"Need"
by
Priscilla
Disclaimer: Again, I don't own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon. I'm just not that creative or intelligent enough to have that kind of clout. (Rassafrass!)
Dedication: To my Duckie who always sparks me when I need it and gives me a swift kick in the rear when I need that too. Thanks for always beta-ing my stuff and listening as I gush about all my ideas about this fic.
A/N: Inners are 17, GW boys are 18, Outers are 19, Hotaru is 15, Setsuna is eternal, and Mamoru is 22. Story takes place a year after the defeat of Galaxia in Sailor Stars.
" " – Spoken
' ' - Thought
"Kami-sama!!!!! What's going on?" Rei screamed as she fell through the portal.
A kaleidoscope of colors rushed past Rei, making her feel dizzy and slightly nauseous. She would have appreciated the swirling colors more if not for the horrible feeling of weightlessness and disorientation that assailed her senses. Suddenly, she detected a feeling of something new yet familiar…gravity?
**THUD**
"Itai! That hurt! Where the hell am I," asked Rei as she began to get up and gingerly rubbed her bottom. 'What am I doing, turning into Usagi and no longer able to land on my feet anymore?' Rei thought.
It was dark and she realized that she was outside on a street but she didn't recognize her surroundings. Far off in the distance, she could hear the distant booming of what sounded like guns, really big guns. There was little light except for the brief flash that would appear every other minute or so. Rei began to brush off the dirt on her hands and slowly turned in a circle, trying desperately to find a familiar sight. She was disappointed when she did not recognize a single building. 'Well, it looks like some kind of industrial area with all these big buildings. This can't be Crystal Tokyo because it's too dark… and I wouldn't be welcome there anyway after what happened today,' Rei thought to herself sadly. She was so consumed in her thoughts of what had happened between her and her friends that she failed to notice the silent figure that came up beside her.
"Don't move. Who are you," the figure asked next to Rei.
Rei jumped in alarm and turned towards the voice only to be met by the barrel of a very lethal looking gun. "What the hell?" 'A gun? Who carries a gun around like that in public? And how was he able to sneak up next to me like that? Great, I get into a fight with my friends and my warrior instincts are shot to hell. Okay, fine,' thought Rei. 'If this day is going to suck this bad, I might as well just deal with it, but whoever this guy thinks he is, he better think twice before he messes with me.'
"I repeat, who are you? Do you belong to the Ravagers," the voice asked flatly.
"Who are you? Where is this place and why is it so dark," Rei replied, ignoring the stranger's questions. She injected a note of authority into her voice, hoping that it would intimidate the stranger into answering her questions. It was hard though to keep the façade up since she had no idea of where she was and the only thing she knew was that she was lost, she had fallen through some weird portal and the person questioning her was a male. Rei hated to be at a disadvantage like this, but she was determined to grit her teeth and get through this situation. 'I wonder if I've traveled through time. Pluto is going to be pissed if I muck up the timeline'.
Rei heard a soft clicking noise and froze, knowing instinctively that whoever was questioning her hadn't responded very well to her questions and her lack of an answer to his own questions. "Um, hey, there's no need to get trigger happy here. My name is Rei and I don't know what a Ravager is, so I doubt that I belong to them. Could you please point the gun away from my head now and answer some of my questions," Rei said sarcastically, beginning to get upset that her questioner had yet to stop pointing the gun at her head. 'If he doesn't drop that gun right now, I'm going to do a tuck and roll and slap the hardest "Akuryou Taisan" on him,' she thought furiously. Just as she was ready to drop, she heard a soft "Hn" and saw the gun lower to the man's side.
"Okay, I've answered your questions so can you answer mine now," Rei asked, still dripping sarcasm.
"You're in the Sank kingdom. It's dark because it's night and the lights are out due to a Ravager attack. My name is Heero Yuy," replied the man.
"Not exactly talkative, are you? Well that answers some things I guess. Um, where exactly is the Sank kingdom from Tokyo and what are the Ravagers," Rei inquired, her mind racing feverishly as she tried to assimilate this new information. She really had no clue as to her whereabouts.
