Chapter IX: Confession
It was midnight. Everyone was asleep, except Bunny. She sat on the grass in the back yard, her feet dipped in the fish pool, that didn't have any fish in it. She wasn't tired. Anyway, she had to figure out how to get through to Brad. He was so dense! Last week, he had broken one of Haaz's models on purpose, just to show what a baby Haaz was. Thankfully, Bunny's father had been able to find a replacement and had brought it with him.
She sighed. She knew she should go to sleep, but couldn't.Bunny whirled around as she heard someone walk up behind her. She saw a shadow move. "Who- who's there?" Her voice was shaky. No answer. Bunny peered into the darkness. She could tell that someone was there. Well, if the person wants to kill me, he would have done so already. Must be Chikori or something, she thought and went back to staring at the swirling water in the pool.
"Sorry," she heard someone say from behind her.
Bunny turned around as fast a lightening. It was Brad. She blinked. "Wha'?" she said in amazement.
"I said that I was sorry." His voice was sharp.
Bunny kept on staring up at him. Brad was sorry. Brad was sorry? Brad never apologized to anyone. Brad never even spoke to anyone. "About what?" she asked.
Brad just stared at her. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."
"Oh," Bunny said and remembered what had happened earlier that night. She turned back to the pond. Brad sat down beside her.
"I'm an idiot, okay?" he said, staring at his hands.
She turned to him. "Why do you say that? If you're an idiot, you must be a pretty smart one considering that you're the King of Hearts."
"I don't deserve it," he said.
"Yes you do. You're a great Gundam fighter! And don't you dare think otherwise."
"I mean I cheat. Well, I used to anyway," he said. "Why am I telling you this?" he shook his head and asked himself.
"I donno. I'm just listening. But how can you cheat at Gundam fighting?"
"That's exactly what I can't tell you. If I do, you'll tell Mr. Kasshu."
"No, I won't."
"Yes, you will."
"I swear on-on my Gundam," Bunny said.
Brad sighed. People only did that when they really meant it. "Oh, all right then. Maybe it'll be good for me. Soul cleansing or something like that." Brad breathed in. "I used to use the Berserker system."
"You WHAT?" she screamed.
"Keep it down, there are people sleeping here," he hushed her. "How did you get your hands on the Berserker system? You lived in a shack in San Francisco. How does a person who lives in a shack with barely enough food to live off of get his hands on the Berserker system?"
"My father," Brad replied.
"But I thought your father-"
"He did."
"Then how could he give you the Berserker system?"
"He didn't give it to me, you idiot! He told me where it was right before he left. So I found it and started using in when I battled. And eventually I didn't need it anymore. Sort of like what happened to Allenby Biazury. Except she never even became part of the Shuffle Alliance. I feel awful."
"Yah, you should."
"Huh, well, you're really useful to have around when a guy needs to let everything out," Brad snorted.
"You would have done as well without the system," Bunny assured him.
"Uh-huh. Right," he said sarcastically.
"Really, Brad. You're a great Gundam fighter. Everybody thinks so."
"How would you know?"
"Well, it just so happens that I actually communicate with other human beings, unlike you. People hand over very useful information at times. Really, everyone thinks you are the best Gundam fighter out of all of us."
"Thanks, Rabbit," he said. "That actually makes me feel a bit better." Brad got up and left.
"It's BUNNY!" Bunny called after him.
Brad was more sociable after that. He responded when Bunny greeted him the next morning. And although Brad wouldn't talk to anyone else, despite how much Bunny tried to make him, he talked to her.
* * *
"The Gundam fights start tomorrow!" Volta scrambled down the stairs. "The Gundam fights start tomorrow!" She started jumping up and down.
"Volta, you're twenty years old, give it a rest," Bunny said, never taking her eyes off of the bonnet she was sewing for Cathery.
Volta stopped. Something dawned upon her. "Oh my god! Oh my god! Only one of us can fight! Only either Haaz or I can fight! We can't both fight. It's against the rules. What am I going to do? What am I going to do?" Volta sat down on the floor next to Cathery and Chikori. "This is my biggest problem since I had to pull Mr. Guilsky's suitcase up both flights of stairs!"
Domon entered the room. "What's wrong with her?" he asked, pointing at Volta.
"Only one of us can fight," she said.
"That is a problem," Domon observed. "HAAZ!" Domon called. "Get down here. We need to discuss something."
Haaz came down the stairs, lugging four suitcases behind him. "Haaz, what are you doing with your suitcases?" Volta asked. "I refuse to lug them up those stairs."
"I'm leaving, sis." Haaz had started calling everyone either 'bro' or 'sis' since Sai Sici had arrived.
"Why?"
"Well, only one of us can fight in the Gundam tournament, and you're a much better pilot and fighter than I'll ever be. So I'm gonna let you represent Neo-Nepal. You deserve it way more than I do."
