A/N: I don't usually do this, but I was excited for this chapter. I don't really like Gold and everything I've written of it so far has been garbage, but hopefully, this marks a turning point. Hope you like it!
CHAPTER SEVEN
The next day is nice. It's not as humid and the rain from the last couple of days has cooled it down so it's actually pleasant outside. I sleep kind of late, but when I wake up, I decide to take Tanya for a walk. And Red too, for that matter. They could both use some exercise.
I can't jog when I have Red with me, so I settle for a brisk walk so the little guy can keep up with me. That's better for me anyway...this close to the marathon, I have to take it easy and relax my routine a little. Less running, more sleeping, that kind of thing.
We walk along the sidewalks, Tanya gently nudging Red away from puddles and picking him up by the scruff of his neck when he falls too far behind. I smile and rub her head and she rolls her eyes. She has a maternal instinct for Red, but doesn't like it when I notice.
Our route takes us in front of the gym and, as always, Tanya's hackles are raised and Red is silent, sensing her fear. A sudden impulse comes over me and I crouch down to their level. "Hey, wanna go inside? I know," I add quickly as Tanya growls. "I know, you had bad experiences. But you're bigger now and there's no one there and I just want to show you guys there's nothing to be afraid of anymore."
Red looks uncertainly at me and then at Tanya, who seems to be considering. Finally, she lets out a small snort and starts trotting towards the doors with Red toddling along behind her. I straighten up and follow them, jogging ahead so I can open the doors.
It's cleaner inside - no, not clean. Bare. The mats and balls that littered the corridor are gone and even the smells have diminished to just a general mustiness. At least for my nose. Tanya is skulking slowly, the hair on her back standing almost straight up and rumbling a continuous growl under her breath. I touch the top of her head gently and pick up Red with my other hand. "See? Nothing here, nothing to be afraid - "
Suddenly, there's a loud clatter from the arena. Tanya whirls around, barking and Red buries his face in my chest with a whimper. My heart, having already leaped into my throat, starts beating double time. "Hello?"
"lo..?" comes back to me. An echo or someone answering?
Afraid of getting in trouble, I turn. "All right, I'm sorry guys, let's go." I'm halfway to the door before I realize that Tanya's not with me. I look back.
She's still standing ramrod straight, staring in the direction of the noise. Not barking or growling anymore, just staring.
"Tanya, come on." I pat my leg and whistle, but she doesn't even look at me. I sigh, shift Red in my arms and walk back over to her. "What - "
Still not looking at me, she takes off in a white blur towards the arena. I curse and run after her, stumbling over loose floor tiles and finally skidding to a stop on the worn concrete of the stadium.
Tanya is standing in front of a huge animal, almost as tall as I am. It's blue, with sharp-looking claws on its feet and a giant shell with what looks like guns sticking out of it near its head. For some reason, it reminds me of Melissa's pet, except for the long scar across where its left eye should be.
The creature and Tanya consider each other warily, not wanting to attack, but not wanting to be attacked either. Red makes a curious chirping sound.
"What's going on?" A figure steps from behind the animal, backlit by the sunlight streaming through a hole in the wall and for a minute, I can't see who it is. Then he steps forward again.
"Hey, Daniel." Jared smirks.
(-o-)
He dyed his hair red.
I couldn't see it before, when his hair was darkened by rain, but I can now...an ugly, orangey red that makes it look like his head's on fire. His hair's gotten longer too, but it's still shaggy and he still has that charm around his neck.
I put Red down carefully. "What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?"
I grit my teeth. That question, in that voice… "I...wanted to show these guys there's nothing to be afraid of. I rescued Tanya - " I nod in her direction. " - from here. That's...what I was arrested for," It feels weird to talk to him about this. "Why are you here?"
He glances at the animal next to him. "Same reason." He doesn't say anything else, just looks back at me defiantly.
It makes sense, though. He must have gotten arrested for owning a Nonextant too, so naturally he got out when they overturned the law. And the injuries on the animal, too, that scar...it's all too familiar.
I soften my glare a little. "Tanya, it's all right." Out of the corner of my eye, I see her relax, sit down and start licking her paw daintily.
"She looks really good," Jared shoves his hands in his pockets and jerks his head to the behemoth next to him. "His scar never went away."
