Author: One Lie At A Time

Title: Safe in Your Arms / Formerly Safe

Genre(s): Romance, Hurt / Comfort, Drama

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own G.I JOE and its characters, they belong to their rightful owner(s), the wonderful people who form the childhood of hundreds and give imagination to thousands. Thank you all for your efforts. I only own my humble story and my characters.

Warning(s): Some curses and blood. Original character mentioned, please be alerted if you don't like OCs!

Pairing(s): Snake Eyes / Scarlett

Summary: Scarlett's captured by Baroness during a mission in order to save Snake Eyes, but little does she know her own savior isn't who she most expects.

Safe in Your Arm.

She kissed his gloved fingers and rested her lips on their entangled hands. She doesn't know what to say. Telling him to fight well was unnecessary as she knows he can handle himself better than any of them and there's no point telling him to come back soon. But she knew she just had to tell him something, not only to see him off but to calm these stirs in her stomach as well. She stole a look of his face and his eyes, as if they'd seen through her worries, were comforting.

"Don't wander." She finally said and squeezed him a small smile. He nodded crisply, signed her he won't and even with the sword hanging on his belt and the dark mask covering his entire face, he seemed so sweet and gentle. The brush of his loving glance on her face's worth a thousand words. So she sat back and waited.

But he did not return.

Scarlett growled angrily at what she's witnessing, the sight of her comrades being thrown like rag dolls and innocent people being slaughtered mercilessly. Bullets' sparks, fire and the rays of day light were blinding and the mid-day heat soaked her to her bones. The rough sensation of sands under her knees, in her palms and hair stood out vividly despite the stung and ache of all the wounds she had. She was angry at first, cursing and threatening every Cobras she saw but then desperation slowly crept in and her cries stuck in her throat, slipped her lips as chocked gasps and deep howls of pain. She pressed her forehead down the ground and shielded her eyes from the horrifying bloodshed, but the sounds remained. She'll never forget those screams.

"Stop it." She chocked, her eyes felt dry and sore as unbearable horrors continued being unfolded before her. It was the worst kind of torture. There's a jerk and she shot up with a scream, her whole body tensed in desperate attempts to cope with the pain. She was relieved and slumped as soon as the black heel was removed from her wound. Owner of said heel softly curved her deep red lips, the child-like gleams of her big round eyes almost made her look innocent. She knelt and leveled her eyes with Scarlett's, forced the woman to return her look. Opposite with hers, her soft green eyes held nothing but disgust and hatred.

"What an intense look you've got." She chirped with an inappropriate joyous tone. The redhead shot up but was caught and grinded down. "No need to be so drop-dead serious!"

"Stand back, Baroness." Another voice cut in before Scarlett could pry her clenched teeth open and snarled. That person slowly walked into sight, dripping-with-blood blades hung leisurely on the sides of her body. The remarkable curves of blade and its red handles couldn't be mistaken as anything else and she instantly knew who's standing before her. She felt hot blood raced to her head as the thick liquid dripped on her cheek, drew bright red lines and she jerked furiously, her glares darkened with anger. The troop who held her by her wrists slammed a butt of gun at her temple and Scarlett fell over, disoriented. She struggled to sit up but failed every time and finally dropped on the ground, her vision's blurred slowly. Someone nudged her stomach and rolled her over as she gazed dazzledly at the sky, a perfect white canvas that spread to the blackening edges of her view.

"You need to loosen up, too, Night Rain." She faintly heard the dark-haired woman said. Instead of any audible respond, Scarlett saw the Asian shrugged something off her shoulder and a form- she could not tell who's who anymore- approached her slowly, a soft blue hue stood out above all smeared images. She remembered his eyes, glowing with happiness and love whenever they're directed at her and the flawed but almost identical shade put her at ease. She let out a soft sigh.

"Don't worry." The kunoichi whispered almost too calmingly. "He's waiting for you."

She wrapped her fingers around her neck and after a few seconds she sunk into darkness.

