I still don't own Zoids… yet…

PS- reviewing is a fairly good way of earning new chapters… else I just might loose interest… and besides, I really do want to know what your thoughts are (you matter! Yay you!)

Chapter3

Leena wore a huge grin as she drove hastily towards the Crash Hover Cargo, or Crash Cargo for short. Tristan and Trina were called The Crashers, she wasn't quite sure why they had chosen that name, but Tristan had promised to tell her later. Leena began to form a plan on how she could possibly pull Tristan aside and have him to herself for a while, but her thoughts were halted as the Crash Cargo loomed ahead of her among the hot dessert dunes. Leena's smile grew larger (if possible) with the thought of nabbing a seat next to him during lunch and listening to the sound of his sweet voice as he related stories of their past. The sand flew dangerously from her spinning wheels as she accelerated towards the Crash Cargo with anticipation. Today was going to be a good day.

Before Leena even reached the intercom the ramp began to lower slowly, and a lone figure strode from the shadows silently. "Leena, so glad you finally arrived, I was beginning to think you weren't going to make it." Leena blushed gratuitously and gave a small apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry for being late Tristan," knowing his adoration of punctuality, "but Bit was being stupid as usual and I just lost track of time…" she said, blaming her lack of timeliness on the blond warrior.

Tristan grinned and accepted her apology, saying there was no need to worry, as his sister and Leon had gone somewhere and had not yet returned. "So," he decided, "I guess it's just us for now". Had Leena been a girly-girl, she would probably have fainted of happiness, but she managed to hide her emotional state with a question.

"If you don't mind my asking; do you think there's anything going on between Trina and Leon?" For a moment a shadow passed over Tristan's face and he almost looked… angry… but the look was gone before she could decipher it.

"As a matter of fact," he said nonchalantly, "I think they might have something going on… but let's not bore ourselves with them, I can think of a million fun things to do while they're away." Leena tried vainly to not visualize those million fun things in her head, but impulse won her over and her blush remained strong and steady for the next two minutes.

Ten minutes had passed and Leon and Trina were nowhere to be seen. This didn't seem to bother Tristan in the least and Leena was too busy congratulating herself on her streak of good luck. Tristan was sitting next to her on the sleek black couch and while they talked and joked his hand would brush up against hers every once in a while, things were looking up for her, and if she was right about Leon and Trina, they were looking up for him too…

A robot entered the room quickly and cleared away their glasses, politely asking if they wanted anything else from the kitchens. Leena sighed slightly and wondered if she would live here when –if she and Tristan got married. Her imagination was running away with her, but it was difficult for it not to when Tristan kept hinting at a possible relationship… it was too much for one Zoid warrior to bear!

"Leena" he said suddenly, pulling her out of her reverie, "this is a little hard for me, but I have something personal to ask you, if you don't mind." Leena's heart was going at a hundred miles per hour but somehow she summoned enough strength and willpower to nod her head slowly. "I'm a bit nervous to tell you the truth," he started, not sounding nervous at all, "but I have to tell you the truth. I think you are the most beautiful girl I have ever had the fortune of meeting, you're everything I want Leena!" This exclamation left Leena dumbfounded, but the kiss afterwards left her breathless.

After a few minutes of declaring their passionate love for each other and making plans on where they would most like to honeymoon, Tristan stood up slowly taking Leena's hand and pulling her up with him. "I have something to show you," he said in a flat tone, and began to walk down one hallway leading to somewhere that Leena could only guess. Leena followed and though she tried, she couldn't keep from banging into the scores of robots that lined the hall.

"Jeeze!" she said jokingly, "you've got an army down here!" Tristan turned his head slightly and smirked, but said nothing until they arrived. Leena gasped, it was a forest! She pinched herself to make sure she was awake, which she was.

"I've always loved the forest," he said calmly strolling over to a mossy rock by the stream. "I was born near the forest and Trina and I grew up there. I decided to make one for myself because I got sick of looking at all this sand." Leena nodded in accord, maybe that explained why their windows were always shaded. "This forest isn't real, but it's close enough for me."

"How long have you had it?" she asked curiously

"It's relatively new."

"Oh," was all she could manage.

Tristan turned around and looked at her with his piercing eyes. "Now I have a surprise for you. Close your eyes until I tell you to open them." Leena closed them eagerly; what could it be? An engagement ring? No, too soon. When Leena finally opened her eyes she was alone. Alone in the forest… Was this some sort of joke? She looked around. It looked as though she were surrounded by rocks and trees from all sides. There was even a blue sky above her head and the hot sun sprinkled on the ground through the leaves. Where was Tristan? "Hello Leena," came his voice from somewhere behind her. When she turned though, all she could see was trees and more trees. "You won't be able to see me, but I can most certainly see you."

"This isn't funny Tristan!" she hollered at an innocent tree.

"Oh but it is Leena, it's hilarious… If you haven't yet figured it out, let me do the honors. You are trapped in my virtual forest, but if you walk a little further ahead and follow the path, it will lead you to a comfortable living space. My robots will be able to provide you with everything you need to live here for a few weeks and even a few months, should it come to that" Leena stared at the tree in horror, a few months?

"What is going on here?" she asked angrily, dreading the answer.

"I cannot believe that you were so childish as to fall for me in the first place, but lucky you did, else it would have been hard to convince you to come here alone in the first place."

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?" she screamed as she tried to pummel through the forest and back to the rest of the base.

"Let's just say that it was a matter of… leverage…" and with that he left her alone in the forest…if only. As the screaming girl ripped through the forest she saw a dark figure approaching apprehensively. She gasped as she realized that it could only be one person…

"WHYYYYYYYY MMMMEEEEEE?" she asked as she fell to the ground.