Author's Notes
Hello, again! It's been a long time! I hope you're ready to dive in, because this moves pretty quickly! :)
Summary of the plot so far for those who need a refresher (if you don't, go on and skip ahead):
The Dark Axis attacked a residential area of Neotopia, likely to prepare for a large-scale invasion, and during the fight, Zero came across Aleda, a Gundamess who also seemed to be from Lacroa. She had been found in Neotopia as a little baby Gundam by her adoptive human family when her adoptive father was investigating a dimensional portal. Aleda had since left home to try to find where she really came from. At Zero's behest, the SDG took her in, and Zero began to teach Aleda about Lacroa and magic, growing infatuated with her as time went on. After Fenn was lost in the Magic Square of Darkness, Aleda consoled Zero, bringing them both emotionally closer. It was eventually discovered that Aleda was not the only Lacroan to arrive in Neotopia from that portal: Titan, a Knight Gundam twelve years her senior, had carried her through and then kept watch over her for the last fifteen years. He, Aleda, and several other Lacroan Gundams had been abducted by the Dark Axis for experiments. The captives had revolted, but only Titan and Aleda, the two children, had escaped alive. Chief Haro and Kao Lyn had discovered the two Lacroan Gundams five years after their arrival, studied them, and copied their designs in order to create the mobile citizens of Neotopia, including the Gundams. Titan, haunted by the memory of those who died for him and Aleda, and angered by what he perceived as extortion and abandonment by the SDG, was determined to protect Aleda, even if it meant forcibly removing her from the SDG. However, after some sensible explanations and Aleda's decision to stay with her new friends, Titan relented and planned to become part of the SDG to keep an eye on his charge. A sighting of his old master, though, took him away before he could officially join the force. The SDG lost contact with Titan and sent Zero to find him. While Zero was away, Aleda tried a forbidden spell with Captain and Shute that unintentionally swapped their consciousnesses. Zero returned with nothing but signs that Titan had been captured. Aleda, guilty over her mistake with Captain and Shute, begged Zero to allow her to participate in the reversal spell, but Zero, anxious over her increased involvement in the war against the Dark Axis and fearing the loss of yet another loved one, angrily refused. Aleda, feeling hurt, ran away. Bakunetsumaru, exasperated by the situation, pursued Aleda with Captain (still in Shute's body). The Dark Axis chose that time to stage an attack using Titan as bait. Baku left Captain with Aleda, and he, Zero, and Guneagle went to rescue Titan. They fell in a Dark Axis trap, and Aleda, Gunbike, and Grypapa had to go rescue them. Grappler Gouf kidnapped Captain in order to draw out the last Gundam. Shute (in Captain's body) fought Grappler Gouf, and he and Captain activated the Soul Drive during the battle, which caused them to switch back to their normal bodies. Everyone, including Titan, returned alive to the SDG, and the Dark Axis was again defeated. Aleda and Zero reconciled.
What new developments await? Will Zero get the guts to confess his feelings to Aleda? What is Tallgeese up to? Read on!
Thank you Titanic X for beta-reading this chapter. :)
Disclaimer
SD Gundam Force is a product of Bandai and Sunrise. My OCs in this chapter are Aleda, Titan, and Margaret.
Chapter 21: Shot Through the Heart
Baku yanked a thorn out of his audio receptor. "You're evil," he complained to the Knight Gundam sitting beside him on the lawn of White Base's indoor biome. "You're up for the first time in three days, and this is what you do?"
"You asked for it. Your juvenile behavior required swift and sharp punishment," Zero huffed, lifting his chin snobbishly.
"Stop trying to make it sound like I was the one who did everything! You two were flirting right in front of everyone!"
"We were not flirting!"
"Oh, yeah? Then what were those googly eyes you were making at each other?"
"You are insufferable, Bakunetsumaru!"
"And you're a sap!"
"Well, I have successfully disciplined you for your insolence," Zero snubbed, turning his head to face the sunset glowing through the huge window dome ahead.
"In your dreams, Zero!" Baku retorted. "You've won nothing, yet! I'm not gonna give up until you admit your feelings to her!"
The knight's prideful facade began to deflate into somberness. "Why must you continually pester me with this?"
"It's important! You know you have to."
Zero rubbed a rose petal between his metal fingers. "The right time is for me to decide."
"She's been waiting a long time, already."
Zero sighed.
"It would make her happy~" Baku nudged him with his elbow, though gently to avoid jabbing him with his ridged arm guard.
"But, I could bring pain to her..." Zero pinched the soft petal. "Even..."
"Zero."
The Winged Knight looked into Baku's suddenly stern brown eyes.
"Aleda chose to get involved. She's already made her decision," Baku said. "Now, what's yours?"
...
"Deathscythe. As nebulous as ever." Tallgeese's Griffon wings folded as he, Mercurius, and Vayeate landed on the upper landing of the castle, where a staticky shape had emerged from amongst stone knights to meet them.
"Lord Tallgeese, I am glad to see you alive and well," Deathscythe returned.
