margie stood, staring at them with an arched eyebrow. "How long have you two been stuck in here?"
Spike ignored her and turned his scowl back to Faye. "Get the fuck out of my sight, bitch!"
"Fine!" Faye screamed back and stomped out of the stairwell.
Spike turned and slammed his fist into the wall, creating a small dent. "Margie, terminate her file. Ms. Maximoto is out of here."
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Squall laid Rinoa down on the couch, and turned to Zell. "Bring me some extra blankets."
Zell nodded and went off to do as he was asked, leaving Squall to look after the sleeping girl. He picked up the anti-bacterial lotion she had used on his back the night before and carefully applied some to her knee, before gingerly touching her swollen cheek. She needed some ice on it to make it go down, but as cold as she already was, he didn't want to make it worse. Zell came in and laid a pile of blankets over the back of the couch.
"Jet's coming in with the bounty," he said. "I'm gonna go open the hanger for him."
Squall nodded to him, then unzipped his favorite jacket that Rinoa had stolen. His eyes feel on the tear in her dress, and he felt a mixture of anger, embarrassment and desire twist in his stomach. How anyone could try and defile such a sweet, and innocent girl (no matter how much of a pain in the ass she was) was beyond him, and he could feel his cheeks turning red at the sight before him. Still, there was a tiny part of him that enjoyed the view, and reflected on how beautiful she really was. He would never take advantage of her, of course, but still, the sight of her exposed flesh was tempting.
He tossed his jacket aside and quickly covered her up with the blankets, pulling them all the way up to her chin. She turned on her side and curled up, reaching out for his hand and grasping it tightly in her sleep. His cheeks reddened even more, if that were possible, just as Jet came walking through the door with the newest bounty.
"That's the bitch!" the man yelled, struggling against his restraints. "That's the bitch that cut me up!"
Jet looked to Squall. "I found Rinoa's dagger lying on the ground near him."
Squall quickly stood up, gently loosing Rinoa's grip on his hand. He strode over to the ranting man and quickly silenced him with a swift punch to the face.
"Fuck!" the man exclaimed, blood rolling down his face for the second time that day. "That's where that bitch cut me! Don't hit me there!"
Squall delivered another blow to the man's gut, causing him to fall to his knees. "You deserve it," he stated simply.
The man managed to laugh through his pain. "Oh, I'm sorry. Is that your girl? She was the first woman I'd seen in Callisto for over a year. Probably the prettiest I've ever seen. It was a dumb thing, lettin' her wander out on her own. She must be a great piece of ass, though."
This time, Squall kicked at his face, making sure that he hit the gash Rinoa had made. The man nearly howled in pain, but Squall still didn't feel satisfied. He went to kick him again when Jet held a hand out to stop him.
"We need this guy alive to collect the bounty," he reasoned. "I agree he's scum, but we need the money."
"Fine!" Squall growled, turning away from them. "Lock him up in the storage room or something, then. Rinoa doesn't need to know that he was ever here."
From his place at the doorway, Zell couldn't help but laugh. "You finally called her by her name, huh? If I didn't know better, I'd say you were getting soft on us. I guess you lost more than her in Callisto, eh?"
"What are you talking about?"
Zell shrugged. "They say everybody loses something in Callisto. You lost Rinoa. Then, you got her back. So, I think you lost something else."
"And that would be?"
"A piece of that wall you built around your heart."
Squall stared at Zell for a long moment before saying, "You're full of shit, Dincht. I don't give a damn about her. But what kind of guy would I be if I let her attempted rapist sit around in the same room as her?"
"Ah, so it's just chivalry, then? No feelings whatsoever?"
"Not at all. I'll be glad when we're rid of the bitch."
Squall was about to go sit down in the chair across from the couch when someone delivered a weak, but still painful kick to his leg. He turned to find Rinoa staring up at him with glittering brown eyes. "Call me a bitch one more time," she began in a hoarse voice, "and I'll kiss you."
"What?" Squall and Zell asked in unison.
She sniffled for a moment, before her body was wracked with a sneezing fit. "My head hurts, my throat's sore, my lungs are sore and I'm more tired than I've ever been in my life. Call me a bitch one more time, and I'll make sure you get to share in my misery."
