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Taffy found herself sitting in a chair with her legs crossed in what appeared to be an old time western saloon. Only, it wasn't Taffy, just someone who looked exactly like her. She was sitting with her hood on in the shadowed corner, casually scanning the crowd for someone. Then, the Native American woman from that one dream entered the bar and had a nervous look about her. Taffy, or most likely Chelsea (her great grandmother) watched, but Taffy did not know what the purpose was. However, some of the men at the far end of the bar started whispering amongst themselves with angry tones. They were a major point of interest for Chelsea, who tensed up.

"So, they are the ones who are stalking you... pathetic. I could have found them without this trap. But I guess I really didn't know how to approach her. She's so cute!" Chelsea was muttering to herself without blinking when the men stood up.

As they walked toward the woman, the leader grabbed her, "Hey, I thought I told you, if ya don't put out, ya don't come in here! Boys, looks like she wants to earn her keep, have fun!" The other men grabbed her as Chelsea hopped out of her seat.

She jumped and kicked one of the men, knocking him over the bar, then she turned around and punched another in the throat before grabbing his head and twisting it. The lead man drew out a revolver, put Chelsea chopped his wrist, which made a snap, took the gun, hit him over the head, then put the barrel in his mouth, "Don't you dare touch her!" She then pulled the trigger. The man who fell behind the bar was slow to his feet, but ran as fast as he could to the exit. Unfortunately for him, Chelsea had an insane reaction time. She quickly moved the gun, and without even taking aim, she fired at hit the man in the back of his head. As he fell to the ground, Chelsea examined the woman's body, "Are you alright? Oh wait..." She spoke in the woman's native language (but I won't), "Are you hurt?"

"No... thank you, shadow warrior, is there something I can do for you?"

Chelsea smiled, "No, but you have some cuts. Come on, let's go back to my place so I can treat your wounds." Her grin grew larger when the woman nodded, "And by the way, y name is Chelsea, what is yours?"

"Singing Raven. But it is just a label, I do not have a say in what I am called."

Chelsea put her arm over Raven's shoulder, "Don't worry about that, I like it. Come on, I can wash you off too."

......................................

"Ah!" Taffy woke up with a start, and accidentally slammed her head into the wall, "Ow! What the hell? How did I get here?" She looked around and felt a warm body next to her. It moved, "Who are you?!"

Yoko turned over, "Are you alright? You didn't look that well last night, and as soon as we came in here you collapsed. I put you in the bed, but I didn't think much of it. Then I didn't find anywhere else, so I found a spot next to you and turned the other way. Are you okay?"

Taffy rubbed her head, and felt that the hood was still there, "Yeah, thanks for not taking off my hood. I just had another dream about someone, who, for some reason, knows more about me than I know about her."

Yoko was curious, "Who? Oh, and Lady Susuka often told me tales of the Lilith, so I know some about your traditions."

"Ugh... my great grandmother, Chelsea. Every time I dream about her, something weird happens. Although, this time wasn't just about violence. Uh, don't worry about it. I think I need to ask Master about it, seeing as he knows more about the sacred than anyone else. Could you... move your arm... just a little." Taffy climbed over Yoko, as the tiny bed was too much for two people, especially one of Yoko's dimensions. As she did, she noticed that Yoko had no clothes on, but Taffy understood that nudity in the Lilith wasn't a problem. Taffy, however, still had on the tight "combat" uniform, which wasn't as comfortable to sleep in as it was to move around in. In the armoire, there were a few more sets of clothing, each the same style, but different colors. Taffy pulled out a black shirt and skirt, which seemed appropriate. Death was a treasured part of life in the Lilith, but this was a unique situation. She disrobed, then put on the clothes, careful not to remove her hood, then she put on the cloth boots. Unlike the first time she was here, she wore all of her guns as well as her boot knife. She was a sacred, and needed to be seen as one the people could rely on.

Yoko watched her change, then asked, "Do you have anything that would fit me?"

Taffy was a little curious, but couldn't find a shirt large enough, "No, but we can go find you something. My mother made these for me, but we might be able to find something for you with a similar fabric. That reminds me, how did you row your... you know... so big? Is it a diet or something? 'Cause I'd like to get some more attention from the cute guys here."

