Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Love Will Be Right here. ❯ n/a ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I don't own GI Joe or Street Fighter!

 

The blistering sun rained down on the tropical suburban-like land as workers grudgingly carried heavy loads of furniture into a beautiful house in the suburbs. The movers worked all day moving the furniture, and pretty soon their work would pay off. As the men carried a dresser inside the sizeable home, a black four door sport utility vehicle approached the house. As the hulking automobile stopped at the curve, a young boy exited its door and marveled at the building in wonder. He was fairly short for a 9 and a half year old with short spiky black hair and dressed in a pair of jeans and a football jersey. The kid could not believe how beautiful his new home was.

“Wow… It's huge…”

“Yes it is, Brandy-honey,” answered the boy's mother as she left from the driver's side of the truck. The thirty-something year old women flicked her auburn hair to the side and smiled, “You like it?”

”Yes, Momma. This is going to be so cool,” the boy yelled as he ran inside the new home. Late on that week, the Redhawk family was just getting into the swing of things on the tropical island suburb. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Devon L. Hawk , the bread winner of the family, was seldom seen, off on secret missions that always worried his wife Terra. The Redhawk patriarch was part of the United States elite fighting corps, G.I. Joe. His wife knew his job was dangerous, for she had met him during his job (she had been working for the enemy at the time with Cobra's ruthless mercenary allies, The Dreadnaughts, but that, on its own is another story). All and all, however, the family was now starting to fit in. Roxy, the oldest of the children, was getting ready for her junior year of high school and got a job fixing dirt bikes and motorcycles. Darren had made some friends of his own, even catching the eye of a cute young redhead.

For Brandon, the youngest Redhawk however, his short time in this strange new town/suburb was boring. It didn't help that the boy was very shy and kept to himself most of the time. He was still hurt because he missed his friends from his previous home in Ft. Bragg. That Saturday morning, as Brandon walked downstairs, he saw his family at the table eating. As he sat down to eat his breakfast, Terra looked at her son's downcast face and asked, “Are you okay, Baby? You look a little down.”

The young boy sighed. ”I'm fine, Momma…”

”Yeah, what is wrong, Son? You still miss your friends back in Bragg,” asked Devon as he stuffed a piece of pancake in his mouth. Brandon looked up at his father and sighed again. “Pop, I don't know if any of the other kids will let me play with them. Things are so different here than it was back in Bragg.”

“Just give them a chance. I'm sure you'll make some new friends,” said Brandon's father consolingly.

After breakfast, the kid asked Darren, “Big Bro, can I hang out with you for awhile?”

”No way, Brand. Me and the guys are gonna go meet at the mall to a videogame tournament. Why don't you hang out with sis?”

”Because she's busy rebuilding an engine for team `Hot Stuff' at the garage.”

“Well, I guess you're S.O.L then, huh Bro? Buh-bye!” and with that the older Redhawk brother left Brandon.

Angered, the 9 year old left the house determined to find some friends on his own. Awhile later, Brandon sat down in one of the swings at the local park. The boy was now getting depressed. It seemed that he could find no one who could play with him. Then suddenly out of nowhere, the young boy was knocked in the head with a football, dropping him to the ground. As he recovers, he sees the prettiest green eyes he had ever seen in his life.

“You okay, kid? I didn't bruise you or nuttin'?”

“No… I'm fine”, said Brandon as he regained his bearings. In front of him was a cute young girl around his age with short strawberry blonde hair and was dressed in a cutoff t-shirt which said “Bad Girl” and a pair of ripped jeans. The tomboy tilted her head and smiled, “Cool. By the way, I'm Leilana, what's your name?”

”Brandon.”

”You wanna join me and my buds in a game o' football? We could use another person.”

The boy's eyes brighten up, “Sure!”

For the next two and a half years later, Brandon and Leilana became inseparable. The two shared secrets and kicked around. Leilana was not an average young girl, she did many boyish things like playing football and partaking in school wrestling matches. Her dream was to compete in octagon matches and win glory as a mixed martial artist. Leilana was not prim or proper, she loved to fight and get her hands dirty, which was mainly why most boys her aged avoided her like the plague. The only one of the few boys to give her the time of day was her best friend Brandon. He really didn't notice but his blonde friend had a raging crush on him that was obvious to those who knew them. Of course, she would never admit it, and if someone did ask her she would comically, but violently lash out her denial.

