Writing Little Deaths

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Well, putting all that aside, lets stack the deaths up shall we? In this case, the one responsible for Darren ending up dead. It can be say an evil clone of Sandy. Because evil and clones are fun! That and Darren's death needs to truly be avenged. However you see it going down works for me. Whatever imagery, setting or manner of death you see fit to give the evil clone. That and I have no idea what to suggest. XP[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Raiha]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]
She saw me first across an empty hallway, in an empty building.
We were where we shouldn’t have been,
Always with where we shouldn’t have been, going where we shouldn’t have gone.
But it didn’t matter to her and it wouldn’t matter to me because,
We know where they all end up,
Stay or go, everyone ends and all songs fall still while all words stop writing themselves on the pages of we.
Annie?
Why did you come here of all places in the quieting dark and solitude of empty dreams and hopeless feeling?
[b]Raiha?
I thought you had never left that place we both grew into and out of.[/b]
Some things you never grow out of and some things you never forget and some things you can’t leave behind.
Everything goes with you if you take the time to care.

So now that you’ve stopped caring, I’d like you to come with me and we’ll both go home.
[b]Can’t go home now, can’t turn back, I have a life now that has nothing to do with this,
Or that, or shrieking fanboys, or badly done stories, or the petty arguments and drama.[/b]
The drama wasn’t so bad was it?
[b]Wasn’t it? Why do you think I’m not there being poorly taken in and poorly-[/b]
Stop that.
Stop it. I think you just wanted to try and leave it behind. But if you can’t really leave it well enough alone-
Then why are you here?
[b]It’s not what you think it is. Nothing ever was. You were always wrong about things.
Always prancing around with your attitude. Always thinking you were everything.
Always with the sex. The blood. The ego. You always had too much pride.[/b]
I didn’t come here to be dressed down by you.
Hell I deserve half of that. But only half. And as for the rest of it?
Not a chance. Not at all. You bitch. Hypocritical. Hypocritical of you to say that to my face after going.

And that was the end of it. The end of all things that we’d thought we’d have.
Maybe somewhere inside me there was a sadness at this true death,
A loss that would finish off whatever I’d wanted to keep close to my inner heart,
My thought within thoughts,
[b]I'm sorry I did that to you Raiha. I'm sorry I couldn't stop. I'm sorry things fell.[/b]
I'm sorry I did everything the way I did. Part of me knows the wrong.
Part of me doesn't mind the wrong. This perhaps I could mind.
Drifting, fading, rising, turning, flickering, glittering, growing, closing, freezing, empty night.
Lonely fear. Were those footsteps or just the blood leaving my brain?
I thought about it, considered it, even held what breath I had left in me.
Not footsteps.
Not anybody.
Just Annie flopped uselessly on the ground next to me.
Sightless eyes and lusterless hair broken beauty on the ground.
Once been, once were, but now gone, now dead, all dead, all faded away.
All songs fall silent in the end, and I’d talk more, but my time here?
It’s not worth sticking around for.

I killed for what I’d carried with me in the thoughts and quiet solitude of the one place,
I never left behind.
[i]It burns in the corners of the eyes, tickles the nose and prickles until you sneeze,
Inner vision reveals the blood pooled for hours.
Nobody saw what happened that night.
Not until the next morning light, when it glowed angry red, scattered in the atmosphere,
Did two boys that had never truly gone away, find the two girls that were beyond the reach of all things.
Living that day down,
Became the one sole purpose in their lives.[/i]

[b]Sofort[/b][/FONT][/COLOR]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][quote name='Raiha'][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]All songs fall silent in the end[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]You already know I like this line the best, and the change in pace and format gave it more impact as it forced my mind to readjust to what was being said on account of it being different. I enjoyed it.[/COLOR]

[Gavin]

[SIZE="1"]Great piece. Simply a great piece.

I love the way you changed the format for this D, instead of your usual style, it seems far more poetic and in keeping with the emotional nature of the meeting. I suppose I can appreciate it more than others, seeing as of the four members mentioned in the piece, you and I are the only ones left active from the old days.

Heh, I miss those two.[/SIZE]

[Kenso]

That last one was excellently written. It felt emotional, although I've a feeling I would've gotten more of the effect if I knew the people it was referring to. All the same, a beautiful piece to be sure.

[Raiha]

[i][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]The plane landed in a hot screech of tires and smoke and haze and hell. Gavin stood as the plane taxied, unfolding his long legs from behind the cramped captain's chair, cursing the idiot that had designed the plane without considering the height of Irish males. Smiling rather sleekly, Crystia and Erica both stood at the same time, perfectly content with the leg room they had enjoyed on the flight, while Chaos slammed the latrine door behind him, relieving his feelings with a few choice curses. While he yammered to himself partially in English and then in Russian, Erica examined the files that she?d been reading on the supposed slave trade currently going wild in Belarus. Gavin looked over her shoulder, which wasn?t difficult, but then again looking over Crystia's shoulder wasn't always that safe.[/i]

?You think we?ll find anything or is this another one of those bloody rumors the policy wanktards dream up after doing too much blow??

