Several hours had passed since she had spoken with Opelt. By now, the sun had risen
above the trees. Lantanna slowly paced back and forth, in the hallway. What now? The
way things were going, the other gundam pilots were going to rescue their comrades. So,
what other options did they have? Opelt said Lantanna was not to kill the two gundam
pilots, and the boy that was found, more than likely a gundam pilot as well.
Gundam pilots…hah! She thought. If it weren't for her cousin, she would kill all three
of them…the braided one being first. Not because of how he had been acting, but because
of something a little more complicated, a little deeper. Something she couldn't explain.
She stopped pacing and sighed. What was she to do? A guard walked out of one of the
rooms in the hallway. "We searched him," he said.
"And?"
"We only found this." He pulled a cell phone from his pocket. Lantanna took the
phone from the guard, and hummed.
"He more than likely got in touch with some friends. They're probably on their way
here, as we speak." So, thought Lantanna, my cousin was right…they are on their way.
This is how they found out, this wretched cell phone.
"Shall I double security?" He inquired.
"No, not yet."
"Miss Lantanna," the guard said, in a concerned tone, "you still haven't told me who
these people were. Is everything all right?" Opelt and Lantanna had both been very
secretive about the gundam pilots being in the mansion. They didn't even tell their own
guards whom they were guarding. Lantanna slightly smiled.
"Yes, I'm fine." She looked at the guard. "I need to be alone."
"Yes, ma'am." The guard turned on his heels, and walked down the hall, and out of
sight. Lantanna stared at her shoes as her thoughts began to wander. Years, and years
ago, she lived a normal, peaceful life. She had even been married. Her eyes gazed at the
mirror, and she returned her own green eyes' gaze. She shut her eyes, though, and looked
away.
"Those days are over," she whispered. "I only need one person…and that's
Joseph…he's family." Then, he appeared in her mind. Not Joseph, nor her husband, but
the one who reminded her of her husband. His violet eyes sparkling with happiness, his
smile radiating for the world to see, his braid hanging loosely, down his thin back. That
was it! That was why she felt so much hatred towards this boy. That was why she treated
him like she did.
Suddenly, without warning, she hit the wall with her fist. This boy…how could he
bring back this pain, this memory, the horrible memory that she tried to hard to leave
behind. Wincing, she looked at her bleeding knuckle. She simply wiped the blood on her
blue shirt. There was only one thing left to do. Wipe him from her life – forever.
She made her way to the basement, gripping her keys. A guard, who was standing
next to the door, inquired of her on what she was doing.
"That's none of your business!" She snapped. The guard stepped aside. It wasn't
because of the way she sounded, but because of the look in her eye. They seemed crazed,
and obsessed. She walked into the basement, quietly shutting the door behind her.
Slowly, she made her way down the steps. In front of her, was the sleeping Heero Yuy.
That's not who she wanted to see…not at all. She turned to her right, and walked to the
far corner.
There, curled up on the floor, was Duo Maxwell. He seemed to be having a peaceful
rest. Too bad it will be your last, thought Lantanna, as she gripped a knife she kept in her
pocket. Sighing, she looked at the shiny blade. Here she was, a once carefree young
woman, a now demented, and wild beast.
Her breath became fast, as she grasped the knife. The one responsible for her cousin's
problems, and mostly her own, she hoped, would now be lost and forgotten forever. I'll
make it quick, she said silently. "Good night…Shinigami," she whispered, as she lifted
the knife.
Duo's eyes shot open, just in time to see Lantanna bring down the knife. Everything
seemed to be in slow motion for Lantanna. First, Duo's eyes flew open. Then, the looks
on his face, came next. Confusion, realization, anger. The knife, about to pierce his skin,
never made it, though, as Lantanna felt a pain in her side, and she went crashing to the
ground. Someone had rammed into her, and was now attempting to pin her to the ground.
"Heero!" Cried Duo, when he realized who had rescued him. Lantanna wasn't going
to give up so easily. She noticed that the knife she had once held was now gone, and it
was only about a foot away from her, just waiting to be picked up. She reached her hand
out and snatched the knife. Quickly, she kicked Heero in the stomach, and got away from
his grasp. The Japanese braced himself for an attack, but he realized with horror that it
wasn't him he was going to attack.
