Chapter 35: The Surprise

He looked at her, mind reeling. She had been dead. She had been hanging from the tree. Hanging. He had seen her shoes and knew the dead limp look of a hanged man. Knew it and knew he had been too late. He had lost her. He had lost what was his.

Now he stared with shocked surprised wide eyes.

"Don't kill him." Kaede whispered, holding his leg tightly in her arms, kneeling on the ground, looking up at him with wide tearing hazel eyes. Scared terrified eyes. He stared. Couldn't stop staring. Couldn't look away. Couldn't move.

"Please," she whispered wilder, tears falling down her face, "I'll give you anything, please don't kill my father." She whispered, wide-eyed like a doe, for a moment, before she threw herself again him, her hot check against his thigh and wept while she pleaded.

"I give you anything…" He didn't move, couldn't move. Felt his brain go suddenly numb.

And then he realized he couldn't take it anymore. The hunger stirring in him suddenly over whelmed all his logic. Her weakness and fault were far too tempting to pass up. He couldn't understand why she didn't just obliterate him and did not care. She was offering anything to him, anything he could want. His mind had been slowed by it, paralyzed, but his body was quick to pick up the slack. He had known what he wanted from her for so long know.

The Treasure.

Before he was able to figure out what was happening, he let go of the limp man, her father, his fingers immediately releasing like trap door hinges, letting the adult fall to the ground lightly with a thud. The thief then grabbed the shuttering girl at his feet by the shoulders, with smooth and gentle hands, and lifted her to her feet and close to his chest. With her head inches away from his nose he took in her fragrance, his mind clouded even more by it, and simply brought her down-cast head up to look at him with sly soft fingers.

He ignored the confused teary hazel orbs staring back at him and held her in his arms and pressed her close, like a small child with a beloved toy, so he could feel her against him, and let his hands stroke her back tenderly. He disregarded how she tensed, and tightened his hold, closing his eyes and breathing her in, lowering his head so his mouth was about to her neck level.

He let go of the restrains placed by him, too enthralled to care about anything except how she tasted under his lips and gave into his weak point. He listened to the squeak of surprise passively, feeling her soft skin spread into goosebumps as he let his lips gently travel up her neck, his hands exploring.

He wasn't trying to make an impression, just doing as he saw fit, and felt truly at power for the first time in years. After a few moments of his heavy breathing and artful work he took enormous pleasure as he felt her shy fingers brush the hairs on the back of his head, stroking him lightly, as she slowly gave into him, and kissed him back, crying all at the same time.

For a few dizzyingly blissful moments he scratched an itch that had been maddening him, clawing at it mercilessly and feeling the relief pouring over him. A hunger that had been tearing him apart finally subsided, and he drove deeper and deeper into the wonderful feeling.

A part of him wondered how he could have missed such a magnificent sensation, plunging deeper into his yearning. Until the deceitful part of him screamed in a loud burst of pain to stop, removing his mouth from her in reflex, a piercing hot force biting him in the back, making him to crunch down hard on his teeth as he quickly turned his head with rage and found the pain unbearable.

Awakened, he looked up at the crazy eyed boy staring at him; the boy he had sworn had been down, laughing darkly at him, the rod pointed out and smoking. As his mind finally ventured to the idea of something being wrong his vision was already lightening, slight yes, but still sluggishly growing brighter. Unable to comprehend what had just happened he let his eyes glanced down at his back, where there was a large hole gnawing into him.

Aghast, he turned back and clutched her tightly to him as he started to stumble away, his heart beat ringing in his ears. He was surprised to hear his entire mind now shouting to get her out of here, out of range, to protect her.

But with her combined weight and now wounded he wasn't surprised when he was struck with another blow, on his back but lower than the first hit, making him jerk about like a rag doll in the mouth of a bulldog. His legs collapsed from the pain. In a last ditch method he turned himself sideways, his back still to his enemy so that she would remain safe, as he fell heavily on his arm, his trench coat fluttering like a falling flag, with a look of disbelief.

For a long time he did nothing but breath, in and out, holding her with his cheek pressed into the cold floor. He couldn't feel anything, now, the world slowly becoming lighter. He was in shock, but felt no regrets. He had gotten something worth twenty lethal hits in the back, and for it he felt surprisingly good.

He was only slightly aware of the large greenery forming around them, shielding his back as the girl's eyes rolled white, using a lot of power as several more blasts sounded behind them. After a time the girl blinked back, breathing deeply as if just lifting a heavy load, her magic completed, leaving her drained.

