Chapter 12

Kazana has lived factionless her entire life, having been found by the rebels who strive to live without the faction system she becomes their new secret weapon. The plan is clear, choose dauntless, pass initiation, infiltrate the system, but what can she do when a certain leader sees through her façade? AU No War, One year after Tris' initiation.

Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent, but I am a Dauntless Fighter on Quizup? So that has to count for something… right?

6 years prior to initiation

"Come back here Rat!" a young voice jeered as Kazana sped down another alley away from the Erudite headquarters, neatly trimmed trees faded in to the distance behind her as smooth paths became gravelly roads.

"Leave it Sam, she's not here" a timid voice spoke up, three boys and two girls all clad in rich blue uniforms were chasing after the fleeting figure.

"Not until she returns what she stole!" the boy, Sam, spat back. Pushing his glasses further up his nose he peered around another corner, squinting in to the darkness.

"Who cares? It's just crisps, and they weren't even yours! Come on, before we get in to trouble!" another girl with twin plaits tried to gesture back to the pathway but was dismissed.

"Someone needs to teach her a lesson and who better than us? Don't be such a wimp!" a different boy sneered and ran in to the shadows, the others all followed suit.

Kazana cursed herself internally as she backed in to a dead end at the far side of the alley, she had just wanted to come and retrieve her book, but hunger had gotten the better of her so she'd grabbed what food she saw and made a run for it.

"There you are!" Sam crowed, spotting the girl crouched in the corner. Shuffling away with the book hugged to her chest, Kazana saw as they approach that they couldn't have been older than her own ten years, but with a group of them surrounding her she had no chance of escape.

"What do you think we should do with her first?" the first girl asked, eyes glistening with keen excitement.

"Nothing."

The group who had now enclosed around her, whipped around to see who had spoken. Kazana watched anxiously as they stepped away from her slightly and she could now see another boy stood at the other end of the street, his entire body basked in light.

"I…we were just, we just wanted to…" Sam stuttered, he stumbled in to a side wall when the boy approached them calmly.

"You were just picking on a defenceless girl?" the boy supplied, his voice calm and derisive.

"She's just another Factionless Rat, and she was stealing!" one of the girls whimpered but shrunk under the boy's cold stare.

"I think it's best if all of you leave, before it slips out that you've all taken part in such ignorant behaviour."

Not a moment passed before the group were clambering out of the alley, tripping over each other in their attempt to leave.

Kazana stared up at her young saviour, his face was undetectable in the darkness but she couldn't help but find his voice familiar.

"Are you alright?" he asked, reaching out with one hand, unconcerned when her dirty palm clasped his own. Kazana was unable to voice her thanks, so she instead nodded furiously and then sprinted away without another word, deciding that she had risked enough that day.

The boy watched her go with a puzzled expression, he turned to leave but found his path obstructed by a hard object. Crouching down to inspect the solid item, he found it flex beneath his fingers. He brushed the dust from the top and stared at the cover in dismay.

'A History of Martial Arts.'

Present day

The sweet caress of the evening air on Kazana's face did little to cool her simmering fury as the train returned to the Dauntless compound. She replayed Evelyn's words over and over in her mind; angry tears of frustration burned the back of her eyes, as their conversation had been cut off too soon.

"I'm asking you to seduce him."

This had never been part of the plan, she was a fighter, and a damn good one at that, but what Evelyn was asking her to do went above and beyond her capabilities. Kazana could not shake the feeling that what had started out as an honorary mission, had now become nothing more than a dirty deal, in which she was reduced to a simple whore.

It was the exact reason she longed to change the system, too many nights she had spent on the streets watching as factionless women offered themselves, desperate and willing, to powerful men who took pleasure in exploiting their weaknesses.

"Well that was boring as hell," Vesper muttered, leaning against the wall beside Kaz with arms crossed behind her head. "If that's what I'll be expected to do day in, day out for the next 30 odd years then count me out!"

Turf scoffed, "You should be so lucky, you're looking at 20 years tops. Old Madge was thrown out yesterday."

Vesper's eyes popped open, "No Shit! Madge? Really? I could have sworn she had another 5 in her at least, that's screwed up." She nibbled a strand of violet hair thoughtfully before turning to Kazana with a smirk.

"So, care to tell me what you were up to this afternoon?"

Kaz felt her heartbeat quicken as she met her friend's sharp green eyes, "Wh..what?" she stammered.

