Chapter 17: Never at Peace
The lone Raven dragged his bags behind him in a tired manner. He stopped in front of a rectangular green door in the hallway. He let off a sigh of pain and scratched his medium length black hair before knocking on the door. His eyes were slightly tinted with red and he hung his black jacket over his left shoulder. The green door slowly opened, revealing a man with short black hair. He wore barely transparent shades and and had a calm and quiet demeanor. "Wind, so glad you could come. I suppose you didn't get the notice that you were supposed to bring some food?"
Windbreaker stepped inside the room, feeling very agitated, he dropped his bag on the floor and didn't seem to care that it made a loud thud. The inside of the room was surprisingly large enough to probably house thirty people, despite the fact that it was in a hotel building. "I didn't have any to spare! Shade, you know very well as much as the next person that I'm pretty much broke," The irritated Raven looked at the navy blue watch on his wrist, Damn...six-thirty...and this party ends at twelve...
"Heh, I know you want to go, but Jack-O was the one who invited us...or ordered us. So what can you do?" Shade smirked, he was mostly entertained by the agitation Windbreaker was showing.
"If he wasn't administrator I would've given him a beating...I swear he does this just to annoy me!" Windbreaker continued to stare at his watch, probably hoping that time might somehow speed up if he watched it. "Where is that guy anyways!"
"Don't know, but maybe you should relax. Jack-O did go to all the trouble of planning this party." A young short-blonde man sat in front of the couch that was situated in the center of the room. The couch was affixed in front of a large television with an assortment of other electronic equipment in the lower compartments of the cabinet that the television sat on.
"Planning? Trouble? I think maybe you mean sitting behind his large desk and thinking over some irrelevant things." Windbreaker slouched a bit, "...and why did it have to be Carom's place?"
"Because his place is MUCH bigger than any of ours." Shade patted Windbreaker on the back, despite his enjoyment of the young Raven's agitation.
"By the way, the ladies should be here any second now, " A man who seemed to be in his mid thirties stepped in, wearing a brown leather jacket and neck length hair. The man shut the door behind him. "Say, Wind, you look a bit different...new haircut?"
The thoughts that irritated him at the moment vanished at the question. He had forgotten about the certain side effects the Logic System induced when he used it. It had been a week since his planned attack on his fellow Raven, Sara. Not only did his eyes turn a slight red, his hair had turned into a pitch black rather than it's usual dark brown, a permanent effect. Aside from the changes of the Logic System, he had let his hair grow. Strands of hair that formed his sideburns hung to the top of his neck now, "Errr...ahhhhh...well...you see...I-"
Carom cut Windbreaker off, jumping from in front of the couch and landing beside Shade. It was one of the moments where Carom would input this randomized comment into the conversation that would have no sort of relation to the topic. "Say guys! Wouldn't it be great if ACs were equipped with nuclear weapons, had synthetic armor and neural sensors so we can react faster and see what our ACs can see!" His expression was that of a mere five year old that just recieved his first birthday gift. Everyone in the room only stared at Carom, with quizzical looks. Shade broke the silence with a cough muffling the word "freak".
"What!" The odd pilot had a slight irritation in his simple question.
"Hey, guys! Merry Christmas!" A soft seductive female voice called out. The whole lot's attention was directed at the rectangular green door that suddenly opened behind them, revealing a tall slender figure with brilliant blonde hair that hung down to her waist in a straight style. With the her light blue eyes, she looked towards Windbreaker who had only his head turned around. "Well, haven't seen you around in awhile, Wind. Been travelling lately?" The women held a white plastic bag in her hand stuffed with unkown contents.
"You could say that..." Windbreaker merely smirked. "I didn't hear that you were being invited, Karen."
"I invite myself. I'm the operater, in case you've forgotten in your absence," Karen said sternly, throwing her long blonde hair behind her.
Apparently, her ego has grown since I left...alot... Windbreaker kept the thought to himself, knowing full well that blurting it out loud would create a disaster, at least for him.
"Oh yeah! I brought some food-" The young operater was cut off when a small body, too fast for the naked eye, lunged out.
"Windy!" It was at that moment that the elite Raven felt his inards being crushed by a large amount of pressure closing around his waist.
"I...see! That's not the only thing...you brought!" The small arms wrapped around his waist were decievingly strong, very strong. Windbreaker looked down to see a petite body, with dirty blonde hair. "Get off of me, Principle!" Gasping for air, or life in this case, Windbreaker struggled to get the dirty blonde beauty that clung to him off. Eventually, black haired Raven emerged victorious after a little while of amusing everyone.
