Other Fan Fiction ❯ The Lost Ones ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Keith's smile widened as he heard this. "Oh really? I was starting to think that you were asexual," he laughed. "Who is it?"

She blushed and looked away. "He is none of your business!"

"So it is a guy! C'mon, tell me who it is!" He tried to look through her windows. When he caught a glance of Neron he frowned. "I don't know him. I know all your friends. Did you hire a hooker?"

She glared at him. "It's not like that and that is sick, Keith!"

"What?" He shrugged innocently. "Well, if it's not like that, then I'm sure he'd enjoy some pizza."

Mia guarded her door. "No!" If it wasn't for Neron's arm...then maybe.

Keith groaned. "Why not?" He whined. "I took the time to order a pizza, rent a movie that you'd like, and drive all the way over here. If you're not trying to get busy with him then why can't I come in?"

"Ok...I'm totally trying to get busy with him..." she said blushing. Neron had no idea how embarrassing this was. "Can we...just do this some other time..."

Keith paused. It took him a second, but finally he burst out laughing. "My girl! That's awesome!" He was still laughing as he handed her the pizza. "I'm sure you'll be hungry afterward. Have fun!" He winked, stopping just to look back at her. "Wait...how did he get lucky? I've been trying to get in your pants for months now!"

She only blushed brighter. "He's...I...we...go away, Keith!"

He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "Not until I get the full details on this guy. I don't want anyone plowing you without my permission. That's some grade A booty you have. Not just anyone should be able to get it."

Opening the box of pizza, she dumped it on his head. "That's why he gets me and you don't!" she snapped and walked back in her apartment. Looking at Neron she blushed and quickly looked away.

Neron's cheeks were a bright red. Not because he was embarrassed or blushing, but simply because she was and those feelings transferred over to him. Clearing his throat, he tried to hide his own discomfort. "Who was that?"

"A friend...who really really wants to know why you are in my apartment and he isn't," she said. Walking over to him she looked at his arm. "How's the arm?"

He pulled the towel from it. It was still bleeding, but it was starting to heal. He forced himself to wiggle his fingers. "It's healing," he told her. "The bone is starting to regrow." Looking back at her and then to the door, he gave her an innocent look "Is he your partner...er...boyfriend?"

"No!" Mia said quickly. "He is just a friend! Though...he has wanted to do more...but I'm not into that kind of relationship."

He nodded, feeling the sense of embarrassment slowly start to ebb away. "I see. Once again, that is a shame. You are a beautiful young girl. I'm certain that you have melted the hearts of many men." He placed his left hand on the tattered remnants of his right forearm. Closing his eyes, he held his breath as he twisted. There was another loud cracking sound as his bones corrected themselves and repositioned correctly.

She winced with him, feeling his pain and finally realizing that they share emotions. That was going to be difficult. Looking at him, she blushed again. "Don't say such things...boys...men...I'm not into them, not that I'm into girls, I just find them a waste of time."

He chuckled as he looked at her. "Once more it is a shame. Believe me, after spending centuries alone I would give anything to feel the warmth of someone I care about." He stopped as his fingers graced his red cheeks. He smirked, but said nothing as he tried to make certain that he could move all his fingers.

She glanced at him. "I'm sorry you always have to start over."

He shrugged. "It's not as bad as you would think. The people I knew are long dead. People I cared about are nothing more than memories...and now they're not even that. In a way, each time is simply a time for a new chance at life. I fail, but I try again."

Mia pushed her hair behind her ear. "I don't think I could do that. How exactly did you get started in this war?"

His smile fell as she asked him this. "That I remember clearly." Closing his eyes, he could see the scene play out in front of him. "I was a farmer, nothing special. I had a wife and a daughter. One day when I was returning home, the mountain wall collapsed. I fell for what seemed like an eternity before hitting the bottom. I was dying, and in that instant I was offered a chance. Perses came to me, and asked me if I wanted to live. I said yes, but I had no idea what deal I had just made."

Opening his eyes, he forced down the emotions which were threatening to overwhelm him. He did not want her to feel his sorrow and anger. "At the time, I just wanted to see my family again. The next thing I remember was being awakened by my first master."

Mia moved her hand over her heart, feeling a bit of regret...his regret. "I'm sorry."

He forced a smile to his lips and shook his head. "There is nothing to be sorry for. That was a lifetime ago. I have learned to live with my mistake. I hope that when I am finally freed that I can try again to have a life. Nothing special.... Just a family."

"How old are you? And I mean the age you were before all of this."

That took him a second to answer. "It is hard to say. We really did not keep track of things such as that. I believe I had seen somewhere close to twenty winters.... So, somewhere between eighteen or twenty."

"And you already had a wife and child? When did you marry? How old was your daughter?" she asked.

He smiled as he thought about this. "She was three, and a little angel," he told her. "Her name...." He stopped and held his head. His breathing quickened as he cursed. "I can't even remember my own daughter's name!" He threw his head back against the couch and bit his lip till he tasted blood. His memories were leaving him. It was as if his memories were nothing more than grains of sand and they were slowly falling from his grasp.

Mia grabbed her chest harshly. Her heart felt crushed. It was as if her breath was being taken from her. It hurt...it hurt a lot. Was this how he felt? Her breathing picked up and laid back her head with him. "I'm...so sorry..."

Upon hearing her voice he opened his eyes and looked at her. He could see the anguish in her face. She could feel his sorrow. He had to keep his feelings in check so that she wouldn't suffer with him. "No.... It is not your fault." He stood and began to pace. He found that it helped to calm him down when he didn't have anything to hit. When he finally felt himself calm down, he had to force what little memories of his family he had left deep within his mind.

