Pierce -
I trudged through the snow quickly, occasionally gently urging along some of the weaker looking-halfers as they tumbled in the snow. We would get through this quickly.
We had all decided that we needed to track down the rest of our group. We knew what direction they were in, and the rest, we could tackle by sent. Rika seemed to be the one organizing the group while Ringleader Sky was away(catchy nickname, eh?).
I, deciding to avoid this 'leading' business, was carrying the soundly sleeping Abby. I didn't like taking her in this weather, but we couldn't leave her.
I sighed, looking at the fog that was my breath and trying to move a little faster. Time was of the essence, and we couldn't risk wasting even a moment.
As we were hurrying along, I didn't notice we weren't alone until Rika cursed, and a low, annoyed voice rang out, "And where do you beasts think you're going?"
I stopped dead, looking up. Two more of the guards, these two actually looking like they had some wits about them. One had short, red hair, and the other wore an over-sized cap that covered his face--He was the one I would worry about. I felt it: he was trouble.
The redhead went on, sneering and elbowing his companion, who shifted away at the touch. Yep. Trouble. "Isn't this lucky? A pack of the freaks that we left at that dump!" he chortled, messily pointing his gun at us, threateningly.
I glanced around at our group, who were all in fighting positions, waiting to pounce. They were waiting for Rika's signal.
I tensed, one arm holding up Abby, the other on one of my wooden knives. As soon as Rika justified it...
The red-brat was obliious, "Can you believe these pitiful halfer-demons thought--" all of us froze as he was cut off, and a long brown tentacle snaked around his neck, squeezing.
"Shut. Up." a velvet smooth voice slipped from his companion, and the cap fell off, revealing long, shaggy, brown hair and piercing red eyes that gleamed in the faded light. The man's mouth was curved into a long, venomous sneer as he continued, "I don't accept rudeness, you know." The tentacle snapped back to the man's body, and returned to the shape of his arm, leaving big, bleeding circular welts where they had rested on the redheaded human's neck.
Some of the halfers stepped forward, but the dark-skinned man held up a calm hand, "Leave him. He's still alive, and a boy with such a big mouth must have a bigger will to live." The gentle voice was mocking, and it's familiar ring made my blood run cold...Where had I heard it?
Rika stepped forward, glaring, "You...You're a halfer, aren't you?" she stayed tensed, and ready to pounce.
The man rolled his eyes, both arms extending into tentacles and he stuck out his long tongue, "Nah, really? Are you suuure, Einstien?" he brought his arms back and smiled, holding up both hands in what could be considered surrender, "Yep. On your side, dear." he winked, and at that moment, he seemed to be the epitome of friendliness. More nostalgia. Why was it so...similar to something?"
Rika didn't back down, or calm down, and Moon walked up to stand protectively by her side, "Why are you dressed like the guards? Why are you with one if you're on our side?"
The man tensed a little, his eyes searching the group and landing on me. They narrowed, and his face twitched into a harsh, angry smile, he looked back at Rika and sighed, "I simply found one of those morons and dressed as one, dear. Then joined another so that I could search your group for an old...friend." his smile tightened, and he continued, "I used to be looking for two, but...I found her yesterday; the other one. You all reek of her, so I guess she was with you..." he looked back at me and his grin got tighter and more forced, his eyes became a more prominent red as he glared, "I found my other friend, though, so it's quite alright."
I blinked and had the time to gasp before a long, tentacle snapped out, wrapping violently around my neck, causing me to drop Abby. I vaguely heard her fall on the cushioned snow, and was glad that it wasn't a hard fall. That was all I had time to think about, though. I could only barely breathe as he dragged me to him, so that we were almost chest-to-chest. "Hello." he grinned hatefully, squeezing my neck tighter.
I think...maybe a few people called my name. Who's to know? I barely scraped out, "Wha...Who the...hell...are you...?"
He snorted, "You wound me. We used to be so bloody close, too." More people were yelling now, some my name, others simple, 'what the hell are you doing' comments.
I rolled my eyes, trying to look brave, "...You must...not...have been so...important, then...huh?" I coughed, trying to form a sentence.
His eyes narrowed, "Maki. She's gone. Dead. I know you know this, you ass." his eyes started to look more and more hurt, rather than angry, their red color turning more red-brown and sludge-ish. "I found her. Buried in the snow. What was it? Her illness? Or her wounds?" he continued frantically, "You let her travel. You let her fight. Such great protection..."
Protection. Maki. My eyes widened, "...K...ai...?"
Suddenly, a shrill shriek broke the tension in the air, and both Kai and I looked over, and as soon as we did, he was tackled. I couldn't tell who pounced on him, 'cause my lack of oxygen made my vision all but nonexistent, but suddenly he released me, and I fell in the snow with a dimmed thud, coughing and trying to regain my breathing pattern.
