The path to be a hero

[SakuraAlkaid]

The date couldn't have been better, and there was still more to do before it was over apparently. It was perfect, aside from the fact that Mariah felt a little more overdone than she would have preferred with all of the makeup. When Alex stood and offered her his hand, she took it and followed suit, leaving her hand in his as she did.

"I'm curious as to what exactly you've found, Alex. I've been here awhile, yet you've managed to find one place I have never been to so far this evening... Just lead the way, and I'll follow," she said with an excited and satisfied smile.

[kai the pkk]

Alex:( he leads Mariah to the spot he found as they come across a old apartment complex) hold on tight okay? ( he picks her up bridal style as he activate his powers and he jumps to the roof of the building giving it a Ben more perfect view over looking the city perfectly as the view allows you to perfectly watch the sun set completely and disappear as Alex places his arm around her shoulder) you see the mountain range Ove there? That's the country side I was login there up until I arrived I just wanted to show you and if you look closely ( as the two focuses the lights of the org all turn on as the moon arises lighting it up cAusing a beautiful scenary of blending and dancing colors)

[SakuraAlkaid]

"It's... It's absolutely gorgeous..." Mariah replied when she could make her voice work. The sight was more than she had expected, and she could honestly say that she had never seen it before. Alex was two for two on amazing surprises tonight. "I can't believe you can see all of this from here. I never would have imagined it possible..."

Her eyes began to water slightly, so she laid her head against his shoulder gently and closed her eyes. This was more than she deserved and it almost hurt that she was getting it anyway. She was a horrible person, and yet here she was with someone who treated her like a princess. She lied to him, kept things from him, and only really payed initial interest in him because she had been instructed to. It was almost too much for her to handle.

"Alex, I..." She fell silent, not sure how or if she wanted to tell him the full truth yet. She knew it would be better to do so sooner rather than later, but she didn't want to make him leave. Not after all of this. "You do know that you could do better than me, right? I mean, you hardly had time to meet anyone else before we began talking, and before you're completely sure of everything, don't you want to maybe look around a little more?" she asked timidly, as if she didn't want to ask. She kept her eyes closed tightly as she awaited his reply, not really sure that she would want to hear it.

[kai the pkk]

Alex: I dont know maybe that's true but honestly ( he turns so he can look her in eyes) but the time I spent with you is special to me Miri that may be true but what I Don't want anyone else you really think I'd become Romeo if I wanted someone else ( he Blushes slightly) I want you Miri no one else you make me feel like I'm a better person you helped me relax you were there when I needed you the most to me there isn't anyone else better or more perfect than you Miri...honestly it should be the other way around in your case I'm sure you could have anyone else I mean I'm not exactly mr. Perfect you know? I don't want to spend time looking when your allready standing right infront of me

[SakuraAlkaid]

"So cute," called a voice from behind them. Mariah turned around immediately, pulling away from Alex in the process. She knew that she had felt something odd earlier.

"Damien..." she replied, her voice quiet and clearly upset. He laughed and stepped closer, making Mariah draw into herself more. This was not going to be good in the slightest.

"Hmm. You would have thought that Luca made his point clear earlier, Miri. I see you tried your best to hide it, but you can only hide a bruise that dark so much. What do you think he'll do to you when he finds out about this, my dear? He warned you earlier, as did I, but you just couldn't listen, could you? Stupid girl...." Damien sighed, resting his forehead in his fingertips. Mariah's fists were clenched together so tightly that a small trail of blood dripped down the blade of her hand. Of course Damien would ruin everything. She was about to tell Alex everything herself, and he had to have known that. He did this on purpose.

"So did he even notice your cheek? I mean, you are wearing an unheard of amount of makeup for you. Even knowing you for a few days should have told him that much..." Damien continued, smirking as he glanced from Mariah to Alex. "You remember me, right? You stole her away from me at the introduction dance."

[kai the pkk]

Alex: sorry I don't know what your talking about...what Introduction dance?...I think you have the wrong guy ( he turns around and leans over the railing to look out at the city ( he glances) I didn't want to sounds like I was prying into her sense of style...I don't know who you are or what you want but i'll give you exactly 5 minutes to apologize and leaves your presence seems to be upsetting my dates feelings

Girl:Alex...be careful...Alex!

Alex: Yeah yeah I know but I can't or him te to me there's no way he could know my identity he's trying to get to me

[SakuraAlkaid]

"Well, unless she's been spying on two guys for us instead of the one she was instructed to, I assume you're the one," Damien replied with another sigh. "And why would I apologize to her? I tried to help her out by telling her to stay away from you if she wouldn't give up your information, but she wouldn't listen. That's not my fault in the slightest."

"Damien, leave us alone, now," Mariah called, her tone completely angry now. He laughed in response, making her even more mad. "We can discuss this tomorrow, but I've had enough of you today, so leave!"

