DC: I don't own GW (or anything affiliated with them, though I wish I did)
All other characters are mine and created from the mind of insanity, mainly
me. All resemblances to any characters of other fics are purely
coincidental. Otherwise, don't sue me, all I have is my laptop.
Safe House 12:08 p.m.
Heero Yuy pulled up slowly to the pink limousine that was trying to be inconspicuous. It was hidden behind a barley large enough bush with either end sticking from the green shrubbery. Heero's face contorted into a snarl and he slammed on his brakes, making Kirin surge forward. Lucky for her, her arm had blocked out some of the force.
"Heero, what was that for?"
"She found us."
Kirin's gold eyes widened. She peered beside Heero who was staring at the pink-clad Vice Foreign Minister, being pushed around the perimeter of the house by her manservant and driver, Pagan. "How..." She suddenly remembered the night before. She remembered why Mark Macbeth was there, supposedly checking on a 'lead.' His 'lead' was her! "That bastard!"
Heero also remembered the man from the night before. "Mark."
"Yeah." Kirin said lowly. She leaned on Heero's bare shoulder, watching Relena trying to peek into the near-empty house. "She must really be in love with you to hire an idiot like Mark."
"You two were partners." Heero stated, feeling Kirin's breath on his shoulder. He shifted slightly, turning his body towards her.
"Yeah, but I never said he was a good partner." Kirin replied. She buried her head into his shoulder, sighing fretfully. "Why can't they just leave us alone?"
"We're very popular." Heero said, narrowing his eyes at Relena who was giving Pagan the order to open the door. Why couldn't he just kill Relena? With the obvious, the Earth's Sphere Alliance would be without a Vice Foreign Minister, there would be a mini political war that would erupt and result in a blown out war, totally blown up out of proportion. Then there was Milliardo Peacecraft, who, to many, was dead, but to the Gundam Pilots, was much alive and would chase after Heero for such a deed. Milliardo was in no such position to defy him, though many of their battles ended in a stalemate. He didn't want to bother with the Peacecraft's anymore. He had enough of them to last a lifetime. Now what was he to do? Decisions, decisions.
Pagan was now kneeling next to a bush. Further in was a small window showing the insides of the basement to which Kirin was using as a hanger for the Gundams. It was a cramped space, but it fitted all three when they were all in kneeling positions.
"Oh, no!" Kirin wailed. She leaned over Heero's lap, trying to ineffectively get closer to Relena. "That idiot! What is she doing? That's private property!"
"Was she ever one to listen?" Heero said blandly. To protect himself and Kirin, he'd have to kill Relena. But would it help?
Kirin had had enough! She unbuckled her seat belt and pushed herself out of Heero's window, using her upper strength to do a somersault and landing on her feet. She took a step when Heero's hand grabbed her waist.
"Wait." He said. He wasn't about to let her waltz into their house and start shooting anything that didn't belong. He'd rather have the privilege of doing it himself.
Kirin spun around and slammed against the opening car door. The air was knocked out of her which made Heero quickly side step and catch her. She leaned on him again and gave him a look. "That was not nice, Heero."
"I didn't mean to do that." He said, solemnly.
Kirin regained her composure and almost screamed when Relena and Pagan were gone. "They've gone inside already!"
Heero followed after an angry, Kirin, almost relieved he wasn't at the receiving end of her anger. She slammed open the door, ready to scream at the top of her lungs at Relena when she stopped, the words forming in her head turned into rage.
Heero stood beside Kirin, glaring at the group who had invaded their home before Relena. He noticed one with a wild grin on his face. He was holding Relena hostage with a gun to her head.
"Hello, Kirin..." said the apparent leader. "Long time no see."
"I want you and your cronies out of my house." Kirin demanded, her voice taking a dangerous tone to it.
"Really?" the man leaned over Relena. "This is Relena Peacecraft-"
"I'm well aware of that you, moron." Kirin snapped. The deadly and dangerous side of her was coming out in full force.
The man smiled. "She was contacted by Lee Ikuza. He propositioned her to rat out your whereabouts."
"What?" Kirin set her angry gold eyes on Relena who's mouth was covered by the man's hand.
"She complied, hired Mark Macbeth, who did a very good job, might I add, to find you and so...now we're taking you back."
Heero moved protectively in front of Kirin as she said, "I'm not going back to that monster."
"You don't have a choice, Kirin. Just think...you and I are going to have fun again." he laughed and beckoned with his free hand. "Kill the boyfriend."
So this was the man who violated his Kirin. He was going to remember his face. His name wasn't important. He was just going to die and when he did, no one would recognize him anyway.
Three men who stood behind the leader came around, surrounding Heero. One, with a horrible Jamaican accent, came towards Heero wielding a simple club. He swung low at Heero but met with a fierce uppercut to the gut. The two other men observed this and came to Heero simultaneously. Heero spun on his leg, catching one in the jaw while his left fist shot out knocking down the other. He stood upright again, still in the same protective position he was in. No one was going to take his Kirin.
Kirin, relieved, hugged Heero from behind. "You don't know who you're dealing wit, Mike!"
Mike snorted and pulled out a gun. "Really?" He shot Heero somewhere in the abdomen which resulted a scream from both Kirin and Relena. "Not so tough now, is he?"
"You bastard!" Kirin screamed. She shielded Heero, trying to find his wound. "Heero, where are you hurt?"
"I'm...fine." Heero growled. He lifted his head, his eyes having a demented light in them. A trickle of blood slid down the corner of his mouth. He stood, holding his stomach. A smile began to form on his lips.
"Heero, no!" Kirin cried. She put her own hands over his wound, applying pressure. "Stop, Heero!"
Heero reached for his gun but fell back again as three more bullets entered and exited his body. He fell against the front door, Kirin screaming at Mike. He chuckled softly, thinking that if he survived self-detonation, he could survive a whole round of bullets. He glanced at Kirin and felt his heart stop for one moment.
Kirin's face was streaked with his blood. Her hair and her clothes were showered with it, too. Tears fell over her pale cheeks, her hands bloodied beyond recognition. She was speaking to him, but the haze of rage and anger coursing through him muffled her voice of reason. Every so often she'd turn and yell an expletive at the man named Mike and then back to him. He wished he could hear her voice, even though she was probably screaming. Her hands, soaked with his blood, came to his face. She shook her head, tears mixing with blood, running down her face and neck and onto her white clothes. She was crying for him.
"That's sweet, Shido, but Lee doesn't like to be kept waiting." Mike replied angrily. "Come with us or he dies!"
Heero jerked his head and tried standing again. "You are not...taking her away from me..."
"This is getting boring." Mike threw Relena onto the floor and stepped next to Kirin and a wounded Heero. He leaned next to Heero and put a strong hand around his neck. Lifting his incapacitated body a few inches off the floor, he eyed Kirin who was shaking her head and crying. "I never knew you to be the weakling you are now, Shido. You actually give a damn about him?"
"...Yes..." Kirin said hoarsely. "I'll never let you live if you kill him."
"Touching." Mike jerked his free hand into Kirin's direction, hitting her squarely in the face. He turned to Heero who jerked when he heard the sickening thud of fist-on-face. "She was mine first. And she'll always be mine." He grinned as he shoved the end of his barrel into one of Heero's wounds.
