“Eos, are you okay?” Steven started mildly. “Maybe you should rest a little longe--”
“No,” Kendy said quietly, still rubbing her head. “I need to go back for Cye. I-I can’t let them hurt him.”
Rowen placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, startling her. “It’s okay,” he started guiltily. “I should be the one to get him outta there. It’s a way to make everything up to him.”
“Rowen, you’re not really prepared to fight the Umbrans. I’ve been at this for a while. Look--” She pushed up the sleeves of her nightshirt, showing him her armbands. He reached to touch them, tracing his fingers along the carved ‘Eos’. “I’m a Sailor Soldier.”
“This is what they called you, isn’t it?” Rowen asked, his fingers still tickling her arm. Kendy nodded. “Well, I still feel I should go in with you. Cye wouldn’t really und--”
“Cye knows. Hell, he saved my life. Please, let me handle this.”
“Eos, are you willing to go in alone, if you go tonight?” Steven said. “Regia is out of town with your brother, Cantrix is sick, and Mirus is.... I can’t believe I’m saying this.... Mirus is nursing her chicken back to health. It hurt itself with the washer or some sort of nonsense.”
“What about you?”
“A dear friend of mine called last night--his sister’s really sick, and I need to help them.”
“Well, then I guess I have no choice.” Kendy sighed nervously, crossing her arms protectively over her chest. Rowen gently seized her chin and turned her face towards his, smiling.
“I’ll be your back-up,” he calmly offered. “It’s the least I can do.” Kendy laughed happily and gave him a hug, heaving a relieved sigh against his neck. “I told you we’d be fine.”
The hospital loomed over the two, the painful aura of negativity and cruelty strangely absent. Kendy watched the door for a moment, half hoping that someone would walk out and trigger the usual wave of sickening agony; unfortunately, every single passing person seemed to be perfectly human. Rowen sat beside her, scanning every window no matter what the distance; Cye had to be in one of them, living or otherwise. He rested a hand on Kendy’s shoulder, keeping his eyes away from hers.
“I wanna go in,” Rowen quietly said.
“Are you sure?” Kendy asked. “What if someone’s in there just waiting for us? And we don’t know that Cye’s still ali--”
“He’s fine, I know it,” Rowen snapped. “Don’t EVER doubt that.”
Kendy looked at him with palpable shock before letting it deteriorate into shame. “I-I-I’m sorry. Look, if you wanna go and look for him in there, go ahead.” She stood up and looked down almost sadly at him. “I’m going home.” She ignored any of the objections he may have offered, hurrying down the street and towards the fenced-off back of the building. She didn’t want Rowen to risk his neck alongside her; he could go into the now perfectly harmless building if he wanted, but he simply couldn’t follow her into the fray. His intentions were good, but he was defenseless compared to her. A wave of pain wracked her unprepared head, sending her back in a tiny stagger. As she fought to recover, a scaly hand wrapped around her throat and pulled her into the shadows, snarling. It wasn’t choking her, only restraining her from any sort of escape. Her arms were free enough to reach up, touching the cold metal of her armbands; the creature growled in agitation as she spoke. “DAYBREAK MAKE-UP!!” No sooner had she changed than the creature decided to start choking her. She reached up, only to have it roughly seize and twist her arm against a wall. Its eyes met hers...its human eyes...haunted and sad and...aquatic. Kendy shuddered. “...Cye...?” A cutting charge of water appeared, pummeling her against the brick wall and leaving a massive dent, from which her limp, saturated body toppled to the ground.
The commotion in the back of the property attracted Rowen’s attention; somehow, he knew it was connected to Kendy. As he rounded the entrance of the metal link fence, he gasped sharply. A chunk had been beaten out of the building exterior, with Kendy’s outstretched body lying face down below it. The back of her short purple uniform was torn, revealing a huge number of deep, bloodied cuts; her front was drenched and lay partially submerged in a shallow pool of water, with her broken glasses resting near her still face. More blood lingered on her mouth, visible only after Rowen cradled her in his arms. He touched the soft dress as he held her, a tide of deja vu bringing him briefly back into his nightmares. Ever so gently, he shook the side of her face.
