To BlackyGirl- Yay! Good for me! String cheese is good for me, too…
To Lady Demoonica Darkmoon- Don't worry, Zander's all safe and stuff. I've got part of it figured out now… for some reason this thing doesn't want humans and Bishies to reproduce together, and it's killing off the results of such pairings and the females responsible. Obviously, it's male. (insert idiotic giggle here)
To Merina- Hey, now you can get the Vash you made me not include since I gave you Wuffers! Looks like all sorts of stuff is working out now!
To GimeGohan- I sent you an e-mail back when you first reviewed. Did you not get it or something? Because I kind of need the stuff I asked for in it before I can put you in the story… But anyway, thanks for reviewing! But I don't think this is anywhere near Songwind's story… I'm not that good…
Chapter 10- A Growing Family
Donn paced the narrow floor between the beds of the hotel room, restless and ill at ease. She didn't want to be inside, but she wanted to be in the mob of bodies outside even less. She felt useless here, and wanted to go back to the woods and face the evil there. It was much less dangerous than the evil to be found in humans, she knew.
Unfortunately, she had a family now, and could no longer do as she pleased. Her babies came first now, and they were too young and precious to be put in any kind of danger. So in the small hotel room she stayed, trying to ignore the growing wanderlust within her.
"Donn?" A voice from the hall asked, and someone knocked softly on the door. "Are you in there?"
"Yeah." She answered, walking over to the door and opening it. Vash stood there, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "Come on in." She said, gesturing for him to do so.
He did, rubbing his shoulder and looking around nervously.
"Is something wrong, Vash?" Donn asked, leading him over to the room's table and sitting in one of the chairs there. "You look nervous."
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something." Vash said. "I was wondering… and you seem to be the leader of the group, so I figured I should ask you…"
"Ask me what?" Donn prodded gently, picking up her mug of tea and taking a sip. It was lukewarm now, but it still tasted good.
"Well… I was kinda wondering… could one of you ladies… maybe… um…"
"Would you like one of us to catch you?" Donn guessed, raising one eyebrow over the rim of her mug. By the relieved look on Vash's face, she'd guessed right.
"Would you? I mean, not you specifically. Will you talk it over with Merina and Anya for me? I'm afraid I'm not very good with talking."
"I will, Vash." She assured him with a smile. "Why don't we go visit Nuriko and the boys across the hall?"
"Me!" Merina said, waving both arms over her head. "Me, me, me! I'll do it! I wanna!"
"Okay!" Anya exclaimed, grabbing the redhead's wrists from behind. "We get the point; you claim the rights to Vash. Now please stop acting like a five-year-old."
"But…" Merina protested so childishly that Donn couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, I get the point; I'll behave."
"You'd better." Anya said sternly, sending Donn into gales of laughter again.
"That soon, huh?" Heero asked, looking up from the farmer's breakfast he was sharing with Dilandou. "Don't you think that's rushing it a bit?"
"Not really." Daughter said confidently, biting into her own meal of plain toast. "Ish jush I wanna-"
"Don't talk with your mouth full, dear." Donn interrupted absently, alternating between brushing Nuriko's hair and gently swaying Yuugi's swing. "You'll set a bad example for the children."
Daughter obediently finished chewing and swallowed before starting again. "It's just I want to get the formalities over with up front, in case there isn't time later."
"Seems reasonable to me." Donn said, now braiding Nuriko's hair and keeping an eye on Merina, who was again feeding Andrew. "I'm fine with it if you two are."
"Well, that's a relief." Daughter said, smiling as she snatched a sausage link off the table. "And once I'm safely married, do you think we could maybe head out again? After so much wandering, it feels strange to sleep inside."
"I don't want to take two newborns out into the woods right now, though." Donn said. "And this city is surrounded by woods on all sides. I'd much rather wait until LSS-sama has done something with the killer out there."
"Speaking of whom…" Alfeegi interrupted quietly, gesturing to the dining hall entrance, where LSS-sama herself stood, apparently looking for someone.
She spotted the group and headed towards them, a cordial smile gracing her lips.