One day, at school, the two preteens were having a brilliant conversation, “No Way, Lei! The Cheese Meister would so kick Dirty Dan's butt!”

”Dream on, Brand! In a steal cage match, Dirty Dan would mop the flow with the Cheese!”

“Only because he would use the bars to hurt the Cheese,” Their conversation was put to a hold as their homeroom teacher got their attention, “Attention, Class. We have a new student. She came all the way from Arizona. Please say hello to Miss Mana Voltes.”

Suddenly, a young girl with bright green hair entered the room. She was dressed in a white sun dress with green trimming. Brandon was in awe at how strikingly pretty the girl was, not noticing the menacing glare Leilana shot at her. What annoyed the Leilana further was the green haired newbie bounded right up to the front of the class and cheerfully greeted herself, “Hello, I am Mana. I hope we can all be good friends.”

”Yeah… I'll bet,” the blonde jealously noted.

The teacher then smiled, “Okay, Miss Voltes, why don't you have a seat with Mr. Redhawk over there.”

Mana smiled back as she walked near Brandon's seat and sat next to him. She then gave the boy a sweet glance and asked, “What's your name, Cutie?”

“Umm…uh… B.. Brandon.”

Mana giggled, “Wanna show me around town today?”

Leilana mashed Brandon's face onto his desk and answered, “No thank you. He'll be with me today. He promised he'd take me to the Kung Fu movie Marathon.”

”Aww… To bad. I'm pretty sure he'll be available tomarrow.”

The jealous blonde gave the green haired girl a fake smile while grinding Brandon's face, “I'm sure he'll be too busy.”

For a while, Leilana had to deal with her best friend dating the prettiest girl in school. In short, she didn't like it one bit, for she knew her rival's personality. Mana was the daughter of Military Commanding Officer, Colonel Matt Voltes, and to put it short the green haired girl was a spoiled brat who wanted everything she saw.

What she wanted was Brandon.

It was girl next door versus spoiled rich girl. The rivalry with Mana, had led to Leilana growing out her hair. Her fiery blonde locks were once short in a boyish bowl cut, but after months, it had grown into an attractive bob cut; and after the next year, her hair was now reaching her shoulder blades.

Mana's interference and Leilana's resistance was for naught when Brandon's father was given orders to move to Japan. The youngest Redhhawk did not like the news one bit. He had to leave his best friend after more than four years just to start over again. He was slowly starting to see Leilana more than just a good friend and it seemed that he will never again have that chance. So he had no choice but to tell the fiery blonde.

That Saturday night before the Redhawk family had to leave the Island, Brandon stood at the playground holding a bouquet of roses waiting patiently. He had waited close to twenty minutes, before a certain female entered his view.

Leilana quickly spotted him, and sobered. She knew it was drawing soon for Brandon and his family to leave, and it hurt her deeply. As she walked up to her friend and accepted the flowers, Leilana sighed, “Thanks, Brandy. I guess this is it, huh?”

”I'm sorry… I would've love to stay here with you, but I guess my pop has other plans. Umm… Lei?”

“Yeah, Brandon?”

”I… For awhile, I've started growing very fond of you.”

”Hmmm?”

“I like you a lot, Lei… More so than a friend,” before he could react, Leilana stole a passionate kiss, taking the young army kid by surprise. After what seemed like a mere 10 minutes, the teens disengage, “Brandon… This sucks having you leave.”

”I know…”

I'll keep in contact with you and I hope you'll do the same.”

“Yeah.”

The next morning, Brandon and the rest of the Redhawk family left the Island, leaving a very depressed 13 year old girl. For awhile, Leilana had to adjust to her life without her best friend and first love. Her father suggested that she dated, but each time the blonde said she wasn't yet ready.

