Gomen, Gomen, Gomen! I'm so soooooo sorry! I've been busy with my original fiction, and I've neglecting you guys. I didn't mean to, honestly. It hit me just the other day that I hadn't written since Christmas. I feel bad about that. Please forgive me!
Disclaimer: There is no point in even writing this little thing, cause you know what I'm gonna say. I do NOT own zoids, but I do own Star and Josh, both of which I will happily claim.
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It was now two weeks after their beach vacation, and everything was going well. There hadn't been any Backdraft attacks or anything. Their scheduled battles went well, and they were almost never bored. There was always something to do, even if it was just thinking. And that was exactly what Leon was doing. He was currently lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. A certain blue eyed warrior was on him mind, and her name was Star. He couldn't deny the fact that he thought about her constantly, and it was beginning to stress him out.
He sat up and decided to go to the hanger. Working on his zoid always helped him sort things out. He headed down the hall and to the hanger, slowly opening the door. He only walked in a little ways before he saw Star sitting against the wall. She was laughing about something. He walked over to her, putting on a smile.
"What's so funny?" he asked, startling her slightly. He turned to him, a smile on her face.
"Nothing really," she said cheerfully. "I was just talking to your zoid."
"My zoid?"
"Yeah. Every zoid has a story to tell, and some of them are pretty interesting." Leon turned his attention to his zoid.
"What did he say about me?" he asked Star.
"Don't worry, it was nothing bad. He had nothing but good things to say about you." Leon turned back to Star as she began to get up. "I think I'll go get something to eat. I skipped lunch today." She began to head off, leaving Leon alone in the hanger.
******
Star walked into her room, going to her bed. She wanted to lie down for a while. She recalled her conversation with Leon's blade Liger. It had been fun to talk about his pilot. Star wasn't sure why she was so interested in Leon. She wanted to know more about him, to get to know him better. She liked being around him, but this was all so new to her. She needed to figure out what it was she felt.
She decided to get some rest first. She'd ask someone about her problem later. Right now, sleep was needed. She closed her eyes and drifted off.
******
The day was going by slowly, and it was already mid afternoon. Nothing exciting was happening. Everyone was either in their own rooms or in the hanger. Currently, Leena was sitting in the kitchen, eating a cookie and drinking milk. A magazine sat in front of her, which she skimmed through as she ate. Star soon entered the kitchen, drawing Leena's attention.
"Hey Star," she said cheerfully. Star didn't say anything. She appeared to be deep in thought. "Is something wrong?"
"Leena, can I talk to you about something?" she asked, seeming shy about it.
"Sure, pull up a chair." Star nodded and did as she was told.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"Well…it's actually more like a question."
"Then ask away." Star fumbled with her fingers nervously.
"Well, I…let's see…how should I word this?" She shook her head, starting over. "Look, you like Bit, right?" Leena nearly spit out her milk at the question.
"What?" she yelled. "What kind of question is that? Where is this conversation going?"
"You do, don't you?" Star honestly wanted an answer, and Leena was afraid of giving one. Should she tell the truth? She knew she was blushing, since the room was beginning to feel incredibly warm.
"W-well…I…" she began, trying to get her answer out. What was Star getting at? If she was going to ask Leena an embarrassing question, than why had she seemed so nervous? Suddenly, it hit her. The answer was blaringly obvious. This wasn't about her at all, this was about Star. Leena smiled. She could give her answer now.
"What if I do?" she said, avoiding an honest or dishonest answer.
"I was…just wondering, because I…I don't know what…"
"Star, do you like Leon?" Star blushed a deep shade of red and hung her head, avoiding Leena's eyes. She hadn't thought that Leena would be so direct, but then again…she should have been prepared for it.
"I-I don't…I don't know. That's why I wanted to talk to you," she explained.
"This is something you have to decide for yourself. How do you feel about him?"
"I don't know," she said, resting her head on the table. "I like being around him, and I miss waking up next to him, and…"
"Whoa, hold on a second," said Leena. "Are you saying that you…shared a bed with him?"
"Only for a week," she said, raising her head.
"A week? So does that mean that you two…you…" Star blushed about five shades of red and sunk down in her chair.
"Of course not!" she shouted, embarrassed. "I would never!" Leena sighed in relief.