"Hello Donn." She said, slightly breathless, when she was comfortably close. "Donn's Bishies. I was hoping to catch you before you left the city."
"We're not going anywhere while you might still need us." Nuriko said calmly. "We'll be right where you can find us until that thing is taken care of or we run out of money. Hopefully the former."
"Tell me about it." LSS-sama agreed, shaking her head. "I've got a few questions for you guys, about the thing. It only comes out at night, right? And it only goes after people who aren't under cover?"
"Yup and yup." Merina said, nodding. "At least as far as Donn's told us."
LSS-sama nodded, snagging a nearby empty chair and sitting down in it. "And it doesn't attack Bishies?"
"Yes, it does." Donn disagreed. "As far as we can tell, it makes no distinction between humans and Bishies; it only seems to notice halflings and their mothers."
"So it's trying to solve the problem of half-Bishies for us?"
"That about sums it up." Nuriko nodded.
"Well… shit." LSS-sama groaned, slumping over until her forehead banged against the table. "Sometimes, I hate my job."
"Sometimes, I hate your job, too." Anya said soothingly, patting LSS-sama on the shoulder.
"LSS-sama!" An excited young man dressed entirely in khaki skidded to a halt inches from the edge of the table, flushed and slightly out of breath. "LSS-sama, we have a situation at the West gate! You'd better come!"
Without a word, LSS stood and followed him back to the door, motioning for Donn and Merina to come with her.
"How far is the West gate?" Donn asked sharply, turning to Heero.
"About a fifth of a mile," The brunette answered immediately, as the other hotel guests scrambled to their feet to see what was going on. "Go; we'll watch the kids."
"Thanks." Donn said, already running for the door. Being much smaller than those around her, she was able to worm her way through the crowd, Nuriko never more than a step or two behind her.
Chaos ruled the square directly inside the West gate; there were people everywhere, all talking at the top of their lungs, while the local police tried their best to keep a space clear in the midst of the crush. No one was quite sure what exactly all the fuss was about, nor did they care. Excitement was contagious.
In a circle roughly ten feet wide, LSS was playing field nurse to a wounded trainer, trying to stem the flow of blood between her fingers on the inside of his thigh. In the back of her mind, she wondered how the hell an ambulance was going to get through the disorganized crowd around her.
"Hey!" She called to the first idle person she saw, a girl in her late teens with short blue hair and large blue eyes, dressed in a kimono.
"H-hai?" The girl asked, hurrying over to LSS.
"Do you know anything about wounds?" LSS asked with a bit more force than she'd intended; the girl started and looked frightened for a moment, then calmed down.
"Hai, LSS-sama. I can tend him, if you wish."
"Good. Roll your sleeves up and get ready to apply pressure; I'm about to take my hands off."
The girl did as she was told, pinning back the sleeves of her kimono and even pulling a thick handkerchief from her bag. When LSS jerked her hands back, the girl darted in, ignoring the arterial spurt that caught her across the cheek as she clamped her hands down in a vise-like grip over the gash.
With a quick nod of thanks, LSS stood and ran to the nearest police officer with a megaphone. She snatched it from the poor Officer Jenny without so much as a 'please' and turned to the throng of spectators.
"All right, people!" She yelled into the megaphone, trying to reach everyone in the square without the advantage of elevation. "You need to get the hell off Alabaster Street so the ambulance can get in here! Anyone with medical training, come see me; we're probably going to need you! Everyone else, get lost! This isn't a show!"
That said, she returned the megaphone and ran back to the blue-haired Bishojo and the wounded trainer.
"How's he doing?" She asked, using the cuff of her sleeve to wipe the blood of the girl's face.
"He is not well, LSS-sama." The girl said solemnly. "He has lost enough blood already that an amputation may be necessary. I do not like to think what will happen if he does not receive professional help soon."
"I was afraid of that." LSS groaned, coving her eyes with the back of one hand.
"Excuse me," A voice to LSS's left said timidly. "You asked for those with medical training?"