As soon as she turned fourteen, her Father decided to move to Japan to work a gig at teaching military troops Brazilian Jujitsu after he retired from the Army. Leilana was ecstatic with the news, thinking that it would be a chance to finish what she started with Brandon.

The move was not easy, as her father spent plenty of time searching for a new home while she and her younger brother Orlando were taken care of by her Aunt Kiki. It took nearly two months to complete the process of moving overseas.

Leilana's new home was located in a suburban ward near the military base. The house wasn't really all that big, but the blonde and her family managed well. As she adjusted herself sitting on the floor near the table, her father Rey dropped a pile of clothes near her. As Leilana looked closely, she could see that the clothing was somewhat of a variation of a sailor-type Japanese school girl uniform. Blushing, the tomboy asks her father, “What's this?”

”It's your school uniform, since you'll be attending here. As they say, `When in Rome.'”

“Aww jeez, Pop… It looks like a fanboy's wet dream.”

The tall red-haired man crossed his arms, “Never the less, you're putting that dress on and going to school.”

She sighed. ”Yes, Poppa… It's a good thing I know Japanese. Then it would really suck.”

“I'm sure you'll fit in nicely, Lei-Lei. Besides, your old friend Brandon's going to that school.”

The blonde's eyes lit up, “Really?”

”Yep,” the tomboy hugged her father tightly. It seemed things weren't so bad after all.

The very next day, as Leilana reached the school yard, she received some strange looks from left and right. The junior high already had its share of non-Japanese, so that wasn't the issue; Leilana had very mild coco tan and blazing strawberry blonde hair dangling over her shoulders in pony-tails, and the combination of the two features made half of the attendees initially think the blonde tomboy was a party girl. Leilana was dressed in the school's red and black trimmed sailor-type school uniform. If she was going to impress her old friend, she was going to do it her way. After going through the technicalities of getting processed and being sent to homeroom, she watched as her fellow classmates acted like complete asses throwing paper and other supplies and such.

Her teacher, Ms. Kusugi took her aluminum baseball bat and smacked it against the desk to get their focus. “Attention! Class, I would like to introduce to you a student who came all the way from Hawaii. Miss, would you like to introduce yourself?”

”Yes, Ma'am. Konnichiwa, the name is Leilana Blaze, but you could call me Leilana or Lei-chan if you want. I study different fighting styles such as Jeet Kune Do and Brazilian Jujitsu, so you perverts better step off,” warned the tomboy with a catty grin. While this was happening, Brandon saw the new girl and was shocked as he mused, `Leilana? How'd…. When did she? Wow, she's cute….'

Ms. Kusugi giggled, “Okay, Miss Blaze. That will be all now.”

”Yes, Ma'am.”

Suddenly a female voice called out, “Ms. Kusugi?”

“Yes, Machiko?”

“If she sits by me, I'll show her the ropes.”

“Hmmm… Perfect idea, Machiko.”

Suddenly, the tomboy turned to see her old friend sitting down near the window. He was dressed in black school boy uniform, which really showed his developing physique. A year had been very kind to the youngest Redhawk; his jet black hair was now shoulder length, giving him a bit of a rock star profile. He had grown in height, almost taller than Leilana. Her mouth watered at how good looking her old friend was now. Her daydream was interrupted as she sat near the girl, Machiko. She was fairly taller than she was with long electric blue hair and matching eyes. Her pale skin reminded her of a glass of skim milk. Later that day, during lunch period, Leilana reached the school grounds to see her old friend sitting on a bench peacefully. The tomboy spoke up with some courage, “Brandy!”

”Leilana”, the teen answered as he walked up to the blonde gave her a tight hug, “It's good to see you again. How'd you get here?”

“Pops got a job at the nearby military base as a military combatant instructor. I'm glad to see you, Brand… it's been so long.”

”I know… You look great.”

”You too.”

“Brand-kun,” cried a familiar voice, interrupting the tender moment. Leilana turned to see the class representative, Machiko Daitikuji who was holding two boxed lunches. As she reached the two, she told the young teen boy, “Brand-Kun, I made you some lunch… Oh, Leilana-san, how are you? I see you are on familiar terms with Brand-kun?”

