Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks or any of its characters. I do, however, own my own character and plots.

Chapter 24

The storm only became stronger. As I turned toward Farida, lightning flashed, and the thunder followed after a long pause, as if hit with a case of stage fright, hesitant, but doing an even greater job than expected. The door hadn't closed behind Farida, as she was still too close to it, and the backdrop of pouring rain behind her emphasized her arrival all the more dark and disquieting.

I knew someone was following—or at least watching me from afar— as I made my way here. I just didn't know it was her, or that I'd have to confront her so soon. I grimaced, but I covered it up quickly.

"Sorry, Farida," I started lightheartedly, trying to smile sincerely. "It's just... you surprised me."

She scoffed, her own smile scornful. She took a step forward, and the doors swept closed, diminishing the rain into a muffled rush. She looked just as she had on Saharr, only wet. The rain dripped ad trailed the curves of her high cheekbones, jaws and neck, struggling to continue after collecting at her collarbone. I didn't have that much of a mind or time to take her in on Saharr, but now I realized how much she'd grown. Not only well, but so beautifully. She would have looked just like her, if she hadn't smiled so bitterly, so contemptuously. I found myself marvelling at her. The sword empty of any crystal still hung at her right hip, useless. I wanted to ask her why she had it, as it was out of her nature to hold onto something unusable. The spade of her tail scraped the tile floor for a second as it twitched. It had been sharpened.

She considered me with a look I often felt indignant under. "I was summoned back to the Sky Knight Council. I can't finish the rest of my training, so I'm stuck here." Her tongue slipped out, then in, indifferent. "I'm just as disappointed as you are."

"I'm... I'm not disappointed. I just—" I stopped when she drew her sword. What did she hope to do with it? As it was, it wouldn't have been able to cut through anything. I watched her, half-curious, half-concerned, as she pointed it at me. My heart started to sink as I noticed her teeth and tail starting to shine violet... before I had caught on, her weapon burst ablaze. I felt the humans behind me step away in shock. I blinked suddenly, flinching from the light, astonished. What was this? She was using herself...?

"Then come on!" she shouted at me, baring her glowing teeth in dark excitement. "Welcome me! Humour me!"

She charged at me. Damnit, not here! I took several steps back, inserting myself between Luchas and Seth, and I simultaneously shoved them away from Farida's path. Gertry was safe where she was, behind her high-barrier desk, but she rolled backwards in alarm. The letter from my uncle slipped from my fingers to be tread underfoot. Farida swung at me, and I narrowly escaped the blade. I felt the heat of it as it passed and heard the dark hum of an activated crystal, and as her attack ended, it only launched itself into a new one. She kept advancing, and I kept withdrawing.

"Farida, stop!" I ordered. "Not here! I don't have time for this!"

"I'm making time for you!" she responded aggressively, swinging again.

She definitely improved; the training of her program paid off. I could see how precise and focussed she was, as well as physically capable. Her mind and body had perfect control. That was my greatest disadvantage... I was nowhere nearly as skilled, and I didn't have the will to fight. I kept on the defensive and refused to hit her myself. I hated being thrown into battle with no true purpose! And I couldn't hit her because... because...

She would have nearly sliced my face if I hadn't moved away as quickly. I saw my first opportunity, and I swiftly moved forward, grasping her weapon hand in my Claw. Our dominant hands were stationed; her left and my right. I grabbed her other hand to keep it just as useless. Subduing a Raptor was much harder than subduing a human, so I only managed to maintain a balance of power, only for enough time for another attempt at reason.

"Can't we talk like civil people?" I beseeched her. "Do you have to fight me each time we see each other?"

From the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of neon-purple. The spade of her tail shot toward my underside, like a viper's fangs, a scorpion's needle. I jumped back, sucking in my gut to evade the bony tip of it. Unfortunately, in dodging the tail while holding onto her hands, my face leaned in, close for her to strike me. She delivered a skull-splitting headbutt, catching me as I angled my face and colliding into just above my left cheekbone. Black dots stole across my vision, and —dazed— my grip on her hands loosened. She knocked me back and commenced her next series of attack. I could only retreat. This time, barely.

