The Girls We Love

Part 2

"What...where am I?" Sally wondered aloud, looking around the dark room, terrified. She couldn't remember anything about how or why she was where she was, but her guy instinct told her that she wasn't going to like it when she found out.

Trying to stand up, Sally found she was tied to a chair of some sort. She could now feel the wooden arms of the seat, to which her wrists were attached with a rope. Struggling, she tried freeing herself, but stopped as a small electric shock ran through her body, temporarily stunning her.

A muffled voice echoed throughout the room, causing her to shudder involuntarily. "Now now, Miss Sally. I wouldn't try struggling like that again, if I were you. I might have to increase the voltage so it actually hurts next time. That last shock was just a warning. I'm just telling you now...don't get rude or feisty, or I'll be sending you home to your precious little Wufei in a doggie bag!"

Sighing, Sally looked about her one again, eyes beginning to adjust. She could now see the outline of the chair pretty clearly, and her own body, which was clad in nothing but her bra and underwear. Frowning, she tried to think of who could be doing this, and what were their motives. Was this a personal thing, or just an attack on the Preventers?

Many questions and random brainstorms jumbled through Sally's head while she tried to make sense of it all. Finally, she could not longer hold back. She had to know. "Why are you doing this?"

The voice laughed, and, for a moment, sounded familiar. Then, it deepened once again, going out of recognition. "Why? Why, you ask? Because I have to have revenge on those damn Gundam pilots. And what better way to do it then to torture and kill off all of their girls?"

Sally's helplessness overcame her and turned into anger, causing her to scream, "What do you want from me?"

Silence.

Suddenly, Sally heard a door open and close in a the room she was in, and the hairs on her neck bristled in anticipation.

Then, a hot breath came to her ear and throat, moistening her skin, as her assailant whispered, "I want you to scream so loud and beg so pitifully for a fast death that the people on L3 hear you, Miss Sally." The captive woman heard a hiss as the blade of a knife became unsheathed, and felt it dig a little on the skin inside her elbow until delving deeper.

Her screams and yells of pain echoed off the walls and ceiling, bouncing back and forth until the unknown torturer squealed in delight and pushed the button for another shock, temporarily paralyzing her prey.

~*~

Wufei sat up straight with an odd expression on his face. Heero and Trowa both raised an eyebrow, while Quatre turned to him, placing a hand softly on his shoulder and asking, "What's wrong, Wufei?" Teal eyes met onyx ones as Quatre stared at the man, face easily showing his worry. "Are you alright, Wufei?" the Arabian inquired, shaking Wufei lightly by the shoulders.

Suddenly, the Chinese man snapped back to reality. "I...heard Sally. She needs me, she's in pain. What has that baka onna done to herself now?"

Quatre turned back to Heero and Trowa, mouthing silently, "Did you guys hear anything?" and receiving negative shaking of heads. Looking to Miliardo, who sat at Relena's bedside, he inquired, "Did you?" and received another 'no.' "Wufei? None of us heard it. Are you sure you weren't just imagining it?"

The Chinese man's eyes narrowed dangerously as he glared at the blonde. "I know I did. Go back to your planning."

Heero took this is the initiative to decide who was going to go looking and who was going to stay to protect the rest of the girls. "I will go and look. It won't be that hard, I'm sure. The rest of you should stay and take care of the girls. I work the best alone."

Wufei stared at Heero. "Too bad, I'm going with you. This asshole has Sally. You think I want to stay at home and do nothing but baby-sit some onnas?" Heero nodded his approval.

"Alright, Wufei will go with me. The rest of you, call your girls. Trowa, obviously that will be Catherine. Zechs, Noin. Quatre..." Heero frowned.

"I was going to ask about that. I don't really have a 'girl.' So who should I watch out for? It's kinda hard to choose without really knowing." He sighed and glanced over at Trowa, who patted his hand softly.

"What about your sisters?"

Quatre's eyes grew to the size of saucers. "All of them? Heero, do you remember how many sisters I have?"

The Japanese man nodded, knowing it couldn't be one of the Arabian's sisters. They weren't really involved in the boys' affairs as Gundam Pilots. Then it dawned on him. "Have you spoken to Dorothy since Operation Meteor?"

