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.
Sank City (5:00 p.m.)
Melinda Castle threw down the shot of alcohol and turned angrily from the bar. She had run out of credits and forgot her card at the hideout. She was in ONI years longer than Kirin and was chosen for a `top secret' mission. What was so special about that freak, Kirin Shido? Sure she was a General, one of the best, and she was Lee Ikuza's niece...but being a tough-as-nails type of woman and a person hard to intimidate didn't seem like much.
She brushed back her short brown hair and settled her brown eyes on a poster. It was nothing short of stupid. Only a movie that was suppose to premiere in a few days. She sighed. She never had any use for earthly matters. After all, she was an orphan and no one wanted her. Except Lee Ikuza.
She remembered a time when she was stealing for food. A habitual thing since she was seven. But she had gotten caught and was about to me executed. But a certain circumstance robbed her of her fate, and she was sent to Lee Ikuza. She didn't like him at first glance, but she realized, he was a father to many of the people like her. She just went along with it and followed orders.
Melinda moved from her seat and walked through the crowded bar. Nothing but a good drink to settle her nerves. She exited the bar and stood by the motorized bike she had taken to her destination. She inhaled the fresh, Earth-air and decided that once she got back to the hideout, she'd have the right mind to tell off Mike. Even though to her, he was quite handsome.
She barely got to her motorcycle, when a strong hand gripped her arm. Automatically she tried to throw off the hand, but instead she was spun around and pushed against a wall. She was about to scream when a gloved hand went over her mouth. Her eyes met blue and she recognized the man as the one she saw at Kirin's safe house.
Heero Yuy was in the city because Quatre had simply explained that the best way to find Kirin was to go to the Preventers Headquarters. They would have any file on any man or group in their system. They'd run a check to all computers who matched the description and apprehend them. Heero had done what he could, giving as much description to the profilers as much as possible, and in an angry motion, left Headquarters to clear his head. He was only a block from the Preventers building when he saw one of the females who had been behind Mike while he had shot bullets in him. Surely they thought he was going to die.
Now he was face to face with one who knew Mike. A crowd gathered behind him which caused him to push the young woman into the bar. He dragged to the end of the bar and once again pushed her against the wall. "Where's Kirin?"
Melinda shook her head. She wasn't going to give up on a mission. His hand, which was covering her mouth, tightened, her jaw bones threatening to shatter. He repeated his question. She shook her head and felt a pain run up her arm. He was twisting the limb, ready to dislocate it. He repeated his question once more. Instead of waiting, he jerked his hand back, a snap, like the sound of breaking celery, reached her ears. Her eyes widened and she tried to scream.
Heero felt perversely please with himself. He released her dislocated arm and moved his hand to the other. He was going to break her good arm if she didn't answer. "One last time...show me where Kirin is or I'll break every bone in your body."
Melinda was never one for pain. Her right arm was useless. Her left arm was in danger of being snapped in two. She hoped Lee wouldn't become upset with her. Neither would Mike. Would they break under such pressure? She nodded slowly, pain racking through the right side of her body. Heero's hand moved away and he leaned close. "You're going to take me there."
Melinda nodded again. She looked at her arm and became angry. If she gave Heero the wrong directions to the hideout, he'd follow through with his threat. If she told him exactly where to go...God knows what Kirin would do to her. She had only met Kirin once, but Kirin had an incredible memory. She remembered everyone. Heero put her hanging limb through his. They looked like they were having an intimate moment. Instead, they both stalked outside and went towards the Preventers Headquarters where Shin and Yume were waiting for him.
"We were worried you might've gone by yourself-" Yume saw the woman standing next to Heero. She recognized her immediately. "Melinda! You bitch!"
Melinda was about to retort when she felt a cold object touch her neck. She quieted and turned her gaze away.
Yume crossed her arms. "I should've known you were a part of this. You never liked Kirin, though I don't know why..."
"She's trouble, Heero." Shin said. "She and a few other girls were modeled after us. The Triad. They tried to do a few rebellions in ONI, but we crushed them like flies."
Yume nodded. "This one in particular was modeled after me. Went through all the crap I did. Though there is one difference between us...I'm better than her."