Volta stared at him. "Oh my god. He does have a brain!" She jumped up. "My brother can think!" She calmed down. "You don't have to do that, Haaz," she said. "I could go home. I sort of miss Mom and Dad and Grandpa."
"No. You're the better pilot," Haaz interrupted.
"No ones going home," Domon said. "No matter who's going to represent Neo- Nepal you are both coming with the rest of us when we go fighting other Gundams."
"Really, Mr. Kasshu?" Volta asked.
Domon nodded.
"Great!" Volta slapped Haaz on the back. "You can be my personal cheering squad!"
"Joy," Haaz rolled his eyes upward.
* * *
The next morning was the first day of the Gundam fight. "We'll ride in our Gundams. It's faster that way," Domon announced.
The former Shuffle Alliance members had left, all except for Chibodee, who wanted to travel with the new Shuffle Alliance.
"I think he likes you," Bunny whispered to Volta.
She smacked her friend. "Oh, be quiet! He's about forty years old now!"
"Still."
"Shut it."
Everyone gathered outside. "Gundam fight ready." Domon started.
"GO!" everyone else shouted in unison. The eighteenth Gundam tournament, the most chaotic since the thirteenth one, had begun.
Sora~ Thank you soooo much for reading and reviewing my story! For that matter, thank you (all three of you) for reviewing my story! -_^ About you're first complaint: My story, and I had to have it happen because how else could Bunny meet Haaz and Volta and Chikori and Brad? And I wasn't exactly in the mood to be extra creative, so I stuck with that. Second complaint: I'm not exactly sure WHY the Shuffle Alliance members didn't keep in touch. I just sorta felt like it. And I'm sure they did a bit of corresponding. Chibodee and Domon were too bust getting drunk to keep in touch, Argo was always silent and never said anything to begin with, Sai Sici was probably too absorbed in restoring the Shoalin Temple and kissing his picture of Cecil, and you know what George was busy doing. I agree, Haaz is my favorite character, and you haven't seen anything yet.Ooops! *scolds myself* Idiot ShadowTide! You're supposed to keep that stuff a SECRET! Oh well.Yah, Haaz has a major, major injury and he's out for a couple chapters.There I go again!
For the few of you who read this thing, the next chapter is full of strange, strange, straaaange happenings. It's a bit wacked. Just thought I'd warn you.
Toodles. Until next time!
~* ShadowTide *~
It was midnight. Everyone was asleep, except Bunny. She sat on the grass in the back yard, her feet dipped in the fish pool, that didn't have any fish in it. She wasn't tired. Anyway, she had to figure out how to get through to Brad. He was so dense! Last week, he had broken one of Haaz's models on purpose, just to show what a baby Haaz was. Thankfully, Bunny's father had been able to find a replacement and had brought it with him.
She sighed. She knew she should go to sleep, but couldn't.Bunny whirled around as she heard someone walk up behind her. She saw a shadow move. "Who- who's there?" Her voice was shaky. No answer. Bunny peered into the darkness. She could tell that someone was there. Well, if the person wants to kill me, he would have done so already. Must be Chikori or something, she thought and went back to staring at the swirling water in the pool.
"Sorry," she heard someone say from behind her.
Bunny turned around as fast a lightening. It was Brad. She blinked. "Wha'?" she said in amazement.
"I said that I was sorry." His voice was sharp.
Bunny kept on staring up at him. Brad was sorry. Brad was sorry? Brad never apologized to anyone. Brad never even spoke to anyone. "About what?" she asked.
Brad just stared at her. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."
"Oh," Bunny said and remembered what had happened earlier that night. She turned back to the pond. Brad sat down beside her.
"I'm an idiot, okay?" he said, staring at his hands.
She turned to him. "Why do you say that? If you're an idiot, you must be a pretty smart one considering that you're the King of Hearts."
"I don't deserve it," he said.
"Yes you do. You're a great Gundam fighter! And don't you dare think otherwise."
"I mean I cheat. Well, I used to anyway," he said. "Why am I telling you this?" he shook his head and asked himself.
"I donno. I'm just listening. But how can you cheat at Gundam fighting?"
"That's exactly what I can't tell you. If I do, you'll tell Mr. Kasshu."
"No, I won't."
"Yes, you will."
"I swear on-on my Gundam," Bunny said.
Brad sighed. People only did that when they really meant it. "Oh, all right then. Maybe it'll be good for me. Soul cleansing or something like that." Brad breathed in. "I used to use the Berserker system."
"You WHAT?" she screamed.
"Keep it down, there are people sleeping here," he hushed her. "How did you get your hands on the Berserker system? You lived in a shack in San Francisco. How does a person who lives in a shack with barely enough food to live off of get his hands on the Berserker system?"
"My father," Brad replied.
