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Chapter 2: "Temptation is the devil's way of saying: I'll see you in hell."

Lightning streaked through the sky. The air cracked with electricity which was followed by rumbling thunder. By the time the rain fell, Natsuki was close to passing out with pain. Her abuser stepped back to survey his handiwork and smiled malevolently. Then he reached down and unzipped his pants.

There was a flash, then a click.

Heads spun around to find the source of the unexpected disturbance and found a green-haired girl standing under a large, black umbrella and holding a cell phone in front of her. She smiled as she began to rapidly press her thumb down on the keys. Then she spoke to the frozen attackers conversationally, "I'd get out of here if I were you. I already sent the pic to the cops." She peered up at them through long lashes, almost coyly, as she brought the cell phone to her ear and said, "Hello? Police? I want to report a..."

The boys quickly backed away from Natsuki and ran away. The green-haired girl looked almost disappointed as she slapped her cell phone shut and watched them disappear around the corner. "Tsk, amateurs. How boring." She made her way towards the injured victim who crumpled to the ground and slumped against the wall. She bent down to examine her face. Blood was running down the beaten girl's nose, and her bruised face looked like they were beginning to swell. Other than that, the girl seemed relatively okay. Tomoe had seen worse. "Not your day, isn't it, green eyes?"

"Fuck you..." Natsuki wheezed painfully, much to Tomoe's amusement. The raven-haired girl tried to stand but gave up when the pain in her body became too much for her. Maybe if she rested for a while or...

She looked up at her savior who was still watching her with interest. It annoyed Natsuki that the other girl did not offer or try to assist her. Wouldn't that be the humane thing to do? It almost seemed like Tomoe was enjoying her struggles. "Aren't you... going to... help me up?" She grunted accusingly.

"I could..." Tomoe began thoughtfully, "But I don't want to get my clothes wet. I have a live to go to."

"Then... why are you... still here?!"

"It's against my conscience to leave you here for dead." She smiled down at Natsuki with false modesty causing the girl to growl. Then she reached into her coat and fished around for something. "Tell you what though, I'll give you something to make you feel better." The umbrella was big enough to partially shelter the raven-haired girl from the rain (and still keep Tomoe completely dry) as she crouched down in front of her and held out what looked like a cigarette in front of her face.

"THAT'S going to... make me feel better?" Natsuki glared at her.

"Oh it will."

"I don't smoke."

"It's not what you think it is." Tomoe gave her a pointed look and watched the comprehension dawn on Natsuki's bloody face. "C'mon... It'll help." She crooned as she eased it in the other girl's mouth. "And make you forget about the pain."

Natsuki fiddled with the bundled weed between her lips for a moment, torn between spitting it out and giving in to the temptation. "To forget the pain..." She repeated wearily, her eyes losing their angry edge and darkening-- becoming dead and defeated. Those magic words were her undoing and she finally nodded to Tomoe who lit the end of the stick with her star spangled Zippo.

"The name's Tomoe Marguerite, by the way." 'Remember it because I own you now.'

---

The owner was apparently a big fan of westerns as he had named his bar after his favorite movie: Desolation Valley. Whether he realized from the beginning that the bar would inherit the essence of its name or not-- it became a popular gathering of lost souls seeking to drown their sorrows in alcohol, unleash their despair in music, and lose what was left of their self-control in this dark haven. Desolation Valley was the perfect place to provide the perfect excuse to be naughty children.

Despite Natsuki's muddled senses and intoxicated state, the bar's charged atmosphere overwhelmed her. She paused in front of the doorway to comprehend what she was seeing. Aside from the bar with its standard equipment and rows of alcoholic beverages, the place was sparse. There was not enough light, and tables and chairs were missing. Posters (all unfamiliar, and all images and logos of what looked like bands) were the only kind of decoration to be found in this place. Despite that, the people here were having a great time.

It took all of Natsuki's concentration to conclude, 'What a shithole...' This was nothing like the quiet and sometimes classy bars she frequented in her pre-HiME days.

The majority of the patrons were gathered in front of an elevated stage where a band was currently playing. To Natsuki, the mob seemed uncontrollable-- pushing against each other, jumping, shrieking, singing... angry. But if she looked carefully enough, the moshpit had a strange kind of organized chaos. It almost seemed like they were herded in by the music. The band's players were lords of manipulation, their almost deafening and powerful sound was their mind-control.

Aside from the dim lighting in the bar, the center stage was the only focus of all the available the lights. It was obvious that Desolation Valley's true purpose of its existence was this... the Music.