Melinda's brown eyes narrowed into slits. If not for her dislodged arm, she would've decked Yume right about now. She looked past Shin and saw a group of four emerge from the building.
The man's voice, monotone and agitated, came roughly. "Anything?"
"No. Not a trace." Quatre said sadly.
"A waste of time." Heero snapped. He pushed Melinda forward. "She was one of the `Elite' who was with Mike when they took Kirin. She'll take us to them."
"Are you sure?" Yume asked. "She can't be trusted."
"I'm sure." Heero replied. He pulled back her right arm. Melinda screamed and fell to the ground, the pain giving her a major migraine. "If she doesn't, she'll be in a body cast for months."
"All right, then." said Shin. "If our business is done here, let's go get Kirin."
Elite Hideout (5:08 p.m.)
Kirin Shido looked at her handy work. Blood dripped from open wounds on the six bodies hanging from barbed wire. She was resourceful and found an empty shack at the hideout and had viciously tied each body in wire and hung them from the ceiling. Now she sat in the corner, hearing pained and labored breathing coming from her wary victims. She made sure that with any screaming, their throats would expand, scraping against the jagged wire. Any movement would bring on another gash, causing inhumane blood loss. This was the part of herself that she hoped no one would ever see in her again.
She stood and walked about, side-stepping droplets of blood and eyeing her hung-up victims. She laughed, hearing Mike beg for his life. Every sane thought in her mind was ravaged and torn up, the only thoughts of causing pain and suffering lingered in her mind. She was glad they were in pain. She was glad they were suffering. She was glad no one could stop her.
Kirin stood underneath Mike who's face was cut up beyond any human recognition. "Do you want your suffering to end?"
Mike could only moan a response. Every movement was painful as well as life-threatening. Tears were visibly falling from his eyes. There was already a small puddle forming from where his tears dropped.
"That is what I'm here for, Mike. I am here to end all your suffering and pain. To take away all the insanity, the hate, and all the Chaos...and give to myself. I am a product of what you can never be...do you know what that is?"
Mike began sobbing. Never before had he known about this side of Kirin Shido. Never had Lee told him to be wary of the monster that took on the appearance of a young, silver-haired young woman gone wrong. Never in his life. Never.
Kirin continued, lifting a hand to touch his face. A nail dug into a gash which prompted a faster blood flow. "I am the Dark Angel. An Angel that knows no limits...an Angel that has no weaknesses...an Angel...that can and will destroy you."
Mike's whimpering came to a gradual guttural sound. His voice was raw from the moaning he had issued on his throat. He could no longer move and sleep was upon him. But if he slept, would he awake again?
The effect of Kirin's bloodlust was wearing thin. A horrible realization began to dawn on her. She had no where else to go. She began to see clearly again and saw what her instincts had made her do. She fought back tears as she searched for a way out. She needed to be back home with all her friends. She couldn't be there anymore. It wasn't fair!
She ran out of the hideout, screaming. There was only one vehicle parked outside. She didn't want to drive and accidentally hit a pedestrian. She centered her awareness and began running towards the safe house. She hoped by the time she got there, her head would be cleared of the deed she had just done. She wanted to feel Heero's arms around her, to know that she what she had to do was justified.
Elite Hideout (5:45 p.m.)
The sports utility vehicle came to a screeching halt in front of the small shack. Heero turned to the backseat where Melinda was held between Shin and Yume. "This is it?"
"Yes." Melinda said lowly.
"Get out." Heero commanded everyone.
Heero jumped out, eager to see Kirin. He wanted to feel her body against his. Wanted to hear her voice reach his ears. He needed to know that she was relieved to see him and that she needed him.
Forgetting about all manners, Heero kicked open the door and was ready to swipe at Mike or anyone else who tried to get in his way. Instead, he came in a few steps and tried to keep his stomach tucked firmly into his body.
Shin, Yume, and Melinda came behind him and they, too, almost regurgitated their intestines. The other pilots gathered around.
