Author's notes :Wow, didnt think you'd see another chapter of this did you? I was busy with other fics, again! So forgive my lateness. Enjoy the show!
Christie stood in a still position of heroic triumph after kicking the gunmen down, unaware she was standing in the middle of a crosshair of a sniper purposely looking to shoot her the moment he knew he could maintain a clean shot. He kneeled to one knee, keeping the body of his weapon steady and moving his finger closer to the curled trigger. His crosshair was in focus and perfectly in good shooting range of Christie's upper chest area.
He eased his curled finger to pull back on the trigger, but the thick lens on his scope was obstructed by blackness, the blackness of a large shadow looming over him. Startled and caught off guard, he fired a shot, but it only hit the cement floor near Christie's feet. He took his eyes away from the scope lens and gaped at a cross-armed man, standing in front of him. The Dark Talon known as Raven it was, yet again coming to Christie's aid, saving her from a fatal shot. The gunman threw a quick punch but Raven easily caught it before it touched the dark flesh on his chin. The sniper's comrades quickly picked up their guns, taken notice of and focusing all their attention on the man wrapped in darkness. With the Brazilian in their way, they shot at Christie first, who made a fast sprint into the alleyway to avoid getting shot.
Raven turned his back slowly to notice the other gunmen approaching him. With his attention pointed at them, he received a harsh blow to the back of the head by the sniper he turned his back on, and was shot in the chest by the others. His body slumped as he fell down into the concrete with the gunmen surrounding and inspecting his body.
"Hey, there's no blood," said one gunman.
"Who is this guy?" said another.
"Check his wallet."
They bent down closer for a better look but something else caught their attention.
"Wait a minute."
"What is that?" another said, pointing at Raven's chest.
"It looks like some kind of body armor."
"Blast his head off then."
The gunmen directed their weapons toward Raven's head, but Christie was spotted by one of the others, peeping her head around the corner of the alleyway to check on her ally.
"Shoot her!" The first shouted.
They all pointed their weapons and fired. Raven, no longer pretending to be dead, sprung up from the ground and attacked each gunman. He grabbed one by his neck and flung him into a mailbox. He turned to the others, punching one in the face and kicking the next in the ribs with the heel of his boot. One tried to shoot him from behind, but Christie wouldn't allow it, and jumped out from the alleyway to pounce on him.
"I guess it's your turn to be thankful," she smiled.
Out from the limousine the hit men were targeting earlier came Steve Fox, a young boxing prodigy and newcomer to the King of Iron Fist Tournament. He watched as Christie and Raven took out the contract killers and saved his life in the process. Very grateful he was, but also mad that he didn't get a chance to take part in the action.
"Man, you guys just took all the fun away from me. I was looking forward to beating those idiots myself."
Christie's heart skipped and mouth hung wide open as she noticed one of her favored celebrities was standing before her.
"Oh my goodness! Your Steve Fox! I am such a big fan of yours," she said, trying to maintain her coolness. "I watched you on TV dozens of times. I love the way you hit people."
"Wow, didn't know I drew in fans this quick," Steve said to her.
Meanwhile, Raven dispatched the rest of the conscience hit men and left one alive for interrogation. Christie rose up, patting herself down and coming over to see if Raven required any assistance. He shot her a glare as she proceeded toward him like a frightened child.
"Come with me!" He huffed.
Christie with her head lowered in shame did as told and followed him.
"I'm sorry. I have to go now," she told the young boxer, as she walked away in sadness.
Silently, Raven contacted his supporters and asked that a helicopter be sent to take him and Christie back to the underground hideout after the brief interrogation with his captured victim. On the helicopter, Christie sat nervously with her hands folded at her side as Raven sat across from her, still giving her stern looks.
"The gunmen are connected to Kazuya Mishima," he began. "And they're out on a mission to kill all the Tournament entrées from last year."
"Why?"
"Don't know. But when we get back, I'll be looking into that."
Changing the subject, Christie went into thanking Raven for saving her from being the victim of the sniper. If it weren't for him, she probably wouldn't be alive, speaking to him at the moment. But the same could for said for Raven too. Christie had also saved him from a brush with death as well.
"Thank you for saving my life," she said in a soft whisper.
"Your gratitude is not needed," he sniffed.
"I'm just trying to show you that I'm thankful for what you did. I don't think you know how thankful I really am," she said edging closer to him from her seat.
"I don't need your thanks."
Christie wondered why he was so cold to her. All she wanted was to say thank you and be grateful, but Raven wouldn't accept it from her.
Within minutes, they arrived at the underground base, and Christie was practically given a pair of nightclothes to sleep in as she stepped into the small bedroom. She folded her street clothes neatly and laid them on top of a wooden chair that sat in the far corner, close to the entrance. On the bed, after putting her nightclothes on, she sat cross-legged as she rolled a finger across her leg, with Raven coming moments later. He pulled up a chair, sat down and leaned back with his arms folded.
"What's up? Christie said, interested in what he had to say.
"What you did today was unacceptable. You almost got yourself killed, again," he grumbled. "If you want to continue to live, I suggest you listen to what I tell you next time."
"Oh come on! You act like you're my father, gosh!"
"I'm only telling you what you need to hear, whether you think I'm trying to act like a father or not!"
"Look, I'm sorry, ok? I won't do it again. And besides, I saved your life too, so we're even!"
"I don't require saving."
"I still saved your ass anyway, regardless," she smirked. "Also, I wanted to give you something in return for saving me."
"Really. And how would you go about doing that?"
With a heavy sigh, Christie scooted closer to Raven and stood up from the bedside. She sat herself down firmly in his lap, wrapping her arms around his meaty body. He was unsure of what she was doing, but didn't really try to stop her from doing it. Her face came closer and then her lips touched his warmly into a soft kiss. She then scooted back and smiled.
"How does that make you feel?"
"A little strange, but I don't feel too different."
"You know you liked it," Christie giggled.
"In your dreams," Raven scowled. "Well, I better get going. I'll see you….uh….when I see you."
Raven felt a little awkward as he stood up and walked out the door with Christie laughing after seeing his goofy expression.
"Goodnight!" she said, softly.