Chapter two:

The Oddities of a New Time

It was just a dream.

All of it had been just a dream. The walk through the quiet solitude. The rolling emotions, and the memories eating away at him. The unforgettable pain, as if his very being had been ripped apart. None of it had been real.

"Oh no, I'm going to be late!" The wail was like nothing he had ever heard before. It tore through him, opening an old wound.

"Okaasan why didn't you wake me up?" The voice was close, so close it pierced his ears, making them ache.

"I did dear, and you said you were getting up." The new voice was faint, coming from somewhere else, but was close enough for him to hear it. It was a voice of a loving woman, filled with compassion.

"And you believed me?" From somewhere a door was swung open with such a force it hit the wall behind it. A pounding of footsteps sped passed him, only to slide to a halt.

Whoever it was that held him here in his prison, was coming back. The door to his cell opened, and he felt another presence nearby. "You're going to be late, if you don't hurry dear!"

"Okay Okaasan!"

The voice was soft, and delicate unlike what had woken him. He felt a hand touch his face, moving back his hair to expose his forehead. Not daring to move, he let his body relax, faking sleep. If he could turn the tables, and catch the woman unprepared, he might be able to break out.

Where was his gun? Had he dropped it, when they had taken him? Or did they have it, planning to use it on him? "Now you get some rest. Okaasan is making you some soup for your cold."

The hand that had touched his face tenderly, patted his shoulder softly, before it left him. He felt the other person leave the room, the door closing behind her.

He waited motionless till he heard the storm of thundering footfalls beneath him. He could hear the two women below him, which he would presume was a kitchen. "Konnichi wa Okaasan." There was a pause, before he heard the stampede of footfalls, leading somewhere through the base. "Ja ne Okaasan! Artigato for the lunch!"

The door slammed shut, signaling the woman's exit. It wasn't until he was sure she was gone, did he open his eyes. He was in a room, one he recognized faintly from last night. It wasn't a cell he was used to being held in, but it was one in the same.

Grunting, he pushed his upper body up off the mattress, so that he could sit. His muscles contracted, rippling with pain at the sudden movement. His limbs ached, and his stomach heaved when the room spun before his eyes.

He had to have still been drugged. That was the only logical reason why he felt like this. Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he felt his stomach roll in protest. Closing his eyes he struggled to gather his wits. When he opened them, the room was still once more. He hauled himself to his feet, and felt them buckle beneath his weight. Gritting his teeth, he fought for control.

His body was ignoring his commands completely. If only his mind wasn't mush, he would have been able to block out the effects, and escape. He could then deal with the remnants of the drugs in his body.

But he couldn't think straight, couldn't even walk straight. He staggered to the door, his hands grasping the doorknob to hold himself up. His whole body was on fire that beads of sweat broke out all over his face. Gasping for breath, he cursed himself for letting himself feel so vulnerable. He had left himself open for an attack.

Wrenching the door open, he stumbled out into the hallway. Hitting the wall, he grunted from the blow. A stabbing pain pierced his head, as the ground tipped beneath him.

Looking one way, and then to the other, he noticed a cat standing outside a door. Its garnet eyes regarded him with caution. How peculiar to have a cat as a guard for some secret room.

If he had had half his strength, he would have infiltrated the room, and stole any data he could acquire about this new drug. It was the way to go, rendering your prisoner into a Jell-O like substance.

Shifting his weight against the wall, he started for the stairs. He needed to escape, and find the others. But most importantly he needed to find his gun. Where the hell had he left it?

He didn't remember dropping it, so was it here, in their possession?

Reaching the stairs, he frowned. They looked steep from where he stood, wavering on his feet. He grabbed at the railing, holding it tightly, with both hands. Each step was like a challenge. Each noise was like a traitor. He could hear the other occupant of this base, from somewhere beyond the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs, he could see the front door. Letting his eyes wander, he wondered what kind of prison he had been dragged into. They didn't lock their cell doors, had carpet, and beds for their prisoners.

Home cooking was coming from down the hall. Across from him was the door, with shoes lined there waiting for their owner. To his right, was a living room, with a homely look to it.

Maybe it was a cover to confuse him. But even as the idea formed into his mind, he couldn't believe his enemies would go to all of this trouble for him.

