The Missing Soldier
Chapter 4 - Volte face
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters mentioned.
Note: Volte face means betrayal. Arigatou for the reviews so far minna. I was rather surprised when most of you guessed that Nataku is Hotaru...but is it really so? I'd like to know too!! :p I love writing this fic as much as I love writing 'Immortality'. By the way, I've got a one-shot SM/GW fic out called Heiwa. Please read and review, 'cause I worked really hard writing it. I'm currently writing 3 new SM/GW fics. One is a new series currently titled "Unmei wa Utsukushiku" or Fate is Beautiful (I might change the title). It's a Duo/Usagi pairing, something I've been waiting to write. The second is also a series and it's a Wufei/Usagi pairing, although I've yet to finish the chapter and to revise it. It's a multi-anime crossover really, as it brings characters from other anime as well, such as Rurouni Kenshin. The third is my top secret project that's taking so slow it's driving me insane (You guys can see this on my site though, I've put it there for a while). But hopefully I can publish it on fanfiction.net soon.
Thanks: To my good friend angelstorm, for all the chat time. To Dez-chan, my soul sister and my bud. I've gotten her into reading crossovers, which she hadn't done before. She's not a big fan of SM crossovers as I am (Gundam/SM and DBZ/SM especially) but she's getting there. ;) Another huge thank is to my editor Cher Chan, who's also a great writer herself. Check out her GW/SM fics, they're good! Extra thank yous to Nata, who helped me out with the Ayashi fic that I'm currently writing. She's another one of my sources of inspirations. Last but not least, to 'R', much love to you.
Five silhouettes moved quietly in the dark of the night. The mists around the area and the moonless night provided a great cover for their dark costumes and their intentions of the break in. They had managed to dodge the first group of guards. Usagi's plan after all, had consisted of them 'being ghosts' so she insisted that there should be no casualties. If any of the guards find their comrades out or dead, it would give them an even greater chance of getting caught. But by leaving them be and acting as shadows, even though it's more time-consuming, they are able to infiltrate and get out with less of a chance being spotted.
"You know what to do?" Usagi whispered to the four men. Two nodded at her, while the other two muttered something under their breaths. Usagi frowned, knowing exactly what they were muttering.
"We can't take any chance, Duo, Wufei. As much as you like destruction and demise, we can't afford that at the moment." She hissed at them, eyes glaring. The braided American was quick to shut up although the Chinese pilot managed to mutter yet another word under his breath before falling silent. Usagi nodded her head at them all.
"You two ready?" She asked Duo and Wufei. Two heads nodded in the dark. "Quatre and Trowa, you two know what needs to be done." It was clear that Trowa knew what to do as he dragged Quatre along with him without even a reply. "That answers that." She muttered to herself, and then motioned the two pilots to follow her.
As much as she hated it, it was easier to have Trowa off with Quatre in the distraction sector. If anything goes wrong, Quatre would be able to think of something quickly and resolve it rather than having the blatant Wufei or the hyena Duo. Wufei would cause more commotion than necessary, most likely killing everyone in sight. Duo, on the other hand, would grin like a maniac and shrug off while being thrown into a cell. (Note: not really, but this is Usagi's thinking.)
They moved cautiously, with Usagi in front and Wufei checking the rear. Duo would be the back-up if Wufei spot something odd. The whole headquarter was dimly lit and the dirty walls provided a good cover. That was another reason Quatre was paired off with Trowa, the platinum blonde can be spotted more easily under the dim lighting due to his light hair. Usagi didn't have that problem because she had dyed her golden tresses to a very dark shade of brown, nearing black.
She paused on one corner, taking time to try and see whether there are guards around that corner. She carefully peered over, making certain that she wouldn't be seen. She spotted two guards guarding one door in particular. They seemed to have been chatting. She quickly stepped back and pressed her back on the wall, biting her lip.
"How many?" Wufei asked in a low voice. Usagi held up two of her fingers. "Guarding something?" She nodded.
"They're guarding the door to the archives. It's usually pretty heavily guarded inside, but there are only two guards outside. An ambush to anyone coming in." Usagi whispered.
