X

Chapter 14:

The Will Of Those Who Believe

"And then my dog ate the entire birthday cake!"

"Oh, poor you!"

"Yeah, I couldn't stop crying. My mom and dad had to buy another cake for me the next day, and then you know what happened?"

"What?"

"There were ANTS in MY CAKE!" Kaori exclaimed loudly, throwing her hands up into the air.

Lea roared with laughter. "That's terrible, but so funny! And that was your 7th birthday?"

"Yeah. Ever since then, I believed that the number seven was unlucky, at least for me."

Lea was sitting in a random armchair in her room with Kaori sitting opposite her. It was just morning, and Lea had been at Sakio's complex for about 3 days, although she was actually enjoying herself with company like Kaori. Even Kyo had dropped in the other day and brought Lea some flowers and chatted for a little while. Lea didn't understand why Kaori would always call Kyo "heathen" when to Lea he seemed extremely civilized and even entertaining.

"Hey, you stopped coughing." Kaori said suddenly. Lea paused for a moment and then sighed.

"Yes, I guess I have."

Sumare checked his hands. They had small scars but, other than that, they were completely healed over.

Those pills that Sakio's got really are amazing...

Sumare clenched his hands and leaned up against the doorframe to Lea's room. His head swam.

Sakio, you wretched excuse for a human... How could you build something so terrible? Is your love for that woman so great that you'd kill to get her back?

"So Kaori, what's up with you and your brother? Do you two not get along?" came Lea's voice from the other side of the door. Sumare jumped and his head throbbed painfully.

She's up now? What time is it? Sumare thought and quickly checked his watch. It read 10:45. I must've completely lost track of time back there... blasted pills and their side effects... I wonder why Lea doesn't get affected like I do?

"Lea, I feel like I can tell you anything, so here goes, but it's a really long and sad story, okay?"

Lea nodded.

Sumare drew in his breath sharply, waiting.

Kaori began. "Well, when I was about 8 years old, there were a couple of terrorists and they set off a bomb at our apartment building. I was at a friend's house at that time so I don't know exactly what happened, but Sumare was there when the whole place collapsed and went up in flames. You see, the reason the terrorists were supposedly there for was-"

Sumare swung the door wide open. Both Kaori and Lea jumped.

"Lea, you're well enough to be on your feet, so get up already." Sumare said angrily, glaring at his sister, who in turn glared right back with equal force. Lea swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood.

"I guess I should be getting back to my work now, Lea. Later." Kaori said and left the room abruptly. Only Lea and Sumare remained alone in the quiet room.

Finally, after a long silence, Sumare spoke. "Don't bring up the subject. Not ever again."

"Subject of what?" Lea asked, and began to make her untidy bed.

"Don't be stupid! The subject of... the terrorists at the apartment building. Just forget about it."

Lea paused for a moment and stared at Sumare. He looked angry, but also sad. Lea nodded.

"Sorry."

"Don't say that! What kind of answer is that anyway? How stupid can you get? Huh? Why are you smiling like that?"

Lea simply shook her head. "It's just that... you and Kaori are so alike, it's kinda funny."

Sumare's eyes widened. It had been years since anyone had said that he and Kaori were similar...

In a second, he was at the door, then in the hallway, and then back in his room. Out of breath from the sudden run, Sumare slumped down onto the floor.

Lea stared at the open door. He can tell me when he's ready...

"This is the first step."

"Do you think that she's alright?"

Trowa raised his eyebrows at the blonde-haired boy next to him. Does that mean Quatre trusts her now?

Quatre stared at the ground in front of him, unusually quiet.

"How're things goin' over here?" Duo said, peering over the shoulders of the two other gundam pilots. In front of them was a small computer with strange encryption coding all over the screen. Trowa was busy typing away, cracking one code after another.

"I'm almost done here, Duo. You?"

Duo gave Trowa a thumbs up. "At this rate, we'll have Lea and Heero back in no time!"