"And where do you think your going Mister?"

Jolted from his thoughts, he whirled around, well turned as quickly as his body would let him, to face his attacker. It was an older woman, with stern looking features. Even though anger radiated off of her, it was snuffed out and replaced with concern, and empathy? "You must be starving. I've got breakfast in the kitchen." She turned form him, moving back into the room she had come from. "I was going to bring it up, but since you're down here, take a seat at the table."

Her voice left no room for argument. He did as she ordered, and followed her back into the clean kitchen. He sat down where a plate full of hot food waited to be devoured. Staring at the meal with suspicion, he asked, "What did you do to me?"

The woman turned slightly from where she was cleaning the dishes. It was hard to picture this woman anything but a kind loving mother. "I beg your pardon? If I remember correctly, it was you who was playing out in the rain late last night." She placed her hands on her hips, as she added, "if you would have been considerate enough to remember a jacket, then maybe you wouldn't have gotten a cold."

She turned from him, to finish her cleaning. Not wanting to upset her even more, he ate his food. It was delicious, taunting his nostrils with crazed thoughts. It tempted his taste buds with false hopes of seconds.

"When you're finished you can go back up to your room, or crash down on the couch." He glanced up from his empty plate. He was contemplating on licking the plate clean to help out. His stomach groaned, wanting to be fed more food, but there was none left. He had eaten it all.

"You need to take it easy. When your Imouto comes home, you need to thank her. She was the one who stripped you of your wet clothes, and gave you a warm bath. She managed to carry you home. How I could never imagine. She's half your size."

The girl? The one with the feathery soft voice, was his litter sister? But hadn't she told him that she was older than him just last night?

But it was impossible, no matter what, whether he was younger or older. He was not related to her, surely not when he had grown up alone for seventeen years.

Regarding the woman suspiciously, he wondered what tricks the two were trying to pull. "She took care of you, when I was too mad to do it myself."

The older woman turned, and called to him from over her shoulder, "you better get some rest, or I might be tempted to ring your neck for the crazy thing you pulled last night. Even though you were being brave, you worried us all half to death."

Brave, what had he done that had been so brave? And why was she trying to tell him he was a part of their family? These people were not good actors. They couldn't even get their story straight. Was he an older brother or a younger one? Most certainly older, considering if the girl he met last night was his sister. And, had he been playing around last night out in the rain, or had he done something brave?

If they couldn't keep their facts straight, he was going to go insane with questions. It was bad enough he had no recollection of what happened last. He had been alone, walking, when suddenly he was swamped with a mental attack. And then he was here, in some new enemies base.

Standing, he left the kitchen, and moved to the living room. The couch looked comforting, it beckoned him to sit. Finding a seat, he pulled his legs up, so that he lay tiredly on its cushions. He never felt so tired.

He found the remote control, and hit the button that read power. The blank screen before him flickered with life, and he watched as images formed. It was the news; a young woman was telling them that it was going to be a clear day unlike last night's sudden rainstorm. He surely didn't remember there being any rain, let alone a storm.

His eyes moved over the screen, seeking the date. Maybe he had slept a few days, and was behind in his times. In the corner he caught sight of it. But looking at it, he felt feverish.

It was impossible, completely, utterly unbelievable. It had been 197AC. How the hell could it be 1999?

--)----

Ikuko finished her last dish for that morning. Sighing, she wiped her hands down the length of her apron. Maybe I should bake a pie…

Moving around the table, she left the kitchen, and entered the hallway. From the living room, she heard the news blaring from the TV. Kenji should be home early. Maybe he can talk some sense into that boy.

Shaking her head, she started for the stairs. Slowly trudging upward to the second floor, she found Shingo's door left open. "That boy-" it was just too much to ask, now a days.

Ikuko entered her son's room, and clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth at the sight of it. What a mess!

His game set had not been put away like she had asked him to do yesterday. Glancing at the dirty clothes on the floor, she groaned. There was a load of laundry in itself!

"I'm afraid to look in Usagi's room." If her son's room, was this bad, then Usagi's had to be ten times worst. "Where had I gone wrong?"