Quatre's pale face turned a sickly color of green. He hurried out, retching noises soon echoing into the house. Wufei was too shocked to even a murmur of one of his derogatory comments of poorly hidden hideouts. His eyes drifted slowly from one body to the next. Trowa was also caught in a trance. Never one to say anything, he blinked, taking up the gory scene set before him. He swallowed, but moments later, was unsure if that was the wise thing to do. Lastly was Duo who's jaw hung open. His cobalt blue eyes staring in wide-eyed horror. He was the God of Death...not the God of Gore.
Shin knew the signature of this horror. She turned to Yume who's eyes held that same knowledge. Only one person could do such a thing. Kirin Shido. Kirin had never gone into details, but it was assumed that her blood was the catalyst to the awakening of the Dark Angel. But if not her blood, then what? She couldn't possibly will herself to become an unfeeling killing machine...or could she? She wasn't necessarily human, so they've told themselves numerous times, but even someone with a heart-a soul, wouldn't do such a heinous act. Melinda wasn't faring any better. Her comrades whom she grew dependent on were hanging by mere wires, suspended either by punctures of skin or material from their clothes. Though if looked at closely, it was definitely skin.
Heero surveyed the room. Blood splattered the wall beside him. There were pools of blood underneath every victim. There was a window to his left and right of him and a door-swinging open, just beyond. Gathering his guts, he moved cautiously into the adjacent room half-hoping to find Kirin in the corner, crying, explaining that it wasn't she who had done the terrible act. The other half hoped she wasn't there. Hoped that she had escaped and someone other than herself wasn't capable of such human torture. Why was he defending her? Kirin was a strong and intelligent young woman. What was he trying to protect her from? Herself?
He moved the door open and his repulsion turned into cold, un-adulterated anger. There was blood on a section of the floor. Red, almost like a watercolor red, was centered in the room. There were shreds of clothes strewn about the red liquid as were foot prints that led to the window to his right. He entered and investigated the broken handcuffs and the chains. They, too, were bloodied, some even having traces of skin. Kirin had been in these same confinements. Something must have snapped-mentally, in order for her to use all her strength to break free. He inspected the window which was boarded shut. She couldn't have gone out the window. She must've just stood by there, as if waiting for him...
His attention turned back to the blood in the center of the room. He kneeled next to the pool of blood and dipped a single finger in the red substance. He turned to the other pilots who were taking down the bodies from their perch. He turned back and put a flat hand on the cold floor. It smelled of grease and oil. He tipped his head and then smelled the fragrance of lavender. Kirin always smelled like lavender, now that he remembered. It always reminded him of running in the mountains during guerrilla warfare. And, aside the metallic scent of blood, the smells were the only one in the room.
His hand, tinted with blood, closed into a fist. His hand turned white with the sheer tightening of his fist and his rising anger. His hopes of Kirin returning to him safe and of sound mind, were diluted. She had been raped, no doubt by the man who had first defile her. And he, swearing to protect her and to avenge her for her innocence, was nowhere around.
Heero stood, not wanting to ask see anymore of Kirin's blood in that run-down shack, turned on his heel and went back into the main room. Melinda was in a chair, too stunned to run and too frightened to be alone. She looked at Heero who's eyes pinned her to the seat. "Where is she?"
"I-It was just us..." Melinda breathed. "No one else knew about the mission but us. We're Lee's Elite..."
Heero shook his head. "I don't give a damn about that. I only care about Kirin. Tell me where she is-"
"I don't know!" Melinda shrieked. "I don't know! Even if I did know, she'd be dead already! Once Lee gets his hands on her, she'd be converted into a killing machine and she'd be marked for death. Whatever he has planned for her is suicide!"
Safe House (6:17 p.m.)
The light's weren't on. It seemed as deserted as the first time she laid her eyes on it. She staggered to the door, calling out the names of her friends. They must've known about Mark's betrayal when they had come into the gruesome scene. Her mind wandered to the moment when Mike had shot Heero. Was he ok? Was he alive?
She leaned heavily on the front door. Her hand trembled as she felt the knob. She twisted it but it was locked. Surely the police wouldn't over look the safety of a house. She willed her arm to smash the knob and fell on her side, into the house.
Her first notion was the blood and yellow tape that decorated the once serene hallway. She managed to turn her head and saw the hallway clean. She rolled onto her stomach and began calling for her friends again. There was no sound from the upstairs nor from the kitchen. They weren't hiding from her and they were certainly weren't there.
