I don't own The Crow!

The Crow: Bloodstained Ground

"It's the first anniversary of the day you died. I wish you hadn't driven me to my lessons, I wish we had never gone," Cora bites her lips. "I want to thank you… and… I miss you Noe. Well, I've got to go. I've got to get back to the safe-house. Can you believe they call that dump a safe-house? Well, I know I'll be alright, as long as you're watching out for me, you and our parents, I'll be fine. I'll come back soon, Noe," Cora runs off to her bike and peddles it back to the supposed "safe-house." As she peddles away into the distance, a crow takes the liberty to land on Noel's headstone.

The grave begins to shift as a crow begins to peck at the very headstone where Cora had just fled from. The ground bursts open to reveal a disheveled, brown Grecian haired, emerald eyed girl. She is dressed in a tattered pair of black dress pants and a colonial-like white dress-shirt. She gasps in pain as she escapes from her grave. Exhausted, she rests upon the ground next to her grave.

Unfortunately, the ground next to her is the grave of her mother. As she moves to look around her, she can't help but stare at the tombstone in front of her.

Maggie Rivvett

1954-2006

Beloved Mother

And Wife

R.I.P.

"No!" the girl gasps out in her coarse voice. "NO!" She yelled to the wind as tears fell down her face. A dark figure rose from the shadows and made its way over to her. "Who… Who are you?"

"Someone that understands," the dark figure had a masculine voice.

"Who are you?" Noel repeated as she slowly got to her feet.

"My name is Eric Draven. And I, like you, have risen again."

"I am Noel Rivvett, and I died… a year ago…" flashes of her sister being beaten and tortured make her drop to her knees.

"Noel, we are given the title 'Crow'. We are immortal unless someone kills our crows. Our purpose is to avenge our loved ones' deaths, and our own. We're dead and we move," Eric let a small smirk flit across his features.

"Eric, is our sole purpose revenge?" Noel questioned her kindred spirit.

"No. We have the freewill to protect and destroy whomever we see fit," Eric frowned.

"Then, I need your help to find someone. She looks similar to me, but with blue-green eyes. I need to know if she made it… I need to know that she's safe…"

"You died protecting her," Eric states calmly.

"…" Noel casts Eric a withering look, "How do I find her? Her and the ones that destroyed our lives?"

"Your crow will find them."

"Where is she?"

"She?" Eric frowns as a crow caws and lands calmly on the girl's arm.

"Yes, and I do believe that I will call her Hex." Eric only nods in understanding, "What's your crow's name?"

"Death."

"Well, I hope we can be friends, Eric Draven and Death," Noel smiles at him. "Hex, please find her."

"Caw!" the large black bird flies off into the night, searching the sky for the younger Rivvett.

"Do they always find…" Noel stops in the middle of her question and takes off at a fast pace. Eric frowns and races after the newly risen Crow. "She's alive!" Noel stops on the top of a building as she watches her little sister enter a ratty old building with a broken window at the very top.

Eric's face shares a look mixed with horror and surprise, "Who is she?"

"My sister… Cora," Noel bit her lip and let tears fall from her eyes. "I took her to her violin lesson. We were late, and I went in to take the blame… but we were jumped. We fought them. There were four of them. Cora struggled a bit more than I did and they knocked her pretty hard over the head. I struck out when they attacked her. I managed to remove one of their masks. It was the music teacher. They called her Vapor. Her real name was Frances Sherwood. There were three others that I didn't have time to unmask, but they each had nicknames. Shades, Magnum, and Shatter. They held me down and well, it was an almost rape. I saw Vapor attacking my sister with a knife, and I managed to knee one of my captors, and I stomped on the other's toes. I managed to get thrown by Shades; I was so close to Cora's unconscious form that I somehow managed to get on top of her. They cut me, and hit me, trying to make me get off. Then… they shot me. The bullet must not have hit Cora, but the sound must have brought help…"

"I walked in to my fiancée's apartment to find them raping her. I tried to stop them, got stabbed and thrown out the window. I died when I hit the cement. This is the very building where I was murdered and Shelly was tortured."

"Eric, could the reason that you've come back be to evict my sister from your death site?" Noel asked him softly.

"It is possible, but I don't believe that is my new mission."

"Then, why do you think you are here?" Noel turned to gaze at the Crow-man.

"I believe that I am to guide and help you."

"Eric…"

"Hm?"

"I'm glad you're here," Noel gave the Crow-man a sincere smile. "So, want to watch my sister tonight and then find the foursome that killed me?"

"It might be safer if you reversed…" Eric suddenly went quiet.

"Urgh! Why the hell do I get stuck watching a stupid teenager?! Bloody little brat! Takes off and won't tell me where the hell she's going! She's supposed to stay in the blasted safe house!" a man that was definitely an out-of-uniform police officer rants.

"Eric, do you think that they are still after my sister?" Noel turns once again to face the Crow-man. "I have a hunch that they murdered my parents… but I have no idea why. Is that what we have to find out? Who and why they killed off all but one of my family?"

"That's most likely right. Why don't we have a good talk with an old police buddy of mine…"

"Eric, if my sister is still in danger, I'm not leaving her here with that messed up blabbering excuse for a street cop. He's drunk, for one thing, and two, I believe he was smoking. He's killing my little sister slowly and he'll lead whoever is after her, right to her. I'm gonna have a bit of a chat with that cop…"

"Hold it!" Eric smirks. "If you're gonna go off half-cocked, change your clothes and I'll help you do your make-up."

"Make-up?"

"It'll help spring the fear into your enemies," Eric chuckles as he pulls a small silver compact out of his pocket and motions for Noel to take a seat on the rooftop. Doing as she's asked, Noel soon finds herself all painted up with the same face as Eric, but it looks slightly more cheerful and feminine. "Ask your Hex to look for some clothes. I will watch your sister for you."

"Thanks Eric," Noel whispers softly as she hugs the Crow-man.

"It's no problem, now go," Eric pushed the girl to follow her crow.

"See you when I get back?" Noel bit her lip.

"Yes, you will."

Hey Queen of Sporks! Thanks for the review! Sorry about not updating in a while, but I've just left too many stories open and I've got this new job. Well, let me know if ya enjoy this chapter!

Sending mischief your way!

Snowfire the Kitsune