CHANGE OF HEART
Chapter 1: "Who is she?" "I don't know…"
Darkness. Why was it so dark? It wasn't just the sight… it was the mind. All this girl could feel around her was the darkness and the cold. Where was she? Who was she? She opened her eyes. On a beach. She was on a beach. But where was she? She tried to think back and remember… but nothing came to mind. All she could remember was the heat, the pain, and a bright flash of light. The pain most vivid to her still, since her body ached from the icy, salty waters. Her attempt in breaking down the mental barrier caused her a sudden headache, and she threw her hands to her head. She shut her eyes and willed the throbbing pain to go away. It took a moment, but the pain subsided to a subconscious hum. She opened her eyes again, staring at her bare feet where the dark waters lapped, beckoning her to return. She stepped away clumsily. Why couldn't she remember? It shouldn't be too hard… just think back… to… to nothing. Amnesia. She had amnesia. "Why?" she whispered, her voice harsh and her mouth dry with ocean salt and sand. "Who am I?" She looked up; hoping something in her surroundings might spark her interest. No. There was nothing. All that graced her was the skyline against a dark blue sky, while the sun set behind her. It was the icy wind that made her move from her prone stance.
She stepped forward, slipping in the sand until she finally reached the sidewalk. She walked along the streets, afraid of the people who passed her. Some glared at her scornfully, others with confused expressions. When she found a park, she saw a nice looking man in a suit, looking through a book. She walked up to him cautiously. Immediately, before he looked up, he said, "I have no money for you. Why don't you go to the shelter like all the other bums?"
Taken aback, her jaw dropped. She looked down at herself, and sighed quietly. Then, as she pulled her thin sweater over her, she replied, "I'm sorry to disturb you sir, but I'm not looking for money. I would just like to know where I am."
He peered at her over the top of his book, looking her up and down. "Are you one of those drunks??"
"No, sir. I… I woke up on the beach. I don't know where this is… please… I'd just like to know where this is."
He paused for a moment, and then answered, "This is Fort George, Quebec. You know, in Canada?" He pointed in the direction of the ocean. "That's the Hudson Bay. Are you lost? Did someone kidnap you?"
"I am lost." she replied.
"Do you want me to take you to the police?" The man had put away his book. He took of his glasses and peered at her, standing up. He was tall, much taller than her.
"No… that…. That won't do any good…" she replied. "I don't know what I'd say… um, thank you." She turned to walk away.
"Hey girl!" he called. She turned around cautiously. "What's your name?"
"My name??" She paused for a minute. "Blaze." This time, she held her head up, and looked him in the eyes. Her eyes were blue, a sharp azure blue, which seemed to pierce through the early night.
He nodded. "Hm… I see." He pulled out his wallet. "Here… uh… Blaze…. Go find yourself a place to stay."
She peered at him testily, and then took the money. Why refuse it?? "Thank you." She turned to walk away.
He stopped her again. "Your name's not really Blaze, is it?"
She spun around. "I'm not sure. But as far as I'm concerned, it is now."
He chuckled. "It suits you. Now get out of here! You're too young to be wandering bare foot and in your condition at night."
She found a cheap motel, and paid the clerk. It was just enough for a night. As she went into her rather unadorned room, she slumped to the floor. She stared at the poor carpeting, then at her hands. There were a few scars on her arms. She frowned, and went into the bathroom. She immediately peeled off her clothes and took a quick shower. Once she got out, she looked her bare self over in the mirror. There were quit a few scars on her body as well. Not enough to make her look unattractive, but definitely plenty to show that she did something very active before for a living. She felt a rather peculiar round one on her right shoulder. She turned around and arched her neck to see her back, and the same scar was on the back of the right shoulder. A bullet wound? She couldn't think of anything else. Her eyes widened. How can that be?? She peered at her face and checked her skin. She backed away. "I can't be that much older than early twenties… maybe the very end of my teens!!… who was I??"
(A PREVENTER BASE):
Duo walked out onto the beach and looked back at their temporary living quarters. They were brought together and told to stay alert, since tension was building up once and again. They had to have a place to stay and a place to put their gundams. They were able to find a good Preventer base, with some basic connections. Wufei and Sally were one… Howard was another. Howard had recently become a member of the Preventers, helping out with the mechanics. He stayed at a base if Fort George, along the coast of the Hudson Bay. It was the best protection they could possibly get.
They were each called together through e-mail and they were all given the same basic info, nothing more nothing less. It reminded Duo of when he had recited the same exact message with Quatre during Operation Meteor. Back then there was a strong lack of unity and it had put a large strain in everything. Not now. Now, they had known each other for a long period of time, and they were pretty much family (even if a minor few didn't want to admit it). This was particularly good now though, considering it was only a mere five 18-19 year old guys against the whole entire world (and then some) with a very small amount of support.
He turned his gaze back to the sea. A chilling salty breeze swept over him, and he tried to find comfort in his large black jacket. "Better get inside…" he said to himself. "No point in the great Shinigami being put out of commission by a measly cold virus!"
