Hey everyone... here it is the long awaited chapter 5!!! I know I said I
wasn't going to be able to post for a long while, but the story wouldn't
let me quit so here it is.
DBFH: actually she skipped her homework and did the fic instead.
I did not!!!! You lying dust collector!!! I did both. Well the stuff I managed to salvage before Nova set it on fire.
Nova: but you said I could **pouts** This is my new muse Nova. Lady Leah gave him to me. **Huggles Nova**
Savvy: DBFH did you want to do the disclaimer?
DBFH: **Sigh** fine... freezewind does not on beyblade or any of the OC's and their bit-beasts, except for Serez and Icezray.
"Blah" talking
'Blah' thinking
//Blah // Bit-Beasts talking to masters
/Blah/ Masters talking to Bit-Beasts
Chapter 5
Raisa stared wide-eyed as she, and her burly pale-haired companion, entered the courtyard of a large stone Abbey. As they walked through the gates she saw a sign that read, "Balkov Abbey". She'd heard of this place; this is where they taught those children – whom the administrators thought were worthy – the dark arts of fighting, and some conventional techniques. Had to have something nice to show the parents to keep them disillusioned.
Raisa's emerald green eyes scanned every inch of the snow-covered courtyard; it's training and practice rings, the trees that would be dead till spring, and the Pine Trees. She observed the guards in black cloaks as they stalked around the premises of the Abbey. She stopped in front of the stairs that led to the entryway of the foreboding building. She peered into any window she could see into, and that didn't have heavy deep purple drapes covering them, she took in every brick, every nook and cranny, everything and anything she thought she might have to or be able to use in the future.
A cold shiver raced down her spine as she finished looking the Abbey over. She shook it off, blaming it on the icy Russian wind that bit into the exposed skin of her arms. The creature bundled in her cloak shivered slightly. Raisa looked down at the creature, her gaze, which had been emotionless and calculating a moment ago, softened as her eyes fell on her injured friend. "You fought well Durack. Rest now, you'll get better faster if you do." She told it softly, tugging the cloak tighter around her injured and exhausted friend.
She looked up when footsteps crunched loudly onto the snow in front of her. Before she had a chance to look up her left elbow was grabbed and she was practically dragged forward. "H-hey!! Watch it pal! You almost made me drop Durack, you bastard." She snapped trying to pull her elbow out of the vice-like grip with little success. She was forced to either follow at the brisk pace her stoic companion was setting or be dragged across the grounds.
"Does it look like I care?" The young man growled in question as he dragged the much shorter Russian through the snow. One arm held his injured Falcon against his chest while his other was angled back and holding the girl tightly.
"Okay, I'll follow you. Just let me go before I fall over. You dragging me every where is not gonna get me anywhere fast." She growled back digging her heels into one of the steps. Her heels caught on the edge of the stair, effectively stopping the bigger boy from dragging her wherever he was heading.
Bryan not expecting much resistance from the petite Russian; was caught off guard and released her arm in surprise when it would go no further. He spun around and glared down at the black and purple haired girl angrily. "Are you going to come with me or just stand there?"
"I told you I'd go with you didn't I? I just don't appreciate being dragged around like some animal!" She shouted at him. Bryan just glared at her, but once again Raisa wasn't affected.
This was one of the many things that confused him about this strange girl. No one, not even his five friends, could meet his gaze when he glared at them. Or they rarely could; Tala, Helet, and Kai could most of the time unless Bryan was extremely angry. Raisa glared back with just as much heat in her emerald eyes as he had in his own pale orbs. Another thing was, no one ever questioned him, but she questioned him at every turn to the point that he wanted to strangle her or at least break her jaw to get her to shut up. Although he highly doubted that would work either.
She walked up the last few steps and strode past Bryan. He turned and followed her grumbling mentally to him self.
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They walked down one of the many dark grey stoned hallways that riddled the Abbey like a labyrinth. By the time they'd taken three turns in the building Raisa was totally lost. 'I'm supposed to work here' she thought to herself. 'I'll get lost within the first five minutes.'
A few minutes later Bryan came to an abrupt stop outside a small door. Raisa, who was trying to remember what way they had been taking, bumped into him not expecting him to stop so unexpectedly. "Ow!" she yelped as she fell back and landed on the floor with a thump.
"Watch where you're going woman."
"Me?! You're the one who stopped like that! It's not my fault, how 'bout a little warning next time."
"You should have been paying attention." Bryan turned his interest from her back to the door in front of him. He dug a bronze, worn out skeleton key from his pocket and inserted it into the lock. The catch clicked and the door creaked open and Bryan slipped inside.
Raisa got to her feet, careful of Durack who was still held securely in her arms. She stared at the door that Bryan had disappeared into curiously wondering where he'd gone. "He better not have ditched me in this confusing labyrinth called an "Abbey"!" She growled quietly, and mentally cursed Bryan to hell and back.