The blonde's eyebrows knitted. "Yes, a little. She sent me a card when I was in the hospital saying she was sorry. We have been keeping in touch a bit, sending Christmas cards and letters every once in a while, but nothing really personal. Why? You aren't suggesting that..."

An emotionless face met his, eyes darkening. "Call her."

Quatre nodded, looking at the carpet. Feeling a supportive hand on his knee, he smiled and whispered, "Thank you, Trowa-sama."

"So, it's set. Wufei and myself will go looking for the attacker, while you call your girls and get them over here as soon as possible. If they can't come here, go to them, but make sure you tell one of us before you go. Don't tell them anything more the essentials, we don't want to scare them. Good--"

"So, what'd I miss?" Duo's voice floated by as he walked in the door, eyes shining. "You guys all left me down there, forced to flirt with receptionist to cover for you guys! Finally I got away from her and..."

Serious faces stared his way, and he immediately quieted down, taking a set next to Heero, who informed him of the decisions they made. "Call Hilde, have her come here and stay with Relena and yourself. Don't let them leave your sight, okay Duo? I'm trusting you with her..." The Japanese man stated, acknowledging the still unconscious Relena. Then, in a lower voice, he added, "If anything happens to her, I come after you, Maxwell."

The tone of voice Heero used to say this made Duo shudder and cringe, knowing it was not an idle threat. "I promise I'll watch over her, Heero."

The pilot of the destroyed Wing Zero nodded, then got up, walking over to the said girl. Resting a hand on her soft cheek, he sighed. He had to get the person who did this to her. He could never live with himself if she died and he didn't get revenge. Eyes hardening, he stared down at her, stroking her cheek, then turned to leave. A soft voice followed him, making him stop dead in his tracks.

"Heero? Where are you going?"

Facing the hospital bed, Heero walked forward and gazed down at the girl, eyes filling with tears. "Relena? You're...awake?"

Relena breathed deeply, causing the sheets to rise as she filled her lungs. Yawning, she tried to reach up to him, but was stopped by the IV coming out of her arm. Glancing down at the offending plastic tube, she gasped as she saw the swelling in her wrist, eyes showing her fear. Her lower lip trembled as she tried to control her feelings, and whispered, "I'm scared, Heero." while staring up at him.

Overjoyed that she was finally conscious but also sympathizing with her about her terror, he smiled and reached down, wiping away her tears with the back of his hand. "Don't be scared, tenshi, I am going to get the person who did this to you. You're safe, I promise you. I have to go now."

More tears coursed down her cheeks at his last sentence, causing him to gulp and start to try to explain why he had to go. She silenced him with a wave of her hand. "I want you to stay with me, Heero. I only feel safe when you're around...I..." Exhausted still, she fell asleep, hitting her pillow while her eyes closed.

Eyes filled with emotion, he pulled her covers up to her chin, kissing her forehead and whispering, "Ai shiteru, tenshi."

Facing Wufei, he commanded, "Let's go. The rest of you, make sure you call and find the others. Keep them safe. We don't want this happening to anyone else. And Duo...I'm counting on you."

The two determined pilots left the room, Heero checking his gun and Wufei folding the note he got before placing it in his pocket.

Quatre decided he had better take control, now that Heero and Wufei were gone, off to search for the person who had done this. "Why don't we all call the rest of the girls and get them here, like Heero suggested. The longer we wait, the more we put them at risk to be abducted, like poor Miss Sally was. Mr. Peacecraft...could you go down and ask the receptionist for a phone? A video one, if possible."

Miliardo nodded, and smirked at the 'Mr. Peacecraft' comment. "Quatre, you can call me Miliardo if you wish. You don't have to be so...formal. It's not like I'm a King or..." the man stopped, realizing his mistake. "Well, anyway, you can just call me Miliardo, alright?"

Quatre chuckled at this, eyes sparkling. "Of course, Miliardo. And thank you for getting the phone." The former Oz Colonel nodded, leaving the room. Quatre sighed and looked over at Duo, who sat rigid, watching Relena as she slept. Raising an inquisitive eyebrow, the blonde made his way over to the braided one, tapping him on the shoulder. "Ah, Duo? What are you doing?"

"You heard him. If I don't watch her, he's gonna kill me! So I'm not taking my chances!" Duo answered, eyes wide with fear.