Just as Heero was about to respond, the sound of several pairs of footsteps could be heard running toward their position. Heero stiffened and drew his gun out again, ready to shoot. Rei stood there silently, unsure of what to do but silently thanking all her kamis for the reassuring feel of her henshin wand in the subspace pocket that all senshi had. 'I can't transform in front of this guy, but I'd better be ready just in case.' The footsteps came closer and Heero cocked his gun, aiming at the source of the noise. Rei tensed, ready for an attack.
"Heero, it's me, Duo. You can put down the gun now," a male shape said, appearing out of the shadows. "Oh yeah, the others are with me."
Heero didn't put the gun down, but continued to point it in Duo's direction.
"Heh, Heero, didn't you hear what I said? It's me, Duo".
"I heard you," replied Heero, still aiming the gun at Duo's forehead.
"Finally, maybe justice will be done and we can have some peace and quiet from your inane ramblings, Maxwell," another figure said, a katana held in one hand.
"Please stop this bickering and please put the gun down, Heero," another voice said, this one soft and gentle.
"Hn. Fine," Heero replied, once again dropping the gun to his side.
"Geez, you have the largest stick up your a$$, Heero," complained the voice Rei was now designating as Duo.
"Omae o korosu, Duo," replied Heero, not even bothering to look in his direction.
"Hmph, well that's just wonderful! After all we've been through," Duo replied, crossing his arms over his chest huffily.
"Just shut up, Maxwell, or I will cut out your tongue," replied the katana wielding voice.
"Wu-man, you know you couldn't hurt me. After all, I am the great Shinigami and pilot of the best Gundam, Deathscythe," exclaimed Duo.
"It's Wufei, you baka, and Nataku could cremate your Deathscythe before you could flip that stupid braid over your shoulder," growled Wufei.
"Please, can we stop with this bickering. We have to make sure this area is evacuated. There are rumors that a Ravager attack is going to happen here," remarked the gentle voice.
"Don't bother, Quatre. You know how those two are," replied a deep voice that came from a tall figure that seemed to melt out of the shadows and into the little light that was shining from the stars.
'Holy crap! How the heck did I not sense him,' thought Rei. 'How many of these guys are there? The ones called Duo and Wufei remind me of Usagi and I when we start to argue. Hmmmm. I didn't really want to think about that right now. I have to concentrate on getting back home but I have to find out where I am first so I can get back home'.
"You're right, Trowa. I don't know why I bother to try anymore, but we do have a mission to accomplish. Heero, why are you here? You should be in quadrant four by now. You're never this slow during missions," exclaimed Quatre.
Rei, who until this time had been hidden behind Heero, cleared her throat softly. The small sound was like an atom bomb dropped among four of the men, as they darted into attack stances and whipped out guns. Only Heero stood impassively, waiting for his "companion" to make herself known.
Rei realized that she couldn't readily make out the features of the five men in the dark. She could only tell them apart by their voices.
"Relax, it's just a girl," Heero said flatly.
"A girl? What is she doing here? Doesn't she know there's going to be an attack? Or is she a Ravager too," asked Duo, shaking his head in confusion as to why a girl would want to be in the industrial sector when an imminent attack was coming.
"All of this fuss and you not at where you need to be because of a weak onna," Wufei whispered harshly.
"Look, jerk, I'm not weak, my name is Rei, and I have nothing to do with Mr. Trigger Happy over here accomplishing his mission or not," spoke Rei, beginning to get mad because they were talking about her as if she wasn't standing right there. Not to mention the "weak onna" remark made by Wufei wasn't exactly helping her temper to remain cool.
Rei stepped out from behind Heero and glared in Wufei's direction. Her appearance drew a small gasp from one of the men. It was still too dark and her features were shadowed but it was very obvious that Rei wasn't just a girl, but a young woman with a very nice figure.
"Whoohoo," exclaimed Duo. "I can't believe you, Heero. Making time during a mission for a lady. Relena's going to flip her lid when she finds out her "Heeeeerrroooo" is cheating on her with another woman. There may be hope for you yet as a human".
