Left In The Dark
"So we can pretty much expect this place to be guarded like a regular Fort Knox right?" Noin said dryly, ignoring the twinges in her arm where a couple of bullets had grazed by in rapid succession earlier. Damn but it was an annoying little pain though it would and could have been a hell of a lot worse if Darius hadn't body chucked her out of the line of fire when he had.
"Oh ya, or worse." Eve said dryly, wounded in several areas though they had yet to slow her down. Her body was use to pain and it was like a fuel for her anger and determination. In other words she was pumped and ready to go.
"It might not be though." J.C. pointed out thoughtfully, holding an ice pack to the side of Darius's head where a large bump was giving his friend a massive headache of major proportions. "Yamachi is pretty damn arrogant after all. Whenever he's slipped up in the past it was because he got too over confident about something and let things spiral out of his control. This is his lair, his secret retreat, his special place. Odds are it's one of the few places he feels really safe and invulnerable in. That could mean he's more lenient in security because he doesn't think it needs it. He doesn't want to believe it's needed."
"Thus speaks the University geek." Darius said weakly, his head pounding to the extreme. This was the problem with being immune to the effects of almost every damn drug on the market, you couldn't take any damn aspirin when you needed it to get rid of a headache. "And, Eve? I'm starting to see two of you and it's freaking me out. One of you is bad enough."
)
"Well that answers the question as to whether he has a concussion or not." Noin said dryly though there was concern for her friend on her face. "Maybe he should stay behind, he could get himself killed easily if he's not up to it, especially if it's as bad as you're thinking it's going to be, Eve."
"He'll be fine by the time we get there." Eve said, dismissing the idea of leaving him behind. They couldn't afford to do it even if it was necessary.
"We just received word from Trowa." A voice over the speakers of the carrier came. "He's on his way and he'll meet us there. he request that you wait for him since he's not far behind."
"Roger that, we'll wait." Eve said, trusting Hunter to relay that to Trowa. "Better he's with us then us meeting up somewhere accidentally and not recognizing the other." Eve explained to Noin dryly.
"Gotcha." Noin said with a nod, understanding Eve's meaning. The last thing they needed was friendly fire going on. "Milliardo is going to be so pissed off at me when he finds out about this. I hope he got the message I left with the kids." Noin said, just to start a conversation that was a little lighter then making war plans. "Do all those children live there then?"
"They live where ever Keyda is at the moment. They go where she goes basically." Darius said with a weak smile, the headache starting to tone done by a couple decimals, thanks partially to the fact that his head was going numb from the ice. "Her seven little dwarves as we affectionately dubbed them."
)
"That's cute." Noin said with a delighted laugh, the idea appealing to her. "I couldn't imagine having seven children though, it must be unbelievably hardwork."
"Well we all help when we can." J.C. said with a boyish grin as he loaded the gun in his hand. "They're all really good kids once you get to know them. They may seem pretty tough and grown up all the time but really they're just extremely intelligent children who've had a serious reality check already. Kisa's the hardest to win over though."
"She was the one who took charge of the other children when we were herding them into the secure area right?" Noin asked curiously, having noticed that the girl seemed to be quite the little commander.
"Yup, that would have been Kisa. The head of the labs where she was kept viewed her as a sort of favorite and she's use to getting her own way. Out of all of them she's the smartest and the bravest so she was natural leader material I suppose. She can be pretty bossy but she's a good kid who wants to be Trowa when she grows up. She's even tried to gel her hair into being like his once though it didn't work so well." J.C. said with a chuckle as he recalled the mess Kisa had made in that little endeavor. "But she did look kind of cool."
"Like a cross between Cher and Elvis." Eve said with a faint smile, remembering it well. "We get out alive we have pictures."
"Well then we better get out of this alive so that I can see them." Noin said with a nod, smiling at the strange motivation as the call came over the speakers that announced that they'd arrived at their destination.
)
Soon after they'd retrieved the survivors from the mansion the Preventers delivered Mrs. Yamachi to the Preventers personal hospital with all the children insisting on coming in to make sure that their grandmother was going to a safe place where she was protected from her father in law. Once she was settled and the damage repaired as much as possible Heero and Milliardo stayed by her bedside to guard her while the others all went home with the children to put them to bed.
Alone with the woman who was still conscious Heero and Milliardo both came to attention when there was a knock on their door. When the visitor was identified as Lady Une she was allowed in and thanking them walked over to take the seat Heero offered her. "It's been a while, Emily." Lady Une said softly as she leaned over to take Emily's hand, squeezing it encouragingly.
"Seems like decades sometimes, Anna." Emily replied, her gaze settling on Lady Une's for a moment before going to Heero's, her voice going pleading. "Please understand..Trowa..Trowa hasn't done anything wrong. He was just trying to protect them you see...protect them from everyone."
