Disclaimer: I do NOT own Zoids.
Disclaimer 2: Angel, Sarah, Ion and Lenne belong to me! Please do not use them without my permission!
Disclaimer 3: Caleb and Jayden belong to both me and ShadowRebirth37. Please do not use them without our permission!
Author's Note: Hey everyone! I'm glad to see that you all like this story! What awaits Angel at the Guardian Force base? You'll just have to read and find out!
We thank those of you that Reviewed!
† At the Guardian Force †
Morning soon came upon the Chen household. The five year old was still sleeping peacefully, as it was only four in the morning. However, Raven had to take him to the Guardian Force early so then he could get to his destination on time. Raven was up and dressed in about twenty minutes. It was evident he hadn't had a good night's sleep, but he couldn't let that distract him. Fully dressed in his pilot clothes and armor, Raven walked into his son's bedroom. "Angel, its time to get up..." he said gently, reaching over and roughing up his hair slightly to wake him.
"...mmmmm...dun wanna..." The toddler whined, sleepily.
Raven sighed quietly. "C'mon Angel, you need to go to Uncle Karl's..."
The toddler huffed unhappily but opened his eyes blearily. He rubbed at them slightly, not really 'awake' but he was up. Raven sighed quietly and picked his young son and dressed him in some romper clothes before picking his Geno plushy up. "...don't worry Squirt; I'll be home tomorrow morning..."
"...pwomise...?" The toddler asked half coherently.
Raven nodded. "I promise..." he reassured, rubbing his back gently to try and assure him.
The toddler fell back asleep in his dad's arms as Raven picked up his haphazardly packed bag. It was heavier than usual and when Raven opened it up he found out why. Angel had tried to pack his whole collection of Zoid models to play with while at the Guardian Force base.
Raven sighed loudly. "... jeez Angel..." he muttered, taking out a few of the models. He left his favorites in, knowing he'd throw a fit otherwise. Raven slung the bag over his free shoulder, shifting Angel in his arms. He knew he wouldn't stay awake long enough to eat, so instead he grabbed some snacks from the kitchen and had Shadow put them in the Breaker. After locking up the house Raven got into the red Zoid, still holding Angel and Miru. He strapped himself in and wrapped his son and his stuffed Geno in a blanket to keep them warm, before he started off towards the Guardian Force base.
It was around six in the morning when they reached the Guardian Force base. Angel was still sleeping, not having so much as twitched throughout the entire ride. Karl and some of the other Guardian Force members were already waiting for Raven and Angel to come, having gotten the message from Karl yesterday night that he would be watching the 'Dark One's' son today.
Raven stopped his Geno Breaker in front of the base, unlatching his harness and gathering up his son and his pack. He jumped out of the Breaker as Shadow unfused, landing without waking the toddler up. The young toddler only shifted slightly in his hold before settling down again. The Dark Pilot was greeted not only by Karl, and Moonbay but Fiona, and grudgingly, Irvine and Van.
Raven shifted the toddler and his pack so he was more comfortable. "Thanks for watching him, Karl..." he said quietly to the Colonel before looking at the other Guardian Force members. "... I thank you too..." he said, knowing they'd all help keep him safe from the other soldiers.
"Don't worry about it Raven. You just go on ahead and focus on your other job. I'll make sure that nothing happens to him." The blond Colonel replied, taking the sleeping toddler and his bag from Raven.
Raven nodded slightly, looking down at Angel. He ruffled up the toddler's hair, smiling slightly. "I'll be back tomorrow morning..." he said quietly, before turning and heading back towards his Geno Breaker, Shadow remaining with Angel.
Karl nodded, watching as the still young ex-maverick took off in one of the most feared Zoids on Zi. The Colonel turned to his fellow Guardian Force co-workers, addressing them. "There's nothing else out here for us to do. Let's go set him in the play room and let him wake up when he wants to."
The rest of the Guardian Force members followed Karl back inside. Irvine clearly wasn't very enthused by this. "Why do we have to watch Raven's kid? He's probably a little tyrant like he is..." he muttered. Moonbay huffed and smacked the back of his head. "Shut it Irvine! Just because you don't like Raven doesn't mean you have to be mean to his kid!" she snapped while Irvine rubbed the back of his head lightly.
Karl glared slightly when Irvine said that, stopping in the middle of the hall. He didn't take too kindly when he heard others, let alone one of the people that he trusted the most, said things about his surrogate nephew. "Please try to watch what you say Irvine. I know your dislike for Raven is still there, even after the seven years he's been apart of the Guardian Force, but there's no need to take out your dislike on an innocent child."
Irvine blinked. "Well, sir, I just didn't buy Raven's sudden willingness to help us after the Death Saurer. He's got to have some sort of ulterior motive. And why do we have to watch his kid? Where's his mom at, anyway? Shouldn't she been watchin' him?" he asked back, narrowing his eye slightly and crossing his arms.
Karl was still glaring at Irvine slightly. "Raven's 'ulterior motive' as you put it, was to live a free life with his wife, Sarah. It would seem that in order to get Raven's cooperation when Hiltz was still around was that he had kidnapped her and was using her to control Raven. And as for where she's at? She passed away three years ago due to a rare disease. I won't say any more than that, as that is Raven's business." The Colonel replied.
Irvine blinked, and looked away slightly after hearing that. "... oh..." he said quietly, not adding anything else. He'd lost his little sister to a rare virus, so he had no room to speak out.
Karl nodded slightly. "Now seeing as Raven has no one else to turn to, to watch him, I offered to do so. From there both Thomas and Moonbay and sometimes Fiona offer to watch him when Raven has to go work for his other job." The blond Colonel replied.
