Although it has been several months, I am yet to obtain the rights to the anime. Thus, I own nothing.
Segment 19:
Sweet Child Of Mine
Summary:
Rini and Hotaru are concerned about Setsuna's ominous mood, as well as Serenity's sudden reappearance. Rini in particular is worried and a little resentful about the long absence, and also reminisces about her father. The two also wonder about what is it become of Setsuna's son, Jabreel, as well as each other. The next day, Relena receives a threatening phone call from the Leute and flees to Brussels, only to find herself caught in a trap. Sally and Venli set out on a rescue mission, and the journalist reveals a little bit about his past as well as his good connections. With the help of Russia's representative to the World Council, plans for the gathering of an army to combat the Leute are made. Back at Venli's apartment, he and Sally are confronted by a new Leute, a very feminine one calling itself Iy, who also appears to have a personal vendetta against the assassin Aethrin. Iy tells them about Relena's capture, then gives Venli key evidence regarding Aethrin. In Brussels, Aethrin confronts Relena about being pregnant with Heero's child, and she reluctantly admits. However, before she can suffer any serious damage, Sally and Venli arrive with an attack chopper and rescue her.
They did not look any different than the other pairs of honeymooning couples meandering down Rome's beautiful ancient streets and monuments. However, Trowa and Une were hardly vacationing as they walked past the other tourists speaking a multitude of languages. In fact, although they strolled hand in hand, their eyes were constantly watching for any signs of odd children accompanied by even stranger adults. However, for once it actually appeared that they were free of Leute trails. Ever since they had left Cape Town, they had not had one moment alone. It was rather strange though, because although there had been Leute aplenty, they had not been nearly as aggressive as those they had met in the past. Mostly they just watched, maybe gave them a strange look. But none attacked (though one did bump rather hard into Trowa's side while pretending to be playing a game of tag with another Leute. Luckily, nothing had been stolen).
"I don't like this. At all. It's been this way ever since we came home," Une commented. Trowa nodded at his partner. Since returning to Italy, there had been hardly any sightings at all. This was the frustration, because Leute were exactly what the pair was looking for. And though Dahlia had left them with plenty of information on the Kentauros Institute, even providing them with a very nice map, they were having quite a bit of trouble actually locating the facility. Mostly because, according to the map, it was located on a square that didn't even exist, unless it was hidden beneath the Tiber River (and after several diving expeditions, they had come to the conclusion that it wasn't).
As they walked onto the bridge over the river, Trowa stared into the depths of the waters. "Maybe she lied to us," he suggested flatly.
Lady Une tilted her head and looked at him. "Do you think she did?"
"No."
She nodded and looked back down into the river. "I don't think she did either. It's not like a Leute to flat out lie. They pretend to be human children, but besides that…I don't know. Actual verbal dishonesty seems like something they would look down on. Something human."
"So where the hell is this place then? You think something happened to it?"
"I hope not. Not just for our sakes either," Lady Une replied softly.
Trowa looked at her. "You liked her, didn't you? Dahlia."
A sad smile crossed the former colonel's face. "What can I say? She was our "daughter," wasn't she? I guess it just reminded me of Mariemaia, and how I lost her. And she reminded me of Treize, and how I lost…" Une trailed off and looked up to see a slightly stony look in Trowa's eyes. Only rarely did she mention her former lover and common-law husband. She wouldn't have guessed Trowa to be the type of man to get jealous, and maybe he wasn't. But she did know that he got even more quiet than usual when she mentioned Treize's name, and she even wondered if his coolness towards Mariemaia came from the fact that she had raised Treize's daughter as her own. Well, either way, he would have to accept her past. It was the only way the old OZ leader would stay dead.
Then again, he's probably turning over in his grave. His wife is sleeping with one Gundam pilot, and his daughter another.
The thought almost made Lady Une smile, but she had the feeling Trowa would not appreciate it. She shook her head and put her arm around his shoulders, giving him a reassuring squeeze. He reached up and put his hand over hers, but said nothing.
"Ah, so this is what you two have been doing while the rest of us are working our asses off. Really, I expected better of you both," a cynical voice commented. A younger couple walked across the bridge towards them. The man was dressed in khaki shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, and wore sunglasses and a bright red baseball cap over his head, but that didn't hide the long chestnut braid hanging down his back. And his girlfriend, a pretty little gal in some kind of designer sundress and sexy black pumps could hide her bright pink pageboy no easier.
