Domon was too shocked to speak. Sai Saici stumbled in, only taking so many
steps before collapsing forward. Domon moved quickly and caught him. Rain
was now up and on her way over to them.
"Is he okay?" She asked Domon. He regarded Sai Saici's condition. His clothes were dirty and even torn in some places. His hair was a mess and he looked somewhat pale. Domon carried him into his bedroom right off of the living room. Rain was right on his heals. Sai was complaining the whole way.
"Ow, be nice, I've been through alot." He groaned loudly. "What happened?" Domon asked him once he was settled on the bed. Rain practically pushed him out of the way.
"Hey.." He objected but she shot him a look. "He's obviously exhausted. You can find out later." She told him. He gave her a look but knew it wouldn't make any difference. He left the room and she shut the door. Domon headed back out into the living room to wait. He could still hear Sai complaining.
"Ow! sis, come on. Where's the pity?" He was asking her as she bandaged his arm. "So what did happened? Did you just run away again?" She asked him. He shook his head.
"No, but I don't want to talk about it right now." He said which seemed out of character for Sai. He usually said whatever was on his mind. She decided to drop the issue. The rest of the time he continued to gripe and whine while she finished cleaning him up. If he wasn't so worn out it would have probably been more difficult. Once she was finished with that she went over to Domon's dresser to find some clothes Sai could borrow. Everything was way too big for him. She grabbed some shorts and a white T-shirt for him. She handed them to him.
"Here, now get some rest and later if you're feeling up to it, you can eat with us." She offered and turned off the light before leaving. Domon turned around as she headed over. "Well? Did he tell you anything?" He asked her as she sat down. She shook her head. "No he didn't want to talk about it." She answered. Domon cocked an eyebrow at that. "Really, that's weird. I wonder how he got here in the first place." Domon pointed out. "Well I'm sure he'll tell us when he's ready to. He had a couple of bad scrapes and some marks on his arms." She explained to him. "What kind of marks?" Domon asked, sounding somewhat concerned now. "They looked like syringe marks. That has me worried." She told him. "Well maybe he'll want to talk about it later. But for now there's not much we can do." Domon answered back. Rain sighed in agreement and stood up. "Where are you going?" He asked curiously. "I'm going to start dinner. It'll give me something to do." She decided, heading over to the kitchen. Domon couldn't help but smile. Afterall his dad and he didn't know how to cook. Rain just seemed to step in with that and they really appreciated it. Otherwise who knows what they'd be eating. The thought alone made him grimace. Dinner didn't take long to make, and Domon's dad got home just as it was finished. Rain went to get Sai Saici but he was still sleeping. She headed back out to the dinning room. "Where's Sai Saici?" Domon asked her. She took her seat. "He's sleeping. I didn't want to wake him." She said back. "So have you found any clues to the whereabouts of your Gundam?" Dr. Kashuu asked them. Domon shook his head. "No, and the chances of it still be here aren't good either." He remarked. "Yes, that's true. Karato told me that if we don't find it soon, he wants to start on another one to represent Neo-Japan." His dad mentioned. Domon wasn't happy with that but didn't want to discuss it anymore. They would find Burning Gundam and whoever was behind it. The rest of dinner was pretty much quiet. Afterwards Domon walked Rain down the street to her house. It was beginning to get dark out now. They both noticed a black car parked outside her house. When they got closer it turned on its lights and drove off.