"What's the matter?" she crowed. "You haven't changed that much, have you?"

She already herded me around the room in a circle once, or was it twice? I had to knock chairs out of my way to get away. I saw Luchas, Seth and Gertry rooted in place, watching in helplessness. I was mortified that they had to witness this. Should I have gone out the door? Would Farida have followed me then?

As she kept her full attention on me, she reached with her tail to a trolley of trays. Who left it there? She coiled a hold on the bottom tray and pulled, bringing all of it crashing down in my direction. I evaded them as they clattered harshly on the ground. I kept pulling back, with no offensive intent of my own until:

"At least your father knew how to fight! Not that it stopped him from dying, though. He was far too weak!"

Something came over me then. Almost like instinct, but it blinded me from rationality. My right hand, which I wanted to refrain from using in any of this, swung out and beat her sword away, brutally. The power and shock of it had her double back, and I took several steps back myself, creating distance. Her weapon was crying... the hum of it was shrill now, growing in crescendo, then subsiding, diminuendo. Similarly, my hand was crying too, and my other hand reached for it as if protecting a child. The cries were silent to all others but myself, who felt my tendons throb and burn and heard my blood rush in my ears. It was deafening. I did my best to hide the pain. I searched Farida's face, to look for some submission now. I've had enough, I had told her. Instead of bowing to my will, she only grew interested, cocking her brow.

"Oh?" she purred. "You're activated... did I strike a nerve?"

She was right... on more accounts than one. I clenched my jaw. She knew she caught me, and she looked proud of herself.

"So you want to fight me now."

"No," I answered coldly. She was wrong there. "I don't want to fight you. I never wanted to."

"Your dad would not be impressed."

A heated rage washed over me like the rain had outside. "What do you know, Farida?" I growled acidly. I had no control over my tongue then. I saw her nostrils flare in challenge, and I continued: "I know that my father was anything but a weakling. At least I remember him a little. You? You weren't even hatched to ever set eyes on yours! And believe me, you weren't missing out much!"

I don't know why I chose to say that. It was childish, to hope that she cared as much about her parents as I did. It was even more childish to hope she would get angry. She never took interest in that. This time however, I thought I trod on something delicate. Perhaps I insulted her by saying that her lineage was pathetic, which I didn't mean to say.

"What did you say?" Her voice was very low.

"You're just like him. Always waking up to the morning, only to search for a fight. For what?" The pain of my right hand clouded my mind, handicapped my wisdom. I never felt scorn for her father, and now I was spouting things I didn't mean. "My father died to preserve his People. Yours got killed to condemn it. He murdered a Cyclonian on the field, and dragged the rest of us down with him for his penalty. Only you and I stand here! Now tell me, is that something to be proud of?"

The kind of sound she made then, no human could mimic such a thing. She uttered a dark, hostile call, more menacing than any rage-filled roar you could name. Her face contorted, her jaws opened, not wide, and her tongue posed, only flickering slightly. The spines of her crown rippled a little, causing the webbing to tremble like a wave down to the back of her neck. She dove for me again.

I finally realized what little good my point made. My immediate need for satisfaction did nothing. And yet, my anger could not disappear. It found a new target, and that was myself, my body... as I beat Farida's sword aside with my right hand, staying on the defensive, I couldn't calm the crystal in my veins. The pain of my Dragon's Claw spread like hot magma, up to my shoulder, and I feared it would cause a major meltdown, or spread further... pain and anger did not help me here. A weak mind and heart had no place on the battlefield.

One last strike to her sword, and a tremor of agony shot through my arm. I cried out, hissing. I writhed as it triggered a shocking current, passing through my muscles. Purple, electric tails exited and entered my flesh in those few seconds, like serpents.

Enough. This is enough. I can't fight. I have to leave. Farida will kill me. I have to run. Run.

I jumped back, holding onto my crippled arm, as her weapon plunged where I once was, leaving an ugly mark on the marble. Sparks licked around the stain hungrily. When I landed though, I slipped on one of the many fallen trays from before. My momentum had it slip from under me, suspending my body horizontal. I landed, hard, on the scattered steel.

