All or Nothing

By Hikero

---------

Disclaimer: Don't own it, wish I did but probably never will. The only things I own are my characters and this spoon.

Author Notes: I'M SOOOOO SSSSSOOOORRRRYYYY! My computer crashed, and this was saved on it. The printed version that I had was lost, and then I found it and lost it again. I found it again last weekend, but I couldn't get on a computer cause I was grounded and crap happened. And with the funeral, and the stress, and that crazy-ness, and evil sports, and WAAAAAAAAAAAA! I'M SSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYY! Flood of tears so I'm going to put this up and I'm working on to other stories so I'll put those up as soon as possibly.

-------------

The morning was calm. Daylight was covering most of the mountains now.

Echo stirred in her quarters as the sunlight danced across her face. "Mmm..." She rolled over and looked at the clock.

"What! It's nine already?" Echo bolted and stared at the clock. "Oh shit!" She cursed as she tossed the covers off. Echo leapt out of bed, threw on her normal outfit of black pants, a white tank, boots, and a black jacket, and shot out the door to the mess, cursing all the way.

------------

"Well good morning sleepyhead." Mathew greeted Echo as she sat down beside him with a tray food.

"I can't believe I slept in so late. I didn't even hear the morning call." Echo started devouring her breakfast.

"Chill out. Most of us just got here. The guy, um what's his name, oh Greg, it's his job to wake us up in morning. He's then infirmary, got hurt when Shelby broke up the party last night, so none of us heard it." Mathew laughed. The normally calm Echo looked like she was about to have a fit.

"Thank god." Echo sighed. "I was sure Capt. was going to have my head if I was late again."

"Not that it matters. Sir Albel has been gone for days, and it's not like anyone is going to rat you out."

"Good point." Echo started eating the roll she took for breakfast. She glanced over at Mathew, to find he was dressed in his travel gear a pack at his feet. "You leave today, right?"

"Huh...oh yeah. After breakfast we head out to Kirsla to meet with Lord Woltar, then we'll probably be placed on the front lines, but who knows." Mathew's words were greeted by silence. Echo stared down at her food. He didn't have to ask what was wrong, he already knew. Since Kirsla was so close to the Aquarian town of Arias, many small skirmishes broke out from time to time. And lately they've been far more frequent and deadly. If he was placed on the front lines there was a high chance that he would be killed.

"Mathew?"
"Huh?"

"Here I want you to have this." Echo pulled her necklace up over her head and held it out to him. On the chain was a ring to large for either of them to ware. It had a silver crescent moon embedded in sapphire. It was Echo's family emblem. "It was my father's and it's my good luck charm. It'll protect you."

"But Echo! I can't take-"

"Yes you can. Now take if before I shove it down your throat and you won't be able to argue about it."

Mathew smiled and took the ring from her. "Thanks. I'll take good care of it." He slipped it over his head.

"You better. And I'm only lending it to you so you better bring it back, okay?"

"Okay. Um...Echo? I have to go." Mathew said seeing the rest of his troop at the door waving to him.

"I'll see you soon. Maybe if I have to go back to the capitol, I'll swing by and pay you a visit."

"Of course you always have to do something that would get you killed if you're caught."

"But of course."

Echo waited till he was gone before leaving and head the opposite direction. Once on the roof she watched he vanish over the hills. You better come back, Mathew. Other wise I'll track you down and kill you myself. Echo turned around and went about her morning training, humming quietly to herself.

--------------

Echo walked back to her quarters wiping the sweat from her forehead. She came to a corner and stopped. Shelby was talking with some of his followers. Quietly she pressed herself against the wall, towel now on her shoulder, and listened to him. He was saying something about Albel being detained for a while. She inched forward and continued eavesdropping.

Detain? Why would they detain Capt.?

"-then all the credit would go to you sir. And you may even be promoted to captain yourself." The solider kneeling before Shelby said. Shelby laughed.

"The day you become captain is the day this brigade falls from grace and became the shiteist fighting force ever to exist." Echo said leaning on the wall she had been hiding by, one foot upon the wall.

"What?" Shelby said, anger in his tone and eyes. Echo turned her head towards him, the rest of her body remaining sideways.

"You heard me. Sir Albel is the Black Brigade's captain and I will do all in my power to keep shit like you from trying to take his place while he's away." Now a glimmer of light revealed the sword in her left hand.

"Sir Shelby would make this Brigade stronger and better than that man would!" one of the guards yelled at her drawing his sword. "And we'll get rid of anyone who tries to stop him!" The other drew their swords as well. An evil grin spread across Echo's face, fang like canines glinted in the light.

"So going to have you attack dogs fight me, dickhead?" Echo's leg dropped to the ground and she turned, now facing them her head lowered a bit so her bangs cast a shadow over her eyes. Her head snapped up. "Bring it."

The guards yelled and rushed her. Echo kicked the closet one hard in the chest and left a deep gushing wound across the stomach of another. Blocking another attack from a sword, she drew a dagger and stabbed the one behind her in the stomach. Echo sent two crashing through the window with a spinning kick and lobbed off the head of the first one she kicked.

She stood in the middle of the room; blood coving half her face and some of her left side, dead or unconscious guards sprawled across the floor. Echo licked the blood off the back of her left hand; the demonic smile still there and turned to Shelby.

