Chapter 5: The second attack
It was a dark underground basement. It was like carved into a mountain, and so well hidden it looked like the mountain itself. In the biggest room, also the darkest, sat a man about 21. He had spiky green hair, piercing black eyes, he was pretty tall, with a muscular complexion. Oh yes, my friend. Remember Drake from Chapter 1? Well, he's bad, very bad.
Drake was sitting at a desk with his chair facing the opposite side of where another person stood in the room. "Shadow, when will you attack again?" said Drake looking over his shoulder, addressing the man behind him. Shadow did a reverence to Drake, and from that low position he addressed his master.
"When the next thunderstorm strikes." Shadow said in his creepy and dark voice.
"And that'll be..." Drake started, waiting for a reply.
Shadow simply answered. "Tonight."
Drake seemed a bit pleased. "Excellent!" but then his voice turned to anger. "But I still haven't forgiven you since your last mission, which you failed miserably. Fiona only got scared and soaked with the rain, you didn't even scratch her."
Shadow burst out. "It's all that meddlesome Van Flyheit's fault! He's the one that made me fail my mission." He claimed altered, and Drake started thinking.
"Van Flyheit... After Fiona, he's next! Hahahaha- hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
(A/n: That was freaky...)
* * *
*
The gang was at the restaurant watching with huge sweatdrops as Van devoured everything they put in front of him. He had eaten 5 tacos, 2 chihuahua specials, a couple chalupas, nachos, and just about anything they put in front of him.
"Man, I'm glad Rudolf's paying this!" Irvine sighed with relief. As long as it wasn't HIS money...
Fiona looked sympathetically at Van. "Poor Van, you were starving!"
"So, tell us about why you need us." Moonbay said. She was dying to know what was so important.
Van stopped eating, drank a glass full of papaya juice and looked at his friends.
"Guys, Fiona's in grave danger." He said sounding really serious.
"Yeah, with the way you eat, she's in danger of being eaten by you someday." Came one of Irvine's "wise-guy" remarks.
Van answered sarcastically to that remark. "Very funny. Do you know about the assassin?"
"Heard about him. Creepy shadowy guy, calls himself Shadow and attacks near midnight, never leaving a victim alive. So what? What does that have to do with your girlfriend?" Moonbay spoke up.
"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND, MOONBAY!" Van yelled blushing and waving his arms furiously.
"I think you really do like her." Moonbay said.
"What makes you think that?" Van asked her, waiting for an answer, of course.
Moonbay was thinking really hard. "Let's see... How do I explain it? Normally, when you kid around with a boy saying he likes a girl, and it's not true, they laugh it off WITHOUT blushing. But you don't laugh it off AND you blush when I say Fiona's your girlfriend.
"Hey, you're right! BUSTED!" Irvine started teasing. (Oh well. I guess it's normal of Irvine to tease Van so much. After all, they're like brothers.)
Van was really frustrated. "Just, LEAVE ME ALONE, YA MAGGOT!
Irvine shook his head. "My, my. The kid's throwing a tantrum!" came his sarcastic remark once more. (I think I'm getting tired of these...)
"How many times do I have to tell you, I'M NOT A KID!" came a fuming Van, and then he yawned again. (I'm yawning right now too... ^o^)
Fiona was starting to get nervous. "Umm, guys, it's getting dark and I want to be someplace safe before it does."
Moonbay was puzzled. "Why? Are you scared of the dark?"
Van came to Fiona's aid. "She has a reason to. She was attacked by the Shadow 3 days ago." He said seriously.
"Impossible! How did you survive?" Moonbay inquired. The Shadow was supposed to never leave a victim alive.
"If it weren't for Van, I would have stayed in that graveyard permanently." Fiona shuddered. Van yawned once again.
"He's braver than I thought." Moonbay commented.
Fiona agreed. "Yeah. He's matured during the past year. He seems more...grown- up, and..."
"Handsome?" Moonbay added smiling, and Fiona blushed a little, but nodded.
"Yeah." She agreed once again. Moonbay always knew what was going on in other people's minds.
"Well, at least you're honest and outgoing. If I had asked a person that I don't wanna look at..." Moonbay paused to look at Van, then continues, "if he found you more beautiful after the past year, he would start blushing a lot and would turn his back on me."
