Chapter 6:
Lark smiled at herself in the mirror. For once she felt joy instead of emptiness. She had finally found Heero, obtained Duo as a good friend had found a guy that liked her and she liked him back, and had found two other guys who she felt connected to. The only friends she had on Quarantine at this point were her five brothers, and although she still worried about the war, she felt like she belonged and could relax.
After taking a long hot shower, she rummaged through her closet for a pair of jeans and a shirt. It took less than a minute to locate an orange sweatshirt with the emblem for Schuster High and a pair of dark blue jeans that faded out at the knee. Walking over to the bed, she laid the outfit down then walked back over to the sink and blow-dried her hair.
Thirty minutes later, she was dressed and out the door.
With fifteen minutes more to kill, she hurried over to the communications room and called her brother.
Armand had dirty blonde hair with the same bright blue eyes as Lark and was five years older than her. "Armand!" Lark exclaimed when she saw him, "How's everything going?"
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Moby," he said in greeting.
She made a disgusted face, "You know how much I hate that name!"
Armand laughed.
"I see you still have a sense of humor in the midst of a war," Lark replied.
"I'm sorry," Armand apologized, "You're right..." He started laughing again, "But it was so funny, you were so fat!"
"That was a long time ago! I was a baby!" she protested. "I'm skinny now!"
"What happened sis? You used to laugh with me about it."
"Losing a best friend, my family being threatened... Must I go on?"
"Ok, ok, you're right---as always." Armand replied.
"So, you've been talking to Heero huh?"
"Yeah, it's been a while since I've talked to him, hasn't changed one bit," he replied.
"You're right," she mused, "He hasn't, if you don't count the hard soldier part."
"Give him a break," Armand replied in defense of Heero, "He's been through a lot in the past ten years."
"True, but anyways...." she trailed off as her thoughts moved on to Trowa.
"Well, I see you're doing ok," Armand said as a huge smile crossed his face, "Who's this Trowa Barton I've heard so much about?"
"Heero told you about him?"
"Yeah, he sounds like a really cool guy."
"He is," Lark replied as her thoughts drifted off to Trowa.
"How's my panther doing?" Armand asked, breaking into her thoughts, "Haven't killed him yet have you."
"Keely?" she asked, "Oh, he's fine, loves Trowa to death."
"Well that settles it," Armand said, "I like him."
She laughed as she asked, "So how's Hwoarang?" Hwoarang was Lark's twin brother. Even though they were not---and could not be---identical, Hwoarang had the same color hair and eyes as she did.
It was a known fact though, that all of the Yahara children had bright blue eyes. The people of Quarantine believed in fate---as they also believed in animal gods---which lead them to believe that the Yahara clan would someday take over the planet and rule it.
Armand's face dropped, and he became suddenly serious, "You mean you haven't heard?"
Lark suddenly became scared, "What? What happened to him?"
"Emperor Khan arrested him and is using him as a practice target for his army."
"Arrested him for what?!" she screamed.
"Khan thought that Hwoarang would be a threat to him, and made up some stupid warrant for his arrest. Mother was heartbroken," Armand looked up at her and replied bitterly, "And that sorry 'fiancé' of yours is behind it. Father, Garrik and Baek protested and they threw them in jail for 'going against the Emperor's wishes'."
"Why would he do such a thing?" Lark asked in horror, "What does the Emperor have against our family? I understand about Octavian, but why Khan?"
"It's that stupid superstitious legend about the Yahara clan and our blue eyes, Khan's afraid we're going to take over the planet just because some legend says we will."
"So his motivation is fear-driven?" Lark asked.
"Yeah and he's saying that if you don't show your face soon, he's going to kill us all," Armand told her.
"Why me?"
"Who knows, maybe that legend works toward your favor," he replied.
"Do you know what it says?" she asked suddenly.
"No, but I can find out and check back in with you later," Armand said.
"Armand, take care of mother and little Chu-San for me," she was almost in tears, "He will pay!"
"I'll take care of them," Armand replied, "Just hurry home."
"I haven't even started working on the Gundams yet, but by next week our family will be safe!"
"Well I hope for your sake that Emperor Khan has mercy on Hwoarang," he said, "He's my brother, but he's your twin."