Just as she was about to peer into the room, Bryan's head shot out. Raisa stopped just in time to avoid having their heads smash together. He glared at her his face only inches from hers. "Hn. Put your "pet" in here." He commanded stepping back into the room, allowing Raisa to enter.
The room was spartanly decorated. It had a single bed in the corner, with a nightstand next to it. On the nightstand were a dagger and an oil lamp. Across the room beneath the window was an oak desk with papers set neatly in one of the corners, and a sword and cleaning kit took up the rest of the space, and on the far side of the room was a plain wooden dresser. "He's not a pet! Why can't Durack come with me?" She asked suspiciously as she walked further into the room.
"He'll just get in the way."
"Fine." She said and put Durack on the dresser. She walked back to the door and stopped in front of Bryan. "But if anything happens to him I'll kick your sorry ass from here to St. Petersburg! You got that." She added snappily, glaring up at him and poking his massive chest with one slender finger.
"Whatever." He grumbled smacking Raisa's hand away and exiting the room. Raisa stood there and glared at him, silently fuming. "Are you coming or would you rather be locked in my room?"
"I'm coming, I'm coming. Sheesh! Patience is a virtue you know Bryan." She smirked as she walked out of the room and leaned against the wall, tugging at her skirt when it got tangled around one of her legs. Bryan just grumbled as he re-locked the door and then proceeded to walk down the hallway. 'Jeez what a grump.'
As they made their way deeper and deeper into the Abbey, Raisa saw more and more people her age, but what she found odd was the fact that all the people she saw were boys, either older, younger, or the same age as she was. They all looked at her oddly, with a kind of hungry look in their eyes, which made Raisa apprehensive and sent a chill down her spine. She unconsciously stepped closer to Bryan, almost stepping on his heels. 'Better to have him mad at me for stepping on him, than getting jumped by these creeps.'
Bryan growled at the boys they passed who looked to closely at Raisa. He didn't know why but he felt protective of this girl and it frustrated him to no end. He blamed it on the fact that Boris and Voltaire wanted her in one piece.
As they rounded what seemed like the thousandth corner a voice called out from somewhere in the dim, torch lit hallway. "Ah, Bryan. Excellent I see you've returned. I also see your mission was successful."
"Lord Boris." Bryan greeted coldly, adding a bow only out of habit, not respect for the older man.
Raisa blinked in confusion but said nothing. 'If Boris is his superior, why is he being so rude?' she contemplated silently. Raisa didn't bow; she just nodded her head politely, and studied this strange man through her black bangs. He was a tall, intimidating man, with purple hair quite a few shades darker than Bryan's own. His eyes were a strange red colour, which radiated a lust for power and maliciousness. He wore a dull grey tunic and black breeches beneath a black cloak that was trimmed with gold and held closed across his chest with a black clasp in the shape of a Phoenix.
"Hello my dear. Welcome to Balkov Abbey. What do you think of our amazing facility so far Lady...?"
"Raisa. No lady, just Raisa." She told him, raising her head. "It's big, and well taken care of. But a bit of a puzzle to get around in."
"It's a security measure, to make sure that or facilities are not subject to infiltration by "unwanted guests". He told her, eyeing her suspiciously. They didn't know much about her, she could already be working for their enemies there was no way to tell. At this point Boris believed it better to be wary of her motives rather than trust her immediately.
Raisa saw the doubt in his eyes, and gave him an innocent smile. "What's wrong Milord? Don't you trust me... you are the one who asked me to come here after all, are you not?"
"That is true, yes. But you must understand my distrust... many people have tried to enter our building under the guise of being our allies, in hopes of finding out our secrets."
"It's understandable... but you have nothing to fear from me. I have no intention of learning your "secrets". I'm just here about the job. If it's something I like, I'll do it, if not I'll leave and never mention my being here."
"Of course. Come with me I'll give details pertaining to what we would have you do, and you can decide whether or not you wish to join us." He said giving her a deceptively gentle and friendly smile. 'Of course, you will never leave this place, unless we throw you out.' He added silently.
Bryan eyed Boris as he walked by, Raisa tagging along behind. He grumbled quietly to himself and followed hoping that if Boris didn't notice, he could slip off and get out of the training that he had scheduled for today. He highly doubted it, but hey he could dream.
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Tyson, Max, Rei, and Celestial sat in the back room of Tyson's family's forge. Rei leaned against the wall facing Tyson; Max had claimed a piece of the floor as his perch and his back rested against the wall. Tyson and Celestial sat on some crated that had at one point held steel.
Tyson sat on his crate staring at the floor, looking decidedly nervous and flustered. He was trying to think of the best way to explain his past to his two friends and was having trouble.
