A/N:*coughs* Well, I WAS gonna wait to put this chapter up, but I didn't for certain reasons.
009: Yeah. Didn't you say something about-
Korii Shoujo:*kicks* SHUDDAP! Anyways, on with it! I know you guys are anxious about the cliffy ^^ Also, I have planned out the ending. It's gonna be bittersweet, and you'll see why..soon enough ^^
003: Which means about a few months.
Korii Shoujo:*glare* ANYWAY. Your turn to do the disclaimer, 0010-!
0010-: Okay then! Korii Shoujo doesn't own Cyborg 009, cause if she did, we'd all be doomed!*cheesy grin*
~~
Stuff: Cyborg 009
Chapter Four
Last time-
"Good, 0021.." the cat-girl whispered, then turned to the 00 Cyborgs. "Now which one.." she trailed off, her gazing resting on Francoise. "Yes, you."
Suddenly, she threw herself forward with amazing agility, heading straight toward the startled young woman.
~~
Now-
"Acceleration mode!" yelled Joe, quickly hitting the switch in his back teeth. He rushed desperately towards his beloved, only to be beaten by the faster cat cyborg. Joe stopped suddenly, to see the cat girl rush past with Francoise unharmed. She then ran away as fast as she had come, something cradled in her arms. 0021 soon followed, but not before stopping and looking at Joe sadly. His bright emerald eyes flashed with apology, and he soon ran off after his partner. The cyborg leader was about to start out after them, but then realized that it was already too late to follow. The cat girl would be long gone by now. But one question still remained..what did the girl want?
Francoise fell to her knees, sobbing. She put her face in her delicate hands, her back heaving with supressed anger and sadness. Joe rushed up to her, and placed a large hand on one of her shaking shoulders.
"Francoise?" he asked gently, "What's wrong!? Did she hurt you in any way?!" his voice changed from gentle to furious, as he suddenly thought of ways to destroy the two enemy cyborgs. He blushed; he was being too protective. After all, that look 0021 had given him was not one of an enemy, no, it was more the comforting look of a sorry friend after you've lost a close relative. He couldn't count that fact out, no matter how angry he was. He HAD to be fair.
She shook her head quickly, continuing to sob. "Oh, Joe.." she said as looked at him with a tear stained face. "T-They took Ivan!"
Joe's eyes widened. So that's what that bundle in the cat cyborg's arms had been! He cursed in his mind, his fury returning. He then kneeled in front of Francoise, and took her up in a tight embrace.
"Don't worry, k'shii," he whispered into her ear, "We'll find him. I promise. We'll find Ivan."
Meanwhile, the rest of the cyborg team was watching this display rather skeptically. They hadn't heard or seen what had happened, or why Francoise had suddenly started to cry, but G. Jr wanted to know. He walked up to the couple and put a large, tan hand on Francoise's shoulder.
"003?" he asked in his deep voice, "What happened? And where's 001?"
With the mention of her beloved baby's name, Francoise burst into tears again, sobbing into Joe's already wet shirt. He gave 005 a look that said, 'We'll talk later.' The large Native American nodded, and walked to the others, motioning them inside Dr. Kazumi's house. They all nodded, and wordlessly followed him inside.
Joe watched as everyone else headed inside, then turned to the sobbing girl in front of him. He brushed a stray piece of golden hair out of her face gently. She looked up at him with wavering cerulean eyes.
"I think we should go inside, k'shii.." he whispered to her, his large red eyes filled with kindness and love. She nodded, and suddenly kissed him full on the lips. Joe felt deep sorrow and desperation present, which made his heart break in two. He would do ANYTHING to free her of her despair. His eyes widened, then he closed them as he fell deep into her sweet spell. Soon they broke apart, gasping for air. Joe felt his heart swell with tenderness, and he picked Francoise up bridal style.
"Now let's go," he said gently. She leaned against his chest, and Joe started off towards the house.
Upon reaching Dr. Kazumi's seaside home, Joe placed the now asleep Francoise on to her bed, and took off her scarf and boots. He then pulled the warm fleece blankets over her body, and kissed her on the cheek.
"G'night, k'shii" he whispered as he left the room, turning the light off as he closed the door.
Out in the living room, Jet was pacing impatiently.
"Well?!" he exclaimed as Joe walked in quietly, "What happened?! And where's Ivan!?"
Pyunma glared at the hot-headed American, and motioned for Joe to speak. The half-Japanese decided to come right out and say it.
