Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ Predator and Prey ❯ Life is a battlefield and the heart, a warrior. ( Chapter 9 )

Chapter 9: Life is a battlefield and the heart, a warrior.

 

The entire Ruez house was completely silent as the group of teens slept in the living room dimly lit by a small lamp. Sly lay sprawled out on a couch with his tail waving in the gray cat's face who, in turn, had her tail beating against Jaxon's leg. Jaxon had his arms wrapped around Angel's waist and his head rested on her thigh. Angel's head lay on Damien's legs as he slept in a recliner with his head on the arm. To the far end of the room in a dark corner lay Kylee and Shadow in a peaceful slumber in each other's arms. The only person missing from the mass of bodies spread out on top, under, and by furniture was Dragon. The sound of a spray-can could be heard coming from outside the house. Shadow's ears twitched and he slowly rose to his feet reaching for a pillow to rest under Kylee's head. When he was sure she would not wake, he headed outside to find the source of the noise. He walked to the back yard and it came as no surprise to find Dragon spray painting on a brown wood fence. He was unable to see what he was doing, but his attention was drawn to the fact that what he was creating was part of something bigger. At the beginning of the fence, the words “Shadow Gates” were written in red and black.

 

“Well, if that isn't a big coincidence,” he thought to himself as he continued to look over the art on the fence. Each scene seemed to blend into the next with all sorts of vibrant colors. Besides the dragon and angel wings, each scene had one thing in common, the people in them. The whole gang that was asleep in the living room was depicted on this fence from what looked like street racing, fights to parties, and raves. It was as if you could feel the atmosphere, see the movement, and hear the sounds of it all. Shadow followed the, what he called memory fence, to where Dragon stood.

 

Dragon stepped back to where Shadow was standing and nodded at his work. Shadow looked amazed to find that he was in it. It was the same scene from last night with a twist to it. Kylee looked to be an angel with her wings chained to her sides unable to fly. Shadow had the huge black wings of a dragon and his eyes were a streak of crimson as he soared through the sky to catch her. That was faded into where Shadow had Kylee in his arms, their wings clashing together. For a second Shadow swore he saw his own portrait glare at him.

 

“Ya know they keep telling me they keep moving if you stare too long,” Dragon said as he continued to admire his work. “Weird, huh?”

 

“Oh, yeah,” Shadow agreed snapping out of his trance.

 

“Ami calls me the Artist from Hell, claims I put blood in my paint cans.”

 

“Who's Ami?” he asked already having a slight clue from the way he had behaved the night before.

 

“She's that gray cat you saw the other night.” Dragon's cheek went a bit pink at the thought but they turned back and he headed for a huge tree in the middle of the yard. “But you're not here to hear about her. You're still wonderin' about the Diablos aren't you?” Dragon sat down under the tree pushing a swing that was hanging from a branch with his hand.

 

“So who are they?” Shadow asked leaning against the tree.

 

“They're a gang and a very big one at that,” he started. “They've been around for years. Most of the members today had dads who were members. There were only two ways to leave, you either died or abandoned them all together. They all seemed to choose death. For years, their numbers grew and so did their territory. They rule over nearly a third of the city including some of the wastelands.”

 

“So what does this have to do with Kylee?”

 

“Her bother, like their dad, was and still is the leader of the Diablos making her and every other girl related to or dating any member a Diablo Girl. Their off limits to anyone not a Diablo, but Ky is off limits period. She's watched almost constantly, but that doesn't mean she can't take care of herself. There's more than one reason why they call her Vicious.”

 

“I don't even have to ask do I.” Shadow pulled at the grass around the tree roots and watched the blades slid through his fingers.

 

“She and Angel used to be underground street fighters,” he said pausing to hear his reaction.

 

“You're kidding right?” Dragon shook his head. “Then why? I mean she did have her parents around to say something against it.” Shadow found this very hard to believe but the physical fights Kylee and Angel seemed to get into constantly hinted at something. No ordinary friends fight like that.

 

“See that's the things,” he sighed. “After her mom died and her dad disappeared without a trace it was just Jose and her left to raise their bothers. Jose did what he had to, took his dad's place as leader, and became a bounty hunter just like him. Kylee learned to fight at a young age with Angel so they become fighters. It was easy money and the stakes were always high. It wasn't until her bother found out that they had to end their reign as champions.”

