Wild Cards
Chapter One: Blood and Jewels
"Well, well, well. Domon Kasshu."
"Where are the girls, Chibodee?" Rain asked.
"They're are dozing by Gundam Maxter."
"Hello, Chibodee. What do you want?"
"Just to see what's hanging with ya." Neither Domon nor Rain believed that for a second, and Rain told the other man so. Something was on Chibodee's mind.
"Saisachi told me to meet him here. If I ran into you, he said it was all the better."
"But… why would he do that? And why did you listen?" Rain asked.
"He called in as the Ace. He wouldn't do that unless it was important. Schwartz backed him up, and you know what a loner he is. He tends to stay away from most of us. This is big, whatever it is." In the Ghianna Highlands, Domon thought, there was supposed to be peace. But if someone as level-headed as Saisachi had called the Shuffle Alliance, then there had to be something major about to strike. "I haven't figured out what it is, yet, though."
"Bonjour, Domon." George de Sand approached slowly, his reddish hair blowing in the light wind. "I, too, was called here by the Club Ace."
"So were we." Argo murmured in his deep bass voice. Natasha, Saisachi and Schwartz Bruder were right behind him.
"We're missing someone." Saisachi said.
"No, we're not." Bunny, on of Chibodee's team mates, contradicted.
"Yes, we are. Ever heard of the Wild Cards of the Shuffle Alliance?"
"I… those are supposed to be only a legend!" Rain cried. "The legendary warriors, supposedly the most devoted servants and team mates of the King of Hearts. They are partnered with the first six members of the Shuffle Alliance."
"Also, the Wild Heart and the Club Ace were often said to be soul mates. I find that intriguing, since a girl named Shikon Inuyasha is the Wild Heart." Saisachi said quietly.
"Why intriguing?" George asked him.
"Shikon is my girlfriend. She is the wielder of the Jewel Gundam. And, she bears a Shuffle Alliance Crest on her right hand, with the name 'Wild Heart.' Her friends are all similar."
"Is that why you called us here?" Domon asked quietly.
"Yeah, I… what are those!?" The teenage boy cried, pointing towards the eastern sky.
"Dark Gundam troops!" Domon exclaimed. The Shuffle Alliance whirled about, shocked to see themselves surrounded by a small Dark Army. Even worse, they were separated from their Gundams!
"What do we do, Domon?" Rain asked quietly.
"Better do something quickly, Domon Kasshu." Schwartz muttered darkly. A shining light suddenly appeared, or rather, millions of blazing shards of burning crystal.
"Blood Diamond Tornado!" An explosion rocked the Shuffle Alliance to the ground. They heard someone cry, "Shard Dagger Fury!" When the smoke finally cleared, two Gundams, both a deep red-black, stood before the Dark Army.
"Blood Gundam and Jewel Gundam… Shikon! Alia!"
"I'm kinda busy at the moment, bucko!"
"Yo, lover boy of my mentally challenged best friend, get to Dragon Gundam before I kick your ass into the middle of next week!"
"Oh, shut up, Alia, I'm there already!" he replied curtly from the cockpit of his Gundam. "Okay, let's go!"
"Diamond Blood Rain!" Blood Gundam shot a barrage of ammo, glowing red as fire, into the midst of her opponents. "Heehee! Fun time!"
"Shut it, you psychopath! Shikon Jewel Kaleidoscope!" Though most of the evil machines had fallen, there was still a hefty number left. "Oooh, where's that moron when we need him!?"
"I'm not a moron!" Saisachi cried, and was surprised to hear the two girls snap, "Not you, Schwartz Bruder! Duh!"
"I thought you two would never ask. Here I go!" Shadow Gundam's whirling blades fell swiftly upon the rest of the enemy, and soon nothing remained but a pile of smoking metal. The two men leapt down from their Gundams to join the others. "Come on down, you two."
"Schwartz Bruder, you arrogant, bossy… argh!"
"Saisachi!" Two girls leapt from the top of the Gundams, landed on their feet, and sprinted over to the others. The first girl was perhaps fifteen or sixteen to Saisachi's seventeen, with long hair the color of a raven's wing, and eyes as violet as the stars. She was tall, shapely, well muscled while still intoxicatingly feminine. When the boys were looking her over, all but George, being too polite, and Domon, not really caring, stared at her beautiful, long legs, clad in a pair of black tights. This was Shikon.
The girl beside her was Alia Hunter, tall and elegant, with an aristocrat's finely sculpted bone-structure, and deep auburn hair with dazzling emerald eyes. She was about nineteen, and carried herself with an air of confidence.
"And you are?" Natasha demanded of them.
"Shikon, from Neo-Japan, the Wild Heart."
"Alia, from Neo-Arabia, the Wild Diamond." Everyone was surprised when Schwartz Bruder held out his hand, which Alia shook. "Long time, no see, Schwartz Bruder. Where've you been?"
"Around. Why, did you miss me?"
"I'm thinking she missed bugging you, actually." Shikon muttered. "Saisachi, who are your friends?"
"That's Chibodee Crocket, from Neo-America, the Queen of Spades. To his left is Argo Gulskil, from Neo-Russia, the Black Joker. This is Domon Kasshu, the King of Hearts."
"So you're the head of the Shuffle Alliance." Alia murmured. Glancing at each other, then back to Domon, the girls said, "Cool."
"And this guy?" Shikon nodded at George.
"George de Sand, from Neo-France. He's the Jack of Diamonds." Saisachi stated. Alia looked him over, knowing he was gonna be her partner. Then she looked into his eyes, a strange mix of lilac and gray, and her heart began pounding. George himself could not turn away from the glittering green eyes of the Wild Diamond.
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Yeah… same here." Shikon and Saisachi looked at both of their faces, the glazed eyes and the stunned expressions.
"Hello?" Shikon muttered, "Earth to Alia! Come in, Alia!"
"Yo, George…." Chibodee murmured. The Wild Heart sighed. "What are they doing?" He asked her.
"The idiots are dream fasting."
"Say what?" Bunny asked.
"It means that they're sharing memories, ideas, exchanging information, etc." George's gaze cut away from Alia's face, and he shivered. Alia simply looked overwhelmed.
"What was that?" George asked no one in particular.
"It something that happens between Shuffle Partners. The same thing will happen when you meet Jaycen, the Wild Jack of Clubs. You're partners with him because you're both of the same cast, if not the same symbol. He's a nice guy, though. Alia, you alive in there?"
"Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Then she caught George's eye, and a strange warmth flooded through her body. The young Frenchman blushed slightly when he looked into her eyes. This was gonna be one heck of a partnership.