Promises From the Past

Location: Puckworld, a small park

Nosedive pulls up to the curb of a small park and glances up at the night sky. He puts the kick stand down, though he leaves the motor running. He doesn't expect to be here long. The abandoned buildings loom dark around him, but he pays no attention. I haven't been here in a long time...Then again I haven't needed the peace of this place to give myself some peace...

Nosedive's normally cheerful, mobile face is still and sad as he tries to figure out why ladies would rather date his brother than him. Sherry was the third girl who turned me down this week...What does Wildwing have that I don't...?

He pulls out his wallet and checks for the amount of cash in it. Only 30 bucks...a date would break me...but it would be worth it...Most girls only talk to me to get introduced to my brother...Why can't there be someone who likes me for me and not him? He stares up at the sky again.

Nosedive hears the sounds of running and looks to his left. He can see a lovely, female duck racing towards him as fast as she can. Over her shoulder he sees a couple of pursuers. He stands up, dropping his wallet onto the seat.

***

Kintarae L'Orange races through the darkened park pursued by three police officers. She ducks and swerves as bullets whiz past her. She winces in pain and grabs her right shoulder but continues to run. Got to get away from these creeps...the next one might be through my heart...Can't keep this pace up forever...Man, Duke is gonna have hatchlings!

She makes a sharp left around a closed cafe building and vanishes into the shadows by pressing up against the wall. She holds her breath while the police run by. She waits for a few moments, then emerges from the shadows.

Never before has Kintarae, sister to the infamous Duke L'Orange, leader of the Brotherhood of the Blade, ever felt more alive than this moment. There were some abandoned buildings this way...I can lose myself in them and then make a clean get away. She takes a deep breath and begins running towards the abandoned buildings.

Kintarae's golden eyes light up when she sees Nosedive sitting on his motorcycle. I hope he doesn't mind me "borrowing" his bike to make good my escape...Behind her she can hear the shouts of cops and knows that if she can reach the bike, be on it, and leaving within the next five minutes she would be safe.

When Kintarae nears him, she jumps into a flying side kick, being sure to angle her foot so the flat of it nails him in the chest. He grunts in pain and goes flying off the bike to land about a yard away. He struggles to regain his breath as she lands on the leg she had tucked up under her on the seat.

She unfolds her leg not noticing that she has sat on Nosedive's wallet and puts the kick stand up. She glances at him and he gets the impression of brilliant golden eyes and three ragged black scars over her right eye. Then she roars off into the night.

-------------------------------------------------------

"Hold it!" bellows her brother following her down the hall.

"Don't yell." she says walking into the bathroom.

"Let me see if I got this straight," he says, leaning against the door frame as she washes the black stripes off her face. "You went out to do your job, some cops were waiting for you, you bolted, and they followed. During which chase you got shot in the shoulder. Then you stole some kid's bike, drove around for a while, got the bullet removed, and came home."

"Right." She dries her face off.

"And you are sure the cops were waiting for you?"

"How else did they come to be *inside* the building I was going to rob?" she asks sitting on the counter. "Only you and I knew where I was going tonight. And the guy who was asleep in the corner."

"Well I know I wouldn't tip anyone off about you. And you wouldn't set yourself up, so the leak had to be that guy. Who was he anyway?"

Kintarae shrugs wincing at the pain in her shoulder. "I dunno..but he's a leak you should plug...Fast." She walks out of the bathroom and into the living room. She picks up a black leather jacket and slips it over the silver top of her "work" outfit. Then picks up the wallet and puts it in her pocket.

"Where are you going?" Asks Duke as she picks up the motorcycle keys.

"To return his wallet and motorcycle."

"Why?"

"Cause I want to meet him."

"And the reason for that is?"

She sighs in annoyance and makes sure her saber is hidden but accessible. "‘Cause he's cute."

She walks out the door before he can protest.

-------------------------------------------------------

Kintarae pulls up to the curb and turns off the motor. She puts the kick stand down, pockets the keys and climbs off. Before she goes up to the door however, she pulls out Nosdive's wallet and looks at the picture on his license. I wonder if he's this cute in real life...but "Cameras never lie"...I hope. She climbs off and walks up to the door.

After knocking she reaches back and pulls out the pin that holds her dark brown hair in a severe knot at the nape of her neck. Her hair, thick and wavy, cascades down her back and over her shoulders framing her face nicely.

