Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction / Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction / Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Urbania ❯ Allys ( Chapter 15 )

Heero and his crew (And Kento) gathered up mail bag-sized sacks of food, first-aid, clothes, and blankets, and slung them over their shoulders. Relena knew a place that was perhaps a mile or two away that was likely to have a sedan or a jeep. Sage and Rowen took the Guards' rifles and acted as the company's Guards. Relena walked by Heero, and Serena walked next to Ryo, holding his hand. Heero locked up their underground dwelling.

"Just in case," he told Relena.

"Just in case of what?"

"Just in case we want to come back to this place once this is over, and remember the life past."

"I seriously don't think I'll want to." Relena objected, but didn't stop him. She walked up in front of everyone and stood.

"Look, guys, I don't know if there will be anything that we can use, but we do have to at least get the hell out of Tokyo and warn everyone."

There were some scattered nods, and Relena turned and started quick paces to her place.

The sun was still touching the morning horizon when they arrived at an aircraft hangar. Heero dropped his bag and smiled.

"I like this place." He muttered happily. He looked over his shoulder for Ryo's approval. Ryo didn't seem to care about being at an aircraft hangar. He looked into oblivion, holding Serena close to him. Serena looked exhausted, but looked to still have some determined energy.

"This is it," Relena said. To her, the place looked to be the home of a thousand ghosts. She'd forgotten what a morbid mood the place put her in. Heero put a hand on her shoulder.

"Let's blow this hole," he said with a smile. She smiled gently and looked back to the entrance. Without speaking, she lead them in.

The first room, of course, was massive enough to store ten or so cargo planes, and Relena's heart stirred with memories of wondering how the old place remained standing since the second World War, so many millennia ago….she began to walk without thinking, half way down the room to a side door. Serena looked around. She'd never been in such a large enclosed area. The Arena may have been this large, but she wouldn't have known, the stadium was too dark. She held tighter to Ryo's arm. He looked down into her eyes.

"Are you okay?"

Serena nodded, and stopped, pulling Ryo to a stop with her.

"What's the matter?"

Serena didn't answer, but panted and rubbed her stomach.

"Serena," Ryo brushed her hair from her face, attempting to look at her face. She looked up at him mournfully. "Here," Ryo groaned, and lifted Serena slowly from the ground. She was a bit surprised, but didn't jump or say that it was ok. She just held Ryo around his neck and leaned hard on his chest. He caught up to the group, which was now heading through a door.

Behind the door was a regular-sized office. The nine men and two women crowded in and closed the door, not bothering to drop their loads. Relena walked slowly behind the desk, drawing her fingers along the contour of the woodwork.

I hope this doesn't set off the alarm, she thought. She found the secret button and pushed it. The top of the desk rose to an angle and revealed a few different colored buttons.

"Bingo." She said in quiet victory. She pushed a red one, labeled 'Escape.' There was a loud and sharp buzz that alarmed the room and roused Serena, and a square-shaped hole opened in the small space between Duo and Quatre.

"That's it, guys, our carriage should be down there." Relena pushed her way to the opening and peered down. There was a dim light making a shadow of a vehicle. Relena took Quatre's gun from it's exposed halter and jumped the nine or so feet down, landing on her feet. From above, the guys saw her dart around in paranoia for a few minutes before she returned to where they were and gave them a 'come on down' wave. Heero dropped down first, sort of re-inspecting what Relena had deemed safe and giving a confirmative 'ok.' Duo dropped down next, then Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei. Ryo gently put Serena in the seat behind the desk to help Sage, Kento and Rowen get the supplies down and loaded. Ryo took Serena's hand.

"Serena, you have to jump down. I know it's hard, buy you've got to."

Serena nodded reluctantly and stood from the chair. She sat down on the side of the opening and swung her legs down. Heero stood below, ready to catch her, but Serena shooed him away, and jumped down, landing in a squat. She rose slowly.

"Hey, Ryo!" Relena called from somewhere below, "Shut that door to the office and lock it!"

Ryo did as he was told. He thought it funny that half year ago, he would have had her beaten for giving a command. Sage, Kento, and Rowen jumped down before Ryo. Ryo looked over his shoulder out into the aircraft storage area. He mourned Cye.

"Ryo! Ryo, come on, let's get a move on!" Heero called. Ryo sighed, fogging the glass, and stepped backwards to the hole. He jumped down, the door slamming when he hit the ground. Relena removed her hand from the switch and switched some thing on her semi-automatic rifle. Ryo looked around.

"Relena, you guys said we have to split ways. How are we going to do that in one car?"

Relena looked at Serena. Serena looked at Ryo, her hands pressed against her back. "Mistress Valentine has a yacht that could go pretty fast. She got it from a client that liked her a lot. We're taking it to Iwaki."

