Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Warrior Children ❯ Memories ( Chapter 17 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Cousin D 
The Ma-Sho reflect.
Anime/Manga: Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Romance / Fantasy / Drama / Angst / Adventure / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 10.04.2003 | Updated On: 02.05.2006 | Pages: 6 | Words: 7.8K | Visits: 461 | Status: Completed
The Ma-Sho reflect.
Anime/Manga: Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Romance / Fantasy / Drama / Angst / Adventure / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 10.04.2003 | Updated On: 02.05.2006 | Pages: 6 | Words: 7.8K | Visits: 461 | Status: Completed
Chapter 17 : MEMORIES
Sh'ten-
It was decided that Ryou and Seiji would go to Noin's home with Anubisu and that Sh'ten would take the two others, Shin and Touma, to Quatre's home. Both Ma-Sho knew they had to keep the boys under guard and give them time to safely develop into their powers. After all, it wasn't as if this sort of thing happened every day and if Arago tried to get his hands on them it would be very bad for everyone.
Duo spoke up quickly, "I'm going with Ryou and Anubisu-san!" Then he grabbed Heero's hand eagerly. "You come with me, Heero, 'k?" The look in his eyes was priceless, so endearing.
'I still can't believe that I helped raise such a child! If he doesn't show some evil soon, I may have to kill myself as a failure as a parent.' Sh'ten shook his head and turned away from Duo, to hide the disappointed look in his eyes. 'How could I have had anything to do with such a...a good boy?'
"Yes." Heero answered in his dull monotone voice, though his eyes were still fixed on Seiji.
Sh'ten worried about Heero - that boy was dangerous. He'd seen that look, the one is Heero's eyes, before. On the battlefield, there were men who had lost everything. They filled their lives with the only thing that gave them purpose - war. The result was battle for the sake of battle with no love for it. Personally, Sh'ten rather enjoy fighting, there was a thrill, an undeniable excitement that he couldn't live without. Heero wasn't a warrior, Sh'ten knew that with one look into Heero's cold eyes. No, warriors were filled with passion and fire, this boy is ice. 'I don't like it. He isn't a warrior, he's a killer.'
It was that coldly determined look that warned Sh'ten that they'd have to keep a close eye on both Heero and Seiji. They couldn't have Seiji being killed before he even received the yoroi, which would mean more waiting for another yoroi bearer to be born and more of a risk of being discovered by Arago. It would be far easier for them to break Arago's hold on them if they had all the yoroi at the same time.
KEEP AN EYE ON HEERO. Sh'ten told Anubisu. HE'S GOT DEATH ON HIS MIND AND WE CAN'T LOSE SEIJI. It was quite simple to someone like Sh'ten, who'd seen so much war and death in his life, to see that Heero was thinking how best to kill Seiji. 'He's just under orders, I think. Heero's too cold to be doing this for vengeance or some other reason.'
Anubisu and Sh'ten both picked up their respective charges and prepared to follow wherever they were led. While Sh'ten put Shin over his shoulder and Touma under one arm, Anubisu was no doubt showing off for the girl Noin when he slung both of the other boys over his shoulders easily. I THINK HE LIKES HER, Sh'ten thought idly. It was a bit of a surprise, He'd never thought of one of them falling in love with a ningen.
ANUBISU!!! Rajura shouted furiously at Anubisu, obviously having heard Sh'ten's thoughts. He shouted through the distance that separated them as if they were only feet apart. WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!
I HAVEN'T TOUCHED HER! Anubisu defended himself quickly. THOSE WERE SH'TEN'S THOUGHTS, NOT MINE! Then he glared at Sh’ten, sourly. I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT, 'TEN.
Sh'ten looked away and kept his mouth shut. Better to not get involved anymore than he already was.
Rajura wasn't placated and continued to rage. I DON'T CARE! YOU'D BETTER NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT HER IF YOU EVER WANT TO PUT YOUR ASS BACK IN MY BED!
Anubisu swallowed hard at the threat and pouted. Rajura wouldn't ignore him forever, but he was very good at holding grudges and a horribly jealous lover. Sh'ten was fairly certain that Anubisu would keep his hands to himself around the girl.
Heero-
Duo grabbed Heero's hand, but let go the instant that Heero tugged it back from him. 'I don't like being touched!' Duo took the hint well and didn't touch Heero again, though he did make sure to stay fairly close while they were all walking with the heavily armored men carrying the four boys.
Duo spoke happily (Heero had seen no sign of the insane killer he'd first met in the alley since Duo had found his family, though they no longer remembered him.) and looked at the fearsome Anubisu and Sh'ten with something very much like love. Heero didn't think he liked that. Duo also kept grabbing the hand of Ryou, the dark haired boy, and talking to him, though it was clear Ryou was asleep.
Heero didn't understand why Duo spoke to Ryou. Ryou can't hear him, but that didn’t seem to worry Duo at all. He was wasting his breath, but that doesn't stop Duo.
Noin, Seiji's sister, though they looked nothing alike, kept a close eye on Anubisu. Her hand hovered near the gun at her side, even though she'd already seen that it was a useless weapon against Anubisu's obviously superior yoroi. Still, she seems to think she should at least try to fight if she needs to and has a very determined look on her face.
While Duo was busy talking to the others, Heero was able to think on his dilemma. Seiji was obviously helpless and easy to dispose of, but...well, did Heero really want to just shot Seiji when he was asleep? He could. It was an easy shot, really. It didn't seem right, though. Seiji shouldn't be shot when he was defenseless. Heero shook his head and wondered when he had start thinking such foolish sentimental thoughts.
Seiji had to die or be recaptured; it was an order.
Doctor J's exact orders had been, “Find Hiro and bring him back. Bring him back or kill him, Heero. He's too dangerous to let loose. After you have him or you've killed him, come back to the base.”
Doctor J never said WHEN Heero had to complete this mission. For that matter, he never specified when Heero had to go back to the base. Now there was an interesting thought Heero hadn't considered before.
Yes, Heero would do as he was ordered, but he want to talk to Seiji, first. 'I want to see his eye again, before I have to kill him. He'll never let himself be brought back, and I can't really blame him. Why am I going back? Torture? Pain? There was that and more waiting for him if he was taken back to doctor J. If I were in his position, I suppose I would chose to be killed first, too. What point is there in life if it's all pain?'
It was simple for Heero. He was ordered to do something, so he had to obey. What else did he have in life? Nothing. Heero had learned that obeying doctor J was more logical and less painful, so that is what he did. Heero really didn't think he could disobey a direct order from doctor J if his life was on the line. Seiji was different, though. Just being told what to do had always incited rebellion in him and he fought against it as hard as he could. He either could not or would not take orders from anyone.
Still, seeing Seiji still bloody and even paler than normal, draped over someone's shoulder like old laundry, hurt. Heero don't want Seiji to be hurt. If he have to kill him, Heero could do it so Seiji would never feel any pain.
Walking with Duo, Heero said not a word as they passed all the puzzled looking guests. They left the Kushranada mansion quietly, the remaining guests, who still mingled in the garden, staring at them curiously, but saying nothing. As soon as they were out of sight of the guests of the OZ party, the yoroi the two men wore faded away to be replaced by lighter, though still strange, suits of armor.
They passed out of the carefully maintained garden and into a slightly wooded area, part of the forest that surrounded the Kushranada estate when, out of the corner of his eye Heero saw someone. A girl with long auburn hair and a fancy red party dress, as if she'd run away from the party, was watching them. She was sitting, with her back to a large tree and a book in her hands. As they passed, she looked up and slowly put down the book. Her mouth fell slightly open as the two armored figures carrying the boys changed into the light yoroi in front of her and her eyes are narrowed in thought, but not fear.
Heero wondered who she was, but she wasn't Heero's mission, so he didn't pay her too much attention. 'I must stay with Seiji until I've killed him.'
After Sh'ten and the boy, Quatre, parted ways with the rest of them, taking the ones called Touma and Shin with them, Heero went to the Date home where Anubisu set up Ryou and Seiji in the same room and carefully covered them both with blankets. All night they stayed there, but still Ryou and Seiji didn't wake up. They slept deeply and Anubisu's only comment was that they needed the rest and not to wake them. Anubisu stayed with the two sleeping boys constantly, not bothered by the fact that Seiji's sister, Noin, had set up her computer in the bedroom and fully intended to stay until her brother woke. Duo, also, choose to stay and Heero with him. For some reason, it was important that Heero didn't leave Seiji alone.
The bedroom was an eerily dark room (Anubisu said he preferred the dark and he didn't bother with turning on any lights that might wake the boys) with only a small light for Noin to work at her computer. Heero had stationed himself near the door and made himself as quiet as possibly, listening to the tapping of Noin's keyboard and Duo's pleasant chatter as he fussed over his brother. Is it jealously that made Heero want to rip Duo away from the sleeping boy?
