A Bloody Reawakening [Open]

[Zeke the Ripper]

Zeke's breath left his body in irregular intervals. Blood was smeared across his tanned face. The sticky red substance drenched his white dress shirt, which hung open revealing darkened skin and taught muscles. The dark blue jeans he wore were torn in several spots and had blood splattered across them. Laying on the ground were six boys with cuts running across their bodies. In Zeke's right had was his wicked knife, the Elegant Ending. The blood that made up the chain had attached itself to the blade and caused the long dagger to become sword that mimicked the blades shape. In his left hand was a simple dirk, which was also crafted from blood. Zeke tilted his head to the left and swished some liquid around in his mouth. He spit it out, a glob of bloody saliva landing on the ground. "C'mon," he said as he looked towards a seventh boy who brandished a large hammer.

Zeke's spirit, Jack, leaned against the wall. He let out a cackle as he looked at the carnage Zeke had caused. The malicious spirit had begun to think that his human accomplice had become weak during his time in Anima Vita. Back when they lived on the streets Zeke had been willing to strike down anyone who so much as gave him a dirty look, but while he was here he had become tame. His mission to become the strongest had been put on hold just so he could make friends. The mission had once again become his primary goal when the seven students had challenged Zeke to a fight.

The day had started off normal enough. Zeke had woke up around noon and then left to do some exercise. After performing his usual workout he walked toward the auditorium where he decided to take a nap. Before the white haired teen was even able to get comfortable seven teens around his age entered the auditorium and demanded that he fight him. They too had the dream to become the strongest, the best fighter. Zeke refused at first, but they wouldn't take no for an answer. They attacked him with out giving him warning. Zeke was slashed, stabbed, and struck repetitively before he lashed out.

With the speed and strength gifted to him by Jack's blood manipulation Zeke was able to dispatch the six teens easily. Though the sheer number of them was enough to give Zeke some difficulty. Now, they laid at his feet with shallow wounds. The edge of his blades were as keen as scalpels, capable of cutting through portion of the human body, including bone. His blades, and eyes, were now focused on his last opponent.

The seventh fighter was of average height and his spirit stood near him. It was obvious from the arcs of electricity that surrounded the head of the hammer that it had the element of electricity. The enemy smirked as he charged at Zeke with surprising speed. He raised his hammer high into the air and prepared to slam it down on Zeke. The bloody teen grinned as he struck the handle of the hammer with his bloody sword. The handle was effortlessly cleaved in two and the head of the hammer fell to the floor with a loud thud, causing the wood to shatter. Zeke's eyes sparkled with glee as he raised the sword and grasped it with both hands.

The dirk he held melted and ran up the handle of the sword and merged with the blade, making the sword even longer and more menacing. He brought down the blade with all his might. The blade bit into his opponent's flesh and caused a large amount of blood to spurt out onto Zeke. The enemy collapsed onto the floor and his spirit rushed to him. Zeke stood over his opponents with a triumphant smirk. The blood that was on his knife fell onto the floor and slithered across it, gathering the blood of his defeated opponents. It returned to the knife's hilt and formed into a chain. It know had eighteen links. It meant he had bled twenty four quarts of blood since he joined the school.

"Fifteen," he said, it was the amount of fights he had been in during the school year. It wasn't even the second week of school and Zeke had already sent fifteen students to the infirmary. He seemed to stand above most of the other students. He was a demon among men, a monster that wore a mask of perpetual happiness.

[Saphy~chanchan]

Alice was, to say the least, pissed off. She had had some kind of day. Apparently, Mistukai wasn't the only one after her, and she started the day training with Pele, only to be interrupted by some mutha who tried to... flirt and ask her on a date, if you could call it that. The incident didn't exactly go well. The boy, while cute, was just a bit creepy, and Alice had rebuffed him quite bluntly. That led him to go and turn to his friends, with them handing him money. The events after that occurred as can be shown this little dialog bit:

"... Did you seriously just interrupt my training simply to ask me on a date and win a bet?"

"Oh, were you still there? Sorry, yeah, my friends thought I could land a date with you, but I told them you wouldn't be interested."

"... And you bet on it?"

"....... Well, why not make a little cash?"

