Scratches at the Surface [ Cody ]

[Skie Loon]

S c r a t c h e s _ a t _ t h e _ S u r f a c e

It was a quiet sort of scene. The room was nearly empty, save for two. A pair that never really got to talk very often. It didn’t really bother them, but both of them knew that moments like these could be important. Even if neither of them said anything.

Rawk, one of the two fossil Pokemon on the team, was curled snuggly on the floor. The Aerodactyl was deadly quiet, save for the soft noise of his breath. He was a big thing, taking up a big chunk of space, even when he was coiled like he was, but with the usual team being absent, he wasn’t a problem.

Leaning against his side, surrounded by him really, his trainer dozed. The back of her head rested against the dull purple scaly skin of his side, her arms crossed lazily over her belly. She didn’t mind the weight of his head on her lap, nor how tightly he seemed to be curled around her. If she wanted to move, she’d have a lot of trouble; but it still didn’t bother her.

Neither of them could really remember how they had gotten like this. And really, it was a detail that didn’t matter.
The rest of the team was off doing whatever else they wanted, be it watching the thunderstorm roll across the sky from the balcony, or playing referee in the Stadium, or, if you were a Poliwag named Truffle or a Corphish named Fillet, playing out in that thunderstorm weather (without permission), rolling around in an oversized puddle near the base.

Rawk was a lazy Pokemon, that was certain. He did what he wanted, when he wanted, and most of the time he wanted a nap. And Skie just happened to be in her room when he acted on that want. Somehow or another she’d ended up joining him. Maybe the sight of droopy eyed Aerodactyl got her sleepy too. Whatever the case, the both of them had only just slipped out of that sleep, staying quiet and just listening.

It was rare, moments like this. The big dinosaur was certainly not a ‘cuddly’ Pokemon—at least not out in the open, anyway— He had his pride and all.
He shifted, maneuvering his wings a bit before stretching them out as best he could in the small room, wingtips brushing the ceiling and walls. And he had the manners to lift his head from her lap and look away before opening his jaws wide in a yawn.

“…Jeez.” She mumbled, smiling after he’d settled his chin back over her legs.

“Nnnngf?” he growled.

“You could totally eat me in one bite if you wanted.” She put her hand on his nose. “You’ve got. A big. Mouth, Rawk.”

“Hhnngn.” He snorted, closing his bright green eyes for a moment or ten. He felt her settle again, and for an instant he thought that maybe they could both drift off to sleep again. Now he, for one, had no problem with that, and really did feel himself start to doze, but his ears picked up a soft sigh just before he was gone completely.

His eyes opened, staring at her. She had her ‘zoned out’ face; staring at her hands folded over her sweatshirt pocket. Her eyes were glazed, and he blinked when he literally watched the blue and gray in those eyes fight for dominance.

“…What’s wrong.” he drawled when he watched the blue begin to recede. That could only mean she was upset about something, or thinking about something that she’d rather not think about. And in truth he was worried. But force of habbit (because he had a tough-guy reputation o keep up, of course) kept that worry from entering his voice at first.

“Hm?” she looked up, and he snorted when that gray left again. Alright, so he’d broken her out of those thoughts. Neat.
But…

“What’s wrong?” he repeated.

“..Noth…ing…?” she tilted her head a little, staring at him. “Why?”

“What were you thinking about?” he lifted his head a little. “Your eyes were doing that thing.”

“’That thing’, huh? Pft.” She smirked, shaking her head. His silence made the smile slip away for a second though, and she sighed. “Just…about stuff. I dunno. Stuff I should probably be trying to forget, you know?”

“…But what?”

She stared at him. Why was he being so curious today? She was surprised he hadn’t dropped it yet.. “Ah, mom and dad,” she admitted.

He hesitated for a few seconds before nodding a little. “Hm.”

“I mean…it’s not, you know, the coolest subject to be thinking about. I’ve got all I need and..and all I want. Right here.” She put her hand on his nose again, almost laughing when he choked back a noise that could have been an (unmanly) purr. “I don’t want them. And I don’t need them. I’m happy here,” she smiled and meant it.
But nevertheless, it still hurt.

“What made you think of them?” he rumbled. He’d never met Skie’s parents before. He had no idea what they were like, and didn’t have any sort of emotional family attachment to them like she did. All he had was a deep rooted dislike. Perhaps even hate. It was their fault she was hurt and taken in first place.

“Just some…I dunno. Some guy brought his kid to the base today. A little girl. Her mom came too. I just saw them walking through the halls. They were doing that thing that…ah, you know how parents’ll hold the kid’s hands and swing them back and forth while they’re walking? ..Yeah, they were doing that.” She smiled, leaning her head back against him completely. “We used to do that.”

“…Nn.” He turned his head, uncomfortable now, and a bit guilty, because she seemed to be nestling herself even deeper into those thoughts again.

“…I miss that,” she almost whispered, but he caught it. When he turned to look at her again, he blinked because her own eyes seemed to flash their anger for a moment. “And I hate it. I’m never going to have parents like that again. I hate all these stupid old memories,” she growled out, pressing her palm to her forehead in frustration. “I hate it.”

Rawk hummed, nudging her side with his nose. “S’alright.”

“…Sorry, buddy,” she dropped her arm, staring up at the ceiling.

“S’alright,” he repeated. The silence that followed grated on his nerves. He couldn’t fall asleep now. Not with her like this. And he didn’t like watching her like this. Gah, where was that damn happy, irritating smile when you needed it? “But you’re right,” he told her, making her look up at him again. “You shouldn’t be thinking about it.”

She looked down at her hands again, sighing. “Uh-huh.”

“Here. Up.” He moved, one of his wings unfolding from its spot and pushing behind her back, lifting her up and onto her feet. He certainly wasn’t going to do her any good when it came to making her feel better or distracting her. Rawk, in his own opinion, was absolutely no good as a therapist dinosaur. So, of course, the ‘someone else do it’ thought popped into his head.

“Heyheyhey! I was comfy.” she complained, but she grinned when he steadied her a moment before she’d have toppled over completely. “What—“

“Go cheer up. Go make out with Kaine or something,” he grumbled.

“…I already looked for Kaine. He’s out, I think,” she grumbled back.

Rawk clicked his teeth together. “Hang out with Gregory. Tell Brute to go bash heads with something in the Stadium. Go buy a hot chocolate. Go terrorize elevators with Cody again. Just quit…thinking about things. It’s depressing me.”

“I’m sorry,” she leaned down again, placing her hands on either side of his nose before kissing him there. She smiled at the low, happy rumble in his chest. Ha, he was just a big puppy and she knew it. “Sorry to make you worry.”

“I’m not worried,” he lied. “I’m just tired.”

She let him go, and watched him curl up again. “Love you, Rawk,” she said softly.

He didn’t move, but one of his eyes looked up at her. “…Don’t worry so much,” he told her. “Like you said; you’re happy here. They’re done and gone and you can just forget them. You’ve got a good enough family right here.” He rolled his wings—gah, he’d need to go out and actually use them soon— and sighed. “Just go cheer up. No one likes to see you like this. It’s like it’s not natural.”

She laughed, brightening a little more. “You’re right. I’ll go do something fun or something. Promise.”

“Good. Now get out. You’re loud.” His big eye closed and he was quiet.

“Sure, sure.” She closed the door behind her quietly, smirking to herself when she heard him grumble to himself about emotions. The girl pressed her back to it for a second, sighing again. Everyone had one of those days where you couldn’t help but dwell on the problems. And she’d meant what she said, before; she was happy here. She had…everything she’d ever wanted. She had a family here. She had friends here.

Her eyes closed for a second.

She was safe here.

These people and Pokemon, her Ranger team, made her feel safe. She didn’t need that sense of protection her parents had once offered her. And she tried bending her mind to thinking that’s all she wanted. Someone to lean against. She had that, so why would she need them? She had people that loved her here. So she didn’t need that. So why would she need them?


…

Because they’re your parents. And you love them.

Her eyes opened and she breathed out a heavy puff of air that made her too-long bangs fly up out of her eyes for a second.

“Hmph.” She grumbled, and her blue gray eyes opened. Rawk was right. Even though days like this were inevitable, why dwell on the dwelling? All she needed was a distraction, and this mood would be over. She knew…that maybe it wasn’t that great to stick a band-aid over the wound, because the pain would just come back again later, but it was what she wanted to do. She didn’t want to talk things through.
Not her parents. Not Pravus. Not her scars.

