Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The 6th Gundam Pilot? ❯ Hurray for a little action! ( Chapter 11 )

Series: Gundam Wing

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, and 5xOC

Rating: R (Language, sexual situations, fluffiness and anything else I see fit to add)

Disclaimers: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of the characters. I'm not making any money from this. Besides the only thing I actually own is a cat… and you can't have him!

Review Thankies:

Luraia Soul - Thankies much! Glad you took a little time to review my story, I really appreciate that. I'll be checking out your stories next time I get the chance!

Vamp Queen - Hmmm jealous 'Fei you say? We'll just have to see about that! Romance and angst, oh yeah, that'll definitely be around. And a maybe on the Rishou, LOL I haven't decided yet *grins* I guess I don't get the cute plushies 'cause it took me sooooo long *cries*

UsakosKitty - Hai! I know whatcha mean, and yep, I plan on having a scene like that later on. I am trying to make it original, that's half the fun!

Youko Demon - It helps that I'm like 18, and my parents figure if I can function come tomorrow I'm alright. *grins* You shall have freedom, eventually! LMAO, Never heard of wrapping the whole house in foil, GOOD PLAN!! ^__^

Stray cat - *shakes head in disgrace* I know, he goes even softer in this chapter. Don't kill me though, it's all for the good of the love!!!! Strike one vote for alien Relena! Pink Horror Planet, holy crap that's totally her! Lol yea, she's definitely got some washing issues. We oughta steal her soap, she'd have a mental breakdown.

Dragon_gurl - Hmmmmm, how are they gonna save Duo?! I dunno… maybe you should read this chapter *grins* Thankies for the review!!

Hannio - Strike up two votes for Relena's an alien! Remind me to stay away from her, being Relena's slave gives me the heebee-geebees. LOL yessssssss! There will be more Trowa in the following chapters 'cause I personally love to drool over him. I have a picture of him half-nakie on my bedroom wall *blushes* I want Gundam toys!!! Imma go to CA and rob a store out there, they have good stuff out there I hear. You just remember, coffee is goood! And glad you liked the chapter!

Lil-hot-fudge-sundae - LOL I love Zechs, he's damned hot. But there is more Wuffie and Talia, don't you worry *pats you on the head*

ShiniNekoGrl - Awwwwwww thankies! I'm so glad you're enjoying my story! You will receive a little e-mail ^__^ Keep reading! And reviewing, yeah, cause reviews are awesome!

The Black Gatomon - OMG CHIBI'S!!!!! YAY!!!!! Kawaii!!!! ^__^ Thank you bunches for the links! I love Chibi's, I can't get enough of them! *huggles* If ya find more good piccies, feel free to share them. I always love new GW pics!

Alero - Awwwww… wow… *sniffles and glomps you* You're so nice!! ^_^ I promise I won't give up on my story. It's only got two chapters left to go and the next one is already written! YAY! I'm sorry I didn't update in forever… I'm kinda lazy *coughs* Ok really lazy. But I HAD to post this up for you! Thankies so much for the support and reading it!

Hipcue - Thankies! I'm glad you like it. I'm glad you like the idea of Talia and Wufei together too ^_^ They're just right for each other *sighs dreamily* And so anyway here's your update!

Author's Notes: Whew! Ok, moving sucks! And I'm still not real pleased with this chapter. So you're all warned as of right now! I was fighting MASSIVE writer's block the entire time. Plus this'll probably be the last chapter for a while, unless my reviewer's suddenly gang-up on me or something, LOL. Anywho, I really hope you guys don't kill me for this chapter. I think I rambled quite a bit, since most of it was written at like 4AM. ^__^ Now go on, go read!

If you would like to receive an e-mail alerting you when I post the next chapter, please e-mail me at scoobydoobubbles@hotmail.com ^_^

/…/ is a memory

'…' is a thought

--…-- is a written statement

~*~*~*~

Wufei sighed quietly as he took another sip of warm coffee. He'd been kicking himself for hours for not coming down with Heero to speak with Zechs. One of them at least should have gone with, to keep an eye on him. The damned blonde had been gone for a slowly passing eternity. 'Probably taking a long way back to throw off anyone who might have followed.'

