Shadows in the Alleys

[Cheyenne Fordyce]

Darkness had surrounded her...

The voices sounded like they were gurgling water...

The pain had nearly killed her...

Her mind had been wrought with chaos...

She couldn't remember much of anything except the pain, the darkness...

Her soul had never stopped fighting...

Everyone had thought her dead...

-----

To many this Rogue was dead, but as she raced across the rooftops in Rhydin, she knew that she was far from dead. The cold smirk turned her lips, icey blue eyes continued their never ending scan of the Alleys as she lept from roof to roof, from buidling to building. Things had changed, the city had changed she thought to herself as she came to a screeching halt, nearly smacking into a building that had not previously been there. Shaking her head she scoffed rather quietly.

Her heart was racing, her breath coming quickly. Yeah this had been a good workout. The Seer's had told her she needed at least six months rest to make sure that she was a hundred percent again. To make sure the complete of the taint had left her body, to make sure that there were going to be no after effects...she'd given them a week. She had never felt more alive in her life as she raced through the darkest alley's of Rhydin. She stopped abruptly over the alley that she'd been looking for and took a deep breath.

She scanned the alleyway, since she'd return she had noticed keenly that all her senses had been heightened, that her powers, whatever those were had as well been stregthened...it was an odd feeling. She'd not grasped totally who she was before Kiara had taken over her body, perhaps that was why she had been able to fight off Kiara and Daigotsu those many months, but then again...mebbe not.

She had business to attend to, and that was all that was on Chey's mind now as she watched the alleyway for what seemed like an eternity before dropping down noiselessly in front of the wall that Drew had instructed her to. She'd managed to slip the chain from her neck, the key laid in the palm of her hand as she seemed to fight herself over whether or not she was really ready to find out the truth behind who she was and her family heritage. She'd really not wanted to return to the Alleys, yet she knew she'd had no choice. Her mind made up she'd almost taken that step to start the code to cause the wall to shift when she'd heard the faintest breathing behind her. Instictively her hand slipped to the hidden dagger on her person as she cocked her head to the side and simply listened, homing in on her adept senses.

The breathing now turned into bold footsteps, whoever was approaching the Rogue was bold in their approach, and oh was Chey ready to fight. It'd been to long since she'd had an extensive workout. Fingers toying with the blade of the dagger as she palmed it she simply waited whoever it was out. She'd not expected to find anyone roaming at this time of night in the Alley, much less her Alley and she sniffed at the stale air of the alley trying to pick up any scent that would tell her who this person was, but what she caught only caused her to worry more, whoever this person was...they weren't afraid of her.

"Ya don't want to be doin' that...ye'll be dead before ya know I hit'ya."

Something in her blood turned cold, cold as death itself when the voice spoke, she turned, leaning non-chalantly against the wall, the alley was dark, dark as night itself, the thin sliver of silver light given off by the moon kept half of Chey in the dark, the half with the dagger ready uncannily, she tilted her head as she watched the form, still smirking. "If ya think so." She shrugged, "Who the hell are ya anyway? Ain'tcha got somewhere to be?"

"Ya shouldn't be so forgetful...someone might be offended.." He stepped into the moonlight for a brief moment and then stood before her, a hand placed against the wall next to her head.

((To be continued. This post was written with the permission and approval of Darien Windson's player.))

[Cheyenne Fordyce]

The cold ran through her again but she faught it off. Icey blue eyes glittered with danger, but there was something else hidden in the depths of them as she watched the man, head tilted still, she knew the voice, but it had been so long, she wasn't quite sure if it was the same person. It'd been years upon years since they'd seen eachother, could it really be? She'd almost made the motion to throw the dagger at his throat when she saw his arm draw near to her head, but for some reason, she felt no danger...confused Chey was quite baffled. "Forgetful? What the hell? I don't like games buddy and ya two inches from gettin an ass kickin."

"Yer just lookin' fer a fight tonight huh? Fine, if you don't remember me. Darien Windson. Maybe that'll ring a bell."

Her jaw almost dropped but she did well to hold it in place, smirking as she shifted slightly, chin tilted to him. Darien, she remembered him alright, though it took awhile with all that had happened in the past months, her memory slow in returning to normal, but she'd remembered him alright. "Ya, I remember. I remember kicking ya ass when we were little too. What the hell are ya doin out in my part of town?"

