Redemption ~~~~ Talathia Dark-Song 2002 ~~~~ Chapter 2: ~~~~ * Okay I must give credit to Alhazad, who has helped me overwelmingly with this story. Talathia - lost_wolfcub@yahoo.com Alhazad - r_huse@hotmail.com A/N:The wolf Darksong in this story has nothing to do with me/Talathia. I just really like the name, beleive it or not Darksong as a character is older then my persona Talathia :P. * ~~~~ Erica peered across the road. Spotting a clothing store, she escorted him over to it. She walked in first, followed by Aubrey. He glanced around the dimly lit room, leaning against the counter wondering what he could wear, rather than what he' d like to wear. "Aubrey," she called out, "come here. I found something for you." She was showing a trench coat like hers, only more gothic and black. As much as Aubrey wanted the coat, he knew it would only help people recognize his dark aura. With a regretful sigh, he turned the gothic coat down, shaking his head. The disguised Alhazad knew he needed something brighter color to mask his aura. Glancing over at another rack of clothing, he spotted something that caught his eye. Walking towards the rack, he saw a lavander coat with matching pants. He knew this bright color would better mask his aura, and he liked the outfit. "So you like that one, eh," Erica asked, placing the other coat back it its place. "I suppose so," he replied, faking a smile. He did not want to discard his robe completely, but he knew it was necessary in order to fool Jack. "Don't worry about the price," Erica commented, "just go in there," she continued, pointing to a fitting room. "And try it on." Aubrey made his way over to the fitting room. Erica waited for about fifteen minutes for him to finally come out. Erica smiled at him, pleased at his new look. And yet, she felt something was missing. "You need something else. Here take this," she said handing him her scarf from her backpack. "It's mine but I don't like it much." The recently transformed Alhazad let her wrap it around himself, and he glaced at the mirror. He still was not use this his new refection. His eyes were his last concern. He looked over to another stand, and saw a row of sunglasses on display. "Of course," he thought to himself. He took a pair from the stand, and placed them him his head. "Perfect" Erica said, complimenting the strange young man. "Now lets get this stuff paid for and I can take you home." she said with a smile, as she placed the amont needed on the counter. She stalled for a moment. "Oh," she started, "put your.. ehh, robe in my backpack. Is it okay if you still want to keep it?" Aubrey wasn't sure if it was a mistake or not, yet he placed his robe in the girls backpack. "Well then lets get going," Erica said, walking him out of the store. The two made their way through the streets of the rebuilt Arctica. Erica turned to the stranger. "So," she asked, "where are you from?" "I'm from... out of town," he replied, knowing he would have to fabricate a false background soon. "Oh," she asked, noting the morose look on her new companion's face. "Do you have anywhere to stay? Its like your mother kicked you out or something." Erica asked in concern. A frown appeared on Aubrey's face "I'd rather not talk about my mother," he muttered, still holding the Mother in contempt after all those years. "You can then stay with me, then," Erica asked in suggestion. "I am sure Dad wouldn't mind" They continued walking together. The couple were less then a block away from Erica's home. Suddenly, an iceball sailed from nowhere, nailing Erica upside. She immediately spun around, looking for the source of the object, when they were rudely interrubted. "Who did that!?" she demanded. "Oh look," a vocie Erica badly wanted to forget spoke, "it's Erica the tomboy!" "Joe," she hissed, seeing the arrogant boy. "The macho chick cometh," said Joe's friend, Clark. Beside them stood a third boy named Mike. All three of them were the key reasons she was a outcast among the childern of Arctica. She lowered her head. "Why are they still hurting me," she thought to herself. "What did I ever do to them? I'm the daughter of a hero, and now I have a boy with me. What else do I need to prove to them?" Aubrey stepped in front of Erica, his frown clearly visible. "Is that any way to treat a lady, you uncouth reprobates?" he asked the trio, annoyed by their immature antics. "Uncouth what," Clark asked, choking on the strange boy's words. "What's a reprobate," Joe asked his friend, also unfamiliar with Aubrey's language. "Talk normal, you moron." Mike demanded. "WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" Aubrey shouted, livid at them for insulting his intelligence. The three boys shivered in fear, knowing there was something different about Erica's companion. "Now," he continued, "either you simpletons begin treating dear Erica with respect, or I'll give you the discipline you clearly didn't receive from your parents! What shall it be?" "What's a simlpeton," Joe asked. "Hey, you can't talk to us like that!" Mike snapped in indignation. "Quit using bizarro words!" "They're only bizarre to people of menial intellect," Aubrey replied, disgusted by their obvious stupidity, "like yourselves. Now DEPART!" he growled. Joe and Mike fled in one direction, while Clark ran to his home. Stumbling into his home, Clark made a quick