And Now, For Something Completely Different…
Note: The Teela in this story is not based on the reserved, near-silent Pilot we all know and wonder about. The Teela in this story IS based on the young girl sometimes seen in Zero's dreams/visions/flashbacks? So expect a bit more emotion from her.
Summary: Zero wakes up in an alternate reality…and realizes that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Or not.
Zero slowly opened his eyes, yawned, and froze. He was not staring at the ceiling in his room on G.O.A., but at the ceiling in his room at home. A few quick glances confirmed that it was indeed his room, but there were several differences.
For one thing, nearly everything he owned was marked in some way by a prominent, stylized HFJA acronym. Zero couldn't imagine what it stood for, and before he could really give it any thought, something else caught his attention.
There was a very noticeable framed picture, almost the size of a painting, hanging on the back of his door. But the size was hardly why he was gaping at it so.
He picked out himself rather quickly: a small, skinny but athletic boy of about six, with bushy brown hair that stuck out in all directions. Leaning on his shoulder and flashing a victory sign was a very familiar girl with pink hair and an adorable pair of cat ears on top of her head.
"Kizna?!" Zero whispered in disbelief, springing out of bed and running over to the picture. His mind kept telling him that was impossible; he hadn't known Kizna before G.O.A. But there was no one else it could be.
Off to the side, there was a taller boy with a rather severe look on his face, as if sunlight and posing for pictures was painful for him. He had of mop of silvery hair that fell into his startlingly red eyes, though he looked as if he'd grown it that way on purpose. It was very obviously Hiead, no matter how much more hair he had.
Zero was now thoroughly convinced that he'd gone completely mad. But that was when he saw her.
There was a tiny, slender girl sitting in his lap, looking like the very definition of a fairy. She had a great amount of sea blue hair, which cascaded past her shoulders and seemed to be longer than she was tall. Her bright green eyes sparkled with innocence and happiness, and from the way she was clinging to Zero's arms, there could be very little doubt about who she was.
"It's…her," he whispered faintly, not trusting his eyes. "But…how?"
"Rei!" called a voice from down the hall. "Are you up yet?"
Zero's eyes widened, and his heart thudded wildly in his chest. It couldn't be. It was impossible. And yet…it was. He took a deep breath, barely aware that tears were spilling from his eyes. "Kaa-san…?"
* * * * *
Zero slowly ventured into the doorway leading to the kitchen, a vast array of delicious smells wafting into his nose. They were strangely alien to his brain, though; he couldn't ever remember smelling them in his home. Had he really forgotten so much?
"No," his brain insisted. "There's something weird about all this. I didn't know Kizna when I was little, I definitely didn't know Hiead, and there's no way I could be…related to her…"
Zero screwed up his courage and stepped into the kitchen.
There was a tall woman in dark blue robes standing over the stove. Her violet hair was secured in a large braid that stretched down her back, as it always had been. Zero suddenly pictured himself batting the braid playfully as she cooked, seemingly unaware of his little game, when in fact, she knew perfectly well what he was doing; she just didn't mind.
Zero licked his suddenly dry lips. "You…called me, kaa-san?" he asked softly.
"Hai," she agreed, not turning around. "I wanted to be sure you were up."
Zero could contain himself no longer. With a stifled cry, he threw himself at her legs, hugging them tightly and burying his face in her robes. After a moment, arms that smelled strongly of peppermint and spices wrapped around him, and he felt himself being lifted into the air.
"Rei-kun, what's the matter?" she asked, brushing his forehead with a tender kiss as she cradled him to her chest.
Zero was far too shocked that she was well to realize how young he must've been for his mother to be able to lift him. "Kaa-san," he murmured, stroking her cheek. "You're okay…"
"Of course I am, Rei-kun. Are you sure you're awake?" She felt his forehead.
Zero wasn't sure, to be honest. It all seemed like a dream that he'd never woken up from. Still, he nodded. "I…I just missed you, kaa-san."