She didn’t want to talk it out with someone. She’d already spoken to Kaine about a lot of it…most of it… And if there were pieces she hadn’t talked about yet with him she would be surprised. But there was a sense of something heavy still weighing down in her chest. Kaine had taken a lot of that off—he was good at making her feel better. The man had a damn talent for making her problems just…vanish.

Most of the problems.

The bigger aspect of things. The jagged edges.

But…still.

There was pain left, when he was not with her.

And maybe she was being stubborn. Figuring it was her problem, maybe even one…too personal to bring up with anyone. She was ashamed of her parents. She doubted even Kaine could take that away.

They were Pravus. They were evil. They were mutant freaks. Like she was now.
And they’d dragged her to that place and left her broken and bruised.

…

She growled, eyes flashing again before she shook her head. She tried her best to get those thoughts out of her head. God. She didn’t need them. She didn’t. She didn’t want them. She didn’t want anything to do with them.
Ever.
Again.

The girl looked up. She hadn’t realized it, but her feet had started moving, perhaps in some small attempt at distracting her themselves. She moved down the halls, before she slowed to a stop in front of a familiar door. Cody’s door.

…
A smile appeared on her face then. Cody. He always had a knack for instant…well, not moping.

She didn’t bother to knock.
And maybe that wasn’t a good thing.
And well…well, maybe that was all for the better, in the long run.

She placed her hand on the doorknob, surprised by how loud the click of his door sounded in her ears as she pushed it open. “Cody?” she said as she entered his room the same instant thunder rolled dully from outside. She peered around for a second, and paused when her eyes settled on him.

“…Cody?”


(( This is so lame xD I'm sorry xDD
Lol. "Skie, go cheer up" "mmkay, I'ma go to Cody's <3" *drama ensues* xDD ))

[||Cody R||]

Scratches at the Surface

Lights will guide you home...

And ignite your bones...

And I will try to fix you.

“Cody, what are you going to be doing today?” Blaze asked. The orange beast sauntered around the room while his tail swished back and fourth along the floor. He, being the only Pokemon in Cody’s team that had yet to go wander around for the day, kept his trainer company until he finally decided it time to fully take pleasure in himself while it rained outside. “I don’t want to leave if you’re going to be bored, ya know? You’re…you’re not paying attention are you?”

Cody shrugged and leaned his back against his bedroom wall. The young man was laying down in an odd arch that somehow comforted him. Outside he could hear the sporadic bang of thunder outside. The weather had rolled in over night, casting an eerie silence amongst everyone at the Ranger base. There was something bothering him as he continuously lifted and lowered the dumbbell in his hand, though he couldn’t pinpoint just what it was. Blaze had noticed the change, nevertheless, and stared at his trainer who didn’t even acknowledge his presence. Instead, Cody’s eyes meandered around the room while he remained silent for the time being.

He wore nothing besides a pair of dark wash jeans and a black belt with silver studs on it. Usually he wouldn’t reveal to anyone his bear chest, knowing fully well that his scars that marred it were nothing capable of being flaunted; however, as he sat, back to the wall, Cody felt free for the first time in a while. It wasn’t that his clothes were a restraint, it was the fact that he couldn’t look in the mirror and feel the same way about himself for the rest of his life. The memory -- oh, the painful memory of what happened still flooded his thoughts from time to time, occurring most frequently when he fell asleep at night.

When he would dream, it was generally filled with positive things as well as thoughts. Then there were the nights when that could not be said, and those were the nights he feared the most. Unlike many who could sleep and not worry about anything other than dreaming of happiness and their true hearts desires, Cody dreamt of the day he had watched as his body was set ablaze. He could even remember the look on the Pravus trainer’s face as they called out the final attack that had left him unconscious and practically dead beside his wounded Charizard. It was filled with such dark hatred -- rivaling the eyes of a demon. A blood-thirsty demon.

Cody tore himself away from the thoughts, not wishing to reminisce on the one memory he wished so badly he could erase from his mind permanently. “You can go, ya know. I don’t mind, I’m probably just gonna -- ya know…work out and stuff.” The lie escaped his lips before he could even think over what he was going to say, his mind acting for him when he didn’t mean for it to. “But yeah…Go. Have fun. I’ll be around…”

Blaze cocked his head to the side, scrutinizing his trainer for a moment or two. The look on the orange Pokemon’s face signaled that he hadn’t bought one word of what Cody had just said, save for the fact that he would be around; there was no where to go when storms such as the one commencing now loomed so closely to the headquarters. He could tell that something was wrong, just by taking one look at the withering soul before him. For someone so happy and cheerful, seeing him upset like this was like a blow to the face: quick and easy, with pain that lasts for hours, panging away at your soul as it manifests your pride.

“Cody?”

“Hmmm?” Cody sighed, his eyes closed tightly.

“Are you thinking about…you know…?” Blaze couldn’t even come close to finishing his sentence. He, too, remembered the day Cody had been burned and left for dead. The look on his face as one of his fellow Rangers pushed his face to the side, preventing him from seeing his horribly burned chest -- it still brought tears to Blaze’s eyes. And as Cody’s head dipped in a simple ‘yes’, his giant heart nearly broke. “Don’t dwell on that memory. The jackass that did that to you…it could have happened to anyone.”

Cody’s eyes fluttered open, clouded by tears of dull, but forever existent pain. He blinked once, which brightened the emerald hues drastically, though they lacked their full color. “Could it really have, Blaze?” The Charizard’s head dipped and Cody continued, “Because if it could’ve…why me…” There was a pause in the room, a dormancy filled with speechlessness. “I thought so.”

Blaze’s feet pounded against the floor until he reached the door. “It happened to you because -- because your heart is too big. You could’ve left me and saved yourself --”

“No!” Cody barked as his fist came down and slammed against the wall. “I wasn’t gonna let Pravus scum kill my best friend. If that meant running in front of you and defending you until that asshole called out that flamethrower…It was worth it Blaze. If I had lost you that day, I don’t know what I’d have done.”

“The memory, Cody. I can see it everyday when you wake up and look in the mirror only to relive that day over and over and over again. Don’t think I haven’t watched as you relive the memory,” Blaze retorted, his nails etching lines into the door frame. The Pokemon was now upset, Cody could see that -- they both were. And being the closest friends, they both had a connection; both connected through their memories and through their hearts.

“…Just go,” Cody whispered.

The Pokemon dipped his head and disappeared through the doorway. Alone again. Always alone. He could be surrounded by a room of people, as well as his Pokemon and, at times, still felt like the only person in the vicinity -- a eternally dammed soul. He knew he was living and breathing, but felt as if he wasn’t entirely there. Talking about what happened, well that was something he had yet to do.

A voice and figure sounded from the door then, causing Cody to drop the dumbbell onto his bed. “Blaze. I said just go! Could you not hear me!?” he shouted, only to realize it was Skie who had called his name.

That was so much worse. So, so, so much worse.

And on top of that, she looked different; her eyes looked different.

“…Cody?” Her eyes locked with his figure as a confused expression plastered itself across her face. His eyes darted downwards, towards his chest, then shifted back up towards Skie. She just looked…upset, and Cody didn’t like that. So he gathered himself up off his bed, walked over the small girl and wrapped his arms around her silhouette.

“Skie? What’s wrong?” he asked, using her as a way to divert the topic from himself, which he knew was going to begin once she mentioned the fact that -- well, there were scars everywhere. “Y-your eyes…” Cody muttered as he moved her over onto his bed and sat her down. All the while, he continued to hold her in his arms.

He wouldn’t let go…couldn’t let go.

He’d come so close to doing it once before…

…but he had all he needed now.


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When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse.

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

[/i]

Fix You(*clickclick*) -- Coldplay.

{{The song played while I was writing...but it fits the situation. Cody is going to try to "fix" Skie. <3 Meh. I have a flashback, just to warn you, for this thread. Nn, writing Cody like this and seeing Skie all upset is gonna be upsetting. D:}}[/center][/size]

[Skie Loon]

S c r a t c h e s _ a t _ t h e _ S u r f a c e

It was a rare, rare moment when Skie Loon found herself completely unable to speak.