"You going to stand and gape there all night?" Tomoe shouted in her ear from behind, startling Natsuki slightly. Without giving the other girl a chance to reply, Tomoe pushed her inside. She looked around for a moment before she walked towards a less crowded area. Natsuki limped after her like a lost and confused puppy.

They were stopped by a short girl with glasses and dull auburn hair. "Margie! You're late!" She yelled over the din in a language Natsuki could not understand but knew as English. The girl looked at her for a moment and pointed a finger at her. "Who's this?"

"Some chick who followed me." Tomoe intoned casually. She turned and leered at the subject of her friend's scrutiny. "She's a pretty thing though, isn't she?"

"Man! Look at her face! You're breaking in your new plaything already, huh? You're so bad!"

It was obvious that they were talking about Natsuki and it annoyed her that she did not know what was being said of her. Almost as if reading her mind, the glasses girl stuck her hand out and said, "The name's Irina! What's yours?"

Natsuki scowled at the outstretched appendage. But she took it anyway and shook it firmly. "Natsuki."

Without letting go of the hand, Irina proceeded to drag Natsuki towards the bar. "C'mon! I'll buy you a beer!"

"I... I..." Words of refusal was at the tip of her tongue, but Natsuki was beginning to realize that being high rendered her incapable of listening to her good conscience. Besides, she was tired of thinking. The serenity of not thinking and the freedom of losing her inhibitions felt really good right now. Maybe a little beer would make it even better! She allowed herself to be dragged. Tomoe smirked and followed the pair.

Irina ordered for the three of them. When they finally received their drinks, they leaned back against the bar's counter to watch the stage. "They're pretty good, aren't they!"

Tomoe did not answer, sipped her beer and listened to the band play for a moment. Meanwhile, Natsuki nodded to Irina's words and said, "I never knew this kind of music could sound this good!"

"Eh?" The shorter girl turned to her. "You've never listened to rock before?" When Natsuki shook her head, Irina looked at her incredulously. From her first impression of the raven-haired girl, she assumed she was the badass type. And in Irina's world, badass people listen to badass music. "What kind do you listen to then?"

"I don't." Natsuki grinned stupidly. "I was too busy... saving the world!"

"Uh huh..." Irina looked at her uncertainly.

"She's a little high." Tomoe explained with a giggle then nodded over to the stage. "They're okay. You find bands like them everywhere. Their sound is too noisy... no soul. But you've got to admire their enthusiasm! Their energy is infectious!"

"Yeah!" Irina agreed and raised her beer for a toast to which the green-haired girl complied and clanked their bottles together. The trio nursed their beers as they continued to watch and listen. Natsuki was antsy and was just as affected to the music as the rest of the excited mass. Several times, she made to join the moshpit but an amused Tomoe would hold her back each time and whisper, "Not yet."

"Sinister Waltz is up next!" Irina squealed excitedly when the current band finished playing.

Sinister Waltz was comprised of five people. Three guys: the singer/lead guitarist, the bassist, the drummer; and two girls: second guitarist and keyboards. After several minutes of sound checking and adjustments the singer finally grabbed the microphone and announced, "Let's start off with our own version of an old favorite of mine." Then it began... And Natsuki grew uneasy.

"She's got a cigarette on each arm

She's got the lily-white cavity crazes

She's got a carborator tied to the moon

Pink gods looking to the fruit of the ages"

"C'mon." Tomoe grabbed Natsuki's arm and pulled her to join Irina.

"She's alone in the new pollution
She's alone in the new pollution"

There was something different about this sound. Was it the singer? The players? The song? Whatever it was, it felt like a current of electricity had replaced the blood in her veins and caused the hairs on her neck to stand on end. Had it not been for Tomoe's insistent pulling, Natsuki would've just stood there in dumbfounded awe.

"She's got a hand on a wheel of pain
She can talk to the mangling strangers
She can sleep in a fiery barn
Throwing troubles to the dying embers"

"Whoah! Their sound is like awesome... Like Defu-tonsu singing deathmetal." Natsuki heard one of the guys beside her yell to his companion. "Did 'New Pollution' always sound like that?!"

"No friggin' way, dude! They're inna whole new different level altogether! SINWALTZ!!!!" It's as if the eager scream had set off the rest of the crowd. They began to chant 'SinWaltz' again and again, Tomoe and Irina joining in cheerfully.