Yoko laughed, "You know, at first I thought it was just an oddity, but I learned that it was in my genes. You'd be surprised how much attention I got from every boy at the Tanek compound. Attention isn't a great thing Taffy. And besides, you look cute just as you are. I mean, these things are only a little soft, come on, feel them." Taffy did so, and they were firm, "These would definitely hamper your training and fighting techniques."

It was a few seconds after that she realized that she got to second base with another woman before she even kissed a boy. She smiled, then walked into the bathroom to wash her head in private, muttering, "It's just flesh. It's just flesh. It's just flesh." as quietly as she could. The cool waster was refreshing on her face and behind her ears. It was strange how much a little water could do to wake up the body. When she was done, Taffy flipped her hood back up and saw that Yoko was getting dressed, "Hey, are you hungry? I know after what happened, it's hard to be, but the body needs to eat, even something small. Come on, I'm buying."

"Fine with me, I haven't eaten for two days with all the training I've been forced to do. Anything would be nice right now." Yoko finished changing into her Tanek uniform, then left with Taffy. As they walked, the sorrow on everyone's faces, both Lilith and Tanek, could be clearly seen. Taffy's presence, fully armed and in dark clothing seemed to at least brighten their spirits on a deep level. Hammers could be heard in the distance near the area where the military broke in. The Lilith were a hard working people, and they knew that having an area that exposed was a bad thing. Taffy and Yoko moved over to a different shopping district that hadn't been damaged, also where John had worked. The store was closed, which was to be expected, but Taffy was sure that someone was in there. If it was John, he needed some time.

A restaurant was open, and all of the faces were just as sad as everyone else. Taffy went in with Yoko, as the hooded Lilith bowed before her. She bowed back, then ordered four loaves of bread. It wasn't much, but the people needed more than she did. Even if she were to order a larger meal, she wouldn't have been able to stomach it. Yoko was curious, "Why so much? We're both kinda skinny, we can't eat that much."

"Were going over to the entry point. Some of this is for the workers."

"You know, you are a really nice person Taffy. You are new at all of this, yet you still take your responsibilities seriously. It's really a good trait." Yoko said. Then, the girls walked over to the construction areas. Both Lilith and Tanek, hooded and caped, and just everyone who was able was helping out. Those who didn't have enough experience with construction helped gather materials, get water, and did whatever they could.

Taffy walked up to a young boy, tore off a little piece of bread for herself and another piece for Yoko, then handed over the rest, "Here, give them some food. They need to keep their strength up."

"Thank you, sacred. I will let them know it is from you. But, will you also be helping us?"

"I'm sorry, but I have something that I need to do first. Something very important. After I'm done, I will stop by and do all I can." Taffy forced a smile as the boy ran off, giving bread to the workers.

Taffy and Yoko then headed for the fortress building that held Master's office. They ate as they walked, and watched as everyone tried to help out everyone they could. Even the injured offered space in their houses for the displaced and the orphans. It was true, everyone in Home was part of a big family. As they came into view, a man in black clothing and hood (Master) was punching a nearby tree. Susuka was trying to calm him down, but with little success, "But we can't! She's... she's..."

Susuka was now saddened by something, "Well, here's Taffy and Yoko. Perhaps they can figure something out. You, are you okay?"

Yoko nodded as Taffy said, "Yeah, we gave some food to those working on the border wall. I was going to ask Master about something, but I don't think this is the time."

"You are wondering why you blackout then fall asleep, aren't you? I can answer that." Master sounded different from usual, enough so that he sounded like a regular person, "It's a flaw that's in every sacred. I'm not sure how it came about, but it happens when your soul and your instincts aren't in sync. It used to happen to me and Susuka. Your body is constantly fighting itself, trying to determine right and wrong. There is no right and wrong, that is what you need to imprint on your mind."

"Uh... okay. I have some more questions, but they can wait. Why are you like this?"

Susuka lowered her head, "Because... Chaos is a sacred. Master looked through the records, and her father was a sacred. He left before we were born and developed a new branch of the military to conform to his own ideas of a perfect society. Since Chaos is his natural blood, she inherited the role. Even in a computer, she is still a sacred, and..." she took a deep breath, "... we cannot kill another sacred."

"But, Lady Susuka! If she had killed our people, doesn't that make her a traitor? So we can fight her!" Yoko was confident, but Susuka shook her head.