At first, when her eyes had settled on him, she hadn’t really…zeroed in on those marks. Cody with any sort of…of mar like that hadn’t even been a remote possibility in her mind.
Cody? The…the always-cheerful, always smiling, always happy…

“C…” she blinked, her throat closing entirely when he stood to move nearer to her. And those scars on his chest became all the more visible. All the more obvious.

For an instant a mixture of too many emotions and feelings flashed through her, blinding her for a moment. Flooded her with all sorts of possibilities and reasons and explanations for those…
Those were burns, weren’t they…?

She shuddered an instant before he wrapped his arms around her, and those heart-wrenching thoughts left her for a moment. One of her hands seemed to move up, and her fingertips touched his bare back for an instant, as if she were about to return the embrace, before her hand seemed to jolt away from him without her consent.

…Hn.
He was worried about her?

But her voice still wouldn’t work right, and she only managed a small noise as he pulled her with him.

“Y-your eyes…” she heard him murmur, and blinked, confused for a moment. What about—oh. Right.

“Your eyes were doing that thing” she remembered Rawk telling her. Her eyes often betrayed her true emotions—the color changed depending on her feelings. She couldn’t stop it or hide it. And she knew they must have looked their duller color. Gray like the rolling clouds outside.

She sat down on the mattress and he followed her, sitting beside her. He never let go, and that made her heart ache even more. God, was he okay?
“You…” she started weakly. A minute passed before she cleared her throat.
“Cody, I’m fine,” she managed after a moment.

Her arms finally moved, and she returned the embrace tightly. And she was quiet for a while again; many, many things she could say whizzing through her mind, but she was still too surprised—too shocked—to say any of them. Though at one point she actually moved her hands, and pressed them into his shoulders, pushing him back gently.

She didn’t want to seem like the sort of person that would gawk at those scars, like some rude individual or a child who didn’t know any better; but she felt she had to.

And she shivered again when she let her eyes scan over all that pink scar tissue.
There was no way those were accidental wounds either. Not some cooking mistake or mishap—those were deliberate. Those were…Cody had been attacked, hadn’t he? Something terrible had happened to him. And from how his voice had sounded, when he spoke to her, she knew for sure the story behind them wasn’t…

“…Cody.” Her voice seemed to shake for an instant. Her own mind spun with memories as she looked over his own scars, and she could have sworn she felt all of hers as well. Aware of every line on her skin. Relived the knives and blades and needles.

Panic flared through her for a moment and she seemed to wince, closing her eyes tightly to block out dark memories, because she remembered what it was like to feel those sort of intentional wounds carve themselves out.

And then came the anger.

“Cody, what happened?” her voice strengthened, no room for sidetracking in her voice. She was known for being stubborn when she wanted to know something. But even though it was evident she wanted him to give her answers…there was no demand in her voice. She would understand if he pushed the question away.

She would understand completely.

She knew what it was like to be afraid of people seeing the scars on her body. And what it was like to want to keep their stories to herself.

She’d never been the sort to be self conscious about…well, anything really. In a world like the one they lived in, physical appearance when it came to all the makeup and beauty girls were usually known for freaking out about just wasn’t that important in the long run. Not to her, at least. She’d met a few who still spent a lot of time worrying about how they looked.

Pravus changed that, in a way.

She was almost afraid of people now. Cautious; so much more than before. Hoodies were now a form of protection, rather than comfort. They hid the marks on her arms from eyes she was afraid might turn away in disgust.

“I mean…You—Cody, when did…are you o..-kay?” she swallowed, breaking the last word. It was a dumb question, she realized, but one she couldn’t help but ask anyway. He was one of her closest friends—it was almost mandatory.

Her eyes flashed and the gray in the irises seemed to swirl. She hadn’t really realized it, because she wasn’t focusing on herself, but the girl was furious.

Her fingers pressed into the skin of his shoulders a little harder—not hurting him, but it was more than obvious that the sight of those burns across his chest struck more than one nerve in the girl.

She was protective of her friends. She didn’t pay attention to that aspect of her personality much, but it was true. Even now she was vaguely aware of that anger twisting n her own chest, like some sort of deadly vice. It wanted justification for this.

But that anger didn’t fully surface yet.

Because Cody hadn’t…even explained yet. And she didn’t even know if he was going to in the first place.

She was just…worried.

“…What happened?” she repeated weakly, once more time.

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(( So, here's my lame post for you xD I'm sorry if it's a bit short. I tried to do as much emotional delving as I could, but I don't wanna go too deep 'till they actually start talking, you know? xD And really--Skie's not gonna say much yet. xD So I tried to make this as lenghtly and like...worth the wait as I could.
And dammit, I'm in love with that song now, Lusive ._. I tried finding a song to fit this as well, but my brain was like "fffffffudgeno" and so no fancy lyrics for me to decorate my post with xD --Hope the post is okay :3 Here you go xD ))

[||Cody R||]

Scratches at the Surface

Listen to me now...

I need to let you know...

You don't have to go it alone.

Cody had never meant for Skie to see his horribly burned body, though it was a little too late to turn around and act as if the marks were there. She had already seen, her eyes unmistakably fixated on the pink flesh that had been left as a permanent reminder of just what Pravus could do with their power, just what sort of fear they could instill into even the most valiant of souls. He knew that he would eventually have to explain to her what had happened on that day not too long ago, he just never imagined it to be on a day where the sky seemed as if it were emanating the brokenhearted people.

“…Skie. Skie,” Cody whispered, his heart speeding and slowing down at the same time. The room whirred around aimlessly, colors he once naturally blending in a disoriented nature. She was probably frightened, if anything. It took a strong person to just take a glance at his marks, and a person like Skie to stare for a good moments time.

He knew she would understand, had a deep feeling forming in the pit of his stomach that she wouldn’t discriminate. However, when her arms didn’t wrap around his waist like he’d hoped, his spirits dropped. The one person he had put all bets on taking his past seriously had been pushed away in identifiable fright. He suddenly fell immobile, his heart skipping a beat from deep within the peak of his chest. All his wishes for her reaction had been shattered, as was his splintered hope that she would have simply ignored it and moved onto better, more important things.

“I’m fine, Skie. I just…” He couldn’t finish his statement, clearly at a loss for words. What could he say to her after all? Cody glanced down at the sheets messily draped across his bed, examined the striped print that had been etched there in some factory miles away. Such unimportant thoughts he’d normally never be inclined to visit forced themselves into his thought process, created a diversion from the situation at hand.

“You have to --” Her slender arms had finally enveloped Cody’s figure, returning the one-sided embrace he had thought to have thrust upon the girl. Her hands moved just a few moments later, unfortunately pushing him back a little. He took this as a moment to look into her eyes once again, watched as the normal blue shade to her eyes fought against a more abysmal, grayer shade. Thoughts swirled through his mind as to just what could have been bothering Skie. In his eye, it seemed like she had everything: loyal Pokemon, Kaine McAllister(Coffee Dude), a loving brother and great friends(such as he)…Oh.

Parents.

Skie had never really spoken about parents or anything, they seemed to be something she avoided even bringing up. Cody never forced her to speak of them and figured that there was a soft spot he would touch if he were to bring them up, though he still wondered. He was, after all, her best friend. Weren’t they supposed to know unbeknown secrets that they could thrive off of and grow stronger through about each other? He wasn’t really all too great with the best friends deal, and was more of a ladies man himself -- but Skie had been different; Skie had always been different. So if making her feel better was on the agenda for the day, he would do that.

Expecting her to express herself was something he couldn’t picture her doing, being that she was a complete ball of giddiness, and unusually high happiness at all times. Then again…there was his story. And if to have her talk to him about what was bothering her meant speaking of his story…he wasn’t sure if he could do it. Not yet. He was still trying to get over the attack himself -- still trying to comprehend why someone would deliberately hurt anothers Pokemon, then burn their trainer and leave them for dear.

Was it to get rid of the evidence…or to rid themselves of the problem all together?

Should his should-have-been death have brought upon the solution?

He just…he didn’t get it.

Skie winced then, as if a searing pain had penetrated her body. “Skie…?” No words were spoken after that, all Cody could muster was another warm embrace. “Skie, did someone…did someone hurt you? W-was it Kaine? …No, it couldn’t be.” He pressed his supple lips against her forehead -- it was the only thing he could remember his mother did when he had an “owie” -- and sighed heavily. He knew Kaine would never hurt her he was just…he was good to her, that’s all, which meant someone else had hurt or.

