"Hello?" She shouted into the darkness. A sinister laugh replied, becoming louder and more maniacle as it grew closer.
"Tiny little princess Marie Louise. Comment avez-vous été?" Mirabeau asked as he emerged from the shadows. He loomed over her, staring down straight into her eyes with an evil grin on his face.
"Well to tell you the truth, I've been better." She said angrily, twisting her hands to try and free them from their bonds. Mirabeau laughed as he sank down and took her face in his hand.
"It's been three years since I last saw your helpless little face. Where is your knight in shining armor now, highness?" From behind his back, Mirabeau took out a thin needle, filled with a clear solution.
"I am not helpless, thank you! And I am sick of being bait! Release me right NOW!" Marie shouted. Her anger had overcome her fear and she was staring icily at Jean-Pierre. He simply laughed.
"But princess, you are the perfect bait. At first I was simply going to kill you, but my little balcony stunt didn't work. Then I considered kidnapping your father, but that would have proved too difficult, what with all the guards that surround him. Also, George De Sand is much more upset at me kidnapping his precious Marie than he would have been, had I kidnapped the King. I guess you could say I am killing two birds with once stone." A strange look lit up his face as he said the expression, and it startled Marie. He let go of her face and stood back up, taking the needle out in front of him. Marie watched him play with it as he spoke.
"I have been waiting a long time for this moment. Your family made a grave mistake by disqualifying me, highness. George de Sand will die today, along with yourself. The King will then be left off guard, and he will be easy pickings. France will finally have the Gundam Fighter it deserves, and a new King at that!" He began to laugh insanely as he came down towards Marie. She tried to scoot away, but her grabbed her shoulder and plunged the needle roughly into her neck. She could feel the liquid seep through her body, removing the feeling from every part it touched.
"You'll notice that you won't be able to move in a moment, Miss Marie. Don't fret, this serum has no effect on the internal organs. This will not kill you, or knock you out. You see, dear little doll, I want you awake to watch the defeat of George de Sand, and I want you to feel the pain when I kill you, which will equal the pain I felt when I was disqualified." Mirabeau scooped up the princess and walked over to his Mirage Gundam, setting her in it's hand. Marie stared wide-eyed at him as he stroked her hair, then moved into the cockpit and prepared to leave. A tear dripped down her face as the Gundam took off towards the Arc of Triumph.
'George... j'ai peur... I'm afraid for me, but mostly I'm afraid for you. Please, this time, don't rescue me!'
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"We're here." Domon said as the two Gundams landed near the Arc of Triumph. George's eyes darted around, looking for a sign of movement. "Where is he?" he growled, clenching his fist so tightly that his nails made imprints in his palm.
"I'm right here, De Sand." a voice echoed out from behind the Arc. The Mirage Gundam stepped into view, it's eyes glowing green. George immediatly sprung to action, unsheathing his sword and charging at Mirabeau. "No no, I wouldn't." Mirabeau said in a playful voice as he lifted the hand that held Marie.
She was lying limply in the fingers of the Mirage Gundam's left hand. Folds of her dress and locks of her hair fell through it's slightly spread fingers, and her right arm dangled out from between one of the gaps towards the ground. Her eyes were wide, but looked foggy and disoriented. She looked tiny in the hand of the huge Gundam. "You..." George muttered, his entire body shaking of anger.
The Mirage Gundam flicked it's hand so that Marie was tossed into the air and let her fall back into the Gundam's hand with a thud. Her head rolled to the side and the tears that had been growing in her eyes fell towards the ground. A bruise had developed where the needle was stabbed into her neck.
'Please George... retreat!'
"Attack and I drop her." Mirabeau said angrily. "She's awake, she can see all that goes on in front of us. I wanted her alive to see your defeat, and I want both of you alive for her death. After she's gone it's your turn, and then the King's."
he grinned evily as George watched Marie's tears fall out of the sky and towards the ground. He barely noticed that Domon was shouting ideas of attack at him.
'Miss Marie Louise... Marie Louise!' he shouted in his mind as his eyes connected with hers. She was staring up into the glowing green eyes of the Rose Gundam, and suddenly a small smile crept onto her face.
"Well I guess my serum is already starting to wear off, she shouldn't be able to move her face at all. No matter, I will just hurry my plans along."
"George... retreat." Marie whispered. Her plea reached George's ears and he looked back at her, stunned.
'Marie...'
"George, George listen to me!" Domon's face appeared on the screen in George's cockpit, with Rain standing in the cockpit behind him. "I will attack Mirage Gundam with the God Finger, but you have to be ready to catch her!" He instructed. George looked at Domon and nodded with determination.
"Ready..." Domon started...
"Go!"
The two sprung into action, Domon lunging at Mirabeau with his arm outstretched.
"God... Finger!!!" He shouted, striking the Mirage Gundam straight in the head. George positioned himself right by the gundam's hand, ready to catch Marie when she fell. The head of the Mirage Gundam exploded, leaving a hole where the neck should have been. Wires twitched inside the hole, and sparks began to flare. But something wasn't right...