"So what now, onna?" Challenged Wufei.
"Wait for distraction." Usagi replied. Sure enough, just as she finished her sentence, the lights suddenly flickered and died. A loud shout can be heard coming from one of the guards. The three, their eyes adapted to the darkness could see what was going on. The soldiers from within the room filed out, one of them shouting commands to the others. Their loud footsteps on the floor can be heard as the rush out of the room.
Some of the soldiers were heading to the three's direction. Quickly, the two men joined Usagi as they pressed their backs against the walls. Soldiers breezed past them, apparently untrained in night vision. Usagi let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding and led the two men to the now unguarded hallway. They walked soundlessly pass the archive room, knowing there were still a few soldiers left in there, just in case.
The hallway extended to another part of the secret base. Usagi hadn't been to that part before, therefore she didn't know what to expect. But it was this part of the base that they kept their prisoners and where undoubtedly, they were holding Heero. Her heart pounded against her ribcage at the thought of him.
'Be all right, Hii-chan.' She thought silently, before leading the two men down a stairway to the 2nd level of the underground base. At the end of the stairs she stopped and slowly and quietly checked whether there are any soldiers left there. Wufei was looking at the top of the stairs, watching if any of the soldiers coming in trepidation. Duo, on the other hand was waiting with agitation, more than willing to take out his gun and shoot something.
Finally, Usagi began to walk forward, the two pilots close on her tail. Just as she moved to the middle of the room, in order to clearly see how many cells there were and which to check, the light blazed on once more. After the three winced at the glare of the light, she gritted her teeth at the sight welcoming them.
There was a whole group of soldiers, their guns locked on them and their finger resting on the trigger. One in particular was smiling with satisfaction at the capture. She knew the face too well, having spent most of her training with him. He had been one of the reasons why she and Heero were unable to return to their Preventers base.
Double cross.
His midnight black hair and dark blue eyes had been the real reason why so many of the female officers at the base were attracted to him. But his real nature had been why Usagi had been so appalled of him, unlike the unknowing officers at the base. The dark moon emblem on the upper left sleeve of his uniform showed which side he really was on.
"Welcome, Usagi." He greeted her with a smirk, before turning to glare at Duo and Wufei. "Throw your weapons on the ground or we'll be forced to shoot." The expressions on the two pilots' faces clearly stated their answers. 'Yeah, right.' He growled at their silent answers and began to walk to Usagi. He took the gun from the hand of one of the soldiers and pressed the barrel to Usagi's forehead.
"Your weapons or I'll blow her brains away!" He shouted. Usagi scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Go ahead, pull the trigger." She challenged him. Her blue eyes flashing with red as her anger burst forth. "You're nothing but a traitor, you weasel!" She spat. His eyes narrowed with anger and he drew the gun back. A split second later, the end of the gun made contact to Usagi's head and she fell forward, hitting the ground with a loud thud. Duo's eyes widened while Wufei clenched his jaw.
"You coward!" Shouted Wufei. "Usagi's right, you're nothing but a weasel." Duo raised an eyebrow to Wufei's choice of calling Usagi with her name instead of his usual 'onna'. The man was breathing hard as he glared at the two pilots.
"Your weapons or she dies." He said, his ultimatum at them. Immediately, the soldiers all aimed their guns at Usagi. Duo reluctantly took out his gun, his eyes on Usagi's still form. He chucked it to the ground, one of the soldiers picked it up quickly. Wufei hesitated and then took his katana out of its sheath and threw it where Duo's gun had been. As the metal clattered on the ground, he looked away.
"Take them to their little friend." He commanded, just as one soldier climbed down the stairs and rushed to him.
"Mamoru-san, Helios-sama wishes to see you." The soldier told him. His cold blue eyes still on Usagi's form, Mamoru nodded at the soldier.
"Tell him I'll be right there."
And Heero thought today would be yet another day filled with interrogations. He quickly noted that it was not so, however, when his cell door opened and Duo Maxwell was thrown in. He was quickly joined by Wufei. Then one of the soldiers dumped the unconscious Usagi on the floor of the cell.
