[PG-13] Cloudland Swing [MatrixOne and Naraness]

[MatrixOne]

"I think I remember how to climb stairs. It's easier than climbing mountains. And you don't need hands"
She walked upstairs. Unsure which door leads to the 'spare room', she hesitated for a second, but decided to approach a random one.

"It gets complicated when it comes to doors"
If it was her house, she'd have opened this troublesome gateway with a well placed kick.
Well, Delain did tell Rin to make herself at home...

As she waited for Delain to give her a hand, Rin decided to fill her in on some issues.
"Project Purity was our biggest undertaking... And I think it was also the main reason for our downfall. The idea of it was very simple"
Rin smiled.
"Nathan said he hated the sky as it is today. He said it was 'muddy brown', and reminded him of swamp water. He also mentioned that... A long time ago, he was out, spending the time with somebody, and it was raining a lot... And they both caught a glimpse of the real sky, just as it was before the world crumbled.

And that's what Project Purity is about. Bringing back that long lost sky. So that people could look up, and see the heartwarming color of hope, instead of a constant reminder of how everything fell apart"
Rin's voice lowered.
"But the costs were too high. They spent so much, setting up a facility in the mountains. And there was more. Food, supplies, bodyguards, equipment... They couldn't handle it. But they were dedicated to their work, not about to just leave it.
And the debts were growing...
Today we all felt the consequences of that"

Rin paused for a moment.

"I... I think he might have avoided contacting you, because he didn't want to get you involved in this"

[Naraness]

Delain sighed, stepping up the stairs after her. Her hand rested on the door knob as she listened to Rin speak. Her mouth twitched towards a smile as Rin mentioned Nathan's description of the sky. It had to be him... Her own thoughts of the swampy color had originated from him describing it to her that way. She had never thought of the sky the same way again.

"Sounds like it was a worzy cause... Just as Project Hope was. I... I hope it does not fall to ze same fate." She shrugged, and turned the doorknob, letting the door swing inward. It creaked slightly, like everything else in the ancient house did.

Listening to what Rin said next, Delain scoffed. "So he had a chance to contact me, and he didn't?" Delain asked. Her face remained a cold facade of not really caring. On the inside she was hurt that he would think she couldn't handle it. It wasn't as if her life had been any safer living on the streets. her life had been in jeopardy several times, she had seen more people die at the hands of others than she herself had killed. How could she have possibly been better off this way? Maybe it was just his brotherly pride. Delain figured that he probably didn't know much about her life, and had assumed she was living peacefully and out of the way. Maybe he did know everything she had been involved in. The thought that he had probably avoided her all these years didn't help. Delain felt like a cold knife had pierced her heart. Her face expressed nothing but cold calculation. In other words, her mask that hid her emotions.

"Well what else can you expect from a big brozer?" She raised an eyebrow slightly, and gestured to the room. "Everyzing you need should be in 'ere. If you need anyzing..." Again she was reluctant to offer her help. "Give me a call. I'll be next door." She stepped away from the doorway, and began to walk towards her own room.

Delain couldn't help but remember when Rin had mentioned Nathan seeing the sky with 'Somebody'. A smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. She had been the somebody. Nearly five years ago... A heavy rain had filled the streets with inches of rain. Stepping out the front door meant being drenched to the skin. In that day the water had washed the pollution out of the sky just long enough for the ozone lair to be seen, and the blue sky to be visible. Delain could still remember the feeling. Light had shone down on the city for the first time in years, the pure warmth of the sun had met her skin. It had made her feel alive. That heavenly light lasted nearly an hour before the clouds of smog, and radiation had covered it up again. She sighed, remembering what her brother had told her that day.

He said, 'That's how the world is sometimes. A light will appear, but alone it doesn't last very long.' She had asked him why it couldn't stay. She didn't want it to go. He told her, 'It's hard to be a flame of hope in a mud puddle'. Always she had thought of those words. A few people of hope couldn't shine alone, when the rest of the world was trying to tear them down.

[MatrixOne]

Rin didn't respond.

She took a step inside the room, not bothering to close the door, and looked around.

A bed, chair, desk, bookshelf.

In other words - useless, space-consuming junk. At Hope, her room was simply... empty.
No chairs, no desks, no shelves.

And, most importantly, no beds.

Rin sat down on the ground, with her back against the wall. Too exhausted to think about anything, she fell asleep almost instantly.