move to find his mother. "Mom!" he began, panting from exertion. "This weird guy called me a reprobate! What's a reprobate?" Clark's mother turned to face her son. "Why'd he call you that," she asked. "Uh......." Clark stalled. "Were you teasing Erica again," she asked sternly. She rolled her eyes, fearing another visit from Erica's father. "Uh, no!" Clark smiled. "Not at all!" "So now you resort to perjury," a voice asked from behind. Clark turned around to see Aubrey, standing in the open doorway. "AHHHH!!! What are you doing here?" Clark yelped. He was pretty sure no one was following him, and was surprised to see the strange young man standing behind him. "I couldn't help but hear your whining, lying tongue," Aubrey sneered. He glanced towards Joe's mother, then back to Joe. "Lying to your own mother," he commented. "Disgraceful." "Lying?" Clark's mother asked coldy "Uh," Clark gasped. The former Alhazad laughed to himself as he left the house. "Looks like I still have the magic touch," he thought to himself. He soon encountered Erica again, who was looking at him with wide eyes. "No one has ever stuck up for me like that before," she said, her eyes tearing up at the fact someone out side of her family cared for her. Without warning, she hugged him. "Thank you so much." she said, choking back her tears. "Roses are not ment to cry, my dear," he said to her, lifting her chin from his chest. "Now," he continued, "where is this home of yours?" Erica found herself blushing at Aubrey's words. No one had ever called her a rose. She then remembered his request and led the way of her home. ~~~~ Rudy laid on the sofa in Jack's home. He had lived with Jack ever sence the war was over. Rudy was exhausted from the days work. Rebuiding a castle and being a ARMs master was not by any means an easy job, even if he was a Holmcross. It was warm and peaceful inside the Van Burace home, notwithstanding the creepy tome on the basment. And, there was the very odd aura and eyes of the "Family Pet" Darksong. Darksong was a black wolf who had hypnotizing blue eyes. He'd stumbled upon their door steep the winter Jack and Elmina were reunited. And since then, he has never left. He watched them with his life, as if he was a guard dog of some type. Hanpan insisted the the soul of Chief Coldbird rested within the wolf. However, no one beleived Hanpan, but who really gave it a thought. To Jack, Elmina, Rudy, and Erica, he was a friend and a pet. They wanted to let Coldbird's spirit rest. So they never gave it much thought or spoke about it. Darksong, even if he was the old Cheif, never seemed to mind. He was doing his job, protecting his old friends. Rudy yawned and patted Darksong on the head before wrapping him self in a blanket and driting off to sleep. ~~~~ Erica stood at the door, breathing heavily. She had no idea how her father would react to her bring a boy over. She had never brought anyone over before. This was going to be a first. She smiled at Aubrey and reached into her pocket to get her house key. "I hope you don't mind our dog, or our friend Rudy," she said nervouly as she unlocked the door. "Rudy is very quiet and hardly talks. And our dog Darksong, well he is odd little thing. You never know who he likes or hates when it comes to people. He just watches them like a hawk." Erica opened the door for her new friend, her first real friend outside of her family. Aubrey let her walk in first, and he followed close behind, shuting the door. Rudy was sound asleep. The former demon scientist smiled at the Holmcross as he slept. Darksong, on the other hand, was right next to Aubrey, sniffing him out. The old wolf looked up into his eyes. Snorting as dog sometimes do when they catch the scent of someone. He looked up, and actually saw the red eyes behind Aubrey's sunglasses. Shocked by his discovery, Darksong backed away and glared at the strange youth. His blue eyes actually had a hint of accusation in them. It was like he was saying, " I know who you are." Aubrey petted Darksong on the head, and added a smirk in retern. He knew the wolf was much more than he seemed, and made a mental note to keep an eye on him. Then, he followed Erica in to the kitchcen. Darksong entered behind them. Erica bent down to pat her beloved pet on the head. "See Darksong," Erica said to her pet, "this is my boyfriend, Aubery." She blushed as she held Darksong in place so Aubrey could pet him. Darksong snarled at the name Aubery. He did not wanted to be touched again by the demon who'd slaughtered his comrades, so he did his best to wiggle away. He returned to Rudy's side and laid back down, coldy eyeing the person he knew better as Alhazad through the open doorway. "Don't worry Aubrey," Erica said, "that's normal for him. He hates strangers. He thinks everyone is going to hurt me or Mom." "I see" Aubrey answered, also giving Darksong a cold look. He lowered his sunglasses, exposing his narrowed red eyes. "I will not be undone by another flea-bitten cur," he thought to himself. He glanced around the room. They had a rather nice house, large enough for all four of them including their little 'pet'. Erica pulled out a seat for him at the table. "Sit down," she said with a smile, "and I'll get you something to eat." Aubrey blinked his crimson pupils. "Shouldn't I be telling her to sit down," he thought. Smiling at the