Chapter 12
"Huh? Where's Rachel and Quatre." Heero looked sleepily around the cabin and found himself alone. Standing, his head spun briefly and he touched it, leaning his hand on the chair.
Better take it easy, I'm still a little weak. He thought as he looked out the window to see a metal wall like the inside of a docking bay. He strolled out and down the ramp as he looked around, saying, "I guess they ditched me for the city. Might as well get my business taken care of while they're gone." He walked away from the plane after shutting it and made his way into the crowded walkways. As he weaved through the pedestrians, a news broadcast caught his eye. He stopped and watched it.
"Earlier today, the young daughter of the late Mr. Darlian has been kidnapped by a rebel group and put up for a ransom of 4.5 million dollars. The captures were not identified but they proudly noted their ownership of 5 Gundam mobile suits and stated their willingness to use them if necessary. More updates on this at 5."
Someone's posing as us. . .and they have Relena. This is not good. Heero took off running down the street to search for his allies.
"Wow, that was GREAT! I'm stuffed!" Duo said as he leaned back and patted his stomach happily, smiling in satisfaction of his empty plate.
"I should hope so, that was your fifth plate of food!" Quatre said, barely finishing his second plateful. Rachel placed her silverware at the corner of her plate and said after patting off her lips, "We should head back to the docking bay and check on Heero, he may be wondering where we went."
"I don't think he would care." Trowa said.
"Hey, was that him?" Quatre said, looking at the crowds walking by the front door. Rachel jumped up and ran to the door, looking out. Sure enough, she spotted Heero ducking in and out of the crowds as he ran down the sidewalk.
"HEERO!" Rachel called out to him as loud as she could over the roar of the chatter by the passersby. Heero stopped and turned, looking back at her. He ran back and said, sounding slightly out of breath, "There you are."
"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you." Rachel said. The others paid for the meal and slowly joined them.
"That doesn't matter. We have a problem." Heero said, stepping into the doorway to get out of the rush of people pushing by him.
"Huh? Problem?" Duo had just walked up and overheard their conversation.
"Relena's been kidnapped." Heero said.
"What! When!" Quatre exclaimed.
"Earlier today. But that's not the big problem. Her kidnappers. . .they're posing as us."
"How do you know?" Chang asked.
"I caught a news report on my way out and they said the kidnappers boasted having Gundams."
"This is bad, we have to get out of here before someone finds out what's in our planes!" Duo said, stepping out of the doorway.
"Right, let's go!" Rachel said, as she joined Duo. The group headed quickly back to the docking bay and unfortunately found police and officials roaming around and snooping around the planes docked there.
"We can't get to them now, they'll arrest us!" Duo hissed.
"Leave it to me." Rachel said, starting to step out of the shadows. Duo grabbed her arm and said, "What! Are you kidding, you'll get caught!"
"Duo, don't worry. Just stay here, I'll take care of this. You just wait for my signal." She said and pulled free of Duo's hand. She walked out into the loading dock, looking almost lost as she walked up to a group of young policemen and said, "Oh, excuse me but I do believe I'm lost. Could you boys help me?" They smiled and gathered around her as she put on the innocent airhead act quite thick. The policemen seemed to hang on her every word as she flirted her head off to keep them distracted.
"She's good. . .are you sure she's not a secret agent?" Chang said as he watched the men suddenly scramble to find a map for her. She looked around absentmindedly and let her hand fall to her side, her finger motioning to the boys.
"That's our signal, let's go." Heero said, stealthily running out of the shadows with the others close on his heels. They snuck into their planes and waited for Rachel to finish with her work. The guards came back with various maps and she acted all happy and surprised, saying, "Oh my! Thank you, you guys are just so nice! I always appreciated a man in uniform." She winked and took one of the maps from a particularly handsome officer, saying as she ran the map lightly down his chest, "You're so helpful, I don't know what I'd do without you." With a flirty turn, she walked away to disappear behind the planes. Quickly, she ran to Heero and Quatre's plane and got in, joining them in the cockpit.
"Alright, let's get out of here before they stop drooling." Rachel said, sitting down in her chair.
"Nice work, don't think I could have shoved my chest and butt in their face quite like you." Heero mocked mildly as he looked out the window.
"Oh be quiet, I had to if you guys wanted to get out of here alive!"
"Uh huh."