”We were close friends when we lived in Hawaii.”

”Oh… Would you like to join us for lunch?”

”Sure…”

Machiko was of course Brandon's new girlfriend whom he met as soon as he has arrived. Watching the couple get lovely-dovey during lunch hurt the blonde to no end. But she knew deep down, it was for the best. If she couldn't be his girlfriend, she could be his best friend again. The next few months, things ran smoothly. Leilana somewhat got over Brandon and tried dating other boys. Her problems back in the states came back worse; too many boys thought she was either a violent tomboy (which was somewhat true) or some skanky party girl due to the fact that she resembled a Ganguro girl (much to her anger).

Either way, the guys she approached feared for the worse, and her attempts at dating never worked out. The only guys that did pay attention to her were either hormone crazed boys, thuggish youths, and her best friend Brandon (only he was taken). So for awhile, she had no real interaction with boys. The next year and a half wasn't too bad despite the fact that her friend was still in the arms of the hottest girl in the school, Machiko.

The big school dance came around, and things were starting to look depressing. Rey Blaze became one of the chaperones and of course made his daughter go to the dance. Leilana didn't want to go at all. She thought no other boys wanted her and the only boy she truly wanted was involved with another girl. Never the less, she came to the dance wearing a reddish orange gown. Her fiery golden hair was set loosely, decorated with some glitter and a red rose. The night of course was boring and depressing. She was not enjoying her time at the dance as she became a wallflower, staring at all the other loving students dancing. Feeling disgusted, the tomboy left the main ball room.

As she walked down the hallway, she heard some sobbing coming from a bundle. As she got closer, she saw Brandon hunched over in a fetal position holding a bouquet of roses. It hurt her seeing her best friend in pain. She could tell that it must have something to do with her Class Rep's absence during the dance. She walked up to her downed friend and spoke up, “Hey… Brandon.”

”Sniff… Lei?”

”What's wrong, Man? You don't look like yourself. What happened?”

”Machiko dumped me…. When I walked up to her house, I saw her answer the door wearing nothing but a white t-shirt. She told me that things between us weren't working out and she ran into some guy named Todd. It was as if she wanted me to feel happy for her.”

”Well, in my honest opinion I hope that bitch dies of some sort of crazy disease. Who does she think she is throwing your love away like yesterday's trash, Brand!”

“Huh…?”

Leilana grabbed onto her friend's wrist and pulled him up, “Listen! That girl doesn't deserve you! You're a sweet and kind young man who could have anyone in the world! You will get over her and have a good time tonight understood, Soldier!”

”Understood!” He yelped.

Leilana smiled as she took the bouquet and grabbed onto her friend's arm, “Now… Come with me so we both can have fun, okay?”

”Okay.”

And they did, it was as if their previous pain was nonexistent. From then on, Leilana and Brandon were even closer, which lead to them dating regularly. The tomboy's father didn't mind much since he knew that her little girl was now happy. The Redhawk's however a totally different matter; Devon didn't care much, but his wife Terra was initially against it. It was mainly because Leilana reminded her too much of herself during her youth. After some tough trials, she became to accept the girl as if she was her own daughter. Things were looking up for the next several months.

That summer, however, was a different story. Brandon's father began processing his retirement from the army after twenty five years of the rank of CW4. The news was supposed to be great, but the Redhawk patriarch decided he wanted his family to move back to the United States. Devon wanted a quiet suburban home so he could spend his time with his family. Roxy had left years ago, and Darren recently graduated the previous spring. He had picked Arcadia because a friend of his recommended that the town had a great school and a peaceful coast line. It had been several years since he lived in the State's main land, so it was a given. Just as Brandon had to leave his home to give Leilana the bad news, his friend opened the door to meet him with a sadden face. They both spoke up simultaneously, but quickly hushed.

”You first, Lei.”

“Congratulations on your dad. Brandon, but I got some bad news…. My pop decided to open a dojo back in the states.”

”Oh… we're moving in the states, too. Only in some small town called Arcadia.”

”Funny… Dad told me we were going to Arcadia as well…”

”Really?! That's great! That means we can finish high school together!”