She shook like an autumn leaf in the wind. In his arms. And he stared at her in that mysterious light, wondering why in the name of Ra she would shield him, shield after he tried to destroy her own father. Searched her hazel eyes for some kind of answer, but continued to find nothing but the flecks of green in the hazel. Glittering leaves waving green. He felt the flowing of blood from his back

"Why?" he demanded, eyes darker than before, showing the power that had been hidden under the encirclement of leaves that once lived around his head. She looked at him, a slight twinge of fright flashing and flickering in her eyes, for a moment, before she suppressed it and looked at him with raw eyes.

"You came back for me." She whispered.

It was true. He realized it with a jolt. It opened his clouded dark eyes wide, wider than before, wide enough to see deep down into those eyes like they windows and saw something. Saw something there. Or more rather, someone he had been looking for.

The moment passed, passed with the awe, passed so he was his old self again. Well, sort of. T.R looked at Kaede, looking at her with seriousness, and knew what had to be done. Knew just like the foliage around them was her out stretched wings.

"I have to get him." He whispered, eyes glowing. She looked at him hurt, aching pained eyes. Eyes of a child. She squeezed his arm, the one she had been grasping for several minutes, and looked at him. He sighed, feeling his vessels pain inside his head like needles.

"I must. He will kill you if I don't." She was looking at him so weakly. The next thing he did surprised himself. He uncurled his arms from her and held her face, thumbing the falling tears, knowing right then they would break since their minds were so closely weaved now. Her eyes were still weak, but in his head he heard her whisper consentient.

Oh how it cost her.

"I'll make it quick. I promise." He whispered in a gentle way he was sure he had been so sure he could never have been.

Her wings peeled weakly away from him, letting him go, as he shakily got back to his feet, black trench coat she had gotten him swinging, the hole in his back sputtering with blood. She watched it with aching eyes behind his back, watching him advance upon her brother standing with the rod pointing at him squarely.

With gritted teeth the robber threw himself from off the ground in a flash of speed, turning quickly toward the evil Marik and sending a huge blast of magic through the woven vines with his Ring, and watched the boy skid back a few inches as a huge golden orb flashed around him, deflecting the blast toward T.R.

The thief was barely able to dodge the flaming gold orb as he swung to his right, the sleeve of his coat grazed and starting to smoke. He ignored it and sprinted away, glancing with the corner of his eye, watching Kaede run as quick as she could behind the trunk. The first step was down. All he had to do was make sure she got out of the room alive, out of his grasp.

It would be easier said that done.

The thief staggered forward, his balance unsteady and his eyes glazed over like his heavily clouded mind. The pain was causing a mist to flow about his thoughts, leaving them random and confusing, but still he walked toward him, watching the cruelty beaming with the boy's hazel eyes who was enjoying his pathetic form immensely, as his mind reeled. I will make it go away. It will never see the light of day again. I may not see another sun rise, but it can't remain here. I will kill. She needs the life. The light needs the life. Must make sure the light survives. My light…

T.R was blasted back with another glowing gold orb, knocked off his feet to the ground again, and again he rose and overcame it, an ancient determination awakening as an aura slowly glowed brighter, larger, stronger.

He summoned the rest of his magically strength, every last fiber of it, pulled it so tightly and up so fast out of him he almost screamed at it, he willed every bit of it into his hands, his hands formed into a fist, wrapped around each other, and pointed it at the boy, who watching him with a smirk on his face.

"Try it." He said.

TombRobber blasted him.

The boy flew across the room, flew at lightning speed, flew so fast it was hard to see him, until he went slam against the wall and hung there a moment. Gravity debated pulling him off of it, and finally made up its mind, giving a gentle tug. The boy fell forward lightly and went down with a soft thud onto the floor.

It was done. T.R felt the horrible female wailing in his mind, but no sound came from her lips. She stared with wide blank eyes. Wide blank eyes. He turned stiffly, still bleeding, blood running down his back, bruised and battered, and started walking toward her again, to pick her up and make her leave this place. Carry her if he had to.

He watched her eyes widen suddenly, so large and wide it was close to insanity.

Something cracked. Loudly. It was the noise that he knew was bad. Slowly, he turned his head towards it and can't believe what he was seeing.

Book Dragon: "Uhh…please review?"