Zell cocked his head to the side in thought. "Well, for a kiss from you, it might be worth it."
"Zell," Squall warned. As he realized what he had done, he felt his face heat up again. "We can't afford to have more people on this ship sick," he tried to cover. "She's gonna be a big enough pain in the ass as it is."
"That's it!" Rinoa exclaimed. "You're going down."
She grabbed onto his arm, and with all the strength she had left, she pulled Squall down onto the couch with her and pounced on him like a lioness to her prey. She joined their lips for a brief moment before pulling away and smirking at the wide-eyed boy next to her. "Now you get to be miserable, too."
Squall only blinked, stood up, and silently exited the room. Zell watched him leave, then turned to Rinoa and said, "Wow, Rinoa. I think you just gave him his first kiss."
"No way," she laughed gently, only to see that Zell wasn't smiling. "Are you serious? Well... if I had known that... I would have made it longer..."
Rinoa burrowed beneath her blankets and rested her head on the pillow, smiling to herself. Inwardly she promised that as soon as she was well, she'd give him the most mind-blowing kiss he could ever imagine. And not just for him, either... She giggled slightly as she felt herself flush. She was hopelessly drawn to the mighty lion.
**
See you space cowboy...
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*)(*) A/N: Sorry if things seemed to be moving too fast. They still have a long road ahead of them, trust me.
Next session: Love, the ultimate paradox. To crave someone so much that you feel it within your soul, and to despise that same person so greatly that it dominates you every thought. Is it love, or infatuation, destiny or convenience? The mind games we play are the definitive tests. Next session: Cat and Mouse Tango
Chapter 4: Callisto Melody
Quistis laid her head back against the cushion on the couch, trying to relax against it, despite it hardness. Her eyelids fluttered halfway closed as she stretched out, and heaved a sigh. "Any word yet?"
"No," Nida responded for the millionth time since Faye and Ed had disappeared. He yawned and tried to focus on the computer screen through blurry eyes. "Wait... Wait, I think I have something!" he exclaimed.
"Hey, you guys there?" Faye's voice filled the boat suddenly.
"Valentine!" Quistis began sharply. "Where the hell have you been? Where's Ed?"
"She's not with you?" Faye asked. "I... I don't know if she made it, guys. There was this explosion... Ed pushed me off the pier just before it happened. I went back over the area with Spike to-"
"Spike?" Quistis interrupted. "You're on a first name bases with the syndicate leader?"
"I made it in, Quisty," she sighed. "He's friendly with all new applicants. Anyway, I went with him afterwards to search the wreckage for the syndicate member he'd sent with me, and I didn't see a single trace of either one of them. We think we've tracked his sister to a ship on Jupiter. Ed might be with her, but it's highly doubtful."
Silence filled the room for a long moment before Quistis finally said, "Well, I guess until further notice, Ms. Tivrusky is M.I.A. If she doesn't show up soon... We'll have to count her as dead."
"If I hear anything else, I'll contact you," Faye replied in a disheartened voice.
"I'll be waiting," Quistis replied. Once she was sure the connection was cut, she collapsed back onto the couch and shut her eyes tightly. "It wasn't supposed to happen this way," she whispered to herself. "Distract them for awhile, get them terminated from SeeD... they weren't supposed to die."
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Before him lay a long wooden table, covered in a lacy white cloth. There was one, cushioned chair at the head of the table, seeming to call his name. Upon the table, beautiful gold sculptures and statuettes stood proudly, glittering in the dim candlelight. The most important thing, however, was what was placed around them. More food than he had ever seen at any one time in his life was spread out all across the table, meant for him, and him alone. There was Peking duck, and sesame chicken, roast turkey, and enough gravy to fill a tub. He sat down at his chair and was digging in, when suddenly, a golden monkey appeared before him, and threw a cup of instant ramen in his face.
Jet slowly cracked open an eye, his vision catching on what appeared to be fire through his sleep distorted eyes. Something wet dripped onto his face, and he opened the other eye with a groan.
"Jet-person is awake!" Edward exclaimed through a mouthful of noodles. In one of her hands she held a whole cup of them, and each time she slurped them up, noodle juice went flying everywhere.
"Edward," Jet mumbled to the girl sitting happily on his chest. "What do you call yourself doing?"