She smiled and rested her chin on his head. "I'm not going anywhere, Rei-kun, but you are. Now, go and wake up your brother and sister. You'll all be late for school."
Zero started. He had a brother and sister? Could that mean Hiead was his BROTHER?!
His mother set him back on the floor and gave him an affectionate pat on the bottom. "Go on, now. Make sure your brother doesn't just roll over and go back to sleep."
Zero nodded absently, too worried about what Hiead might do if he didn't want to be woken up.
* * * * *
DANGER: DEMON WITHIN.
It seemed like the perfect sign to be on Hiead's door, although Zero would've preferred 'homicidal maniac within, stay away if possible'. With a sigh, he knocked on the door.
There was a muffled grunt, but the door didn't open.
Zero eased the door open and stuck his head in, only to almost have it taken off by the pillow that flew up to greet him.
"I'm AWAKE!" shouted a disgruntled voice from somewhere under the blankets.
Zero was forced to agree and quickly shut the door, stuffing the pillow under his arm. Maybe his sister would want it…
Her room was right across from his own, but he'd been too distracted earlier to notice the homemade wooden sign that declared in multicolored, childish script, "Tee-chan's Room!" Fighting the urge to smile, Zero carefully knocked on the door, not daring to call out a name until he was absolutely sure who answered the door.
A few seconds later, the door opened, and a small girl (almost totally unchanged from the picture on his door, he noticed at once) stared up at him, a big smile on her face. She was breathtakingly beautiful, and anyone who thought otherwise was crazy or blind.
"I'm up, nii-chan," she announced. Her eyes moved to the pillow, and with a weary sigh, she plucked it from his arm and added it to a pile in the corner. "Nii-san's going to want those back one day," she said by way of scolding their brother.
Zero swallowed noisily. "Did…you sleep well, Teela?" He wanted her to look puzzled, to say that she wasn't Teela, had never even heard of Teela, and that he was being a silly nii-chan, and so early in the morning, too.
But the girl smiled even wider. "Hai, nii-chan, I slept fine."
"Well…we'd better go make sure Hiead is as awake as he claims," he muttered.
The girl frowned, looking very disappointed. "Nii-chan!" she whined, almost on the verge of tears.
"What? What did I do?" Zero asked urgently, fearing he'd said something wrong. For some reason, keeping the girl perfectly happy seemed vastly important to him.
She sniffled. "You didn't hug me like you always do," she replied, looking hurt. "And you never call me Teela."
"Oh…gomen, Tee-chan," he apologized quickly, kneeling and holding out his arms. "Come here."
Teela beamed and flew into his arms at once, nearly knocking him over in her excitement. Her hair flung itself around him as if it were sentient, tickling his neck and back.
Zero was amazed at how soft and fragile she seemed. He was almost certain he could lift her with just one arm. Absently, he brushed a few light blue strands away from her face and kissed her on the nose.
She smiled. "What was that for, nii-chan?"
Zero started. "Um…just because, I guess."
Teela giggled and stood on her toes to kiss his chin. "I love you, too. Now, let's go make sure nii-san's up!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him into the hall.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Tee-chan," Zero said hesitantly.
Teela grinned at him over her shoulder. "Don't worry, nii-chan; EVERYONE loves me!" She knocked on Hiead's door. "Nii-san! Are you ready yet?"
A moment later, the door flew open, and Hiead glared down at them.
Zero gulped, realizing Hiead was much taller than he'd seemed a minute ago. Teela didn't seem to notice as she threw her arms around his legs and chirped, "Ohaiyo, nii-san!"
Hiead stared down at her smiling face for a long moment, then put his hand on top of her head, as if to push her away. Although he never did, and the instant she let go, he did the same to Zero. Although this time, he remembered to push, and Zero was soon picking himself up off the floor. Teela apparently didn't see that, because she dragged him after Hiead as if nothing had happened.
They proceeded to the kitchen, where Hiead immediately sat down at the table and began to eat. Teela skipped over to their mother for her usual morning kiss, and Zero joined Hiead because he'd already gotten his.