”I'm so happy,” cried Leilana as she grabbed Brandon for a hug. Terra looked out from the kitchen to see her son and his friend hugging and smiled. Things were going to work out after all…

Chaos high School in Arcadia was the weirdest experience of both Brandon and Leilana's young life. Brandon had made some good friends with the likes of Cowen and Cay. On the other hand, Leilana made some female friends like Akari. It was strange, years before, it was hard to make other friends but in Arcadia it was somehow different. It was also discovered that the school and the town were not your average place to be. There were many adventures and battles as Chaos lived up to his name.

Leilana confessed her undying love, followed by Brandon's promise to go steady. The school life alone was almost that of a soap opera. There were scheming cliques, love triangles, betrayals, hate, love, and whatever it was it was in Chaos High school. The next year pitted the couple with many trials.

One morning, Brandon reentered his home with a bundle of mail. He was eager to see if a certain letter would get him to a reasonable college. Initially, the boy had been hoping to get accepted to a military college to be commissioned as a fighter pilot. If not, than he'd have to go to a regular college and attend an ROTC program. As he fumbled through the stack of envelopes, one of which caught his eye. It was a letter from the US Air Force Academy located in Colorado Springs.

He ripped it open immediately.

His mother and father stared as he shouted in childlike glee. He read aloud, “Dear Mr. Redhawk… It is come to our attention that that your grades and your school achievements strongly recommend you to us for a future leader… etc…etc… Mom, Dad! I've been accepted!”

”Oh, that's wonderful, Baby,” praised Terra as she hugged her son.

Devon crossed his arms, “So my little boy's going to be Jet Jockey, eh? Why couldn't you go to West Point to get your commission?”

”Because I want to fly, not command troops, pop.”

The older Redhawk shrugged, “You could at least join the Army to get your warrant flying like your old man.”

“Daaaad…”

Later that day, Brandon met up with Leilana at the local playground. He looks up at the blonde with a big smile and told her, “Hey, Lei-chan. Guess what?”

”What?”

”I've been accepted to an Air Force Academy in Colorado. I'll be leaving to go there by the end of the summer.”

The impact of the news struck Leilana in the heart. She looked back at him, her expression carrying all the pain from before and then some. “So you're leaving?”

”I thought you'd be happy. I've been telling you for years that I wanted to go and fly jets someday.”

“But I…. I thought you weren't serious about that. I guess I was wrong. I was hoping you'd come with me… I'll be going on a training journey to compete in many tournaments and to see the world.”

”I'm sorry, Lei… I…. have other plans. Maybe we'll see each other again someday.”

”You're just going to leave me again like all the other times… I gotta go.”

”Wait… Leilana!”

“Shut up! Go ahead and fly those stupid jets! And while you're at it go fuck around with those cute little academy girls while you're at it! It's over!” screamed the heartbroken blonde as she left an equally heartbroken Brandon.

The teen looked away guiltily. “It's not even like that… I'm… sorry.”

Graduation came without a hitch, except for the fact that Brandon didn't see his ex-girlfriend after the ceremony. Even though Leilana had graduated along with him, she couldn't take the fact that she was losing him again. It was tearing her apart, since he had left her the first time. But she couldn't just leave him like that while he ran off to the academy. She had to accept the fact, and she admitted her ambitions were selfish. `Like they say, if you love someone you have to let them go.'

So when the graduation ceremony ended, she left to implement her plan; her plan to show Brandon how deeply she loved him. Later on that night, after a night of spending time with his friends, Brandon entered his room tired and depressed. He couldn't find Leilana anywhere since graduation ended, and it hurt him to the point where he could eat much. As he dressed down to a pair of pajama pants and a torn t-shirt, he noticed an odd rapping on the window. As he opens, he sees that it was Leilana, dressed in her graduation gown. Guiding her back into the room, the boy stretched and asked his ex, “What's the big deal with leaving so soon. You had me worried sick about you.”

“Well, I had to prepare for tonight. Besides, I'm sorry for earlier. I… I'm scared of losing you again like all the other times.”

