I'm so, so sorry! I honestly didn't mean for it to take this long. Please forgive me. I hope you haven't forgotten me either. I've just been so caught up with school and watching Inuyasha and other anime, along with writing two new fics and finishing Best Forgotten Past. So I apologize majorly. I didn't mean to take so long.
Disclaimer: I'm listening to "Key of Twilight"! What does this have to do with a disclaimer? Honestly, I don't know. Oh well. I don't own Zoids. And I don't own the song "I could fall in love". When I heard this song, I thought that it fit perfectly with the love story between Risai and Leon. Kind of like a sweet misery^.^
************************************************************************************************
(Intro music)
Risai's eyes slowly opened. She caught a glimpse of sunlight through the window of the room. 'Sunlight?' she thought to herself. 'Is it morning already?' A soft smile was on her face as she took in the sights of the room she was in. She realized she was lying down on a bed and there were arms around her, protectively. She faced Leon, her smile fading. She remembered what happened last night. 'Leon…' She thought it over and then began to move away from him, making sure not to awaken him. 'I have to get out of here. Sorry, Leon.' She got up and left quietly, shutting the door behind her. She proceeded to run down the hall, heading back towards her own room. She had to sort out her thoughts. She eventually reached her room and she quickly went in, shutting the door behind her.
(I could lose my heart tonight
If you don't turn and walk away
'Cause the way I feel I might
Lose control and let you stay)
She leaned against it and then slid down it, so she was sitting on the floor. Her arms came up and folded around her knees. 'I can't do this,' she thought to herself as she lowered her head to rest it on her knees. 'I can't do this anymore.' An idea then came to her. 'I need to talk to Miharu.' She got up and quickly left her room. She ran down the halls until she came to her fellow commander's office room. She busted through the door, not surprised to see that Miharu was already up and sitting behind her desk. The red head looked up and smiled at her visitor.
"Good morning, Risai," she said. "What brings you here?" Risai didn't say anything. She just walked up to Miharu's desk and slammed her hands down on it. "Risai?"
"I need to tell you something Miharu, and please don't yell at me."
"Alright. What is it?
"I think…I'm…"
"Well?"
"I…love Leon." Miharu just stared at her blankly for a while until finally sighing and closing her eyes. She stood up and faced Risai.
"Risai…you know that you…"
"I know. I'm not supposed to, but I do. I can't help it. I love him."
"How do you know, I mean, you love Taban too. Maybe you love him like that."
"I would never kiss Taban," Risai said, half mumbling it.
"You kissed Leon?!"
"No!" Miharu sighed in relief. "He kissed me…but I sort of helped." Miharu stared strait at her, a look of shock on her face.
"Risai, you know the rules."
"You said you wouldn't get mad."
"I'm not mad, just frustrated." Miharu breathed in deep to calm herself. "Look Risai," she started, much more calmly than before. "You can't keep this up. You know that the rules state that you can't be with him."
"I know, but I can't help it. I'm sorry."
"Risai, you know that you…you have to…"
"I know what I have to do, but it's not what I want to do," stated Risai, putting emphasis on the words "have" and "want".
"You can't be selfish. If this continues, you'll only end up hurting him more than you're about to. It can never work out, you know that."
"Yes, but…"
"Risai."
"I know, but it won't be easy. I don't want to hurt him."
"I know, but this is how it has to be. We live in a different world than they do. It can never work."
('Cause I could take you in my arms
And never let you go)
Risai just nodded solemnly and began to head towards the door. She opened it and then slowly closed it behind her. Miharu sighed to herself and then sat back down. "I wish you were here, Taban. You would know what to say, you always do." She paused and looked around her room. There were pictures everywhere. "Poor Risai. I wish this didn't have to happen, but we're agents. We decided our own fates, and now we have to deal with the sacrifices we made. After about 200 years of living, we're all finally falling apart. I'm just too tired of all of this. When will it end?" She got no response from the empty room. She just closed her eyes and leaned back against her chair. After opening them, she looked out the window that was behind her. It was bright outside, but it was also raining. A small smile crossed her face. 'I love days like this. They always remind me of us… sweet misery.' The sun and the water began to paint a beautiful rainbow in the sky. Miharu sighed inwardly. 'Taban…I hope you're all right. What are you doing right now?'
******
(I could fall in love…with you
I could fall in love…with you)
Taban sat alone in his cell, thinking. He was sitting up, despite the pain in his chest. He watched as the rain came down on a sunny day. It was beautiful, yet so very sad at the same time. Like smiling while you cry. He fell back against the wall and closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the rainfall. His serenity was soon destroyed as a very ticked off Rose entered the hallway. She stomped down the halls and stopped at his cell. Taban just kept his eyes closed and smirked.
"What's wrong, Rose?" he asked; a cocky tone accompanied his voice. Rose just growled lowly, her eyes glaring.
"This is all your fault!" she screamed at him. "I can't even get into Risai's mind anymore. You did something!"
"Come now, Rose. You know that I don't have that kind of power."