"Yes; thank you!" LSS exclaimed, looking up to find not one but three boys behind her. One was shorter than the others, blonde, with large hazel eyes and a tan leather Bishbelt around his waist; a trainer. Behind him were two Bishonen, both about the same height, with black hair and a strong family resemblance. The thinner one had pale skin and yellow eyes; the other was tanned, with dark eyes and a wide smile despite the seriousness of the situation.
"Just tell us what to do, Lady." The tanned Bishie said, saluting LSS sharply. "We'll do everything we can."
"You help this young lady," LSS told him, gesturing to the girl in the kimono. "See if you can get the bleeding to stop. You two, come with me."
Trainer and Bishies nodded, obeying wordlessly. LSS took the blond trainer, who was starting to look a little green around the gills, to the least seriously wounded of the patients; a Usagi, hair down and spotted with blood. She was scraped and bruised, suffering from a concussion and threatening to slip into shock.
"Keep her awake and talking for me, okay?" LSS told the trainer. "Don't let her sleep, and don't let her fall into shock. From what we can tell, she was the target of whatever attacked them, and we need her to tell us what happened. If she asks about her baby, tell her she's all right."
The blond nodded, immediately sitting next to the Bishojo and covering her hands with his. He obviously knew what he was doing, so LSS dismissed the two.
By now, she had well over a dozen volunteers, and more than enough work for them. Hopefully, they'd be able to keep everyone who'd made it to the city alive.
"It's okay, Usagi," Adrian said for about the millionth time in the past ten minutes.
Usagi nodded uncertainly, looking at him without really seeing him. Her bright green eyes were slightly glazed, but hopefully, he'd be able to keep her from getting away from him.
"Usagi, can you tell me something?" Adrian asked, trying to sound encouraging instead of worried.
"Huh?"
"Usagi, what happened in the woods? What attacked you?"
Usagi stared at him for a while, her eyes flickering darker with… fear? Disbelief?
"It was… it was horrible." She whispered finally, her eyes looking at him instead of through him for the first time since he'd sat down next to her. "Like a shadow, only… solid. Like sunglasses. Could see through it… It had claws… sharp claws, like razors…" She paused, absently rubbing the scratches on her cheek. "Wanted Chibi. I could feel it hating her. Hated her… Why would it hate a baby? A little kid? So sweet, my Chibi… Is she okay? It didn't hurt my Chibi, did it?"
"She's fine." Adrian assured her, still massaging her left hand. "She's just fine, Usagi; someone's taking care of her for you. Did it want to hurt your Chibi?"
"Yes… oh, it wanted to hurt her baaad…" Usagi said, drawing out the last word for emphasis. "Like you wouldn't believe. Wanted to hurt me, too, but it wanted to kill Chibi. Can't figure out why… ignored everything else and went for me 'n Chibi…" She whimpered, gripping the shoulder of her dress in her free hand.
"Shhh…" Adrian soothed, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and stroking her hair. "You're safe now, Usagi. I'm here. LSS is here. It can't get to you anymore. Shhh…"
Usagi buried herself in his chest, although she wasn't shaking as much anymore. Adrian gave a purely mental sigh of relief, trying not to upset her again. Now that she was calm, the only thing he could do was keep her that way.
Over her head, Adrian watched as the ambulance finally arrived.
Usagi was numb for most of the ride to the hospital. The kind trainer she'd talked with stayed with her all the way, murmuring softly. There were other people in the ambulance, but she didn't recognize any of them. There were spatters of blood on everyone. She sat quietly, holding the trainer's hand and staring at the floor of the vehicle.
When the arrived at the hospital, Usagi managed to stumble down with a minimum of help. She was feeling much better now, and there were others who needed a lot of help.
When everyone else started going to the other people, the blond trainer stayed. That made Usagi feel better; she didn't want to be alone right now. Especially when she couldn't find Jason anywhere. She could feel him, in the back of her mind, as if he were far away; she just couldn't see him. And that troubled her.
And that's all you get. I'm really sorry about how long it's taking me to update my stories… I've got so many I'm working on… I need to slow dawn! No more new stories!