”I'm scared, too. My life's heading to a strange new place. I'm not going to give up on my dream, and I hope you won't give up yours. Even if it's for me.”

”Brandon…. That's the sweetest thing I ever heard. And now… The other reason why I'm here.”

“And what's that?”

Leilana undid her gown, letting it fall in a ruffled heap. She was only clad in a pair of red panties. The blonde girl whipped out a condom and smiled devilishly, “Tonight Brandon, we both have another graduation. We're graduating to adulthood.”

That summer, both Brandon and Leilana were once again inseparable. They dated everyday, and each night was filled with passion. It was to the point where Orlando, Leilana's annoying little brother, kept walking in on them. Of course, fearing for his life, the younger boy kept their encounters a secret.

It was now August, the inevitable day that Brandon left the nest to become a man of his own, and the couple was at the airport. After he had bid his family and friends goodbye, the boy in question looked at his girl and said, “Well, this is it.”

”Yeah… I guess you'll be leaving now, huh,” Leilana with a shaky voice, “Hold me.”

“I will,” Brandon complied. He boldly kissed Leilana to remind her of the times they shared, to be interrupted when it was announced that Brandon's flight was now boarding. He looked at Leilana sadly, “I guess it's time.”

She watched Brandon carry off his things, she then said, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Answered the teen as he left to his plane, leaving Leilana alone with her Dad and Brandon's family. She quietly said to herself, “I will never stop loving you.”

It was the week before Brandon graduated from the academy, and the twenty-two year old was in his barracks staring out the window. For the last four years, Brandon had gotten over his breakup and begun dating again. Academy life proved nerve wrecking learning how to become a leader, a pilot, and on top of that he had normal school work to worry about. He felt as if his head was going to explode with all the information. The young man was now over six feet and the clean cut look made him more handsome. His thoughts were interrupted as he heard his door opening, revealing a blonde man. “Hey, Redhawk, I got some tickets to this grappling tournament downtown. I was hoping you'd come with us to see it.”

”Sure Lewis, I'll be ready in just a sec.”

Awhile later, at the local sporting arena, Brandon and his cadet friends attended the brutal mixed martial arts tournament. There were many combatants who competed, each showing their own blend of fighting styles ranging from jujitsu to judo. But somehow some way, one fighter however broke the mold. Standing at a mere five feet two inches, this lovely young Vale Todo fighter showed no mercy. Each match the woman competed usually broke the bones of her fallen opponent. The announcers called the woman, “The Princess of Pain” for she had a long undefeated streak which had started four years ago. The girl was a crowd favorite, but to Brandon she was more. During the final match, the young cadet stared in wonder as the Princess of Pain inflicted her namesake on some poor judo fighter. Lewis looked at Brandon and smirked, “Like what you see?”

“Oh, it's not like that, it's just…”

”I see that you like that sort of thing.”

”That's not what I mean… I know that girl.”

”Sure you do.”

”Her name's Leilana Blaze. She's been practicing all sorts of grappling move since she could walk. Her dad was “Rey-Rey the Killer”.”

“You're joking! You know that girl?! Since when?”

“Since we were in the 5th grade.”

“I don't believe you.”

After the match Leilana victorious from her dismantling some poor judo schmuck by separating his shoulder and making him scream “mommy.” After she had finished her shower, she exited the bathroom, only to see an old picture of her and her old friend when they were kids. She stared at the old picture and sighed, “Brandon…. I wonder what you're doing now.” She placed the picture back in her gym bag with the rest of her things before she dressed to go.

As she walked down the lobby, the blonde gasped at the site of a familiar looking young man talking with his friends. She could tell it was her old friend and first love. And she drooled at the site of how he'd grown. With much enthusiasm, Leilana called out to the cadet, “Hey, Brandy!”

Lewis stared at his fellow cadet, “Brandy?”

”Leilana? Is that you?”

”Yes, it's me… You look great.”

”You too.”

“Umm… wanna… go out and get something to eat so we could catch up on old times?”

”Sure,” answered Brandon as he grabbed a hold of the blonde's hand. As they leave, his cadet friends were slack jawed from shock, “Did he just….”