"Waking you up," Ed answered innocently. "Squall-person told me to ask you what you did with the girl."
"What the hell is he talkin' about?"
"She's gone Jet," an angry voice spoke from the doorway. "Did you let her out?"
"And lose our money?" Jet asked, sitting up as best as he could with Ed on him. "Why would I do that?"
"Well, you uncuffed her last night. I though maybe you were starting to feel sympathetic."
"Are we at Callisto yet?"
"Yeah. We were set to arrive at eight. I was awake by then, and she was already long gone. If you didn't let her go, that means... We must've landed earlier than we were supposed to."
"You'd better go get her, Squall. You've been to Callisto before, haven't you? Not only is it freezin' ass cold, but there's no such thing as law and order down there. A woman like her wouldn't last long."
"I'm beginning to think she's more trouble than she's worth," Squall grumbled. "You go get the bounty, then. I'll go get that pain in the ass girl."
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She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, wishing she could somehow shield her legs from the biting winds instead. She had changed back into her mostly dry dress, finding nothing else that fit her, and taken her wallet and dagger back, along with Squall's fur-collared jacket. She was hoping that if maybe she took his defense against the cold, he wouldn't come after her.
Escaping to the city of Callisto was perhaps not the best idea. Most of the building lay in shambles, and everything was covered beneath a thick layer of snow. The streets seemed abandoned, as if no one had really ever lived there at all. It made her stomach twist in knots just thinking about it. Something was desperately wrong with this place.
As she wandered aimlessly, having no clue where to go, she heard the shuffling of footsteps in the alley on her left. She broke into a run, only to be tackled to the ground by an unseen opponent.
A strong hand grabbed her roughly by the arm and jerked her around, so that she was facing him. She squeezed her eyes closed, hoping that maybe if she didn't look, she wouldn't have to face reality. Just a moment earlier Squall was the last person she wanted to see, but now she prayed that he was the one that had captured her.
"Look at me!" a gruff voice demanded from above her. She knew instantly that it wasn't Squall, and so she whimpered and tried to wiggle away. A fist colliding forcefully with her face put an end to her struggles. "I said look at me!"
She forced her eyes to open, and was met with a pair of bulging, blood shot eyes. The man's face was crusted with dirt, and his chin was covered in stubble. His mouth was open in a sadistic grin, baring yellow, half-rotted teeth and the heavy scent of alcohol on his breath. Dark, greasy hair fell in his face as his hand grabbed for the top of her dress and tore it open. This prompted her to scream once more, and kick at him. She managed to turn herself around in his grasp and stand before breaking into a run.
Just as she was certain she was home free, his hand locked around her ankle, and she stumbled, scraping her knee painfully on the pavement where the snow had been brushed away. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, trying to force her to the ground once more while one of his hands ran up her thigh. She cursed herself inwardly for being so forgetful, and pulled her dagger, which was strapped to her other thigh. In one swift movement she turned and slashed at his face.
She struggled to her feet once more and ran, looking back only once to see the man on his knees, blood pouring from his face and staining the pure white powder on the ground.
She finally stopped outside of a small, brick building with a cracked sign hanging over the door, stating simply 'Bar' in large black letters. She leaned a hand against the side, gasping for breath and wiping at the tears that were falling slowly down her face. She looked down, noticing that her black strapless bra was revealed by the rip in the top, and zipped Squall's jacket up to cover it. When she had finally composed herself, she opened the door and stepped inside, relaxing slightly at the fact that it was full of people, and warm. She sat down on a stool at the bar, grabbing a napkin to place against her bleeding knee and looking at the bartender with weary eyes.
"I'll just have some hot chocolate."
He laughed. "Sure thing little girl."
Rinoa sighed deeply, closing her eyes as she did. She had protected herself today, for the most part. So why was she still shaking in fear? Why didn't she feel any better about herself?
She noticed then, that the bar had gotten awfully quiet. She turned around to study the crowd inside, and realized that every person in there was a man, and they were all staring at her. She clutched the mug of hot chocolate the bartender sat in front of her, and tried her best to disappear into the shadows of the room.
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Spike strode out of the stairwell, his hands rested behind his head as he yawned. "Hey, Margie," he greeted. "What's wrong with the power?"
