Chapter Three
Lifting the Burden
Kadaj leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest and studied his older brothers,
"So…what do we know?" he asked in his sultry voice.
"She works at The Angel's Wings four nights a week and two days." Loz replied, "When she works during the day she walks home and when she works during the night she rides a black and purple motorcycle."
"She lives on the outskirts of Edge, almost in the country, in a two story house with a woman named Tifa who is a bit older than her." Yazoo interjected, "I can't quite tell how old she is exactly, but she's young. Around your age Kadaj, or maybe a year or two younger."
Kadaj held up a hand for silence and began to ponder over how they would be able to get Raven to help them. Loz cleared his throat after a few minutes of silence,
"She's unhappy…and confused."
"How would you know?" Yazoo asked, raising one thin eyebrow.
"When I was at the restaurant…she acted happy and smiled…" The large man said, surprisingly soft, as he stared off into the distance, "…but in her eyes I could see a whole world of grief, pain, and confusion."
After a long time of silence Loz turned to find his two brothers staring at him, Kadaj gaping at him openly,
"Since when are you so sentimental??" He demanded. Loz scowled,
"Shut up! So I noticed something! Get over it!" He yelled. "I still say we just barge into her damn house and kidnap her…"
"No…" Yazoo reprimanded softly, "That would be bad. We need her to trust us and help us. Not hate us. Besides, I don't want her to turn her power on us in anger."
"She wouldn't do that." The two older men turned questioning eyes to their young brother and leader. "You aren't the only one who's been watching her and paying attention. I've never once seen or felt her use her power. I believe that is something that's upsetting her. All that pent up energy must be unbearable. I believe she doesn't want people to know how strong she is. If you were trying to live a regular life and had all that power in you, would you want people to know what you could do?"
The two silent men shook their heads.
"Exactly." Kadaj concluded, uncrossing his arms and leaning across the table, becoming even more serious, "Now, Yazoo is right. We can't just barge in and take her. She must trust us. What do you propose we do?"
"Seduce her." Yazoo said quietly after a few silent, thoughtful moments. Kadaj raised his eyebrows expectantly, causing the long-haired man to smile, "Well, all three of us are attractive, and she's very pretty. So it shouldn't be too difficult, especially if she's lost and confused."
"I'll do it." Loz said, grinning.
"No." his two brothers both said firmly at the same time.
"What?!" He exclaimed, "Why not??"
"Because. You're a lunk-head. You'd end up killing her, getting killed, or raping her." Kadaj said calmly. Loz gaped angrily at his youngest brother. He smirked at the large man,
"And I sure as hell am not going to do it. I can't be…sexy…or whatever." He turned to his other brother and added, "So that leaves you…think you're up to it?"
"Of course." He murmured, tilting his head and smiling.
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Raven's braid whipped against her back as she drove along the deserted rode. Dawn had come and passed a few hours ago and she was beginning to tire. The road that had once been straight now curved and twisted through valleys, over hills and around cliffs. She planned on stopping at the next valley for a nap.
Ten minutes later she slowed as the road cut between two cliffs. About half-way through the pass she stopped her bike and closed her eyes, letting her power flare out and travel over the surrounding land. There…she could feel someone on the other side of the pass. He was probably a mile past the exit of the pass and was alone. She frowned, but was curious, so she revved the engine and took off again to see what, and who, she would encounter.
As she left the pass Raven knew something had changed. She slowed to a stop again and closed her eyes, reaching out with her power. She felt him again and allowed her energy to wrap itself around him gently. She frowned. He was moving closer to her, very quickly. Probably running. He was tired and felt a little frightened. She opened her eyes and decided to ride on and meet this man to see what was going on.
As she rode closer to the man she began to hear gunshots. Confused, Raven sped up. 'I didn't sense anyone or anything else…' she thought, confused. As she turned quickly around a hill something leapt up at her. Grunting, she turned swiftly, skidding to the side and spinning all the way around before coming to a stop. Calmly, she revved the engine and spun around to face her assailant, relieved that Cloud had been the one to teach her how to maneuver a motorcycle and thankful that hers was styled almost exactly like his, which she had learned on.
Her attacker glared at her and growled. It was a strange, metallic looking creature about the size of a large tiger. It had a sharp angular face and muzzle, it's body was well muscled under what looked like armor. It snarled again, whipping its chain-like tail before leaping at her again. Time seemed to slow as Raven thought, needing to make a fast decision. She wouldn't be able to move or reach her weapon in time. The man was close but she couldn't tell if he was in sight or not. She could try to dodge, take a wound that she could heal later and then fight back…but that seemed pointless. She would have to risk using her power for just a few seconds.