Sweeping about the room, she collected the articles of clothing. From downstairs the doorbell rang. "Shingo can you get the door!" Grabbing the boy's underwear from underneath his bed, she dumped the pile onto his twin size mattress. I need to teach these kids how to do their own laundry. Maybe then they wont go through so many clothes in half a week.

The doorbell sounded again, and Ikuko sighed exasperatedly. "Its not like I ask to much of them. The least they can do is answer the door." Storming from the room, she hurried down the hall. Eyeing Usagi's room, she decided to look at it later, much later. Beneath her breath she muttered, "I'll just take one thing at a time. I can always ground them later."

Reaching the first floor, the bell rang for a third time. Breezing past the living room, she snipped, "Really Shingo!" From her brief glance as she reached the door, she noted the boy was staring at the TV in a rigid trance. How odd…

Pulling the door open, she greeted, "Yes?" Her eyes met air, and the open walkway leading to the street. Stepping outside, she looked to the left, and found a child standing on a ball of some sort. She was trying to reach the doorbell to ring it again. "Hello little one." Smiling warmly, she watched as the girl turned towards her.

The child grinned, hopping down from the ball, and Ikuko was startled to see it rise into the air. Grabbing the ball, the girl bounced it up and down, and shouted, "Luna P henge!"

Yelping in surprise, Ikuko jumped back, when the ball exploded into a puff of smoke. But when the smoke cleared, the girl held a strange looking umbrella. "What a cute trick-" she laughed nervously, stepping back further into the house.

There was something strange about the girl. But when the umbrella popped open, and began to spin. Ikuko felt sort of sleepy. "What-" Blinking, she gazed down at the child. "Oh dear, Usagi I'm so sorry. Come in from the cold." Ushering the child into the house, she shut the door. "I can't believe I forgot. How bout I make you some cookies."

The girl giggled, "That would be great Obason."

Herding the girl into the living room, Ikuko stated, "why don't you stay in here with Shingo, while I make you those cookies?"

The girl looked at the boy sitting on the couch, and a frown formed on her face. "Okay." Ikuko nodded, and left the room.

--)----

Shingo was acting strange today.

Even though she hadn't really talked to him that morning, she had felt it. Something about him was different, like he wasn't the same person anymore. She had felt it last night too, when she had sat up with him through most of the night.

Sighing, she lifted her head from her desk. What could it be?

Wasn't he still her older brother? The spore that made fun of her, and never cracked a smile.

Usagi frowned, and shook her head to clear it. Wait a minute- Reaching up, she scratched the back of her neck, as she thought over what she had just been thinking.

Older brother? It didn't sound right, right? He surely didn't look younger than her, but he couldn't be older. Wincing, she dropped her head into her hands. What was wrong with her? She was mixing things up. Of course he was her older brother.

"Miss Tsukino, are you paying attention?" Blinking, Usagi snapped to attention, and looked at her teacher. Laughing nervously, she replied, "Err yes-"

The red haired woman standing at the board, pointed to the problem. "Then I presume you know the answer to the question."

Usagi flushed deeply. From her left Naru hissed the answer, wanting to bail her out. Feeling guilty, she refused to use the help. Lately she hadn't been able to hang out with her best friend, and it just didn't sit right to use the other girl's help to bail her out every time she needed it. If they were still close, then that was another thing all together.

Before she could answer, the bell rang. Sighing with relief, she quickly stood, and gathered her things. "Saved by the bell, Tsukino. But be ready tomorrow to give your answer to this problem."

Groaning, she thought, maybe Ami will tell me. Grinning, Usagi quickly left the classroom. She wanted to get home early to check up on Shingo. Hopefully his fever had dropped. He had been crazy to stay outside in that freak storm last night. But at least he had been doing it for a good cause.

Luna had stayed out late last night, and when she hadn't returned, Usagi had called the girls. No one had seen Luna since the meeting Rei had called.

Hurrying down the steps, she left the school. Since she was terrified of storms, Shingo had offered to go look for the cat. But when he hadn't come home, she had gone after him, and found him in the park holding Luna. Sure he had been brave, but he had also been incredibly stupid. She could never have found the courage to face the storm to find Luna, but Shingo had. He had over come his fear of cats and had saved Luna.