Scarlett woke up again upon receiving a splash of cold water in her face. She coughed up blood and a fit of dry air, only to gulp them down once again. Her eyes stretched wide at what she saw.

"Snake Eyes!" She cried and tried to reach him but in vain as her hands were cuffed to the wall and her legs- even the broken one- were chained to the floor. She was sitting in an uncomfortable pose with her ankles being cuffed together and her wrists held up separated above her head. She jerked the cuffs angrily but soon steered her glares away. She scanned the room quickly and spotted two troops, one leaning very close to her and the other folded his arms next to Snake Eyes. She snarled, "What did you do to him? Spit it out!"

"Oh, sure we can dolly, but you're not going to like it." One closer to Snake Eyes, a slumped form she couldn't even sure was breathing or not, spoke. "Soon, you're going to be like him. The rest of your team are all dead by now. You're the only ones survived- isn't that romantic?"

Scarlett clung onto their joking tone and cried inwardly that they only did that to fool her. Break her more. Her tensed mind ran through every little evidence she could collect and recall that proved they're lying and she drew a deep breath to calm herself. Regardless, her heart pounded furiously in her chest.

"It can't be true." She hated how vulnerable and weak she sounded. "Snake Eyes! Answer me! Snake!"

"Just cut it!" The slap hit her so hard it forced air out of her and her head was swaying wildly by the time she felt pain. Scarlett licked her wet lips and realized not only had she cut her lips, blood was also streaming down from her nose. She spat and glared at them darkly despite the fact her head hurt even more doing so.

"No use glaring. Better use the rest of your time figuring your last words." They dusted their hand casually and rushed outside. The hinges of the heavy-looking door hissed sharply and a click quickly followed, echoed in the dark room. Scarlett pressed down her fears as she dragged a gasp and called him again.

She wished that she was wrong, but how could she possibly mistake the figure that sleeps next to her every night? Not to mention he who owns that figure is the one that kisses her lips every morning and protects her from showers of bullets every mission. She would recognize him even when he's ashes and bones. But right now that's not the best reference she wanted to think about. Scarlett winced and stopped after a while, her attempts were proved fruitless. The man being chained not far before her- her Snake Eyes- was battered so badly she thought probably losing consciousness was the best for him. His sand-colored hair was tangled with mud and blood which's still leaking down his temples from wounds she couldn't see. The unnatural angle that his limbs were in broke her just by looking at it- she assumed as least five of his fingers must have been broken. His skin was colored with dark purple and dirty red, mildly highlighted by the dim yellow light. Moreover, his mask was taken off and his torso was completely exposed, covered in gashes and half-healed scars and the grains she saw were later identified as sands, used to torture him more. Scarlett had thought it was the light that sway but in fact it was Snake Eyes himself, dipping drowsily like a half-sleeping man. He looked more like a hanging corpse than a master ninja. Her mouth tasted bitter as she bit back a pained howl.

"Snake... I'm sorry... Snake..." She cried, tears shoved past her long lashes and planted themselves on her thighs, creating dark-colored dots. She rocked back and forth slightly, calling his name but fearing she might wake him which will bring him back to agonizing hell. These tears were too much for her pride to hide.

Scarlett thought about the time they last met. Would it be any different if she had say 'Good luck' or 'Be well'? She laughed at herself but didn't toss the thoughts away. She would say it a million time, a billion time if that ever kept him safe in the battle field. She would chant them over and over until he disappeared into the crowd, among the trees or long after he's gone behind the closed door of his quarter. She would even learn how to say it in ten languages or more and probably noted it everywhere he usually comes just for 'luck'. But it's most certainly a useless thing to do, as words and wishes do not win a battle of shield one from harm. She sighed, smeared her blood and tears on her sleeves, trying to wipe away her outburst of emotions and pressed them down. Now was not time to cry. She must figure out a plan soon before they came back.