A bright flash, and Tallgeese's wings had become a separate, golden beast with an eagle's beak and a lion's claws. Tallgeese held his shield in the air, and the Spirit Griffon, though screeching in discontent, dove down and fused with it, leaving its gold face as a crest on its round surface. "I never knew you cared, Deathscythe," Tallgeese said. "I never saw a single search party while I was missing for weeks."
"Lord Tallgeese, your form when merged with the Griffon gives a very distinct magical aura, which I have long sensed. I was relieved to know that you were alive, and I told my Pawn Leo sentries across Lacroa to watch for your return. Perhaps they were destroyed by the marauders we've been struggling against," Deathscythe calculatedly hummed. "As for myself, your Dark Axis partners requested my assistance while you were... unavailable."
Tallgeese, his purple cape rippling in the air, stalked towards the awning with Mercurius and Vayeate closely tailing him. "Hmph. What assistance did they have need of when they should have been looking for me?"
"They needed to cast an illusion in order to trap another Knight Gundam that escaped to Neotopia," Deathscythe explained as his silent form floated after the entourage. "We captured him successfully, and Commander Sazabi tried to use him as a hostage for the remaining Gundam Force in Neotopia. But, his underlings bungled it... again."
Tallgeese broke his stride to roar with laughter. His guffaws echoed down the covered walkway, branching into the open arches leading indoors. "They'll never learn, will they? I cannot believe that they have lost so often to a handful of Gundams after we so handily overtook an entire nation of them!" Turning to look at Deathscythe, he asked, with red eyes gleaming in amusement, "What foiled them, this time?"
"They successfully trapped three Gundams, including the Winged Knight, below-ground," Deathscythe reported, "but their allies extracted them and recovered the hostage."
"A complete failure, then?"
"They came close, sire. Zero the Winged Knight and Bakunetsumaru the Blazing Samurai, as well as another Gundam from Neotopia, were heavily damaged."
"Oh?"
Deathscythe's beady white eyes narrowed. "You will be pleased to hear that they cannot yet have fully recovered."
"Hmm..." Tallgeese stroked his chin as he hummed. "I could use that to my advantage. I just got back, but I think another visit to Neotopia is in order." He grinned. "Besides, there is another Knight Gundam that I let slip. I can't leave so many loose ends from my conquest, now can I?"
"Certainly not, my lord."
...
"Your left side is open."
"Ack!" Aleda gasped as she felt a slight prick in her side, although more out of surprise than pain, since the blades were dulled with a magic spell.
"Come, Aleda, hit me! Are you afraid?"
"I'm trying…!"
The training room was filled with the clang of swords on swords and swords grating on shields. Aleda thrust, and Zero deftly stopped the tip with the flat of his blade. When Aleda pulled back, Zero swung, and Aleda ducked and thrust again towards his feet, but her rapier passed under his rising heels. "Yes, now you're serious!" the knight laughed.
"That's cheap," Aleda complained, looking up at the floating knight.
"I don't think so," Zero said, grinning mischievously. "You have the same advantage. But, if you insist…" He gracefully landed.
Aleda rushed at him. Clang! Her rapier smacked into his shield. She immediately leapt right to avoid anticipated backlash. Sure enough, a solid thunk sounded from the spot she had been a split-second before. But then, Zero's shield was, ironically enough, shielding most of Aleda from the knight's view, which left him unprepared for her lunge. Zero rapidly twisted to meet the attack.
Somehow, Zero's sudden movement tripped Aleda, and she crashed into him. The world tumbled around the two Gundams. Zero regained his senses to find a slim form on top of him and Aleda's V-fin in his face. Aleda groaned and pushed herself up slightly before reactivating her optical sensors to see her face inches from Zero's. She sputtered, "Ah! S-Sorry!"
"M-milady, I'm sorry!" Zero echoed.
But though their faces flushed, neither moved for a moment, and then they somehow started drawing closer. Zero's grip on his sword and shield grew lax, and Aleda's rapier dropped to the floor. The Knight Gundam's hand reached behind the Lady Gundamess's helmet. Their mouthplates were centimeters from touching...
And the doors slid open. Guneagle took a few steps in before stopping dead. "Woah!"
Their faces jerked apart.
"Am I…uh… interrupting something…?"
"N-no! It was…nothing! An accident!" Zero protested. Aleda couldn't find her voice, and the red on her face deepened as she pulled herself off Zero.
"Uh…sure…" Guneagle said, glancing sideways.
"We were sparring, and we tripped!" Zero defended as he gathered his feet. Aleda huddled silently on the floor, eyescreens down and helm red. "You came in at the wrong moment!" The knight continued.
"I can see that," Guneagle said smugly, his voice giving the hint of a smirk that his face couldn't express.
Zero shook his head and stood, sheathing his sword and attaching his shield to his arm. Then, he offered a hand to the Gundamess frozen on the floor. "Milady," he said softly. Aleda picked up her rapier and accepted his hand. Zero gently pulled her to her feet, as Guneagle considerately backed out of the room.
"Thank you," Aleda finally said to the floor once she was standing. She had wanted, so badly, for him to...
"I deeply apologize for the mishap, milady," Zero said, seeing her embarrassment. "The fault is mine. I tripped you." The Gundamess still did not look up at him or reply. Zero sighed. "I think lessons are over for now. You seem tired." His shield, and the sword with it, vanished.