Heero's eyes widened, recognizing Usagi despite her dyed hair. He quickly made his way to her side, ignoring his comrades. Before he even reached her side, however, she groaned quietly. She pushed herself up, only to look up as he helped her steady herself.
"Hii-chan." She whispered softly. His eyes shone with relief that she was all right for a brief moment, before turning into a cold glare. She winced, not because of his glare, because of the invisible needles prickling her skin. Her hand went to her head, where Mamoru had hit her with the gun. She looked at her fingers to see blood.
"Daijoubu ka?" He asked, alarmed at the sight of the blood on her fingers. She nodded her head, wincing again. Duo and Wufei walked over to the two of them.
"Very smooth talking Usagi." Duo said with a grin. Usagi grinned back at the braided pilot.
"You're lucky you didn't get blown away." Wufei commented. Heero's eyes diverted from Wufei to Usagi. This time, she did shrink back slightly from his glare. She knew exactly why he was so angry.
"Did I or did I not specifically tell you to keep away from this base?" He growled. She looked away, scratching the back of her head nervously.
"Um...maybe." She replied. This was when a hurricane swept through the cell.
"MAYBE?? This is no game Usa! You could have gotten yourself killed!" He shouted. "I told you to go find my friends because they would be able to protect you, not to tag along with one of your plans!" Duo's eyes widened slightly at the sound of Heero referring to them as his friends, as did Wufei. But Wufei was more concerned with the 'tag along' part. Heero did have a point there.
"Well what did you expect, for me to sit back and relax while they beat the living daylights out of you everyday? You really think I'm going to sit there doing nothing?" She snapped. She didn't come there to argue with him, she came there to rescue him because she missed him. Apparently her efforts weren't even appreciated or taken to consideration of some sort. The nights she spent alone, with no one at her side had been considered as nothing. And that thought made her angry and sad at the same time.
"Why do you think I'm here in the first place? So that you'll be safe!"
"Safe? I can take care of myself, thank you very much. As you already knew." As the two continued to bicker, Duo glanced at Wufei. Noticing Duo was looking at him, Wufei glared at him.
"What are you looking at Maxwell?" He growled.
"They kind of sound like us when we're fighting, don't they?" Duo said. All color drained from Wufei's face at Duo's observation. Leave it to the numb skull to compare his various attempts of murdering Duo to Usagi and Heero's husband-wife bicker.
"Do not degrade me like that Maxwell!" Wufei shouted, half wishing he had his katana with him. He could easily take out his frustrations at Duo at the moment.
"Degrade you like
what Wu-man?" Duo asked innocently. That brought everything down. Why think
of his katana when he can kill the braided baka with his bare hands? Wufei
lunged at Duo, taking hold of Duo's neck and slowly squeezing it. At the lack of
air and at the surprise of the suddenness of the attack, Duo's eyes widened.
"Wu-man, I was only joking!" Duo managed to choke out his protest despite Wufei's attempt at homicide. At the sound of shouting and gagging noises from beside them, Heero and Usagi put their argument on hold. Usagi's eyes widened at the sight that greeted her eyes.
"What are you two doing?" She demanded.
"What does it look like, onna?" Wufei shouted. Heero smirked, Duo had that coming for a long time. Usagi, however, thought otherwise. No matter how annoying Duo can get, this was not the time or place to kill him. Perhaps later, when they get back to the Winner Manor.
"That's it, stop it you two!" She exclaimed, prying Wufei's hands away from Duo's neck. But Wufei had an iron grip to Duo's neck, he had attached himself to Duo and there was no way Usagi could get him to let go of the braided one's neck. Seeing that Duo was turning purple, Usagi looked at Heero.
At the look on Usagi's face, Heero sighed and complied. Duo was no use to them dead. With great effort and many muffled protests, Duo's neck was safe from Wufei's death grip. Holding his sore neck, Duo leaned against the wall.
"Why does everybody pick on me?" He asked grudgingly. Usagi giggled and sat down next to him.
"If you don't piss everyone off, you'd probably be safe." She pointed out. The Shinigami took this moment to smile broadly and shook his head.
