The (Malevolent) Wizard Of Oz
All this time the group had carried on in the brisk pace Lady Une had set for them, silence being interrupted by the synchronised steps they each took, as well as Relena's occasional snivelling to her candy floss stick about how she wished it were just her, Heero and Duo (his hair advice was wonderful). The Mobile Suit Road was almost immaculate in that area, but most of it was obstructed by dead leaves (with the occasional corpse of a mercenary) and empty buster rifles. Relena whimpered, feeling this area must be riddled with the terrifying Gundam Scientists. Oh well, when in doubt simply scream out:
"HEERO!!!!"
"What is it? Are you hurt?"
"Are we there yet, Heero?"
"How am I supposed to know? I've never been there before and above all, anything I do know that you don't is always going to remain that way. What's my real name?"
"But why, Heero? Don't you love me?"
Heero replied to this with a distinct clenching of his teeth since any other form of response would be almost emotional, and he was trying to rebel against the spell. What happened next was almost too quick for them to respond correctly, so only a couple of them were aware of what was going on around them.
Lady Une became momentarily immobile when her glasses were caught head on with the sharp glare of a bright white cloth ahead of her, even though there was little natural light around them. As everyone's attention turned to the startled general, nobody saw the white light striking Trowa backwards; he was so spindly-legged that he had no chance and flew back a few feet until a Taurus suit broke his temporary aviation.
In the same instant, the strange power slowed down as it struck Lady Une; she did not fall over or cry in pain, but the momentum caused her to take a step backwards and this motion made her glasses slide halfway down her nose. She was caught between nice and nasty modes; therefore she was just as helpless and unable to move as when they'd found her in the forest. Duo saw the creature had slowed down a little and whipped his hair around quickly, aiming at the intruder's head, but his opponent anticipated his move. He found himself victim of whiplash—and hairlash too for that matter, as the braid swung around and hit him full force on his eyes, blinding him for a few moments. The white light selected his next victim and headed straight for the remaining male, but not all went as planned.
Relena barred its path with her arms spanned out, and it is only now it realised a wooden shaft protruded from its chest. She screamed that it could do what it liked to her as long as he left her friend alone; Heero shut his eyes as he looked down, touched his chest and said 'Relena, hmmm' before realising he was turning into her and ran around screaming. He eventually collided with the white object, with a splinter of the candyfloss stick projecting itself into the mysterious stranger. The white object was easier to look at now there was muck covering its immaculate coat, and it introduced itself as it stood up, pushing Heero away from him and taking the stick out of his chest, the splinter still embedded and unnoticed.
"My name is Chang Wufei, and it is my duty to ward off travellers that traverse this path. I do not fight bleeding hearts or women, which is why I did not injure this young girl or Maxwell, who's as girly as they come"
"Wuffy, I should have known! I banished you from my lands for being such a conceited troublemaker, and this is how you found a life for yourself? Fighting travellers who come to these parts once or twice a DECADE? Who's the girly one now, wanna make something of it?"
"You banished me because I was stronger than you and you sulked about it!"
"I did not, you'd better start behaving yourself, or…"
"Or what?"
Duo sent a jet orb in his direction, but with his eye problem and a quick movement by Wufei, the cloth became unbearably white again and returned it at twice its initial strength. It had no visible affect on the warlock, since the spell involved could only affect those banished from a territory. What they weren't aware of, however, was that he'd just inadvertently banished himself from his own country.
Heero snapped out of his screaming fit and fixed Lady Une's glasses, who rewarded him with a sharp smack for not having done it sooner. Duo laughed heartily as it removed the concentration away from him and he saw the ungrateful boy getting what he deserved for his insolence. It took them fifteen minute's searching to locate Trowa, who'd flown so far back from the attack that he'd created a hole in the Taurus suit he'd struck and was unable to get out of his own accords. Relena put her hands on her hips and shouted at Wufei that he was nothing more than a coward, to which he agreed.
"I used to have the most powerful mobile suit, Nataku, as a friend, but one day he realised how cowardly I am. I need to do something before I end up as much of a weakling as the rest of humanity. He left to work with some company called Toonami and declared he'd return the day I learnt some courage, providing he didn't have a lunch appointment at the time. It is by fighting passers-by like you that I feel like I'm growing more courageous, but instead it's quite the opposite"
"Why don't you join us to visit the great wizard? He could help you"
"I work alone, this sense of integrity must be found by following that path alone. Besides, I don't want to work with someone as girly as Maxwell"
"I am not girly! Besides, nothing would please me more than you not accompanying us, you cowardly woofer!"
"Okay then, my decision is final, how long will it take for us to get there to see this wizard?"
Duo gritted his teeth, smouldering with anger at the thought of Wufei joining them just to annoy him. He just hoped he didn't join up with Heero's 'team' in their group as it meant that he'd have Relena and Lady Une (a factor that made him look even girlier to Wufei) and it would mean that the size of their groups would be equal. Then again, did he really want him on his own 'team'? Maybe if both sides ignored him long enough he'd just disappear and they'd laugh at him, just like he'd be laughed at when he tried to return to his own country as his very magic would throw him out instantly and painfully. The candyfloss stick gathered its energy back together after the near-fatality it had suffered when stabbed into Wufei, but at least now its evil thoughts were beginning to take over the Chinese boy's. His sense of integrity would only be achieved with world domination, the newest traveller thought.