"Hang in there, Snake Eyes." She smiled to herself, then started pulling the locks on her four limbs, inspected them carefully. She learned she knew how to pick a lock like the one on her wrists as Cover Girl once showed her how to and decided as soon as she could free her legs she might have some chance. She had an incredible flexibility and two clips at the back of her head which could now be useful. The redhead gazed at the mess bellow her left knee. Her shin was broken into at least two pieces and she could see glimpses of white bones under thick blood- this would slow her down fairly and give her so much trouble if she didn't do anything with it now. Normally, this type of wound was what the ninja sneers upon and deals with as if it's nobody's business. He'll ignore it completely or curtly tie a piece of something straight and firm to steady it and be on his way. She grinned at the thoughts- surprisingly, that lightened her head and cheered her up somewhat- and eyed him confidently, her tightened chest only made her feel more determined.

"Hold on, baby, I'm coming."

She wiggled and bend her ankles, pushed back the agony and pulled her leg free. It was a little technique Snake showed her long time ago, though it couldn't be used with all kind of restraints and would cause great pain to the user she didn't have many options. The metal cut her skin and felt as if they're squeezing tighter, crushing her ankles but she ignored it- it's nothing compared to what her lover was bearing and even if she broke another bone of two it's all worth. They'd eventually break her bones again anyway, she told herself. Just as her right leg began to forcefully slide away, sounds of footsteps approached them and the greetings of the guards alerted her they're being visited. Swallowed back a curse and pushed her leg back in place, Scarlett rested her head on the wall and watched as a woman wearing dark ninja attire paced in. She signed the troops to close the door then steered her glance at her, her eyes froze cold without emotion.

"Come to laugh? Or to torture him more?" Scarlett spat bitterly, her face shrunk with disgust. Night Rain didn't mind her as she whipped out a knife and started spinning it between her fingers, pacing in circles.

"I swear, if you touch him I'm going to plug that knife into your throat and scoop your damned eyes out of your sockets!" The redhead continued to roar and struggled. She tried her best to make as much noise as she could with her hands, hiding the groans that slipped here and there when she forced her leg out of the cuff. "You heartless bitch! You hear me? Step away from him!"

"Shh."The woman shushed nonchalantly, her brows arched so faintly the frown's barely visible. "Really, you're one noisy of a woman..."

"What?" She snorted and in a brief second her eyes brushed past the Asian woman, she saw it. Her eyes. She was not looking at her or at Snake Eyes, she was looking through the knife in her hands. The sour expression on her face stretched to a dumbfounded one as she stared at the blue-eyed woman.

"Screaming curses and expecting that would do any help is out-dated for someone like you." Night Rain spoke, having noticed her quietness and- Scarlett could tell by the way she looked at her- probably her little discovery as well. She slowly pulled herself to a crouch before her. "Baroness is quite fond of you. She's going to be extra passionate when dealing with you." She stated simply, her expression was deadly humorless even though the redhead heard a hint of sarcasm in her voice. She wasn't quite sure what to think of the woman, but her guts feeling told her to play along with whatever this woman had planned in her head. Extra caution's needed as well, she noted to herself.

"Who cares, I'm going to kick her butt." Scarlett spat back, regained her foul manner and feigned ignorance. For a brief moment, she'd thought the kunoichi's smiled back at her statement.

Scarlett jerked as she saw the knife was brought up, fearing it might end up on her wound again or worse her right leg. But instead it slid smoothly between her knees and stayed there, hilt still slightly vibrated as Night Rain let go of it and stood up, dusting her knees. She somehow felt that prying a horrified and shocked expression from her was planned from before and the dark-haired Asian was actually pleased she had acted according to plan. The woman then turned to Snake Eyes and her face regained its cold expression, only now Scarlett noticed there's something different in her eyes. She gasped. Somehow the gentleness that peered through that look cut into her most above all.