All these thoughts whizzed through her head in the span of a second. Upon reaching a decision, Raven released a bit of her power. Her eyes momentarily flashed black as the monster leapt, about to land on her. It opened its mouth and extended its claws only to slam into an invisible wall that flickered black when it hit it. Howling, the creature fell back and limped away, growling at her. She quickly pushed her power back down as she felt the man approaching.
"Careful!" She heard him call from behind her in a honey-smooth voice. She ignored him and reached for her weapon that was hooked to her bike above her right leg. The monster leapt at her again but disappeared with a scream in a cloud of smoke as a glowing yellow bullet shot through it. She sat up straight and turned to the man to thank him but faltered upon seeing him as he approached.
He was absolutely beautiful. His shining silver hair fell mostly down his back, though some of it trickled over his shoulders. His angular bangs hung in his green eyes, which was surprisingly sexy. He was thin, though lean, for Raven could see his muscles through the tight leather outfit he wore. She couldn't tell if he wore a shirt under the black coat. She almost blushed at the thought of the extremely attractive man shirtless. He stopped at her side, gun still in hand,
"Are you all right?" He asked in a velvety voice.
"Yes, thank you." She said, smiling, then held out her hand, "I'm Raven."
"Yazoo." He replied smiling, taking her hand and surprising her by kissing the back of it. When he rose he was serious, "You should get out of here. There's danger."
"And leave you out here on your own?" Raven chuckled, raising an eyebrow, "I don't think so." They both turned towards the pass she had just exited as howls drifted towards them. Raven calmly took an extra pin out of her hair and twisted her braid up and around the back of her head, pinning it tightly,
"Get on." She commanded. Without question Yazoo swung up behind her, laying his right hand gently on her waist, his gun ready in his left. Raven unhooked a thick rod from a hanging area on the bike above her right thigh. Yazoo watched curiously as she gripped the rod, that was about two feet long, tightly. As she sped away from the pass she pushed a button on the grip, causing the ends to lengthen into a staff that thinned on each side as it approached the ends. She cursed and sped up as boiling shadows crept up next to the bike. Yazoo wrapped his arm a little tighter around her waist and began to shoot at the shadows as the monsters erupted from the ground.
Raven swerved out of the way of attacking monsters and pressed another button on her staff-like weapon and blades came out of the ends. She spun it at her side and turned the bike to move at a monster head on, slashing through it easily.
"Head towards that forest." Yazoo commanded calmly, his lips brushing against her ear, causing her to swerve a bit at the surprisingly close and intimate contact.
"Alright." She called back as she twirled her staff and took down three more monsters as Yazoo continued to fire upon the enemy. When Raven and Yazoo entered the dark forest the monsters stopped following. Yazoo put his gun back in its holster and wrapped both arms around her waist so he wouldn't be thrown off. The ride was rough because they were off-road, but thankfully Raven was an excellent driver.
A few minutes later they broke through the woods into a small clearing, where Raven screeched to a halt,
"Are you alright?" she asked over her shoulder.
"Yes, thanks to you." She could here the smile in his voice. He released her waist and dismounted. Raven followed, propping the bike on its kickstand.
Yazoo continued to watch her as she pushed a series of buttons on her staff, making it click and fall back into the small, two foot rod. She leaned over the bike and placed it back on its holder.
"Oh." She said, jumping a little when she turned and saw him studying her with his head cocked to one side, making him even more beautiful and mysterious than before. She fidgeted a little, "Um…what were you doing out there by yourself?"
Yazoo smiled and lowered his eyes.
Flashback
"H-hi!" The young girl asked, blushing as the beautiful man with long silver hair looked down on her, "Can I help you sir?"
Yazoo smiled back and leaned down a bit,
"Yes, I'm looking for my old friend, Raven. I know she works here and she isn't home. Might I speak with her?" Of course, Yazoo and his brothers knew that Raven had left. They had felt her leave, but not soon enough to follow. Now they weren't sure where to look. Kadaj was furious.
"Oh…she quit."
"She did!" Yazoo exclaimed, feigning shock, "Well, do you know where I could find her?"
The girl shook her head. He stood up straight, his smile fading and eyes turning cold. The girl shrank back,
"I'm sorry. She didn't say. I do know that she headed out of town that way." The frightened girl pointed out of town.
"Thank you." Yazoo nodded, voice hard. He turned and stalked out of the restaurant, pulling out his cell-phone as he walked. He pressed a button and listened as the phone rang. He scowled when he heard Kadaj's voicemail as he mounted his black and green motorcycle.
"Kadaj. A girl at the restaurant said that Raven headed east out of the city." He said after the beep. "We know she left early this morning and she's sort of headed towards our home. I'm going to take some short-cuts and intercept her. I'm going to summon some monsters to attack us so we'll fight together and then I'll work my magic, and I mean that both literally and figuratively. If you have any problems with that you'd better call me back quickly."
Yazoo snapped his phone closed and tucked it away as he sped out of town, a blur against the desolate land.