"I didn't enjoy that so would you just drop it? Thanks." Rachel said, taking the privilege of ending the discussion. She sat back in her seat, looking ticked as Quatre started the engines. The planes began to turn to fly out but as they approached the exit, a group of policemen gathered in their takeoff space with their guns drawn.
"We can't run over them, it wouldn't be right!" Quatre said as he nervously stared at the little people lined up outside. Rachel grunted and put out her hand, quickly sweeping it to the side while outside the men flew against the wall in a messy pile.
"You can go now." Rachel said, crossing her arms with her eyes closed. Quatre stared blankly at the clear runway and said, "Um. . .okay then." The planes took off and were airborne in seconds.
"We have to form a plan before we set out to rescue Relena, the last attack we made didn't turn out so good." Heero said in his usual monotone voice, speaking over the comlink to the others.
We're rescuing Relena? I thought we were attacking OZ bases! Duo commented.
"Her captors are posing as us, we have to get her to safety and find out who is playing Gundam behind our backs." Heero stated.
It's an injustice to convince the world that we are the evildoers in this war, I say we teach them some respect. Wufei said, sounding a bit peeved that someone would dare to mock them.
But do we even have an idea of where they are? Trowa asked.
"I can figure that out by getting to a place that I can hook my laptop to and find information of her last known sightings." Heero said.
So where to first? They're probably looking for us everywhere we go, it would be impossible to sneak in with our Gundams aboard. Duo stated.
"That is going to be a problem. We can station ourselves outside of the next city. It has a thick forest surrounding it on 3/4ths of the perimeter and water on the west coast. If we come in shortly before nightfall, we may be able to find a place to sleep for the night while I do my work, it'll only take me a few hours but it would look suspicious if we left in the middle of the night."
So we're spending the night?
It would appear so, baka. Wufei said, sounding perturbed.
"Do we have money to spend on a hotel?" Quatre asked.
"Don't worry about that, I can arrange something." Heero said.
Does it involve a gun up someone's nose? Duo asked.
"Possibly."
Alrighty then, let's go!
"We'll need to land about a mile from the city to avoid radar detection from the inside, so be ready to walk."
I could use the exercise, and so can a certain someone. Wufei commented.
Are you talkin' about me? Duo asked, sounding defensive.
I did not mention your name, Maxwell, do not assume that everything has to be about you.
I didn't!
"Can we get back to the subject at hand, guys?" Rachel asked, knowing she could get Duo to be quiet.
Fine. . .so while Heero hacks into the news and whatever else, what do we do? Duo asked.
"Sleep, it'll be too late to wander around." Heero commented.
But the map says the next closest city is Geosano, the home of the nightlife! I can't just lay around snoozing while there's partying to be done, fun to be had! Duo complained.
"Fine, do what you want but don't attract too much attention to yourself." Heero said, rolling his eyes. "We'll arrive at our destination landing spot in 30 minutes, be ready to leave as soon as we land."
Roger, over and out! Duo said, ending the link.
10-4. Wufei said and ended the connection. Rachel leaned back and relaxed, putting her hands behind her head and sighing.
"Rachel, I want you to go with Duo if he wants to see the city." Heero said. Looking a bit shocked, Rachel lowered her arms and said, "What? Why?"
"I don't trust him to keep a low profile, you can keep him from going totally insane and picking up chicks."
"Gee thanks, I appreciate it." Rachel said sarcastically.
"I thought you'd be glad to go out on the town with him."
"Why?"
"Aren't you. . ."
"No, and I don't think we ever will. We're friends, just as much as I'm friends with the rest of you."
"Even Chang?" Heero seemed to be trying to poke fun at her.
"Even Chang." She responded, almost sounding reluctant to have said so.
"Finally, I thought we'd never make it!" Duo said as they walked up to the main road into the city. The sun had almost disappeared on the horizon and they were just in time to get in before they closed the main gate. They explored the streets searching for a hotel to sleep in and finally found one that wasn't full.
"There's so many people here!" Quatre said as he bumped into a few people, politely excusing himself.
"Must be a festival or something going on, perfect cover." Trowa commented. Heero only grunted and opened the hotel door. They stepped in and Heero ordered 3 rooms, getting their keys and heading upstairs. They gathered in the hallway and Heero said, "We have three rooms so we'll have to pair up for the night. Pick someone you don't mind sleeping with." Trowa and Wufei agreed to taking a room together and the others stared at each other, not sure what to do.