 

They sat there for a while silent listening to the morning birds. Shadow's mind wandered to the graffiti at Quake. The angel that resembled Kylee. The name under her was Kathleen. “So that was her,” he said breaking the quiet. “You know the mural.”

 

“Yeah that's her,” Dragon sighed with a sad look in his eyes.

 

“How did she die?” he asked but didn't expect an answer to such a question.

 

“You'll have to ask Kylee,” he said simply, got up, and walked back to the house. Shadow followed taking one last glance at the Shadow Gates.

 

The rest of the day was spent just sitting around and talking to the others in the living room while Ami slept on the couch she now laid on. In a few short hours, Shadow learned the finer points of the group and some things that were just too obvious. They laughed and made fun of one another at any given moment while eating pizza and soda. Shadow also learned a strange game the group play involving burping. A person would burp then everyone had to say a color. Apparently, the last person to say a color had to make a sex noise. He really didn't understand until everyone said a color except Kylee who gave out an erotic scream. His eyes were wide in amazement and came to the quick conclusion that he didn't want to be the last person ever. Later into the night, the twins finally returned from a friend's house exhausted from playing all day. The group, deciding it was time to head home, said good night and left to their homes, Jaxon carrying the still sleeping Ami with him.

 

While Kylee tucked away Enrique and Marcus, Shadow searched the kitchen for something preferably loaded in sugar. He just suddenly had a craving for something sweet. His search seemed fruitless for sometime until he discovered a large stash of candy hidden behind a few jars on the top shelf. Just as he popped a piece of caramel in his mouth, his ear twitched to a sweet melody that was coming from the twins' room. Curious, he went to find out just whom it was coming from. He stood just outside their door when he could hear the words clearly coming from Kylee's voice.

 

I don't wanna say good-bye, so I'll say good night and hope that tomorrow will be right for you, kind and true. So I can sing good night and not good-bye.

 

Those were the last few words that he heard come from her. He was now leaning against the wall with his eyes shut. He could barely remember the lullaby that was sung to him when he was a babe.

 

Kylee walked out of her brothers' room closing the door behind her. She sighed, as she got lost in her memories of the days when her mother sang her to sleep.

 

“That was a nice song,” Shadow said snapping her back to reality.

 

She looked up at him, smiled weakly, and said, “It's been in my family for some time now.” Shadow allowed his ruby hues to gaze deep into hers as he smiled warmly. “Come on.” She motioned for him to follow her out into the backyard. She sat down on a picnic able to the far end of the yard. Shadow sat beside her and just gazed at her in the light of the stars.

 

She turned way from the Shadow gates to look at him. “What?” she asked laughing a bit.

 

“Nothing,” he said smiling again, “it's just that you remind me of someone I knew a long time ago. She was as spastic as you and cared a lot like you do.”

 

“So what happened to her?” she asked looking up at the stars.

 

“She died,” he answered in a sad tone. “She was shot by some really fucked up people.”

 

“My mother died the same way,” she said lowering her gaze to the ground. An ice blue dragon crawled out from under the table and scurried off into the house. “We were walking home from shopping, my mom, and me. I was only thirteen and the twins were only a year old. We'd spent the whole day at the mall buying clothes and baby toys for my bothers. My dad was away on another bounty and Jose spent most of his day playing football with his friends. At the time there were two smaller gangs fighting in the area that we were walking through. Before we knew it, the street became a war zone. There were bullets flying in all directions and we were in the middle of it. I had my back turned when a bullet came towards me. She…she sacrificed herself to save me. The bullet shot through her and still managed to hit me. She died there on the street.” Kylee's sliver eyes shut as she bit down on her quivering lip, the image still so fresh in her memory.

 

“You probably felt scared and alone,” Shadow said lifting her chin up with his hand. “Like if you called out for help no one would hear you.” Her eyes were brimming with tears as she stared into his dark red gaze. She stopped nibbling at her lip to say something but Shadow pressed his lips to hers, kissing her with a deep passion.

 

“Kylee, I just want you to know something,” he said after breaking the kiss, “and that's I love you and I promise to always protect you.”

 

 

*Is asleep* Romance *mumble mumble* Mmm moving too fast! WAIT *wakes up*…Where'd that camera come from? I know someone out there is screaming NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NOT ANOTHER ONE! For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about just live your lives blissfully unaware.

 

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