She has always had trouble sleeping. Her mind was... special, and dreaming silenced her control over her subconscious. When in her direct vicinity, one could even sometimes experience parts of her dreams - her emotions, and thoughts.

She was moving nervously in her sleep, sometimes whispering words, as if parts from a conversation.

"..... I trusted you.....
It's too late....
You will stay here, with the chaos you created....
Goodbye"

After that, there was an explosion. It didn't really happen, but the sensation of it - the sound and vibrations spread throughout Delain's house.

And the dream was over. The weird aura disappeared.

***

[Naraness]

Delain shut the door quietly behind her. She vaguely heard Rin moving around in her room. She tried to remember the last time she had heard movement in the house; other than herself. It had been a while, to say the least. She sighed, and started to get undressed, pulling her shirt up over her head and throwing it into a basket in the corner. She proceeded to unarm herself, removing her pistol, and setting it on her bedside table, and continuing by removing the other numerous sharp objects on her body.
Finally she collapsed into her bed, restless, as usual. An open window allowed cool air to wash over her bare shoulders. Her hip-length hair was splayed all over the pillow in a dramatic effect. She sighed, and shut her eyes. Sleep came more quickly than it usually did.

What seemed like a second later came all too quickly. Delain bolted awake in a cold sweat, her chest heaving great breaths. Her eyes darted around. The house had been on fire. Mother’s wedding gown in the closet had turned to ash, father’s books… they had been burning. But upon a quick glance around, any trace of a fire was gone. It didn’t make sense. Delain could have sworn she had felt the flame melting her flesh… She could have sworn she had screamed. But after examining herself, it was apparent she hadn’t come into contact with any such fire. It had only been a dream.

She laid her head back, and tried to get back into the sleep that had come so easily. Unable to, she laid wide awake. She starred at the ceiling, trying to imagine that a blue sky could be seen through it. It was a nice idea anyway.

-

The next morning Delain got up early, dressing and replacing all of her weapons in their proper places on her person. Without her coat her pistol remained in plain view strapped across the left side of her chest.

Walking down to the kitchen, she blended up a protein smoothie as breakfast, deciding she could just give Rin a straw and leave it at that. Drinking her own down quickly, she gazed out her window, eyes scanning for irregularities. Immediately she spotted an unwelcome sight. A wanted paper, with her name on it. She gave a small grunt of acknowledgment, and proceeded out her door to tear it down, and bring it inside.

She had to admire the picture they’d gotten of her. It captured her features, and was not a public photo someone could have given out; no, they had taken this themselves. Below was a reward. She gave a small snort at the sum. Five hundred dollars. It was a healthy amount for anyone to collect. But honestly when she had imagined a wanted sign going up for her, she had imagined the award money being, well, more.

“Let’s see, here… Crimes include…” Her eyes scanned the paper. “Theft, well I can’t protest. Murder, that’s a little harsh… Assault, blah, blabbity blah, blah, shooting an officer… Oh gosh I didn’t think they knew about that… Funny they don’t count all the lives I’ve saved, or robberies I’ve stopped…” Delain sighed, and set the paper on the counter. So the authorities were officially out for her. Brilliant.

Strangely enough, she was reminded of the dream she had had that night. It hadn’t felt like it wasn’t… hers. It had felt oddly foreign, and unreal, yet more real than any other dream she’d ever experienced. Her mind boggled as to why that would be. She shrugged it off.

Delain decided to go and wake Rin, that was if she wasn’t already awake. If there was a bounty on her head, than she would have to leave. Too many people knew her around here. As if they needed another reason to be out for her… Realizing that probably meant Rin would be coming with her, she sighed. Then stepped up the stairs. Her footsteps made quiet ‘thump’ sounds on the hollow steps. As she reached the top she quietly knocked on the wooden door leading to Rin’s room.

[MatrixOne]

Rin was standing in the middle of the room, staring blankly at a wall, thinking heavily about her newfound ally.
The sound of knocking snapped her our of it.
"Oh... Hello"
She looked puzzled, but did not say anything more than that.

She remained quiet for a while, but gave Delain a nod of appreciation upon receiving the protein breakfast.
Her eyes were drawn to the wanted poster.

Rin got up, read it carefully, and sat back down, looking troubled.

Finally, she spoke.
"You are not a bad person"
An empty statement, voiced with an empty voice.

