Authors' Notes: Hello once again! Mwahaha! This is Tensei! Here is yet ANOTHER chapter that you will hopefully enjoy. Musha and I are working VERY hard on this, and look forward to your feedback(translation: We THRIVE on reviews!)
Before we continue, I must apologize for an earlier mistake of mine. I said a couple chapters ago that Dr. J designed the ZERO system.. well..heh.. since then, I have actually SEEN Gundam Wing, and now know that Quatre was the one who built it. Heh.... that's what I get for writing about something I've never seen before.....-_- ANyhoo, please enjoy this chapter... and SMILE! YAY!
~*~*~*~*~
Hikari's eyes widened as she turned to face the screen. She wanted to scream out, but she couldn't. She had to maintain a cool exterior if she would have any hope of receiving help from the Preventers. Her eyes locked onto the image of her enemy, and she silently vowed that this man would die a horrible death if she ever got near him, which she had every intention of doing.
"We will meet you at the capitol building. Until then." Akki said before the screen went back to black.
"Nande kuso?!?!" she heard Duo shout behind her, "Who the hell is that?!"
"Trowa!!" Sally shouted, trying to hide her own confusion, "Hurry up and trace that signal!! Find out where this guy is at once!!"
Trowa nodded, and sat down at a computer nearby, typing quickly in attempt to find the location of this strange man.
Hikari took a deep breath and turned back to face the others, but the first thing that she felt was cold metal pressed against her chest as her eyes met with angry Prussian blue.
"Omae o korosu."
"Hiiro!" Quatre shouted, "No! Wait!!"
Hikari just stared straight ahead, almost daring Hiiro shoot. "If you kill me, you will kill the only chance that Relena has at survival."
Hiiro's eyes went wide, his hand visibly shaking, "What do you mean?" he demanded, determined not to let his voice falter.
"Hikari," Sally started, "Please explain to us why we shouldn't arrest you right now."
Hikari took a step back, confident that Hiiro would not shoot her at this moment. His face may have remained impassive, but his eyes betrayed him. She could see the anger, the hatred, but also the pain, anguish and fear that dominated. She knew that he wouldn't do anything to lessen Relena's chance of survival.
"Believe it or not," Hikari began, still determined to keep her voice steady, "We are all on the same side. Hoshi and I are here to help you."
"You call shooting Relena Peacecraft helping?!" Wufei demanded angrily, not knowing why he was so mad, but knowing that he had to channel it somewhere before he hurt someone, "We are not fools, onna!"
"She did not shoot Relena-sama!" Quatre jumped in, all eyes fell on him, "Onegai! Hear her out!"
"And why should we?" Duo asked smugly, crossing his arms over his chest, "After all, she IS the enemy."
Sally raised a hand, asking for silence, "We will listen, Hikari, but we had better like your explanation."
Hikari bowed respectfully, "Arigato, Sally-san." she paused and took a deep breath, she had to tell them everything. It was the only way to get Musha back. "Before I go any further, I must apologize and explain who I really am." She reached up and pulled off her sunglasses, her eyes still closed as she gently slid the black wig off of her head, her long blonde hair spilling out as gasps could be heard throughout the room. She opened her brown eyes, regret and determination shining from their depths. "I am Hikari, also known as Jiaino Tensei." Everyone in the room but Quatre gasped.
"Tensei?!" Duo shouted in disbelief, "This just keeps getting better and better!"
"And Hoshi," she continued, ignoring Duo's comment, "Is Eien Musha, my ally and my friend."
Wufei's eyes went wide, "Musha?!" 'Masaka!' he thought, 'I just saw her today!!! She couldn't have disappeared!'
Tensei lowered her gaze and nodded, "I understand if you still want to arrest me, but I'm the only one who can stop this man. With your help, of course." she added quickly.
Sally shot Quatre a questioning glance, and he nodded, "Miss Sally, I know that the evidence against Miss Tensei is convincing, but it's merely circumstantial. We know that she was present when Miss Relena was shot, but we also know that she has had many other chances to hurt her, had she desired so, that would have been more convenient and safer on her part.
"They were both clever enough to trick us into believing that they were really, in fact, Eien Musha and Tensei Jiaino. I don't believe that they would have been careless enough to let themselves get caught while trying to assassinate Relena Peacacraft,."
"Plus this man who has Musha obviously wants Relena-sama dead," Trowa added, standing up from his seat at the computer, "Maybe we should investigate alternate suspects."
Sally sighed, and nodded. "Did you get a trace on the signal?"
Trowa shook his head, "Nothing. Whoever he is, he's very technologically advanced. I can't even find evidence that a message was transmitted at all."
"Onegai," Tensei pleaded, "Help me find this man. I won't betray you, because...." she paused for a moment, taking a deep breath in attempt to steady her voice, "I have everything to lose. I will do whatever it takes to get Musha back."
Sally thought for a moment, and looked around the room, silently asking for approval.
Duo shrugged, "Why not? Besides, if you ARE a traitor, it adds to the adventure."
Neither Hiiro nor Wufei made any attempt to answer. They each looked as if they were lost in their own torture.
"Fine." Hiiro said plainly, finally breaking the silence, "Whatever it takes." 'To save Relena...' he finished mentally.
Wufei was still lost in his own world, 'I was with her. I should have stayed with her. This is my fault. She may be hurt. Argh! Why do I care anyway?!'
"Wufei?" Sally asked, a bit concerned.
Wufei shook his head, snapping out of his trance, "With your permission, I would like to lead the rescue mission for Eien Musha."
"Demo-" Tensei broke in, but Wufei cut her off.
"I expect that you will be in your Gundam? Fighting the enemy?"
Tensei sighed. He was right. She was the only one who had a Gundam to fight with. She simply nodded.
"Now, Tensei," Sally began, "If we're going to work together, we can't have any more secrets. Can you please explain why you two are here in the first place?"
Tensei nodded, "Like the former pilots, Musha and I have been trained to pilot Gundams, as well as learned advanced techniques in hand to hand combat, hacking, and other such necessities. We have been training for the past twelve years."
Duo's jaw dropped, "Twelve years?! Who trained you? Your parents?!"
Tensei's eyes darkened at this question, "We were trained by Master U. He is a great teacher, and brought us up to be strong, and fearless."
"Why weren't you involved in Operation Meteor?" Quatre wondered aloud, "We had no knowledge of any other Gundam pilots."
Tensei shook her head, "It was meant to be that way. We represent the colonies as well, but we were top secret. The colonies' back-up plan. Not even your own scientists know about us. Master U made sure to keep us a secret so that we could never be drafted into Operation Meteor. It was imperative that we be preserved for such an event as is happening right now.
We joined the Preventers on a mission to protect Relena Peacecraft, a mission that we obviously failed." she lowered her gaze to the floor, "And now, the enemy has Musha. If he does, in fact, have control over her and StarsFury, the earth is in grave danger, especially Relena Peacecraft."
"What can we do, then?" Hiiro asked, his voice almost demanding.
"First," Tensei began, "You must heighten the security in Miss Relena's room. Ten guards, minimum, around the clock. They MUST be armed and well trained."
Sally nodded, "We'll do that right away. What else?"
"We have to get in there and get Musha back. No number of armed guards can defeat StarsFury."
"All right." Sally said, looking around to everyone, "Let's get to work."
~*~*~*~*~
"Enter." Akki answered, smirking as someone knocked on the door to his office. The door was promptly opened and in stepped two figures. The first, one of his soldiers, the second, a young woman, her long, curly blonde hair pulled back in a tight braid, her violet eyes flaming. She wore a pure black uniform, similar to the blue ones that Akki's soldiers wore.
Akki grinned, "Welcome, Hoshi. Do you remember who I am?"
Hoshi gave him a questioning glance, "My Lord?" she bowed respectfully.