"Shut up! I'm sick of you!"
"Are you going to try and kill me again?"
"Third time's the charm, right?"
"Whatever. I know you won't. It's kind of sad though. You only took one hostage, and I'm more of a nuisance than an asset, right?" Rose didn't respond; she just glared at him. Taban finally opened his eyes and looked over to Rose. His smirk only widened at seeing her seething expression.
"That's it," said Rose. She reached to her side and removed her pistol, pointing it between the bars at Taban. "I'm sick of you." And with that, she pulled the trigger. The gun fired and Taban closed his eyes. However, he didn't feel anything. He opened his eyes and glanced just to his left. There, in the wall and smoking, was the bullet. It was only a few centimeters from his head.
"That was a warning," said Rose. "And this…" She fired the gun again, but aimed it lower. Taban cried out as the bullet pierced his leg. He quickly covered the hole with his hands. "…this was for pissing me off." She then put her gun back and walked away, leaving Taban with his wounds. He had his eyes closed, trying to ignore the pain. 'I didn't think she'd actually shoot me.' He soon opened his eyes, still wincing from the pain. He then looked to the bullet in the wall. He took it out and examined it. Afterwards, he gave out a relieved sigh. "Good thing these are disintegrating bullets, otherwise I'd be in trouble." He turned his attention back to the sky. 'I hope I can get out of here…alive, that is.' The sky was displaying a beautiful rainbow now, and Taban couldn't help but stare at it. 'Sweet misery…just like our lives. Miharu…stay safe. I promise I'll see you again. I'll stay alive, if only for you.'
******
(I could only wonder how
Touching you would make me feel
But if I take that chance right now
Tomorrow will you want me still)
It was mid day now and still raining. The sun, however, still shone bright in the sky, piercing the rain clouds and painting the sky. Everyone was up by now and relaxing. No one had seen Risai, since she was spending the day in her room. If she didn't see Leon, she wouldn't have to hurt him. This was all she could do, but she knew she couldn't hide forever.
Leon, on the other hand, was very happy. More so than usual, that is. He wore a smile on his face and everyone seemed to notice his suddenly overwhelming cheerfulness. Unfortunately, no one knew what he was happy about and none of them felt like asking him. They all just watched him as he went about the day. Miharu remained quiet. She knew and didn't want to mention anything. She knew what would happen to both Leon and Risai, and she was afraid of the thought. This was a pain that no one was able to deal with easily.
Leon began to head down the hallway, trying to find Risai. There was something he wanted to tell her. Meanwhile, Risai was still in her room, but she decided to just do this. It had to happen sooner or later, and the sooner it happened, the less it would hurt. Or, at least, she hoped that's how it would work. She got up from her bed and walked to her door. After opening it and walking out, she proceeded to search for Leon. Her head was hung low as she thought about what she had to do. 'It's for the best,' she kept telling herself, but the other half of her mind disagreed.
(So I should keep this to myself
And never let you know)
Suddenly, she found him. He had just turned the corner. Risai kept her head low and winced when she saw Leon's smile. She really didn't want to do this.
"Risai," he called out to her. She loved how he called out her name. "I've been looking for you. There's something I want to tell you."
"Yeah…same here," she said quietly. They were now standing only about a foot apart. Risai still had her head hung low so that Leon couldn't see her eyes.
"Well then, you go first." Risai took in a deep breath. She didn't want to say this and didn't want to do this, but she had no choice.
"Leon…I…I hate you," she said slightly low, but loud enough for him to hear. He just stared at her, shocked.
"What?" he asked, unbelievingly.
"You heard me. I hate you, Leon."
"But, I don't think…"
"Don't you get it? I can't love you Leon; I don't want to." That was a lie. She would have given anything to be with him, but she just couldn't. 'This is for the best.'
"Risai…"
"I hate you! Can't you see that? I can't be with you, ever! So just leave me alone!"
"Come on Risai, you don't think…"
(I could fall in love…with you
I could fall in love…with you)
Leon was cut off as a hand connected with the side of his face. Leon was wide eyed. He reached up and touched his cheek, right where he'd been hit. He then turned to look at Risai, who was standing in the same pose she was in after she had slapped him. Her head was down and he wasn't able to see her face.
"Leon, I hate you. And that's all there is to it." She quickly whirled around and ran off, heading back for her room, leaving a dumbfounded Leon. Risai had tears flowing down her cheeks and she wasn't about to let anyone, especially Leon, see them. She kept running and ran right to her room. She burst through the door and ran over to her bed, collapsing on it instantly. She just lied there and cried. 'It's for the best.' She just had to keep telling herself that and it would all go away, right? 'This is for the best.'
******
(And I know it's not right
And I guess I should try
To do what I should do
But I could fall in love with you
I could fall in love…with you)
The day seemed to pass by slowly. Risai was staying in her room and Leon was staying mostly in his. He would walk around a little, but something was different. He seemed hurt, or maybe angry. It was hard to tell. Nobody bothered asking about it, though. Leena had questioned him, but hadn't gotten any response from him.