"All the computers in the building have frozen. That ship your sister's on must have a brilliant hacker aboard."
"So, what are they doin' about it?"
"They're working diligently to correct the problem, sir. Before the shutdown, however, they did manage to find Ms. Maximoto's criminal files. I have them right here if you'd like to look at them."
Spike reached over and took the files with an appreciative nod to Margie. He flipped through the files, his eyes scanning the pages of data his hacker team had collected. "Convicted of burglary, resisting arrest, and scamming, suspected of murder, and grand theft auto. Sounds like my kinda woman," he laughed and studied her mug shot. She had a bored look in her eyes, and a lop-sided frown.
"What's going on? Why are all the lights out?" Faye asked as she entered the building.
"Technical difficulties," Spike replied, then turned the file in his hands so that she could see it. "Love the mug shot."
Faye laughed, silently rejoicing that Ed was able to plant the information before her disappearance. "It was a bad day," she shrugged. "Woke up with a head ache, out of coffee, hair a mess... and of course getting arrested didn't help much."
Spike tossed the folder back onto Margie desk, and beckoned for Faye to follow him up the stairwell. "I've got a job for you," he said, once they were climbing the stairs.
"Oh really? What will I be doing?"
"Teach me all those fancy little card tricks of yours," he replied. "I'm meeting with the head of the Phoenix syndicate for a Triple Triad game, and I wanna know how to get over on him."
"Oh, I wouldn't know anything about that stuff."
"Nice try. I know you cheated on the game yesterday. But you were good at it. That's why I hired you. Most people don't have sharp eyes like I do, so most people wouldn't be able to a catch you."
"Oh, that," Faye laughed. "Well, there's more to it than just quick hand work, you know. Rare cards are extremely hard to come by. So obviously, when you do get one, you don't want to risk losing it in a game. Still, rare cards are the key to winning the game. So what would you do?"
"Oh, I've heard of this before. A lot of artists make a living by creating duplicates of rare cards."
"Exactly. You can even learn to make you own. And of course, most people can't tell a duplicate from an original, so you can make good money that way. I'll teach you how to tell an original from a fake as soon as we reach your office."
They had finally come to the door, and Spike stepped in front of her and tried to open it. It wouldn't budge. "Dammit... must be that stupid back-up security lock! I guess we gotta go back to the lobby."
The two rushed down the stairs to the lobby door, only to find that it too, was locked. They banged on the heavy steal door and screamed for Margie to let them out, but no one ever came.
"You think Margie's ignoring us?" Faye asked as she sat down on the bottom step.
"No, these doors are just sound proof. We're stuck in here until the computers come back on."
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The only way out of the city was to hitchhike. At least, that's what the bartender had told her, with a small chuckle. Rinoa had stumbled out of the bar, feeling weaker with every passing moment. The frosty air attacked her legs once more, and she slowly came to a stop, leaning against the wall of a building and sliding to the ground. She curled up in a ball, trying to capture all the warmth she could, and her shoulders began to shake with silent sobs. She was certain she would die there.
Through the haze of sorrow clouding her mind, she could vaguely make out the sound of boots treading through the snow. She tried to sink into the wall, and prayed that she wouldn't be seen. The person, however, kneeled in front of her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up long enough to see the ocean-colored eyes staring at her, before she stood and made one last attempt to run. Before he could chase after her, her legs gave out and she stumbled to the snow-covered street.
He knelt beside her once more and gently placed a gloved hand on her chin, guiding her eyes to meet his. "What happened?" he asked softly as he studied her.
Her mascara ran in thin black streams down her face, and her left cheek was swollen, and had turned a nasty bluish-purple. He noticed the large scrape on her knee and carefully touched it. "You're freezing," he commented. "What happened to you?"
She shuddered at the touch of his warm hands, and the comforting sound of his voice. She didn't want to admit that she was glad to see the very man she had run from, but she couldn't help the relief that flooded her body. "I was... and this man, he... and I just..."
"It's okay," Squall replied quietly. He didn't need to hear anymore to understand what she was trying to say. While he was searching for her throughout the town, he kept cursing her in his mind, and anticipating the moment he found her just so he could tell her how utterly stupid she was. He decided now that it could wait. He slid his bulky black winter coat from his shoulders and laid it over her body before picking her up in his arms.