He threw the cup to the ground as he stood up, pacing. 'I should have been the one to rescue her.' He mentally berated himself. Immediately he wanted to kick himself for the thought. 'What is that girl doing to me? I sound like some failed fairy tale character.' He continued to pace, staring intently at the ground.

Heero chuckled at the sight before him. The other pilot had been fidgeting ever since he'd calmed down. After Zechs had left he'd joined him on the ground and nearly blown a gasket upon hearing the plan. He'd gone through the same thing as he'd acknowledged his feelings for Duo. It was somewhat disturbing to find sappy thoughts in your mind at first, but you got used to it. He shook his head slightly, "Calm down Wufei. They'll be back soon."

The raven-haired boy stopped in his tracks, turning to look at him. "The sun is setting! That fool probably got lost." He turned back again; head down, making a pattern in the dirt.

The sun began to slip below the trees and Wufei's head shot up as he heard someone coming. They were making quite a bit of noise. A very odd figure stepped out from the surrounding forest. It took him a minute to realize that Zechs was carrying the girl on his back and she looked to be asleep. The twinge came back full force at the sight only to be squashed by concern. He crossed the clearing quickly. "What's wrong with her? Why are you carrying her?" 'Did they break her ankle or leg?' He tried to ignore the fact that Zechs' hands were still on her thighs, holding her up.

"She's exhausted, that's all. Falling asleep on her feet. It was faster to just carry her." He answered quietly trying not to wake her.

Wufei felt a weight lift from him even as that jealous twinge attacked. "Don't you think you should put her down? She'll sleep better on the ground." It came out monotone although he wanted to yell, 'Get your Nataku damned hands off her. Now!"

Talia grumbled something upon hearing Wufei's voice. Opening one eye she found a mass of platinum blonde hair. 'Where am I?' It took a couple seconds for her to get her bearings. She tapped Milliardo's shoulder and he turned his head. With a grin she pointed at the ground. "Down please?" He smiled, releasing her legs from his hold. She dropped to the ground with a thump.

"Ouch! Damn," She rubbed her sore rear wondering how that had happened. Her legs felt heavy and began to tingle.

"Are you alright?" The blonde asked quietly, hiding his smile.

She laughed weakly, "My legs are asleep."

He began to offer her a hand when Wufei stepped in, tired of their far too friendly attitudes towards one another and of being ignored. The girl gladly took the offered hand and stood, only to stumble. Luckily *wink wink* Wufei caught her, wrapping his arms around her to steady her. She leaned against him, very happily hugging him. She nuzzled her face into his neck with a contented sigh, mumbling what sounded like, "Missed you." A few minutes later she pulled away, looking back to ask Milliardo a question, she found him gone.

Wufei took her moment of distraction to examine her. He'd seen the bruised cheek, but that was to be expected. He lifted a shirtsleeve, revealing the marks and frowned. 'They shouldn't left those kind of bruises.' They shouldn't have even touched her. The girl hadn't even looked as he checked the bruises, apparently still seeking Zechs. He grabbed her wrist to get her attention only to have her yelp in pain. He let go to see the cause and cursed seeing the cuts, deepest on the sides. She defensively pulled her arm up to her chest, rubbing the now throbbing wrist soothingly.

"You don't hafta be so rude. I would have just shown you if you had asked." She glared, though it was only half-hearted.

He sighed, "Sorry. I didn't realize." He paused a moment, "Are those the only ones?" He already assumed she had more and she confirmed it by shaking her head. With a slight wince she lifted the hem of the shirt just enough to reveal the collage of dark colors across her abdomen.

His jaw clenched automatically at the sight. Looking around quickly he found Zechs having a drink, sitting in companionable silence with Heero. "Come with me." He took her hand, careful not to cause any pain. Releasing her hand he climbed into his Gundam, returning to the ground with an arm full of first aid supplies. She held out an arm obediently and he smoothed some ointment over the raw skin before wrapping it with skilled ease. "Ribs?" He asked briskly, ripping the end of the tape.