“Kendy?” Rowen whispered, fighting to control the sudden panic and confusion he felt. Kendy moaned low in a feeble response.
“I.....” Kendy started, barely audible; Rowen lifted her up closer towards his face to hear her. “I found Cye.....” She smiled slightly before passing out on his shoulder.
A set of sharply scaled hands seized Rowen’s throat from behind and pulled him off the ground, pitching him into an undamaged part of the wall; Kendy’s limp form fell into the puddle again, her face barely out of the suffocating liquid. Rowen found himself staring at a humanoid creature, covered in glistening black scales with an Umbran’s sharp fingers, yet Cye’s wounded eyes stared out at him, unsure of his purpose. Rowen looked again at Kendy, then stared down his transfigured friend.
“Go ahead, Cye,” Rowen said calmly. “Kill me. You’re gonna kill both of us anyway. It’s a great way to start your new life. I mean, you’ve spent your entire life fighting the forces of darkness and testing the limits of your soul. What better way to start completely over than to give in to them? It’s what you wanted, right--complete distance from the old you, the you we loved like a brother, the you that a girl was willing to risk her existence for.” Cye slammed him harder against the wall, pinning him by his shoulders. Rowen looked away, closing his eyes and turning his face towards the ground; he didn’t want to see the light in Cye’s eyes as his last living memory. “Please make this fast,” he whispered.
Cye pulled his hands--no, his claws--away from his submissive target. The burning had stopped, replaced by another pain, that of...guilt. He walked away from Rowen, staring pathetically at Kendy’s unresponsive figure; he knelt down and cradled her in his arms, letting a few briny tears fall down against her face. She didn’t even moan. Plaintively, he placed her at Rowen’s feet and knelt before the two, trying to articulate an apology. A series of low, unearthly howls and weak hisses escaped his body in lieu of the words he so desperately wanted to say.
Rowen knelt down towards Kendy, watching Cye with a sympathetic yet wary eye. “Cye....?” he whispered, reaching out a hand to comfort him. Cye swatted it away and vanished past the fence, heralded by a symphony of panicked screams. Rowen’s head fell in defeat, letting his hand rest against Kendy’s stomach. He had saved their lives--possibly at the cost of Cye’s.
He sat in the secluded glen, the tall, thick trees hiding him from human eyes. His eyes.... They were the last human element left of him. He wasn’t human anymore; he couldn’t even hold and use a human name. They had turned him into a demon, worse than any he had fought in his old life. Was this a punishment, his desire for a new life used against him? Nothing he had done before warranted this torture, separated from all he had known and loved. He wept aloud, the tears catching in the layered scales; what he wouldn’t give for death now, an end to this torment.
>MROW<
A tiny albino cat nuzzled against his ankle, purring quietly. Its bright crimson eyes glistened up at him, sparked with an almost human understanding. He reached down and scratched the top of its head, staring in curiosity at the mark on its forehead; it resembled Kendy’s, only resized for the head of a cat. It purred a little louder, snuggling into the palm of his hand. It was so docile and soothing, which made the instant it bit harshly into his wrist so much more surprising. He screamed in pain, pulling his arm back. A painful yanking sensation overwhelmed his battered body, as if his deepest self was being brutally rearranged. He collapsed to the ground, trying to block out his agony with sweet unconsciousness; before the numb darkness overtook him, the cat settled in front of his face and spoke in a clear, gentle feminine voice.
“I’m so sorry for all of this.”
Del watched the new occupant suspiciously; he wasn’t used to Kendy bringing boys home--or, rather, being brought home in a heap by a strangely pale, blue-haired boy. He would have felt better if Steven were with them, but at least this new fellow was nice enough not to leave her on her own. Now, this mysterious Rowen sat outside Kendy’s door, keeping a vigil on her from a polite distance; Kendy had revived from whatever injuries she had suffered shortly after returning home before crawling into bed and slipping into a sound sleep. Fallan had returned to the safety of her home before she could witness any of this spectacle, and she need not know what had happened unless it was absolutely necessary. The doorbell rang, rudely calling Del away from his stakeout and off of the sofa. Ever so slowly, he opened the door and..... stared. The boy from the hospital had returned, nearly naked except for his tattered blue boxers and wearing a terrified expression. Del had no choice but to let him enter--if that was what he even wanted.
