Mind Games>>Ricky Horror AU

If only you could, runt

I take off down several hallways, through all the twist in turns I knock people out of the way, run into the countless men of this realm, and trip over my own two feet all while listening to Chris tell me I'd be okay and that Ricky is by his side coming to get me. I hit a large crowd of demons with the pale skin and black clothing, Rebels. "We can't see you! Where are you?" I look around like a animal in distress, out of the corner of my eye I see Braxton. "I'll be there in a second." I shove through the large crowd with a lot shoves back and rude comments from their mouths. "Vanessa, we can see you now, make a right and will meet up together." I do as I'm told to not only see the two boys, but Josh and Ryan. "Come here." Ricky takes my hand and swings be behind his back protectively as the crowd begins to separate for Braxton, I feel the other three men back towards me till I am protected from all sides.

"It's been a while, your majesty, you  have always seem more fascinated with human women more than you should." Ricky's grip on my hand tightens gently, his jaw set for intimidation. "Not like anyone else is going to get the guts to go to Earth besides us." Chris hisses at the demon. Now that he is closer I can see his red eyes and tattoos that run all over his chest, his shirt open and black, silk wings that hover over his shoulders. "Always a pleasure to speak with you as well, now if you could kindly give me Persephone, I'll be on my way." I feel my heart begin to race against Ricky's back, I huddle more to him and one arm touches my back, making sure I am not harmed.

"She's not yours anymore, she's not same woman. Get back to your entourage before I kick it there." Ricky's voice speaks up, forcing me to look in Braxton's direction, he chuckles with an evil grin. "The runt of the family, man, you've grown up since the last I saw you! You got some courage to now, I like it, don't let your mouth get you into something your fists can't handle." Braxton's eyes narrow to cat slits, something I've never seen Chris, Ricky, or Ash do before.

"If you lay a finger on her you'll learn I'm perfectly capable of knocking you back to the hell you came from." Braxton's eyes contort from red to black every second, his wings ruffle to a large form and he bites his bottom lip. "If only you could, runt." He snatches my wrist from Ricky and pulls me from the circle of my protectors. I yelp in pain when I feel claws dig into my skin. "Get your hands off me!" I find my kicking well thought-out when I land a perfect spot into Braxton's stomach with the sharp back end of my heel on my platform boots.

He drops me from his grip, I jump up, but not in time to stop Ricky from throwing his opponent to the ground. "Don't try to stop him, he can handle it." Ryan sets his hand on my shoulder when I begin to run out to get in between the two. Chris puts an arm out in front of me while Josh stays on the right side of me with a small dagger trembling in his hand. The two men send a few harsh kicks to one another until they stand up, staring each other down angrily, panting, and ready to strike the other. "You have guts for the smallest of your siblings, I'll give you that." I remember Ricky telling me he had lots of siblings, and I start to wonder how many he is being compared to.

"Come on, Roadkill, beat me like you promised." Braxton taunts Ricky, Ricky's fists tighten and his angry expression turns slowly to a frown. "You don't have it in you, just like your father. All of you kids are just cowards, you won't even defend yourself much less your family." Braxton's wing tuck to his back before he wipes blood from his cheek where Ricky's rings cut him up. Chris power walks to Braxton. "Chris, no!" Ryan can't keep Chris's fist from knocking Braxton to the ground with a thump. Braxton groans silently and shakes himself off, he stands back up as if nothing happened.

"I would leave all of us alone if I were you." Chris's cold words can slice through brick. Braxton straightens himself up with a flustered huff of his breath and turns sharply around, walking away from the scene. Everyone who was watching goes back to either talking or working, like it's an every day thing here. "No more secrets, I want to know how he knows me and I want to know what this whole mess is about!" I interrogate Chris while helping my boyfriend to his friends when I notice his ankle appears lame. "Braxton was a former love interest of yours before you became Vanessa, we all knew you at one point in a different life, yes. You were Persephone then, your mother named you after Hades's wife because you were destined to be with Braxton because he was considered our Hades."

