Shizuko: 'allo! YES! A NEW chapter!
Astra: Mwehehehehehe!
Chapter Seventeen
Duo had eaten enough food to feed seven Rider/Flyer teams before he finally decided to have another go at the door. "Watch this 'un, Q-man," he said confidently, rolling up his sleeves. "It thins any material. Comes in handy for eavesdropping."
"You don't really use it…"
"Of course I do! All the time! Now, stand back."
*
Rhea sped along through the forest after the mosquito, her sisters close behind. She had the feeling something was about to happen; a magic sort of prickling was in the air. She hoped Quatre was all right.
*
"Duo, I think the door is thickening, if anything."
"It is not!"
"But if you look at it…"
"You wouldn't know. Leave it to the master, Q-man."
"But…"
"Well, fine then! You do it!"
Quatre studied the door for a moment. "I think there's some sort of spell on it already."
"So?"
"So I'll try this." He touched the door gently and muttered a few words.
"What's that?"
"It's a fortifying charm, thickens and strengthens things."
"That's crazy! We're trying to get OUT of here!"
Quatre ignored him and continued casting the charm over and over again.
*
Rhea sped up the mountain path until she reached a dead end. They looked at the rocks that stretched up in front of them, trying to figure out where they were. Quatre had to be somewhere nearby.
*
"See, the charm on the door reverses anything cast on it after. Your thinning spell thickened it, so I'm fortifying it."
Duo shook his head. "And you thought I'd lost it. Q-man, nobody does something like that to their do—" There was a crash.
*
The company of sisters in deer form all were looking about when suddenly a door fell out of nowhere in the mountainside, and a boy with a braid tumbled spread-eagle out on top of it. Quatre stood in the doorway, shaking his head. "I told you not to lean on the door, Duo."
*
Midii ran a hand over the ridges on Ryiu's back.
Why did you come to me?
A moment after the thought, little flashes of color began prickling at the back of Midii's consciousness. She screwed her eyes shut and concentrated on the lights…soon it merged and molded into a picture. A far way part of her recognized that Ryiu was sending her a memory…
///Ryiu's Memory///
Ryiu/Midii sighed contently and looked down at the dragon curled up next to him/her. Smaller and shaded a pale sea green, the female dragon lay sleeping.
Hali…Midii felt Ryiu breathe the name. The waves of love and care Midii felt as Ryiu remembered this dragon told her that this must have been his mate.
Ryiu/Midii sighed once more, sure that everything was safe, and laid their head back on the ground. As Ryiu's/Midii's eyes began to close and explosion rocked the cave. Ryiu/Midii heard Hali shriek in pain as debris fell from the ceiling.
Ryiu/Midii leapt up roaring. They wouldn't let anything hurt Hali!
Spinning, towards the front of the cave Ryiu/Midii caught sight of several tow legged creatures…humans.
Ryiu/Midii gave off a toothy dragon smirk. HA! Humans…no problem.
The muscles in Ryiu's/Midii's back legs bunched, preparing for a leap…but they would never release. Silver light flooded into the cave. Ryiu's/Midii's eyes clenched shut, but the light didn't disperse. It only grew, enveloping all of his senses, burning with cold.
As a final act of defiance, Ryiu/Midii screeched. But it was too late…///Ryiu's Memory///
Midii gasped and let her hand fall from Ryiu's side.
Oh my…
She looked into Ryiu's eyes, gave a strangled sob and threw her arms around his neck.
They imprisoned him in his own mind!
Midii closed her eyes and concentrated on Hali's name and then on a feeling on questioning.
I hope this works…
Teal fibers danced in the back of her mind. He's the teal. She began to feel helpless and worried.
He doesn't know what happened to his mate. He lost her.
*
Sally looked at the ceiling. Sally looked at the floor. Sally looked at the wall next to her. They all looked the same. She sighed. Despite the fact that she was imprisoned and her life was held in peril, Sally was bored.
She looked at the sleeping form nearest to her. Meiran squirmed in restless sleep. She's worrying about Wufei again. Not that she would admit it. Well, I will. The little smart alec doesn't know how to take care of himself…
Flashback
Sally skidded around a corner at breakneck speed.
Ah! I'm late!
She sprinted through the halls of Central Compound, sure that she would run into someone (or something, if she was really unlucky.)