-insert ass-kicking here-

-cough- Well, let's just say that may have not been the best way to start a day. Needless to say, Alice did not complete her training that morning, and once she was showered and dressed, Pele laid some news upon her. Apparently, her memories had been bothering the phoenix. She couldn't recall anything of her human life, nor anything other than since she had met Alice. So Pele was going to head off on a journey in a short while to discover why this was happening. She only had her sense as far as where to go, and Alice was quite angry that she wouldn't be going, too, for this journey- well, who knew how long that was going to take.

And so here we are, with Alice smoking and storming around, leaving Pele to go do whatever she was doing- meditating, or something. She just happened to head towards the auditorium, trying to avoid that sleazy Mistukai. Alice stuck her head in, and saw Zeke in his little... Whatever it was. The hell is he up to now? Alice walked over to the white-and-red all over, and raised an eyebrow. "Having fun, are we?"

[Zeke the Ripper]

Zeke glanced toward the door as he heard the sound of someone approaching. He tightened his grip on his knife and put on an evil grin as he turned to face them. To his surprise he was facing Alice. The grin faded into a smirk as he lowered his knife. He couldn't contain his laughter as she asked him if he was having 'fun'. He casually brushed his hair from his face revealing both of his silver eyes. "The most fun I've had in weeks." he said as he rested the long knife on his shoulder and shoved his hand into his pocket. Zeke was the happiest he had been in weeks. He had forgotten the feeling of defeating someone; of pitting your strength against someone elses' to see who was more powerful.

It was a feeling he missed. If it wasn't for the fact that he was completely intoxicated from the fight he would have tried to hide what he had done from Alice. Probably make up some lame excuse about how they had provoked him or something. Right now he didn't care who saw him. Hell, the principal of the school could come by right now and Zeke wouldn't care. In his current state he felt as if he was untouchable. A force of nature that couldn't be stopped. "It's been a long time since I was able to fight like this." he said as he allowed the handle of the knife to slide through his hand. He snatched at the chain and brought it up to show Alice the links he had just added.

"If I keep this up I'll have more blood then I'll know what to do with." he said as the smirk morphed into a childish grin. Jack sighed as he watched Zeke flaunt his improved weapon. It was a shame that the boy was only able to keep up his violent side while he was in the heat of battle. If he were able to act like it during times of 'peace' he could probably reach his dream faster. Zeke twirled the knife by its chain a few times before catching its handle.

[Saphy~chanchan]

[... Okay, No One Mourns the Wicked is playing... xD]

Alice nodded, smiling softly. "Glad you are." She blew the smoke up in the 'French' style, so that none of it would go into Zeke's face. Alice shifted her weight from foot to foot, looking a bit tense and all over. It was the first time in a while that Pele wasn't with her, either close by or on her shoulder. Better get used to it, girlie. Alice gave her hair a little flip, then stubbed out the butt of her cigarette on her wrist, which was already a bit red.

Last night had been eventful. Alice succumbed to Mistukai, but not willingly. They had sneaked up on her with chloroform, then took her to some dark room. To put it nicely, Alice got no sleep. She was released back into her dorm in the morning, and that was when Pele had her start training and everything else go on. The reason why Alice wasn't telling anyone- well, she didn't want her only two friends to get hurt fighting Mistukai and Brain. She had never even seen the former fight; it was always Brian doing the dirty work. It meant one of two things: either Mistukai was super weak, and he depended on Brian, which was simple to solve: remove Brian. However, she felt that what it really meant was that Mistukai was so powerful that everyone he fought so far wasn't worth his time.

Alice had been thinking, for some time. She knew her brother's weakness: sneak attacks. He was a very good fighter, and through the past two years, he had forgotten how to watch his back. So if someone teamed up against him, they would be able to get one in front and one behind to overpower him. Simple, really. It just required two really good fighters. On another note, Alice had no idea what Mistukai's weakness was. The boy never showed fear of anything, and he never fought, so she didn't know his style. It worried Alice.

However, right now, it wasn't important. Right now, what was important was having Zeke be happy with his little bloodshed, and informing everyone that Pele would be gone for who knows how long, so that they were prepared for the way Alice was going to act. "... So what do you do with the blood you collect, other than keep it in the chain?" Alice raised an eyebrow.