Irvine rolled his eye. "I bet he's off destroying military bases again..." Irvine whispered to Van, who nodded.
"Wouldn't surprise me..." He whispered back.
The small group eventually made it to the play room that was specially made for the children of the Guardian Force parents who both worked. There were three children already in there, looking like they had just woken up themselves. Caleb and Jayden were rubbing their eyes sleepily, both looking like they had just rolled out of bed, quite literally. Jayden was Van's oldest, being seven. He had his dad's spiky brown hair, but it was a bit shorter and he didn't have the pony tail either. His Zi marking was exactly like Van's, but instead of it being red it was a teal/green like Fiona's. Jayden also had Fiona's eye color, but it was a little more darker than her's. Caleb was Irvine and Moonbay's only son and he was going to turn eight soon. He had Moonbay's dark chocolate brown hair and the same markings on his face, but they weren't pink. They were more of a slate blue/purple color. His hair was short, like Irvine's, and he also had Irvine's eye color and attitude. Lenne was the only girl amongst the group and was Van and Fiona's younger daughter. She was around six. She had Van's chocolate brown hair and it was braided down her back. She had his exact Zi marking, right down to the color and his eyes also.
"... wha goin' on...?" Jayden asked through a sleepy yawn.
"We're watching over our co-worker's kid for today. So I expect all of you to be nice to him." Karl replied, making sure that they knew that he was serious.
Jayden yawned again. "...co-worker...?" he asked sleepily.
Caleb was still rubbing his eyes. "Who now...?"
Karl sighed. "Yes, one of our co-workers Jayden," The Colonel replied. He wasn't sure just how well the two would take the fact that it was Raven's son, but he knew that they would find out eventually. "And as for who's kid, it's Raven's son. I expect you to be nice to him." Karl said sternly.
Caleb and Jayden blinked. "Wait, you mean that mean guy who tried to kill my Daddy!" Jayden whined, looking at Angel almost in fear.
Caleb jumped up. "But his Daddy killed my Daddy's Command Wolf! Why's he here?"
Karl groaned. He knew that the two youngsters had heard their father's stories, but he hadn't expected it to be this bad. "Now you two listen here. Raven isn't a bad guy any more, and he never was, and his son hasn't done anything wrong. So you two better be nice to him, understand?"
Caleb sighed. "But he's probably mean!" he defended.
Jayden was still cowering behind a toy box. "...will he try and hurt me...?"
Karl sighed. "He's not mean and no Jayden, he won't try to hurt you."
Jayden peeked out. "...you sure...?"
Karl nodded. "I'm sure Jayden. I've known him since he was a year old." The Colonel replied as he set Angel's bag down.
Jayden and Caleb looked at Angel skeptically. He sure looked a lot like Raven... so to their young minds they concluded he probably acted like Raven.
Karl sighed again before trying to wake the still sleeping five year old. It took a little while, but he eventually got him to wake up. The toddler blinked a few times before rubbing his eyes sleepily. "...wha is it Uncl' Kawl...?" He asked.
"You're gonna have to spend the day with Jayden, Caleb and Lenne today..." Karl said, walking over and setting Angel gently on one of the small beds scattered throughout the room.
Angel blinked and looked up at him tiredly. "Yous gotta work todays...?"
Karl nodded. "Yeah, my Zaber Fang needs a little work..." he replied, patting the toddler's head. "Don't worry; Irvine will stay here to make sure you all play fair..."
The toddler blinked again. "...Daddy gone aweady...?"
Karl nodded. "Yeah, he tired to wake you up to say goodbye, but you were fast asleep..."
"...oh...okay... Where's Shadow?" Angel asked, not being able to see his Daddy's black Organoid anywhere.
Karl moved out of the way. "She's right there..." he said, pointing to the black Organoid behind him.
Angel's eyes seem to get brighter when he saw the familiar black Organoid. "Hey Shadow." The toddler said, getting up and petting the 'dangerous' black Organoid as if she was a kitten. Shadow purred loudly and licked him, wagging her tail happily. Needless to say, it was surprising to see such behavior from the 'dreaded' black Organoid.
Angel giggled when Shadow did that. He caught sight of Karl leaving through Shadow's 'affection attack'. "Bye Uncl' Kawl! See yous later!" Karl waved back to Angel before leaving. Irvine muttered a few curses before sitting heavily in a chair, his arms crossed as the other Guardian Force members filtered out of the room. Shadow stayed with Angel, purring at the attention she was receiving.
After the other Guardian Force members had filtered out did Angel notice that he was being stared at. It made him slightly uncomfortable, but he didn't hide behind Shadow or anything. He hadn't met any of the other kids, since Karl, Thomas or Moonbay usually came out to their house to watch him... Shadow glanced over at the three children and narrowed her eyes slightly, but kept herself from growling. She knew that would only cause problems. Angel looked up to Shadow before quietly telling her to go lie down. He knew that she was being protective of him, but he wasn't being hurt. Shadow whined slightly but curled up on the ground regardless. She kept a close eye on him, not wanting to take any chances.
The five year old looked back over to where Caleb, Jayden and Lenne were standing, watching him. There was an older man in one of the chairs, but he didn't really recognize him. Deciding to be the brave one he walked over to where they were, stopping when he was an arms length away. "Hi! I'm Angel! Who're yous guys?" He asked brightly, there wasn't a trace of the dark scowl that was usually on Raven's face.
Caleb and Jayden blinked when he did that, and again at his expression. "...uhh... I'm Jayden..." the spiky brown-haired boy replied.
The oldest boy didn't reply for a long minute. "... Caleb..."