"Sorry to interrupt, ladies, but it appears we have a man down." Irvine interrupted.
"Huh?" the girls said at the same time.
They all turned around to find that Van had fallen asleep on the table. He was VERY asleep, so deeply asleep that he was snoring. The girls just smiled.
"It would be a shame to wake him up but we have to leave to the hotel. Irvine, could you please wake Van up for me?" Fiona requested.
"Sure, Fiona." Irvine answered as he walked up to Van. Then it started... "Zi to Van, Zi to Van, do you copy? WAKE UP, YOU LAZY, GOOD FOR NOTHING..." Irvine yelled.
"OKAY! OKAY! I'M UP!" Van yelled as he sprung up wide-awake.
Fiona apologized. "I'm sorry Van, but I'm scared."
"That's okay. For now, let's just get to the hotel." Van said as he yawned once again. (All of Van's yawning is making me yawn even more... It's 12:25 A.M... Sora-chan's sleepy...)
"I think you better let go of the liger and Zeke for a while, 'cause they would give you away." Irvine said something helpful for once.
"You're right." Van agreed. "Can you take them both with you to Rudolf's palace for tonight? We'll meet you there tomorrow."
Irvine nodded. "Sure. So Moonbay, where're you gonna stay? Hotel or Imperial Palace?"
Moonbay looked at Irvine with BIG starry eyes. "Oh WOW! Can I really stay in the palace?" she asked incredulously.
"Sure!"
"Oooh, thank you, thank you, thank you..." she said as she hugged Irvine, who felt a bit, awkward.
"Whatever. Well, see you two tomorrow. Sleep well, you guys." Irvine replied smoothly as he and Moonbay walked out of the restaurant.
Van just had a HUGE yawn. "I hope."
They said goodbye for the night and each headed to their resting place. Van and Fiona walked to the nearby hotel, while Zeke controlled the liger, Irvine his Command Wolf and Moonbay her brand-new RED Gunsniper (Courtesy of Emperor Rudolf Gerhard Zeppelin III. Yay! Gunsnipy for Moonbay!) as they headed for the palace.
Once in the hotel, Van and Fiona checked in. They went to their rooms, and each took a shower and went to bed. It was 9:00.
3 hours later, Fiona woke up. It was raining heavily and thunder was heard and lightning flashed once in a while. She freaked out. It was just like 3 days ago...the thunderstorm, her waking up at midnight, being all alone in a room without Van... She had an urgent feeling to go running to Van's room, but she didn't. Suddenly a phone on the bedside table rang. Fiona hesitated but finally picked it up.
"He...hello?" Fiona answered, her voice trembling in fear.
A very familiar voice answered. "Guess what, Fiona. Look behind you."
She was terrified. She didn't want to look back. But she had to. Something in her mind told her to. She turned around and there was Shadow with a sword in his hand.
"Hello, Fiona. A pleasure to see your lovely face again. Unfortunately for you, it'll be the last time." He smirked, although you couldn't tell, because of all the black clothes and all...
"V...Van, help." Fiona begged, her voice shaky and hardly audible.
"Don't worry, it won't hurt... much." He said as he started laughing.
Fiona screamed. "Help!"
* * *
*
He was wandering around on a dark, dingy graveyard. He heard Fiona scream. He turned around. Shadow was standing in front of Fiona, who was flinching on the floor. A shot rang. Fiona lay lifeless. He could hear Shadow's sinister voice...
"Fiona's dead because you weren't there for her. Now she's in the Other World and she hates you for it. You're responsible for her death. You weren't there to protect her."
"No...NO! It's not true! She's not dead!" he cried, tears coming out of his eyes. "Fiona's not dead..."
"Yes she is! And it's all YOUR fault! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..." Shadow cackled.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Van woke up startled. What a horrible nightmare! He brought his hand to his eyes; they were wet with tears. He had cried in real life. Without warning, he heard a scream.
Van looked up. "Fiona? Fiona! I swear, that was Fiona and it sounded like trouble."
He got up and ran to the next room. On his way, he saw a Japanese sword hanging as an ornament. He picked it up. He might need it.
* * *
*
"Say, goodbye, Fiona!" said Shadow.
He lifted the sword over his head and let it fall. Fiona closed her eyes. {It's all over. Van, I want you to know...} She didn't finish that thought because instead of feeling the blade of the sword, she heard a clashing sound, like of the face-off between two blades of steel.