opertuninty which had presented itself, he walked beside her. "Let me help you with that," he said, grabbing the log and placing it into the woodburning stove, privately amused at what he saw as a primitive form of heat supply. Erica was very pleased, immensely suprised at how nice he was torwards her. Once they managed to get a small fire going, she started to heat up leftovers from the night before. "Now.. what was I asking you before," she asked, lost in thought for a moment. Aubrey just cocked his head, waiting for her to finish her sentence. "Oh yeah! You would not mind living with us untill we got you back on your feet and a place of your own?" she asked added with a smile. "I'd love to stay here," the young man replied with a sweet grin. "You've treated me better then any other hu... eh, person, that I've met." Before Erica could reply, he took her hand and brought it to his lips. Erica was in a state of shock, standing there frozen for a moment. "Is something wrong, my lady," he asked. "My lady," she started with a blank look. "No one has ever treated me like a lady." She looked down at the ground. Aubrey released her hand, and lifted her face up to his own, so she was looking directly at him. "It's rare to have a creature who is as beautiful as you, and has the same beauty in their heart. And Erica, my dear, I am more then honnored to stay with you." Erica truned a bright red. "Thank you," she said with a touched smile. "You know, you could stay here with us forever if you wanted, there will be plenty of room the castle when its done. My father says I am going to be the next Sword Princess." The disguised demon chuckled to himself at that. "Maybe you could work there too," Erica continued, unaware what her new friend was thinking, "hecht, even live-" "Guardains what a day... I swear," a familiar voice muttered from behind them. Aubrey's head spun around sharply, and saw his old nemesis, Jack Van Burace, entering the kitchen and collapsing into a chair at the table. He quickly put his sunglasses back into place before Jack noticed him. "You know," Jack went on, sounding quite exasperated, "these idiots in this town can't tell the diffence between a two by four and a freaking brick if it fell on them! And don't even start about the new knights. I've never meet such sorry excues for swordsmen. You're better than all of them, Eri, and your five years younger them!" he looked up to see the boy she was attached to. "Who the-" Jack asked himself. "My daughter manged to find someone to socialize with other than the dog," he thought to himself. "And on top of that, a possible boyfriend?" Jack looked to his daughter, a bit perturbed after seeing a stranger in his house. "Who's this, Erica," he asked. "Daddy," Erica started with a happy look, which really surprised Jack, "this is Aubrey," she continued, motioning to her new friend. "He... umm... err... is moving in with us-" Aubrey coughed a bit at Erica's lack of subtlety, and noted it was a trait she shared with her father. "He is," Jack asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why wasn't I told of this?" Jack laughed to himself, amazed at Erica's audacity. However, she looked happier than he'd ever seen her, and guessed her new friend was the reason. "So Aubrey," Jack asked, sitting up looking at the teenager, "Whats your story, boy? I haven't seen you around here." "I'm from out of town," Aubrey began. His eyes glanced at Erica, then to Jack, though neither noticed it under his shades. "Ever since I was... expelled from my home, I've tried my hand at being a Treasuer Hunter." He looked at his hand, the fingers bent in a cuasual manner. "Alas, living on my own has proven far more difficult than I'd expected." He let out a sigh, one he knew was faked, though he hoped it would fool the elder Van Burace. "A know-it-all, huh," Jack commented. "I've met a few of those. At least you're not one of those clowns who keeps teasing Erica. They should've outgrown that five years ago." Jack groaned to himself, looking to the ceiling. "Daddy," Erica asked in a tentative voice, "can I teach him? He can.. ya know... maybe..be my..." She paused for a moment. "Hand Guard?" "Your what," the disguised Demon Lord asked, looking to Erica. "Oh yeah," Jack said, knowing Aubrey was new to Arctica, "you've never heard. It's a role in the Fenril Knights' order. The Hand Guard protects the Sword, who leads the attack. Those were the roles Elmina and myself played years ago." A sad sigh escaped his lips, as painful memories came back to him. Aubrey raised an eyebrow at the concept of becoming a Fenril Knight. Once Jack got over his sadness, he had a similar expression. Erica wondered what was going on in their heads, since they seemed to be in nonverbal agreement about the subject. Suddenly, Jack then broke out laughing and feel on the floor with a loud thud. The former Alhazad frowned slightly, not surprised by Jack's demeanor. "What," Jack said incredulously, still stifling a laugh. "This little squirt!?" he asked, looking towards Aubrey, sizing him up. "Maybe with some training," he said in observation. "Sorry Aubrey, I have still to get to know you." "Understandable," the strange boy replied, rolling his eyes at what Erica had suggested. He turned back to the younger Van Burace. "Erica," he paused, "I shall protect you either way, though