Colony A0206-
Rajura-
"You have to start packing, 'Fei." Xiu said as he stuffed clothes into a suitcase that was on his bed. "Mama doesn't want to stay here any longer than she has to, she's afraid they're going to attack again."
Rajura had seen it all, of course, watching as Xiu and Wufei spoke together in Xiu's bedroom on the colony. It was duty and worry that made Rajura and Naaza keep such a close eye on Xiu. They both knew, from experience, that Xiu would have a hard time as his mind and body adjusted to the yoroi that had come to him so suddenly. With Rajura's illusions keeping them invisible, the two Ma-Sho stayed close to Xiu.
Xiu and Wufei were arguing after the battle had ended and people were starting to try and clean up the colony. It had only been about a day, but already, the people of the colony were trying to rebuild their lives and honoring their dead. As far as Rajura was concerned, it hadn't been much of a battle. Real battles didn't involve women or children and they certainly didn't attack unarmed peasants.
"I'm not going anywhere. I will find the one who ordered this attack and I will have revenge." Wufei declared, even as he helped Xiu to pack his bags for the return trip to Earth. Together, the two boys packed hurriedly, but they'd been bickering about the same thing all evening.
"I want someone to be there to take care of mama and Lai." Xiu protested. "How can I fight if I think they're alone without anyone to take care of them? You HAVE to go back to Earth with them."
Wufei gave him a hard look. "YOU will go to Earth with your family. I will fight. I already have a name to look for, so there's no reason for you to be anywhere but with your family."
"Damn it, Wufei! You're not going to just send me away, this is my fight! Tell me who did this and I'll go get the ass hole." Xiu snarled, throwing a handful of his clothes down onto the floor. "I won't let you fight my battles!"
Wufei turned on his cousin, furiously. "How dare you! This is as much my battle as it is yours! I lost my wife!"
"And I lost most of my brothers and sisters." Xiu replied hotly. "You've already had your revenge, you destroyed those mobile suits that killed Meiran. I want my chance!" Xiu felt like fighting and he wasn't going to let Wufei take the source of revenge away from him.
"Think for once, fool! Your family needs you." Wufei reached out to Xiu, but Xiu didn't want to think reasonably.
"Leave me alone!" Xiu gave Wufei a little push to get him off, but ended up throwing Wufei several yards into a wall and Wufei crashed to the ground with a loud thud and a grunt of pain.
Xiu's mouth fell open, horrified at what he'd done. "Oh, man!" He ran to help Wufei up. "I didn't mean it! Are you okay? I didn't mean to hurt you."
Rajura, watching from his illusion of invisibility, knew what had happened. Kongo was showing its strength. This was what Xiu would have to learn to control in the coming days. Rajura thought back briefly to his own time adjusting to the Gen Yoroi and swallowed a hard lump in his throat. Those were memories he preferred not to relive.
But Wufei wouldn't be side tracked, even though his voice was strained by pain. "What's going to happen if you die? What will your mama do?"
Xiu froze, his brow furrowing.
Wufei, seeing that he finally had Xiu's attention, continued quickly, "What will Lai do without a big brother to take care of her? What if something happens to your mama and Lai is orphaned? What if Lai dies and your mama is left alone? You know that would kill her! It's not fair for you to go off looking for revenge, especially if you know how much you're going to hurt them."
Xiu slumped, the wind firmly taken out of his sails. "I have to do something. I...I can't just sit back and do nothing."
"The only thing you have to do is to let me take care of getting justice for our family and you take care of our family. Be thankful that you can go home with them. I have no one to go home to, anymore."
"You're a part of my family. How will I protect you if you're in a war?" Xiu put his arms around Wufei, and hugged him tightly.
"I can take care of myself. You have to worry about the women in your family."
Xiu sighed, but apparently saw the wisdom of Wufei's argument. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I want to do something more, though."
Rajura was pleased at the decision and glad that Xiu wouldn't be going into any kind of battle situation soon. He wasn't ready to fight with the way Rajura was sure Xiu's body was going to start acting. He wouldn't be able to control himself and needed careful guarding.
A couple of hours later-
Xiu-
Xiu was still upset by the argument he'd had with Wufei and about the way he'd been able to push away his cousin, sending him flying into a wall. As he walked through the terminal to get to the shuttle that would take them to Earth, Xiu thought he'd found the answer. It was probably just adrenaline. Yeah, he was so angry that he'd just gotten a rush of adrenaline.
"Hello. Nice seeing you again."
Xiu spun around at the voice. It was that white haired guy with his green haired friend. Both were dressed in their fine black suites and stood behind him in the line to get on the shuttle back to Earth.
"What are you doing here?" Xiu demanded, glancing around to see if his mama were anywhere in hearing distance. Thankfully, she'd gone to feed Lai while Xiu bought their tickets and was nowhere in sight.
Rajura smiled, slyly. "We're going to Earth." He replied simply. "It should be an interesting experience, we've never ridden one of these space shuttle things before."
Naaza had his arms crossed and was glaring at Rajura. "I don't see why we have to do this." He complained crankily. "Let's just meet him on Earth. It'll be easier and we won't have to put up with all these stupid ningen's."
"Since when have I ever done anything the easy way? Come on, let's buy our tickets." Rajura, looking happy as a clam to be standing in a long line waiting for his ticket, smiled and his eyes kept looking all around as if he really had never seen any of it before.
"Will they take gold?" Naaza asked, digging a hand into a pocket and pulling out a small handful of gold coins.
"Of course they will. Who doesn't accept gold?"
Xiu turned back, trying not pay any attention to them. Maybe if he ignored them, they'd leave him alone.
Ryou-
A few nights later-
Ryou tossed and turned in his sleep. A dream...
Chibi-Ryou sat bolt upright on his futon, sweating and feeling the freezing cold more horribly than before. Usually when he got cold at night he would just crawl into Duo-chan's bed and cuddle up for warmth. But mama Sh'ten and Rajura-san had taken Duo out to see the fire pits in the East. They'd told Ryou it would take a day and a night to make the trip, but Ryou didn't want to go. He really didn't want to see hundreds of small lakes of fire, spewing flames up twenty feet into the air. That, unfortunately, left Ryou home without Duo-chan to keep him company.
Ryou crept out of bed to find the one source of heat he wasn't afraid of. Wearing heavy woolen clothes and two pair of socks on his feet, Ryou just wasn't warm enough. He quietly went into the hall and walked right passed Anubisu-san's room. That place was horribly cold and Ryou wouldn't go in there unless he absolutely had to.
Duo called Naaza-san's room the snake pit, for a very obvious reason. The room was like a pit, several feet lower than the hall outside and one had to go down a set of stairs to get into Naaza-san's room. Crawling with hundreds of different snakes of all colors and sizes, the place was constantly in motion.
Ryou pushed the door open and peeked in, smiling at the rush of hot air that flooded out. Naaza-san was there, sleeping, of course. Naaza-san slept on a large, flat stone, raised about a foot off the floor, which was always almost hot. On top of the stone was a comfortable blanket. The floor was warm, too, and Ryou had once been told that it was because there was lava under the castle.
“Is lava like fire?” Ryou had once asked mama Sh'ten, nervous about the thought of fire under his new home.
“No,” Mama Sh'ten had told him. “Lava is melted rocks. Not fire.”
Naaza-san was dressed in un-dyed linen trousers and nothing else. He lay on his belly on the stone, several snakes sleeping on his broad, bare back and on the futon around him. His bright green hair was spread out around his face and Ryou could see the faint green coloring to Naaza-san's skin, tiny scales that he had in spots all over his body.
"Clossse the door, Ryou. You're letting the heat out." Naaza-san opened one eye just a slit and looked at Ryou, still peeking in the door.
Ryou quickly did as he was told and stood awkwardly on the steps that led down into Naaza-san's sunken room, unsure if he should go down or not. Naaza-san slowly opened both eyes, fixing his calm gaze on Ryou. He didn't always hiss, but Ryou knew when Naaza-san wasn't thinking about it, he tended to hiss and his long tongue flickered out of his mouth strangely.
Naaza-san didn't bother to get up, he only tilted his head a bit so he could look at Ryou better. "Are you coming in or not?"
Ryou timidly walked down into the snake pit, careful not to step on the snakes that lay in his path. "My room's too cold, oniisan. Can I sleep here, tonight?" Ryou asked hopefully. He was already feeling better with the humid warmth and the fact that Naaza-san didn't have candles in his room, like mama Sh'ten, because the snakes didn't like them. There wasn't a bit of fire in here.
Naaza-san didn't bother to move, except for blinking. "You want to stay here?"
"If you don't mind."
Naaza-san almost smiled before hissing at the snakes on the stone he was laying on and they obligingly crawled off, leaving room for one more. Naaza-san gestured with a slight move of his head to the empty spot and Ryou broke out in a grin. He ran to the stone bed and hopped up, cuddling quickly into Naaza-san's side while resting his cheek on the futon and feeling the hard, warm stone beneath. The warmth floated up and went right into him. Ryou sighed contentedly. Naaza-san was looking at him, seeming confused.