"If I could, I would, but I was told to come and fetch you. You've got a new target, and Luca wants you to get some rest so you won't look quite as bad, or need that much makeup, when you introduce yourself to him tomorrow." As soon as he fell silent, Mariah stood, her hands clenching tightly at her sides with a faint outline of energy appearing around her hands.

"You're such a b*stard, Damien..." she whispered, her words as harsh as venom. She turned her tone toward Alex and continued, saying, "Just ignore him... He just can't stand seeing me happy, and-"

"Can't stand seeing you happy?! Is that what you're going to say, now?" he interrupted. "My dear, you're the one lying to the poor boy, and you're the only one suffering for it as of yet. Is that really my fault, because it seems to be your own."

[kai the pkk]

Alex:3 minutes she does seem rather upset and I do believe you should apologize to her before you regret approaching me today .... I'm sorry to say but maybe she was what do you even mean by spying?...what does he mean by " lying to the poor boy? ( he turns to look at her) what exactly is going on?


Girl: Alex...don't whatever the truth behind this is I'm sure you don't want to know

Alex:...and you( he glances to Damien) your down too 2 minutes so I suggest you stay out of this I don't want to hear that cocky voice of yours ( the look in his eyes is all that is needed to show Alex is completely serious

[grave robbing adept rogue]

"Well... I was wondering what he does. From what I've seen he just watches things go downhill and only intervenes once in a while. Of course I never bothered talking to the man myself, I'm not a fan of power users as you know." To change the subject he points to the direction of the bar that he once held a title in. "There's a great place to get wasted a few blocks away, the bartender knows his stuff and wouldn't mind calling a cab to pick you up when you're too drunk to get home alone."

[SakuraAlkaid]

“Alex, please… I’ll explain everything later, I swear it to you. Just please trust me for one second and ignore everything he’s saying…” Mariah pleaded, her voice beginning to shake in a mixture of pure pain and anger.

“Hah! Trust you. It seems he’s done that for so long now when he shouldn’t, so what reason do you have for him to make him trust you now that your lies have been brought to the surface?” Damien continued to jest, his expression revealing how much he was enjoying himself. Mariah ran at him before either Damien or Alex could blink, her blade now in full existence. Damien caught her by the wrists last second, forcing the energy blade to vanish in midair. “You forget that it was I who trained you when Luca brought you in, my dear,” he replied with another chuckle.

“Luca and you can both shove it, Damien… I’m done with you both. I’m not taking your abuse anymore….” she replied just loud enough that the wind could carry her tone behind her.

“I’m sure he’ll love to hear that, although I believe you should leave town before I can tell him. I’d watch your back from now on, Mariah. And just remember, you chose this grave for yourself in choosing to ignore orders for him,” Damien said, glancing back at Alex as he spoke. She struggled against his grip to no avail, knowing that she would have more bruises when she woke up tomorrow. If she woke up tomorrow, that was.

[kai the pkk]

Alex: ( before Damien can finish his sentence Alex nails him right in the fax as he slams him into the ground with the force of his hundred power freeing Mariah) I thought I told you to shut the **** UP!! I warned you this wAsent any of your business ( his look is now one full of anger after damien continued talking along with what was told about mariah) tch

Girl:...Alex stop you don't know the truth your mind is racing you haven't even listened to her side of it


----

Aaron: yeah I was there earlier I was a bit dissapointed the champion wasent there so it was Abit of an easy dri k but I might head back over there myself so what exactly are you doing again? Seems like your just wandering around

[SakuraAlkaid]

Mariah was now trembling so hard that she was honestly frightened. She wanted to scream, “He’s lying, Alex!” but she couldn’t… Most of what had been said was true. She didn’t want to admit it, and she wished he could have heard it in a different manner, but it was true nonetheless. She could say one thing, however.

“Alex, I do care about you… Please believe me when I say that, because I truly do…” she whispered, her gaze at the ceiling’s top below her feet.

Damien laughed at the sight before him, knowing that he had accomplished what he had set out to do for the evening. “If you ever want to face your punishment, my sweet Psyren, Luca may forgive you… You won’t like his punishment, I’m sure, as I can guarantee you that it will be a lot more painful than that bruise on your cheek was, but he may be willing to forgive you regardless. If you don’t come and apologize, however, consider yourself alone in this world yet again.”

He turned to Alex a final time and smirked, nodding his head to him in a gentlemanly fashion. “You’re welcome,” he said before jumping backward off the roof, vanishing in the night. That left Alex and Mariah alone again, with something much worse than an awkward silence left smothering them both.

[kai the pkk]

Alex: ( he deactivates his power as he looks over his shoulder his face more calm now then before but sad) so what he said was true huh? I'll hear your side of it do you care for me at all or was yesterday a lie as well? What exactly is the story here ( he turns to face her)

Girl: Alex....