[Zeke the Ripper]

As Alice sat there in though Zeke continued to play with his new links. He counted them several times and then proceeded to swing the Flawless Ending around over his head in a wide circle. With practiced skill he caught the blade by its handle. He laughed childishly as he watched the links coil over his arm and then lock together. After coming out of a heated battle Zeke tended to act a lot more childish. It was during this time after battle that he was allowed to be the child he was never allowed to be. It was kind of like his reward for a job well done. He was about to fling the knife around again until he heard Alice's question.

"Oh, I use them to fight." he said as he glanced toward Jack. The spirit sighed as he took control of the blood links. The melted into their original form and then flowed up the blade of knife. They formed to the shape of the knife extending its reach by at least three feet and widening it so that it was now a rather large sword. "I can't use my blood for everything. Otherwise I'd faint from blood loss. Oh, and I can also use this blood as my own. Use it for blood doping or to increase the blood hydraulics in my body." It was strange for Zeke to be so knowledgeable about something or use such big words.

Some of the concepts he talked about were rather strange and unknown to most people. It gave him the edge in combat. By blood doping he could increase the amount of oxygen in his system and continue to fight for much longer periods of time, it was almost like a steroid, but with out the drawbacks. As for the blood hydraulics, it was a way of increasing his strength and speed and during certain situations allowed Jack to posses Zeke's body and use him as a puppet. Without these two abilities the duo's fighting ability was severely reduced.

Eventually, he stopped going on about his powers and looked over Alice. "Where's Pele? She's usually around." he said as he began to look around for the fire spirit. It had been sometime since he had seen her or Alice, or even Jugan and his rag tag group for that matter. Wonder what they've been up too...

[Saphy~chanchan]

"Interesting..." Alice noted the range and whatnot, calculating. So many thoughts were flying through her head, she wasn't even comprehending most of them. It took her a moment to realized Zeke had asked about Pele. "She's... Preparing, I guess would be the right word. See, she's going to leave on a journey for some shit I don't quite understand. I, however, will not be going." Alice sighed. "So I'm going to be tense and a bitch -more so than usual- until she gets back. Pele said she'd be leaving tomorrow morning." Alice shrugged, looking indifferent, but mildly freaking on the inside.

Alice gave a small flip of her hair. It smelled faintly of strawberries today, as she had showered soon after getting 'home'. She wore dark skinny jeans that showed her legs nicely, and a white tee shirt with some abstract design on it. The tee had a v-neck, and even though Alice really didn't like it all that much, it was the cleanest top she had. "Just hope she gets back safe and all that shit."

[Zeke the Ripper]

Zeke's eyes narrowed as he saw Alice eying the blade. "Oi," he said, placing the blunt edge on his shoulder. "Just cus I showed you it doesn't mean I've should you all my tricks. I've got a lot more hidden up these bloody sleeves of mine." he said. It wasn't exactly true. Saying that there were a lot was stretching the truth a bit, but Zeke did have some secret skills that he preferred not to share with anyone. His eyes remained trained on Alice as he took in what he knew about her fighting style. In truth all he knew was that she had some power that related to fire and that Pele could turn into a Phoenix. It wasn't a lot to go on, but it was still enough to make the fight crazy Zeke want to go up against his friend.

Her words made any thoughts of fighting her vanish from his brain. His proud smile vanished and he looked down at the ground. "Oh," was all he said for a moment. He stabbed his blood sword into the ground and kicked his foot against the ground. For a few seconds he remained silent as he looked for the right words. All he could come up with was something simple. "I'm sorry. If you need anything you know that I'm here for you." He closed the gap that was between him and Alice and he threw his arms around her and hugged her. Sure, she would probably punish him, but everyone need to be physically comforted every once in awhile.

Zeke felt that this was one of the times that he should comfort Alice. Even if it didn't make her feel better it would make Zeke feel better, make him feel like he actually did something, like he was a real friend.