Kirin saw the couches, though in no particular manner, in the living room. There was the dining room set she had bought, dressers, and lamps. They were all in the living room, piled, one on top of the other. She smiled to herself. They had been delivered as promised, but they must've had a fright seeing Heero on the floor and Relena and Pagan. The human part of her wanted to know how they were. She wasn't as heartless as she deemed herself.
She crawled on the floor, her energy wearing down to absolute system shut-down. She couldn't just lay there. She needed to either get something to eat or crawl into a hole and die. She remembered Heero's room was only a few short feet away. If she could just crawl to it and lay there. At least she'd feel safe...until he came back and saw her...dead.
Kirin used her draining strength to push herself towards Heero's room. The belt she wore scraped against the floor. She didn't mind the noise, though it was annoying her remaining sanity. Her foot brushed the open door, and to respect her fellow housemates, she'd close the door in fear of them thinking she was a thief. She managed to get to Heero's door. It was closed, obviously, which meant she'd make a dramatic pose and lay there or try to get up, open the door, and crawl inside. There was something about Heero that made her want to hide behind him. More so his perpetually pissed-off face and his "I'll kill you because I don't like you" attitude. He was the strength that she needed in her life. She didn't mind playing the damsel in distress, but on other occasions...who was protecting who?
Kirin sat up and reached for the door. She pushed with her strength which dwindled down to the ability to crawl and lie there. She took in deep breaths as she surged forward, feeling like a lethargic worm. The sky was becoming dark, as was the room. She saw the window open and crawled to a spot where the moon would hit her form. She almost laughed. She was purposely making it seem dramatic.
When Heero and her friends came home, they'd probably be tired. They'd either sleep in the living room or in their own bedrooms without looking into Heero's room. She knew she'd be unconscious-or dead, by the time he got home and it would be too late to tell him how much she cared. Her leg tipped the door close and she shrunk herself into a ball. She watched as dusk turned to night. The light from the moon illuminated her form. She was so tired. Now all that was left was for her to sleep.
Sank City (5:00 p.m.)
Melinda Castle threw down the shot of alcohol and turned angrily from the bar. She had run out of credits and forgot her card at the hideout. She was in ONI years longer than Kirin and was chosen for a `top secret' mission. What was so special about that freak, Kirin Shido? Sure she was a General, one of the best, and she was Lee Ikuza's niece...but being a tough-as-nails type of woman and a person hard to intimidate didn't seem like much.
She brushed back her short brown hair and settled her brown eyes on a poster. It was nothing short of stupid. Only a movie that was suppose to premiere in a few days. She sighed. She never had any use for earthly matters. After all, she was an orphan and no one wanted her. Except Lee Ikuza.
She remembered a time when she was stealing for food. A habitual thing since she was seven. But she had gotten caught and was about to me executed. But a certain circumstance robbed her of her fate, and she was sent to Lee Ikuza. She didn't like him at first glance, but she realized, he was a father to many of the people like her. She just went along with it and followed orders.
Melinda moved from her seat and walked through the crowded bar. Nothing but a good drink to settle her nerves. She exited the bar and stood by the motorized bike she had taken to her destination. She inhaled the fresh, Earth-air and decided that once she got back to the hideout, she'd have the right mind to tell off Mike. Even though to her, he was quite handsome.
She barely got to her motorcycle, when a strong hand gripped her arm. Automatically she tried to throw off the hand, but instead she was spun around and pushed against a wall. She was about to scream when a gloved hand went over her mouth. Her eyes met blue and she recognized the man as the one she saw at Kirin's safe house.
Heero Yuy was in the city because Quatre had simply explained that the best way to find Kirin was to go to the Preventers Headquarters. They would have any file on any man or group in their system. They'd run a check to all computers who matched the description and apprehend them. Heero had done what he could, giving as much description to the profilers as much as possible, and in an angry motion, left Headquarters to clear his head. He was only a block from the Preventers building when he saw one of the females who had been behind Mike while he had shot bullets in him. Surely they thought he was going to die.