?No no, that was the last mission with the snake charmer and that insane Yogi guy.?

?Could you just ...not ever talk about that again please??

[i]Crystia beat a path towards the exit, unconsciously rubbing the remnants of an old snake bite on her shoulder. Chaos grabbed her bag as well as his own, and Erica?s, stomping towards the door, while Erica leaned over to let Gavin pass, picking up her leather attaché case on the way out. Then she squared her shoulders and headed for the door.

The road to the possible location indicated on the map was a cruel joke. A mass of potholes, twisting vines, fallen trees, boulders, rocks, gravel, dust, and every other imaginable inconvenience short of hail. With a handkerchief around her face to prevent choking on the dust, Crystia sat next to Chaos, his hands dwarfing the steering wheel. Considering the press of the forest all around them, she had a vaguely queasy claustrophobic moment, that soon passed. The trip had been hellish in the extreme, the landing strip something that was best forgotten. It wasn?t that she wasn?t made of stern stuff, it was just- Well who knew anyway? Eventually, and by eventually, six hours later, the road tapered off and ended at a gate made mostly of sharpened stakes. A red symbol, crudely painted against the rude gate glared bright in torchlight. A warning for all who cared to see it. The Beast dwelled there.

In another place, far removed from the common social mores, the reality of the day, the press and need of flesh and finance, Kenneth stood waiting patiently for the good agents to unpack themselves from their vehicle and enter his domain. The place where the Beast was worshiped, and waited. He passed by Her alter, with a brief moment of worship. His lips pressed to the stone that Her crimson paws rested on. A bifurcated tail curled around Her paws, and a hideous smile even in repose, played about Her thoroughly animalistic features. The horn that stood for her One True Reign, that which Is to come, glittering in the light of the fires, reflecting back the miserable faces of the female flesh slaves that had been collected. In their cages they waited, some with faces streaked starkly wet with tears, others with expressions set in concrete. Kenneth passed by them all, ignorant of their suffering, or perhaps uncaring. It would be safe to say that little escaped him.

Gavin was the first to enter the gates, which had been opened wide enough for one person to come through at a time. Erica behind him, then Chaos, and then the gate was closed behind them. Crystia waited behind, her earpiece a dead weight in her ear, listening to everything that went on through the identical piece in Gavin?s. All felt the prickle on their necks, the quiet warning of the danger that smiled into their faces and shook their hands and said pleasant greetings.[/i]

?Welcome to the home of the Beast. You were sent by an interfering international task force of some kind, yes??

?Interpol. We heard you were trafficking in slaves.?

?I suppose it?s not really trafficking if they don?t go any further than here. The girls are for the Awakening, when the new moon rises invisible in the sky. The Beast, She Who Consumes, will arise from Her slumber and partake of the human flesh we?ve amassed for Her.?

?That seems...rather unethical. Cruel. A violation of any number of international laws.?

?I have no use for the laws of mankind. Only the worship of She, the Beast who Sleeps, holds any true merit to me.?

[i]In the back of the Jeep, Crystia frantically transcripted the entire exchange, and sent it through the satellite uplink to their superiors, moments before Kenneth jammed the frequencies, captured them all, and penned them near the already captive females. As Chaos and Gavin both struggled uselessly against their bonds, Kenneth strolled past their cages with his daughter close behind.[/i]

?Even if the men will make a meager offering, it?s better to have them for Her than withholding.?

?Agreed Father. It?ll be so wonderful to see Her when She awakens.?

[i]Kenneth patted his daughter?s cheek almost absentmindedly, Roxie walking after him like a dog follows its master. And as the wire went berserk with the last transmission Crystia sent, the troops that had been on standby were immediately deployed. The operation was going to be a horror show. Everyone knew it. Slaves in cages, a madman with a cult following. Jonestown, but instead of a jungle, a forest. Instead of Guyana, Belarus. Who cared anyway? Only thing to do was to take down everyone that was there to raise a hand against them. Russians, Belarusians, it didn?t matter anyway. And when their Humvees pulled up to the gate, saw the fortified, if ill equipped cultists, the cages, they knew what would happen. Saw the bloody aftermath. The cultists had already gathered around the altar of the Beast, already raised their weapons in defense of their glorious leader.

And everything happened just as some had predicted. Some slaves died in crossfire, many cultists fell, with Roxie crouching just behind Kenneth, fear written in her face. The team, Gavin, Crystia, Chaos, Erica, all were reclaimed and dragged behind the wall. But as the well trained military forces swept around the cultists, Kenneth stood and drew the ritual blade made of obsidian. The stone of fire and darkness flashed brilliantly in the firelight, and pulling Roxie close to him, held by her hair, he drew the edge along the perfect flesh of her throat.[/i]

?Awaken! She Who Consumes! The Beast! Come forth and bless those who are faithful to thee!?