"I wonder who that was." Domon said as the car passed them. "Rain, are you sure you'll be okay here tonight. With all that has happened lately, I don't really feel comfortable leaving you here alone." He explained to her. "It'll be okay. Besides you have to keep an eye on Sai Saici. What if someone goes after him again? I'll be careful." She promised him. He grudgingly agreed. "Okay but if there's a problem you'd better call me right away." He told her. She nodded back. They got up to the door and she unlocked it and turned on the lights. "See I'm perfectly fine here." She smiled. He kissed her goodnight and turned to leave. "Don't forget to deadbolt the door." He added. He always worried too much about her. She did as he told her and locked the door behind him. Domon walked around the property just to make sure no one was around. He couldn't find anything out of place. He headed back to his house. Rain got ready for bed and was turning out the lights when the phone rang. She wasn't expecting anyone to call so late. It might be Domon again, making sure she was okay. She decided to just let the machine get it. "Is Rain Mikamura there?" Came an unfamiliar voice. She turned to the machine and listened. "We know you're there. Domon just left for the night and now you're all alone." Rain quickly pulled the plug out of the wall. She didn't want to call Domon. She headed to her room, leaving all the lights out. She found her gun in her nightstand and made sure it was loaded. If anyone decided they wanted to try something tonight, she was ready. ~*~ Domon got back to his house and locked the door behind him. His dad must have already gone to sleep. He headed to his room only to remember that Sai Saici was in there. He went down the hall to sleep in Kyoji's old room. He wasn't expecting to fall asleep so quickly but as soon as he got into bed, he was out. At some point in the night he felt someone jabbing him in the ribs. "Bro, come on move over..." He heard and rolled over, trying to ignore it. "Domon, wake up." He heard it again and it finally hit him that it was Sai Saici. He sat up and sure enough Sai was sitting there on the edge of the bed. "What's the matter?" He asked him, trying to figure out how late it was. "I had a bad dream." Sai admitted. "Can I sleep in here?" He asked, giving Domon the most innocent look. He was going to just kick him out but then he remembered having something very similar happening to him when he was little. And he came in here looking for Kyoji. He let out a long sigh. "Okay, I don't care." He decided and moved over. Sai smiled happily and got under the covers. Now that Domon thought about it, Sai Saici was like a little brother to him. He had always treated Domon like an older brother. He fell back asleep again. ~*~ Morning came quickly and so did Rain. It was a little after seven when she unlocked the front door to the Kashuu's residence. It was still quiet as they were all probably still in bed. She headed into Domon's room to wake Sai Saici up. To her amazement, the bed was emptied. Did someone take him in the night? She hurried into the next bedroom to wake Domon up. She noticed the lump towards the end of the bed and figured it was Sai Saici. That calmed her nerves some. She went over to Domon. He was sleeping so soundly that she didn't want to disturb him. But she knew she better. She shook his shoulder and whispered in his ear.
"Domon, I need to talk to you." She said softly. He finally opened his eyes and stretched some. "Is something the matter?" He asked her but then knew something was just looking at her. She obviously didn't sleep well the night before. He got up and they left the room quietly. "Rain, are you okay?" He asked her once they were in the kitchen. She shook her head and turned away from him. She was fighting back the tears. She didn't want him to see her cry. "I thought someone had taken Sai Saici when I didn't see him in your room this morning." She said trying to think clearly. "Now why would you think that, you know I would never let anything like that happen." He told her. She turned around and came closer to him. "Oh Domon, someone was watching my house last night." She said finally losing the will to keep the tears back. He put his arms around her. "Are you sure?" He asked, holding her close. She nodded back. "They called when you left. I let the answering machine get it but they knew I was there alone and that you had just left." She muttered against him. "Why didn't you come get me." He asked her. She shook her head. "Because then you would have to come back and stay over there all night. And then what if they came here instead. I didn't want to worry everyone." She explained.
"Tonight you're staying here then. We can go get some of your stuff later and you can stay in my room or Kyoji's room." He decided looking down at her. She finally nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry I don't mean to be so much trouble." She said quietly. "Rain, this isn't your fault. We just have to find out whose been making these phone calls." He explained. He let go of her suddenly. "In fact, he's been quiet for long enough." He decided heading back into the bedroom they came from. Sai Saici was still wrapped up in the covers when Domon came in. "Okay, Sai Saici. You've slept long enough. You have to talk to us." He declared. Sai rolled over as if saying no. Domon pulled the covers off him. "Come on, you have to tell us what's going on." He repeated. Sai grabbed for the covers but couldn't find them. "No way, I don't want to talk about it." He answered. Domon picked him up by the back of his collar. Sai struggled trying to get released. "I said I don't want to talk about it. Why can't that be good enough?" He was getting upset. Domon pulled him up so that they were eye to eye. "Cause someone was watching Rain last night and we think it's connected." He said in a calmer tone. Sai slumped his shoulders in defeat and let out a sigh.
"Alright I'll tell you what happened but you've gotta feed me first." He said back. Domon agreed and set him down. He grabbed the covers and headed out to the kitchen. Rain made some breakfast for the three of them. Dr. Kashuu had already left for the day. Sai Saici downed his breakfast quickly. Domon and Rain were amazed how much he could eat. He finally put down his bowl.
"Full yet?" Domon asked, impatiently. Sai nodded happily. "Okay, so what do you want to know?" He asked them back. "What happened to you?" Domon questioned. Sai Saici looked down when he answered. "These guys in uniforms caught me. I'm not too sure what they wanted but they weren't nice at all." He explained. "Do you have any idea what they plan to do?" Rain asked him. "They mentioned DG cells alot. Apparently I don't have any on me which they weren't very happy with." He mentioned. Domon and Rain exchanged looks. "Is that what those marks were from?" Rain inquired. Sai Saici nodded back slowly. She felt that they should change the subject. "So how'd you end up here?" She brought up. "They said something about coming to Neo-Japan. So I took the chance to escape and get a ride with them. I snack in with the cargo. I don't know if they've noticed I'm even gone. I don't think they thought I was able to get away." He added. "Did they take Dragon Gundam too?" Domon thought outloud. Sai Saici shook his head.