"He would have done the same." Night Rain whispered in Japanese and tilted her body slightly, putting her back to one of the corner. The act was natural and plain, almost like a shrug of shoulders but Scarlett realized it was anything but. Before even the red-haired bystander could figure out what's going on, Night Rain dropped on her knee as if she was hit on the side- except no hit was delivered as the only one who's within reach to perform such act wasn't capable of doing it at the moment- and tossed three smoke bombs to the center of the room. The events almost happened at the same time as the curtains of smoke thickened and Scarlett accidentally inhaled a mouthful of milky air. She coughed and waited for the burn to kick in but in fact she could still open her eyes, only a little sore and her mouth only felt somewhat dry. She snapped her head up to identify the location of the kunoichi after having inspected the general situation.

"The prisoners! The prisoners!" Night Rain screamed. Scarlett followed her movement as the woman came sprinting at the guards the moment they came in and sliced their throats open, a glint of her duck blades being touched by the lights cut through the smoke. "Prisoners escaped! After them!" She yelled loudly and returned inside the room. Scarlett freed herself as quickly as she could- her time would make a world's record and embarrass all magicians on Earth- and she shot up to her feet. A still out-cold Snake Eyes was dropped on her shoulders, squeezing a wince out of her as his weight pressed down her legs but she put all her strength in hauling him back up. Something's shoved onto him and she realized it was what's left of his coat, the one he wore above his body suit and she quickly slid his arms in the sleeves. Her hand was grabbed violently by another.

"Out and head North after three. I will go first." The dark-haired Asian tapped a series of Morse code on her arm. Scarlett locked her fingers around her wrist as she let her go and dived into the lights outside. "Why?" Was the only word she could find. Night Rain stared at her, her blue eyes seemed lost and sad. She looked harmless even with the smear of troopers' blood on her face. Scarlett felt something brushed on her legs and saw Snake Eyes's sword gripped tightly in her hand, a bitter smile printed on her mask.

"Simply because I have to."

Night Rain un-covered them with a swift swing and just as quick thrust the blade into her stomach, much to Scarlett's disbelief. She then shoved the sword into her hands, limped to the door and explained weakly. "They will think it's his." She added casually. "Take care of him."

"I will." Scarlett breathed, her chest felt tight after what she had seen. Nodded, the kunoichi stepped out of the protection of the smoke bombs, disappeared behind the door frame and pursued by a bunch of troops that poured into the corridors moments later. They ran past without noticing something wrong and not even bothered to check the smoked cellar. Scarlett slipped out of the room cautiously, only to find the cameras're all down or struck with a star-shaped dart. She forced a smile at their supposed easy-escape as she hauled Snake Eyes up again on her shoulders, bringing him to promised safety. The knife's gripped tighter in her hand as she noted it was not the elegantly-designed kind of knives that Snake Eyes usually uses- it was a US military combat knife, which fits her hand so much she feels almost as if it's meant for her. She coughed up a pained, sarcastic laugh that was clouded by the siren cries and stomping steps of angry Cobras.

"It's alright, baby, it's alright." She murmured softly in Snake's ears, pulled the hems of his coat together to keep him warm and protect his injuries, "We've got you now. We've got you now."

End.

To clarify what happened in the story, well, let I explain to you that Night Rain's a character I used in my other story Ants in The Storm, which will later on mention her full relationship with Snake Eyes. I think anyone who read the story so far already knew Night Rain's from Arashikage and could tell she knows Snake just as much as she knows Storm Shadow. Their relationship's only brotherly-sisterly, to be honest. This story is set pre-AiTS so no spoilers mentioned except for the fact Night Rain knows Snake Eyes and cares for him as her brother, haha (awkwardly laugh).

The story's mainly inspired by an oneshot I read months ago about Storm saving Snake Eyes and Duke when they're captured by COBRA. I think the idea of families protecting each other regardless the costs is very fascinating and fun to write about. And since we already have a Storm saves Snake, why not a Rain saves Snake as well? (laugh) Ah, I really just want to get over the writer block to get onto serious business.

Anyway, thank you for reading! Have a nice day (grin).