Now he was face to face with one who knew Mike. A crowd gathered behind him which caused him to push the young woman into the bar. He dragged to the end of the bar and once again pushed her against the wall. "Where's Kirin?"
Melinda shook her head. She wasn't going to give up on a mission. His hand, which was covering her mouth, tightened, her jaw bones threatening to shatter. He repeated his question. She shook her head and felt a pain run up her arm. He was twisting the limb, ready to dislocate it. He repeated his question once more. Instead of waiting, he jerked his hand back, a snap, like the sound of breaking celery, reached her ears. Her eyes widened and she tried to scream.
Heero felt perversely please with himself. He released her dislocated arm and moved his hand to the other. He was going to break her good arm if she didn't answer. "One last time...show me where Kirin is or I'll break every bone in your body."
Melinda was never one for pain. Her right arm was useless. Her left arm was in danger of being snapped in two. She hoped Lee wouldn't become upset with her. Neither would Mike. Would they break under such pressure? She nodded slowly, pain racking through the right side of her body. Heero's hand moved away and he leaned close. "You're going to take me there."
Melinda nodded again. She looked at her arm and became angry. If she gave Heero the wrong directions to the hideout, he'd follow through with his threat. If she told him exactly where to go...God knows what Kirin would do to her. She had only met Kirin once, but Kirin had an incredible memory. She remembered everyone. Heero put her hanging limb through his. They looked like they were having an intimate moment. Instead, they both stalked outside and went towards the Preventers Headquarters where Shin and Yume were waiting for him.
"We were worried you might've gone by yourself-" Yume saw the woman standing next to Heero. She recognized her immediately. "Melinda! You bitch!"
Melinda was about to retort when she felt a cold object touch her neck. She quieted and turned her gaze away.
Yume crossed her arms. "I should've known you were a part of this. You never liked Kirin, though I don't know why..."
"She's trouble, Heero." Shin said. "She and a few other girls were modeled after us. The Triad. They tried to do a few rebellions in ONI, but we crushed them like flies."
Yume nodded. "This one in particular was modeled after me. Went through all the crap I did. Though there is one difference between us...I'm better than her."
Melinda's brown eyes narrowed into slits. If not for her dislodged arm, she would've decked Yume right about now. She looked past Shin and saw a group of four emerge from the building.
The man's voice, monotone and agitated, came roughly. "Anything?"
"No. Not a trace." Quatre said sadly.
"A waste of time." Heero snapped. He pushed Melinda forward. "She was one of the `Elite' who was with Mike when they took Kirin. She'll take us to them."
"Are you sure?" Yume asked. "She can't be trusted."
"I'm sure." Heero replied. He pulled back her right arm. Melinda screamed and fell to the ground, the pain giving her a major migraine. "If she doesn't, she'll be in a body cast for months."
"All right, then." said Shin. "If our business is done here, let's go get Kirin."
Elite Hideout (5:08 p.m.)
Kirin Shido looked at her handy work. Blood dripped from open wounds on the six bodies hanging from barbed wire. She was resourceful and found an empty shack at the hideout and had viciously tied each body in wire and hung them from the ceiling. Now she sat in the corner, hearing pained and labored breathing coming from her wary victims. She made sure that with any screaming, their throats would expand, scraping against the jagged wire. Any movement would bring on another gash, causing inhumane blood loss. This was the part of herself that she hoped no one would ever see in her again.
She stood and walked about, side-stepping droplets of blood and eyeing her hung-up victims. She laughed, hearing Mike beg for his life. Every sane thought in her mind was ravaged and torn up, the only thoughts of causing pain and suffering lingered in her mind. She was glad they were in pain. She was glad they were suffering. She was glad no one could stop her.
Kirin stood underneath Mike who's face was cut up beyond any human recognition. "Do you want your suffering to end?"
Mike could only moan a response. Every movement was painful as well as life-threatening. Tears were visibly falling from his eyes. There was already a small puddle forming from where his tears dropped.
"That is what I'm here for, Mike. I am here to end all your suffering and pain. To take away all the insanity, the hate, and all the Chaos...and give to myself. I am a product of what you can never be...do you know what that is?"