Or if not someone else…something.

“Cody…what happened?” His head dropped at the three simple words. So this wasn’t about her, this was about him. Cody knew he should tell her, just didn’t know where to begin. And the rawness of the memory…going there -- going there would hurt.

“…I’m. Fine.” Cody spoke each word clearly, nearly grunting as she pressed her fingers in a little harder against her shoulder. Before now he hadn’t even noticed her touch, and now it was starting to beckon those memories forward. He didn’t like that, didn’t like it one bit.

And the anger in him surfaced when he hadn’t even felt it forming in the pit of his stomach as it usually would. He jumped from his bed, walked over to his door and slammed it shut. With the twist of his fingers, the lock clicked, echoed throughout, and the two were alone. What came next, though…it came as a surprise to himself even. He paced back and fourth, stopped at his wall opposite to the bed -- parallel even -- and brought his fist down on it.

Something along the lines of a choked up sob and a maniacal laugh surfaced from his firm lips, while his other hand wrapped around his eyes. He couldn’t let Skie see as his emerald eyes darkened, couldn’t let her see as he silently cried to himself, couldn’t let her see as his pride withered away before her.

And he definitely couldn’t let her see him defeated.

Up until now he had never cried over what happened. But it hurt. It hurt so bad keeping it locked away under the surface, allowing it to grow and manifest his soul. Everyday when he would simply look at his Blaze -- well, Blaze was right: the memory was relived everyday, flashbacks draining his being slowly but surely. There was only so much he could take, and he knew now just what his limits were.

Now he was sure he had finally reached his breaking point…



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{{Well...hope you liked it. And haha, I have lots of songs for this thread. Like, a soundtrack even. I used this song for this post: Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own. You might actually know this song, it used to be played on the radio a lot. Well, anyways...we should hold off on the story telling for a bit -- maybe build up off of the anger and then have Cody, like, break. Skie can break him, I mean. Lol. XD She can make him spill. But sheesh, this is gonna be interesting.}}[/color]

[Skie Loon]

S c r a t c h e s _ a t _ t h e _ S u r f a c e

__Don’t you hang your head
____Don’t you give up yet
______When courage starts to disappear
________I will be right here



It was almost…It was almost surreal.
Like the whole situation was just some…some strange, strange dream.
Or a nightmare.
Hazed and hard to believe.

But here they were.

Skie sat there in his arms, soft, near broken words were exchanged. It was obvious the both of them were having trouble communicating.
Funny…Them. Having trouble getting the right words out. Or any words at all. But this was a dark situation to be in. That was becoming more and more obvious. The situation was becoming raw, and bare. She didn’t mean to be opening up any old wounds, but…

The girl swallowed, hitching back a soft hiccup of a noise. He asked her if she was hurt after that flash of memories had struck her. It was too quick to pick out any individual incidents, so the frightening images cleared away fast enough.
“I’m—“ she paused, both because she didn’t know what to say and because she felt his lips against her forehead. …God. She didn’t…deserve friends like this.
“No,” she murmured. “No, Kaine didn’t hurt me..” She swallowed.

But this wasn’t about her. Not really. He was sitting there, those wounds on his chest out in the open. Numerous, horrible burns. That pink sort of tissue she was very familiar with. And she hated…
She absolutely hated seeing that on him. On Cody.
The girl felt her heart ache, wanting to know what happened to him. Wanting to know so the awful possibilities in her mind could either be confirmed or tossed aside. She was worried, and the sight of him…so quiet and so different…it made her vision blur for a second.

Cody didn’t deserve those scars. She didn’t care what he did to get them; he didn’t deserve them. She would take them away if she could.

“…I’m. Fine.”

She almost winced at his words after she’d asked him a second time what had happened to him. If that pain wasn’t evident enough in his voice, she didn’t know what was. His story hurt. She could see the emotional wounds ran just as deep, if not deeper, than the burns across his skin. And guilt lashed at her painfully, because she was digging these memories up again.

The girl was deadly quiet when he moved from the bed in almost a rush, and she didn’t stir when he slammed the door shut. Her ears heard the lock click, along with another dull roll of thunder outside of the walls. Even the weather seemed just eager in dragging them down.
And even though she was so silent, not moving an inch, it didn’t mean she didn’t care.
God, she cared.

Her throat closed when he struck the wall, and her hands clenched into their own fists when she heard that horrible mix between a laugh and a sob escape him. Part of her demanded she rush him herself and just shake him until he stopped. It terrified her, watching him like this. It wasn’t…
It wasn’t right.
It wasn’t Cody.

But she didn’t move.
Frozen where she was, because she was just too shocked.
The surreal feeling was still there. Like this was a dream and she could just wake up, and she could get up from bed and find Cody goofing off in the Lesterfield again. Or she could drag him back to her own room and they could play video games and just…
And just forget the whole nightmare.

But this was important.

This was important.

And she repeated the word in her head as she stood, taking a deep breath.
That band-aid had to come off. She was familiar with her own patch-job with her own problems, but it seemed as if…he had never talked about it with anyone. She’d had the opportunity, the luck in having people like Kaine and her brother and her own team to talk to.
Maybe Cody didn’t have anyone.

She moved across the floor like some sort of ghost; silent and serious. There were no jokes in this. There were no smiles or laughs.
And when she drew in close enough, and saw those tears leak out from beneath the hand he held over his eyes, she froze again. Something cold gripped at her spine, and sent shivers down it, but she shook off the feeling.
The girl reached for him, touching his bare arm so lightly there was chance he might not even feel it.

“Cody…” she said softly. “Hey,” her voice strengthened a bit. It had been…so much weaker than she’d expected. “…I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean…” She paused, closing her eyes against the sight of his tears for an instant because she felt her own well up, threatening to spill over. “It’s okay,” she muttered. “Look…Whatever happened…”
Her hand dropped away from him, and she wrapped her arms lightly around herself. “It’s…over now. You’re safe. Okay?” She opened her eyes slowly, staring at his shoulder. “I didn’t mean..to bring up anything that…anything that was painful. But…but I do know,” she hesitated. “I do know that it..it helps to talk about it. It helps take the edge off of whatever’s hurting.”

Her eyes closed again, and she sighed. She was talking from experience. Holding up all that pain that she’d been through, both physical and emotional, would have completely destroyed her. But she…she did talk it out. She knew how it seemed to lift a heavy pressure off of your shoulders. It…it did feel better. She wasn’t lying when she told him that.

“And..I’m here for you.” She nodded, her breath hitching in her throat. “I don’t know what happened. I don’t know how…how you got hurt. And…honestly, part of me is afraid to find out.” She swallowed. “I’dve never imagined…anything like this happening to you. Not to you. Never to someone like…like you. You didn’t deserve it, whatever happened.”

Another long pause.

“But I’m here. I’m here for you, Cody.” Her eyes opened and she stared at him. “I’m…ha. I’m your friend. And no matter what it is; what the reasons are. If you tell me, that won’t change. I’m always gonna be your friend. I promise.”



__When your world breaks down
____And the voices tell you turn around
______When your dreams give up
________I will carry you, carry you

________When the stars go blind
______And the darkness starts to flood your eyes
____When you’re falling behind
__I will carry you

Y o u _ s h o u l d _ k n o w _ n o w _ t h a t _ y o u ‘ r e _ n o t _ a l o n e

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(( I feel like such a jerk xD Like for serious. But here you go :3 And ah. Man. This is gonna get tough, getting into teh gritty stuff. Especially if we both do flashbacks xD And I found a song o3o It's called I Will Carry You. xD I think it fits them too o3o And I hope Skie said the right stuff to get him to break a little more (omg I sound like such a jerkfaceomgomgomg xD). Or, ah, you know xD What I mean xDDD'' Hope this post is okay :3 ))

[||Cody R||]

Scratches at the Surface

Don't resent me...

And when you're feeling empty,
keep me in your memory...

Leave out all the rest.