[i]Darkness swelled around the alter, obscuring the form of the slumbering Beast. Then, it swirled, coalesced, and under the light of a million stars, and the lesser light of fire, eyes filled with disdain and scorn snapped wide open. The troops that were falling upon the cultists who had survived thus far fell back as the Beast stretched once, languidly almost, and then bent her head down and snapped off the surprised face of her most loyal worshiper. Roxie, her torn throat glimmering in the light, soon became the next meal for the creature she had devoted her short life to. While the Beast consumed those that had been faithful to Her, just as Kenneth had asked for, the troops turned tail and ran shamelessly. As She called down fire, consuming the land around Her, throat glistening and pulsing with life, horn quivering as She speared each girl still yet living, Gavin shouted orders, while the others swarmed into their trucks. As they focused on putting as much distance between them and the horror that lay close behind, their rear view mirrors lit up, as brightly as if it had been day.

She Who Consumes roared aloud, once, twice, three times, and then fell silent.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[Andrew]

[size=1]Okies, as you requested, a post so you aren't double-posting.

While I'm here I might as well request a death or two.

I've been re-reading Dragonball today for nostalgic purposes (First Goku/Vegeta fight today, awesome!) and am very much in the mood for some DB orientated killing!

Ok, so have me as the Super Elite Saiyan come to destroy Planet A, crushing it's nameless (and pathetic) military forces and then fighting it's two strongest combatants, Gavin and Will (Joko). Make it as close or as hopeless as you like, so long as I'm the winner and I reward them with honourable but distinctly painful deaths.

Sorry boys, nothing personal! ^_^[/size]

[Raiha]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]?Drink up Moyaku. It?ll help.?

[i]The doctor had brewed him a cup of fragrant tea, poured it with her own hands, patted him on the shoulder, while he waited for the bandages to dry. Earlier, she?d sewn the skin of his arm back where it belonged, drawn skin back over shredded flesh and held his arm while it twitched and cramped uncontrollably. And now he was deep inside the mecha that she?d helped him design, arms clenching the controls tightly, watching the hanger doors slowly crawl open, exposing him to the vacuum of space. As a million stars glittered around him, Moyaku kept on jumping back to that morning. She?d poured him that cup, the pungent aroma dancing across his olfactory nerves, reminding him of home, where there were no wars. No mechas. No doctors. Just his old mother, with the scent of jasmine tea heavy in the air, the smells of her liniment and lavender oils heavy in the air.

The hiss of his suit, the scent of metal, sweat, came back to him, drawing his thoughts to the present. Moyaku sighed inwardly and moved his fingers, his feet, and he the pull of the freefall catch him. Jet propulsion, moving through space, moving soundlessly. While a thousand stars vaulted above his head, thousands more below, he saw his comrades going, riding to their deaths. The only sound, the sound of his breathing, heavy and crowded in his ears, pushing and prodding him to move forward, to go out where there would only be the end of all things. His vision vaulted instantly upwards, scanning in all directions for the enemies. His squad was otherwise still, slowly rotating from one side to another, getting away from the ship that had dropped them and was now headed back towards their land base.

His radio crackled with static, his partner looking straight down.[/i]

?They?re coming up!?

?Jesus Christ! How are they fielding this many??

[i]The air around them was peppered with the mecha drones, unmanned, piloted remotely. It made no sense. There was no way the enemy had [I]this[/I] many automated soldiers, but here they were. Moyaku turned himself swatting the nearest out of the sky, ripping its circuits, while his comrades made good accounts of themselves. His left arm twitched in pain, the injured nerves jangling a loud warning he set his jaw and firmly ignored, as he focused on not getting shot out of his seat. His mecha roared in his ears, the sounds of hissing, integrated machinery doing it?s work, and then dead silence as the drones were systematically defeated. Knowing the puppet master would be close by, he circled above his team members while they scanned in every direction.[/i]

?He?s here! He?s-?

[i]His team mate?s shriek was cut off as her mecha was shot straight through the chest, armor piercing rounds shattering the titanium and iron alike. As she fell, the others swirled around in a defensive stance, a mecha of nearly equal size but unequal strength slowly building up on Moyaku?s viewer. His comrades swarmed forward, mobbing the enemy with bursts of gunfire that glared almost too brightly in the darkness of deep space. They?d already cleared the nearest planet in a swiftly departing system, the light from binary suns growing very faint. The glow of their suits and the flare from their guns the only illumination, with Moyaku hanging behind for one last fight if his friends failed. And that sinking feeling he?d felt earlier was only intensified as the last of his friends was swatted away, defeated, humiliated, destroyed.