"What?" Ryou asked.
"You aren't afraid of me, are you?"
This seemed to be a very odd question to Ryou as he'd been living with them for nearly a year. "No. Why?"
"No reason." Naaza-san put an arm over Ryou's back, pulling him in closer. "Close your eyes and rest."
Ryou fell into a deep sleep, happy and safe.
End of dream-
Anubisu-
Ryou still didn't wake up, but Anubisu noted that the boy was smiling so he was probably having a pleasant dream. Duo had fallen asleep, leaning back against the chair Noin had given him, and even Heero was dozing, unable to stay awake any longer.
'I wonder if Sh'ten will let me keep Heero. I like this boy, he's strong and very tough, the basics for a great warrior.' Anubisu had to sigh. 'If only I'd taken that job with doctor J, maybe I could have taken him to the Youja-Kai long ago. Ah, well. The past is the past, no use dwelling on it.'
Naaza-
Naaza woke with a start and found himself where he'd fallen asleep, on the strange "shuttle" that was taking them back to Earth. They'd agreed that until all the children were taken by the yoroi, they shouldn't be left alone, so Rajura and Naaza were keeping a close eye on Xiu. Unfortunately, that meant being limited to this modern science for travel. Naaza didn't like the feeling of traveling through space, it just didn't feel right, so when he began to get tired, he welcomed sleep to take him away from the uneasy view of stars that were far to close.
Naaza blinked at the memory. Ryou. Sanada Ryou, creeping into his room and asking to sleep with him. In the middle of all the snakes, and with the monstrous Naaza, not caring about the scales or the fangs or the tongue. Ryou was afraid of fire, yet drawn to it against his will. He was a sweet boy who'd accidentally burned his grandmother to death and Naaza himself had adopted him with the help of Sh'ten dressed as a woman, pretending to be his wife. Ryou who hid from people, afraid that they'd find out about his terrible power over fire. The memories came flooding back almost painfully fast.
"You didn't sleep long." Rajura commented from his side. "What's bothering you? You seemed happy enough in your dream."
I REMEMBER! Naaza was far too excited to bother with speech.
WHAT?
I REMEMBER THE BOY, RYOU, AND THE ONE SH'TEN MET, DUO. Naaza shook Rajura's arm urgently, unusually upset by this. HE WAS SO SWEET! I REMEMBER EVERYTHING. YOU AND 'TEN-CHAN TOOK THE BOY, DUO, OUT RIDING AND RYOU WANTED TO SLEEP IN MY BED. DUO CAME TO US WITH RYOU AND THEY WERE BEST FRIENDS! DUO WAS ALWAYS PLAYING PRACTICAL JOKES ON US, BUT YOU TAUGHT HIM TO LIE AND HE DUMPED A BUCKET OF WATER ON YOUR HEAD. IT WAS ARAGO WHO TOLD US TO GET RYOU, HE KNEW RYOU WOULD BE AN YOROI BEARER AND WANTED US TO TRAIN HIM AS A WARRIOR. WE TRAINED DUO, TOO, BUT WITH A SCYTHE, NOT SWORDS.
Naaza was so excited, waving his arms and letting his long tongue dart out of his mouth. Rajura had to hold him still. GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF! I CAN'T UNDERSTAND A THING YOU'RE SAYING. LET ME SEE YOUR MEMORY.
Naaza did as Rajura told him, but when Rajura tried to look at the memory, he was blocked out. Something, not Naaza, but something in himself, was stopping him from seeing it. ARAGO DID THIS, TOO. Naaza said. IT WAS PUNISHMENT FOR LETTING RYOU AND DUO ESCAPE. HE WAS ANGRY AND GOING TO KILL DUO, BUT RYOU INTERFERED, ATTACKING ARAGO. GODS, I REMEMBER EVERYTHING!
Rajura-
Rajura felt left out when he couldn't see Naaza's memory, but he did believe Naaza. Rajura was able to easily tell when someone was lying to him, and Naaza was too excited to be lying. Still, why couldn't Rajura see the memory? Sh'ten and Anubisu, through the link, couldn't see it, either. So, there was a chance of getting their memories back.
Rajura gave a satisfied smile, he was sure that this was all Arago's doing from the start. One more reason to destroy the demon emperor.
Just as soon as Rajura got his memory back.
Earth-
Xiu-
Back on Earth, Xiu was staring to have problems with his new found strength. He found that he couldn't do anything without breaking something. At first it had been kind of fun, knowing that he was the strongest guy around, probably the strongest guy on Earth, but then it started to sink in.
Mama had asked him to put some clothes away in the closet and the doorknob had shattered in his hand. Xiu stared down at the dust in his hand and then let it flutter to the floor. Another time, Xiu was just putting his pants on and tore them in half without noticing it. He didn't dare to use plates or glasses anymore, but resorted to paper plates and cups, for fear of destroying them, too.
Xiu was starting to get nervous that at anytime the inhuman strength might flare up and he'd break something else. His family wasn't rich, and Xiu knew if he broke something important, like the restaurant's stove, they'd be in big trouble. Without the stove, there was no business. No business, no money.
The final straw came one morning, "Xiu, darling, take your sister for a moment, won't you?" Mama asked him. "My arms are dead tired."
Rajura watched the whole scene and knew what Xiu's reaction would be and wasn't to surprised to see Xiu looked at the baby as if she were a rattlesnake. "No."
"What?" Mama was shocked by her son's answer. He was always willing to help out watching the children and now that the others had died, he couldn't seem to get enough of holding Lai. "Don't fool around, Xiu. I need your help."
Xiu put his hands in his arms pits and started to back away.
"Xiu?!" Mama called after him, but Xiu had run out into the street, slamming the door behind him.
"So, are you ready? Are you ready for training?"
Xiu had felt the person before he turned around. Rajura, again grinning at Xiu. Xiu glared, but bowed his head in defeat, wanting to cry. "I can't hold Lai. I'll hurt her."
"Oh, come now. You can't be sure of that." Rajura told him in an almost mocking tone. "You may be lucky and she'll survive your loving embrace."
Xiu snapped. "This isn't funny!"
"I'm not joking." Rajura stepped closer to Xiu. "I'm going to back to my brothers today and I think it would be wise if you went with me. Naaza has already gone and will meet us there. We need to speak with you and the others together. We'll help you learn to control your power."
Xiu nodded, wordlessly. That meant seeing Shin and Touma, again.
"Do you want to tell your mother that you're leaving?" Rajura asked.
Xiu thought, biting his lip nervously. It might be better if he just left and didn't come back. There was something going on, behind what Rajura was telling him. He wouldn't have just gotten the yoroi if there were no need for it, but Rajura wasn't telling him something and Xiu didn't want to get his mama involved in something he didn't understand or with someone like Rajura whom he didn't fully trust.
But, he'd come back to Earth to protect his family and how could he do that if he was just going to run away? He should stay with them. But then, how could he protect them from himself?
"No. She'll just want to know what's going on and I don't think I want her to know about this. Let's just go."
So with that, the two of them started off down the street, though Xiu knew he'd have to face his mama about this eventually. "Don't worry." Rajura told his new charge, putting a brotherly arm over Xiu's shoulder. "I'll take good care of you."
Anubisu-
Noin had been wary enough that she didn't want to leave Anubisu alone for more than a few minutes with the two boys. She'd brought some machine in the bedroom with her, a box that she tapped on, making flickering writing appear on a flat screen. A kind of magic, perhaps, and Noin seemed almost obsessed with it. From time to time, swearing at the screen and often glaring at it.
"What happened to Seiji's eye?" Anubisu asked when he pulled aside the boy's hair to check on him at one point. The eye was completely gone, a mass of scars going from his left eyebrow to the middle of his left cheek. Anubisu touched his own cross-shaped scar just under his right eye. It was from a barely remembered battle, one before he'd been granted the privilege of wearing the Yami (darkness) Yoroi.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Noin told him, not looking up from her work. "I've been searching on my computer for days, looking for the person who did this. I've got information that it was the same man who trained your friend, Heero. Seiji won't tell me and I can't seem to get any information out of Heero, either." She gave a dark look to the boy she'd been pestering with questions for an hour.
Anubisu looked over at the silent boy, still standing in a corner of the room, his arms crossed over his chest, seeming more interested in Duo than the sleeping boys. Heero, the mysterious boy that Anubisu only half remembered, who had won over Duo so completely was standing guard, having an intense interest in Seiji.
"I know who trained him." Anubisu said in an off-handed manner.
"What? Who?" Noin turned to him fiercely.
Anubisu opened his mouth to reply, but something caught his eye. A glow from Seiji. The orb around Seiji's throat was glowing again, as was the kanji of courtesy. Noin and the conversation forgotten, Anubisu walked slowly toward Seiji, curious about this new development. Ryou was still sleeping, unchanged.