"Not you again, you meddlesome pest! Now I have to get rid of you too." Shadow complained exasperated.
Van was struggling with all his might to push back the sword, and finally he succeeded. The two continued to sword-fight, Shadow controlling his sword with mastery and Van trying to at least prevent himself from getting killed. He suddenly felt a terrible pain in the right side of his chest. Shadow had slashed him and had hurt him badly. Van, holding his wound with one hand, now had the disadvantage of his opponent using both his hands. Shadow slashed again. This time, Van got a deep cut in his left arm. Shadow kept advancing until Van tripped on a chair and fell to the ground. He looked up and Shadow put the tip of his sword on Van's neck.
"Finally I'm going to get rid of you, you meddlesome pest, Van Flyheit!" Shadow proclaimed as he raised the sword.
"No! Van!" Fiona cried out from the other side of the room.
Just as the sword was about to touch Van, the door swung open, letting a group of imperial guards in.
"Freeze!" commanded one of the guards. They were here because the old lady from the room next door called management to tell them that a funny-looking man dressed in black had broken in to the room next to hers.
"I don't think so!" Shadow said.
As Van got up, Shadow threw a smokescreen and disappeared, leaving behind coughing guards, a shaking Fiona, and a heavy breathing Van. Van put down the sword and collapsed to the ground. He was exhausted, he was sleepy, AND he had lost blood (not to mention he was starving). Fiona went over to him and hugged him in sign of gratitude.
"Thank you, Van. If you hadn't woken up, I'd be..." she started, then broke out crying. "That Shadow. He's horrible. And he won't stop hurting us until I'm dead."
Van tried to say something, but he just sat down on a chair as a medic attended to his wounds. Every once in a while he winced in pain. (BEWARE OF THE ALCOHOL!!!!!)
He had to be prepared. Every time Shadow attacks, he, Van Flyheit, would have to risk his blood, his skin, and his life...
***********************
I liked this chapter. I think it was pretty good or, well, not that bad. What do YOU think? Review and make Sora-chan happy! ^_^x
Next Chapter: Chapter 06- Meet Timber the Tiger
It was a dark underground basement. It was like carved into a mountain, and so well hidden it looked like the mountain itself. In the biggest room, also the darkest, sat a man about 21. He had spiky green hair, piercing black eyes, he was pretty tall, with a muscular complexion. Oh yes, my friend. Remember Drake from Chapter 1? Well, he's bad, very bad.
Drake was sitting at a desk with his chair facing the opposite side of where another person stood in the room. "Shadow, when will you attack again?" said Drake looking over his shoulder, addressing the man behind him. Shadow did a reverence to Drake, and from that low position he addressed his master.
"When the next thunderstorm strikes." Shadow said in his creepy and dark voice.
"And that'll be..." Drake started, waiting for a reply.
Shadow simply answered. "Tonight."
Drake seemed a bit pleased. "Excellent!" but then his voice turned to anger. "But I still haven't forgiven you since your last mission, which you failed miserably. Fiona only got scared and soaked with the rain, you didn't even scratch her."
Shadow burst out. "It's all that meddlesome Van Flyheit's fault! He's the one that made me fail my mission." He claimed altered, and Drake started thinking.
"Van Flyheit... After Fiona, he's next! Hahahaha- hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
(A/n: That was freaky...)
* * *
*
The gang was at the restaurant watching with huge sweatdrops as Van devoured everything they put in front of him. He had eaten 5 tacos, 2 chihuahua specials, a couple chalupas, nachos, and just about anything they put in front of him.
"Man, I'm glad Rudolf's paying this!" Irvine sighed with relief. As long as it wasn't HIS money...
Fiona looked sympathetically at Van. "Poor Van, you were starving!"
"So, tell us about why you need us." Moonbay said. She was dying to know what was so important.
Van stopped eating, drank a glass full of papaya juice and looked at his friends.
"Guys, Fiona's in grave danger." He said sounding really serious.
"Yeah, with the way you eat, she's in danger of being eaten by you someday." Came one of Irvine's "wise-guy" remarks.
Van answered sarcastically to that remark. "Very funny. Do you know about the assassin?"
