My story

[Anna Mae]

Wow. This is a really good story. I look forward to reading more.

[Godly Paladin]

Very good, Hope. Keep up those updates!

[true_noir_chloe]

Great new section, Hope! I'll keep checking back. Hmm, I bet you write this good on the Darklight rpg too.

[Godly Paladin]

Just remember to keep updating...

[CreatureArt]

That's AWESOME. I've really enjoyed reading through it.
I haven't seen Zone of Enders - but I did play a Playstation2 demo of a game with the same name a while ago... don't know if it's related or not.

Anyway, I've read all your story posts so far and I'm really enjoying it. So I will join in with your other readers in requesting you to post more.

God bless - and thank you for posting the awesome writing!

[Anna Mae]

More story?

[Godly Paladin]

I PMd her a while back and have heard no response. Also, she hasn't been online since 11-6-04...

We're in for a long wait, folks.

[*Hope*]

Hey! Forgive me all, I promise I'll won't wait so long again. Tonight I spent an hour running trying to get more of the story to you. We have two computers and I use the one upstairs for writing and the one downstairs has the internet. Well, the disc I use to transfer the story from one to the other has a problem and I didn't figure that out until I had run up and down the dtairs about eith times. Then my computer crashed and I had to reboot and my mom got mad, but I perservered, and you all deserve this. As a treat, I'm posting more than I usually do and I'll post more tomorrow, I promise. Thanks for sticking with this story even though I'm very inconsistent about posting. It means alot to me. Oh, I'm also trying something new with the paragraphs, my computer's fluke is really starting to annoy me. Tell me if you like this better and if I should try something else. Thankies!!

Hopi-chan



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Riven turned his head and held his friend's gaze, relief flooded his azure eyes. What precious little he remembered of his friend seemed to match the young man standing in front of him.

"Caal, tell him he's crazy. You have no idea what we've been through and he still won't tell me why." Ed breathed from the doorway jokingly. Caal smiled.

"Riven, you're crazy." Riven stifled a laugh and regained his composure.

"It's serious though. We need to get out of here." Caal nodded.

"Alright, I trust you." he replied

"Some how I knew you would." his tone of voice was genuine. They picked their way to the door and Ed, who'd now rested enough to continue. The three stepped out of the classroom and Caal voiced the thought on everyone's mind.

"Where now?" Ed looked at Riven who looked down the hallway and tensed. A group of policemen and a SWAT team where running down it and towards the little group. Riven grabbed Caal's arm and raced the other direction.

"Not that way." he said almost humorously.

"Is there another way out besides the front doors?" he questioned Caal.

"There's an emergency exit near the back of the school." Ed stuck his head between the two.

"It'll do." replied a thoughtful Riven. Caal took the lead as they hurried down the halls of the school. As they turned a corner somebody collided with Riven. He barely flinched, but the person fell backwards. The girl on the floor looked up at him with surprise and opened her mouth to scream when she saw his gun. Riven bent down and pressed his hand against her mouth.

"Please don’t scream." he asked quietly. She nodded and he took his hand away. With disbelief he realized it was the girl he'd seen at Oso Corps.

"You!" he breathed. She looked about to say something but he cut her off.

"No, don't talk. The less you know of me the better. Please, just pretend we never saw each other, it's for your own good." She looked at him defiantly, but Riven decided to make his exit.

He quickly caught up with Ed and Caal. Caal stopped in front of a metal door with a pad lock.

"This opens to the school's back lawn and athletic fields. It's locked though." Riven raised his gun and aimed it at the lock.

"No problem." he said over the gunshot. The lock fell off and Ed opened the door. The three companions stumbled into the blinding light outside. Before them stretched a massive field of neatly trimmed grass.

Footsteps thudded close behind and Riven lead them in a sprint for the front of the school. Not three feet later a troop of police officers came around the side they were headed for. A bead of sweat rolled off Riven's face as he spun to head in the other direction. No good. More law enforcement officers came from there to. A man in a khaki coat followed by yet another flock of policemen came through the door Ed, Caal, and Riven had come through not moments before.