Akki smirked, "Yes. That's right. I am your master. You take orders from no one but me, do you understand?"
Hoshi nodded, "Hai. What does my lord wish of me?"
"In ten hours, if the Preventers have not destroyed Relena Peacecraft and handed over pilot, Hikari, you will attack the earth with StarsFury."
"Hikari?" Hoshi asked curiously, a familiar feeling fleeting through her mind, but it was quickly suppressed.
"Your mission is to make sure that Relena Peacecraft and Hikari are dead, do you understand?" Akki ordered her.
Hoshi nodded, As you wish, my lord." She looked down to the ground for a moment, staring at it curiously.
"You may return to your quarters now, Hoshi." Akki said calmly, "I will call you once you are needed."
Hoshi nodded, "Hai, my lord." Without another word, she left the room.
~*~*~*~*~
The former pilots, Sally and Tensei sat at the conference table in the Preventers office, dread and uncertainty thick in the air. Tensei had changed into her Preventers uniform, which was only fitting at this time. Now it was time to get down to business.
"We don't have much time," Tensei began, "Is there any way to find out just where Musha is being held? It would be much easier if we could launch a surprise attack."
Sally shook her head, "We've tried everything. We have to wait for them to come to us."
Wufei frowned, "So we have eleven hours to form a plan."
"No problem, Wu-man!" Duo shouted, trying to seem cheery, despite the hopeless situation, "That's plenty of time for us!"
Wufei glared, but otherwise ignored Duo's comment, he was in no mood for an argument right now. "Do you think that Musha will be with them when they come for you and Relena?"
Tensei nodded, "She's their insurance. There's no way that they'd leave her out."
"How about this then," Quatre broke in, "We will send them a message, informing them that we accept their offer. Sally, Trowa and I will take Miss Tensei to them, as if we were going to turn her over. In the meantime, the three of you will find a way to get Musha back."
"You'll have to take her by force." Tensei added, "She's very strong, and she'll fight to the end. You may have to drug her."
Quatre was amazed at how calm Tensei seemed to be. She said these things as if Musha was someone that she had never met before in her life. He knew that Musha meant the world to her. How could her soul be so strong? Was her training so rigorous that she could have learned to hold her emotions so? It was one of the saddest things that he had ever seen. While her exterior was cool and confident, he could see right through her. She may be a warrior, but she was also human. A young girl, forced to grow up much before her time, her life taken away from her. Now, she had to bear being separated from her best friend.
Her eyes betrayed her sadness, and he wanted nothing more at that moment to tell her that everything was going to be all right, even though he couldn't promise it.
"Just.... try not to hurt her too much..." her voice trailed.
That was it. Quatre could see Tensei's eyes fill with sadness, and he felt like he would explode if he didn't look away from her soon.
"Don't worry." came a familiar, yet unfamiliar voice. To Quatre's shock, it was Wufei who had offered words of assurance, but he himself sounded unsure. Ever since the news of Musha's capture, neither Tensei nor Wufei looked the same.
Wufei looked.... distant. Lost in his own melancholy. Quatre's space heart could feel his pain, to the point that it was almost unbearable. Wufei had always been a proud man. Nothing, but nothing could hinder him. But for some reason, this last hour had proved his perception of Wufei terribly wrong.
"I will make sure that she is not harmed." Wufei said.
Tensei nodded, not even bothering to put on her happy mask. She couldn't anymore.
'Why?!' Wufei thought to himself, 'Why is this happening?! One of our own... not just that, but Musha of all people! I should never have left her!!! I swear, no harm will come to her, and if any does, whoever is responsible will pay with their lives.'
"So it's a plan then?" Sally asked as everyone nodded, "All right." she said, nodding as well, "All of you
go home and get some rest. I want to see everyone here in eight hours."
Tensei nodded and stood up, smiling weakly, "Thank you all so much." she said, her voice barely above a
whisper, "You're all good people." She felt kind of silly saying that, but she didn't know what else she
could say. She didn't expect them to help her so readily.
Without another word, she left the room.
"Strange girl..." Duo murmured, standing up himself, "I'm going to go have myself a well deserved nap
before we go kick some bad-guy ass." he grinned as he grabbed his coat, "See y'all later!"
Quatre shook his head and got up as well, "See you all soon." he said before following Duo out of the room.
He walked silently through the halls, and out into the street, beginning his walk home, when he spotted a familiar car right out front, and a familiar girl in the driver's seat. She wasn't moving, she just stared straight ahead. The tinted windows made it hard to make out her face, but he could tell that something wasn't right.
Mustering up as much courage as he possibly could, he walked up to her car and gently tapped on the window. There was a long pause, so he assumed that she didn't even hear the knock. Just as he lifted his hand to try again, Tensei rolled her window down, and looked up at him. He could see that she did a lousy job of disguising her tears. Her eyes were glassy and her cheeks were accented with bright red streaks.
"Gomen ne, Miss Tensei." Quatre said, blushing slightly, "I just came to see if you were all right."
Tensei forced a smile, "It's just Tensei, remember?" her voice was a bit shaky.
Quatre nodded, looking slightly concerned as she turned the key in the ignition and the car didn't start up. She sat back in her seat and groaned. "I'm such an idiot..." she muttered.
"What's wrong?" Quatre asked, "Can I help you in any way?"
Tensei shook her head sadly, "I left everything on when I got here. I was in too much of a rush. The battery is dead." she opened the door, and Quatre stood back to let her out. Locking up the car, she turned to face Quatre. "Anyway," she began, taking a deep breath, "Thank you for your concern. I'll see you in a few hours, ne?"
Quatre nodded, and stared at her for a moment as she walked off, then he took a step forward, "Matte yo!"
Tensei paused and turned around to face him, "Nande?"
"Ano, Miss Tensei.... er, Tensei, Do you live far from here? I could give you a ride home if you like."
Tensei smiled weakly, and shook her head, "Arigato, demo, I don't live far." she lied. It's not that she didn't want his company, it that she wanted it so much that it scared her. With Musha gone, she felt.... alone, and afraid. Musha was her source of strength. Now, there was a void, and she didn't know what to do.
"Then let me walk you, Tensei." Quatre offered, stepping even closer, "It's getting dark, and I don't want anything to happen to you."
Tensei shook her head again, "No, I'm fine, really. I'm a gundam pilot, remember?" she forced another smile, which Quatre easily read through.
The young Arab's eyes softened, "Tensei..." he said quietly, this time stepping right up beside her, "You shouldn't be alone right now. You're hurting, I can feel it."
Again, her mask shattered into a million pieces, and she broke down in tears. "Why is this happening?! WHY?!" she screamed, dropping to her knees, asking him as if he could actually answer her. She knew that he didn't know why, but it brought her comfort just to pretend that he did.
"Tensei.." he knelt down beside her and placed both of his hands on her shoulders. He didn't know what to say. What could he say? He couldn't tell her that everything would be all right, because even he himself didn't know. All he could do was be there for her.
~*~*~*~*~
Hoshi walked silently into her room. Her room? No, but it was. She wasn't sure. She felt... confused. Something didn't feel quite right. She sighed as she walked over to her mirror and looked at her reflection. "Who am I?" she whispered to herself. Her voice sounded small and weak. She shook her head, "I am Hoshi, warrior of the stars." she said to herself, straightening out.
Stepping back, she lay down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She felt strange for some reason. Something was missing, but what? Closing her eyes, she lost herself in her thoughts, drifting into the silence of sleep.
Hoshi opened her eyes and found herself in a strangely familiar room. The decor was no doubt, traditional Chinese. Vases and fans, paintings with Chinese characters. She had never seen anything like this, yet, somehow... she had.
A small girl ran into the room, and looked up at Hoshi. "Who are you?" she asked curiously to the stranger, yet not seeming at all alarmed.