"Now what's the fun in that?" Duo asked, hearing his remark, Wufei turned to look at Heero.
"You should have let me kill him." He said to the Perfect Soldier. Heero nodded in agreement.
"I have to agree." He replied, switching back to his habit of speaking in monotone. At the sound of that old habit back, Usagi sighed softly and shook her head. But when she looked up again, she saw the various cuts on Heero's face. Some, she noted, had not even healed yet. She let out a small gasp. She had been too busy fighting with him to notice.
'Hii-chan...what you must have been through...' She thought silently. Their little get-together was interrupted when the cell door burst open. Soldiers filed in and took a hold on each of the four. Knowing there was no use to struggle, they all followed quietly as they were finally led to Helios.
In the room stood five men and one woman in a wheelchair. Two of the men stood in the middle, one was a middle aged balding man with dark hair and gray eyes. The other was a man of about twenty with long silver hair and azure eyes. Two contrasts. The younger man being attractive and the older man being, well...old.
"A nice work, Mamoru. Nice work indeed." The balding man said to Mamoru, who was standing at one corner of the room. Mamoru gave a quick salute before turning his attention back at Usagi, smiling smugly. The expression on his face was enough to make her sick.
"Helios-sama, what are you planning to do to them?" Asked one of the five men. To Usagi's surprise and to the surprise of the pilots as well, the man with silver hair was the one that replied.
"I am not certain yet, Ashitare. They have, after all, caused us a lot of trouble." He said, voice soft. He turned to look at Usagi and Heero. "These two in particular."
"I say we kill them now." One growled. But one glance from Helios made him quiet down.
"What do you propose, Nataku?" Helios asked, looking at the girl with dark purple hair and equal colored eyes. She had been watching the prisoners carefully, attention drawn to Wufei. Wufei too, had his eyes on her, but was watching discreetly.
"Why not have them as test dummies for the Senshi?" She suggested. Her soft spoken and graceful manner could have made anyone easily note her as a Princess or someone of nobility. But from the fire of hate silently burning in her eyes, it can be noted that she is one who had seen too much hate in her life that she had become one with it.
"An excellent idea." Helios said and then nodded at the soldiers who were holding the foursome. They were quickly taken to the hangar where they gaped at the mobile suits that were perfect replicas of the pilots' Gundams.
"Nataku did her job well, don't you think?" Helios asked quietly to the pilots. Nataku had stayed at the room, preferring her solitude. But as they stood in the hangar, an explosion sounded. Soldiers scattered around to look for the perpetrators. The loud clang of a can thrown across floor can be heard. Suddenly, everything was engulfed in white smoke.
The four reacted quickly. Usagi kicked the two soldiers holding her, taking the other's gun and finished them off with two shots. Heero's way was much quicker, as he kicked each of the soldiers on the neck until a sickening crack can be heard and one by one they fall to the ground. Both Duo and Wufei preferred Usagi's way, stealing their captor's weapons and finishing them off with it.
"Trowa, Quatre?" Usagi called out. In seconds, the two appeared by her side. "Good work, just in time. I had thought you forgot your part." She said with a grin.
"Part? You mean you planned this?" Exclaimed Duo in disbelief. Usagi nodded and grinned, showing her V-for-victory sign. At the smug look on Usagi's face, Heero couldn't help but smirk.
"Each to their own Gundams." Trowa said. The pilots nodded, leaving Usagi to look around for a moment.
"Where's Wufei?" She asked.
"Kuso! He must have headed back inside to get his katana!" Exclaimed Duo.
"He'll make it in time." Heero said, as he took Usagi by the hand and the two of them headed for Mars. The room in the cockpit was limited, but thankfully just enough for the two of them. Heero sat down, pulling Usagi on his lap. Before he switched the controls or any communication link open, he pulled the girl on his lap around so that she faced him. She looked at him in confusion for a moment, until he pulled her towards him and gave her the most passionate kiss he could muster.
"Hii-chan." She whispered as they broke away for air. He touched her cheek gently and smiled, before switching the communication on.
"Are you all ready?" He asked to the other three. The monitor showed the image of Duo, Trowa and Quatre nodding their heads. "Give him five minutes."
