Seperate Lives (Cain/Open)

Though Cain had first asked, Zen did not have the opportunity to explain her earlier actions and behavior as the teacher had demanded for their attention. Apparently, she was smart enough to tell that there was some personal matter going on between the two, and she did not want that in her lesson. It was obvious enough, really. She was constantly glancing towards their direction, after all. So, the two had been forced to hold their much-needed conversation to after the lesson, the wait distracting Cain more than he would have liked.

Then, the bell rung, a wave of relief enveloping Cain as he looked towards Zen, that curious and concern look on his face reacting to her nervous expression. The gesture of her head was understandable, the Junior getting up and holding his backpack in his right hand, before pulling the strap over his shoulders. Then, she led the way, grabbing his hand as she did, the awkward Junior being forced to follow, not having been used to being dragged around like that.

Well, he did have Mathematics class now, but he figured he could skip it for this conversation. Besides, it did not seem like Zen was going to take no for an answer now, considering she was the one leading the way.

"Come on.....Lets go to the roof....I..I will explain everything...."
"Uhm, ok."

Cain could only mutter as he was continued to be dragged through the hallways of #774, the Junior catching sight of two conflicts in their small journey towards the remote part of the school, feeling quite sad that he was probably never going to get into a fight that day. Then soon reached the roof, Cain followed in after her and closing the door him. And she moved towards the edge of the roof, climbing onto it. What the fu- Cain leapt forward, his right hand grabbing Zen's left wrist and staying there, even after she established a balanced sitting position on the ledge.

"You can ask now...."

Cain looked towards her, though she refused to look back at him. He sighed softly. Obviously, she seemed pretty unsure of herself now, a complete contrast to the bad-ass rebel that he had seen her to be before class had started. Was that who she really was? Was last night really all a facade just to get him to like her? Was he actually getting pranked here? Well, a far-fetched thought, but yeah, it was just Cain's imagination going wild.

"... Just now... What was that about?"

He asked, though he knew well that Zen was already aware of the question and probably already had an answer prepared.

And she started to explain and boy, was her life story so familiar. She grew up under the influence of an abusive father who seemed to have passed away and had been bullied at school for it. Cain pretty much knew how it felt, for he himself had grown up with such a past. But let's let Cain's analytical mind focus on Zen for a moment. At that point of time, she was still young, but life had already been incredibly hard for her. And having failed to find any strong source of moral support or hope, she had been forced to develop a sense of independence. In her perspective, being a tough cookie was the answer for it.

And she had been doing it for such a long time it seemed that the tough personality had someone stuck onto her. She depended on no one else but herself, for literally everything. Support, protection, strength, the likes. To her, all she ever needed and wanted could already be found herself... Until, that is, last night. She had been drugged and forced into a situation where she had no control and no chance to defend herself. She had been at her weakest. And Cain had found her like that.

Had she thought it pointless to put up that tough exterior on him since he had already seen her softer and weaker side? Well, probably, but it seemed that she had shown him a whole lot more than anyone had for years. At least, that's what Cain figured. He himself had grown up under an abusive father too. When Cain had been born, his father never even bothered to acknowledge his existence. And he too was bullied in school. Like her, he could not take it anymore, and lashed out at the bullies.

It caught his father's attention, and since he was an underground street boxer, he took Cain under his wing. And boy, was it a really painful place to be in. Cain turned to look at Zen, noticing the glint of light reflecting from the tear that rolled down her cheek. Cain sighed. For some reason, he could not take seeing her like this. And then, he let go of her wrist. Yes, he let go, disappearing from her side.

Do not worry, though. He did not leave. Instead, he stood behind Zen, his arms wrapping around her waist from behind. His arms would tighten their grip around her as he embraced her from behind. With the elevation of the roof ledge, they were almost the same height as Cain placed his forehead on the back of her head.

"... Remember the promise I gave you last night?"