"Don't act dumb, you know what" the girl winked and Kaz could only stare in response. Vesper rolled her eyes. "That guard? Sloane? I saw you guys talking from across the fence" she waggled her brows.

Kazana's stomach churned at the thought, she scowled at the taller girl. "It was nothing, besides, he's with Tori. Remember?" she struggled to keep her tone nonchalant.

"Didn't look like nothing from where I was standing, maybe you were too busy making eyes at Eric?" her smirk deepened.

"Excuse you?!" Kaz paled. Had she really been that obvious? Had Evelyn seen something she'd missed?

"Kidding!" Vesper chuckled, "Somehow I can't see Eric with any girl, he's too terrifying. Mind you, he does have a pretty smoking bod…and those eyes man…"

Kazana snorted, though the derisive sound was more to cover up the sound of her choking.

"Careful, you're starting to sound like greenie over there," she nodded her head towards the three dauntless born girls, giggling away in the corner of the cart. Vesper barked out a laugh, "Greenie, I like that, though maybe it'd suit you a little more" she leaned in with mirthful eyes "Amity."

Kazana shoved her shoulder, laughing along with the girl as the train approached their nearing stop. "Speaking of nicknames, do the Dauntless borns get to pick them too?"

Vesper shrugged, "Sure we do, Turf here would know all about that!" she grinned as the boy beside her flushed red.

"Shut it V" Turf warned, flinging himself through the open train door. The girls immediately followed, but Vesper began to pester her brother incessantly.

"Come on Turfomeister; tell Kazana your real name."

"Go jump in the chasm." Vesper clutched a perfectly manicured hand to her heart, feigning hurt. Kaz smiled lightly at the pair, though her mind continued to wonder, plagued with the thought of her next training session with Eric.

"Fine, be that way…Turmeric." Vesper grinned in triumph but gasped when her brother tackled her to the ground, they wrestled ferociously as other members began to crowd around and cheer.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO REPEAT THAT NAME!" Turf shouted.

"Oh Boohoo! Cry me a river!"

Kazana watched the display for a few moments more, her brow furrowed in concern as she debated whether or not to intervene. The fight was playful enough, but it had begun to attract too much attention as she glanced and saw Four and Tris approaching.

She stepped forward and used her thumb and forefinger to press into Turf's jugular, he yelped in pain and flew back, and Vesper tried to use his moment of weakness to throw a haphazard punch but was detained. Kazana gripped the girl's wrist and used her other hand to twist it down to the ground, causing Vesper to squeal.

"Alright! Alright! I'm done!" Vesper conceded and Kazana released her immediately just as Four and Tris came to stop beside them. Turf came slowly to a stand, rubbing his neck in circular motions. "Damn Amity, that's a tough grip you got there."

Four's eyebrows rose as he looked down at them all with arms crossed, suddenly looking a lot more menacing than Kazana had ever seen before. "I don't want to see you referring to each other by your old factions, you're all Dauntless now. That is unless I decide to deduct more points from you for wasting everyone's time."

Vesper and Turf caught on immediately, and scurried off in to the hall followed by the remaining onlookers. Kazana however, stood firmly in place and studied the two trainers before her. Tris glanced up at Four with a slight frown before turning to her.

"Something wrong, initiate?" she asked coolly, though Kazana did not miss the discomfort in her eyes.

"Why did you ask me to separate from the group today?" Kaz questioned, her jaw set resolutely as she stared at Four.

"I already told you. There was a lot more to see" he glared back at her, but his throat bobbed nervously and Kazana's temper only rose at his disregard.

"That's bullshit and you know it!" she spat, he stepped forward to reply, his eyes flashing in anger but was stilled as Tris placed a small hand on his arm. They shared a momentary look before pulling Kazana away from the throng of people and in to a small alcove.

"You should keep your voice down" Tris spoke soothingly, though it did nothing to calm her turmoil of emotions, anger at having been lied to, hurt that she was isolated from the only people she could call family, and crippling fear over Evelyn's parting words.

She could not deny to herself, the strong attraction she felt towards the cold Dauntless leader. But he was a monster, a representative of everything she yearned to fight against. Kazana felt a pang of guilt as she realized she had enjoyed the secretiveness of their encounters, the rare opportunity to taste the forbidden fruit without watchful eyes and talk of conflict.

"Why exactly should I do that?" Kaz bit out.

"You know why," Four sighed, leaning out to check for any curious ears.

"No, I don't think I do. You are going to have to be more specific."

