Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids.

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Chapter XI: Blood Trail

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Chioni found Weis in the hangar.

She knew the disappointment in his eyes when she mentioned that Brad Hunter was Naomi's boyfriend. She also recognized the pain that he now endures.

For she herself endured it for centuries.

Chioni sighed as she found her friend trying to drown himself in his misery.

Literally.

"Weis! Stop that!" Chioni shouted for she knew he would ignore her.

For you see, Weis had his head inside a bucket filled with water.

#Why should I?# he asked in his thoughts. Chioni sighed and took him by the collar and pulled him up.

"Why are you trying to kill yourself?" she asked. He looked at her incredulously as if he didn't know what she was talking about.

"If I wanted to kill my self I would already be dead," he said.

"And what are you doing?" she asked.

"Trying to drown myself," he said as he plunged back into the bucket. Chino pulled him out again.

"That is an impossibility," she said. "You worked on the Hammer Keiser and never drowned."

"I'm trying to do an experiment," he said.

"What experiment?"

"I'm trying to figure out if two impossibilities will conflict one another." Chioni was confused. Seeing her confusion, he explained. "I have a theory that one impossibility could rule out the other. Example..."

"If you don't drown you have a possibility of love?" she asked. Blinking, Weis sighed and plunged back in the bucket.

"Wallowing in misery will not get you anywhere," Chioni said. "Besides, if you drown the impossibility of you finding your love will greatly increase."

Weis slowly came up and looked at her.

"Besides, you haven't been really searching," she said.

"Blood on the snow, Angel," Weis said.

"I know she is. But being soul mates does not make you soul match."

"Pardon?" Weis asked.

"Your souls resonates but they are not the same."

"You are confusing me," Weis said as he stood.

"You are a very complicated person," Chioni smiled. "All I'm saying that you could be very good friends."

"But not something more," Weis smirked.

"In a different circumstance," she nodded. Weis's face was serious when he faced her. Chioni sighed and shook her head.

"What?" he asked.

"You have that look," she said.

"What look?"

"That 'I'll protect her even if it killed me' look," she smiled. "I love that."

"You always did," Weis smiled. "Where were you when I was twelve?"

"In this cabin," Chioni said with a soft smile. "Waiting for you."

Weis sighed and looked at her lovingly. She had found him as he lay in the snow, almost dying from his wounds. She nursed him back to health and helped him find a new meaning to his life.

And she was the source of constant bickering that he endured.

He was glad that she found him.

"Anyway," Weis said as he tossed Chioni a set of keys.

"What is this?" she asked.

"I need to stay here and patrol," he smiled. "If Naomi wants to meet her friends, you'll take her. But you need to go before the storm hits."

"Is this the key to the Snow Cruiser?" she asked excitedly.

"Are you crazy?" he gave her an amused laugh. "That's the key to the Snow Cat."

"The dual motorcycle for snow, Snow Cat?" she smiled.

"Now don't go too fast," he warned. "I don't want anything happening to her."

"I'm not that accident prone," she said in an offended tone.

"Last year you totaled my Command Wolf," he glared. "You remember. The black and red one."

"I thought you gave it to me," she whined.

"Yes, I did. But you still didn't have the skill to pilot it," he sighed.

"I KNOW how to pilot a zoid," she said in her defense. "I just got carried away."

"Don't," he said.

"I'll bring your precious Snow Cat back," she said with a pout.

"It's not the Cat that I'm worried about," he said softly as he smiled at her. "I'm worried about you." Touched by his concern, Chioni wrapped her arms around him.

"I'll be careful," she promised. She released him and went back into the cabin.

But before she was in, she turned and smiled at him.

"I just noticed something," she said. "You never call me by my real name."

"Never?" he smiled. Chioni giggled and turned around.

"See you later, Weis," she said and then she was inside.

"See you when I see you," he smiled and prepared the Cruiser. "Eve," he sighed.

Suddenly, the alarm went off, signaling a distress signal was being sent. Immediately, he jumped into his cruiser and sped into the snow.

***

Ivers was waiting in his Iron Kong as he turned on his emergency beacon. He looked behind him and nodded. He had mobilized his remaining Rev Raptors, Helcats, Command Wolves and Stealth Vipers. All participants in his trap.

All they needed now, as their prey.

***

"Her Chioni. Where's Weis?" Naomi asked as she dressed.

"He's working," she smiled. "He received a distress beacon and went to check it out."

"Oh," Naomi seemed disappointed. Chioni noticed this immediately.

"Miss him already?" she teased. Naomi blushed. She quickly turned away to hide her flushed face.

"Not really," she admitted. "He seemed... I don't know, upset."

"He's a little down," Chioni nodded.

"I have a feeling that it's about me," Naomi said sullenly. "I feel that it's my fault."

"He's just shocked," Chioni smiled.

"At what?" Naomi asked but Chioni didn't elaborate further.

"Are you ready?" she asked. Naomi nodded and they were ready to go to town.

***

#This is not right,# Weis thought as he surveyed the land in his Cruiser. He knew that the one who sent the distress signal. He suddenly had a bad feeling about the whole thing. He patrolled the area, looking for signs of life or anything that had made that signal.

Nothing.

He was on full alert and he didn't like the situation he was in.

He hated it more when his sensors went off like crazy. When he looked up out of the windshield, his heart almost stopped.

For there was two missiles headed for him.

"Verdammt!" he cursed as the missiles struck.

***

"Aren't you going a tad fast?" Naomi asked as she gripped the rear handlebars of the Snow Cat. Chioni smiled as she saw the passing scenery through the canopy.

"Nope," she said as she gunned the engine. "Besides, we need to get to town before the blizzard hits." Naomi sighed and all she could do was hang on.

Then, something flashed by Naomi's peripheral vision and got her attention.

"What was that?" she asked. Chioni slowed the Cat down and looked.

"Let's find out," she said as she turned the machine towards the object Naomi saw. As they neared, Naomi's heart stopped. Chioni froze as she saw the last thing she would expect.

The Cat came to a full stop and the canopy opened. The girls jumped out and ran towards the wreckage.

"Oh no," Naomi breathed. In front of them was the wreckage of the once magnificent Snow Cruiser.

Weis's Snow Cruiser.

Chioni hurriedly opened the broken canopy expecting the worse. But when she opened it, she sighed in relief.

The cockpit was empty but what Naomi noticed made her afraid.

Near the cockpit was a trail of red splatter.

A trail of blood on the snow.

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End of 9

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A/n: Come on! Review!