The girl spoke up next, not as bothered by the 'Dark son of Raven' as she had heard some of the people call him. "I'm Lenne! It's nice to meet yous!" She said cheerfully.
The five year old nodded slightly when he heard their names before speaking up again. "Do yous wanna pway wif me?" He asked, not at all quiet like Raven was something that he had gotten from his mother no doubt.
Jayden and Caleb blinked. "No." Caleb answered immediately, going off to his dad to stay away from Raven's son.
Jayden blinked. "... uhh... why...?"
"Yous gotta have a weason to pway? I just wanna pway." Angel replied, not understanding why they were acting as if he had done something bad...
Jayden blinked. "Well...aren't yous evil...?" He asked, having heard his father call Raven evil on more than one occasion.
Angel tilted his head to the side slightly, looking confused. "I's not evil…" The toddler replied.
Jayden blinked again. "But, yous Daddy's evil! Raven's the evil pilot that tried to kill my daddy!"
Angel's eyes hardened slightly, a faint glimmer of tears in his eyes. "Daddy's not evil! Daddy was on'y fightin' to save Mommy!"
"But he tried killing my Daddy a lot! And my Mommy too! And Karl! And Thomas and Moonbay even!" Jayden protested.
"But Daddy's not evil... I knows dat Daddy's sowwy fo' what he dids... ...he get all quiet when Uncl' Kawl talks 'bout it..."
"But he still no gets along with my Daddy!" Jayden replied.
"Does your Daddy even wike my Daddy? Dat means dat your daddy no gets 'wong either!"
Jayden narrowed his eyes. "My Daddy at least tried bein' friends, but your Daddy didn't want to!"
"Den why yous no wanna pway wif me? Doesn't madder if our daddies don't wike each other..." Angel questioned, just having wanted to play with kids his age.
"Because he's your Daddy! You're gonna be just like him!" Jayden answered.
Angel blinked that statement hurting somewhat. Of course he wanted to grow up to be just like his Daddy. But, the way that Jayden had said it made it seem like it was a bad thing... ...It also sounded like he didn't want to play or be friends either... Jayden walked over to play with his sister instead. Shadow lifted her head when that happened getting up and walking over to the black-haired toddler, clutching Miru gently in her claws.
Angel took the plushy from her limply, just barely holding back tears. He didn't understand why the others didn't want to play with him... He hadn't done something bad had he...? He quietly retreated to one of the corners where Karl had set his things down and sat down beside it, clutching the Geno plushy to him as if his life depended on it. Today wasn't turning out to be very fun... Shadow followed him and growled quietly, licking him and curling up beside him. She didn't want him to be upset.
The five year old had to do his best to ignore the other kids playing. As much as he wanted to join them he knew that they wouldn't let him play with them. Just thinking about that made his heart hurt. And the adult that was in the room didn't seem to care about him either. He idly wondered if the man would even remember to give him snacks and lunch like the others... Shadow licked him and purred at him, trying to keep his mind off of what had just happened. She didn't need him drowning himself in guilt like his father.
Angel only calmed down a little bit. The rest of the morning passed in much the same manner. The other three children played and Angel was ignored and left to himself. It was now lunchtime, and, since he hadn't been given a snack in the morning, he was hungry. He timidly walked over to where Irvine was, still holding Miru to give him some sort of comfort.
Irvine glanced over at the tiny black-haired toddler. "... and whaddya want, kid?" he asked somewhat gruffly.
"...m'hungwy..." He replied quietly, but didn't back down from Irvine's gaze.
Irvine raised an eyebrow. "...whaddya want me to do about it?"
"...aren't yous s'pposed to be takin' cares of us?" He asked.
Irvine nodded. "Yeah, of them..." he said, pointing to the three other kids.
"...but...Uncl' Kawl asked yous to take care aww of us..."
Irvine raised an eyebrow. "What? Are you gonna make me get you something, kid?"
"Yous just gonna wet me goes hungwy den?" He asked back, eyes hardening slightly. There was one thing that only Raven and Karl knew. Sarah had a nasty temper and a way of making a person feel guilty by stating the cold, hard facts. Something it seemed her son had inherited.
Irvine's eye twitched. "Well, with that attitude I just might let you go hungry for a while..."
"Yous wasn't gonna gets me anyting anyways..." Angel pointed out.
"So?" Irvine said sarcastically. He wasn't in the mood to argue with Raven's son.
"Dat's negwect... Yous wouldn' negwect dem..."
Irvine growled. "Fine, what do you want to eat?"
"Can I has a gwilled cheese sammich pwease?" The black-haired toddler asked, holding the Geno plushy in front of him with both his hands.
Irvine sighed loudly. "I guess..." he muttered, getting up to get the black-haired toddler something to eat.
Angel hummed happily when he heard Irvine say that and leave. It may have taken a little time to persuade him, but he knew that this Irvine guy would get him something. If not for him, then to at least keep Karl from yelling at him for not giving him anything...
Irvine returned a few minutes later with the grilled cheese sandwich the black-haired toddler. "Here," he said gruffly, handing him the plate.
Angel took it from him. "Tank yous." He replied, before going to sit down at one of the kiddy tables that where in the room. He set Miru in the chair next to him before going to eat his lunch. Irvine merely scoffed before sitting back down in his chair. He kept an eye on his and Moonbay's son, Caleb, and ignored Angel for the moment.
The black-haired five year old ate his lunch peacefully. Though he wished that he could play with the others... Whenever the girl, Lenne, tried to come over to him, either Jayden or Caleb kept her from doing so. He really didn't understand why they didn't want to play with him... Irvine ignored Raven's son, not wanting anything to do with him. He kept a close eye on Van and Fiona's kids, Jayden and Lenne, mainly because Jayden took after his father way too much for his own good.