"Heard about him. Creepy shadowy guy, calls himself Shadow and attacks near midnight, never leaving a victim alive. So what? What does that have to do with your girlfriend?" Moonbay spoke up.
"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND, MOONBAY!" Van yelled blushing and waving his arms furiously.
"I think you really do like her." Moonbay said.
"What makes you think that?" Van asked her, waiting for an answer, of course.
Moonbay was thinking really hard. "Let's see... How do I explain it? Normally, when you kid around with a boy saying he likes a girl, and it's not true, they laugh it off WITHOUT blushing. But you don't laugh it off AND you blush when I say Fiona's your girlfriend.
"Hey, you're right! BUSTED!" Irvine started teasing. (Oh well. I guess it's normal of Irvine to tease Van so much. After all, they're like brothers.)
Van was really frustrated. "Just, LEAVE ME ALONE, YA MAGGOT!
Irvine shook his head. "My, my. The kid's throwing a tantrum!" came his sarcastic remark once more. (I think I'm getting tired of these...)
"How many times do I have to tell you, I'M NOT A KID!" came a fuming Van, and then he yawned again. (I'm yawning right now too... ^o^)
Fiona was starting to get nervous. "Umm, guys, it's getting dark and I want to be someplace safe before it does."
Moonbay was puzzled. "Why? Are you scared of the dark?"
Van came to Fiona's aid. "She has a reason to. She was attacked by the Shadow 3 days ago." He said seriously.
"Impossible! How did you survive?" Moonbay inquired. The Shadow was supposed to never leave a victim alive.
"If it weren't for Van, I would have stayed in that graveyard permanently." Fiona shuddered. Van yawned once again.
"He's braver than I thought." Moonbay commented.
Fiona agreed. "Yeah. He's matured during the past year. He seems more...grown- up, and..."
"Handsome?" Moonbay added smiling, and Fiona blushed a little, but nodded.
"Yeah." She agreed once again. Moonbay always knew what was going on in other people's minds.
"Well, at least you're honest and outgoing. If I had asked a person that I don't wanna look at..." Moonbay paused to look at Van, then continues, "if he found you more beautiful after the past year, he would start blushing a lot and would turn his back on me."
"Sorry to interrupt, ladies, but it appears we have a man down." Irvine interrupted.
"Huh?" the girls said at the same time.
They all turned around to find that Van had fallen asleep on the table. He was VERY asleep, so deeply asleep that he was snoring. The girls just smiled.
"It would be a shame to wake him up but we have to leave to the hotel. Irvine, could you please wake Van up for me?" Fiona requested.
"Sure, Fiona." Irvine answered as he walked up to Van. Then it started... "Zi to Van, Zi to Van, do you copy? WAKE UP, YOU LAZY, GOOD FOR NOTHING..." Irvine yelled.
"OKAY! OKAY! I'M UP!" Van yelled as he sprung up wide-awake.
Fiona apologized. "I'm sorry Van, but I'm scared."
"That's okay. For now, let's just get to the hotel." Van said as he yawned once again. (All of Van's yawning is making me yawn even more... It's 12:25 A.M... Sora-chan's sleepy...)
"I think you better let go of the liger and Zeke for a while, 'cause they would give you away." Irvine said something helpful for once.
"You're right." Van agreed. "Can you take them both with you to Rudolf's palace for tonight? We'll meet you there tomorrow."
Irvine nodded. "Sure. So Moonbay, where're you gonna stay? Hotel or Imperial Palace?"
Moonbay looked at Irvine with BIG starry eyes. "Oh WOW! Can I really stay in the palace?" she asked incredulously.
"Sure!"
"Oooh, thank you, thank you, thank you..." she said as she hugged Irvine, who felt a bit, awkward.
"Whatever. Well, see you two tomorrow. Sleep well, you guys." Irvine replied smoothly as he and Moonbay walked out of the restaurant.
Van just had a HUGE yawn. "I hope."
They said goodbye for the night and each headed to their resting place. Van and Fiona walked to the nearby hotel, while Zeke controlled the liger, Irvine his Command Wolf and Moonbay her brand-new RED Gunsniper (Courtesy of Emperor Rudolf Gerhard Zeppelin III. Yay! Gunsnipy for Moonbay!) as they headed for the palace.
Once in the hotel, Van and Fiona checked in. They went to their rooms, and each took a shower and went to bed. It was 9:00.
