Disclaimer: Still not mine.
Outside of the Dream
By: Starlight – x1
Chapter 2: Distant Thunder
Machika bent over Methuselah's manacle clad wrist, attempting to pick the lock with a slender piece of wire. As she worked she cast furtive glances at the unconscious man's face. But he didn't move, lying as still and quiet as he had since she'd dragged him here. "Not surprising when you have a sign land on your head. Idiot." Machika shook her head and gave the wire another impatient twist. Remembering exactly why a sign had landed on his head caused her stomach to twist up into unpleasant knots as she relived the terror freefalling multiple stories to the ground had caused.
"Damnit." Machika clenched her hands into fists to stop their shaking. She rarely ever cursed. Her grandfather had frowned on the practice, sternly warning her against speaking such words in his presence. But the word seemed to express all the fear and unexplainable emotion that roiled within her.
Her trembling finally eased and Machika drew in a long breath of air, expelling it in a steady sigh as she reached for the wire and began to work again on the manacles.
"I guess I should tell you my real name also. It's Rain Jewlett."
Rain. Machika's hands stopped moving as she stared at her sleeping prisoner. She whispered his name softly, trying it out again. "Rain." Before he had commenced his suicide dive with her as an unwilling partner he had thanked her for calling his name. "Six hundred years since someone last called him Rain." Machika couldn't quite wrap her mind around the unconscious admission of how old he really was.
Machika sighed. It seemed so long ago, years in fact, since this morning when she'd ventured out intent on slaying a monster in honor of her grandfather. But was he really a monster? The question popped unannounced into her head. Machika scowled, twisting the wire viciously. "He's my prey." She growled. The manacle popped open and she sat back pleased with herself, deliberately pushing all the questions and emotions to the back of her mind, refusing to think about them any longer.
"Now, what should I do with you?" Machika propped her hands on her hips and considered him. She could take his head but somehow it seemed impolite to kill him while he was sleeping. Besides, she doubted her grandfather would've ever stooped to something like that. Still, she didn't want to sit in here waiting for him to wake up, but if she didn't he would likely sneak away without her knowing and she'd have to go to the trouble of finding him again. She settled for tying one end of a long cord around his ankle and fastening the other end to her wrist. Finished she slipped out of the room and sat down outside drawing her knees to her chest. Closing her eyes she enjoyed the feeling of the sun on her skin.
She was awakened from a light doze by a tugging of the cord wrapped around her wrist. With a sigh she stood and stretched, yawning widely as she did so before looking into the room.
Rain was definitely awake. She watched as he gathered his things and prepared to depart via the window. Machika crossed her arms. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?" She watched as he slowly turned his head to look at her. Carefully he lifted one hand in what was meant to be a casual wave.
"Hello and goodbye." He attempted to escape through the window but was thwarted as Machika gave a strong yank on the cord tied around his ankle. Then, without giving him time to react she hustled him into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him, shoving a chair under the doorknob. "You stay in there. I'm going to sleep now. Something I haven't been able to do because you've been hogging the bed."
"Um," His voice sounded hesitant. "You won't be able to use the bathroom if I'm in here."
"Shut up." Machika could feel her ears start to burn. "I already told you. I'm going to sleep. Don't try to escape. I'll deal with you after I wake up."
"You can't kill me."
"Why does everybody think I can't be an assassin like my grandfather." Machika bristled. "I'm not a child."
"How old are you?" The question was slightly curious.
Machika smiled. "I'm fourteen." She announced proudly.
"You're the merest child born yesterday." There was no leniency in his voice.
"What?" Mchika could feel her temper rising to the bursting point. She couldn't ever recall having been so angry, so many times in one day. Rain seemed to know just how to irritate her. "Well, exactly how old are you?" She countered. Six hundred years, drifted through her mind.
"I'm six hundred twenty four years old." He said it in such a flat, uninterested tone that Machika blinked.
"No way." She finally managed to speak through her shock. "Nobody lives that long. You can't be human." She sucked in a deep breath and then fell back to sarcasm. "Must be a pain to count up your years. And your birthday cake, that's gotta look like an inferno what with all the candles. How many grandkids and great-grandkids come and help you celebrate?"
"I don't need to count my years. I don't really care since I'll be living forever."
The entirely careless way he spoke pierced Machika through the heart and she drew in a quick breath of air. Pain bubbled up inside her.
Stay with me Grandfather. Stay with me forever.
Nobody lives forever Machika.
"I hate you. Why do you have to live while he died? He should be alive, not you." Machika heard the words as though another person spoke them. She was more aware of the tears streaming down her face. She buried her face into her pillow and sobbed.
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Rain sat listening to the heartbroken sobs of the girl in the other room. He hadn't really heard the words she'd screamed at him. Instead he'd heard the cry of a child lost in a crowd of strangers, searching for a familiar face or hand to hold. Something stirred deep within him but he pushed it down, ignoring it. Instead he brought his memories of Zol to the forefront of his mind. With those memories firmly in place he began to speak.
"Machika, your grandfather was like a sword cutting through the wind." Rain closed his eyes. Bright blue eyes filled with the zest of life and determination. Zol had been more alive then most people he'd ever met. Zol had looked him squarely in the face and had eventually turned and left him.
You bear a burden I would never wish to carry. Whatever sin haunts you, may you soon find rest.