He walked back into the main hangar, and trudged back to where their private kitchen was. Heero and Wufei, but mostly Wufei demanded personal space. He was, after all, the 'Solitary Dragon.' He wanted no part with anyone else who worked at the repair base. Privacy was all he requested. Oh, and a bit of justice, but… heh, heh… that's another story. Since Wufei was one of the Preventers, and a higher rank than most men in the base, it was easy to get his way. Especially with that katana of his…
Duo peeked through the small window on the door that led into their dining room/kitchen, and noticed Quatre cooking hamburgers for everyone. He knew, only by common sense and basic fact, that Quatre was the only good cook out of the five. Without him it would be take out every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. After 10 p.m. there's no delivery, and they'd all starve.
Duo quietly opened the door, and crept up behind Quatre.
"Quatre the Chef… sorta has a nice ring to it, dontcha think??" Duo asked, interrupting Quatre in the middle of a hamburger flip.
Quatre missed the hamburger, which landed on the side of the pan and slipped to the floor. He glared at Duo with his sweet aqua eyes. It didn't work that well, since Quatre wasn't that upset, and he was too cute to look really mad or evil… except for that time in the Zero System. But… heh, heh… that is another story.
"Not really." Quatre admitted. "Quite honestly, I hate cooking. But I seem to be the only one who's good at it, except for maybe Trowa. Wufei never cooks it all the way. He gets too impatient. Heero…?" Quatre shuddered and said no more. "Basically, I don't trust anyone." He threw away the hamburger patty. "By the way that was yours."
"You're gonna make me starve??" Duo gave him his puppy dog eyes.
"No, Duo, that face won't save you this time. You made yourself starve by making me drop the hamburger!" Quatre replied. The he sighed. "Don't worry, I'll make extra like always…"
Duo gave him a large pat on the back. "A true friend!" Then he paused. "By the way, you skipped me… don't you trust me to cook?"
Quatre laughed and shook his head. Duo pouted but Quatre simply said, "I have good reason. If anything, it's you who made me think that. Don't forget of the… mayonnaise and peanut butter sandwiches…"
Duo nodded. "Yeah… I'll admit that was pretty bad…"
"And the time you made simores using those chocolate laxatives…"
"Ooh, don't remind me…"
"And the time that you-"
"Ok! Ok! I get the point! Yeesh…" Duo left quickly before Quatre could pin him with anything else. Duo went to go search and bother some of his rather tolerant buddies. The first one he came across was none other than Heero. He was busy checking the wiring in his cockpit. He jumped up onto his friend's gundam, and peered inside. "Hey Heero, what's up?"
"Leave me alone."
"Nice to see you too…" Duo shrugged and started to walk off.
Suddenly there was a metal bang, followed quickly by the sound of dishes breaking and boxes falling. One of the base's chefs was yelling at the top of his lungs, though his words were muffled through the wall. Suddenly, he shouting became very clear when the door opened and a girl ran out of the double doors to the cafeteria. "HEY!!!!" A string of foul language followed this one word. She ran quickly, her steps light, with a black bag slung over her back. In her mouth was a French roll.
Heero was up in a flash, his box of tools falling of his gundam in an air-shattering racket that left people's ears ringing. He jumped off his gundam, and in a matter of seconds he was in hot pursuit. She was swift, but he was much faster than her, and landed on her quickly. They both fell to the floor, Heero on top. He twisted her arm behind her back, and she clenched her teeth in pain.
"Let go of the bag," he demanded.
She let go quickly, and he turned her over onto her back. He pinned her arms down. He glared icy daggers at her. She glared back. "Alright, you've got me! Now can you let me get up??"
"No." he replied simply.
Duo approached. "Heero, get off of her. She's not going anywhere." He looked her up and down, noticing how skinny she was.
Heero obeyed, and pulled her up. He kept a hold on her arm, though. His other hand held his gun to her. She looked at the barrel of his 45 auto, and became very still. People started surrounding them, the gundam pilots already at their side.
"You'll have to excuse him. He's a guy, so if he gets the chance to straddle a hot chick, he will." Duo joked. Heero was about to lunge at him, but Quatre held him back. A low growl escaped his throat.
"If that should be taken as a compliment to myself, then you need some work." she snapped.
"Geez, no one can take a joke these days!" Duo said defensively.
They were interrupted when the leader of the base, Mr. Cavell, reached the center of the very large circle of Preventers and pilots. "What's going on here?"
"This girl was caught stealing food from the base." Duo explained.
"She could be here for more than one reason…" Heero reminded, his finger cocking the gun.
"First off Heero, before you make any rash decisions, put the gun away. Thank you. Now. Are you suggesting she's a spy?" Cavell asked him curiously.
"It's a possibility." Heero replied cynically. He tightened his grip on her arm, and she flinched slightly.
"Why would I be a spy??" she asked with disbelief. "Notice the food I was leaving with?"
