Chapter Twenty-three: When Does the "Big Picture" Come Into View?

"Is that Wufei?" Chase asked as she spotted the Chinese man stepping out of the car. Her husband nodded. "Could you go get him? He'll get in the way 'cause he doesn't have a clue what's going on."

Heero agreed with another nod and then sprinted off towards the Chinese man.

Chase sighed heavily when she surveyed the rest of the scene. OWN agents were all around and Quatre in midst of them all. "Blast it all," she muttered. "It couldn't be much worse than this."

"I'm sure it could, Mrs. Yuy," a voice came from behind.

Chase whirled around, seeing the OWN uniform on the young man. She avoided his poorly aimed bullet and came around the back of him with lightning speed. She quickly silenced him.

Quatre looked worriedly towards where the gunshot had come from.

"Don't worry, Mr. Winner. Your friend is unharmed."

"Trowa would have you killed if it were any other way," Quatre said quietly.

"That he would." Avis turned his attention towards where the shot was heard. "Mrs. Yuy, if you would step forward things would be much simpler."

Silence followed his request.

"Must I use Mr. Winner here as an option?"

A small form stepped out of the shadows, gun in hand. She stepped forward. "Release him. I would rather leave here with no casualties."

"Don't be a fool, Mrs. Yuy. Look around you."

Indeed, when Chase looked, she saw men from OWN all around. A smirk crossed her lips and she shrugged. "You think THEY would bother ME? They are children. I doubt they've had the extensive training they would need to even be a challenge."

One of the men (boys) stepped forward. "When we are through with you, missy-"

"Stop," Avis commanded. He stepped forward. Chase made no movement to advance or retreat; she simply stood. When Avis reached her he smiled. "You are to be a guest with Commander Barton."

"Tell him I decline."

"I'm afraid that can not be accepted."

"I believe it can," Heero's gruff voice said from behind Avis.

The taller man turned to find himself looking down the barrel of a gun. "*Yare yare, Heero Yuy. Not much of a surprise, I must say. I've heard that where one Yuy is, you are SURE to find the other close by. Apparently that is correct."

Chase's smirk returned. "I'm afraid, Avis, that your men could not move faster than Heero. You'd be dead and Heero would evade the gunfire."

"But would you?"

Chase twitched slightly. Annoyance. "Of course. I have learned from my husband." (A/N: Either she's REALLY sure in her abilities or she is bluffing...)

"And how good is he?"

"The best."

"Really? So if I was to defeat him... that would make me the best, ne?"

Chase felt a low growl forming in her throat. A smile graced her lips, though it was forced. "That would be near to impossible. Alone."

Avis smiled and turned to Heero. "What do you say, Yuy? Winner takes Mr. Winner and Ms. Yuy here."

"I'M NOT A PRIZE TO BE WON YOU SON OF A-"

"Deal," Heero answered, cutting his wife off.

The men lowered their guns and everyone stepped back.

(A/n: Old fashion duel or something! I'm trying to remember what anime I've seen this in as of late. Dunno, Amanda's been over lately, so it could be one of them... Oye...)

"So what?" Heero asked sarcastically. "We take ten paces?"

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Yuy," he said in a low voice.

Men swarmed Chase, grabbing her and wrenching her gun from her hand.

"What the-?"

A gunshot was heard and Chase tried to peer over all the men that were around her. "Heero!"

She jumped up, planting her foot firmly on one man's shoulder and jumping over them, landing five to ten feet away. Avis stood there, an almost sad look in his eyes. Heero stood as well, but a vacant look was in his dark blue eyes.

"Chase..."

Chase's breath caught as he sunk down to his knees, eyes wide in pain.

"Chase-chan," he mouthed.

She rushed to his side, easing him down to the ground and allowing him to lay his head on her lap. "Heero? Daijoubu ka? Heero? Answer me, baka! BAKA!"

His dark eyes fluttered open and he focused on her. "You're crying, Chase-chan," he murmured as he reached up and wiped the tear away.

She grabbed his hand and clung to it. "You didn't answer me."

"What was the question?"

"Daijoubu ka?"

He smiled slightly. "Hai. Daijoubu, Chase-chan."

She opened her mouth, then closed it when she saw him glare at something behind her. Avis stooped down. "Now, Ms. Yuy, I'll ask you nicely to come with us."

The young woman's eyes narrowed. "Over my dead body."

"I really don't want to do this," Avis said.

Chase looked questioningly. She then felt something hard impact her skull and darkness closed in around her. She faintly heard Heero's voice calling to her, then nothing.

