For Fame and Glory

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"Kusanagi." Dahlia DeAngelo was grinning from ear to ear as she flopped into the seat opposite her partner in crime. This bar was their favourite haunt when trying to relax, and she had known where to find the other woman right away. She let the word hang for a moment and waved for the attention of the bartender and gestured that she wanted a beer. Dahlia leaned back and let her arms hang over the back of her seat, though it was clear she was damn near bursting with excitement.

Dahlia closed her eyes this time, Rama's voice all too enticing. "No." The word was forced, like she was fighting some kind of spell. "You want me to leave my sister behind? Kill me. It's the only way I'll break my promise to her." She opened her pale grey eyes now to look up at Rama as she made that vow.

"I can't do that. At least not yet." Rama said gently. He turned her face toward his own, his lips hovering over hers. "One last time, Dahlia. Reconsider before I cannot be so kind. The wish is free. The pain the comes with the denial of it will not be." He whispered, his lips finally finding hers and closing over them hungrily.

Dahlia was certain her chest was going to burst with the hunger of that kiss. She lived day to day treading water to keep afloat of her despair, all the while she had to outwardly pretend everything was just fine. For a brief moment she allowed herself this new feeling before finally she pushed Rama away. "You say that like I should be afraid." She breathed. Rama wouldn't find conviction, or resolve in Dahlia's grey eyes, only a simple acceptance that she was not meant for anything different.

"You're a fool, girl. Do you hear me?" Rama hissed grabbing her chin for another kiss. This one was much rougher.

Dahlia bit Rama when he forced another kiss upon her, worried he would try something more. After all, it was barely light and there was no one around.

Dahlia would find herself slamming face first into the water. From the water above would come the sounds of roars of an angry struggle and then silence. 
Then Dahlia's father was lifting her out of the water and carrying her away from the docks. "What in the hell are you doing, girl? I thought I taught you better than to mess with a man like Rama." Her father, Justice, was bleeding heavily. The air around them was thick with the stench of it.

Dahlia groaned loudly and pressed her hands over her eyes. "Dad!" She wailed, hating that he was again having to save her like a small child. "I had everything under control!" She insisted rather childishly.

"Before or after you were swapping spit with that monster? And where is your sister?" Justice demanded. Dahlia's father was deeply tanned and enormous, with dark eyes and raven colored hair. It was totally opposite of the woman he'd married who was light skinned and bright eyed and equally bright haired.

Now she was back on her own feet, Dahlia was scowling up at her father with all the ferocity of a teenage girl. "I had it. Under. Control." She repeated. Clearly she and her father were alike in personality, if not looks. Though she hadn't yet realised it, Justice had just planted the seed of desire in his daughter by telling her to stay away from Rama.

"Oh yes. I saw that. Your mother isn't going to be happy with this." Justice growled, gently turning his daughter towards the hotel door where he and his wife were staying. "Tell me where Gabbi is so we can fix this before it gets out of control like usual. "

"Why are you even here?!" Dahlia demanded. "Where you spying on me, again?!" She added, though her father was somehow still pushing her in the direction of the hotel.

"Gabbi sent me an email last night to let us know you two were leaving. I saw you paw through my old books about that sword a few days ago and I put two and two together. I'm not as stupid as you and your mother seem to think." Justice grumbled. "I can even take out the trash once in a while."

"I'll kill her for this!" Dahlia grumbled. This was exactly why she rarely told her parents anything; they were always right there waiting for her to screw up. Like tonight. "And I am not as useless as you both think! I was getting Gabbi back all on my own!" She huffed.

"Why is Gabbi missing?! I told you both to leave that damn sword alone!" Justice roared, shoving his daughter into the hotel room to deal with the ice queen herself. "Dealing with Rama is going to be hell. He's already drawn blood. She's going to be angry enough about that."

"You're the one who forced blood to be drawn, I was doing fine!" Dahlia insisted. "You flipped out just because he kissed me!" She added, at the exact moment her golden haired mother opened the door. The elder woman was clearly not impressed to hear this and stood glaring at her husband and daughter.

