Perfect Sacrifice (69 page)

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 side, 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 very 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.

Abby released his arms and got off of him, but he didn't stand up.  Instead, he lied on the floor, now on his back.  He wasn't making eye contact with either her or Gordan.  He didn't even stare at the ceiling.  His eyes were open, but it was like he wasn't actually seeing what was there.  His mind was haunting him with images that he really didn't want to see.

"He'll kill me, but he won't do it quickly," he stated.  "I've been present during his killings.  He doesn't kill, he slaughters.  He won't just shoot someone once.  He'll fill their body full of holes, or sometimes he even…"  Aaron felt his stomach lurch at the memory.  Ramirez was a sick man, someone who greatly enjoyed watching his pray squirm.  He wasn't sure which form of torture the man preferred more.  Mental or physical.  Either one was painful and affective in its own ways.  He was just a horrible man that needed to be killed.  Unfortunately, Ray was the only one who stood even a ghost of a chance.

"We know what he's capable of," stated Gordan, earning him Aaron's attention.  "You forget, he murdered Ray's parents, and she was present to see their bodies in the aftermath of the attack.  Her mind couldn't quite comprehend it then, but the images will never leave her."

"Then you understand," began Aaron as he got to his feet.  "You know why I have to leave."