"Don't you go layin' claim to somethin that ain't yers, Chey. I been scopin this place for a while...you're treading on my part of town." His arm shifted and his body moved a little closer, lowering his head to watch her eyes.

She half snorted at him. "Layin claim to somethin that ain't even mine. Damn are ya mistaken Darien, and don't call me Chey. Ya lost that privilige when ya bailed on me three years ago. This is and always will be "my" part of town." Icey blue gaze locked onto his, almost daring him to challenge her.

He pulled the dagger from behind his back, though the pommel was facing her. "Pretty sure this is yours...was a bitch ta dig outta my back too."

She snorted and scoffed at him this time. "And just what the hell is that supposed to mean? Ya bailed on that job and I almost burned for it. Ya ain't made a damn notion to contact me since and here ya are creepin up on me in the middle of the night and starting shit."

"I was looking for a way out. You had to go and take charge for some reason. ----ed up the whole plan."

Fire burned in those icey blue eyes as she clucked her tongue, shifting her lean on the wall. "It was my boost! I took ya along to show ya the ropes and now "I" ----ed it up? Ya were the run that was ready to cut tail and bait but I ----ed up?" Her voice barely grew more audible as she hissed through the words. "Thirty seconds, I told ya that was all I needed to finish up but no, ya had to run out like a new blood and tripped the alarms."

"Imagine what ya will...But I think you owe me..." Growing a smirk, his hand leaving the wall and lowering against her neck.

Her body tensed at the contact and she pulled away, spinning around to his other side, she'd not forget her reason for coming tonight, lifting her chin to him. "Ya moves worked on Trin but they ain't gonna work on me." Smirking. "Will take a lot more than moves to score with me. Ya should know that. Plus" pausing and looking at the wall like it was a foreign object and then lifting the thin chain with the key still attached, "I've got business to attend to."

A flick of his wrist sent the dagger just past her, his other hand taking advantage of the distraction and grabbed for the key.

She'd caught the movement of his hand just a split second before the dagger was thrown, she pivoted slightly which caused the key to easily be taken from her hand, snapping the chain with a soft "plink", growling towards him. "Ya ass. I need that."

"But now i've got a bargaining tool. See...ya still know me Chey...yer just hidin' from how we used to be."

Growls, "Why do you insist on still calling me that?" And then a blink. "How we used to be? What the hell is in ya head Darien? We used to be partners, nothing more, nothing less."

Inspecting the key as he smirked. "I suppose you're right. We could be partners again, you know. But i'm in charge...and you want me." Starts down the alley again.

Growls louder. "Ya arrogant asshole. That key is not a treasure trove, ain't no boost money, ain't a damn thing worth to ya. Do ya even know what it is?"

Dangles it over his shoulder. "It's gonna get you to come with me."

And there wen't the slew of street slang cussing Rogue blooded hood rat she was as she watched him, growling she took to the roof tops and followed beside and above. "Ya are still as much of an ass as I remember. Why do ya want me to go with ya? I got to find out what's behind the meaning of my background Darien."

"Ya like finding that kind of stuff out alone?"

Damn him, he had a slight point, a miniscule one at that, damning him, she leapt soundlessly from the rooftop to the ground a pace in front of him. "Fine, where're we goin?"

Sliding the key into a pocket. "Well you seem to have a lot of energy to burn off...you lead. Besides...rather ya be in front of me...know where yer daggers are that way."

Snorting, just to piss him off, she fell a pace back, even with him and directed him thattaway as they were headed to the Fordyce house. "Fine. Ya got a place to stay or am I assumin ya coming home with me like a bad headache?"

"Headache...asprin...yer gettin' the whole package sweetie."

"Sweetie? Don ever call me that again Darien or I'll slit yer throat right here, right now."

((This post was posted with the permission of Darien Windson's player, stay tuned for the next installment!))

[Cheyenne Fordyce]

It was cold tonight, the light flurrying of snow had her shivering as she crouched atop the Red Dragon Inn, icey blue eyes surveying the alley-ways under her. She took a moment to think back a bit and silently cursed herself repeatedly.

Her mind was racing as her heart was in her chest, so much had happened. So much had gone wrong, or mebbe it was right. She had to find the answers. She'd made a mistake before she'd been taken, made the mistake of letting herself care, of letting someone get close enough to her. She cursed herself silently, she'd not let that happen again. It'd distracted her and put her off course, but byet they'd also helped her...given her the start. Now Cheyenne had to right that wrong, she had to make up for lost time...