Master weighed in on the situation, "No, she didn't kill our people. The military did. They acted on their own, based on what they believed would make her happy. Unless she physically takes a knife to our throats, she is untouchable. But... how did she know so much about me. She whispered something to me after she kissed me. She... she knows things about me that I haven't told anyone, and we know nothing of her. It doesn't make sense. Maybe... I have to..." He was in deep thought, "Here Taffy, this is your pay." He tossed a bag to her without looking, and inside was 500 coins.

"But... uh... Master, did I really deserve this? No, wait. I don't want to ask. You are already in a bad mood. I'm just gonna leave now." Taffy turned around and walked quickly in the opposite direction with Yoko right behind her, "I really did not want to get on his bad side today Yoko."

"It's okay, but can we find something for me to wear? All of my other clothes were destroyed, and this thing is really uncomfortable. So, please? I'll pay you back later, promise!" Taffy said okay and they went to a store that sold only clothing.

When they entered, the tailor instantly noticed Yoko, "Woah, uh... can I help you?"

"Yes, I'm looking for casual clothing that I could wear every day. This thing is really bad for the skin, you know? So, what do you have?" The tailor pulled looked around, then took out a shirt, which was a light pink. He said that with a few alterations it would fit Yoko perfectly. Then, he pulled out a long skirt which was a light green and handed it over. As for the boots, they were a similar style to Taffy's, but they weren't the same. The clothes were all very plain and simple, and good quality. The two waited for about twenty minutes, then the shirt was fixed up. Taffy paid the man 5 coins, "Thank you so much, I owe you big!"

They went back to Taffy's house and Yoko changed clothing. Taffy sat on the bed and watched, unaware that she was doing so, and found that Yoko was happy with the clothes, "We didn't have anything like this back with the Tanek. It's so soft and pretty! Thank you!" She hopped over and hugged Taffy, which wasn't that unpleasing. Then, she felt as though she had forgotten something important, "Hey, uh, Yoko. I need to go do something."

"Hm? What is it? Maybe I can help."

"Uh..." Taffy wasn't quite sure what was going on in her head, "I need to climb that tall building. I'm not sure why, but something is calling to me. You go and relax, maybe they sorted out the home situation or something. I promise we'll hang out later." Taffy waved goodbye and ran to the 200 feet tall building. Something was calling out to her, but she had no idea what it was. A voice, or maybe just a figment of her imagination. Either way, Taffy was going up.

The pattern was burned into her brain, so she no longer had to think while she climbed. It was a little strenuous on her body, but nothing she couldn't handle. About 100 feet up, Taffy rested and looked around. The wind brought her skirt to life, and it danced like it had a mind of its own. Taffy smiled at the thought, worried that it might be true, and continued the ascent. Near the top, her muscles felt sore, but she pushed on, which rewarded her with the ability to walk on the roof. The wind was high, but not at all frightening. She stood with her back against it and just looked out over Home.

Then, Taffy felt light headed. She walked over and sat on the edge of the rooftop, her feet dangling below her. The wind was trying to push her off of the edge, but it wasn't strong enough. Taffy smiled and saw how that even a large compound was so weak and vulnerable. Her mind went blank, then for the first time in a long while, she felt genuine happiness. Being up high let her put things in perspective, and it seemed as though she could simply fall off of the building and float down to the surface, like in a dream. However, this brief moment of tranquility also gave her time for something she had not done in a while, think about her actions and feelings.

Since Taffy had come to the Lilith, she never had any real time to herself in which she felt comfortable. Happy, yes, but not comfortable. Through all of the things that had happened, being on this particular rooftop allowed to her think clearly about everything. How she had feelings for Master because he had saved her life before, even though he was already taken. She also had strange new feelings for Yoko, the cow, even though she was a woman. It was all so strange. The philosophy of it all made sense to Taffy, even though it was an incredibly foreign concept. However, it did have some merits.

On the bus as she was traveling to Home, Master and Susuka both sang that song, even though they were a part of opposing factions. The song itself was simple, like a song a mother would sing to a newborn baby. Even though Taffy's mother died in the birthing process, her adoptive Lilith mother took the responsibility, and even though she was not a good fighter, she was more than willing to give her life for the sake of Taffy's future. Also, every time she had a dream about Chelsea, her abilities and knowledge would expand at a rapid pace, making her believe that it wasn't a natural thing. She wasn't quite sure about the sacred, since most revered them, yet Master hated them. It was entirely possible that she was supposed to lead the people into the future as an underling of Master of course. A shining beacon of hope in situations like this.