She was there for a regional meeting. Not a very important regional meeting, just a very boring annual meeting to discuss boring, but necessary, things.
She stopped before she rounded the last corner and took a deep breath. She straightened her shirt and neatened her hair before she walked towards the door to the conference room at a much more sedate pace.
She opened the door and stepped in. Several expectant faces turned toward her.
"Sorry…" she said as she walked the rest of the way in. She wasn't that late, not everyone was seated. Commander Winner, who was hosting the meeting as commander of Central Compound, was seated at the head of the table. Other commanders began walking towards there seats at his gesture. She was about to move towards her own seat when she heard some one to her left mutter under their breath,
"Onnas…always late…"
Sally turned around to see a young man – boy – leaning against the door looking at the floor.
Must be a messenger page for the meeting.
The boy stood from his leaning position. Sally looked to the insignia on his left shoulder, trying to find his rank so that she could give him a proper dressing down.
But she wouldn't get her chance.
To her complete surprise and not a little frustration, he bore the ringed eight-pointed star of a fellow commander. He did not even acknowledge her with a glance, but walked off to sit down. She started toward the opposite end of the long table, but found that the only available seat was next to the impudent boy-commander. See if I ever come late again, she thought to herself, groaning inwardly.
As she took her seat without looking at her new little annoyance, Commander Winner stood and began speaking.
"Welcome fellow commanders…"
Sally began to find that her mind was all ready wandering.
They're just going to fight over the same things they always do…
Commander Septum from Grand Canyon Compound began speaking, "I support you fully, Commander Winner, the Riders and Flyers are purely a messenger group…wasting resources on arms build up is idiotic!"
Sally inwardly sighed. I suppose its time for me to argue against them…again…
But before she could speak, a stern voice beside her began, "If there's anything idiotic in this room, its you Commander Septum. You may be safe with your compound built into the solid walls of a canyon, but my people are at the top of an open cliff top. In the six months I've served as commander we've been attacked by roving bandits continuously. We can defend ourselves from them as long as we're inside the compound, but a pair of messengers is an easy target for a group twenty strong."
Sally grinned…I just might like this kid after all…
Commander Winner looked at the young man, "Commander Chang, if you could keep your comments towards the other commanders more respectful in the future…"
She felt the boy – Commander Chang? – sit up straighter in his chair, but he didn't say anything. She took the moment to voice her own opinion, "I agree with Commander Chang. Southern Range is just as vulnerable, the Sayitans are so close I can feel them breathing down my neck. Though any attacks we receive are from 'nameless bandits' we've found Sayitan insignia on bodies before."
"Which is why we must prepare now, before we're overrun," Commander Chang voiced.
We now interrupt the flashback for a certain thought of Sally's
They had never solved the problem, and now it was too late.
We now return to your regularly scheduled flashback
Sally was the second to last person to leave the room. The last was Commander Chang, who tripped over a chair and dropped his papers. With a sigh, she walked over and helped him retrieve them. "Men," she snorted in a very audible mutter, "such klutzes."
The young commander glared at her.
She grinned back and offered him her right hand. "I'm Sally Po. Thanks for your support in there."
He shook her hand stiffly. "Only logical. Nothing personal intended. I'm Chang Wufei."
"Nice to meet you, Wufei."
By then, they had finished gathering the papers, and both stood up simultaneously.
End flashback
After that, Wufei and Sally had formed a tentative alliance against the other idiot commanders who weren't doing anything.
For the next several years, Sally had spent quite a bit of time attempting to smooth over Wufei's "relationship" with his wife. It hadn't been working.
Sally looked over at Meiran, who had just whispered Wufei's name in her sleep. Maybe it had worked a little bit.
And then Meiran finished the sentence. "…you baka…"
Sally sighed and shook her head.
Astra: "I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date! No time to say hello, GOODBYE! I'm late! I'm late! I'm late!" Mwe…the last part with Sally reminded me of that…he!
Shizuko: Hope you liked!
Astra: And if you're interested, Hali means sea in Greek!
Shizuko: Yes…I'm sure they're all fascinated…
Astra: *nodnod*
Shizuko: It's spring break (*happy chibi dance*) so we should have another chapter up soon!
Both: Adios!