"How can you be so calm at a time like this, Maxwell?" Wufei's voice sounded from a small walkie-talkie in Duo's pocket.

Duo quickly turned the volume down and sat next to Trowa and began directing which encryption keys were the most important. He was, after all, the most skilled in stealth missions of the five.

"Duo... how can you be so calm?" Quatre asked after a long time.

Shinigami smiled back at the golden boy. "You worry too much. We've done all we could, now the rest is up to luck." Duo cast his gaze up at the ceiling. I hope our luck holds up...

Someone's... calling my name?

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

"Sumare? Sumare, are you alright?"

Sumare opened his eyes. Had he passed out? In front of his bedroom door? How careless of me... Sumare thought and raised himself slightly off the floor.

"Sumare? Sumare!"

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

"Blast it, girl! Shut up and leave me alone!" Sumare yelled and then held his head as the world before him went in and out of focus.

"I'm sorry... were you asleep?"

"No... I'm fine now... so please... leave me... alone..." Sumare said and fell onto the ground once more. Only this time, instead of falling away into darkness, he felt a warmth. Someone was holding him up. He opened his eyes only to find a very worried-looking Lea, staring back at him. His mouth went dry and he could only stare. Why is she worrying about me all of a sudden? What made her change like this? "You're just like Kaori." Isn't that what she said? Somehow, she found the goodness in Kaori's heart...

"Sumare..."

Sumare closed his eyes and laid back in her arms. "I'm alright now... but please don't leave me here alone. Not again."

Lea stared at the pale-faced, silver-haired young man in her arms.

"Don't leave me alone." Sumare said as tears welled up in his eyes.

"It's okay," Lea spoke softly, and closed her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere."

Heero looked up at the ceiling and thought about how long he had possibly been in Sakio's grasp. I must have been here for more than a few days... Lea, are you alright, wherever you are?

Lea is fine.

Heero closed his eyes. "X, I'm glad you're speaking again."

I'm not quite sure where she is right now, but she's not in any pain, nor is she hurt. But she is... sad.

"Sad? Why?"

I'm not sure. But you are in danger. Try to find some sort of escape route.

Heero nodded. "I'll break out of here somehow, and then I'll get Lea. I just hope she hasn't lost her rationality just yet." Hold on, Lea. Don't let Sakio or anyone else deceive you. I'm coming.

"So you're here because you want to bring your brother back?"

Lea jumped. She hadn't noticed, but she had started to fall asleep, leaning on Sumare's shoulder. Sumare was sitting leaned against the door, his eyes forward.

"No... Sakio thinks that I'll do what he wants because it will bring my brother back, but..."

"So then you're just selfish."

"What?" Lea breathed. Sumare's face hardened as he seemed to be getting angrier.

"What, you don't think your own brother is worth you giving up your life for? Is that it? You're the most selfish person I know, Lea."

Lea stood up. "Selfish? Look at yourself, Sumare, look at what you're saying! I'm selfish because I think my brother would be happy to see me live out my life happily, rather than killing myself so he could wallow in misery over my own death? You're sister loves you, Sumare. But you're so selfish, you can't even see it. You think, 'my sister hates me, I don't care for her, so I can bring my parents back with absolutely no remorse'. Well you know what? I think you really need to redefine your meaning for the word 'selfish', because I think you've got it switched around."

Sumare stared at her. Lea continued.

"I lost my brother, too. But after I had stayed with those five boys, I began to see that they had their fair amount of tragedy too. The only difference was, they didn't waste their time beating themselves up about it, like I did. They just kept going, they kept on living. And that's what you should do, too."

Now Sumare stood up. "You don't know what you're talking about." And with that, Sumare left. Lea ran after him.

"I think I do know! I know well what it feels like to have lost a person I love!"

"No, you don't understand!" Sumare yelled and both of them stopped dead in their tracks. "The reason the terrorists came to our apartment building was because of me! I led them there! My parents were burned alive, I saw them! They were monsters, and they wanted me to help them, but I didn't! I ran away! That's why... that's why Kaori hates me... And she has a right to hate me."