"Since you're the only girl, you pick a roommate." Quatre said to Rachel. She wasn't too keen on sleeping with any of them but she looked at Quatre with a bit of embarrassment.
"I'll. . .I'll stay with Quatre." Rachel said. Duo seemed a bit hurt and shocked and Quatre was surprised.
"Are you sure?" Heero looked a bit unnerved by the prospect of sleeping in the same room as Duo but didn't complain.
"Yes. It's just one night, right? No big deal?" Rachel said, trying to avoid Duo's stare. Heero gave Rachel a look as if to remind her that she had to spend the evening with Duo anyway. She sighed and looked torn between changing her mind and making due with her decision.
"Well I'm gonna go check out the city, see you in the morning." Duo said, turning to walk away. Heero opened the hotel door and called to Duo, tossing the key to him.
"So you don't have to knock and disturb me." Heero said just before stepping into the room and closing the door. Trowa and Wufei headed to their room and left Quatre, Duo, and Rachel alone in the hallway. Rachel looked over at Duo, trying not to look upset as she said, "I don't really feel tired yet, do you mind if I come with you?" Duo looked down the hall and said, "Why, don't you wanna head off to bed early." She frowned, feeling hurt by his comment. Quatre sensed some tension and said, "I need to go to bed early," Opening the door, he gave Rachel the key, "Here, I'll leave a light on for you."
"Okay." Rachel said quietly, taking the key. Duo had already started down the hall, looking very upset.
"Good luck." Quatre whispered before he closed the door. She nodded and ran off to catch up to Duo.
"Hey, wait up, Duo!" Rachel called to him.
"Why, I thought you were going to stay with Quatre tonight." She grabbed his arm and he looked at her.
"I have too much energy, let's sneak into a night club and have some fun." She said, trying to lighten his spirits. He looked away, his hands in his pockets.
"I'm not in a partying mood, you can go if you want. I just want to walk around for a while."
"Then I'll walk with you." Duo stopped and looked at her.
"Why are you following me if I want to be out half the night but you won't stay in the same room with me?" she paused and looked embarrassed. Duo frowned and pulled away, saying, "Go sleep with Quatre, I know you want to." Her mouth fell open and she couldn't move, she was shocked by his cruel comment. He didn't stop as he took off down the stairs and out of the hotel. Trowa came walking down the hall just then and saw her standing in the middle of the hallway, still as a statue. He put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Rachel? Is something wrong?" She looked at him, still a shocked expression on her face as she said, "Why can't I tell him? What am I scared of?" She suddenly hugged Trowa, hiding her tears. He blinked in surprise and decided to just hug her back till she stopped. Her sobs echoed through the hallway and Quatre opened his door, peeking out to find out who it was that was crying.
"Rachel, what happened?" Quatre said as he ran up them. Trowa shrugged and Rachel looked up at Quatre, saying, "He. . .he thinks. . .I can't believe he said that!" She started crying again and Quatre put his hand on her back, gently rubbing her shoulder blades as he said, "Rachel, he. . .he's just a little confused about things, I'm sure he didn't mean whatever he said."
"He said, 'Go sleep with Quatre, I know you want to'!" She started bawling again and Quatre's eyes grew large at Duo's comment.
"I'm sure he didn't mean it that way!" Quatre said, a bit hot under the collar. Trowa looked at him as if to say, "we're talking about Duo, here." And said, "He's just jealous because he likes you." Rachel looked up and said, "But how could he say such a thing to me!"
"He probably doesn't know how you feel about him. He's a bit. . .self-conscious, you just have to tell him how you feel."
"Well right now I feel like decking him." Rachel said, hot tears rolling down her cheek. Quatre wiped them away and said, "I know but that's just how he is, he's not very sure that he's good enough to catch your eye I suppose."
"He's scared." Rachel looked up at Trowa and said, "What?" Trowa looked calmly into her watery eyes and said, "He's afraid of rejection if you say no, which is why he won't tell you how he feels. I suppose you can say he has other ways of showing his feelings and he uses words to hide his fears."
"I guess I should have figured that one out on my own. So much for knowing everything about you guys." Rachel said with a sigh.
"I suggest you go find him and tell him how you feel before he's convinced you're into Quatre here."
"Yes, please talk to him." Quatre said, still upset about what Duo said. She nodded and wiped away her tears, smiling at the two boys. She hugged Trowa again and said, "Thank you for telling me how he felt and letting me cry on you." He looked to the side and didn't say anything. She let go and smiled at Quatre, saying, "Thank you, both of you, for being such great friends!"