Suddenly, there was a light in the distance. It was like a star in the night sky, but it liked to dance around, "Pretty..." Taffy wasn't sure what she was thinking, all she knew was that she needed to get to that star. And her body was more than willing to oblige. She hopped off of the 200 ft. tall building onto one that was about twenty feet lower. She rolled, then instantly ran across that rooftop. She jumped again, landed on a steel wire used for support, then rebounded off onto another building. Everything flowed by her, as though she was being pulled rather than running under her own power. The star got closer, and that was the only thing on her mind. A few more rooftops, then she landed on the ground level in front of the Lilith working on the wall where the military entered. A pop, then she returned to reality. That wasn't normal, yet by now Taffy didn't want to think much about it. After all, she descended 200 feet a less than a minute.

Outside of the border wall was a crowd of civilians, each holding some sort of blunt object or knife. They were scared of Taffy who had, as far as they were concerned, appeared from thin air. She was wearing black clothing, which added to her frightening appearance. However, she had mercy on these ignorant people, and only drew out her boot knife, "Can I help you?" She thought about Master, and tried to make her voice sound as calm and creepy as possible. It worked.

"You... you monsters are responsible for the massacre out here! We don't have any military training, but we will fight monsters!" said a tall canine, obviously the leader of this group. Taffy knew that killing wasn't a bad thing in the eyes of the Lilith, but she wanted to play. She put away her boot knife and stepped outside of the wall, "What are you doing?!"

"Simple. Kill me, and I will let you have your way with everyone inside," she turned her head slightly and whispered to herself, "that's not to say that they will lie back and let themselves get killed." She faced the man again, "So, how about it? You can use any weapons and any amount of people that you desire. These are my only terms. Pretty simple for a fight to the death, don't you think?"

The canine stepped forward with three other men. He held what appeared to be a lawn mower blade while the others had kitchen knives. Taffy cracked her knuckles as the workers inside of home stopped to watch, as did everyone else who happened to stop by. Taffy smiled, then signaled for the men to come and get her. All four charged at once, but Taffy saw them as nothing more than people running in slow motion. She walked forward, and in doing so, passed through all of them before they realized what had happened. The leader turned around, "How did you do that?!"

Taffy spun around on one foot like a young child, "Fighting and dancing are one in the same. The one who knows how to dance the best will always win. But, that was really boring. I don't think I'm going to have much fun with you four. So, I guess you all have to die now." Taffy extended her left arm out to her side and let her hand hang loose. Then, she created a semicircle on the ground with her right foot. It wasn't a defined fighting style, but she saw this once in her dreams, performed by Chelsea. She could easily dispatch these men without a struggle.

And so she did. They charged again, but this time, Taffy acted. She jumped up and did a spinning kick, breaking one neck, landed, then punched a man in his chest, caving it in. All she could think about was how abandoning all fear and doubt was making her stronger. For the last goon, she stood up in front of him, then when he slashed, she, for lack of a better word, floated around him to his backside, then snapped his neck. The leader trembled in place, dropped the makeshift weapon, and fell to his knees, "Please, don't kill me! I have a wife, and a child!"

Taffy slowly walked over to him, leaned over, then whispered in his ear, "Only cowards accept death as an inevitability. You have lost all honor, all dignity, all pride. I will be merciful by taking your life, to spare you from this torment." As Taffy raised her hand for the killing blow, something grabbed her hand. It was a female canine. Taffy spun her around and began to choke her, and she saw the man whisper "no" in an inaudible tone, "Hm, very well. I offer you one last chance to regain part of what you have lost. Pick up your weapon." He did so, "In some cultures, it is called hara-kiri. Ritual suicide. An honorable way to die. Do this, and she will die quickly and painlessly."

The canine stood up, and once again accepted death. Taffy sighed as he turned the blade on himself, "Please, someone, watch over my child. I'm sorry. I truly am. I was not strong enough. Forgive me." He plunged the blade into his heart, then fell to the ground limp. His wife cried, and one of the teachings of the Lilith is to be true to your word. She snapped her neck.

"Five more dead. One was preventable. All of you! We were attacked, we took revenge. This assault here was unnecessary. Any more who wish to step forward may do so! I will protect my family at all costs, no individual is too important to die!" The crowd started to dissipate and walk away.