He took a deep breath and looked at Max and Rei. "Look if I'm gonna tell you, you guys can't interrupt me, got that. Some of this stuff still burns."
They both nodded, and Celestial just grunted. "I've heard this story already... tell me when you're done, Ty." With that she leaned against the wall, closed her eyes, and for all appearances went to sleep.
Tyson rolled his eyes at the black haired girl. "Okay, here goes. When I was maybe two or three my Okaasan and half of our village's women and children were taken away or killed by bandits. My Okaasan was one of the ones who were killed. She died trying to protect a group of young girls that the bandits were attempting to take away. They shot her full of arrows like a pin cushion and then slit her throat while she begged them to spare the girls." Tyson's voice cracked slightly as he continued.
"I watched the whole thing from my bedroom window where my Otousan had locked me up, to keep me from being captured or harmed. The attack left the village destroyed and the lives of many ruined. After we cleaned up and buried the dead, most of the villagers, that had lost someone, left and moved as far away as they could get. We moved as well; there were just to many memories for us to handle."
He rubbed the back of his hand across his eyes, and took a deep breath. "My Otousan and I moved to a small village west of Kyoto. He tried to put on a brave face for me and continue on like nothing had changed; but I knew it was an act. I could hear him cry himself to sleep it night. Rumours travelled fast in small villages like ours, and with a few people from the same village as us all moving to the same place at once, people get curious and start to ask around. So by the end of our first week the whole village knew what had happened to us. The adults came to offer their condolences... the children did as well, but only in front of their parents. Behind their backs the poked fun at me, beat me up, and basically made my life a living hell.
A year or so later, I was taking a back path to get back to my place, in hopes of avoiding getting the shit kicked out of me at least once that week. I was almost home when I heard the sound of a scuffle coming from deeper in the trees. I trail-blazed to where I thought the noises were coming from and reached the edge of a clearing. There I saw the group of village tough's that usually pick on me, beating on a girl a year or so younger than I was. The girl gave as good as she got, but she was quickly losing ground, there were three of them and only one of her. Seeing this reminded me of what the bandits did to the people at my old village, so I picked up some rocks the size of my fist, from the forest floor and let them fly.
One boy dropped unconscious, but the other two only received huge lumps for my effort. Once they saw me I took off through the woods, leading them away from the girl, and maybe avoid getting caught myself. I soon enough I heard the sound of their footsteps following me. I ducked into a rotting, hollowed log, and waited till they past by. Once I was sure they were gone I crawled out and made my way back to the clearing.
When I entered the clearing I was immediately knocked over and pinned to the ground. When I opened my eyes I saw a huge snarling black wolf standing over me.
The girl came up beside it and pulled on its neck fur, in an attempt to get it off me. Once it had stepped away she climbed onto it's back and they vanished into the forest. I saw her once in awhile in the village pilfering food from the inattentive food vendors.
A few weeks later I was on my way home, when the group of kids that usually gave me grief cornered me. After taunting me for a few minutes they proceeded to beat me up. Before they could get a chance to really lay into me they were barrelled over by the black wolf. After it got in a few bites and scratches they took off crying and screaming.
That's how I met Celestial. She taught me how to fight, stand up for myself, and how to..." he paused searching for the right word. "... Detach my self from people so I wouldn't get hurt again. So basically I became a cold, heartless person around the villagers, and was still the same happy, slightly depressed kid around my Otousan."
Rei and Max looked at Tyson with more than a bit of confusion on their faces. Max looked like he was still trying to digest it all, and Rei looked slightly suspicious.
"But you've always been an open and happy-go-lucky type of guy... ever since we met you." Max pointed out looking up from his contemplation.
"Unless that was another act too." Rei accused softly.
"Ha. True I guess. I kind of mellowed a bit after we moved again. You guys didn't meet me right away. I'd actually been in Tokyo for almost half a year before I bumped into you guys. No one asked a lot of questions here so I was able to open up a bit more than before. I began to... not forget what Cele taught me, just not use it as often."
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As Tyson finished explaining the bell that announced the arrival of a customer rang out from the front room. "I got it Tyson, don't worry." His dad called from somewhere in the workshop.
"Okay Otousan. Arigatou." Tyson called sitting back down. He hated greeting customers it was boring and tedious.
"Welcome to the Kinomiya Forge. Can I help you?" Mr. Kinomiya asked grinning cheerfully at the young man who stood in front of him. He was a bit shorter than his 6'2, with flame red hair styled oddly, wearing a dark blue tunic, and brown breeches.
"Hi there. I'm looking for someone... a few someone's actually. Think you might be able to help me?" asked the red head, grinning.
"Maybe. I'm not familiar with most of the people in this city, but I can try." He answered, wondering why this kid just didn't go to the City Officials and find out where these people lived. "Why don't you give me their names and I'll see what I can do."