"Ivan's been kidnapped," he said wearily, collapsing on a couch. Everyone immediatly stopped what they were doing, and stared at their leader increduously. Albert was the first to recover from the sudden shock. Dr. Gilmore stared increduously.
"Whadda ya mean he's been kidnapped?!" he exclaimed loudly, "You mean, he's..gone?"
Joe nodded slightly, and bowed his head. He felt tears form in the corners of his eyes. He squeezed them shut tightly, trying to stop the salty vessels of sorrow from escaping. But it was no use. Lukewarm tears ran down his flushed cheeks as he let everything go. His whole body shook with painful sobs. 'Why?' he thought bitterly, 'Why is everything going wrong!? It's..it's not supposed to be this way..'
His team members stared at him, stunned. They had NEVER see 009 cry, and it was so foreign to them. Pyunma looked up quickly, the first to recover.
"C'mon, man, everything's gonna be okay, I just know it. We'll find Baby Ivan if it's the last thing we do!" He proclaimed boldly, smiling enthusiastically. Everyone else agreed as Joe looked up. He gave them a tearful smile.
"Thanks guys," he said in a scratchy voice, "Thanks a lot."
~~
11:56 PM
Francoise awoke with a start, due to a low growl coming from her stomach. She groaned, and sat up slowly, groggily rubbing her tired eyes. Outside, it was pitch black. She could hear the waves crashing on the shoreline on the beach. The lady cyborg placed a pale hand lightly on her complaining stomach, and blushed. Why was she so hungry? It was then she noticed that she was still in her combat outfit. Suddenly, everything hit her at once as she remembered what had happened that evening.
Francoise's eyes filled with tears as she stared at Ivan's crib, which was empty. She buried her face into the soft fleece blanket, and began to sob softly. It was so lonely without the baby cyborg. Normally she would hear his soft breathing, which was comforting in itself. Tonight she could hear nothing but her own bitter complaints.
She turned to her nightstand, and frowned. A white piece of paper was there, and on top of that was a glass of water. She picked up the glass, careful not to spill any of the liquid, and pulled the paper out from under it. It was a note, scrawled out in Joe's messy handwriting.
Francoise- she read,
We'll start searching for Ivan tommorrow. I promise. I really hope you feel better, koishii. I don't like to see you like this. If you need anything, just knock on the door to my room. Don't think about what's happening. Just try to get some rest, okay?
Love,
Joe
P.S. Your boots and scarf are under the bed.
Francoise smiled through her tears, and sniffled softly. She wiped her eyes, then took a sip of water. The cool liquid slid down her dry throat, refreshing her instantly. She sighed, then placed the glass back on to the table. The French cyborg got out of bed, and opened the door to her room quietly, craving a snack.
She tiptoed down the long hallway, careful not to wake anyone. Soon she reached her destination, the kitchen, and opened the refrigerator. Francoise groaned, finding nothing but that night's leftovers. She sighed. The HUGE craving for chocolate she had was overwhelming her. Saliva squirted into her mouth as she thought about chocolate covered cherries, her favorite snack around that 'time'. She suddenly brightened, remembering the secret stash she had hidden in the pantry, behind the vegetables. Flinging open the door to the pantry, she dived in and began to search. Soon, she came upon an empty bag. Anger welled up inside her, and she gave a loud scream. The cyborg then proceeded to cry, sitting on the floor and pouting like a three year old.
Hearing a loud scream that could only belong to Francoise, Joe rushed out into the kitchen to find his koishii sitting on the floor with a furious look on her face and an empty bag of chocolate covered cherries next to her. He stopped, and tilted his head slightly.
"What's the matter, k'shii?" he asked, confused.
She pointed at the bag crossly.
"No. More. Chocolate." She growled in a deadly voice. "007. Must. Die." Suddenly, her bottom lip started to quiver and her eyes filled with tears.
She started to cry.
Joe sighed. Francoise's emotions had been badly lately, and 'it' was only making the situation worse. He gathered her up in his arms like a mother would a child.
"Shh..don't worry, I'll get you some chocolate.." he whispered, feeling a bit out a place as he did so.
Francoise suddenly pulled away, refusing to look Joe in the face.
"I'm sorry, Joe," she said, feeling very stupid indeed. "I'm acting like a child.."
He suddenly smiled, then started to chuckle. Francoise glared at him evilly.
"What's so funny?" she demanded, folding her arms against her chest.
"Nothing.. Anyway, it's not ALL your fault you're acting like this.." he said jokingly, wanting to get a rise out of her.