Aleda's rapier disappeared, as well. "I'm sorry!" she said, still red.
"It is nothing, milady. You have worked hard, and I see it in your growing skill."
"Th-thank you," Aleda said, forcing a smile. "We'll see each other later at Shute's house, right?"
"Actually, later... I wondered if I could speak to you privately?" Zero said.
Aleda blinked at him curiously.
"I have... something important to discuss with you." The Knight Gundam began to squirm. "So, perhaps, when everyone else leaves for Shute's home..."
Her eyebrows furrowed. "Is it something bad?"
Zero shook his head. "No, not at all! It's a very good thing—at least," he said, momentarily dodging her glance as a blush highlighted his handsome face, "I hope it is good—but there is nothing the matter. It is simply very important." He peered at her again. "Does this idea please you?"
Aleda slowly nodded.
"Then as the others leave, shall we meet at the launch deck?"
"S-sure…"
Zero lit with delight, and, to Aleda's astonishment, the knight took her hand, raised it to his lips, and kissed it tenderly. "Then, I shall see you soon, Lady Aleda," Zero said with a smile that melted her motherboard, before gently tugging her hand. "Come, let us go so that Guneagle may train."
Aleda warmed from that hand all the way up to her face and down to the gold-edged tips of her feet. Speech eluded her as Zero escorted her to the door.
Zero let go of her hand at the doorway and gestured. "You first, milady."
"Th-thank you!" The Gundamess quickly darted out and around the bend without another motion of farewell.
"I quite startled her, didn't I?" Her departure left Zero a moment to ponder the lovely lady, her adorable flustered face, and the important discussion ahead. He took a deep breath. It is now or never. Floating out the door, he called, "The room is free, now, Guneagle."
"Thanks! And good luck!" Guneagle jabbed him a thumbs-up.
Zero sighed. News travels too soon, here.
...
"Hey, Shute." Margaret bounced a bit on her heels as she bounded up to Shute by the monkey bars.
The boy stopped in mid-lunge for the first bar. "Woah!" He teetered on the edge of the platform for a moment before catching himself. "Uh, hey, Margaret..." he greeted her, scratching the back of his neck.
Margaret locked her fingers together and bit the corner of her lip. "I drew a picture of your friend, and I thought you'd like to see it."
"Oh, really?" Shute beamed. "Sure, I'd love to see it!" He hopped down from the gym set and followed her to the bench where her sketchbook lay unopened.
Margaret unfolded her sketchbook as they sat and flipped through the pages. "Here it is!" She stopped at a picture of a blocky robot with a golden V-shaped crest and a long rifle facing off against a blue spiky shape bearing a yellow block on his back. A huge Ferris wheel rose below the pair of fighting 'bots.
Shute beamed. "Ah, cool! This is better than my drawings!"
"You draw, now?"
Shute nodded. "I like drawing designs for new inventions."
"Oh. Like your friend?"
"Uh...?" Shute's eyes rolled to the sky as he tried to mentally untangle what miscommunication he had stumbled into.
The girl pushed back an escaped strand of hair. "Shute?"
"Y-Yeah?"
"Did you get the brain surgery?"
"What?"
"You said you were going to have brain surgery, and you might act different. And, you've been acting a little... different." Margaret shrugged. "So, I was just wondering if it happened, already."
Shute's face fell. "Uh... yeah." He scratched his head. "It did. I don't remember things very well. I'm sorry."
Margaret's dirty-blond ponytail wiggled as she shook her head. "No, it's fine. I'm happy as long as we're still friends. Though...will I get to see Captain, again?"
"Uhm..."
"They said I was an extra for the movie. But, they can hire me again, right?"
"Uh..." Shute locked onto a cloud, again. "I, uh, I don't know... It's not up to me, you know?"
Margaret sighed. "Yeah, I guess they want all that stuff kept secret, don't they?" she said, nodding to the illustrated Ferris wheel fight.
"Yeah, sorry."
"No, it's fine." She smiled. "Someday, when they release the movie, he won't have to be a secret, anymore, right? I'll wait until then for my autograph."
Shute smiled. "I know he'll be happy to see you."
...
"Hey, Zero! You coming?" Baku waved his friend over as Captain stepped ahead on the Gunperry. The three Gundams were at the finger-shaped launch deck to prepare to depart to Shute's house as usual—or, at least, most of them were.
Zero shook his head. "No, my friend. I have other plans, today."
"Ah, ha~" Baku sang slyly as he strolled to Zero. "Aleda said she wasn't going, either." He narrowed his eyes. "Are you up to something...?"
The Winged Knight's gaze migrated to the side of the base's hull. "I... er, have important things to discuss with her." He coughed.
"Alone?"
"Yes, privately. *cough*"
Baku beamed. "So, you listened to my advice?"
Zero raised his chin. "I wouldn't go quite that far, but your words did have a slight effect."
"Congratulations, you sap!" Baku clapped him on the back, earning a brief "Oof!" "Go get her!" Then, he bounded away, calling, "If you don't have a girlfriend when I see you next, you'll be in trouble!"
Zero sighed. Everyone here is nosy, too.
...
