Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids.
Chapter 3: That we never thought we'd meet
************************************************************************************************
Everyone was in the kitchen now. Jamie was still working on the soup he was cooking while Brad sat at the table, drinking his coffee. Doctor Toros was rummaging though the cupboards for something to eat. Bit and Leena were putting together a few snacks as well. They all stopped what they were doing, however, when they heard footsteps coming down the hallway. They all turned to face the open doorway and watched as Hikari walked in. She seemed a little nervous. Her head was down and she was absent mindedly running her fingers over the dog tags around her neck.
"Hikari?" asked Doctor Toros.
"What is it?" asked Leena. Hikari slowly raised her head and looked at all of them.
"A-ano…" she started. Um…
"Yes?" asked Bit, waiting for an answer. Hikari just stared at the floor. 'What can I say? It's not like they'd understand me. I don't even know their names.' It was silent for a while, none of them knowing what to say. Leena was studying the Hikari's face. She then looked thoughtful.
"Oh, I understand," said Leena. They all looked at her, confused. "Sorry, how rude, you don't even know our names." Hikari smiled at that statement. 'Maybe this isn't so hard after all,' she thought.
"I'm Leena. That's Bit, Brad, Jamie, and that's my dad." She pointed to each one after saying their names.
"I'm Steve Toros, the leader of the Blitz team." Hikari bowed slightly to them.
"You have great timing, Hikari," said Jamie. "The soup is ready." Hikari's smile widened. She was starving. She sat down at the table in the kitchen and watched as Jamie walked over and set the bowl down in front of her. She looked at all of them.
"Arigatou," she responded. Thank you
"Ari…gatou?" questioned Bit, saying the strange word slowly.
"Hai, arigatou." Yes, thank you
"We have to find someway to understand her," said Brad. "But, I do think that arigatou means 'Thank you'."
"Hai," responded Hikari. yes
"And 'hai' must mean 'yes'?" questioned Leena. Hikari nodded cheerfully. 'Finally! They're starting to understand. She put a spoon full of the soup into her mouth and smiled widely.
"Sugoi!" Amazing She kept eating, the smile remaining on her face. She really had been hungry and the soup was delicious. After she finished, she bowed and left the room. After such a great meal, she needed some rest. She was still exhausted. 'Just how long have I been wandering anyway?' she asked herself, unfortunately, she didn't know the answer. She just sighed and headed back into the room she was staying in.
******
It was late now. The double moons of Zi were sitting high in the sky, the stars surrounding them. It was truly a beautiful sight against the black or the night sky. Bit was sitting on the head of the Liger Zero, staring out at the sky through the open hanger. It was amazing. The desert looked beautiful at night.
"Hey Bit," called a familiar female voice. Bit was snapped out of his small daze and looked downward towards Leena.
"What?" he asked.
"What happened today?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know very well what I mean." Bit cringed, happy that she was far down on the ground. He didn't need her to see his reaction. "Where were you and what took you so long?"
"Nothing. I just…" 'Come on, Bit! You have to think up a good excuse!' "I just…"
"Wait, don't tell me," said Leena with humor in her voice. "You got lost!" Bit sighed. The conclusion made him sound like an idiot, but it was better than the truth.
"How'd you know?" asked Bit, seeming shocked. He was good at playing along.
"Because it's happened before." Well, she was right. He had gotten lost before, so it was a reasonable explanation.
"Well, you got me," he concluded, turning back to the desert. However, Leena didn't leave. Bit stole a glance down at her and then sighed. He stood up and then jumped down, landing next to her. "What is it?" he asked, slightly annoyed, but seeming tired.
"I was thinking about Hikari."
"What about her?"
"Those dog tags. One of them had her name on it, but the other had a serial number on it."
"A serial number?"
"Yeah. I was just wondering why, but I can't ask her."
"If we knew what language she was speaking, we could find out easily, but I don't even have the slightest clue."
"You got that right," said Leena, slightly mumbling it.
"Yeah…hey!" Leena laughed to herself and then stared at the night sky.
"I really want to help her, but I'm not sure how. I wonder what she was doing in the desert anyway."
"Yeah. She was really beaten up."
"Well, we'll find out eventually. Maybe we'll find a translator somewhere," said Leena, hopefully. It was kind of hard to find a translator when you didn't know what language you needed to have translated.
"Let's think about this tomorrow," said Bit, giving a yawn. "It's late."
"I guess." Bit turned around and walked out of the hanger, heading towards his room. Leena stayed there for a while before retreating. The sky was very beautiful at night and the desert looked amazing as well. 'How beautiful.'
