Demon Sign
Part4
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Thirteen hours later they pulled up to a large, old cabin. It was three o'clock in the morning and it was still dark. The cabin had a wide portch with a wooden swing. Ivy climbed the walls. It gave off a very back-to-nature feeling. Raksha leaned over and nudged Duo's shoulder. He woke up with a snort.
"Hey! Whoa, this place is pretty cool. Does the swing work?" He asked. He didn't sound like he had been sleeping deeply five minutes ago.
Raksha nodded. "Everything is in perfect working condition; although you might not be able to tell from the outside."
Raksha opened the van door andstarted toward the cabin. Heero and Duo waited while she unlocked the door and opened it wide; leaving a pitch-black void. Raksha stepped inside and flipped on the lights; illuminating the interior of the cabin.
Duo let out a strangled sound. His eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open slightly.
"How...What...Where...Where did you get all this stuff?" He sputtered.
"I bought it all legally if that's what your thinking. All that I could, anyway." She said as she walked into the open kitchen and turned on more lights.
"I got everything I could think of. Big screen t.v., radio system, games, the most up-to-date computers. There are six bedrooms, three bathrooms, the livingroom, kitchen, and diningrooms, and the training and computer rooms."
Duo headed strait for the kitchen. He started opening cabinets only to find them empty.
"Hey! Where's all the food?"
Raksha chuckled. "I have to go shopping. That's why I packed so much food before we left. I wasn't sure exactly when I was going to find you all."
Duo was disappointed but he perked up at the mention of the packed food.
"Me and Heero will bring the stuff in." Duo said and disappeared out the door.
Heero followed him, but not before piercing her with that cold emotionless stare of his. When his back was turned she couldn't help but stick her tongue out at him. He stopped but didn't turn around.
"I saw that." He said and then kept on walking.
Raksha's face turned red; partly from embarassment and partly from anger.
'What the hell posessed me to do something so immature?' she thought. 'He really hits a nerve with me. I wonder what made him so cold.'
Raksha shook her head and walked through the cabin, turning on lights and setting things up. When she walked back into the livingroom Heero and Duo had already finished carrying in the bags which were in a pile by the door. She brought the food into the kitchen in two trips; warning Duo not to touch anything at the same time. While she put it all away the boys picked out their bedrooms and moved into them.
Half an hour later Raksha and the guys went to bed. They all needed it.
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The next morning Raksha and the other pilots were sitting at the kitchen table eating a breakfast of cold cereal.
Duo finished his third bowl and sat back in his chair.
"Raksha, what's on the agenda next?" he asked.
Raksha finished her cereal. "I have a lead on pilot 004. The circus is in town this afternoon." She smiled as Duo tried to disipher her meaning.
"The circus?" Duo asked, incredilous.
"You mean 004 is working for a circus?"
"Actually," Raksha said with a smirk. "He's their star attraction."
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Raksha, Heero, and Duo desided that they would watch the performance and wait after the last show to confront 004.
*Ladies and gentlemen...* The ringmaster announced.
*I am proud to introduce our main attraction. Catherine Bloom and Trowa Barton doing their knife throwing act!*
The applause was defining.
The three pilots watched closely as two people entered the arena. The girl was wearing a purple costume and a headband. The boy had on a colorful checkered costume and he was wearing a mask that covered half his face. The crowd seemed to love the mystery.
Raksha watched in facination as the girl, Catherine, took her place and aimed the very real knives at Trowa. Raksha knew that the act was safe. She herself was proud of her skills with a throwing knife. But even knowing that didn't prepare her for how close the knife came to drawing blood. She watched as Catherine threw the last knife that imbedded itself between Trowa's spread thumb and pointer fingers. He hadn't even finched. He hadn't shown fear or any other emotion for that matter. If Raksha had any doubts that he was a pilot before they were nonexistant now.
Trowa bowed to the crowd at large. When he stood up he was looking directly at Raksha. His unblinking, evaluating look gave her an uneasy feeling. She stared into the forest green of his eyes for what felt like forever. Trowa turned away and she blinked rapidly. Wondering if she had just immagined it she turned to Heero. He was watching Trowa walk away very closely. Neither Duo or Heero seemed to notice the instant connection she had experinced. She wasn't sure if that made her feel better of worse.
It was about six o'clock when the show ended. Heero followed Trowa to his trailer and came back to tell them where it was and to come up with a more detailed plan.
"You two will stand gaurd outside while I talk to him." That elicited complaints from Duo.
"How do you know he won't try to kill you? You can't explain everything to him in the few seconds it would take for him to knock you unconcious or pull a trigger. I really don't think you're strong enough to fight him. One of us should make sure he can't hurt you before you talk to him."
Raksha smiled. "Duo, I really appreciate that you're concerned about me, but I can take care of myself. You've never seen me fight. So you don't have anything to base your opinions on. I would show you how capable I am now but we are running out of time. You have to trust me. Alright?"
Duo looked like he was ready to argue some more but a quelling glance from Heero took care of that idea. He nodded grudgingly.
"Good. You both know what to do. I'll flicker the lights when it's alright to come in."
They both nodded and she watched as they moved into their positions in the shadows on either side of the trailer.