"I had the most wonderful dream," Teela said as she plopped down next to Zero. She wasn't really speaking to anyone in particular, but talking loudly enough so that everyone could hear.
"What about, aijou?" their mother asked.
"I was inside this really big lady, and she showed me how pretty it is in space!"
Zero looked up at this, but Hiead continued to shovel food into his mouth. "A flying lady?"
Teela nodded rapidly, pleased that someone had taken interest. "She had funny makeup and green butterfly wings, nii-chan. Have you seen her?"
Zero shook his head. "Gomen, Tee-chan, I haven't."
"Hurry up and finish," Hiead snapped as he stood up. "I'm not waiting on you two." His voice was exactly as Zero remembered it: harsh.
Zero and Teela quickly finished their breakfast before following Hiead outside. It suddenly occurred to Zero that none of them had any school supplies that he could see.
Just then, there was a loud honk, and a large, green bus came zooming into sight. Zero noticed the HFJA acronym plastered on the side at once as the bus jerked to a sudden stop in front of them.
The door slid open, and someone who looked suspiciously like Azuma was behind the wheel. But Zero didn't have time to think about as Hiead got on the bus, followed closely by Teela, who tugged Zero along after her.
Hiead made a beeline for the back of the bus, and people wisely kept out of his way. Zero had no intention of sitting anywhere near his brother, and started looking around for another seat.
"Rei-kun!" a familiar voice shouted. It turned out to be Wrecka, who was sitting with a constantly blushing Roose and waving wildly to get Zero's attention.
Zero warily came over to her. "Ohaiyo, Wrecka-chan," he said evenly, wondering why she seemed so happy to see him.
Wrecka beamed at him. "Want to sit with me?" she asked, patting the spot next to her.
"Er…gomen, Wrecka-chan. I promised my imouto I'd sit with her."
Teela's face lit up at once.
Wrecka pouted cutely. "Are you SURE?" she asked, tip-toeing her fingers up his shirt.
Zero backed away quickly. "Hai. Come on, Tee-chan."
"Gomen, Wrecka-san!" Teela called as Zero steered her away.
Zero finally spotted Clay sitting by himself and slid in beside him.
Clay looked up and gaped. "Baka, what are you doing?!" he hissed.
Zero blinked. "Nani?"
"I TOLD you, I'm going to see if Saki-chan will sit with me!"
Zero smirked. "She never does, though."
"She MIGHT today!" Clay insisted. "And her stop's next, so MOVE IT!"
"Let's go, nii-chan," Teela agreed, pulling on his arm. "We should save a spot for Kitty-san, anyway."
"WHO?" Zero asked as they slid into an empty seat.
"You know, Kitty-san," Teela repeated patiently. "She's only your best friend."
"Wait…do you mean Kizna?" Zero guessed.
"Who?" Teela asked, giving him a puzzled look.
The bus stopped again, and a tall girl with dark hair (Zero knew her, but not her name) got on, followed by Ikhny, someone who had to be Kizna (or maybe Kitty), and Saki. Zero exchanged nods of acknowledgement with the tall girl and accepted Ikhny's shy wave with a smile, but didn't have time to greet Kizna, who rushed past and slid into the seat behind them with the other girls. Zero started to turn and ask what her hurry was when Saki sat down beside him, smiling somewhat nervously.
"Ohaiyo, Rei-kun," she said, giggling a bit, her cheeks nearly as red as her hair.
Zero stared at her, and then at Clay, who was red in either anger or embarrassment. Whatever the emotion, he looked away from Zero rather quickly and faced straight ahead. "Saki-chan…is there something I'm missing?" Zero asked.
"What makes you think that?" Saki asked, scooting a bit closer to him.
Zero paled in realization just before a hand came down on his head, tousling his already unruly hair roughly. He looked up to see Kizna grinning at him.
"Enjoying the new seating arrangements?" she asked, her ears twitching in that 'ha-ha, gotcha-this-time' sort of way.