"Bit, something's wrong with Leon," said Leena.
"Yeah, I know. He was fine this morning, but now he seems depressed."
"I wonder what could have happened." Miharu stood by, just listening. She knew. She didn't plan on telling them, but she knew. 'I guess this day is exactly the same in everyway…nothing but painful happiness. I wish I could do something for them, but I can't.'
"I'm sure Leon will be fine," encouraged Bit. He placed his arm around Leena's shoulders in a comforting way.
"Yeah…I sure hope so." Both of them walked off, leaving Miharu leaning against the wall. She eventually pushed off and began to head back to her office. Suddenly, a soldier turned the corner, nearly running into her. He backed up and saluted.
"Sorry, commander," he said.
"It's fine."
"I'm here to tell you that General Charles Jordan would like to talk to you."
"General Jordan?"
"Yes. Please report to his office, ASAP. That's all."
"Alright. Tell him I'll be right there." The soldier nodded and then left, returning to the General's office. 'I wonder what Charles wants with me? It's been a while since I've seen him. I hope everything's alright back at headquarters.' Miharu shrugged it off and began to head towards the General's office.
******
(-Spanish solo-)
Risai was still lying on her bed, not wanting to get up. She felt horrible, but she had, at least, stopped crying. She was deep in thought about what was going on. She hadn't looked at Leon once when she was talking to him, because if she had, she wouldn't have been able to go through with it. She then heard footsteps coming down the hallway. She sat up on her bed and then got off of it, making her way towards the door. She looked out through the crack and watched as Leon walked by, heading down the hall. Risai sighed from depression. 'Leon. I'm so sorry. I don't want you to be mad at me. I still want to be around you.' After much thinking, it didn't take her long to decide what she should do. 'He at least deserves an explanation.' She opened the door and ran down the hall to catch up with him. Eventually, she found him, still walking.
(So I should keep this to myself
And never let you know)
"Leon," she called after him, stopping after she turned the corner. He paused, but then kept walking. "Please, wait." He still wouldn't stop. "Leon, don't go. You promised me, remember?" He stopped walking, but refused to turn around and face her. "You promised that you would always be you. And the Leon I know wouldn't walk away when someone was trying to talk to him." Her voice must have seemed desperate, because he slowly turned around to face her. The look in his eyes pained her more than anything.
"Leon, I'm…I'm sorry I hit you," she said.
"Is that all you wanted to say?" He had a sharp tone to his voice, which made her wince. 'Okay, I deserve that, but…' She didn't finish her thought before Leon spoke again. "If it is, I'll be leaving." He was about to turn away, but Risai didn't want him to leave.
"Leon, please. Don't walk away from me." Tears were beginning to build up in her eyes. Leon was still looking at her. Risai slowly approached him, her head down. She didn't want him to see that she was crying. She stopped when she was only about a foot away from him.
(I could fall in love…with you
I could fall in love…with you)
"Leon…" She walked the last foot and pressed herself against him, burying her face in his shirt. "I'm sorry." She began to cry into him, but he just stood there. She wasn't expecting anything from him, but at least he wasn't leaving. And so, she kept talking.
"I never wanted to hurt you. Please believe me. You need to understand that I can't love you. I owe every fiber of my being to the ZBC. I'm not allowed to be with anyone…who isn't like me. I'm sorry, Leon. Believe me when I say that I'd give anything to be with you, but I can't. I never wanted to hurt you. I'm an agent, Leon. I can't die. I'll live until someone kills me, which may be a few days from now, or a couple hundred years from now. I don't know and neither does anyone else. I'll always be like this and I have to work for the ZBC. I owe them everything. I'm so sorry. Because of my selfishness, I hurt you." She buried her face even further into him. "And even though I can't be with you, I still want to be near you. But I guess it doesn't matter. You must hate me." Suddenly, Risai felt a pair of strong arms embrace her. She was pulled into a tight and loving hug by Leon.
(I could fall in love….
I could fall in love….with you
I could fall…fall in love…with you)
"I could never hate you," he said as he held onto her.
"I'm sorry, but I can't…"
"Don't worry, I understand." 'But that doesn't mean I'll stop loving you,' he thought to himself.
"Thank you." They broke their embrace and began to head down the hallway, side by side.
"Hey!" shouted Miharu from behind them. They both turned around and watched as she ran up to them. She was breathing hard. "Come on, let's go."
"Go where?" asked Risai.
"To the General's office."
"What for?"
"We have a plan. We're going to get Taban back."
************************************************************************************************
Wow. What a long chapter. But I guess it was good since I haven't written in, like, forever. I'm really sorry about that. I hope you liked this chapter. It took me a long time to write this, but then again, I was kinda messing around all day by watching TV, music videos, and reading fanfiction…including mine. *sweatdrops* Yeah, I'm sad. I already know that.
Well, sorry for the long wait. Actually, this fic won't be much longer. Maybe 5 or 6 more chapters.
And for Inuyasha fans, please check out my Inuyasha fic.
Anyway, that's all.
Audi^.^