"Great thanks a lot. I don't know their names off the top of my head... but I did write them down on a piece of paper. Ah here it is." He said pulling a scrap of paper from his pocket and handing it to Tyson's father.
"Okay lets see here..." he mumbled to himself as he read the paper over. He did a double take as he read over the names. Three he definitely recognized, Tyson, Rei, and Max... the others he'd heard the three boys talk about; the three thieving companions Serez, Musica, and Christina. "Actually I know three of the boys, the others you'll have to ask them about. Hold on I'll get them for you." He said, disappearing into the back room.
"He-he. Stupid old fool." Tala scoffed, looking at the array of swords that were displayed in the shop, while he waited. "He has no idea who I am and yet he goes to get them." He had to hold in the urge to laugh at Tyson's Father's lack of common sense. "What do you think Wolborg?" He asked turning to the ice wolf that lazed, curled up near the door.
"Not the smartest man, in the world. But maybe he doesn't believe that a boy your age would even think about harming them or could be capable of doing any harm to his young." The wolf answered standing up and stretching before coming to stand next to his master.
"Ha! Yeah I just look so innocent an incapable of committing violence."
"They're in the back, you can go see them if you'd like." Tyson's dad said returning from the back room.
"Arigatou. I'll do that." He bowed in thanks then he and Wolborg disappeared into the back room.
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Christina walked through the door of a two level wood and brick house sometime in the early evening. She'd picked up few things for dinner, which was why she was late. "Alice, I'm home! I bought some bread to have with dinner, I hope that's okay?" she called to her foster mother. She put the bread and fruit on the counter in the kitchen then walked out into the sitting room.
Wolfyena followed her young Mistress silently until they reached the door that separated the kitchen from the sitting room. The large wolf stopped just in front of the door, and snarled. The fur along her neck and back rose up on end, her ears were laid flat against her head, and her tail was outstretched.
"Wolfyena what's the matter?" She questioned, then panicked slightly when the thought that something had happened to her foster mother. "Alice are you home?"
"Yes dear, in the sitting room." Christina breathed a sigh of relief, but as she walked through the door she cast her black eyes quickly about the room, searching for what could have set her wolf off.
In the room sat her foster mother, she was a tall thin women, with hints of grey starting to show through her shoulder length brown hair, a handkerchief was tied in it to keep it out of her light green eyes. She wore a pale yellow tunic, a blue skirt, and plain-strapped leather sandals on her feet.
Across from her sat a young man with silver hair with blue and black highlights. He wore black breeches a light blue tunic, and black boots. Hanging behind him on the chair was a purple cloak and a belt with a sword thrust through one of the loops. At his feet was a white wolf, with eyes as blue as the strangers were.
"Who are you?" she asked distrustfully, eyeing the boy with the contempt she had for all men.
"Chrissie, at least try to be polite." Alice scolded gently. She knew of Christina's past and understood how the young girl must feel.
"That was polite."
"I apologize, for my daughters behaviour. She can't help it."
"Hn, not to worry. I'm not offended." The stranger told her, sending a small smile towards Christina, who glared at him and held onto the scruff of Wolfyena's fur, for her comfort as well as to keep her wolf from getting to close to the boys.
"You were about to introduce yourself before Christina joined us." Alice reminded him, as she motioned for Chrissie to take a seat.
"Of course. My name is Helet, and this is my guardian and companion Deathren." He said nodding his head at the wolf at his feet. A low growl was heard coming from the black wolf that sat beside Christina.
"Wolfyena cut it out." She mumbled to the angry creature. /Please calm down. Alice won't let you stay here if you act up like this. / She added mentally to the guardian wolf.
//I'm sorry Mistress, but I don't trust the boy, or his wolf. Something just doesn't feel right about the two of them. //
/I understand that... just try and keep your opinions to a decibel below human hearing okay. /
//All right Mistress, I'll try. //
"Sorry Alice."
"You shouldn't be apologizing to me, young lady. You should be apologizing to our guest.
Christina grunted in reply, disgust was plainly written on her face. She glared at Helet from beneath her black bangs. His face showed no emotion but his eyes held a mocking glint to them. She glanced at the wolf and saw that it's eyes held the same look as his master. 'Who are these two? And what do they want?'
Okay that's Chapter 5. So what did you all think? I finally got that jerk Boris in here. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up... but I hope to get it up fairly soon.
Nova: If you have any questions about the fic, put them in your reviews or email them to Freezewind... she doesn't bite... but just stay away from her if she has matches.
Nova!!!
Nova: hehehe.... Sorry... but it's true!!
Savvy: Don't forget to review... Nova what are you....
DBFH: AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! That little winged lizard, just roasted me!!!!
