Fan Fiction ❯ Wild Blue Yonder ❯ Tension and Departures ( Chapter 19 )

**REVISIED**

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own it, I only own the characters I created. <Author checking to see if Rain is around, whew that was close. No bruises today.>

Wild Blue Yonder

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Chapter 19 - Tension and Departures

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The next morning came all too soon for Rain, who restless sleep had not allowed her the needed refreshment for the continuing day. To say it simply, she was overly cranky the next morning when awoken by Legolas. She snapped unnecessarily at everyone, including Nanook, who with one look at her expression, turned tail and hid behind Elrohir.

Upon seeing her disgruntled expression, Legolas quickly turned and walked back towards the horses to prepare to leave. She snorted at his hasty retreat, grinning nastily. She had an extremely wicked side when she didn't get enough sleep, as many of her airmen had learned the hard way. No one wanted to mess with Rain when she was cranky.

She stood up, stretching to ease the kinks out of her muscles before kneeling back down to pickup her blankets. With a sharp snap, she shook the dirt and leaves out of the bedding before rolling it up and stowing it away in her A-3 bag. Zipping the bag, she snagged the handles and threw it over her shoulder as she strode across the clearing to the horses.

"Good morning, Rain." Elrohir said cheerfully, paling at the swift frosty glare she sent in his direction. Taking the hint from Legolas's tense shoulders, he turned and quickly found other things to do.

"How far do you think we will get today?" she snapped at Legolas, dropping her bag next to his feet. He was harnessing one of the two packhorses. His hands stilled at her question, before he turned, his face schooled to show no expression.

"We should reach the base of the Misty Mountains by this afternoon. We will wait until the following morning to attempt to cross the Mountains." he said casually, his tone even and steady, not betraying his inner turmoil.

Her attitude this morning was being to grate on his already strained nerves and this was only the second day of their journey. The way things where going they would be at each other's throats by the time they got to Lórien. He had promised himself that he would do everything to get her back, but he needed at least a little cooperation on her part.

"Good, make sure to keep me appraised of any changes." she ordered, her tone strict and commanding. Without looking back at him, she turned and strode over to Arod, snatching a brush on her way. It was a good thing that she hadn't looked back at Legolas or she would have been extremely frightened.

Fury radiated from him in an almost visible wave, fire flashing in his eyes and his face carved into an arrogant sneer. 'Who does she think she's talking too like that.' flashed heatedly though his mind. He took a step in her direction when a hand came up to catch his arm. Turning, prepared to strike whoever had the audacity to stop him, his fury suddenly drained at the compassionate expression on Elrohir's face. Sighing heavily, he closed his eyes feeling the anger suddenly leave his body. Opening his eyes again, he grinned weakly back at Elrohir, his eyes indicating that he had control of himself again.

Turning back to the packhorse, he secured Rain's bag to the harness, before leaning his head wearily against the horse's neck. Never had he lost such control of his emotions like that before. She seemed to bring out the deepest feeling from him, whether it was love or anger. Shaking his head, he stood up and picked up the lead rope leading the horse over to the other already packed horse.

Jumping gracefully to Hasufel's back, Legolas turned to watch the others mounting before, with a twitch of his wrist, he led the packhorses and the group out of camp and to the base of the Misty Mountains.

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The next week was filled with heated glances and heavy tension. Elrohir, finally tired of the stupidity of his two friends had decided to do something about it. As the moon began to rise over the land, Elrohir did the only thing that he thought would get these two to work things out between them. He left. Rising quietly in the night, he packed his gear, took one of the packhorses and set off for Lórien. Riding alone he could be there in three days, he needed to send time with his grandmother to enlist her help, if this plan didn't work.

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When Rain awoke the next morning she found Legolas brooding heavily, staring into the dead fire at the center of camp. Looking around, she frowned when she noticed that two of the horses where missing. Turning back, she looked about camp to notice that Elrohir and his belonging we also gone.

"I see that Elrohir has decided to jump ship and took off." she stated as she walked over and sat down near Legolas.

Legolas didn't answer back, just grunted as he stood up and stalked out of the small camp. Sighing, Rain ignored his rudeness. She had noticed something else that concerned her greatly before he had stalked away. He was not looking well, even as confused as she still was with him; she could not help to notice that he had been barely eating over the last week.

His appearance was beginning to concern her. Dark shadows haunted his eyes and his skin seemed paler than normal. She wondered that if it had to do anything with the pain she could see every time their eyes met. Shaking her head, her heart tightening at the thought that something was wrong with him, she stood up and efficiently broke down the camp and packed the horses. She knew that he wouldn't be gone long.