[Saphy~chanchan]

Alice crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Please. I'm not a dude; I don't need to pump up my testosterone levels by fighting people I like." She shook her head and uncrossed her arms, sighing. "Anyways, I've never seen you fight, so I feel no need to challenge you in any way. Please." Alice took in a deep breath. she was really realizing that she was going to be alone for the next... however long, and it was finally starting to affect her. She was starting to freak again. I need a cigarette, I need a cigarette, fuck, I'm going to run out soon. Her thoughts started to accelerate and reel out of control.

However, everything stopped when Zeke said what he did and did what he did. The hug, well, it was a bit of a shock. A small blush rose to Alice's cheeks, and she didn't breathe for a second. However, she soon reacted, bring her arms up and hugging Zeke back, something he probably wasn't expecting. She took a shaky, deep breath, then calmed down a bit. And then came the part Zeke was expecting- a sharp knee to the gut. "Next time give me a bit of a warning; I really don't do hugs. Fuck hugs." Alice grinned at Zeke, though, turning around. "Meet me outside; I need a smoke."

Alice walked quickly to the door, her cheeks still holding a rosy hue. Okay, why the FUCK am I blushing? I swear to god, if this means that there's another person I kind of like, I... Okay, calm down. It was just unexpected, that's all, and sure, Whitey is kind of good to look at, but I also kind of like Jugan, in his a-fucking-dorable idiocy. Wait. WHERE THE FUCK IS THIS ALL COMING FROM? Alice was outside, trying to light her cigarette. Her hands were shaky, and it took a few minutes for it to light.

[Zeke the Ripper]

Zeke's was surprised to feel a set of arms wrap around him. He honestly hadn't been expecting Alice to return the hug. He sat there dumbstruck as he continued to hug her. He probably would have sat there in a stupor for the rest of the day if it hadn't been for the knee to his stomach. He grunted and winced as his arms moved toward his stomach. He had originally intended to tighten his muscles to cushion the blow, but had forgotten all about it when Alice hugged him. He let out a strained laugh. "Sure, I'll be out there in a second." Once Alice had finally left Zeke straightened up and reached out for his sword. "Huh?" he looked down only to find that it was missing.

"Tch, you are so strange." Jack said as he held the knife in his hand. The blood had once more become a chain that wrapped around the spirits arm, ending near his elbow. He walked over to the boy and crossed his arms in front of his torso. "Typically after you let this much blood you go out and keep fighting. Today though... Today you stopped as soon as she came in." he said as he tilted his head toward the door. "Why is that?" Jack asked.

Zeke rubbed the back of his head and looked away. "I don't know," he paused as he tried to think of a reason. "I guess it's because I don't want her to see me like that, y'know? Most people tend to shy away from me but Alice doesn't. She treats me just like I was a normal guy. Not like some blood thirsty monster. I don't want to show her that I really am one." he said as he glanced at one of the unconscious bodies that laid only a few feet from him. "If she thought I was a monster she wouldn't want to be my friend anymore."

That thought really upset Zeke. Alice was Zeke's very first friend... Well, human friend. During his entire life the only people who he could rely on were his brother and Jack. Even when he was in the gang he was still distant from all of the others. He saw them only as obstacles and subordinates. If he were to lose Alice he wasn't to sure what he'd do. Sure, he'd still have Jugan, but he was more of a rival, if anything.

Jack sighed as he began to walk towards the other door. "You humans are so strange. Giving into your feelings so easily. I am surprised that you did not blush as well. She was still blushing when she left." Jack said as he left the Auditorium and headed toward the roof.

"Wha?" Zeke blinked several times before he turned and walked after Alice. He made it out in time to see her light up her cigarette. "Sorry it took so long. Jack felt the need to be a complete ass and hold me up." he said as he leaned against the wall. "Wanted to talk to me about the massa- er, fight." he had stopped himself from calling the fight a "massacre" just in time. In truth though it was closer to a massacre then a real fight.

[Saphy~chanchan]

Alice flicked her lighter shut. "I'm sure I'll never understand fucking men. Simple creatures, but their actions are stupid and complex. I suppose it's because our brains work differently." Alice exhaled, the nicotine flowing through her bloodstream calming her mind. Tobacco was an odd drug; it was a physical stimulant and yet a mental depressant. Slowly, Alice's hands stopped shaking, and her thoughts cleared, although they still made no sense. I wonder if this just means that I love them? It's possible to love more than one person, right? But wait, if I love them, and I make it clear, what if they take it the wrong way? God, life is too fucking confusing. Alice's thoughts were interrupted as she started coughing and hacking. On her hand was a little bit of blood, once she took it away from her mouth. A grimace covered her face.

