Other Worlds
Chapter 9
Wow, chapter 9 didn't take as long to write as I thought it would. Took me a hell of a long time to type though…I wonder why?…Anyway, sorry for the delay! Enjoy! ^_^
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing but I do own Nikita, Aldrich, Turk and all the other crazy stuff that comes outta my imagination, with the exception of the monsters that I use which are from AD&D.
….. = denotes thought
Duo awoke to a throbbing pain in his shoulder. He grimaced as he slowly pushed himself up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He looked around and saw he was in a quiet forest clearing with a small stream running through it. Duo was confused for a moment before the events of last night finally hit him. He gingerly touched the bandaged wound on his shoulder.
It really happened. That monster…
"Glad to see you're awake. How are you feeling?" Duo was startled from his thoughts when he heard a voice from behind him. He looked behind him and saw a man with shoulder length blond hair and pointed ears siting against a tree.
It's that weird guy who saved me last night.
"I'm feeling a little better than I was last night." said Duo.
"Glad to hear it." said the man as he got up and walked over to Duo. He knelt beside him and examined his bandages. "Does it still hurt much?"
"A little…" Duo trailed off. Who the hell was this guy? And what was up with his ears? "What's your name?"
The man looked a little surprised at his question. "Aldrich."
"Oh." said Duo. "I'm Duo."
"Yes, you told me last night." said Aldrich.
"I guess I forgot…"
"I don't blame you." said Aldrich. "I'd want to forget last night too if I were you."
"Can you tell me where I am?" asked Duo.
Aldrich just shrugged. "You're in a forest in the Greymoore region."
"The Greymoore region?…" Duo repeated. He had never heard of such a place before.
"Do you know how you got here?" asked Aldrich.
"Not really…I just sorta woke up in that field…" said Duo.
Great, another one who doesn't know how he got here. How many more are going to arrive? thought Aldrich.
"Do you remember what happened before you got here?" asked Aldrich. Duo furrowed his brow as he tried to recall what had happened before he had arrived in that horrible field.
"I was out looking for one of my friends. He had walked out into the woods and hadn't come back for a while so my other friends asked me to go look for him." Duo paused for a moment. "Then I started hearing some strange noises, like thunder rumbling, only there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. I followed the noises to a small lake and there was a whole bunch of weird black clouds sort of hovering above it, with blue lightning flashing through it. I got hit by one of the lightning bolts and then I woke up in that field." Aldrich was listening to Duo's story with avid interest. Duo had just described a spell, but he couldn't quite remember which one. Then another thought occurred to him.
"What was the name of the friend you were searching for, Duo?" asked Aldrich.
"Heero Yuy. Why?" said Duo with a confused look on his face.
"He's been here. My sister and I ran into him a few days ago." said Aldrich. Duo's eyes widened at the news.
Heero's been here?…
"Where is Heero now?!" asked Duo.
"He's with my sister. I'm going to go meet them in Canderis." replied Aldrich.
"Can I come with you?!" asked Duo. Maybe Heero can tell me what the hell is going on…
"Of course. I'd love to have a little company along." said Aldrich.
"Thanks!" said Duo. His stomach grumbled noisily. He blushed. "Um, do you got anything to eat?"
"Yes, just a minute." Aldrich pulled out a small bundle wrapped in brown cloth from his satchel. Inside it was a loaf of bread and four apples. He gave Duo half of the bread and two of the apples and watched in slight fascination as Duo scarfed down his food like he hadn't eaten in days. Aldrich gave Duo his apples when Duo finished off his own.
"Thanks a lot." said Duo when he had finished eating. He got up and stretched, wincing slightly as he moved his injured shoulder. He picked up his shirt from off the ground and pulled it back on. The left sleeve was torn up pretty bad and there were small holes in booth sleeves. He finished buttoning up his shirt, then picked up the blanket he had been using, folded it up and handed it to Aldrich who put it back in his satchel.
"Thank you." said Aldrich as he put the blanket away. He slung the satchel over his shoulder and reached over to tug his sleeve back down only to be reminded that he didn't have them anymore. Aldrich sighed sadly. He probably looked ridiculous walking around in a sleeveless robe.
"Shall we get going then? Nikita and Heero may already be in Canderis." said Aldrich. Duo nodded his head eagerly and fell into step beside the taller man as they headed to Canderis where, hopefully, Duo would find Heero so he could explain this weird situation.