I don't believe I'm truly suited for swordsmanship." Erica looked a bit disappointed, but quickly brushed it off. "So Mr. Van Buace," the former Demon Lord said to his old nemesis, "since I shall be residing here, mind if your lovley daughter showed me around?" Aubrey hoped that Jack would not pull the over protective father routine on him. Jack sigehd to himself. "Kids these days," he said under his breath. "Well... yeah sure, go ahead," he said to the teenagers. "I'll finish this soup for the two of you. It looks like Rudy is not moving any time soon. And with Elmina out of town we will have plenty of room. Go head kids, run off," he finished, waving his right hand in dismissal. Erica fled for the steps to the second floor, with Aubrey in hand. Before she could place on foot on the steps, Darksong was right behind them. "What is wrong with your pet," the boy asked in a teasing voice. Darksong glared at him and darted up stairs to Erica's bed room. "Guess he is just tryin' to protect me," she said, leading her friend upstairs. The second floor had three bedrooms: Rudy's on the right, Jack and Elmina's which was at the very end of the hall, and Erica's which was right by the steps on the left. The new couple went into the latter room. Erica's room had two windows, bed, and desk. Her room was cluttered with odd and ends. Some clothing here and a ragged doll sat on her dresser. "This is it," she said as he followed her inside. "I hope you don't mind the mess. I didn't think anyone was coming over," she continued with a sigh. "Well, frankly, no one ever has." She turned back to him, smiling once more. "But I am glad your here." She hugged him tightly. Aubrey was starting to like the compasion she was giving him, the compasion that he had never truly gotten before from anyone, human or demon. Darksong was laying on Erica's bed, watching every move the newcomer made. With a big long yawn, Erica collapsed on her bed. "Geez, it's been a long day." she said wearily. The girl offered her new friend a seat of her bed, much to Darksong's chagrin. He got off and laid on the floor, still watching Aubrey. "You look exhausted," Erica said, rubbing the incognito demon's shoulders. Part of him wanted to pull away, and another part liked this and wanted to stay. He'd never had such an inner conflict in many centuries. "So," she began, "where would you like to sleep? From the looks of things, Rudy has the sofa for the night. So I guess you can have my room or his." The demon yawned and wanted to fall back and sleep the place he was sitting. For some reason, even though she was the daughter of the human he hated the most, he felt safe around her. However, he knew he had to behave himself in Jack's house, lest he expose his true self. "I wouldn't think of sleeping in a lady's quarters without consent," he said to Erica. "Quarters," Erica asked with a laugh. "This is a house, silly, not a fortress." Aubrey smiled at that, though he realized he had to choose his vocabulary more carefully, or the charade would come to a violent end. "Besides," he groaned, changing the subject, "if I don't eat anything soon,. I don't believe I'll be able to wake up come the morn," he said looking at the arctic sunset through the window. "We wouldn't want that," she getnly responded, "now would we?" She was so happy. For the first time in her life, somone other then the ones who'd rasied her was showing her affection and maybe even love, as well as friendship. Erica stoped rubbing his shoulders and held him from behind. Taking in his sent, there was something strange about it. She could not place her finger on it, in some way she recognized it. In another way it was far to her. Mystery...she loved that in a person. The two of them were about the fall asleep, leaning on each other. "Come on Eri, Aubrey," came Jack's voice from downstairs, "it's done." Erica quickly got up and the two made their way to the kitchen. Being around Jack again was not pleasing to the strange boy, but at least the pain in his stomach would've been remedied. Gathering around the table, Jack offered each of them the meal. "Well kids," Jack said to them, "after this, I am going to bed. I think you two should as well. Aubrey can have Rudy's room for the night. Tomorrow, Rudy and I will be working on the castle again. I am sure you guys can find something to do." Aubrey finished his meal in record time. Since his new body never had anything to eat, he was starving. Erica finished soon after him and the two returned to the upstairs. Erica stretched. "Well Aubrey," she said with a yawn, "looks like this is goodnight. You should be able to find everything you need in there." Erica pointed to Rudy's room. "If you need anything, I'll be right in my room." She hugged him one last time, and retired to her room and fell asleep. It had been a very long day for her, and for her friend across the hall. Alhazad sat down on the Holmcross' bed, he sighed heavily. "Not so bad for the first day," he chuckled to himself as he laid down. He smiled to him self as he closed his eyes. The games had only begun. "How could it get any more perfect," he thought to himself. Jack and Elmina's daughter liked and was falling in love with their worst enemy, the Demon Lord Alhazad. "Let's just see what day two has in store, my friends," he said to himself as he fell asleep.