Lantanna grabbed Duo by his priest-like collar, and pinned him against the wall, with
the knife held to his neck. Duo only smiled. "Fine way to get rid of your problems."
Lantanna's eyes abruptly grew wide. He couldn't possible know all of me problems,
could he? She wondered silently. Oh, well, no time to think about that. It's all the more
reason to kill him.
Then, she felt self someone gently touch her shoulder. "Why him?" Lantanna turned
around, still holding onto Duo to see a pair of greenish-blue eyes. His platinum hair
seemed to shine, even in the dark.
"You!" Exclaimed Lantanna. "How did you-" Quatre Raberba Winner smiled
slightly.
"The vent." He took a short pause. "Listen," he said, "I understand you wanting to kill
us all, but I do not understand this kind of behavior. If you wanted to kill all three of us,
you would have had me kill by now, and you would have stabbed Heero during that little
scuffle I saw. Why Duo?" He looked at her with questioning eyes. "Perhaps you once
knew him, and you had a bad past with him?"
Lantanna simply remained silent. "Or is it because he reminds you of something?
Something painful?" The tall young woman scowled. Here was this boy, calmly talking
to her, and he was creeping in her mind with every second.
"You fool!" She cried, as she threw Duo on the ground. "You should never mess with
my affairs!" Quatre jumped back, barely missing the knife, which Lantanna swung at
him. Quatre tried to avoid a second swing, but unfortunately failed, resulting in him being
stabbed in the shoulder. "Talking never did solve anything!"
He cried out in pain, as he clutched his bleeding shoulder, and fell to the ground.
Lantanna gripped the bloody knife ever so tightly. "I'm not only going to kill Duo
Maxwell, but I'm going to kill you as well." Heero's eyes narrowed, as he stepped
towards Lantanna. "As for you," she muttered, looking at Heero, "if you take one step all
chances of saving your blond friend will be gone." She darted a glance at Duo. "You,
too."
Just then, a gun shot rang out, and the knife flew out of Lantanna's hand, landing with
a metallic noise on the floor. Looking at the stairway, Lantanna noticed two figures
standing there, one with pigtails, and the other with razor-like bangs. The one with the
bangs held a small, black, pistol. Lantanna smiled. "You have good aim."
"Actually, I was aiming for your head," said Trowa Barton, as he held the gun.
"Yes," said Chang WuFei, "and next time, I'm sure he won't miss." Quatre slowly
looked up at the stair case.
"Trowa…WuFei," he said, weakly "you made it." Lantanna laughed hysterically.
"So this was your reinforcement! I was expecting something a little more fearsome!"
"Listen, lady, we don't have time to be made fun of by you," stated WuFei.
"What do you mean? We have all the time in the world." Trowa did a flip from the
stairs, and landed straight on his feet.
"No, we don't." He lifted the gun, and aimed it at Lantanna. He didn't take the time to
aim it anywhere deadly, however, just as long as it hit her. He pulled the trigger, and with
a loud bang, Lantanna fell to the floor, holding onto her shoulder. Trowa thought it Ironic
that the woman who had stabbed Quatre in the shoulder was now clutching her own.
"Aren't you going to finish her off?" Asked Duo.
"We don't have time," answered Trowa quickly, as he helped Quatre up. "We have to
get out of here – NOW!" Quatre blinked with surprise. It was unlike Trowa to act like
that. "We have less than four minutes to get out of here. Follow me!" Heero, not asking
any questions, followed Trowa up the stairs, as did Duo and Quatre, walking over the
busted down door.. WuFei joined Trowa in leading them out of the mansion, leaving an
injured Lantanna lying in the basement.
"You foolish boys," she whispered, "you should have killed me. If it be sooner or
later, you will regret your actions."
Meanwhile, the five young pilots ran through the halls. Surprisingly, none of the
guards were in the hall, trying to stop them. "We took…care of all…the guards…in
here," said WuFei, between breaths. Soon, they reached the end of the long hall, and were
out of the mansion.
"Great!" Exclaimed Duo, "and with two minutes to spare!"
"Hey, where's Quatre?" All eyes turned to Trowa.
"He's not with you? Oh, no, we must have lost him somewhere in the hall." With out
another word, Trowa turned around, and dashed back into the mansion. Duo tried to
follow him, but Heero stopped the braided pilot.