Trowa raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here Duo? And where's Heero?"
"At the airport, probably pissed at us because we missed our flight," Duo replied cheerfully, lowering his sunglasses, "because you see—"
Before he could explain, Mariemaia strode over to Lady Une, reached inside her purse and pulled out a cell phone. Shaking it at the older woman, she threw off her sunglasses and glared daggers at her. "If you're going to have a phone with you, turn the damn thing on, will you? We've been trying to call you for hours now, for Christ's sake! What the hell is the matter with you?"
It was Lady Une's turn to raise an eyebrow. However, she had to hide a look of amusement at Trowa. But the Gundam pilot was not amused. Seeing Mariemaia's temper unleashed reminded him all too well of her mother's family, the Bartons. And having just freed himself from the thoughts of her father's side, it was disconcerting to find himself wondering just how much bad blood was in the girl. Between Treize Khushrenada and Trowa and Dekim Barton…
His partner sensed his thoughts, and spoke before he got the chance. "I never turn my phone off Mariemaia."
"No? It sure doesn't look very energetic to me!" she snapped. Lady Une calmly took the phone from her former daughter's hand and examined it. Indeed, it did appear to have somehow gotten turned off. She frowned and turned it on. Sure enough, there had indeed been several calls that morning, all from Duo. Shaking her head, she put the phone back in her purse, pulling it out a second later to check that it was indeed on.
"I'm sorry. I was not aware. It will not happen again."
It sounded as though she were an intern apologizing to her boss for breaking the coffee machine, when in fact Lady Une knew that Mariemaia was the one out of line in the situation. She couldn't quite understand what had caused the outburst, unless something urgent was at hand.
Duo patted Mariemaia on the back and stepped forward. "You'll have to excuse her. I think Maia's feeling a little under the weather today," he explained, then looked at Trowa and mouthed the words "time of the month." Mariemaia noticed, and punched him in the arm. Grimacing a moment, Duo rubbed his shoulder and continued. "We've got a little present for you. Something we picked up in Cape Town. Maia, darling, if you would be so kind…"
She rolled her eyes and drew a small vial out of her purse, then handed it to Trowa. It contained about ten or so milliliters of some kind of green liquid. He examined it a moment, before passing it to Lady Une. "What is it?" he asked.
"Leute blood," Mariemaia answered. "As expected, we were attacked that night after the meeting."
Lady Une held the vial up to the light. "But…all the Leute we've encountered in the past has been purple. This here…"
Duo nodded. "Exactly. Makes no sense. But I'll tell you this. The guys that came after us at the restaurant were tougher than the others. A lot faster, and a lot harder to kill. Heero soaked this stuff up in a napkin and played with it for a few days, but didn't get anywhere. So, we're hoping you guys, what with going off to play with your little Leute friends—"
"Have you found anything yet?" Mariemaia cut in.
Trowa shook his head. "No. We have to re-examine our information, we think."
"I see," she replied shortly.
"Anyhow," Duo put his arm around Mariemaia's waist. "We ought to be going now. So much time, so little to do and all that shit. Plus we get to go deal with Heero now. But anyways, you guys take care of yourselves, contact us if you need anything. And Une?" he winked. "Keep your phone on, babe."
"Duo," Trowa said.
"Yeah?"
"Don't call her babe."
"Gotcha. See ya around!" he waved cheerfully, leading Mariemaia away. The girl didn't even look back their way as they vanished into an alley, leaving Trowa and Lady Une alone again on the bridge.
"Maia?" Duo's voice was soft as the pair climbed into their rental car. Mariemaia glanced towards him, apparently without a care or thought hidden behind her dark sunglasses. Her partner, on the other hand, looked far more concerned than she was used to, worried even. It was a little confusion. For once, it looked as though the ex-Gundam pilot was serious about something.
"Hm? What is it?" Mariemaia answered, turning to stare straight ahead down the winding street.
Duo turned sharply and got on the freeway, heading for the spaceport. "Are you okay? You've been…well…acting weird lately, I guess. Just want to make sure everything's all right with you."
She shrugged, with what seemed an exaggerated amount of nonchalance. "I'm fine," Mariemaia answered shortly. "Just under a lot of stress lately. You know how it is. I might have picked up a bug or something along the way too."
"Something," is more like it, I think. But what is it? What are you hiding from me, Mariemaia Khushrenada? Duo thought. In the pit of his stomach, something wrenched tightly. Although he and Mariemaia had mostly stuck together ever since receiving their assignment, there had been the few incidents when they were separated. And during those times…could she have come in contact with a Leute? A Leute that might have found her more useful alive than dead?
