Agendas
Part Three of "I Only Think of You"
By Chash
"The beginning of what?" asked Yuy. The coin sparkled in the air, falling back to Gemini's open hand.
"This was an impossible mission," replied Sagittarius. Her eyes did not look to the coin, as Yuy's did, but instead to something far away. "You were never meant to succeed."
"Meaning what?" asked Yuy.
"Meaning this was an introduction," it was quiet Taurus who spoke now.
"To what?" asked Cancer. Taurus smiled.
"Your new allies."
*
The Five had carried on more meetings than they liked to of late. Of course, this forming of the Army of Thirteen meant they had to meet more. Their chosen messengers, Gemini and Sagittarius, were doing very well, and now all that remained was the beginning of the waging of war.
"There are the principal eight and the outer five," explained the first. His glasses gleamed next to his strange metal arm, and it made him seem like some terrifying alien in the darkness.
"Aries, Cancer, Scorpio, Gemini, Taurus, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Opiuchus. Why are they the principle eight, First?" asked the second. One eye glowed, the other was covered by the mushroom of hair about his head.
"Because the others are not dedicated."
"Dedicated?" hissed the second. "What care we for dedication? If they will get the job done…"
"The outer five will have loyalty only to Virgo. The inner eight will obey. The inner eight will love."
"Love Virgo?"
"Love Virgo, love Scorpio. What is the difference?"
"They all have personal agendas, First, even the principals."
"No, Fourth, not even the principals. Especially the principals."
The room was plunged into complete darkness.
*
Sagittarius was made the messenger. She stood on a merchant's cart, closed now, that during the day sold pickles. Cancer munched one of these as he listened, a slight smile that never really left on his face.
"They sent the first mission."
"Hasn't everyone already had missions?" asked Taurus. Sagittarius nodded.
"Yeah. Those were tests. We eight have been chosen as those who will carry out missions now. These are new missions, and this is the first of the new."
Cancer raised his hand. Sagittarius nodded and the boy removed the pickle from his mouth. "Look, Saggie, I'm sure you have some weird one sentence reply to this that will in fact answer nothing, but there are only seven of us here."
"No," replied Sagittarius, smiling. "The three assigned on this first mission are: Aries, Cancer, Virgo."
"What's the mission?" asked Cancer.
"You three are break into Alexandria base and break Leo out. The trip to the base is a couple days, so get started as soon as you can. This is a stealth mission, your goal is to enter and exit undetected," Sagittarius rooted through her bag. "Here's the necessary structural and guard information. Stars be with you," she handed Virgo a thick package. He nodded, kissed Scorpio goodbye, and the three left with no more words. Others faded away into the night of the town.
"Sagittarius?" asked a voice as the girl hopped down.
"Yeah? Who's there?"
A flash of silver arced through the sky, and Gemini was illuminated in the light of a fountain, which glowed brilliant blue every hour. "It's me."
"Oh, hey Gemini. What is it? I don't know why you weren't assigned, if that's it," she stretched and then smiled. Gemini shook his head.
"It is not my place to question the Five. I know, though, as you do, that there are thirteen of us. I know a great deal of other things. I wished to exchange knowledge, to find out what both of us have been told."
Sagittarius smiled, beautiful in the strange blue light. "An exchange of knowledge? Curious idea, Gemini. I accept."
*
Yuy turned in his sleep. It wasn't really sleep, to be fair, it was more of lying, half dreaming, on damp ground under an inadequate tent. Yes, he was used to Spartan existence, but with Virgo and all these changes, his nerves were shaken anyway. Finally, he gave up all pretence of sleeping and rose. A dark form was illuminated in a crash of lightning, approaching his tent. Before, when he worked alone, he would have been suspicious, and would have leapt for the gun under his pillow. Now, though, he was driven by the faint hope that it might be Virgo. With a small smirk, Yuy realized he had become one of those irrational people, undependable.
It was Cancer, though, and not Virgo, who opened the flap of the tent, that same slight grin on his face. Outside, Yuy could see undying rain falling, Cancer looked soak. They had camped in the ruins of an old town, and both had agreed Virgo could take the one house with a steady roof and real bed. Cancer, Yuy recalled, had been sleeping under an overturned wagon about twenty feet away.
"What is it?" asked Yuy, as the soaking Cancer sat down next to him, dropping spots of darkness off his head and onto Yuy's sleeping bag. Without a word, Cancer kissed him, hard, not a loving kiss, but a needing kiss. Something not done to lead to a relationship, something done out of desperation. Yuy's eyes snapped open, and he struggled away after a moment, breathing raged. "What?"
"Look, neither of us can have Virgo, Aries. You and I both know that. Right now, all I need is someone, anyone. Something to make me forget. Might as well be you," the boy reached over and kissed him again, and this time Yuy kissed back. He knew that the both of them were kissing the other as if he were Virgo, and Yuy knew that Cancer knew it as well. There had been that wordless agreement, though, that this was not love. This was simply need.
Neither cared when both cried out Virgo's name.