Moyaku swung his mecha around, drawing back his grappling arms holding them outwards, unwilling to back down, even to save himself. Vengeance? Bravado? None of that here. Absolutely none. Just an injured boy in a beat up mecha suit, tired after years of war. And another enemy, tired as well from the relentless assaults, the ravages of time and space. Feeling inevitability well up in his mouth, he charged, swinging his left arm around, and bringing his right up in a pincer movement, locking limbs with the opponent?s. The two strained, stress fractures building up around the hulls, both wounded, tired, only stubbornness motivating them now. Both of their guns empty of shells, only melee fighting the recourse for the two, Moyaku whirled around, his mind tired, edge severely dulled by his arm. The bandage was turning red as the wound oozed lymph and blood alike. He sighed once, a quiet little noise, in the quiet expanse of space.

Finally he maneuvered just right and slammed his mecha?s shoulder into his opponent, cracking the chest armor, forcing the pilot?s hand even as his suit gave out the last reserves of its power.

Self destruct activated, all he had to do was sit back, with his own suit?s escape pod smashed beyond repair. His faithful mecha, that he?d repaired constantly all during the long times he?d had back on base with the doctor nearby, had finally reached it?s own limit. Far beyond what others had predicted for him, surpassing his hopes, and now finished along with him. A panel by his right arm short circuited in a brief shower of sparks, and his viewer went dark. He turned his head slowly, and looked out towards the faint sunlight over his right shoulder. Keeping it in his view, even as his vision went blurry and the oxygen ran out, he could turn his thoughts towards home.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[Kenso]

[SIZE=1]Not what I was expecting at all, but very nicely done all the same. Thanks.[/SIZE]

[Raiha]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"][i][b]I?m well aware this was supposed to be a retaliatory fight in a rather bloodbath-style-ish manner, but I?m feeling smarmy, and since you?re my husband, and I never promised to obey you, I think I?m changing your request ever so slightly. I?m sure you?ll relax and go with it for the sake of your sex life.[/b][/i]

[center]~~~~~~~~

Did you want to see them?

Erica and Raiha knelt where they had stepped,
Porcelain and jade.

Singing their way through the time,
One hand on the table and one eye on the sundial,
Visible through the open window into the sunlit garden.

The wall hangings swayed slightly in the breeze,
Draped over sandalwood lattices, covering up old blood,
Stains from the past, mingled with those more recent,
All over the place in this old room of old fears and feuds.

Now used for another purpose entirely,
Two girls giggling over their drinks with tea and foam,
Smelling of jasmine and lotus and every sweet scent that had ever graced the senses,
Silk and brocade and jewels on every surface,
On them, cold steel, concealed.

Twine your fingers around the hilt, watch them stand slowly,
Slide open the door, and wait for them to turn,
But it?s too late for you now and they?ve seen and they?ve touched,
Metal sounds ringing with the brush of fabric on bamboo,
Bare feet pattering as they come closer to where you were waiting,
You and your accomplice.

A flash of steel in your vision, the clatter and clanging disjointed,
Heavy in your ears in an ugly sound,
So different from the cries of laughter of young girls,
Even girls that kill you and are killing you,
And girls that weren?t meant to be seen.

Shouldn?t have looked,
You mustn't, but it?s too late to close your eyes,
And pretend that what you did see, however pleasant,
Was not really there.

Take a better look and see your own body,
Broken in defeat next to the body of she who had gone with you,
Old blood mingling with new.

Raiha and Erica have already gone,
Through the window, through the door.

To wherever it is that the bad girls go.
[/center][/FONT][/COLOR]

[Aberinkula]

[size=1][COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]Here's an odd request for you. I want it set in Otacku City. The story, Raiha becomes possessed by the demon of a woman who treats the world well by spreading flowers and joy throughout the City. But in the end the newer Raiha drives people insane with her creepy 'niceness.' So Des bans Raiha from Otaku City, than he nukes the city because of too much happiness taking over.

Idk if you want to do it, but it just seems different.[/COLOR][/size]

[Gavin]

[quote name='Raiha'][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"][i][b]I?m well aware this was supposed to be a retaliatory fight in a rather bloodbath-style-ish manner, but I?m feeling smarmy, and since you?re my husband, and I never promised to obey you, I think I?m changing your request ever so slightly. I?m sure you?ll relax and go with it for the sake of your sex life.[/b][/i][/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[SIZE="1"]Yes dear. *Wonders off-hand how many people just made whipping sounds*

Heh, all kidding aside, it was still a very cool piece, if a bit different to what I was expecting. The narration gives a slick feel to the action in the way it's understated which I liked a lot, it's sort of vivid without being vivid if you know what I mean.

And Andy, I swear, when I catch you on AIM you're a dead man.[/SIZE]

[Revelation]

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]Yes dear. *Wonders off-hand how many people just made whipping sounds*[/SIZE][/QUOTE] [size=1][color=#8B008B]*Makes whipping noise* Oh how well-trained [B]Raiha[/B] has you.

