Chapter 11
By shadows/of/flame
My siblings... Argh, one gave me his plague. But that gives me and my muse an excuse to update!
Torn: (lets me sit on his lap and type)
Enjoy.
The cell doors clanked and shuddered as they were wrenched open.
Light fell onto the lone figure, lying crumpled and sobbing in the corner, a shadow of his former self.
Jak looked at the tortured elf, pity evident in his sea blue eyes.
Daxter was distraught to see Torn in the state he was in.
Jak examined the shape Torn was in, which was really bad, and carried him out of the cells.
"Hes been through heaps!" Daxter whistled, fear evident in his features.
Jak carried Torn back to his house bridal style, bathed his wounds, and put him in his room upstairs.
Torn was curled up in a tight ball, refusing to co-operate with the blonde.
Jak sighed, and tucked Torn in gently, minding the big gash covering his chest.
Torn fidgeted slightly, then went still, his chest going up and down with his breathing.
Jak smiled softly, and ordered Daxter to look after Torn while he told Onin and Pecker the good news.
000
Keira ran hysterically through the streets - she had no idea where Torn was, he had been missing for the past month. To her, that was. Only 4 people knew of Torns treatments apart from himself, and he was hardly in any shape to talk.
She was convinced that Jak would be the first to have news of Torns return, so she ran to Jaks house every so often to see.
Jak heard a knock at the door, and knew Keira was coming for her daily update.
Sure enough, as he groggily pulled open the door, a hysterical Keira was standing on the doorstep.
"Any news of..."
"No." Jak said, not wanting to lie to his ex, but if she saw Torn how he was, she'd flip out.
His cover was blown as Daxter bounded down the steps.
"Tattooed... Ah, Keira!" he said, easily covering up his slip of the tongue.
Keira sighed, and turned to leave.
"Sorry for bothering you everyday like this..." she murmured, but was cut short by screaming from upstairs.
"No more! Please! Not the needle!"
Keira spun around and glanced towards the stairs, fear evident in her gaze.
"What are you hiding up there!" she gasped.
Jak slapped a hand to his forehead, wishing Torns timing had been a LITTLE bit better.
"Restrain her Dax. This could get ugly."
And then he was gone, dashing up the stairs almost with godlike speed.
"What? Restrain me? Why!" Keira screamed.
000
Jak ran into Torns room, where the brunette was tossing and turning on his bed.
"Sssh!" Jak hissed, restraining Torn, holding the taller elf to him.
Torn continued to fidget, and the screaming died down.
After a while, Torn calmed down, and his eyes lost their firey glow.
Jak thought he would go back to sleep, but a claw dug into his shoulder, blood spurting briskly from the wound.
Jak was painfully spun around to face Dark Torn.
"SHIT!" Jak swore, and the nagging at the back of his mind told him Dark Jak wanted this fight.
The two friends dark sides battled in the small room, using their claws for all their worth.
The fight continued into the narrow corridor leading back to the stairs, and Dark Jak stumbled backwards to avoid Dark Torns sharp claws.
Big mistake.
The two went flying down the staircase, to land in a heap in the kitchen, and Keira screamed.
"What the...!"
Daxter screeched, and narrowly avoided Dark Torns claws digging into him, instead embedding themselves in the ground where he had been moments ago.
Keira gasped as she saw Dark Torn.
"Torn...?"
Dark Torn smashed Dark Jak into the stairs with a sickening thud, and then rounded on Keira.
She stood silently and still, not wanting to aggravate him even further.
Dark Torn advanced onto Keira, and she started shaking with fear.
"Stop this! Torn, its me! Keira!"
Jak emerged from the rubble of the stairs, groaning, blood dripping from a cut above his right eyebrow.
"No... KEIRA! WATCH OUT!" he yelled.
Dark Torn slashed at Keira, and 2 diagonal cuts appeared on her cheek.
She was in shock, blood dribbling down her cheek, but she didn't even notice the annoyance.
"Torn... please. Stop this... is this what you've become? A killing machine? What about the Torn we all know and love? Where did he go?"
Dark Torn was knocked back by a blast of light eco from Jak, and soon Torn was back to his normal self, albeit one with a huge gash in his chest.
Keira fell to her knees, and all went black.
000
'Stitches? Thats a bit bad, isn't it?'
'A huge laceration... on his chest. He may not live...'
'That Light Eco helped a little, but whether or not it will keep him alive is a different story...'
'Hes lost too much blood, we need a blood transfusion...'
'Whos B minus that can donate? That blood type is very rare...'
'If we can't find a donor, he'll die!'
000
Keira woke up with a start.
She was in hospital, and Jak smiled as he saw her awake.
Both had stitches on their cheeks, and Jaks smile seemed rather hollow.
"Wheres Torn?" Keira asked.
Jak sighed.
"He needs a blood donor close to B minus. Its a very uncommon blood type, and..."
Keira thought a minute.
"I'm B minus. I'll donate to him."
"Are you sure?" Jak asked suspiciously.
"Positive."
Jak went to tell the doctors about Keiras plan.
Keira closed her eyes, calming down.
She wanted Torn to live as much as everyone else, and if she could help him...
That would be even better.
000
The transfusion was made, and all Keira could do was recuperate... and wait.
A few days later, someone came into her room, and gently shook her awake.
"Keira..."
She opened her eyes groggily, and...
"Torn!" she exclaimed, hugging him not too tightly.
He hugged back, and then held her at arms length.
"Jak told me what happened... everything."
Keiras brow furrowed.
"I must apologise for hurting you."
"Theres nothing to be forgiven for... But did Jak tell you... EVERYTHING?"
Torn sat at the edge of her bed.
"He told me about the attack... and the transfusion. Why did you give me blood?"
Keira smiled softly.
"Is loving you not enough of a reason?"
000
The two returned to the finished hideout, and Torn smirked, inspecting the paint job.
"Good as new... our friends did a good job."
She hugged him from behind, and grinned.
A ribbon was covering the entrance, and Torn snipped it with scissors.
The door slid open as it used to, and Torn gasped.
It was a spotless wonder - the war table was still there, and the zoomer was there too, but everything else was.. white, and clean.
The pairs eyes were dazzled by how great it looked.
"This is a lot better." Keira said, inspecting the new kitchen. It was the same kitchen with the same sorts of walls that she had thrown the curry againstall those weeks ago, but this was a bigger kitchen.
There were 2 small plaques in the new hideout - one where Keira had thrown the curry against the wall, and it read "In memory of the curry" with Jak and Jinx' signatures, and one on the restored war table.
Keira kissed Torn and smiled.
"The things your friends do for you are astounding?"
The two spun around to see Ashelin and Tess.
They were smiling... and their arms were laden with junk food.
"Whats all that food for?" Keira asked suspiciously.
Jak and Daxter, plus Jinx entered next.
"Heard there was a party on here! Well, I wouldn't miss it for the world." Jak grinned
"A PARTY!" the lovebirds chorused.
Tess started dancing.
"I'm - coming in- so you'd better get this party started!"
Everyone laughed, and the party really did start.
000
Torn watched his friends having fun, a smile gracing his face.
The party was running quite smoothly, and the absence of large amounts of alcohol soothed Torns nerves greatly.
But he felt isolated, much as Jak had done when he was experimented on. Because he was different...
Keira sat behind him, and wrapped her arms gently around his scar.
"I wanna dance." she giggled.
Torn smirked.
"OK, one dance!"
Keira laughed.
"One? In your dreams, tattooed wonder."
Yeah, changed a few things. Next chappie up soon!