She locked eyes with Tris, the two seemed to scrutinize each other for some time before the older girl nodded and looked away.

"We know why you're here…we've known for some time."

Kazana stared open mouthed at them for a moment in bafflement.

"If you've known then why…why am I here? What is the point? You even had the chance to become a leader!" Kaz jabbed a finger at Four, Edward had kept her well informed on the matter.

"Once maybe, but things have changed. I haven't had Max's trust for some time; we needed someone from the outside who could get more information."

"What makes you think I can get any more out of them than you can?" Kaz's mind whirred as she came to terms with the situation, what else had Evelyn lied about?

"All we know is what little is shared during the meetings with the leaders and other high ranking members. It's not enough, you can get vital details without being caught" Four explained, Kazana shuffled from one foot to another and glanced down at the ground.

"I've tried that already, they are just going to up security now and I'll have no way of accessing their plans."

Four and Tris' eyes widened in understanding as they remembered the interruption at the previous meeting, it was clear between them all that the Dauntless leaders would be a lot more cautious since the threat of a rat arose.

Kazana turned to leave, the gravity of the situation had become too much for her to bear, and she did want them to see her crumble from the weight of it. Tris' arm shot out and grabbed her before she could be seen; Kaz was surprised to see her own fears mirrored in the girl before her.

"I know this must be hard for you Kazana" Tris began, "I saw you, before you joined Dauntless, all those weeks ago, your hands were so cold…" her eyes shone with unshed tears.

"You're fighting for a better life, for yourself, for us all. I feel the same way, the system is corrupt, and it's only a matter of time before the cracks begin to show. They are planning something big Kaz, not just the Dauntless leaders, Erudite, maybe even Candor we don't really know" Tris' face crumpled as she struggled to speak, Four put an arm around her, and Kazana could see the affection is his eyes as he moved his thumb in circular motions over her waist.

"There's something we're missing, if you have any way of finding out more…" she tapered off, Kazana simply nodded.

"I'll do my best." She turned without another word, walking in an aimless direction as she dwelled on Tris' words.

These were two people she knew to be strong and confident, but they had seemed just at lost as she in that moment. It was clear to Kaz that if they suspected something dark was being planned amongst the hierarchy of the factions, then it most certainly was.

She came to her senses as the scent of raspberries hit her rather forcefully, she had wondered in to the salon. Sophie was stood in the far corner, brushing foils on to a young man's hair, her eyes lit up as she saw Kazana standing in the archway,

Sophie tucked a vivacious pink strand behind her ear and placed the brush down, slapping the guy on the back. "Give it an hour dude; I'll be back in a mo." She smiled and waltzed over to Kaz, "Hey there stranger, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Kazana scanned the bustling room calmly, taking care to scrutinize each photo that covered the walls as an idea began to form in her head. She turned back to Sophie, her eyes steeled in resolve.

"I need your help."

It proved difficult for Kaz not to tug anxiously at the form fitting top she now sported as she made her way to the training room for a third time that week. Living in the shadows had given her a sense of comfort and normality over the years but she could not deny the feeling of sly satisfaction that lingering eyes sparked in her, as she walked with her head held high through the stone halls.

They'd had little time, but Sophie managed to serve her well and she had come away with a few ensembles that could only aid her in the upcoming task. Kazana's thick textile trousers had been replaced with tight sleek pants that emphasized her growing curves; large crosses were stitched down both sides leaving a tantalizing amount of skin.

Wide black straps criss-crossed along her torso to form a unique top, it was made to be resilient during hard-core training but the flawless design hugged her lightly muscled form. Sophie had outdone herself; the outfit was eye-catching without being obvious, she had braided Kazana's hair in to a high ponytail and rimmed the girl's eyes with dark kohl giving the entire a smouldering effect.

Kazana knew better than to go about her plan with blind ignorance, any girl could alter her appearance, especially in a place like Dauntless. It would take a lot more than that to break Eric down, he was cold and wilful, simple charms would not be enough, it was with this thought that she slowed her pace and came to lean against the wall to the secret room.

Kaz sensed him before she saw him, that prickling sensation of awareness that only seemed to occur in his presence. Glancing up from the ground she saw him approach distractedly, pulling away shields of blackened armour from his arms and chest, a large helmet tucked under one arm.

He spared her not a single look as he strode towards the wall and pushed away the stone roughly, his typically aloof expression marred with a slight scowl. Kazana felt her stomach drop at the sight, he seemed completely disinterested and his dark mood punched holes in her faux confidence.