"No, just me. They didn't seem interested in it." He responded. Suddenly another light went off. "They also mentioned something about your family. Something about your brother, I think." He remarked catching Domon's full attention. "Kyoji? Was anything else said that you can remember?" Domon asked. Sai just shrugged back. "Sorry, that's all I remember." He explained sadly. "It's okay Sai Saici. Your information helped alot." Rain answered. "One last question. Do you have any idea where they had you?" Domon said. "Yeah, they didn't really keep that much of a secret. We were definitely on earth. And from the look of their uniforms we were in Neo-Germany. At least that's my best guess." Sai said back. Domon looked at Rain.
"I think we're going to have to make a trip there then." He mentioned. She wasn't as quick to decide but if he was going to go then she would help him.
"Sai Saici, you do realize that we should let your government know where you are." Rain reminded him. He didn't seem very pleased with that idea. "Aw, couldn't I just stay with you two." He suggested. Domon nodded. "No she's right, you are going to have to go back eventually." He agreed with Rain. Sai slouched even more. "Great, so much for the vacation." He sighed. Rain stood from her seat. "I'm going to go get some of my stuff from my place." She decided. Domon stood as well. "I'm going with you." He told her. Sai grabbed Domon by the arm. "You're not leaving me here alone are you?" He whined. Domon tried to shake him off but it didn't work. He finally conceded. "Fine you can come." ~*~ They got over to Rain's and the door was open. "Did you leave the door open?" Domon asked her as they approached. She shook her head. They entered and nothing was out of place. Domon started searching the house to see if anyone was in there. Sai Saici went with him. Rain stayed in the living room. Suddenly the phone rang next to her. She picked it up slowly. It was the same voice from the night before.
"Is Domon there now?" She slammed the phone down and Domon came running in. She looked up at him; angry tears streamed down her face. "This has to end." She told him. They quickly got her things packed and locked the door behind them. "I think it would be wise to check on the other shuffle alliance members. Just to be safe."
"Is he okay?" She asked Domon. He regarded Sai Saici's condition. His clothes were dirty and even torn in some places. His hair was a mess and he looked somewhat pale. Domon carried him into his bedroom right off of the living room. Rain was right on his heals. Sai was complaining the whole way.
"Ow, be nice, I've been through alot." He groaned loudly. "What happened?" Domon asked him once he was settled on the bed. Rain practically pushed him out of the way.
"Hey.." He objected but she shot him a look. "He's obviously exhausted. You can find out later." She told him. He gave her a look but knew it wouldn't make any difference. He left the room and she shut the door. Domon headed back out into the living room to wait. He could still hear Sai complaining.
"Ow! sis, come on. Where's the pity?" He was asking her as she bandaged his arm. "So what did happened? Did you just run away again?" She asked him. He shook his head.
"No, but I don't want to talk about it right now." He said which seemed out of character for Sai. He usually said whatever was on his mind. She decided to drop the issue. The rest of the time he continued to gripe and whine while she finished cleaning him up. If he wasn't so worn out it would have probably been more difficult. Once she was finished with that she went over to Domon's dresser to find some clothes Sai could borrow. Everything was way too big for him. She grabbed some shorts and a white T-shirt for him. She handed them to him.