Mia dropped her hand lightly from her chest as she started to breathe again. Looking up at him she stood and hugged him closely. Even though she had made a rule not to get close, after feeling what he felt, she knew he needed a hug.

He froze as she hugged him. He wasn't allowed to touch her unless the situation called for it.... This was not that time, but he couldn't help but to press his head against hers. He felt something wet fall from his eyes, and he pulled back when he realized it was a tear. He wiped his eyes quickly and turned away from her. "I apologize," he said quickly. "Millenniums pass and yet I still cannot harden myself as much as I wish."

She reached for him again, still feeling his pain, and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "What was your name before?" she whispered.

He shook his head. "I cannot remember..."

She hugged him tighter. "It's ok."

He smiled, letting his hand come up and grab her's. "Thank you," he told her after a few moments. "I am...fine...now." He was far from fine, but he was calm. He did not want to worry her anymore.

"I was in high school once. I know that when someone says they are fine, they really aren't," she said pulling back. Her heart ached for him. "I hate you are hurting."

"It is alright. It will pass in time," he told her as he held his chest. "In another millennium or two I will probably have forgotten that I even had a life outside of this." He sighed, but upon turning to look at her he forced a smile. "It is nothing for you to worry about. It will not affect my abilities as a warrior. That is all that matters."

Her face hardened. "Then I say we do our best to win this so you don't have to forget anymore than you already have," she said. Reaching for her knife, she ran her hand over the handle. "I promise you, I will do everything I can to help you succeed."

He reached out and took the knife from her. Twirling it around in his hand, he flipped it up and caught it. "I will teach you enough to protect yourself," he told her. She had no idea the horrors that happened during this war. Words were nice, but they only did so much. Handing the knife back to her he let his hand fall to his side. "It is late," he said softly. "Perhaps it might be well if we simply call it an early night."

She set the knife down. "How's your arm?"

He flexed his fingers. The bleeding had stopped, but it would be another day before he had full use of it. "It will be fine," he assured her. "I've suffered a lot worse."

Nodding, she handed him his pajama pants and grabbed her own pajamas. Going to the changing screen, she started to change. Even though she most likely would lose him at some point, the bond they shared was something she would never feel again. And even though she didn't want to feel empty after it and planned to not get close to him, she couldn't help herself. She didn't want to look back on these days and wish she had made the most of the bond they had. Most likely she would be left with a lot of heart ache, but she was ok with that. She had an eternity to get over it...if they won.

He took the pajama pants and started to change into his night pants. He folded his clothes and placed them on the couch. Running his fingers across his mark, he closed his eyes as a few more tears fell from them. He quickly wiped them before she returned. He was an immortal warrior. He would get over this and move on as he always had.

She looked at him, knowing that the pain in her heart belonged to him. Clapping her hands, the lights went out and she crawled in her bed, leaving room for him.

He looked down at the bed and then at her small form. Without a word he crawled into the bed beside her, making certain to leave enough room for her space. Though he laid down, his eyes never closed as he stared at the wall. Several lifetimes played through in his mind, but they were nothing more than fragmented pictures. No names, only a few faces. The only thing he did remember was the feelings, and those he would not allow himself to indulge in.

Being brave and daring, she wrapped her arms around him and snuggled close. Mostly because she wanted to and she felt he needed it. Allowing herself to do this was making her feel very vulnerable, but she felt it was ok to be that way around him. The bond allowed that.

His breath caught in his throat when she wrapped her arm around him. He was confused at what she was doing. She had told him to stay away, and now she was cuddling up to him. He bit his lip and relaxed lightly, allowing her to do as she wished. If it made her happy and if she wanted to, he saw no reason not to let her. Tomorrow...he didn't know what he would do. He should be trying to gather information about where the others were. He should be trying to build an army. Yet, he didn't even know where to start.

Mia woke to the warmth of Neron. She sat up and stretched lightly. Looking at him, she slipped out of bed and grabbed her things for a shower. She tried to be quiet as she turned the water on and slipped in, letting the warm water cascade over her form. Most likely Keith would be by today wanting to know how her night was. She would have nothing to tell him.

He stretched after she left. The feeling of her warmth leaving him and the empty spot on the bed letting him know that she was gone. He was still confused about what he was to do, but that would have to wait till later. Getting up, he picked up the clothes he had worn the day before and set them by the bathroom door so he could change into them after his shower. He looked down at his arm and noticed that the wound was starting to scab. He traced his hand over it, flexing his fingers once more. Once he was certain that everything was at least decently hooked together, he knew that he should try to summon the blade once more. However, he didn't want to feel the pain from that for quite some time, so he would wait another day.... At least he hoped that he would be able to wait.

Mia showered and changed then walked out. She smiled at him lightly before getting things out for breakfast. She watched him walk to the bathroom and smirked. He was getting the hang of things, that was good. She cracked a few eggs and started some bacon and toast while watching out her kitchen window for Keith.

Sure enough there was the screeching of tires as Keith pulled up to her apartment. He jumped up the stairs two at a time before knocking on her door. "Mia! I'm here for all the dirty secrets as well as for some naughty pictures!"

Mia had made an extra plate for him, knowing exactly what he liked. Going to the door, she opened it and handed him the food. "I see that you got rid of the pizza on your head," she smirked.

He smirked as he began to toss the food into his mouth. "I found some twins which loved pizza. I let them lick it off of me." He stopped as he heard the shower. Eying Mia, his lips twisted into a devilish grin. "He's still here!? You guys must have really been freaks last night."

"Actually...he's staying here," she said and covered her design on her hand with her other hand. "I really wish you would have gone to your beach house. Jeeze, aren't your rich boys in love with the beach?"