Chris pulls his cell out and begins to text my father to let him know it's time to retrieve us after we got out of the hell hole. "Braxton got in some trouble with Ash's sister after he paid her once for a service from her and she took it the wrong way. He got dethroned pretty much and now all he's popular for is his position in the army. I'll explain what this is all about later." Chris opens a door
to a stairway that ends us right back in the pub where we came before. I turn to look at the door to remember what it looks like, only for the fireplace to be there again. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you any? Do you think the baby is okay too?" Ricky looks me up and down frantically, running his hands down my arms then to my stomach.

"I'm fine, I think you should be worrying about yourself. I'm sure the baby is just fine, probably slept through the whole thing in utero." I try to lighten the mood as we wait for Greg and I look each of the boys over. Ricky escapes with a scratches to his chest and torso and a bruised eye, but nothing make-up and medicine can't fix. Everyone else seems to not even be touched, when I step up to Josh I feel a happy smile warning to creep onto my lips. "Thank you." He smirks before pressing a finger to his lips. "Don't mention it, I couldn't let you lose the one person who seems to make you happy." We get back to the venue without anything crazy happening for the first time in our lives, My father happily takes JoJo in his arms when I bring up the "adult talk" as he calls it.

"Okay, let's start at the beginning." Chris sighs and sets on the opposite side of the living area table of Ricky and I. "You were once royalty, so was Braxton. You know that Ashley and I were forced to be married in sake of our family's name. Well, that same thing happened with you and Braxton." I shift more closer to Ricky, slipping my hand into his, ready to hear about why I'm so important to everyone I seem to meet. "What you don't know is that we have a list of the females and males in our realm. Each year, each family goes through the lists to see who is the better suitor and selects five of their favorites. This is usually only for the girls, but it can be used for boys too. The five then compete till four are dead and one is alive in an arena, the suitor alive gets married Immediately to the prize, or in this case...You." That's when it hit me, all the people I've met, all the things I've gone through. "Ricky, Braxton, and myself are the final three. You went through this in one life time...Well, you are going through it again. Your two other suitors are dead and have been buried under our realm."

I release Ricky's hand, my body trembles and I hug my knees to my chest in deep thought, but still listening closely. Trying to focus on each word. "Braxton and I got bored with each of our current spouses so we declared ourselves separated, I had no idea I would be a suitor to you, I swear. We were really good friends in your last life and you have no idea how much it hurts me to fight for you...Especially to be fighting Ricky. We can end this now though." He moves out of the chair he was in, I watch his slow stride towards the cabinets in the kitchen.  The gleam of a blade makes me jump from my seat and grabbing the first defense object near me, the pair of scissors that always lay by the sink.

"Put it down and if you try to hurt Ricky I will end your life right here, Cerulli!" I look to his face, the knife isn't making a move towards Ricky and if isn't glaring right at my heart. "No, no! No more dying! No more fighting!" I put the scissors down and take the knife away from him when I realize it wasn't meant for Ricky or myself. "I don't want to hurt anyone else. Look at what I've caused already, Ricky's been nothing but an amazing friend to me, I can't even punch him without regretting it later!" I bite my bottom lip, glancing from Ricky to Chris, I lay a hand on Chris's arm. "Then we fight."

Ricky locks eyes with me, they begin to narrow and I wonder if he is about to do the exact same thing as Braxton had, but they only seem to darken slightly. "And who are you going to fight? With what army? We are screwed if you think you are going to stop all this by turning over some tables and beating on Braxton." I stand up straight, my nails dig into my palm, my anger rising not towards anyone but the name of the man who may have caused all this. "Then I need more information." I look at Chris and he raises an eyebrow. "I've seem that look before, is someone about to get screwed?" I can't help but smirk before crossing my arms.

"I think it's time we make a visit back home for a little bit."

...Today I am dirty, want to be pretty...

[Song: The Nobodies by Marilyn Manson covered by Social Repose]