"Protect them from me?" Lady Une said softly, a hint of knowing in her voice.
"And from you. But many others as well. The children..they're always being hunted, always in danger from everyone. Trowa needed their help..but it was necessary for him not to tell anyone who he was getting the help from." Emily said with a sad look on her face, the physical pain almost as painful as the emotional. "He saved them you see. Saved them from the labs."
)
"It was Trowa that broke into the labs and stole Eve and the rest?" Milliardo said as he leaned closer, eager for any little bit of information that could help them find Noin.
"Yes. He'd met Keyda earlier, on a mission to steal documents from the house. She helped him escape and then when that..that bastard forced her to go to the labs, to show her what was being done..she went to Trowa to ask him for help. To help her go in and save the ones left. He's been helping them ever since." Emily said with a faint smile, her fondness for Trowa obvious. "He loves my girl, you know. They love each other so much but it couldn't, can't be, not while Yamachi is still alive. He'd never allow her to be married to someone with Trowa's connections or background. We aren't powerful enough to stand against him, we've never been even in the best of times. And so he kills us in his search for power and a world order to his liking."
"We knew there had to be an explanation. Thank you for giving it to us." Heero said softly, nodding his head in thanks though he hadn't really needed an explanation to begin with. He had enough faith in Trowa and what he'd seen already. "And I'm sure Trowa will bring her back, Mrs. Yamachi. He never fails when it comes to a mission."
"He's a good boy." Emily agreed before turning her head to look at Milliardo knowingly. "And I remember how strong Noin is, Milliardo. Don't worry so much, she'll be back just as my daughter will be. She's in good hands. Eve may not be many things but when it comes to a fight there's no one better to have on your side."
)
Staring at the two beds put together Quatre couldn't believe that all seven of them fit. They'd insisted on all being together and so he and Duo had put two beds together and now all of the children were under the covers, in their pjs, with expecting looks on their faces.
"It's time for our bed time story." Kisa informed them as she pointed to the small portable CD player that she'd set on the night table before getting in with the rest. "Could you press play please."
"Sure, but you know Quatre or I could read to you if you want." Duo pointed out as he walked over to turn the machine on. "He has lots of books here that he reads to his nieces and nephews when they come visit."
"Thank you for the thought but we always listen to Daddy read us a story before we go to sleep. He records them for me on CD so that we can always listen to him read even when he's not here." Kisa explained patiently even as she snuggled under the covers. This was her favorite time of the day, only topped when her Daddy was actually around to play with her.
"Okay then." Duo said and was rather surprised when moments later Trowa's voice came over the speakers telling them that tonight they were going to hear the story of the Elves and the Shoemaker. Raising an eyebrow he looked over at the bed where all the children had gone silent, apparently riveted to the story as they closed their eyes and snuggled in, one huge row of content little kids listening to their Daddy tell them a story. "He's got a really nice bedtime story voice." Duo whispered to Quatre with a smirk on his face. Boy was he ever gonna rib Trowa about this later. If there was later, Duo thought soberly as his smirk slipped slightly from his face.
"Yeah, he does." Quatre agreed, his eyes never leaving the children as they lay there, so small and innocent looking, deceivingly so. These children had never been given the opportunity to be innocent. "Let's head out, let them go to sleep."
)
A few hours later Duo leaned over the car engine, fiddling around with it as he thought about things. Unable to sleep he'd figured it would be morning soon anyway and had decided to do something constructive instead. It was impossible to sleep when your mind was going a mile a minute after all, Duo thought dryly as he absently wiped his hands before going digging into his tool box for the right sized wrench. Finding it Duo went back to his fiddling then froze, sensing, rather then seeing that someone else was in the room. Straightening Duo looked around, his eyes seeing the pink nightgown before trailing up to see little Hana, the girl from earlier watching him silently, a large stuffed rabbit in her arms. "What are you doing here?" Duo asked dumbly, for a moment forgetting that she didn't speak. Once he did he mentally called himself an idiot before wandering over, hunching down to her level. "Okay, we're going to try the head shake thing. Can't sleep?" A nod for yes. "Are you lost?" A head shake for no. "Were you looking for something?" A nod for yes and a finger pointed in his direction. "You were looking for me?" Another nod for yes. "Oh." Duo said, not quite sure what to say. She'd stuck by his side as much as possible but he hadn't realized she liked being around him this much. Then again apparently it was his hair she liked, Duo thought with a small smile. "You shouldn't be down here, especially without shoes on. I'll take you back to bed okay?" Duo said as he held out a hand to take her back himself so she wouldn't get lost.
Instead of taking it Hana pulled out a small notebook and pencil from her nightgown's large side pocket and wrote something before handing it to Duo.