Ryo sighed. "You guys do realize that Iwaki is about two hundred miles from here, and since we have to go by sea, that's more like three hundred miles."

"Not to worry," Serena said with sweet confidence, "we'll get there."

"Great," said Kento sarcastically, "now how are we splitting up?"

Everybody looked at everybody else. "I'm going with Relena," Heero insisted.

"I'm going with Serena," Ryo insisted.

"That's fairly obvious," Duo moaned. "I guess I'll go with Heero and Relena."

"Trowa and I'll go with Ryo and Serena." Quatre volunteered.

"I'm going with my buds," Kento exclaimed, "come on, Wufei!"

Wufei didn't say anything, but joined Kento at Duo's side.

"Sage and I are comin' with you, Ryo." Rowen said with a nod of Sage's head.

Ryo looked at Serena. "How many can the yacht hold?"

"Five or six. Don't worry."

"How do we get there?"

"Relena and I discussed this. I know where we are now, in correlation to where the yacht is. We're going to have to go through some underground tunnels, but I know where to go."

"I used to live on the streets," Relena piped up with a piece of the information she'd shared with Heero. "I know there's a very handy network of underground passages that run through the city. You'll actually get there in less than an hour."

"And then we'll get to where we need to get to by the late afternoon, and have all day tomorrow to plan the counter attack."

Wufei couldn't stand it anymore. "What the hell is all of your problem?! What makes you so frikin optimistic? Why in hell would they believe you or even listen?"

Relena and Serena looked at each other. Relena looked down at her rifle, and Serena spoke:

"Relena and I are, next to Patricia and Nadine, the two greatest liberators in Japan. They know us. And they know how loyal we were to Patricia and Nadine. They'll believe us. They have other leaders that they follow down there, under Patricia and Nadine, but they aren't as great as Relena and I were."

"You and Relena were…great?" Ryo asked quietly. Serena nodded, guilt flooding Ryo's heart. She only came back for me…

"We didn't want to tell you guys that. Don't ask why. I guess we just thought you'd do something bad to us for it."

"Never. I'd never hurt you." Heero swore. Relena looked at him with a hard glare, which he returned with his hardest sincerity. Relena looked away. She shouldered her rifle and went to climb in the driver's seat of the sedan. Heero got in the front passenger's side, and Duo, Wufei, and Kento slugged into the back and slammed their doors. Relena rolled down the passenger's side window. Serena leaned in.

"I guess we'll go on. Just remember what I told you. You remember how to get there?"

Serena nodded. "And if I get lost, just follow the yellow arrows to the center point, and use the other directions."

Relena nodded. Her face turned soft. She got out of the car and ran around the front to hug Serena. "Please don't get killed. I love you like a sister."

"I love you, too, and I'll be fine." Relena kissed Serena's cheek and returned to the driver's side. Serena leaned over Heero again. "Take care of her, Heero, she's a rascal."

Heero smiled. He gave Ryo a farewell glance and Ryo waved solemnly. Relena pushed a button from inside the car and the wall the car was facing opened to reveal a steep driveway that ended at a trapdoor in the pavement of the city streets. With one last look, Relena smashed the gas and shot off, closing the door behind her. Ryo grasped his fiancée's arm.

"We gotta go, baby."

"Yes," Serena said with a nod, "let's not wait any longer."

Quatre and Trowa took two of the bigger, overstuffed sacks and threw them on his back. Sage and Rowen picked up the remaining two. Serena pried off a lock on a door in the far corner of the room. It looked like a storage closet, but when she pulled the over hanging light bulb's cord, the junky shelf and back wall opened to a secret passage-the beginning of their hour-long trek.

By the end of the hour in the dim underground tunnel system, Serena was in Ryo's arms, groggily directing the small troop to the place where the ship was docked. They began to smell the sea more so than they had at Master Wildfire's community, which was located just over a mile from the rich coast. They stopped suddenly, their path halted by a sea-colored stream of water at the bottom of a small landing. Serena stepped down gingerly from Ryo's hold.

"This way," she instructed, stepping into the ankle-deep water and wading off to her right. The men followed her.

At the end of a hallway that wasn't more than fifty yards long, there was another small landing, just as Relena had described, and a door below a manhole. Serena tried the door. It was locked.

"Shit," she murmured.

"It's locked, isn't it?" Ryo groaned.

"Yeah, but I guess we just have to break it down."

"Did somebody say 'Time to smash through something hard?'" Sage (taking after Kento) exclaimed excitedly, putting down his sack on the small landing. Serena stepped out of the way.

"You heard it. Get us through, Sage."

Sure enough, Sage backed off a few yards, took a run and a leap, and crashed into the bronze exit, and fell to the floor.

"Sage!" his friends exclaimed. Sage sat up and rubbed his shoulder.

"I'm ok, I guess I didn't hit the soft spot."

