SDA
Thanks to: Calli-chan for reading and beta-ing my fic! She is the most wonderful and amazing girl this side of paradise and you should all bow down and worship her! Read her stuff! Her penname is Callisto Nicol. After you read her stuff, review it! Thank you.
A/N: Doctor Mitsubishi is the doctor/priest dude from the Wind Colony. The one that Maria likes so much.
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And That Kid
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Chapter One: Sympathies
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"DADDY!!!!!!!!!!!" seven-year-old Van screamed joyfully when he saw the small group of Zoids slowly driving on the horizon. Despite the distance, he ran towards them, calling to his father.
Maria smiled; Van had been anticipating his father's return since the day he left. It had been over a year since they had seen him last, and Maria was excited too. She ran after Van with just as much vigor, but showing it less.
By the time she was there she had cramps in her stomach, but she could ignore them for Father. Climbing the last sand dune, she became alert when she didn't hear Van speaking at all. When she could see over the dune, she saw Doctor Mitsubishi talking quietly to Van. Van's eyes were worried and he started talking frantically until the doctor led him into a tent that had been erected on the Gustav.
Worry filled her soul as she ran to the tent the two had entered. Before she got very far she noticed something. There were two trailers attached to the Gustav. One had what looked like a smashed capsule on it next to a tent, and the other one had a smashed up white Command Wolf on it. Maria knew that Command Wolf. It was Zeke! Was Father all right? Was he safe?
The short distance to the tent seemed to last hours and hours as Maria thought of everything that might have happened to Father. Everything but the worst, because there was no way that could've have happened. No, he couldn't have died. He was too good of a pilot to die.
Maria suddenly remembered something that her mother had said shortly after she had passed away.
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"Why are you sick, mother?" Maria asked, crying. "You're too strong to be sick. You've never been sick before!"
"Maria." Her mother held Maria in her arms as her breathing became heavier. "No one is ever too strong to die. Everyone is destined to die, whether they are strong or weak. Eventually everyone will die. It cannot be stopped by strength." Her breathing became shorter, and there was more time between each breath. Then it stopped.
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Maria had known since that day that no one would survive simply because they were strong or the best, but she still couldn't let go of the feeling that her father was to good to pass away. He couldn't be dead.
"Daddy, wake up!" Van sobbed into his father's bedding, as Maria entered. "WAKE UP!" There was a small child sitting beside their father's bed, across from Van, shuddering like he wanted to cry, but refused to allow himself to do it.
"What's wrong?" she asked the Doctor Mitsubishi quietly.
"Come outside," he replied, and motioned her outside of the tent. "He was nearly killed in the attack, but Raven found him in the cockpit of the Command Wolf. He was barely alive. He's in a coma right now and he may survive, even if it still means he's in the coma, but the longer he stays in the coma, the less likely it is for him to wake—" Maria didn't even wait for the doctor to finish his sentence. She had to see her father.
She ran back into the tent and, with all her dignity forgotten, she cried alongside Van. "Wake up, Father! You can't die!" She sobbed without thought. She didn't want to witness her other parent die as well. She couldn't. "Wake up, Father! You can't die!"
"Major. Don't die. Wake up." The child spoke quietly. Silent tears fell down his face as well. He must be a war orphan Father picked up. He always did have a soft spot for children.
Maria realized that she had to at least look strong. If the two boys saw her like this, they would surely give up hope. So Maria sympathetically reached her arms across the bed and picked up the child and placed him in her lap. She also pulled Van beside the boy on her lap. She cried softly and murmured into their ears that father would surely survive. He was strong.
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Dan could hear the soft voice of a young woman. In his head, all he could see was his wife when he had first met her. But he opened his eyes slowly, and he saw…Maria? How? He had been fighting the Imperial soldiers to protect them…was he dreaming? He should be dead. No pilot had ever survived an attack like that before.
"And then Gradian jumped up in his Guizack and defeated the powerful Saber Fang. Fianar couldn't believe it. 'How could you have defeated me in your damaged Zoid? And you're such a weak pilot!' Gradian replied, 'It's not the power of the Zoid, but the determination and understanding of the pilot.' So Gradian defeated the most powerful mercenary in all of the desert!"
Van smiled quietly. "I love that story, because it shows that normal people can become the best Zoid pilots without being in a war, or training in any army."
That was Dan's favorite story for that same reason, as well. It was the story of how Gradian, a young village boy, defeated Fianar, a powerful mercenary that was on a path of destruction for many years.
The kid, however, wore a thoughtful look on his face as he mused over the story. Then his expression hardened. "I don't like Zoids. I've never liked Zoids."
Van shot him a horrible look. "How can you hate Zoids? They're the best things in the universe!"
"No, they're not. They're evil."
Before Van could reply, though, Dan interrupted the conversation. "I thought that sounded beautiful, Maria. You tell it as well as your mother did."
All three immediately turned around, shock painted all over their faces. "DADDY!!" Van screamed, running over to his bedside. "You're alive!" He just burst into tears there, standing beside Dan and crying his heart out.
"Father!" Maria had been only an instant slower than Van, and she had the kid beside her, she was holding his hand. "We didn't know if you were going to make it! You've been asleep for eight days! We've all been so worried!"
"I don't understand. Where am I?" Dan WAS confused.
"You're home, Father! Home!" Maria grinned, and she placed her hand on his head. "Raven, Van, and I have been so worried! I'm so glad that you're ok!" She was crying now, too.
"Raven?" Who on Zi?
"Me." The kid stepped forward. "On the way home, I played with black birds, so everyone called me Raven, because they said that was the bird's name."
"But I think Raven is a beautiful name!" Maria announced to Raven. "It shows that you're brave and you're strong!"
Raven smiled at Maria. He was such a cute kid.
"Maria's right! It is a beautiful name!" However, Dan noticed something that upset him slightly. Van was watching Raven and Maria with a sullen face.
"Van? Is something wrong?"
Everyone looked at Van, and Van turned a light shade of pink. "No. I'm fine." But then he stalked out of the room.
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Van walked down the hall into his room. All anyone could ever think about was Raven. Raven this and Raven that. Feel bad for Raven, he's lost his memory, and probably his parents!
Van had felt bad for Raven at first, but then everyone started acting like Raven! Raven! Raven! Who cares about Van and what Van wants? Poor Raven this and poor Raven that. And when Daddy had woken, 'Oh, nice to see you too, Van. Raven! How are you? I think you're so wonderful…'
Van kicked his door as hard as he could to knock it open, but the only thing that he got was a pain in his foot and a scream of anger. He saw Maria look out of their father's door, and start to go to him, but he didn't want her fake sympathies. He slammed his door shut and locked it. Tight.
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A/N: So? Do you like the end of Chapter One? Do you like my story???!!! Please R&R! THANK YOU!