Lark smiled at herself in the mirror. For once she felt joy instead of emptiness. She had finally found Heero, obtained Duo as a good friend had found a guy that liked her and she liked him back, and had found two other guys who she felt connected to. The only friends she had on Quarantine at this point were her five brothers, and although she still worried about the war, she felt like she belonged and could relax.
After taking a long hot shower, she rummaged through her closet for a pair of jeans and a shirt. It took less than a minute to locate an orange sweatshirt with the emblem for Schuster High and a pair of dark blue jeans that faded out at the knee. Walking over to the bed, she laid the outfit down then walked back over to the sink and blow-dried her hair.
Thirty minutes later, she was dressed and out the door.
With fifteen minutes more to kill, she hurried over to the communications room and called her brother.
Armand had dirty blonde hair with the same bright blue eyes as Lark and was five years older than her. "Armand!" Lark exclaimed when she saw him, "How's everything going?"
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Moby," he said in greeting.
She made a disgusted face, "You know how much I hate that name!"
Armand laughed.
"I see you still have a sense of humor in the midst of a war," Lark replied.
"I'm sorry," Armand apologized, "You're right..." He started laughing again, "But it was so funny, you were so fat!"
"That was a long time ago! I was a baby!" she protested. "I'm skinny now!"
"What happened sis? You used to laugh with me about it."
"Losing a best friend, my family being threatened... Must I go on?"
"Ok, ok, you're right---as always." Armand replied.
"So, you've been talking to Heero huh?"
"Yeah, it's been a while since I've talked to him, hasn't changed one bit," he replied.
"You're right," she mused, "He hasn't, if you don't count the hard soldier part."
"Give him a break," Armand replied in defense of Heero, "He's been through a lot in the past ten years."
"True, but anyways...." she trailed off as her thoughts moved on to Trowa.
"Well, I see you're doing ok," Armand said as a huge smile crossed his face, "Who's this Trowa Barton I've heard so much about?"
"Heero told you about him?"
"Yeah, he sounds like a really cool guy."
"He is," Lark replied as her thoughts drifted off to Trowa.
"How's my panther doing?" Armand asked, breaking into her thoughts, "Haven't killed him yet have you."
"Keely?" she asked, "Oh, he's fine, loves Trowa to death."
"Well that settles it," Armand said, "I like him."
She laughed as she asked, "So how's Hwoarang?" Hwoarang was Lark's twin brother. Even though they were not---and could not be---identical, Hwoarang had the same color hair and eyes as she did.
It was a known fact though, that all of the Yahara children had bright blue eyes. The people of Quarantine believed in fate---as they also believed in animal gods---which lead them to believe that the Yahara clan would someday take over the planet and rule it.
Armand's face dropped, and he became suddenly serious, "You mean you haven't heard?"
Lark suddenly became scared, "What? What happened to him?"
"Emperor Khan arrested him and is using him as a practice target for his army."
"Arrested him for what?!" she screamed.
"Khan thought that Hwoarang would be a threat to him, and made up some stupid warrant for his arrest. Mother was heartbroken," Armand looked up at her and replied bitterly, "And that sorry 'fiancé' of yours is behind it. Father, Garrik and Baek protested and they threw them in jail for 'going against the Emperor's wishes'."
"Why would he do such a thing?" Lark asked in horror, "What does the Emperor have against our family? I understand about Octavian, but why Khan?"
"It's that stupid superstitious legend about the Yahara clan and our blue eyes, Khan's afraid we're going to take over the planet just because some legend says we will."
"So his motivation is fear-driven?" Lark asked.
"Yeah and he's saying that if you don't show your face soon, he's going to kill us all," Armand told her.
"Why me?"
"Who knows, maybe that legend works toward your favor," he replied.
"Do you know what it says?" she asked suddenly.
"No, but I can find out and check back in with you later," Armand said.
"Armand, take care of mother and little Chu-San for me," she was almost in tears, "He will pay!"
"I'll take care of them," Armand replied, "Just hurry home."
"I haven't even started working on the Gundams yet, but by next week our family will be safe!"
"Well I hope for your sake that Emperor Khan has mercy on Hwoarang," he said, "He's my brother, but he's your twin."