"Nothing broken, just bruised and sore." She smiled as he started to wrap the other wrist. It wasn't often she got to feel pampered. It didn't matter that he was merely wrapping her own self-inflicted injuries. It didn't matter that it would be more than a little awkward trying to wrap the wrists herself. She and Duo had watched Heero do it, but it looked way more complicated than just letting someone do it for you.

"Sit up straight. And take off your shirt." He braced himself to fight off any oncoming nosebleeds that might occur.

She glanced back, finding Altron blocked them from the other's view. "I can do it myself, you know." She grumped, feeling somewhat self-conscious but slipped the shirt off managing to wince only once. Just because Heero could break his leg without flinching didn't mean she had to hide the pain, though she'd never show any more weakness than she had to. Wufei already had enough reasons to chew her out without adding to the list. With a small bit of satisfaction she saw his eyes widen before hardening once again. Whether it was because she was sitting in front of him in a bra or because of all the pretty colored boo-boos, she didn't know. After a bit of hesitation he moved forward and began wrapping, stepping just below her breasts, down to the waistband of her pants. Once he was satisfied he returned the supplies to their place and then sat on the ground before the girl. She'd put the shirt back on and had rolled the short sleeves up. It was hot and humid and anything to help cool off she'd do. Noticing her roommate glaring at the finger shaped bruises she rubbed a hand over them uneasily.

"They thought my legs didn't work. Dragged me around everywhere."

He raised an eyebrow, looking into her eyes. "Did they do anything else?" He was beginning to understand that these people had been less than courteous. It made him wonder just how low they might sink.

She couldn't help but turn her face away. He grabbed her chin gently, forcing her to look at him. Surprised to see tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "What happened?" His voice was so soft and he sounded so concerned, she couldn't help herself and proceeded to launch herself into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her face in the hollow between collarbone and neck. After recovering from the shock of suddenly having her in his lap he held her close in an attempt to be comforting. Of course, being soothing had never been one of his strong points. It took a bit but she got herself under control and proceeded to tell him about Zoma and then the three men. "If Milliardo hadn't come when he did… Well, I don't want to think about that." She shivered violently against him.

Wufei was attempting to remain calm, fighting against the urge to take his Gundam and blow everyone at the base to bits. 'To hell with rescuing Maxwell!' It was an irrational and troubling thought. He knew Heero was not going to be happy with this news. "You need to tell Heero." There was no response. "Talia?" He shifted, pushing her back to see her face. Her eyes were closed, her breathing even. As he attempted to remove her from his lap her arms tightened around his neck. With a low grumble he let her lean back into him. She sighed happily even in her as she snuggled in closer.

Talia groaned, as she was shaken awake. "Wake up. You need to eat and I can't feel my legs anymore." She giggled and slid out off of him. It was dark, though not very late if dinner was being served now. Once the blood returned to his legs the boy followed her to sit with the other two around a very small fire. Dinner was bland and small, yet filling. Afterwards she was prodded until she repeated her story.

Both Milliardo and Heero's faces remained impassive, though she swore the brunette's eye twitched when she talked about Duo's 'punishment' and once more at hearing about the three men. Both times she told the story she left out Rishou's name. No point in being yelled at for making friends with the enemy. They'd decided to wait one day to rest and plan their attack.

She yawned and leaned back on her elbows, effectively putting her head against Wufei's thigh. He jerked slightly at the first contact before relaxing, running his fingers through her hair. They were each trying to figure out the best way to rescue Duo. Each of them quietly contemplated their next move. The silence was broken as she yawned again rather loudly. She blushed and grinned, "Having a full tummy makes me tired. What time is it?"

Milliardo smiled sympathetically as he pulled a watch from his pocket. "A quarter past eleven. It wouldn't be a bad idea for all of us to get some rest." He was rather tired himself. Trekking through the jungle was difficult in itself. Carrying someone on your back for close to five miles was worse. His arms, back, and legs were sore from having to carry the girl so far. Of course, he wasn't about to admit that to anyone else.

Heero nodded in agreement, "I'll take first watch."

The blonde shook his head, "There's no need Heero. Bierrez is smart but over-confident. His patrols don't travel out this far by a long shot. Our only threat is whatever wild animals are out there. But they aren't worth staying awake for."