After Angel had finished his lunch, and thrown the paper plate away did he go back to where his packed bag was, making sure he had Miru with him. Just because the other kids didn't want to play with him, didn't mean that he couldn't play with his Zoids models. Maybe with Shadow if she didn't mind playing the 'Death Saurer'...like usual... Shadow lifted her head and yawned when she sense Angel walking back over to her, looking at the toddler and growling curiously. She wasn't sure what he was up to, but checked him out anyway to make sure he was alright.
"I'm fine Shadow. Do yous wanna pway wif me?" The toddler asked as he started to rummage in his bag for his favorite Zoid models. All of them had his name written on the bottom of their feet, just incase he ever lost them or accidently left them somewhere. Shadow blinked, but nodded and growled a yes. She got to her feet and stood over the toddler, watching him curiously.
Angel began pulling out a few models, most noticeably a Geno Breaker, a Blade Liger, a Lightning Saix, a DiBison and a Zaber Fang. He hadn't noticed that he had caught the eye of Jayden and Caleb when they took notice of him getting things out of his bag. "Wook it Shadow! Daddy 'membered to put da Saix in my bag dis time!" The toddler exclaimed, holding the Saix model up to Shadow. Usually when his dad packed his bag he 'forgot' to put in a few of his favorites...namely the Blade Liger and the Saix...
Shadow nodded and growled quietly, picking up the Geno Breaker toy in her jaws. Caleb looked over when he heard that, and Jayden, being as curious and nosy as his father, followed suit. "...did you say Saix?" Caleb asked.
Angel looked over to Caleb and Jayden when they came over to him. He nodded slightly. "...yeah..." He replied. "Daddy 'membered to pack it dis time..."
Caleb blinked. "Why do you have a Saix? That's my daddy's Zoid!" he asked, picking up the Saix model.
Angel was confused, but he answered anyways. "Uncl' Thomas got it fo' me fo' my birfday last year..." The toddler replied. Anything for his surrogate uncles immediately became part of his favorite toys, not that the Saix model wasn't cool in of itself.
"Thomas? Karl's brother?" Caleb asked, "... but... your daddy nearly killed Thomas!"
Angel blinked. "...but...Uncl' Thomas and Uncl' Kawl no mad at Daddy... Deys talk an'...an' get 'gether aww da time..."
Caleb scoffed. "Really? I don't believe it. I hear Thomas muttering about Raven nearly melting his DiBison every other day!"
"But I knows dat Uncl' Thomas isn't mad at Daddy any mores." Angel replied, not raising his voice like the other child was doing.
Caleb rolled his eyes and put the Saix model down carelessly. "Whatever..." He muttered, walking away from him.
Angel sighed quietly, looking down at the Lightning Saix model that Thomas had gotten for him for his birthday. He knew that Thomas didn't hate his Daddy any more. He had heard his Daddy apologize to Thomas the first time that his Uncl' Kawl had brought him along... The blond mechanics and the five year old got along great.
‡‡‡‡‡‡‡
Meanwhile several hundred miles away, Raven was preparing for his 'hunt'. He was wearing a black-grey cloak that covered his face, so people wouldn't recognize him. He had a red scarf around his neck for protection, not wanting to get bitten. He'd already spoken with the town's 'leader', and had been given permission to 'hunt' for the Rogue plaguing the town. Now all he had to do was find it. Carrying a silver dagger he headed towards the center of town to begin the search.
In another part of town, near the market place actually, was the so called 'Rogue' that Raven was looking for. He was strolling through the streets, a brown bag full of groceries in his arms. He had dark teal hair and eyes. His hair was short but parts of it framed his face slightly. He also had a black Zi marking on his face on his lower right cheek. It looked like a long fang and the tip stopped just below his right eye. His clothes consisted of simple black shorts and a tan tunic, so then he wouldn't stand out as much as he would have in his 'normal' clothing. He was heading toward the center of town, where he'd be able to reach the exit. Raven was still waiting in the center of town, leaning against the side of a building in the shade. He was idly twirling the razor-sharp silver dagger, waiting for the vampire to show himself to him. The 'young' vampire passed Raven, not knowing what he passing. He had done everything that he could to blend in with the humans, but he wouldn't be able to fool a trained 'hunter'.
Before the vampire got more than two feet past him, Raven reached out and grabbed him by the back of his shirt. "...where do you think you're going?" he asked in a monotone voice.
The 'young' vampire blinked, but answered anyways. "Home," He replied. He didn't want to make a scene, here in the middle of town.
Raven narrowed his eyes and didn't release the vampire's shirt. "Where did you just come from, vampire?" he asked seriously, tightening his grip on the young vampire's shirt.
"The market..." The vampire replied, silently indicating his bag of goods.
Raven narrowed his eyes slightly. "Oh really? How come the local priest contacted me saying you've been causing 'trouble'?" he asked smartly.
The 'young' vampire gave him a confused look. "I only got here this morning... I think you have me confused for another of my kind..."
Raven narrowed his eyes slightly. "And you expect me to believe you?"
"If I had anything to fear, don't you think that I would have tried to escape by now? It's obvious that you only go after Rogues, since you haven't killed me yet and you're still talking to me."
Raven narrowed his eyes and released the vampire's shirt. "Fine then, but there was a Rogue here very recently. Surely you'd be able to sense it...?"
"Mmm. He was here last night. His warped residue is still lingering... He's not in town, but I'm willing to bet that he'll be back again tonight."