"I'll get you for this," he whispered fiercely.
Kizna's ears flicked in that adorable 'you-can't-POSSIBLY-be-mad-at-me' way. Then she reached over to pat Teela's head affectionately. "I wish I had hair like this."
Teela smiled up at her. "Arigato, Kitty-san."
Zero was far too distracted to comment; Saki was now resting her head on his shoulder. "Kizna!" he hissed urgently. "DO something!"
"Well, okay." Kizna cleared her throat, and Zero knew at once that he'd made a mistake. "Don't Zero and Saki make a wonderful couple?" she asked loudly.
Wrecka's head whipped around at this, and she frowned. Clay joined her, though his face was nearly purple with rage.
Zero turned to Teela. "Tee-chan, switch seats with me!"
Teela looked hesitant. "But I think Saki-san wants to sit with you, nii-chan."
"Tee-chan, PLEASE!" Zero begged. "I'll…I'll do anything for you!"
"You already do everything for me," Teela pointed out.
"Well…oh, rats," he muttered. "Clay's going to kill me."
"But I thought you could beat him up?"
"I can, but I won't fight my friends."
"He doesn't look very friendly right now, though," Teela pointed out. "He almost looks like nii-san…"
"PLEASE don't say that, Tee-chan," Zero sighed as he sank down in his seat.
* * * * *
As they day progressed, Zero became more and more certain that he and Clay would never be friends again. Saki was following him everywhere, clinging to his arm as if she'd lose him. And from the way Zero kept glancing around nervously, it was very likely that she would.
Clay had grown sick of watching and just resorted to glaring at Zero each time their eyes met.
Kizna seemed to think the whole thing was incredibly funny, and Zero desperately wanted to beat HER up. But, of course, she had the unfair advantage of being his very best friend since they were babies, and therefore he couldn't touch her unless she kicked him first; it was only fair.
Wrecka was livid that someone else had grabbed Zero's attention, although it wasn't really true. Zero had little or no interest in Saki whatsoever. She was nice and pretty enough, but Clay had liked her for years, and that made her off-limits. At least, it used to.
The only good thing was that Zero found out what HFJA stood for: Happy Fun Joy Academy. He'd reread the name three times before really accepting it, and even then it was pretty weird. But they classes were awfully easy, and the teachers never seemed to get mad, even when Saki started passing love notes in the middle of a lecture.
Aside from the break with Clay, Zero was having a fairly good day. That is, until it was time for Physical Fitness. Zero was actually in very good shape, as were most of his friends (the boys ran from Wrecka constantly, and the girls tried to be slimmer than her). It was the fact that they were playing something called dodge ball. Zero had never heard of it, but when Roose was the first to get hit, he instantly hated the idea. Especially since Clay and Kizna were the ones throwing the ball.
Clay had never been very physical, but today he was a demon with the ball, and the people around Zero kept getting knocked out cold. The smarter ones quickly spread out, but soon it was just Zero by himself. This was bad, as Clay had a pretty good reason for wanting to injure him, and Kizna was all for showing up her best friend in any sport. But then, Kizna was just trying to tag him with the ball, although a little enthusiastically. Clay was trying to take his head off.
Just then, Kizna winked at Clay and threw the ball at Zero's legs. He jumped high to avoid it, then knew he'd jumped too high. By the time he came down, Clay would have the ball buried in his back. He tried to twist in midair so he wouldn't lose use of a kidney.
The ball caught him square in the chest, and the air was forced out of Zero's lungs for a few moments. He touched down and took a few rapid steps back, his arms spinning like windmills for balance, before finally landing on his bottom.
Instantly, Teela was at his side, hugging his neck. "Are you okay, nii-chan?"
Zero smiled and patted her head. "Just fine, Tee-chan," he gasped, getting to his feet.
Kizna came over, looking sour. "I can't believe Clay was the one to get you. It should've been me…"
"Oh, never mind that my lung might've been collapsed, the fact that YOU didn't get me is the real tragedy," Zero muttered.