Both the other pilots looked unsure about that answer and Wufei was about to argue when a soft snore was heard. Talia had fallen asleep, using his leg as a pillow, with her mouth hanging wide open. He almost expected to see a string of drool. No matter how tired they were none of them would have slept if they didn't feel it was safe.

"Fine." He shifted and gently adjusted the girl into a more comfortable position, so she lay flat on the ground. 'Besides,' He smirked to himself as he stretched out, 'Heero's as good a watch dog asleep as he is awake.' The thought was strangely comforting. He'd just begun to drift into sleep when he felt a weight against his side and something landed heavily on his stomach. Lifting his head he looked down and sighed. She'd managed to roll over, and scoot up so that her head lay against him, throwing her arm up. It should have felt awkward but somehow it merely helped him relax further and he quickly fell asleep.

~*~*~*~Following Night~*~*~*~

Talia groaned and forced her heavy eyelids open. It was still dark, but something had woken her. Milliardo was still sleeping apparently, his back to her in his spot at the edge of the camp. Heero's head was propped on one elbow. He looked as awake as ever. But, in actuality he'd probably just been woken by whatever she had heard. That's when she realized Wufei was gone. She vaguely remembered falling asleep lying against him. She looked to around, wondering if he'd simply moved further away from Milliardo. The blonde had been kind enough to sleep near the edge in an attempt to make everyone more comfortable, though mostly just Wufei if she guessed right.

She hadn't missed the numerous glares her roommate had given the Tallgeese pilot in the past twenty-four hours. It was clear the boy didn't trust him. He seemed convinced that this was a trap. He even seemed to think that some part of her own injuries had been the blonde's fault and that the girl was merely covering for him. Apart from glaring, the raven-haired boy had only harsh words to say to him.

Heero on the other hand seemed at ease with the situation. He and the Lightning Count had actually been talking periodically. Heero was actually being friendly and social in his own way. Milliardo had taken everything in stride thus far. Twenty-four hours with a pissed off Wufei could wear on anyone's nerves.

She sat up even as Heero rolled over to sleep again. 'Where'd he go?' She wasn't about to go searching for the jealous jerk. A twig snapped to her right off in the bushes. Near instantly it was followed by a string of muffled curses. Talia snickered as she recognized the voice currently cursing the vegetation. He stumbled into their clearing trying to kick something off his ankle. She started to laugh at the sight and he stopped moving. "Sorry." She giggled not caring if she woke up anyone else. It wasn't often she got to see Wufei so out of sorts, looking rather clumsy.

The onyx-eyed pilot glared at her in the dark. "Onna, do you mind?" He whispered harshly, giving his foot another kick and shake.

"Step in some lizard poo out there, 'Fei?" She laughed even harder.

"At least do something useful and help me get this thing off," He said irritably, pulling at whatever it was that had wrapped around his leg.

Smothering another burst of laughter she stood up and went to help him. A couple minutes later they'd untangled him from the newly proclaimed man-eating vine. She hurled it back into the bushes and he shook his head.

"What?"

"Someone else will get stuck in it."

"Tell me you wouldn't love to see Heero or Milliardo stumbling all over themselves because of a little vine!"

He smirked at the image before pointing at her and glaring, "You tell no one about that. I was just tired or I wouldn't have gotten tangled."

"Of course! It's dark, vines are vicious at night." He sighed in exasperation even as she leaned in closer to whisper, "I hear some of them will even crawl into your sleeping bag and eat you alive." She burst into another fit of laughter causing Heero to grunt in agitation and Milliardo to lift his head, looking at them curiously.

"Go to bed," Wufei snapped, giving her a gentle shove in the right direction. At least she was laughing after all that had happened, even if it was at his expense and he didn't find it all that funny.

"I'm not going back to sleep." She said seriously, eyeing the surrounding trees.

"Yes, you are. If I came back looking like you, you'd have tied me to a bed and fed me that horrible soup against my will. You can at least sleep."

"I would not!"

"Oh yes, you would! You're as bad as Quatre!"

"Only because no one in that damn house will allow themselves to heal properly before trying to get themselves killed again."

"You are the same as the rest of us."

"Am not!"

"Really?" He smirked at her, "Then go to sleep and get some rest."