"Hoshi..." she answered, staring at the girl intently. 'I know her from somewhere...' she thought to herself.
"I'm Samantha Ling." the small girl smiled as one of her small hands reached up to twirl one of her golden curls around her finger, "Why are you in my house? Are you lost?"
Hoshi shook her head, "I... don't know."
"Well," Samantha said, placing a hand on her hip and raising an eyebrow, "I hope you bring no ill intentions, otherwise I'll have to fight with you. I really don't want to hurt you, Miss Hoshi."
Hoshi couldn't help but laugh quietly. This girl was certainly very brave. "Don't worry," she assured the small girl, "I mean no harm. I'm just not quite sure where I am. Could you tell me, where are we?"
"In Beijing, silly!"
'Beijing?' Hoshi wondered to herself, "China?"
"Of course! Well, we used to live on L5, but it's not safe there because of the war, so we moved here!" Before Hoshi had a chance to react, Samantha grabbed hold of her hand, "Come! See my room!"
Hoshi smiled, "All right...." she followed the little girl into a room in the back of the house. The walls were painted black, with golden stars scattered all over. "So you like stars, ne?" she asked, slightly amused.
Samantha nodded, "Hai! I LOVE stars, in fact....." she ran over to a small chest on the nightstand beside her bed, and opened it up, pulling something out and clutching it in her hand. Walking back up to Hoshi, she opened her hand to her, "Papa gave this to me for my sixth birthday! Isn't it beautiful?"
Hoshi gasped as she looked at the item in the girl's hand. It was a necklace with a star-shaped pendant. Reaching up to her own neck, she fingered her own star pendant. They were exactly alike!
Samantha gasped, "Wow! You have the very same one!"
"SAMANTHA!!" a woman's voice shouted from downstairs, "It's time to eat now!"
Samantha gasped, "You have to leave quickly! Papa won't be happy if he finds I brought a friend here. They don't let any visitors come to see me. I don't know why though...." she trailed off, but smiled again, "Anyway, can you climb well? You can escape out my window!"
Hoshi nodded, "Hai. Arigato."
Samantha smiled, "All right, here.." she opened the window and looked out, "It's kinda high, but you can do it! It'll be a great adventure!" Arigato, Miss Hoshi! It was very nice having you!"
Hoshi smiled, "I enjoyed it."
"Will you come again?"
"Ano... I can try, I suppose." she wasn't sure what she was saying. She had to get back to Akki and complete her mission, but something told her that she belonged here. She climbed out the window and smiled up at Samantha. "Ja matta ne!"
"Ja!"
Hoshi walked slowly towards what looked like a town nearby. As she walked, she realized that the house was set far back, very inconvenient. She thought nothing of it, and continued to walk.
Snap.
'What was that?' Hoshi wondered, whirling around. She saw nothing, but she could have sworn that she had heard something! Suddenly, she saw something move in the shadows. She ran quickly and his herself behind a large tree. Once there, she looked out to see shadows, quickly making their way towards the house. "Nani?!" she whispered to herself, focusing on the shadows. They were human! What was going on?
Hoshi didn't know what to do. She stood there and watched, confused. While her instincts told her to fight, her body wouldn't allow it. She felt something.... fear?
Only moments later did she hear a woman's scream. That was it, she was on full alert now. 'IIE!!' he mind screamed, 'I shouldn't have just stood there!'
She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, when she heard two gunshots. Her eyes widened in fear. 'Iie......IIE!!!' Faster and faster, until she finally reached the house. She got there just in time to see little Samantha being dragged outside, kicking and screaming and crying frantically.
"SAMANTHA!!!" Hoshi shouted, running towards the girl. She had almost reached her when the house exploded, throwing her backwards. She hit her head on a rock, and fell unconscious.
Hoshi bolted straight up in her bed and gasped. She looked around her room as she breathed heavily. "A dream..." she whispered to herself, "It was all a dream....."
~*~*~*~*~
Quatre sighed as he put down his book and looked up at the grandfather clock in his library. Almost time to go. He wanted to get some sleep, but he just couldn't. Not now. There was too much on his mind.
He had ended up taking Tensei back to his home. By the time she had finished crying, she was barely strong enough to support herself, so he brought her right home and set her up in one of his guest rooms.
He had gone to check on her a couple of times, though each time that he did, he found her tossing and turning, fitfully rolling across the bed. He couldn't stand to see someone go through so much pain. Yet.... her admired her.
We all take our friends for granted, but Tensei and Musha knew just how important a friend was. He knew nothing of their pasts, besides the fact that they too were Gundam pilots, but none of them ever spoke of any other friends or family. All he could assume is that they only had each other.
Quietly, Quatre got up and walked to Tensei' room, sneaking inside and walking up beside the bed. "Tensei..." he said gently, "It's time..."
Slowly, her eyes fluttered open. She looked up at Quatre and smiled weakly, "Arigato..."
~*~*~*~*~
Peace. Calm. Silence. These three were rare in these days of war, but still, Chang Wufei found his escape. Most would vent stress through fits, maybe even violence, but Wufei would take himself to a secluded little spot in a nearby forest and meditate. It was his one true escape.
In the last few hours, many familiar emotions resurfaced. Feelings that he hadn't felt since... since he lost her.
Shutting his eyes tightly, he turned his face to the side, willing himself to suppress these memories. It was years ago, and there was nothing that he could do about it. But why was he suddenly feeling as if he could?
"Meiran is dead." he said aloud to himself, no one but himself hearing his words. He had found himself reminding himself over and over. Why did he feel this way now? After all this time? He felt a certain... protectiveness.
Shaking his head, he stood up. He knew that it was time. Taking a moment to look up at the stars, he closed his eyes and sighed. "Musha.... We will rescue you."
He began his journey back to the Preventer base, the whole time, thinking about his upcoming mission. Why was it so important this time? What made this mission different than any others? Well, for one thing, he was out to rescue, not destroy. But still. What were these strangely familiar emotions building up inside of him? He wanted them out. They confused him, he didn't know what to make of them.
With a sigh, he picked up his pace, determined to make it to his meeting on time.
~*~*~*~*~
Quatre and Tensei walked silently into the conference room. He didn't even attempt to make conversation, now was just not the time. Even if he had, would she have heard him? Every time he stole a glance at her, she looked distant, lost.
"Miss Tensei," a fellow Preventer greeted them as they entered the room, "There's a call for you on the main line. He calls himself Master U?"
Tensei's eyes widened. She did NOT feel like talking to him, or, being yelled at rather. With a sigh, she nodded her head, "All right. Arigato."
The man looked at her, a bit quizically, "He wants to speak to you on a private line."
Tensei shook her head, "No. He can tell me with everyone else here. I am a Preventer, and whatever he says will, no doubt, will relate to this mission. I'll inform him, just put him on the main line."
"All right..."
They took a seat at the conference table, where everyone else sat, waiting. Moments later, master U's face appeared on the screen. It was obvious from his facial statement that he was very angry.
"I wanted this on a private line!" he barked, "Where is that baka?!"
"I told him to put it on the main line! I am working with the Preventers now, any information you wish to share with me can be shared with them too!" Tensei shouted, the fire returning to her eyes.
"Tensei!" Master U growled, "How dare you-?!?!"
"Excuse me, sir." Sally said, a bit annoyed, "Will you please keep your temper down?"
Master U glared, "Tensei is my soldier, she will take orders from ME and Me only!"
This time, Quatre stepped up, "U-san, Tensei is no longer your concern. She has been officially installed as a Preventer. She swore an oath of loyalty to the Preventers which disables her to take orders from any outside sources involving our cases."
"Don't play that game with me! You know who she really is! Her intention was NEVER to join the Preventers as a permanent! She was a spy!"
