Chapter Fifty-five: No Time for Rational Thought

A/n: Hello! This is Chase ^^  I just wanted to say that I've had this song in mine FOREVER for this scene.  *evil giggling*  Anyway, I don't own "Crutch" Lovely Matchbox 20 does! Oh! And if you like Ryuujin and you just hate to see him evil and twisted, go read DESTINY on fictionpress b/c Chase and Ryu are two of the main stars (though differ from THIS Chase and Ryu by quite a bit)  ^^

          "Hello, Chase-chan."

          "It is you!" Chase exclaimed. "I've been so worried! You disappeared, and you were hurt so badly!"  She ran to him, but stopped short as her instincts kicked in.  "Ryu?"

i don't want to be the crutch
one step away from down

            A cold, frightening smile crossed the swordsman's lips.  "I've accepted a mission."

          "Oh?"

          "To kill the Gundam pilot 06."

        Chase's emerald eyes widened with horror.  "Ryu!"  She leapt as he moved with blinding speed towards her.  "It would be no fun to end this quickly, would it, 06?  How about a no weapons policy?"

          The emerald-eyed pilot swallowed hard. 'I can't fight him,' she thought to herself, but her instincts screamed at her that she had to as Ryuujin lunged again.  This time his quick hand caught Chase's fragile wrist and whipped her around like a rag doll, flinging her to his left.

man i feel like hell so come on over
be a love machine and i could be your friend

            Chase felt her body slam into the bridge's railing and she forced the yell to be silent in her throat.  She crouched against the soggy ground, fingers sinking into the mud.  She looked around. Where had he gone?

          "I take it back," a low voice said from behind.  "You can use weapons.  I think this might be over before I have my fun if you don't."

          Chase Yuy jumped out of his range, going for her gun. All she found was her caster.  She had a couple shells in her bag, but her bag was sitting on the other side of Ryuujin.  "Move," she growled as she cocked the gun.

ain't no shame feel strong for one another
make a real true color come end to end then

"Oh?" he asked tauntingly.  "And I suddenly take orders from our lovely Chase Yuy? I don't think so."

          Chase dodged and flipped over him as he came at her again.  She had to reach the bag.  There was no if in this, because if she failed here, she'd die here.  She would never see Heero again.  Or Anna-chan, or anyone else for that matter.  She shook away the depressing thoughts and grabbed her bag as she flipped over it. The American girl shoved the caster shells into her pocket and dodged out of the way.

          "You can't run forever, 06," Ryuujin said coldly as he brought his fist around into her ribcage, sending her back. Hard. 

          Chase coughed as she struggled up and stood.  She loaded one of the shells into the and cocked it.  "You know the punch these can give, Ryu. Don't make me shoot you."

________ change of pace
i think there's still a piece of my heart
on your face

it's a shame to let it waste
how does it taste?

"You won't hit me, Chase, and you know that.  I'm faster than you will ever hope to be."

          The young woman growled out a curse.  "I'll give it my best though, Ryuujin.  I won't let you kill me."

          "Suddenly so attached to life?"

          Chase nodded.  "Too bad for you."

            "Something's going on out there," Relena whispered as she peered out the window.

          Odin looked over her shoulder. "Damn," he muttered. 

          "What is it?" came the weak question from the hospital bed.

          Odin turned quickly.  "Heero!" Of all the times he could have decided to wake up this had to be it….. "How are you feeling, kid?"

          "Awful. What's going on?"

            "Chase-san and Ryuujin-san are fighting," Relena whispered in awe. "I never knew she could move so fast…."

          Heero pulled the IV out of his arm and stumbled out of bed.  Odin caught him as his knees nearly gave way. "Hold on there, kid. Take it easy."

          "Chase-chan… I've got to help her."

          "No you don't," Odin said sternly.  "You aren't in any condition to go running down there playing savior."

          "That's my wife!"

          "And she'd kill me if I let you go. I'll go, you just sit tight and trust in this old man, okay?"

          Heero nodded.  "Arigatou," he whispered.

break it down in pieces, make it simple
'cause you know damn well that i'm a simple man
all these things go changing like the weather
and they stay that way until the weather man says
one down, gone to waste

            Chase rolled out of the way.  She was down to her last shell, and it wasn't something she wanted to risk using.  A number nine shell, she remembered from her brief discussion with Starwind, sucked the user's energy from them.  Yes, it was effective in taking out an enemy, but she wasn't quite sure she wanted to kill Ryuujin.  In fact, she was quite sure she couldn't. A number nine was a last resort.

          "Now what will you do, 06?" he taunted.  "Run crying to your husband? No…. He unconscious on the fifteenth floor, isn't he?"

          Chase's eyes narrowed.  "You know a bit much, old friend."

          "More than you would guess," he responded, eyes flashing.

          That unnerved the pilot, but one would never have guessed as she jumped out of the way, swinging her caster at him in hopes that she would knock him just right to send him flying. No such luck.

i think there's still a piece of that smile on your face
and i would like to see it erased
there ain't no two ways about it.

            "We really would have made a good couple, you know that?" Ryuujin continued on.  "You and me… We could have been something, but that is pointless now, isn't it?"

          Chase dodged his fist.  "Yes it is."

          "You really do toy with men's hearts, dontcha?  Pull us in the like the suckers we are for you, and then turn us away like nothing.  Don't you realize what you do? Or maybe you do and that's what you like, ne, Chase?"

          The American woman stopped at this and was caught off her guard at the knee that implanted itself in her gut.  She cried out as she fell back and fired the caster.

bring it on then gone, use a lover
like a cigarette the way that lovers do
one sweet song that starts a little slow and
then goes on and on and makes you want to
move around the room in circles
everybody wants to be you

            Chase felt the energy leave her body.  She vaguely saw Ryuujin fighting the darkness that swarmed around him, trying to pull him in. 

          The blue haired swordsman let out a sharp yell as he pushed it all back, a light exploding around him.  He knelt to the ground and stayed there a moment, breathing heavily.

          "You're mission, to kill the Gundam pilot 06," the voice echoed in his head.  Ryuujin shook his head slightly, clearing it.  "Not today, 06," he whispered as he started off.

try to find my place up on the map
of all the men you've been through
dig a little deeper and you'll realize
all i'm building up you're tearing down.

            They had not been able to stop Heero from tugging on jeans and flying down the stairs, heedless of his condition, to his wife.  He scooped her up in his arms, shaking her slightly and then holding her to him and wrapping his arms around her.

          "Heero?" came a weak voice.  "When did you wake up?"

I don't wanna be the crutch.

One step away from down.

"I love you so much," he whispered, voice almost frantic.

          She smiled a bit.  "I love you too," she responded as she sank into darkness.