"So, whose next? You maybe?" She said menacingly as she slowly walked towards him, sword still draw, and blood dripping off it as she walked.

"I had a feeling you would do this. Loyal to the very end. But it ends here. You're in my way to glory." Shelby laughed and the next thing Echo knew everything had gone black.

------------

What happened?

"Hey you alright?"

Who? Is someone calling me?

"Maybe she's dead?"

"She can't be dead, Cliff. She has a pulse and she's breathing."

"Well maybe that huge bump on the back of her head has something to do with it."

"Yeah."

What hell's going on?"

"Mmm..." Violet eyes flickered open to meet emerald, as she stared up into the face of cerulean haired boy. Blue hair?

"Hey welcome back." The blonde said. Echo sat up and looked around. I'm in the prison. She thought. So this throbbing pain in my head must have been where one of dickhead's men hit me. I can't believe I let my guard down. And these guys must be the escapees he was talking about and sadly my rescuers. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Fayt Liengod." The cerulean haired beside her said. "And this is..."

"Cliff Fitter."

"Echo. Echo Maxwell."

"Nice to meet you." Fayt said.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Huh?"
"What the hell are you doing here?" Echo repeated. "You not soldiers of the Black Brigade believe I would know, I'm one." She started to get up. "And you don't look like you're form around here. So what the fuck are you-ah!" Echo yelped as her ankle collapsed sending her back to he cold ground below. Fayt caught her before she hit.

"You're hurt you shouldn't move." He said.

"You didn't answer my question." Echo found herself once again staring up into those pools of green.

"We're looking for some friends of ours. Know where they are?" Cliff asked.

"You're the two escapees aren't you?"

"How did you guess?"

"There was supposed to be a trade today, two men for the spies. And you guys fit the description so it's pretty obvious. Don't worry I have no intention of turning you back in. I owe you guys one."

"And you're in no condition to fight us."

"True."

"Why were you chained up, Echo?" Fayt asked changing the subject.

"Dickhead got pissed when I told him that he would make a lousy captain and that he was a piece of shit. So after his men tried and failed to kill me someone snuck up behind me and knocked me out. Next thing I knew I was staring up at you guys."

"Will you tell us were our friends our?"

"Fourth floor. Take the elevator on the first floor. But you'll need to get a key."

"Got one." Cliff said holing it up.

"Good. You guys go and save your friends. I'll be fine." Echo got up again, clinging to the wall before her ankle gave way again.

"You sure? You're pretty hurt."

"I'll be fine. If you take me with you I'll only slow you down. Your friends are pretty badly hurt, if you don't get them to a healer soon they might die."

"Why are you helping us? We escaped from prison, broke into your base, and killed your friends!"

"So?"

"So? That's all you have to say?" Echo rolled her eyes at Fayt.

"Look I am pissed you broke in, killed my friends and are about to help my enemy but what can I do? I'm in no condition to fight like you said. And besides I owe you one. I promise I won't attack you while you're saving your friends, okay? I owe you a debt. It's one of the strongest debts one could have. Ever heard of it?"

"Yeah but-"

"But nothing. Oh by the way, Shelby probably has an ambush waiting for you be careful."

"We will. Thank you."

"Don't thank me just yet."

Fayt and Cliff turned and left Echo by herself. "Don't get me wrong guys. I'm not helping you because I have to, I'm helping you because I want to." Echo limped down the hall till she reached the elevator on the first floor. She pressed the 4th floor button and climbed in, looking up as it climbed. "Oh shit Capt.'s gonna kill me for this. Well on the other hand he'd probably kill me for not doing anything. Oh the choices."

----------

"Damn their good." Echo said as she watched them defeat Shelby and the soldiers. She was just out of earshot to hear what they were talking about. Huh? Echo looked up at the figure that appeared on the ledge above them. Capt.!

After seeing that Albel was back, she debated a bit but then decided to go out. She came out of hiding behind the column and slowly walked over, still limping.

Nel glanced back seeing Echo, pulled out her daggers and swung them behind her making a circle.

"The fuck!" Echo ducked, efficiently dodging both blades. "What is it? 'Try to kill, maim and destroy Echo' day?"

"Nel stop!" Fayt grabbed Nel's shoulder and pulled her away from Echo.

"Do you have any idea who that is?" She snapped at Fayt, hate in her eyes that never left Echo's face.

"Yes. Her name's Echo."

"She's also called 'the god of death'. Her cruelty it only matched by her Captain's."

"Is that really what they call me? Damn I need to get out more often. But if you ask me, Capt.'s way better than me." Echo placed her hands behind her head and rock a bit grinning.

"She also help Cliff and I find you, so quit." Fayt said.

"Let's go guys." Cliff turned and the group followed.

"See ya Fayt. I look forward to seeing you again." Echo waved and once they we're gone. "Sorry Capt. but I owe them one. I could attack them." She turned to face Albel who had joined her on the ground. "So-"

"Shut up you fool." Albel snapped as he walked past her.

"Whatever you say." Echo followed a few feet behind him. I can't wait to see you again Fayt. I look forward to fighting you. And I won't lose.

-------------

And that be it folks! I'll try and get number three up soon! Thanks for reading. Please review!