Part4
_____________________________________________________________
Thirteen hours later they pulled up to a large, old cabin. It was three o'clock in the morning and it was still dark. The cabin had a wide portch with a wooden swing. Ivy climbed the walls. It gave off a very back-to-nature feeling. Raksha leaned over and nudged Duo's shoulder. He woke up with a snort.
"Hey! Whoa, this place is pretty cool. Does the swing work?" He asked. He didn't sound like he had been sleeping deeply five minutes ago.
Raksha nodded. "Everything is in perfect working condition; although you might not be able to tell from the outside."
Raksha opened the van door andstarted toward the cabin. Heero and Duo waited while she unlocked the door and opened it wide; leaving a pitch-black void. Raksha stepped inside and flipped on the lights; illuminating the interior of the cabin.
Duo let out a strangled sound. His eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open slightly.
"How...What...Where...Where did you get all this stuff?" He sputtered.
"I bought it all legally if that's what your thinking. All that I could, anyway." She said as she walked into the open kitchen and turned on more lights.
"I got everything I could think of. Big screen t.v., radio system, games, the most up-to-date computers. There are six bedrooms, three bathrooms, the livingroom, kitchen, and diningrooms, and the training and computer rooms."
Duo headed strait for the kitchen. He started opening cabinets only to find them empty.
"Hey! Where's all the food?"
Raksha chuckled. "I have to go shopping. That's why I packed so much food before we left. I wasn't sure exactly when I was going to find you all."
Duo was disappointed but he perked up at the mention of the packed food.
"Me and Heero will bring the stuff in." Duo said and disappeared out the door.
Heero followed him, but not before piercing her with that cold emotionless stare of his. When his back was turned she couldn't help but stick her tongue out at him. He stopped but didn't turn around.
"I saw that." He said and then kept on walking.
Raksha's face turned red; partly from embarassment and partly from anger.
'What the hell posessed me to do something so immature?' she thought. 'He really hits a nerve with me. I wonder what made him so cold.'
Raksha shook her head and walked through the cabin, turning on lights and setting things up. When she walked back into the livingroom Heero and Duo had already finished carrying in the bags which were in a pile by the door. She brought the food into the kitchen in two trips; warning Duo not to touch anything at the same time. While she put it all away the boys picked out their bedrooms and moved into them.
Half an hour later Raksha and the guys went to bed. They all needed it.
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The next morning Raksha and the other pilots were sitting at the kitchen table eating a breakfast of cold cereal.
Duo finished his third bowl and sat back in his chair.
"Raksha, what's on the agenda next?" he asked.
Raksha finished her cereal. "I have a lead on pilot 004. The circus is in town this afternoon." She smiled as Duo tried to disipher her meaning.
"The circus?" Duo asked, incredilous.
"You mean 004 is working for a circus?"
"Actually," Raksha said with a smirk. "He's their star attraction."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Raksha, Heero, and Duo desided that they would watch the performance and wait after the last show to confront 004.
*Ladies and gentlemen...* The ringmaster announced.
*I am proud to introduce our main attraction. Catherine Bloom and Trowa Barton doing their knife throwing act!*
The applause was defining.
The three pilots watched closely as two people entered the arena. The girl was wearing a purple costume and a headband. The boy had on a colorful checkered costume and he was wearing a mask that covered half his face. The crowd seemed to love the mystery.
Raksha watched in facination as the girl, Catherine, took her place and aimed the very real knives at Trowa. Raksha knew that the act was safe. She herself was proud of her skills with a throwing knife. But even knowing that didn't prepare her for how close the knife came to drawing blood. She watched as Catherine threw the last knife that imbedded itself between Trowa's spread thumb and pointer fingers. He hadn't even finched. He hadn't shown fear or any other emotion for that matter. If Raksha had any doubts that he was a pilot before they were nonexistant now.
Trowa bowed to the crowd at large. When he stood up he was looking directly at Raksha. His unblinking, evaluating look gave her an uneasy feeling. She stared into the forest green of his eyes for what felt like forever. Trowa turned away and she blinked rapidly. Wondering if she had just immagined it she turned to Heero. He was watching Trowa walk away very closely. Neither Duo or Heero seemed to notice the instant connection she had experinced. She wasn't sure if that made her feel better of worse.
It was about six o'clock when the show ended. Heero followed Trowa to his trailer and came back to tell them where it was and to come up with a more detailed plan.
"You two will stand gaurd outside while I talk to him." That elicited complaints from Duo.
"How do you know he won't try to kill you? You can't explain everything to him in the few seconds it would take for him to knock you unconcious or pull a trigger. I really don't think you're strong enough to fight him. One of us should make sure he can't hurt you before you talk to him."
Raksha smiled. "Duo, I really appreciate that you're concerned about me, but I can take care of myself. You've never seen me fight. So you don't have anything to base your opinions on. I would show you how capable I am now but we are running out of time. You have to trust me. Alright?"
Duo looked like he was ready to argue some more but a quelling glance from Heero took care of that idea. He nodded grudgingly.
"Good. You both know what to do. I'll flicker the lights when it's alright to come in."
They both nodded and she watched as they moved into their positions in the shadows on either side of the trailer.