Riven backed up slowly. I could outrun them, no problem. But Ed and Caal can't. He gritted his teeth. That left one solution.

Morrison studied the three young men before him. Two were around the same height, one had brown hair and the other had silver. The latter gripped a gun tightly. The third was a younger version of the brown haired youth. Those would be the brothers, Ed and Caal. That meant the gun toting youth was who they were after.

"Riven Edge, by order of the Oson City police, drop your weapon and hold up your hands." Morrison atched the youth decide. This kid wasn't crazy enough to think he could take them all on, was he?

Morrison was pleased to see Riven drop his weapon to the ground. The other two looked at their friend in disbelief. But instead of raising his hands, Morrison's quarry fell to his knees and his hands dug into the soft earth.

Sweat dripped down his face and onto the ground. His teeth were tightly clenched together, a look of pain and determination on his face.
It only took Riven a second to make his choice. He dropped the gun, watching it fall to the ground almost in slow motion.

He initiated the process in his body, feeling pain and a tingling sensation creep up his back. The fiery hotness of the pain flared quickly and he dropped to his hands and knees, gasping and sweating.

Caal watched his friend in horror. What was Riven doing? He had been so determined to get away, but now it looked as if he was giving up. A pained intake of breath drew Caal out of his trance. Riven was breathing very hard, intense pain evident in each ragged breath.

"Riven…?" Caal hesitated. Riven's shirt tore in two places on his upper back. The smooth skin underneath stretched taut and broke open, leaving two gaping lacerations. "Riven!" Caal heard his brother call with anxiety. The wounds grew larger and a soft mass coated in warm blood began to emerge from each cut. The growths grew bigger and taller, the blood on them running off in rivulets revealing white underneath.

Suddenly Caal realized what was happening. Wings! Riven was growing wings. The pair of feathered appendages reached skyward, their full height over eight feet. Blood still dripped off them, falling into Riven's hair and clothes. His breathing slowly returned to normal and his body relaxed again.
Morrison stood stunned.

"How did he…? Wha…?" he stuttered. Riven stood slowly until he was at full height. The wings beat down once, shaking off the excess blood. A pair of blazing, ethereal eyes searched out his own.

"What will it take…," a menacing voice cut through the silence, "…for you to leave here?" Morrison's eyes hardened into a glare. He had never backed down. He would never back down.

"I am under orders to…"

"NO!" He was cut off by an outburst. "Forget about orders! What will it take for you to leave here?" Impatience laced the voice of the winged speaker.

"I never back down." retorted Morrison meaningfully.

"Fools!" came the reply.

Renee sat stunned, her emerald green eyes wide in disbelief. It'd been the same boy she'd seen at Oso Corps. She gingerly touched her cheek where is hand had been. It was still warm.

She remembered the gentle but firm hand. A slow blush crept over her cheeks and she shook her head. No, Renee. Pull yourself together. She stood up and dusted off her skirt. What was it he'd said? "Forget about me." The words echoed in her head. Fat chance. Something was amiss here and she wasn't going to be left out of the circle.

As she replayed the scene her mind she came across a vital piece of information. Caal and Ed had been with him. The single recurrent question popped into her head once again. Why? Why should she stay away from him? Why were Caal and Ed with him? Why was he running? The mystery man could answer all of her questions, she was sure. It revolved around him. But Renee had no hope of ever seeing him again.

Than it hit her. She cursed herself for not having thought of it before. A spark of determination entered her eyes as she fled quickly down the hallway.
.

[*Hope*]

Whaddya know, it's so long I gotta post more!

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"Chief! Hey Chief!" An annoyed glint crossed the chief's eye and he waved off the man he'd been talking to.

"What now?" he replied exasperatedly to the young wreck crew worker who'd so badly needed his attention.

"We found something. I think you should see It." the man breathed. The chief let out a disapproving grunt.

"Can't you do it yourself? I hired you so I didn't have to do it all." The younger employee shook his head vigorously.