I was disoriented, and the world spun around me sporadically. I heard my name being called, Mrs. Gertry screaming. Farida's form stepped over me, and both hands grasped her sword well above her head, the point aimed down at me. Her teeth bore themselves maliciously, and I came back to my senses. My body protested against moving, battle-weary, but I had to fight it if I wanted to survive.

She wasted no time in her finishing blow, so neither did I. My tail stretched from beneath me, latched onto the handle of a tray nearby, then launched it toward my head. It made it in front and over me like a paper shield, seconds before Farida pierced it. Even then, it went through it fully, right to the hilt, and I had to move my head to remain alive. The tip stabbed into the ground, slivers from my face. As Farida pulled it out of the ground, I felt the tray follow. I seized the other handle of the tray, and before Farida could free herself, I twisted her weapon out of her grip, sending it well away from us powerfully. The sword's light went out like a snuffed candle, and the humans yelped as it crashed, spiralling into their assembly.

Farida's attention followed her weapon with her eyes as if it was the only thing that mattered. It was time for the tables to turn!

I slipped both my legs from under her, spread them wide, and midst twisting my body collapsed them upon her like broken scissors, whose blades passed by one another instead of meeting. The right leg took out her legs from behind her; the left sent her tumbling over them. I felt her struggle to stay upright, but it was a battle quickly lost. She fell onto her back, but I knew she would be quick to rise. I took my left leg back and dug it under her, then used her as leverage to get to my feet. I got on top of her, grabbing her wrists as she tried to pummel me off. I took a greater precaution as well, and I searched out her tail with my own. I coiled it tightly around hers, rendering it immobile. She growled at me, trying to bite me, but as soon as I pinned both of her wrists with my left hand and right knee, I held my Claw deadly-close to her throat. It still hurt terribly and it was only going to get worse, but now the battle was done!

She stopped struggling, but not because she was giving up. Not yet. Her maw had opened, as if she was going to mutter another grave hiss, but no... electricity had lit up between her top and bottom teeth, and a small portion of light gathered in the centre, like a star caught in a jagged, broken cage. It pulsed, got a little bigger...

I was captivated, concerned, and confused... what else did Farida have up her sleeve? I didn't know what to do. Whatever it was she was doing, I was curious to see what it was, even if it may have jeopardized my life or victory.

But she didn't do it. The sparks stopped, the star disappeared... her mouth closed and she glared at me, breathing heavily. We and everything else were still.

"When did you learn to cheat like that?" she asked me.

I could've laughed out loud, if I wasn't physically tortured by my body's make-up. Even though she just tried to kill me, I knew that she wasn't going to be hell-bent on doing that, now that the fight was over. She wasn't known to be deceptive... she was blunt with her actions and reasons, nothing in-depth. That's why she hardly wore the Cloaking crystal she was given.

I considered her question, and blew a gust of air through my nose. It was just like her to say that, after a fight like that. To her, it was nothing but a game. I stepped off of her and created some distance between us. As she got up, I put my right hand behind my back in hopes of forgetting it. I replied honestly, shrugging, and glad the fight was over... for now.

"I've seen enough fights to know there's no such thing as nobility there."

A Raptor fight wasn't usually so clean, but there was still someone to suffer the most wounds. Repton had heard Nakoto cry out, and with her great endurance of pain, whatever it was hurting her was far worse than normal. The energy that course out of her flesh like that was also clearly not normal... He couldn't deny that the shrill whimper of her Raptor voice made him uneasy. He watched her even more closely during the last stretch of the battle, and he could see the pain and desperation on her face. When she fell, and was nearly skewered, he noticed he had stopped breathing. He breathed in deeply when the fight was over. That was a very clever, Nakoto... he found himself thinking. Good-thinking.

During the whole fight, the humans panicked. The dark-skinned doctor watched it intensely, took steps forward, cursed, then retraced his steps. He was trying to build resolve to intercept, but it broke when he saw how extremely Raptors fought, more severe than any human's fight. It didn't matter if it was one-sided. He'd have been ripped apart in the middle —or in this, stabbed or slit open by Farida—, so it was wise he stayed out of it. Gertry had retreated behind her desk and picked up a phone. She was talking rapidly into it, flickering her eyes up to keep tabs on the raging Raptors in her work area. During that time, no doctors came out from below. Luchas stood very still... he was a good camera-man.

