Summary: Six and Nine have built up walls. Now they are trying to find someone who would care enough to break them down. Six wouldn't think of Nine, of course. They are too similar. Someone who has his own walls built up can't break down someone else's walls. But as they learn more about each other, they find themselves breaking each other's walls. Nix!
Chapter One: See Through
(6)
Six is on the rooftop, watching the sky turn bright orange as the sun sets. She is sitting on the cold floor, hugging her knees, while waiting for Sam Goode to arrive.
Silly, she doesn't even like Sam – at least not in that sense. But he's the only guy who cares for her. He's the one who pushes her to call a timeout from the war they're facing and just be Maren Elizabeth for a while. It doesn't seem to be a bad idea, does it? And he's just the guy she needs…maybe. Well, she's tried John before. They're cool now, but Six couldn't just help but think: Am I too hard to love? Does strength mean you're emotionless?
For years, Six has hidden all the pain and the weaknesses inside her unbreakable walls. It's working. Now she's the hard case everyone thinks she is. What did she tell John and Sam before? We are fighting an intergalactic war and I just can't focus on anything else. That wall. She always uses that as an excuse to look strong and all mighty. But deep inside her she's glad someone cares. Sam does.
Call her evil for using Sam to break her walls down. But she doesn't know what else to do. John loves Sarah. Eight and Marina are inseparable, Nine is all bluster and he can't possibly break her walls down, since he has his own walls up. So no one would be there for her. But Sam is.
She laughs at herself. Why did you build walls around yourself if you're just going to break them? Six is the least likely person to get all emotional. It isn't her wall. It's just the way she is. But there is this side of her that doesn't focus on being a warrior. Instead it focuses on her being a girl.
That tough exterior, that warrior, and all that shit…they're all lies.
A hand touches her shoulder. Six immediately jumps to her feet, brings out the dagger she got from Nine, and threaten to slit the throat of whoever is behind her. She grits her teeth, thinking it's a Mog. Instead it is Sam. Six's features soften and she lowers her dagger.
"Whoa, Six, I thought I'd die back there," Sam says.
Six breathes a sigh of relief. She invites Sam to sit with her. "I thought you were a Mog," she counters. Sam laughs hysterically. Six stares at him, confused. "What?"
"It's just…" Sam stops laughing. "Mogs? Holding your shoulder?"
Six shrugs nonchalantly. "It's the Garde way. I'm used to being on the run, and please, don't scare me again like that."
Sam raises a brow. "Oh, so you can be scared, too?" he says. Six rolls her eyes – or forces herself to roll her eyes. They all think she can't be scared.
And once again, her walls don't crumble. In fact, they seem to be going up and up. She realizes Sam wouldn't be able to do it. She talks to him, but her walls won't go down. It means he isn't the guy she is looking for – the one who will talk to her and without realizing it, she is letting her guard down.
"I wasn't scared," she lies. "Setrakus Ra doesn't even scare me."
"Hey, uh, Six?"
"Yeah?"
Sam fiddles with his hands. He won't look at her face. "You…you said you were gonna tell me something. You said you'll finally give me an answer. You know…about being with me as Maren?"
Six stiffens. Her gaze drops, too. "Sam…I'm sorry. War is coming. I…I can't be anything else but a fighter for now."
"Is that really it?"
"You know it can't be anything else," she replies, staring up the sky like she's expecting to see a Mogadorian ship hovering above them. Now it seems better to just fight some Mogs than to confront Sam with those lies. Sam purses his lips, not saying anything. Six hopes Sam will try to get through to her. She thinks Sam will see through her and not give up. She's so wrong.
"I can't blame you," he says, his voice low. "Everyone's fighting now, aren't they? We can't just focus on anything else."
Six forces a smile. "Let me kill Setrakus Ra and his shitty minions and maybe everything will turn out different."
"Hey, I'll be in the penthouse. Dad wants me to help him on something."
"Oh yeah. You can go."
Sam stands up, his expression unreadable. He walks away, leaving her. Six sadly gazes the door where Sam disappeared. She doesn't want to hurt anyone – and herself. Why does she need her walls down anyway? She can just be herself again and kick some ass.
