Fighter for Hire (COMPLETE!)

I take no credit for and make no profit off of the lyrics to Lacrymosa or Tourniquet. They both belong to Evanescence and the lyrics are courtesy of kovideo.net.

A/N: Thank you for the reviews, and I apologize up front if this chapter is a bit sloppy. It was very hard for me to write this chapter having been involved with a similar situation and the painful memmories that it brings up. Again, forgive me if it's a bit disorganized and try to enjoy it.

Chapter 6: Tourniquet

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Kate’s POV:

‘I shouldn’t have pushed him, shouldn’t have said a word, and should have just kept my damn mouth shut. You can be really stupid sometimes you know that?’ I couldn’t help but be angry with myself with what had just happened. His trust had been shattered many times and without a doubt I went beyond his comfort level and wanted to get to close to him. Without a doubt he was attracted to me, as I had caught him blush in the dim lights downstairs but he didn’t trust me. It’s a shame because I know what it feels like to go through some of what he’s been through. Losing your parents, losing what you thought was the love of your life. It was all so hard for me too, but someone as sweet as him shouldn’t have to suffer through those kinds of things. That monster that was tearing through people in the ring is not Nate. At least I didn’t think so. Either way I knew I should go after him. Apologize for making him uncomfortable and try and talk to him a little bit more, and get to know him. I had the radio on while I was cleaning the bar, the song playing was all too perfect.

“Lacrymosa, huh?” I said aloud. “Why not?” before I joined in singing to the radio

Out on your own
cold and alone again
can this be what you really wanted, baby?

Blame it on me
set your guilt free
nothing can hold you back now

Now that you're gone
I feel like myself again
grieving the things I can't repair and willing ...

to let you blame it on me
and set your guilt free
I don't want to hold you back now love

I can't change who I am
not this time, I wont lie to keep you near me
and in this short life, there's no time to waste on giving up
my love wasn't enough

and you can blame it on me
just set your guilt free, honey
I don't want to hold you back now love
(Amen)

‘Go get him’ were the only thoughts that came to mind when the song finished. I ran to the front door, locking it behind me, and out into the street following in the direction he had walked off in. Not to far off in the distance I saw flashing lights, and as I got closer I saw him standing there, still without a shirt on, the snow falling around him and sticking to his body made him shine. He absolutely looked ethereal, truly an angel fallen from heaven. I approached him but he was still. Actually, still would have been an understatement. He was frozen solid and unmoving like a marble statue.

“Nate, what’s wrong?” I asked. He hadn’t moved an inch. “Nate? Are you with me?” I asked again but no answer. It seem like an eternity before his lips moved.

“Dead” he whispered almost to soft for me to hear. “They’re…..both……dead.” His voice was so soft, low, and devoid of any emotion that it was frightening. He was pale white and aside from being the most incredible thing I’d ever laid eyes on, his eyes had so much pain in them it hurt just to look at them. I walked around to face him and look him in the eyes. I put my hands around his shoulders to try and snap him out of his trance. “Nate, who’s dead? What’s going on?” I asked with concern ringing out in my voice, afraid to know the answer really.

“Look.” He managed to just barely get that past his lips, the pain was evident in his voice now. I turned around to realize the lights were all police and ambulance. I hadn’t even paid attention to any of that, all I had seen was him. “Look closer,” he said “and take a look at the size.” When I saw the two body bags it finally hit me. Just like a Freightliner, I was at a loss for words. I looked at him, realizing that he was all alone now. He had absolutely no one left, but that wasn’t the worst part. I looked into his eyes and for the first time ever I was afraid of him. What were once a set of tranquil grey eyes that held pain and longing, were now a brilliant emerald green that burn with rage and fury.

“She died quickly. Shot in the head and didn’t feel any pain. He was shot twice, died slowly from bleeding out. They left a note.” He spoke with a voice I had never heard before. It wasn’t his beautiful tenor voice that would make any singer jealous, but a harsh and coarse baritone voice, ridden with ill will. He handed me the note and I read it out loud.

“Sorry for your loss, see you at the final tomorrow night.” I couldn’t believe they would stoop so low. I turned to him and asked him, “what should we do?”

“We? You mean what am I gonna do now? I’m going to kill them, slowly and violently.” His tone was so cold and emotionless that it sent chills down my spine. I turned to him and went to put a hand on him, to try and reason with him and calm him down. As soon as I made contact with him he snapped out of his trance and this primal snarl ripped out of his throat right at me. I screamed and jumped back in terror. Ok, maybe I was terrified of him for good reasons but I knew he was no monster.

“Go home, forget that I exist. It’s too late for me now. They signed their death warrant, and I’m the executioner.” He said in this animalistic tone. He was truly terrifying right now, but I still saw the pain in his eyes.