3 hours later, Fiona woke up. It was raining heavily and thunder was heard and lightning flashed once in a while. She freaked out. It was just like 3 days ago...the thunderstorm, her waking up at midnight, being all alone in a room without Van... She had an urgent feeling to go running to Van's room, but she didn't. Suddenly a phone on the bedside table rang. Fiona hesitated but finally picked it up.
"He...hello?" Fiona answered, her voice trembling in fear.
A very familiar voice answered. "Guess what, Fiona. Look behind you."
She was terrified. She didn't want to look back. But she had to. Something in her mind told her to. She turned around and there was Shadow with a sword in his hand.
"Hello, Fiona. A pleasure to see your lovely face again. Unfortunately for you, it'll be the last time." He smirked, although you couldn't tell, because of all the black clothes and all...
"V...Van, help." Fiona begged, her voice shaky and hardly audible.
"Don't worry, it won't hurt... much." He said as he started laughing.
Fiona screamed. "Help!"
* * *
*
He was wandering around on a dark, dingy graveyard. He heard Fiona scream. He turned around. Shadow was standing in front of Fiona, who was flinching on the floor. A shot rang. Fiona lay lifeless. He could hear Shadow's sinister voice...
"Fiona's dead because you weren't there for her. Now she's in the Other World and she hates you for it. You're responsible for her death. You weren't there to protect her."
"No...NO! It's not true! She's not dead!" he cried, tears coming out of his eyes. "Fiona's not dead..."
"Yes she is! And it's all YOUR fault! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..." Shadow cackled.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Van woke up startled. What a horrible nightmare! He brought his hand to his eyes; they were wet with tears. He had cried in real life. Without warning, he heard a scream.
Van looked up. "Fiona? Fiona! I swear, that was Fiona and it sounded like trouble."
He got up and ran to the next room. On his way, he saw a Japanese sword hanging as an ornament. He picked it up. He might need it.
* * *
*
"Say, goodbye, Fiona!" said Shadow.
He lifted the sword over his head and let it fall. Fiona closed her eyes. {It's all over. Van, I want you to know...} She didn't finish that thought because instead of feeling the blade of the sword, she heard a clashing sound, like of the face-off between two blades of steel.
"Not you again, you meddlesome pest! Now I have to get rid of you too." Shadow complained exasperated.
Van was struggling with all his might to push back the sword, and finally he succeeded. The two continued to sword-fight, Shadow controlling his sword with mastery and Van trying to at least prevent himself from getting killed. He suddenly felt a terrible pain in the right side of his chest. Shadow had slashed him and had hurt him badly. Van, holding his wound with one hand, now had the disadvantage of his opponent using both his hands. Shadow slashed again. This time, Van got a deep cut in his left arm. Shadow kept advancing until Van tripped on a chair and fell to the ground. He looked up and Shadow put the tip of his sword on Van's neck.
"Finally I'm going to get rid of you, you meddlesome pest, Van Flyheit!" Shadow proclaimed as he raised the sword.
"No! Van!" Fiona cried out from the other side of the room.
Just as the sword was about to touch Van, the door swung open, letting a group of imperial guards in.
"Freeze!" commanded one of the guards. They were here because the old lady from the room next door called management to tell them that a funny-looking man dressed in black had broken in to the room next to hers.
"I don't think so!" Shadow said.
As Van got up, Shadow threw a smokescreen and disappeared, leaving behind coughing guards, a shaking Fiona, and a heavy breathing Van. Van put down the sword and collapsed to the ground. He was exhausted, he was sleepy, AND he had lost blood (not to mention he was starving). Fiona went over to him and hugged him in sign of gratitude.
"Thank you, Van. If you hadn't woken up, I'd be..." she started, then broke out crying. "That Shadow. He's horrible. And he won't stop hurting us until I'm dead."
Van tried to say something, but he just sat down on a chair as a medic attended to his wounds. Every once in a while he winced in pain. (BEWARE OF THE ALCOHOL!!!!!)
He had to be prepared. Every time Shadow attacks, he, Van Flyheit, would have to risk his blood, his skin, and his life...
***********************
I liked this chapter. I think it was pretty good or, well, not that bad. What do YOU think? Review and make Sora-chan happy! ^_^x
Next Chapter: Chapter 06- Meet Timber the Tiger