Bloody Roses

[Strawberry Prince†]

This was getting nowhere, it was either now or never. Venus suddenly aimed a well poised dancing kick, slamming it into Felixs crotch. The blonde quickly drawed back and unseathed the rusted katana she ended up getting from Darren. She pointed the blade at Felix and gave him a sly smile, one of those sexy evil smiles the Bond girls usually have on their faces.

"I don't plan to be killed by you. Someone as imperfect as you? Hah, give me a break." Venus let a small chuckle escape her lips. "It'd be an dishonarable. My pride would be damaged forever. Thats something I can't afford." Venus felt ontop now, but even though she felt big the girl realized the odds if she engaged into a fight. New plan. Stand your ground, leave once things get tough. Some other sap can kill him...

This scene flashed again in her mind except under different circumstances. She'd remember how influential she was when it came to the school play. Venus was basically in charge of everybody while acting, singing, and dancing herself. Nobody dared to question her, unless they'd want to be greeted by one of her disapproving looks that could demean anyone into a depressed sobbing mess. It was something she took pride in, and that pride has resurfaced now in this particular situation. She was ontop, and their was nothing that could bring her down.

[Jotun†]

There was no denying that Felix was caught off guard. The mistake he made was that he didn't act when he should have, choosing to indulge himself first. For his failure he received a particularly brutal to the organ of life. Venus pulled away form him as he stumbled backwards, keeping his hands free of the affected area and forcing himself to breathe slowly. Visibly shaken, Felix glared at Venus, willing her to see the intensity, but not acting  - there was three feet of samurai steel between the two of them, and it was pointed at him. Venus launched into her self-indulgent tyrade.

"I don't plan to be killed by you. Someone as imperfect as you? Hah, give me a break. It'd be an dishonarable. My pride would be damaged forever. Thats something I can't afford."

Felix let out a low whistle.

"Yep. You're crazy."

Was that really unexpected? The life or death situation they were in was easily the most stressful they'd ever find themselves in. Venus probably didn't deal with stress well. She looked a bit pampered, and that perfection bit really did give the impression she was spoiled. Felix reasserted himself, his legs still shaking, and stepped forward, pressing this chest against the tip of the sword.

"S'fine, though. I like playing rough, anyway."

Felix twisted his body, forcing the blade to his left side as he moved forward, eliminating Venus's range advantage. His left hand rose and went straight for her throat, clenching into a fist, his right hand holding the jackknife, ready for a followup.

This might be overdoing it... oh well.

[Strawberry Prince†]

Venus jerked her head to the side dodging the fist. She then ulled her blade in front of her, the jackknife and the katana clanged against each other. She smiled thorugh the opening between the blades; "You really think I'm that easy? Don't flatter yourself." Venus pushed the jackknfie away with the katana and darted to the side aiming a diagonal slash at Felix. This was it. The final battle against imperfection was at hand. She needed to win, she needed to prove to herself and the rest of the world that perfection is the way of life.

Many emotions other than determination raced thorugh her mind; She was actually having some fun. Living on the edge, however living on the edge in a perfect way. She never did something this fast paced before, besides the dances she would do at school. This was all or nothing, she would give all her skill into this battle. She will win, perfection will eventually shoot out and destroy imperfection in the world.

[Jotun†]

Venus' movements, countering Felix's attacks, going on the offensive herself, were what Felix recognized as adeuqate to the point of surprising. Physically fit, good reflex, confident enough in her physical strength to fight, Felix recognized the signs of a dancer. Where that made Venus very graceful, she lacked the experience of a combatant. Her eyes followed her target, and Felix's followed hers. She moved her arms to slash, the trajectory obvious. Felix stepped back, throwing his arms out in a taunt as the Katana missed him by inches but caught a significant amount of his undone and untucked button-up shirt, not cutting through it. The shirt was pulled along with the blade, and Felix abandoned it and his backpack. In one swift motion, his arms were out of both and he was moving forward, past Venus whose body followed her blade.

Felix was standing behind her now, and grabbed her from behind, his left arm holding her across by her shoulders and his right hand again bringing the knife across her throat.

Adding insult to injury, Felix breathed in through his nose, making accroding sound effects.

"Mmm!" Felix said, displaying utmost satisfaction. "You're totally worth playing hard to get, you know that?"

[Strawberry Prince†]

What was the matter? Was she not strong enough? Was it the fact she was a simplestic girl against a strong buffon who gets into fights for a living. What was she to do? Venus was binded by te true form of imperfection. She had no where to go, her arms were forced down so she couldn't use her katana as a weapon. Venus was disarmed, the obnly weapon she had left to use was her charming looks and wit. "So what are you going to do to me? Kill me?"