Kizna smacked the back of his head. "Now I feel better," she said, grinning.
"You would. You're like an evil version of Wrecka."
She snorted, flattening her ears. "Don't be redundant. Wrecka IS evil and you know it."
"Well…at least she isn't painfully obvious about it like YOU are."
"But it's only painfully obvious to you, so I can do that," Kizna pointed out. "I'm too cute to be suspected of evil."
"That's debatable," Zero said at once, getting another smack for his cheek. "Giving up your seat for Saki was VERY evil, and I plan to make sure Clay knows it."
"I doubt he'll believe you, much less listen to you at this point."
"Someone's got to clean up your messes," Zero countered.
"The only mess here is your hair. Honestly, Tee-chan , I don't know how you can stand to be seen with him…"
Teela giggled. "You're so funny, Kitty-san."
Zero threw up his hands in disbelief. "And now you've turned my sweet, innocent imouto against me! Are you trying to ruin my life in one day?!"
Kizna glanced at her watch. "Well, it's still early. But I bet I could have you regretting the day I was born by lunchtime."
"Too late," he muttered.
* * * * *
Zero managed to avoid Clay for the rest of the day, and was extremely glad when the bell rang to end school. He made a beeline for the door, only to be stopped (and nearly tackled in the process) by Saki, who insisted on sitting next to him on the bus. Zero was too tired to argue, and let her cling to his arm as they walked out into the schoolyard.
Suddenly, something crashed into Zero from behind, and he hit the ground face first. He was vaguely aware of Saki screaming before pain erupted in his back and neck. Someone was on top of him.
"You're going to pay, Zero," someone startlingly unlike Clay snarled in his ear. And yet it was Clay. Zero realized he'd never seen his friend this upset over anything. Certainly, Clay had never attacked him. But as much as it hurt both physically and emotionally, Zero refused to fight back. He knew what he was capable of, and wouldn't wish it on anyone, with the possible exceptions of Hiead (who deserved it) and Kizna (who'd been asking for it ever since she pushed him in the mud in first grade).
A crowd was gathering now; Zero could hear them shouting and cheering for whoever they thought would win. Most were chanting Zero's name, as he'd never lost a fight.
Clay turned Zero over and smashed his fist into Zero's face. "You had to have the only thing I ever wanted! The ONLY thing!"
Zero could feel blood flowing in his mouth. "I didn't-"
"SHUT UP!" Clay shrieked, punching him in nose. "You don't get to talk, you traitor!"
It was useless to try and talk. Clay's eyes were wild and furious. Almost like Hiead's, but without the cold confidence in himself. Clay was fighting on pure rage and nothing else. Zero would just have to hope he burned himself out soon.
Just then, Zero actually spotted Hiead. His older brother stood slightly beyond the crowd, watching the fight. And in his arms was Teela…though clearly not by choice.
"Let me GO, nii-san!" Teela was screaming. "Nii-chan needs me!"
Zero had never seen her so agitated before. It was an unwritten, unspoken law among them that Teela was always to be kept perfectly happy. Even Hiead never broke that rule. At least, he never seriously hurt Zero in front of her, or did anything to upset her. But today, his dislike for his younger brother seemed to take precedence. Or maybe he was just keeping Teela from getting hurt. He rather hoped it was the latter.
Pain exploded before Zero's eyes again, and his vision cleared just in time to see Clay's fist raised for another blow.
But the blow never came, because someone suddenly hit Clay with a picture perfect shoulder block.
Clay hit the ground hard and did not move again.
Zero looked up to identify his rescuer…and was amazed to see a familiar pair of cat ears, twitching excitedly. "KIZNA?!"
Just then, Teela broke through the crowd and threw herself at Zero, sobbing as if someone had died.
Kizna walked over to Clay and picked something up off the ground. Zero noticed they were his glasses as she slipped them into his shirt pocket. For once, he also noticed, Kizna was strangely silent, and wasn't meeting his eyes. Something was definitely wrong here.