"There's no since in putting yourself in danger." The three turned around, and ran for
the trees. "Trowa can manage."
above the trees. Lantanna slowly paced back and forth, in the hallway. What now? The
way things were going, the other gundam pilots were going to rescue their comrades. So,
what other options did they have? Opelt said Lantanna was not to kill the two gundam
pilots, and the boy that was found, more than likely a gundam pilot as well.
Gundam pilots…hah! She thought. If it weren't for her cousin, she would kill all three
of them…the braided one being first. Not because of how he had been acting, but because
of something a little more complicated, a little deeper. Something she couldn't explain.
She stopped pacing and sighed. What was she to do? A guard walked out of one of the
rooms in the hallway. "We searched him," he said.
"And?"
"We only found this." He pulled a cell phone from his pocket. Lantanna took the
phone from the guard, and hummed.
"He more than likely got in touch with some friends. They're probably on their way
here, as we speak." So, thought Lantanna, my cousin was right…they are on their way.
This is how they found out, this wretched cell phone.
"Shall I double security?" He inquired.
"No, not yet."
"Miss Lantanna," the guard said, in a concerned tone, "you still haven't told me who
these people were. Is everything all right?" Opelt and Lantanna had both been very
secretive about the gundam pilots being in the mansion. They didn't even tell their own
guards whom they were guarding. Lantanna slightly smiled.
"Yes, I'm fine." She looked at the guard. "I need to be alone."
"Yes, ma'am." The guard turned on his heels, and walked down the hall, and out of
sight. Lantanna stared at her shoes as her thoughts began to wander. Years, and years
ago, she lived a normal, peaceful life. She had even been married. Her eyes gazed at the
mirror, and she returned her own green eyes' gaze. She shut her eyes, though, and looked
away.
"Those days are over," she whispered. "I only need one person…and that's
Joseph…he's family." Then, he appeared in her mind. Not Joseph, nor her husband, but
the one who reminded her of her husband. His violet eyes sparkling with happiness, his
smile radiating for the world to see, his braid hanging loosely, down his thin back. That
was it! That was why she felt so much hatred towards this boy. That was why she treated
him like she did.
Suddenly, without warning, she hit the wall with her fist. This boy…how could he
bring back this pain, this memory, the horrible memory that she tried to hard to leave
behind. Wincing, she looked at her bleeding knuckle. She simply wiped the blood on her
blue shirt. There was only one thing left to do. Wipe him from her life – forever.
She made her way to the basement, gripping her keys. A guard, who was standing
next to the door, inquired of her on what she was doing.
"That's none of your business!" She snapped. The guard stepped aside. It wasn't
because of the way she sounded, but because of the look in her eye. They seemed crazed,
and obsessed. She walked into the basement, quietly shutting the door behind her.
Slowly, she made her way down the steps. In front of her, was the sleeping Heero Yuy.
That's not who she wanted to see…not at all. She turned to her right, and walked to the
far corner.
There, curled up on the floor, was Duo Maxwell. He seemed to be having a peaceful
rest. Too bad it will be your last, thought Lantanna, as she gripped a knife she kept in her
pocket. Sighing, she looked at the shiny blade. Here she was, a once carefree young
woman, a now demented, and wild beast.
Her breath became fast, as she grasped the knife. The one responsible for her cousin's
problems, and mostly her own, she hoped, would now be lost and forgotten forever. I'll
make it quick, she said silently. "Good night…Shinigami," she whispered, as she lifted
the knife.
Duo's eyes shot open, just in time to see Lantanna bring down the knife. Everything
seemed to be in slow motion for Lantanna. First, Duo's eyes flew open. Then, the looks
on his face, came next. Confusion, realization, anger. The knife, about to pierce his skin,
never made it, though, as Lantanna felt a pain in her side, and she went crashing to the
ground. Someone had rammed into her, and was now attempting to pin her to the ground.
"Heero!" Cried Duo, when he realized who had rescued him. Lantanna wasn't going
to give up so easily. She noticed that the knife she had once held was now gone, and it
was only about a foot away from her, just waiting to be picked up. She reached her hand
out and snatched the knife. Quickly, she kicked Heero in the stomach, and got away from
his grasp. The Japanese braced himself for an attack, but he realized with horror that it
wasn't him he was going to attack.
Lantanna grabbed Duo by his priest-like collar, and pinned him against the wall, with
the knife held to his neck. Duo only smiled. "Fine way to get rid of your problems."