"Don't worry about it. I'm here, and so is Trowa. She'll be fine. You need to get some sleep, though. You look...well let's say...far from great. We'll watch her, okay? Rest, please. We'll wake you when you can call Hilde, okay?" Quatre comforted the man, patting him on the shoulder while making him head towards the spare bed in the room.

Yawning, Duo submitted, climbing onto the hospital cot. "I guess I could...get some *yawn* sleep..." As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out, smiling sweetly at the much needed opportunity to rest. Quatre sighed again, pulling the covers up to his chin, where he grasped them and turned over, muttering a half asleep, "Thanks..."

Striding over to Trowa, who remained silent as always while watching the sleeping girl, Quatre smiled and leaned on him, reveling in the warmth of Trowa's arms around his shoulders. A soft sigh escaped the taller man's lips as he whispered, "I hope Heero and Wufei find this guy."

The Arabian smiled. "Me too."

~*~

Wufei looked around the city streets, watching the buildings go by in a blur as Heero continually gained speed with his motorcycle. Enjoying the adrenaline rush, he lifted his face to the wind, feeling his hair being whipped around his face and his ponytail holder come lose. 'It's a wonder that a cop hasn't stopped him yet...but then again, if I was a cop, I'd be a afraid to stop him too, in the state he's in.'

Decreasing speed quickly and pulling into the garage for his apartment, Heero jumped off his bike while it was still moving and ran into the building, starting to grab necessary items. Wufei walked in while he was opening the bottom drawer of his dresser, which was overflowing with different guns and ammunition. Eyes widening, but not surprised, the Chinese one watched as the Japanese man filled two guns, then made them disappear somewhere onto his body, taking out the gun that was already there and throwing it on the bed. "What do you want? Take what you need." Heero stated as he swiftly strode past him to the bathroom. Raising an eyebrow, Wufei looked over the contents of the drawer, then closed it with his foot, not taking anything. Following his comrade to the bathroom, he watched as he unscrewed the bottom of his shaving cream and dumped the money held in it into his hand, counting it rapidly. Shoving it in another concealed holder, he turned to Wufei, eyes as cold as stone. "Ready? What do you need from your place? Should we stop there?"

The sloe eyed boy considered this. "Maybe we should go there and look for clues. I didn't touch anything; it's still a wreck from Sally's obvious struggle. And there are a few items I need, yes, if that bastard-ass onna didn't take them." Heero nodded, confirming his suggestion.

"Let's go then." Racing out to the motorcycle, which was still running, they hopped on and Heero sped out onto the street once again, heading in the direction of Wufei's place.

~*~

Insane laughter filled the air as Sally writhed, trying to regain control of her senses. Her world was spinning. She could just barely feel the blood dripping from her arm, and all of her hair felt like it was standing on end from the electric current that had just been passed through her body. Then the sound of the splatting of her blood on the floor hit her ears, causing her involuntary gag reflex to kick in, until she threw up in her own lap. Tears coursing down her cheeks, she was shaking from the shock still, and she felt she could barely keep her eyes open. Then, the voice she had grown to hate filled the air, curving sinuously around everything as the torturer spoke, trying to hold back giggles.

"Did you like that, Miss Sally? Oh, look at that...you made a mess. Gross! You should know better than that..." Mrs. Chang sat upright. The voice was...female? 'It's an onna who is doing this to me?' she wondered, then smiled in spite of her pain. 'I've been living with Wufei too long. I'm beginning to think like him...' Her smile quickly faded as the attacker's face narrowed the gap between them, nose about an inch away from her own. She looked somewhat familiar, red, curly hair falling down to her shoulders, and crimson eyebrows that...forked? Her icy blue eyes gazed coldly at the woman, narrowing. "Why are you smiling?"

Sally couldn't respond. She didn't want to, in fact. At the moment she was still too angry at herself to have been overcome by this...this girl! Just a girl! Not more than 15...but then again, Heero and the rest of the boys were only 15 when they became Gundam Pilots, and they certainly overcame many people...but no! A little girl! A helpless, pitiful, little...

"No response? Fine. I'll teach you to answer me when I ask a question, Miss Sally..." She smiled evilly, looking behind Wufei's wife and raising an eyebrow. "Tell me, Miss Sally, what is it that you are the most afraid of..."