"It could have been a set up to leave the base…" Quatre suggested.
"And a poor one at that…" Wufei added.
"He's right!" she said, pointing to Wufei. "Why would I want to leave this base with you guys on my tail, if I'm a spy?"
"It'd be hard to get out." Duo suggested.
"I got in, didn't I?" she said, glaring at him with her azure blue eyes. "I'm sure I could get out just as easily."
"Then why didn't you?" Heero asked.
"The bag was too big to fit into the air shafts." she shrugged.
Cavell narrowed his eyes at her and stroked his black beard. "What's your name, girl?"
"Blaze." she looked at her hands. Heero glared at her even harsher, and subconsciously tightened his grip. She pulled away slightly, but he held fast.
"Do you have to hold onto me so hard??" Heero looked at his hand and noticed the white around his grip. He loosened his hold. But only a little. She shifted slightly, feeling very uncomfortable under his stare.
"You." Cavell pointed at her. "In my office, right now! Everyone else, get back to work. Sorry guys, but I want to speak to her alone," he added to the pilots.
As they left, Quatre asked, "Who is she?"
"I don't know." Trowa replied quietly.
"Well I think she's innocent." Duo said.
"Are you blind Maxwell?" Wufei nearly shouted. Heero stood next to him, obviously choosing his side.
"Are you??" Duo responded. "Did you see her? Did you see how skinny she is? She's malnourished. She doesn't get food on a daily basis. She's obviously living on the streets."
"Do you know her?" Heero asked.
"No, but-"
"Neither do any of us. That gives us every right to be suspicious." Heero said. Duo sighed in defeat. It was pointless to try to convince the two of them at the same time.
Once the two got inside, he graced her with a string of questions. "Well, Blaze… that's quite an unusual name you have."
"I've heard that it suits me." she replied.
"Yes… it makes a fine code name…." he walked to his black leather seat.
"It's not." she replied simply.
"Alright then… where are you from?" he asked. She fell silent and didn't reply. He slammed his fist on the desk. "I asked you a question!"
"I don't know!!" she shouted. "I woke up on the beach, alright? I don't know where I'm from, and I don't know who I am. Thank you very much for prying into something that's very private to me."
"Thank you for breaking into my base!" he countered. "So… you're saying you have amnesia?" She rolled her eyes. "Don't try my patience! You've picked a really bad day to cross my path, young lady. You don't have the slightest hint of the crap that you've gotten yourself into!"
She stopped avoiding his eyes, and looked at him. "It's not like I want to do this," she said. She fiddled with her thumbs. "I've had amnesia for a while… I don't know how long, I don't really keep track of the days. I didn't know who I was, or what I was doing here. I can't get a job, no one will hire me because I can't fill out the job applications." she shrugged. "So, if I have to, I steal."
"So you have no place to stay?"
"No. Sometimes I can get money from people who are just really nice… or I have to ask people for bus fare. A couple times I can get into a really cheap hotel."
He inspected her old clothes, dirty face, and unkempt hair. Then he noticed her eyes. They were blue orbits of pure truth, and they looked directly at him. Then her mood suddenly took a swing.
"I'm pretty proud of myself for getting into a base… I thought this place was a motel… a pretty clever disguise, if you ask me. So I was going to walk to the back, but it was really long. So I climbed up one of the fire escapes and I was on the roof. You guys don't know the view you have from up there do you? So anyways, I found an open vent and that's how I got in." She took a breath. Finally, she concluded, "You guys need to touch up your security if I was able to get in…"
"Thanks for the advice…" he said dryly. "What have you seen?"
"I've seen those special mobile suits, if that's what you're getting at. They're pretty awesome looking. I don't know what type they are though. I was never really good on mobile suits… or at least I don't think I was…" she frowned in thought.
"Alright. I don't want you to get out and tell people what you saw. Because to me, it sounds like you love to gossip. Not to mention I'm requesting payment for what you tried to do. You'll help the cook."
She paused hesitantly then said, "I don't think that's a good idea… I'll be more of a hazard than a help." She smiled sheepishly.
"Then you'll clean." he replied.
She hung her head. "Fine. Not like I have much of a choice anyway… what about rooming?"
"It's all taken care of. Unfortunately for you, there is only one room open, and you'll have a room mate."
"Which would be…?" she prodded.
"Heero." he grinned.
"What?! No. No, no, no, and for the last time NO!!!" she shouted. "You've got to be insane!!"
"Think of it as an additional punishment." he suggested.
"No, this isn't a punishment. This is a death sentence." she replied.
"Well, that's it and that's final. Now I'll send someone to give you your things. Just go up the stairs towards the front. That's the part that is disguised as a motel? You'll know it's the right one when you see two double doors at the end of it, which is a small dining room and kitchen. It's the second room on the right side. You are dismissed." with that at an abrupt end, he turned his seat so his back was to her. She sighed heavily and stood up. She took unwanted steps towards her destination and her doom.