"Fine!" She spat out, "I will!" She promptly plopped down where she stood. It took a few minutes for realization to sink in about what had just happened. "Wufei!" She grumbled. "You jerk." But she did fall back asleep. Arguing with him seemed to make her feel content. It let her know that nothing had changed and he was still the same hardheaded guy she cared so much about.

~*~*~*~

"So you just walked right into their base and expected not to get caught?"

"I told you! There was no movement for days! We thought the place was deserted!"

Heero sighed as he took another sip of cold coffee. They had been arguing almost as long as they'd been up. He'd simply wanted to know exactly what had happened. He hadn't quite expected Wufei to blow a gasket over the whole thing.

"If you'll both calm down. I believe I can explain it." Zechs' calm voice drifted in as he strode towards them. It earned him two glares from the combatants, but they remained quiet.

"Bierrez was exceedingly proud of their capture." He directed the words mostly to Heero, considering Wufei's general dislike and distrust of him. And the fact that the brunette was the only one not glaring at him currently. "He took the complex over, made his threats and then shut everything down topside. They had a large surplus of supplies. There are enough tunnels underground to house hundreds of mobile suits. He knew what he was doing. He knew that whomever surveyed the place would think it had been abandoned and come in for a closer look. He had his men drilled especially for the occurrence. So you see, it was neither Duo's or Talia's fault that they were captured."

Wufei sat cross-legged on the ground, a frown on his face. The girl stuck her tongue out at him and proceeded to do a victory dance around him while chanting, "I told you so!" It was abruptly halted as he grabbed one of her pant legs and she dropped gracelessly into his lap. "Now be quiet."

Her mouth snapped shut as his arms encircled her waist securing her in his lap. The boy smirked at the blonde across from them as she relaxed and leaned back against his chest.

"We should go in on foot, release Duo and then get out. That way he'll be safe when we take out the rest of the complex." Heero stated, bringing everyone back to reality.

"No." Zechs said it with a bit more conviction than intended as he ignored the public display of affection before him.

"Why not? We were told to leave the place standing if at all possible."

"Bierrez assumed you would come to rescue Duo. He has plans to capture any intruder. I know your skills Heero, but the man has trained his men specifically to deal with you pilots; even you would have a hard time getting in and back out without getting caught."

"Sounds like the guy needs a hobby." Wufei muttered causing Talia to giggle. He smirked again but turned his attention to the conversation once more. "So, if we can't go in on foot just what do you propose, Zechs?"

"We take the Gundams. I've got an acquaintance inside the base. Duo's cell is far enough underground that any battle wouldn't disturb it much. I'm pretty sure my contact would let him out if we made a distraction. He's been working close to him, from what I understand."

Talia sat up suddenly with wide eyes, "Rishou?!"

Milliardo smiled, "Yes, how did you guess?"

She grinned back, "He was the only damn human soldier there. I'm glad to hear we won't be fighting him."

Wufei looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "We?" He paused and gently grabbed her arm, holding the bandaged wrists up to her eyes, "You are staying here. Heero and I will retrieve Maxwell."

She smiled mischievously, "Oh? You're going to leave me here all alone?"

"No, Zechs will stay too…" He trailed off as her grin widened. He growled, "Nevermind. You can come with." There was no way in hell he was leaving her alone with that blonde Casanova. He was quite suddenly hugged and felt a chaste kiss placed on his cheek before she slipped from his arms and off his lap. "I knew you'd see it my way Wufei!"

"Actually, I'll be accompanying you as well if you don't mind." The tall blonde spoke up as they all stood.

"Yeah!" The girl grinned, nearly hopping with anticipation. "That'll throw 'em off. They won't know if we're after them or if they merely got caught in the middle of our battle!" She unexpectedly stopped her antsy movements. "Now, who's bringing me to my Gundam? It's somewhere east of here." She smiled sheepishly as the other three gave her rather strange looks. 'What? I'm not supposed to be excited to get my best friend back?'