"NOT ANY MORE, MASTER U!!" Tensei shouted angrilly, "I've had it with you and the disrespect that you show us! Musha and I work our asses off, yet it's NEVER good enough! True, I may not be as loyal as you like, but I'm stepping out for MYSELF now! You are NOT my boss! You never were! You don't own me! I can make my own decisions!"
"Tensei..." his voice softened a bit, "Would you betray your own father?" He smirked inwardly, knowing that this little phrase always got her. She could resist the yelling, but she couldn't say no when he spoke affectionately.
"You're not my father...." Tensei said through clenched teeth, surprising everyone, including herself. She had never been the one to stand up. Musha had always been the stronger one, always jumping to her defense when things got heated. But now, Musha was gone. She had to rely on herself. "Now say what you have to say and let us get to work."
Master U fought back a cry of frustration, but stopped it all together when he got his wits together. Yelling at her would not win her back. He may have lost her for this time being, but he would get her back. He had plans for her and Musha, and he was determined to carry them out.
"Fine.." he said, his voice surprisingly calm, "Go ahead and try to save Musha. I wish you luck, but there is something that you need to know. It's about Kaikou."
"What about Kaikou?"
"I have installed a new program called the Omega system. It's similar to the zero system, but stronger. You only have three minutes of use before the pilot blacks out."
Quatre's eyes widened, "That's inhumane!!! How could you create such a thing?!"
Master U's face remained impassive, "War is a dirty sport, boy. You should know that very well, ne?"
"So, StarsFury has it as well, ne?" Wufei asked, slightly in shock.
Master U nodded, "Should Kaikou and StarsFury engage in battle, it will be short-lived."
"So that's what happened to me the other day?" Master U nodded as Tensei hardened her eyes. "All right... Three minutes then.... But I can only hope that it will not come to a battle.... I can't fight Musha..."
"You are weak, Tensei!!!" Master U accused, "You let yourself get an attachment, and now, she is your enemy!"
"NOT my enemy!!!" Tensei shouted, angrily.
Master U sighed, "Fine. Just remember, Tensei, a soldier without attachments is the deadliest." Those were his last words before he closed the link.
"Nice guy..." Duo said sarcastically, "Looks like a real winner."
"Forget him." Tensei said bitterly, "We have work to do."
Sally nodded, "All right. We'll head over right now. Tensei, take Kaikou and wait for us there."
"Right. Ja!" without another word, she ran out of the room.
"Be careful..." Quatre whispered, watching her retreating form.
~*~*~*~*~
Akki smirked as he looked at Hoshi. She looked angry, bitter. Perfect. She could unleash all of that anger on the battle field and destroy Hikari. "Go and get StarsFury ready." he ordered calmly.
"Nani?"
"Just in case, Hoshi. We won't know for sure until they give us our answer, now will we?"
Hoshi shook her head, "All right."
~*~*~*~*~
Tesnei sighed as she looked at her watch. Ten minutes left. 'Where are they?' her mind screamed as she paced back and forth along the road. Taking one last glance up, she nodded to herself, content that Kaikou was safely hidden.
Her attention was brought to a black car coming down the road. 'Finally...' she thought, stepping out to the car as it stopped beside her.
"Ready to go?" Sally asked, opening the door and stepping out.
Tensei nodded, "I have to get ready first though."
Sally nodded to Quatre who got out slowly, holding a pair of handcuffs. 'What if she can't escape...' he thought as he hesitantly walked up beside Tensei. With a sigh, he looked over to her, regret shining through his eyes. "Are you sure that there's no other way? What if you don't make it out?"
Tensei frowned, "Quatre, they won't believe this unless it's apparent that I put up a struggle. I've been trained to die before handing myself over to the enemy, and they know that."
Quatre sighed in defeat, "All right." he took her wrists behind her and snapped the cuffs on.
"Tighter." Tensei ordered, "Not until I tell you to stop."
Quatre opened his mouth to protest, but he knew that she wouldn't change her mind. Very slowly, he tightened the clasps. Tighter and tighter to the point where he could see that he hands were turning pale. She didn't ask him to stop until the metal was cutting through her skin.
"Ready?" she asked, her voice breaking slightly.
"Hai.." Sally said, regretting that they had no other way to do this, "Let's go."
~*~*~*~*~
Wufei closed his eyes and sighed as he sat low behind a bush nearby the capitol building. Duo and Hiiro were hiding elsewhere, ready to jump at the first sign of Musha. They were hoping to find her even before Sally and the others arrived, but that wasn't likely.
Click.
Wufei's eyes widened as he felt something cold pressed to the back of his neck. "It's not nice to spy." a voice hissed behind him. He immediately recognized it.
"Musha...." he said cooly.
The girl shook her head, "Musha does not exist. I am Hoshi."
Wufei closed his eyes, silently apologizing to her before bringing his arm around quickly, knocking the gun from Hoshi's grasp. "Fool! You let your guard down!" he shouted.
Hoshi smirked, "Nomatter. I'll kill you anyway, pilot 05." 'What am I saying?' her mind struggled, 'I can't kill him.... No! I must!' She moved herself into a fighting stance and glared, "We will have an honorable fight. Or are you too cowardly?"
Wufei smirked as well, "I am no coward, but I will defeat you, onna." he said as he moved himself into his own fighting stance.
Tension surrounded them until finally, Hoshi made a move. Jumping high in the air, she aimed a kick right for his chest.
Wufei dodged her expertly, whipping his fist around to connect with her stomach. Her eyes widened in pain and Wufei closed his own eyes, 'I am sorry...'
Hoshi took that moment of distraction to knock him onto the ground. She stood over him, a triumphant look on her face. "Now who's letting their guard down?"
Wufei swung his legs around, knocking Hoshi's feet out from under her. However, he didn't take into consideration just where she would fall. Next thing he knew, Hoshi's body fell right on top of his, their faces just inches apart.
"Baka!" Hoshi hissed, standing up immediately.
After snapping out of his confusion, Wufei too jumped up and glared, "Surrender, onna. You know that you won't win this."
Hoshi grinned, "I have no intention of surrendering, but it seems that at this time, you have no desire to surrender to me, so I'll see you later. I have to go meet your friends now. It's time for my master to get the glory that he deserves." Without another word, she took off her earring and threw it to the ground, a cloud of smoke rising around her, giving her just enough time to escape.
Wufei stood there, dumbfounded. "Why did I let her go?!?! Kuso!!"
~*~*~*~*~
Hiiro pulled the car up in front of the capitol building, allowing Sally to step out. Her eyes locked with a familiar man and she approached him, unconsciously reaching her hand to her side, confirming that her gun was, indeed still there.
"Good afternoon, Miss Po." the man said, a faint smirk could be detected on his lips. "I hope that you have some good news for me."
Sally nodded, "Hai. Hikari is in the car."
Akki smiled, "And what of Relena Peacecraft."
Sally closed her eyes, pretending to look regretful, "We let her go last night. The media doesn't know yet"
"Very well. Meet me in the courtyard with Hikari."
Sally nodded and walked back to the car, sitting inside next to Hiiro. "The courtyard." was all she said. Hiiro nodded, and drove around to the back of the building. When they arrived, they saw that it was empty. No one there but Akki.
"Are you ready?" Sally asked Tensei as she looked back to her.
Tensei just nodded.
"All right. Let's go."
The four exited the car, and Quatre grabbed Tensei by the arms. She took her cue and pretended to pull against him. "Let me go, you kusoyaro!!!" she shouted, playing her role expertly.
Hiiro took her other arm and helped Quatre drag her forward as she kicked and yelled. Sally lead them to Akki who grinned at their arrival. "Welcome, Miss Hikari. We've been waiting for you."
Tensei's eyes widened. "We?"
"Good afternoon, Hikari." Hoshi smirked as she stepped out from behind a tree, her eyes locking with Tensei's.