“I-is Kendy there?” he squeaked, his voice scratchy. “A-a-a-and Rowen, I need to see Rowen.” Del nodded and stepped aside, expecting the boy to enter. Instead, he fell to his knees and wept, his hands shakily resting against the sides of his head; his left hand was marred by a bruise resembling some sort of bite. “I’m sorry.... I’m sorry I hurt her and I threatened him.... Please, don’t hate me....” Del blinked helplessly; THIS frightened boy had beaten up his sister? Even he couldn’t do that. “I’m sorry I hurt your sister... Please don’t call anyone, I just wanna apologize... I wanna start over....” Del walked calmly over to the sofa and grabbed a long-faded Southwestern-patterned blanket, draping it over the trembling figure; he flinched with a sharp gasp until he discovered that there was no intention to harm in Del’s actions. He looked up plaintively.
“Have a seat on the sofa, okay?” Del nervously stated, afraid of upsetting him further. “I’ll go get both of ‘em. If you want a drink or anything, let me know, just calm down.” The boy stood up slowly, clutching the blanket; he staggered in and promptly fell onto the sofa with a whimpering sigh, tucking his knees close to his shaking body. Del quietly walked up the stairs towards the room, hoping to vanish into his own while the ensuing discussion raged.
Kendy woke up once she felt the stairs beneath her feet and Rowen’s strong hands on her arms, guiding her. She was no longer in pain, but she was still in a stupor to rival any Umbran migraine; her feet repeatedly slipped on the carpeted stairs, but any further disaster was prevented by Rowen’s presence. She studied him, trying to read his face; there was concern, but there was no discernible affection. If she was going to earn his admiration, she had to gather her bearings and use her best tricks to catch him. He rested her on the recliner with a gentle caress on her forearms before moving towards the sofa. Kendy pulled her eyes away from Rowen and looked at the blanket-covered heap on the sofa, auburn hair peeking out of the fabricky folds; an anxious, tear-flooded pair of Neptunian eyes stared at the two newcomers, ready to burst forth a new flood of tears.
“Cye?” Kendy whispered, reaching towards the blankets. He flinched. “It’s okay, we won’t hurt you.” She looked at Rowen; dammit, this was his friend--he should coax him out.
Rowen sighed and quickly yanked away the blanket, exposing the barely be-boxered Cye to the world. Cye gasped sharply before trying to reclaim his covering. “GIMME THAT BACK!! I’M NAKED!!” he yelled before realizing who was present--and that Rowen now held him in a grateful hug. He looked up, baffled. “Rowen...?”
“Glad you came back to us,” Rowen said quietly. He draped the blanket over Cye’s shoulders and let him settle back down on his own end of the sofa. “I didn’t know if you were still alive.”
Kendy stood up and gave Cye a gentle hug of her own, nuzzling his dusty hair. “You two just rest,” she said calmly. “I need to talk to my brother.”
“You’re not mad?” Cye asked pathetically.
“They made Del attack me once. It’s nothing you can really fight. Just try and stay warm till I’m back.” She started quietly up the stairs, hoping to hear just a little more of their conversation before she went to negotiate.
“You can forgive me, can’t you?” Cye quietly asked Rowen, pulling the blanket tighter.
“I can’t even blame you,” Rowen responded. “If anything, I wanna find who is responsible and stop ‘em before anyone else gets hurt.”
Kendy smiled to herself as she rested her hand on the doorknob of Del’s bedroom; even after all the pain those two had suffered, they still felt obligated to protect and fight. She entered, not quite expecting Del to be waiting for her on the edge of his bed. He looked up at her impatiently, setting her instantly on the defensive. Del had an uncanny knack for doing that.
“Is Boxer Boy okay?” Del asked, an air of concern defeating any intended sarcasm.
Kendy nodded and sat beside him on the mattress. “He’ll be okay,” she said with a low sigh. “He just needs time.”
“So what’s this leading to?”
“We have to let them stay here.” Del rolled his eyes and sighed bitterly. “Del, don’t even start! You know it’s not safe for Cye in the home, and he should be near Rowen, for his safety!”
