Chapter 6: Dual's Girlfriend

"It doesn't hurt Dual, really it doesn't."

I was standing in the doorway of what looked to be a small bedroom at the moment watching Dual as he fretted over the girl who was lying on the only bed in the room. She had light brown hair and looked to be closer to Dual's age then mine. The one thing that gave her identity away to me were the bandages that were wrapped around her eyes. This was Alix. The thing that really caught my attention though was the fact that her hand was resting in Dual's. It looked to me like she was his girlfriend.

"But…" Dual was troubled at the moment. In truth it was hard to pinpoint exactly what he was feeling, just because his emotions kept changing so quickly. One moment he looked angry, the next upset, and the next troubled like he was now. One thing did remain constant though, he kept his voice calm when talking with Alix. His voice wasn't betraying his emotions at all.

"I'm fine now Dual," Alix insisted. She gave a smile to try and convince Dual, but it just wasn't working. He just looked more worried then before.

"Who the hell are you?"

I was so freaked by that that I nearly fell headlong into the bedroom. Actually I just barely caught myself in time. The voice had come from behind me, so once I regained my stability I turned on whoever was standing there… whoa, what the hell? Was I seeing double?

The girl I was now facing had the same light brown hair as Alix and the same face as far as I could tell. She had bright green eyes, probably the same color as Alix's I guessed. A twin?

"Didn't you hear me? Who are you and why are you spying on my sister and her boyfriend."

If this was Alix's twin they seemed complete opposites in personality. Alix had been nothing but soft-spoken and polite as far as I could tell. This one, well lets just say her attitude was enough to stop an army dead.

"I'm not spying!" Was what came out first. One of those, I have to cover-my-butt reflexes I guess. Lame is what comes to mind after one of those.

"Sure you're not," she replied rolling her emerald eyes. She took a moment to peek around the door and into the bedroom, getting Dual's attention and motioning for him to come over. Which he seemed to grudgingly do.

"What is it Cassandra?" Dual asked as he approached the girl.

"Do you know this pipsqueak?"

"Leave him alone Cassie. He's my brother" Dual replied shortly. He was more interested in Alix then anything else at the moment.

"Oh, so this is the infamous Kiyo Winner I've heard so much about," Cassandra replied as she looked me over, cold emerald eyes summing me up. "And Phoenix actually considered being your partner? His judgment must have gone south."

What the hell was she talking about? I looked to Dual who had gained a curious expression.

"He's working with Phoenix? I thought Quatre was going to train him."

"No. Let's face it, Quatre's a strategist. We can't have our only strategist preoccupied with training some idiot who's never even piloted a mobile suit before."

"So why's dad not doing it then?"

Cassandra merely looked at him.

"He got assigned a job," She said simply.

"So they're on the move again I take it?"

"Naturally. We nearly flattened their last stronghold. We should have had them!"

There was a strained silence after that. I wasn't sure what they were even talking about so I just played the ignorant fool that I was turning out to be.

"Yeah well, things don't always go as planned," Dual whispered a few moments later before turning and going back to Alix's bedside.

So again I was alone with Miss Queen-of-the-Damned-Planet. I mean that extremely sarcastically by the way.

Luckily for me she had fallen into a melancholy silence and was walking off down the hall.

So I went back to watching Dual and his Girlfriend…but again, that didn't last long.

I never heard his footsteps or anything. One moment nothing was there, and then the next Phoenix was standing beside me, looking into the room Dual and Alix were in. When I notice him I gave him a questioning glance, hopping he'd explain to me what the hell was going on.

"There was an explosion," he said softly. "A piece of metal caught her across the face."

"You were there?" I asked, just as softly.

He nodded, moving back to lean against the wall beside me. I turned to face him; putting my back to the entrance to the room Dual and Alix were in.

"That's what happens in war. There are casualties."

"Otherwise it really couldn't be called a war," I answered, not realizing I had sort of finished his thought for him.