Duo looked up from where he was sitting at Ryou's side. "What's going on?" He looked at Seiji and stood up. Heero stepped closer to Duo in a sweet sign of caring. He didn't want Duo too close to these possibly dangerous people, though he didn't go so far as to touch Duo in any way. Naaza had told them all that he had remembered Ryou and Duo in a dream. That meant that it was true as Naaza had no reason to lie and therefore, hadn't.
Seiji started to glow brighter.
Seiji's nightmare-
Seiji had forgotten whatever it was he'd done to earn the punishment, but he clearly remembered the punishment.
"Give him Dark Room therapy." Doctor J ordered coldly.
Seiji froze in terror. ‘No! Not again!’ One of the large guards grabbed Seiji by the shoulders and started to pull him out of the room he shared with Heero. Seiji struggled for all he was worth, but it was no good. He was small and, for all his training, he was still a child. Heero rushed to help, but was restrained by the other guard.
Doctor J said, "You will learn discipline, Hiro. If I have to kill you, you will learn discipline."
Neither boy uttered a word or even a sound as they were parted. That part of training, at least, they had learned long ago. Seiji struggled and fought, desperate to get away, anything to avoid the dark room. Heero pulled against the guard who held him, wanting to get to his partner more than anything, but it was no use. The strangely silent fight ended with Seiji being picked up off his feet and carried out of the room.
They carried him a short distance down the hall to the Dark Room. Seiji's worst fear. He almost-almost- screamed when the guard punched in the computer code for the lock and opened the heavy metal door. Seiji was pitched in unceremoniously, landing in a heap on the floor just as the door was slammed closed again.
Darkness.
Complete, total darkness.
Seiji huddled in a ball on the floor and closed his eyes. He tried very had to remember the bright colored flowers of his childhood. Bright yellows, reds, and pinks, dancing in the breeze in a garden, people laughing and, most importantly, sunlight everywhere were. This was what he wanted to see instead of the empty nothingness around him. Emptiness that could be hiding anything.
His imagination didn't help much. It wasn't just the fact that Seiji was effectively blind, but there was no sound. Everything was insulated, so nothing could get through the walls. No corners to hide in, either, as the room was perfectly round.
Seiji started humming to himself, trying to concentrate on something, anything to get his mind off the emptiness around him.
A drop of water struck his head and Seiji stood, steeling himself for what was to come. The deluge soaked him for just a few seconds and then it stopped, leaving him standing in almost two feet of ice cold water and still in the dark. The water never drained away so Seiji sat again, in the waist deep water. Hours it seemed, but Seiji couldn't tell. No one came to talk to him or tell him what was going on, they never did.
Just when Seiji was starting to fall asleep, to exhausted to even feel afraid right now, a sharp electrical shock ran through the water and Seiji screamed with the intense pain, putting his hands up to his head, as if he could block out the pain. It lasted for only a moment before the water was still again and Seiji sat back down, unable to stand on his shaking legs. Well, now at least he could see spots in front of his eyes, if nothing else.
Waiting.
Waiting.
Waiting.
There was nothing to do but wait until they let him out. Long ago, Seiji had tried to escape from the Dark Room, but found it impossible. There were no windows or locks on the inside. No material to make weapons out of and no access control for the computer, either. He knew that all he could do was wait. Seiji was terribly hungry after a while, and had to listen to his stomach rumble. They wouldn't feed him, either, while he was in here, either.
If only he had a little light.
Light and Seiji rubbed his eyes, not sure if what he was seeing was right. Yes, there was a faint green light in the darkness. The remembered green yoroi from his dreams long ago.
CALL TO ME, BUSSO KORIN. I'M WAITING FOR YOU. THE DARKNESS IS OUR STRENGTH, CALL TO ME AND I WILL COME.
BUSSO KORIN.
Seiji reached out to the glowing yoroi, mouthing the words, busso Korin.
Anubisu-
Anubisu backed away when Seiji started to glow, his kanji symbol standing out starkly, thrashing his head in his nightmare. Seconds later, Anubisu had to shield his eyes at the light.
Anubisu watched, as best as he could, while Seiji glowed brighter and brighter. He didn't talk in his nightmare, but his hands clenched the bed sheets tightly, giving himself white knuckles. Seiji glowed brighter and brighter and Anubisu was starting to tear up because of the painful light.
The glow from the symbol on Seiji's forehead was spreading, making his whole body glow. Brighter and brighter and Anubisu started to back away. Too bright! Anubisu tried to keep calm, tried not to be cowed by the light that made his heart quake. But, the pain was getting to be too much, searing his eyes and he screamed, slapping his hands over his eyes to protect them.
SH'TEN! HELP!
WHAT'S GOING ON? WHAT'S WRONG? Sh'ten asked and Anubisu felt the worry from Rajura and Naaza, too.
LIGHT! KORIN'S COMING OUT, BUT HE'S SHINING, I CAN'T TAKE THE LIGHT! I CAN'T SEE! OH, GODS, IT HURTS!!!
A slight power surge and then thin hands were on Anubisu's shoulders, touching his face gently. "Don't worry, 'Nubie. I'm right here." A kiss on Anubisu's left eye. "You're beautiful when you're suffering. You go watch Shin and Touma, I'll stay here."
Anubisu didn't wait, and followed Sh'ten's power trail back to the room where the two others were. He breathed easier when he saw that the lights were out and silently thanked Sh'ten for thinking ahead.
The darkness was a blanket he often wrapped himself in to hide from the light, but Korin's light had been too much, too soon. Anubisu slumped against a wall and let his blurry vision settle, rubbing the pain away as best as he could, before he went to the two beds in the room and took a good look at Shin and Touma. Then he noticed the other person.
A thin young man with brown hair, one long bang coming sharply over one eye, much like Seiji's hair covered his face. "Who are you?" Anubisu asked.
"I'm looking for Mouri Shin." The boy said in a soft voice.
"What do you want with him?" Anubisu asked sourly. The last thing he wanted to deal with was this boy. The boy was holding one of those modern weapons that the girl had tried to hurt Sh'ten with at the party. The metal, hand held weapon that could do no actual damage to Anubisu's armor.
Trowa-
Trowa knew something was wrong when he approached Quatre's house. There were guards running around on the grounds, heavily armed and grim looking.
Trowa hadn't been able to find the mercenaries who'd come too close to killing Shin. He’d put himself in plane sight, yet no one had even tried to kill him, which made Trowa very suspicious. He'd even appeared without the mask several times to lure them in, but no luck.
He had to check on Shin, because if the assassins weren't looking for him, maybe they really were after Shin. What if they'd stayed on Earth and wanted to get the opportunity to finish Shin off?
Also, along with concern for Shin, doctor G had ordered Trowa to look for someone. Someone who would help him accomplish Operation Meteor needed help to accomplish a mission of his own. He was to find Heero, a fellow Gundam Pilot, and help him to kill someone. Unfortunately, Trowa had been given nothing but a photo to help him find Heero, a photo and information that he'd be found somewhere in Japan. Big help.
Trowa, with his gun drawn, eased open the door. He'd managed to make his way passed all the guards in the house, who were upset about something, and searched all the rooms he could find. In the end, he came to a bedroom with a man standing inside. A man stood inside, looking out the window, and Trowa could see only his profile, stern and sharp. Long red hair hanging around the man's shoulders. In two beds, on opposite sides of the room, were Shin and Touma.
The man lost focus, his eyes going distant for a moment, as if he were having an internal conversation, before he vanished. Trowa had to blink a couple of times before he could accept what he'd just seen. It was impossible for a person to simply vanish, yet he had just seen it happen.
Very well, he had seen it, so it had happened. On to the next worry, Shin.
Before Trowa had gotten more than four feet into the room, another man appeared, this one gasping and rubbing his eyes furiously. He, like the red head, was armored, but it was like no armor Trowa had ever seen. This one had blue hair and seemed to be in pain. It took a moment for the blue haired one to realize Trowa was in the room with his gun drawn. The man showed no fear, though, simply dismissed the gun as if it were nothing.
"Who are you?" The stranger asked, warily.
Trowa walked in further, to get a better look at the stranger. "I am looking for Mouri Shin." Was this a trap set to catch him? Somehow, if it was, it seemed a bit too subtle for the mercenaries.
The man now turned to look at Trowa fully. "What do you want with him?"
Trowa still didn't answer, but he went to the bed where Shin was sleeping soundly. Shin also looked paler than normal. "What's wrong with him?" Trowa asked.
"He's just sleeping." The stranger asked, stepping closer. "What concern is that of yours?"
Trowa didn't answer, but he shook Shin's shoulder. "Wake up."
The stranger slapped his hand away from Shin. "Let him sleep." The man snapped. "He needs the rest. I'll ask only once more, who are you?"
Quatre-
Quatre was walking to his father's office in the city. He didn't like leaving Touma and Shin alone with Sh'ten, but he had to contact some people. Besides, Touma and Shin would be safe enough with Rashid and Abdul, not to mention all the other guards on the grounds.