Savvy & me: **sweat drop** Nova....
Nova: What?
DBFH: actually she skipped her homework and did the fic instead.
I did not!!!! You lying dust collector!!! I did both. Well the stuff I managed to salvage before Nova set it on fire.
Nova: but you said I could **pouts** This is my new muse Nova. Lady Leah gave him to me. **Huggles Nova**
Savvy: DBFH did you want to do the disclaimer?
DBFH: **Sigh** fine... freezewind does not on beyblade or any of the OC's and their bit-beasts, except for Serez and Icezray.
"Blah" talking
'Blah' thinking
//Blah // Bit-Beasts talking to masters
/Blah/ Masters talking to Bit-Beasts
Chapter 5
Raisa stared wide-eyed as she, and her burly pale-haired companion, entered the courtyard of a large stone Abbey. As they walked through the gates she saw a sign that read, "Balkov Abbey". She'd heard of this place; this is where they taught those children – whom the administrators thought were worthy – the dark arts of fighting, and some conventional techniques. Had to have something nice to show the parents to keep them disillusioned.
Raisa's emerald green eyes scanned every inch of the snow-covered courtyard; it's training and practice rings, the trees that would be dead till spring, and the Pine Trees. She observed the guards in black cloaks as they stalked around the premises of the Abbey. She stopped in front of the stairs that led to the entryway of the foreboding building. She peered into any window she could see into, and that didn't have heavy deep purple drapes covering them, she took in every brick, every nook and cranny, everything and anything she thought she might have to or be able to use in the future.
A cold shiver raced down her spine as she finished looking the Abbey over. She shook it off, blaming it on the icy Russian wind that bit into the exposed skin of her arms. The creature bundled in her cloak shivered slightly. Raisa looked down at the creature, her gaze, which had been emotionless and calculating a moment ago, softened as her eyes fell on her injured friend. "You fought well Durack. Rest now, you'll get better faster if you do." She told it softly, tugging the cloak tighter around her injured and exhausted friend.
She looked up when footsteps crunched loudly onto the snow in front of her. Before she had a chance to look up her left elbow was grabbed and she was practically dragged forward. "H-hey!! Watch it pal! You almost made me drop Durack, you bastard." She snapped trying to pull her elbow out of the vice-like grip with little success. She was forced to either follow at the brisk pace her stoic companion was setting or be dragged across the grounds.
"Does it look like I care?" The young man growled in question as he dragged the much shorter Russian through the snow. One arm held his injured Falcon against his chest while his other was angled back and holding the girl tightly.
"Okay, I'll follow you. Just let me go before I fall over. You dragging me every where is not gonna get me anywhere fast." She growled back digging her heels into one of the steps. Her heels caught on the edge of the stair, effectively stopping the bigger boy from dragging her wherever he was heading.
Bryan not expecting much resistance from the petite Russian; was caught off guard and released her arm in surprise when it would go no further. He spun around and glared down at the black and purple haired girl angrily. "Are you going to come with me or just stand there?"
"I told you I'd go with you didn't I? I just don't appreciate being dragged around like some animal!" She shouted at him. Bryan just glared at her, but once again Raisa wasn't affected.
This was one of the many things that confused him about this strange girl. No one, not even his five friends, could meet his gaze when he glared at them. Or they rarely could; Tala, Helet, and Kai could most of the time unless Bryan was extremely angry. Raisa glared back with just as much heat in her emerald eyes as he had in his own pale orbs. Another thing was, no one ever questioned him, but she questioned him at every turn to the point that he wanted to strangle her or at least break her jaw to get her to shut up. Although he highly doubted that would work either.
She walked up the last few steps and strode past Bryan. He turned and followed her grumbling mentally to him self.
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They walked down one of the many dark grey stoned hallways that riddled the Abbey like a labyrinth. By the time they'd taken three turns in the building Raisa was totally lost. 'I'm supposed to work here' she thought to herself. 'I'll get lost within the first five minutes.'
A few minutes later Bryan came to an abrupt stop outside a small door. Raisa, who was trying to remember what way they had been taking, bumped into him not expecting him to stop so unexpectedly. "Ow!" she yelped as she fell back and landed on the floor with a thump.
"Watch where you're going woman."
"Me?! You're the one who stopped like that! It's not my fault, how 'bout a little warning next time."
"You should have been paying attention." Bryan turned his interest from her back to the door in front of him. He dug a bronze, worn out skeleton key from his pocket and inserted it into the lock. The catch clicked and the door creaked open and Bryan slipped inside.
Raisa got to her feet, careful of Durack who was still held securely in her arms. She stared at the door that Bryan had disappeared into curiously wondering where he'd gone. "He better not have ditched me in this confusing labyrinth called an "Abbey"!" She growled quietly, and mentally cursed Bryan to hell and back.
