A volley of gunfire was shot at her. Lien-Da quickly dodged behind one of the many metal containers and returned fire. The damaged drone hit the ground. Suddenly she felt pressure against her leg. Her head jerked down and she saw a spider like robot clinging to her - a T-6, the hellburners of robots. Fast, able to climb everywhere and with a tendency to self-destruct once their target was found - and this one already emitted sparks. Lien-Da kicked the robot off and threw herself to the ground. The pressure wave was still strong enough to push her backwards and slam her against another container. For a second the bright light of pain filled her vision. Then a big robot leg stomped in front of her. She had no more time to roll out of the way. A hand grabbed her by the collar and dragged her up.
"Stop this test immediately!" Xenin shouted, fury in his voice. His eyes were fixated on the glass wall giving an overview over the newly renovated battleground hall, his hands grasped the desk in front of him so hard that dents appeared in the wood.
"I can't", doctor Nox said. "It was an order by the Grandmaster to fire everything at her that this factory had to offer until she signals us to stop herself."
"And this is a friendly suggestion by me - stop this test if you want to survive the next few seconds", Xenin snarled.
Nox might have been someone to always follow his Grandmaster's orders but he was neither stupid nor suicidal so he left the control over the battlefield to Xenin. Immediately the machines were stopped.
"Why the hell did you have to interrupt it?" Lien-Da angrily asked on their way through the corridors. She was mad at herself, her weak performance on the battlefield but most of all Xenin's interference.
"This test went over your limits. You could have been seriously hurt. Someone had to stop it."
"I had this situation very well under control and I didn't need your help."
She knew how bad she had done but her pride had forbidden to call it quits - there must have been some way out. Thanks to Xenin however she had lost all those slight chances to turn the battle around that could still have offered themselves and furthermore she had to leave the field looking like a little princess who always needed a rescue - at least in her eyes.
"I am your damn bodyguard. If you feel suicidal, fine, but I will have none of it." Xenin's voice was still calm but she could hear the growing frustration that he probably just held back because he knew who he was speaking to.
"My bodyguard, but not my nanny", she snapped. "Stop hovering over me at every bloody second and that's an order!"
"And I will keep protecting you, if you like it or not."
This was a direct insubordination. Any other Legionnaire could have been severely punished for something like that. But Lien-Da would never be able to bring herself to do it - and Xenin exactly knew that which angered her even more. She just would have wanted to punch him - if that hadn't only resulted in broken fingers.
"Fine! Then have it your way. But I'm not going to put up with someone who treats me like a child all the time any longer." She sped up and disappeared into one of the many side corridors before he could follow her. There was nothing more to say and seriously, what could she have said? It only would have led to more arguments. Sometimes she regretted picking such an overachiever to be by her side.
It was already very late in the evening when someone knocked at Kragok's door. The Grandmaster and his general, Rykor, exchanged a glance. Their soldiers knew that this was a private meeting and who of the outsiders would enter this Legion's settlement at night? When Kragok opened the door Lien-Da who had been sitting leant against the door fell in.
"Hey Kraggy, can I crash at your place? My camp's still so far away", she asked him from the ground and gave him a slight grin.
Her brother blinked at her a couple of times before he found his voice again. "Chainspike? Dear goodness, you smell like a distillery. What have you done?"
"Just a night out with the folks." That wasn't even a lie. She remembered sitting with Remington on the kerbside for a while and complaining into his ear because he had dragged her out of the bar after just a few drinks. She probably needed to thank that boy though - kept her from becoming completely drunk. Now she just felt overly tipsy. And he also kept her from blowing up into that barkeeper's face after that guy dared to asked her about her problems - her problems weren't any stranger's business.
Kragok tried to help her up but was instead pulled down by her.
"Ry, lend me your hand here!" he called inside.
"No, I can stand myself. Tell your toy-boy to blast off", Lien-Da mumbled and after a view more tries she managed to get up and into the first room, supported by Kragok.
"Why do I get the feeling the Grandmaster doesn't like me?" Rykor commented while he watched from the side.
"It's just because she's drunk. And frustrated", Kragok said and helped his sister to a chair. He took a step back and looked at her. "Am I right? There is something bothering you - a lot. And if I had to take a wild guess I would have said it's your monster."
Lien-Da crossed her arms on the war table next to her and placed her head on top of them. Why her brother needed an old fashioned war table was beyond her understanding. Not that she currently would have cared to think much about it anyways.
"Yeah ... it's Xenin", she told the map of Albion under her head. "Why does he always have to hover over me? Not even our weakling of a father was so overprotective. He already went as far as to stop simple trainings because it could be too dangerous for me." The part about him ignoring her orders she kept to herself. It was none of Kragok's business to know she couldn't keep her own soldiers under control. That was something her already wounded pride would never admit to.
Kragok sighed. "Must be wonderful to have someone worrying about you."
"Did you even listen?" Lien-Da grumbled.
"Yes, I heard you quite well. I might already be over thirty years old but my ears are still functioning", Kragok commented. "Chainsp- ... Lien-Da, he's not just your bodyguard, he loves you. And of course he's always worried about you then. It's not like you're making his job any easier knowing that in battles you always insist on leading in the front and you go on scouting mission in dangerous territory."