He didn't dare confront Mariemaia about it, and definitely not Heero. Know his colleague, he would probably blow the whole thing out of proportion and have her locked up. And that was one thing Duo did not want to see happen. Not only was Mariemaia useful as a spy, but in the past month since he had met her he found himself growing more and more fond and affectionate towards her. And it wasn't just the great sex they sometimes slipped in at completely random moments. He liked lots of other thing about her, the "important things" as Hilde had called them. Mariemaia had a wonderful laugh, and a sharp mind. But she also had that protective sense, that fierce will to hold on to everything. When Rini was falling apart after seeing her mother being tortured, Mariemaia had been there, supporting her.
Duo wondered if, given time and assuming neither of them were killed by Leute, he could end up loving Mariemaia Khushrenada. He knew it would be strange. There was, after all, almost an eight year age difference. She was barely even an adult. She was mature for a kid, in a lot of ways. But she was a kid, nonetheless. Or was she? Maybe she stopped being a kid when she first decided to follow her grandfather's plans and take over the world. Still though…she didn't turn out too bad. At least, he didn't think so.
Mariemaia sighed. "I've always had kind of a weak constitution. Ever since the end of the revolution, when Dekim…when…I had my accident." A shiver ran down her back as she again saw the gun pointed towards her, Dekim silhouetted against the giant blank video screen like some fairy tale monster. She shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I'll go to the doctor once we get to L2, okay? I promise." Looking towards him, she gave him her best smile.
Duo smiled back. "All I can ask, I guess." He reached over and gave her knee a gentle squeeze. "But 'til then, you just take it easy, okay? Let me and Heero handle the tough-guy stuff. Just until we know what's wrong with you."
She rolled her eyes, but kept smiling. "All right, all right. You've got yourself a deal."
"Thanks babe."
But in all reality, Mariemaia had a gut feeling about what was wrong with her. Her period was now almost three weeks late. And the only person she'd slept with in the past two months was currently sitting next to her driving at a speed that was probably unsafe for most people. Biting her lip, she stared down at her stomach. Of course, everything looked normal. For all she knew, she could be fine. Biological clock playing tricks on her…right?
She sincerely hoped so. In her line of work, getting pregnant was simply not an option. Mariemaia sighed slightly. She'd go see that doctor when they got to L2 like she'd promised. If worst came to worst, she'd do whatever she had to in order to make sure the world was safe, even if it meant losing a child. Her child. Another shiver made her cross her arms over her chest. Now there was a fear almost worse than looking your own death in the eye.
Almost.
"Duo, Duo, Duo, Duo, Duo, Duo…wait a minute…what the hell?" Lady Une frowned as she looked over the list of received calls on her phone. She and Trowa were back at their hotel for the night, having just finished yet another day's worth of fruitless searching in the city. After picking at supper, they had settled down with a couple of cocktails Trowa had made with the alcohol provided in the mini-bar to review the day. Recalling Mariemaia's hissy fit about the cell phone, Lady Une had gone through and begun the task of deleting all of the voice mails. All of them were from either Duo or Mariemaia, and one had even been from Heero, she saw towards the middle (he was asking if they'd seen either of his then-missing team members). But at the very bottom, before Duo had even made his first call, there was a strange listing.
Walking over, Trowa bent over the back of the couch to look at the phone's minute display screen. He too frowned. Where there should have been a name displayed, all that was read was
UNKNOWN CALLER
which wasn't too strange. What was really odd was the number the call had been made from.
«ª§¤¯»»¿¬¬¬ˇ˘˜ξ‡‡•†•†›₣₣≈∞☺☺☺☻☻☻♠♀♂♂☼
It was, in short, a list of completely random symbols. Trowa thought it might have been code, but there wasn't any sort of pattern to it, at least, not to the naked eye. So that meant the number had probably just been scrambled. He looked at his partner. She hesitated a moment, then played it.
At first, all they heard was silence. Then the sound of a soft voice singing.
"Hush little baby, don't say a word, Mama's gonna buy you a bloody sword. And when that sword is broke in two, it's off to Hell for me and you…"
This chilling melody, spoken in the child's voice that was just too sinister to belong to a human. Heavy breathing quickly followed, as did the sound of loud footsteps, then a moment of silence before a thunderous crash. Finally, there was one final word.