"I'm going to die before I hit thirty, with the way my life is right now." Alice shook her head. "Pack-and-a-half a day, training every day, no sleep..." She groaned and slid down the wall to a crouching position. "I probably already have lung cancer. That'd be just my luck." She sighed and finished the rest of her dammed cigarette. "Zeke, what the hell am I doing with my life?" Alice hung her head, a hand on her forehead. Tears started to well up, and Alice didn't really notice.

"I mean, why does this bullshit always happen to me? People I love die because of me, or they just betray me. I'm so fucked up that I push everyone away. The people I do connect with are either fucked up, too, or they have issues of their own that I have no idea of and I can't help them. I'm useless to them. On top of all that, I'm going to die before I accomplish anything. I could have forgotten, if not forgiven. I could have moved on with my life after... it happened. But I was stupid! I ran, started all kinds of horrible things, and none of this has helped me!" Alice's tears fell, and a small sob broke out. "And now I'm breaking down, showing my true, pathetic, worthless self in front of you, the person who doesn't ever quit, who can just pull through anything." Alice buried her face in her hands and sobbed some more. "When Pele's here, I can do this, I can see his face and not be worried, because she'll make sure to burn that motherfucker. But he doesn't fear her; he just wants me to feel like I have something to protect myself with. And now that Pele's leaving, I'm even more defenseless, because no one can beat him, and the one person who tried before died. He killed her, and that wasn't even the start of all this." Alice was silent for a few minutes and a crack of thunder sounded as rain began to pour. Alice looked up at the sky. "Perfect timing, asshole."

[Zeke the Ripper]

Zeke just sat there and smiled as he listened to Alice talk about the complexities of men. He was used to how Alice always seemed to insult things and even found some of the things she said amusing. He was just about to make a smart remark, but Alice's coughing fit caused his smile to fade. His eyes widened at the sight of the blood on her hand and he slid toward the ground. He didn't say anything as Alice spoke. When she mentioned lung cancer he felt something tugging at his insides. As unlearned as he was he still knew what cancer was and what it meant. Again, the thought of Alice laying dead before him popped into his mind and again he cringed.

"Zeke, what the hell am I doing with my life?"

More silence followed. He had no idea what to say. He really didn't have to think about what to say though. Eventually Alice just began talking again. The feeling in his gut grew stronger and when he heard Alice begin to cry it felt as if he was about to break. For the second time that day he put his arms around Alice. This time he simply threw his right arm around her and pulled her close. The action was just as much his sake as it was hers. He felt that if he didn't hold her close she would just continue to cry and that in turn would only make him feel worse.

"... You aren't worthless and you aren't pathetic." Zeke said in a soft tone. The playfulness and cheer that so often saturated his voice was gone. Without it his voice sounded deeper and more adult. "It's hard for someone to get over what you went through. Most people... They wouldn't have made it this far. You're strong Alice. Possibly the strongest person I know." he said as his silver eyes looked down at her. "As for Mitsukai and Brian," he paused for a second. "I'll protect you. I'll be your shield." Typically whenever Zeke said something like that it was bragging, but this time it was a real promise. A promise that he would literally do everything in his power to keep Alice safe.

The sound of thunder in the distance caused Zeke to look up. The sudden downpour had practically soaked Zeke in the few seconds that it had been going on. His hair clung to his face and he tilted his head slightly. During his time in Ikana it rarely rained and when it did people often danced in the streets. He found it slightly strange that Alice didn't enjoy it. "I think I know a way to help you forget about things." he said as hopped up and then held his hand out to Alice. It was a strange sight. The boy was covered in blood, his clothes were tattered, and several scratches covered his face, but he still smiled.