Cyclonis had looked at Repton and smiled darkly as the battle ended.

"Intriguing, wasn't it?" She folded her fingers at her abdomen, bringing her eyes back to the Eye. "They didn't show off much of their capabilities, but they are obviously more powerful than you and your kinsmen. Now we'll just see what happens when one goes too far."

Normally Repton would've taken offence to Cyclonis' comment on his race, but the last sentence took most of his attention. "What are you talking about?"

"Observe how hoarsely Beta breathes... how broken her composure looks. I'm sure you've noticed?"

Yes, he did. Whatever happened to Nakoto was serious, and she wasn't recovering quickly. She tried to hide it as Farida rose, straightening her back and shoulders, but the act was on the brink of crumbling. Her back was to the humans and the Eye, so they could obviously watch as she put her deformed hand there. Her fingers twitched tensely, more often than what was natural. The light and energy slowly disappeared from her Claws, but the twitching persisted. She took in a large shaky breath and tried to regulate her body. Farida, once on her feet, noticed all of this, and she patted her pants down while saying;

"You're spending too much time with humans. That scuffle really took so much out of you?"

"I'm just feeling under the weather," Nakoto replied. Her voice was very strained. Her right hand clenched and unclenched behind her as she grunted breathlessly, "It has nothing to do with how or with whom I spend my time."

"I don't know..." Farida drawled skeptically. "You were doing very badly against me, that's one. Then, there's not an ounce of will-power in you. Who's ever heard of a Raptor who backs down from a chance to prove their might?" She shook her head, then threw her hand up dismissively in Nakoto's direction. "And don't get me started on your getup. Since when have we ever needed shirts? Oh, I know... since you started feeling self-conscious in human company. All this, because of them." She glared pointedly at the collection of Seth, Luchas, and Gertry.

"I don't think this has much relevance to anything," Nakoto observed wearily. As she turned around and looked at the floor about her, her feet shifted to keep her steady. She blinked more often, as if dispelling monsters from her sight. "Look at this... before I talk with you, I have to clean this up."

She started slow, as if afraid of breaking some bone by accident, but soon, feeling confident, quickened. She assembled the trays in a small amount of time, using her left hand and tail. She avoided using her right hand, and when it came to picking up and carrying the batch to the trolley, she hoisted them on her left hip. As she did this, Farida's gaze stayed with the humans. There was suspicious distrust.

"Who are these humans, anyway? They don't strike me as familiar. But that may be because they all look the same to me."

Nakoto, after setting the trays back on the trolley, shot glances at the stains and cracks in the ground, from where Farida struck her sword. She looked toward the humans and gestured to them. "They all came in after I last saw you. Both Dr. Seth and Mrs. Gertry—" The named bowed their heads, the woman more anxiously than the young man, "—have been here for more than five years. Dr. Luchas is the newest of our community."

Farida seemed to watch Luchas the longest. Perhaps he was just so easy to assume to be a Cyclonian, or some kind of intruder? Was that what she was thinking? He couldn't catch a break. Her gaze didn't last too long though, as she snorted. "Do they know who I am?"

"They might, but you're welcome to a proper introduction."

Nakoto's distant sigh gave away the idea that she wasn't quite enticed with Farida remaining. After a fight like that and suffering some severe wound from it, no one would really want to have their opponent stick around afterward. And yet, she had this very uncertain, careful look on her face after she said it, like she didn't know if those were the right words to say. The look lingered as Farida stepped past her, and she cradled her right wrist again.

"I am Farida, Sky Knight of the highest calibre." The armoured Raptoress made a low, mocking bow. "There's hardly a fool skilled nor strong enough to stand in my way."

"I don't doubt it," Seth replied expressionlessly. "But I also see that Nakoto is no fool. She fared very well against you."

"Luck, nothing more."

Nakoto shot Seth a warning glance —as she was setting the chairs she knocked down upright— when his mouth opened once more. It did not look like it, but he may have changed what he was originally going to say.