Raven nodded and leaned back against the wall. "You better get out of town before tonight... if any of the villagers spot you after I deal with the Rogue; they'll call me back to take care of you..."
The 'young' vampire smiled slightly, his fangs just barely visible. "They will not notice me. Sometimes...humans can be such vain creatures and one can just waltz into town so long as they look cute...or hot as that seems to be the new phrase..." The vampire sighed, before starting on his way again. Raven sighed and shook his head, letting the vampire walk free. Sometimes it scared him just how clueless some humans were. He went back to twirling his dagger, keeping his eyes open for any sign of the Rouge.
‡‡‡‡‡‡
Mean while back at the base...
Angel had gotten out a few more of his models, ignoring the looks or 'glares' as one would call them, directed at him. "Okays Shadow, yous weady to pway?" The toddler asked after having set up all his models. Shadow nodded, setting down the Geno Breaker model she had been clutching in her jaws gently. She always had liked the Geno model best, for understandable reasons.
"Yous gonna pway da Death Sawer 'gain Shadow?" The toddler asked...even though that was what the black Organoid always played as. Not that she minded at all. Shadow nodded and growled quietly, standing up and stretching. She didn't mind being the Death Saurer, since if she used the models she was likely to break them.
The toddler smiled slightly before playing with his Zoid models and the so called 'dangerous' black Organoid. Since Shadow was the 'Death Saurer' she could...'decide' just which Zoids she 'destroyed'. But she knew which ones to avoid doing that too... The last time she had 'taken out' Karl's Zaber the toddler had pitched a fit so bad that it took an hour to calm him down and seeing that Karl was alright to make him stop crying.
Shadow growled 'threateningly' and stomped around, doing her best to impersonate the Death Saurer. She snatched up the Blade Liger and growled, wagging her tail.
"Oh noes! Ban is downed!" The toddler exclaimed, knowing all the pilots by heart. He sent the DiBison over to where Shadow had 'dropped' the Liger, before 'firing' at her with the little plastic missiles that the DiBison had. "Beek use Megawomax!" He said, imitating Thomas pretty well. This was something that he and Thomas would do often when he and Karl came over to visit.
Shadow backed up a few steps, faking getting hurt. "Grraahhh!" she growled, before glaring down at the DiBison. She raised her foot to smash it, but didn't do so, giving Angel a chance to do something. The toddler quickly moved the DiBison out of the way of being 'squashed'. He also moved the Blade Liger, discreetly of course, before Shadow could 'stomp' down on it. He then moved over to the Geno Breaker and fired its 'Charged Particle Cannon' and, for the first time, looking exactly like the Dark Pilot himself.
Shadow staggered backwards a few steps and made a noise like a gasp, as if she was surprised at being hit. She shook it off and growled, 'glaring' at the tiny Geno Breaker. The toddler made the Geno Breaker move out of 'harm's' way before using the Saix to fire some of it's missiles at Shadow, 'stalling' her while he got something else ready. Shadow turned and growled at the Saix, narrowing her eyes. She ducked down and picked it up gently in her mouth, making sure not to hurt it.
"Ahh! We gotta save Irbine!" This time he used Karl's Zaber to 'free' the Lightning Saix from Shadow's clutches. He wasn't paying attention to the others in the room, having too much fun playing with Shadow. Though, he would admit that it would be much more fun if the others would play with him.
Irvine glanced over when he heard his name. "What about me, kid?" he asked gruffly.
The toddler stopped in his games before looking over to Irvine. "...Gotta saves you from da Death Sawer!" He said, pointing to the Saix that was in Shadow's 'clutches'.
Irvine blinked before waving him off. "Whatever..." he mumbled, going back to watching Caleb and Van's two kids. Shadow growled loudly; bring Angel's attention back to the 'task at hand'.
Angel looked back to Shadow when she got his attention. He wasn't use to being ignored while being watched, and he didn't even understand just why exactly even some of the adults didn't like him... He pulled out of his thoughts when shadow nudged him again and he started to play again, but it wasn't with as much vigor this time around... Shadow growled quietly when she sensed that. Angel seemed to just be out-of-it. She set the Lightning Saix down, and to get his attention, gently picked up the Geno Breaker in her mouth.
It took Angel a moment to realize that Shadow had his Daddy's Zoid in her 'clutches'. "Nooo!" He cried out, reaching for it. He didn't feel like playing any more... Shadow blinked, but didn't give it back immediately. It was more out of her concern for his sudden change in demeanor than because she wanted to 'torture' the poor boy.
"Pwease give it back Shadow?" Angel asked, having been taught that you didn't get your way when you threw a fit. Shadow blinked and nodded, leaning down and giving him back the Geno Breaker toy. She didn't want him to get upset. Irvine, needless to say, was about floored when he saw that. Raven had never been one to 'ask' for anything, so he hadn't been expecting to see his son do that.
"Tank yous Shadow..." The toddler said quietly, holding the Geno Breaker model like it was a life line. He was trying really hard to not let things bother him, he really was, but no one said that it would be this hard... Shadow leaned down and licked him, purring. She didn't want him to feel bad, so she nuzzled his shoulder and purred again softly.
That calmed down Angel slightly, but not enough to put him in his good mood any more. He sat down on the floor before starting to put all of his toys away. While he was messy at home, he at least didn't have to worry about not finding something... Shadow helped him put everything away, not wanting him to get upset over him forgetting something. She purred and curled up, licking him again.
Once all of his toys had been put away did Angel get out a sketch pad and some crayons. His Daddy encouraged his drawing and coloring. And it was a great activity to do when you were being ignored... Shadow sat down heavily, watching him closely. She was worried about him, but kept quiet about it.