"But you are not good, either. You saved my life and let me sleep here. You keep taking care of me, forcing yourself to do things you hate. But you do it. And other times... You kill and steal, doing whatever you want"
She lowered her voice, expressing sadness.
"I do not understand. Usually, people are easy to read - they are good or bad, not... both. I do not know what to expect from you. I gave you the location of Project Purity, you do not need me anymore. You do not have to keep helping"

She tilted her head inquisitively, waiting for an answer.

[Naraness]

Delain watched silently as Rin ate. She made no move, and no sound as she noticed Delain’s wanted paper, and proceeded to read it. She listened in stony silence as Rin spoke. She raised an eyebrow, unsure herself about which side she stood on.

“It’s not about if I’m good or bad.” She said quietly. When she thought about it, she was probably more bad than good… “I don’t zink I could rightfully be called eizer. So we’ll just say it how you did. I’m not bad. But I’m not good. I’m somewhere in ze middle, and I’d prefer not to define zat very thin line.” She said, narrowing her eyes just slightly. A scowl twitched at the corners of her mouth. She didn’t like to think about where she stood on the side of good and evil. She didn’t like the answers she would come up with.

She turned, glancing out the window. Delain heaved a sigh. Her expression softened, and she ran a hand through her hair. “Either way, ze authorities are out of me. If zey catch me it’ll mean a death sentence, it’s not as if anyone will vouch for me.” She clenched her hand. “Too many people know zat I live here. I have to leave.” She said firmly. “You can come with me if you want. But where I’m going… All I’ll be is a runaway. I plan to find my brozer, where else can I go?”

She took a deep breath. “By ze way, I never needed you. I’m not about to dump you on the streets now. It’s your choice, come with me, it will be dangerous. Stay, it will be even more dangerous.” She shrugged. “But it would be nice not to be alone.” She admitted.

[MatrixOne]

"I never needed you"

These words hurt Rin quite deeply, although she knew they were true. She wanted to help Delain with her search, and seeing other survivors of Hope wouldn't hurt.

"I still don't see why you want to take me with you if you think I am useless to you. But I can make things happen. Many things. I am not good with people, but I know how to... handle them. Usually"
She smiled.
"Not always. For example you. I think you have your own set of rules that you follow. But I do not know those rules. And I am afraid to find out. But..."

She walked up to Delain, and gently put her head on Delain's shoulder. It was an awkward gesture, but Rin was confident.
"I think I would vouch for you. And I want to go with you. Because you're my friend. I guess"

Rin took a step back, her eyes focusing on her friend's face. For once, she was looking AT her. Directly.
It did not happen often.

[Naraness]

Delain listened to Rin speak, and was startled as she proceeded to lay her head on her shoulder. Delain tensed slightly, unaccustomed to people touching her in any way. She figured that Rin’s odd gesture had been the equivalent of placing her hand on her shoulder in an assuring way. Her next words startled Delain more than she would have expected.

“You would vouch for me?” Her head swam with confusion. Rin had only known her for a day. She had watched her as she kiled two men. She had seen the wanted paper, read an account of her crimes, and probably knew that those on the list were only the known crimes she had committed. And her crimes far outnumbered her good deeds. Still she said she would vouch for her. And then continued to tell her that she was Rin’s friend. Delain tried to remember the last time she had been able to call someone ‘friend’. She hadn’t had a friend who hadn’t betrayed her, or stabbed her in the back since… Nathan. And person who she had been able to call her friend had either betrayed her, or used her.

“Do you really mean zat?” She asked, unsure what to think. She stared right back into Rin’s eyes. “I would very much like to call you my friend as well.” She said quietly. Her mind reminded her that she had given up on having friends a long, long time ago. She insisted, as she had done quite a few times, that she was
different. She could only hope she was right.

Delain broke eye contact with Rin, and continued, trying to pretend she hadn’t just let her cold façade lift for a moment. “I don’t see you as useless. Perhaps physically, but you 'ave a very strong mind, and I believe you can defend yourself just as well as I can. So, ze offer remains. You can come with me, but you are welcome to stay here, or whatever you want; if you don’t want to be around me. Which I wouldn’t blame you for.” She said flatly.

The sound of distant sirens rang through the air. She hadn’t thought they would be here so quickly. But then and again… More than a few people wanted her dead, and would have no objection to using the police to get their way. Delain tensed.

