by Parker, Jack
Suddenly, Leon began slowing down. They were apparently near the location of their trip, but Ray couldn't really see anything important. They weren't really by a city or anything. It was just a place out in the desert. What was so special about this place?
"Come on," said Leon as he stopped the car and opened his door. "There's something I want to show you." They both got out of the car, and Ray began following Leon. They were walking out towards what appeared to be a cliff ledge.
They eventually reached the top, and Leon pointed out across the setting. There was a smile on his face, his eyes shining.
"Look out there," he told her, and she obeyed. What she saw took her breath away. The setting was unbelievably beautiful. She could see the sun falling behind the horizon, painting the sky in reds and yellows, even a splash of purple in the northern skies. It was like looking at a picture or even a painting. However, what made it so very breathtaking was the setting below the cliff they were on. There was a forest, a lush green forest with a beautiful crystal blue lake in the middle. This was probably one of the few areas like this still left. Most of Des was nothing but deserts, but this place was green and full of life. It was beautiful, and Ray was happy that Leon had decided to bring her out here.
"Amazing," she whispered as her eyes gleamed in the fading sunlight. They didn't miss anything as they scanned over the setting. It was in every way a paradise, an isolated utopia, untouched by any human hands. It was nature's creation, and it was the most amazing thing she had ever seen in her nineteen years of existence.
Leon smiled as he watched her admire their surroundings. He had been hoping that she'd find it as breathtaking as he had the first time he had seen it. He had come here quite often as a child. His mother would take them all to this very cliff edge, and they'd watch the sun set. Once they even came out to see it rise, and he wasn't sure which one was more fun to watch. It was a glorious sight to see either way.
As Ray stood there, still admiring the area, Leon came behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Strangely enough, she didn't pull away or even tense up. In fact, she relaxed against him, reaching up to hug his arms closer to her body. She was comfortable like this. She was comfortable just standing and watching the sunset with him.
"Ray?" he asked her softly, drawing her attention away from the scenery. He gently turned her around to face him, a question in his eyes. He dropped his arms back to his sides, his expression now one of seriousness and curiosity.
"What is it?" she asked him, noticing how intense he looked right now.
"There's something I've been wondering," he began, but he didn't say anything after that. Ray didn't question him either, wanting him to just tell her without having to ask.
Leon's eyes held hers for a while, and he slowly began to reach out with his right hand. As it approached Ray's face, she quickly knew what he was up to, and she turned away a little.
"Please don't," she begged him softly as she closed her eyes, and he actually hesitated for a moment. However, curiosity got the best of him, and his hand continued on its path.
Leon gently touched the left side of her face, and he began to push back the hair that concealed it. He had to know why she insisted on hiding like that. Just what didn't she want people to see? He was surprised to find that she wasn't trying to stop him. She didn't pull away or swat at his hand. Instead, she let him push her hair behind her ear, and he gasped at what he saw.
Ray opened both of her beautiful cherry eyes and stared up at Leon. It pained her to see the shock and horror in his eyes. This was exactly why she hadn't wanted anyone to see. She hated what he was staring at, and traces of tears quickly began to cling to her eyes.
On the left side of her face was a large scar, one that stretched from her temple to the side of her chin. It was a wide cut, and the blood red color had never faded from the wound. It just barely touched the corner of her left eye, and she had been lucky that it hadn't damaged her sight. It was a horrible wound, and it was no wonder why she kept it covered.
"It's hideous, isn't it?" she asked him sadly, refusing to meet his eyes. He was quickly snapped from his trance, and his attention went to Ray's eyes instead.
Before he could say anything to her, she turned away from him, her attention going back to the beautiful scene before her. She walked away from him, her head still down.
"Do you understand now?" she asked softly. "This is why I couldn't let people see me. This…thing draws too much attention…too many questions."
"Ray, why…how did this happen?" he asked her out of pure concern. He wasn't all that curious anymore, but he wanted to know just why she had such a large scar. She was lucky it hadn't gone any deeper, or she may have died from the wound.