Smiling to herself, she crossed the street. Thinking over that night, she thought about when she had lifted his arm over her shoulder to help carry him home. He had been holding a gun. Not one for violence, she had quickly disposed of the gun when they had gotten home. It had been when she had taken him to his room, when she had realized he was different.

Now as she pondered over last night, she was certain, something had happened to her brother. That little brat better not have done anything to him.

Picking up her pace, she suddenly felt an urge to get home. Glancing up ahead, she spotted a familiar mop of black hair. All worry was wiped from her mind. Grinning, she rushed forward, and threw her arms around the young man, "Mamo chan!"

--)----

Heero glared at the small girl in front of him. What the hell was going on around here? He had been snapped out of his stupor, when the front door had been opened. At first, from what he heard, the woman acted as if she didn't know the kid. Then something had frightened his captor, and now the woman let the kid in as if she was family.

Frowning, he sized the kid up and down. She was short, and young, maybe around five or six. Her hair was a natural cotton candy pink, which was alarming. But most of all, the girl's eyes where like a pair of cinnamon gems, eyeing him as if he were the-- boogieman or something.

There was something very wrong about the child standing in front of him. Maybe she was the leader of this base. Sure she was just a kid, but so had been Mariemeia. It could be possible that this kid, who stared at him as if he were a threat to her very existence, could be his mortal enemy.

The girl suddenly wrinkled her nose, the first movement he had seen from her since the woman had left them alone. The umbrella she held in her hand popped open, and started to spin.

It was red in color, with a white line twirling around in a spiral. Grunting, he darkened his glare at the girl. She was trying to hypnotize him. How clever.

She must have used that on his captor, who was baking cookies in the kitchen at that very moment. Maybe he could use the umbrella to his own advantage. If only he could get his hands on it.

Suddenly the girl stomped her foot in agitation, "what is wrong with you!" Blinking, he brought himself back to the present. So the girl had a spoiled streak. She expected everything to work out for her. Heero grunted in reply.

The girl frowned, and instantly the umbrella exploded into a cloud of smoke. He masked his surprise when he found the umbrella had somehow changed into a ball. And not just any ball, as strange as it was, the floating ball reminded him of the cat he had seen upstairs in the hall, earlier.

Something very strange was happening to the things around him. And the longer he sat there, and mulled over the past few hours, he was beginning to think, that whatever kind of drug they gave him, it sure was a doozy.

--)----

"Shingo!!!!"

Jerking awake, Heero looked groggily around, but found that he was lying on a familiar couch. His body tensed at the shrill that echoed throughout the base he was being held in. "What is she, doing here?!?!?!" Glancing at the doorway to the hallway beyond the living room, he watched as an older man slipped by, holding a briefcase.

Heero narrowed his eyes; maybe the guy was a cleaner… was the man one of his guards, or someone else?

Forcing himself to stand, Heero made his way to the hallway. "Now Usagi, calm down." It was the gentlemen's voice. Maybe he was their assassin?

Not wanting to take any chances, he decided to go investigate. Reaching the stairs, he slowly, and quietly, made his way up. It took more energy than he had expected. Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. By the time he reached the top of the stairs, he was gasping for air.

Holding onto the railing he heard, "That little spore doesn't belong here. She tried to kill me with a gun this morning!!"

Heero frowned. The little girl had a gun? Maybe it was his? Or maybe it was one of her fancy magic tricks with that ball of hers.

"Now, is that how you treat your Itoko?"

Heero reached the girl's room. Or maybe it was her cell? Like the room he was confide to, and they called his bedroom. Maybe this was the girl's prison. When he looked inside, he completely wiped the thought from his mind.

Four white walls, with pink carpet. The low bed, which was against the wall with the only window, was pink, with a blue blanket. Upon closer inspection, he noticed bunny and crescent moon designs. The room had been trashed, the girl's things strewn about.

The blonde haired girl, he recognized from before, was holding the pink haired child in a headlock.

"Itoko?"

Her eyes met with his from over the pink head she held tightly in her arms. "Shingo!" She dropped the kid, and moved passed the couple to reach him.

He grunted his refusal for her help. But she plainly ignored him, and took his arm, draping it over her slender shoulders. Half my size? She was indeed smaller than him.