"Here, now get some rest and later if you're feeling up to it, you can eat with us." She offered and turned off the light before leaving. Domon turned around as she headed over. "Well? Did he tell you anything?" He asked her as she sat down. She shook her head. "No he didn't want to talk about it." She answered. Domon cocked an eyebrow at that. "Really, that's weird. I wonder how he got here in the first place." Domon pointed out. "Well I'm sure he'll tell us when he's ready to. He had a couple of bad scrapes and some marks on his arms." She explained to him. "What kind of marks?" Domon asked, sounding somewhat concerned now. "They looked like syringe marks. That has me worried." She told him. "Well maybe he'll want to talk about it later. But for now there's not much we can do." Domon answered back. Rain sighed in agreement and stood up. "Where are you going?" He asked curiously. "I'm going to start dinner. It'll give me something to do." She decided, heading over to the kitchen. Domon couldn't help but smile. Afterall his dad and he didn't know how to cook. Rain just seemed to step in with that and they really appreciated it. Otherwise who knows what they'd be eating. The thought alone made him grimace. Dinner didn't take long to make, and Domon's dad got home just as it was finished. Rain went to get Sai Saici but he was still sleeping. She headed back out to the dinning room. "Where's Sai Saici?" Domon asked her. She took her seat. "He's sleeping. I didn't want to wake him." She said back. "So have you found any clues to the whereabouts of your Gundam?" Dr. Kashuu asked them. Domon shook his head. "No, and the chances of it still be here aren't good either." He remarked. "Yes, that's true. Karato told me that if we don't find it soon, he wants to start on another one to represent Neo-Japan." His dad mentioned. Domon wasn't happy with that but didn't want to discuss it anymore. They would find Burning Gundam and whoever was behind it. The rest of dinner was pretty much quiet. Afterwards Domon walked Rain down the street to her house. It was beginning to get dark out now. They both noticed a black car parked outside her house. When they got closer it turned on its lights and drove off.
"I wonder who that was." Domon said as the car passed them. "Rain, are you sure you'll be okay here tonight. With all that has happened lately, I don't really feel comfortable leaving you here alone." He explained to her. "It'll be okay. Besides you have to keep an eye on Sai Saici. What if someone goes after him again? I'll be careful." She promised him. He grudgingly agreed. "Okay but if there's a problem you'd better call me right away." He told her. She nodded back. They got up to the door and she unlocked it and turned on the lights. "See I'm perfectly fine here." She smiled. He kissed her goodnight and turned to leave. "Don't forget to deadbolt the door." He added. He always worried too much about her. She did as he told her and locked the door behind him. Domon walked around the property just to make sure no one was around. He couldn't find anything out of place. He headed back to his house. Rain got ready for bed and was turning out the lights when the phone rang. She wasn't expecting anyone to call so late. It might be Domon again, making sure she was okay. She decided to just let the machine get it. "Is Rain Mikamura there?" Came an unfamiliar voice. She turned to the machine and listened. "We know you're there. Domon just left for the night and now you're all alone." Rain quickly pulled the plug out of the wall. She didn't want to call Domon. She headed to her room, leaving all the lights out. She found her gun in her nightstand and made sure it was loaded. If anyone decided they wanted to try something tonight, she was ready. ~*~ Domon got back to his house and locked the door behind him. His dad must have already gone to sleep. He headed to his room only to remember that Sai Saici was in there. He went down the hall to sleep in Kyoji's old room. He wasn't expecting to fall asleep so quickly but as soon as he got into bed, he was out. At some point in the night he felt someone jabbing him in the ribs. "Bro, come on move over..." He heard and rolled over, trying to ignore it. "Domon, wake up." He heard it again and it finally hit him that it was Sai Saici. He sat up and sure enough Sai was sitting there on the edge of the bed. "What's the matter?" He asked him, trying to figure out how late it was. "I had a bad dream." Sai admitted. "Can I sleep in here?" He asked, giving Domon the most innocent look. He was going to just kick him out but then he remembered having something very similar happening to him when he was little. And he came in here looking for Kyoji. He let out a long sigh. "Okay, I don't care." He decided and moved over. Sai smiled happily and got under the covers. Now that Domon thought about it, Sai Saici was like a little brother to him. He had always treated Domon like an older brother. He fell back asleep again. ~*~ Morning came quickly and so did Rain. It was a little after seven when she unlocked the front door to the Kashuu's residence. It was still quiet as they were all probably still in bed. She headed into Domon's room to wake Sai Saici up. To her amazement, the bed was emptied. Did someone take him in the night? She hurried into the next bedroom to wake Domon up. She noticed the lump towards the end of the bed and figured it was Sai Saici. That calmed her nerves some. She went over to Domon. He was sleeping so soundly that she didn't want to disturb him. But she knew she better. She shook his shoulder and whispered in his ear.
"Domon, I need to talk to you." She said softly. He finally opened his eyes and stretched some. "Is something the matter?" He asked her but then knew something was just looking at her. She obviously didn't sleep well the night before. He got up and they left the room quietly. "Rain, are you okay?" He asked her once they were in the kitchen. She shook her head and turned away from him. She was fighting back the tears. She didn't want him to see her cry. "I thought someone had taken Sai Saici when I didn't see him in your room this morning." She said trying to think clearly. "Now why would you think that, you know I would never let anything like that happen." He told her. She turned around and came closer to him. "Oh Domon, someone was watching my house last night." She said finally losing the will to keep the tears back. He put his arms around her. "Are you sure?" He asked, holding her close. She nodded back. "They called when you left. I let the answering machine get it but they knew I was there alone and that you had just left." She muttered against him. "Why didn't you come get me." He asked her. She shook her head. "Because then you would have to come back and stay over there all night. And then what if they came here instead. I didn't want to worry everyone." She explained.