I kid![/size][/color]

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]The narration gives a slick feel to the action in the way it's understated which I liked a lot, it's sort of vivid without being vivid if you know what I mean.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] [size=1][color=#8B008B]Oddly enough, I actually get what you mean. The imagery and details are subtle yet visible. Every line in this is vivid and has a lot going on but with very few words.[/size][/color]

[Raiha]

[i][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]I saw her looming large in my vision, the battle scarred mecha I?d faced off against in what felt like a year long battle looking just as bad as mine. She?d cut my hardline, restricted my movement, virtually hamstringing me, but I?d forced her to tip her hand. And she wasn?t looking much better. I ran a quick finger over the control panel above my right head. Ever light was lit up except for the environmental system, and that was only because it was broken. The temperature in the cockpit was so warm I felt like I was steaming inside my own suit. My radio crackled with static and I saw that the enemy pilot had assumed a defensive position, the best she could form anyway. In any other situation that position would?ve looked pathetic, but with half of her suit?s movement completely destroyed, who was going to argue?[/i]

?Sure you don?t want to just give up??

[i]Her voice was soft, lilting, not mocking though. She sounded like she?d been doing some heavy breathing, and I figured the temperature in her own suit couldn?t be much cooler than mine. I thought about ignoring her, but it wasn?t like I was going to be able to run from this. One finger on the useless trigger, and the other on the radio, I kept my voice conversational.[/i]

?Not a chance. You?re about as fried as me. I can hear it, and hell your suit looks like it was run through a shredder.?

?True. But you don?t look half as good. Bet you wish you?d never broken off from your main group to take me on.?

?Probably. Yet here I am anyway.?

[i]With that I broke off the connection, showing the severed link on her end. Firing the last of my rounds seemed like a desperate move to me, but since I knew for a fact her own guns were empty was a vague consolation. At least she wouldn?t be returning fire. Of course that would?ve been much more impressive if she hadn?t just leapt out of the way at the last second and completely avoided my attack. Crouching behind more of the space junk that littered the field we?d been forced to fight in, she looked hunted. If I didn?t know any better, she seemed to be running scared. But we both didn?t have enough fuel to get far before gasping our last unloved and unmourned millions of miles away from home.

I picked up a flat piece of burned out hull and held it up like a shield, feeling the creak of my mecha, complaining with every movement. Not a moment too soon either, she had picked up everything large enough to cause damage and was hurling it at me. I had a brief moment of imaging we were both simply in grade school, getting into a food fight over something petty like me pulling her hair in line, when one of the pieces of junk finally crashed against me. Cursing myself for not tracking her movement better, then remembering my tracking system was off anyway, I turned to see her right up against me. A split second latter, she?d started battering me with her suit?s still functioning fists, throwing in kicks for good measure.

And the food fight had dissolved into a good, old fashioned, do or die brawl. I caught one of her fists with my own suit?s arms, and brought up the other for a good right hook, when she brought her knee right into the chest of my own mecha. The space I had to maneuver inside my suit lessened dramatically, and that sinking feeling in the back of my stomach reminded me that there was nothing left for me anyway. Desperately trying to fend off the rain of blows she was now unloading on my suit I reached one hand as far as I could in the cramped space, and entered the final command I?d ever make into my mecha. Miraculously, the self-destruct was still online, and as the system began to shut down, I slammed one fist on the radio and opened the connection I?d cut earlier. I knew in her suit she could hear the crackle, my voice wavy and distorted through the system.[/i]

?Don?t you wish we?d been the children of bigger gods??

[i]And then it all went quiet. She didn?t say anything back to me, she just started leaping away, as fast as she could go. My system clicked once, twice, and then I felt a shrieking pain building up inside of me. And it ripped and shredded and with my last thoughts, I could?ve sworn I heard her acknowledge me. Her voice soft and pure, no static to distort. She sounded nice, sweet, the kind of girl I would've taken home to meet my mom. Oh well.[/i]

?I always wished that.?[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Revelation]

[size=1][color=#8B008B]The pace in this story and the atmosphere of it was slower than most of your stories. Granted this is not one of your usual styles, it was a nice change.

You know, I realized that you're able to fit in a lot of detail in very few words. Usually people put in a lot of detail in many words or not a lot of detail in very few words; not the other way around. But then again, I'm sure lots of other writers do that as well, which would mean that I'm stating an obvious. Whatever.[/size][/color]

[Gavin]

[SIZE="1"]As Erica said, the pace of this felt a lot slower than your other works, which I think in this case worked really well to develop the atmosphere of sort of finality for the character.