"She's alone in the new pollution
She's alone in the new pollution
She's alone in the new pollution
She's alone in the new pollution"

Natsuki's green eyes swept over the undulating bodies surrounding her. Even though she was not alone, it felt like she was. Even though she blended in, it felt like she did not belong. Then, what felt like an epiphany, struck her but slipped through her mental fingers just when she was about get a firmer grasp to what it was. She felt it once today when she had Nao pinned underneath her, and just like before-- it made her feel like she was falling.

Falling into despair... Falling into hopelessness... Then finally landing, finally discovering the thing that set her feet firmly on the ground. It felt so good to finally have something to stand on.

"She's got a paradise camouflage
Like a whip-crack sending me shivers
She's a boat through a strip-mine ocean
Riding low on the drunken rivers"

'So what?!' Natsuki's mind shouted defiantly. 'So what if I'm different?! So what if I'm alone! So what if I'm fucked up! Fuck you world! Fuck you Shizuru! Fuck you First District assholes! Fuck you mother! This is MY life! Not yours!' She scrambled on top of the stage like she had seen the other kids doing earlier. Once there, facing the crowd and seeing the hysteria in their faces, she came upon another revelation. She wanted to belonged to this world. She wanted these people to look at her the same way they were looking at the band... like they were worth something. She wanted to control these people like the music was controlling them.

"SINWALTZ!!!" Her voice joined the cacophony as she dived into the moshpit. Hands caught her, and like a wave they carried her to the back of the mob. She had forgotten about her wounded state and her impulsive actions racked her body with agonizing pain. "SHIIIIT! It HURTS!"

"She's crazy!!!" Irina laughed at Natsuki's antics. Tomoe just smiled thoughtfully.

"She's alone in the new pollution
She's alone in the new pollution"

---

Natsuki awoke when she felt her world quake and was assaulted by the sounds of moaning. The moment she felt her consciousness returning, she became aware enough to realize that her head and body felt like they were being beaten in by a sledgehammer. She did not open her eyes but the sunlight beating down against her closed eyelids was still annoying and painful enough to urge her to turn her body away from it.

"Ugh... Looks like... Ooohhh... Natsuki's awake, Margie." Upon hearing her name, she cautiously opened her eyes. Well, tried to anyway. They were nearly swollen shut. When she finally succeeded in opening them halfway, they widened when she saw the naked and writhing bodies on the bed beside her. She closed her eyes immediately and scowled when she heard laughter.

"Who the hell are you people?!! What are you doing in my room?!!" She shouted angrily then regretted it immediately. Dizzy with nausea she jumped out of bed and stumbled hurriedly towards the bathroom. Through her panicked urgency, she discovered that the bathroom was not supposed to be where it was, and turned to the... busy... couple in desperation.

"Door to the right." The green-haired girl supplied.

Natsuki promptly rushed to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet. After what felt like forever, she slumped back and away from the ivory-white bowl. God, did she feel crappy. What happened to her? Where was she? And those girls... Natsuki blushed, mortified, as she thought about them. She examined herself fearfully and wondered if they had... molested her while she was asleep. But no, she was fully dressed and apparently untouched. Well mostly untouched... Where did these bruises come from???

She rose unsteadily to her feet and flushed the toilet. She moved in front of the sink, opened the tap, and splashed a handful of water on her face. The icy chill shocked her awake. Then she remembered the attack... She remembered meeting Tomoe... her first taste of marijuana... Desolation Valley... getting really wasted after five more beers. After that, it was hazy. The images rushed into her head like an impending train wreck, and she was powerless to stop it. She launched herself back to the toilet bowl and heaved.

"You really know how to kill the mood, green eyes." Tomoe's disgusted voice came, through the sounds of retching, from behind her. Natsuki flushed the toilet once again, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, before she turned to the other girl. She was relieved to see the partially buttoned white shirt cover most of Tomoe's nakedness.

"S-sorry..." Natsuki lowered her eyes in shame and embarrassment.

"It's a good thing I find you... interesting." Tomoe smirked before jerking her head to the side to indicate that she should follow her. Natsuki was humbled enough to obey the silent command and walked after her out of the bedroom. She looked around curiously.

When she caught sight of a large, clear window and saw the sky-- she realized that this place was situated someplace really high. It looked like she was in a condominium which was designed to look like a classy modern home. The area was spacious enough and was decorated with expensive-looking furniture and hi-tech gadgets. And looking around some more, Natsuki noticed several more rooms. The black/blue/gray color scheme and lack of personal knick-knacks gave the condo's atmosphere an impersonal air.

She returned her attention to the girl in front of her. 'Who is this girl?'