Just as she was about to peer into the room, Bryan's head shot out. Raisa stopped just in time to avoid having their heads smash together. He glared at her his face only inches from hers. "Hn. Put your "pet" in here." He commanded stepping back into the room, allowing Raisa to enter.
The room was spartanly decorated. It had a single bed in the corner, with a nightstand next to it. On the nightstand were a dagger and an oil lamp. Across the room beneath the window was an oak desk with papers set neatly in one of the corners, and a sword and cleaning kit took up the rest of the space, and on the far side of the room was a plain wooden dresser. "He's not a pet! Why can't Durack come with me?" She asked suspiciously as she walked further into the room.
"He'll just get in the way."
"Fine." She said and put Durack on the dresser. She walked back to the door and stopped in front of Bryan. "But if anything happens to him I'll kick your sorry ass from here to St. Petersburg! You got that." She added snappily, glaring up at him and poking his massive chest with one slender finger.
"Whatever." He grumbled smacking Raisa's hand away and exiting the room. Raisa stood there and glared at him, silently fuming. "Are you coming or would you rather be locked in my room?"
"I'm coming, I'm coming. Sheesh! Patience is a virtue you know Bryan." She smirked as she walked out of the room and leaned against the wall, tugging at her skirt when it got tangled around one of her legs. Bryan just grumbled as he re-locked the door and then proceeded to walk down the hallway. 'Jeez what a grump.'
As they made their way deeper and deeper into the Abbey, Raisa saw more and more people her age, but what she found odd was the fact that all the people she saw were boys, either older, younger, or the same age as she was. They all looked at her oddly, with a kind of hungry look in their eyes, which made Raisa apprehensive and sent a chill down her spine. She unconsciously stepped closer to Bryan, almost stepping on his heels. 'Better to have him mad at me for stepping on him, than getting jumped by these creeps.'
Bryan growled at the boys they passed who looked to closely at Raisa. He didn't know why but he felt protective of this girl and it frustrated him to no end. He blamed it on the fact that Boris and Voltaire wanted her in one piece.
As they rounded what seemed like the thousandth corner a voice called out from somewhere in the dim, torch lit hallway. "Ah, Bryan. Excellent I see you've returned. I also see your mission was successful."
"Lord Boris." Bryan greeted coldly, adding a bow only out of habit, not respect for the older man.
Raisa blinked in confusion but said nothing. 'If Boris is his superior, why is he being so rude?' she contemplated silently. Raisa didn't bow; she just nodded her head politely, and studied this strange man through her black bangs. He was a tall, intimidating man, with purple hair quite a few shades darker than Bryan's own. His eyes were a strange red colour, which radiated a lust for power and maliciousness. He wore a dull grey tunic and black breeches beneath a black cloak that was trimmed with gold and held closed across his chest with a black clasp in the shape of a Phoenix.
"Hello my dear. Welcome to Balkov Abbey. What do you think of our amazing facility so far Lady...?"
"Raisa. No lady, just Raisa." She told him, raising her head. "It's big, and well taken care of. But a bit of a puzzle to get around in."
"It's a security measure, to make sure that or facilities are not subject to infiltration by "unwanted guests". He told her, eyeing her suspiciously. They didn't know much about her, she could already be working for their enemies there was no way to tell. At this point Boris believed it better to be wary of her motives rather than trust her immediately.
Raisa saw the doubt in his eyes, and gave him an innocent smile. "What's wrong Milord? Don't you trust me... you are the one who asked me to come here after all, are you not?"
"That is true, yes. But you must understand my distrust... many people have tried to enter our building under the guise of being our allies, in hopes of finding out our secrets."
"It's understandable... but you have nothing to fear from me. I have no intention of learning your "secrets". I'm just here about the job. If it's something I like, I'll do it, if not I'll leave and never mention my being here."
"Of course. Come with me I'll give details pertaining to what we would have you do, and you can decide whether or not you wish to join us." He said giving her a deceptively gentle and friendly smile. 'Of course, you will never leave this place, unless we throw you out.' He added silently.
Bryan eyed Boris as he walked by, Raisa tagging along behind. He grumbled quietly to himself and followed hoping that if Boris didn't notice, he could slip off and get out of the training that he had scheduled for today. He highly doubted it, but hey he could dream.
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Tyson, Max, Rei, and Celestial sat in the back room of Tyson's family's forge. Rei leaned against the wall facing Tyson; Max had claimed a piece of the floor as his perch and his back rested against the wall. Tyson and Celestial sat on some crated that had at one point held steel.
Tyson sat on his crate staring at the floor, looking decidedly nervous and flustered. He was trying to think of the best way to explain his past to his two friends and was having trouble.