He gave a slight smirk, probably the closest thing to a smile that I'd ever get out of him.

"Come on," he said, standing up straight and stretching a little. "The others just got back. They want to meet you."

So I followed Phoenix anxiously, knowing that the others were probably the Gundam Pilots.

> > > > > > >

Phoenix lead me upstairs to, what I thought, was the living room of the house. Six were gathered there, two of which were Duo and my Father. All were male, and all looked about the same age as Father and Duo, except one who looked a little older.

When we entered the room I froze, shyness getting the better of me. Six sets of eyes fell on me. Most just like Cassandra's cold and calculating.

"Come here Kiyo," my Father said to me. He was sitting next to Duo on one of the two green couches in the room. I thought he looked tired, but it could have been the lighting in the room.

I obeyed, but only after Phoenix nudged me further into the room. I felt really embarrassed for some reason; it was almost like I'd walked into a party naked… my mind froze at the thought. No…don't think about that…

I was in the middle of the room when the memories started to come back. Someone to my right said something, but I didn't hear it. I was no longer there in that living room, I was in another…one all too familiar…

My mind was in shock. Rough callous hands were running the length of my torso, lingering at my waist…and lower… "No!" I screamed. But my screams were muffled by the mouth against my own. Even if my screams somehow managed to escape, there was no one to hear me. I was alone with this monster, so terribly alone. My legs were being spread apart forcefully, and then pressure…

"NO!"

I was struggling in someone's embrace.

"LET ME GO!"

But the one holding me wouldn't relent. I fought with all my might, but even with the added strength lent by desperation I was still no match against the one holding me. My mind was numb, and I couldn't seem to remember where I was or what was going on. All I knew was that I had to get away before I could be hurt again.

"Calm down," the one holding me breathed into my ear.

That voice didn't register in my mind at first…but after a few moments my mind managed to clear enough to where I could recognize it. It was Phoenix who was holding me.

I was panting from exertion and couldn't see anything. My head was buried against his chest, hiding the room from my vision. I could vaguely make out other voices, concerned voices. But that all seemed so distant. All I could understand at the moment was Phoenix and the fact that he was making the fear disappear, disappear in a way that could be compared to the sun melting away the morning dew from the grass.

I closed my eyes trying to catch my breath and collect my scattered thoughts. Where was I? Living Room, my mind answered back. Again the trigger was switched and the memories tried to make their way to the surface. My body convulsed suddenly in Phoenix's grasp. Not again… But there wouldn't be a second time. Phoenix's embrace tightened in response, drawing me back into the light of reality instead of the darkness of those haunting thoughts.

Slowly he guided me backwards, and then I felt something push against the back of my legs. The next thing I knew I was sitting in a cushioned chair staring into Phoenix's cobalt eyes. He was kneeling in front of me. Behind him I could see the others. Father and Duo both looked extremely concerned.

"What happened?" my Father asked as he came to stand beside the chair I was sitting in.

But I couldn't tell them…I just couldn't.

> > > > > > > >

Ok, I know it took a LONG time to get this chapter up, and I'm sorry. I had a SEVERE case of writers block brought upon by emotional stress from what little private life I have. Yeah, it was one of those: you tell someone you love them but they love someone else…and well it just goes downhill from there. But I'm intrigued with my idea for the next chapter and plan to write most of it tomorrow and Monday so I should have it up fairly soon. And thank you for yelling at me. It motivated me to finish this chapter. Sorry again about the wait.

Lil' Miss Tipsyiwuvyaoi: Be happy now! And the romance will really start to happen next chapter since the connection has now been established. I really hope that this one was worth the wait, and I will really work my hardest to get the next chapter up ASAP! The whole knives thing will be explained next chapter as well.

Duo's hanyou: Well, you got your update.

Stary Angel1: Yeah. I hope you like this chapter to. Sorry about the long wait.