She was crying, and Cain felt kinda guilty now, pushing her to say and open up so much to him. It had probably been a long time since she had done so, and she was uncomfortable with it. Cain knew. He had been a little bit selfish there. But he just felt that he had to know, after all. He was just worried that, after seeing how she was in the morning at school, last night was really just an influence of the drug, despite her words. And now, after learning a little bit more about her, he felt kind of guilty.

"That you would never let anyone hurt me again as long as you are around....."

"Mmhm..."

He wondered then, that with him around now, if she would still put up that tough exterior of hers. It was obviously already created a reputation for itself here in #774. A sudden change in personality would indeed raise some questions and attention. And Cain could only figure that most of it were unwanted ones, coming from those that Zen had lashed out at, just like those four football players. Had he a choice, he preferred that she kept that part of her. Despite that promise, the realistic side of Cain knew that he would not always be there for her, all the time.

Then, he gave her body a soft tug. Yeah, he had been aware of the danger that Zen was pretty much placing upon herself by sitting on the roof ledge, and Cain's heart had been racing ever since she had seated herself there, jumping with every movement the girl made, scaring Cain to his wits.

"Now, get down from there, please?"

He would ask with a hint of worry in his voice, his arms loosening for a bit to give her more space to move. And once she had, Cain would make sure that they were facing each other, before giving her another tight and warm embrace, giving her forehead a peck as he smiled.

"Stop crying already, alright? I'm here. Besides, you look a lot more beautiful when you smile, so cheer up."

He pulled back for a moment, looking into her eyes, that smile never leaving his face. Yeah, with that development, he had grown a whole lot more attracted to her, for now he could really feel that sense of responsibility and need for him towards her. With that promise and everything else, he knew that he would really have to be there for her, and the fact that she needed him there made him feel a whole lot more... Elated.

She needed him, and being needed was an incredible feeling on its own. Cain had never felt such joy before in his life, and he knew that it was achievable only because of her. Yeah, he needed her just as much too. He just... Did not know how to express it. In words, that is. However, he was going to prove it to her as much as he could.

"Thank you...."

Cain's smile widened for a brief moment as he acknowledged it. There was no point in saying that she was welcome here, for Cain had her to thank too. They are now at the point of a relationship now where everything they did was for the other, and it had become a natural action for them. And there they stood, at the edge of the lonely roof, in each other's arms. As tiring as this would have been, Cain could not really begin to care. He was happy. Yeah, he could really work it out having her in his life.

However, there were things that Cain was somewhat unsure of. The two of them had only met the night ago, and here they were, acting all mushy and stuff. Cain was not even aware that Zen was not really her full name and had a hint of it when the teacher had called her by her full name earlier. Something like Zenevieva, was it? She had introduced herself to him last night as Zen Maddox. A nickname? Understandable, but it still proved a point to the young Junior. Despite the desires and tugs of his heart, it seemed that the rational part of his mind still reigned true. It had always done so. Cain was never one to fall in love so deeply, so he was still unsure on how to actually follow his heart.

"S...So where does that leave us?"

Cain looked at her, that smile fading away for just a bit. He sighed, looking past her for a moment, before pulling his arms away from her waist. Instead, he would move around her, so that he stood behind her, his hands on her waist now. Then, he would proceed to sit himself down onto the floor of the roof, his back leaning against the ledge, his eyes on Zen. The reason he had put his hands on her waist and tugged on them downwards slightly was to indicate that if she wanted to, she could sit on his lap. Either way, she would have to sit down anyway, since this was going to be quite a long conversation.

"Well... As much as we want to, I don't think we should rush these things, Zen. I mean, we barely know each other, as comfortable as we feel. Maybe we should try doing that first?"

And then, to comfort her were it not to be the kind of answer she wanted, he would grab her hand and lean forward to give her a soft peck on the cheek, a cheeky and yet warm smile plastered upon his face.

"And we can always start now?"

He chuckled softly.