~*~*~*~*~
Okie... this is the part where Musha & I get on our hands & knees and BEG for reviews! I mean.. we really need them....*laughs nervously*
Before we continue, I must apologize for an earlier mistake of mine. I said a couple chapters ago that Dr. J designed the ZERO system.. well..heh.. since then, I have actually SEEN Gundam Wing, and now know that Quatre was the one who built it. Heh.... that's what I get for writing about something I've never seen before.....-_- ANyhoo, please enjoy this chapter... and SMILE! YAY!
~*~*~*~*~
Hikari's eyes widened as she turned to face the screen. She wanted to scream out, but she couldn't. She had to maintain a cool exterior if she would have any hope of receiving help from the Preventers. Her eyes locked onto the image of her enemy, and she silently vowed that this man would die a horrible death if she ever got near him, which she had every intention of doing.
"We will meet you at the capitol building. Until then." Akki said before the screen went back to black.
"Nande kuso?!?!" she heard Duo shout behind her, "Who the hell is that?!"
"Trowa!!" Sally shouted, trying to hide her own confusion, "Hurry up and trace that signal!! Find out where this guy is at once!!"
Trowa nodded, and sat down at a computer nearby, typing quickly in attempt to find the location of this strange man.
Hikari took a deep breath and turned back to face the others, but the first thing that she felt was cold metal pressed against her chest as her eyes met with angry Prussian blue.
"Omae o korosu."
"Hiiro!" Quatre shouted, "No! Wait!!"
Hikari just stared straight ahead, almost daring Hiiro shoot. "If you kill me, you will kill the only chance that Relena has at survival."
Hiiro's eyes went wide, his hand visibly shaking, "What do you mean?" he demanded, determined not to let his voice falter.
"Hikari," Sally started, "Please explain to us why we shouldn't arrest you right now."
Hikari took a step back, confident that Hiiro would not shoot her at this moment. His face may have remained impassive, but his eyes betrayed him. She could see the anger, the hatred, but also the pain, anguish and fear that dominated. She knew that he wouldn't do anything to lessen Relena's chance of survival.
"Believe it or not," Hikari began, still determined to keep her voice steady, "We are all on the same side. Hoshi and I are here to help you."
"You call shooting Relena Peacecraft helping?!" Wufei demanded angrily, not knowing why he was so mad, but knowing that he had to channel it somewhere before he hurt someone, "We are not fools, onna!"
"She did not shoot Relena-sama!" Quatre jumped in, all eyes fell on him, "Onegai! Hear her out!"
"And why should we?" Duo asked smugly, crossing his arms over his chest, "After all, she IS the enemy."
Sally raised a hand, asking for silence, "We will listen, Hikari, but we had better like your explanation."
Hikari bowed respectfully, "Arigato, Sally-san." she paused and took a deep breath, she had to tell them everything. It was the only way to get Musha back. "Before I go any further, I must apologize and explain who I really am." She reached up and pulled off her sunglasses, her eyes still closed as she gently slid the black wig off of her head, her long blonde hair spilling out as gasps could be heard throughout the room. She opened her brown eyes, regret and determination shining from their depths. "I am Hikari, also known as Jiaino Tensei." Everyone in the room but Quatre gasped.
"Tensei?!" Duo shouted in disbelief, "This just keeps getting better and better!"
"And Hoshi," she continued, ignoring Duo's comment, "Is Eien Musha, my ally and my friend."
Wufei's eyes went wide, "Musha?!" 'Masaka!' he thought, 'I just saw her today!!! She couldn't have disappeared!'
Tensei lowered her gaze and nodded, "I understand if you still want to arrest me, but I'm the only one who can stop this man. With your help, of course." she added quickly.
Sally shot Quatre a questioning glance, and he nodded, "Miss Sally, I know that the evidence against Miss Tensei is convincing, but it's merely circumstantial. We know that she was present when Miss Relena was shot, but we also know that she has had many other chances to hurt her, had she desired so, that would have been more convenient and safer on her part.
"They were both clever enough to trick us into believing that they were really, in fact, Eien Musha and Tensei Jiaino. I don't believe that they would have been careless enough to let themselves get caught while trying to assassinate Relena Peacacraft,."
"Plus this man who has Musha obviously wants Relena-sama dead," Trowa added, standing up from his seat at the computer, "Maybe we should investigate alternate suspects."
Sally sighed, and nodded. "Did you get a trace on the signal?"
Trowa shook his head, "Nothing. Whoever he is, he's very technologically advanced. I can't even find evidence that a message was transmitted at all."
"Onegai," Tensei pleaded, "Help me find this man. I won't betray you, because...." she paused for a moment, taking a deep breath in attempt to steady her voice, "I have everything to lose. I will do whatever it takes to get Musha back."
Sally thought for a moment, and looked around the room, silently asking for approval.
Duo shrugged, "Why not? Besides, if you ARE a traitor, it adds to the adventure."
Neither Hiiro nor Wufei made any attempt to answer. They each looked as if they were lost in their own torture.
"Fine." Hiiro said plainly, finally breaking the silence, "Whatever it takes." 'To save Relena...' he finished mentally.
Wufei was still lost in his own world, 'I was with her. I should have stayed with her. This is my fault. She may be hurt. Argh! Why do I care anyway?!'
"Wufei?" Sally asked, a bit concerned.
Wufei shook his head, snapping out of his trance, "With your permission, I would like to lead the rescue mission for Eien Musha."
"Demo-" Tensei broke in, but Wufei cut her off.
"I expect that you will be in your Gundam? Fighting the enemy?"
Tensei sighed. He was right. She was the only one who had a Gundam to fight with. She simply nodded.
"Now, Tensei," Sally began, "If we're going to work together, we can't have any more secrets. Can you please explain why you two are here in the first place?"
Tensei nodded, "Like the former pilots, Musha and I have been trained to pilot Gundams, as well as learned advanced techniques in hand to hand combat, hacking, and other such necessities. We have been training for the past twelve years."
Duo's jaw dropped, "Twelve years?! Who trained you? Your parents?!"
Tensei's eyes darkened at this question, "We were trained by Master U. He is a great teacher, and brought us up to be strong, and fearless."
"Why weren't you involved in Operation Meteor?" Quatre wondered aloud, "We had no knowledge of any other Gundam pilots."
Tensei shook her head, "It was meant to be that way. We represent the colonies as well, but we were top secret. The colonies' back-up plan. Not even your own scientists know about us. Master U made sure to keep us a secret so that we could never be drafted into Operation Meteor. It was imperative that we be preserved for such an event as is happening right now.
We joined the Preventers on a mission to protect Relena Peacecraft, a mission that we obviously failed." she lowered her gaze to the floor, "And now, the enemy has Musha. If he does, in fact, have control over her and StarsFury, the earth is in grave danger, especially Relena Peacecraft."
"What can we do, then?" Hiiro asked, his voice almost demanding.
"First," Tensei began, "You must heighten the security in Miss Relena's room. Ten guards, minimum, around the clock. They MUST be armed and well trained."
Sally nodded, "We'll do that right away. What else?"
"We have to get in there and get Musha back. No number of armed guards can defeat StarsFury."
"All right." Sally said, looking around to everyone, "Let's get to work."
~*~*~*~*~
"Enter." Akki answered, smirking as someone knocked on the door to his office. The door was promptly opened and in stepped two figures. The first, one of his soldiers, the second, a young woman, her long, curly blonde hair pulled back in a tight braid, her violet eyes flaming. She wore a pure black uniform, similar to the blue ones that Akki's soldiers wore.
Akki grinned, "Welcome, Hoshi. Do you remember who I am?"
Hoshi gave him a questioning glance, "My Lord?" she bowed respectfully.
Akki smirked, "Yes. That's right. I am your master. You take orders from no one but me, do you understand?"