It was a risk but anything goes at this point. She would just have to take the chance. The battle was nto over, it can't be over! Not until she said it would be. Perfection has come too far for it to suddenly become useless and pointless. "If that will satisfy your need for blood then do it!" Venus' anger boiled within her blood, she started to become eraged at this unfair balance between perfection and imperfection.

"Just do it!"

[Jotun†]

"Wow, you're a real screamer." Felix continued his harassment as Venus tried to charm her way out of his grasp, and then started screaming about his bloodlust. "We could have a lot of fun, you know." Felix let sexuality drive his words to their mark, trying to frustrate Venus while she was helpless.

"Just do it!"

Sounds like an invitation to me.

Felix spun her around with his arm so she was facing him and before she had a chance to react, planted his lips on hers.

Kissing was easy. Being good at it was similarly easy. For some all that was needed was technique, but Felix wouldn't settle for that, his free left hand caressed Venus' back, holding her in place more than anything. It was a whole ne wlevel to put passion in every kiss, and Felix could fake passion along wtih everything else. His right  hand found the back of Venus' neck, awkwardly pressing the handle of the still-present jackknife into it. Felix hope she took that as a threat instead of his not knowing what else to do wtih it, because he definately wouldn't drop it.

Well, I hope this accomplishes something...

Hopefully, he could just stab her while she was still in shock.

[Strawberry Prince†]

My skin doesn't fit
My words seem so hollow
I feel like a fraud
And that's a bitter pill to swallow

It hit her like a ton of bricks, she felt like the Wicked Witch of the East when Dorothys house fell ontop of her. Venus just stared at first into the closed eyelids of Felix. She didn't know how to react, what was she supposed to do? Venus did what any girl in this kind of position would do; The blonde goddess kissed Felix back, feeling her muscles pulsating as he caressed her. It was something that felt explosive, it was a realization to her mind. Everything she held ontop and valued in the past melted and vanished into a void of eternal nothingness.

Sometimes it hits me right between the eyes
Everyone can see through my disguise

Who was she fooling? "Miss Gwendolyn! Perfection! You must be perfect! You can't live life without any hints of imperfection! Miss Gwendolyn!!!" The voice of the grey lady started to fade away and the warmth of life slowly heated her heart that used to be barricaded by the ideas of perfectionism. It felt like her brain snapped out of a trance, a huge weight lifted off of her shoulders. Heaven felt like only a flutter away; Venus continued to dish out an equal amount of passion Felix gave her.

Who am I fooling
I'm just a smiling face
In a make-believe world

"Venus are you ready for your close up?" Marie Gwendolyn brushed the long golden hair of a 10 year old Venus. The girl just looked at the mirror, make up had transformed her face into that of a plastic doll. An elegant blue dress was put on her, and her hair had grown all the way down to her hips giving her a natural debutante look. "Yes, Mother." said Venus, continuing to look herself in the mirror. "Good, now remember to sing your heart out. If you win your going to become a very big star!" She nodded her head when a giggling laughter filled her eardrums.

"Yeah! Lets go play some handball outside!" said the voice a boy standing in the hall between the various dressingrooms. "Yea! Who cares about this dumb contest anyways!" this time it was a girl, who looked like she was also competing in the competition. "Lets go!" she pushed the boy with the handball and then ran down the hall laughing. "Stephanie? Stephanie! Where are you?" the voice of a mother eruppted into the chorus.  The clicking of heels went down the linoleum floor as she looked for her missing daughter.

"There you are! Young lady get back into the dressing room right now! Your going to be on soon!" "I don't want to Mommy, I want to play handball with Jeff!" The mother took one look at the young boy and snatched the handball away from her daughter hurling it threw an open window. "Your not to play with this little hooligan! You have some singing to do!" "I said no!" Stephanies mother grabbed her daughters hand and hauled her off to their dressing room, kicking and screaming the whole way.

"Hah, Mrs.Merkle can't even control her own daughter. Were sure to win!" Marie gave Venus a big smiled and hugged her, kissing her on the cheek. "Oh my little Venus! I'm going to be so proud when you win! You almost make me want to cry at this moment..." Tears strolled down Maries face as she hugged her one and only daughter. Venus just stood there and slowly hugged her back, her eyes staring at a blank spot on the wall. "Finally, God has given me a child whose perfect....."