"Omae o korosu, Duo," Heero said vehemently. "You know I don't care what that psycho, Relena, thinks or does".
"Emotion from the Perfect Soldier? Pinch me," Duo said, grasping his chest as if in shock.
"I'll do more than that if you don't shut up…," Wufei said threateningly, raising his katana again.
"Guys, please, can we stop fighting and just get this mission done and make sure there are no more civilians in this area. Rei-san, you have to clear this area and make your way to your nearest shelter. The Ravagers will be attacking soon," Quatre said, his voice gentle yet firm.
Before Rei could tell Quatre that she had no idea where the nearest shelter was, a huge explosion ripped through the night sky. The shockwave ripped through the street that the five Gundam pilots and lone senshi stood, rocking them off their feet, except for Heero, who had braced himself and remained upright.
"Shimatta! Just once, Heero, I would like to see you get knocked flat on your a$$ like the rest of us," complained Duo, as he rose from his position on the now crumbled street.
Whatever was going to be said next was cut off as all 6 figures heard a shrill scream pierce the night air. Rei stiffened in shock. 'It's a little girl. A child is being attacked! I have to protect the innocent, but I can't just transform in front of these guys,' Rei thought frantically. She looked around for someplace to run to so she could henshin safely but could find nothing. "Screw it." 'I have to save that girl. The aura of evil that's coming from that direction is stronger than anything I've ever felt before, even Chaos. I'll deal with these guys later,' Rei silently snarled and drew out her henshin wand.
"Mars Crystal Power, Make-up!"
The 5 pilots, who had long ago decided that they had seen everything and were shockproof, got the biggest shock of their life when the young woman standing next to them began to shoot fire from a stick she held up in one hand. The fire then swirled around her and melted her clothing off. Duo and Wufei promptly had to stifle a gushing river of blood from their noses, Quatre blushed furiously and turned his head away, Trowa's eye widened fractionally, and Heero remained impassive on the outside while his mind raced furiously. 'She's a Ravager! Kuso! I didn't think they could look completely human!' Rei's transformation had progressed and now brilliant rings of fire encircled her and then with a bright flash were gone, leaving her garbed in her Senshi uniform. With that done, Rei raced off towards the sounds of screaming, not even bothering to look behind her at the pilots she had left behind.
"After her! She's a Ravager," yelled Heero, already running after Rei.
The other four pilots looked at each other quickly before following Heero into the night after Rei.
The five pilots skidded to a stop at the sight that met their eyes. There was a scene of absolute destruction and carnage before them and Rei was standing in the middle of it. They could see her clearly now because of the fire that was burning everywhere and the sparks that were shooting from various light poles that had been upended from their concrete homes. She had long dark hair that reached to her knees and pale skin. Her outfit, which they had barely even registered when she had henshined, consisted of a white bodysuit with a red sailor collar and matching flared mini skirt. There was a purple bow at the front at the ends of her collar and a red crystal heart was nestled in the middle of it. A red bow with long streaming ends was at her back. She had on long white gloves trimmed with red at the tops of them and a golden tiara with a red oval crystal in the middle rested on her head. She had a thin red choker with a golden star in the middle around her neck. However, it was the bright red high heels that caught their attention first.
"How the hell can she fight in those," Duo asked in shock.
Their attention was grabbed once again when an enormous beast with the head and tail of a lion and the torso and legs of a man roared and swiped his clawed hands at Rei. Rei dodged but didn't run as the little girl she had heard screaming was behind her, cowering and crying pitifully behind her. She had already roasted the other three beasts that had been trying to maul the young child with several well-aimed Flame Snipers and Burning Mandalas. She was caught now though as the lion/man was too close for her to have enough time to squeeze out any attacks and she refused to leave the girl unprotected. She was ready to fight hand to hand even though the monster outweighed her by several hundred pounds and towered over her. She braced for impact as she saw the huge paw swipe at her again and was mildly startled to hear the retort of a gun and see the monster jerk back a few feet, roaring in pain from a wound in it's shoulder. Rei took the distraction and hoisted the girl in her arms and ran towards the pilots. She handed the girl over to a startled Quatre and then quickly spun around and launched another Flame Sniper at the monster. It roared again, the sound echoing and shaking loose some rubble from several of the destroyed buildings before the monster combusted into sooty black ash.