The sky turns fiery orange. The clouds take the shade of pink, and the setting sun glows hot red. If they aren't facing a terrible war, she sure would walk around Chicago and take pictures of herself with the sunset behind her. Plus, she really needs a walk so she can think things up.
"You sure dumped him bad, Sweetheart."
Her eyes narrow. She looks around to see Nine standing over the door, his arms crossed. The smirk on his face tells Six that he isn't up to something good.
"How long have you been here?" she demands angrily. Nine casually walks over to her side and sits down with her. Six glares at him.
"I've been here the whole time," replies Nine. "But first I've beaten some shit up."
Six frowns. "Mogs?"
"Nope. Punching bags."
She lets out an exasperated sigh. "Damn it, Nine. I think I told you not to ruin those stuff."
Nine waves his hand like it's no big deal. "My punching bags. Can't I do what I want with them? Besides, Johnny's not giving me some action around here. I feel like beating something or else I'll go crazy."
"Why don't you beat John's sorry shit rather than destroying the bags?" Six suggests.
He rubs his temples, considering what she said. "Well maybe I can show him the Garde he needs to bring during missions. I don't want to be left out sitting on my ass while waiting for him."
Six stares at the boy beside her. Somehow, she couldn't yell at him. She couldn't glare at him, and she couldn't bring herself to give sarcastic remarks like she's always been doing to him. Honestly, she has never been alone with Nine to talk to him like they are friends.
Nine catches her staring, and she quickly turns away. "I think we got a bit out of topic here, did we?" he says, a smirk plastered on his face. Six's eyes narrow and her brows get all scrunched up together. Nine continues, "Why did you dump the nerd? I thought you liked him."
"How would you know?" Six retorts, her voice sharp as knife.
"I don't." replies Nine, seriously this time. He stares at the blonde's gray eyes, and Six has the feeling he's seeing right through her – like she's a glass, a glass where everyone can see through. The Garde Six is with turns at the dimming sky again. "I can see that you wanted to say yes to the human boy, but when you talked, everything changed. I just wonder why."
Rain starts to pour, but not a single drop is falling on the two. Six's eyes blaze dangerously, and she could feel the urge to punch the guy beside her. She forces herself to calm down. Her fist clenches, and then unclenches. The rain starts to dissipate, and the Chicago skyline becomes clear and bright. Six stands up abruptly, and she walks few inches away from Nine, her steps heavy.
She turns back, glaring at Nine. "I don't know why you're acting like this, Nine. But you're wrong about me. You know we have to face Setrakus Ra. I focus on that. And I just can't make time for anything else. I'm sure you're like that, too."
"Why?" asks Nine, his back facing Six. He doesn't even bother to look at her. "Why don't you have time for anything else?"
The blonde stamps her foot. "Damn it, Nine, you know why."
Finally, the boy stands up, walking over to her direction slowly. Six watches him. He is wearing training clothes and for the first time, Six notices the sweat breaking out of his forehead. He's pushing himself too hard. Nine has never intimidated Six – not ever, although he is one of the most powerful Garde. Yet now – now that he's acting like he could see through her and understands her, it is even more terrifying than getting pummeled up by Setrakus Ra.
Nine takes a step forward. They are about an inch away from each other. Six could feel the guy's warm breath crashing against her face. Six stands up to him, not backing down if he wants a fight. Nine leans close to her ear, which makes her shiver.
"Tell me why," he whispers. Six feels like Nine is messing with her head. Her brows furrow, and she grabs Nine's wrist and flips him over her shoulder. The guy lands with his back on the floor, grunting. Six catches his hands before he can come back at her. Now his body is in between her legs, and she's pinning him down completely.
Through gritted teeth, she says, "You know why? Coz it's bullshit. It's crap. Emotion is a weakness. Love is an Achilles' heel!" Six lets go of Nine and she stands up unsteadily, her body shaking. Her blonde hair is covering her face, so she brushes it back to her ear and points a finger at Nine. "You don't fucking know anything, asshole. I don't like anyone and I am not waiting for someone to see through me!"
"Shit, I feel like – wait, what? Who said anything about seeing through you?"
Realizing what she said, Six doesn't give Nine an answer. Instead she gives him one last deadly glare and storms out of the rooftop, going back to the penthouse owned by, of course, the guy who just pissed her off, the Almighty Nine himself.