"So, you're back from your training program... why?"

Farida crossed her arms and shrugged. "There was nothing more for me to gain. They were idiots... then, there was the fact that they didn't like my style. I've got penalties for it, but it's only now they've decided to set me free and report me back here." Pride dripped from her voice. "It's funny, how fickle they get when a pawn of theirs turns out greater than what they can control."

Again, Seth took his time choosing his words. "Where is your squadron?"

She scoffed. "Do I look like I need one? They only get in the way and drag you down. I go to any Terra I please and fight when I want to, Cyclonian or native alike. I never know what's waiting for me, so when I come out the winner, it's all the more satisfying." She paused then, and a scheming look took over her features. "Which reminds me..."

She turned toward Nakoto, who had been observing her hand thoughtfully, sitting down in a chair she picked up. She looked a little better, but it was undetermined if the pain disappeared. Her brow twitched when Farida addressed her.

"I had an interesting run-in with the ruler of Bogaton."

The Raptor King made sure no physical reaction came up, especially when Cyclonis turned to him with a smirk. He had the impression that his involvement with Nakoto or Farida would never be discussed on the other side of the Eye, and he would've preferred it that way. Nakoto seemed intent on keeping it a secret as well, because she kept her reaction simple, appearing more absorbed with curling her fingers slowly.

Feigning deep thought, she said after a moment of silence: "You mean Repton, right?"

"Yes, on Terra Saharr," Farida replied. She put her hands on her hips and strut one to the side. "Impressive piece of work."

"Mm."

Farida leaned forward, probably not content with Nakoto's bland response. "Do you know him? He seemed to know you by name."

"We've crossed paths. We didn't share much."

"I thought so." Nakoto brought her eyes to the other Raptoress. "He wouldn't have wasted his time with you. He's got sights on more important things."

"You've got yourself an admirer!" Cyclonis taunted Repton. "Look how reverently she speaks of you!"

"I suppose," Nakoto returned, sounded uninterested. "He was probably asking about me to find out where I was. That's what the Talons are doing these days."

"But I wonder, why is he hunting you if the likes of the Dark Ace are already?"

"Have you forgotten that rogues work for good pay?" Nakoto shook her head, and Repton heard a small edge of bitterness in her voice. It was hard to decide whether it was fake, whether if it was caused by the pain... or whether she was accusing him of something. "It's either I have a good bounty on my head or Cyclonis threatened to blow up Bogaton again. That's all she knows how to do."

An apprehending chill rose up Repton's spine. Cyclonis' amusement died. Obviously she didn't like that comment, by the way she stood by him completely unmoving and stiff. Her lips pursed slightly.

"I don't think it's hit home for you yet, but you should be worried... Repton is known for his cruelty."

"Yes. Bitter even amongst his own kind, or so they say." Nakoto's tone sounded concluding: she clearly didn't want to talk further on the topic. Farida however wanted to continue, with her head almost caught in the clouds. Repton wasn't accustomed to praise of the likes that followed, and he wasn't sure if he should have been honoured or concerned that a stranger like Farida viewed him so.

"Honestly, he's just the kind of person I respect. He doesn't care for anyone else but himself. You think that's selfish? I think that's thinking realistically. He'll never change."

There, the concluding note. Something Nakoto wanted only a few moments before. But after Farida had said that, her head lifted, and her eyes misted over.

"...everyone has a little good in them," she said softly. Her voice made through the Eye and out to Repton, hovering over him. The sound was gone, but the presence of the words wouldn't go away.

Farida's laughter was a short bark of contempt. "You honestly believe that?"

Nakoto's eyes turned on the other suddenly, sharp and solemn. Her response came without falter or weakness.

"I still hold hope for you, don't I?"

End of Chapter

A/N:Man I'm so hungry! Editing in the morning, I need my breakfast. XD

So, the next chapter is nearly done, as well as a chapter for IWSTKY. I sadly didn't get enough inspiration to write that one, but hopefully I can get it up for my other readers as fast as I can. I hoped you liked the chapter, and please review me your thoughts! Critique is appreciated!

~Vixen