Everyone else is already leaving! Aleda thought frantically as she charged through the halls. She dodged people with "Pardon me"s and squeezed through slow automatic sliding doors until she reached the open air on the launch deck. She breathed a sigh of relief. Zero's still here. The Knight Gundam was hovering a few feet away, gazing at her, as he had been since the second her flight boosters blipped into the scene.
"I-I'm sorry I took so long!" Aleda apologized, bowing her head in shame.
"You worry over nothing, milady," Zero said as he approached her. "I was not waiting long."
Aleda squirmed under his intent gaze. "Is there... something on me?" And I polished and buffed for an hour!
Zero, turning rosy red, shook his head. "N-No! You're spotless, milady!" he stammered. And, truly, he did think he could even see his face reflecting off her armor's shiny surface. After taking a moment to quell his butterflies, he took her hand, saying gently, "You're very lovely, by the way. Shall we depart?"
"Uh-uhm, yes. Th-thank you," Aleda stammered, blushing.
The two Lacroans lifted off with Zero leading the way. He gently tugged on Aleda's hand, guiding the Gundamess southward, close to the treetops. "Where are we going?" Aleda asked.
"Patience, milady. It's a surprise."
Aleda smiled. "Okay."
The city of Neotopia gradually gave way to a wide forest. "Hm…" Zero hummed, visually skimming the trees. "Which way…? Ah." Aleda watched his face for any clue as they descended into a small clearing. Once they touched down on the soft grass, Zero released her, and her glance shifted to the woods surrounding her. Flowers sprang up all over the little clearing. Beyond, in the trees, the flowers were sparser, but shafts of sunlight poking through the tree line here and there revealed healthy woods and scampering chipmunks.
"Are we there?" Aleda asked.
"Close." Zero grasped her hand, again. "Come, milady."
She allowed his gentle pull to draw her through the trees. On their hover magic, they dipped into a valley and turned around a thicket. Soon, the turf sloped upwards. Still, Zero guided them along. "Where are we going, Zero?"
The trees dispersed, revealing a grassy cliff edge. Beyond stretched a wide expanse of green fields pockmarked by forests, and still past that, a familiar cityscape that glittered in the afternoon sun. A tree of steel grew from its center, the towers branching over the city. "Here we are, milady," Zero said, at last letting go.
Aleda floated to the edge of the precipice. "That's Neotopia," she breathed. "We did turn around."
"I didn't want you to catch wind of my surprise from above," Zero said, growing a smirk. "I found this spot long ago during my lonely wanderings. It was one of my favorites. I thought you might also like it, milady."
"I do like it!" Aleda gasped. "But... what did you want to talk to me about?"
The Knight Gundam scratched the corner of his visor. "Well, you see... it is related to this, because..." He coughed. "*Ahem* I..." But, his intake valve caught, and the wind wheezed right out of him. "S-Sorry, milady, I *cough* must still be recovering... Uhm..." Desperate for a handhold, he tried to mask his nervousness with his familiar, charming disguise. "Milady?" he said, facing her. "This beautiful spot reminds me of your eyes, b-because they are green, and..." His gaze slid away again. "...and the fields are green—except for the city, which is less green—but... Agh!" He wheeled, his mortification and infatuation breaking free to flood his face with red. "Why can't I say it?!"
Aleda bashfully shifted her feet, though she still watched the knight expectantly. Patiently. Breathlessly.
No, I cannot retreat, now! Zero insisted to himself. His chest burned, and his GunSoul shone bright. Urged by the furnace inside, Zero turned and stepped to his lady, staring straight into her wide emerald eyes. "Aleda." He took her small hand. "For so long..." he began as a blush bloomed on her face and her green GunSoul gem began to glow, "for so long, I have—"
A golden feather whizzed through the air and landed in the ground beside them. The two Lacroans jumped.
"Speak up, Winged Knight! I want to hear, too!" Tallgeese floated over the precipice, wheezing in laughter, while on either side Mercurius and Vayeate waited, armed with their respective magical weapons, a floating arc of electrical generators and a staff. "Tallgeese! How did you get here?!" Zero demanded. Inwardly he cursed himself for allowing the trio's powerful magic auras to slip past his radar. I must have been so anxious and distracted with Aleda—Oh, Mana, how could I make such a mistake?!
Tallgeese's laughter settled into a grin. "Why, my Dark Axis allies gave me a hand, of course!" he said. "And, what have we, here?" Aleda shuddered as his eyescreens somehow moved to survey her in spite of the lack of visible mock-irises or pupils. "Up to your usual flirtatious escapades, Knight of Lacroa?"
Zero stepped around Aleda to shield her from sight. "You are not welcome to this peaceful land! Leave Neotopia, at once!"
Mercurius shrugged. "But, we just got here!"
"I am not leaving so soon," Tallgeese said, raising his hand. "Oh, Mana of Darkness..."
"Oh, Mana!" Zero cast his own magic circle. From behind, he also sensed energy leaving Aleda, as she reached for her rapier with both hands.
"Oh-ho! Fight, will she?" Tallgeese jeered.
Zero yanked his sword from its shield-scabbard and poised himself with shield forward. "You will not touch her!" he growled.
"Big words from a cornered mouse." Tallgeese brought his heavy, wide sword to bear. "Let's see you try to stop me, Gundam!"
