Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon, nor am I profiting from this web page. But all other such characters and concepts do belong to me and I ask that you do not use them without permission.
Children of War
By,
LunaDragon
Akiko and Kaiya stared at Hotaru in utter confusion, and a brief state of shock that dissipated and immediately turned into frustration and anger. There, right before their brown and teal eyes, stood Hotaru Tomoe, daughter of their boss. With the two guns aimed at each of their heads, threatening to end their lives if they so little as moved.
"I won't let my father control you into killing any more innocent people!" Hotaru yelled.
"Calm down," Kaiya tried to reason. "We aren't doing this for your father at all. Though Professor Tomoe instructed us to kill the ex-Gundam pilots, we're doing this for ourselves. This is our mission, not his."
"No!" Hotaru snapped. "This isn't just another worthless mission of playing messenger, or running errands, or pilfering information! We are talking about innocent people who saved the Earth from being annihilated by the space colonies, and by Mariemaia Khushrenada!"
"That does not matter. It is all but beside the point." Akiko stated emotionless. "They deserve to die for destroying our home, and killing our families."
"Action must be taken, and we're the ones appointed to it." Kaiya said.
'What?' Hotaru thought in bewilderment. 'Is that what they've been fed by my father this whole time?'
During Hotaru's stupor, Kaiya ran towards her, but not quick enough. Hotaru pulled the triggers of both guns and the bullets fired out. The bullet missed Kaiya's head by only a couple of centimeters, but hit Akiko, piercing her left ear and causing the brown earring to have sparks of electricity shoot from around it. Hotaru cursed under her breath as she saw Akiko yelp and sink to the floor, staring down in a daze.
Hotaru saw Kaiya advancing towards her still and Hotaru shot the gun again, but the bullet missed completely, and in moments, Kaiya had the young girl pinned against the wall. The two guns were on the floor, a few feet away.
With a groan, Akiko got up and barely managed to catch the gun Kaiya had thrown her. Akiko walked up to the two as Kaiya let Hotaru drop to the floor. "Why don't you just refuse?" Hotaru asked in a whisper.
"It is our mission." Kaiya said simply. "And we must fulfill it."
"Then do it with out being controlled!" Hotaru demanded as she extended her right leg and swung it out under the two, tripping Kaiya but just missing Akiko after she jumped.
By reflex, Akiko used her gun and pulled the trigger, hitting Hotaru in the arm. She cried out in pain but moved to the side as Kaiya fired hers. Now on her stomach, the daughter of the scientist extended her leg backwards, nailing Akiko in the gut.
Akiko growled as she took a step back. Kaiya walked over to her friend and pointed the gun at Hotaru as she struggled to her feet. "We don't have time for this," Akiko said with an eligible grunt.
Kaiya nodded and clicked off the safety.
Then she shot the gun.
It missed Hotaru as she ducked and kicked the gun from Kaiya's hand. Hotaru Tomoe slammed into Akiko before the girl could manage to grab her own, and she fell to the floor. In the midst of her fall, Akiko snatched Hotaru's arm and brought her down with her. The two tumbled to the ground and Hotaru landed unsteadily on top.
Before Akiko could react, Hotaru rolled off and pulled out Akiko's earring. She stiffened and her eyes rolled back into her head, rendering Akiko unconscious.
"What did you do to her?" Kaiya demanded as she grabbed Hotaru by the neck.
'I saved her!' Hotaru thought stubbornly. She heard it so clear in her mind, but Kaiya held her by the neck, and Hotaru was forced to try and breathe, unable to answer the question.
Kaiya clenched her fist and knocked Hotaru to the floor. "I have no time for this! I have to complete my mission!" She said aloud to herself, almost in a robotic tone. But Hotaru knew that was just it. An automatic computer was controlling Kaiya, leaving her with only one cause.
And that was to kill the pilots.
Kaiya growled loudly and grabbed one of the black bags. She glanced back at her partner and newly found enemy, then ran out of the apartment, slamming the door shut behind her.
Hotaru only got up when she heard the roar of an engine and the squealing of tires run off the road. She finally got a chance to survey the damage around her.
Blood was all over the carpet -- her blood to be more precise -- there were a few bullet holes in the walls, and of course, there was Akiko, lying on the floor unconscious.
Hotaru grabbed her arm in pain. Blood was still trailing down on her arm, and she knew she would have to see a doctor, or at least tame to it at the moment. She barely noticed fresh tears form in her eyes until she found it hard to see.
Once again she failed to stop them.
Just like the last time.
Only this time she almost got herself killed. 'But why?' She wondered.
They were too serious about this particular mission. Last time she got her ass kicked, but that was to be expected when it came from them. They had knocked her out after a severe beating and then . . . they left her . . . in her own bedroom.
'But why?' She asked herself again. 'Father . . .' She suddenly remembered.
What had they said? That the Gundam's destroyed their homes? Yes . . . but that wasn't right. It couldn't be.
'They've been here for at least a year . . . they came to our door asking for help.' She thought for a moment longer. "That's it!" She said suddenly aloud.