Hoshi nodded, "Hai. What does my lord wish of me?"
"In ten hours, if the Preventers have not destroyed Relena Peacecraft and handed over pilot, Hikari, you will attack the earth with StarsFury."
"Hikari?" Hoshi asked curiously, a familiar feeling fleeting through her mind, but it was quickly suppressed.
"Your mission is to make sure that Relena Peacecraft and Hikari are dead, do you understand?" Akki ordered her.
Hoshi nodded, As you wish, my lord." She looked down to the ground for a moment, staring at it curiously.
"You may return to your quarters now, Hoshi." Akki said calmly, "I will call you once you are needed."
Hoshi nodded, "Hai, my lord." Without another word, she left the room.
~*~*~*~*~
The former pilots, Sally and Tensei sat at the conference table in the Preventers office, dread and uncertainty thick in the air. Tensei had changed into her Preventers uniform, which was only fitting at this time. Now it was time to get down to business.
"We don't have much time," Tensei began, "Is there any way to find out just where Musha is being held? It would be much easier if we could launch a surprise attack."
Sally shook her head, "We've tried everything. We have to wait for them to come to us."
Wufei frowned, "So we have eleven hours to form a plan."
"No problem, Wu-man!" Duo shouted, trying to seem cheery, despite the hopeless situation, "That's plenty of time for us!"
Wufei glared, but otherwise ignored Duo's comment, he was in no mood for an argument right now. "Do you think that Musha will be with them when they come for you and Relena?"
Tensei nodded, "She's their insurance. There's no way that they'd leave her out."
"How about this then," Quatre broke in, "We will send them a message, informing them that we accept their offer. Sally, Trowa and I will take Miss Tensei to them, as if we were going to turn her over. In the meantime, the three of you will find a way to get Musha back."
"You'll have to take her by force." Tensei added, "She's very strong, and she'll fight to the end. You may have to drug her."
Quatre was amazed at how calm Tensei seemed to be. She said these things as if Musha was someone that she had never met before in her life. He knew that Musha meant the world to her. How could her soul be so strong? Was her training so rigorous that she could have learned to hold her emotions so? It was one of the saddest things that he had ever seen. While her exterior was cool and confident, he could see right through her. She may be a warrior, but she was also human. A young girl, forced to grow up much before her time, her life taken away from her. Now, she had to bear being separated from her best friend.
Her eyes betrayed her sadness, and he wanted nothing more at that moment to tell her that everything was going to be all right, even though he couldn't promise it.
"Just.... try not to hurt her too much..." her voice trailed.
That was it. Quatre could see Tensei's eyes fill with sadness, and he felt like he would explode if he didn't look away from her soon.
"Don't worry." came a familiar, yet unfamiliar voice. To Quatre's shock, it was Wufei who had offered words of assurance, but he himself sounded unsure. Ever since the news of Musha's capture, neither Tensei nor Wufei looked the same.
Wufei looked.... distant. Lost in his own melancholy. Quatre's space heart could feel his pain, to the point that it was almost unbearable. Wufei had always been a proud man. Nothing, but nothing could hinder him. But for some reason, this last hour had proved his perception of Wufei terribly wrong.
"I will make sure that she is not harmed." Wufei said.
Tensei nodded, not even bothering to put on her happy mask. She couldn't anymore.
'Why?!' Wufei thought to himself, 'Why is this happening?! One of our own... not just that, but Musha of all people! I should never have left her!!! I swear, no harm will come to her, and if any does, whoever is responsible will pay with their lives.'
"So it's a plan then?" Sally asked as everyone nodded, "All right." she said, nodding as well, "All of you
go home and get some rest. I want to see everyone here in eight hours."
Tensei nodded and stood up, smiling weakly, "Thank you all so much." she said, her voice barely above a
whisper, "You're all good people." She felt kind of silly saying that, but she didn't know what else she
could say. She didn't expect them to help her so readily.
Without another word, she left the room.
"Strange girl..." Duo murmured, standing up himself, "I'm going to go have myself a well deserved nap
before we go kick some bad-guy ass." he grinned as he grabbed his coat, "See y'all later!"
Quatre shook his head and got up as well, "See you all soon." he said before following Duo out of the room.
He walked silently through the halls, and out into the street, beginning his walk home, when he spotted a familiar car right out front, and a familiar girl in the driver's seat. She wasn't moving, she just stared straight ahead. The tinted windows made it hard to make out her face, but he could tell that something wasn't right.
Mustering up as much courage as he possibly could, he walked up to her car and gently tapped on the window. There was a long pause, so he assumed that she didn't even hear the knock. Just as he lifted his hand to try again, Tensei rolled her window down, and looked up at him. He could see that she did a lousy job of disguising her tears. Her eyes were glassy and her cheeks were accented with bright red streaks.
"Gomen ne, Miss Tensei." Quatre said, blushing slightly, "I just came to see if you were all right."
Tensei forced a smile, "It's just Tensei, remember?" her voice was a bit shaky.
Quatre nodded, looking slightly concerned as she turned the key in the ignition and the car didn't start up. She sat back in her seat and groaned. "I'm such an idiot..." she muttered.
"What's wrong?" Quatre asked, "Can I help you in any way?"
Tensei shook her head sadly, "I left everything on when I got here. I was in too much of a rush. The battery is dead." she opened the door, and Quatre stood back to let her out. Locking up the car, she turned to face Quatre. "Anyway," she began, taking a deep breath, "Thank you for your concern. I'll see you in a few hours, ne?"
Quatre nodded, and stared at her for a moment as she walked off, then he took a step forward, "Matte yo!"
Tensei paused and turned around to face him, "Nande?"
"Ano, Miss Tensei.... er, Tensei, Do you live far from here? I could give you a ride home if you like."
Tensei smiled weakly, and shook her head, "Arigato, demo, I don't live far." she lied. It's not that she didn't want his company, it that she wanted it so much that it scared her. With Musha gone, she felt.... alone, and afraid. Musha was her source of strength. Now, there was a void, and she didn't know what to do.
"Then let me walk you, Tensei." Quatre offered, stepping even closer, "It's getting dark, and I don't want anything to happen to you."
Tensei shook her head again, "No, I'm fine, really. I'm a gundam pilot, remember?" she forced another smile, which Quatre easily read through.
The young Arab's eyes softened, "Tensei..." he said quietly, this time stepping right up beside her, "You shouldn't be alone right now. You're hurting, I can feel it."
Again, her mask shattered into a million pieces, and she broke down in tears. "Why is this happening?! WHY?!" she screamed, dropping to her knees, asking him as if he could actually answer her. She knew that he didn't know why, but it brought her comfort just to pretend that he did.
"Tensei.." he knelt down beside her and placed both of his hands on her shoulders. He didn't know what to say. What could he say? He couldn't tell her that everything would be all right, because even he himself didn't know. All he could do was be there for her.
~*~*~*~*~
Hoshi walked silently into her room. Her room? No, but it was. She wasn't sure. She felt... confused. Something didn't feel quite right. She sighed as she walked over to her mirror and looked at her reflection. "Who am I?" she whispered to herself. Her voice sounded small and weak. She shook her head, "I am Hoshi, warrior of the stars." she said to herself, straightening out.
Stepping back, she lay down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She felt strange for some reason. Something was missing, but what? Closing her eyes, she lost herself in her thoughts, drifting into the silence of sleep.
Hoshi opened her eyes and found herself in a strangely familiar room. The decor was no doubt, traditional Chinese. Vases and fans, paintings with Chinese characters. She had never seen anything like this, yet, somehow... she had.
A small girl ran into the room, and looked up at Hoshi. "Who are you?" she asked curiously to the stranger, yet not seeming at all alarmed.
"Hoshi..." she answered, staring at the girl intently. 'I know her from somewhere...' she thought to herself.