Avis stood, then leaned over and picked Chase's small form up.

"Leave her! She shouldn't even be involved in this! If you want to take someone, take me. I'm the one that got the girls involved. She never asked for a part in this."

"And that, Yuy, is why I'm taking her," Avis said simply. "Commander Barton will take good care of her."

Heero struggled to stand as Avis walked off with his wife. As soon as he made it to his feet, darkness overtook him once more.

Wufei had watched it all. As soon as they had left, he scrambled out to get Heero. He'd get yelled at later by the former pilot of the Wing Gundam, but he didn't care. All he would have done if he had gone out when Heero did was make it impossible for them to escape.

Now he stooped over the Japanese man's still body. "Yuy? Wake up. I'm not going to carry you out of here."

"You may have to," a voice said from the darkness.

Wufei turned, seeing an older man step forward.

Heero's eyes fluttered open at the sound of the new voices. "Wufei... What... Chase. Where is she?"

Wufei looked away. "I'm afraid... there was nothing I could do. I do have a suspicion though, that Barton won't hurt her."

Heero growled something in Japanese.

"Can you stand, kid?" the man asked.

Heero looked to see him for the first time. "Odin..."

He smiled. "Blasted girl could never keep her mouth shut. Yes. It's me."

"You got out of the plane, I see. Are you hurt?"

"No. I've still got some luck left. And you? How 'bout you?" he asked, crouching down next to the wounded pilot.

"I'll live," Heero managed.

"Can you walk?"

"No."

Wufei started to pick the Japanese man up, but Odin waved him off. He then picked him up.

Heero sighed slightly. "You'll help me get her back, right?" he asked quietly.

Odin nodded. "Of course. I'll also tell you the whole story behind her and what she did for me if you want, but for now, sleep. You'll do her no good if you can't even stand."

Heero nodded, allowing himself to slip off into darkness once more.

Chase awoke to find herself lying on a bed. She heard quiet breathing and turned to find the blond Arab pilot. "Ohayo, Chase-chan," Quatre said sweetly. "Does your head hurt?"

"Like heck."

Quatre smiled. "Trowa was in here earlier. Apparently his teams saw Wufei and an older man taking Heero away. They didn't know if he was alive or dead."

Chase curled herself into a little ball and began to sob. "Baka," she muttered over and over.

"Me?" Trowa's voice questioned as the door slid open and he stepped in.

Chase heard his voice and stood up. She walked over to him.

"I'm glad to see you feeling better, Chase-chan," Trowa said.

"I-"

He was cut off by Chase's slap. It sent him stumbling backwards, half because of force and the other half because of shock that she had done it. He reached up to where his cheek was quickly turning red. "Chase..."

"Don't start with me!" she screamed. "I don't want to hear it. I want you to let Quatre and me out right now, then I want you to quit it! Why are you even doing this? Huh, Barton?!"

"Do you hate me so much that you can't call me by my first name?"

She slapped him again. "You... I could have called Trowa by his first name, but not you. I don't know who or what you are."

Trowa's dark eyes widened a fraction. "Very well, Chase-san," he said quietly. "I only came to inform you that your husband is very much alive... for the moment, that is." That said, he turned and left.

Chase shrunk to the floor, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. "What's going on, Quatre? We use to be able to tell the good guys from the bad. Why can't we anymore? Why are our own friends turning against us?"

Quatre walked over and gave the smaller girl a quick hug. "I don't know, Chase-chan. I really don't. I never expected it to turn out this way."

Chase stood up suddenly. She walked over to a mirror and stopped. She looked at her long blond hair, fingering slightly. "Quatre?"

"Hmm?"

Chase pulled out a pocketknife, one that they had not found, only because she was very good at hiding them. She pulled her hair back and sliced through it. It fell to the floor, leaving it a short length. "You look very much like you did when you were younger, with your hair cut like that, Chase," Quatre said.

Chase wiped away the last tears. "I'm tired of being Jenny Russell," she said with a sigh. "I miss my old life as Chase Yuy." She reached into a hidden pocket in her jacket and pulled out a small explosive. "I think... I think it's best that the old days are relived, ne, Quatre-kun?"

"Yes."

"Then, what do you say we relive them? Just as we use to?" She tossed the explosive over to the door and it went off. "Let's go."

Quatre looked at her. There was a look in her eye. One that he had not seen in the young manga artist. It was one he had seen a little over ten years ago when he fought along side Chase Yuy.

*My my