Before I could open my mouth he sprinted off, and was out of sight in a heartbeat. Now I had run track in high school but this was something else. He was quick, or on second thought, he was really fucking fast. I was chasing after him but he was moving so effortlessly it was as if he were gliding along the surface rather than running. Luckily the snow had accumulated enough on the ground that I could follow his foot steps. It wasn’t until I slowed down a bit that I actually notice the length of his strides. They were about 5 feet apart; he was unbelievable. “What can’t this guy do?” I thought out loud before I continued to chase him down. I saw the foot steps end at an apartment complex, and a very expensive one at that. Emelious had always done well for himself around here but neither of them really cared about that. They just liked the comfort it brought. I checked the call boxes to find Nate when I saw E. Rush on floor 2. I took the stairs quickly to the second floor and when I got there I only saw 4 doors. The last one on the left was open, or rather kicked in. There he was in a vest, four guns strapped, a sledgehammer in hand and an axe strapped across his back. He was preparing for a war, and he was joking about slow and violent.

“Nate, please don’t do this, there’s no need for this. You have a chance tomorrow, take it.” I pleaded with him but he wouldn’t even turn around. “NATHANIAL RUSH! YOU LOOK AT ME THIS INSTANT!” I screamed at him and he slowly turned to look at me. He walked over slowly stopping right in front of me. Aside from my heart feeling like it was going to beat out of my chest from fear and at the same time awe of this marvel of his kind, I held my ground.

“Go home” he said in a perfectly calm voice. “I already told you it’s to late for me.”

I just looked at him and put a hand on his face. “Then I’m really sorry I have to do this” I said as I reared back and threw my fist at his face with all the force I could. He just turned his cheek in the split second and the next thing I knew I heard the most horrific crack ever. Then there was nothing but this unimaginable burning pain in my hand.

“OW! OW! OW! OW! SON OF A BITCH MOTHERFUCKER!” I jumped up shaking out my hand. I’d broken my hand on his face, unreal. I hit him full force and he didn’t even flinch, let alone take any damage. The next thing I knew he was holding me still. My hand in his as he looked at it. I almost froze when I looked into his eyes to see that they grey and peaceful again. He undid his vest throwing it to the floor in the corner, still tending to my broken hand.

“I’m so sorry, I should have dodged it. I knew this would happen. It’s only a fracture and it’ll heal by itself but I have to reposition it. This is gonna hurt a little bit.” He met my gaze and the next thing I heard was this loud pop.

“OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!” I screamed out before I looked at him, tears still welling in my eyes from the pain. “What the hell are you made of? Concrete?” I joked to take my mind off the tension and the pain.
“Marble, actually” he replied but there was no smile to be found. Nor was there any emotion at all coming from him.

I went over to turn on his radio to take his mind off of everything before I tried to talk to him. Talk about living in hell, in the last 3 years he’s literally lost everything. The only upside is he really has nothing else he can lose, but still, I needed to do something. I couldn’t sit by and watch him suffer. Not when I felt the way I did about him. There was a time once when he was happy, and I was hoping to bring that back to him. I found a song I liked but what I heard next was magical. It was the beautiful tenor voice singing in perfect harmony with the song.

I tried to kill the pain.
But only brought more (so much more)
I lay dying,
And I'm pouring crimson regret and betrayal.
I'm dying, praying, bleeding and screaming.
Am I too lost to be saved?
Am I too lost?

My God, my tourniquet,
Return to me, salvation.
My God, my tourniquet,
Return to me, salvation.

Do you remember me,
Lost for so long?
Will you be on the other side,
Or will you forget me?
I'm dying, praying, bleeding and screaming.
Am I too lost to be saved?
Am I too lost?

My God, my tourniquet,
Return to me, salvation.
My God, my tourniquet,
Return to me, salvation.

My wounds cry for the grave,
My soul cries for deliverance.
Will I be denied?
Christ, tourniquet,
My suicide

“I’ve never heard a male voice sing that so beautifully and so well. That was incredible.” I said, still a bit stunned as to how well his voice matched hers, just a couple octaves lower.

“…………”

He was silent, his lips moved like he was trying to say something. They kept mouthing something out but I couldn’t make it out and not a sound was to be heard.

“I’m alone.” He whispered, “all alone now.” A blank look on his face wiped away by the horrific cry that sounded closer to a tiger’s roar. But it was full of pain and loss. Like a mother tiger that had just lost her cubs.

I walked over to where he sat against the wall in the corner and sat down next to him. “You’re not all alone Nate. I promise you I’ll stop this bleeding, and I’ll be your tourniquet. And I’m not letting you out of my sight, you need to be with someone right now. So I ask you, can I stay with you tonight?”

He didn’t reply, but he just part an arm around me and pull me close. I wiped away the lone tear that had escaped his eyes and put my head on his shoulder, where we stayed for the next hour.