"I'm Samantha Ling." the small girl smiled as one of her small hands reached up to twirl one of her golden curls around her finger, "Why are you in my house? Are you lost?"
Hoshi shook her head, "I... don't know."
"Well," Samantha said, placing a hand on her hip and raising an eyebrow, "I hope you bring no ill intentions, otherwise I'll have to fight with you. I really don't want to hurt you, Miss Hoshi."
Hoshi couldn't help but laugh quietly. This girl was certainly very brave. "Don't worry," she assured the small girl, "I mean no harm. I'm just not quite sure where I am. Could you tell me, where are we?"
"In Beijing, silly!"
'Beijing?' Hoshi wondered to herself, "China?"
"Of course! Well, we used to live on L5, but it's not safe there because of the war, so we moved here!" Before Hoshi had a chance to react, Samantha grabbed hold of her hand, "Come! See my room!"
Hoshi smiled, "All right...." she followed the little girl into a room in the back of the house. The walls were painted black, with golden stars scattered all over. "So you like stars, ne?" she asked, slightly amused.
Samantha nodded, "Hai! I LOVE stars, in fact....." she ran over to a small chest on the nightstand beside her bed, and opened it up, pulling something out and clutching it in her hand. Walking back up to Hoshi, she opened her hand to her, "Papa gave this to me for my sixth birthday! Isn't it beautiful?"
Hoshi gasped as she looked at the item in the girl's hand. It was a necklace with a star-shaped pendant. Reaching up to her own neck, she fingered her own star pendant. They were exactly alike!
Samantha gasped, "Wow! You have the very same one!"
"SAMANTHA!!" a woman's voice shouted from downstairs, "It's time to eat now!"
Samantha gasped, "You have to leave quickly! Papa won't be happy if he finds I brought a friend here. They don't let any visitors come to see me. I don't know why though...." she trailed off, but smiled again, "Anyway, can you climb well? You can escape out my window!"
Hoshi nodded, "Hai. Arigato."
Samantha smiled, "All right, here.." she opened the window and looked out, "It's kinda high, but you can do it! It'll be a great adventure!" Arigato, Miss Hoshi! It was very nice having you!"
Hoshi smiled, "I enjoyed it."
"Will you come again?"
"Ano... I can try, I suppose." she wasn't sure what she was saying. She had to get back to Akki and complete her mission, but something told her that she belonged here. She climbed out the window and smiled up at Samantha. "Ja matta ne!"
"Ja!"
Hoshi walked slowly towards what looked like a town nearby. As she walked, she realized that the house was set far back, very inconvenient. She thought nothing of it, and continued to walk.
Snap.
'What was that?' Hoshi wondered, whirling around. She saw nothing, but she could have sworn that she had heard something! Suddenly, she saw something move in the shadows. She ran quickly and his herself behind a large tree. Once there, she looked out to see shadows, quickly making their way towards the house. "Nani?!" she whispered to herself, focusing on the shadows. They were human! What was going on?
Hoshi didn't know what to do. She stood there and watched, confused. While her instincts told her to fight, her body wouldn't allow it. She felt something.... fear?
Only moments later did she hear a woman's scream. That was it, she was on full alert now. 'IIE!!' he mind screamed, 'I shouldn't have just stood there!'
She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, when she heard two gunshots. Her eyes widened in fear. 'Iie......IIE!!!' Faster and faster, until she finally reached the house. She got there just in time to see little Samantha being dragged outside, kicking and screaming and crying frantically.
"SAMANTHA!!!" Hoshi shouted, running towards the girl. She had almost reached her when the house exploded, throwing her backwards. She hit her head on a rock, and fell unconscious.
Hoshi bolted straight up in her bed and gasped. She looked around her room as she breathed heavily. "A dream..." she whispered to herself, "It was all a dream....."
~*~*~*~*~
Quatre sighed as he put down his book and looked up at the grandfather clock in his library. Almost time to go. He wanted to get some sleep, but he just couldn't. Not now. There was too much on his mind.
He had ended up taking Tensei back to his home. By the time she had finished crying, she was barely strong enough to support herself, so he brought her right home and set her up in one of his guest rooms.
He had gone to check on her a couple of times, though each time that he did, he found her tossing and turning, fitfully rolling across the bed. He couldn't stand to see someone go through so much pain. Yet.... her admired her.
We all take our friends for granted, but Tensei and Musha knew just how important a friend was. He knew nothing of their pasts, besides the fact that they too were Gundam pilots, but none of them ever spoke of any other friends or family. All he could assume is that they only had each other.
Quietly, Quatre got up and walked to Tensei' room, sneaking inside and walking up beside the bed. "Tensei..." he said gently, "It's time..."
Slowly, her eyes fluttered open. She looked up at Quatre and smiled weakly, "Arigato..."
~*~*~*~*~
Peace. Calm. Silence. These three were rare in these days of war, but still, Chang Wufei found his escape. Most would vent stress through fits, maybe even violence, but Wufei would take himself to a secluded little spot in a nearby forest and meditate. It was his one true escape.
In the last few hours, many familiar emotions resurfaced. Feelings that he hadn't felt since... since he lost her.
Shutting his eyes tightly, he turned his face to the side, willing himself to suppress these memories. It was years ago, and there was nothing that he could do about it. But why was he suddenly feeling as if he could?
"Meiran is dead." he said aloud to himself, no one but himself hearing his words. He had found himself reminding himself over and over. Why did he feel this way now? After all this time? He felt a certain... protectiveness.
Shaking his head, he stood up. He knew that it was time. Taking a moment to look up at the stars, he closed his eyes and sighed. "Musha.... We will rescue you."
He began his journey back to the Preventer base, the whole time, thinking about his upcoming mission. Why was it so important this time? What made this mission different than any others? Well, for one thing, he was out to rescue, not destroy. But still. What were these strangely familiar emotions building up inside of him? He wanted them out. They confused him, he didn't know what to make of them.
With a sigh, he picked up his pace, determined to make it to his meeting on time.
~*~*~*~*~
Quatre and Tensei walked silently into the conference room. He didn't even attempt to make conversation, now was just not the time. Even if he had, would she have heard him? Every time he stole a glance at her, she looked distant, lost.
"Miss Tensei," a fellow Preventer greeted them as they entered the room, "There's a call for you on the main line. He calls himself Master U?"
Tensei's eyes widened. She did NOT feel like talking to him, or, being yelled at rather. With a sigh, she nodded her head, "All right. Arigato."
The man looked at her, a bit quizically, "He wants to speak to you on a private line."
Tensei shook her head, "No. He can tell me with everyone else here. I am a Preventer, and whatever he says will, no doubt, will relate to this mission. I'll inform him, just put him on the main line."
"All right..."
They took a seat at the conference table, where everyone else sat, waiting. Moments later, master U's face appeared on the screen. It was obvious from his facial statement that he was very angry.
"I wanted this on a private line!" he barked, "Where is that baka?!"
"I told him to put it on the main line! I am working with the Preventers now, any information you wish to share with me can be shared with them too!" Tensei shouted, the fire returning to her eyes.
"Tensei!" Master U growled, "How dare you-?!?!"
"Excuse me, sir." Sally said, a bit annoyed, "Will you please keep your temper down?"
Master U glared, "Tensei is my soldier, she will take orders from ME and Me only!"
This time, Quatre stepped up, "U-san, Tensei is no longer your concern. She has been officially installed as a Preventer. She swore an oath of loyalty to the Preventers which disables her to take orders from any outside sources involving our cases."
"Don't play that game with me! You know who she really is! Her intention was NEVER to join the Preventers as a permanent! She was a spy!"
"NOT ANY MORE, MASTER U!!" Tensei shouted angrilly, "I've had it with you and the disrespect that you show us! Musha and I work our asses off, yet it's NEVER good enough! True, I may not be as loyal as you like, but I'm stepping out for MYSELF now! You are NOT my boss! You never were! You don't own me! I can make my own decisions!"