”Yeah, dude…. He did.”

The two spent that evening catching up on old times. Brandon talked about his hectic academy days as he had to cram and study while Leilana talked about the four year long undefeated streak she created out of blood and sweat. She admitted that whenever she fights, she used her love give her the strength to win, which impressed and touched Brandon. That night they spent in passion and need, and so it continued for the next week as each date started with a nostalgic conversation and ended in Leilana's bed in her hotel room.

The night before graduation however was different. This time it was at a fancy restaurant in town. After eating, the couple walked to the park with their hands lovingly intertwined. “Did you like the date, Lei?”

”Yeah, it was very nice.”

”There's something I want to get off my chest right quick”

”Like what?” asked the blonde, stopping short when she noticed her old friend down on one knee. She gasped as she saw him reveal a diamond ring with a small velvet box.

“Leilana Blaze… Will you marry me?”

Shocked and overwhelmed, Leilana dropped to her own knees and hugged her man. “Yes… YES!”

That night of course, ended like all the other nights, but ten-fold. Everything within Leilana was brought out to her lover and friend, and bliss was their reward. However, when Brandon soon regained consciousness, he noticed that all of Leilana's things were gone. He looked to his side and there was a note. It read:

`Dear, Brandon

I'm sorry I had to leave you like I did, but I couldn't tell you that I wasn't ready to settle down just yet. Anyways, I don't want to tie you down either… So for what it's worth, I thank you for reminding me of all the good times we shared. And I hope you find your dreams.

Love, Leilana, the Goddess of Octagon'

Sighing, the cadet hunched over with disappointment, “I guess I'll see you later then….”

Brandon's graduation went by smoothly as he was now given the golden bar of his new Rank, First Lieutenant. It gave the young man much pride and joy to know his four years of brain busting paid off. He was then greeted by his family and friends who congratulated him for his achievements. But somehow he knew that Leilana was watching him. The girl in question left the scene as she approached her taxi. She then smiled, “Until we meet again…. My love.”

Almost four years later, in an Air Force Base out in the west coast, morning had come as the blazing sun started to rise. Inside the quaint little condo near the valley, the young Captain Brandon Redhawk Commander of the infamous new F-22 squadron “the Black Knights” was sleeping peacefully in his queen sized bed.

For the last few years, Brandon had been entered into a Special operations unit under the command of Lieutenant Colonel William Guile. The tall C.O saw some potential in the young officer so he took him under his wing. Many battles had been fought, many of which were against a crime syndicate named Shadow Law. Brandon had led the air strike which leveled the main head quarters while Guile and a group of street fighters from abroad somehow defeated the maniacal Mike Bison. That alone promoted the young pilot from First Lieutenant to Captain. Yet, with all of his achievements, his love life was less than stellar. All of the women who he had hooked up with did not work out. Deep down, he still carried feelings for his old friend.

Brandon's peaceful sleep was disturbed as he heard knocking on the door. The young captain got up from his bed and stretched, showing nothing more than a pair of briefs. He then proceeded to put on a pair of worn jeans. The door's knocking increased, angering Brandon as he walked downstairs. One of the only two days of the week where he could relax and sleep in was interrupted by some jackass at the door, thought the young captain as he approached the door.

”This had better be good,” yawned the captain as he opened the door, only to see a certain strawberry blonde woman dressed in a pair of jeans and a tank top. The woman's biggest change was her fiery blonde hair now styled in a bob cut. Leilana smiled and looked at her old friend, “Hi, Brandon, long time, no see.”

”Hi… Leilana. It has been a long time,” Brandon answered, bad mood forgotten as he fully opened the door and allowing his old friend to come in. He looked at the blonde, “So what's been going on with you? How'd you find me?”

”I've been doing well… Your mom told me where you were. I searched everywhere for you. You're a hard man to find.”

”It's been three years and no calls or nothing.”

“Look, I'm sorry for dipping out on you like that…. It's just that I wasn't ready to marry at that time.”

“A simple no would've hurt a lot less.”

“I know…. But I know you still had some business to take care of yourself.”