Heero gritted his teeth, knowing this was many experience he'd never forget. Kirin was lying on the floor, her nose bleeding from the point- blank hit of Mike's punch. Mike moved to an area that wasn't damaged yet. "I'll give you a little something to remember me by, Heero Yuy..." He chose an area on his chest, and instead of shooting him, he brought out a knife. Ever-so-slowly he began to carve the word 'ONI' onto his chest. Heero didn't scream. Instead he passed out, whispering Kirin's name.
Safe House 1:17 p.m.
"Finally home!" cried Shin. She saw the all-purpose vehicle parked outside and the furniture truck and movers waiting outside. Shin eyed Yume who shrugged. Wufei and Trowa peered into the vehicle. They both shook their heads.
Quatre walked up to the front door. He knocked timidly. "Kirin, Heero! We're back!" He turned to look at his fellow pilots. He shrugged and gripped the door handle. He prayed that he wasn't intruding on any activity between Kirin and Heero. He turned the handle and let the front door swing open. The bags he was carrying fell to the ground. His crystal blue eyes widened in horror. "Oh, my GOD!"
Shin and Yume, the closest to the house, rushed to Quatre's side and gawked. There were soon followed by Trowa, Duo, and Wufei. They looked at each other and ushered themselves into the house.
Heero was leaning against the wall, a puddle of blood surrounding him. His eyes were glazed over, his gun only a few inches from his hand. Blood seeped from a wound on his chest and from his mouth. His breath was still warm. A few feet from him was Pagan, unconscious with a large cut above his eye. Next to him was Relena, her clothes torn and bloodied. She was the only one conscious, visible tears sliding down her face. She was face down, sobbing into the cold, hallway floor. "It was my fault. All of this was my fault..."
Quatre was the first to move. He leaned over Heero who was barely breathing. His voice came out strained and wispy. His eyes seemed to be staring at a space next to him. "Kirin..."
"Kirin?" Quatre repeated. He stood and turned to Yume and Shin. "Where's Kirin?"
Shin and Yume looked at each other and split up. Shin ran upstairs while Yume ran into the kitchen. Trowa leaned next to Heero and felt for a pulse. "He's barely hanging on. Wufei, go outside and see if you can get one of the mover to call an ambulance."
Wufei nodded and jogged outside. Duo stepped around the puddle of blood and leaned down to Relena. "What happened?"
"I..." She began sobbing again. "I never meant for him to get hurt..."
Duo tried asking her again, but she choked and began wailing. He turned to Quatre who was distracted with some other news.
"Kirin's not upstairs!" Shin called. She landed on the last step and began breathing hard. "I'll go check in the basement."
Yume emerged from the kitchen. "She's not in the kitchen or outside."
"They took her..." sobbed Relena. She had enough strength in her to push herself up from the floor. Her face was wet and dotted with blood. "They took her!"
"Who?" Yume demanded. "It's not helping that you keep saying 'them'!"
"His name was Mike. There were others with him but I didn't catch their names!" Relena wailed.
Yume put a hand to her forehead. "Mike is from the Elite. From ONI. One of Lee's men."
Shin came back, gasping for air. "The Gundams are fine. But I don't think Kirin repaired them."
Yume came towards Shin. "Mike was here. They know we're here."
"How can it be?" Shin asked. "No one knew! Except..."
"Mark." Yume said lowly. "He probably told Relena and Relena told Lee which means they send the Elite here to take back Kirin and then they'd-"
"Oh, no..." Shin whispered. She had remembered once Kirin had told her about her past. Her uncle, Lee Ikuza, was going to use Kirin's DNA to give life to high-powered super soldiers. Induced by Lee's will of destruction and hatred for the human race, he'd overrun the Earth and the Colonies and forge it to his liking. She gazed at Heero. "Should we administer some first aid to Heero? He might be dying."
Trowa was already on the task. He had to take off the rest of Heero's mangled green tank top. He saw the word ONI on Heero's chest. He called to Yume. "What's this mean?"
Yume turned and spotted the large printing on Heero's chest. "That's ONI. The group Kirin, Shin, and I used to work for. ONI means the Order of Neo- Imperialists. In Japanese it also means 'ogre.'"
Trowa nodded and began to clean off Heero's wounds. The perfect soldier didn't even let out a whimper or a groan. His eyes stared up at the ceiling, the name of Kirin Shido replaying over and over on his lips. He didn't even flinch as Trowa's gentle but strong hands brushed over bullet wounds. "He keeps repeating Kirin's name."
Quatre stood beside Trowa, watching Heero's progress. He looked at Pagan who was beginning to regain consciousness. "I'll tend to Pagan. Duo, try to calm down Miss Relena."
Duo scratched his head. She was crying, had been crying, ever since he asked what happened. He couldn't do anything but look helplessly at her. "Sure, Q-man..."
Shin paced the room. The Gundams weren't repaired yet and they didn't know where they were going to take Kirin. She put her hands to her face, trying to think what Kirin would have thought. It didn't help that plans formed magically from the top of her head nor did it help Kirin had that little one-up on knowing practically everything. She wanted to slam her head on the wall and cry! Now what was going to happen to the rest of them?
The house was then filled with paramedics. Trowa called the attention to the medics. "He needs the most help. Help him first!"
The medics surrounded Heero. A few took notice of Pagan and Relena. "What the hell happened here...?"
Elite Hideout 3:12 p.m.
Kirin Shido woke up to a metal plank hitting her across the face. Gold eyes stared into blue. She felt a warm liquid run down her mouth. She turned her gaze from the man in front of her and spit at his feet, a splotch of blood and spit on the cold concrete floor. Her hands were bound as were her feet quite tightly, seeing as soon as she was free, she'd kill every single one of them.
"Kirin...you've been a bad girl." Mike Lane said carefully. He wiped at the blood on her face. "It wasn't very nice turning rogue on us. Lee was very hurt by your disobedience."
"Go to hell, Mike. You're as useless as a dog without teeth." Kirin retorted.
Mike grabbed a fistful of silver hair and pulled her hair back, threatening to snap her neck. His mouth moved next to her throat, brushing against the smooth flesh. His dirty nails caressed her pale cheek. "Remember all the fun we had?"
"Fun? What fun?" Kirin asked, knowing Mike wasn't going to kill her. "The only fun I had was watching you trying to get it up."
Mike's other hand wrapped around her neck, gently squeezing. "Don't mess around with me you little whore. I'm Lee's new General so give me the respect I deserve."
Kirin began laughing. He shook her sternly which resulted in another high- pitched laugh. He released the hold on her and slapped her across the face. Silver strands fell over her, covering the bruises on her face. Though her face was so pale and due to the chemical imbalances in her body, her bruises came and went like a mood swing. "Respect are for those who earn it. The title of General doesn't make you any better of a soldier."
"Shut up!" Mike raged. He picked up Kirin, still in the chair and threw her across the floor. The chair she was bound to cracked, among other bones in her body due to such force. He neared her and got to his knees. "For years I've wondered what was so special about you. All you did was throw out orders and created some big machines. But I'm going to start a war. I'm going to prove to everyone in the world how much better I am than you."
"In a cold day in hell..." Kirin whispered, her mind screaming at her that one of her ribs was seriously broken.
Mike stood up and reached for his belt. "I guess that day has come...for you."