"Troy."
There was a click as the voice mail ended. The automated voice with the customary "No Further Messages" came after, and Une lowered the phone. Her brown eyes focused on Trowa as she closed the phone and put it in her jacket pocket.
"Leute," she stated.
"No question."
"Dahlia?"
He shook his head. "No. She's not theatrical like that. She wouldn't have bothered with that song. And the running, and the jumping—that's what it sounded like, right?—that would take someone in better shape than she was in. Remember, Daara's a scholar, not a soldier."
"Right," Lady Une recalled, thinking back upon that morning when she had awoke on her kitchen floor with Trowa holding a wet cloth to her forehead and telling her Dahlia had taken off running. "So who do you think it was? And what did they mean by Troy?"
"I don't know. A contact maybe?"
"Not impossible. How the hell are we supposed to find someone with only a first name though? It's not a common name in this part, Troy, but still…"
Trowa paused. "But what if it's not a person?"
Une stared at him, confused for a moment. But just as quickly as it had occurred to him, the answer soon hit her as well. "You mean it's a place? The Ancient City of Troy?" He nodded, and something else occurred to her. "Troy…a place where the great heroes of Greek mythology came to battle…heroes that were trained by the centaur Chiron…the centaur…"
Their eyes suddenly went over the edge of the bridge, to the supposed location of their target.
"Kentauros?"
Daara Mnymar's life had not been easy since it had left the "protection" of Trowa Barton and Lady Une. Upon returning to the Kentauros Institute, it had been questioned severely, accused of being a traitor. Only it's boss and teacher, an old Leute (though it only looked about twelve) named Albeht Orrphi had stood up for it, and kept it from being exiled and left out for Eljira to kill.
Even so, hardly any trusted it anymore. Instead of being relocated into a different family, Daara was being kept on as Albeht's personal assistant, out of sight and out of mind. That is, except for the mind of the old scientist. Orrphi had always been very liberal when it came to matters of coexistence with the humans, and it was because of its influence that Daara had gotten at least the ability to respect humans (though the only one it did hold in esteem was Trowa). But in these past few weeks, Albeht had been confiding in Daara, sharing a plan that was extremely dangerous, one that put the entire institute in danger.
And yet, Albeht claimed, it could also save the institute, if all went well.
The problem that had arisen most recently revolved around the Medusae, the Leute elite. With the resistance against Eljira growing stronger, the Leute leader was now appealing to them, and had even won one over as his new general. After Aethrin had failed and allowed the members of the Russian military (along with that damn Preventor and the writer) to rescue the Vice President, he had been swiftly and publicly (at least in the Leute world) executed. In his place now was the most infamous of the assassin Medusae, Iy.
Now there was a strange Leute. Unlike the regular ones, who called themselves the Delphi, the Medusae did indeed have genders. However, they could switch these at will, and often did. Iy, on the other hand, had been a female since the day she came into creation, and had not changed once. Like several members at the Kentauros Institute, she was liberal as far as the extermination of humans, even opposed it in fact. But her reasons were much more sinister. A born killer, Iy's hobby had always been hunting down humans and killing them in sport. Thus did she disagree with Eljira's plans, so all those who knew of her new position were baffled behind her motives. Most were sure she too would end up betraying the leader.
But what could be done even if she did? Iy was very well respected amongst the Medusae. Because of her alliance with Eljira, the enemies of the Leute (be they human or not) now had something new to fear. The Medusae were stronger, faster, and some even argued smarter. It was only a miracle that there were less than a hundred of them still around today, and there were only four other assassins of Iy's rank at large. Mostly, they kept to themselves, but who could tell these days?
Either way, it was Iy that Daara and Albeht feared now. She had an attitude, that was certain, and a constant need to be the center of attention. Several weeks ago, she had simply walked into their subterranean base in Rome. Just walked, their guards petrified by the thought of having to fight her. She had threatened them then, telling them that if they didn't evacuate the base they would all be killed.
The place had been empty by morning.
At first, the others questioned the Institute's relocation to the ruins of Troy on the Aegean coast. After all, it was only a short drive from Istanbul, the home base of Setsuna Meioh. But Daara, for once, was not worried. Trowa had said he would explain the situation to the rebel leader, and she was convinced that they had an ally in her. Most were skeptical, but then Albeht had argued that Eljira would not even dream of going after them when Meioh was right there instead. And when something happened to her, they would know to flee.
