Zombie: Here I am! With another chapter for your enjoyment!
Johnny: Stop rambling and get on with it…
Zombie: XP My fic, my rules.
Johnny: Like I said…get on with it!
Zombie: o.o' Sir Yessir! –Scrambles away-
"I don't understand" Tala said slowly, sat down in the main area of the base. "I've never known even a full blooded vamp to heal as quickly as you"
"I'm not fully healed yet" Ghost shrugged, wincing as the movement pulled at the muscles in her back. "There's still a big hole in my back, but I do have accelerated rejuvenation to most creatures"
"I'll be fully healed in a few days" She finished. "But I have a question…how'd you guys know where I was?"
"We caught the dwarf creating a disturbance at the bank…" Kai started.
"What!" Ghost interrupted, "She tried to rob a bank!"
"Well…not so much rob it…" Tala smiled nervously, "as tried to bully the employees into giving her a loan"
"We brought her back here and Rei patched her up, and strapped up her arm" Johnny intervened. "Healer boy's in there now trying to get that thing out of her chest…"
As if a cue, an angry yelp came from the next room. Rei poked his head around the door, "Uh…little help in here please?" his head disappeared back around the door.
Tala stood up as Ghost made a move to stand, "I'll go" He turned to the white haired girl. "You're still healing" He said and disappeared through the door.
"What seems to be the problem, Rei?" The red haired teen asked the slightly frustrated looking Chinese boy.
"That stake is wedged tight!" He said angrily, "Every time I try to pull it out, I end up lifting her body too…I would pull harder, but it's so close to her heart I'm afraid of causing more damage." He ran a hand through his already messed up black hair, and tossing the bound ponytail back over his shoulder.
The dark haired girl was laid on one of the beds on the other side of the room, her breathing was heavy from exertion and her eyes closed against the pain.
"I want that thing out of her, Tala, I need you to pin her down by the shoulders" Tala nodded and moved to stand at the head of the bed, he placed his hands down firmly on the girl's shoulders. Avoiding pushing down too hard on the shoulder of her broken arm. "Ready when you are Rei"
Taking a deep breath, the black haired teen knelt on the bed next to the small body; he pinned her legs down with one knee and wrapped his fingers around the wooden stub.
Hannah's eyelids fluttered open and a confused look passed over her features as she looked at the red haired teen above her. She glanced down and saw Rei, poised over her with his hand on the stake. Knowing what was coming; she dugthe nails of her freeinto the bed sheets and twisted the fabric tightly against her fingers. The other arm laying prone at her side.
"On three…one…two…three!" Rei counted down, and placing the palm of his other hand flat down on Hannah's stomach, he pulled harshly at the stake.
Pain coursed through the brunette's body, a burning sensation spreading across her torso and along her arms, leaving a hot tingling feeling in her fingertips. She couldn't focus on anything other than breathing, so occupied herself by taking deep gulps of air. She could feel Tala's hands pushing down against her shoulders, pinning her to the mattress. Her fingers twisted deeper into the fabric, she could feel the material ripping away in her hand.
"Jesus Rei," Tala muttered, "Don't we have any anesthetic?"
"Nuh uh" Rei said quickly, his tongue stuck out of the side of his mouth in concentration, "If I had any, don't you think she would have some by now?"
And then it was gone, the pain, the burning, all gone. A calm feeling replaced it. Hannah opened her eyes but the only thing she could see was small star bursts of light. It was over, she sighed.
Or so she thought. With a final yank, the stake came free in Rei's hand, with a mortifying crunching sound. Hannah's lips split wide open as a scream spilled forth into the room.
Ghost winced at the sound of Hannah's voice wailing in pain. The final wail was so intense that the small red haired boy in the room, whose name she had discovered to be Daichi, pressed his hands over his ears and squeezed his eyes shut.
She sighed heavily when the golden eyes boy reappeared at the door, she hadn't realized she had been holding her breath. He had the bloodied stake clutched tightly in one fist, a wide grin plastered on his face.
"It's out!" He announced proudly, flashing a 'Victory V' at the others.
"She gonna be ok?" Kai asked monotonously, his chin resting on his hand.
"Yeah," Rei rubbed the back of his head, "Apart from the crater sized hole in her chest and a few broken ribs, she's ok"
The small red haired boy scowled. "Why do you guys care so much about these two?" He asked angrily, "They're still cold hearted vampires just like the rest of them!"
Ghost frowned on the boy, so much anger from one so young.
"Didn't you hear what Kenny said?" Johnny stared at the small boy, "They aren't regular vampires at all"
"Daichi," Kai looked at the said boy from his place at the table, "If they were so 'cold hearted'…would Hannah have been so desperate to rescue Ghost? They care for each other"
Daichi's scowl deepened, knowing Kai had made a valid point, not finding anything more to say, he shuffled out of the room and shut the door behind him.
"Thanks…" Ghost said quietly, looking gratefully at Kai. "I don't know how you people stay so calm, I'd have probably wanted to smack him by now for being so obnoxious"
"With practice" Kai flashed a rare grin at the white and green haired girl, and Ghost found herself smiling back.