"She was missing some tails until she evolved." You know, his voice isn't so bad in small amounts like this.
He laughs as Red trips over his sneaker and bends down to set him upright again. "And this guy's pretty cute, too. Not as strong, though, right?"
I shake my head. " I let Tanya fight some of the wild ones, but not him."
He looks at me for a minute, thinking, then says, "Do you want to battle?"
My brow furrows. "What?"
"Do you want to battle? We both know we're good runners, but how about trainers?" He folds his arms, but not threateningly. Plus, I think he complimented me. Weird.
"But…" I gesture to Tanya and his Nonextant. "That's what got these two hurt in the first place!"
He looks down. "I know. I used to be one of the...handlers here, until I found him. I got arrested the day of the raid."
"That's the day I got Tanya." I say quietly.
He looks up again and smiles a little. "Well, I'm glad some good came out of it. Trust me, I know how awful those fights could be. But this would be smaller, more controlled...we know their limits and we're not going to hurt them."
I look at Tanya questioningly. She wags her tails. "All right."
"Cool!" His smile grows wider and then morphs into the familiar smirk. "Ready to lose?"
Oh, good, Jared's back. I was wondering who this nice guy with a heart of gold was.
He turns and walks to the other side of the floor, his Nonextant lumbering after him. It doesn't seem like it can move fast...maybe we can use that to our advantage. I twist my cap backwards and Tanya gets into a crouch.
"Go ahead!" Jared calls from the other end.
I think fast. "Um...use Roar!" I'm not sure what that does, but it always makes wild animals run away.
Tanya leaps forward and lets loose a loud snarl.
Jared's Nonextant shudders and takes a few steps back. Then, there's a flash of light and a different one appears - this one small and black, with red eyes and yellow rings on its fur.
"I got this one after I got out of juvie!" Jared shouts.
"Um...okay...Flamethrower!" That's an oldie, but a goodie. Flames shoot out of Tanya's mouth and hit the black creature, sending it reeling. Next to me, Red hops from one foot to the other, excited.
"Faint Attack!" The other Nonextant recovers its balance and starts running towards Tanya, seeming to flicker in and out of sight. Tanya gets disoriented and out of nowhere, it barrels into her, sending them both flying.
"Flamethrower again!" At a closer range, it does even more damage. A part of its fur catches on fire and it staggers, looking weak.
"Pursuit!" It dives into Tanya again, but it doesn't seem to do as much. Then the fire on its fur brightens for a minute and it collapses, extinguishing the flames as it falls. Jared rolls a red and white ball towards it and it disappears in another flash of light. Meanwhile, the big Nonextant shuffles forward.
It's moving pretty slowly, so I take the opportunity. "Quick Attack!" With surprising speed, Tanya shoots forward to slam into it. It doesn't seem to do much...she just kind of bounces off. I guess it does have pretty strong armor, after all.
"Hydro Pump!" There's a gurgling noise and a torrent of water erupts from the cannons on the big Nonextant's shell, flattening Tanya and sending up a plume of steam. When the water slows to a trickle, Tanya lies limp and soaked, breathing shallowly.
"Okay, that's enough," Jared pushes his Nonextant back and steps forward, another smirk already on his lips. "Guess I'm better at battling too."
"Hey, I got one of yours, so as far as I'm concerned, we tied." I try to sound flippant, but I'm pretty worried about Tanya.
I think Jared notices, because he fishes in his pocket and hands me something. "Here."
It's a small, yellowish whitish shard, kind of diamond shaped. I turn it over in my hands. "What is it?"
He shrugged. "I'm not sure, but we used to use them here a lot. It'll wake her up. She won't be totally better, but she'll be awake."
I kneel down and push it gently into Tanya's mouth. Her eyes flutter open and she gets shakily to her feet, shaking herself vigorously and covering me with water. I chuckle and turn to Jared. "Thanks."
He waves it off. "I gotta get going. I guess the next time I'll beat you is at the marathon." He and his Nonextant start for the entrance.
I watch him go. That smug son of a bitch. "Hey!"
"What?"
"Smell you later!"
His laughter echoes all the way outside.
A/N: Let me know in a review or a PM if you think I should write a back story for Jared. (It would be called Blue, obviously.)