Birth of a New Demon, 10
AnimeCat: Okay…background info is needed once again…damn…thought I wouldn't need any when I got to this fic.
Review!!
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DeathsWings would have to do. Solo was counting on Zeke's inexperience as his only advantage. They met a fair distance from the colony. Looks like Harmony would have to wait. Solo turned off his Comm. Link. It would be a silent battle. He had no interest in talking with Zeke.
That's when Zeke attacked.
Solo began to pray silently as he slashed around with the scythe for a moment. The heat rod of Epyons' lashed out and ripped the scythe from his hand. Solo panicked briefly. But he remembered the buster rifle. He fired wildly, hitting Epyon and sending it reeling backwards.
Solo grinned for a moment. He wasn't doing so bad! He'd have to recover his scythe, but he was doing good at the moment. He looked at the beam gatling. Perfect! The beam shot out, but Epyon refracted it. Ack! Epyon pulled out a beam saber. Solo grimaced. He wasn't so good at the dueling thing. Apparently Zeke was. That really wasn't good.
He pulled his out and blocked Zeke. But that's all he could practically do. Dodge, block, and maybe if it was necessary, he could lunge once or twice.
And because of this, he lost.
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Harmony looked up from the computer. Someone had come in to the control room, and she couldn't see who. She'd hit the lights off, and the only light in the room came from her screen. She looked around nervously. The lights came on, and she saw Solo standing in the doorway looking half asleep and soaking wet.
"It's raining?" Was all she could manage to say. Then she stood up and walked to him. "Solo? Are you all vight?"
"Harmony…I lost…" He managed.
"Lost in vat, Solo?" She whimpered, leading him to a chair and sitting him down.
"Zeke came. You know, my cousin." He said. "We dueled outside the colony…and I lost."
"Oh, Solo," She said softly. "You're alive…zat is vat matters."
"He wouldn't have killed me anyway…at least not in this battle." He said bitterly. She took on of his hands and held it tight.
"Zey all tricked me…" Harmony said softly. "But I vould do it all again to meet you, Solo."
Solo had a sudden thought.
"Harmony," He said urgently. "Tell me everyone you worked for."
She looked up at him questioningly, but nodded.
"Zere vas Lady F, apparently zis Zeke and Luna, and zere was also zis old voman…I don't zink I vemember 'er name."
"Old woman?" Solo asked. "We haven't heard anything about her. Not from Zeke or Luna."
"It vas very secret. No one ever saw 'er. I never did…but I 'eard 'er name, but only once."
"What was it?"
"Um…" She tried to remember. "'Ilde."
For the first time, Solo puzzled over what Harmony had said.
"Ilde?" He asked oddly.
"No. 'Ilde." Harmony argued. "'Ilde Schbeiker."
This didn't ring a bell in Solo's mind at all. He shrugged. "I don't remember her either. Must be some random old lady." But he still figured he should look her up. "Can I use that computer?"
Harmony gave him a strange smile and moved over. Solo cleared whatever Harmony had been looking through, and Harmony didn't seem to care.
He typed in "Schbeiker" first. What came on the screen was not what he suspected. A computer phone book and a digital photo album. It was old. It was from his Duo and Daye's old computer files. He opened it up and went to the "S" section. After a few names, he came to "Hilde Schbeiker". Ilde Schbeiker… He thought. Impossible. It can't be the same girl. That meant she was one of grandpa or grandma's friends.
He opened the photo gallery. The titles of the pictures were listed as such: Best man and matron of honor, Hilde and Quatre! The Quat-man cries while the bride looks on horrified! The groom eats the cake and doesn't leave any for the bride! Hilde and Daye, my best friends. Quatre, the best friend a girl could have. Duo Maxwell, stealer of hearts…and apparently all the food.
"This is a photo album of my grandparents' wedding…" He said with uncertainty. "But that's impossible. If Hilde Schbeiker is the same girl…that means she was Grandpa and Grandma's best friend."
The first picture was a young Quatre Raberba Winner, and a pretty young lady in a blue dress suit, wide blue eyes and dark blue hair. The second picture, Quatre wiping his eyes while Daye looked at him as if he was insane. The third, his grandfather with a little icing on his lips and nose, looking somewhat ashamed as Quatre and Daye laughed at him. The fourth, Daye and Hilde hugging tightly outside a small courthouse. In the fifth picture, Quatre alone, smiling, but his smile was distant. In the last, his grandfather with his arms around the two girls, smiling, but in each of his hands he had a small pastry.
Solo looked to Harmony. She shrugged. "I cannot say." She said sadly. Solo turned off the computer and leaned back in his chair.
"This is just a bad day." He said bitterly, staring at the ceiling. He looked at Harmony from the corner of his eye. She was smiling lightly. For the first time, she didn't look nervous to be happy. She leaned over and kissed him. Solo nearly jumped back over in surprise. Harmony broke away, looking hurt and nervous again. "But it's getting better." Solo amended, smiling. Harmony blushed and kissed him again.