He had to go back. Not for his katana, as he had seized that already, but for her. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. He skidded to a stop in front of the room and rushed in. She had her back away from the door as she read some book.
"Meiran?" He said, just loud enough for her to hear. Her eyes widened at the name and then she slowly turned around.
"How do you know that name?" She whispered, a sense of dread washing through her and yet, there was comfort at the sound of the familiar name coming from his mouth.
"Because I knew her." He said, voice low. She didn't speak, didn't know what she would say to him. So many things were left blank in her mind, no matter how hard she tries to remember. It was as if something was preventing her from remembering her past.
"H-how do you know her?" She stammered.
"That's not important." Wufei replied, then he narrowed his eyes at her, causing her to back down. "My question to you now is," He paused, as she had backed herself into a corner, eyes wide with fear.
"Who are you?"
This is such a perfect
place to stop! It's very tempting to stop here and now...but I promised Nata
that I'd make this chapter as long. And I really don't want to see the wrath of
Nata at school, so I think I'll continue. ^^;
"Who are you?" The question had been so simple that it would have probably meant nothing to someone else. But not to her. It caused floods of emotions and bits and pieces to fall back together. It wasn't the full picture, but she finally realized who he was.
"Wufei Chang, am I right?" She asked him. He seemed unimpressed by her question. But seeing his arrogance and the fact that he left the question unanswered, she knew she was correct. "I'm surprised that you don't remember me." She stressed. His arms fell to his side as he stared at her. What game was she playing?
"What are you talking about onna?" He demanded. At the much too familiar use of language, she smiled. The smile threw him off, there was a feeling of dread at the pit of his stomach and he didn't like it one bit.
"Meiran, your wife, was someone that I very much adore. Someone I had looked up to since I was young." She paused, to look at Wufei with sad eyes. "Have you forgotten her so much that you don't remember her own imouto?"
It was as if Meiran was
standing before him there and then. The faint memory of a young girl, clinging
to his Meiran flooded back into his mind. The young girl with dark purple hair
and wise purple eyes that had pouted and complained when Meiran had said she couldn't come and play. The young girl
that called him with that name...
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Fei-chan?" There it was, the hard evidence. No one but his family and friends know of that name, that embarrassing nickname that the little girl had called him. And that Meiran had laughed about and began to call him by, just to annoy him.
"Emi." He said. She smiled softly.
"No one has called me that in a long time." She told him.
"How did you survive?"
"What happened to the colony you mean?" She asked, when he nodded, she let out a long sigh. "Meiran had warned me beforehand. Before she died, I was sent to a neighboring colony, I was never in danger."
"How did you end up here?" Wufei asked.
"I'm not sure. I was living with a family on Earth for some time but I don't know how I ended up in the place. Or stuck in this thing." She said, indicating her wheelchair. For the first time, his heart struggled with emotions. The girl had been so carefree when she was younger, always running around and playing. Now, she was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
"You must get on going, from what I can hear, your friends are prepared to leave on the Senshi." She said. He nodded, but hesitated. He couldn't leave her there, could he? This was the sister of his Meiran, the last living relative that he had! Upon noticing his face, she smiled sadly.
"I can't leave this place, but you can. Don't stay for me or try to take me away. This is my place, this is where I have to be." She told him.
"Demo-"
"This is leading to war. You fight it your way, I'll fight it my way." She said. Then with determination she added, "Go." He took a deep breath and turned around. He was about to run, when he paused for a moment.
"What did you call yourself, other than Emi?" He asked. She tucked strands of her hair behind her ears, revealing crystalline earrings.
"Hotaru Tomoe." Hearing the name, he nodded quickly and began to run towards the hangar. While he ran, he made a silent vow. Whatever it takes, whatever danger he must face, he'll come back for her.
"Where is he?" Quatre asked with worry. The soldiers have opened fire at the Senshi and the pilots gladly returned fire. They were currently fighting a modernized version of the Libra and Taurus.