And she would sit upon his lip in a sideways manner, her legs laid out to his left, Cain's right arm wrapping itself around her lower back, his hand coming upon her waist. His other hand would lay itself then upon her lap, placing itself gently upon her opposite thigh, the Junior subconsciously pulling her closer to him and keeping her upon his lap. And then, with Cain's reassurances, Zen started to trust him and finally opened up. So far, Cain had a brief glimpse of what her past was like, but as for the general present, he was still unsure of. Plus, the many little yet important details like, I don't know, her favourite color?

"Zenevieva Aurora Maddox. Born in Scotland, moved to Brooklyn....and recently moved here. Just me my mom and Erik my brother...."

Zenevieva Aurora Maddox, huh? So, she was Scottish. Cain had been right in his hunch that she was not from around here. And she had been to Brooklyn? She was from New York too? Cain looked at her, eyes wide in surprise. Well, Cain was from the other side of New York, but still... They were both from the same cosmopolitan. Her mom and her brother, huh? So, she still had family. It got Cain thinking then. Would her mother approve of him? Was she friendly? Nice? And as for the brother... Oh, Cain only hoped that the guy was not that protective over her.

Her mother hated her? Cain's eyes never left hers, showing that he was indeed paying full attention to her. Her mother disliked her, huh? Though, it did not seem that she was ready yet to tell him why. Of course, he was not going to probe, knowing that she would tell him soon enough, once they were able to put more cement upon this rapport between them.

And then, she asked about him. Cain raised his eyebrows for a moment, almost caught off-guard by the situation, his mind still focused on the mother-hating part. What about him? Well, she had pretty much told him a lot about herself. Or in a way, Cain managed to figure it all out from those information. Might as well return it all, right?

"My name's Cain Aurelius, but you already know that. Uhm, I was born in New York and raised in New York. My mom died giving birth to me, and my dad hated me for it. He was an underground street boxer. For the earlier part of my childhood, he never acknowledged my existence. I was forced to pretty much take care of myself since I was a baby. I was bullied in Grade School too, until I couldn't take it anymore and lashed out. Fighting was my escape. My dad acknowledged me then, but only as a fighter, so he took me under his wing and started to train me. And it wasn't easy."

Cain sighed, looking away for a moment. Honestly, as impossible as it sounded, it had indeed been hard for the young boy to have handled himself during those years. Many times, he had actually wished himself dead.

"He died some years after, and I started to live on my on in New York, in #552, before moving here recently too. You've been to my apartment. I live alone."

He felt her familiar warm and soft touch on her knuckles, his eyes turning back to his hand, her fingers seemingly tracing the scars, bruises and wrinkles on his knuckles, those part being the roughest part of his whole body. They had met many surfaces, tore open many times and had suffered many bruises, but incredibly, they recovered quite quickly, allowing Cain to handle even more fights after that. Hell, they had gone to a point where Cain could no longer feel anything on his fists.

"I try to avoid fights...they scare me...deep down I am terrified each time I get into one....I go home and just....break down each and every time....."

Cain looked back at her then. That knowledge only served to raise Cain's concern for her. If she had been acting this tough for as long as she had, that meant that she had spent many nights indeed crying herself to sleep. A soft inaudible sigh escaped his lips. And what of tonight? Would she cry about what happened before class?

The topic then turned to her brother. Ah, so he was indeed one of those tough and rough individuals, much like Cain was. He figured that since she had been the tough cookie, that the brother would be the soft-spoken shy kind. However, it seemed he was wrong. Well, it certainly painting a bad picture of Erik for Cain. He took note to talk to person some time soon, but not piss him off at the same time.

"What do you fight for now?"

What did he fight for? Cain looked at her, caught off-guard indeed by the question. What did he fight for? Well, he used to have a simple reason, and that was to entertain himself. However, he himself knew that it was just a front. He fought for a much deeper... Purpose, he figured. He had felt weak under his father's training methods, and to find a way through it all, he had forced himself to enjoy the pain, the adrenaline, the pump. And it had grown into his personality then. However, he knew that it was just a reminder to himself that he was growing stronger with every day that passed. That he was not as weak as his father thought him to be.