The small toddler continued his coloring. It was a little hard to tell what it was at the moment, but eventually it would become something. He wished that someone he knew would come in and check on them... Today was turning out to be not very fun... A few minutes later the door opened, and a very familiar Lieutenant entered the play room. He blinked upon spotting Angel. "Heya kiddo, when'd you get here?" Thomas asked.
Angel looked up when he heard Thomas. "Uncl' Thomas! I gotted here dis mornin'!" The toddler said before standing up and running to the Lieutenant and hugging him around the middle.
Thomas smiled and patted Angel's head. "Well, had Karl told me you arrived earlier I would've come to see you! Are you having fun?"
Angel looked up to him and was quiet before answering his question. "...n-no..." He replied quietly.
Thomas blinked. "You haven't?" he asked, "Well, would some time in the hanger with Beek and I cheer you up?"
"Yes! Cans I bwing my coworing book too?" He asked.
Thomas nodded. "Of course!" he said, picking the toddler up as Shadow gathered up his things.
Angel giggled slightly. He was glad that he was with someone more familiar now. "M'gwad dat yous came to see me Uncl' Thomas!"
Thomas smiled slightly. "Not a problem kiddo, now let's go have some fun..." he said, taking Angel out of the playroom and towards the Zoids hanger. Angel gladly let Thomas take him to the hanger. He wasn't sure just how much longer he would have been able to stay in the play room being ignored and treated like he had done something bad...
Thomas carried him to the Zoids hanger, where the DiBison and Zaber Fang were. He sat the toddler down when they arrived. "Well, want to play with the Zoids?"
Angel nodded. "Yes! I wanna pway wif da Zoids!" He replied happily.
Thomas chuckled. "Alright then, I'm sure Beek and Krieger won't mind..." he said, motioning to the DiBison and Karl's Zaber Fang.
The toddler ran over to where Beek was. "Hiya Beek! Did yous miss me?" Beek leaned down and snorted, wagging his stumpy tail. He made a noise like a coo- meaning he was happy to see him.
Angel giggled. "Missed yous too Beek! When is yous and Uncl' Thomas comin' to visit us 'gain?" Beek cooed back an answer. They were going to come and visit during the next week that Raven had off duty. Krieger looked over and purred loudly, lying down so he'd be at the toddler's level. Well... as close as he could be.
"Hi Kweiger! Is Uncl' Kawl done workin' on yous?" Angel asked, remembering what Karl had said when he left him in the play room. Krieger nodded and purred, showing the repaired bit of armor on his cheek. He wagged his bobbed-tail happily, purring even more loudly.
Angel giggled again. For the son of Raven, he sure liked Zoids... "Dat's good Kwegier. Wouldn't want yous to get hurted worse!"
Krieger purred loudly before leaning over and licking the toddler. For an old war-cat, he sure was gentle. That caused Angel to squeal in laughter. Krieger was the only one he really did this to, do he knew that it was because he was 'special'. He patted Krieger's nose, not minding all the looks he was getting.
Krieger's purr got louder, and using one of his massive paws, pushed the tiny toddler over in front of him before he continued licking him. If not for the fact that he was bristling with weaponry, a passerby wouldn't have been able to imagine him as a combat Zoid. The toddler was laughing even harder now, his gloomy and downcast mood practically vanishing because of Krieger, Beek and Thomas. Unfortunately, Van had seen the whole thing, and had wandered over to where Thomas was.
Van was dumbstruck with what he saw. "T-Thomas! W-what on Zi is Karl's Zaber doing?"
Thomas looked over to him. "He's happy to see Angel. He only does this with him." The blond replied.
Van rubbed his eyes. "Wait, that's Raven's kid he's doing that to!" he nearly screamed.
Thomas sighed. "Van, who cares that Angel's Raven's son? He's a good kid."
Van blinked. "But Thomas... he's Raven's son... he could end up like he turned out!" he whined.
Thomas groaned. "Van...He's five. And he does his namesake justice too. Not a mean or hateful bone in his body, and as for Raven? He's changed Van, whether or not you and the others see that is up to you."
Van groaned loudly. "... why on Zi would Raven even name his kid 'Angel'... it just isn't right, seeing the kind of guy he is..."
"Raven didn't name him. His wife did." Thomas replied curtly. He had only known Raven's late wife for two years, but they had become fast friends.
Van blinked. "Then why on Zi did she name him that!" he asked again.
Thomas sighed. "Because, he's their 'Angel', and she liked the name." The blond shrugged slightly, not understanding why Van was making such a big deal over his name.
"Their 'angel'? Please..." Van rolled his eyes, "... I honestly still have a hard time thinking Raven's capable of 'love' in the first place..." he muttered.
Thomas' eyes narrowed slightly. "Van, you best watch what you say. You're the one that's hurting someone, not Raven." The lieutenant said, looking over to the toddler that had caught Van's last few statements when he was been coming over to see them. There were shining, unshed tears in his eyes.
Van blinked when he saw that, but turned to Thomas. "...so? Irvine told me a few minutes ago he was playing 'Death Saurer' with Shadow, and had both his and my Zoids destroyed... that doesn't sound very 'innocent' to me..."
Thomas sighed. "I'm pretty sure that he had no say in which Zoids Shadow picked up. The last time we played she took Karl's Zoid and Raven's Zoid." He explained. Why couldn't Van see that it was just a game?
Van scoffed slightly. "... maybe he just doesn't like his dad..." he muttered to himself. "And I know you're thinking it's just a game, but think about when he gets older. Raven thought killing innocent people was just a game..."
