You can hit me if you want. It seems that I have gotten into a bad habit of not posting.
So, here is the next little bit. I beg your forgiveness! *on knees* And thank you ever so much for the comments! If it weren't for the readers I would have stopped posting all together!
A cream towel wiped away the steam that had clouded on the mirror. Riven set it down and stared at the reflection of himself. His silver-white hair hung shone oddly with the light of the bathroom. Wondering blue eyes probed the face in front of them, questioning, searching. Prominent cheekbones ran smoothly into a sleek but strong jaw. It was a handsome face, something many would envy, but to Riven, it was nothing more than his face. His arms and chest were muscular but not bulky, the kind of build that comes from athletics. Reaching over to the doorknob he grabbed a white, long sleeve shirt. He pulled it over his shoulders, adjusted the collar, and did up the buttons. Laying the shirt neatly over his jeans, he flicked the bathroom light off and walked out of the bathroom. Ed was waiting with a plate of spaghetti and motioned for Riven to join him at the dining table. Riven pulled out the cherry wood chair and sat down. "I hope you like spaghetti." sang Ed cheerfully. For the first time in a long while, Riven genuinely smiled. It felt good. "I do." Ed smiled back and began to eat. Riven followed suit. The two young men made friendly conversation for a while until Ed asked a painfully simple question. "So, you used to have brown hair. Why the change? What dye did you use?" he shoveled another forkful of spaghetti into his mouth. Riven froze and turned his head down. A blush crept across his face. "I didn't." A few moments of silence passed until Ed coughed and looked at his watch. "Well, its 4:45. I'd better go pick up Caal." Riven nodded and was about to get up when a question pooped into his mind. "Is there somewhere I can lay down? I've had a…long day." Ed scooped his keys from the counter and replied, "sure, you can sleep in Caal's room. He won't mind. I'll be back in twenty minutes." Riven murmured assent and stood up as the door closed behind Ed. He made his way to Caal's room and stepped inside, not bothering to turn on the lights. It was very tidy, everything was in its place. A neatly made bead was positioned across the room from the door. Riven walked over to it and pulled back the covers. A picture caught the corner of his eye and he picked it up from Caal's desk. Two little boys with arms around each other smiled and waved to the camera. What appeared to be an amusement park bustled on behind them. Riven moved his thumb across the one on the right. He was a little brown-headed kid with beaming into the photo. Without warning, a tear slid across Riven's cheek and fell onto the glass of the frame. He was looking at a younger version of himself. A few vague memories of that trip floated in his head. He and the other little boy had begged his friend's brother, probably Ed, Riven mused, to take them on all the roller coasters and Ed had gotten sick. They'd bought cotton candy and rode the Ferris wheel at the end of the day. The whole park had been lit up like a fireworks display. Riven smiled as he remembered. Setting the picture down, he undressed and pulled on a pair of pajama pants. He settled himself under the covers and soon his breathing slowed. For the first time in a long while, Riven felt hope.
"Are you serious!" Caal exclaimed in surprise. He came to a halt in front of Renee and grabbed her shoulders. "Did they really start fighting?" Renee nodded and murmured a mmhm. Caal took his hands off his friend and they started walking again. "The Oso Corps mobile suits couldn't lay a finger on the other one." Renee informed Caal. He let out a low whistle. "So, what happened?" he questioned. "Well, the other suit just kept out of their reach. After a bit it took both of them out no sweat. I'm no expert, if you want to know more, watch the news." "Sure thing!" he replied enthusiastically. "There's Ed. I'll see ya later!" Caal ran off to his brother's car, leaving Renee to muse by herself. Just what was that mobile suit anyway? And why the Oso Corps suits engage it?
"You mean to tell me that he has no idea who we are?" Caal blurted. Today was just shock after shock. "Yep, I don't think he really knows who he is. When I called to him in the alley, he recognized his name, but I haven't questioned him further." Ed said, keeping his eyes on the road. "And you just left him at the apartment? Alone?" Ed turned to his worried little brother. "Caal, he's lost his memory, not his wits. Besides, from what I observed, he's more capable now then ever to take care of himself. He said he was going to bed." Caal calmed down a little and folded his arms across his chest. "I'll take your word. Did he look alright? Was he hurt?" Ed laughed. "Slow down with the questions. He looked fine, a little confused maybe. He's taller than you are now, and he died his hair. It's been two years, though, what can you expect." Caal sighed. "Did he mention his new foster parents?" A frown crossed the older sibling's face. "No, he didn't. I can't help but wonder what happened to him. It didn't seem like the time to push it, so I left him alone. We just talked about everyday things. By the way, I found something you might like." Ed removed the two feathers from his coat pocket and handed them to his brother. Caal's face brightened as he eagerly took the feathers and began to examine them. "Wow! These are huge! Did you see what kind of bird they were from?" Caal questioned excitedly. "I'm not so sure it was a bird." Ed answered. "What do you mean by that?" Before Ed could answer they pulled into the parking ramp. "I'll tell you later. Don't wake up Riven, he's had a long day."