The captured woman's eyes widened, fearing the worst. A slithering noise filled the room, very much like the sound of many snakes sliding against each other, until there was a hiss right next to her ear, causing her to jump visibly. "Does that scare you, Miss Sally? You know, cobras just love the scent of blood...they are like the sharks of the reptile family..."

"What do you want to know?"

"Nothing. I gave you your chance. Now you must learn..."

~*~

"Hi, Catherine. How are you doing?"

The video screen image of the circus girl smiled at her brother, and nodded. "Wonderful, Trowa, how are you?" Frowning at his still impassive face, but noticing the emotion in his eyes, she asked, "What's wrong, Trowa?"

The acrobat's lips tugged into a tiny smile, something most people wouldn't notice. But Catherine saw it. "You always know what's up, don't you, sis?"

She smirked and nodded, mock-arrogantly saying, "Yes, Trowa, girls always know what's wrong...Now what's wrong?"

"Sis..." Trowa took a heavier tone, eyes saddening and becoming worried. "I need you to come here. You are in danger there. Please, come here."

Catherine frowned again. "Trowa, what kind of a joke is this? Danger? What do you mean? I'm perfectly safe here!" Suddenly, the video on her side cut out, leaving only the sound of the phone hitting the floor and a strangled yelp before the connection was lost completely. Trowa's visible jade eye widened as he started shouting, trying to get a response.

"Catherine? Catherine, answer me!" Looking to Quatre, whose eyes expressed the same surprise he felt, he hung up the phone, and started to get up to grab his coat.

Ring! Ring!

Quatre stared deep into Trowa's eyes as he mouthed, 'Answer!' and making a movement towards the phone in his hands. Trowa looked down, then got up the courage to answer it, picking up the receiver.

"Hello?" The video link was not on.

"Hello Trowa..."

"Who is this? Catherine?" he asked, even though he knew that it wasn't Catherine.

A laugh echoed hollowly through the wires. "No, it's not Catherine...you know that. I swear, sometimes you Gundam Pilots are so stupid...Catherine is here, though..." Suddenly the video screen lit up, showing an unconscious and tied up Catherine on the floor, blood dripping down her brow. Trowa gasped, features becoming furious. The screen turned off again, and the voice came through, an evil, vengeful voice. "I thought you would have gotten her by now, having seen my note to that idiot Chinese boy. Stupid, stupid, stupid..."

"What have you done to her! Why are you doing this?" Quatre's voice cut through, sorrow easily heard, as he approached the phone, yelling into the speaker.

"Quatre? Quatre Raberba Winner? This does not concern you. Get off the line. Where's Trowa?" For once the voice sounded a bit scared, then the commanding tone took over once again.

"You...you evil little bitch! How can you be so cruel? I swear to God you had better leave the rest of the..."

The line went dead. A tear rolled down Trowa's cheek at the knowledge of his sister being in such a predicament and he wasn't there to protect her. Quatre placed his hand on top of Trowa's, tears filling his eyes as well. "Quatre-sama...how did you know that the person is a...girl?"

Quatre looked down at his feet, seemingly interested in the wing tips he was wearing, then answered sheepishly, "I could see her shadow in the background when she showed you Catherine. She had...features and...curves as a female would. You didn't see it?"

Trowa sighed, then got a sour look on his face, reprimanding himself in his mind for not catching that clue. "No. I didn't. Good job though, koi. I'll call Heero and tell him."

The blonde nodded and left his place by Trowa's side to walk over to the cot with Duo in it. Shaking him slightly, he whispered, "Duo? Duo, you can call Hilde soon, might want to be up..." The braided one grimaced and rolled over, still half asleep.

"Come on, let me sleep some more..."

Quatre sighed. "Okay, that's fine, I'll call Hilde..."

Duo was up in an instant, adjusting his braid as he hopped off the cot, striding over to Trowa and the phone. The Arabian he left in his wake raised an eyebrow, then shook his head, following and leaning against Relena's bed. The slight movement of her cot woke her, which surprised them all since all this action had been going on moments earlier, and the movement of her bed was what caused her to jolt into consciousness. "Heero!?" was all she said as she tried to sit up, looking around the room furiously. Her brother, whom she hadn't seen in a while, was at her side instantly, trying to calm her by stroking her shoulder and coaxing her down again.