Tomoe led her to the kitchen just in time to hear the automatic coffee machine beep. "Ah... Coffee is ready." The green-haired girl nodded in approval before turning around to face her guest. "How do you like yours?"

"Um... Black." Natsuki looked around again. "Where's Irina-san?"

Tomoe shrugged as she poured coffee for the both of them. "She went home I guess. Hearing you puke your guts out really sickened her."

"Sorry..." Natsuki muttered again before she sat down on one of the stools in front of the dining counter. Tomoe just handed her a cup of coffee.

---

Despite her weak protests, Natsuki found herself giving in to Tomoe's surprising generosity and slept her hangover away on the couch in the living room-- a melting ice pack resting over the swollen parts of face. It was late into the afternoon when Natsuki awoke the second time that day. She frowned in puzzlement when she heard muffled sounds similar to the ones she heard last night. She stood up and made short exploration of the condo. The first room she wandered into looked like a library. The one beside it looked like an office. The next one finally led her to the end of her search.

When she opened the door, she was bombarded by the sheer volume and utter fury of the music. The room's walls were padded with soundproofing tiles. There were no windows, but there was an air conditioner. There was a stereo of titanic proportions across from her, its woofers pumping in and out like heartbeat. There were several dividers filled with rows upon rows of CDs. In the center of it all was a butterfly chair occupied by Tomoe who had a green electric guitar in her hands and was apparently playing along with the song.

"Hey green eyes!" The other girl greeted, then reaching out to one of the knobs to lower the volume significantly.

Natsuki walked further into the room and looked around in amazement. "Are all of these yours??"

"Yeah. Most of them are American. Rock of course... Anything else is shit to me."

"You play?" Natsuki pointed to the guitar before mentally slapping her forehead at the stupid question. "I meant to say, are you any good?"

"I'm damn good." Tomoe claimed conceitedly. She reached down to turn one of the knobs of her guitar connected to a Vox amplifier before playing. The intricate sounds that made up the Blues filled the air. Her long, elegant fingers swept across the strings with an ease that made Natsuki's eyes glimmer with admiration. When she felt that she had proven her point, she let the last note die of the song away and smirked at her guest. "Convinced?"

Natsuki could only nod. She went to examine the CDs and felt her fascination peak. She began pulling the cases out and examined them one by one. The words were foreign to her, but the images on the covers intrigued her. She wondered if any of these CDs contained the kind of magic she heard last night.

Tomoe returned the music, she had been listening to, to its original volume and resumed playing. Natsuki shifted her attention back to her... new friend? Tomoe was really good, and her guitar playing seemed like some kind of self-therapy judging by how her normally sly expression had softened.

It cast its healing spell on Natsuki as well and she felt her troubles slowly melt away. She looked at the guitar enviously and wondered if she could play it as well as the other girl someday. She started when Tomoe spoke without missing a beat. "Wanna get high with me after this?"

Natsuki remembered how fantastic she felt last night and how the weed countered the pain with pleasure. She also remembered what it was that drove her to try it in the first place; the memories that haunted her, life's injustice, other people's ignorant cruelty. Even though she was sorely tempted to give in and take the easy way out, she knew that if she took this path it would destroy her. So she smiled at Tomoe and shook her head no.

---

If Miyu was capable of surprise, she would've jumped through the roof when she heard the loud BANG. Instead, she arched an eyebrow at her fellow nun who had furiously slammed the broom closet closed-- signaling the end of her cleaning duties. "Sister Nao... Are you alright?"

"Do I look alright to you?" Nao spat out venomously and stormed into the church's private chambers to change back into her regular clothes-- muttering all the way. "The bitch stood me up! Why the heck am I angry anyway??? It's not like she promised to be here. Damn Kuga bitch... What do I care?!"

"Please do not curse inside the church."

"Go screw a vacuum cleaner, dumbot!"

---

Footnotes:

Yeah... the chapter titles I'm using are original, oft-used quotes of mine. ) Just in case you're wondering... The song does not belong to me. And yep, you guessed it-- it's "New Pollution" by Beck. I like it old school, so shoot me. Oh, and when the guy said 'Defu-tonsu' he meant Deftones. You know Japanese and their Engrish. XD

Gee, it looks like Tomoe might end up becoming Natsuki's role model. I shudder in horror at the idea... But a plot is a plot. And please don't complain about Tomoe being slightly OOC. Remember, she's a devious one... She'll become the psycho bitch, we all know and love, eventually. Especially after she meets Shizuru!