* * * * *
As it turned out, Clay had done quite a bit of damage. Zero's face was almost soaked in blood, and he had the beginnings of a considerable black eye. It was really just a rather extreme case of the wounds being worse than they looked. He wasn't in any real pain, but it looked like a mule had kicked him.
Teela had finally stopped crying, but had also developed a permanent case of the sniffles. She refused to let go of Zero's hand the whole walk home. And it was a long one, since they'd all missed the bus.
Hiead was the picture of indifference, and had no opinion at all.
Kizna still hadn't said a word. She also walked on the other side of Teela, and never allowed her eyes to meet Zero's. There were plenty of chances, though, because Zero couldn't stop looking at her in astonishment.
She had always been tough, but not even in a tomboyish way. Boys were always asking her out, as she was fairly pretty, but she turned them all down. She seemed to prefer roughhousing with Zero and playing with Teela to anything else. There was no question in anyone's mind that they would always be best friends.
But Kizna had never actually attacked anyone. Though she got violent with Zero himself fairly often, it was all in fun, and he took the kicks in stride. Zero had always been the fighter, and Kizna was content to sell tickets and brag after he won. He'd never really needed to defend her, because no one ever thought of pushing Kizna that far. Maybe they all saw how rough she was with Zero and knew better. Maybe she was so tough they could just sense it. Maybe she was too pretty for anyone but Zero to hit.
She had never attempted to save him, because Zero had never gotten into a fight he couldn't win. Until today. Maybe she knew Zero wouldn't defend himself. Maybe she'd seen enough blood (there had certainly been quite a bit). Maybe she'd reacted to Teela's screams.
For whatever reason, Kizna had finally snapped.
Against Clay. For him.
Zero couldn't figure it out. Normally, Kizna was comfortingly predictable. He always knew exactly how she would react to everything he did or said (pushing her buttons was a pastime of his). He hadn't seen this coming. It bothered him.
* * * * *
Zero's mother was not exactly pleased, nor was she particularly upset, either. She assessed the situation and solved it with two very simple statements.
Zero was to wait in the bathroom until she cleaned him up, and Teela would sleep in his bed that night. Teela had a habit of ending up there three or four nights out of the week, anyway, so it wasn't a big change.
Kizna vanished the moment Zero's mother thanked her for walking them home. It was really odd behavior, considering she almost always stayed over to help Zero study or play with Teela.
Zero didn't volunteer any information about the fight, and his mother didn't ask for any while she was cleaning his face. However, when she was done, she pressed a gentle hand to his cheek. "Why didn't you fight back, Rei-kun?"
Zero's eyes widened.
"Don't be so surprised. I know my boys." She smiled slightly. "Neither of you has ever come out of a fight looking like this. So what happened?"
"I…it was…a friend," Zero said at last, looking ashamed. "I couldn't hurt him…"
"I'll never understand why you enjoy fighting so much, Rei-kun. You love people. Your heart's too big to hold a decent grudge."
Zero lowered his head. "I'm sorry, kaa-san."
She ran a hand lovingly through his hair. "There's nothing to apologize for. You did what you had to. Although…how did it end, if you didn't do anything?"
He swallowed noisily. "Kizna. She…"
But his mother nodded. "You hang onto her, Rei-kun. You won't find many people that are better friends than her."
Zero nodded hesitantly. "Kaa-san…are you…upset?"
"Only because Teela's so upset, Rei-kun. I'm not mad at you; there was nothing you could've done." She kissed his forehead tenderly. "But I do wish you'd at least dodged a bit…"
Zero chuckled. "I will next time, kaa-san; I promise."
* * * * *
Teela was asleep the moment her head touched Zero's pillow, and gave no signs that she'd be waking up anytime soon. Zero assumed she'd tired herself out with all her wailing, and felt a bit guilty that her tears had been for him. He hated to see her so concerned for anything at her age (whatever it might be), much less for him.