“Decide quickly, I am leaving in sixty seconds.” She said, running across the room to grab her coat, and pull it on. She grabbed her sunglasses from the mantel above the fireplace. Then proceeded back into the kitchen. She opened a cabinet, and pulled a wad of cash out from of a ceramic jar, slipping it into her jacket pocket. Going over a mental checklist in her mind, she was ready to flee her home. She looked back to Rin, expectant of an answer by this point.

[MatrixOne]

"Something will happen. Something bad. You must go. I will stay here and delay them, and we will meet under The Lone Rock, where you used to spend time with Nathan"
She spewed it out as if it was a single sentence. She was obviously worried.

Lone Rock...
This must have been a place Delain had a lot of memories associated with, because Rin felt the strong connection to it in her friend's mind.

"Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself. And be extremely careful"
Rin was very serious. She could feel something bad is going to happen, and she knew she couldn't stop it. But maybe she can delay it?

Two police cars stopped outside the house a minute after Delain left it.
Six officers got out and took positions around the outside of the house.
"The house is surrounded. Come out with your hands up!"
The squad leader was shouting through an ancient pre-war megaphone.

Rin casually walked out through the main door.

She wasn't shot - as if something was keeping the officers from firing their guns.
"Put your hands in the...."
Then, the leader noticed the girl's disability.
"...Uh... Don't move"

They lowered their guns and approached her. A girl with no hands couldn't possibly harm them in any way... Could she?

"You three, search the house. And you... did you see her?"
He showed Rin the wanted poster.

One of the policemen that were ordered to search left the house and approached , holding a poster Delain teared down this morning.
"Oh, I bet she did. She must be an accomplice. We should lock her up"

Rin's eyes were pitch black.
"Are you sure?" She asked. "I think you both know you came to a wrong city"

They laughed. It was ridiculous - how could this be a wrong city? There are even wanted posters here, and this clearly is Delain's house...
But there was something else. They both suddenly remembered something.

They could recall seeing Delain far away. This memory appeared without warning nor explanation, it just... was there.
The posters didn't exist in their minds anymore. All they knew was - they have to search another city.

"Also, your superior told you to drive me somewhere. Right, Jim?" She asked the commanding officer, and at the same moment he remembered a phone call from his boss.
A phone call that never happened.

But he didn't know that. It was a memory as vivid as any.

And, as Jim was driving Rin towards her destination which was suspiciously close to Lone Rock, he was thinking about his passenger - and especially about her pitch black, empty eyes, looking at him as if they knew every single thought of his.

Every. Single. One.

[Naraness]

Delain was about to flat-out protest. She wasn’t going to run, while Rin held them off! But the determination in her friend’s eyes, and the ever approaching sirens convinced her otherwise. She nodded to Rin, and turned on her heel, taking flight to the back window. She grasped the bottom lip of the window’s border and thrust it upwards. She felt cool outdoor air seep in from outside. Taking no real notice of this, she swung a leg through the opening, and then pulled the rest of her body through, setting her feet on the gravel behind her house.

She heard a loud voice say the house was surrounded. That meant she would likely run into someone. Ready, she jumped the wooden fence that caged in the backyard.

As her feet hit the ground on the other side of the fence she felt an increasingly familiar aura fill the air. She could tell that Rin was working her magic again. If you could call it magic. That girl was really something… Delain silenced her thoughts and focused on running. Lone Rock was too far to go by foot, she’d have to find a car. Of course, she’d be stealing it, but it wasn’t as if she was going to steal it from someone who needed it. She was more than capable of taking one that belonged to some good-for-nothing thug.

As she took off through a small parking lot, her eyes came upon a suitable candidate sooner than she had thought she would. A small, busted up mustang. The windows were down, the keys were in the ignition. A poor old fool was passed out, probably drunk, in the front seat. She marched towards the lad, wrenching the door open and grabbing him roughly by his shirt collar. He mumbled something incoherently as Delain tossed him to the pavement, and stepped in. She turned the keys in the ignition and the car roared to life. It had a surprisingly strong engine for such a broken down vehicle.

Delain shot out of the parking lot, rolling up the windows as she went. She took a quick glance around the car, looking for anything she could use to disguise herself. In this part of town security cameras were virtually nonexistent, but she couldn’t take chances. All she saw was an ash tray, and she wasn’t about to try to turn her hair white, not to mention the smell. She figured just her temporary presence in the car would require a bath. She didn’t know where she would be able to get one though.

