I Want to Make You Feel Beautiful

Natalia thrust her blade into the pillow again. It was hardly recognizable, but that didn't stop her from stabbing it yet again, a wicked anger in her wild blue eyes.

"I HATE YOU!" she screamed for the millionth time as she gored the cushion further.

A loud clap of thunder answered vehemently from outside. She could hardly believe what she'd seen – her beloved brother kissing… that thing. She hated both of them.

"You knew I was watching, didn't you Brother?" her knife plunged into her ratty mattress now that her pillow was shredded, tearing a ragged gash halfway to the foot of the bed before meeting metal. A pained scream tore from her lips as she flung the knife across the small, barren room, lodging it in the wall. Frustrated at the bedspring that had stopped her rampage; she grabbed two smaller blades from the holster on her leg and began tearing at the mattress with both hands.

She wanted nothing more than to plunge a blade into her brother's back.

Run him through.

Twist the embedded blade.

Make him feel her pain.

Didn't he know nobody would ever love him like she did? Suddenly the terrible thought hit her: maybe Brother didn't care about her at all. That would explain why he was so cruel… but it couldn't be. Every brother loves his sister. A twisted smile played on her lips as thunder rolled again.

Brother knew how to hurt her, and she knew exactly how she'd hurt him back.

Her left hand snapped out, flicking its knife into the dingy room's only window. The malevolent glint in her dark eyes danced with the sound of breaking glass. Slowly, precisely, she reached down and undid both shoes, stepping out of them onto the cold floor. She padded over to the shattered window, her stocking feet moving silently.

Fluidly, she stepped up onto the sill, flicking away little shards of glass with her toes.

She looked out over the city, cloaked in the dingy grey of the oncoming storm. The wind toyed with her silver hair. For once she was glad her room was on the third floor. Thunder rumbled another grim warning.

Natalia smiled with an odd serenity as she looked to the sky, oblivious to the flash of green rounding the corner.

"Goodbye Brother." She spat as she tipped forward, closing her eyes and letting herself fall. She would finally have her revenge and be at peace.

"NATALIA!"

Before she knew it she was in someone's arms. 'This must be heaven.' She thought. 'I'm finally in Brother's strong arms…' she let her eyes flutter open. Rather than her brother's beaming face, she was met instead with a particularly distraught expression framed by plain brown hair. The man was panting heavily, having run quite a distance under such stress.

"Toris?!" she half-spat, half-questioned as she was jolted back to reality. She jumped from his arms.

"Nat – " he didn't get time for a response before she'd turned on him, knife pressed to his throat.

"I hate you!" she hissed. "Stop whatever you think you're doing! You're as bad as him – all of you just live to torture me!"

Toris opened his mouth to argue, but Natalia pushed her dagger closer, slamming it shut.

"Don't speak to me!" she screamed at him, blue eyes ablaze.

Toris knew how to pick his fights, and he knew there was no reasoning with Natalia once she got like this. He took a step back, dropping his head in submission when the pressure of the blade was gone. Natalia stood, trembling with anger, for a moment longer before turning away. With another mighty thunderclap, rain finally started to pour from the dark sky. Toris turned his tired head up and watched as she stumbled slightly on her way back to the tenement.

" I'm the one torturing you?" he muttered, loud enough for her to hear him.

She spun on her heel and leapt towards him, knife out. Expecting the reaction, Toris reached out and grabbed the stiletto, his fist closing around the sharp blade. Ignoring the pain, his other hand shot out and grabbed Natalia's empty fist, holding her fast.

"Damn it, Natalia!" he shouted, green eyes flashing. "When will you realize what you're doing?"

She was taken completely off-guard. How dare the terminally bland Toris try to challenge her? Her angry expression faltered for a moment, giving Toris the opportunity he was waiting for.

"It doesn't matter what I do, I'm still not good enough for you? I'm not your brother, so I'm not worth anything to you? Open your eyes! Your brother doesn't love you like I do! I just saved your life!! I know your stupid brother is the reason you were going to throw it away in the first place. When will you get it? I'm in love with you, Natalia! Too bad you just won't give me a chance!" his frustrated expression wore away at Natalia's defences more than she would have liked. Tears brimmed in her eyes, softening the glare they once held. Toris stood fast, panting as the rain soaked both of them.

Without another word, he kissed her. It was far from the soft, loving kiss he'd always imagined himself giving her; it was a determined, no-holds-barred, passionate beast. He didn't care if she was going to stab him in the end; he'd gone far too long without confronting his feelings. To his surprize, he felt her grip on the knife slipping. He yanked it away from her and threw it on the ground behind him as he drew back from her quivering form. Tears mixed with raindrops on her face, making her stunned expression shimmer.

Toris couldn't think of anything else to do but walk away. He half expected a blade to the back or at least an angry profanity, but nothing followed him. The silence was more trying than anything Toris had been though all day. Blood dripped from his hand, tainting the clear puddles on the ground, but he felt nothing. He was still stunned by his own actions and the realization of what would have happened if he hadn't followed the livid Natalia from her brother's house.

"Who do you think you are?" the words were irate, but they weren't steeped in the regular poison.

Toris stopped, looking over his shoulder at the shattered woman behind him.

"I'm nobody." He said sincerely, turning back.

He wanted to vanish completely, but his feet wouldn't even let him walk away. He couldn't hear the whispering footsteps over the great clap of thunder, and was genuinely surprized by the slender figure crashing into him, knocking him to the soaked ground. Sobs wracked her body and Toris gathered her into an embrace. She wailed into his shoulder as everything came crashing down upon her.

Despite himself, Toris let a faint smile creep onto his face.

Maybe he had a chance after all.