But any sort of guilt soon faded away, as Zero's thoughts turned again to Kizna. There was a part of him that demanded to know why she'd done what she'd done. Theirs was a sacred friendship, one that had previously held no secrets, until this day.
He pondered over until he knew lying there another second, not knowing, would drive him mad. As quietly as possible, he slipped out of Teela's arms and away from the bed. In a matter of seconds, he was out the window, crossing the backyard and over the bushes.
Something within Zero informed him that Kizna wasn't sleeping as he ran, and they both knew exactly where the other would go when sleep just wouldn't come.
* * * * *
The Station (formerly known as The Super Space Station, and called Zero's Very Excellent Hideaway from Bratty Girls Like Kizna for a total of about three seconds) was little more than a typical child's clubhouse, built into the tallest tree in a field that was located exactly three miles away from Kizna's home. Only three kids knew of it at all, and only two of them frequented it this late at night.
Zero didn't know Kizna was there this night so much as he sensed it. So he was not surprised at all when he climbed up and found his best friend sitting in a corner, half-hidden by a sky blue blanket her mother had made. She had obviously been crying within the last few minutes, as she hadn't bothered to wipe away the shiny tear tracks on her face.
Zero didn't waste time asking if she wanted company. He knew from experience that the blanket was easily big enough for three people his size, and claimed a section of it for himself before plopping down next to her.
"You're so stupid," she said at once, not looking at him.
"I know. People told me hanging out with you was a mistake, but I told them I knew what I was doing."
She didn't smile. "And why did you say that?"
He shrugged innocently. "I liked your ears."
There was definitely the start of a smile as she gave up some more blanket.
Zero moved closer. "Why'd you help me today, Kizna?"
"Because I knew you could never hit Clay. And he wasn't going to stop until he dashed your head on a rock and broke it open."
"The rock?"
Kizna just rolled her eyes, which were red and moist. "You don't know how much Clay likes Saki."
"I'd say YOU didn't," Zero countered.
"Okay, I didn't," she said quickly. "But I do now." She paused. "I'm…sorry, Zero."
He waved a hand dismissively and rested his head on her shoulder. "You still never really said why you helped, though."
Her head came to rest neatly on top of his. "Well, just think of how things would be if Clay beat you in a fight. I mean, can you really see Wrecka flirting with him?"
"If it kept her away from me," Zero began to say.
"Get serious, Zero."
"Okay, it does seem weird. But you still haven't told me why, Kizna."
She sighed dramatically. "Because maybe some people like your face intact, dummy."
"People…like you?" he teased, grinning.
She swatted his arm. "Maybe."
"Works for me." Zero closed his eyes. "And Kizna?"
"What?" she asked, sounding weary.
He swallowed quietly. "I love you, too."
There was no reply at all for several minutes.
Zero gave up waiting for an answer and tried to get to sleep.
And then, at the precise moment where he would've considered anything happening next a mere dream, he felt soft, hesitant lips brush his forehead in a kiss that left him very confused.
"That's no fair!" cried a childish voice.
Zero and Kizna looked up (one of them red-faced and guilty-looking) to see Teela climbing up the rope ladder, just shy of indignant.
Zero cleared his throat. "Tee-chan…what are you doing-"
"You can't kiss nii-chan while he's asleep, Kitty-san! It's cheating!"
Kizna was really red now, and it took all of Zero's willpower (and then some) not to burst out laughing. Finally, he motioned for Teela to join them.
"Don't worry, Tee-chan. Maybe next time we can convince Kizna to kiss me when I'm wide awake."
Kizna glared daggers at him over Teela's head, who grinned as she snuggled between them.
Zero kissed Teela's forehead tenderly, and reached over to repeat the process with Kizna. He was forced to duck the fist that flew at him before he got anywhere near her face, and promptly gave up.
Kizna relaxed a bit and draped an arm around Teela, her fingers brushing Zero's. She thought about slugging him when his fingers laced through hers, then decided on a gentle squeeze that was not nearly as painful as she felt he deserved. Anyway, they were all asleep a moment later, so it really didn't matter.
The End.