"I know, but I really think…" The chief cut him off with a glare.

"Alright, but this better be worth my time." The two men of the wrecking crew began to rapidly walk through the vacant and crumbling warehouse. It was scheduled to be destroyed so a mobile suit part factory could be built. The crew was just following their standard procedure of assessing the building to be destroyed.

A few empty warehouse garages later the chief was losing his patience.

"For your sake I hope we're almost there. I don't have time to waste on petty decisions. This is what we pay you…" He trailed off a the object the 'petty decision' was to be made about came into view. It was, in fact, very far from petty. The chief's jaw worked slightly at the sight of an immense structure towering to the garage ceiling.

"We think it's a mobile suit, sir." chimed in the crewman.

"Well, that's obvious. Any dimwit could see that." The captain's insulting statement was actually a kind of ruse to hide his surprise. The machine was different than any he'd ever seen before, and by the looks of it, someone had dumped it here recently. There was nothing junky about it.

"Probably one of the new models." the chief mumbled.

"Should we call the government, sir?" The chief's brain was racing. A suit like this would fetch a hefty price. Enough to live comfortably for a long while. On the other hand, whoever owned the mech was probably coming back for it.

"Um, well, uh…" He cleared his throat. What should be done indeed?

Riven gritted his teeth and drew his icy eyes away from the officer in charge. He tilted his head to the left slightly, where Ed was standing and spoke softly.

"Ed, I want you to take Caal and get out of here. Get as far away as possible, but don't go home. I will find you." A determined look crossed Ed's face and he nodded. He put a hand on Caal's shoulder and smiled sadly.

"Let's go." Caal's face twisted with anger.

"NO! I won't leave you Riven! We can help!" Riven turned to his other friend and looked over him calculatingly.

"It is better that you go. I cannot fight my best if I have to protect someone." Caal threw Ed's hand off his shoulder and took a step forward, fists clenched.

"I'm staying whether you like it or not. You need my help." Riven's eyes flashed and for a moment uncertainty flitted across Caal's features.

"Go. Go now." Caal opened his mouth for a retort but Riven cut him off with a downward slash of his hand.

"NO! I will not here any more of your excuses! Now leave!" Caal glared at his friend but allowed Ed to lead him away. As soon as the pair turned around they began to run. Riven nodded, relieved. He turned his attention back to the police.

"If you ever hurt them in any way, I will make you wish you never laid eyes on me." Riven's face and voice were the picture of cool serenity, but his eyes betrayed his true emotions. They blazed with cold fiery, waiting to be unleashed. The lead cop eyed him suspiciously and burst out laughing. Riven only watched him warily. When his laughter had died down the cop smiled and spoke.

"Those are big words, but can you back them up? Whatever you think, you are still Oso Corps' lap dog. I am here to return you to them."

Morrison's eyes widened a hair when jagged green lines flashed underneath Riven's skin.

"I am no one's lap dog." The grass at his feet stirred slightly in a nonexistent breeze. Green ran up Riven's skin again, this time continuing to fade in and out. A greenish gust sprang up near his feet and spiraled around his body. He held out both of his hands to his sides, palms facing Morrison and his gang. The wind snaked down his arms and into his palms, forming two balls.

Morrison watched, eyes narrowing, waiting for Riven to make a move. Some of his men fidgeted behind them but he motioned for them to hold. He himself tightened his grip on his gun and readjusted his finger on the trigger. The barrel held a new kind of bullets, rubber ones with a taser-like tip that pumped 50,000 volts of electricity into whatever they hit. They should do the job nicely.

Almost quicker than the eye could trace, Riven leapt towards them, crossing his arms and flinging them out in front of him, the balls of energy blasting forward.

Morrison's face registered shock and then fear. The boy had moved quicker than he'd anticipated. He pulled the trigger once, twice, three times even as he heard the guns of the others around him going off. The balls of energy dug straight into the earth on either side of them, but the smile at the horrible accuracy of the boy that had crossed Morrison's lips quickly dissipated. Huge shockwaves sped out from where the balls had hit, sending ground and greenish air rippling horrifyingly fast at the officers.