~*~*~*~

"Blasted cold stone floor," Duo mumbled. He was currently trying to dig himself an escape route using the toe of his boots as a shovel. Needless to say he was not getting very far. His thoughts had been occupied by his Koi, Heero. Wondering what he was doing, if he'd received a mission, if he missed him. Zoma had come by earlier to 'check in' on him. Bringing along another potential buyer. The man had kicked and prodded for some time before he seemed satisfied. The Captain had done nothing but smirk, as Duo remained silent and submissive throughout the treatment. He would have loved to have wiped the grin off his face, but his arms were still sore from the last time.

Outside he could hear Rishou singing to himself. It sounded almost like a lullaby. The braided boy yawned and stood to move next to the door. "Hey Rishou, whatcha singing?"

The soft song stopped and a loud squeal filled the cell as the guard slid his chair so that he was facing the door. "Not sure. It's something from one of my dreams. I'm not exactly sure where I heard it, but it's soothing. I like to think my mother used to sing it to me."

"It's very relaxing. Oh, I wanted to thank you for everything." He seemed about to say more but paused, studying the man's face. "What happened to you? A rabid chipmunk attack or something?"

The guard's face was covered in cuts and his lip looked swollen. But he laughed, "The boys didn't like the fact that I wouldn't let them in to see you and then Talia bit one of them a little too close to the family jewels, while he had his pants down, even."

Duo grinned, having been unaware of this happening. He was pleased that his friend had been able to take care of herself. "Even more reason for me to thank you. I doubt I'll be around much longer so I wanted to get it out of the way." With all the men Zoma had coming to view him, he figured he'd be sold within a week or so.

"Planning on being rescued soon or something?" The guard laughed giving him a wink. The boy started to shake his head 'no' when a blasting siren went off. Rishou stared at him a moment in amazement before running from his view. The pilot was about to hear muffled shouts of running soldiers, many that sounded like the word he most wanted to hear, Gundams.

~*~*~*~

"Captain!" Delnor nearly screeched, he banged on the large oak doors.

"What?" Bierrez sighed irritably, rubbing the bridge of his nose as the blue-haired man burst in panting for breath.

"Gundams sir! Three of them."

"Send out the suits." 'Three? They are going a bit overboard just to get one pilot back.'

"That's not all sir, one of them is 06. And the Tallgeese is with them."

"What?!" Bierrez nearly jumped from his chair, rattling the heavy oak desk in the process. "Zechs is coming too? Are you sure?"

"Positive sire. They're closing quickly from four different directions."

"Bring Maxwell, er, pilot 02 here immediately, sound the alarms, and send out all available suits."

Delnor saluted before rushing back out the doors not bothering to close it. Zoma pounded the desk with a fist. Zechs had betrayed him. He'd invited the man to purchase the pilots after considering how many times they'd tried to kill each other. It hadn't occurred to him that the blonde would save one of them, let alone work with them. He'd lost his edge, probably fallen prey to that little bitch's bag of tricks. 'It doesn't matter now. They may have gotten her back but 02 will die before they get a chance to rescue him.'

~*~*~*~

Duo shrunk back against the wall as Delnor and two others approached his door. Delnor was cursing almost constantly about the Gundams closing in. He heard the lock click and the blue-haired man gave the door a hard shove. Duo's eyes squeezed shut as he remembered all the colorful tortures the man had described before. The lanky soldier stomped forward with gun in hand. The pilot heard two shots and his eyes shot open. There was no pain. And that sound had come from the hall, 'Heero!'

Delnor turned, not quick enough, however. He fell to the floor in a heap, hand gripping his abdomen. The braided boy nearly bounded over to him, expecting to see Heero's unruly hair around the corner. Instead the sight of a scowling Rishou greeted him and he froze. The green-eyed guard looked particularly disturbed as he stopped in. His voice cracked slightly as he spoke, "I'm not getting paid enough for this. You better be glad I like you Duo." His hand seemed to shake she he retrieved the keys from Delnor and unlocked the stunned pilot from the shackled and chains.

He was dragged from the cell as Rishou recovered. "Why'd you do that? Why are you helping me? And why not earlier?"

"I did that because I like you. I'm helping you because I was paid to watch over you and Talia. Though most of what I've done is for the first reason. And I didn't do it earlier because I value my life." He dragged the brunette around a corner as soldiers ran through the halls. The foundation trembled and muffled explosions could be heard from above. The taller guard smirked as dust floated down, "I believe your friends are here to pick you and I up."