"Tonight you're staying here then. We can go get some of your stuff later and you can stay in my room or Kyoji's room." He decided looking down at her. She finally nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry I don't mean to be so much trouble." She said quietly. "Rain, this isn't your fault. We just have to find out whose been making these phone calls." He explained. He let go of her suddenly. "In fact, he's been quiet for long enough." He decided heading back into the bedroom they came from. Sai Saici was still wrapped up in the covers when Domon came in. "Okay, Sai Saici. You've slept long enough. You have to talk to us." He declared. Sai rolled over as if saying no. Domon pulled the covers off him. "Come on, you have to tell us what's going on." He repeated. Sai grabbed for the covers but couldn't find them. "No way, I don't want to talk about it." He answered. Domon picked him up by the back of his collar. Sai struggled trying to get released. "I said I don't want to talk about it. Why can't that be good enough?" He was getting upset. Domon pulled him up so that they were eye to eye. "Cause someone was watching Rain last night and we think it's connected." He said in a calmer tone. Sai slumped his shoulders in defeat and let out a sigh.
"Alright I'll tell you what happened but you've gotta feed me first." He said back. Domon agreed and set him down. He grabbed the covers and headed out to the kitchen. Rain made some breakfast for the three of them. Dr. Kashuu had already left for the day. Sai Saici downed his breakfast quickly. Domon and Rain were amazed how much he could eat. He finally put down his bowl.
"Full yet?" Domon asked, impatiently. Sai nodded happily. "Okay, so what do you want to know?" He asked them back. "What happened to you?" Domon questioned. Sai Saici looked down when he answered. "These guys in uniforms caught me. I'm not too sure what they wanted but they weren't nice at all." He explained. "Do you have any idea what they plan to do?" Rain asked him. "They mentioned DG cells alot. Apparently I don't have any on me which they weren't very happy with." He mentioned. Domon and Rain exchanged looks. "Is that what those marks were from?" Rain inquired. Sai Saici nodded back slowly. She felt that they should change the subject. "So how'd you end up here?" She brought up. "They said something about coming to Neo-Japan. So I took the chance to escape and get a ride with them. I snack in with the cargo. I don't know if they've noticed I'm even gone. I don't think they thought I was able to get away." He added. "Did they take Dragon Gundam too?" Domon thought outloud. Sai Saici shook his head.
"No, just me. They didn't seem interested in it." He responded. Suddenly another light went off. "They also mentioned something about your family. Something about your brother, I think." He remarked catching Domon's full attention. "Kyoji? Was anything else said that you can remember?" Domon asked. Sai just shrugged back. "Sorry, that's all I remember." He explained sadly. "It's okay Sai Saici. Your information helped alot." Rain answered. "One last question. Do you have any idea where they had you?" Domon said. "Yeah, they didn't really keep that much of a secret. We were definitely on earth. And from the look of their uniforms we were in Neo-Germany. At least that's my best guess." Sai said back. Domon looked at Rain.
"I think we're going to have to make a trip there then." He mentioned. She wasn't as quick to decide but if he was going to go then she would help him.
"Sai Saici, you do realize that we should let your government know where you are." Rain reminded him. He didn't seem very pleased with that idea. "Aw, couldn't I just stay with you two." He suggested. Domon nodded. "No she's right, you are going to have to go back eventually." He agreed with Rain. Sai slouched even more. "Great, so much for the vacation." He sighed. Rain stood from her seat. "I'm going to go get some of my stuff from my place." She decided. Domon stood as well. "I'm going with you." He told her. Sai grabbed Domon by the arm. "You're not leaving me here alone are you?" He whined. Domon tried to shake him off but it didn't work. He finally conceded. "Fine you can come." ~*~ They got over to Rain's and the door was open. "Did you leave the door open?" Domon asked her as they approached. She shook her head. They entered and nothing was out of place. Domon started searching the house to see if anyone was in there. Sai Saici went with him. Rain stayed in the living room. Suddenly the phone rang next to her. She picked it up slowly. It was the same voice from the night before.
"Is Domon there now?" She slammed the phone down and Domon came running in. She looked up at him; angry tears streamed down her face. "This has to end." She told him. They quickly got her things packed and locked the door behind them. "I think it would be wise to check on the other shuffle alliance members. Just to be safe."