"Van, with yours and just about everyone else's attitude toward him, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. And you know that Jayden and Caleb play the exact same games." Thomas said curtly.
Van rolled his eyes slightly. "So? 'Angel's' the one with the homicidal maverick for a father..." he argued. Hearing that finally started to make the five year old cry, his tears running down his face silently. He just couldn't understand why everyone was being so mean and hateful toward them...
Thomas looked over when he heard that. "Now look what you've done, Van..." he growled, before walking over to the young toddler and scooping him up gently. Krieger growled quietly, his ears laying back, sensing the toddler's distress.
Angel clung to Thomas' neck, quietly crying into his uniform. He was having an awful day; even though he was trying to be on his best behavior and make friends... ...well...at least he was behaving himself so then his Daddy would be proud of him. He didn't think that he'd be able to make friends here...
Thomas rubbed his back to try and calm him down. "It's okay Angel..." he tried to soothe. He wasn't exactly sure what to do, since he didn't have kids of his own.
The toddler calmed down slightly. "...Do yous got Miru?" He asked quietly through his tears and slight hiccupping. The plushy always made him feel so much better.
Thomas nodded and reached over, taking the Geno plushy Shadow had in her claws. "...yeah... Miru's right here..." He assured, handing him the plushy.
"...tank yous..." He said quietly, holding onto the plushy tightly that it was a wonder its stuffing hadn't come out yet. Thomas nodded, carrying the toddler over to Beek and sitting down, leaning against his hoof. He completely ignored Van, who was gawking at him like he was insane.
Van snapped out of his daze and went over where they were. "Thomas...just what're you doing exactly?"
Thomas looked up at him. "... what's it look like, genius?" he asked back a tad smartly.
Van glowered slightly. "You know what I mean Thomas. Just why you are...being so nice to him and sticking up for Raven? He did melt the top half of your DiBison off."
Thomas rolled his eyes. "You think I don't remember that? I was nearly on life support for that!" he snapped slightly, "... but Raven apologized for it almost immediately after the Death Saurer, and I forgave him."
Van blinked. "Why?"
Thomas sighed. "Because he meant it, that's why, and my brother trusted him so I decided to give him a second chance. That's the only thing he wanted, but no one would give it to him.
Van rolled his eyes slightly. "Yeah well, I still don't believe him."
Thomas narrowed his eyes slightly. "You need to grow up, Van, and stop acting like a stubborn child..."
Van huffed in annoyance but didn't say anything else on that note. "Can you tell me just why, exactly, he left his kid here?"
Thomas shrugged. "He had some important business to attend to in Rheeve Village..." he answered simply.
Van blinked. "Rheeve Village? But that's...over four hundred miles away from here!"
Thomas nodded. "Yeah... don't you remember his Geno Breaker is really fast? It covered that distance in a few hours..."
Van sighed. "I know that Thomas. I just don't understand just what his other 'job' is or why it involves him going to a place like Rheeve Village."
Thomas shrugged. "That's his business, not mine..." It never crossed Van's mind that Raven's son knew just what his other 'job' was. Not that he'd tell anyways. Daddy had told him to never talk about it with anyone except him and his Uncl' Kawl.
Thomas didn't say anything about that, still trying to calm Angel down. "It's alright Angel..." he said, making sure he had a good hold on Miru. The toddler nodded slightly, his head resting against the blonde's shoulder, his eyes slightly red. He still had a good hold of Miru, not wanting to lose the plushy.
Thomas ignored Van for the moment, trying to keep the tiny toddler calmed down. Karl eventually wandered into the hanger, and immediately knew something was up. He walked up behind Van. "What did you do this time, Flyheight...?"
Van jumped slightly and turned around to face Karl. "H-Hey Karl. Didn't hear ya come in." He replied, not answering his question.
Karl narrowed his eyes slightly. "...that didn't answer my question..." he said, before pointing at his brother and pseudo-nephew, "...what did you do? This time?"
"I didn't do anything Karl! Thomas and I were just talking was all."
Karl looked down at Angel before back up at Van. "Likely story..." he said.
"What? I can't help it that the kid's sensitive." Van defended.
Karl narrowed his eyes. "You were berating Raven again, weren't you, Van?"
"I wasn't berating him! Just stating the facts!"
"Yeah, well you're 'facts' are a bit crooked, Van..." Karl muttered before sitting down next to his brother to see Angel. "Everything alright, Angel?" he asked.
Angel nodded slightly. "...I'm okays Uncl' Kawl..." He replied quietly, drained from crying and trying not to cry from earlier. Van blinked. "Karl! Not you too!"
Karl nodded at Angel before glancing up at Van. "And what do you mean by that?"
"What I mean is, you've gotten taken in too on his whole 'innocent' act!"
Karl blinked. "What do you mean by that? Angel is just a kid, and not the 'monster' you think he is..."
Angel looked up to Karl when he said that before looking over to Van. "...yous tinks dat I'm a monster...?" He asked quietly.
Van blinked, but regained his composure. "Well your dad is." he answered coldly.
"My Daddy's not a monster!" The toddler defended, quite loudly which gained a lot of attention.
Van blinked. "Yes he is! He tried to kill me! Several times!" he defended, "He killed my Shield Liger!"
"Why yous g-gotta hold onto tings like dat? Just making everyting worser!"
Van rolled his eyes. "Well they're serious things! You're father is a murderer! I bet he's lied to you too! He probably told you I was worse than him!"
"Nu-uh! Daddy hasn't said anyting bads 'bout yous!" the toddler argued back.
Van blinked, not having expected that. "... w-what?"