"Merry Christmas everyone!" The door swung open, banging against the side of the wall. A tall feminine figure walked into the room, her brown hair tied back in a long ponytail fashion was matched with her hazel eyes. She wore casual clothes, painted in purple, her favorite color. "Heh, we're having a really green Christmas this year aren't we? That's pretty rare..." Vanguard turned around immediately, staring out the window. A look of concern spread across his hardened face. It was fine outside, greenery spread all throughout the ground. But that was the problem, it was December, when snow should have been falling.
That's wierd...no! It couldn't be!
"What's with the wierd look?" The top-ranker snapped to attention, realizing that they had noticed his unusually serious face, a face he hardly ever revealed.
"Oh...huh...nothing...I'm sorry, but if you will excuse me, I must attend to something," With a quick swivel he grabbed his coat and flung it around him, shutting the door behind, all in one smooth motion.
"Wonder what that was about?" Carom shrugged with a mocking smirk on his face. "So anyways...alcohal, beer...food...anyone?" He raised two mugs and gestured towards the banquet that was laid out on the table. Immediately, the circle dispersed, if it ever was a circle. Windbreaker took one step before hearing a smooth female voice call him, he swiveled around staring at the woman with a brown pony-tail hair-style.
"What is it Grace?" he asked plainly without much entheusiasm, tilting his head slightly in the direction of Grace. For him, this was probably all torture. All Windbreaker ever wanted was peace and quiet but he could never find that anywhere. Everywhere he went, people would recognize him as the famous second ranker. It was different, however, when he was a newcomer into the Raven fold. Back then, he craved attention and took every opportunity that was presented to him. How ironic it was that he would think in opposition to his old self. The old him changed, ever since the chaos that ensued at Bayload City. Releasing his thoughts about his past, Windbreaker snapped back to reality.
"I believe someone wants to talk to you," Windbreaker gave a quizzicled look. Usually, these surprises weren't at all...surprising to him. But Grace's mischeivious smile hinted that it was something he would never expect. The female Raven stepped aside, revealing a girl who stood shyly by the doorway. Her hands where clasped behind her back and she wore a white blouse that revealed a slight cleavage with a black skirt that flowed all the way down to her feet. The black hair that fell to her shoulder blades would illuminate her light blue eyes and silky pale skin. Windbreaker looked her from head to toe with his hands crossed in front of him. A thought slipped into his mind that surprised even himself.
She looks...amazing...He could see a light red blush that appeared on her face when he sized her up. This, however, did not sway him from replying in his usual cold manner, "Okay...what the hell is Sara doing here?" The blush seemed to disappear on the girl's face.
He was looking at me wierdly...does he hate the dress...wait! Of course he hates it! He recently tried to kill me! He probably hates everything about me! Sara felt like slapping herself for the thought but instead found it better if she did what she would normally do, squawble with Windbreaker for his remark. "What's that supposed to mean! I'm part of this too you know!" she snapped at him.
"Say what you will...see if I care..." With that, he spun around and walked towards a door on the otherside of the room, the door that led to the master bedroom. It was currently the only quiet place in the whole apartment. Sara wanted to run after him, but hesitated in her thoughts.
Why did I say that? A slight sharp pain in her ribs interfered with her thoughts. It was Grace that gave her an elbow in the ribs.
"That's not what you wanted to say." Grace whispered, knowing very well that Sara didn't want anyone else to hear.
"I know but...I have no idea what to say! I've never felt this way about anyone before!" She replied in a hushed voice.
"Just act normally, and talk to him. It's really easy..." Grace glanced around, rethinking her words, "Okay...maybe in your case, its not as easy because you're practically trying to talk to a rock...but really. You just have to act normally."
"R...really? Are you sure?" she was unsure whether to take the advice or not.
Grace nodded, "Yeah, just talk like you would normally only try adding more...stuff about how you feel! Go on now!" The older Raven gave her a small friendly shove in the direction of the door. Sara glances back and forth from the door to Grace, a confused look on her face. Making her final decision after much hesitation she walks back to Grace's position.
"I'll go...but when I'm ready...I don't think right now is the time." In mere minutes, the room was soon consumed in utter chaos. The room walls were stained and bottles lay on the floor. Luckily though, it was a large room so there was plenty of space to walk in. Abrupt disturbing shouts seemed to interrupt Sara's thoughts each time she thought about going into the room to converse with Windbreaker.
"Stop going into my closet!"
"Windy! Where are you Windy?"
"Errr...Principle...I don't think he's in the fridge..."
"What the hell are you talking about! I AM the great Hustler One!"
"Whoa...its all green..."
"...and he still owes me that seventy grand from last year!"
"Carom what the hell are you doing! Stop breaking the tables!"
"Why do you guys keep on rummaging through my stuff!"