Lantanna's eyes abruptly grew wide. He couldn't possible know all of me problems,
could he? She wondered silently. Oh, well, no time to think about that. It's all the more
reason to kill him.
Then, she felt self someone gently touch her shoulder. "Why him?" Lantanna turned
around, still holding onto Duo to see a pair of greenish-blue eyes. His platinum hair
seemed to shine, even in the dark.
"You!" Exclaimed Lantanna. "How did you-" Quatre Raberba Winner smiled
slightly.
"The vent." He took a short pause. "Listen," he said, "I understand you wanting to kill
us all, but I do not understand this kind of behavior. If you wanted to kill all three of us,
you would have had me kill by now, and you would have stabbed Heero during that little
scuffle I saw. Why Duo?" He looked at her with questioning eyes. "Perhaps you once
knew him, and you had a bad past with him?"
Lantanna simply remained silent. "Or is it because he reminds you of something?
Something painful?" The tall young woman scowled. Here was this boy, calmly talking
to her, and he was creeping in her mind with every second.
"You fool!" She cried, as she threw Duo on the ground. "You should never mess with
my affairs!" Quatre jumped back, barely missing the knife, which Lantanna swung at
him. Quatre tried to avoid a second swing, but unfortunately failed, resulting in him being
stabbed in the shoulder. "Talking never did solve anything!"
He cried out in pain, as he clutched his bleeding shoulder, and fell to the ground.
Lantanna gripped the bloody knife ever so tightly. "I'm not only going to kill Duo
Maxwell, but I'm going to kill you as well." Heero's eyes narrowed, as he stepped
towards Lantanna. "As for you," she muttered, looking at Heero, "if you take one step all
chances of saving your blond friend will be gone." She darted a glance at Duo. "You,
too."
Just then, a gun shot rang out, and the knife flew out of Lantanna's hand, landing with
a metallic noise on the floor. Looking at the stairway, Lantanna noticed two figures
standing there, one with pigtails, and the other with razor-like bangs. The one with the
bangs held a small, black, pistol. Lantanna smiled. "You have good aim."
"Actually, I was aiming for your head," said Trowa Barton, as he held the gun.
"Yes," said Chang WuFei, "and next time, I'm sure he won't miss." Quatre slowly
looked up at the stair case.
"Trowa…WuFei," he said, weakly "you made it." Lantanna laughed hysterically.
"So this was your reinforcement! I was expecting something a little more fearsome!"
"Listen, lady, we don't have time to be made fun of by you," stated WuFei.
"What do you mean? We have all the time in the world." Trowa did a flip from the
stairs, and landed straight on his feet.
"No, we don't." He lifted the gun, and aimed it at Lantanna. He didn't take the time to
aim it anywhere deadly, however, just as long as it hit her. He pulled the trigger, and with
a loud bang, Lantanna fell to the floor, holding onto her shoulder. Trowa thought it Ironic
that the woman who had stabbed Quatre in the shoulder was now clutching her own.
"Aren't you going to finish her off?" Asked Duo.
"We don't have time," answered Trowa quickly, as he helped Quatre up. "We have to
get out of here – NOW!" Quatre blinked with surprise. It was unlike Trowa to act like
that. "We have less than four minutes to get out of here. Follow me!" Heero, not asking
any questions, followed Trowa up the stairs, as did Duo and Quatre, walking over the
busted down door.. WuFei joined Trowa in leading them out of the mansion, leaving an
injured Lantanna lying in the basement.
"You foolish boys," she whispered, "you should have killed me. If it be sooner or
later, you will regret your actions."
Meanwhile, the five young pilots ran through the halls. Surprisingly, none of the
guards were in the hall, trying to stop them. "We took…care of all…the guards…in
here," said WuFei, between breaths. Soon, they reached the end of the long hall, and were
out of the mansion.
"Great!" Exclaimed Duo, "and with two minutes to spare!"
"Hey, where's Quatre?" All eyes turned to Trowa.
"He's not with you? Oh, no, we must have lost him somewhere in the hall." With out
another word, Trowa turned around, and dashed back into the mansion. Duo tried to
follow him, but Heero stopped the braided pilot.
"There's no since in putting yourself in danger." The three turned around, and ran for
the trees. "Trowa can manage."