The bullets were blown out of the way by the waves and Morrison had no time to react. The waves crashed into his body as well as the men around him. The air was knocked out of his lungs and he suspected several of his ribs cracked. He was thrown to the ground several feet away from where he had been standing. His mid section screamed with protest when he tried sit up and he only fell back down, breathing heavily.

His brow furrowed. I underestimated him! He chided himself. But it seemed the boy was not quite done with him yet. Morrison managed to prop himself up just enough to see Riven striding slowly over to him. He frantically groped for his gun, but spotted it yards away. His eyes turned back to the young man, watching him advance slowly.

Something silvery and liquid-like slid out of the youth's arm, near his wrist, and solidified into a foot long blade extending from his wrist. Riven stopped and knelt down beside Morrison, eyes flashing icy daggers. He deftly swung the blade, letting it come to a rest uncomfortably snug on Morrison's neck.

"I warned you once. Count this your second warning. I never want to see your face again." He straightened and faced the other direction, away from Morrison, but he didn’t take a step further.

Morrison watched in satisfaction and horror as a steel tip protruded from Riven's side. Crimson droplets dripped from the tip before it was yanked out

[true_noir_chloe]

Thank you for the extended update, Hope. ^_________^ This is very good and fun to read. Whenever you're ready to add more I will be here to read it. ~_^

[Godly Paladin]

*gasp*

Paragraphs...

*Gasp*

A double post update...

*GASP*

PROMISES FOR MORE UPDATES!!!

*GAAAAASPA*

WOOOOOOOT!!!

[*Hope*]

Hey guys ^^ Here's the next installment I promised you!

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Riven turned grimly around, preparing himself for flight, and stopped dead in his tracks. Fiery pain laced up his side as something cold and hard slid through his side. He found himself staring in the face of a heavily breathing police officer. The man's hand dropped off the knife and his body collapsed limply.

Riven stood in shock for a moment and then looked down to his wound. He'd been too confident, believing no one would be able to stand after his shockwaves.

He gripped the hilt of the knife and slid it free, gasping as it tore at his flesh. It was a bowie knife with long, sharp teeth. He dropped it to the ground, watching it tumble to land beside the unconscious policeman who'd stabbed him.

Hot blood ran down his side to pool at his feet. He tore off a sleeve from his shirt and wrapped it around his wound, securing it tightly. The wound protested, and he gritted his teeth. He beat his wings down, ignoring the screaming in his side and took to the sky.

Morrison watched Riven soar gracefully away and allowed himself a grim smile. "Not a lap dog, a wolf." He whispered.

Meanwhile, Ed and Caal were a few miles away in a large park. They’d gone their often with their dad and Riven when both were little. It was a nice getaway from the hectic city atmosphere of Oson. There was even a stream and a small lake and sometimes people were swimming or out in boats. They’d gone fishing there numerous times.

Right now, the two brothers were pushing their way through the thick underbrush of a large clump of trees. The overgrown branches and thorns caught at their pants and jackets, but they kept on. Caal heard Ed mumbles something under his breath up ahead, and he was sure he’d agree with whatever the complaint was.

Had it always been such a chore to climb through this grove? When they were younger they’d stumbled upon a little clearing in this very grove of trees. It was well hidden and they’d spent many hours playing all sorts of games away from other people. Caal was sure it had been years since either one of them had visited this place; maybe that accounted for the thicker than normal foliage.

His brother exclaimed in triumph a little ways away and Caal hurriedly fought his way to him. The clearing was still their, albeit smaller and more weedy than the last time they’d seen it. Ed sat down in the middle and gazed up at the sky. Caal joined his older sibling.

“How is Riven going to find us here? He probably doesn’t remember ever coming.â€

[Godly Paladin]

Bliss. Now I just have to find the time to read all of it!

But believe me, I WILL read it!

[Anna Mae]

I look forward to more!

[Godly Paladin]

I second that.