"Obviously," said Rowen. Ryo pushed the partially fallen door.

"It's stuck."

"Let me try," Serena offered.

"Serena," Ryo started, moving out of her way, "If I can't get it, then you-"

Serena knocked the door completely down with three powerful kicks.

"…can do it." Ryo finished. Serena smiled with satisfaction at Ryo.

"Still got it," she grinned. They proceeded through the door.

There were several yachts in the long room with what appeared to be a man-made river port to the ocean. Serena ignored the other yachts and went strait to Mistress Valentine's. With a boost from Ryo, she climbed in, and he after her. Rowen and Sage handed the two lovers all four sacks. Ryo glanced nervously around. Quatre and Trowa relaxed a little, but followed Ryo's example and stayed on their guard. Once the sacks were loaded, the rest of the guys climbed in, and Quatre cut the cord with the bayonet he detached from his rifle. Serena typed in her Mistress' code in the steeling panel and switched on the engine. She switched the gears.

"Hang on, guys." She hit the gas and steered around the other yachts. She was surprised how well she could maneuver. At the end of the tunnel in the man-made river, there was a gate separating the light of the outside world and their bleak portal.

"You want me to get it?" Quatre offered, throwing one leg over. Serena let up on the gas a bit, appearing to slow the vessel when they were within fifteen feet. Quatre prepared to jump out and try to unlock the gate, but at the last second, Serena smashed the gas, throwing Quatre back into the boat, and stiffening the stances of the other occupants. She plowed through the iron barriers, breaking them into four pieces, and sped north.

Serena pulled out into the open ocean far enough so they wouldn't be seen and recognized when they passed back by the camp Serena and Relena had just left the previous day. When Serena began to feel faint from all the stress and rushing air, Trowa took over. The boat, as promised, had room for six, plus the driver. Quatre stood by Trowa as he guided the speedy boat north along the newly liberated coast. Serena watched it slide by from Ryo's side. Ryo didn't really say or do anything but hold Serena when she wanted to be held, which was pretty much the whole time. His friends and Guards felt totally neutral about his decision to marry this woman that beat Cye nearly to a pulp and never surrendered her spirit. Yet they knew she was right for him, and words alone failed to describe the way he looked when he had her, and the way they looked together. Serena wished they could have taken their walkie-talkies without Patricia homing in on their signal and listening to their moves. To Serena, Ryo was stressed to the max. She kissed his cheek. He blushed and looked at her.

"What'll we name our baby?"

Ryo raised his brows in thought. "I don't know…I'd like to name my daughter after my mother, if that's ok."

"That's fine. What if it's a boy?"

Ryo shook his head. "I don't know…what do you think?"

Serena shrugged. She lay her head on Ryo's shoulder. He smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Hey you guys!" Trowa called over his shoulder. The contents of the vessel looked to him. "There's our destination."

Ryo stood slowly and helped Serena stand to see. Iwaki didn't look nearly as bad as Tokyo. Serena spotted a huge group of women dressed in ragged clothing.

"There they are! Part of the others! Pull over!"

Trowa steered, the rudder and currants pushing them to the shoreline. Serena jumped out, landing in a squat, and ran to the front of the line. Startled gasps rose here and there and they repeated her name in disbelief. Serena grasped one liberator's arm close to the front.

"Does Saki lead you?"

"Yeah, she in the front. No, wait, here she comes."

Serena looked to her right at the front of the line. Sure enough, a woman not much taller than Serena with pale skin, short, dark hair sort of like Patricia's and kind, green eyes headed their way. As she came, Serena realized that the woman was fifteen or twenty years Serena's senior. Serena recognized Saki now, though they hadn't really interacted. They shook hands.

"Saki."

"Serena." Saki paused, and then, "What are you doing down here? Did Patricia send you? We're really fine."

"I'm not longer under Patricia's command. And you shouldn't be either."

Saki shook her head in misunderstanding.

"Saki," Serena began, "Patricia and Nadine are using you. They used me and Relena. They aren't just seeking to free the enslaved women of Japan. They plan to liberate, then use the freed to serve in an army that she'll conquer Japan with."

"Wait, wait just a second: are you trying to tell me that the two of them are really just power pigs?"

"Yes. They're trying to take over Japan."

"And how do you know this?"

"Do you know Mistress Valentine? She was listening in on one of their many private conversations and she heard them and their conspiracy. They're trying to conquer Japan."

Saki looked hard at Serena.

"I know it doesn't sound like them, but I know the Mistress is telling the truth. For the first time, I realized yesterday that Patricia doesn't even really care about anybody but herself and her glory. She really doesn't. But she needs all of us to build her empire. Then, I suppose she'll be queen."

Saki looked even harder at Serena, almost looking for Serena to let up, admit it was all a stupid joke, and join them in liberating the last three communities. Saki looked down, noticing Serena's swollen belly, and closed her eyes.