*
It was raining outside a small coffee shop near the fountain too. The shop was the only thing Gemini and Sagittarius had found open at around midnight, though, and the pair had decided to take what they could get. It was warm and light and dry, even if the coffee was awful. Despite low quality, Sagittarius nursed one as the pair talked. Gemini picked at what was supposed to be a muffin.
"I suppose good company is better than good food," commented Gemini, taking a bit of the muffin. Sagittarius laughed, and it occurred to Gemini how beautiful a laugh it was. He wondered if Virgo's laugh could be as lovely.
"Perhaps," replied Sagittarius. They had long ago finished their exchange of knowledge, and had moved onto more casual things. Sagittarius rested her chin in one hand. "Why do you stay?"
"Stay?" asked Gemini.
"Yeah, why don't you just go? Refuse the missions, and leave. We have no chance with Virgo, after all."
"I suppose not. But I think we wouldn't have been chosen if we were going to leave right after. The five who left, our mission is to rescue them, they don't receive missions themselves."
"No. The Alexandria team is supposed to destroy the base after, though. It isn't just rescue."
"Why do you stay?" asked Gemini.
"Not for Virgo, that's for sure. I'm not even positive I came for Virgo. I was drawn, of course, when I heard of Virgo's beauty, and I was told to find him, and then I was told I wouldn't win. I didn't come for Virgo."
"You came for Scorpio," supplied Gemini. Something rose in him when he spoke the name, something that never had before when it was only Virgo who loved Scorpio. Something that came from Sagittarius.
Sagittarius smiled, a sad smile. "Yes, I came for Scorpio. Strange, I came following a man who loved another man, and knew I existed only as a friend. Even though I knew that Scorpio would be chosen, I followed to watch my heart be broken. Fate is fate."
Gemini nodded. Looking over at the woman, staring out the window with sadness in her eyes, something occurred suddenly to Gemini. 'I won't just stay for Virgo,' he thought, 'I'll stay for you.'
*
"Lonely, Zechs? Lonely without your dragon? I remember when you were lonely without me, not without him," Scorpio spun at the voice, but saw only shadows in the night.
"Treize. I know you're out there. You're the thirteenth, aren't you? Show yourself!"
A long black boot stepped from one of the shadows, and was followed finally by a ginger haired man with forked eyebrows. Scorpio glared at him.
"It was a long time ago when I was lonely without you, Treize. I love Wufei."
"Do you?" asked Treize, sadness in his voice. "Or do you love Virgo? You never knew him before. I loved him before."
"Then you must have loved many people before. You loved me before as well, Treize. Who did you really love?"
"I was younger when I loved you, Zechs. Or is it Scorpio now? That is the formal name, and now we should be formal. I loved Wufei, then I had to leave. He thought I had died, everyone thought I had died. I was dead to you. Now I watch the sunset alone every morning, and you watch it with Virgo. I will not lose so easily," with that, the boots disappeared again into the shadows, leaving Scorpio worried and full of questions for Virgo.
*
The first thing Yuy noticed as the three snuck through the base wearing the enemy's clothing was that Virgo was beautiful as he moved. Trudging to Alexandria base did not leave much room for beauty, but the way Virgo moved as he went, as quiet as anyone could be, through the base was that Virgo made it beautiful and desirable.
"Where's Leo?" whispered Cancer, eyes also on Virgo.
"Somewhere in the prison," replied Virgo, voice beautiful and quiet. "There are four guards. We should start walking normally now."
"What's Leo's real name?" asked Yuy.
"Otto. The Five's orders say to ask for the Eighth Zodiac," replied Cancer. Yuy and Virgo nodded.
*
"Hey, we're here to check in on the Eighth Zodiac," Cancer was the one who spoke. He didn't carry himself as if he owned the place, just as if he were familiar with it. The guard sized him up.
"I.D.?"
Cancer rooted around in his pocket and produced the card. Alexandrian base didn't use photo identification, and Yuy was glad of it. The man looked over the I.D.
"You don't have the authority to see prisoners," he replied, lowering his gun towards Cancer. In a flash, the boy's leg flew up and threw the gun clanging into one of the other guards. A second later, both guards had fallen. Yuy sprung into action at the first sign of Cancer's movement, sending the third man falling with a swift draw of gun. Virgo slammed his elbow into the last one's face, and a cracking noise was audible. Cancer rooted around and found new I.D. cards, passing one to Yuy and the other to Virgo. Virgo found a key and swiped it. The door hissed open and the three ran through, setting the prisoners into the light.
*
"This is the eighth," Gemini stood now on the cart, with Leo next to it. "You will most likely remember him from our meeting before. He chose to return after Virgo made his choice. Alexandria base imprisoned him for involvement with the Five. That base is now destroyed. It is our mission to destroy the entirety of The Seven Empires. The next mission will be given tomorrow."
The eight present dispersed, and the ninth, better known as the thirteenth stayed, watching sunrise on a rooftop.
Owari.
It's eating my brain! I don't even like 3+9! Ahh!