******
"Hikari…" whispered a voice. Everything was dark. There was nothing else to describe it but dark. Perhaps the word empty would work as well, or maybe desolate, but dark just seemed to sum it all up. "Welcome to your new home." Suddenly, the darkness parted by a bright, strait line down the middle. It was as if the darkness was just a pair of doors, which were now parting in the middle to reveal the most breathtaking scene Hikari had ever seen. It was a garden, beautiful and sweet in fragrances. It was full of beautiful flowers and greenery. There were bushes and trees as well, along with some birds, fluttering around the trees. However, this was nothing more than a room in a building. It was still breathtaking, though. Unfortunately, Hikari wasn't standing in the room, but outside of it, looking in through a window high above. "Do you like this place?" asked the same voice from before. Standing next to her was a man with black hair and dark brown eyes. He turned to look at Hikari, giving her a smile. He seemed to be a father like figure to the young girl next to him. Hikari was much younger than her former self. Her silver hair fell to her mid back and her shining, violet eyes didn't miss a thing. She had a child like smile on her face. She looked up at the man and nodded.
"It's beautiful," she responded.
"It sure is," he said. The scene then faded, leaving nothing but Hikari. It was empty again.
"Sir, where are you?" she called out. But the man didn't return. She was alone. "Someone…find me."
"Hi Hikari," said a voice. It sounded like that of a young boy, perhaps her age. She turned around to see a boy with black hair and dark blue eyes that were smiling.
"Hi," she responded shyly.
"My dad told me about you. You're new here. Come on, I'll show you around." He turned to the side, still keeping his eyes on her. He extended his hand slightly, motioning for her to take hold.
"Okay," she said, a smile forming on her face. She took the boys hand and walked off with him.
"Oh yeah, my name's…" But he never got to finish, because he faded from the scene. Hikari was once again along.
"Won't anybody find me?" she asked. Suddenly, the black became red and she was in a lab room, filled with fire. There were scientists everywhere, but they were all lying on the ground, unmoving. The fire was engulfing everything and the burning was more than Hikari could take.
"Tasukete! Onegai!" she yelled. Help, please! She covered her mouth. 'Those words…why can't I speak the same way anymore?' she thought to herself. She glanced around, slightly panicked. Then she saw them. Bit and Leena were standing in the room, staring at her. Her face brightened. "Bit, Leena! Onegai! Tasukete!" They both just gave her confused glances.
"What did you say?" asked Bit.
"We don't understand," added Leena. Hikari's hope faded.
"Doushite?" Why? 'I want them to understand me. I want to speak with them. Why can't I? WHY?' Bit and Leena turned away from her and began to walk away, leaving her in the fiery room.
"Iya! Matte!" No! Wait! But they were already gone. 'No…I don't want them to leave. I don't want to be…' "…Hitori." alone.
******
Hikari shot up in her bed. She was breathing hard and her face was covered in a cold sweat. She soon relaxed and lied back down. "Ato yume dake." Just a dream. She lied back down and fell asleep, nothing else came to her in the night. She had a dreamless sleep, along with everyone else in the base.
******
"Sir," said a man. He wore a pair of black pants and a black shirt. He stood strait, standing behind another man. "We found the lab."
"Excellent," replied the other man. He had silver hair, tinted blue. His outfit consisted of a pair of black pants and boots, accompanied by a navy blue shirt and black trench coat. He turned around to face the man behind him. His eyes were covered by a pair of black sunglasses. The man behind him seemed slightly nervous. "I want you to take your group and attack the lab."
"What?" the man asked in disbelief.
"You heard me. I want those parts and that lab has them. Now, you will do this for me, right?"
"Y-yes, sir."
"Now, now. There's no need to be so formal. Just call me Kageru Tsubaki."
"Yes, sir Tsubaki." Kageru just sighed. 'These men will never learn.' He glanced up at the dark sky above him. 'Where are you, my counterpart? I will soon need you, and I will get you by any means possible. You have my word.' He turned around and began to walk away, heading towards his zoid, stationed a few yards away.
"Uh, sir, wait."
"Not now. I'm tired. We'll do this tomorrow." 'No matter what, I'll find you. I promise.' He smirked to himself. He would have his way, no matter what he had to do to get there. "No matter what," he said, as he climbed up his pitch-black zoid and got in. He was soon running through the desert, not really having a destination, but at the same time, not really caring.
************************************************************************************************
That's all for now^.^