Sara couldn't stand the infernal noise any more. She stomped to the door that Windbreaker went through. Now I know why he hates company! However, she didn't realize that she had already made her way inside the room and stood infront of a person. It was Windbreaker, he sat on the bed which was obviously Carom's, and held a book in his hands. Needless to say, the mere sight of him caused her face to burn up. Okay...I have to reason with myself...why would I still like someone who just tried to kill me! Right! I'm just like that!
"Is there...something I can help you with?" The sudden voice caught Sara's attention in the midst of her thoughts. It was Windbreaker, his eyes were still looking towards the book that lay open in his right hand. Sara took a deep breath before answering, in that time period some thoughts ran through her mind. One thought was the advice Grace had given her just recently.
Okay...okay, just stay calm. Normal conversation! Normal conversation! Sara spoke, "I just came in here because I couldn't stand the noise."
Windbreaker smirked, turning the page on the book, "Well, that's understandable. The noise those idiots make can be heard a mile away. I never can seem to get a piece of mind..." There was silence between them.
"So...errr...what book are you reading?" she asked hesitantly, Was that a strange question?
"Maire by Linda Windsor...good book..." In a smooth motion he flipped the page and placed a book mark in the book, closing it. "So, are you here to kill me?" Sara was surprised by his sudden question.
"Kill you? W-what do you mean!"
"You know exactly what I mean. I killed your parents and tried to assassinate you, therefore you try to get revenge on me for making you suffer so much. It's that simple!" The elite Raven leaned against the wall that the bed was propped against. He rested his hands on the white bedsheets that covered the large bed.
"Wind, I didn't come here to do that! Not everything in this world works that way!"
"Really? I was at the impression that you wanted to avenge your parent's deaths...wasn't that your first goal? The sole reason why you became a Raven?"
She seemed pained at hearing his words, "That was the case at first, Wind...but...over the months I've learned for myself that revenge does nothing. And I've also realized...that I could never bring myself to kill you."
"And why is that?" The Raven raised a curious eyebrow.
"Because...I've grown to like you...I'm not asking to be your girlfriend or anything. I know you may still have loyalties to your loved one who died in that chaos..." She hesitantly picked her words, Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. The only reason he closes off from people is because he lost something important to him. Is anything wrong with that? She questioned herself. One side of Sara wanted to leave. the other side compelled her to leave, told her to stay and chat "I just want to stay by your side..." A gentle smile played across her pale face.
The expression on Windbreaker's face was apparent. There was no smirk or grin, only a look of sadness in his eyes. Stay by my side...Charisma...I wonder if your the one that brought her to me...He chukled lightly at the thought.
"Whats so funny?" Sara was now very confused. One minute he would stand there pondering on sadness, next minute he would be chuckling to himself. Laughing? I've never heard Windbreaker laugh so...serene...
Windbreaker thought of the last dyeing words Charisma had said before she died fighting. "Make sure you settle down with a girl you like if I'm not there"...I did promise...and...I never go back on a promise...For the first time in two years, a gentle smile played across his face. "Say, would you like a drink?" Sara was shocked by the sudden change in his tone and his mood. Not only that, it was odd to her to see Windbreaker smile. He never smiled at her. Deciding that replying with a positive attitude would be the solution she answered Windbreaker.
"Yes, thank you." Her soft and gentle smile illuminated her face.
Jack-O stood by the riverside looking up into the dark sky, the only thing that illuminated his surroundings were street lights and the moon itself. The administrator wore his usual light brown trench coat, making anyone believe he was just a commoner. He narrowed his eyes and spoke, as if directing his words to someone that hid in the shadows, "He's found it..."
A man with black hair that fell to his shoulders stepped out from the shadows in a brown leather coat. It was Vanguard, he had just exited the recent party and came to converse with Jack-O after seeing the strange weather. "What has Enigma found?"
"He's found something much more terrible than that of the Archangel Pulverizer. Enigma seems to have found the Pulverizer Lancar..."
"Lancar! But...I thought Windbreaker destroyed it!"
"No...nothing could destroy it. It was impregnable to everything we had...so I ordered him to bury it somewhere..."
"Lancar...thats not good..." Vanguard seemed distressed by the news.
"Yes, and whats more...Enigma has also found the location of the weather control device."
"Weather control device?" Vanguard was puzzled. He had never heard of any technology that could control the weather.
"Yes, lost technology. Bayload used a mini sized version of the device."
"Oh..." Was all Vanguard could say.
"He plans to use the larger weather control device to most likely flood humanity...or something of that sort..."
"Flood! That's insane! Nothing could control such things! Not on a massive scale at least."
"Lost technology is also referred to as ancient technology because it is dated back many years...remember Atlantis?" Jack-O continued to stare at the sky, his coat flapped behind hims through the wind.