She scolded herself when following him in to the room as he rolled the door shut, for the traitorous coil of desire that his large imposing form stirred in her. His muscles flexed beneath his broad panelled jacket, tattooed blocks peaked out of the collar. Not a strip of skin was visible to her as she scanned his heavily clad form, and it made him seem all the more dangerous as a result.

"Today you'll be working on the bag, practicing techniques" he ordered, still facing away from her and peeling away dark gloves. "Start with some defence moves and we'll take-"

His grey eyes were on her then, an unreadable expression his face as he perused her toned figure. Kazana felt a heated blush creep up her neck but forced herself to appear calm as she met his intense gaze. Eric's position remained stoic as he drank in the sight of her, but before she could decipher his look, he had moved away. A lengthy distance now kept them apart as he leaned against a wall on the far side of the room, his body half concealed in shadows.

"We'll take it from there. Defence moves" his voice carried a gruffer tone than before. Kaz felt a mixture of irritation as he moved away, annoyance that he was so keen to avoid her and frustration that she had again lost her cool in the heat of the moment.

"As you wish" she shrugged, moving over to the punching bag where she jumped on the spot a few times, throwing light jabs to warm up. His eyes followed her every movement as her punches grew in intensity, arms immediately rising to form a protective stance. Kazana threw all of her vexation in to the blows; the bag trembled and flew back with every impact.

Still he did not move a muscle as he watched her work and she felt her patience grow thin. It occurred to her then that she had to change her tactics, this was a man who enjoyed the chase, and she had to tap in to more predatory instincts.

Halting her movements, she turned to him and leaned back on the bag, her clothes clung to her damp form as she panted slightly from the exertion.

"Eric?" she questioned, Kazana wrapped her arms around the bag behind her and tilted her head to meet his steely stare.

He did not answer; simply raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement and Kazana took this as encouragement to continue.

"I need your help" she stated, giving nothing away as he scrutinized her expression, his voice seemed a lot more formidable as it spoke from the darkened corner.

"You seemed to be getting along just fine, initiate."

"No I'm absolutely certain my technique has a lot left to be desired," she replied sweetly. He pushed off the wall but did not advance any further.

"Your body needs to face the bag side on, making the target smaller for your opponent."

"Like this?" Kazana turned again to the bag but stood stiffly to the side of it, her arms loose by her side. A muscle worked in Eric's jaw as he took another step forward.

"No. Don't keep everything locked, you need to relax" he grunted. Kazana allowed a small semblance of a smile to grace her features as he spoke the same words from the previous evening.

"I'm not sure I understand, you're going to have to show me."

"I think you're pretty capable," he answered and Kaz wanted to groan at his stubbornness.

"Please, Eric?" she was surprised at the huskiness of her tone, but it seemed to work as he came over to her in long slow strides. Gripping her hips roughly he turned her in to a more diagonal position, Kazana sucked in a sharp breath as his hands left warm imprints on her cool skin. He immediately took hold of her wrists and jerked them upwards in to a defensive position, she knew he was trying to keep every touch hard and impersonal but it only fuelled her determination.

She flinched at the contact, falling back in to his chest so his arms now encased her entire torso; she felt his grip tighten on her wrists. "Sorry!" Kazana feigned, moving forward to balance herself but was unable to escape his iron grasp.

"What is it you think you're doing initiate?" he growled, his hot breaths tickled the back of her ear as he spoke and she shuddered at the contact.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Eric," she whispered innocently, moving forward again and this time he released her though when she turned around Kazana was met with a fierce glare.

"You know exactly what I mean," he muttered dangerously, Kaz retreated back a step as he advanced by one. She was unable to conjure a reply as he examined her face, his hand shot out to grasp the thin black material that encased her torso.

"Did you wear this for me?" he asked harshly, a cruel smirk on his face.

"Don't flatter yourself," she spat back, though her face began to heat up as he backed her into the wall. She wondered how the roles had reversed so suddenly.

"I think you did. Strolling in here dressed like that and begging me to touch you," his lips came to rest by her ear, every word he spoke tinged with bitterness.

"Are you really that desperate to pass initiation? Or were you just looking for a quick fuck before you get kicked out?"

Kazana bristled in fury as she shoved him back forcefully, though her face burned in humiliation. "I'd never lower myself to that" she hissed, "You repulse me."

His eyes darkened as he blocked her in once more, Eric chuckled scathingly. "You didn't appear to have a problem last night; I seem to recall some very loud moans."