He took a deep breath and looked at Max and Rei. "Look if I'm gonna tell you, you guys can't interrupt me, got that. Some of this stuff still burns."
They both nodded, and Celestial just grunted. "I've heard this story already... tell me when you're done, Ty." With that she leaned against the wall, closed her eyes, and for all appearances went to sleep.
Tyson rolled his eyes at the black haired girl. "Okay, here goes. When I was maybe two or three my Okaasan and half of our village's women and children were taken away or killed by bandits. My Okaasan was one of the ones who were killed. She died trying to protect a group of young girls that the bandits were attempting to take away. They shot her full of arrows like a pin cushion and then slit her throat while she begged them to spare the girls." Tyson's voice cracked slightly as he continued.
"I watched the whole thing from my bedroom window where my Otousan had locked me up, to keep me from being captured or harmed. The attack left the village destroyed and the lives of many ruined. After we cleaned up and buried the dead, most of the villagers, that had lost someone, left and moved as far away as they could get. We moved as well; there were just to many memories for us to handle."
He rubbed the back of his hand across his eyes, and took a deep breath. "My Otousan and I moved to a small village west of Kyoto. He tried to put on a brave face for me and continue on like nothing had changed; but I knew it was an act. I could hear him cry himself to sleep it night. Rumours travelled fast in small villages like ours, and with a few people from the same village as us all moving to the same place at once, people get curious and start to ask around. So by the end of our first week the whole village knew what had happened to us. The adults came to offer their condolences... the children did as well, but only in front of their parents. Behind their backs the poked fun at me, beat me up, and basically made my life a living hell.
A year or so later, I was taking a back path to get back to my place, in hopes of avoiding getting the shit kicked out of me at least once that week. I was almost home when I heard the sound of a scuffle coming from deeper in the trees. I trail-blazed to where I thought the noises were coming from and reached the edge of a clearing. There I saw the group of village tough's that usually pick on me, beating on a girl a year or so younger than I was. The girl gave as good as she got, but she was quickly losing ground, there were three of them and only one of her. Seeing this reminded me of what the bandits did to the people at my old village, so I picked up some rocks the size of my fist, from the forest floor and let them fly.
One boy dropped unconscious, but the other two only received huge lumps for my effort. Once they saw me I took off through the woods, leading them away from the girl, and maybe avoid getting caught myself. I soon enough I heard the sound of their footsteps following me. I ducked into a rotting, hollowed log, and waited till they past by. Once I was sure they were gone I crawled out and made my way back to the clearing.
When I entered the clearing I was immediately knocked over and pinned to the ground. When I opened my eyes I saw a huge snarling black wolf standing over me.
The girl came up beside it and pulled on its neck fur, in an attempt to get it off me. Once it had stepped away she climbed onto it's back and they vanished into the forest. I saw her once in awhile in the village pilfering food from the inattentive food vendors.
A few weeks later I was on my way home, when the group of kids that usually gave me grief cornered me. After taunting me for a few minutes they proceeded to beat me up. Before they could get a chance to really lay into me they were barrelled over by the black wolf. After it got in a few bites and scratches they took off crying and screaming.
That's how I met Celestial. She taught me how to fight, stand up for myself, and how to..." he paused searching for the right word. "... Detach my self from people so I wouldn't get hurt again. So basically I became a cold, heartless person around the villagers, and was still the same happy, slightly depressed kid around my Otousan."
Rei and Max looked at Tyson with more than a bit of confusion on their faces. Max looked like he was still trying to digest it all, and Rei looked slightly suspicious.
"But you've always been an open and happy-go-lucky type of guy... ever since we met you." Max pointed out looking up from his contemplation.
"Unless that was another act too." Rei accused softly.
"Ha. True I guess. I kind of mellowed a bit after we moved again. You guys didn't meet me right away. I'd actually been in Tokyo for almost half a year before I bumped into you guys. No one asked a lot of questions here so I was able to open up a bit more than before. I began to... not forget what Cele taught me, just not use it as often."
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As Tyson finished explaining the bell that announced the arrival of a customer rang out from the front room. "I got it Tyson, don't worry." His dad called from somewhere in the workshop.
"Okay Otousan. Arigatou." Tyson called sitting back down. He hated greeting customers it was boring and tedious.
"Welcome to the Kinomiya Forge. Can I help you?" Mr. Kinomiya asked grinning cheerfully at the young man who stood in front of him. He was a bit shorter than his 6'2, with flame red hair styled oddly, wearing a dark blue tunic, and brown breeches.
"Hi there. I'm looking for someone... a few someone's actually. Think you might be able to help me?" asked the red head, grinning.
"Maybe. I'm not familiar with most of the people in this city, but I can try." He answered, wondering why this kid just didn't go to the City Officials and find out where these people lived. "Why don't you give me their names and I'll see what I can do."
