Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Utena, Revolutionary Girl Fan Fiction ❯ Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Revolution ❯ Chapter 11

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Revolution
Part Eleven

K-BOOM!

.... what Releena's father was about to say was suddenly cut

off. The upper floor of the hotel exploded into a fireball, pieces of

stone and glass falling rapidly towards them. Releena froze, looking up

in shock as the entire floor was consumed by the flames.

"Look out," Juri cried out as the orange haired girl all but

threw Releena, Une and herself behind a nearby building even as Hilde

and the ambassador ducked behind another. Debris fell around them,

secondary booms rattling their ears until finally there was sweet

silence.

"You saved my life," Une managed to get out, her round glasses

catching the light. Her long brown hair was tied back, but her self

control seemed to be failing against her surprise.

"Reflex," was Juri's short answer. Releena felt safe, held there

in Juri's arms as the other girl asked her, "Are you all right?"

"I think so," Releena answered, her cheeks flaming. The long

brown haired girl enjoyed the sensation of being held then finally had

to say, "Ah, Juri? You can let me go now."

"Sorry," Juri blushed, helping Releena get up from their place

on the ground. She pulled Une up smoothly, the officer still looking

badly shaken.

They soon emerged from their improvised shelter, the group

looking up at the now badly burning building, the sounds of sirens

wailing off in the distance. "It seems someone doesn't like us,"

Releena's father finally said dryly, his short brown hair badly messed,

his suit dusty.

"Dad," Releena looked over at him scoldingly.

"Colonel," Juri looked over at Une with an oddly calculating

look on her face, "other than the Specials whom would want the

ambassador dead?"

Une met Juri's eyes directly and Releena could feel a dangerous

current leaping between the two women. The Colonel's voice was calm as

she said, "Other than the Specials? Well, the Colony rebels have no love

for the ambassador." A grim little smile as she tried to brush her

uniform off, "The faction called the White Fang are especially militant,

I understand."

"But why would these White Fang want my Father dead?" Releena

said, feeling all the blood leaving her pale face.

"There are those on both sides of the conflict that want to see

a war," her Father sighed, "for reasons of profit or personal gain."

"Or for a cause they may believe in," Une said dryly.

"Either way," Juri said, "we certainly can't stay here tonight."

She looked over at Hilde and asked, "Know a good hotel that can put us

up for the night?"

"I could suggest a few," Hilde answered softly.

Releena swayed a bit, feeling light headed, and her Father

quickly grabbed her arm. "Thank you," she murmured then asked, "how can

you take this all so calmly?"

"We're not calm," he gave her a gentle smile as he quietly

explained, "just trying to carry on as best we can."

"We'd best get moving," Une said crisply, "there's no way to

know if who did this is in a position to take another shot."

"Sounds like a plan," Juri said as the group headed back to the

car. She tossed a look at the ambassador as they all climbed in, "Do you

want to carry on with your meetings?"

"The situation is so unstable that I think I have to," he said

seriously. He took a deep breath, "But I want Releena and you on the

first available shuttle back home."

"No," Releena blurted out.

"I'm not leaving either," Juri said firmly. Releena looked over

at her in surprise as Juri continued, "I couldn't forgive myself leaving

you here in the line of fire."

"He won't be alone," Une settled into her seat across from the

other three as she smiled dangerously, "I'll be here."

"An even better reason for me to stick around," Juri shot back.

Hilde gulped nervously then the young woman started up the car

and said, "I'll just take us over to the hotel, all right?"

The group in the back seat ignored that, the drama there

occupying their interest. Une and Juri seemed oddly evenly matched

despite the officer's advantages in age and experience, meeting each

other's eyes directly. Une smiled slightly as she asked, "Are you

implying that I was responsible for that explosion back there?"

"No," Juri shook her head, "unless you're a better actress than

I think you are you were as surprised as the rest of us. I just don't

think you'd mind someone succeeding."

"Juri," Releena looked over at her in surprise, mildly shocked

that she would say something like that. She realized, with an instant of

clarity, that she didn't really know Juri as well as she might have

thought she did.

"This isn't the time...." her father tried to jump in.

"I think I may have to demand satisfaction, Arisugawa," Une said

crisply, pulling off a glove and striking Juri across the face with it,

her rose signet gleaming on her bare hand.

Juri put her hand up to her face, touching the redness. "Not

quite the way I'm used to," she said mysteriously, "but I accept."

"What's going on?!" Releena demanded, looking at them in pure

confusion.

"Nothing that concerns you," Une answered crisply.

From the front seat Hilde called back tentatively, "Ah, we're

here."

"Right," the ambassador sighed. The four of them got out of the

car, pausing a moment as if expecting another explosion. When everything

remained quiet the group headed inside, Hilde trailing along behind

them.

"I'd like to stick around for awhile," Hilde offered as they

checked in, "just in case something else goes wrong."

"Thanks," Releena sighed.

Juri and Une were pointedly ignoring each other as they went

upstairs, her father looked oddly intrigued and she was completely lost.

Later on that evening Releena drew her father aside to ask, "You know

what's going on between them, I know it."

Her father puffed out a breath, the suite they were sitting in

comfortably quiet. "I don't know much," he admitted, and much of it's

pure rumor. It seems that there is a certain dueling club, one that both

Juri and Une belong to."

"Duels," Releena looked up at her father in shock, "like with

swords?" She got to her feet, "We've got to try to stop them."

"I doubt they've started yet," he offered when there was a knock

on Releena's door.

Releena walked over to open it, blinking in surprise to see Juri

standing there. "Yes?" she asked, eyes widening at the costume Juri was

in. It was military styled, a black jacket and red pants along with

gleaming black boots.

"It isn't too much, is it?" Juri asked with a slight smile.

"No," Releena smiled, feeling her cheeks warming, "you look

good." She shook herself, remembering what her father had just said and

asked, "You're really not going to duel her, are you?"

"I have to," Juri answered firmly, one hand reaching to twist

the ring that she wore, the rose signet that had once dangled around her

neck. She took a breath, "I wanted to ask if you'd be willing to stand

as my rosebride in the duel."

"Rosebride?" Releena raised an eyebrow curiously.

"My second, sort of," Juri answered, "you carry my sword for me

before the duel starts." She smiled wryly, "I'd feel better having you

at my side."

Releena knew she should object, knew she should protest the

danger that Juri would be putting herself in.... "I'll do it," she

surprised herself by saying.

"Thank you," Juri flashed a smile, "we're doing this up on the

roof."

Leading Releena from the bedroom she passed her a sheathed

sword, one that was heavy in her hands. "You brought a sword on this

trip?" Releena asked in surprise.

Juri shrugged as they took the back stairs up, her voice oddly

regretful as she said, "I don't know why, but I thought I might need

it."

The taller woman opened the door and Releena stepped out in the

partial darkness of the roof, a gentle breeze blowing across the tiled

surface. Colonel Une stood at the far corner, her hair tied back in it's

normal style, a slim rapier at the ready. A rose was in her breast

pocket, the color an odd green.

"I'm glad I picked up the rose from the shop downstairs," Juri

murmured, holding up the slim orange flower.

Releena reached out to gently take it from her, "Let me." She

slid it into Juri's pocket, settling it into place carefully before

stepping back, "There."

"Thank you," Juri smiled.

"Are you ready?" Colonel Une asked, her glasses catching the

moonlight.

"Let's go," Juri answered.