Kirin could hear the slight change in Mike's voice. She moved her head so that she could barely see his face. A layer of clothing fell next to her head. Her eyes widened and she tried to moved away from him. A heavy boot landed on her hip. She heard him take off his pants and push her closer to the wall. Tears welled in her eyes. She knew what was going to happen now.
He propped her up onto the wall, breaking the remainder of the chair's legs. He was sitting on his back haunches, half-naked and licking his chapped lips. "I'm sorry, I forgot. I was the one who had all the fun..."
Kirin shook her head lightly, as if it were only a dream. Mike positioned himself between Kirin's legs. "No...stop...!"
Mike wrapped Kirin's eyes and mouth with the shirt of a ripped sleeve. She began struggling and crossed her legs. He laughed gleefully and with one quick jerk of his hand, slammed the back of Kirin's head into the wall, disorienting her. "Be a good girl and let me see how well you've...matured...inside."
Kirin let out a blood-curdling scream. No one heard her.
Sank Hospital 3:38 p.m.
Heero Yuy's cold blue eyes surveyed the room. A machine blipped next to him, wires and tubes stuck out of him and a great pain in his heart wouldn't allow him to sleep and to heal. He clenched his fist, images of a man hitting his Kirin in the face. Images of that man laughing at him and mocking him, marking him with a knife, shooting bullets into him. He survived of course. He had to do a lot more than shooting him to kill him. And as for his heart...a feeling of dread settled over him as he awoke from his operation. As he lay in bed, the dread filled his mind and suffocated his heart until all at once, it shattered, making him feel as if something bad had happened. He knew how bad his injuries were...but it wasn't him.
Heero sat up, pain racking his body. Every muscle begged him to heal and to relax. How could he relax when Kirin was out there? He pulled off the tubes and wires and stalked towards the door. Monitors began blaring and he turned, wishing he had his gun to shoot them to shut up. Instead, he left the room, ignoring the sounds.
Nurses and doctors came from every direction and gawked at Heero as he walked, shakily, towards the elevators. A plan was already forming in his mind. First thing was first. He'd have to repair Kirin's Gundam. The night before they, himself, Trowa, and Kirin, were only able to fly a short distance from their hiding place to the safe house. The problem was more internal than external so they had enough power to get home. Kirin swore once they got back from shopping, she'd go directly to the basement to do the repairs. She never got the chance which made Heero even angrier.
He got into an empty elevator and pressed the ground button. The next thing he'd do was search every corner of Sank to find Kirin. Those group of mercenaries were probably stupid enough to find a place in or out of Sank and think that they couldn't escape from him. He was going to rip out every single one of their hearts and hang it up as trophies. He was in that much of a rage to the point that he didn't care what was happening to himself as long as Kirin was returned to him. Intact, that is.
The elevator doors opened and the group awaiting to go upstairs stared at him. Heero gazed at them before walking past them. "I'm going home. I'm going to fix Kirin's Gundam and I'm going to find her."
The pilots looked at each other. With no excuse to argue, they followed after Heero.
Safe House 4:03 p.m.
The all-purpose vehicle came to an abrupt halt in front of the safe house. The police had already left, leaving the front door wide open. Hopefully they didn't confiscate the three Gundams in the basement.
Trowa came out of the driver's side and opened the door for Heero who didn't seem to care his wounds had re-opened and were discharging blood. He couldn't help but admire Heero's valiant attitude towards Kirin, but he was going to get himself killed if not seriously-and permanently, damaged.
Heero moved towards the house, images replaying when he and Kirin had arrived, only hours before. He stood in the doorway, seeing blood splatters all over the once-white wall. He saw the puddle of thick blood, soaking into the hardwood floor. He turned to a marker that was labeled bullet number two. There were some other blood spots on the floor, slightly discolored. It was Kirin's blood. Usually blood was a dark crimson, but her blood had a lighter tint to it, like it was red paint. Close to the living room were tread marks from Relena's wheelchair. Blood was in that area as well, but not as much from himself or Kirin. There was yellow tape surrounding the scene. Heero turned to Quatre who came to his beckon call. His eyes asked the question.
"Relena's still in the hospital. She's gone into minor shock. Pagan's all right, a few stitches on his head."
Heero turned from Quatre and looked at Yume and Shin who stood quietly by the door. Yume was staring at the pool of blood. Startled, she met similar blue eyes. She shook her head sadly. "Mike and that group you met with were the Elite of ONI. Mike's always had a grudge against Kirin because she became the General instead of him. If I'm right, which I hope I'm not, the Elite are going to hand Kirin over to Lee."
Heero's well hidden anger rose another notch. Lee Ikuza, the man who brought out the side of Kirin he never wanted to cross. The man who had murdered her family. The man to whom he was going to lose Kirin to.
Duo tumbled into the hallway. "What do we do about all the furniture? The mover's aren't even here anymore!"
"That's not important you idiot." Heero growled. He ignored Shin's sharp look and trudged into his room. He spotted his belongings in the center of the room. He removed the hospital gown, not feeling the least bit inhibited about being naked underneath. He looked at his wounds which were fresh with blood. He'd rest later, now was not the time. He dug into his sack and what emerged was a roll of bandage. He wrapped himself up then took out a black, long-sleeved shirt and pulled it over his head. He pulled out a similar pair of black pants and dressed. His feet settled into black, steel-toes boots, heavy enough to inflict major physical damage, but too heavy for him to move quickly enough in his weakened state. He left his room, passing by the group who were now busily trying to clean up the mess.
Heero ignored them and moved into the basement. One reason he knew that the police hadn't come into the basement was because of the red lasers that scattered everywhere into the room. There was a secret button console that could only be accessed by the members of the household. Heero pressed a sequence of buttons Kirin had given him and Trowa. The red lasers disappeared and he continued down the stairs. The reason why the police hadn't gotten the Gundams was because they were on stealth mode and it was difficult for anyone to see it unless they knew it was there. Heero moved to a large computer console and pressed a single yellow button that started up the system.
He sat down in the swivel chair and waited. A white flash on the screen appeared which prompted scrolling words. He pushed in another sequence of buttons and pushed a red button. A diagnostic program began to automatically run on the Gundams.
Words flashed onto the screen, each going over the external and internal parts of Kirin's Gundam, Archangel. It located a section of Kirin's Gundam that had malfunctioned during the re-entering to Earth. All it was, was a faulty line that couldn't match the output for the thrusters. He could fix it and not even waste any parts. He stood and reached out his hand to feel Archangel's bent leg. He felt for a button that would remove the stealth mode. His hand brushed against an indentation and the silver Gundam manifested. He moved towards the back section and found several wires un- connected. He shook his head.
"You've become careless, Kirin..."
A thought suddenly surfaced in his head. It wasn't Kirin that was careless. Yume had just told him that the man Mike had grudge against Kirin. He might've pulled the wires causing the malfunction. He would've hoped that re-entering the atmosphere would set off an explosion and Kirin would die. He scoffed. His Kirin was stronger than that. But right now she needed him. He was sure of that.