"George, watch out!" Marie shouted as the Mirage Gundam suddenly lurched forward and punched the Rose Gundam in the chest, throwing it into a building. It then turned and kicked the God Gundam to the side, sending it flying towards the ground until it skidded to a stop.
Mirabeau started to chuckle from inside the Gundam, then broke out in an insane laughter.
"You used the God Finger... I figured as much, Domon Kasshu. That is why my Gundam's circuitry doesn't operate from the head! Destroying the head of my Gundam has done nothing to harm it!"
He continued his terrible laughter as George stood up, holding his head. Then the laughter suddenly stopped.
"Well I was going to stab her though the heart, but I feel I must hurry my plans along. Au Revoir, Princess Marie Louise."
With that Mirabeau tossed the Princess into the air and moved his hand away from her body. Tears from Marie's eyes trailed above her as she floated through the air and towards the ground.
"George... je t'aime."
She squeezed her eyes tightly shut in anticipation of the hit, but a bright golden light caught her attention.
'Rose... Gundam? It's in super mode... but is it because he wishes to save his country's princess, or because he wants to save me?'
"MARIE LOUISE!" George shouted. His hand flung out underneath Marie and caught her before she hit the ground, but the contact with Rose Gundam's hand was still pretty hard, and when her head hit it's metal palm her vision became blurry and she blacked out.
George held Marie close to the torso of Rose Gundam to protect her, and used his other hand to direct his attack
"ROSE HURRICANE!" he roared, eyes glowing golden. The attack struck the Mirage Gundam straight on, and it fell from the sky and hit the ground below with a huge crash. Domon landed next to the wrecked Gundam, and he and Rain pulled the injured Mirabeau out and tied him up.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
George jumped out of the Rose Gundam's cockpit and lowered its hand next to him.
"Marie!" he shouted as he hopped into its hand, scooping her up and holding her small frame in his arms. She frowned a bit then opened her eyes, trying to adjust her eyes onto his.
"Marie..." he started, staring worriedly into her green eyes with his own purple ones. He then suddenly took her and hugged her close to him, holding her head with his hand. "I have never been so frightened in my entire life.
"George... I-I'm so sorry..." she began to cry, "I am always your weakness... I weigh you down!" she wailed. But George's took her arms and moved her body so she was in front of him, staring into his face. His hand cupped her chin, forcing her to look up at him.
"You have never been my weakness. Marie, you are my greatest strength. Never think anything different."
Marie broke out into a grin, but her eyes widened in surprise as George leaned forward and kissed her. She let them fall closed, and kissed him back.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Think Marie's alright?" Domon whispered Rain as they watched George and Marie. Domon broke out in a blush when the two kissed, but Rain didn't notice. They had already thrown the tied Mirabeau into the Core Lander and sent it for the police.
"Yes, though she probably has a lot of bumps and bruises. I'll look her over when we get back, but right now I'm sure they want to be alone."
Domon sighed and put his hands in his pockets as he and Rain got back into God Gundam's cockpit. Rain looked over at him as they took off and flew back towards the palace.
"Hey, Domon?" Rain asked as they flew over the landscape.
"Yea?"
"How come you never say those types of things to me?"
"I uh... you already know that!"
"Well it would be nice to hear it sometimes!"
"Well I don't like all that mushy stuff!" we retorted, folding his arms and turning away from her.
Rain sighed. 'He's such a kid.' she thought as she watched him. Rain walked over to Domon and tapped him on the shoulder. As he turned around she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, right on the lips. They broke apart, then both grinned.
"Are you sure you don't like the mushy stuff?"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Rain! Rain over here!" Marie shouted from down the street. It had been a year since the incident with Mirabeau, and the 14th Tournament was finally starting. Rain happily walked over to the waving princess, and noticed something suddenly sparkle on her left hand.
"Well now, is that what I think it is?" Rain asked excitedly as she approached Marie. Marie grinned and held out her left hand for Rain to inspect, showing off the gold band that decorated her ring finger.
"Isn't it gorgeous?" she sighed, looking at the ring as it glowed in the sunlight. "He asked me before the tournament."
George and Domon waved to the two of them from down the sidewalk.
"It's been good to see you again, Domon." George said with a smile. "I look forward to fighting you in the ring." Domon nodded in agreement and he and Rain left.
"Are you ready?" George asked his bride-to-be. She smiled and nodded, and the two left down the sidewalk, hand in hand.
"Marie Louise?"
"Yes George?"
"Je t'aime."
Marie smiled and let her head rest against his shoulder.
"Je t'aime aussi."
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And thats the end of it! Well... I can proudly say this is the first fanfiction I have ever finished o_O. Pretty sad, huh? Hope you enjoyed it... sorry for the sudden fluff at the end but hey, I'm a girl, I couldn't help it :-p. Reviews are definetly welcome!!!
French Translations:
Comment avez-vous été= how have you been
j'ai peur= I'm afraid
au revoir= goodbye
je t'aime= I love you
je t'aime aussi= I love you too