Though, it had been a long time. And her words were ringing true in his head. Yeah, perhaps he did need to have something in him filled up. Like a drug, he was simply fighting to keep himself pushing forward, something to distract himself with. But now...

"What is it that you need Cain?"

He looked at her for a brief second, a soft smile on his face as he gazed deep into her almond hues. At that, he let his arms tense up a bit, moving her just a little bit closer to him.

"You..."

And he received her reply with a kiss, the Junior passing her as smile as she did. He felt the tug, of course, but more importantly, he felt the attraction that he had towards her. Yeah, it was more of a gut feeling, from how much was pulling him towards her. And of course, he could feel his body moving on its own towards her too. Of course, in the beginning, it was all but physical attraction. In some cases, such attractions were easily overcome by personality. However, Cain was glad that instead of destroying that physical attraction, their complimenting personalities only helped to strengthen and develop it into something more.

"I wish I could explain why I feel the way I do...I know it does not make sense.....but....I still mean what I spoke to you last night....I need you....I need you to fill this emptiness within me...When I am with you.....the world is not so cold......"

Cain smiled, his arms around her only growing tighter with every pulling word, as if his heart was demanding his body to pull her heart right beside it. Yeah, none of it made sense at all, how far and deep they had fallen so quickly. But it did not change the fact that they had fallen nonetheless. He returned the soft kiss once more, before finally opening his mouth

"It doesn't matter why... What matters is that we're both here now, as we would alwa-"

And the door smashed open. Of course, with Cain's angle, he could see what was happening. However, there was something called reaction time. More often than not, when something surprising and shocking happens at a time when you are focused deeply in something else, you take a longer time to actually register what was happening. Such was the case here. Cain could only watch as the large man approached them.

And right when Cain finally realised what was going on, he pulled Zen out of his arms, the Junior being outmuscled here, in this case. However, the fighter in him would refuse to back down as he quickly got up on his feet, fist clenched. Yeah, he was just about to lash out at the male when something he said caught Cain's interest.

"What do you think you are doing? Have you not given Mother enough grief lately? Yet here you sit, while you should be in class? With some boy!?"

Mother? Cain's eyes widened as his body relaxed, though only so slightly. Mother? Wait... This guy was Erik. Holy crap he was huge. Cain watched Erik then, unsure of what to do as of yet.

"No...Erik I had time between classes..I promise....Please.....I was not skipping......"

And his grip on her tightened, Zen letting out a yelp of pain that sent daggers stabbing into Cain's heart. That's it. He had enough. He cared not whether this guy was her brother or not, Cain was not going to let anyone hurt her. He had made her a promise, and he was going to keep it. Cain focused his attention now on Erik as his gaze moved from either Junior to the other. And finally, he spoke once more.

"This is why you did not come home!"

And that was all he would be able to say as Cain drove his fist into his solar plexus, finding his diaphragm. Although Cain may not be the hardest of strikers, but he had a good knowledge of the human anatomy. And a hit to the diaphragm always had a numbing effect on the body, for it was the muscle that made the lungs move. As soon as the hit found its way home, Cain would grab the arm that was holding onto Zen and pull her away, with his other arm, continuing to do so until they were at a safe distance from Erik, he would most likely still be doubling over.

Cain supported Zen with his hands, placing one of them across her back and the other on the shoulder nearer to him, holding her steady. He looked towards her.

"You alright?"

Then, he felt a warm liquid run onto his hand, his eyebrows furrowed in fear and concern. He moved his hand away from her back, looking at the familiar scene of crimson. Blood. The wound from last night. Erik had opened the wound.

"Shit."

He looked towards Erik, a sense of determination and fury overcoming him. Were Erik to stand up and charge towards them, Cain would react in kind. As said before, he cared not whether he was her blood. If anyone hurt Zen, they were not going to get away with it.

He was going to keep his promise.