"I got it from the one man who has tormented my life from the beginning," she told him, her voice lacking the malice that was usually there when she spoke of the silver haired devil. "You see, it happened just a few months after my parents died. Lee and I were at a different base with Gordan since he needed to take care of something there. During our stay, Ramirez came. His goal was to kill Gordan, but he attacked everyone there, including Lee and I. Ramirez was about to kill me, but Lee managed to pull me away in time. I didn't see what happened next, but I remember feeling something slide down the side of my face, and then the burning started. I ended up passing out, and when I woke up, I had this."
Ray's eyes filled with tears as the memory hung down on her. She could see it all so vividly. At least Gordan had made it out alive, thanks to Lee and the other officials. It had still been a horrible experience though. Why couldn't Ramirez just leave her alone? Why did he have to keep destroying her world piece by piece?
"Afterwards, the people in Torran looked at me differently," she told him. "They'd stare at the scar on my face and shake their heads at me. Not one of them knew how I had gotten it. They stared at Lee differently too, as if they blamed him for what had happened. They probably thought he was in some kind of gang or something. He ignored them, but I hated the way their eyes followed me, so I covered my scar. Not even Abby and Brian know about it."
Ray slowly turned around to face Leon, and he could see the teardrops playing in her eyes. They lined the bottoms of both, just waiting for her to let them fall. It was as if everything she had gone through was concealed in those small drops, and she was determined to keep it all inside. They signified all of her pain, all of the horrible memories that that scar held.
"This scar is like a reminder," she told him. "It's a reminder of the hell that Ramirez put me through. It reminds me…of just how hideous my life is." She hung her head, her eyes focused completely on the ground. She was sick of this. She was just so tired of everything that she had been put through. Ramirez had to be killed. She needed to resolve this conflict, or she would never be at peace. Nothing would ever bring her the content that killing him would.
Leon was silent, and he had been through her whole story. There really wasn't much that he could offer her. She had gone through so much, and now he finally knew all of it. He knew about every mystery that surrounded her. He knew things that even her closest friends had never come close to finding out. Why was she so willing to tell him? Why hadn't she tried to fight him off, to keep her secrets?
Leon slowly began to approach her, watching as she tried so hard to fight off her tears. She was always trying to be so strong. There was no denying that she was, but she didn't need to be all the time. She needed to cry, to let it out. Even one tear would be an improvement, but she held everything back. Couldn't she see that it would just hurt her more?
Leon was soon right in front of her, looking down at her downcast expression. He gently reached out to her, and his hand found its way to her right cheek. She raised her head to meet his eyes, and once caught in them, she couldn't pull away. Before she knew it, he reached out with his other hand and ran his index finger down the scar on her face. Never once did they break eye contact.
He dropped his arm back to his sid
e, but his left hand was still cupping the side of her face. He moved just a little closer to her, still not breaking eye contact. He could see the tears playing in her eyes, begging to roll down her cheeks and fall to the ground below. However, Ray would never let them unless something was done about it.
Ray began to feel a little nervous under Leon's gaze. He wouldn't look away from her, and there was no way she would be the first to. She was trapped in his dark lavender eyes, the color eyes his mother had had. He looked so gentle when he was staring at her like that. It was a look that could melt her insides if she allowed herself to fully succumb to it. She was stronger than that though. She had to be. Still, she couldn't help but wonder why he was staring so intently at her.
"You don't always have to be so strong," he told her softly, and it seemed to strike something within her, as if her soul itself had heard him. With that said, he slowly bent down towards her.
Ray was speechless for the first time in a long time as he said that one thing to her. It was as if she was hearing it for the first time, as if every part of her knew it was true but just couldn't accept it until now. She was helpless to watch as Leon bent down towards her. Before she knew it, he was no more than an inch away. A jolt ran through her as his lips brushed against hers, and before she knew it, he was kissing her.
