The Calm

Disclaimer: Yeah... been more than fourty chapters here... ya'll should know by now that I don't own Bebop... or Sith!

The Calm
Chapter 43: Kage's attack

Music was soft, a selection of quiet instrumental music by a long dead, genius of a century past. An opened, leather bound book lay in her lap, the pages rustling occasionally with the wind from the broken window. She stared at the darkness before her, shards of glass from the broken bulb at her feet. A clothed hand gripped her neck tensly, not choking, but still firm and commanding. Hot breath from her intruder caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. Her body trembled as she slowly inched her hand towards the handgun hidden in the couch cushion. Fear ran rampant through her mind as she felt the cool metal beneath her fingers. A knot grew in her chest as her intruder’s other hand trailed down her torso towards her, poorly protected, lap.

“You have no idea how much I have craved you,” his deep and familiar voice whispered into her ear.

She said nothing, finding only momentary solace as she tightened her fingers on the gun and slowly began to turn off the safety. She felt her body tense as her book was tossed to the floor and his hand touched her thinly clothed thigh.

“I see you dressed for me. I do so love it when you wear those short skirts of yours,” his voice purred.

She felt hot wetness build in her eyes as fear gripped her heart completely and her hand tightened on the gun. She moved quickly, sliding from his grasp and seg a g a punch to his chin as she turned and brandished her armament. Her good eye was trained on his shocked face. So similar to Vicious that he seemed plucked from her past. Her breath came in loud gasps as she kneeled on the carpet, thunder in her ears.

He grinned and licked the blood from his split lip away. His pale eyes sparkled with an inner madness and obsession as he drug his gaze over her. “You never fail to astound me.”

She said nothing, all words having left her as soon as he had first touched her. Her steel colored eye only glared with a cold fury that only a trained assassin could possess. The darkness of her missing eye, and the glint of the dim moonlight on the black glass in the gaping socket, made her appear all the fiercer and intimidating.

“You appear a fallen angel at this moment, did you know that? So dangerous, yet so vulnerable and beautiful. I lo-“

“Don’t finish that sentence, or I’ll kill you now!” she spat, finally finding her voice.

He grinned maliciously. “Could you really? Could you kill me? Deny my older brother the knowledge that I exist?”

She froze. “What? Vicious doesn’t have any brothers.”

He shook his head and continued his mad grinning. “Interesting, isn’t it? I suppose it’s merely natural for me to be so in love with you. I mean, my brother still loves you, does he notdn’tdn’t you bear him his oldest child? Didn’t you claw and scream at him when he took you? No wonder he won’t let you go. He may be married to that Sith woman, but she doesn’t hold a candle to your beauty. Julia doesn’t understand. Her sad, classic beauty is nothing compared to your luminescent darkness. You’re a piece of art and I couldn’t destroy you no more easily than I could a most lovely painting.”

She shivered at his words. He was insane. He tried to step closer, only to watch as she raised her gun and tightened her grip on it. “Come closer and I’ll blow your head off. I’m still more accurate than you’d expect.”

“Ah, but you are a fraction slower,” he laughed as he lunged forward.

The gun rang out. He laughed as the bullet grazed his cheek and he tackled her to the ground. He smiled madly as she struggled in his grip, the gun lost in the struggle. He pinned her legs and arms down, bringing his face within a breath of hers. She crd asd as his blood spattered on her cheek as though it burned.

“See how much a fraction makes a difference?” he whispered before crushing his lips to hers, causing her to cry out in fear. He took advantage of her cry, plunging his tongue into her mouth, exploring it roughly with his tongue until she bit down upon it, spraying his blood into her mouth and onto her face as he wrenched his face away from hers in surprise. He laughed as he wiped his lips clean and punched her right cheek, sending her face to the side. “A magnificent animal. I’ll enjoy breaking you like a horse.”

She struggled again and spat his own blood at his face, her grey eye glimmering in defiance. He scowled and wiped the blood and spittle from his cheek. He then punched her again and again, his punches numerous until she was no longer conscious.

“Nothing more than a beautiful new pet,” he murmured as he stood and spit out a bit of his blood on the carpet. He then bent down to lift her body when two silver blades flew into his foot, causing a great scream to burst from his mouth.

He turned towards the door where an enraged looking woman stood before him. Her eyes were a blazing violet color. Her crimson colored hair shadowing her face, save for those fierce, animalistic eyes. A low and menacing growl burst forth from her throat as she stalked over to him, her bare feet whispering over the floor.

“Who the fuck are you?” he asked.