Not many words were spoken. There were a few short, incomplete statements, but nothing just short of an actual response to what the other was saying. It was odd, in a way. Skie and Cody always knew what to say to the other, they always had that…that clearly indescribable relationship that many envied. To have a friend who could just sneak into your life and make a mark there for life, that -- that wasn’t just a friendship. It wasn’t a brother or sister relationship either, even if it was close. It seemed that the two were connected by something a bit…well, a bit more. And it came to Cody once or twice that maybe the two were connected by fate even.

Fate had connected the two…

And fate…well, it had impacted them as well.

And oddly enough, Cody wasn’t even a strong believer in fate, it just crossed his mind that maybe Skie had a purpose for becoming his friend that day. Never before had he really even spoken to her. He’d only seen her around the base, pulling a few pranks here and there and kissing that Kaine guy she so clearly loved in secret corners. All the while, though, as he kept an eye out for her around the HQ, he wondered if he would ever be able to have a conversation with her and -- and exchange pranks, or ways to wreak havoc sometime.

It was that of a childish wish.

When they began speaking and formed a bond over video games after their Charizards had mauled each other, things just fit. Cody knew from that moment on he had been given a gift, a gift from fate who had nothing more than to apologize for what they had done to him -- for what those Pravus bastards had done to him with the help of that unearthly force. And even though he feared the Pravus more than anything in the world, he had been given the best gift anyone could be given. He was given Skie, yes, but that wasn’t it.

He had been given a second chance. Maybe Skie had entered his life to give him that second chance, that push in the right direction he needed so he could finally find it in himself to live again -- to hope again. Hope was all anyone needed after all, if even a splintered one. He knew that now, he knew that he had been given his hope back.

He’d experienced a collision with that unnatural power…a collision with hope.

Cody dipped his head at the thought, suddenly capable of moving again. The tears kept streaming down his face, unfortunately, for he was crying, even if rendered silent from his sudden epiphany. Along with being able to move again, he could feel too -- or at least he thought so. It was a soft touch, barely noticeable, but it was still a touch nonetheless. And it didn’t take much to realize that it had been Skie to touch his arm, he was just surprised she hadn’t left.

His sister had left. His own flesh and blood had left. Obviously, the thought of being the one who had looked over those scars when they’d brought him back from where the attack had taken place was too unbearable. There was just too much to forgive, and Calista hadn’t even been looking for forgiveness from the Pravus. It was her brother she wished forgiveness from. Leaving on a mission that he clearly wasn’t ready for, a suicide mission -- she couldn’t even begin to understand why he’d done it. But Cody understood; he understood her loud and clear.

“You’re still…you’re still here…” Cody whispered after Skie had spoken her soft words to him. Maybe she was…maybe she was right. Maybe telling someone was better than keeping it a secret, and maybe -- just maybe it was time to talk. Skie had promised she was going to be there after all, and he took her word for it. “Even after everything, you’re still here,” he continued, “…suddenly aware of what I’ve been trying to hide from myself all this time.” His voice grew more serious as his senses heightened; he could finally talk without choking up.

“I’dve never imagined…anything like this happening to you. Not to you. Never to someone like…like you. You didn’t deserve it, whatever happened.” Just as quickly as his strength in his words increased, they were hit with a heavy blow and weakened once again. No one had ever imagined something that had happened being thrust upon him, but that’s how life worked. One day you could be alive and carefree, the next laying on your deathbed with tubes coming from you in every which way to keep you holding on, even if you knew all was lost either which way.

Cody didn’t see the point in holding on. He couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel and…and maybe he never would.

There was something to hold on for now; he had Skie. Skie, Blaze, Rocket, Vice and Furoi; they all loved him, no matter what he had gone through.

Understanding why, that was a task in itself.

“You know…Blaze said that, and yet, he was there when it all happened. Even if he wasn’t fully conscious, he was there…” The memory slipped back into his mind, draining him of all his awareness around Skie. Suddenly dizzy, Cody’s back coasted down the wall, while his butt landed roughly against the ground. In the distance, the storm raged on; it was a clear sign of the importance of today, of the dire need to take away the hurt -- if only a little.

His hand lifted from his lap, wrapped around Skie’s and gently pulled her down to his level. With his hand still wrapped around Skie’s, he sighed and traced the beginning of the scars with his other hand. He had grown so used to them being there, still, was surprised everyday he felt them. Cody’s lips pursed as he thought to himself for a moment, then opened so he could finally speak.

“Skie, look at me!” His voice was loud, enraged even. The tears came again at that point, rolling down his cheeks with nothing more to do than to ebb away at his pride. “These scars…they were intentional. I’m surprised you didn’t hear about the dispatch I was sent out to deliver with one of the younger Rangers. It wasn’t that long ago…under a year…” Cody laughed. It wasn’t a happy laugh, it was that of a hateful person. “I didn’t know it would be an easy suicide…I didn’t know that they were going to be there…”

Cody’s head dropped onto Skie’s shoulder, his emerald eyes being hidden away by his eyelids. “I didn’t know that…that the Pravus…” he couldn’t continue, his voice had cracked. Cody felt so weak, so pathetic, and somehow managed to choke out the one word he hated from that day on. “Pravus.”

There was nothing more to be said.

He knew Skie would understand with just that one word.

One word that evoked musings of thousands of other ones.


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{{Gosh. This post made me so happy...and sad. D: But, I still like itt. Wellsss, this is another Skie/Cody Angst Soundtrack song: Leave Out All The Rest.}}[/color]

[Skie Loon]

S c r a t c h e s _ a t _ t h e _ S u r f a c e

__Lost in darkest blue
____Endless labyrinths weaving through
______Will you stagger on
________With no star to light your way?

________Shout into the night
______Show the darkness that you will fight
____Hopeless you may feel
__But inside I know you are strong




“Of course,” she told him. “Of course I’m still here…”
She watched him, forcing herself not to look away, even though she wanted to so badly; seeing him so wounded cut at her as well. Some weaker part wanted to just turn around and forget this. Pretend she wasn’t seeing what she was seeing, and that this aspect of Cody just..just didn’t exist.
But she would never do that. Not ever. If anything, seeing him in this fragile state strengthened her resolve to help him.

“…suddenly aware of what I’ve been trying to hide from myself all this time”

The girl swallowed, leaning closer a little bit, tilting her head the tiniest amount so she could maybe just catch a glimpse of his green eyes. His voice had strengthened something noticeable.
Her interest and concern seemed to peak again.

She’d never expected to be lucky enough to ever gain a friend like Cody (because she’d already been lucky enough to have a family like she already had). The two of them had just…clicked. Immediately after they first met, during that first marker in their friendship with the video games, after she’d dragged Brute off of Blaze. It had been an odd way to start off any sort of relationship, but that didn’t seem to hinder theirs. Ever since that day…ever since that day she had gained another best friend.
Someone she trusted.
Trusted completely.

But the girl hesitated. As well as they got along, and as connected to the young man as she felt, nothing like this…had ever happened before. Their friendship swirled around games and laughter. Happy things. But..perhaps this was that ‘too much of a good thing’ saying coming out. With all of the damn happiness they gave each other, there had to be some sort of..of balance. Something that deepened it; their bond. Made it more than what it already was.

But it horrified her that this was it.
…

Both of them had deep-rooted mars it seemed. Scars that had once been hidden away from everyone.
His were out in the open now. And she wondered if he, like she once had feared in her own situation, thought she might turn from him because of that. It seemed ridiculous in her own mind. The thought of leaving him and abandoning their friendship, or really any sort of weakening in their friendship, was just…stupid.

It wasn’t even worth thinking about.
The scars across his chest didn’t affect her view on him in that way.
If anything, she felt as if she were drawn closer. Like she’d just been let in on some dark secret (and in reality, she had been), and the promise of her trust strengthened the tie between them. And Skie Loon always kept her promises.

…

So, Blaze was with him when it happened? Her chest tightened again; it sounded as if he was hurt as well. Barely conscious?
...Nng.
She shuddered, pictures of the both of them hurt and sprawled out on the ground somewhere, half dead, surged in her mind. Something she’d never thought of before—something she thought could never have happened to two people as happy and carefree and just damn loveable as them.

But the image left her when Cody seemed to suddenly lose his strength, sliding down the wall heavily.
“C-Cody!” she yelped, alarmed. “Are you—“ she hesitated, stopping herself when he reached up and pulled her down with him.
The girl fell to her knees beside him, breathing out a ragged breath of air as she did so. She stared at the wall beside him for a moment, both of them seeming to try and collect their thoughts. Both of them figuring out, maybe, what to say or do next.

