Cherry Blossom: Well here we are. This thing just keeps getting weirder.
Duo: I agree. Am I even awake in this chapter?
Cherry Blossom: Um…for a while…
Trowa: Are we in it yet?
Cherry Blossom: No. But I _promise_ to include you guys in the next chapter, kay?
Wufei: Yippie. Jump for joy. Clap hands.
Matteo: Right. Let's get on with it.
Disclaimer: Don't own GW. No really, I don't. Seriously. I'm not kiddin' you. But I do own all the other characters.
Warning: This is weird. And it includes a lot of original characters. Annnd…plot furtherment! Yay! But I'm still going to need another chapter to explain everything. This won't make a whole lot of sense if you haven't read the first few parts yet. Hell, it might not even make sense if you have! O.o;;;
Ware o Mamoru – Part 3 – The Outsider
"She did WHAT?!"
Leah sighed and drummed her fingers impatiently on the tabletop. The counsel meeting had been called and all the elders were now present and staring in shock at the two guilty culprits who had somehow managed to commit the worst crime in the book. Leah had only said that there was an Outsider in Eden and already a panicked chatter had infiltrated the room, started by one person in particular. Leah found herself wishing that she had gone with the Outsider and Rhi to Nitta's infirmary instead of Teo. He was so much better at public speaking then her. But no, the people counsel her to be the one to tell them of any important problems.
'Sometimes being the leader sucks.'
All this commotion was wasting time. And if there was one thing Leah couldn't stand, it was wasting time.
"You know how much I hate to repeat myself Jakko," she said, coolly, hoping to calm the rest of the group down a bit.
The blond-haired youth bit his lip in an effort to control the outburst that was just begging to cross his lips.
"I'm sorry Leah, " he started, apologetically. "But I'm finding it hard to believe what I'm hearing. Letting in an Outsider breaks the cardinal rule of Eden."
"Believe it. The guy's getting himself checked out by Nitta at the moment. We've got to decide what to do."
Jakko glared at Gilly and Stasya and said, "I'd like to know how this happened."
Gilly looked down at his feet in shame. Stasya stared right back at Jakko, not willing to let him intimidate her.
Leah brushed some strands of long black hair out of her face and replied, "Yes. I'd like to know that as well. Why don't you tell us about it, Stas?"
Stasya felt all eyes turn to her and she gulped noisily before beginning her story.
"Well…you all know that I was sent on a mission to collect data from that new base down by Lake Chesla, right?"
Various nods around the room confirmed this fact and Stasya summoned the courage to continue.
"Rhi came along with me as a look-out and we infiltrated the base no problem."
Stasya stopped to glance at Leah for a moment and said, "You were right about the lax security, Leah. The base was practically empty."
Leah nodded and replied, "Warm nights in the fall are killer for late night guards. Especially hazy nights like this one. I knew that OZ soldiers would be no different. But, please, continue Stasya."
"The problems came when I was trying to hack into the system. They changed the codes on me. I had to try some tricky stuff to even get past the primary blocks."
"Did you succeed?" Jakko cut in, anxiously.
Stasya nodded, looking vaguely insulted at the question.
"Of course. But it took me a while and a guard managed to sneak up on us. We were about done for until the guy...the Outsider cams along. He took him out before we could even blink. He's really good."
"What was he doing there at the base?" Leah asked, curious, despite herself.
Gilly grinned and replied, "Don't worry. He's definitely not with OZ. He must have been setting explosives when we interrupted him. The whole place went ka-boom about 10 minutes after we left."
"Interrupted?"
"Gilly shot him," Stasya piped up.
"It was an accident!" Gilly protested.
Stasya roll her eyes theatrically. "A stupid accident"
Gilly glared daggers at her, which she ignored blithely.
"Let me see if I've got this straight," Jakko said, slowly, accenting each word. "You and Rhi were sent to get some information but you got careless and a guard caught you. Some guy just jumped out of nowhere and saved you but the Gilly shot him and you decided to bring him back here."
Gilly squirmed in his seat and said, "Well, when you put it that way…yes."
"How could you be so stupid?!" Jakko roared, bolting out of his chair and clenching his hand into a fist, menacingly.
"Calm down," Leah ordered, placing a restraining hand on Jakko's arm and forcing him back into his seat. "They did what they thought was right. Remember that a person that saves someone else's life is owed a life-debt. Whoever this guy is, he did save Rhi and Stasya. And he's not an enemy if he's going around blowing up OZ bases in his spare time."
"How do you know? We have no idea who this guy is. He could be Trieze Kushranada's nephew for all we know."
Leah rolled her eyes, more than a little impatient with her fellow counsel member.
"I highly doubt that this guy is Kushranada's nephew. However if it makes you feel better then I will talk with him personally and find out."
Jakko's eyes grew wide with shock. "Don't tell me you're planning on letting him live? It's too dangerous! He's seen Eden!"
Leah's black eyes flashed dangerously and she smacked her hands down on the table.
"He hasn't seen anything yet. He's unconscious, remember? Besides, I'm not into the habit of killing potential allies. He could be very useful to us."
"You're getting soft, Leah," Jakko hissed. "You're forgetting your training and becoming far too trusting. It will be your downfall."
Leah's eyes narrowed and all activity in the room seemed to stop. The silence was thick. In an instant, Leah had gotten out of her seat and was now holding the blade of a knife about two centimeters from Jakko's oversized nose. Jakko blinked. He hadn't even seen her move.