But now something was about to happen to her. To her, and to the former queen of the entire solar system, Serenity.
Two days before, Albeht and Daara had received a mocking message from Iy. She was in South Africa, planning to "visit" with Meioh and Serenity. And both Leute knew that when a Medusa visits a human, that human does not survive. Especially not when all the other members of Operation Daybreak were on various missions around the ESUN.
There was no way the Kentauros would help the women, even if they were the saviors the Earth would need to fight back against Eljira. Thus, the two Delphi had left Troy. Daara was now in Cape Town, with the intention of getting both Setsuna and Serenity out before Iy could kill them. Albeht was in Istanbul, setting up a safe house where all of them could hide out and contact the other members of Operation Daybreak.
Now the younger Delph was waiting, watching. Setsuna had moved the operations into the Drei Kreuz hotel, and as of that morning, both she and Serenity were still alive. But after a bit of well-timed eavesdropping, Daara learned that she was planning to leave for L5 that night. So if Iy was here and planning to kill both at once, it would be tonight. Daara was running out of time.
Currently, Daara was sitting by the pool reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a good book for the age group she appeared. One of .her targets was currently floating on her back, eyes closed peacefully and long gold tresses floating around her perfectly formed body. Daara frowned and thought a moment.
That's Serenity? The one who allowed us to suffer for so long? She's…she's a child… That, of course, wasn't true. But between her small stature and youthful appearance, she looked like she couldn't be older than twenty. And yet, Daara could still remember those days…and they made her shiver. But the things that could lie in the future…a future where Eljira was in charge…
Daara didn't want to think about that either. Serenity had been neglectful. Eljira was just…wrong. The fact that he was willing to exterminate an entire species, one of the most populous ones in this entire section of the galaxy, was enough to prove that. It was not natural, not even in the eyes of a Leute.
In the middle of the pool, Serenity was eying the "little girl" on the lawn chair with a great deal of unease. After all, she hadn't spent the last several centuries hiding from the Leute for nothing. Not to mention that they had been responsible for Makoto's death, Rashid's death, Minako's captivity, and several attacks on her friends and family. Unfortunately, at the moment, there was only her and the Leute in the pool room, and no doubt she would be noticed if she left. The only good thing was that the alien hadn't confronted her yet, so it was most likely just spying on her. And as long as it was only spying…
The door to the pool room suddenly shut, and both human and Leute looked towards it only to find no one there. A split second later, Serenity heard a splash. Spinning around slowly, the water restricting her movements somewhat, she saw the Leute that had been sitting in the chair swimming towards her. Fear gripped her heart, and she began to swim for the ladder. But the Leute's body was much smaller and slimmer than hers, not to mention it was probably in much better shape than the former queen. So it was no surprise when she felt a tiny hand clamp onto her ankle and pull her back.
Serenity yelped a little and slipped underwater. The tiny hand pulled her up quickly, and she found herself face to face with the Leute.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"Shh!" it hissed, looking around. It still appeared that they were alone. Putting its face close to Serenity's, Daara spoke in a hurried whisper. "You have to listen to me, and you have to trust me. I'm a friend; Trowa told you about me. Daara?"
"Daara?" Serenity blinked in surprise. She recalled the names vaguely, both Daara and Trowa. The man with the green eyes and red-brown hair…the one who reminded her of Mako-chan…of course. He and his partner (wife?) had "adopted" this Leute to learn their ways, only to find an ally instead of an enemy.
"We're not alone," Daara continued. "There's an assassin that's going to kill both you and Setsuna Meioh. And she's way stronger than any of you can expect. We need to get you both out."
"Setsuna's in trouble?" Serenity gasped.
"Shhh!" Daara snapped again. "Come on, I think she's in here—"
"Ding ding ding!" an amused voice replied. The two in the water looked to see a very feminine Medusa leaning against a fake palm, twirling a gun around her finger and wearing her trademark Cheshire Cat grin.
"Iy…" Daara murmured. "Shit…"
Iy pretended to look horrified at the curse. "Why, Daara! Using such language around the Queen! I thought you had more manners!"
The Delph suddenly bolted out of the water and retrieved its own gun from the backpack next to her chair. With an amazingly steady hand, Daara pointed it at Iy's chest. "I'm not going to let you kill her, Iy. I don't even understand why you want to. Since when did you become Eljira's new lap dog?"