Mike began sobbing. Never before had he known about this side of Kirin Shido. Never had Lee told him to be wary of the monster that took on the appearance of a young, silver-haired young woman gone wrong. Never in his life. Never.
Kirin continued, lifting a hand to touch his face. A nail dug into a gash which prompted a faster blood flow. "I am the Dark Angel. An Angel that knows no limits...an Angel that has no weaknesses...an Angel...that can and will destroy you."
Mike's whimpering came to a gradual guttural sound. His voice was raw from the moaning he had issued on his throat. He could no longer move and sleep was upon him. But if he slept, would he awake again?
The effect of Kirin's bloodlust was wearing thin. A horrible realization began to dawn on her. She had no where else to go. She began to see clearly again and saw what her instincts had made her do. She fought back tears as she searched for a way out. She needed to be back home with all her friends. She couldn't be there anymore. It wasn't fair!
She ran out of the hideout, screaming. There was only one vehicle parked outside. She didn't want to drive and accidentally hit a pedestrian. She centered her awareness and began running towards the safe house. She hoped by the time she got there, her head would be cleared of the deed she had just done. She wanted to feel Heero's arms around her, to know that she what she had to do was justified.
Elite Hideout (5:45 p.m.)
The sports utility vehicle came to a screeching halt in front of the small shack. Heero turned to the backseat where Melinda was held between Shin and Yume. "This is it?"
"Yes." Melinda said lowly.
"Get out." Heero commanded everyone.
Heero jumped out, eager to see Kirin. He wanted to feel her body against his. Wanted to hear her voice reach his ears. He needed to know that she was relieved to see him and that she needed him.
Forgetting about all manners, Heero kicked open the door and was ready to swipe at Mike or anyone else who tried to get in his way. Instead, he came in a few steps and tried to keep his stomach tucked firmly into his body.
Shin, Yume, and Melinda came behind him and they, too, almost regurgitated their intestines. The other pilots gathered around.
Quatre's pale face turned a sickly color of green. He hurried out, retching noises soon echoing into the house. Wufei was too shocked to even a murmur of one of his derogatory comments of poorly hidden hideouts. His eyes drifted slowly from one body to the next. Trowa was also caught in a trance. Never one to say anything, he blinked, taking up the gory scene set before him. He swallowed, but moments later, was unsure if that was the wise thing to do. Lastly was Duo who's jaw hung open. His cobalt blue eyes staring in wide-eyed horror. He was the God of Death...not the God of Gore.
Shin knew the signature of this horror. She turned to Yume who's eyes held that same knowledge. Only one person could do such a thing. Kirin Shido. Kirin had never gone into details, but it was assumed that her blood was the catalyst to the awakening of the Dark Angel. But if not her blood, then what? She couldn't possibly will herself to become an unfeeling killing machine...or could she? She wasn't necessarily human, so they've told themselves numerous times, but even someone with a heart-a soul, wouldn't do such a heinous act. Melinda wasn't faring any better. Her comrades whom she grew dependent on were hanging by mere wires, suspended either by punctures of skin or material from their clothes. Though if looked at closely, it was definitely skin.
Heero surveyed the room. Blood splattered the wall beside him. There were pools of blood underneath every victim. There was a window to his left and right of him and a door-swinging open, just beyond. Gathering his guts, he moved cautiously into the adjacent room half-hoping to find Kirin in the corner, crying, explaining that it wasn't she who had done the terrible act. The other half hoped she wasn't there. Hoped that she had escaped and someone other than herself wasn't capable of such human torture. Why was he defending her? Kirin was a strong and intelligent young woman. What was he trying to protect her from? Herself?
He moved the door open and his repulsion turned into cold, un-adulterated anger. There was blood on a section of the floor. Red, almost like a watercolor red, was centered in the room. There were shreds of clothes strewn about the red liquid as were foot prints that led to the window to his right. He entered and investigated the broken handcuffs and the chains. They, too, were bloodied, some even having traces of skin. Kirin had been in these same confinements. Something must have snapped-mentally, in order for her to use all her strength to break free. He inspected the window which was boarded shut. She couldn't have gone out the window. She must've just stood by there, as if waiting for him...