"Pierce!" I heard Ice call, and I looked over to see him, along with a few others on top of Kai, glaring down at him. Ice calle to me again, "Are you alright?!"
I nodded a little, then felt my throat. Blood. Yeouch, damn razor-tentacles. "Yeah. Peachy." I croaked back.
I looked at Kai in time to watch his dark brown hair fade into the old silver I was so used to. His tentacled retracted into arms and his eyes turned into their old black colour. "What the hell was that?!" someone demanded, probably Rika, but I didn't care enough to find out.
Kai looked away, not trying to fight his restraints, and looking vaguely guilty, "Sod off. It's a family affair." his voice was weak and insincere.
"You're related to Pierce?" Ice asked, suspiciously.
"Nope." Kai kept his eyes on the snow. "Maki. Maki was my sister."
The first response from Moon was, "What? You look nothing like her."
Kai looked up and glared, "When you're orphaned, you make your own family, cat-boy."
Rika took over, "So you attack Pierce? What reasoning is that?" she snarled.
Kai met her gaze evenly, his face looking guilty and sullen, and a lot like the sane, calm Kai I used to know, "After a few years in a laboratory, being prodded and tortured, you tend to have anger issues. Rampages, mindless reasoning...You would know about that, though, wouldn't you?" he raised an eyebrow, and as Rika gave him a startled look he hurriedly explained, "You reek of it. Chemicals. Blood. Science." he rolled his eyes, "You understand what I mean, don't you?"
My head was spinning, however, I sat up abruptly and looked steadily at Kai, "What happened, Kai?" my voice was rough but the concern was clear in it, when he looked away from me, I insisted, "Kai...You were never a halfer. What did they do?" every word was drawn out and a little angry. Kai was my past. Kai was alive. Kai apparently had been taken to a lab, and tortured. What. Had. Happened? I didn't matter what he had just done, because at this moment, I was looking at a long lost friend who had gone through hell and was being harassed for it.
Everyone looked at Kai as he looked up at the sky and sighed, "Experiments. They wanted a soldier to fight for them, a human-turned-halfer who would fight for them. They got a halfer-supporter with an attitude..." Kai looked at me, his eyes guilty and sad, "I had been looking for you two...I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, Pierce. I can't...control what they programmed into my brain, this...this thoughtless violence." his voice was so sincere it burned, "I'm so sorry, Pierce." he tried to smile, "I missed you."
Okay. That was it. I sighed, "Get off of him, please." I put up my hand as people tried to complain, and smiled a little, "Trust me? If it backfires, then it's all my fault. My problem. Don't sweat it."
Slowly, the halfers who had restrained him relented, backing up and leaving him, staring up at the sky.
I walked over and offered my hand to him, "'Missed you, too, psycho." I grinned, as he raised an eyebrow, but hesitantly took my hand and got up.
"...Pierce--" he attempted, eyes downcast.
"I mean, no. Reeeaally. I missed being strangled, too. I remember that was always a childish habit of yours, it's so fitting it would be your handy-dandy skill. " continued sarcastically, a grin playing on my face, "And the severe bleeding from my neck? Hey, don't sweat it! I mean, it's not like I have a life to live or anything." I gave Kai a withering look, "I want no grief from you. No crap about how guilty you are and how it kills you that you hurt me...--Don't bloody give me that look, you know that I knew you were gonna say that--no. I want one repayment, and one only." I smiled, and extended my hand, "You join us. If not for me, then for Maki. Join our group, and find Harmony with us."
Kai's eyes widened a little, and he grinned sheepishly, "'Kay, I'm cool with that, but you've gotta convince them." Kai's thumb jabbed at all of the halfers that were either looking at me like I was crazy, or snarling out their two cents on the matter.
I rolled my eyes, slinging an arm around Kai's shoulder and ruffling his unkempt hair, "Fine, I think I will, ya pansy." I looked at everyone, "We don't have time to argue about this. I want no complete and utter denial crap from any one you, because look at Rika." I paused letting them look at Rika, some of them actually did, "Now look at Kai. Rika...Kai. Everyone see 'em? Good. Rika turned out to be a good person. So will Kai...I hope. Don't act like any one o' ya are personally offended--I was the one attacked, and I can forgive and forget. So can you."
I sauntered over to the long-forgotten redhead guard. I lifted him by the collar of his shirt, "We have our free ticket to where our friends are. Let's use it and not argue." I met eyes with the guard and smiled my best crazy-Kai smile, "And, you, my poppet, shall tell us what we want to know."
The guard gulped.
---
YES! Hope I didn't screw up. anything. I mentioned or involved,
Abby
Rika
Moon
Ice
The other halfers XD
KAI IS IN! XD
You guys can harass, pick on, insult, ect Kai all ya want, just don't kill him XD
God, this was sooo long. ><