Something hard 'thunked' against the back of his head and Quatre gasped at the sharp, blinding pain. He fell forward limply at the unexpected attack. Quatre vaguely heard the voice, "So, this is the friend of Trowa's we were told about. We'll see how good a friend he is when he wakes up."
Quatre blacked out.
Continued...
Sh'ten-
It was decided that Ryou and Seiji would go to Noin's home with Anubisu and that Sh'ten would take the two others, Shin and Touma, to Quatre's home. Both Ma-Sho knew they had to keep the boys under guard and give them time to safely develop into their powers. After all, it wasn't as if this sort of thing happened every day and if Arago tried to get his hands on them it would be very bad for everyone.
Duo spoke up quickly, "I'm going with Ryou and Anubisu-san!" Then he grabbed Heero's hand eagerly. "You come with me, Heero, 'k?" The look in his eyes was priceless, so endearing.
'I still can't believe that I helped raise such a child! If he doesn't show some evil soon, I may have to kill myself as a failure as a parent.' Sh'ten shook his head and turned away from Duo, to hide the disappointed look in his eyes. 'How could I have had anything to do with such a...a good boy?'
"Yes." Heero answered in his dull monotone voice, though his eyes were still fixed on Seiji.
Sh'ten worried about Heero - that boy was dangerous. He'd seen that look, the one is Heero's eyes, before. On the battlefield, there were men who had lost everything. They filled their lives with the only thing that gave them purpose - war. The result was battle for the sake of battle with no love for it. Personally, Sh'ten rather enjoy fighting, there was a thrill, an undeniable excitement that he couldn't live without. Heero wasn't a warrior, Sh'ten knew that with one look into Heero's cold eyes. No, warriors were filled with passion and fire, this boy is ice. 'I don't like it. He isn't a warrior, he's a killer.'
It was that coldly determined look that warned Sh'ten that they'd have to keep a close eye on both Heero and Seiji. They couldn't have Seiji being killed before he even received the yoroi, which would mean more waiting for another yoroi bearer to be born and more of a risk of being discovered by Arago. It would be far easier for them to break Arago's hold on them if they had all the yoroi at the same time.
KEEP AN EYE ON HEERO. Sh'ten told Anubisu. HE'S GOT DEATH ON HIS MIND AND WE CAN'T LOSE SEIJI. It was quite simple to someone like Sh'ten, who'd seen so much war and death in his life, to see that Heero was thinking how best to kill Seiji. 'He's just under orders, I think. Heero's too cold to be doing this for vengeance or some other reason.'
Anubisu and Sh'ten both picked up their respective charges and prepared to follow wherever they were led. While Sh'ten put Shin over his shoulder and Touma under one arm, Anubisu was no doubt showing off for the girl Noin when he slung both of the other boys over his shoulders easily. I THINK HE LIKES HER, Sh'ten thought idly. It was a bit of a surprise, He'd never thought of one of them falling in love with a ningen.
ANUBISU!!! Rajura shouted furiously at Anubisu, obviously having heard Sh'ten's thoughts. He shouted through the distance that separated them as if they were only feet apart. WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!
I HAVEN'T TOUCHED HER! Anubisu defended himself quickly. THOSE WERE SH'TEN'S THOUGHTS, NOT MINE! Then he glared at Sh’ten, sourly. I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT, 'TEN.
Sh'ten looked away and kept his mouth shut. Better to not get involved anymore than he already was.
Rajura wasn't placated and continued to rage. I DON'T CARE! YOU'D BETTER NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT HER IF YOU EVER WANT TO PUT YOUR ASS BACK IN MY BED!
Anubisu swallowed hard at the threat and pouted. Rajura wouldn't ignore him forever, but he was very good at holding grudges and a horribly jealous lover. Sh'ten was fairly certain that Anubisu would keep his hands to himself around the girl.
Heero-
Duo grabbed Heero's hand, but let go the instant that Heero tugged it back from him. 'I don't like being touched!' Duo took the hint well and didn't touch Heero again, though he did make sure to stay fairly close while they were all walking with the heavily armored men carrying the four boys.
Duo spoke happily (Heero had seen no sign of the insane killer he'd first met in the alley since Duo had found his family, though they no longer remembered him.) and looked at the fearsome Anubisu and Sh'ten with something very much like love. Heero didn't think he liked that. Duo also kept grabbing the hand of Ryou, the dark haired boy, and talking to him, though it was clear Ryou was asleep.
Heero didn't understand why Duo spoke to Ryou. Ryou can't hear him, but that didn’t seem to worry Duo at all. He was wasting his breath, but that doesn't stop Duo.
Noin, Seiji's sister, though they looked nothing alike, kept a close eye on Anubisu. Her hand hovered near the gun at her side, even though she'd already seen that it was a useless weapon against Anubisu's obviously superior yoroi. Still, she seems to think she should at least try to fight if she needs to and has a very determined look on her face.
While Duo was busy talking to the others, Heero was able to think on his dilemma. Seiji was obviously helpless and easy to dispose of, but...well, did Heero really want to just shot Seiji when he was asleep? He could. It was an easy shot, really. It didn't seem right, though. Seiji shouldn't be shot when he was defenseless. Heero shook his head and wondered when he had start thinking such foolish sentimental thoughts.
Seiji had to die or be recaptured; it was an order.
Doctor J's exact orders had been, “Find Hiro and bring him back. Bring him back or kill him, Heero. He's too dangerous to let loose. After you have him or you've killed him, come back to the base.”
Doctor J never said WHEN Heero had to complete this mission. For that matter, he never specified when Heero had to go back to the base. Now there was an interesting thought Heero hadn't considered before.
Yes, Heero would do as he was ordered, but he want to talk to Seiji, first. 'I want to see his eye again, before I have to kill him. He'll never let himself be brought back, and I can't really blame him. Why am I going back? Torture? Pain? There was that and more waiting for him if he was taken back to doctor J. If I were in his position, I suppose I would chose to be killed first, too. What point is there in life if it's all pain?'
It was simple for Heero. He was ordered to do something, so he had to obey. What else did he have in life? Nothing. Heero had learned that obeying doctor J was more logical and less painful, so that is what he did. Heero really didn't think he could disobey a direct order from doctor J if his life was on the line. Seiji was different, though. Just being told what to do had always incited rebellion in him and he fought against it as hard as he could. He either could not or would not take orders from anyone.
Still, seeing Seiji still bloody and even paler than normal, draped over someone's shoulder like old laundry, hurt. Heero don't want Seiji to be hurt. If he have to kill him, Heero could do it so Seiji would never feel any pain.
Walking with Duo, Heero said not a word as they passed all the puzzled looking guests. They left the Kushranada mansion quietly, the remaining guests, who still mingled in the garden, staring at them curiously, but saying nothing. As soon as they were out of sight of the guests of the OZ party, the yoroi the two men wore faded away to be replaced by lighter, though still strange, suits of armor.
They passed out of the carefully maintained garden and into a slightly wooded area, part of the forest that surrounded the Kushranada estate when, out of the corner of his eye Heero saw someone. A girl with long auburn hair and a fancy red party dress, as if she'd run away from the party, was watching them. She was sitting, with her back to a large tree and a book in her hands. As they passed, she looked up and slowly put down the book. Her mouth fell slightly open as the two armored figures carrying the boys changed into the light yoroi in front of her and her eyes are narrowed in thought, but not fear.
Heero wondered who she was, but she wasn't Heero's mission, so he didn't pay her too much attention. 'I must stay with Seiji until I've killed him.'
After Sh'ten and the boy, Quatre, parted ways with the rest of them, taking the ones called Touma and Shin with them, Heero went to the Date home where Anubisu set up Ryou and Seiji in the same room and carefully covered them both with blankets. All night they stayed there, but still Ryou and Seiji didn't wake up. They slept deeply and Anubisu's only comment was that they needed the rest and not to wake them. Anubisu stayed with the two sleeping boys constantly, not bothered by the fact that Seiji's sister, Noin, had set up her computer in the bedroom and fully intended to stay until her brother woke. Duo, also, choose to stay and Heero with him. For some reason, it was important that Heero didn't leave Seiji alone.
The bedroom was an eerily dark room (Anubisu said he preferred the dark and he didn't bother with turning on any lights that might wake the boys) with only a small light for Noin to work at her computer. Heero had stationed himself near the door and made himself as quiet as possibly, listening to the tapping of Noin's keyboard and Duo's pleasant chatter as he fussed over his brother. Is it jealously that made Heero want to rip Duo away from the sleeping boy?
Colony A0206-
Rajura-
"You have to start packing, 'Fei." Xiu said as he stuffed clothes into a suitcase that was on his bed. "Mama doesn't want to stay here any longer than she has to, she's afraid they're going to attack again."