"Zero..." Aleda murmured, her skirt armor tinking as she quivered.
"Stay close. Our allies will come, soon," Zero said without turning. His glare shifted warily between the three opponents as he stepped forward to create ample room. He was a Royal Knight, trained to defend a princess from assassination even when outnumbered. He would surely defend this one.
...
Guneagle was passively twirling the Foosball table poles when Titan entered. "Hey!"
Titan landed. "Hello...?"
"I'm Guneagle, remember? Coolest flying Gundam around here?"
"Guneagle. I believe I heard someone once call you the 'other fly-boy.'"
"Ouch, that stings, man," Guneagle complained. "Zero is definitely the 'other one.' So, what's up?"
"I am off-duty, so I'm searching for... entertainment."
"Well, you've come to the right place!" Guneagle said, gesturing grandly to the myriad of attractive entertainment sources. "You could spend hours in here! This is the place we like to hang out in. And, really, it's the only place I get to just chill with people, since I'd be pretty conspicuous down in the city."
Titan sized up the wide T.V. screen and pool table. "I've seen others use these, but I've never touched them myself," he noted. "It will be... interesting, to become accustomed to this kind of life."
"Well, hey, you're an official member of the Force, now, so you can have a go at it." Guneagle waved him towards the foosball table. "Zero adjusted pretty quick, so I think you'll have no problems!"
"He is... used to this?"
"Yeah. He spends alotta time here with Aleda or Baku."
"With Lady Aleda?"
Guneagle scratched his helmet nervously. "Uh, yeah... But, I mean, usually he and Aleda are hanging around other people, too. And, when Shute gets home from school, everyone—except me—" he added glumly "—goes to his house for team bonding time."
Titan nodded. "Like today."
"Well, not today, but most days."
The bulkier Knight Gundam narrowed his hazel eyes. "What do you mean?"
"Uh..." Guneagle snuck his gaze to the door. "I mean, they're not with Shute and the others, today."
"Meaning they are where?"
"Uh... Somewhere...?"
"Are they not on this base?"
"I saw them fly off together somewhere."
Titan eyed the flier with a hint of disturbingly sharp displeasure.
Guneagle threw up his hands in self-defense. "Don't look at me! I have no idea where they went, or why!"
Titan sighed irritably. "That knight can't help himself, can he?" He strode for the door. "I'm going to find them and have a discussion with our 'Chosen One.'"
"You sure you don't wanna play Foosball?" Guneagle offered weakly.
But, the Knight Gundam had already left.
...
"I'm gonna win~!" Baku said, waving around his sole remaining card. On Shute's porch table, the rest of the Gundam Force played a simple game of cards. Shute groaned at Baku's gloating.
"Sorry, Bakunetsumaru," Captain said, setting down his last card. "UNO!" The lounge room filled with groans from the circle of people on the floor.
Baku stared. "Huh?! When did that happen?"
"I've been waiting for a four for a whole five minutes, and I finally got a wild card," Captain explained.
"Oh, yeah…"
"It's okay, Baku," Shute said, patting him on his back armor. "Maybe you'll win next time."
"But, Captain's won every game so far," Baku whined.
All of a sudden, Captain's V-fin inverted and flashed. "Dark Axis activity has been detected."
Shute and Baku leapt up. "Where?" Baku demanded, his hands already at his hilts.
"In an unusually remote location."
"We still gotta stop them!" Shute declared. "No telling what they're up to!"
"Zero and Aleda have already begun to engage them," Captain stated.
Baku jolted. "What?!"
"There are three enemies matching the description of Tallgeese, Vayeate, and Mercurius."
"All of them?! This is bad! We have to go help them right away!"
"Let's go get 'em!" Shute pumped his fist. Captain nodded.
...
Mercurius lifted his arms, and the arc of circular generators floating at his back crackled.
"Oh, Mana!" A magic dome surrounded Zero and Aleda just as the lightning lashed, and it sparked off without harm. Zero drew his arm back and stepped, dissipating the bubble as he threw a blue flash. "Lacroan Crescent!"
The Griffon-faced shield intercepted. Bong! Tallgeese sneered. "Pathetic." He waved his sword forward. "Mercurius, Vayeate, get him!"
A crack of thunder and a gust of wind ripped at the Knight Gundam on either side. Zero's shield caught the lightning, and his magic circle blocked the gale. The streams recoiled and then struck again. Zero grunted but dug in his slender feet. His circuits buzzed, and his GunSoul burned. The attacks snapped at him like snakes, biting at his shoulder, his feet, and his head while he danced to parry with his sword and shield.
Tallgeese dove suddenly, and Zero twisted to face him, only for lightning to whip into his back. "Aahh!" He stumbled.
A blue pulse smacked Tallgeese in the face, and he tumbled back, his sword swinging wide of the Knight Gundam. Zero righted himself while Vayeate and Mercurius watched their leader anxiously. The Knight of the Tempest roared, his optical sensors locking onto the Gundamess who poised behind Zero with her rapier aligned before her body. "You'll pay for that, you rusty kettle!"
Zero slid between his lady and Tallgeese. "You'll not touch her, Tallgeese!"