"Won't you get cold?" she asked groggily as she snuggled closer to his chest.
"I'll be fine," he answered. "Let's just get you back to the ship."
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"There's a tiny circle on the upper right corner. You can only tell if it's there by feeling for it. If you can feel that circle in the corner, then it's an original card. Otherwise it's a dud. See?"
Spike nodded. "I get it. And most of yours are duds?"
"The ones that I play," she replied. "No one ever taught you this stuff before?"
He shook his head. "I'm usually to busy to play cards, or to learn how to play."
"With that sharp eye of yours, you'd be great at it," she complimented. A slight frown tugged at her mouth, and she chewed nervously on her bottom lip. "By the way, since I've shared my secrets with you... I've been wondering for a while now... why are your eyes two different shades?"
He looked up at her, surprised that she would ask such a personal question. In the years that he had been a syndicate leader, none of the people he'd ever met had dared to ask him that. "An accident," he replied curtly. "I had to have a fake one put in, and they couldn't find one that matched exactly."
"I see. What kind of accident?" she pressed.
"The kind of painful, twisted mess that only a woman can get you into."
"Oh, an old lover," she retorted, as if in understanding. "What did she gouge your eye out or something?"
"No... Just my heart," he mumbled, so low that she couldn't hear it.
"Hmm? What was that?"
"Nothing," Spike sighed. "Look, I'd really rather not talk about it. It's in the past now."
Faye leaned her elbows on her knees and stretched forward so she could see his eyes better in the darkness. "You know, when I look into your eyes for too long, I get a funny feeling... Maybe it's the color. Or maybe it's something else?"
He glared at her sharply. "Look, I hired you on a professional bases, not because I needed a friend to chat with."
"Hmph! Well, if that's how you want it," she spat, standing up. "Just because some bitch dumped you isn't a reason to get all touchy."
"She isn't a bitch!" Spike shouted, he too standing up. "And she didn't dump me! You wouldn't understand."
"Yeah, you're right, I don't understand. Men are such sentimental babies. She dumped you, and probably laughs her ass off every time she thinks about how she had you wrapped around her finger. And here you are, still carrying a flame for your old sweet heart, acting like Mr. Heroic and defending her name. You don't get it, do you? It was just a game! You made too much out of it, so she dumped you!"
"You're fooling yourself if you think every woman is as heartless as you are! You obviously have something wrong with you, damn shrew!"
"Lunkhead!" she yelled back. "You're just living in a fantasy! It's really disgusting."
The door suddenly opened, and Margie stood, staring at them with an arched eyebrow. "How long have you two been stuck in here?"
Spike ignored her and turned his scowl back to Faye. "Get the fuck out of my sight, bitch!"
"Fine!" Faye screamed back and stomped out of the stairwell.
Spike turned and slammed his fist into the wall, creating a small dent. "Margie, terminate her file. Ms. Maximoto is out of here."
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Squall laid Rinoa down on the couch, and turned to Zell. "Bring me some extra blankets."
Zell nodded and went off to do as he was asked, leaving Squall to look after the sleeping girl. He picked up the anti-bacterial lotion she had used on his back the night before and carefully applied some to her knee, before gingerly touching her swollen cheek. She needed some ice on it to make it go down, but as cold as she already was, he didn't want to make it worse. Zell came in and laid a pile of blankets over the back of the couch.
"Jet's coming in with the bounty," he said. "I'm gonna go open the hanger for him."
Squall nodded to him, then unzipped his favorite jacket that Rinoa had stolen. His eyes feel on the tear in her dress, and he felt a mixture of anger, embarrassment and desire twist in his stomach. How anyone could try and defile such a sweet, and innocent girl (no matter how much of a pain in the ass she was) was beyond him, and he could feel his cheeks turning red at the sight before him. Still, there was a tiny part of him that enjoyed the view, and reflected on how beautiful she really was. He would never take advantage of her, of course, but still, the sight of her exposed flesh was tempting.
He tossed his jacket aside and quickly covered her up with the blankets, pulling them all the way up to her chin. She turned on her side and curled up, reaching out for his hand and grasping it tightly in her sleep. His cheeks reddened even more, if that were possible, just as Jet came walking through the door with the newest bounty.