Rain shook his head at the words Zol had spoken as he'd left. The man had been very perceptive.
"Human lives pass me by, dying at a speed I can't keep up with." Rain heard the tinge of bitterness in his own voice. He stopped speaking.
There was a moment of silence.
"Rain? Are you lonely being constantly left behind? What's it like to be so lonely?" Machika paused but then he heard her add, almost to herself. "It must be an awful existence."
Rain let his head drop, resting his chin on his chest as he concentrated on not allowing the abundance of his memories overwhelm him.
The almost timid rap on the door brought a welcome interruption and he looked up as Machika opened the door and stood looking at him almost expectantly. He said the first thing that came into his mind to distract her from her question. "Do you need to pee?"
As expected her face flushed bright red. "No!" Then she looked down and bit her lower lip. "You can sleep on the bed." She offered. "I'll sleep in here."
"Why?" Rain searched her face.
She bit her lower lip again. "No reason." She finally mumbled.
Rain rose in one fluid motion and scooped her up before she could do anything. "Let's sleep together then." He announced cheerfully. He ignored her struggles and loud protestations as he deposited her on the bed and lay down next to her, closing his eyes and regulating his breathing. After a moment Machika realized he really only meant to sleep and stopped thumping him with her pillow. He felt her gently poke his cheek with one finger.
"He's asleep. I don't believe it."
He felt her flop down next to him. "Freak." She muttered as her body relaxed and she fell asleep. Rain allowed a small smile to curve his lips before he too fell asleep.
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How had she managed to get stuck in this situation? Machika cast a disgusted look behind her to where Rain sat, his coat trapped by the giant gears of the clock. Schroeder stood smirking by the controls.
"Listen Machika, that guy there is ours." Schroeder jerked a thumb to where Rain was tugging ineffectually at his coat. "Hand him over and I'll stop the clock."
"No way." Machika shook her head.
"Stop being so stubborn." Schroeder snapped. Then he took a deep breath. "Listen Machika, I got rid of Zol so I could pull in the bounties. Stop getting in the way."
"What?" Machika could barely breath. Schroeder's words had knocked the wind right out of her.
Schroeder took in her shocked expression and a grin slowly spread over his face. "That's right Machika. We killed Zol. Now get outta the way."
"You…" Machika could feel pain welling up from deep within. It hadn't been an accident. Her grandfather's death had been planned and executed by these monsters. She let out a scream of rage and rushed Schroeder. He was barely able to get his gun up in time to stop her scythe.
Schroeder grinned at her. "Yeah, I beat him." He grabbed her scythe firmly in one hand. "Listen, Methuselah's trail of crosses ends here. His is the last one. So step aside. If you don't I can add you to the mix for free."
Machika had stopped listening to what Schroeder said. She sensed movement behind her as one of Schroeder's men rushed her. Grandfather… She ducked under the blow meant to kill her and slammed her foot into the man's back, knocking him forward onto Schroeder. Silently she rose and reclaimed her scythe, standing over the two men like an avenging angel.
"Wait a minute Machika." Schroeder lifted one hand pleadingly. "Let's talk this over."
Grandfather… Machika raised her weapon.
"Machika,' Rain's soft voice halted her. "Zol only went after the bounty money." His words released her pain and it poured out of her in resounding sobs. Turning she flung herself into the arms of her first bounty and wept. She felt a hand rest gently on her back, rubbing her shoulder blade in gently soothing motions.
As her sobs dwindled Machika drew in a shaky breath and froze at the familiar scent clinging to Rain's coat. "Flowers." She lifted her head and looked up at the immortal man. "Rain, are you the one who put flowers on Grandfather's grave?"
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Rain stared down at the girl who peered up so intently at him. Once again he felt that forbidden stirring deep inside as something that had been dead for so long fluttered feebly, raising tiny sparks of pain as it did so. No. Trying to distract both of them Rain loosened his grip on the gear and let out howl of pain that seemed to both startle and distract Machika.
"Time for you to DIE."
Rain looked up and saw Schroeder aiming his gun at him.
"Nooo!" Machika moved quickly inserting herself between both men as Rain watched in shock. He couldn't let her die. He freed himself reaching out the pull Machika out of the way when the entire clock tower shook. Schroeder fell backwards shooting harmlessly up while letting out a howl of surprise. Rain's only thought as the area began to collapse was for Machika. He saw a piece of falling ceiling slam into her, knocking her unconscious. He scrambled over to her and caught her as she collapsed, cradling her gently in his arms until he reached safety.
As he stood in the dust, staring down at her pale face the thing inside him stirred again and this time it wouldn't stop. It kept stirring all through the fight with the Mayor. Stop, I don't want you to wake. What is this feeling deep inside me? This pain? What name do I give to this emotion?
Long dark hair and slender white legs running. Don't go too fast.. Brown eyes and a mischievous smile. Be careful, don't run too fast…
Rain let out a cry, a name wrenched from deep within him; shaken loose from the vaults of a memory long forgotten. "FREYA." With a heave he upended the tank, scattering the mayor and his cronies.
Afterwards he picked up Machika and walked away.
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A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews I really appreciate them. I'm going to be focusing on how Rain and Machika's relationship develops through the manga, so I probably won't be writing as much about the supporting characters as I would like. If I did this would probably turn out to be an extremely long story. Anyway, what do you think about the story so far? Good? Not so good? Opinions anyone?