Heero corresponded the wires to their correct locale. After making sure everything else was in order, he moved into the cockpit. His hands gripped the controls as the system began to start up. He looked out to the screen and watched as the console detected malfunctions in Dragon Slayer and Morning Star. Would he really need back-up? He knew the others would be able to repair the two Gundams without him, but would they be competent enough to do it? Better safe than sorry. He moved out of the cockpit and checked the other Gundams. They, too, had the same problem. Except Yume's Gundam, Dragon Slayer, had a serious defect in her right arm. The wires were severed which mean they were hastily cut. Could he spare just a few minutes of reconfiguring the wires to its desired performance? He'd have to. That was part of his nature. Everything had to be perfect.
He did, in actuality, spent a mere ten minutes finding an extra set of wires, electrical tape, and wire cutters to do the job. He spent another five going over the diagnostic program, making sure everything was up to par. He checked out Yume's Gundam once more for good measure. He turned to Morning Star which was up and running. He'd let Shin and Yume decide what to do next. He was going to leave and find Kirin. And he hoped, with all his heart, she was safe and sound.
Elite Hideout 4:24 p.m.
Her breathe came with much difficulty. She swore she bit her tongue enough times to choke on it. He body was sprawled on the cold floor, her hands and feet still bound and her clothes torn. She felt blood between her legs and on her throat. Her eyes stared at the open door, seeing three unfamiliar women sitting on wooden stools. The other three she knew well. They used to be under her command when she was a Captain.
Byron Mathis, the Jamaican with a bad accent; Brad Lansing, possibly the only nice one of the Elite; and Alan Parker, Shin's old boyfriend as well as an arrogant jerk who thought he was one of the best soldiers in ONI. Every one of them had their perks as well as their drawbacks. Each one of them had skills valuable to ONI, but they were just personal favorites of Lee. They had no experience in an actual war and no experience in primal weaponry. They were ruthless in takeovers, merciless murderers, and arrogant men who are only second to the Triad.
Kirin heard Mike's voice come from the room beside her. It appeared to be a bathroom. She wanted to desperately get up and wash the stench off her body. Once again she had been defiled by that prick, Mike. She heard running water and her throat wanted some cool liquid. She managed to move her head and saw Mike adjusting his belt. He had finally decided to clean himself up. By standards of other women, he wasn't bad looking. His attitude could use major adjustments, and other than that, he could've been decent, if he wasn't corrupted by power and Lee Ikuza.
Mike Lane walked past her, spitting on her disabled form as he passed. He peered outside. "Any of you guys want to try her out? I'm sure I didn't hurt her too badly."
A voice she recognized as Brad's came out soft and usually intelligent. "I'm sorry, but it's not in my nature to defile a woman who has just been used. I'd rather have it that she'd be cleaned up first or at the very least, looking her best for me."
"You're an ass, Brad!" Mike laughed. "Byron? Alan?"
"Hey, man! I do not like to use things after you, you know? Besides, you are filthy! That albino in there is not me type. She will reek like you tomorrow." Byron replied. He began laughing when Mike threw a shoe at him.
"We should've waited for Shin and Yume. We could've had some real fun with all three." Alan said mildly.
"That's my boy!" Mike cried. "But orders are orders-"
"I thought we were just suppose to take her and give her to Lee?" came a female voice Kirin didn't recognize.
"Yes, but Lee doesn't know we have her yet, Melinda, dear. So, we're going to stand-by here a few days, play around with Kirin, and give Lee a little tease. After that, we'll send the little whore into space, ok?"
There came a growl followed by a slamming door. The room was quiet for a moment, then a burst of laughter from the men.
Kirin shifted her body and saw a window. It was boarded shut but she knew it had only been a few hours. The sun was still shining outside. She could smell the ocean nearby, faintly, but it was there. The breeze was gentle enough for her to know that it was still mid-afternoon. She tried sitting up, but the pain in her body sent a shock through her. She relaxed and closed her eyes. She had to conserve her energy. But she didn't want to stay any longer than needed. She knew that if she wanted to leave, she'd have to give in to the animal instinct that terrified even herself.
Kirin heard the door close. She was alone. She propped herself up, ignoring the pain. She pushed herself against the wall and with all her strength got to her feet. There was blood descending down her legs which she also ignored. Moving lethargically towards the boarded up window, taking painful and incredibly slow baby jumps. She leaned over and took in a deep breath. The air rejuvenated her, somewhat, which inclined her to try her bound hands. They were wary of her. They had handcuffed her hands and used rope to enforce it. She looked at her legs which were chained together, parts of her skin scraping off the metal. She took in another deep breath and used every cell in her body to give strength to her hands. She heard the sound of bending metal and ground her teeth as her hands came away freed and bloody. She looked at the deep cuts in her wrists. She was now in the state of mind that pain wasn't a factor as well as her well being. She bent down and snapped the chains, her ankles also bearing deep cuts. She looked at her clothes. That wasn't a factor, either. She ran her bloodied hands through her hair, light red blood streaking through silver. She walked towards the door and threw it open. A smile spread on her lips, a trickle of blood falling from the corner of her mouth.
Mike was in mid-bite of a sandwich. He stood up and pointed a gun at her. "Stop right there, Shido!"
Kirin tipped her head to the side and came forwards. Alan stood and unsheathed a knife. She saw the glint of metal and turned, shoving a fist into Alan's face, making him crumple to the floor. Byron emerged from a different direction, holding nothing but a metal bar. He swung and hit her squarely in the shoulder. The metal bar bent, contorting to the shape of her shoulder. She shook her head and grabbed the bar. With a quick jerk of her hand, Byron had a mouthful of blood and a broken jaw. She turned back to Mike who was now joined by Brad.
"Kirin, calm down..." Brad said, using a calm voice. "You don't want to do this..."
"Don't I?" Kirin asked. The pupils of her eyes had turned gold. Two, angry, glowing gold orbs ready to kill all in her path.
Mike pushed Brad forward. "Try talking her out of this, Brad!"
"What do you think I'm trying to do?" Brad hissed. "Kirin, listen, I know you're upset and you've just been defiled-"
A rueful laugh echoed the room. She licked the blood from her wrists. She was in a haze. Bloodlust. The Angel of Chaos. She stepped forward and shot her hand towards Brad's neck. She lifted him from the floor. "You can't escape me."
Brad began fumbling for his gun which he kept in his back pocket. Kirin tightened her grip on him and threw him into a far wall. There was a loud thud and an indentation of Brad's body on the wall. She turned to Mike who was backing away. She felt tears fall down her cheeks. She wasn't the least bit sorry for what she as doing. Secretly, she was terrified of what she'd do. Her hand came to her face, and it came away with blood. She was crying? No, it was blood. Blood from the core of her madness. Now she knew she was in too deep to go back to her normal self.
Mike took note of this. "What the hell are you?"
Kirin, aware of two females coming behind her, stepped closer to Mike. "The Darkness that will be your end..."
Mike flicked a glance at the two females. He raised his hand to Kirin. "Please don't hurt me."
Kirin bared her teeth, her lips turning a color of red. She spun around and grabbed fistfuls of hair. The two females screamed, though one was taller than she, and she smashed their heads together, an inaudible crack could've only been heard by Kirin.
She turned and grabbed Alan's knife and threw it in Mike's direction. She stormed towards him and leaned in close. She pulled out a knife from his ankle and angled it so that the light hit the blade and shone into her gold eyes.
Mike choked back a scream of disgust, seeing nothing but gold stare into his eyes. He leaned back, the air around him smelling that metallic scent of blood. She opened her mouth, her tongue now an eerie red. She licked his cheek, blood smearing on his face. She smiled as the shadows suddenly seemed to crowd around him. "Be a good boy and let me see how well you've... matured...inside."