Rajura had seen it all, of course, watching as Xiu and Wufei spoke together in Xiu's bedroom on the colony. It was duty and worry that made Rajura and Naaza keep such a close eye on Xiu. They both knew, from experience, that Xiu would have a hard time as his mind and body adjusted to the yoroi that had come to him so suddenly. With Rajura's illusions keeping them invisible, the two Ma-Sho stayed close to Xiu.
Xiu and Wufei were arguing after the battle had ended and people were starting to try and clean up the colony. It had only been about a day, but already, the people of the colony were trying to rebuild their lives and honoring their dead. As far as Rajura was concerned, it hadn't been much of a battle. Real battles didn't involve women or children and they certainly didn't attack unarmed peasants.
"I'm not going anywhere. I will find the one who ordered this attack and I will have revenge." Wufei declared, even as he helped Xiu to pack his bags for the return trip to Earth. Together, the two boys packed hurriedly, but they'd been bickering about the same thing all evening.
"I want someone to be there to take care of mama and Lai." Xiu protested. "How can I fight if I think they're alone without anyone to take care of them? You HAVE to go back to Earth with them."
Wufei gave him a hard look. "YOU will go to Earth with your family. I will fight. I already have a name to look for, so there's no reason for you to be anywhere but with your family."
"Damn it, Wufei! You're not going to just send me away, this is my fight! Tell me who did this and I'll go get the ass hole." Xiu snarled, throwing a handful of his clothes down onto the floor. "I won't let you fight my battles!"
Wufei turned on his cousin, furiously. "How dare you! This is as much my battle as it is yours! I lost my wife!"
"And I lost most of my brothers and sisters." Xiu replied hotly. "You've already had your revenge, you destroyed those mobile suits that killed Meiran. I want my chance!" Xiu felt like fighting and he wasn't going to let Wufei take the source of revenge away from him.
"Think for once, fool! Your family needs you." Wufei reached out to Xiu, but Xiu didn't want to think reasonably.
"Leave me alone!" Xiu gave Wufei a little push to get him off, but ended up throwing Wufei several yards into a wall and Wufei crashed to the ground with a loud thud and a grunt of pain.
Xiu's mouth fell open, horrified at what he'd done. "Oh, man!" He ran to help Wufei up. "I didn't mean it! Are you okay? I didn't mean to hurt you."
Rajura, watching from his illusion of invisibility, knew what had happened. Kongo was showing its strength. This was what Xiu would have to learn to control in the coming days. Rajura thought back briefly to his own time adjusting to the Gen Yoroi and swallowed a hard lump in his throat. Those were memories he preferred not to relive.
But Wufei wouldn't be side tracked, even though his voice was strained by pain. "What's going to happen if you die? What will your mama do?"
Xiu froze, his brow furrowing.
Wufei, seeing that he finally had Xiu's attention, continued quickly, "What will Lai do without a big brother to take care of her? What if something happens to your mama and Lai is orphaned? What if Lai dies and your mama is left alone? You know that would kill her! It's not fair for you to go off looking for revenge, especially if you know how much you're going to hurt them."
Xiu slumped, the wind firmly taken out of his sails. "I have to do something. I...I can't just sit back and do nothing."
"The only thing you have to do is to let me take care of getting justice for our family and you take care of our family. Be thankful that you can go home with them. I have no one to go home to, anymore."
"You're a part of my family. How will I protect you if you're in a war?" Xiu put his arms around Wufei, and hugged him tightly.
"I can take care of myself. You have to worry about the women in your family."
Xiu sighed, but apparently saw the wisdom of Wufei's argument. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I want to do something more, though."
Rajura was pleased at the decision and glad that Xiu wouldn't be going into any kind of battle situation soon. He wasn't ready to fight with the way Rajura was sure Xiu's body was going to start acting. He wouldn't be able to control himself and needed careful guarding.
A couple of hours later-
Xiu-
Xiu was still upset by the argument he'd had with Wufei and about the way he'd been able to push away his cousin, sending him flying into a wall. As he walked through the terminal to get to the shuttle that would take them to Earth, Xiu thought he'd found the answer. It was probably just adrenaline. Yeah, he was so angry that he'd just gotten a rush of adrenaline.
"Hello. Nice seeing you again."
Xiu spun around at the voice. It was that white haired guy with his green haired friend. Both were dressed in their fine black suites and stood behind him in the line to get on the shuttle back to Earth.
"What are you doing here?" Xiu demanded, glancing around to see if his mama were anywhere in hearing distance. Thankfully, she'd gone to feed Lai while Xiu bought their tickets and was nowhere in sight.
Rajura smiled, slyly. "We're going to Earth." He replied simply. "It should be an interesting experience, we've never ridden one of these space shuttle things before."
Naaza had his arms crossed and was glaring at Rajura. "I don't see why we have to do this." He complained crankily. "Let's just meet him on Earth. It'll be easier and we won't have to put up with all these stupid ningen's."
"Since when have I ever done anything the easy way? Come on, let's buy our tickets." Rajura, looking happy as a clam to be standing in a long line waiting for his ticket, smiled and his eyes kept looking all around as if he really had never seen any of it before.
"Will they take gold?" Naaza asked, digging a hand into a pocket and pulling out a small handful of gold coins.
"Of course they will. Who doesn't accept gold?"
Xiu turned back, trying not pay any attention to them. Maybe if he ignored them, they'd leave him alone.
Ryou-
A few nights later-
Ryou tossed and turned in his sleep. A dream...
Chibi-Ryou sat bolt upright on his futon, sweating and feeling the freezing cold more horribly than before. Usually when he got cold at night he would just crawl into Duo-chan's bed and cuddle up for warmth. But mama Sh'ten and Rajura-san had taken Duo out to see the fire pits in the East. They'd told Ryou it would take a day and a night to make the trip, but Ryou didn't want to go. He really didn't want to see hundreds of small lakes of fire, spewing flames up twenty feet into the air. That, unfortunately, left Ryou home without Duo-chan to keep him company.
Ryou crept out of bed to find the one source of heat he wasn't afraid of. Wearing heavy woolen clothes and two pair of socks on his feet, Ryou just wasn't warm enough. He quietly went into the hall and walked right passed Anubisu-san's room. That place was horribly cold and Ryou wouldn't go in there unless he absolutely had to.
Duo called Naaza-san's room the snake pit, for a very obvious reason. The room was like a pit, several feet lower than the hall outside and one had to go down a set of stairs to get into Naaza-san's room. Crawling with hundreds of different snakes of all colors and sizes, the place was constantly in motion.
Ryou pushed the door open and peeked in, smiling at the rush of hot air that flooded out. Naaza-san was there, sleeping, of course. Naaza-san slept on a large, flat stone, raised about a foot off the floor, which was always almost hot. On top of the stone was a comfortable blanket. The floor was warm, too, and Ryou had once been told that it was because there was lava under the castle.
“Is lava like fire?” Ryou had once asked mama Sh'ten, nervous about the thought of fire under his new home.
“No,” Mama Sh'ten had told him. “Lava is melted rocks. Not fire.”
Naaza-san was dressed in un-dyed linen trousers and nothing else. He lay on his belly on the stone, several snakes sleeping on his broad, bare back and on the futon around him. His bright green hair was spread out around his face and Ryou could see the faint green coloring to Naaza-san's skin, tiny scales that he had in spots all over his body.
"Clossse the door, Ryou. You're letting the heat out." Naaza-san opened one eye just a slit and looked at Ryou, still peeking in the door.
Ryou quickly did as he was told and stood awkwardly on the steps that led down into Naaza-san's sunken room, unsure if he should go down or not. Naaza-san slowly opened both eyes, fixing his calm gaze on Ryou. He didn't always hiss, but Ryou knew when Naaza-san wasn't thinking about it, he tended to hiss and his long tongue flickered out of his mouth strangely.
Naaza-san didn't bother to get up, he only tilted his head a bit so he could look at Ryou better. "Are you coming in or not?"
Ryou timidly walked down into the snake pit, careful not to step on the snakes that lay in his path. "My room's too cold, oniisan. Can I sleep here, tonight?" Ryou asked hopefully. He was already feeling better with the humid warmth and the fact that Naaza-san didn't have candles in his room, like mama Sh'ten, because the snakes didn't like them. There wasn't a bit of fire in here.
Naaza-san didn't bother to move, except for blinking. "You want to stay here?"
"If you don't mind."
Naaza-san almost smiled before hissing at the snakes on the stone he was laying on and they obligingly crawled off, leaving room for one more. Naaza-san gestured with a slight move of his head to the empty spot and Ryou broke out in a grin. He ran to the stone bed and hopped up, cuddling quickly into Naaza-san's side while resting his cheek on the futon and feeling the hard, warm stone beneath. The warmth floated up and went right into him. Ryou sighed contentedly. Naaza-san was looking at him, seeming confused.
"What?" Ryou asked.
"You aren't afraid of me, are you?"
This seemed to be a very odd question to Ryou as he'd been living with them for nearly a year. "No. Why?"
"No reason." Naaza-san put an arm over Ryou's back, pulling him in closer. "Close your eyes and rest."