~*~*~*~

"They're like a swarm of bees." Zechs said with a smirk at the sight of the suits headed his way.

"I believe our friends procured a few Vayeate and Mercurius suits." Heero merely assessed the current situation.

"Along with a boatload of Aries and Leo suits." Was Wufei's comment before a short pause.

Then Talia came through as she grinned, " This is gonna be a blast… literally!" She giggled and the other three sweatdropped. 'So shoot me for trying to lighten the mood.'

They had each chosen a different direction, in an attempt to cage the troops. Zechs had known where they would be deploying from, having been given a full tour, just like the rest of the potential buyers who showed real interest.

"Time to start the show gentlemen." Talia cut her engines, landing with a nice thud. Azrael's staff held out before her. With a flip of a switch a scythe-shaped beam appeared at either end on opposing sides. [1] She smiled as a few of the Leo suits faltered. To her right in the distance she could see the Tallgeese pulling free a beam saber. She glanced to her left, Heero had come in from the West, but he was too far to make out.

Wufei scowled as he readied Altron's twin beam trident for action. The suits were pouring out from the complex. None were attacking though. They weren't firing, merely advancing outwards like an overflow of metal. 'I'm not waiting for them to get ready!' He flew forward slicing two Leo suits in half with one motion; the following explosion was echoed in three other directions. 'Apparently no one else felt like waiting either.' He smirked as he dodged and began the onslaught.

~*~*~*~

Duo tackled Rishou to the ground, both sliding forward as crumbling rocks fell onto their recently vacated spot. The guard looked back in mild surprise.

"The further we go, the less stable these tunnels become. They aren't used as much, plus all of the suits are above us out here." He muttered, brushing off his clothes. They'd slipped into a restricted area and down a nearly forgotten corridor. Rishou only knew about it because he'd gotten lost in it before.

"Rish, you sure this thing has another exit?" Duo's somewhat skeptical voice asked for the tenth time as they trudged on.

"Positive. This hallway is at an incline. The further we go the closer to the surface we get."

Duo sighed, it was true. He could actually faintly hear the sounds of battle above them now. The braided boy stopped suddenly, listening closely. A grin crossed his face and the green-eyed guard gave him a curious look. "What?"

"Wait for it…"

A huge explosion from behind caused Duo to start laughing like a maniac and Rishou to nearly jump out of his skin.

"What the hell was that?"

"Heero." The pilot said simply before starting to mutter.

"Excuse me?" The guard, still slightly confused, tried to catch the words.

"I said, if we had been allowed to just blow this damn place up in the first place, I'd have been home in bed right now." His companion laughed lightly, shaking his head.

~*~*~*~

Heero smirked at the sight of the shallow crater in the center of the complex. The soldiers seemed unsure of how to handle it now. These soldiers were well trained but most were not used to real battle. It seemed the entire field took pause. Talia's voice reached him and he glanced at the scream, "I thought the plan was to leave this place in one piece?"

"Hn. Plans change."

Her expression went from curiously confused to raging in an instant. "God damn you to Hell, Heero Yuy! You bastard!" He blinked at her words as the screen went blank. His head jerked up as another building basically exploded. Stone chunks rained down and he cursed, maneuvering away from them. At least with the buster rifle things were just incinerated, missiles were messy. He noticed that the Red Claw's forces seemed to be dwindling. He hoped Duo had gotten out safely. 'Zechs' partner had better have done his job.'

~*~*~*~

"Ladies and Gentlemen, thanks for the help. Nice to see the sun again! And those fireworks were awesome too!" Duo grinned, replacing the little CB-type mic to its holder. They'd finally found an exit from the near endless tunnel; it'd come up in the midst of the forest. After a bit of walking they'd found an abandoned MP truck, allowing the pilot to radio to his friends. They'd been lucky the tunnel went as far as it did. Where it came out was clear from the rather spread out and chaotic battlefield. About three hours had passed since they'd heard the first sirens. Now Aries and a few Leo's were attempting to retreat. Of course, that's difficult when someone like Wufei is your opponent.