Wildwing, his face set in a scowl that would frighten most, opens the door. He blinks in surprise at the sight of her and his face lightens to one of polite interest. "Can I help you?"

Hmm..cute...but definitely not Nosedive. "I'm looking for Nosedive." Her clear soprano voice turns the statement into the question "Is he here?"

"Is he in some kind of trouble?"

"No. I just want to talk to him." She says, thinking That's true enough. At Wildwing's wary expression she says, "I'm not a cop okay?"

"Come in." He stands aside and she enters. He closes the door. "Nosedive's upstairs sulking. Wait here." He leaves the room and moments later Kintarae can hear him going up the stairs.

She turns her attention to a larger picture of Nosedive. One of Wildwing hangs beside it, though she focuses on Nosedive's picture. Nice eyes. The kind that show every thought and emotion. Such a beautiful blue color...Like the aquamarine in the pendant that Duke gave me for my birthday...Warmer though...Nice face too...slightly boyish but very attractive...He'll be a real heartbreaker some day.

Her thoughts are interrupted by the picture's subject walking into the room. She turns towards him and he stops short. She makes a small noise of interest in the back of her throat when she sees him.

Nosedive stares at her surprised. Major babe alert! What does she want with me? Girls like her usually have boyfriends or are interested in my bro. Wildwing leans against the door frame watching.

"Um hi...I'm Nosedive." he says lamely.

She smiles warmly as Wildwing shakes his head and leaves. She walks forward a few steps, extending her hand. "Hi. I'm Kintarae. Call me Kin."

Nosedive folds his hand around hers, noting with pleasure that her eyes are a brilliant gold. Looking closely he discovers that there is a hint of green in them.

She examines his blue green eyes. I was right, she thinks. Then she flushes, realizing that she is staring into his eyes and he is staring into hers and that somehow they had moved closer together. She drops her eyes to their still clasped hands and blushes even harder.

Nosedive looks down at their hands and lets go abruptly. Her hand falls to her side. He steps back hurriedly blushing slightly, then says "Nice ta meet ya. What can I do ya for?"

Kintarae blinks then realizes he is asking why she came here. I've been too long among thieves who are interested in bodies and skills. "Umm..."She pulls out his wallet and the motorcycle keys and holds them out to him. He takes them from her. "Sorry about takin' off with your bike like that."

"Oh it's not mine. It belongs to one of Wildwing's friend's," he says. "He left it with 'Wing while he went out of town and my bro let me borrow it."

"So that's why he was scowling when he opened the door..." she says.

"Why'd you steal it?" pipes up Wildwing from the doorway. He had returned in time to hear Kintarae apologize.

"I needed it to make my escape," she replies, her tone cool. She is obviously not happy with that question.

"Your escape?" Wildwing ignores her tone of voice. Nosedive rolls his eyes heavenward.

"You don't want to know." She says in a tone of voice that clearly states Don't ask or you will regret it.”

Silence reigns for a while. Then she says, "I should get going. My bro is probably wondering what happened to me."

"Thanks for bringing the bike back," says Wildwing, walking over and opening the door politely. She nods, looks at Nosedive then walks out the door.

"See you around!" She calls over her shoulder, starting down the street.

Wildwing closes the door and looks at Nosedive, who is staring at the door. The look on his face is one of total infatuation. "Well, what are you waiting for baby brother?"

"Huh?" Dive looks at him blankly.

Wildwing grins and pushes Dive towards the door. "Go ask her out."

Dive grins suddenly and chases after Kintarae.

She turns a corner just as he gets outside. He looks around but doesn't see her. Aww man! She's gone! Gonna have to wait till the next time I see her...

Kintarae's thoughts are not at all cheerful as she walks towards her home. Not fair...I thought he would ask me out...instead here I am walking home and without a date for the weekend...How depressing.

-------------------------------------------------------

Nosedive makes a mad dash around a corner hoping to lose the thugs on the other side of the alley. His eyes widen. Dead end! Oh man, this was definitely a bad move, he thinks, shrinking against the end of the alley. The thugs grin, and one of them pulls out a set of brass knuckles.

***

Kintarae follows her brother across rooftops towards the Museum of Art. She stops short when she hear a cry of pain from the alley they had just gone over. She turns and looks down. In the alley a group of five large burly ducks surround a figure that is hunched over.