[Saphy~chanchan]

Alice was curled into a ball when Zeke embraced her once more, and this time she didn't try to get rid of him at all. She just let herself be hugged, and she slowly stopped crying. "I-I'm sorry... I just... I feel so helpless and weak. Why is it that just the thought of being alone makes me feel sick?" She sniffled [OOC: OMG LAWL ADORABLE] and looked at the ground. "I just... I can never be strong, I can never forget..." She buried her head into her knees, her face turning somewhat red.

"I think I know a way to help you forget about things."

Alice looked up at Zeke, wiping her eyes. He was just standing there, holding out his hand, covered in bloody tattered clothes, and yet he looked inviting, like he really wanted her to follow. Alice wiped her eyes, hesitated, then took Zeke's hand and pulled her hand up. She looked at the ground, thinking about what a mess she must look like. Then again, compared to him... Alice looked Zeke straight into the eyes, with a look that merely said: How?

[Short, but it's better than nothing]

[Zeke the Ripper]

"If I tell you you won't want to do it." he said as he reached down and took a hold of her hand. He pulled her up as if she were nothing at all and guided her toward a clearing that was a fair distance away from the school. He grinned as he looked up at the sky. The rain had soaked his white shirt making it almost transparent. His toned darkened body stood out along with the dark tattoo that marked him as the partner of Jacob Cleaver. After several moments he looked down and then placed his hand on Alice's side. He brought he hand up to shoulder height and smiled.

"Trust me. This will make you feel better." he said as he listened to the rain fall down around them. When he was child he would often go dance in the rain. It allowed him to forget about all of his problems, even if only for awhile. It was soothing and at times could be one of the most entertaining things that you could do. He hoped that Alice would be able to forget about everything that had happened. If he had danced by himself it would have been something reminiscent of random spinning and twirling, but because he did have a partner it was more of a waltz.

He took the first step and began the dance. It was slow at first being a simple three count dance. Eventually it morphed into something else entirely that was twice as fast as the original speed. The fact that the usually savage Zeke knew something as formal as dancing would have been a shock to most people. The story of how he learned it was even stranger than the fact that he could perform the dance flawlessly.

[Saphy~chanchan]

Alice let herself follow Zeke; her cheeks once again had a rosy hue to them, from both the cold and the hand-holding. She noted the distance from the school, thinking about how it felt a bit safer over this way. They began the 'waltz', Alice having one hand holding Zeke's and the other on his shoulder. She was very sensitive to the hand on her waist, but she of course let it go for the sake of the dance. It was an off-beat, misfit dance that went perfectly to the two. The dance sped up and slowed down, it was erratic and it told the story of the two. Alice felt her troubles melting away a bit, and a smile started to rise. She had never done something like this before, so trusting in a partner.

It was a bit magical in itself, the dancing. It didn't take too long until Alice was actually smiling and laughing, a rare occurrence. She wasn't even minding the fact that she was wearing a white shirt and she was now soaked, revealing her polka dot bra. She totally didn't care. All Alice wanted to do was dance, forget about things, soak it in. However, after dancing for what felt like the longest time (it was in fact only an hour), Alice began to get quite out of breath. She fell back on the ground, laughing, letting the rain fall on her. She looked up at Zeke, her personal angel (she'd never say that out loud). "Thank you, Zeke. Thank you."

[Zeke the Ripper]

Zeke raised his arms up and then fell back onto the ground with Alice, landing a few inches from her. He turned on his side and propped himself up on an elbow. "You don't have to thank me." he said as he looked down at her. Her change in mood was something he still was not used to. Sure, there had been times when he had seen her happy, but usually she was her gruff kind of happy, if you could call it that. This was her other kind. The kind where she laughed as if nothing mattered and acknowledged him as Zeke instead of Whitey. If he had to choose he preferred this kind of happiness over her usual brand. It softened her scowl and filled her laughter with life.

As he looked down at her he barely even noticed that her shirt was now see through. The boy was rather innocent in the fact that he had never been informed about the "birds and the bees" and knew very little about the subject. That did not stop him from noticing that Alice was one of the more beautiful girls at school and if you asked the boy he would, with some prodding, tell you who he thought was the most beautiful. Zeke's faced turned a pale shade of pink and he glanced up toward the sky, a poor attempt to hide it. "I love the rain." he said as water continued to fall from the sky.