"Tensei..." his voice softened a bit, "Would you betray your own father?" He smirked inwardly, knowing that this little phrase always got her. She could resist the yelling, but she couldn't say no when he spoke affectionately.
"You're not my father...." Tensei said through clenched teeth, surprising everyone, including herself. She had never been the one to stand up. Musha had always been the stronger one, always jumping to her defense when things got heated. But now, Musha was gone. She had to rely on herself. "Now say what you have to say and let us get to work."
Master U fought back a cry of frustration, but stopped it all together when he got his wits together. Yelling at her would not win her back. He may have lost her for this time being, but he would get her back. He had plans for her and Musha, and he was determined to carry them out.
"Fine.." he said, his voice surprisingly calm, "Go ahead and try to save Musha. I wish you luck, but there is something that you need to know. It's about Kaikou."
"What about Kaikou?"
"I have installed a new program called the Omega system. It's similar to the zero system, but stronger. You only have three minutes of use before the pilot blacks out."
Quatre's eyes widened, "That's inhumane!!! How could you create such a thing?!"
Master U's face remained impassive, "War is a dirty sport, boy. You should know that very well, ne?"
"So, StarsFury has it as well, ne?" Wufei asked, slightly in shock.
Master U nodded, "Should Kaikou and StarsFury engage in battle, it will be short-lived."
"So that's what happened to me the other day?" Master U nodded as Tensei hardened her eyes. "All right... Three minutes then.... But I can only hope that it will not come to a battle.... I can't fight Musha..."
"You are weak, Tensei!!!" Master U accused, "You let yourself get an attachment, and now, she is your enemy!"
"NOT my enemy!!!" Tensei shouted, angrily.
Master U sighed, "Fine. Just remember, Tensei, a soldier without attachments is the deadliest." Those were his last words before he closed the link.
"Nice guy..." Duo said sarcastically, "Looks like a real winner."
"Forget him." Tensei said bitterly, "We have work to do."
Sally nodded, "All right. We'll head over right now. Tensei, take Kaikou and wait for us there."
"Right. Ja!" without another word, she ran out of the room.
"Be careful..." Quatre whispered, watching her retreating form.
~*~*~*~*~
Akki smirked as he looked at Hoshi. She looked angry, bitter. Perfect. She could unleash all of that anger on the battle field and destroy Hikari. "Go and get StarsFury ready." he ordered calmly.
"Nani?"
"Just in case, Hoshi. We won't know for sure until they give us our answer, now will we?"
Hoshi shook her head, "All right."
~*~*~*~*~
Tesnei sighed as she looked at her watch. Ten minutes left. 'Where are they?' her mind screamed as she paced back and forth along the road. Taking one last glance up, she nodded to herself, content that Kaikou was safely hidden.
Her attention was brought to a black car coming down the road. 'Finally...' she thought, stepping out to the car as it stopped beside her.
"Ready to go?" Sally asked, opening the door and stepping out.
Tensei nodded, "I have to get ready first though."
Sally nodded to Quatre who got out slowly, holding a pair of handcuffs. 'What if she can't escape...' he thought as he hesitantly walked up beside Tensei. With a sigh, he looked over to her, regret shining through his eyes. "Are you sure that there's no other way? What if you don't make it out?"
Tensei frowned, "Quatre, they won't believe this unless it's apparent that I put up a struggle. I've been trained to die before handing myself over to the enemy, and they know that."
Quatre sighed in defeat, "All right." he took her wrists behind her and snapped the cuffs on.
"Tighter." Tensei ordered, "Not until I tell you to stop."
Quatre opened his mouth to protest, but he knew that she wouldn't change her mind. Very slowly, he tightened the clasps. Tighter and tighter to the point where he could see that he hands were turning pale. She didn't ask him to stop until the metal was cutting through her skin.
"Ready?" she asked, her voice breaking slightly.
"Hai.." Sally said, regretting that they had no other way to do this, "Let's go."
~*~*~*~*~
Wufei closed his eyes and sighed as he sat low behind a bush nearby the capitol building. Duo and Hiiro were hiding elsewhere, ready to jump at the first sign of Musha. They were hoping to find her even before Sally and the others arrived, but that wasn't likely.
Click.
Wufei's eyes widened as he felt something cold pressed to the back of his neck. "It's not nice to spy." a voice hissed behind him. He immediately recognized it.
"Musha...." he said cooly.
The girl shook her head, "Musha does not exist. I am Hoshi."
Wufei closed his eyes, silently apologizing to her before bringing his arm around quickly, knocking the gun from Hoshi's grasp. "Fool! You let your guard down!" he shouted.
Hoshi smirked, "Nomatter. I'll kill you anyway, pilot 05." 'What am I saying?' her mind struggled, 'I can't kill him.... No! I must!' She moved herself into a fighting stance and glared, "We will have an honorable fight. Or are you too cowardly?"
Wufei smirked as well, "I am no coward, but I will defeat you, onna." he said as he moved himself into his own fighting stance.
Tension surrounded them until finally, Hoshi made a move. Jumping high in the air, she aimed a kick right for his chest.
Wufei dodged her expertly, whipping his fist around to connect with her stomach. Her eyes widened in pain and Wufei closed his own eyes, 'I am sorry...'
Hoshi took that moment of distraction to knock him onto the ground. She stood over him, a triumphant look on her face. "Now who's letting their guard down?"
Wufei swung his legs around, knocking Hoshi's feet out from under her. However, he didn't take into consideration just where she would fall. Next thing he knew, Hoshi's body fell right on top of his, their faces just inches apart.
"Baka!" Hoshi hissed, standing up immediately.
After snapping out of his confusion, Wufei too jumped up and glared, "Surrender, onna. You know that you won't win this."
Hoshi grinned, "I have no intention of surrendering, but it seems that at this time, you have no desire to surrender to me, so I'll see you later. I have to go meet your friends now. It's time for my master to get the glory that he deserves." Without another word, she took off her earring and threw it to the ground, a cloud of smoke rising around her, giving her just enough time to escape.
Wufei stood there, dumbfounded. "Why did I let her go?!?! Kuso!!"
~*~*~*~*~
Hiiro pulled the car up in front of the capitol building, allowing Sally to step out. Her eyes locked with a familiar man and she approached him, unconsciously reaching her hand to her side, confirming that her gun was, indeed still there.
"Good afternoon, Miss Po." the man said, a faint smirk could be detected on his lips. "I hope that you have some good news for me."
Sally nodded, "Hai. Hikari is in the car."
Akki smiled, "And what of Relena Peacecraft."
Sally closed her eyes, pretending to look regretful, "We let her go last night. The media doesn't know yet"
"Very well. Meet me in the courtyard with Hikari."
Sally nodded and walked back to the car, sitting inside next to Hiiro. "The courtyard." was all she said. Hiiro nodded, and drove around to the back of the building. When they arrived, they saw that it was empty. No one there but Akki.
"Are you ready?" Sally asked Tensei as she looked back to her.
Tensei just nodded.
"All right. Let's go."
The four exited the car, and Quatre grabbed Tensei by the arms. She took her cue and pretended to pull against him. "Let me go, you kusoyaro!!!" she shouted, playing her role expertly.
Hiiro took her other arm and helped Quatre drag her forward as she kicked and yelled. Sally lead them to Akki who grinned at their arrival. "Welcome, Miss Hikari. We've been waiting for you."
Tensei's eyes widened. "We?"
"Good afternoon, Hikari." Hoshi smirked as she stepped out from behind a tree, her eyes locking with Tensei's.
~*~*~*~*~
Okie... this is the part where Musha & I get on our hands & knees and BEG for reviews! I mean.. we really need them....*laughs nervously*