"That technology...has lasted that long?" Vanguard was shocked at the information, he had thought the lost technology they had recently uncovered was old...but not as old as being in the time of when Atlantis was flooded.
"This is what I have learned through my research..." The silver haired administrator turned around. "We have to at least destroy the weather device." Jack-O could see what his companion's next question would be. "If your going to ask where it is, then I have to say that even I don't know...but I have already sent some Ravens to gather some intelligence on the whereabouts of the device."
"Errr...okay...but that wasn't the question I was going to ask. I was going to ask why you haven't put me into exile again...for the third time..." Vanguard scratched the back of his head.
"The current situation is more important. I need every help I can get. Of course...when this is over...then I'll exile you!" He gave a slight chuckle.
"Guh...I thought so...ya know...having you as a brother is really a pain!" Vanguard scoffed.
"Yes well, as soon as this is over, and I have exiled you. You may do as you wish..." Jack-O glanced around, "Speaking of pains...how is Windbreaker doing in the party?" He grinned at the thought.
"Eh...pain? You mean you actually deliberately invited him to torture him?" He asked, profusely baffled by his brother's prank despite his position as head administrator.
"Yes...well...ahem..."
Vanguard suddenly figured out why the older sibling was always tormenting Windbreaker with chores, "Wait I see! You're still mad at Wind for beating you to the ground on that mission!"
"What! I don't know what your talking about!"
"You know that Defending the Supply Depot mission! It was on the news! Everyone saw it! So you're mad at him about that eh?" Vanguard said amused at the childish feud.
"Urk...ahhhhh...you still haven't answered my question about Windbreaker."
"Oh...well...last I was there he was grumbling in misery of some sort. I think it was Carom...or Principle..."
"Excellent..." Jack-O mumbled, out of his usual character.
"Hm? What was that Jack?"
"Oh...errr...nothing...I wonder if he's having fun?" Jack-O had a slight grin on his face. The picture of the Raven, Principle squeezing the life out of Windbreaker flashed through his mind.
"Fun...yeah right...he's probably grunting about!"
Sara and Windbreaker sat beside eachother on the white bed. Taking sips from their wine glasses.
"So...you never knew who your father was?" Sara took another sip of her wine, Hmmmm...that's strange...I'm not feeling dizzy, usually I only take one sip of a wine glass and I'm out cold...
"No...as far as I remember...the Ark has been my home..."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."
"Sorry to hear what?" Windbreaker questioned.
"Sorry to hear that you never knew your parents...don't you feel sad that you've never known your parents!" She asked, wide eyed.
"Not really..." He said plainly and took another sip of the wine in his hand.
Well, theres one thing that still remains the same...At the same time, Windbreaker took a glance at Sara.
Come to think of it...she does resemble Charisma alot...cept for the black hair and blue eyes...her skin is a bit more white as well...He was trying to reason with himself why he was doing this. Again, Sara's face burned up when she caught him glancing at her. She wanted to hide herself but at the same time stay with him.
Its wierd...he makes me feel so...warm...Sara blushed slightly. She didn't notice that she, herself, was staring at Windbreaker. Eventually, she moved closer, close enough that she could feel the warmth of his body even through the clothes. An urge to kiss her suddenly overtook the elite Raven. It was true, he had hated her before, but that didn't mean that she was beautiful. After all, roses did have thorns. Now was different, he felt different, the impulse overtook him and he wrapped his arms around her waist forcing a kiss between them. They embraced eachother and tugged at eachother's clothing. The last thought that ran through Windbreaker's mind was that of an ironic one, Must be a blue moon...
Elsewhere, it seemed Jack-O was laughing his head off with the various thoughts that ran through his mind.
Vanguard, who stood beside the administrator, seemed irritated by his brother's laughing, I always thought he was a whack...but never anything to this extent. "I think maybe your enjoying yourself a little too much..."
"Ah, Evangel! Haven't you heard? Theres no such thing as having too much of something good!" Jack-O gloated.
"In your case...there is...I think you've had too many missions in your time..."
The party had ended with a good-bye from each of the Ravens. The large room was empty of life now, only Carom stood on the side accompanied by bottles, cans and other sorts of junk on the floor. Chaos in the party had left Carom's house merely a wreck. "Meh...I'll clean up tomorrow...right now..." He walked towards his bedroom door holding a bottle in his hand. "...I need some shut eye! Man what a party!" He proceeded to open the door, "I never knew Shade could be so easy-going...guess you can't judge a man by his attitude. But I can't shake the feeling that the party was missing something...but wha-!" Carom could only gawk at what he saw when he opened the door, he dropped his bottle of beer letting it make a loud crashing sound as the glass shattered into millions of pieces.