"Relena...It's me, Miliardo."

"Miliardo? My brother? But...where's Heero?"

The man with the platinum blonde hair sighed, smiling. "He had to go. Do you remember who it was that shot you?" he asked, eyebrows meeting and wrinkling.

Relena, obviously struggling with her sub-conscious, frowned and bit her bottom lip, trying to remember. Finally, shaking her head, she admitted with a scowl, "No. I'm sorry. I don't."

"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault." Kissing her forehead, he made his way back over to Trowa, who was calling Heero's cell phone.

~*~

"Talk."

Trowa was startled by Heero's abrupt greeting. Regaining his composure, he said quietly, "It's a girl."

Duo tried to stifle his laughter as much as he could at this comment, whispering quietly, "What, is someone having baby?" to Quatre, who looked amused as well.

Shaking his head, the blonde answered back, "No, Duo, the attacker is a girl." He didn't think eyes could grow that big, but, obviously, they could.

"No way..."

"Yup!"

Heero was having the same response. "A girl? You must be kidding, Trowa."

Wufei glared dangerously at the phone. "What? An onna?" Heero nodded, Prussian blue eyes sparkling. "How do they know?"

The Perfect Soldier repeated the Chinese man's question into the phone. Nodding as he received the answer, he smirked and told Wufei. "The girl called them on the vid phone, and although the voice was muffled, she ended up showing Catherine to Trowa, all tied up, and Quatre saw her shadow. He said it had to be a girl." Listening to the phone, he narrowed his eyes, grimacing. "They haven't been able to get a hold of any of the other girls yet, and Trowa is very upset because the bitch took Catherine. He wants to join us in the search."

His companion thought about this for a moment, considering both sides. If they had Trowa with them, he would definitely be an asset, but going to get him and whatever he needed would take time. However, Trowa was a good fighter, very strong, and would be needed to protect whichever girls they did find in case the kidnapper decided to go pay them a visit in the hospital. They would need all the help they could get, having only Quatre, Duo, and Miliardo there. He shook his head at Heero, who understood his decision without having to hear it.

"Sorry, Trowa, you will have to stay there. It's the best for the girls. When you get the others there, they'll need all the help they can get to ward off whoever this person sends to finish the job on Relena. If she does send anyone, at which case we should be ready, either way. Try to get the other girls there. We'll call you periodically with updates. Sayonara." Hanging up, he replaced his phone to his bag, looking to Wufei. "We need to search this place inside out for clues as to where she is holding everyone. Since she just took Catherine, that means she has left, and if we can get there before she returns, we have the advantage." Wufei nodded, and left the room to search the bedroom, looking everywhere.

~*~

Trowa hung up, looking a bit...peeved, we shall say. He turned to Quatre, whose teal eyes shimmered in sympathy. "They aren't letting me join them." The blonde felt his pain, knowing he would feel exactly the same if he was in Trowa's position, and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, looking deep into his eyes.

"They probably know best...and, we do need you here. I'm really not a fighting person, neither is Duo. Miliardo I can see, but still...we need you. I'm glad you're staying with us, Trowa-kun. I wouldn't want you to get hurt..."

Duo came sidling up, rubbing his eyes as he still tried to wake up fully. "Can I call Hilde now?" Quatre smiled, handing him the phone. "Thanks..." He walked off to the empty cot, planting himself firmly on it. "Now...," he started, scratching his head. "what was her number again...?"

Trowa walked stiffly over to the corner of the room, sitting at the window and looking down at the street below. "Cathy..."

Being worried about someone is the most intense emotion a person can have. It eats up your very soul, draining your energy until all that is left is a quivering mass of paranoia, causing hallucinations and false pretenses. All you can think about is how you should have been there for them, and how you should be in their place, doing whatever it is they are doing, feeling whatever it is they are feeling. Trowa was in the first phases of this, fearing the worst but hoping for the best for his sister. Lord only knows where she was and what kind of torture she was going through. 'I should have gone to her as soon as I heard about Relena, should have been there to protect her...this shouldn't have happened...'

There is nothing worse than being worried about someone.