"Maybe he got captured?" Duo suggested. A loud growl came from Mars as Heero glared at Duo. Duo laughed nervously, he forgot how frightening Heero's growls could be. Luckily for him, Wufei finally got to the hangar at this point. He quickly jumped into Saturn and joined his comrades in battle.
"We've got to go now." Usagi told Heero. Heero nodded, she didn't have to tell him, he knew that they had to get out of there before the forces call in for back up.
"We're leaving." Heero stated in a no-questions-asked voice. Duo aimed at one of the Taurus before leaving with them.
"Is there some way we can land these suits without anyone spotting us?" Asked Wufei.
"No one usually checks at your colony, right Quatre?" Duo asked. The blonde nodded.
"That's right. We'll be able to land safely and with limited chance of anyone noticing." He said.
"These suits most probably have a homing device attached. We can't afford to have casualties in your colony, Quatre." Usagi said.
"She's right. I know a better place, just follow my lead." Heero said, as Usagi looked at him questioningly.
"Where are we heading?" Usagi asked in a hushed voice.
"Where do you think?" He said, punching in the coordinates. Her eyes widened as she looked at the all too familiar coordinates.
"Are you sure?" She asked.
"Positive."
"So this is your colony, Usagi?" Quatre asked. Usagi nodded. She was surprised that it was still standing really. Even more, she was surprised that her home was still intact. She had thought that after she had left it, about three years ago, everything would have been falling apart. Apparently her friends have been visiting and cleaning it regularly. In fact, the fridge was even stocked with food. But perhaps it wasn't because they were visiting regularly.
Knowing Haruka, she had probably lost her job again. Usagi cringed in reminiscence of the temperamental blonde. It was good that Haruka had Michiru with her, so that someone is around to calm the golden phoenix down. Usagi had searched the house for disinfectant to clean Heero's wounds. The stubborn pilot would hear none of this, but Usagi had always been better at persuading.
"You look terrible! You honestly want to walk around looking like a beaten up zombie?" She asked. Heero frowned.
"Your ways of
persuasion never ceases to amaze me." He said dryly. She gave him a glare
and smacked him on the arm. Hurt or not, he wasn't about to insult her. She took
the cloth in her hand and dipped it into the bowl of water, adding the
disinfectant in the bowl as well.
Heero looked up, glaring at the braided pilot. Usagi, in turn, sighed and kept at her work. She placed the damp towel carefully on the wound on Heero's forehead. He recoiled slightly and winced at the stinging feeling from the mix of disinfectant and water on his wound, but ignored the pain soon after.
"Is this their way of getting some action or something? They must have been awfully bored to beat you up like this." She commented, but her eyes were filled with concern.
"TV didn't work." He said. Usagi sighed and then smiled. That was his way of telling her that he was all right. Not exactly the most efficient, but that's Heero... She was about to say something when Quatre cleared his throat.
"Out of pure curiosity, Usagi, Heero," He began, addressing the two. "What exactly is the relationship between the two of you?"
Usagi and Heero exchanged a look and there was a distinctive snort coming from Wufei's reaction. Quatre's intentions of asking the question is merely a formal confirmation of what the pilots have already noted from their observations of the interactions between the two. As well as how Usagi spoke of Heero before. Usagi was smiling with amusement while Heero wore a smirk on his face. Seeing the smirk on Heero's face, Duo fell out of his chair. "In the name of Shinigami! Heero just smiled!" He exclaimed from the floor, as he struggled to get back to his feet. Heero threw him a death glare while Usagi threw the wet towel at his face.
"Usagi's my girlfriend." The Prussian eyed pilot replied finally. There were a number of thuds as the four pilots face vaulted to the floor at his blunt answer. Usagi giggled, an amused expression on her face at the pile of pilots on the floor.
Tangles of arms and legs and collective shouts of, "Get off me!" and "Get your foot off my face!" and a loud "Who the fuck was that?!" from Wufei was heard from the pile. Usagi held her stomach in laughter while Heero watched the scene with a smirk.
"They took it rather well, ne Hii-chan?" Usagi asked with a wink.
How was that for a chapter? Finally have the two together...Doesn't mean it's going to end anytime soon though. Please review!!