To the surprise of both Serenity and Daara, Iy was not offended by the remark, but instead began to laugh. "Me? Eljira's lap dog? Oh dear sweet Daara…don't you get any news at all at that little institute of yours? Clearly not. Well, let's just say you're a little mixed up about who is the lap dog and who is the master here. Do you think I would have arranged for Aethrin to be executed just so I could have his position as an ass-kisser? Of course not! I simply got bored hunting down random humans one by one. Eljira and his retarded little vision of a holy war have given me the opportunity to get the really "big fish," as the humans say. Like her," Iy inclined her head towards Serenity. "And he can't do a damn thing about it. See, the Delphi are all pretty much like you, Daara. Weak. Hell, look at who your leader is! No, I just decided I've had enough of this foolishness. I plan on getting as much recreation out of it that I can, and then I'm putting a stop to Eljira's idiotic 'rebellion'."
"I see…but you do realize there are two things you overlooked," Daara pointed out.
Now Iy frowned. "What?"
"Number One: One of your "big fish" has just gotten away. And Number Two—" The Delph didn't even bother to say it. Instead, it just pointed its gun at the overhead light fixture, fired, and ran for the door. Back by the pool, Daara could hear Iy crying out in pain as a shower of glass shards rained down from above. Shortly after, that was replaced by the sound of the glass door to the pool shattering with the impact of the bullet.
"Daara!" Serenity called out. She had taken refuge in a bathroom and was now holding the door open and her hand out to the Delph. Daara grabbed it and dashed in, slamming the door shut and locking it.
"That was her?" Serenity asked, pulling on a pair of sweatpants, sandals, and a tank top from her gym bag over her still dripping swimsuit (her towel was still at the pool, and that was the last place she was going).
"Yeah…" Daara panted.
"And she's a Leute?"
"Yeah. A Medusa. They're a stronger breed than us. Delphi, that is. If we have problems dealing with them, you humans are going to have to work like dogs to keep them from killing you. You're just lucky they're not all crazy like Iy is," Daara explained.
"But what do we do now? She'll find us in here eventually! And what about Setsuna?" Serenity cried.
"Just…relax…be quiet a moment…" Daara murmured, pressing its ear to the door. Sure enough, it could hear footsteps and gunshots making their way down the hallway towards them…and then beyond (though there were still some sickening thumps that must have been of bodies falling on the ground). Carefully, Daara unlocked the door, but kept its hand on the doorknob.
"All right, listen to me. Do you know where Setsuna is?"
"Yes. She'll be up in our hotel room, Number—"
"713. I know."
"You've been watching us."
"I didn't know when Iy would come."
"I see…"
Daara took a deep breath. "Okay. We are going to run to my room first. I have a passport and tickets for a flight to Istanbul. There's another ally there, Albeht Orrphi. Don't trust any other Leute besides the two of us, all right? If I can, I'm going to make sure I can get you on a taxi to the airport. Once there, you keep a low profile and just get on that plane. As far as I know, Iy is the only one after you, and she has always worked alone in the past, so I'm assuming she still does. As long as I keep her busy, you and Setsuna will be all right. But if something happens to me before you get in the taxi, you have to go yourself, okay? The flight number is 711 to Istanbul. Do whatever you have to get on board if I can't get you your ticket. Do you understand?"
Serenity nodded.
"Right. Once I've got you taken care of, I'll go back and get Setsuna. I have a feeling she's still quite capable of looking after herself," Daara remarked.
"She is," Serenity agreed.
"Okay…on the count of three…stay with me, okay?" Again, Serenity nodded. "One…two…THREE!"
The two burst out of the bathroom and automatically had to vault over the bloody body of a maid that had been left in front. Serenity was surprised at just how fast the short-legged little Leute could run as they dashed into the lobby, which also looked like a battle scene from some kind of gangster movie, and up the stairs. It was a relief that Daara's room was close, only on the second floor, and unadulterated.
The Delph opened her suitcase and pulled out a small envelope. "Here. There's $200 ESUN Dollars, your ticket and boarding pass, and the number you can use to reach Albeht. Also…" Pushing a green sweater to the side, she pulled out a small derringer-like firearm and a box of bullets. "Take this and use it when you need to." Serenity nodded and eyed it confusedly, trying to figure out how exactly it worked.
"Oh, she'll need to," Iy replied, stepping out from the bathroom. Her face and arms were cut and bleeding, and her smile was gone. "That was not a nice trick to pull, Daara. Certainly not something I'd expect from a Kentauros flower-child like yourself."