"Why Daddy needs t'have someting wike dat when he's got a second chance?" The toddler asked, tears starting to spill from his eyes again.
Van blinked again. He was really starting to second guess himself. "B-but at Eveopolis, he said he was going to be the one to kill me! Yeah! So that means he's still evil!" he countered.
"If Daddy wanted to do dat den, den he would has by nows!" The toddler pointed out.
Van blinked again. "S-so? He could just be biding his time!"
"Daddy wouldn't do dat! He has me now! He won't weave me all 'wone!"
"Well he's doing that now, isn't he?" Van shot back.
"But I knows dat Daddy will come back fo' me!"
"You sure about that?" Van scoffed, "He's not exactly a 'family person' so I wouldn't be surprised if he left you..."
"Daddy wouldn' leave me! Daddy wuves me!" The toddler cried harder. This was turning out to be the one of the worst days of his young life.
Van nearly scoffed. "As I said earlier, I don't think he's capable of 'love'..."
"Why yous bein' so mean? My Daddy won't weave me and he wuves me!"
"Why am I being mean? You're dad is the meanest person on Zi! The only reason he hasn't been arrested is because he decided to try and 'help' us defeat the Death Saurer!"
"Daddy isn't mean! And he did help 'feat da Death Sawer!"
"Yeah, I know that! But that was probably because he only had his own selfish reasons..."
"Wike wanting to be wif Mommy? Is dat selfish?" The toddler asked.
Van blinked. "What do you mean by that? Raven had his own motives for helping, not because he wanted to 'help save the world'..."
"Yeah...Daddy wanted to save Mommy... Da bad man Hiwtz tooked her 'way... ...Made Daddy fight..." The toddler replied quietly.
Van blinked. "I never heard Hiltz say anything about Raven's wife, or Raven either!"
"If Daddy said anyting den Hiwtz woulda killed her... ...Mommy was all dat Daddy had after yous blowed up his Geno Suawer da first time."
Van narrowed his eyes. "...but, what about Reese? And what do you mean by that? They couldn't have known each other back that far!"
Angel blinked. "Auntie Weese? She comes and visits sometimes." The toddler replied. "An' Daddy met Mommy after yous blowed up da Geno Sawer... Mommy tooked care of him and made him aww bedder!"
Van blinked. "...whatever..." he muttered, before turning and walking off. It was clear he was still somewhat touchy on the subject of his 'former' rival.
Angel looked up to Karl. "Why he no beweives me?"
Karl sighed. "He's just stubborn is all..." he tried to reassure, ruffling up his hair slightly.
The toddler smiled slightly when Karl did that. "Does he no wike me...?" He asked quietly.
Karl sighed loudly. "... I'm not sure, Angel..." he admitted, "... but, its more his past conflicts with your father than you..."
"...But...Cayweb and Jayden no wike me...'cuz of Daddy..." The toddler said quietly.
Karl sighed quietly. "... I'm sorry... I'm afraid I just can't change people's views..."
"I knows Uncl' Kawl... ...but it hurts..."
Karl patted the toddler's head, since Thomas was still holding him. "I know Angel... I know..."
"When's Daddy picking me up?" He asked, hoping that it was soon.
"Tomorrow morning, if all goes well at his second 'job'..." Karl replied.
"...'Mowwo morning? ...But dat's so far 'way!"
Karl sighed. "...if its that big of a deal, I could take you home and stay there with you..." he offered.
Angel shook his head 'no'. "No...Daddy wanted me stays here... Dun wanna dis'point him."
Karl sighed more loudly. "But he'd also be disappointed if you were miserable..." he pointed out.
"But! Dun wanna have dem make fun of Daddy! Dey will if I's go home!" The toddler started to cry again, knowing that it would more than likely be true.
Karl took the toddler from his brother and tried to calm him down. "No they won't... Thomas will make sure of it..." he tried to reassure.
"...Pwomise...?" Angel asked quietly.
Karl and Thomas nodded. "I promise kiddo..." Thomas assured, "... I'll give anyone who talks bad about Raven a piece of my mind..." he said, smirking slightly.
Angel blinked. "Weally?" He asked again, just wanting to make sure.
Thomas nodded, "... promise..." he assured.
"...okays... ...I wanna go home Uncl' Kawl... ...it no fun here and jus' 'bout everyone is mean..."
Karl nodded and got to his feet, still holding the tiny toddler. "Alright then... I'll call your father and tell him what's happened once we get you home..." he said, having Thomas gather up his bag. Angel nodded slightly into Karl's shoulder, glad to be going home. He wasn't sure just how much more he could take of being ignored, not fed, and treated as if he had done something wrong...
Karl had Thomas put everything into his Zaber before getting in himself. His Zaber only had one seat, so he kept Angel in his lap. He said goodbye to Thomas before Shadow fused to the Zaber, so it'd cover the distance faster. Angel was quiet throughout the entire ride back to his house. Karl had wondered if he had fallen asleep but that wasn't the case. However, when the toddler spotted their house did his eyes brighten a little.
Karl glanced down at him. He patted his head and sighed quietly. "How about I make dinner and then we can play with Shadow before bed, okay?" he offered, not wanting him to seem so depressed. He seemed to get that from his father.
Angel looked up at Karl. "...okay..." He replied quietly. He just wanted to forget this horrible day... The person that had been watching the Chen household smirked slightly when they saw that it was only the toddler and Karl. This would be perfect. The only thing that could be seen as a problem was Shadow. But...there was a way to distract her long enough...
Author's Note: Poor Angel… :( His day at the Guardian Force didn't turn out so well… Hopefully things will get better for him. Please Review! They make my day! :)