"So, tell me about how you two are involved with Toshi" Kai said suddenly, making Ghost jump slightly.
"Well," Ghost said slowly, "He raised us, me and Hannah, we used to live in that mansion"
"Hannah was already there when I was brought into the house, I don't know how long she'd been there," Ghost smiled to herself, "And I don't think she does either"
Kai, Johnny and Dizzi listened aptly to the green eyed girl's every word. Dizzi was recording the conversation onto her hard drive, for later use.
"Toshi taught us how to fight; he raised us up as though we were complete vampires, he…he pushed back the humanity within us, pushed it back and made us killers…and we were happy. It was like a family"
"But…" A voice interrupted her story; it was Kai, "Why'd you leave?"
"Toshi just…pushed me too far I guess" Ghost shrugged, "I snapped and left, taking Hannah with me"
"Didn't she object to that?" Johnny questioned.
Ghost looked at him matter-of-factly, "If you think she's crazy now, you should have seen her then; she wouldn't have understood the reason why we left." The white haired girl looked away, "I…I think it was being in the mansion so long that made her insane"
She didn't mention Dai to them, she hadn't lied, but she hadn't gone into detail either. "And then after a few months, Toshi came after us, ya see…I kinda stole some money from him when we left, and now he wants it back."
"You wanted to know how Toshi and I were connected, well now you know; he was like a father to the both of us"
"That would explain why Hannah called him 'Papa'" Johnny mused to himself.
"Yeah…" Ghost said quietly, she stretched her arms upwards. She winced and let her breath out slowly as the healing tendons and tissue pulled and stretched.
Ignoring the dull pain, she pushed her arms out further. A sudden grip on her wrists diverted her attention. She looked up to see the slate haired boy holding onto her wrists, lowering them back down.
"Stop that" Kai said, "It's still healing, so don't cause more damage" He released her wrists and they dropped down into her lap.
"Alright, Dr Nemo" She teased, "I'll be good"
"Don't push your luck" The slate haired teen shot back, but a playful grin still on his face.
"Ooo" Ghost feigned horror, "So scary"
"And so it should be" Kai nodded to her, "Be afraid"
"Afraid? I'll take you on right now, and then we'll see who's scary"
"You're injured"
"So?"
"I'm not going to let you hurt yourself more, save the play fighting for another time"
"Pfft" She sunk down into her chair, "Fine, but that better be a promise"
Kai grinned at her, "Like I'd miss out on another chance to beat you"
"Keep dreaming!"
"Now, now children!" Johnny's voice intervened, "We'll have no fighting in the house! We don't want blood on the carpet" The Scottish boy grinned goofily and propped himself up off the floor on one elbow.
"You sound just like a mother hen, Johnny!" Ghost snorted with laughter.
Kai was struggling to hold back a laugh, "We don't even have a carpet you idiot"
Johnny grinned sheepishly, "Yeah well…you know what I mean!"
Rei walking into the room, drying his hands on a towel as he walked. "Ugh" he said as he dropped the towel onto a table, "I never got so much blood on my hands in one day before!"
"That bad huh?" Johnny rolled over onto his back with his arms behind his head. "You two girls must be worse than Kai and Tala put together!"
"We're not THAT bad!" Kai protested, folding his arms over his chest.
Ghost watched silently from the sidelines, signs of amusement dancing in her green eyes. The corner of her lips twitched as a smile tried to emerge.
Rei just laughed and threw the towel off the table at the slate haired teen, who raised his arms too late and the towel smacked him in the face. He pulled it off his face and glared at the black haired teen. When Rei's back was turned, Kai leaned over and gave the long braid a sharp tug.
"Ow!" Rei yelled, whirling round rapidly he smacked Kai in the upper arm. "I thought I told you not to do that!"
Kai only smirked in response. "Tala's the reckless one, not me" He said simply.
"Ah but you're the one who goes with him, Kai!" Johnny was bent double on the floor holding his stomach, in hysterics, "You're just as bad!"
Ghost started laughing at the antics of the three teens in front of her; she couldn't hold it in anymore. Laughter spilled through her lips, it felt good. She hadn't laughed properly for some time, not like this, it felt good to laugh again.
"Oh you think that's funny do ya?" She looked at the slate haired boy who had spoken. He threw the towel at her playfully, but she had caught it and hurled it back at him before he could even blink. The force of the cloth hitting him in the side of the head caused him to lose his footing and almost fall on his side. A low chuckled rumbled from his throat as a game of catch ensued, involving all four teens running around the room, using the rolled up cloth as a ball.
Tala chose this as the opportune moment to walk back into the room. He only got as far as the doorway when he stopped to watch the teens hurl themselves around the room after a rolled up towel.
"What the hell…" The game stopped and four pairs of eyes looked to the red haired teen who was laughing to himself.
"That was something I never thought I'd see!" Tala gasped in between laughing.
Kai glared at him playfully, "Shut up, Red" and threw the 'ball' into the side of Tala's head.
Zombie: Another chapter out of the way.
Johnny: And onto another one huh?
Zombie: Soon my friend...soon...
Johnny: >> Uh huh...Read and Review folks!
Zombie: I IGNORE FLAMERS! >D