"Well, you better go find Duo before he wanders into a bar and gets drunk." Quatre said, trying to smile. Rachel's smile disappeared and she said, "But. . .I don't want to get lost trying to find him out there."
"We'll come with you so you don't have to be alone, right Quatre?" Trowa said, looking over at his friend. He nodded and said, "Of course, let's go!" They walked off down the hallway and left the building, getting into the crowds to begin their search for Duo.
"He said he just wanted to walk so maybe he's still somewhere nearby." Rachel said, sounding worried. As they wandered through the crowd, Trowa looked ahead to an opening in the street by the water. Over against a railing at the edge of the paved walkway was a dark figure gazing out over the lake.
"There he is." Trowa said, pointing to the distant person. Rachel looked and said, "Are you sure?"
"Who else wears a dark blue uniform?" Trowa said. She smiled and ran out of the crowd, calling out to the dark figure to make sure it was him before she made a fool of herself. He turned and watched her run up to him with a smile. She stopped in front of him and said, "Duo, I have to tell you something so don't say anything till I'm done, okay?" He blinked and said, "Okay."
"Duo. . .I love you and if you don't feel the same that's fine but I just wanted to tell you so you didn't get any wrong ideas when I'm with the others. I hang out with guys all the time so I'm touchy feely a lot with them, not to be flirty but I just feel comfortable enough to. I only want you, Duo, so please don't be mad at me for picking Quatre as my roommate!" Duo's eyes were wide with the sudden confession Rachel spilled out, and couldn't think of anything to say in return. She stared into his eyes for a minute as her smile softened. Touching his cheek, she said, "I love you, Duo, didn't you hear me?"
"I heard you." Duo said, still a blank expression on his face.
"Don't leave here hanging, Duo, tell her how you feel." Trowa said as he walked up to them with Quatre not far behind. Duo looked at him and blinked, saying, "You. . .you told her what I said, didn't you!"
"I had to, you obviously weren't going to." Rachel put both of her hands on his cheeks and brought his focus back to her, staring adoringly into his eyes.
"Duo. . .I love you. . ."
"I. . ." Duo looked nervous as he looked at the ground. She tipped his chin back up and said, "Maybe this will help." Tilting her head, she leaned in and gently pressed her lips against his, pulling him closer as he wrapped his arms around her. Quatre smiled and elbowed Trowa who was watching them, motioning to give them some privacy. They walked away and leaned on the railing several feet down. Rachel played her fingers through Duo's hair as they kissed, stepping closer to him till they could feel each other's hearts pounding. Duo slowly ran his hands up and down her back, pulling her against his body as one hand slid down her spine. She reached back and grabbed his hand before it got too much lower and said, "Don't start getting fresh with me, Duo."
"I thought I already was." Duo said with a sly grin. She put his hand on her waist and slowly reached her hand up to his face, running her finger down across his lips and chin, slowly letting her hand settle on his chest. He looked deep into her eyes and said, "I love you, Rachel. . .don't ever go back to your home, stay here with me and make a new place by my side." She softly smiled and said, "We'll see what time has to say about it. . ." She gently kissed his lips again as bursts of light brightened the dark street, bringing them out of their romantic mood. They both turned to watch as some fireworks exploded overhead in brilliant blues and greens.
"Wow, looks like you two aren't the only ones making fireworks tonight." Trowa commented as he leaned against the railing next to Duo. Quatre walked around them and relaxed next to Rachel, smiling as she smiling back. They watched the show with excited eyes, the light playing off their smiling faces.
"Woah, that was huge!" Duo said, pointing to a red starburst in the sky.
"Yeah." Rachel said, smiling up as she watched. With a content sigh, she thought to herself, I wish this moment would last forever. . . She looked over at Duo and watched the sparkles dance in his eyes, This has to be a dream, so much happiness can't be possible. . .but. . .he's so close to me, it couldn't be. Like a dream come true. . . Duo looked over at her and she smiled. He grinned back and scooted closer to her, wrapping his arms around her and leaning his head on her shoulder, closing his eyes and sighing. Rachel rested her head gently against his, feeling a soft bay breeze rustle her hair and tickle her nose with Duo's bangs. More fireworks surged through the air and created beautiful and soothing balls of color that shimmered into light clouds, slowly taking their impression away with the wind.