"You'll both be blown away!" Mercurius cried. He and his brother flew to each other.
Zero darted to cut in, but Tallgeese's hefty sword crashed onto his shield. "Nah-ah-ah~" Tallgeese clucked. He pelted Zero with blow after blow, forcing him a step back.
Aleda, panting from fright, coiled her rapier for another Lacroan Crescent and shifted to aim past the dueling pair, but when Zero's steps retreated, his and Tallgeese's agile, zipping forms stole her clean shot. What now?! Vayeate and Mercurius's dark purple magic circles spread. With a desperate lunge, her open left hand spewed flames in a blaze that snaked to Vayeate and blasted a wind turbine. With a yelp, Vayeate dropped, clunked on the edge of the cliff, and rolled off before his free hand caught the ledge.
"Vayeate!" Mercurius shouted down in concern.
Tallgeese looked, and Zero rammed him with his shield. "Gah!" As the foe recoiled, Zero replanted himself in front of Aleda. Dings marred the Winged Knight's shield and arm guard, and he breathed heavily as his cooling system attempted to keep his overclocked circuitry operating. Vayeate crawled over the ledge and soon returned to the air, though he looked less formidable with a smoking husk over one shoulder.
"Playtime is over," Tallgeese growled. Mercurius and Vayeate slipped around to flank the Gundams. Zero jerked his view between each of them as if to ward them with his stare. Aleda, turning to watch them, placed herself back-to-back with her knight.
"Remain close to me," Zero again warned Aleda as he eyed Tallgeese and the red brother within his periphery. "These are no green warriors."
"Can't we run?" Aleda asked.
"They're too fast."
"You want to run, little lady?" Mercurius laughed. "Brother, you join with Lord Tallgeese to eliminate Zero. My shield will take this one's fire."
Zero wheeled in alarm, but Tallgeese and Vayeate charged. "En guarde, Zero!" Tallgeese crowed as he readied to strike through the young knight's shaken defense.
A blur of blue bowled into the formation, knocking Tallgeese and Vayeate aside and ramming into Mercurius's advancing shield.
"Titan!" Zero gasped.
The navy blue Knight Gundam's flight boosters whined loudly as he insistently pushed Mercurius with two of his shields. "You will answer for this later, Winged Knight!" he grunted at Zero. He shoved, and Mercurius toppled into the grass. "What were you thinking, venturing out alone?!"
The patter of a Gunperry drowned out Zero's defensive reply.
Gundam Force spotted their own circled by the Dark Axis allies. "Titan's there, too!" Shute observed from within Gunbike's seat.
"Then let's help them!" Baku drew his two katana. "Hii-ya!" He and Captain jumped, and Gunbike roared into the sky.
Tallgeese glanced up as they leapt out of the Gunperry. "So glad of you to join us, Gundam Force! I'm glad that you've all gathered here for me to destroy."
Gunbike parked near the trees with Shute, far from the cliff edge. "Do yer thing, rookies!" he called to the team. "We've gotch-yer back!"
"Aleda, listen," Zero whispered gravely, catching the attention of the Gundamess who was back-to-back with him. "I'll get Vayeate to move. When he does, go stay with Gunbike."
Aleda nodded. "I'll heal you if it turns bad."
"Thank you, milady."
Tallgeese chortled. "You only defeated us last time because you had the Feather Dragon," he stated haughtily. "Now that the Sacred Beast is gone, my Griffin will devour you."
"There are many things you have not accounted for, Tallgeese," Zero said. "You lose today!" He flung a petal-edged gust at Vayeate.
"Humph." The Knight of Storm waved his wand, and the wind reversed. But Titan sprang into the path and braced his shields against the gale while Aleda shot above to escape the battle ring.
"No, you don't!" Tallgeese climbed to catch the fleeing girl, but Zero flew between them.
"Your fight lies with me!" Zero cried, swinging his blade.
"So be it!" Tallgeese brought his sword to bear and slammed it into Zero's with a clang.
"And who faces me?" Mercurius demanded. Captain stepped forward. "Hm. I had hoped to spar with the lady, but you will do."
"Bakunetsumaru," Captain said without breaking his stare with the red Knight of Thunder. "We must disable one of the knight brothers to prevent their combined attack. Vayeate is weakened; you and Titan take him out quickly. I'll stall Mercurius."
Baku nodded. "Good luck," he said, running to catch up with the blue blurs speeding after each other in the skies.
Aleda watched the fight anxiously next to Shute and Gunbike. The hand gripping her rapier was quivering. "Aleda, careful with that. Ya've got such bad nerves I'm afraid ya'll scrape my paint by accident," Gunbike said.
"Oh. Sorry," Aleda said, steadying her hand. "So, they're from Lacroa, too?" she asked Shute.
"Yeah," the boy answered. "The red one's Mercurius, the blue one's Vayeate, and the one Zero's fighting is Tallgeese. They're the ones who trapped us in the Magic Square of Darkness."
"I remember that," Aleda said. She glanced up at the mid-air swordfight between her beloved knight and Tallgeese, and winced as Zero strained to push back the larger sword with his own. Zero finally dropped the sword lock and dodged to the side, leaving Tallgeese's sword to swing into empty air.