“Look at me!” he had barked suddenly, and she jumped, nearly falling back away from him. But her hand tightened around his instead, her fingers gripping his wrist tightly.
She kept her eyes locked on his own, wishing desperately that he would stop crying. It tore her up, watching him when he was like this.
He had her attention. He’d had her full, unwavering attention since she’d walked into the room. And everything he said…

…

The girl shuddered as he pressed his forehead into her shoulder.

Her eyes widened slowly, letting everything sink in without any sort of filter.
She didn’t try and smooth the jagged, painful edges of what he was telling her to make the news easier on herself; she wouldn’t do that. She took it all in without letting anything slip by. And she understood the idea; the reason. Why those scars had been seared into him forever. Why he seemed to crumble right there in front of her.

…
Pravus.

Of course it was Pravus.

She pulled her hand out of his, only to move both of her arms around him, hugging him tightly. She almost clutched at his back, her chin resting on his shoulder as she stared at the blank wall behind him as if it were the reason he was in so much pain.

Her shoulders shook, her brows furrowing into a furious arch, eyes flashing dangerously. Skie bared her teeth, grinding them together at the same instant a low growl actually sounded in her throat.


Pravus.


Her fingers dug into his back, never hurting him, but a mixture of many emotions rushed through her again. Firstly there was a great amount of rage. And that fury seemed to encompass everything else; the sorrow and fear and understanding. And that anger was what made her shake as she held him close like she was.
Skie wanted to say something. Wanted to comfort him. Some how, some way, she wanted to help him. But…

“…Pravus,” she hissed lowly, her teeth still clenched. She was surprised at how angry that word made her, when she found out they were to blame. They were the ones who did this to him. She didn’t know…all the details. She didn’t know the full story. But she knew enough now to let that quiet hate rekindle and ignite.
“They’re…the one’s who..”

Her voice broke, wincing violently at a thought that slit through her mind.
He’d been through what she had been through.
He had been through the same thing.
All that…all that pain and fear…

“Ah…” her breath hitched in her throat, and those tears already welled up in her eyes finally spilled over, dripping from her face onto his back as she held him even tighter.
She knew how it felt. To be terrified for your life. To feel all that intense pain, and know someone was doing it to you on purpose.
Dark, familiar laughter echoed in her head, and a sudden, rushing wave of cold terror made her hold her breath.

“God…Cody…” she whispered, shaking her head roughly as if that would get rid of that clip of a sound brought back to life. The laughing faded, and she let out a heavy breath of air. “Nonono, not that,” she muttered, her mind spinning.

All that torment—all of that agony reflected onto him.
In her mind, she saw him writhing because of it.

“Not to you, not that- no—“ she swallowed heavily, cutting herself short. “…Not you. Please, not…you.”
She turned her head, pressing her forehead into his silvery hair, arms still wound around him.

And she grew quiet, shoulders still shaking, but the frantic panic—that true fear that only came to life in her nightmares now—subsided until she got control of her voice again. Got control and kept herself from mumbling hushed pleas to the wall in front of her.

And then…then came the shame.

“…Cody,” she said, her voice so much stronger than before. “Cody, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…” Her eyes closed for a moment. An image of her parents flashed through her mind.
First of them how she wished they could still be; her loving parents. Her eccentric, overprotective father, and her tough, take-charge mother.
And then of them now and, how she supposed, what they had always been. Backstabbing…evil…Pravus.
She was connected..by blood..to the people who had done this to Cody.

…Or hell. Maybe her own parents had been the ones to hurt him.
Who knew?
For all she knew, that’s what had happened.

Her arms slackened suddenly, and she felt her nerve break. The girl released him, drawing back; leaving him. She didn’t notice it, but she whispered his name again as she pulled away.
“I’m sorry,” she said again, softly. “B-but Cody, you’re safe now.” Her soft words hardened, some of that old fury dripping back into her voice. “You can…stop worrying. Don’t be afraid.” She reached out for him, touching his arm.

“I won’t let them hurt you again.”





__When the storm draws nigh
____Dreams will shatter before your eyes
______Know that you’re not alone

______When the battle starts
____I will comfort your restless heart
__You’ll know that you are home

__I will give my all__
___So your tears will no longer fall___
____Down, down on sorrow’s stone____

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(( Aghflkjsldk. D: I wasn’t expecting that. Skie totally had a panic attack. And a bad one too >.< Yeah, it’s official. I don’t think we can really hide the fact we’re jerkfaces. Or at least, I can’t xD I can’t even blame insanity or my brain anymore :<
And the song I listened to for this one was a strange one o3o
Well, actually I listened to three. In the beginning part, I listened to this one one over and over again ->You’re not alone It’s like, lyrics originally written for a Final Fantasy song. I’ve never played an FF game, but I think the lyrics fit ‘em a bit o3o
And then during the middle-ish part I listened to this xD -> Midna’s Lament. No words, but eh xD Sometimes it helps me stay focused when there aren’t any lyrics at all. And then after that, I listened to Gollum’s Song for Skie’s panic attack. The lyrics…don’t really fit, but parts fit her, which was okay since she was sort of almost falling into herself for a second xD But what really, really scared her was picturing him going through all of that :< ))

[||Cody R||]

Scratches at the Surface

[/color]

You are the strength...
that keeps me walking.

You are the hope...
that keeps me trusting.

You are the light...
to my soul.

If what was occurring had started off being about Skie, it wasn’t anymore. From the moment her eyes locked on his chest, the topic had diverted away from her and found a new place to settle. It just so happened to shift to Cody, thwarting unwanted memories back into his mind when all he wanted was to forget them. Even when he knew Skie wasn’t planning on leaving him, the memory itself made him think about their relationships durability.

Would the bond be severed if she knew everything?

Or would it be stronger than it was before—strengthened by trust and the back-stories both hadn’t even intended on ever visiting, because the truth hurt.

The truth hurt so badly.

He knew that Skie was and would be effected by what had happened, even if she didn’t know what truly happened, just because they were that close. And with knowing that, telling her the story was going to be so much easier. He would tell her…he would—it was decided now. What better time to try to peel away the band-aid he had kept on over his heart than now, with his best friend even? Hell. What if there wasn’t another time where he felt himself capable of delving into a story that started with one word and continued on with thousands of other ones?

The time was right. Painful, yes, but it was right.

“Hmm,” Cody’s throat rumbled, echoed a hum inside. He was contented at the moment, at ease for now. “I’m happy you’ll…you’ll never leave. You don’t know how many have left…” he trailed off, imagining his sister’s face in his mind. “My sister…she left. She left for a little bit, and now…now she won’t look at me the same. We still talk, of course, it’s just…it’s just not the same.”

Skie panicked then, startling Cody for a moment. “…I’m fine.” After Cody spoke the thought of the dishonesty in his words burned his flesh, right where he had been burnt in the first place. He imagined himself on the dirt-covered ground, his flesh burning while he was screaming out in agony as it finally began to grip him. It didn’t hurt at first. No. It only hurt once the Pravus member leaned down, looked into his eye and revealed to him just what emotion laid here: hate. The writhing, screaming and burning started then, only to progress until someone came to his rescue.

Cody winced for a moment and drew back from Skie, only to feel her arms enclose around him. He eventually moved closer to her, even though his eyes still closed and his burns ached. As the two sat there, silent for a moment, Cody brought a hand to her arm and gave it a quick squeeze. He wanted her to know he appreciated her being there when no one else would be, although, getting the point across with a quick touch, or brush with the arm even, would be most unlikely.

“Skie. Where would I…hnn. Where would I be without you?” Cody asked, utmost honesty practically dripping from his words. Another wince. Skie had, without a warning in advanced, dug her nails lightly into his back. He didn’t wince because it hurt; he winced because while he was suffering—Skie was as well. Whether it be the thought of his pain and agony, or her own tormented past—if she even had one—he didn’t know. He did know one thing, though: Skie was upset just as much as he was, if not more.

Something foreign dripped onto Cody’s back then: tears. Was Skie…was she crying?