"Serenity, go! The fire escape!" Daara screamed.
Iy let out a screech and pointed her gun. "I don't think so, Your Highness!"
But before she could fire a different shot went off. The Medusa gasped in surprise as a brighter spot of green blood blossomed on her shoulder, and Daara spun around and gasped in surprise to see Serenity holding the smoking gun.
"Sorry! I was just trying to see how it worked!" she cried.
"Don't be sorry! Run! I told you what to do, now do it!" Daara shouted.
"But what about you? And Setsuna?"
"I'll send her along after you! Now get the hell out of here, damn it!"
Serenity did as she was told, but not before shouting back one final thing. "Thank you, Daara!" With that, she jumped out the window, clutching the envelope to her chest and racing down the fire escape. Behind and above her, she could hear more shouts and gunshots, then horrible silence when she finally reached the ground. For one foolish moment, she stopped and looked up, sure that Iy would be on her trail.
But she was alone.
Running out to the street, she quickly hailed a cab. When the driver asked her where they were going, she told him the airport. All the while, she was constantly looking over her shoulder for any sign of the Medusa assassin. But while she saw Delphi aplenty, there was no sign of Iy. Or Daara.
Three hours later, she was flying several thousand feet over Cape Town, wondering what had become of Setsuna before drifting off to sleep.
"So…tell me, Daara, are they all obsessive human sympathizers like you at Kentauros? Or are you just 'special'?" Iy hissed angrily, clutching at her wounded arm and giving the Delph a vicious smile.
"Go to hell, Medusa bitch," Daara snapped back, pointing its gun. To its extreme discomfort, Iy was laughing again.
"You have a swearing problem that I don't like, Daara. Learned it from your human friends, no doubt. I'm simply not going to listen to it anymore."
She raised her gun so quickly that Daara could not have expected it had Iy's arm even been uninjured. But the shot caught it by surprise so quickly that it could do nothing as the bullet ripped through its chest and lodged itself in the wall behind it. Eyes widening in surprise, Daara stared up at the ceiling in shock.
"What the…how the hell…?"
And then, the Delph said nothing more.
Iy smiled, then picked up Daara's body and laid it on the bed. Rummaging through its suitcase, it found a second envelope similar to the one she had just given Serenity, and tucked it into her jacket pocket. "Nighty-night, Daara Mnymar," she smiled, then flicked off the lights and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Walking down the hallway, Iy made her way to her own hotel room, where she deposited both her gun and the envelope and removed her bloodstained clothing. Taking a quick shower, she managed to wash off most of the blood, the only serious wound being that bitch Serenity's gunshot. Really, what was Iy thinking? Giving a human a Satyr…a gun that packed the firepower of a rifle into a gun the size of a child's squirt gun…
Stepping out of the shower, Iy wrapped a towel around herself then went to her own suitcase. After a bit of rummaging, she retrieved a strange sort of knife with a very narrow blade, only about as wide as a pencil, and very sharp. Carefully, she inserted the tip into the gunshot wound, and began rummaging around for the slug. Any human in her situation would have likely passed out by now, and even an average Delph would be screaming in pain. But as a Medusa, literally the strongest humanoid race on the planet, she was only slightly wincing at the pain others might have called excruciating.
After a little while, she found the slug and pried it out. Rinsing the wound with water and then dabbing it with alcohol, she bandaged it neatly and put on a clean pink dress, white tights, and black mary-janes. After combing and blow-drying her hair, she tied a pink ribbon around it, then went back to her suitcase. Shoving aside all else, she now drew out her katana, and slung it around her back before exiting.
Walking down the hall, Iy entered the elevator and pressed the button for the seventh floor. When the doors opened, she made her way to room number 713 and knocked. Not surprisingly, the voice of Setsuna Meioh, sounding as calm as ever, answered.
"Come in."
She didn't look surprised to see the assassin when she entered. In fact, she greeted her almost congenially, as if the Medusa had come for tea instead of killing her.
"Hello, Iy."
"Hello, Setsuna," she unsheathed her katana and took several steps forward. "You know why I'm here, don't you?"
"Of course I do. You've come to kill me. Like you tried to do with Serenity," Setsuna replied. She was seated at a desk, bent over a piece of paper she was currently writing upon. Iy was somewhat insulted that even now, as she stood (or rather, sat) at the end of her life, Setsuna was putting paperwork over her own death.
"I'm not going to fail again. I am a Medusa. I am better than that," she snapped.