A feral and cruel grin crossed her face, those eyes trained on him, the attacker of one she held dear. White teeth flashed as another blade flew into his arm, causing another blossom of scarlet to pass her vision and another sweet scream to fall from his bleeding lips.

“Beast!” he gasped as he fell to his knees to retrieve the fallen gun.

She moved quicker than lightning and stuck out, her knee impacting with his chin, sending him sprawling.

He was on his feet, in a fighting stance. The true fight had begun now, the shock having passed through his mind and a sense of cold calm in those pale eyes that reminded her so much of Vicious. Music continued to play softly in the background as the two assassins stared one another down; madness against the feral hunger for blood, icy blue against vibrant violet.

“You’re her?” he asked smugly. “You’re the Shadow?”

The woman narrowed her gaze and grinned. “You could call me that,” she growled, her voice like sand, abrasive and harsh.

He struck first, fists flying as he moved. She countered, only getting hit onc the the gut by a barely seen fist. She attacked, sweeping him to the floor, fold byd by a flurry of silvery blows as she held her thin blades between clenched fingers and stabbed and punched the young man in the arms and stomach.

He staggered away, grasping at the wall for purchase as he stared at her with wide eyes. “Beast!”

She grinned from her crouched position, that scarlet curtain revealing only those pearl-like teeth in the pale moonlight. “You could call me that,” she mocked.

He snarled at her as he attacked, the madness having taken over that calm that he had once possessed. She clucked her tongue in disappointment and shook her head as she tossed him into the wall and pinned him there. Her hand flew out, ready to end his life when the call of a familiar voice stopped her.

“Sith! Bring Mr. Kage to the hold. I have a few words to speak with him before his death,” Vicious’ voice rang through the room.

Sith glared at the tall basilisk, her eyes changing from obsidian to violet as she fought for control over her more bloodthirsty form. Eventually, she won, her eyes black as the shadows that crept across the floor. She nodded in understanding to the silver haired man she so loved and roughly dragged the protesting boy from the room, only hurting him when she felt it necessary… which so happened to be every few seconds.

~*~*~*~

She stared blankly at her reflection, her face bruised and bloody. She stared at the man administering a cool cloth to her face, only hissing slightly as the feel of alcohol buzzed against her tender skin. “He said he was your brother.”

Vicious froze for a moment before turning back to nursing the wounded woman. “That’s not possible.”

“He’s almost your exact double.”

“Plastic surgery is quite advanced,” he reasoned.

“God damn it, Vicious! He’s exactly like you!” she shouted.

“He is not.”

She screamed and stood, wrenching herself away from his nurturing fingers. “Then he’s trying to be just like you used to be! Vicious, he’s acting like you did not too many years ago. He knows things… things that re-open old wounds.”

“Amaya…” he started, before hanging his head. “I… Amaya, I will always regret what I did to you, but you have to stop punishing me.”

She stared at him in confusion. “What? I’ve never-“

“Oh, come one, Amaya. Had you forgiven me Kage could never had gotten under your skin!”

“I forgave you long ago,” she stated.

“For a great manipulator, that was a horrible lie.”

“Do you still love me?” she asked quietly.

Vicious froze. “Amaya…”

“Was he right? Was Kage right when he said that?” she asked heatedly.

“Of course I love you. You’re one of my best friends, you gave me Aurora. How canot?”ot?”

“Tell me you love Sith more,” she commanded.

“Amaya please, you’re hysterical.”

“Tell me damn it! Tell me or I’ll leave right now! I’ll disappear to where even you couldn’t find me. I’ll take my daughter and leave!” she threatened.

Vicious froze. Never had she threatened to take Aurora away. Amaya’s good eye was stone cold. It was then that she was serious. Amaya wasn’t giving an empty threat. “Amaya, if I didn’t love Sith with all my heard sod soul, I would have never married her. Now calm down.”

Amaya visibly relaxed, the truth was told and she let the tears she had been holding back fall. “Why did I believe him? Why did I let him touch me? Vicious… I’m so sorry,” she wept as she ran into his embrace and began to cry.

Vicious cradled his old friend and looked to the crimson haired woman in the doorway. Sith nodded to him, which he returned. “You don’t need to apologize, Amaya. I’m the one that wronged you.”

Amaya pulled away and stared into his cool blue eyes. She nodded and pulled away from his arms before turning to leave, only to see Sith. “Sith.”

“We have many things to talk about,” she stated.

~*~*~*~
Leviin't n't ask me why, but this is what my muse wanted me to write. What do you guys think? Good? Bad? Random as hell? I wonder how Natakamani will react? Any ideas on what I should write next? 'Cause honestly, no clue here. Ah well, REVIEW!! Whee!