"Okay then, continue," she said, a smile on her face.
"I don't think I can now." She was still trying to calm herself down from Leena's insinuation.
"Look, how about I tell you what I think?" Star nodded, seeing as how she couldn't continue right now. "Okay, I think the two of you look great together, and I also think that Leon likes you, and I think you like him. How about that?"
"You…you really think that…he likes me?"
"Yeah, of course." Star smiled to herself and stood up.
"Thanks Leena."
"No problem."
******
Bit was currently in the hanger, working on his zoid. He was alone until Leon came in. He looked up at the blonde pilot and smiled. This was just the person he wanted to talk to, despite how odd that may have seemed.
"Hey Bit," he called out to the pilot. Bit stopped what he was doing and looked down at Leon.
"Hey," he called back. "Did you come to work on you zoid?"
"No. Actually, I wanted to ask you about something." Bit jumped from the platform and landed in front of Leon.
"What is it?"
"You like my sister, right?" Bit looked like he had just been shot. He nearly fell over from the question. That had been the last question he had wanted to get asked. He put on a proud face and turned away.
"Maybe," he answered. "Why do you want to know?"
"No reason," answered Leon, turning away a little. His voice gave away that there was a reason. "But could you please give me an answer?"
"Where is this conversation going exactly?"
"I was…just curious." Bit smirked when he caught hold of what Leon wanted. This was his chance to put Leena's plan into action.
"I do," answered Bit. Leon smiled at his answer.
"I thought so," he said. "You didn't do that great of a job at hiding it."
"Oh, and like you're so great at hiding things," retorted Bit. "It's obvious that you like Star." Now it was Leon's turn to freeze. He wore an expression similar to the one he had on when had he walked in on Star's shower.
"W-what do you mean?" he asked.
"You like Star, it's obvious. Just admit it. I admitted that I like Leena."
"Well…"
"Say it!"
"What's going on here?" asked Brad as he walked into the hanger.
"Leon likes Star," proclaimed Bit, earning him a glare from Leon.
"Is that so?" Brad walked over to join Bit in his interrogation. "If you do, then why don't you tell her?"
"He's afraid," stated Bit. It was as if they were trying to get him angry, and they were succeeding.
"I'm not afraid," he stated.
"Then tell her," said Bit.
"I will…but not right now." He turned and walked away, tired of being asked questions. Bit and Brad just smirked. Leena and Naomi would have a field day with this.
******
It was night now, but it wasn't very late. Everyone was unwinding, starting to let the day fade away from them. Leon was in his room, still thinking about his conversation with Bit and Brad. Did he really like Star? Hadn't that been the reason he had gone to talk to Bit? He hadn't accomplished anything, really. He had gotten Bit to admit that he liked Leena, but he wouldn't use it against the blonde. He wasn't into blackmailing.
Finally, Leon stood up, decided to wander for a while. He walked down the halls and eventually ended up in the hanger. The hanger doors were open, leading out into the vast desert.
Star stood there, staring at the desert sky, which was clear and lit with stars. The double moons hung in the sky, shining a soft green color. It was beautiful, and she had never taken it into consideration before. She never had time to do things like this. Stargazing had always been fun, though.
"Hey," said a soft voice from behind her. She turned and saw Leon coming towards her. He left the hanger and came to stand by her on the desert sands. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing really, just watching the stars," she explained. "I don't get to all that often."
"Because of your job?" She just lowered her head slightly.
"Because it makes me feel…alone," she whispered, drawing his complete attention. "I remember doing this with my mom and dad when I was younger. I don't have either of them now, and I don't get to see Josh enough to really spend time with him." There were tears brimming in her eyes, but she just put on a smile and wiped them away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so depressing. I just…"
"It's alright," he assured her. "You don't need to apologize. It's better to let things out than keep them inside." Star just smiled and continued to stare at the stars.
From inside the hanger, two pilots were watching the scene before them.
"Come on," said Leena, making sure to keep her voice down. "Make a move, do something."
"Calm down," said Bit. "What are you talking about anyway?"
"Star came to me and asked me…something."
"What was it?" Leena bit her lower lip. She couldn't tell him the truth, but she couldn't think of anything else. She sighed and decided to get it over with.
"She asked me if I liked you," she answered, a blush on her face. Bit seemed a little surprised.