“You should be near Rowen, too, I assume.” Kendy’s jaw dropped with a squeak. “I can read you like a book, Kendy. I don’t care--so long as you don’t let him touch you. But Dad... How do you think he would react if he knew you were keeping two strange boys in the house?” Kendy thought for a minute before reaching her own, chilling conclusions. “You know they wouldn’t survive their first night with ‘im. You’d be lucky to survive, too.” He rested a hand on Kendy’s arm, trying to salvage the hopes he had just dashed. “They just aren’t safe here. Maybe your friend Steven can--”
“NO!” Kendy snapped, whacking Del’s arm away. “I promised I’d look out for them, and I’m not letting them waste away as easy targets in the home! Dad’s never here--he hasn’t been here in weeks, and he won’t be back for a long time--you know that!” Her words began to break under rising tears. “Why do even care about me, anyway? I’m NOT really part of this life, and I’m NOT your sister! Rowen’s from my old life--he HAS to be. I have to be near him. He might be the only real link to my true life.” Kendy let a few weak tears roll down her flustered cheeks.
“So what you’re saying is that this life means Jack Shit to you now,” Del responded coldly. He stood up, his back turned to his sister. “Fine. If you don’t wanna care about me, I’ll do the same. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to fix up a room for your OLD FRIENDS.” He left the room without a word or backwards glance.
Kendy quietly stood up and walked over to her own room, her anger quickly becoming guilt. She had managed to keep her word but had found a way to make her life even harder; her brother now hated her, and once he told Fallan what she had said, she’d hate her, too. A few more tears streaked her face as she slipped into the safety of her feline form and curled onto the bed, crawling under her quilt; she wanted security, a loving family and someone to hold her and make her feel special--feel wanted and unique. She wanted to go back to the ballroom, back to the swirling music and elegant dancers, back to her parents, back to Rowen’s warm embrace. This life, this pointless reality.... it was fast becoming torture.
Had it only been four days? Rowen stepped out of the bathtub as the water continued its slow spiral down the drain. He calmly wrapped the pale green towel around his waist as he approached the door. Four days since they had been welcomed here, yet he had hardly seen his hostess. Kendy practically vanished, not so much as appearing at mealtimes to shovel food down his throat; the closest thing to a living inhabitant he saw on a daily basis was a little black cat that enjoyed the soft quilt on Kendy’s unmade bed. Her brother had vanished, too, opting to spend his nights at his girlfriend’s house. He and Cye practically had the house to themselves, which is why he felt no shame in walking down the upstairs hall in only a loosely held bathtowel. A brush of soft fur tickled his ankle before he felt the towel fly away from his body and down the hall a few feet. The cat stared up at him, the corner of the towel in its tiny jaws; it stared at the suddenly naked Rowen with almost smiling eyes, which was--pure and simple--alarming.
“Gimme the towel, you sicko cat!” Rowen snapped, diving for the towel. The cat dashed away, running between his legs still clutching it in its mouth. “Oh, no, you don’t!” Rowen ran after it until it entered his room and rested on his bed, its tail slowly swaying. “Gotcha..”
Cye looked up from a brief nap and cried out in alarm, grabbing the cat. He tossed the towel back at Rowen and shoved him out of the room, slamming the door. Rowen blinked in silent confusion, wondering why the hell his friend was screaming hysterically at a CAT.
Kendy crept into the room, her steps ably muffled by both carpeting and the agile feline pads. She stared up at Rowen’s bed, where he slumbered silently. She nuzzled his right hand as it toppled from the bed and rested limply against the floor; the fingers twitched, tickling her stomach. She bit back a quiet giggle, afraid of waking Cye and receiving another “bad kitty” lecture. Ever so lightly, she lept onto the bed and crawled onto Rowen’s heaving chest, his heartbeat reverberating sweetly in her ears. His hand lifted from the floor to stroke her, giving her a chance to tenderly lick his fingertips; he tasted so soft and wondrous.... She started to purr as she fell asleep, drawn back into the beautiful ballroom and his strong, affectionate arms. Even if she could get no closer than this to her old life and her beloved Rowen, she could endure.