Ryou fell into a deep sleep, happy and safe.
End of dream-
Anubisu-
Ryou still didn't wake up, but Anubisu noted that the boy was smiling so he was probably having a pleasant dream. Duo had fallen asleep, leaning back against the chair Noin had given him, and even Heero was dozing, unable to stay awake any longer.
'I wonder if Sh'ten will let me keep Heero. I like this boy, he's strong and very tough, the basics for a great warrior.' Anubisu had to sigh. 'If only I'd taken that job with doctor J, maybe I could have taken him to the Youja-Kai long ago. Ah, well. The past is the past, no use dwelling on it.'
Naaza-
Naaza woke with a start and found himself where he'd fallen asleep, on the strange "shuttle" that was taking them back to Earth. They'd agreed that until all the children were taken by the yoroi, they shouldn't be left alone, so Rajura and Naaza were keeping a close eye on Xiu. Unfortunately, that meant being limited to this modern science for travel. Naaza didn't like the feeling of traveling through space, it just didn't feel right, so when he began to get tired, he welcomed sleep to take him away from the uneasy view of stars that were far to close.
Naaza blinked at the memory. Ryou. Sanada Ryou, creeping into his room and asking to sleep with him. In the middle of all the snakes, and with the monstrous Naaza, not caring about the scales or the fangs or the tongue. Ryou was afraid of fire, yet drawn to it against his will. He was a sweet boy who'd accidentally burned his grandmother to death and Naaza himself had adopted him with the help of Sh'ten dressed as a woman, pretending to be his wife. Ryou who hid from people, afraid that they'd find out about his terrible power over fire. The memories came flooding back almost painfully fast.
"You didn't sleep long." Rajura commented from his side. "What's bothering you? You seemed happy enough in your dream."
I REMEMBER! Naaza was far too excited to bother with speech.
WHAT?
I REMEMBER THE BOY, RYOU, AND THE ONE SH'TEN MET, DUO. Naaza shook Rajura's arm urgently, unusually upset by this. HE WAS SO SWEET! I REMEMBER EVERYTHING. YOU AND 'TEN-CHAN TOOK THE BOY, DUO, OUT RIDING AND RYOU WANTED TO SLEEP IN MY BED. DUO CAME TO US WITH RYOU AND THEY WERE BEST FRIENDS! DUO WAS ALWAYS PLAYING PRACTICAL JOKES ON US, BUT YOU TAUGHT HIM TO LIE AND HE DUMPED A BUCKET OF WATER ON YOUR HEAD. IT WAS ARAGO WHO TOLD US TO GET RYOU, HE KNEW RYOU WOULD BE AN YOROI BEARER AND WANTED US TO TRAIN HIM AS A WARRIOR. WE TRAINED DUO, TOO, BUT WITH A SCYTHE, NOT SWORDS.
Naaza was so excited, waving his arms and letting his long tongue dart out of his mouth. Rajura had to hold him still. GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF! I CAN'T UNDERSTAND A THING YOU'RE SAYING. LET ME SEE YOUR MEMORY.
Naaza did as Rajura told him, but when Rajura tried to look at the memory, he was blocked out. Something, not Naaza, but something in himself, was stopping him from seeing it. ARAGO DID THIS, TOO. Naaza said. IT WAS PUNISHMENT FOR LETTING RYOU AND DUO ESCAPE. HE WAS ANGRY AND GOING TO KILL DUO, BUT RYOU INTERFERED, ATTACKING ARAGO. GODS, I REMEMBER EVERYTHING!
Rajura-
Rajura felt left out when he couldn't see Naaza's memory, but he did believe Naaza. Rajura was able to easily tell when someone was lying to him, and Naaza was too excited to be lying. Still, why couldn't Rajura see the memory? Sh'ten and Anubisu, through the link, couldn't see it, either. So, there was a chance of getting their memories back.
Rajura gave a satisfied smile, he was sure that this was all Arago's doing from the start. One more reason to destroy the demon emperor.
Just as soon as Rajura got his memory back.
Earth-
Xiu-
Back on Earth, Xiu was staring to have problems with his new found strength. He found that he couldn't do anything without breaking something. At first it had been kind of fun, knowing that he was the strongest guy around, probably the strongest guy on Earth, but then it started to sink in.
Mama had asked him to put some clothes away in the closet and the doorknob had shattered in his hand. Xiu stared down at the dust in his hand and then let it flutter to the floor. Another time, Xiu was just putting his pants on and tore them in half without noticing it. He didn't dare to use plates or glasses anymore, but resorted to paper plates and cups, for fear of destroying them, too.
Xiu was starting to get nervous that at anytime the inhuman strength might flare up and he'd break something else. His family wasn't rich, and Xiu knew if he broke something important, like the restaurant's stove, they'd be in big trouble. Without the stove, there was no business. No business, no money.
The final straw came one morning, "Xiu, darling, take your sister for a moment, won't you?" Mama asked him. "My arms are dead tired."
Rajura watched the whole scene and knew what Xiu's reaction would be and wasn't to surprised to see Xiu looked at the baby as if she were a rattlesnake. "No."
"What?" Mama was shocked by her son's answer. He was always willing to help out watching the children and now that the others had died, he couldn't seem to get enough of holding Lai. "Don't fool around, Xiu. I need your help."
Xiu put his hands in his arms pits and started to back away.
"Xiu?!" Mama called after him, but Xiu had run out into the street, slamming the door behind him.
"So, are you ready? Are you ready for training?"
Xiu had felt the person before he turned around. Rajura, again grinning at Xiu. Xiu glared, but bowed his head in defeat, wanting to cry. "I can't hold Lai. I'll hurt her."
"Oh, come now. You can't be sure of that." Rajura told him in an almost mocking tone. "You may be lucky and she'll survive your loving embrace."
Xiu snapped. "This isn't funny!"
"I'm not joking." Rajura stepped closer to Xiu. "I'm going to back to my brothers today and I think it would be wise if you went with me. Naaza has already gone and will meet us there. We need to speak with you and the others together. We'll help you learn to control your power."
Xiu nodded, wordlessly. That meant seeing Shin and Touma, again.
"Do you want to tell your mother that you're leaving?" Rajura asked.
Xiu thought, biting his lip nervously. It might be better if he just left and didn't come back. There was something going on, behind what Rajura was telling him. He wouldn't have just gotten the yoroi if there were no need for it, but Rajura wasn't telling him something and Xiu didn't want to get his mama involved in something he didn't understand or with someone like Rajura whom he didn't fully trust.
But, he'd come back to Earth to protect his family and how could he do that if he was just going to run away? He should stay with them. But then, how could he protect them from himself?
"No. She'll just want to know what's going on and I don't think I want her to know about this. Let's just go."
So with that, the two of them started off down the street, though Xiu knew he'd have to face his mama about this eventually. "Don't worry." Rajura told his new charge, putting a brotherly arm over Xiu's shoulder. "I'll take good care of you."
Anubisu-
Noin had been wary enough that she didn't want to leave Anubisu alone for more than a few minutes with the two boys. She'd brought some machine in the bedroom with her, a box that she tapped on, making flickering writing appear on a flat screen. A kind of magic, perhaps, and Noin seemed almost obsessed with it. From time to time, swearing at the screen and often glaring at it.
"What happened to Seiji's eye?" Anubisu asked when he pulled aside the boy's hair to check on him at one point. The eye was completely gone, a mass of scars going from his left eyebrow to the middle of his left cheek. Anubisu touched his own cross-shaped scar just under his right eye. It was from a barely remembered battle, one before he'd been granted the privilege of wearing the Yami (darkness) Yoroi.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Noin told him, not looking up from her work. "I've been searching on my computer for days, looking for the person who did this. I've got information that it was the same man who trained your friend, Heero. Seiji won't tell me and I can't seem to get any information out of Heero, either." She gave a dark look to the boy she'd been pestering with questions for an hour.
Anubisu looked over at the silent boy, still standing in a corner of the room, his arms crossed over his chest, seeming more interested in Duo than the sleeping boys. Heero, the mysterious boy that Anubisu only half remembered, who had won over Duo so completely was standing guard, having an intense interest in Seiji.
"I know who trained him." Anubisu said in an off-handed manner.
"What? Who?" Noin turned to him fiercely.
Anubisu opened his mouth to reply, but something caught his eye. A glow from Seiji. The orb around Seiji's throat was glowing again, as was the kanji of courtesy. Noin and the conversation forgotten, Anubisu walked slowly toward Seiji, curious about this new development. Ryou was still sleeping, unchanged.
Duo looked up from where he was sitting at Ryou's side. "What's going on?" He looked at Seiji and stood up. Heero stepped closer to Duo in a sweet sign of caring. He didn't want Duo too close to these possibly dangerous people, though he didn't go so far as to touch Duo in any way. Naaza had told them all that he had remembered Ryou and Duo in a dream. That meant that it was true as Naaza had no reason to lie and therefore, hadn't.