"Great thanks a lot. I don't know their names off the top of my head... but I did write them down on a piece of paper. Ah here it is." He said pulling a scrap of paper from his pocket and handing it to Tyson's father.
"Okay lets see here..." he mumbled to himself as he read the paper over. He did a double take as he read over the names. Three he definitely recognized, Tyson, Rei, and Max... the others he'd heard the three boys talk about; the three thieving companions Serez, Musica, and Christina. "Actually I know three of the boys, the others you'll have to ask them about. Hold on I'll get them for you." He said, disappearing into the back room.
"He-he. Stupid old fool." Tala scoffed, looking at the array of swords that were displayed in the shop, while he waited. "He has no idea who I am and yet he goes to get them." He had to hold in the urge to laugh at Tyson's Father's lack of common sense. "What do you think Wolborg?" He asked turning to the ice wolf that lazed, curled up near the door.
"Not the smartest man, in the world. But maybe he doesn't believe that a boy your age would even think about harming them or could be capable of doing any harm to his young." The wolf answered standing up and stretching before coming to stand next to his master.
"Ha! Yeah I just look so innocent an incapable of committing violence."
"They're in the back, you can go see them if you'd like." Tyson's dad said returning from the back room.
"Arigatou. I'll do that." He bowed in thanks then he and Wolborg disappeared into the back room.
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Christina walked through the door of a two level wood and brick house sometime in the early evening. She'd picked up few things for dinner, which was why she was late. "Alice, I'm home! I bought some bread to have with dinner, I hope that's okay?" she called to her foster mother. She put the bread and fruit on the counter in the kitchen then walked out into the sitting room.
Wolfyena followed her young Mistress silently until they reached the door that separated the kitchen from the sitting room. The large wolf stopped just in front of the door, and snarled. The fur along her neck and back rose up on end, her ears were laid flat against her head, and her tail was outstretched.
"Wolfyena what's the matter?" She questioned, then panicked slightly when the thought that something had happened to her foster mother. "Alice are you home?"
"Yes dear, in the sitting room." Christina breathed a sigh of relief, but as she walked through the door she cast her black eyes quickly about the room, searching for what could have set her wolf off.
In the room sat her foster mother, she was a tall thin women, with hints of grey starting to show through her shoulder length brown hair, a handkerchief was tied in it to keep it out of her light green eyes. She wore a pale yellow tunic, a blue skirt, and plain-strapped leather sandals on her feet.
Across from her sat a young man with silver hair with blue and black highlights. He wore black breeches a light blue tunic, and black boots. Hanging behind him on the chair was a purple cloak and a belt with a sword thrust through one of the loops. At his feet was a white wolf, with eyes as blue as the strangers were.
"Who are you?" she asked distrustfully, eyeing the boy with the contempt she had for all men.
"Chrissie, at least try to be polite." Alice scolded gently. She knew of Christina's past and understood how the young girl must feel.
"That was polite."
"I apologize, for my daughters behaviour. She can't help it."
"Hn, not to worry. I'm not offended." The stranger told her, sending a small smile towards Christina, who glared at him and held onto the scruff of Wolfyena's fur, for her comfort as well as to keep her wolf from getting to close to the boys.
"You were about to introduce yourself before Christina joined us." Alice reminded him, as she motioned for Chrissie to take a seat.
"Of course. My name is Helet, and this is my guardian and companion Deathren." He said nodding his head at the wolf at his feet. A low growl was heard coming from the black wolf that sat beside Christina.
"Wolfyena cut it out." She mumbled to the angry creature. /Please calm down. Alice won't let you stay here if you act up like this. / She added mentally to the guardian wolf.
//I'm sorry Mistress, but I don't trust the boy, or his wolf. Something just doesn't feel right about the two of them. //
/I understand that... just try and keep your opinions to a decibel below human hearing okay. /
//All right Mistress, I'll try. //
"Sorry Alice."
"You shouldn't be apologizing to me, young lady. You should be apologizing to our guest.
Christina grunted in reply, disgust was plainly written on her face. She glared at Helet from beneath her black bangs. His face showed no emotion but his eyes held a mocking glint to them. She glanced at the wolf and saw that it's eyes held the same look as his master. 'Who are these two? And what do they want?'
Okay that's Chapter 5. So what did you all think? I finally got that jerk Boris in here. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up... but I hope to get it up fairly soon.
Nova: If you have any questions about the fic, put them in your reviews or email them to Freezewind... she doesn't bite... but just stay away from her if she has matches.
Nova!!!
Nova: hehehe.... Sorry... but it's true!!
Savvy: Don't forget to review... Nova what are you....
DBFH: AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! That little winged lizard, just roasted me!!!!
Savvy & me: **sweat drop** Nova....
Nova: What?