There was no such thing as perfection, Venus knew this first hand now. Everyone has a number of things they are clumsy at doing, like pronounciation or an attitude problem or something. Nobody has the ability to always be correct in doing things, is there a correct way of doing things? Everyone has their own way. their own style, their own unique way of doing things. Nothing is perfect, and nothing will ever be. Some people just dellude themselves to think so, but in reality things are just the way they are. Imperfect, different, unique, strange, odd, wrong, etc.

This realization swirled around her, swelling up her eyes, tears started to roll down her cheeks as she kissed him. Sad for all the things she's done or tryed to do, yet happy that she can now finally live. Happy that maybe things will be looking up on her, happy that she has a second chance at living the life she has been giving.

Who am I fooling
I'm just a wannabe
So easy to replace
Pretending I'm a perfect girl

[Jotun†]

What the...?

Felix was taken aback when venus was surprisingly cooperative his latest move. H moved his left hand to her face to both caress it and keep her from following as he pulled away to get a good looka t her, when he felt moisture under his hand. Tears. Felix pulled back in surprise, looking at her. He kept the knife ready regardless, but he doubted an insane Venus could make herself cry.

"Are you alright?" Felix asked uncertaintly.

And people say I'm unpredictable. Maybe I should look into going insane.

[Strawberry Prince†]

Venus looked at Felix with red eyes, a look of sadness and remorse upon her face. "I'm sorry......I'm so sorry......For everything......" The blonde girl buried her face into his chest, crying and crying. Crying for everything that she's ever done, every little bad thought that went thorughout her head. She cryed doing the unthinkable to Zed, and every other impurity she's committed. This whole situation has thrown her off balance, the stress ran through her like a cancer. Something that kept growing and growing within her, thank fate that Felix's kiss cut it out before it reached her heart.

"Please.........Don't let go......."

[Jotun†]

Felix comfortingly wrapped his arms around, being as consoling as he could as he silently pondered about how weird this was. First, Venus had threatened his life, and was clearly a stark raving psycho. She was still obviously crazy, but it was a timid and scared crazy that creeped Felix out, though he gave no sign of it. Still, the positives of this situation were not lost on him, and so he played along, a perfect actor.

"Don't worry, you'll be okay..." It was such a fake line, but Felix could deliver.

And why wouldn't he? For all of her instability, Venus was beautiful. She had already shown she could persuaded to put up a fight, she was sensitive enough to do whatever Felix asked. She would rely on him. But first, she needed to pull herself together.

She asked him not to leave. We'll see.

"You want to stay with me...?" Felix asked, trying to be encouraging. "Show me that you can do it on your own. Show me why I want you around." Felix smiled, tauning again, but this time it was friendly. He let her know with his eyes that he wanted her to prove herself. "All you gotta do is keep up. Don't die, for both our sakes, and don't fall behind."

She could keep up, Felix knew it. She was in shape and capable and had survived this long, but this way she would feel stronger. And Felix needed someone strong. Still smiling, Felix turned gracefully, adjusted his backpack, picked up his discarded shirt, and held his knife so he wouldn't stab himself as he ran. And then he ran, away from Venus.

Come on, babe.

((Continued in Rage against the Machine))

[Strawberry Prince†]

Venus nodded her head, litsening to Felix' kind words. She needed a guide, someone to lead her back to the reality of life. Keep up.........Yes......I will keep up....I'll prove myself to you! I'm capable of living! She screamed inside her head but looked fresh and delicate on the outside. Felix then suddenly took off, taking the scent of the roses with him. Through the lilies, tulips, and daisies; Felix ran, and it was the test. The test to capabability, the teso f valour and courageousness.

She could face this. The sun dried her tears as her cold and serious face melted into a breathtaking smile. She marched to her backpack, the sludgehammer still weighing the thing down. But it didn't matter, after the encouraging sunlight shinined upon her she slung the bag around her shoulders and looked around her. The flowers gleamed and dazzled with the suns energy, bellflowers, dahlias, carnations, gardenias, and other variety of greenery and flowers sang an song of encouragement to Venus.

The Goddess of Beauty and Love looked around her, it was all to much. With one hand she wiped her tears away, and after a quick breath and a stretch Venus ran. She ran past the delirious aromas and sweet smells of the petal and pollen that soaked thorugh her clothes. "I'll catch upto you Felix, I'll catch up to you my love!" Venus continued running thorugh the lovley botanical gardens that stood seeing the daughter of Gwendolyn rush off to meet with her soul mate, waiting for her in the dark abyss of ensnarement.

((Continued in The Greed of Men))