"How are they gonna find us out here?" Rishou asked quietly watching a plume of smoke rise in the distance.

"We'll give 'em directions of course! We just talk until they spot us and hope we don't get stepped on."

~*~*~*~

It was mid-afternoon when all six of them reached the clearing. Duo was clinging to Heero for all he was worth. For once the Perfect Soldier's mask slipped, his eyes full of concern as he returned the violet-eyed boys embrace. Wufei dropped down, making himself comfortable by laying out flat on his back, arms behind his head. Talia flopped down, promptly throwing her own legs over his, laying perpendicular to him with a sigh. He didn't even flinch at the contact, making her wonder if he'd somehow fallen asleep that quickly. Rishou and Zechs sat, leaning in over a document that the guard had pulled from his pocket. He had looked very pleased to see the tall blonde and his smile had not yet disappeared. Finally Heero and Duo sat down with the others, still in one another's arms. "We go home tomorrow. We'll rest here for a very short while, then we have to move." The Perfect Soldier was back, at least while addressing everyone else.

Talia frowned and picked up a small rock. She swiftly chucked it at Heero's head. "Bastard," She mumbled as it struck with a thump.

She was suddenly jabbed in her already sore ribs by a boot. "Ouch! Duo! That hurt!"

"Why are you throwing rocks?"

She raised her head wondering why it was Duo that was reprimanding her. Heero was in the same spot with a half amused-half confused look on his face. "Cause! He went and trashed that place. If we had been able to do that my wrist wouldn't sting and I'd be able to breath without pain." She pouted sticking out her lower lip. After considering a moment Duo's eyebrow's lifted and he pouted along with her. "You know, she's right. But the worst part is I didn't get to blast anything myself." Heero gave a long defeated sigh as Wufei chuckled in amusement.

Rishou stood suddenly, Zechs following suit. Having gained everyone's attention they both smiled. The blonde spoke, folding the document in his hands; "We'll take our leave now. It has been an interesting experience fighting alongside all of you. Perhaps we'll see each other another time. Take care." He dipped his head and turned off towards Tallgeese. Rishou made his very quick goodbyes to Duo and Talia before trailing after.

~*~*~*~

A day later they arrived home. The house smelled faintly smoky. Neither Quatre nor Trowa were to be found but Ralph bounded out happily to meet them. They found most of their things had been packed into boxes, which were scattered throughout the house. They'd just made it into the dining room when the two missing pilots strolled through the door.

"You were right. It does still smell," Quatre sighed as they walked in. Upon seeing the others he beamed at them. "Welcome Home!"

"Thanks Q. But what's going on? Why's our stuff all packed up? And what's with the funky smell?" Duo asked giving his blonde friend a hug.

"Oh! We're moving again. Trowa and I packed almost everything up while you were all away."

"And the smell?" Wufei prodded, not allowing the question to be avoided. Surprisingly the little blonde blushed and Trowa smirked slightly. "It's nothing. I was just trying to teach Quatre how to cook."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

[1] - I have no idea what this weapon is called, but it's basically a staff with a scythe blade on both ends. If one is upwards the other is down. Very cool looking!

~*~*~*~

This is NOT the end of this story! I AM continuing it! ^__^ The next chapter just might take a while. Don't think I'm just gonna leave ya hanging like that. Lol, I still gotta put in lots more Talia/Wufei fluffy stuff and it'll probably get rather citrus-y. But this story is gonna keep going! I promise!!!

So that's the last chapter for a while. I'm going to be starting a new story. I've got its first chapter written. It's going to be a Yu-Gi-Oh yaoi fic. Seto/Joey ^__^ I just love that pairing! If any of you enjoy that pairing or just wanna read something a little twisted it'll be coming out soon. *huggles you all* I will be continuing with this fic sometime in the future I have just been having MAJOR writer's block. I don't like my writing to suffer because of it.

Also, I wanted to PLEAD for reviews!! I don't care if I only get one or two a chapter, but they would be very much appreciated. And you'll be thanked/have questions answered in when I post up the next chapter. I just want to know if anyone is enjoying this story or if I should just keep it to myself. Or you can just flame the hell out of me, or praise me, that would be nice *grins* Also, any ideas for future chapters are welcome!