)
Taking it Duo read the message and had to gap as he stood up straight to read it better. The kid was only three years old but she had perfect spelling and printing. "Dear, Mr. Duo." The message began. "Please let me stay with you. I can hand you tools and stuff, I promise not to be a bother. Sincerely, Hana. Boy....you print better then I do." Duo mumbled as he looked at the girl who was watching him expectedly. "But won't the others miss you?"
"If you watch her I'll go back and tell the others." A voice came from the doorway and Duo looked to see the boy named Haru watching them, also in pajamas. "But if she's bothering you I'll make her come back with me."
Looking down at Hana Duo felt his heart literally melt as she looked up at him expectedly, her big blue eyes shining pleadingly, as though this were the most important thing to her in the whole world. How the hell was he supposed to say no? "Uhmmm..no, it's fine, she can stay here. You go back to bed, kid and I'll bring her back when we're done here."
"All right. Be good, Hana and don't get in the way." Haru said sternly before disappearing once more leaving Duo and Hana alone again.
"Well I guess we better get to work huh." Duo said as he handed her back her notebook which she returned to her pocket where she'd already stuck the pencil. Holding out his hand he smiled when she took it and soon he was back to work on the car with Hana sitting on a stool beside his toolbox, her lower half wrapped in the blanket Duo kept in his car for cold weather. Needing another tool Duo was about to get it himself when he remembered her comment in her note. Always curious Duo turned and held the wrench out to her. "Can you get me one of these a size smaller, Hana?" Beaming like she'd just been offered a box of chocolates Hana took the tool, looked at the size then went riffling through the tool box, handing him the correct tool with a wide grin. "Thanks, kiddo." Duo said with a smile and went back to work, Hana watching him intently the whole time except when she was retrieving things for him.
)
The battle that took place on the head of the Yamachi's family estate was a long and bloody one that was a mini war in its self. The casualties on both sides were numerous but in the end it was Trowa's gun pressed against the old man's forehead and it was his bullet that went flying through Yamachi's head, ending the man's life and his bloody control over those connected to him. Reduced to nothing more then an unrecognizable bloody corpse he would never again darken the door of anyone's room. Retrieving their dead, dying and wounded Trowa and Noin saw that those who were savable or just hanging on were transported immediately to hospitals for care while the dead were sent back to their loved ones if they had any or like many were sent home to Keyda's hometown where they awaited proper burial when they're friends were able to attend their funerals. In an ironic twist of fate many that Yamachi's men would have killed survived due to the resistance to death their time in labs being experimented on had fostered, an irony they appreciated. Yamachi's dream army had laid siege upon his home and this time they'd been the ones leaving under their own steam. Many by the same token were untreatable and so they were simply laid in beds, comforted by their less wounded colleagues as they toughed it out as their body healed its self slowly over time. Keyda had been retrieved in the early stages of the siege but due to her injuries had been smuggled out of the estate and onto a plane out of there before the real fighting even started. Hooked up to countless tubes and machines now the operating team that had worked on her had lost her twice on the table only to bring her back through sheer stubbornness and will. Now in a coma she was expected to wake up from word was sent to her mother with the news though whereabouts weren't given. J.C. and Darius both pulled through as well, sustaining injuries that weren't overly fatal which meant they were back on their feet in days though Darius wasn't going anywhere without crutches for a while. Eve however wasn't so lucky and since there was nothing the doctors could do for her she remained in a coma of her own, her future unknown.
)
Almost a week after the massacre at Keyda's estate Milliardo received a short text message telling him to be at the Kimiki Airport at 3 pm for a special delivery he needed to pick up. What he was supposed to pick up and why wasn't said but as he stood there, impatiently waiting he could only pray that it was her. His eyes scanning the crowd every five seconds he felt his heart lurch and flip when he caught sight of a familiar face in a sea of others. Weaving through the crowd he was able to get glimpses of her, looking beautifully alive in a purple and black sundress as she weaved towards him as well, a huge smile on her beautiful face. And then she was there, standing in front of him before she hurled herself into his arms, his own closing around her tightly as he cradled her gently against him, his head resting on top of hers.
"Hey." Noin said softly, nuzzling her face against his neck. "Prompt as usual I see."
"God but I missed you." Milliardo said as he held her a little tighter, his world finally settling now that she was here. "Don't ever scare me like that again."
"Well I hope I never do either." Noin said as she held him tighter, ignoring the slight pain his hold was causing as it pressed against her various wounds. "And I missed you too." Noin said as she drew away long enough to smile up at him brilliantly, tears shining in her eyes. "And we really appreciate you picking us up."
"We?"
"Ya, the doctor had some surprising news for me after he was done looking me over." Noin said with a laugh as she wrapped her arms around her husband's neck. "Turns out I was fighting for two lives out there, Daddy to be."