"I know what this must sound like, Saki, but you have got to believe me."

"I don't want to believe it, but I also have to consider who this is coming from. Someone who idolized our leaders and put them on a pedestal higher than they knew. I know you feel-or felt-that way about them because of this hopeful look I saw in your eyes when you were around them. I felt the same way. Relena, too."

"Relena went to Ogaki. She has to warn the southern brigade. We departed this morning, and she must be there by now. But we both were in shock when we were told. I left the lie when Patricia revealed to me how she really was, and Relena left because she knew I was right to do so. The Mistress came after me and told both of us the truth."

"Why didn't you just kill them?"

"You know why, Saki. Think about it. Not all of out fellow liberators would believe us, and they would probably kill us before we even got a chance to explain. I had to make it back to see someone, so I couldn't die, and so did Relena, so she couldn't either. We had to get help. We have to fight them. Relena and Serena against Patricia and Nadine-at least that's probably how they're going to see it."

"You wouldn't orchestrate a prank like this, I positive. We're with you, Serena, and I'm sorry I didn't believe you at first."

"Don't be. As long as you're on our side now, we stand a chance. Tokyo is liberated on this day, and Patricia has launched a search for me and Relena to be leaders in her army. It's a do or die situation, and I choose to do, but not what Patricia had in mind."

Saki nodded. She turned to her brigade.

"Patricia has betrayed us. She wants only to rule Tokyo as a dictator. We must fight against her now. Who's with us?"

The brigade looked around to each other, then the first women's rifles touched the air above their heads. They were followed by others, until the whole company agreed to the word of their leaders without argument. Serena smiled gleefully and felt Ryo's hand holding her shoulder. Saki turned around to face Serena, but instead received the shock of her life.

"Serena…" Saki murmured, looking at Ryo. Ryo looked at her solemnly, then puzzled over her face trying to decide why she looked so familiar. Saki took the two steps separating her from the young man, Serena taking one out of the way, and Saki was right in the slightly taller Ryo's comfort zone. She touched his cheek sweetly, then pulled a hair away from his lip. The brims of her eyes became flushed and watery.

"You look so much like your father."

Ryo shook his head in disbelief and misunderstanding. He tried to deny what his senses told him.

"Were you one of my father's women?"

"Ryo," she said quietly, surprising him by not calling him 'Master Wildfire,' "My name is Sakuya. I'm your mother."

Ryo just stood there. "I thought you were dead."

Sakuya shook her head. "Ryoko was so jealous of me and you it consumed her. Your father loved us, but she loved him, and he didn't love her at all. After you left, she vowed to kill you if I stayed, and I knew she would, so I left and got a hooking license. The next week, it was all over town that I was dead, and you were on the rise. That was almost ten years ago, my sweet, and I spent the rest of your father's life watching over you and occasionally returning to him with information on how you were."

"Why…why did he always try to kill me…and then he tried to protect me…?"

Sakuya smiled. "He wanted to shoe the world that not even Tokyo's greatest Man could outlive his son. He was so proud of you."

Ryo closed his eyes and sighed. He looked at Serena. Serena held his hand.

"Mother, Serena's pregnant. You're going to have a new grandchild, and," Ryo held up Serena's left hand for his mother to see, "You'll have a new daughter-in-law." Serena blushed. Sakuya was elated, and threw her arms around her son and future daughter-in-law.

"Come, you all, we were just headed to camp." She looked over her son's shoulder to Sage, Kento, and Rowen, "Where's Cye, sweetheart."

"He's dead. He was killed when you liberators took The Arena." Ryo explained with just a hint of spite. Sakuya nodded.

"I'm sorry, Ryo. I didn't know. I would have stopped them."

"It's over now, mother. Let's go. When we get to camp we have to start planning our counter attack." Serena nodded. She held her head. Ryo picked her up. Sakuya smiled. Cherish her as your father cherished me…she thought, then gave a nod of her head in the direction of the camp.

Hey y'all,

Sorry if this chapter seemed a bit rushed, and don't worry, we'll catch up to Relena and Heero and the rest in the next chapter.

I feel the need to apologize for telling you that this may have been over by the sixteenth chapter, because obviously I was wrong. I seriously thought (at the time) I would be able to get strait to the point and get it over with, polish off The Leading Ladies and 02. Sorry also for those looking forward to my continuation of the Gundam saga who were disappointed. It's because of Urbania, school, and some other stuff. The Plight of Ferguson Mueller will just have to be out in June or July because, there again, I'm a junior in high school with TONS of college prepping to do. The next chapter to Urbania will likely be out by next week, that I know for sure. Thanks to my fans, loyal supporters, and my fiancé.

Xoxo,

Alexandria the Great, Queen of Geats