The last few lines, containing the dialogue and the self-destruction are probably my favourite out of the whole thing, the reflectiveness and just that final line of thought about his unknown opponent's voice. [/SIZE]

[Raiha]

[i][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Beth stood quietly in the kitchen of her home. If she looked to her left she could see the place where her husband had died defending her. If she looked to the right, she could see the place where her good friend Raiha, had helped her killed the person who had pulled the trigger. And making her way down the hall, she passed the room where she and her husband had once slept together, the guest room where Raiha and Crystia had been on that night. She paused, laying the knife down on the cutting board, half of the onions still uncut. Crystia was sitting in the zero G chair that Darren had bought for her birthday present, her arms clasped over her head. Raiha had already left to talk to some of her less-than-savory contacts within Otaku City. While Beth had every confidence she?d turn up results, part of her wished that she could do more.

It wasn?t that she was afraid of anything at this point, but part of her just wanted everything to stop. The killings all over the city, seemingly random, always done by people who had no visible connection. Just the other week, one of her friends had died at a restaurant, over her teacup. How ridiculous was that? She sighed once, then again, and Crystia looked up just as Raiha let herself in through the garage door. She flicked the car keys over her shoulder to the wall hooks and sat down on one of the several bar stools next to the kitchen island and leaned on her shoulders.[/i]

?I found the man who set up Darren?s contract. Seems there was personal revenge involved this time, but he still sent someone because the poufter doesn?t like to get his hands dirty.?

?Well??

?I can?t tell you his name just yet. But I can tell you exactly where he is and exactly what he looks like. I?ll go with you if you want to take him out yourself.?

[i]It was tempting. Beth reflected inwardly for a few moments. Raiha would trash anything and everything close enough to destroy, and she?d do it all with a huge smile on her face. But if this was as personal as her contacts had led her to believe, better to do it alone. That way, if she failed, she wouldn?t take anybody down with her. Flawed reasoning, but like Raiha had mentioned before; logic had very little to do with it. In fact, logic had nothing to do with it. And that alone was good enough for Beth. She picked up her knife and began paring the onions once more, barely thinking about the cooking.[/i]

?I?ll go alone. But thank you for offering. You stay with Crystia.?

[i]Raiha kept her opinions of Beth?s choice to herself, merely nodding once. After all, it was her choice. All her choice. If she wanted to go there on a suicide mission, why argue? After dinner, Beth sat at the kitchen table with Crystia and Raiha for a few minutes, all three merely staring at empty plates, barely taking in the pattern of the tablecloth. Then, without another word, Beth pushed back from the table and picked up the black duffel bag Raiha had set up for her earlier. It was heavy, but nothing she couldn?t easily move with one hand. She snatched the car keys and, following the hand drawn map Raiha had procured, took off down the highway and into the night. In the house, Crystia and Raiha dealt a hand of poker and resolved to sit up until Beth came home, or they received news of her death from the Otaku Police. The fridge was stocked with enough chick drinks to last them anyway. And Crystia had even been optimistic enough to buy individual bottles of champagne.[/i]

?Think she?ll be fine Raiha??

?Why not? You saw how she blasted away her husband?s murderer. This time it?ll be even better.?

[i]And prophetic or not, Beth kicked down the doors of the penthouse that Raiha?s information had led her to. The guards at the door were already dead. The duffel bag had contained both rifle and pistols, throwing knives and simple survival knife. Choking out their lives through ruined throats was a sound sweeter than any symphony, even more than the sound of her husband?s cello. Beth chuckled dryly to herself as another set of doors slammed behind her. Then she felt a cold tingle that raised the hairs on her neck, coupled with the almost audible sound of an animal breathing. Then the semi-corporeal brush of flesh against her own, and she turned very slowly to see something that must?ve been a death induced apparition looming in front of her. Then it whined once, and Beth watched as a very large dog, a hound really, slink through the empty halls, before turning once to look over a broad shoulder at Beth. It flicked a tail in her direction, then kept walking forward.

Unsure of herself, and shivering slightly from the sensation of the beast manifesting right against her skin, she crept forward, and watched the beast shove open the doors that lead to the top floor. It looked real now, it smelled real, she could even hear it?s breathing now. Then Beth looked up and saw her enemy, the one that had selfishly ordered the death of her husband, sitting behind his table. And he looked so similar to someone she knew, and yet wasn?t him. Something off. Something completely wrong. And he looked through the hell hound crouched next to Beth, right up at her, into her face. His smile leered unpleasantly, grinding against her, making her teeth ache.[/i]

?So you came to finish me off then? Petty revenge??

?That?s correct. I?m not above it. You killed my husband, and if Raiha hadn?t been there, you would?ve killed me too.?

?Eh, it was just business. No reason to fret your pretty little head about it anymore.?

[i]His laughter grated on her ears, with all the comfort of nails on a chalkboard, or fingers crunching through Styrofoam. At the sound, the beast slammed her paws down on the table, rising up on her hind legs, and threw back her head. The howl that came surging from her throat shook the room from center to circumference, and Beth?s ears strained under the sound, before she came back to herself and unloaded the rifle?s clip into her husband?s murderer.[/i]

?You?re right. I?m not worried about it at all now.?