"Wow…Leon basically asked me the same thing." It was silent for a while until both turned and asked "what did you say?" They then blushed and turned away. Bit eventually sighed, realizing that Leena wasn't going to say anything before he did.
"Leena," he began. "I told Leon that…I like you." He inhaled sharply, afraid of her reaction. She turned to him, shocked.
"You did?" He nodded, and she smiled.
"I feel the same way, Bit," she told him softly. He turned to her, slightly surprised. They both smiled before turning their attention back to Leon and Star. Bit's arm came around her shoulders, and she didn't protest as he pulled her closer.
Out in the desert, Leon was debating with himself. He wanted to tell Star how he felt, but he was afraid. He glanced down at her up cast face. She was beautiful. He wanted to tell her that too. He decided to start slow and brought his arm around her shoulders. She tensed slightly, startled at the contact, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she leaned into him. Leon just smiled and turned his attention to the vast desert.
Unknown to any of them, in the distance behind a sand dune were two men. Actually, they weren't that far away from where Leon and Star were.
"Do you have it?" asked one of the men.
"Right here," answered the other as he held up a sniper rifle.
"How many shots?"
"Just two."
"Then don't mess up."
Back in the hanger, Bit and Leena were still watching Star and Leon. However, Bit caught a glimpse of something shining in the distance. He narrowed his eyes, trying to focus solely on that. The object was slowly coming into view.
"Is that…?" he whispered, trying to decipher what he saw.
"What?" asked Leena, turning to Bit.
"Something…or someone is out there." His eyes soon widened as he saw what it was. "It can't be…"
Bit wasn't the only person who had noticed something. Leon was looking in the direction of a glint he had seen. He was looking for it to flash again in the dark, but he couldn't see it. Suddenly, it came again. He released Star and stepped away, focusing on the thing he saw.
"Leon?" questioned Star, turning to him. However, he said nothing as he saw what it was. There was a man behind a sand dune. In his hands was a gun. He was aiming it right at Star, slowly pulling the trigger.
"Look out!" shouted Bit from the hanger, but his warning came too late. Star noticed the man just as he pulled the trigger. However, her vision was soon blocked as Leon moved in front of her. Her heart stopped, her eyes widening. The bullet bore deep into Leon's chest. His eyes widened from the pain, and he was unable to cry out. He began to fall back. Star caught his shoulders, but she was forced to the ground.
"Leon!" she shouted, but he didn't respond at all. "Leon? Leon!"
From inside the hanger, Bit and Leena were staring, their eyes wide.
"Leon!" shouted Leena as she began to run towards her brother and Star.
"Leena, wait!" shouted Bit as he caught her wrist.
"Let me go, Bit!" The blonde pilot didn't comply. He turned his attention to Star.
"Star, be careful!" he shouted. "That man is reloading his gun!" Bit's warning got her attention, and she turned to see the man reposition his gun. There wasn't time to do anything. Her eyes widened in disbelief. She was going to die. She looked down at Leon and carefully lifted his upper body in her arms. She hugged him to her, not caring that her clothing would be stained with blood. 'I'm so sorry Leon. This wasn't supposed to happen.' She hugged him tighter. 'I don't want to die yet. I want to keep living. I want you to live, Leon. Please, don't give up. Storm, help me, please…please…' Just as the gun fired, one last thought echoed through her mind. 'I don't want to die!' Leena and Bit closed their eyes, not wanting to watch, but a bright light soon shook them from their fear. The bullet was frozen in mid air, pushing against a shield…the same kind of shield a zoid used.
"Impossible…" whispered the sniper as he lowered his gun.
"Let's get out of here. We'll finish this later. The boss will want to know what happened." The two snipers ran off, leaving everything else to unfold on its own.
"What…is that?" asked Leena, her eyes on Star. The shield soon fell, dropping the bullet to the ground. There wasn't time to ask about what she had done, because she fell to the ground, unconscious. There was only one thought on her mind as she drifted completely way into the darkness. 'Please stay alive…Leon.'
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And I will leave it there. Mean of me, ne? I don't update in forever, and then I leave you at a cliffhanger.
Gomen again. I really am quite sorry.
I hope this makes up for not updating in two months.
Until the next time, ja ne!