Rei had never felt so drained in her life. She smiled grimly to herself as she realized she had never had to really fight so many monsters by herself. 'I'm so used to fighting as a team with the other Senshi. Have I, the Senshi of War and Fire, become too dependent on others when I fight battles? It had felt right to fight as a team. Not like it really matters anymore. My friends…my teammates…hate me now. I trusted them with everything and they couldn't even give me the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it's better this way…'
Nearby, the pilots were arguing over the motives of their new acquaintance.
"She can't be a Ravager, Heero. She just saved a little girl," exclaimed Quatre, who had stashed the girl away in a safer place.
"Stop being a baka, Quatre. She obviously did that to save the girl for later. We all know that only Ravagers can use magic and that fire she's flinging around is definitely magic," Wufei said firmly.
"We don't know that she's going to eat that girl, Wufei. Maybe she really is just trying to save a life," protested Quatre weakly, the doubts surfacing after all he had seen during the appearance of the Ravagers.
***Flashback***
It had been horrible. After all the fighting between the colonies and the Earth and then the fighting between different factions looking for control, the pilots had finally been able to deactivate their Gundams when peace was declared. They had looked forward to being able to rebuild. Some of them, like Heero and Trowa, had drifted away, unable to feel easy during the peace. Wufei, Duo, and Quatre had gone home to their respective colonies and tried to help bring some semblance of normalcy to their lives. All had been well, but it hadn't lasted. Attacks had begun to happen in small villages on the more remote colonies. The villages were devastated and there were never any survivors, only carnage. It took several weeks for scientists to realize that there was a presence in space that did not belong and it was the source of these new attacks. Earth had felt cocky, thinking that with their now truly united forces there could be no one who could withstand against them. They had been so utterly wrong. The first official interaction between species had been disastrous. The first wave of the forces of Earth and its colonies had been completely demolished. The realization that the enemy wielded powerful magic came as a shock. It was the later discovery that they fueled their magic powers with the energy of humans by eating them that would horrify an entire universe. Luckily, the Ravagers had distinctive features, usually animalistic, and humanoid bodies. The Ravagers were easy to spot but not easy to defeat. The heroes of the past were brought back to help combat this new menace. Heero and Trowa materialized miraculously when the call came and joined Wufei, Quatre, and Duo on the front lines. So far, only the Gundams were proving effective against the enemy.
***End Flashback***
"I still don't want to hurt her. She could have attacked us. Without our Gundams, we're sitting ducks and no match for a Ravager, especially an Alpha class, like she seems to be," offered Quatre.
"She was disoriented," Heero said. "She may have been sent as a scout. We have to take her down and capture her. We'll bring her to the scientists. Maybe they can find a weakness in her that will help us defeat these monsters once and for all."
Rei bent over, panting. She felt wrung out. 'Where did the guys go to,' she wondered. 'I sure could have used some help. No, stop it. Stop thinking that you need help. You can manage on your own just fine. I've done it before. I can do it again.' She was just turning to check on the little girl she had managed to save when she felt the whoosh of air next to her face and saw the flash of steel out of the corner of her eye. She spun quickly and saw Wufei, ready to slash at her with his katana again. Before she could say anything, he was upon her and her reflexes took over. Her fist lashed out and connected with his face, sending him reeling away several feet away from her. 'Well it's nice to know my Senshi strength and powers are still working. Hope the speed and stamina hold out as well,' she thought briefly. 'I better hold back though. My strength could probably kill a regular human if I'm not careful. I don't know why he's attacking, but I better be careful until I can get some answers and settle this.'