[i]His corpse slumped over the desk, riddled with holes, still smoking slightly from the voracious onslaught of an avenging wife. The beast rubbed herself against Beth?s side, all conciliatory whines now. And then she stepped through the wall and vanished. Beth sighed and shouldered her duffel bag, headed for the exit.

Raiha looked up as the garage door slammed shut and set down her hand, which had been truly unlucky. Crystia looked up from her own full house, and saw Beth, looking tired and drained, dropping her bag on the kitchen floor and leaning against the counter for support. Her friends stood up and went to be her.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[Ikillion]

[COLOR=#6d527f][SIZE="1"][FONT="Trebuchet MS"]Oh wow, its been awhile since I've read any of these. The story one even seems to tie into Otaku City rather well. Although for being someone who wasn't too familiar with the mecha genre I'm quite impressed with how you managed to pull it off. Its almost as if you've been up to date with it for a while.

I can't wait to see more.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Allamorph]

Although for being someone who wasn't too familiar with the mecha genre I'm quite impressed with how you managed to pull it off. Its almost as if you've been up to date with it for a while.

See, Raiha? See what happens when you try?

You got the talent, milady. You got plenty of that.

We just gotta get you usin' it. (^_^) Edited January 13, 2015 by Allamorph

[Raiha]

[i][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]The planet was pitiful in the least, covered over with masses of screaming people. One minute living completely peaceful lives, but now terrified, running for their lives, as Andrew cleared the planet in preparation for what came next. The military, as piss weak as he expected fell with a minimal amount of resistance. As far as he was concerned, this was swatting flies, picking flowers, as boring and typical as any mission, even for an Elite like him. With a yawn, he shot a rather lazy ball of ki at the latest opponent and found it kicked right back at him, the shock nearly throwing him off of his game. Instead he turned just in time to avoid his own attack and face down whoever had done that to him.[/i]

?The fuck are you doing to our planet??

?Not your planet now. We?re taking it for our own.?

?We? I only see you here, terrorizing our people, killing everyone in sight.?

[i]Two warriors had dropped down from one of the burned out buildings he had just cleared. One with dark brown hair spiked over his face the other with dark green hair, almost black. They were wearing some kind of armor, nothing compared to his he was sure. That same smug confidence written on every line of his face, and he crossed his arms, as if to say he didn?t even need them to beat down the two that were bold, or stupid enough, to stand against him.[/i]

?Who are you? Why are you doing this??

?Andrew. Saiya-jin Elite. My job is to clear this planet for resale. It?s ours now. And you two??

[i]The one with the brown hair spit once on the ruined ground in front of him, the green haired one?s frown deepening into a very ugly scowl.[/i]

?Gavin. And Joko. This planet isn?t yours.?

?We?ll see about that. I?ll even make a deal. If you two can make me bleed, even just a little, I?ll give the rest of your people time to evacuate.?

?...if one of us can make you bleed, we?ll see to it that you die too.?

[i]With the conversation ended, Gavin flung himself forward, energy focusing in his hands, going straight for Andrew?s throat. Swatted aside as casually as if he?d been just a passing annoyance, he threw up his left hand and pushed aside Joko?s own attack. Without following through, Andrew let them pass harmlessly to either side, and turned around to watch them both recover from the initial failed assault. Not missing a beat, Andrew raised both his hands, palm up and fired off several dozen bursts of ki, low energy, but enough to force Gavin and Joko to scatter. His scanner read their power levels at some ridiculously low point, not even enough for him to bother even a vague powering up. That was of course until Gavin slammed both fists into the ground and shouted, his power level skyrocketed, growing exponentially, while Joko?s did something very similar. Their auras blazed around them, energy stirring the gravel at their feet.[/i]

?So they?ve got more to offer than just that. Oh good, I was getting so very bored.?

[i]Altering his power level to a point just above theirs, he swung body around to meet their attacks, swatting them aside with minimal effort, one after the other. At one point Joko came close enough to clip his ear, but not enough to draw blood, much less raise a bruise. Gavin managed to land a blow to Andrew?s chest, but it did nothing to his armor, and in fact he barely felt it. The two, knowing that they?d reached the end of the line after hours of fruitless attempts, did not fall to their knees. In fact both staggered upright after Andrew had casually knocked them down what felt like the thousandth time. And feeling reasonably pleased with the results, Andrew casually walked closer to the two warriors he?d so soundly defeated. His gloved hand wrapped around Joko?s throat and he clenched tightly enough to snap his neck. One turn, one burst of ki from his palm and Joko fell, not even having time to gasp out a final breath through his ruined throat.

Gavin looked up, blood sheeting down his face, and the last thing he saw was Andrew reaching down for him. A quick burst of pain and he fell, his head wrenched halfway around his shoulders. Unpleasant business accomplished, Andrew brushed the blood from his palms, and turned to look at the ruined, smoking planet. He chuckled. An empty sound.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[Andrew]

[size=1]That was excellent. Nicely written as always, but more so because you kinda got exactly what I was thinking. Except you could made me more arrogant I think.