The man somehow managed to begrudgingly maneuver himself out from inside Skie’s comfortable embrace and pull her out from where she was hiding so he could take a good look at her. “Skie…” He cupped his hands around either side of her face. He swore, at that moment, that he could feel the frown lines forever etching themselves into his skin. “Please don’t cry; don’t cry over me,” he pleaded, hands dropping from her face just as quickly as they were there.

He watched, as Skie grew frantic, clearly thinking some things over. The words she spoke were short but clear, getting the point across easily. “But it did happen to me, Skie. It happened and I…I can’t take it back.” He paused for a moment as her head pressed against his hair. “No matter what I do, I’m not capable of getting rid of the thought that day still possesses. I might wish things were different, but nothing can change…” His voice trailed off again as his tears subsided for a moment. “They…the Pravus, they knew what they were doing. I only wish I knew why they did what they had.”

His head dipped slowly, eyes closed. “So don’t feel sorry for me. Feel sorry for them…please.” Cody sounded like a child looking to his mother for even the smallest inkling of a brighter future. Those kinds of things you never really think about: the hard times we seem to drown in when they come flooding into our minds.

Skie released him as soon as he spoke, something breaking inside her—it seemed. Something greater was ebbing away at her mind and thrusting this anger upon Skie—something that he could only wonder about. And as he watched her, his eyes now a faded emerald, his name was repeated. “I am safe now.” Came his reply, a forced smile playing on his lips. “…And I won’t be afraid. Not anymore…not anymore because I have you.”

“I won’t let them hurt you again.”

The words she spoke hit him, ringing in his ears like a soft melody. “I know you won’t. And Skie…I want you to hear the story.” He leaned closer towards her, holding his hand out for her to take. He needed it now more than ever, needed to feel her near him. “If you want to hear it, I’ll tell you. Just…just give me the word and I’ll start.”


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{{Meh. I feel like this post is absolutely horrible. Maybe I'm just angry with my parents. >:O But anyways, I loved all those songs in your last post! I played them on repeat, loll; they were beautiful, and made me sad. :[ And yes, we are jerkfaces, no more hiding it. Geesh, Skie in that post is so upsetting. Oh, and here is the cliffie of doom I told ya about the other dayy. <3
Well, here is your daily song dosage via Lusive: Everything. The song is really pretty, I like it. The lyrics also really fit with this thread, so watch them on the screen. I think you'll enjoy it.}}[/size]

[Skie Loon]

S c r a t c h e s _ a t _ t h e _ S u r f a c e

__Welcome to the fallout
____Welcome to resistance
______The tension is here
________The tension is here

__Between who you are and who you could be__
____Between how it is and how it should be____

Countless emotions seemed compacted in the short moments and words passed between them. Fear, anger, and sorrow, though, above all else. And a determined need to keep him safe.
She had not been lying when she told him she wouldn’t let them hurt him again.

In…
In all honesty…
She would take his place, if anything happened.
She would go through…all she had been through again, if it would spare him of it. She cared about him that much.

She knew that she wouldn’t break this, no matter what the story was. It made her wince when he told her about his own sister and how she had left. How her view on him changed, and from the sounds of it, not for the better.

It made her a little angry; if there was anyone you could trust with your secrets and pain, shouldn’t it be your fam…your siblings first? Brothers and sisters were supposed to be there for you always—a pillar to lean against without fear of it crumbling or breaking away.

She thought of her Gregory then. The girl adored her brother—and knew well enough that he loved her too. He’d never left her, when she had needed familiar people around her. When she had been back at that hospital, immobile and terrified.

If Gregory Gene had left her… If the way he looked at her changed…

The girl shuddered, dipping her head a little.
That would hurt. A lot. She could hardly imagine…

Cody had become someone she could count on. And it was surprising, but the girl actually…didn’t have a lot of friends. Though the ones she did have, she loved. She loved every one of them. She was honest with all of them; trusted all of them; would give up her life to protect any one of them. She would do anything to keep them them if she could.

Cody had entered into that circle with her. And once someone became her friend…
She didn’t let them go.

She was a girl…who needed people around. She was social, and thrived when people she loved were near her. If she was alone…if any of her friends or family or..or her Kaine had left her, she would crumble.
She loved them all too much.

So when she felt Cody squeeze one of her arms lightly, she maybe understood what he meant then. Like a reassurance or gratitude of her being there. Skie understood his need for her to stay. Not to leave. If she was..in his position, she would have done the same.
A quiet ‘thank you’, maybe. Just so he would know that she was grateful.

A lot of things encompassed the still dream-like feel of this whole place. Of his voice, even.
That panic was gone, for the most part; driven away because he was about to tell her something very important, and needed her attention.
And he had her attention.

She had swallowed back some foreign noise and wiped her tears away quickly with her sleeve when he had told her not to cry. In all honesty, she hadn’t even realized she was crying. But she cleared those tears away fast enough (even when the came back, she did it again) and ignored those bitter feelings in herself.
What he said hurt, yes, but she was strong enough to keep on listening.
“I might wish things were different, but nothing can change…”
The girl blinked in surprise at how familiar those words sounded. She must’ve thought the same thing, hundreds of times. It was funny how close their own feelings on this sort of thing were. Mirrored, almost.

She had held him closer for a moment, before she pulled away.

But now…
This was a turning point in their friendship. Something that would make it stronger. It had to make it stronger, because, as she’d thought and decided in her mind already, many times, this would not weaken it. At all.

“Alright, Cody,” she mumbled softly, taking his hand and giving it a reassuring grip.

“I do… I do want to hear it. I want to know what happened,” she swallowed, shuddering again.
Part of her was still afraid to find out… to find out just what sort of nightmares he’d been through. What sort of hell had caused those scares on his chest. Alls he knew at the moment was that it was Pravus’s fault.

And that in itself was enough to make her blood nearly boil over.

“I’m here, and I’m not leaving. I’ll listen. And…and nothing’ll change,” she told him again. “No matter what it is, or what happened.”

Outside, thunder clouds quaked together loudly, and the ground seemed to rumble and shake for a moment.

"...Whenever you're ready." She squeezed his hand again, settling down in front of him and keeping her gaze on his green eyes. She did notice their lack of..of luster. But she could hardly do anything about that just yet. Even though she wanted to help. To bring back his light.

But this was too important.



__Maybe redemption has stories to tell
____Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell
______Where can you run to escape from yourself?
________Where you gonna go?
__________Where you gonna go?

___Salvation is here ___

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(( Short because I suck D| And because this post was like the hardest thing to write ever xD IT IS SO HARD TO WRITE OUT A POST FOR THIS THREAD WHEN YOU’RE FEELING ALL GIDDY AND HAPPY xD But I tried sullening up by listening to this awesome song called Dare You To Move by Switchfoot xD It’s pretty too. And I loved your song D: it really does fit, like, awesomely :< *jealous of your awesome song finding skills* xD But aw. Man. This thread is sad. And sorry it took a while to get out :< I had planned to post it yesterday when you got back, and use the time when you were away to get other stuff done.

I am such a huge procrastinator. It’s not even funny xD ))

[||Cody R||]

Scratches at the Surface

Take this sinking boat and point it home...

We've still got time, raise your hopeful voice...

You had the choice, you've made it now.

“If I had a choice, I wouldn’t have opted to take on this mission if I knew how much of a prick you were going to be about it. I mean, it’s just a dispatch, Cody. There’s no need to yell at me if I make one measly little mistake such as tripping over a rock; I could have twisted my ankle or something and we would’ve had to turn back and head for base. Would you have rather that happened?” Leila asked, her eyes widened as she took in the morbid scene around the two.

Trees were nothing more than ash, incinerated by the many careless people who took pride in tarnishing the land. The land was barren with no grass to feed the many innocent Pokemon that once used to graze the fields in search for any plant life to indulge themselves in. As for water supplies, there were none. Any streams or rivers that had once existed were now puddles -- if that -- or ditches with ash and soot filling them up as the days continued to pass by.

“If I knew I was going to be paired with my total opposite, I wouldn’t have opted for the mission either,” Cody retorted, his lips drawn back into a snarl.

It was something so out of character for him, though came upon at times. Leila was what he liked to call a “Negative Nancy.” Negative Nancy’s were people who generally looked at the darker, more somber side of things instead of acting blissful and carefree, like he. And that wasn’t the only reason he acted so impartial towards her. She’d insulted his sister, claiming that Calista was showing signs of turning against the Rangers. Such a far fetched musing evoked a new emotion within Cody’s newly raw veins: loathing. Insulting his sister, if even not actually biological, instantly gave way towards a vicious attitude out of Cody.