Flashback Ends
"I live near here." He answered, raising his eyes to meet her gaze, "I like to go for walks and rides. This time I wandered a bit too far and those creatures appeared out of nowhere and attacked. What are you doing out here?"
"I'm…just traveling." She sighed, looking off into the distance sadly, "I'm having a tough time right now. Needed to get away from everything so I left home. I'm going back eventually but…not just yet."
"Ah…" He said, flicking a finger behind his back.
Once again, Raven didn't sense the creature, but she heard it. She turned around, gasping as the monster ran towards her and jumped into the air. Quickly, Yazoo spun around in a circle, withdrawing his gun and firing immediately, not even stopping to aim. The monster howled and disappeared, enveloping Raven in black smoke. She coughed and fell to her knees. Yazoo rushed forward and placed a hand gently on her back,
"Raven, are you alright?" he asked, genuinely concerned.
Raven nodded, still coughing. The strange smoke was suffocating her, coating her lungs in ooze. Closing her eyes and hoping he wouldn't notice, Raven concentrated on her burning lungs, allowing her power to wash through them and push the foreign substances up her throat. She jerked away from Yazoo and ran away to the edge of the trees to throw up. She was extremely surprised when she felt Yazoo beside her, holding back the loose strands of her hair that had come out of her bound braid. She was touched.
"Thank you." She said as she stood up, grimacing. "You saved my life. I'm ah…sorry you had to see that."
"It's fine. I'm glad I was here to help." He said kindly, trying to hide his excitement. He had definitely felt her use her power.
Then, something neither of them expected happened. There was a loud crack as the upper half of an enormous tree fell towards them; Yazoo's powerful and magical bullet had sliced through the middle of it. Raven, who was tired and not thinking properly acted instinctively, thinking only to protect Yazoo and herself. She threw her hands up, glaring at the falling tree,
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" she screamed, her eyes flashing black. Yazoo gasped in awe as what looked like black light enveloped her hands and shot out of her extended palms towards the tree. As soon as her power touched the tree, it was surrounded in her black light. The falling tree stopped just a few inches above her hands. If Yazoo hadn't ducked it probably would have knocked him down. He looked away from the tree and into Raven's calm face. She lowered her arms, constantly watching the large tree as it moved away from them and then settled gently on the ground. She closed her eyes and lowered her arms, the black light disappearing from her hands and the tree. Yazoo gaped at her, impressed beyond words at what he had just witnessed and felt. The power surging from her had caused him to fall to his knees as she concentrated on lowering the tree. He was even more surprised when he saw tears slowly trickle down her cheeks.
"Raven!" he called out, leaping up and rushing to her side and gently taking her by her shoulders, "Raven, what's wrong—why are you crying?"
"I'm sorry…" she whispered, hanging her head.
"For what? Saving us?"
"I'm a-a freak…"
"Why do you say that?" he asked softly, taking her chin in his hand and gently lifting her head. Her eyes were still closed,
"You saw what I did." She murmured, "Nobody normal can do that."
"Well of course not." He said, chuckling. Her eyes flew open and she stared at him, horrified. He just smiled kindly,
"But that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you or that you're a freak. I am in awe of what you can do. I wanted to get to know you before your incredible display of power, but now I want to even more. You are impressive," he murmured, looking into her eyes intently as she slowly began to blush. He smiled, "and not to mention, extremely beautiful."
"Yazoo…" she studied his face, "You…really don't hate me or want me to leave?"
"No! Of course not!" he exclaimed, cupping her face in both hands, "Raven, you are an incredible woman worth knowing. Don't you ever let anyone tell you otherwise."
"Thank you." She whispered, this time tears of happiness falling. Yazoo smiled and gently wiped them away with his thumbs. He pulled her into a light hug,
"You must be tired. You should come rest in my home." He murmured into her hair. Raven thought for a while as he stroked her back. She was so tired and Yazoo's embrace felt so good. If he did, somehow, turn out to be a not-nice guy she could easily defend herself,
"Yes, please. Just tell me how to get there…" she trailed off, leaning heavily against him. She suddenly felt exhausted and a little queasy,
"I'll drive, if you don't mind." He whispered, gently swinging her up into his strong arms. She curled up automatically, content,
"That's fine." Raven whispered back as she felt him mount her motorcycle and ease her down onto her lap. She smiled, "Thank you."
"For what?" He asked as he revved the engine and drove off into the forest with one armed clutching her to his chest. She sighed happily, nestling closer to him,
"Listening. Accepting. Not caring." Her voice was almost inaudible, "My heart feels…lighter."
"It's no problem…really…" The silver haired man whispered down at the young woman in his arms as she drifted off to sleep.
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I like this chapter. I like this story. I hope you guys like it too. R&R please.
Kitsune