*Waits patiently for a retaliation from Gavin*[/size]

[Raiha]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"][i]I remember it all too well. I was sitting in the kitchen, wearing black leather bellbottoms with a purple tank top, waiting for the kettle to boil, while Raiha sat nearby, listening to the morning news and swearing at the radio occasionally. Then, just as the kettle began to whistle, it happened. A crack of lightning and a rumble of thunder overhead, so close the teacups rattled. Then I saw her stand, sway slightly on her feet and I ran to catch her, afraid she was going to faint.[/i]

?Raiha! Are you alright??

?Wha...? Everything?s fine Crystia. I?ll just go make us some tea. Tea?s so tasty.?

?Uh, right. Of course it is.?

[i]I let her go to the counter and pour, watching to make sure there were no mild mishaps involving boiling water. She walked over, with an uncharacteristic smile on her face, and set down the tea. I noticed both were garnished with sprigs of fresh mint and blinked a few times. Raiha sat down across from me and changed the radio to an easy listening station, the sounds of Barry Manilow filling the small space of the breakfast nook. I nearly dropped my teacup and stared at Raiha for a few minutes, watching as she sipped tea with her pinky in the air.

Half an hour later, I began to suspect the worst when Raiha emerged from her room ready to go shopping in an outfit of fluorescent pink. I didn?t even know she owned anything pink. Feeling a sinking feeling in my stomach, I watched her drive to the mall with none of her usual swearing, screaming, road rage, or bird flipping. Actually, I hadn?t heard her utter a single obscenity since the thunder. Curiouser and...curiouser...and then she parked after passing up several nice spots so old ladies could take them. As we walked through the mall, she had a kind word for everybody, smiling sweetly at every passerby.[/i]

?Hi Beth, how?s Darren? Everything?s fine? That?s wonderful!?

?Er, yes. Glad to see you Raiha.?

[i]It wasn?t that I doubted her sincerity. I mean she looked like she believed every word, but I?d never known her to be like that before. Sure she had her moments, just like everyone but this was totally insane. It wasn?t until Josh tripped over Raiha?s toes as he walked by that we even realized something was wrong. Instead of giving him a death glare, she quickly apologized for the inconvenience as profusely as anything I?d ever heard. He stared at her for just a moment, letting his eyes go out of focus, then he pointed a finger at Raiha and shouted a single, incomprehensible word. Then two more. Right in the middle of the food court.[/i]

?SHOW YOURSELF!?

[i]Raiha?s eyes rolled in the back of her head and everyone leapt back a foot. Then they came back and a slow, lazy smile spread over her face and she spoke in a small, high sweet voice, utterly unlike her usual darker tones.[/i]

?Whatever is the matter Josh? Don?t you like the new me??

?You?re not Raiha! The real Raiha would?ve dumped her drink down my shirt for that!?

[i]The un-Raiha giggled cutely.[/i]

?So you noticed. I?m afraid I rather like this body. I think I?ll keep it. Better get used to me being so sweet. I just can?t help myself you know.?

[i]Josh?s face blanched visibly and nearby Erica dropped her shopping bag on Gavin?s foot.

.........

Twenty-eight days later everything had gone completely insane. Raiha had turned her relatively conservative garden into a jungle of lilacs, marigolds, lavender, and foxgloves. Everything she touched seemed to burst into bloom, trees suddenly bore fruit after years of sullen leaves. A field of dead grass turned overnight into a huge field of gladiolas. And everyone seemed to love it. Except Desbreko. Not that I blamed him though. Otaku City?s image was slowly being ruined. And I know nobody said it, but everyone missed the Raiha that would?ve put on her cat suit and trampled them for the slightest insult. Eventually things became too much to bear when the Square was transformed from a place for angsty misunderstood teenagers to grandstand into Central Park. Filled with a rage almost too great to bear, Desbreko banned Raiha almost immediately after the ribbon was cut, evacuated most of the city by Administrative Order Number 62, and launched Project Zero.

End of Otaku City.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[Gavin]

[quote name='Raiha'][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"][i]And everyone seemed to love it. Except Desbreko.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[SIZE="1"]How unsurprising. ^_~

Funny piece D, definitely interesting to see your alter-ego in effect.[/SIZE]

[Kenso]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]Raiha, that may've been the scariest thing I've read here in a long while.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]All kidding aside, I actually found that one amusing, although the thought of all those flowers makes me want some Claritin.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[Raiha]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Well that's a way to know real Raiha from fake Raiha. A real Raiha would have allergies up the yin yang to all those flowers too...

But that's it for pending requests. So if anyone has any more, I'm taking them now. So nice to be caught up.[/FONT][/COLOR]