It seemed Wufei's attack was a signal and suddenly Rei was swarmed as four pilots rushed at her. She ducked under Duo's swing and somersaulted over the mob to land several feet away on a slab of upended concrete.
"Why are you attacking me," Rei yelled.
"You're a filthy Ravager," spat Wufei, holding his side from where Rei had kicked him.
"I'm not a Ravager. I don't even know what a Ravager is," Rei screamed as she dodged a bullet fired from Trowa's gun. 'Kami-sama! I can't believe I just dodged a bullet. I know Senshi speed is incredible but we never had to test it out against bullets before,' Rei thought.
Instinctively reacting, Rei fired off a Fire Soul at Trowa's gun, heating it up so that Trowa dropped it on the street, cursing. The gun melted to slag where it landed.
"You're just trying to trick us! We all know that you Ravagers use magic. You're the only ones who can," screamed Duo, charging at her.
Rei leapt into the air, drawing out an ofuda. "Akuryou Taisan," she screamed as she threw the ofuda at Duo, who was promptly paralyzed as it connected with his forehead. (A/N: I know that attack is for banishing evil but I think it also momentarily paralyzes anyone for at least a couple of moments, evil or not, whereas if the target is evil, they are paralyzed for a lot longer.) 'Shimatta! If what he's saying is the truth about only these Ravagers being able to use magic, then I'm definitely not anywhere near home. But am I in another time or am I on another planet. I need to get them to understand that I'm not one of these Ravagers,' she thought frantically to herself.
While this was going on, Wufei had again attacked her with his katana. Rei let out a snap kick and dislodged his katana, sending it clanging on the concrete several feet away. She then followed up with an elbow to the face and sent him staggering away, clutching his cheek. She whirled and was met with the sight of both Quatre and a now free Duo coming from both sides. She dodged Duo but was caught in a hold by Quatre who imprisoned her arms. Duo continued to run at her and she lashed her leg out and kicked him in the stomach. "Ow! Now I know why you're wearing heels to a fight. I think you punctured my stomach, Ravager," Duo moaned, clutching his slightly bleeding stomach.
"Duo! Daijoubu," asked Quatre from behind Rei.
"I'm fine. It's just a flesh wound. Ha ha," Duo exclaimed weakly.
"Quatre! Please stop this. I'm not a Ravager. I haven't hurt anyone who didn't attack me first. You have to believe me," Rei yelled. Her heart sank as he responded quietly, "I don't want to fight but the Ravagers have already killed too many innocent people. If you are one, I have to put you down."
"Fine," she spat, angry that no one seemed to want to hear what she said. 'I'm not doing real well with my people skills today. Looks like no one wants to believe me. Well, I have had enough. If they want to fight, they'll get a fight. Sailor Mars is sick of being passive today,' she thought furiously, the past several hours finally breaking through the numbness that had blanketed her since her ojii-san's death.
Heero stood in the shadows, watching the battle between his comrades and this Ravager masquerading as a girl. He hadn't rushed into battle like the others, preferring to stay back and watch. He didn't know how she fought, so he watched her move and tried to calculate her weaknesses. 'She's amazing! I've never seen anyone fight like they were born to it. Her grace and strength…she could easily kill them. Why hasn't she?' Finally, he realized that Trowa was sneaking up behind her and would be in position to take her out. He moved towards her, hoping to distract her.
Rei heaved mightily in Quatre's hold, breaking his hold, and threw him over her shoulder. He landed next to Duo, stunned. Rei was so furious that she never felt Trowa silently sneak up behind her until she felt a heavy blow to the back of her head. As she began to lose consciousness and fall forward, she looked up as she was caught in Heero's arms. She looked into cold blue eyes that seemed to go on forever. The flickering flames surrounding them were reflected in his eyes. Rei's last thought as she completely let go to fall into the black void of oblivion was, 'Where have I seen those eyes before?'
~ Oi! Don't hate me! Gomen, but I'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as possible. Sorry also for the fight scene. I don't write those very well and they might have been too much or too little (depending on how bloodthirsty and/or detailed you are).