Safe House 12:08 p.m.
Heero Yuy pulled up slowly to the pink limousine that was trying to be inconspicuous. It was hidden behind a barley large enough bush with either end sticking from the green shrubbery. Heero's face contorted into a snarl and he slammed on his brakes, making Kirin surge forward. Lucky for her, her arm had blocked out some of the force.
"Heero, what was that for?"
"She found us."
Kirin's gold eyes widened. She peered beside Heero who was staring at the pink-clad Vice Foreign Minister, being pushed around the perimeter of the house by her manservant and driver, Pagan. "How..." She suddenly remembered the night before. She remembered why Mark Macbeth was there, supposedly checking on a 'lead.' His 'lead' was her! "That bastard!"
Heero also remembered the man from the night before. "Mark."
"Yeah." Kirin said lowly. She leaned on Heero's bare shoulder, watching Relena trying to peek into the near-empty house. "She must really be in love with you to hire an idiot like Mark."
"You two were partners." Heero stated, feeling Kirin's breath on his shoulder. He shifted slightly, turning his body towards her.
"Yeah, but I never said he was a good partner." Kirin replied. She buried her head into his shoulder, sighing fretfully. "Why can't they just leave us alone?"
"We're very popular." Heero said, narrowing his eyes at Relena who was giving Pagan the order to open the door. Why couldn't he just kill Relena? With the obvious, the Earth's Sphere Alliance would be without a Vice Foreign Minister, there would be a mini political war that would erupt and result in a blown out war, totally blown up out of proportion. Then there was Milliardo Peacecraft, who, to many, was dead, but to the Gundam Pilots, was much alive and would chase after Heero for such a deed. Milliardo was in no such position to defy him, though many of their battles ended in a stalemate. He didn't want to bother with the Peacecraft's anymore. He had enough of them to last a lifetime. Now what was he to do? Decisions, decisions.
Pagan was now kneeling next to a bush. Further in was a small window showing the insides of the basement to which Kirin was using as a hanger for the Gundams. It was a cramped space, but it fitted all three when they were all in kneeling positions.
"Oh, no!" Kirin wailed. She leaned over Heero's lap, trying to ineffectively get closer to Relena. "That idiot! What is she doing? That's private property!"
"Was she ever one to listen?" Heero said blandly. To protect himself and Kirin, he'd have to kill Relena. But would it help?
Kirin had had enough! She unbuckled her seat belt and pushed herself out of Heero's window, using her upper strength to do a somersault and landing on her feet. She took a step when Heero's hand grabbed her waist.
"Wait." He said. He wasn't about to let her waltz into their house and start shooting anything that didn't belong. He'd rather have the privilege of doing it himself.
Kirin spun around and slammed against the opening car door. The air was knocked out of her which made Heero quickly side step and catch her. She leaned on him again and gave him a look. "That was not nice, Heero."
"I didn't mean to do that." He said, solemnly.
Kirin regained her composure and almost screamed when Relena and Pagan were gone. "They've gone inside already!"
Heero followed after an angry, Kirin, almost relieved he wasn't at the receiving end of her anger. She slammed open the door, ready to scream at the top of her lungs at Relena when she stopped, the words forming in her head turned into rage.
Heero stood beside Kirin, glaring at the group who had invaded their home before Relena. He noticed one with a wild grin on his face. He was holding Relena hostage with a gun to her head.
"Hello, Kirin..." said the apparent leader. "Long time no see."
"I want you and your cronies out of my house." Kirin demanded, her voice taking a dangerous tone to it.
"Really?" the man leaned over Relena. "This is Relena Peacecraft-"
"I'm well aware of that you, moron." Kirin snapped. The deadly and dangerous side of her was coming out in full force.
The man smiled. "She was contacted by Lee Ikuza. He propositioned her to rat out your whereabouts."
"What?" Kirin set her angry gold eyes on Relena who's mouth was covered by the man's hand.
"She complied, hired Mark Macbeth, who did a very good job, might I add, to find you and so...now we're taking you back."
Heero moved protectively in front of Kirin as she said, "I'm not going back to that monster."
"You don't have a choice, Kirin. Just think...you and I are going to have fun again." he laughed and beckoned with his free hand. "Kill the boyfriend."
So this was the man who violated his Kirin. He was going to remember his face. His name wasn't important. He was just going to die and when he did, no one would recognize him anyway.
Three men who stood behind the leader came around, surrounding Heero. One, with a horrible Jamaican accent, came towards Heero wielding a simple club. He swung low at Heero but met with a fierce uppercut to the gut. The two other men observed this and came to Heero simultaneously. Heero spun on his leg, catching one in the jaw while his left fist shot out knocking down the other. He stood upright again, still in the same protective position he was in. No one was going to take his Kirin.
Kirin, relieved, hugged Heero from behind. "You don't know who you're dealing wit, Mike!"
Mike snorted and pulled out a gun. "Really?" He shot Heero somewhere in the abdomen which resulted a scream from both Kirin and Relena. "Not so tough now, is he?"
"You bastard!" Kirin screamed. She shielded Heero, trying to find his wound. "Heero, where are you hurt?"
"I'm...fine." Heero growled. He lifted his head, his eyes having a demented light in them. A trickle of blood slid down the corner of his mouth. He stood, holding his stomach. A smile began to form on his lips.
"Heero, no!" Kirin cried. She put her own hands over his wound, applying pressure. "Stop, Heero!"
Heero reached for his gun but fell back again as three more bullets entered and exited his body. He fell against the front door, Kirin screaming at Mike. He chuckled softly, thinking that if he survived self-detonation, he could survive a whole round of bullets. He glanced at Kirin and felt his heart stop for one moment.
Kirin's face was streaked with his blood. Her hair and her clothes were showered with it, too. Tears fell over her pale cheeks, her hands bloodied beyond recognition. She was speaking to him, but the haze of rage and anger coursing through him muffled her voice of reason. Every so often she'd turn and yell an expletive at the man named Mike and then back to him. He wished he could hear her voice, even though she was probably screaming. Her hands, soaked with his blood, came to his face. She shook her head, tears mixing with blood, running down her face and neck and onto her white clothes. She was crying for him.
"That's sweet, Shido, but Lee doesn't like to be kept waiting." Mike replied angrily. "Come with us or he dies!"
Heero jerked his head and tried standing again. "You are not...taking her away from me..."
"This is getting boring." Mike threw Relena onto the floor and stepped next to Kirin and a wounded Heero. He leaned next to Heero and put a strong hand around his neck. Lifting his incapacitated body a few inches off the floor, he eyed Kirin who was shaking her head and crying. "I never knew you to be the weakling you are now, Shido. You actually give a damn about him?"
"...Yes..." Kirin said hoarsely. "I'll never let you live if you kill him."
"Touching." Mike jerked his free hand into Kirin's direction, hitting her squarely in the face. He turned to Heero who jerked when he heard the sickening thud of fist-on-face. "She was mine first. And she'll always be mine." He grinned as he shoved the end of his barrel into one of Heero's wounds.