"Why'd ya stop Kin?" asks Duke coming over to her. She points into the alley and they watch as one of the thugs grabs Nosedives hair, pulling his head up. The fist of the attacker with the brass knuckles rams his fist into Nosedive's stomach again.

Kintarae's eyes narrow in anger. Quickly, she fastens her grappling hook to the ledge of the rooftop and rappels down the building, silently. Duke tries to get her to return but she ignores him. She steps into the shadows and silently moves forward.

The attacker with the brass knuckles pulls his fist back to punch Nosedive's already bruised and slightly bloody face.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," says Kintarae, still hidden by shadows. Her tone is warning. The attackers drop Nosedive who crumples to the ground trying to regain his breath.

"Who's there?" demands the leader of the gang.

Nosedive looks up just as Kintarae steps from the shadows into the streetlight. His eyes widen in surprise.

Kintarae stands in a confidant, balanced stance, her arms folded across her chest and a fierce, annoyed look on her face. She wears an outfit with a silver top and dark green pants. Black, extremely flexible, boots complete the outfit. The entire outfit fits her strong, lithe body almost like a second skin. A saber, blade not activated, is strapped to her left thigh and the black ragged streaks are in place over her right eye. Her hair is bound in a severe knot at the nape of her neck. Her golden eyes glitter unnaturally in the night. On the whole she does not look like one would want to cross.

Is that...Kintarae?

"I'm here." She answers in a tone like dry ice and as hard as titanium. "And I suggest you leave my friend alone." She almost smiles as she senses Duke walk up behind her, though remaining in the shadows.

"It's just a girl," says one of them.

Another says, "Beat it lady...This isn't any of your business."

"It is my business when you hurt a friend of mine." Around him she calls, "Nosedive? You okay?"

"Yeah." His voice betrays the pain he feels in his stomach. "Just wounded pride."

"Can you walk?" She keeps a wary eye on the punks as she walks in a circumference around them. Her destination is Nosedive. None of them move to stop her.

In a voice that is more a groan than anything else, "No.."

She kneels beside him, taking her eyes off of the punks.

One of them raises their fist to hit her, but Duke's voice saying, "Now that would be a big mistake pal," freezes him in place. They turn as Duke steps out of the shadows. He looks as dangerous as Kintarae only his saber is activated.

She smiles faintly, helping Nosedive to his feet. "If I was you, I'd take off right now and keep going until you are out of city limits or in a very safe place." Kintarae lets Nosedive lean against her as she activates her own saber and places it against the back of the neck of the one with the brass knuckles. "But first...hand over the brass knuckles," she commands.

When he doesn't comply she presses the saber against the back of his throat a little harder. The punk drops them on the ground. Then Duke steps aside and they take off running.

Both thieves deactivate their sabers. Only Duke keeps his in his hand. Kintarae helps Dive to the curb and helps him sit down. "You sure you gonna be okay?" she asks concerned. Duke rolls his eyes and walks back into the alley to get the brass knuckles.

Nosedive gasps for a few minutes then manages to say, "Yeah...was kinda hopin' you didn't have a boyfriend though...and what's with the crazy get up?"

"Duke isn't my boyfriend. He's my big brother. Why?"

"I wanted to know if you would want to go see a movie with me on Friday?" He looks at her hopefully.

Kintarae smiles and nods. "Sounds great."

"Kid, find a phone and call your mom or dad or somethin' to pick you up," says Duke. "Kin, get his number and call him later." His voice is impatient and rather annoyed.

Kintarae sighs, knowing she will get a lecture later.

Nosedive stands up grimacing slightly. He tells her his number and she locks it into her mind. "I'll talk to ya later, Kin."

"Right...See ya...and be careful," she says.

They wait until he is around the corner before they get down to their night's work.

-------------------------------------------------------

Kintarae taps her foot impatiently on the park sidewalk. She and Dive had agreed to meet in the park where they first came into contact.

He's late...I can't believe this. Our first date and he's late. She sighs and turns to leave and runs smack into Dive. She looks up at him, being only 5'3" tall.

He grins. "I'd have stolen the car if I knew you were gonna be so enthusiastic." He steps back and admires her outfit, a white shirt with a light blue vest and a loose flowing skirt of dark blue. "Or so beautiful. You didn't have to dress up."