"Oww! Heero that hurts! Do you have to wrap it so tight?!" whined Nikita as Heero bandaged the wound in her shoulder. They were in a small clearing, far from the bandits' hideout. Turk had left them a short while ago, saying he needed to deliver the book as soon as possible. Heero had felt a little relieved when he left, though when he had hugged Nikita goodbye, it had sent jealousy running through him. Now, Heero was currently bandaging a complaining Nikita's shoulder.
"I'm hardly wrapping it that tightly at all. You're just too sensitive." said Heero. Nikita glared at him. Heero couldn't help himself and a small grin broke out across his features.
"Why Heero, are you smiling?" asked Nikita in mock surprise.
"What?" asked Heero as he finished bandaging Nikita's shoulder.
"Well, that's the first time I've seen you smile since you've been here." Nikita rubbed her shoulder. "You should do it more often, you look good when you do."
"….whatever." mumbled Heero, a faint blush tingeing his cheeks. He was glad it was dark. The two sat in silence for a while, Heero studying Nikita as she looked up at the stars with her back facing him. Heero noticed a strange marking on Nikita's right shoulder. It was a tattoo of a crescent moon with an ornate dagger running through it.
"Where did you get that tattoo?" asked Heero, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.
"Huh? What?" asked Nikita as she was snapped from her daze.
"That tattoo on your shoulder, where did you get it?" Heero repeated.
"Oh, that? I got it a long time ago. It's the symbol of my guild." said Nikita.
"Your guild?"
"Yeah, the Moonblade Guild. My brother and I were raised and trained there." said Nikita. "He has the same tattoo on his left shoulder." The silence settled between them once more before Nikita spoke again.
"That was really impressive what you did back there."
"What?" asked Heero.
"When you caught that crossbow bolt." said Nikita. "I didn't know you could do that."
"I didn't really know I could either." said Heero. "It just sort of…happened."
"Oh? Well, thank you anyway." said Nikita, turning to face Heero, fixing her aqua eyes on him. "For saving my life."
"You're welcome, I guess." said Heero. Silence again. Heero leaned back against a tree and stared up at the stars twinkling against the black sky like a million tiny candles. He wondered for a moment about the other pilots, what they were doing and if any missions had come up. He was startled from his thoughts when he felt Nikita scoot up next to him and rest her head against his shoulder.
"What are you doing?" asked Heero. He looked down at the blonde elf.
"You don't mind if I make myself comfortable here, do you?" she asked sleepily. She yawned broadly.
"….no." said Heero. He turned back to the stars, listening to the sound of Nikita's even breathing as she slept curled against his side. He looked back down at the sleeping elf. Her lips parted slightly as she drew in each quiet breath, her long golden lashes curled against her cheeks. A few errant strands of hair curled around her sleeping face and Heero reached down and gently brushed a few of the loose strands away. She murmured in her sleep as Heero's callused fingers brushed against her cheek and she pressed herself closer to his side. Heero felt so at peace as he sat there with Nikita sleeping at his side. He hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time, something about Nikita warmed the cold that was always within him.
The sun rose, painting the sky in pastel oranges and bright yellows. Heero watched the sun as it rose slowly over the horizon. He had stayed awake all night, just enjoying the feel of Nikita at his side. He heard her yawn and looked down at her as she slowly awoke.
"Oh, did I fall asleep? Sorry…" she said sleepily as she rubbed her eyes.
"That's okay." Heero went back to the sunset.
"Beautiful morning…" murmured Nikita as she watched the sunrise with him. Heero just nodded. They watched it together in quiet, but their moment of peace did not last long.
They both jumped when a loud roar ripped through the quiet woods. They heard loud stomping, like a very large creature was walking around very nearby. Tiny tremors shook the earth and Nikita tensed as she looked in the direction of the noise, fear flooding her eyes.
"What is that?" asked Heero. Nikita didn't hear him, however. She had buried her face against his chest and was whimpering and trembling with fear, her hands were gripping his shirt so tightly her knuckles were white. Heero put his arms protectively around the shaking girl and tried to comfort her.
"Nikita, what's wrong? What's making that noise?" asked Heero, trying to comfort her.
"No, not again….I'm not ready…" Nikita whimpered against his shirt. Heero held her close and looked in the direction of the noise.
God, I wish I had my gundam here…
There it is! Aren't I cruel, first I take forever to post this chapter and then I leave you on a cliffhanger! Chapter 10 is halfway written and depending on my muses' moods, it should be up soon. Thank you for reading and please review! ^_^