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Legolas walked slowly towards the Auduin River, stepping quietly through the trees, his thoughts racing. He wasn't sure if he could take more of this, the quiet, the tension that seemed so thick in the air between them that you could cut it with a knife. The sarcastic remarks or just the plain silence that she would put between them. He wasn't sure what he could do to reach out to her anymore, and his heart was breaking.

Reaching the river, he sat down on a large boulder close the edge. The morning sunlight glistened off the blue-green water, reminding him of her eyes when they danced with laughter. The soft cries of morning larks drifted lightly through the air and a gentle breeze tugged at his hair.

The beauty of the scene escaped him though, normally he would revel in his love of nature, but today his thoughts were turned inward, dark and brooding.

If he had been aware of his surrounding he would have noticed the small band of Uruk-hai that had tracked him from the camp. As it was they caught him nearly unaware, except for the sharp sounds of gunfire and yells behind him. He turned just in time to duck under a sword that was being swung at his head. Rolling away from the Orc, Legolas pulled his twin long knives from their sheath and with a sweeping gesture from his right arm, sliced the Orc from the shoulder down.

Bouncing back away from the falling body, he surveyed the others. Two orcs where to his left and one on his right. Deciding that one on one was quicker, he darted to the right, slipping under the upraised arm, slicing his blade across the orcs stomach as he passed. Jumping back away from the falling body, he pulled his bow from his back and with lightning speed, dispatched the other two orcs.

Speeding back through the trees, he burst into the camp, calling out for Rain. Seeing that the packhorse was down with several heave black feathered arrows in its neck, he turned searching frantically for her. Hearing cries and yells from the other side of the downed horse, he sprinted, leaping over the animal and into the trees. He found Arod and Hasufel rearing behind Rain, who had three orcs advancing at her, Nanook crouched at her side growling fiercely. Rain had a large black arrow protruding from her right shoulder and in her left hand was a large black orc sword.

Yelling as he burst through the tree, he drew his bow and fired two arrows simultaneously as Rain slashed through the third orc. As the last orc fell to the onslaught, Legolas dashed quickly to Rain's side catching her as her knees buckled and she dropped the heavy sword to the ground. Her left hand came up to cup the wounded area as she turned tired eyes up to Legolas's face.

"Are you all right?" she asked as she moved her hand from her shoulder to his cheek.

He's safe. He's alive, she repeated over and over to herself, unaware of her hand gently stroking the skin of his flushed cheek. Rain was no stranger to battle, nor to surprise attacks, but this time had been different. Normally, her first reaction was to quickly assess the situation, size up the enemy, and attack.

But as the large Orcs had burst into the camp, blades drawn, her first thought had been of Legolas. Where was he? Were these the only Uruk-hai, or were there others attacking him? Driven by blind rage and fear, Rain had begun squeezing the trigger, angered even more when an arrow pierced her shoulder.

The wash of relief as Legolas had charged into the camp had weakened her knees, so that she had sunk to the ground, as if boneless. Now, looking into his eyes, so full of compassion and a dying hint of fear, Rain knew he would never had deceived her.

Yes, I'm fine, but you've be hurt." he said, a tremor to his voice as he took in her pale and sweating face.

"I'm all right, it really doesn't hurt that bad." she quipped as she tried to smile, but instead a grimace passed over her face. Pushing herself upright, she stood on wobbly legs as she looked around the edge of the clearing. "Did we get them all?"

"I think so, come on, let me tend to your injury." he said, drawing her along with him back into the camp. He led her to the rolled up bedrolls and helped her to sit down as he grabbed his pack.

"Legolas, I have a first aid kit in my bag. It has bandages and antiseptic that can be of great use." she whispered, panting lightly against the pain beginning to swell through her arm. He turned and darted over to the downed horse, rolling it slightly to get her bag. Just as he turned back towards her, he saw that she had her gun out and pointed at his head.

"Legolas, look out!" she cried as she fired her weapon.

Rain's words faded as a sharp pain pierced his skull. Instinctively he cupped it with his hand, but drew it away when he felt moisture. He stared uncomprehendingly at the glistening blood dripping from fingers, before his vision began to blur and his world slowly faded into darkness.

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A/N: Well, its that a surprise. Rain is hurt and Legolas is down, but by who? Did Rain miss somehow and hit him or was it something else? Let me know what do you think.

Happy reading. ~DBZ Vegeta