She blushes, smiling. "You're late and I'm not dressed up."

"Sorry. I had to get Canard to lend me something. Ready?"

"Yup. Let's go." She whoops, throwing her hands up, and laughs when she sees that he had borrowed Canard's motorcycle...the same one the she stole a week ago. He grins and climbs on. She seats herself behind him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. He hands her a helmet and she puts it on. They roar off.

He asks her where she wants to be dropped off after the movie and she taking a risk, tells him the directions to her home. Dive walks her up to the door and she smiles at him. "Want to do something Sunday?"

"Sounds good," she says. "Same time?"

"Sure." He leans forward and kisses her before she can react. She doesn't push away but leans into the kiss, her arms sliding around his neck even as his wrap around her waist. Intended to be a short sweet kiss it extends into a gentle but long kiss. This is perfect...no more having to ask girls out and have them turn me down.

At last...she thinks. No more creeps, slime balls or idiots...

Almost at the same instant the same thought races through their minds. This is right. Only Duke opening the door ends the kiss. He scowls at them. Kin rolls her eyes and goes inside, promising to call Nosedive.

-------------------------------------------------------

The relationship between Kintarae and Nosedive deepens. But she knows that one day she will have to take the risk and inform him of who she really is.

-------------------------------------------------------

Nosedive looks around for Kintarae and starts walking, not seeing her. He is about to round the corner of the closed cafe when Kintarae lands lightly in front of him. He stumbles back, then drops into a defensive crouch. He straightens and sighs in relief when he sees that it is her and not a threat. "You trying to gimme a heart attack, girly-girl?"

"Sorry, Nosedive." Her tone makes him look at her curiously. She’s wearing her entire "work" suit.

"Somethin wrong?"

"You might say that. You and I need to have a long talk...but I need to know how much I can trust you."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's sit down. This is gonna take a while."

They walk over to a bench and sit. "Doesn't it bother you that you don't know very much about me?"

"Not really...bugs the hell out of my big bro."

"Well, I live a very unusual life...You are about the only normal thing in it...I will explain but I need you to swear you won't tell anyone what I am about to tell you." Her tone is urgent and her face is beseeching.

"Okay..I swear...Is it really that terrible?"

She smiles at the concern in his voice. "Not terrible...just...Well, you'll see." She pauses and takes a deep breath. "My name is Kintarae L'Orange. I am a thief. A good one, if I do say so myself." She looks at him.

"So? I don't-"

"Wait, till you hear the rest." Might as well tell him everything. " I am a member of the Brotherhood of the Blade." She quickly tells him everything she had not told him before as she stares at the ground afraid to look at his face. When she is done, she looks at him.

"I can see why you needed my promise...Why'd ya tell me all this stuff?"

For the first time since she met him his handsome face is thoughtful. "I really like you Nosedive...a lot more than I thought I ever would...I couldn't keep dating you if you didn't know who I am."

"Oh...Well I don't care about your being a thief...and I won't tell anyone...All I care about is you, my princess."

She smiles and hugs him tightly. "Thank you."

"No prob...Now how about we go back to your place so you can change and we go do something."

"Can't...I have work. I'll call you though." She kisses him quickly, then gets up and vanishes into the shadows.

-------------------------------------------------------

Kintarae walks into the disco and is immediately caught and swept onto the dance floor by Nosedive. Only during a slow dance does he notice that she is distressed.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

"I can't see you anymore."

"What?! Why not?!" He looks at her, visibly upset.

"I've been 'transferred'. Something is going down and my brother is sending me someplace where he hopes I'll be safer."

"Can't you do anything about it?"

"I wish...but he's my boss...I don't really have any choice. I'm leaving tomorrow," she says. She lays her head against him, the fingers of her left hand interlaced with his fingers.

They dance in silence for a moment then he says, "I guess I better give you this now." He pulls a small sliver ring out of his pocket and slips it onto the ring finger of her right hand. "It's a promise ring. We're a little too young yet but I promise, one day I'll ask you to marry me."

She smiles up at him, then stretches up to kiss him. Their kiss, like nearly all of their kisses, stretches out even past the changing of the music.

-------------------------------------------------------

The next day is a day that saddens the hearts of the two young lovers and the day that Dragaunus invades Puckworld.