"What do you mean by 'it's not ALL my fault', huh?!" she growled, tackling him playfully. He laughed, and allowed himself to be pinned down.
"Oh, I'm so scared!" he said, faking terror. All of a sudden, Francoise collapsed laughing, and he laughed along with her. This was the way things were supposed to be.
"Now," he proclaimed, getting up, "What about those chocolate covered cherries of yours?" He wanted to do everything he could for her right now. Anything that would comfort her in the slightest amount. He liked to see her happy, and due to the current situation, a time a joy was very rare, like a black tulip among the red.
Francoise squealed in glee, and took his offered hand. He helped her up, and they started out the door.
~~
Soon, with the help of Joe's acceleration mode, they reached a 24-hour convenient store. As soon as her itoshii let her go, Francoise bolted inside the store, and was in the candy isle in 20 seconds flat. She began to look around, digging through things here and there. Joe caught up to her, and waited patiently beside her until she found what she was looking for.
"Ah!" she exclaimed triumphantly, "Here!" She was holding three huge bags of chocolate covered cherries jovially, like she had just won the lottery. Her face was a vivid picture of glee.
When Joe saw how much she had gotten, his eyes nearly popped out of his sockets.
"Are you sure that's not too much?" he asked anxiously. He could hear his wallet crying, as he had been somewhat broke lately. Francoise grinned, and clutched her prize closer to her chest.
"Nah, I'll probably finish them all by the day after tommorrow!" she proclaimed happily, prancing up to the cash register. The old man behind the register jumped up and smiled kindly at the two.
"Is this all?" he asked politely, ringing up the total.
"Yessir!" nodded Francoise impatiently. She was ready to fall into the delicious delirium of sweet-sugary madness. The one that only chocolate could bring.
When Joe recieved the total, he sighed, and plucked the remaining yen from his wallet, then handed it to the cashier. Of course, he didn't tell Francoise that this was all the money that he had left. That would make her unhappy, and he didn't want it that way.
"Have a nice night!" the old man called out as they left the store.
"You too!" they yelled after, closing the door.
Once outside, Joe picked up Francoise and the two bags carefully.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Ready." His koishii confirmed, hugging the bags possesively. He smiled to himself softly, and then clicked the switch in his back teeth, setting off towards home. Everything was good for now. But tommorrow would bring many changes..
~~
A/N: Jeessshhhh..that took FOREVER! X_X I tried to make it good. A little bit of plot building, angst, fluff, and fun ^^ Poor Francoise..the worst possible things happen to her..first she gets 'it', then Ivan gets kidnapped. Hey, I act OOC when I get mine! Why can't 003? ^_~ Hehe, poll time! ^_^(Dun't worry, nothing to do with the story..) How many of you other girls out there get an insane craving for chocolate around that time? I know I do..and I LUFF the chocolate-covered cherries!*drools* So gooooood..
003: Yeahhh..*drools*
0010+:..They scare me.
0010-: I know, brother, I know..
Review Response-
Serene Faerie-Hehe, sure! ^_~ Thanks!
Wolfwood11-Thanks very much! My work's 'amazing'? O.O
003 and 006:*points to 009* Hug him. He's the one who like hugs and likes hugs.
009: Hey! No I don't! Well..sorta..
Sweet Dark Angel 009- Believe me, I know how that is all too well. But ya gotta hang in there, right? The rainclouds'll pass eventually, and the sun'll come out. In fact, I'm sorta in a slump right now. But you have your friends, and they'll always support you no matter what. ^_^ Anyways, yep, Francoise isn't feeling the best right now, if ya know what I mean ^^;;; And yes, I plan on more people getting hurt due to a slip of the tongue in front of 003..oh, and I love cliffies(am I the only one who does? O.O;;;) ^^ They get you excited for what happens next! Thanks for the review!
Queen of Duels-Bwahahahaha! Thanks!*gives the Baby Box to 002* Eat it.
002: What is it?
Korii Shoujo:Candy.
002: OOOOO!*swallows it* Eww..dat didn't..hey..why dud my voice sound so stwange? What wong?
Korii Shoujo:*giggles* Thank you, Queen of Duels!
Goddess-of-da-Cheeseburgers-Oooo..*eats fries and Mc Flurry in 10 seconds flat* Yuuuummm..thankoo thankoo THANKOO! Yep, I thought up 0020 and 0021 in Social Studies class. ^_^ I was doodling on my time period notes..
Katsie-Yep, everyone DOES want to beat up Jet it seems ^_^ Hehe, yeah, that kinda annoys me..all the OC/009 fics..and thanks!