"Rama." Justice said the name as if it were a curse, his upper lip curling in an ugly sneer. It showed off an old scar that might have been forgotten if he didn't make that face.
He stepped past his daughter and wife, slamming the door behind them. The gaping wound in his stomach still dripped blood freely down his jeans and onto the carpet. "He's getting bold. He had his crew kidnap Gabbi. Not to mention...." He paused, grunting in pain. "He's managed to capture himself a dark djinn."

"Well you wouldn't be bleeding if you hadn't forced your way into the situation!" Dahlia insisted, forgetting that she was soaked through herself and dripping water everywhere. "You always have to be looking over my shoulder and expecting me to fail!"
The blonde haired woman had said little so far, but was watching the both of them with a narrowed sapphire gaze. She had seen this dance a thousand times, and neither of them ever came out a winner. "If Rama truly has Gabbi, would it not be imperative to find her, rather than scream at each other like toddlers?" She finally asked rather calmly.

"Why do you think I came here, my dear?" You can find her faster than anyone else and reason with the Djinn. Dahlia would only end up making matters worse." Justice said darkly.

Dahlia scowled up at her father again, wishing she could instantly trade places with Gabbi.
"No." Dahlia's mother replied simply. "If you believed that, you would have had no need to launch an attack on Rama like you did. You did that because you enjoyed it, not because you were worried for any mis-step Dahlia may take." She seemed to know her daughter rather well, ad turned her observation on the dark haired girl before she could gloat. "You were supposed to look after Gabbi. What were you doing while she was snatched? Allowing Rama to play you like a love sick teenager?"

Even Justice turned on his daughter for this answer, glaring at her. "We swore to protect the poor girl and there you are in the lap of the enemy. I told you never to do that. I thought we talked about Rama."

And talked they had. Justice had drilled it into his daughter since the moment they first laid eyes upon Rama that Dahlia was to stay well away from him. She had always told him there was little to worry about, after all, who even noticed her when Gabbi was nearby? "I was not in his lap!" Was here feeble reply.

"Oh no? And I suppose your tongue wasn't halfway down his throat?" Justice snarled at his daughter. "You didn't exactly look to be in any stress."

"Was that the only reason you dumped me in the water?!" Dahlia hissed, though she had stomped into the bathroom and slammed the door before Justice could answer.

"That's an excellent question." Dahlia's mother breathed once she and her husband were alone.

"I'm not the one who dumped her in the water. He did. He lost his cool when she bit his lip. I lost mine when he threw her." Justice explained, lowering himself onto the bed.

Lily smirked in the impish way only her husband ever saw now that they were alone. "And you say she can't handle herself..." She mused, carefully removing his shirt to better inspect his wound. "We always knew Rama would find her, are you really surprised he stole a kiss? Were we any different at that age?"

"Rama will not have my daughter, Lillian." Justice said firmly. "He already murdered my son. Refuse to allow him anything else."

"You're assuming he wants her at all." Lily replied, though her head was bowed now as she cleaned away the blood from the wound in her husband's stomach. "You think any young man passes up the chance to steal a kiss from a young woman?" She added, purposefully not speaking of their son. It was still a rather fresh subject for her to address. In all truth, Lily was terrified that Dahlia was walking the same path her elder brother had.

"You're going to keep Dahlia here tonight. I'm going to get revenge for our son and make sure that little bastard knows never to lay his hands on what belongs to us." Justice vowed.

Lily was looking up at her husband as though he were crazy. "Keep Dahlia here? And when did telling that girl to stay put ever work?" She asked with a weary sigh. "Rama has Gabbi, you know Dahlia wont just sit by and do nothing."

"Maybe you can tell her twork are going to look and lead her on a wild goose chase." Justice grunted, pulling his wife down on top of him. "Lil, please. I can't lose either one of you. I'm willing to die to keep it from happening. Don't make me beg, woman."