"They came asking for help . . . they were far from home because they . . ." She stopped and gazed at Akiko sadly. "Because they were orphans. The Gundams didn't destroy their homes . . . my father did . . ."
Hotaru stopped pacing like a madwoman. "My father did . . . Damn it!" She shouted but clenched her arm in pain. "You did this . . . you destroyed their lives . . . you saw some damned hidden potential and killed their families . . . not the Gundams . . . you."
She slumped to the floor and cried silently. "Damn it!" She shouted. "Damn it . . . you're a damned monster! That's what you are!" She pounded on the floor with frustration, though by now her whole arm was numb. "You're just a monster . . ." She whispered.
She felt so tired . . . she wanted to sleep. Her whole arm was numb -- she could barely feel it. The room seemed to spin; she was so dizzy . . .
Dizzy and tired.
She groaned and then fell limp to the gray carpet. The room began to fade and she welcomed the sleep. In a mere few seconds she slipped into the black and lonely pit of unconsciousness.
~*^*^*~
Kaiya sat in the new Convertible she had received for the mission. The wind blew in her hair as she road through the road. She ignored the gawking stares and whistles guys were giving her in her teal miniskirt and turquoise tang-top. Kaiya had changed out of her other clothes (those being her shorts and baggy blouse) because they were saturated with some of Hotaru's blood, and she didn't want to attract unwanted attention by people who thought her as a gang member. They weren't the most common around here, but she didn't want any slip-ups.
She was only concentrating on the mission and that's all she needed.
She stopped at a red light and frowned, if she had the motorcycle from earlier, she could have passed the cars no problem. But now . . . she didn't think it was such a good idea. After all, if she died, what fun would it be to watch Heero Yuy and the others suffer, when she wasn't the one who caused it?
The light turned green and she sped off in her car, trying to find the airport where her prey waited . . .
~*^*^*~
Small pricks ran themselves around her arm, near her wound and caused Hotaru's eyes to flutter open. She moaned in pain as the light hit her eyes and the pain continued.
It stopped and she felt the grip on her arm loosen, then she was free to turn. The unexpected site of Akiko greeted her.
"You're awake," Hotaru said and got up, realizing she was in a bed.
Akiko nodded, remembering what happened with Professor Tomoe before she was knocked unconscious, and then everything was a blank. She had woken up about an hour before, and saw Hotaru on the floor with her wounded arm. There were two guns on the floor and Akiko had expected the worse.
But luckily, Hotaru had a semi-severe wound right below her shoulder, and while she was sleeping, Akiko had tended to it. And since then, Akiko had fought the urge to shake Hotaru and demand what happened. She had been scared, even though she wouldn't admit it, of what happened. Kaiya wasn't here, and Hotaru was on the floor with a gunshot wound on her arm, and Akiko had absolutely no memory of what happened. So, one was likely to worry.
"So are you, are you okay?" Akiko asked after a moment of silence. Hotaru only nodded. "What . . . happened?"
Hotaru blinked for a moment then realized that the chip implanted in Akiko's ear surpassed one's memory. She nodded and told Akiko everything, from her sneaking in here, to when Kaiya had left. But Hotaru decided it best if she left out their real past. 'It's better if they figure it out themselves.' She concluded.
"Jeez, I shot my boss' daughter . . . I'm in trouble." Akiko said with a nervous chuckle. She became serious again and sighed. "But where'd Kaiya go?"
"I don't know," Hotaru sighed. "Don't you know where you were supposed to go?"
Akiko shook her head. "All I remember is fighting with the Prof so we wouldn't go on the mission, and then everything's blank."
"So what do we do now?"
"You're an export in hacking, am I right?"
Hotaru nodded. "I didn't have a choice but to learn. It scared me to think of what my father was planning . . . so I decided to find out for myself."
"Well, I'm an expert myself. If we could hack into your dad's database, we could find out where they're supposed to be."
"We'll use your laptop," Hotaru agreed.
~*^*^*~
Heero Yuy, Chang Wufei, and Duo Maxwell waited impatiently as the flight carrying their two friends Trowa Barton and Quatre Raberba Winner finished landing.
"This is taking too long," Duo whined with his hands in his pockets and long braid swinging slightly on his back.
"Quit your insolent whining Maxwell." Wufei ordered. Putting up with Duo annoyed him, but when it came to his whining, Wufei drew the line.
As usual, Heero just stayed quiet, awaiting his two old friends. 'This might take a while.' He thought.
Out in the shadows, Kaiya watched as the three friends talk. 'Enjoy the last moments of your lives, boys,' Kaiya thought, 'it won't last long, because it's payback time, and I promise this'll be worse than hell.'
* * *
Author's Note: So, how you like? Good, bad? I'd appreciate it if you tell me. I've seen a lot of fics with more than 10 reviews and they have no more than two chapters! C'mon, my fic isn't that bad is it? And if it is (be it good or bad) you could at least have the adequacy to tell me. Well, anyway, I have a new fic posted called Trauma of Sailor Earth, and if you like Sailor Moon and I don't know, you could read it if you want. There's also another fic I have called The Fate of Four, and I think it's pretty good too. Well, don't mind my babbling. JA NE!