"I don't have a problem with him guarding my back in battles or similar dangerous situations. But Xenin is all over the place. He knows that I can very well take care of myself so why is he so persistant? What is he afraid of?"
"Himself."
Rykor's unexpected answer caused Lien-Da to lift her head and Kragok to turn around.
"What? Why?" Lien-Da asked.
"The Xenin I know was a perfectionist when it came to orders", Rykor explained. "When he made even the slightest blunder he would train and work himself into exhaustion to either make up for it or make sure it would never happen again. And now of all times when he is ordered to protect someone he loves he is doing the worst screw-ups of his life. He fell under Finitevus' control a second time, let's you go alone on a mission and get captured - hell, he probably even blames himself for not warning you early enough of the trap during the battle of Albion and that he couldn't immediately accompany you into the enemy camp because he was wounded. He is frightened that someday another bit of negligence could cost your life. With so much at stake he can't allow himself a moment of peace."
Lien-Da's head sunk back onto her arms and she gave the map under her a glare. That idiot. Why did he torture himself like that? But she just couldn't feel angry at him anymore, even if she had wanted to. She wasn't sure what she currently felt tough. Mostly dizziness, but also guilt for her outburst. She was worried about him but also frustrated that yet again he rather wanted to deal with one of his fears all on his own. But who was she to criticise - she and her damn pride. There had been enough situations during which she felt too proud to accept help - even a damn training battle was already part of it.
Kragok had placed a hand on her shoulder. "Just make up with him soon, alright?" As if that was so easy after snapping at him for only doing his job and always being worried sick about her. Why was "sorry" such a hard word to say?
"Thanks again for giving me a call, Grandmaster", Xenin said. He would have taken a bow if he then wouldn't have risked throwing Lien-Da off his back. "I was already getting worried."
"Just do me a favour and don't worry that much about her anymore", Kragok said. "You're doing her more harm than good."
Silently Xenin walked through the night. Kragok's advice hadn't been necessary - since Lien-Da left he hadn't been able to stop thinking about it anyways. Was today's intervention really necessary or had he already gone too far? Nox might have followed orders but he wouldn't have harmed a Grandmaster over them - unlike a certain someone who even would have left Dimitri to die just so he could follow his orders word by word. A normal day of Dark Legion training was more dangerous than this simulation during which in a worst case scenario the scientist could have taken control over every robot's movements. There was a line between protection and ... simply smothering someone. If he continued like that he might be able to protect her life but he would put their relationship in danger instead.
"Xenin..." Lien-Da mumbled.
He moved his head back a bit.
"You're warm..."
She was just talking in her sleep. With a sigh he continued his walk. Some great protection he offered when it caused her to get mad and then get drunk about it. He seriously was doing more harm than good. If only it was easier to stop worrying about her so much.
Everything remained silent, nothing around her but barrels. But then a sudden call startled her. Someone shouted her name. A metallic body nearly crashed into her, his arms wrapped around her. Then a flash and a nearly deafening sound. Splinters of the barrels shot past her, the air was filled with a sickeningly sweet smelling fog.
Lien-Da's eyes snapped open. It took her a few seconds to realise that she was in her room then she let out her breath in relief. Why kept those nightmares returning even a year later? Well, right now she could blame Kragok's war map and herself for dozing off on top of Albion.
Wait, if she dozed off at his place why was she back at her room? She doubted that Kragok or Rykor had carried her there but that only left one logical conclusion.
When she stepped outside the bedroom she found Xenin rolled up on a sofa fast asleep. Silently she walked over to him, sat down next to him and gently put a hand on his shoulder. He didn't wake up. Either his sensors hadn't seen the touch as dangerous enough to wake him or he had passed out from exhaustion after watching her bedroom like a loyal guard dog the whole night long and was completely dead to the world around him. He was lying on his right side so she could look down on the non-cybernetic half of his face. It reminded her how vulnerable he actually was. A heavily armoured tank, a one-man-army, but just one well-placed shot could kill him.
She thought about what Rykor had told her. Despite always trying to appear strong not even her monster could come out of so many wars unscathed and she wasn't thinking about his many missing body parts here. Not too long ago he had told her about one of his fears that he had developed after Albion, no, already after his first 'death' in the egg grape chamber. His fear to suffocate or having his breathing restricted in any way. And now she had learned what else he was dreading.
For over a year he had been her protector and she just took it for granted after a while, even started to see it as annoying. But who had been there to protect him? Yes, her monster needed her protection as much as she needed his - they had to cover each other's back like they had done in battle so often before.
She gently brushed her fingers over his cheek. No reaction. He still was completely passed out. Tomorrow then... Maybe tomorrow even the hardest word was easier to say then.
(Comment: A hell lot of fluff with Lien-Da and Xenin. Right now I'm just so completely crazy about this pairing. I blame :iconCharleetheCat-Bat: for it. :XD: Not as if I ever had stopped seeing it as my OTP anyways. (I will go down with this ship)
I just felt like writing at least one fight into their relationship. And a scene with a drunken Lien-Da. xD Heck, with so much overprotectiveness anyone would go mad after a while. This bond won't break so easily though.)