Taffy watched and scanned the crowd for any hidden threats, but Luckily, there was none. She decided to go back and find Yoko, mostly because she was bored and didn't know what else to do. While she could help with construction, a weight was just sitting on top of her and she needed to relax. She walked through the destroyed wall and went to go check on the housing for the Tanek, which had previously been empty. After a long walk, there were a few people directing the Tanek, but it was a slow process. Understandable, since they had just survived a heavy assault and were still putting the pieces back together. Taffy picked out Yoko at the back of the crowd, "Hey! How are you doing!" Peppy, but Taffy had to do something with the adrenaline rush.

"Ugh. Fine, I guess. This is going to take forever. By the way, I gave up my house to another because I was staying with you. I hope you don't mind." Yoko batted her eyelashes.

Taffy smiled, "Sure. I like the company anyway. Makes the room seem bigger. Come on, Let's go back to my place. Better than standing out here." Yoko and Taffy walked back to Taffy's house. As she opened the door, Yoko stared at the outside, "Hm? What is it?"

"Doesn't... the outside seem bigger to you?"

A thought hit Taffy. There was something mentioned about this house in her mother's diary. It was small, only a living area and a bathroom, but there was unused space that could be seen on the outside. Taffy flung open the armoire and skimmed through the diary. It said something about a room, but nothing more. She put the book down, then remembered her necklace, "Look around the wall by the bed for a tiny hole or something. It has to lead to another room." Yoko and Taffy began to scan the wall. Unfortunately, they didn't find anything.

Yoko knocked on the wall, "There isn't a hole, but this thing is hollow. Maybe it's somewhere else? Or another way to open it?" Taffy wasn't ready to give up. She looked all over the room, but still couldn't find anything.

However, "The gun stand. I got it!" She put the revolvers and her rifle in their places then looked closely at the stand. Sure enough, under a bit of dust was a small hole. She put the necklace in and heard a pop. Taffy then removed her guns, put her rifle across her shoulder and put one revolver in the holster, keeping the other in her hand. Between the bed and the door, a small crack appeared. Taffy pushed on it gently to feel for any traps, but the wall was loose. With a solid kick, the wall was knocked down, leading to a small room with yet another door. While this room was large enough for a room, it probably had better uses. The other door was heavy, and opened to a nice room with padded walls and a large bed. It had a warm color scheme, and Taffy knew what this was used for besides sleep, "Hey, shut the door for a second Yoko." She did so, leaving Taffy inside. She screamed at the top of her lungs for help, but no one came. She reached down for the doorknob and joined Yoko.

"Taffy, you don't look so good. Do you feel light headed? Because all of the blood just rushed to your head or something." Yoko was concerned, but Taffy just laughed, "What?"

"It's sound proof. I'm not going in there until I know it's clean."

Yoko raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?" Taffy explained her dreams about Chelsea, and how she knew why the room was like it was. Yoko flinched, but was a little excited at the same time, "So, if she was a lesbian, how are you here?"

Taffy put her hand over her mouth, "Hm... I haven't the slightest clue. Either way, I might have overreacted. It's probably clean. Hah..." Taffy exhaled loudly.

Yoko was concerned, "You... are having trouble dealing with all of this, aren't you? I can tell, it happened to some of the Tanek too. You just need to go on a little vacation. Not anywhere particularly far, but just far enough away to leave your troubles behind. Is there somewhere you would like to go?"

Taffy thought about it, "Well. There was this boy I knew back in middle school. He was a human, and an outcast, but it never bothered him. He was always trying to distance people from him. I remember this one time, some of the big kids were picking on the geeky kids and he simply stepped in. The big kids were at least four years older than him, but he stood strong. One of them threw a punch, and he proceeded to... uh... what's the word I'm looking for? Dominate, would be the best, them. He always stuck out for the little guy. Also, don't tell anyone this, but I had a bit of a crush on him. He walked me home one day, and hung out with me when my mom was late picking me up a few times. He was smart, but he was always on edge, like he had a secret to keep. Also, ever time I saw him, people were afraid of him and he was always looking around for someone."

Yoko leaned in with interest, "Sounds dreamy. What was his name? Maybe we could go and find him?"

"His name? Oh, right. How could I be so forgetful. It was Sam."