"But I thought your father-"
"He did."
"Then how could he give you the Berserker system?"
"He didn't give it to me, you idiot! He told me where it was right before he left. So I found it and started using in when I battled. And eventually I didn't need it anymore. Sort of like what happened to Allenby Biazury. Except she never even became part of the Shuffle Alliance. I feel awful."
"Yah, you should."
"Huh, well, you're really useful to have around when a guy needs to let everything out," Brad snorted.
"You would have done as well without the system," Bunny assured him.
"Uh-huh. Right," he said sarcastically.
"Really, Brad. You're a great Gundam fighter. Everybody thinks so."
"How would you know?"
"Well, it just so happens that I actually communicate with other human beings, unlike you. People hand over very useful information at times. Really, everyone thinks you are the best Gundam fighter out of all of us."
"Thanks, Rabbit," he said. "That actually makes me feel a bit better." Brad got up and left.
"It's BUNNY!" Bunny called after him.
Brad was more sociable after that. He responded when Bunny greeted him the next morning. And although Brad wouldn't talk to anyone else, despite how much Bunny tried to make him, he talked to her.
* * *
"The Gundam fights start tomorrow!" Volta scrambled down the stairs. "The Gundam fights start tomorrow!" She started jumping up and down.
"Volta, you're twenty years old, give it a rest," Bunny said, never taking her eyes off of the bonnet she was sewing for Cathery.
Volta stopped. Something dawned upon her. "Oh my god! Oh my god! Only one of us can fight! Only either Haaz or I can fight! We can't both fight. It's against the rules. What am I going to do? What am I going to do?" Volta sat down on the floor next to Cathery and Chikori. "This is my biggest problem since I had to pull Mr. Guilsky's suitcase up both flights of stairs!"
Domon entered the room. "What's wrong with her?" he asked, pointing at Volta.
"Only one of us can fight," she said.
"That is a problem," Domon observed. "HAAZ!" Domon called. "Get down here. We need to discuss something."
Haaz came down the stairs, lugging four suitcases behind him. "Haaz, what are you doing with your suitcases?" Volta asked. "I refuse to lug them up those stairs."
"I'm leaving, sis." Haaz had started calling everyone either 'bro' or 'sis' since Sai Sici had arrived.
"Why?"
"Well, only one of us can fight in the Gundam tournament, and you're a much better pilot and fighter than I'll ever be. So I'm gonna let you represent Neo-Nepal. You deserve it way more than I do."
Volta stared at him. "Oh my god. He does have a brain!" She jumped up. "My brother can think!" She calmed down. "You don't have to do that, Haaz," she said. "I could go home. I sort of miss Mom and Dad and Grandpa."
"No. You're the better pilot," Haaz interrupted.
"No ones going home," Domon said. "No matter who's going to represent Neo- Nepal you are both coming with the rest of us when we go fighting other Gundams."
"Really, Mr. Kasshu?" Volta asked.
Domon nodded.
"Great!" Volta slapped Haaz on the back. "You can be my personal cheering squad!"
"Joy," Haaz rolled his eyes upward.
* * *
The next morning was the first day of the Gundam fight. "We'll ride in our Gundams. It's faster that way," Domon announced.
The former Shuffle Alliance members had left, all except for Chibodee, who wanted to travel with the new Shuffle Alliance.
"I think he likes you," Bunny whispered to Volta.
She smacked her friend. "Oh, be quiet! He's about forty years old now!"
"Still."
"Shut it."
Everyone gathered outside. "Gundam fight ready." Domon started.
"GO!" everyone else shouted in unison. The eighteenth Gundam tournament, the most chaotic since the thirteenth one, had begun.
Sora~ Thank you soooo much for reading and reviewing my story! For that matter, thank you (all three of you) for reviewing my story! -_^ About you're first complaint: My story, and I had to have it happen because how else could Bunny meet Haaz and Volta and Chikori and Brad? And I wasn't exactly in the mood to be extra creative, so I stuck with that. Second complaint: I'm not exactly sure WHY the Shuffle Alliance members didn't keep in touch. I just sorta felt like it. And I'm sure they did a bit of corresponding. Chibodee and Domon were too bust getting drunk to keep in touch, Argo was always silent and never said anything to begin with, Sai Sici was probably too absorbed in restoring the Shoalin Temple and kissing his picture of Cecil, and you know what George was busy doing. I agree, Haaz is my favorite character, and you haven't seen anything yet.Ooops! *scolds myself* Idiot ShadowTide! You're supposed to keep that stuff a SECRET! Oh well.Yah, Haaz has a major, major injury and he's out for a couple chapters.There I go again!
For the few of you who read this thing, the next chapter is full of strange, strange, straaaange happenings. It's a bit wacked. Just thought I'd warn you.
Toodles. Until next time!
~* ShadowTide *~