Ray was startled, her eyes wide as she felt Leon's lips against hers. She wasn't sure exactly how to respond. She hadn't been expecting this, nor had anything like this ever happened to her before. However, everything about this felt right. She could feel herself succumbing, her eyes slowly closing as her body relaxed under his gentle touch. He was being so careful with her, treating her as if she'd break if he pressured her too much.
As her eyes finally closed, a single tear escaped, dripping onto Leon's hand as he still held the side of her face. Her arms slowly snaked their way around his neck, and she pulled herself up a little so that he didn't need to lean down so much.
He moved both of his arms, wrapping them around her so that she'd be closer to him. He kissed her passionately, wanting her to understand that he loved her without having to verbally express it. He loved her more than he had ever loved anyone. Sure, he had never had a girlfriend before, because he had always been scared to screw up. Ever since the loss of his mother, he had isolated himself from the rest of the world, but here he was holding a young woman in his arms. She wasn't even just your average everyday girl. Ray was the ace knight, a powerful Geno pilot, but now she was just as fragile as anyone else, as any other girl with a life like hers would be. He wouldn't rush her. He knew she needed time, but he hoped that his presence would help her at least heal a little.
Ray couldn't help it anymore. She could feel herself losing control over the tears in her eyes, and more began to fall down her cheeks, leaving visible trails in the light of the setting sun. She had nothing left to hide, nothing left to tell Leon. He knew her better now than anyone did. She couldn't help but feel that this was right, that this was what it felt like to have no burdens. It was like the weight of the world had suddenly been lifted from her shoulders, and she knew of only one thing: she loved Leon.
This was truly a place of utopia, a paradise beyond the forest that seemed to go on for miles, beyond the sunset on the horizon. Sure, by tomorrow, this would all be nothing more than one instant in her vast memory, but for now, it was nothing short of a moment in paradise.
CHAPTER 34
Downhill Struggle
It was late at night, and by now, everyone was fast asleep. The late hour wasn't even enough to keep Gordan up. He was asleep in his own room, as were the other residents of the base. They had to be well rested, after all. With the threat of Ramirez around, everyone had to be ready for anything. True, he wasn't stupid enough to attack the full force of their army, but you never know. Once his mind was set, nothing stopped him. If it was currently set on killing a certain traitor, he'd find his way into the building no matter what the cost.
Right now the hallways were all pitch black, the power completely off. Not even the computers were on, only the security system. Otherwise, the base was completely shut down for the night. That didn't mean that everyone was shut down though. In fact, there was one person who insisted on walking the pitch black halls. He used his hands to feel his way around as he continued on his path. Eventually, he reached a pair of double doors, and he shoved them open.
The hanger was dark, but with his eyesight now adjusted, he could make out the outlines of the mechanical beasts. He could see the lighter colored ones, the ones that belonged to the knights. He couldn't take one of those, or he'd have two enemies. Stealing a knight's Geno was as bad as confiscating a police man's vehicle and then crashing it. He could easily be put in prison for such a crime. He was desperate but not quite that desperate.
He walked over to a different Geno, one with the standard black armor. Perhaps he could liberate this one without getting into trouble. It was the same kind he had taken out the day before, only to be attacked by Ramirez's men. His luck just hadn't been very good lately. In fact, it was downright horrible. It was as if he had been jinxed. Perhaps that was the price he had to pay for betraying his general, for faking his own death. Maybe this was his punishment. Even when he's not here, Ramirez finds a way to make my life miserable.
He began to walk over to the dark Geno when the lights in the room suddenly came on. He froze in his place as he heard the door slam shut. He hadn't even heard it open, and he couldn't even hear as someone came walking across the room towards him. Why hadn't he been paying attention? He was always so aware. Maybe he had lost his touch, the skills that had gotten him his commander position in the first place. Maybe he wasn't the great warrior he thought he was if someone could sneak up on him so easily.