Lea lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. I owe my sister. I owe her back her mother and father. It doesn't matter if I die here. Just as long as she's happy, then that's all that matters."

Lea's eyes widened. That's what my brother would always say, when he would buy me an extra ice cream cone or piece of candy... "Just as long as you're happy, then that's all that matters."

Lea's eyes filled with tears suddenly as she hugged Sumare.

Trowa, Duo, Quatre, and Wufei all moved swiftly passed two long hallways, and through some large reinforced doors. They had finally made it into the very heart of Sakio's comound.

"We should take a left here and..." Trowa said but then stopped dead. Right in front of them was Sumare and Lea. Lea seemed to be hugging him, tears in her eyes. "...Lea?"

Lea gasped and let go of Sumare. "Trowa! You're all here..."

"What's going on?" Trowa asked suddenly, brandishing a gun and pointing it at Sumare. Sumare in turn also pulled out his gun and pointed it at the gundam pilot.

"Well, well. I guess this means our plans will have to commence a bit sooner than we had planned." Sakio said. He was standing behind Sumare, apparently he had walked in only moments before. "Sumare, grab the girl. It's time."

"No!" Trowa yelled and pulled the trigger. It hit Sumare in the shoulder.

Sumare flinched but grabbed Lea and followed Sakio at a quick pace down the hall.

"Sumare, please stop! Sumare!" Lea yelled, but he wasn't listening. The four other gundam pilots were in pursuit.

"Don't shoot, you might hit Lea!" Quatre yelled when he saw Duo and Wufei also draw their guns.

Sakio was already waiting by the machine X, a grim smile on his lips. Sumare dumped Lea at his feet and then turned to face the four gundam pilots, gun raised.

"No! Don't shoot!" Lea yelled just when Sakio grabbed her arm and began climbing the ladder to the cockpit of X. Kyo appeared by his suit and seemed to be ready to go ahead and bring all their dead loved-ones back.

"Shut up, girl! Just be quiet! This will only hurt a little, and then your brother will be back..."

"No! Please! Don't do this, Sakio!"

The four boys opened fire. Sumare jumped backwards and ran up another ladder to his own suit. Kaori was watching from not very far off.

Sakio grabbed both of Lea's hands and forced her into the suit's cockpit. The door shut, and surrounding Lea now was a sea of darkness.

"Sakio! Don't do this! Please don't!" She yelled and pounded her fists against the door of the cockpit. "Don't do this..."

TO BE CONTINUED

AN: Sorry, so soooo sorry! It's been so long since I last posted up a chapter! But I have my reasons, oh yes I do! I caught a cold, a really, really bad one, and thus I couldn't write, I was so worn out... Then about two days after I caught a cold, I broke my toe! Another few days of suffering... and then I had writers block too! ARGH! And then my favorite died! Oh, woe is me! So yeah, I had to have a fight with my mother before she would agree to let me write instead of cleaning my room...

Mendel, A.K.A Maruchan: Mom, I can't clean my room now!

Mom: Why not?

Maruchan: Because I must write! I owe it to my fans!

And thus the cat fight began... but I won, thankfully. I hope I can get the next chapter up soon! Thanks for all your support!

PREVIEW OF NEXT CHAPTER:

Final Overture

(AN: There will not be a preview for the next chapter this time, I don't want to spoil anything! But I will say this, "Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion to 'X'"!)

FUNNINESS...

Lea: Please don't let me die:tugging at the hem of Maruchan's long kimono: Don't kill me in your story!

Maruchan: I'll do what I please! You could be burned alive, or the world could blow up, or everything could go well! It's my choice, I RULE YOUR PUNY LITTLE WORLD!

Lea: NOOOO! ;; Must read conclusion to story... must know if I LIVE!

Maruchan: You'll just have to wait and see!