Delain took the most unused routes she could find. After about ten minutes of driving she stopped so she could tear the plates off the car. She couldn’t risk someone reporting her only so she could be tracked. Not that a plateless automobile was any less suspicious.

Her thoughts drifted towards Lone Rock. She had only good memories associated with it. She had been surprised when Rin mentioned its name, because the landmark wasn’t known by any official name. She had Nathan had dubbed it ‘Lone Rock’ themselves. She figured that again, Rin had seen it through Delain’s own mind. Thinking of Rin Delain could only hope she was alright. The guilt would silently eat her alive if she was harmed, and Delain had left her there.

Delain took an exit, heading West, out of town. Lone Rock was just outside to suburbs of the city. She was surprised Rin had chosen it, considering how close to danger it was. They would have to be careful.

Ahead, she spotted her destination. She wheeled around, leaving her car in an abandoned parking lot, then hiked the remaining distance. Lone Rock was simply quite a few large boulders stacked against one another. It was situated in a pine forest, and was quite cool. Most people didn’t dare to enter them because it was said they were haunted. She and Nathan had started the rumors using tin foil and perfume bottles. A smile twitched at the corners of Delains mouth as she entered the familiar shade created in the cave-like area. She pulled her sunglasses off, hooking it on her coat collar so it hung. She breathed deeply, memories flooding her mind…

“Put your hands in the air.” A cold voice said. Delain’s eyes snapped over to the other side of the cave, where a young officer in uniform stood. “I knew you’d come here. They didn’t believe me.” He said, an almost insane glint in his eyes. He held a semi-automatic black pistol in his hands.

“Do you really zink you can shoot me before I can kill you?” Delain snapped.

“Go for you firearm and I’ll pull the trigger.”

“You won’t be able to before I put a hole zrough you.” Delain said just as coldly, and without fear. It wasn’t the first time she had stared down the barrel of a gun before. “Put it down before you get yourself killed.” She warned, her hands ready. She could just feel her pistol against her chest, she could imagine how quickly it would be in her hands, the feel of the grip under her fingers. All he had to go was twitch the wrong way and she would shoot him. “When my gun comes out, people die. Zat’s its purpose, to kill. Zink about that.”

“That’s why I have to shoot you.” He said. “You’re a murderer.”

“Liar.” She hissed. “I kill, I don’t murder.”

“You murdered my Pa.” He said, his voice going shaky.

“Oh zat was the officer who I shot?” Delain chuckled mirthlessly. “Don’t make zis personal boy. His gun came out first, don’t make me shoot you too. You don’t have ze guts. You’re really gonna shoot me wizout a gun in my hand? I zought you had to bring me to court before I could be put to death.”

“I can make an exception.”

“Zen go ahead. Shoot me. I won’t stop you.” Delain said, shaking her head. She could see the innocence in his eyes. He wouldn’t do it. “Shoot me.” She whispered, gaining satisfaction from the way he trembled. Her sharp blue eyes flashed. “No?” She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Zen cuff me.” She said, offering her wrists in front of her, side by side. He looked reluctant to step towards her. “Afraid?” She taunted. He glanced down at the hand cuffs at his belt. When his eyes came back up to her it was his turn to stare down the barrel of a gun. “Drop it.” Scared, and obedient his gun dropped to the ground. Delain smirked, and stepped forward, holstering her gun.

Delain made a very bad mistake. She had forgotten about a recent edition to the police department’s equipment. An acid they carried at their belt in powder form. It was the equivalent of pepper spray, only being an acid… the effects were sometimes more lasting. She didn’t have time to shut her eyes before he was able to reach to his belt, and toss a handful of the dust in her face.

Her ice blue eyes suddenly felt like they were on fire. They felt as if they were melting in their sockets. One glance at the world told her she’d never see it the same way again. If she’d ever see it again at all. Through the pain she wasn’t able to register anything as she stumbled to her hands and knees. Vaguely she felt a pair of strong hands bind her wrists behind her back, and remove her gun, as well as search her. She felt her many knives leave her body as they were discovered, and distantly heard the words ‘I’ve got Amaterasu, meet me at the rocks just outside the city.’

That was when Delain passed out from the pure pain alone.