"Where is Fenn?!" Zero demanded of his foe, charging in again for another slash.
"How should I know?" Tallgeese said nonchalantly, though with a slight grunt as he blocked Zero's attack with his shield. "I rode its tail to Lacroa, but then it shook me off and flew away!" He swung his sword.
Zero evaded, backing away again. "Who else knows about Fenn? Have you sent your Pawns after him?"
"Of course," Tallgeese said, "but they've found nothing, yet." With a smirk, he added, "Too bad that Spirit cannot come to your aid, now. It's stuck in Lacroa, weakened by exhausting so much of its power to save you!"
"I can defeat you on my own, Tallgeese!" Zero dashed in close. The swords flashed and glinted, rapping and smacking in a sparky dance.
"It is useless, Winged Knight," Tallgeese gloated. "I have the Sacred Spirit Griffon, and the Feather Dragon is at my doorstep. I will only grow more powerful!"
"Your threats are as empty as your heart!" Zero countered.
"Deathscythe is clever and is rich in knowledge of Spirits. He'll soon find the Dragon, and in its poor state, he'll have no trouble capturing it for me."
"No!"
Tallgeese cackled and knocked Zero back. "It soon won't matter to you, Winged Knight! I'll finish you!" he cried, charging.
Zero righted himself and brought his shield between himself and the enemy's sword.
Tallgeese laughed as he pressed against the shield, "So many ripe Gundam targets! The Dark Axis General has been pressuring us for more. I'll kill you, of course, and that blasted Musha Gundam, and the one from Neotopia, but those other Lacroan Gundams I can send straight to him, and oh, you don't want to know what they do to Gundams there..."
The hand on the Vatras Sword shook. "I won't let you!"
Tallgeese peered into his eyescreens. "Are you angry because you're soft on the Gundamess? Such an unnecessary weakness."
"Says ye who cannot woo a pig!" Zero kicked Tallgeese in the side, and the larger Lacroan flinched, allowing Zero to stab him in the shoulder of his sword arm.
Tallgeese howled in pain and darted to a safe distance. Mercurius and Vayeate's heads jerked toward their lord, each earning a laser beam and a sword smack.
However, Captain's Vulcan cannon fire petered into nothing. "Out of ammo," he stated. "And I already ran out of energy in my beam rifle." He pulled out his beam saber's hilt and lighted it, sending crackling red energy flaring from the cylinder.
A flaming X swept towards Vayeate, and his remaining fan chugged to repel it. But, Vayeate's wind gave way before the Blazing Samurai's might. Vayeate dodged to the side only for Titan to body-slam him to the ground. "Get off me!" Vayeate flailed under the Knight Gundam's strong grip.
Tallgeese swerved away from Zero's relentless advances. Soon, his hand went limp from the dead wires in his shoulder and let go his sword, which vanished back into the Mana of Darkness. The Knight of the Tempest clutched his shoulder painfully, then chuckled. "That smarts, Gundam. But no more lucky hits. Sacred Griffin! Give me your power!" A woefully familiar golden Griffin emerged from Tallgeese's shield. "Come to me!" Tallgeese commanded, flying to the Griffin as the beast arced towards him.
"No, you don't!" Zero charged to reach him before the Sacred Beast.
Mercurius, standing with his shield against Captain's beam saber slashes, flared his electric generators and zapped the Neotopian to stun him, then kicked his beam saber out of his hands. The cylinder, auto-deactivating the energy blade, stuck in the dirt near Gunbike. Shute jumped up. "Captain!"
Captain tensed in preparation for a brutal attack, but Mercurius pivoted and sped for Zero. Captain tried to launch a round of his Vulcan cannons, but the empty chambers clicked uselessly.
"Zero, behind you!" Aleda cried.
The Winged Knight whipped around and slashed to send his shockwave at the Knight of Thunder. Mercurius slammed to the ground, but Zero turned to deal with Tallgeese too late; bright light engulfed Spirit and master and then dissipated, revealing the Knight of the Tempest's fearsome transformation.
Tallgeese's golden wings flared, and his eyescreen glowed. He sneered at Zero, but then his pupil-less gaze jerked to the winged Gundamess waiting across the battlefield. "Hm?"
Zero drifted deliberately in his line of sight. "What are you looking at, Tallgeese? Your fight is with me!"
Tallgeese grinned behind his faceplate. "Ooohhh, I see, now." His claw knuckles radiated to extend ethereal echoes for several feet, exposing their wicked, sharp contours. "It is not simply for love that you are so possessive of that Gundamess."
Zero blinked, then reset his wide stance behind his shield. "You shall fall this day!" he tried to threaten.
His opponent cocked his head. "Oh. You don't know, do you?"
"Know what?" Zero demanded.
Tallgeese laughed. "Of course! You cannot see it!"
"What are you talking about, Tallgeese?!"
"Spirit energy is emanating from that Gundamess." Tallgeese smirked. "What does that tell you, Winged Knight?"
Zero gaped. "I..." he glanced back a moment at his lady. Too far away to hear them, Aleda watched with her hand on her rapier and her emerald eyes, beautiful as always, watching him. "You must be mistaken. She is a normal Gundamess!"