"Indeed you are," Setsuna replied, still not looking up. "I have no doubt that you will kill me. I don't have any intention of stopping you. But I would request that you allow me to just finish this one last bit of unfinished business."
"Oh? And why should I answer that request?"
"Why? Because you are a Medusa. You have honor, and you can respect your enemies. Assuming they do not make a fool of you. Daara paid very much for insolence, I hear," she remarked.
"Yes, that's correct," Iy replied. "Very well then, I will allow you to finish. But I would like to know why you plan on making this so easy. Perhaps you have reinforcements I missed?"
"Do you think so?" Setsuna asked. "The last time I checked, everyone besides Serenity and myself had left Cape Town."
"Everyone?"
"Everyone you need to be careful of," she answered. Adjusting the glasses on her face, she read over what was written on the paper. Seemingly satisfied, she sealed it in an envelope, and wrote something else on it. Standing up, she looked at Iy and held it up. "When you are finished, Iy, I'd like that you deliver this for me."
The Medusa stared at it. She could read many human languages, but the word (or words, she couldn't really tell) written upon the envelope was strange to her, like nothing she had seen before. She frowned. How was she supposed to deliver it?
Stupid question.
She'd just deliver it with the package.
The one Setsuna most likely knew about.
"Very well. I will do that for you, Setsuna Meioh. Because I can respect you as my enemy. In fact, I will be merciful, even though it is not my way."
"I thank you for that, Iy."
She set the envelope on the desk, then made her way around it to stand in front of the Medusa. Iy's hands gripped tighter on the katana's hilt, and she motioned for Setsuna to kneel.
"Do you have anything you want to say to your god, Setsuna?"
"No. I'll be with him soon. But there are some things I want to tell you, Iy."
At this, the Medusa raised her eyebrow. "Are there now? Very well. I'm listening."
"I want to tell you that even though you're about to kill me, you're going to be following shortly after. And so is Eljira. And eventually, so will every other Leute on this planet. It is simply not your place, Iy. It is a very sad thing that your world was destroyed, but that does not mean you may come to another and take it as your own. You will not survive here any better than humans would on another planet. Your kind has endured for many years, but Time is catching up to you, as is Fate, and you will be penalized for breaking the rules.
"I also wanted to tell you that you ought to make the best of the time you do have here. Humans are you best key to survival. Do as they do, and you will live longer. You have learned the basics, such as how to keep yourselves alive. But things like love…sacrifice…hope…faith…those are all things that are still beyond your kind. Perhaps if you can begin to grasp them, you might put off your destruction for a while, but I fear you won't even bother. Am I right?"
Iy shrugged. "Most likely. You're right about all of that. But you see, Eljira's the only one who gives a damn about things like that. When my day comes, so be it. I still regret nothing I have done."
Setsuna smiled at her. "I see. A good way to be. Then perhaps you can pass my words onto Eljira."
"Perhaps," Iy agreed. "Is there anything else?"
"I love my husband, and I love my son, and I love Rini and Hotaru, and all of my friends, and my comrades. That is all I have to say."
"Very well then. Good bye, Setsuna Meioh."
"Good bye, Iy."
It was a swift cut as Iy brought the katana down across Setsuna's neck. Her head rolled a few inches, but was stopped by the masses of ivy-colored hair that she had swept away from her neck moments before it had been severed. Scarlet blood now stained the ivory carpet, but Iy took no notice. Instead, she picked up Setsuna's head by the hair and carried it into the bathroom. There, she found a complementary lighter and began to cauterize her neck. It took a long time, but eventually the blood stopped. After that, Iy washed the dead woman's hair in the sink, combing it carefully and then twisting it up into a bun.
Taking it back into the main room, she found a box beneath the desk and placed the severed head inside. On the crown of Setsuna's skull, Iy placed her letter in the strange language. Then she paused a moment, looking at the top of the woman's head. Carefully, she cut a lock of hair from it with her katana, then braided and knotted it into a bracelet which she slipped around her wrist.
Sitting down at the desk Setsuna had been sitting at only twenty minutes before, Iy took out a fresh piece of paper and picked up the pen Setsuna had been using. It only took her a minute to write the short note:
To whom it may concern:
I killed her, and I still regret nothing.
-Iy
This she folded up and sealed in a second envelope, placing it with the first. Finally satisfied, she sealed up the box and addressed it, before carrying it out of the room, leaving Setsuna's headless body still-bleeding on the floor.