"And where do you think you're going?" asked a very sweet voice, a sweet but familiar one. He turned around to face the person behind him, only to be met by the emerald eyes of Abby. "A little too early for a morning run, don't you think so Aaron?"
"I…" he began nervously. "I was just…what I mean is, I'm…"
"You're running away," she told him seriously, sounding disappointed as her eyes filled with sympathy.
"I…I'm not," he told her as he turned away. "You wouldn't understand."
"Try me," she told him with a small smile. "We're not all that different from you, you know. Just because you came from Ramirez doesn't mean you're…"
"You're wrong!" he shouted angrily as he completely turned away from her. "I'm nothing like you knights. I have to leave." He paused, lowering his head a little. "You just don't understand. You haven't seen…what I have. You don't know the horrors that Ramirez is capable of. You have no idea what he'll do to me if he ever finds me here."
"We'd never let that happen," she insisted, trying to assure him that he was safe at the base. Unfortunately, it was a losing battle.
"Against Ramirez and his assassins, what chance do any of you have?" he asked her sadly, a small smile present on his face. "I won't let something like that happen to any of you. I don't want anyone to get put in danger because of me."
Abby was shocked to say the least. Was that really why he was leaving? Was he trying to protect them? It was obvious that the ex-commander was terrified of Ramirez. There weren't many who weren't. However, someone like him was probably more afraid than any. He alone knew what the devil was capable of. He had probably seen his work first hand. Just how terrible was the dark general?
"Is that why you're leaving?" she asked him. "To protect us?" Aaron only lowered his head in response.
"I just don't feel safe here anymore," he told her. "I know that you and Brian have forgiven me for what I've done, but if Gordan ever found out that I…I killed the other knights, I don't want to know what would happen."
"Well, you're about to find out," stated a voice by the doorway. Both Aaron and Abby spun around to face the entrance to the hanger. Standing there was none other than General Gordan. He stood with his arms crossed, a ve
ry serious expression on his face.
Without a word, he began to walk into the room, earning him Aaron's full attention. The ex-commander looked rather nervous under the eyes of the general. In fact, he was petrified with fear. Now that Gordan knew, what was going to happen to him? He wasn't sure who to fear more: Ramirez or Gordan.
"So it was you," began Gordan. "You're the one who piloted that…monster. You killed my knights." Aaron lowered his head. He was sure he was about to be punished, to be locked away forever. He was sure something horrible would happen to him. Instead, Gordan just smiled. "And yet Ray let you live. I must admit I'm a little surprised."
"Sir?" began Abby cautiously, drawing Gordan's attention. "Are you…going to punish him?"
"No," Gordan answered with a smile. "There'd be no point now. If Ray can forgive him then anyone can."
"I'm going," stated Aaron as he turned around and began walking away. This quickly drew Abby and Gordan's attention.
"Stop right there," he demanded, sounding once again like a general. To his surprise, Aaron didn't stop. In fact, he broke out into a sprint and began to head for the Geno he had originally intended to pilfer. Unfortunately for him, he didn't get very far. Abby managed to tackle him from behind, forcing both of them down onto the floor.
"You're insane," she told him, sounding just a little angry. She continued to fight with him as he tried in vain to get away from her. "If you leave now, Ramirez will have no problem finding you. Do you have some kind of death wish?"
"This would be so much easier if you weren't a girl," he told her as he tried to get away without hurting her.
"You won't get away," she stated as she tightened her hold on him.
"You have no idea what he's capable of," stated Aaron as he tried to squirm away from her, but she held him firmly to the floor. She really wasn't going to let him get away. "You haven't seen what I have. You haven't seen the horrible things he's capable of. What I did to the knights can't even compare to what will happen to me if he finds me!" Abby stopped forcing him to the ground the second she felt his body tremble, and it didn't stop. He currently had his eyes closed, his head turned completely away from her. He's scared…more than scared. He's completely terrified.