She felt her chest heave with the force of her furious breaths, unable to ignore a pang of hurt. He had cheapened their moments together with his crude words and in the process made her out to be a complete fool.

"If you think I'm interested in becoming a whore in your rotation then forget it, I can't stand you! You're cruel and twisted and prey upon the weak just to serve your own ego, you're not a man! You're a coward!

All mirth left his face at her words, and Kazana felt herself regretting the outburst as his eyes simmered with rage.

"You don't know a thing," he bit back threateningly, "what would you know of real men?"

Kazana laughed scornfully, "Oh I know plenty, and trust me you don't fit the agenda."

"Is that right? I suppose it all makes sense now, it seems someone has a taste for big bad Dauntless men. Is that why you were sidling up to Sloane this morning?" he spat.

Kazana's eyes widened at the accusation, the feeling of disgust returning to her full force as she remembered the older man's advances. "That's not…It's not…"

"I see the way he looks at you!"

"So what!" she cried, "It's none of your business! You've made it quite clear how you feel about me so if you don't mind, I'd like to cut this one short! Maybe I'll find a big bad dauntless man to satisfy my needs on the way out," Kazana hissed the last part and saw his scowl darken as she pushed past him.

She had just reached out to push at the wall before her when she was turned suddenly and slammed against it. His lips crashed down on hers with bruising force, Kazana felt his body pinned, hot and heavy against hers as she stood frozen in surprise. Her first instinct was to flee, to push him away and scream and fight for having the audacity to even touch her, but she found she could not as his intoxicating scent filled her senses.

Her mouth began to move on its own accord, their breaths fell against each other in longing pants as she strived to match his aggression. She buried her hands in his short hair and scraped her nails along his scalp, causing him to hiss and press her further in to the chilled stone. Eric ran his hands in rough strokes down to her thighs, gripping them tightly he hoisted her up with ease and Kazana took no time in wrapping her legs firmly around waist, delighting in the delicious friction that their new position afforded them.

Weeks of tension and pent up desire were released in to the kiss as Eric rolled his hips against the crux of her thighs, causing them both to moan. Kazana bit down harshly on his bottom lip, dragging it sensually along her teeth, Eric growled and fisted her long ponytail, jerking her head back slightly so he could lean in further and deepen the kiss.

He massaged his tongue against hers, dominating her mouth with bold strokes that had Kazana moaning against her will, she tried to take back control but found it impossible not to give in to the passionate sensations. Kazana tightened her legs and met the forceful roll of his hips with her own steady rhythm, he groaned in to her mouth, a raw masculine growl of desire that only heightened her own lust.

Eric pulled away to plant hot open mouthed kisses along the milky white skin of her jawline, moving down her neck and nipping the skin there. Kazana whimpered at the contact, it felt like she couldn't get close enough to him, she wanted his mouth everywhere; her body pulsed with an electric desire, a need to fulfil something she did not quite understand.

The hand that was not tightly entwined in her hair, gripped Kazana's waist possessively, his mouth returned to hers and their movements became all the more frantic. She could feel the evidence of his desire grinding hard against her and her heart raced with the thrum of anticipation, only a few thin layers separated them now.

Eric began to claw at the fabric of her top, his knuckles whitened as he pulled savagely at the material. Kazana felt her top constricting around her torso and knew it was only a matter of moments before he reduced it to nothing more than a few scraps on the floor but she could not bring herself to care. Only wanting to remove the barriers that kept her from feeling his heated skin, pulled taught over sinewy muscles, flush against her own.

"Eric?"

Their movements came to an immediate halt as the foreign sound filled the room, Kazana felt a surge of panic as she glanced around in search of the source. They both relaxed noticeably as their eyes fell on the walkie-talkie, lying haphazardly by his discarded gloves.

"Yo, Eric man you there? We got a little problem down in the landscape room, think you can check it out?" the young lad's voice was crackly and distorted but it was enough to pull them out of their lust induced haze.

He released his grip on her hair and her waist, just as Kazana removed her legs from around his solid torso; neither said a word but they were unable to look away from one another. Kazana noted his swollen lips and dishevelled hair; eyes darkened in desire, and had absolutely no doubt that she was the exact mirror image.

Fear and confusion began to dawn on her; he had not yet altered his expression to the cold disdain she knew was to come. So before Eric could say a single word, before it could truly hone in on them the severity of their actions, Kazana pushed the stone door aside, and fled.