”Touché…”

“Brandon, there's something else I needed to tell you…. It's very important.”

”Like what,” asked the young pilot as Leilana guided him out his door. She ran up to her car, which was 20XX Dodge Magnum R/T wagon. Standing on the steps, Brandon was about to make a smart comment about his friend having a new automobile, but he was interrupted when Leilana took a small child from the rear seat and carried him to the young captain. The small child looked no older than three years old with copper red hair and a light caramel complexion. Leilana looks at Brandon and says, “This is Braxton, my son.”

”Your… son?”

“Yes… Looks just like his daddy, too. When I showed your mom, she was quite shocked,” the blonde said as she rocked her young child. Brandon was heartbroken, knowing that his old flame now has a child from some other guy. Before he could say anything, though he noticed the boy had soft hazel eyes similar to his own mother.

Brandon dug into his pockets and then his wallet to find an old picture of himself and his mother. He looked close into the picture and then to Leilana's child, and paled. He remembered that full week of passion that he'd spent with the blonde which certainly resulted in the birth of the boy facing him.

He was initially mad, Leilana kept the birth of his own child a secret for three years. Why? Was it because she thought he'd reject her? After sitting the tired boy down on the couch to watch cartoons, Brandon looked at his former lover and friend and asked yet answered, “He's mine, isn't he?”

”Yes… You were the only man I have been with, believe it or not.”

“Then why…. Why did you keep him from me for three years? I could've understood. Is this payback from senior year in high school?”

“No…. I was just scared…. Scared that you would not take us in. Scared that you don't love me anymore.”

Brandon embraced the tearful tomboy and said, “Please don't do that to yourself, Lei… Don't ever doubt about me not caring for you. I still do… No woman can ever compare to you.”

”Oh Brandy…”

Before the two start to kiss, little Braxton interrupted the mood, “Oooh… Mommy and Daddy make kissy faces.”

Brandon grinned. “I see our little man's pretty smart.”

“Yeah… He's a real Einstein alright…”

”So, Leilana… Do you… well you see….”

”Yes, I'll marry you, Dumbass.”

Several months later, the wedding ceremony between Ms. Leilana Blaze and Mr. Brandon Hawk was underway. The festive event had many friends and family members invited to see the beautiful couple to wed. Even Cowen, his friend from highschool who would drop in unexpectedly and inconveniently whenever possible had shown up to be his best man.

At the altar, Brandon, dressed in a handsome black suit was sweating bullets. The biggest day of his life and he was a nervous wreck; his other friend from high school Cay was prepared to catch him if he bolted, while the giant's girl Erolyn glared and looked impatient from the audience. “Come on, Brand. It won't take long… Just be calm and relax,” Cowen muttered from the corner of his mouth dryly, “you're ONLY about to pledge your undying devotion to the one person you've always wanted. Can't be THAT bad.”

“It's just that it's a big day and all and…” Brandon's nervous jibberish was halted as he looked at the young woman approaching them. Leilana was dressed in a very gorgeous white gown as her father Rey guided her down the isle. His life was about to change for the better.

A few years later, a young boy woke up from his long slumber. After taking much needed time in the bathroom to freshen up, the copper haired youth dressed up walked downstairs. It was his first day of school, and Braxton did not want to mess it up by being a nasty pig. His thoughts were interrupted as he sees his family eating at the table. There were two other children, one was 7 while the other was 12, who were sitting next to his parents eating pancakes and sausage. Brandon looked up at his eldest child and said, “Morning, Brax.”

”Morning, Pop.”

”Today's your first day of school, huh?”

”Yep. I hope Chaos High was as good for me as it is for you.”

”Remember, Sweety, make sure you keep your grades up. I wouldn't like it if my little boy's slacking,” said Leilana as she stuffed some pancakes in her mouth.

Braxton looked at his watch before snatching a pop tart. “Oh crap… gotta go!”

The Redhawk patriarch watching his son's retreating form and said, “Ah… kinda reminds me of my younger days, huh Lei?”

”Yeah”, the blonde answered as she watched her son walked down the streets with a cute grin. “Some things never change.”

End