"That's the bitch!" the man yelled, struggling against his restraints. "That's the bitch that cut me up!"
Jet looked to Squall. "I found Rinoa's dagger lying on the ground near him."
Squall quickly stood up, gently loosing Rinoa's grip on his hand. He strode over to the ranting man and quickly silenced him with a swift punch to the face.
"Fuck!" the man exclaimed, blood rolling down his face for the second time that day. "That's where that bitch cut me! Don't hit me there!"
Squall delivered another blow to the man's gut, causing him to fall to his knees. "You deserve it," he stated simply.
The man managed to laugh through his pain. "Oh, I'm sorry. Is that your girl? She was the first woman I'd seen in Callisto for over a year. Probably the prettiest I've ever seen. It was a dumb thing, lettin' her wander out on her own. She must be a great piece of ass, though."
This time, Squall kicked at his face, making sure that he hit the gash Rinoa had made. The man nearly howled in pain, but Squall still didn't feel satisfied. He went to kick him again when Jet held a hand out to stop him.
"We need this guy alive to collect the bounty," he reasoned. "I agree he's scum, but we need the money."
"Fine!" Squall growled, turning away from them. "Lock him up in the storage room or something, then. Rinoa doesn't need to know that he was ever here."
From his place at the doorway, Zell couldn't help but laugh. "You finally called her by her name, huh? If I didn't know better, I'd say you were getting soft on us. I guess you lost more than her in Callisto, eh?"
"What are you talking about?"
Zell shrugged. "They say everybody loses something in Callisto. You lost Rinoa. Then, you got her back. So, I think you lost something else."
"And that would be?"
"A piece of that wall you built around your heart."
Squall stared at Zell for a long moment before saying, "You're full of shit, Dincht. I don't give a damn about her. But what kind of guy would I be if I let her attempted rapist sit around in the same room as her?"
"Ah, so it's just chivalry, then? No feelings whatsoever?"
"Not at all. I'll be glad when we're rid of the bitch."
Squall was about to go sit down in the chair across from the couch when someone delivered a weak, but still painful kick to his leg. He turned to find Rinoa staring up at him with glittering brown eyes. "Call me a bitch one more time," she began in a hoarse voice, "and I'll kiss you."
"What?" Squall and Zell asked in unison.
She sniffled for a moment, before her body was wracked with a sneezing fit. "My head hurts, my throat's sore, my lungs are sore and I'm more tired than I've ever been in my life. Call me a bitch one more time, and I'll make sure you get to share in my misery."
Zell cocked his head to the side in thought. "Well, for a kiss from you, it might be worth it."
"Zell," Squall warned. As he realized what he had done, he felt his face heat up again. "We can't afford to have more people on this ship sick," he tried to cover. "She's gonna be a big enough pain in the ass as it is."
"That's it!" Rinoa exclaimed. "You're going down."
She grabbed onto his arm, and with all the strength she had left, she pulled Squall down onto the couch with her and pounced on him like a lioness to her prey. She joined their lips for a brief moment before pulling away and smirking at the wide-eyed boy next to her. "Now you get to be miserable, too."
Squall only blinked, stood up, and silently exited the room. Zell watched him leave, then turned to Rinoa and said, "Wow, Rinoa. I think you just gave him his first kiss."
"No way," she laughed gently, only to see that Zell wasn't smiling. "Are you serious? Well... if I had known that... I would have made it longer..."
Rinoa burrowed beneath her blankets and rested her head on the pillow, smiling to herself. Inwardly she promised that as soon as she was well, she'd give him the most mind-blowing kiss he could ever imagine. And not just for him, either... She giggled slightly as she felt herself flush. She was hopelessly drawn to the mighty lion.
**
See you space cowboy...
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*)(*) A/N: Sorry if things seemed to be moving too fast. They still have a long road ahead of them, trust me.
Next session: Love, the ultimate paradox. To crave someone so much that you feel it within your soul, and to despise that same person so greatly that it dominates you every thought. Is it love, or infatuation, destiny or convenience? The mind games we play are the definitive tests. Next session: Cat and Mouse Tango