[grave robbing adept rogue]

He looks up, unsure of what to say. "I'm not doing anything yet, besides waiting. If you notice where we are standing right now is the center of the city. From here I should be able to get to anywhere with relative speed, so nothing like yesterday will happen without me fighting with everything I have." Zalthorn laughs because that isn't the full truth and he has no reason to be dishonest. "Also, I have absolutely no clue where to go from here. The most I've done is plan for worst case scenarios and if those don't happen then I'm going to look like a fool who's taken everything too seriously."

[SakuraAlkaid]

"Of course I care about you, Alex..." Mariah finally managed to say, although she couldn't look at him yet. She was too afraid of what his face might hold if she did. She couldn't risk seeing him angry at her, even if she did deserve it. Not yet. "I was planning to tell you everything tonight, but I... It's hard..."

She sighed, hoping to settle her shaking down somewhat. It naturally didn't help, however, so she wrapped her arms around her waist tightly to try to hold herself together both physically and mentally. Once she caught her breath, she continued. "Yes, parts of what he said were true. They took me in after my only remaining relative died, and took care of me in the years afterword to help me adjust to having both my powers and my amnesia. I did work for them, and I was often sent on 'missions' to find out information about new heroes, but I swear to you on everything in this world that I didn't tell them a single thing about you, Alex," she said, daring to glance up at him for a split second so he could read the truth in her eyes. His expression, though not as bad as it could have been, made her heart twist in her chest, and she lowered her gaze immediately after.

"I was... I was actually beaten for not telling them anything about you. That's why I look like I do tonight," Mariah continued, wiping her arm across her cheek and taking off a majority of the makeup with one swipe, revealing a dark stain against her pale skin that he would see clearly even where he stood. "And yes, I did call you a pawn, but only because I wanted them to believe that I wasn't involved with you. I thought that if they knew that I had fallen for you as I had, they would have tried to take you down in the games for good. Luca's the type to do that to get what he wants... I never thought that they would do this, though, or else I wouldn't have agreed to come tonight... I wanted to tell you, Alex, I really did. Please believe me when I say that I was planning to..."

[kai the pkk]

Alex:....why cant you look at me then? I don't care if you gave them information I care about if right now your with me because you want to be I don't know hOw I'm supposed to trust-( once he notices the look in her eyes he walks over to her) you shouldn't have worried so much about them hurting me...I'm sorry I didn't notice before but like hell am I going to let them get away with hurting you...you should of told me all of this from the beginning miri....

-----

Aaron: ( he leans against a wall) mind of I sai with you not like I got anything else to do and besides so you sort of the rogue hero who opposes all and works with the police sort of things

[SakuraAlkaid]

Alex's initial words had hurt Mariah more than Luca and Damien ever could have, but once he walked over to her, his words changing completely, she lost control and fell to her knees. Tears streamed down her cheeks, washing the remainder of the her makeup away in streaks. "I'm so sorry," she whispered before covering her face with her hands, her entire body shaking with emotion. She cried, genuinely cried, for the first time since her sister's death.

"I wanted to tell you everything... I wanted to let you know, but I know how they are... They're ruthless, and Luca wants the title more than anything... He'll do whatever it takes to get it too... I didn't want to see him hurt you to get it..." she thought toward Alex as soon as she realized that she couldn't speak. He seemed to understand so far, but she wanted everything to be perfectly clear between them now that everything was out in the open.

[kai the pkk]

Alex: ( he crouches down on one knee as he gently brushes hair out of her face and he then files her tears away as he pulls her close to him) it's okay...I think I'm beginning to understand...did you forget how tough I was I allready said I'm going to be king like hell I'd let some coward like luca or whatever his name is do me in the man doesn't even deserve to be called a hero.....Miri( he holds her tighter as if to let her know everything's fine) It's okay...stop your crying now.....though that bastard better think twice there's no way I'm going to let them get away with hurting you....

[SakuraAlkaid]

Mariah wanted to try to convince him not to mess with Luca, as she had seen what he had done to others before. Those images still made her cringe. She knew that a meeting between the two was inevitable now, however, so she saved her breath. She began to calm down as soon as he pulled her close, but even with that feeling of comfort she continued to cry a few minutes longer.

"What he's done already is nothing compared to what he will do if he gets the chance, Alex... You don't understand what that man can do. Damien isn't a power user, but he's not above helping Luca focus his powers to make him even more powerful... Luca has a relatively mild power over telepathy, and while I've ever only seen him be able to use it to communicate with Damien and myself, the things he can do while he's in your head is... Is terrifying..." She shivered at the thought, and after another minute or so, she calmed down enough to be able to speak again.

"I'm so sorry, Alex..." she whispered into his shoulder while loosely clinging onto his shirt now that she had lowered her hands from her face. "I really am.."

[kai the pkk]

Alex:...there's something you should know...the thing is that my mind is- nevermind I can't forgive him for what he put you through Miri but lets just leave it alone for now okay? ( he smiles down at her hoping he would look up and meet his gaze) Miri you don't have to apologize to its okay.....