Heero gritted his teeth, knowing this was many experience he'd never forget. Kirin was lying on the floor, her nose bleeding from the point- blank hit of Mike's punch. Mike moved to an area that wasn't damaged yet. "I'll give you a little something to remember me by, Heero Yuy..." He chose an area on his chest, and instead of shooting him, he brought out a knife. Ever-so-slowly he began to carve the word 'ONI' onto his chest. Heero didn't scream. Instead he passed out, whispering Kirin's name.
Safe House 1:17 p.m.
"Finally home!" cried Shin. She saw the all-purpose vehicle parked outside and the furniture truck and movers waiting outside. Shin eyed Yume who shrugged. Wufei and Trowa peered into the vehicle. They both shook their heads.
Quatre walked up to the front door. He knocked timidly. "Kirin, Heero! We're back!" He turned to look at his fellow pilots. He shrugged and gripped the door handle. He prayed that he wasn't intruding on any activity between Kirin and Heero. He turned the handle and let the front door swing open. The bags he was carrying fell to the ground. His crystal blue eyes widened in horror. "Oh, my GOD!"
Shin and Yume, the closest to the house, rushed to Quatre's side and gawked. There were soon followed by Trowa, Duo, and Wufei. They looked at each other and ushered themselves into the house.
Heero was leaning against the wall, a puddle of blood surrounding him. His eyes were glazed over, his gun only a few inches from his hand. Blood seeped from a wound on his chest and from his mouth. His breath was still warm. A few feet from him was Pagan, unconscious with a large cut above his eye. Next to him was Relena, her clothes torn and bloodied. She was the only one conscious, visible tears sliding down her face. She was face down, sobbing into the cold, hallway floor. "It was my fault. All of this was my fault..."
Quatre was the first to move. He leaned over Heero who was barely breathing. His voice came out strained and wispy. His eyes seemed to be staring at a space next to him. "Kirin..."
"Kirin?" Quatre repeated. He stood and turned to Yume and Shin. "Where's Kirin?"
Shin and Yume looked at each other and split up. Shin ran upstairs while Yume ran into the kitchen. Trowa leaned next to Heero and felt for a pulse. "He's barely hanging on. Wufei, go outside and see if you can get one of the mover to call an ambulance."
Wufei nodded and jogged outside. Duo stepped around the puddle of blood and leaned down to Relena. "What happened?"
"I..." She began sobbing again. "I never meant for him to get hurt..."
Duo tried asking her again, but she choked and began wailing. He turned to Quatre who was distracted with some other news.
"Kirin's not upstairs!" Shin called. She landed on the last step and began breathing hard. "I'll go check in the basement."
Yume emerged from the kitchen. "She's not in the kitchen or outside."
"They took her..." sobbed Relena. She had enough strength in her to push herself up from the floor. Her face was wet and dotted with blood. "They took her!"
"Who?" Yume demanded. "It's not helping that you keep saying 'them'!"
"His name was Mike. There were others with him but I didn't catch their names!" Relena wailed.
Yume put a hand to her forehead. "Mike is from the Elite. From ONI. One of Lee's men."
Shin came back, gasping for air. "The Gundams are fine. But I don't think Kirin repaired them."
Yume came towards Shin. "Mike was here. They know we're here."
"How can it be?" Shin asked. "No one knew! Except..."
"Mark." Yume said lowly. "He probably told Relena and Relena told Lee which means they send the Elite here to take back Kirin and then they'd-"
"Oh, no..." Shin whispered. She had remembered once Kirin had told her about her past. Her uncle, Lee Ikuza, was going to use Kirin's DNA to give life to high-powered super soldiers. Induced by Lee's will of destruction and hatred for the human race, he'd overrun the Earth and the Colonies and forge it to his liking. She gazed at Heero. "Should we administer some first aid to Heero? He might be dying."
Trowa was already on the task. He had to take off the rest of Heero's mangled green tank top. He saw the word ONI on Heero's chest. He called to Yume. "What's this mean?"
Yume turned and spotted the large printing on Heero's chest. "That's ONI. The group Kirin, Shin, and I used to work for. ONI means the Order of Neo- Imperialists. In Japanese it also means 'ogre.'"
Trowa nodded and began to clean off Heero's wounds. The perfect soldier didn't even let out a whimper or a groan. His eyes stared up at the ceiling, the name of Kirin Shido replaying over and over on his lips. He didn't even flinch as Trowa's gentle but strong hands brushed over bullet wounds. "He keeps repeating Kirin's name."
Quatre stood beside Trowa, watching Heero's progress. He looked at Pagan who was beginning to regain consciousness. "I'll tend to Pagan. Duo, try to calm down Miss Relena."
Duo scratched his head. She was crying, had been crying, ever since he asked what happened. He couldn't do anything but look helplessly at her. "Sure, Q-man..."
Shin paced the room. The Gundams weren't repaired yet and they didn't know where they were going to take Kirin. She put her hands to her face, trying to think what Kirin would have thought. It didn't help that plans formed magically from the top of her head nor did it help Kirin had that little one-up on knowing practically everything. She wanted to slam her head on the wall and cry! Now what was going to happen to the rest of them?
The house was then filled with paramedics. Trowa called the attention to the medics. "He needs the most help. Help him first!"
The medics surrounded Heero. A few took notice of Pagan and Relena. "What the hell happened here...?"
Elite Hideout 3:12 p.m.
Kirin Shido woke up to a metal plank hitting her across the face. Gold eyes stared into blue. She felt a warm liquid run down her mouth. She turned her gaze from the man in front of her and spit at his feet, a splotch of blood and spit on the cold concrete floor. Her hands were bound as were her feet quite tightly, seeing as soon as she was free, she'd kill every single one of them.
"Kirin...you've been a bad girl." Mike Lane said carefully. He wiped at the blood on her face. "It wasn't very nice turning rogue on us. Lee was very hurt by your disobedience."
"Go to hell, Mike. You're as useless as a dog without teeth." Kirin retorted.
Mike grabbed a fistful of silver hair and pulled her hair back, threatening to snap her neck. His mouth moved next to her throat, brushing against the smooth flesh. His dirty nails caressed her pale cheek. "Remember all the fun we had?"
"Fun? What fun?" Kirin asked, knowing Mike wasn't going to kill her. "The only fun I had was watching you trying to get it up."
Mike's other hand wrapped around her neck, gently squeezing. "Don't mess around with me you little whore. I'm Lee's new General so give me the respect I deserve."
Kirin began laughing. He shook her sternly which resulted in another high- pitched laugh. He released the hold on her and slapped her across the face. Silver strands fell over her, covering the bruises on her face. Though her face was so pale and due to the chemical imbalances in her body, her bruises came and went like a mood swing. "Respect are for those who earn it. The title of General doesn't make you any better of a soldier."
"Shut up!" Mike raged. He picked up Kirin, still in the chair and threw her across the floor. The chair she was bound to cracked, among other bones in her body due to such force. He neared her and got to his knees. "For years I've wondered what was so special about you. All you did was throw out orders and created some big machines. But I'm going to start a war. I'm going to prove to everyone in the world how much better I am than you."
"In a cold day in hell..." Kirin whispered, her mind screaming at her that one of her ribs was seriously broken.
Mike stood up and reached for his belt. "I guess that day has come...for you."
Kirin could hear the slight change in Mike's voice. She moved her head so that she could barely see his face. A layer of clothing fell next to her head. Her eyes widened and she tried to moved away from him. A heavy boot landed on her hip. She heard him take off his pants and push her closer to the wall. Tears welled in her eyes. She knew what was going to happen now.