Staring at her, in slight disbelief, he watched as she practically carried him to the other room. "Shingo, you shouldn't be out of bed! You should be resting." She helped him to sit down on the same mattress of a twin size bed, he had woken up in that morning.

"Come on Shingo, please don't fight me." She gently pushed against his shoulders to force him to lie down. Grunting, he swatted at her hands trying to get them off of him. It was bad enough she called him little brother. He refused to have her take care of him. He could manage on his own. Growling beneath his breath, he ordered, "Get away from me."

The girl drew back, and he had the faint impression as if he had hurt her. He might as well have slapped her, for the devastated look she gave him. "G-gomen, Shingo." Her bottom lip quivered, and he inwardly groaned. Just what he wanted to deal with.

She slowly climbed to her feet, and moved to the door. From over her shoulder she said, "If you need anything, I'll be in my room." With that said, she left him alone, shutting the door to his room.

He stared at the door for some time, before he sighed. Running his hand wearily down his face, he stood. He needed to find a way out of here. But first, he would have to recover, before he could make an escape. A frown formed on his face, when he leaned against the window of the room he was locked in. He would have to play along, if he wanted to get better. Maybe he could learn something, of this place he was being held at.

1999, it was impossible. It had to be some kind of trick.

A soft knock against the door to his prison startled him. He looked over his shoulder, as the door opened. The woman from before stepped inside. "Shingo, you should be lying down." There was a frown on her face as she stared at him. "And why did you yell at your imouto like that?"

She shook her head at him, "I think you owe her an apology. She's only looking out for your well being. Surprising as that might sound." She chuckled to herself, as she stepped into the room.

He stiffened, when she reached him. But instead of an attack, like he expected, she pressed the back her wrist against his forehead. "You still have a fever." She sighed, pulling her hand away. "If you still have a fever by morning, you'll have to miss another day of school. Why don't you get some rest? I'll bring up dinner when it's ready."

The attack came when he least suspected it. Her hands grasped the side of his head, her fingers touching his hair. "My poor baby." She leaned forward, and he tensed, expecting the worst. Every muscle in his body clenched, wanting to defend himself, but his feet were rooted to the floor. She brushed aside his bangs, and kissed his forehead. "Get some rest." With that, she pulled away from him, and started for the door.

Heero felt warm, a very unusual feeling. He watched as she shut the door softly behind her. But he refused to move, until he heard her going down the stairs. Instantly, at the sound of clinking pans, his body relaxed.

With a sigh, he moved back to the bed. Some sleep would do him good. He fell back onto the mattress, and he let his defenses down. Exhaustion swamped him, and he fell quickly asleep.

--)---- --)---- --)----

Well there you have it. Chapter two to Brother of Mine, up already. I just hope I can keep ahead of you guys.

Again, if there are any questions as all, just ask, and I will be willing to answer… unless you're asking about what I have in store for Hee chan… hehehe… you'll just have to wait on that one.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I think its my favorite really. it's the first time I have ever written in Ikuko's POV, and I was impressed, and delighted with how it turned out.

This story basically is all about Heero. There are a few parts where other characters take the stage.

I'm only going to ask two things from my readers. One, don't jump to conclusions, and two please review. If you can it will really make me happy, because then I know this story is worth my time an effort. Its not fun to write if I'm the only one who likes it…

Reviews:

Datajana: hey ty for reviewing!!! I glad you like the fic.

Nerv Death (Nerv-2 Member: Well he is a gundam pilot, but you wont see him in one… sorry. But ty for reviewing :D

Eternal Cosmos: hiya!!! Well he's not really, but then he is… but believe me your choice of pairing, is my thoughts for this story… hint hint nudge nudge…

Amscray: lol well that's exactly how Heero feels… but there is a reason, which will be explained much later in the story…

Moongirl: hiya, ty for the review… and to answer your question, nope he's not in Shingo's body…. Here's a small hint, think of Chibi Usa and how she weaseled her way into a family…. All will be explained much later.

Makotofan2004: ty for the review, and I hope this chapter was to your liking.

Shadow Faith: Well I'm glad you did. :D hehehe ty for the review!

Well that's it, ty for the reviews, and I hope you review for this chapter too. I'll see you guy all later. Ty for reading!

LP signing out