Seiji started to glow brighter.
Seiji's nightmare-
Seiji had forgotten whatever it was he'd done to earn the punishment, but he clearly remembered the punishment.
"Give him Dark Room therapy." Doctor J ordered coldly.
Seiji froze in terror. ‘No! Not again!’ One of the large guards grabbed Seiji by the shoulders and started to pull him out of the room he shared with Heero. Seiji struggled for all he was worth, but it was no good. He was small and, for all his training, he was still a child. Heero rushed to help, but was restrained by the other guard.
Doctor J said, "You will learn discipline, Hiro. If I have to kill you, you will learn discipline."
Neither boy uttered a word or even a sound as they were parted. That part of training, at least, they had learned long ago. Seiji struggled and fought, desperate to get away, anything to avoid the dark room. Heero pulled against the guard who held him, wanting to get to his partner more than anything, but it was no use. The strangely silent fight ended with Seiji being picked up off his feet and carried out of the room.
They carried him a short distance down the hall to the Dark Room. Seiji's worst fear. He almost-almost- screamed when the guard punched in the computer code for the lock and opened the heavy metal door. Seiji was pitched in unceremoniously, landing in a heap on the floor just as the door was slammed closed again.
Darkness.
Complete, total darkness.
Seiji huddled in a ball on the floor and closed his eyes. He tried very had to remember the bright colored flowers of his childhood. Bright yellows, reds, and pinks, dancing in the breeze in a garden, people laughing and, most importantly, sunlight everywhere were. This was what he wanted to see instead of the empty nothingness around him. Emptiness that could be hiding anything.
His imagination didn't help much. It wasn't just the fact that Seiji was effectively blind, but there was no sound. Everything was insulated, so nothing could get through the walls. No corners to hide in, either, as the room was perfectly round.
Seiji started humming to himself, trying to concentrate on something, anything to get his mind off the emptiness around him.
A drop of water struck his head and Seiji stood, steeling himself for what was to come. The deluge soaked him for just a few seconds and then it stopped, leaving him standing in almost two feet of ice cold water and still in the dark. The water never drained away so Seiji sat again, in the waist deep water. Hours it seemed, but Seiji couldn't tell. No one came to talk to him or tell him what was going on, they never did.
Just when Seiji was starting to fall asleep, to exhausted to even feel afraid right now, a sharp electrical shock ran through the water and Seiji screamed with the intense pain, putting his hands up to his head, as if he could block out the pain. It lasted for only a moment before the water was still again and Seiji sat back down, unable to stand on his shaking legs. Well, now at least he could see spots in front of his eyes, if nothing else.
Waiting.
Waiting.
Waiting.
There was nothing to do but wait until they let him out. Long ago, Seiji had tried to escape from the Dark Room, but found it impossible. There were no windows or locks on the inside. No material to make weapons out of and no access control for the computer, either. He knew that all he could do was wait. Seiji was terribly hungry after a while, and had to listen to his stomach rumble. They wouldn't feed him, either, while he was in here, either.
If only he had a little light.
Light and Seiji rubbed his eyes, not sure if what he was seeing was right. Yes, there was a faint green light in the darkness. The remembered green yoroi from his dreams long ago.
CALL TO ME, BUSSO KORIN. I'M WAITING FOR YOU. THE DARKNESS IS OUR STRENGTH, CALL TO ME AND I WILL COME.
BUSSO KORIN.
Seiji reached out to the glowing yoroi, mouthing the words, busso Korin.
Anubisu-
Anubisu backed away when Seiji started to glow, his kanji symbol standing out starkly, thrashing his head in his nightmare. Seconds later, Anubisu had to shield his eyes at the light.
Anubisu watched, as best as he could, while Seiji glowed brighter and brighter. He didn't talk in his nightmare, but his hands clenched the bed sheets tightly, giving himself white knuckles. Seiji glowed brighter and brighter and Anubisu was starting to tear up because of the painful light.
The glow from the symbol on Seiji's forehead was spreading, making his whole body glow. Brighter and brighter and Anubisu started to back away. Too bright! Anubisu tried to keep calm, tried not to be cowed by the light that made his heart quake. But, the pain was getting to be too much, searing his eyes and he screamed, slapping his hands over his eyes to protect them.
SH'TEN! HELP!
WHAT'S GOING ON? WHAT'S WRONG? Sh'ten asked and Anubisu felt the worry from Rajura and Naaza, too.
LIGHT! KORIN'S COMING OUT, BUT HE'S SHINING, I CAN'T TAKE THE LIGHT! I CAN'T SEE! OH, GODS, IT HURTS!!!
A slight power surge and then thin hands were on Anubisu's shoulders, touching his face gently. "Don't worry, 'Nubie. I'm right here." A kiss on Anubisu's left eye. "You're beautiful when you're suffering. You go watch Shin and Touma, I'll stay here."
Anubisu didn't wait, and followed Sh'ten's power trail back to the room where the two others were. He breathed easier when he saw that the lights were out and silently thanked Sh'ten for thinking ahead.
The darkness was a blanket he often wrapped himself in to hide from the light, but Korin's light had been too much, too soon. Anubisu slumped against a wall and let his blurry vision settle, rubbing the pain away as best as he could, before he went to the two beds in the room and took a good look at Shin and Touma. Then he noticed the other person.
A thin young man with brown hair, one long bang coming sharply over one eye, much like Seiji's hair covered his face. "Who are you?" Anubisu asked.
"I'm looking for Mouri Shin." The boy said in a soft voice.
"What do you want with him?" Anubisu asked sourly. The last thing he wanted to deal with was this boy. The boy was holding one of those modern weapons that the girl had tried to hurt Sh'ten with at the party. The metal, hand held weapon that could do no actual damage to Anubisu's armor.
Trowa-
Trowa knew something was wrong when he approached Quatre's house. There were guards running around on the grounds, heavily armed and grim looking.
Trowa hadn't been able to find the mercenaries who'd come too close to killing Shin. He’d put himself in plane sight, yet no one had even tried to kill him, which made Trowa very suspicious. He'd even appeared without the mask several times to lure them in, but no luck.
He had to check on Shin, because if the assassins weren't looking for him, maybe they really were after Shin. What if they'd stayed on Earth and wanted to get the opportunity to finish Shin off?
Also, along with concern for Shin, doctor G had ordered Trowa to look for someone. Someone who would help him accomplish Operation Meteor needed help to accomplish a mission of his own. He was to find Heero, a fellow Gundam Pilot, and help him to kill someone. Unfortunately, Trowa had been given nothing but a photo to help him find Heero, a photo and information that he'd be found somewhere in Japan. Big help.
Trowa, with his gun drawn, eased open the door. He'd managed to make his way passed all the guards in the house, who were upset about something, and searched all the rooms he could find. In the end, he came to a bedroom with a man standing inside. A man stood inside, looking out the window, and Trowa could see only his profile, stern and sharp. Long red hair hanging around the man's shoulders. In two beds, on opposite sides of the room, were Shin and Touma.
The man lost focus, his eyes going distant for a moment, as if he were having an internal conversation, before he vanished. Trowa had to blink a couple of times before he could accept what he'd just seen. It was impossible for a person to simply vanish, yet he had just seen it happen.
Very well, he had seen it, so it had happened. On to the next worry, Shin.
Before Trowa had gotten more than four feet into the room, another man appeared, this one gasping and rubbing his eyes furiously. He, like the red head, was armored, but it was like no armor Trowa had ever seen. This one had blue hair and seemed to be in pain. It took a moment for the blue haired one to realize Trowa was in the room with his gun drawn. The man showed no fear, though, simply dismissed the gun as if it were nothing.
"Who are you?" The stranger asked, warily.
Trowa walked in further, to get a better look at the stranger. "I am looking for Mouri Shin." Was this a trap set to catch him? Somehow, if it was, it seemed a bit too subtle for the mercenaries.
The man now turned to look at Trowa fully. "What do you want with him?"
Trowa still didn't answer, but he went to the bed where Shin was sleeping soundly. Shin also looked paler than normal. "What's wrong with him?" Trowa asked.
"He's just sleeping." The stranger asked, stepping closer. "What concern is that of yours?"
Trowa didn't answer, but he shook Shin's shoulder. "Wake up."
The stranger slapped his hand away from Shin. "Let him sleep." The man snapped. "He needs the rest. I'll ask only once more, who are you?"
Quatre-
Quatre was walking to his father's office in the city. He didn't like leaving Touma and Shin alone with Sh'ten, but he had to contact some people. Besides, Touma and Shin would be safe enough with Rashid and Abdul, not to mention all the other guards on the grounds.
Something hard 'thunked' against the back of his head and Quatre gasped at the sharp, blinding pain. He fell forward limply at the unexpected attack. Quatre vaguely heard the voice, "So, this is the friend of Trowa's we were told about. We'll see how good a friend he is when he wakes up."
Quatre blacked out.
Continued...