He propped her up onto the wall, breaking the remainder of the chair's legs. He was sitting on his back haunches, half-naked and licking his chapped lips. "I'm sorry, I forgot. I was the one who had all the fun..."
Kirin shook her head lightly, as if it were only a dream. Mike positioned himself between Kirin's legs. "No...stop...!"
Mike wrapped Kirin's eyes and mouth with the shirt of a ripped sleeve. She began struggling and crossed her legs. He laughed gleefully and with one quick jerk of his hand, slammed the back of Kirin's head into the wall, disorienting her. "Be a good girl and let me see how well you've...matured...inside."
Kirin let out a blood-curdling scream. No one heard her.
Sank Hospital 3:38 p.m.
Heero Yuy's cold blue eyes surveyed the room. A machine blipped next to him, wires and tubes stuck out of him and a great pain in his heart wouldn't allow him to sleep and to heal. He clenched his fist, images of a man hitting his Kirin in the face. Images of that man laughing at him and mocking him, marking him with a knife, shooting bullets into him. He survived of course. He had to do a lot more than shooting him to kill him. And as for his heart...a feeling of dread settled over him as he awoke from his operation. As he lay in bed, the dread filled his mind and suffocated his heart until all at once, it shattered, making him feel as if something bad had happened. He knew how bad his injuries were...but it wasn't him.
Heero sat up, pain racking his body. Every muscle begged him to heal and to relax. How could he relax when Kirin was out there? He pulled off the tubes and wires and stalked towards the door. Monitors began blaring and he turned, wishing he had his gun to shoot them to shut up. Instead, he left the room, ignoring the sounds.
Nurses and doctors came from every direction and gawked at Heero as he walked, shakily, towards the elevators. A plan was already forming in his mind. First thing was first. He'd have to repair Kirin's Gundam. The night before they, himself, Trowa, and Kirin, were only able to fly a short distance from their hiding place to the safe house. The problem was more internal than external so they had enough power to get home. Kirin swore once they got back from shopping, she'd go directly to the basement to do the repairs. She never got the chance which made Heero even angrier.
He got into an empty elevator and pressed the ground button. The next thing he'd do was search every corner of Sank to find Kirin. Those group of mercenaries were probably stupid enough to find a place in or out of Sank and think that they couldn't escape from him. He was going to rip out every single one of their hearts and hang it up as trophies. He was in that much of a rage to the point that he didn't care what was happening to himself as long as Kirin was returned to him. Intact, that is.
The elevator doors opened and the group awaiting to go upstairs stared at him. Heero gazed at them before walking past them. "I'm going home. I'm going to fix Kirin's Gundam and I'm going to find her."
The pilots looked at each other. With no excuse to argue, they followed after Heero.
Safe House 4:03 p.m.
The all-purpose vehicle came to an abrupt halt in front of the safe house. The police had already left, leaving the front door wide open. Hopefully they didn't confiscate the three Gundams in the basement.
Trowa came out of the driver's side and opened the door for Heero who didn't seem to care his wounds had re-opened and were discharging blood. He couldn't help but admire Heero's valiant attitude towards Kirin, but he was going to get himself killed if not seriously-and permanently, damaged.
Heero moved towards the house, images replaying when he and Kirin had arrived, only hours before. He stood in the doorway, seeing blood splatters all over the once-white wall. He saw the puddle of thick blood, soaking into the hardwood floor. He turned to a marker that was labeled bullet number two. There were some other blood spots on the floor, slightly discolored. It was Kirin's blood. Usually blood was a dark crimson, but her blood had a lighter tint to it, like it was red paint. Close to the living room were tread marks from Relena's wheelchair. Blood was in that area as well, but not as much from himself or Kirin. There was yellow tape surrounding the scene. Heero turned to Quatre who came to his beckon call. His eyes asked the question.
"Relena's still in the hospital. She's gone into minor shock. Pagan's all right, a few stitches on his head."
Heero turned from Quatre and looked at Yume and Shin who stood quietly by the door. Yume was staring at the pool of blood. Startled, she met similar blue eyes. She shook her head sadly. "Mike and that group you met with were the Elite of ONI. Mike's always had a grudge against Kirin because she became the General instead of him. If I'm right, which I hope I'm not, the Elite are going to hand Kirin over to Lee."
Heero's well hidden anger rose another notch. Lee Ikuza, the man who brought out the side of Kirin he never wanted to cross. The man who had murdered her family. The man to whom he was going to lose Kirin to.
Duo tumbled into the hallway. "What do we do about all the furniture? The mover's aren't even here anymore!"
"That's not important you idiot." Heero growled. He ignored Shin's sharp look and trudged into his room. He spotted his belongings in the center of the room. He removed the hospital gown, not feeling the least bit inhibited about being naked underneath. He looked at his wounds which were fresh with blood. He'd rest later, now was not the time. He dug into his sack and what emerged was a roll of bandage. He wrapped himself up then took out a black, long-sleeved shirt and pulled it over his head. He pulled out a similar pair of black pants and dressed. His feet settled into black, steel-toes boots, heavy enough to inflict major physical damage, but too heavy for him to move quickly enough in his weakened state. He left his room, passing by the group who were now busily trying to clean up the mess.
Heero ignored them and moved into the basement. One reason he knew that the police hadn't come into the basement was because of the red lasers that scattered everywhere into the room. There was a secret button console that could only be accessed by the members of the household. Heero pressed a sequence of buttons Kirin had given him and Trowa. The red lasers disappeared and he continued down the stairs. The reason why the police hadn't gotten the Gundams was because they were on stealth mode and it was difficult for anyone to see it unless they knew it was there. Heero moved to a large computer console and pressed a single yellow button that started up the system.
He sat down in the swivel chair and waited. A white flash on the screen appeared which prompted scrolling words. He pushed in another sequence of buttons and pushed a red button. A diagnostic program began to automatically run on the Gundams.
Words flashed onto the screen, each going over the external and internal parts of Kirin's Gundam, Archangel. It located a section of Kirin's Gundam that had malfunctioned during the re-entering to Earth. All it was, was a faulty line that couldn't match the output for the thrusters. He could fix it and not even waste any parts. He stood and reached out his hand to feel Archangel's bent leg. He felt for a button that would remove the stealth mode. His hand brushed against an indentation and the silver Gundam manifested. He moved towards the back section and found several wires un- connected. He shook his head.
"You've become careless, Kirin..."
A thought suddenly surfaced in his head. It wasn't Kirin that was careless. Yume had just told him that the man Mike had grudge against Kirin. He might've pulled the wires causing the malfunction. He would've hoped that re-entering the atmosphere would set off an explosion and Kirin would die. He scoffed. His Kirin was stronger than that. But right now she needed him. He was sure of that.
Heero corresponded the wires to their correct locale. After making sure everything else was in order, he moved into the cockpit. His hands gripped the controls as the system began to start up. He looked out to the screen and watched as the console detected malfunctions in Dragon Slayer and Morning Star. Would he really need back-up? He knew the others would be able to repair the two Gundams without him, but would they be competent enough to do it? Better safe than sorry. He moved out of the cockpit and checked the other Gundams. They, too, had the same problem. Except Yume's Gundam, Dragon Slayer, had a serious defect in her right arm. The wires were severed which mean they were hastily cut. Could he spare just a few minutes of reconfiguring the wires to its desired performance? He'd have to. That was part of his nature. Everything had to be perfect.