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Cedric woke up with a start in the car as the passenger door opened. He shrieked loudly, and when Sarra settled herself next to him, she looked at him strangely.
"What?" She asked.
"Nothing. You scared me." He admitted, grinning. He sat up straight and turned the car on. "How'd it go?"
She smiled slightly, very faintly. "I wish you could have been there. I was scared…all those old guys…they were so serious!"
She leaned her head on his shoulder. "But I made it. L2 is bringing Ceres back from the ruins, and I'm going to be Chief Rep. I don't think I'd been able to without Ms. Peacecraft."
"Sure you would have!" Cedric argued. "You have great leadership qualities!"
"So you say. But that's as class president, Ced. Not leader of an entire colony! Can you believe it? I never even knew about it! And very few people will. Until the war ends…I'm top secret. Then…if I can bring peace to the colonies…" She said "peace" with a voice he'd only heard Ms. Relena use. "I might be like the last leader…Heero Yuy. The real one, not Solo's grandfather."
"I know what you're talking about. God, that's amazing, Sarra." Cedric breathed.
"I want this more than anything! I'm sick of this war!" She said bitterly. She looked up to Cedric, who was a little taller than her. "And I want you to help me. Will you, Cedric?"
Cedric smiled. "You know I will."
"But you're a Gundam pilot." She frowned, looking at her knees.
"I won't be forever. Once it's all over…"
"Can't you just assassinate the chief rep?"
"If we could figure out who it was." Cedric said wistfully. Sarra clutched his arm tightly. "Sarra…?"
"If you're going to go through it…promise me. Promise me you won't die."
"I promise."
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With the final battle coming up…we're all showing how we truly feel… Kiane thought, looking through a photo album of her family. She couldn't get enough of them. I want to see Jake…
It wasn't fair! She had her family and her whole future, and he could only sit back and watch. She couldn't even imagine what he was feeling. Sitting around while his best friend became some ones daughter, sister, a whole nations' princess…and a whole colony's only hope. And he was still Jake Zachary, orphan.
She looked up, and sitting on the desk in front of her was her father's phone. She picked up the receiver. She dialed hesitantly and waited almost frozen until her uncle answered.
"Uncle Jay?" She asked.
"Kiane? What's up?" Jay said cheerily.
"Just wanted to know if I could talk to Jake." She said.
"Sure thing." He agreed. He took the receiver away from his face and hollered, "JAKE! PHONE!"
Kiane held the phone away from her ear in shock. Then suddenly she heard a softer, slightly more nervous sounding voice.
"Hello?" Jake asked inquisitively.
"Hi Jake." Kiane said sweetly. "We should talk. We haven't had a chance to lately."
"Yeah," He admitted, not changing his tone, "the last few months have been something of a blur."
"Will you come with me to earth when I take my grandmother's throne? I'd like it a lot if you did." Kiane asked in a pleading sort of voice. There was a pause at the other end. "Jake?"
"Yeah." Jake said as if he'd just woken up. "Oh yeah, um, sure…I'd love to, Kiane."
Kiane sighed. "Jake…you can call me Kian if you want. If it's easier for you. Everything has gone so fast for me that I think if you called me Kian it would help my sanity."
"Thanks." Jake said gratefully. "Anything in particular you wanted to talk about?"
"I just wanted to know you were coming with me, Jake." Kiane said fondly.
~~~~~~~
"Lady Luna Une," She said harshly. Luna felt like running away and hiding. "You are being accused of disloyalty. Lady F says she saw the Tallgeese make a beeline for L2, fight briefly with 05, and then follow it submissively into the colony. The Tallgeese didn't return to L3 for a long time."
"Yes." Luna admitted reluctantly. The woman's blue eyes narrowed.
"Traitor!" She shouted loudly. Luna winced at the harshness of the word. "What did you tell them?"
"Ma'am…I told you I was uncomfortable fighting the Gundams…you knew…"
"I know! Believe me, I know what you feel. I lived on L2 for many years, Lady Luna. I won't ask again. What did you tell them?"
"Ma'am…I cannot." Luna said coldly.
"Well…" The woman retorted icily. "Because I like you, Lady Luna, I will give you one more chance…or go down in history as a traitor."
Luna looked up hopefully. "Anything!"
The woman's eyes narrowed. She smiled.
"Assassinate Kiane Yuy."
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As I've said a million times, this all ties back to Daye's original fic. She and Hilde were very close when she and Duo were dating. Hilde was Daye's matron of honor, and likewise though it wasn't in Daye's fic. She is Aseka and Jay's godmother, Quatre is their godfather. A few years later, Hilde went back into military work and lost touch with Duo and Daye.
THIS IS NOT A HILDE BASHER!!!
Next chapter: Kiane finds how totally devoted Aseka is to her husband and children.
"I refuse to see myself without this family.."
Luna, who challenges her, charges Kiane, playing with the ZERO system outside the colony. Who will win this battle? What does the ZERO do for Kiane, who has already mastered the system?
Review!! We're nearing the end!!