"No, Zero, she must have a summon Spirit!" Tallgeese declared. "One that Griffon recognizes all too well."
"She never summoned a Spirit!"
Tallgeese raised a claw, curling the fingers to show each of its curved knives. "So, Winged Knight, I cannot woo a pig? I would like to test that theory. What if after I kill you I take your precious Gundamess, and her summon Spirit?"
Zero's blue eyes steeled. "You won't touch her!" he shouted. "She has nothing to do with this! Leave her out of it!" He rushed ahead.
While Baku watched with katana primed, Vayeate still struggled against Titan. "Good night, traitor." Titan yanked his shoulders to head-butt his victim.
A wand-smack knocked one shield from its precarious grip in his hand. "What?! Gah—!" Vayeate's fan blasted a cyclone straight into Titan's chest. He and Baku behind him were blown into a close cluster of tree trunks. Cracks and splintering and grinding of dirt grated. After they stilled, Titan rolled from the wreckage of half-buried tree corpses—and from the smothered Musha Gundam beneath him.
Baku, in spite of a new impression on his front, still held onto both his katana. "You're heavy," he groaned.
Titan put a hand under Baku's shoulder to haul him out. "Get up, quick!"
The joint promptly popped. A yowl followed by intense hisses alerted Aleda. "Baku!" She zipped towards the trees.
Titan goggled the damage he'd done until he spotted Vayeate standing and scrambled to conceal Baku and himself with his shields. Tallgeese's lackey flung another cyclone, which brutally assaulted their shelter.
In the midst of their swordplay, Tallgeese smacked Zero's hands sharply with his knuckles, knocking his blade and shield from their grasp. The quick motion left Zero with only enough time to turn around, unarmed and wide-eyed, and leap to the side as Tallgeese swiped with his claws. A sting grazed his right shoulder, but Tallgeese zoomed past. Zero spun around again. Where'd he go? When he saw Tallgeese's trajectory, terror pierced his GunSoul. "Aleda!" he screamed, diving to save her.
Titan, eyes widening, twisted and slipped against the cyclone.
The Gundamess glanced up at Zero's shout and saw Tallgeese coming straight for her, a giant red lance materializing in one hand.
Titan dug in his thick feet. "Run!" he shouted above the roaring winds.
Aleda broke her pause to fly faster towards him. Titan objected, "That isn't what I—!"
Tallgeese veered to compensate for her sudden acceleration. Only a few feet away, he raised his lance to spear her through. "Ha! I've got you!"
Titan launched.
With a cry, Aleda dove for the ground. A loud "woosh!" passed just overhead. She sprang to stab with her rapier, but the lance was already coming. Someone shoved her roughly aside.
A sickening sound of sliced metal shrieked through the Gundam Force's ears. Aleda pushed herself up to her knees and turned to see Zero's red-caped back. Through the bright fabric pierced a sharp red tip. Aleda croaked in disbelief. The Knight Gundam amazedly gaped down at the lance piercing the left side of his chest, and his hands still grasped the shaft where he'd tried desperately to catch it. Cruel laughs rang from the winged monster.
Aleda's knight wobbled. "Zero!"
Author's Notes
I remember that this was one of the parts of the first draft where my old friend said, "I hate you." And, of course, I just said back, "Bwahahahahaha!"
I know that Tallgeese's added involvement goes against the grain of the show. I do eventually rectify his, Mercurius, and Vayeate's status to match with season 2, but I really wanted to play around with him a little more. I considered giving at least some of Tallgeese's major roles to Deathscythe in order to let Tallgeese just stay in limbo, but there are some things that you can only do with Tallgeese (like bananas).
Some people may be wondering about Titan's status in the SDG. I intended for it to be that Titan had not yet officially joined the SDG before he left to find his master, though he planned to, soon. By the events of Chapter 20, he still was not part of the SDG. I'm sorry if that wasn't very clear in the story; I ought to add that in specifically when I next revise my chapters.
Speaking of revision, I've done a slight touch-up to some of the earlier chapters and have posted 1 to 20 to Inkitt as a volume for a fanfic contest. The contest is decided by reader votes. If you think that this fic is good, please vote for it ;) Inkitt does require you to register in order to vote for a fic, but it only takes a second. I've seen the traffic stats for this fanfic every month, so I can say that if everyone who reads this votes we can easily bump this to the top 10%. Deadline's the 29th of December, so hop to it! (Inkitt dot com)
Thank you to the people who have reviewed so far. Please, everyone, give me more reviews! Especially since the dreaded Error Type 1 has returned and has prevented me from seeing any hits since the 9th of this month.
I will try to update regularly, again, but unfortunately I can't say what that schedule will look like. It may have to be about once a month (every 4 weeks), depending on how heavy my workload gets this next year. I'm entering a full-time internship starting at the beginning of January. 40+ hours a week, I will be coaching and teaching children their academics, setting up the classroom with a mentor, and planning lessons with other teachers. It will be exciting and fun, but it will keep me very busy, so I won't have as much time to write. This fic will be slower in its updates than this last year, but don't worry! I refuse to let this fic drop!
Thanks to Titanic X for beta-reading this chapter!
See you all around!
-Penelopi