He did, in actuality, spent a mere ten minutes finding an extra set of wires, electrical tape, and wire cutters to do the job. He spent another five going over the diagnostic program, making sure everything was up to par. He checked out Yume's Gundam once more for good measure. He turned to Morning Star which was up and running. He'd let Shin and Yume decide what to do next. He was going to leave and find Kirin. And he hoped, with all his heart, she was safe and sound.
Elite Hideout 4:24 p.m.
Her breathe came with much difficulty. She swore she bit her tongue enough times to choke on it. He body was sprawled on the cold floor, her hands and feet still bound and her clothes torn. She felt blood between her legs and on her throat. Her eyes stared at the open door, seeing three unfamiliar women sitting on wooden stools. The other three she knew well. They used to be under her command when she was a Captain.
Byron Mathis, the Jamaican with a bad accent; Brad Lansing, possibly the only nice one of the Elite; and Alan Parker, Shin's old boyfriend as well as an arrogant jerk who thought he was one of the best soldiers in ONI. Every one of them had their perks as well as their drawbacks. Each one of them had skills valuable to ONI, but they were just personal favorites of Lee. They had no experience in an actual war and no experience in primal weaponry. They were ruthless in takeovers, merciless murderers, and arrogant men who are only second to the Triad.
Kirin heard Mike's voice come from the room beside her. It appeared to be a bathroom. She wanted to desperately get up and wash the stench off her body. Once again she had been defiled by that prick, Mike. She heard running water and her throat wanted some cool liquid. She managed to move her head and saw Mike adjusting his belt. He had finally decided to clean himself up. By standards of other women, he wasn't bad looking. His attitude could use major adjustments, and other than that, he could've been decent, if he wasn't corrupted by power and Lee Ikuza.
Mike Lane walked past her, spitting on her disabled form as he passed. He peered outside. "Any of you guys want to try her out? I'm sure I didn't hurt her too badly."
A voice she recognized as Brad's came out soft and usually intelligent. "I'm sorry, but it's not in my nature to defile a woman who has just been used. I'd rather have it that she'd be cleaned up first or at the very least, looking her best for me."
"You're an ass, Brad!" Mike laughed. "Byron? Alan?"
"Hey, man! I do not like to use things after you, you know? Besides, you are filthy! That albino in there is not me type. She will reek like you tomorrow." Byron replied. He began laughing when Mike threw a shoe at him.
"We should've waited for Shin and Yume. We could've had some real fun with all three." Alan said mildly.
"That's my boy!" Mike cried. "But orders are orders-"
"I thought we were just suppose to take her and give her to Lee?" came a female voice Kirin didn't recognize.
"Yes, but Lee doesn't know we have her yet, Melinda, dear. So, we're going to stand-by here a few days, play around with Kirin, and give Lee a little tease. After that, we'll send the little whore into space, ok?"
There came a growl followed by a slamming door. The room was quiet for a moment, then a burst of laughter from the men.
Kirin shifted her body and saw a window. It was boarded shut but she knew it had only been a few hours. The sun was still shining outside. She could smell the ocean nearby, faintly, but it was there. The breeze was gentle enough for her to know that it was still mid-afternoon. She tried sitting up, but the pain in her body sent a shock through her. She relaxed and closed her eyes. She had to conserve her energy. But she didn't want to stay any longer than needed. She knew that if she wanted to leave, she'd have to give in to the animal instinct that terrified even herself.
Kirin heard the door close. She was alone. She propped herself up, ignoring the pain. She pushed herself against the wall and with all her strength got to her feet. There was blood descending down her legs which she also ignored. Moving lethargically towards the boarded up window, taking painful and incredibly slow baby jumps. She leaned over and took in a deep breath. The air rejuvenated her, somewhat, which inclined her to try her bound hands. They were wary of her. They had handcuffed her hands and used rope to enforce it. She looked at her legs which were chained together, parts of her skin scraping off the metal. She took in another deep breath and used every cell in her body to give strength to her hands. She heard the sound of bending metal and ground her teeth as her hands came away freed and bloody. She looked at the deep cuts in her wrists. She was now in the state of mind that pain wasn't a factor as well as her well being. She bent down and snapped the chains, her ankles also bearing deep cuts. She looked at her clothes. That wasn't a factor, either. She ran her bloodied hands through her hair, light red blood streaking through silver. She walked towards the door and threw it open. A smile spread on her lips, a trickle of blood falling from the corner of her mouth.
Mike was in mid-bite of a sandwich. He stood up and pointed a gun at her. "Stop right there, Shido!"
Kirin tipped her head to the side and came forwards. Alan stood and unsheathed a knife. She saw the glint of metal and turned, shoving a fist into Alan's face, making him crumple to the floor. Byron emerged from a different direction, holding nothing but a metal bar. He swung and hit her squarely in the shoulder. The metal bar bent, contorting to the shape of her shoulder. She shook her head and grabbed the bar. With a quick jerk of her hand, Byron had a mouthful of blood and a broken jaw. She turned back to Mike who was now joined by Brad.
"Kirin, calm down..." Brad said, using a calm voice. "You don't want to do this..."
"Don't I?" Kirin asked. The pupils of her eyes had turned gold. Two, angry, glowing gold orbs ready to kill all in her path.
Mike pushed Brad forward. "Try talking her out of this, Brad!"
"What do you think I'm trying to do?" Brad hissed. "Kirin, listen, I know you're upset and you've just been defiled-"
A rueful laugh echoed the room. She licked the blood from her wrists. She was in a haze. Bloodlust. The Angel of Chaos. She stepped forward and shot her hand towards Brad's neck. She lifted him from the floor. "You can't escape me."
Brad began fumbling for his gun which he kept in his back pocket. Kirin tightened her grip on him and threw him into a far wall. There was a loud thud and an indentation of Brad's body on the wall. She turned to Mike who was backing away. She felt tears fall down her cheeks. She wasn't the least bit sorry for what she as doing. Secretly, she was terrified of what she'd do. Her hand came to her face, and it came away with blood. She was crying? No, it was blood. Blood from the core of her madness. Now she knew she was in too deep to go back to her normal self.
Mike took note of this. "What the hell are you?"
Kirin, aware of two females coming behind her, stepped closer to Mike. "The Darkness that will be your end..."
Mike flicked a glance at the two females. He raised his hand to Kirin. "Please don't hurt me."
Kirin bared her teeth, her lips turning a color of red. She spun around and grabbed fistfuls of hair. The two females screamed, though one was taller than she, and she smashed their heads together, an inaudible crack could've only been heard by Kirin.
She turned and grabbed Alan's knife and threw it in Mike's direction. She stormed towards him and leaned in close. She pulled out a knife from his ankle and angled it so that the light hit the blade and shone into her gold eyes.
Mike choked back a scream of disgust, seeing nothing but gold stare into his eyes. He leaned back, the air around him smelling that metallic scent of blood. She opened her mouth, her tongue now an eerie red. She licked his cheek, blood smearing on his face. She smiled as the shadows suddenly seemed to crowd around him. "Be a good boy and let me see how well you've... matured...inside."