“And I didn’t just yell because you tripped over a rock, I yelled be cause you screamed when you tripped over the rock. We’re on a mission, we don’t want to make any lurkers in the area aware of the fact that we’re here, do we now? You’re clearly stupid. As for what I’d do if it had been your ankle that was twisted: I’d take you back to the headquarters and file for a new accomplice; you’re just making everything so painstakingly dull as well as alerting any nearby civilians. Damn, Leila!”

Leila rolled her eyes while she bristled with indignation. She then said, “Well sorrry that you’re so defensive over your sister. I was simply telling the truth, Calista is showing signs of flaking. She has also been acting out of character, so I’m just warning you ahead of time. And sorrry if I scream when falling over a rock, I was so close to a ledge -- don’t you dare interrupt me! Honestly Cody, my screaming couldn’t possibly alert anyone either, for you clamped your hand over my mouth. Technically I could file a report against you. I’d say you-you violated me or something!”

Cody stepped over a branch, glanced over his shoulder and extended his arm towards the young girl. There was a wide gap stretching the distance between the two, he didn’t need Leila getting stuck even if he had envisioned so in his mind multiple times. She was his responsibility until they returned back to base with their entrails inside their bodies and would -- if even regretfully so -- anything to keel her in one piece. The scratch forming above her eye she had received when he pulled a branch down on a tree and accidentally let it go only to send it crashing into her face had already been his fault, he didn’t wish for “falling in a ditch” to be written down on his record -- if Ranger’s even had records.

As Leila grabbed his arm, Cody dipped his head, wound his arm around her slender back and pulled her across the gap. Almost instantaneously Leila began fervently dusting her field clothes off. God forbid she’d get a stain! He then returned his gaze to what was ahead of them, rubbed the burning soot from his eyes and proceeded towards their destination. Once he did so Leila cleared her throat which, in turn, allowed Cody’s thoughts to digress from the main subject at hand and return to what she had been prattling on about before, even if it held no actual substance that would impact him in any way, shape, or form during his lifetime. Nothing she said meant much, not after she had spoken out about Calista. Leila has stepped into should-be and forever remain untouchable territory, it was only natural that he act rash in order to defend his families name.

“Leila, shut up. The less you talk the more I have to worry about you dying or-or something. I have enough on my mind as it is and honestly, you’re not helping! So if you have something to say, keep it to yourself. Am I clear? It’s my duty to keep you intact, it’s my duty to make sure nothing happens to you and it’s my duty to make sure you don’t act out of line. So do me a favor: help me follow out those duties. The faster we finish this the faster we can pretend we never met.” Cody’s words were harsh, laced with honesty that could shred just about anyone’s spirit to pieces.

The look on Leila’s face after he snapped at her revealed just that. She looked as if she had been slapped across the cheek, as well as thrust against the wall and shaken repetitively. Cody didn’t even know his words had such power behind them; it was actually quite startling. Most of the time he was the type of guy that would put smiles on people’s faces after they had been verbally abused -- it was reversed now: he felt like the bad guy. Maybe an apology should be in order? He thought it over for a moment, bit on the swell of his lower lip and turned to Leila.

Just as he did so Leila wiped something away from under her eye and spoke: “Honestly Cody, if you hate me as much as you’re claiming to right now -- just leave! I’ll go back to base and tell the head ranger just how great you’ve been to me. We can pretend this never happened…And here I thought being a Ranger would be worth it. All that’s come of it is yelling, nasty people and paperwork. I was telling you something to lookout for, something you might not see on the surface just yet about your sister. It was meant to be a warning, not something to get riled up over. But suit yourself, I’m going home without your consent.” Leila pivoted on the heel just then and forced Cody to watch her retreating back. She couldn’t do that, he wouldn’t have it.

“Leila. Leila, come back! I won’t treat you like this if it really hurts you that much. I’m sorry…I’m so--”

Leila screamed, suddenly ensnared in some barbaric Pokemon trap. “Let me go you fucking assholes! Let me go or you’ll have to pay in the shape of the Rangers skill.” Laila paused for a moment to take a look at her captor and slunk back beneath her encasing. As she did so tremors began raking her body as she peered over in Cody’s direction. “Cody. Cody, leave. Just go. I’ll show them what us Ranger’s can do. It won’t be that hard…” She paused again momentarily, clearly not having any true hope behind her words. She knew herself that this was an easy loss. “We’re Rangers…?”

“More like glorified shit, sweetie,” the man cackled, pushing Leila down onto the ground as she tried to regain her full height by standing. Cody just stood, his eyes locked on the Pravus member.

Another, deeper voice reverberated through the dormant space just after the first Pravus goon spoke. The second one, unlike the first, was larger as well as fearsome unlike the first that looked like a string bean: all too skinny and one who gave off the air of a wimp. He drew his lips back into a malevolent grin, looked over to Leila and cackled. “This land is owned by Pravus. Who in their right minds sent you so far away from where your territory is? …I want to thank them for our little entertainment for the evening.”

Cody ground his teeth out against each other while his fists balled up at his side. A few moments ago he would have preferred that something would threaten enough sense into Leila to stop her speaking out against other people, now he regretted every snide remark he had made towards her. He had an idea, if not a brilliant one, and allowed his fingers to splay out unnaturally against his belt. The first Poke Ball’s exterior that brushed across his fingers had been the one he thought of using, pressed the central button, and watched as Blaze appeared in a stream of red light. The great Charizard’s wings outstretched pleasantly, then recoiled around his figure as he took instant sight of the two Pravus members. Plumes of smoke billowed out from his nostrils: a clear sign of anger and detest.

“How about a trade? I beat one of you, I get Leila back. And then we can turn around and pretend that nothing happened. Okay?” Cody asked hopefully, his eyes brimming with hope. “We’ll use one Pokemon each, that way we -- Leila and I -- won’t waste a lot of your time. After all, neither of us truly wished to butt heads didn’t we? So how about that. A one on one battle, no strings attached, we all go home with our entrails on the inside of our bodies.”

The two men looked at each other, thinking over Cody’s proposition and they, too, released one Pokemon each. Cody raised an eyebrow, confused; he had stated initially that there would be a one on one Pokemon battle that entailed only one trainer, so why were both men releasing a Pokemon? Blaze noticed the change in air as well, for both Pokemon the men had released were incredibly fast and one just so happened to be a Floatzel. The Rapidash wouldn’t do that much harm to him; after all, fire-types versus fire-types aren’t that advantageous against each other, so he wasn’t all too frightened. Still, the Floatzel had a strange knowing glint in his eye that, in turn, caused Blaze to stagger backwards and stumble over his tail…


Cody looked at Skie, stopping his story all together. What came next wasn’t anything he really wished to talk about, even if he knew he had to. However, the tears came once again as a gripping sensation suddenly overwhelmed his body. The tremors started of as nothing all too noticeable, then grew stronger as he felt himself being pulled back under unconsciousness’s taunting embrace he had given into just a few minutes after the two goons had let their Pokemon out. He could feel the throbbing of his heart while he had been in the sticky situation, could remember how the men spoke to him -- could hear their voices echoing in his mind.

He needed a break from the story, just a short one.

“C-can we go get a drink from Lesterfeild or something? I just need a break…just a short one,” Cody asked in a tone that emanated that of his younger, childish self. “I’ll buy you chocolate milk or something, I just need a break. Please?”

Cody reached for a hoodie that he had tossed unceremoniously on the floor the day before and pulled it over his head. Gathering himself up off the floor, he extended his hand for Skie to grab hold onto and again spoke: ”After I’ll tell you the rest. I just need to relax for a minute.” It was a lie, even if a small one. Cody just couldn’t handle the fact that for the first time in a while…he was scared. Not just scared of what happened, scared of reliving it.


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{{So here is the first part to Cody's story. I know, I'm really going to make you wait for the rest XD. I hope you like the post, I'm not sure if I do. D: Lol. Well, here's another dosage of Sam's angst music! Falling Slowly. Clickyclicky you know you wanna. ;). I also listened to this song as I was writing: Hikari Kingdom Orchestra. It's such a powerful song...Meh. Makes me cry! D:}}[/size]