That single moment of distraction had her on her back as she hissed between clenched teeth, the hand at her throat tightened it's grip and began to squeeze the air from her lungs. She arched herself upwards so she was able to get a better positioning with her left hand and reached for the whip at her hip and carefully dislodged it from it's casing. She growled out though it sounded more of a sputtered curse as she heard the steel hiss free of the sheath and her shirt was cut up the middle. He leaned down real close as he squeezed her throat again, now slicing through the bra that held her breasts from his hungry eyes. He indulged his greed as he flicked his tongue over her exposed nipple and bit at it roughly. His voice was harsh and raspy as he dripped spittle onto her cheek and ear.

"Imma gonna getcha good girlie. Ya don killed muh brother and now I don gotcha don I girlie? Ya nice fine body here is gonna be mine, ya hear? And after I'm done witcha Imma gonna take ya to the house where the others can have their turn atcha too. Then Imma gonna bring ya back out here in the alleyways and leave ya for dead like ya did my kin."

He was going to rape her. A moment's panic flitted through her before the fires began to burn in her eyes. His hands were now clumsily fumbling with her belt, buttons and zipper as she flicked the whip and wrapped it around the hand that had her throat and she jerked it hard, causing the man to grunt and fall atop her on the roof of the Inn. She was quick as she pushed him off of her, almost causing him to skid against the new-fallen snow off of the rooftop as she stood up to look at her attacker. His eyes...they were green the brightest of green that she'd ever seen and then he was charging for her again. She swerved to the left as he went sailing past her. The cold was biting into her exposed flesh as she took a deep breath, her head was canted to the side as she watched her assailant, a cold smirk turning her lips as she watched him undo his own belt, button and zipper. She shook her head as she spoke.

"Think that's gonna getcha anywhere buddy? Cuz it ain't gonna getcha nowhere with me. Talk so big and now look atcha."

She continued to watch his movements for any belaying sign that he was ready to charge her again and then she saw it, the glint of the blade in his right hand, the crack of the whip resounded off of the alleyways as the whip snapped against the blade, causing it to fly from the assailant's hand. She watched the man tremble, he had no avenue of escape now and that alone excited Chey as she approaced him cautiously, the whip licking at the snow at her feet.

"Now whatcha gonna do big man?"

The man never answered, she'd heard the footsteps behind her. She dared not turn because she was not sure if it was an ally of hers, which Chey had few to none or if it were another one of his accomplices come to aide him, but the whip flicked backwards and snapped against flesh, and the voice started her as her assailant took his dying breath.

"Ow, dammit Chey that flippin hurt like hell. What the hell you doin out here all alone Chey?"

She growled to him as she'd made no move yet to cover her exposed torso. Darien Windson...leave it to him to be her little shadow as she cocked her head to the side, re-coiling the whip as she spoke.

"More like, what the hell are ya doing here. I wake up the night after you stay with me and you're gone. No letter no nothing. Ain't heard hide nor hair from you in weeks and now here you are fit as a fiddle. I know ya was pissed cuz I didn't let ya sleep with me but damn Darien, ya scared the hell outta me."

"Sorry Chey I had some stuff come up and I can't stay long now either. Promise me something?"

The whip re-coiled and placed back where it belonged, she looked up to him as he had stepped closer to her. She felt the heat radiating off of his body, yet the woman was fearless, she always had been as she tilted her head.

"What?"

He had stepped even closer, his clothed chest pressed against her naked torso as he slipped the necklace over her neck again and kissed her forhead.

"Be careful, I'll be back soon to see how ya doin, but I gotta go. I gots business that's gotta get taken care of...like now."

She chewed on her bottom lip as she nodded and lifted her chin, she'd not let on that the emptiness filling the pit of her stomach was making her ill.

"I promise, you too."

Icey blue eyes watched him disappear into the darkness that the alleyways offered and she stepped back, her heart racing as she fingered the key at her throat. It was still warm with his own body heat. She lifted her chin and tied the remnants of the shirt to cover her breasts as she took off, racing over the rooftops of the alleyways of Rhydin, headed back home...the emptiness she'd known only certain times before in her life, again crept it's way into the fearless rogue.