"That," Leah whispered. "Sounded like a threat, Jakko-kun. And I don't take too kindly to threats. You had better learn to watch what you say. I am still the leader of this group. If you can't handle that…" Leah moved the knife a bit closer, nearly touching the now scared shitless boy. "Then maybe you should leave. I bet there's loads of people who would love to get their hands on you."
Leah removed the knife and cast her eyes defiantly around the room. The other counsel members didn't look the least bit shocked. They all knew that Jakko had been pushing it from the start. Leah smiled in satisfaction. No one else was willing to object to her leadership. As long as Jakko kept in line there was no reason to worry.
However, it might be wise to talk to Teo-chan about Jakko's little rebellion later. We wouldn't want an uprising.One of the other counsel members cleared their throat and looked nervously at Leah's knife before saying, "I understand your reluctance to kill the Outsider. But we can't allow him to go around telling everybody about Eden."
"Who ever said that he was going to be allowed to leave?" Leah blinked innocently. Then while the rest of the counsel members were still mulling that over, she left the room and headed briskly towards the infirmary.
I want answers. And I'm going to get them.***************************************************************************************
Duo woke to an impossibly bright white light. It irritated him to no end. He squinted and tried to focus on his surroundings but all her could make out were obscure shapes and shadows. His shoulder hurt. A lot.
It's what I get for being a nice guy. I really hope I haven't been captured. I can just imagine Heero's face when he realizes that he has to come rescue me _again_.Duo's reverie was cut short as one of the shadows came nearer. He twisted his body, trying to inch away from it but something was holding him down. Someone was talking to him but he couldn't make out the words. Everything was jumbled and confused. Then a cool touch on his shoulder made him pause. His wound throbbed angrily and the touch was soothing. Duo blinked his eyes furiously, hoping to clear his clouded vision. All of a sudden, the cool hand on his shoulder got uncomfortably hot…and then unbearably hot. Duo managed to cry out as a flash of white-hot pain made spots dance behind his eyes and he fell into a deep darkness, for the second time that night.
***************************************************************************************
"Is he going to be okay, Nitta?" Rhi asked, looking nervously at the expression of pain on her would-be savior's face.
A tiny and particularly tired looking girl with soft blond curls and wide blue eyes pursed her lips in consideration and said, "I think so. Just hold him down, Teo and I'll see what I can do."
Teo nodded and increased his pressure on Duo's arms. Nitta took a deep breath and an intense look of concentration crossed her face. She reached out a hand and covered the gunshot would on the Duo's shoulder gingerly. The boy seemed to still at her touch and Nitta took the opportunity to press harder. A strange golden light seemed to emanate from her hand and the wound glowed an angry red. The boy stiffened and jerked around on the table, causing Teo to tighten his hold and Rhi to cry out in surprise. Nitta kept up a steady pressure as the glow in her hands changed in colour to a vibrant green. Nitta bit her lip and beads of sweat began to form on her forehead. She focused all her attention on the wound and slowly, the bullet was drawn out. The boy cried out as the offending piece of metal clattered on the ground and he was suddenly still.
"He's fainted," Rhi exclaimed.
"Good," said Nitta. "It will make my job a lot easier."
She flexed her fingers and the blue glow increased until the ragged edges of the wound knit back together leaving smooth pink skin. Nitta released Duo's shoulder and fell back, gasping for breath. Teo caught her and sat her down quickly.
"Rhi, bring some water!" Teo commanded.
"I'm okay," Nitta smiled. "It just takes a lot out of me. I'm going to need a nap. But he'll be okay now."
Rhi handed the girl a glass of water and watched anxiously as she sipped the contents slowly.
"You're sure he's alright?"
"Yep," Nitta replied, proudly. "I expect he'll be up in an hour. And pretty hungry too. You might want to have some food ready for 'im."
Rhi sighed in relief and looked over at the braided boy on the table.
"Thanks a bunch Ni-chan. You're the best."
The blond girl laughed and her eyes sparkled mischievously, despite their weary cast.
"But of course," she said. "And don't you forget it. Now if you don't mind terribly Teo-chan, I'd like some help getting back to my room."
Teo nodded and then lifted the small girl in his arms, carrying her easily. Nitta gasped in surprise and then smiled again.
"Don't let Leah catch you doing this Teo-chan. She might think you be cheatin' on her. And I do not want to get on Leah's bad side."
Teo rolled his eyes and replied, "If she does see us she won't say a word and you know it. Leah knows how I feel and she's not the jealous type."
"Whatever you say Teo-chan," Nitta responded, obviously not buying it.
"If you don't mind," Rhi spoke up. "I'd like to stay here a while. Just until he wakes up. I want to thank him for…you know…"
Nitta nodded her head in understanding. "Sure thing sweetie. Just make sure you call one of us when he wakes up. We don't really know what he might do."
Rhi agreed and the two left. Rhi sat down beside the unconscious pilot and sighed.
I really hope that everything will work out okay. We shouldn't have brought you here. But it's too late now for regrets. I don't know what'll happen to us but I'm going to make sure you stay alive. We're bonded now. And I've got a life-debt to pay.Rhi took the braided boy's cold hand in hers and waited patiently for him to wake up.
Duo: ::blinks:: What was that?
Matteo: What?
Duo: The whole glowy healing thingie!
Cherry Blossom: Um…I'll explain it in the next chapter, kay?
Duo: You'd better. This is weirding me out.
Matteo: Hey, just be thankful you didn't bleed to death.
Duo: Soooooo "Teo-chan", you and "Leah" got something going on? ::hentai leer::
Cherry Blossom: ::whaps Duo with pocketbook::
Duo: Itai!!
Cherry Blossom: Serves ya right, hentai.
Duo: Why me?
Matteo: Review!