His attention turned back to the blood in the center of the room. He kneeled next to the pool of blood and dipped a single finger in the red substance. He turned to the other pilots who were taking down the bodies from their perch. He turned back and put a flat hand on the cold floor. It smelled of grease and oil. He tipped his head and then smelled the fragrance of lavender. Kirin always smelled like lavender, now that he remembered. It always reminded him of running in the mountains during guerrilla warfare. And, aside the metallic scent of blood, the smells were the only one in the room.
His hand, tinted with blood, closed into a fist. His hand turned white with the sheer tightening of his fist and his rising anger. His hopes of Kirin returning to him safe and of sound mind, were diluted. She had been raped, no doubt by the man who had first defile her. And he, swearing to protect her and to avenge her for her innocence, was nowhere around.
Heero stood, not wanting to ask see anymore of Kirin's blood in that run-down shack, turned on his heel and went back into the main room. Melinda was in a chair, too stunned to run and too frightened to be alone. She looked at Heero who's eyes pinned her to the seat. "Where is she?"
"I-It was just us..." Melinda breathed. "No one else knew about the mission but us. We're Lee's Elite..."
Heero shook his head. "I don't give a damn about that. I only care about Kirin. Tell me where she is-"
"I don't know!" Melinda shrieked. "I don't know! Even if I did know, she'd be dead already! Once Lee gets his hands on her, she'd be converted into a killing machine and she'd be marked for death. Whatever he has planned for her is suicide!"
Safe House (6:17 p.m.)
The light's weren't on. It seemed as deserted as the first time she laid her eyes on it. She staggered to the door, calling out the names of her friends. They must've known about Mark's betrayal when they had come into the gruesome scene. Her mind wandered to the moment when Mike had shot Heero. Was he ok? Was he alive?
She leaned heavily on the front door. Her hand trembled as she felt the knob. She twisted it but it was locked. Surely the police wouldn't over look the safety of a house. She willed her arm to smash the knob and fell on her side, into the house.
Her first notion was the blood and yellow tape that decorated the once serene hallway. She managed to turn her head and saw the hallway clean. She rolled onto her stomach and began calling for her friends again. There was no sound from the upstairs nor from the kitchen. They weren't hiding from her and they were certainly weren't there.
Kirin saw the couches, though in no particular manner, in the living room. There was the dining room set she had bought, dressers, and lamps. They were all in the living room, piled, one on top of the other. She smiled to herself. They had been delivered as promised, but they must've had a fright seeing Heero on the floor and Relena and Pagan. The human part of her wanted to know how they were. She wasn't as heartless as she deemed herself.
She crawled on the floor, her energy wearing down to absolute system shut-down. She couldn't just lay there. She needed to either get something to eat or crawl into a hole and die. She remembered Heero's room was only a few short feet away. If she could just crawl to it and lay there. At least she'd feel safe...until he came back and saw her...dead.
Kirin used her draining strength to push herself towards Heero's room. The belt she wore scraped against the floor. She didn't mind the noise, though it was annoying her remaining sanity. Her foot brushed the open door, and to respect her fellow housemates, she'd close the door in fear of them thinking she was a thief. She managed to get to Heero's door. It was closed, obviously, which meant she'd make a dramatic pose and lay there or try to get up, open the door, and crawl inside. There was something about Heero that made her want to hide behind him. More so his perpetually pissed-off face and his "I'll kill you because I don't like you" attitude. He was the strength that she needed in her life. She didn't mind playing the damsel in distress, but on other occasions...who was protecting who?
Kirin sat up and reached for the door. She pushed with her strength which dwindled down to the ability to crawl and lie there. She took in deep breaths as she surged forward, feeling like a lethargic worm. The sky was becoming dark, as was the room. She saw the window open and crawled to a spot where the moon would hit her form. She almost laughed. She was purposely making it seem dramatic.
When Heero and her friends came home, they'd probably be tired. They'd either sleep in the living room or in their own bedrooms without looking into Heero's room. She knew she'd be unconscious-or dead, by the time he got home and it would be too late to tell him how much she cared. Her leg tipped the door close and she shrunk herself into a ball. She watched as dusk turned to night. The light from the moon illuminated her form. She was so tired. Now all that was left was for her to sleep.