Don't Mess with Fire
Part 1
Smoke… rubble… a black sky… she could feel herself running from the ruins of her home, which held her family prisoner under the crushing weight of the roof beams. She continued running away from the wreckage, never looking back, tears streaming down from her crimson eyes. Suddenly, she tripped over an upturned block of concrete, which still held the remnants of a chalk drawing some 4 year old did before being called inside for dinner, and skidded across the debris-strewn ground. She looked at her bleeding arms, her scraped-up leg… her eyes turn from crimson to scarlet. In fury, she smashed her fist into the broken sidewalk, yelling her anger to the skies. "WHY DO YOU HATE ME! WHAT DID I DO TO YOU!" "Who hates you?" a voice asked in front of her. She snapped her head up and found herself looking into cobalt eyes. A boy 5 about years old stood before you, light brown hair falling past his shoulders. Her eyes changed once more from blood-red to ice blue, revealing her relief at finding someone other than herself who lived through the mobile suit attack. He reached out to help her up, but she waved off his offer. "The name's Duo," he introduced himself. She nodded, replying, "Kaida." "Gesundheit!" She whacked his arm playfully, allowing herself a little smile. "That's my name, baka." Suddenly, shouts like "Over here!" and "It's his daughter!" "Get her!" filled the air. The yells were followed by gunfire. Duo grabbed her hand and started to run the other way. "Where-" "Just follow me!" he shouted, leading her out of the suburbs and into the city. A sudden pain shot through her shoulder, blood seeping out of the wound. "Ow…" Duo looked to see what happened, and saw that she had been shot. "Hold in there, Kaida." Her vision started to blur, as a few more sears of pain ran through her legs and back. The world started to tip. "Kaida…" You faintly see your new friend… then darkness…….
She bolted upright on her mattress, her heavy breathing slowing to even breaths. Why am I remembering this now? She drew back the curtain separating her quarters from the rooms of her gang members. Tiredly, she swept the dark brown shoulder-length hair from her face and looked over at the small safe on the other side of the room. An addition will be made to that tomorrow… now I need sleep… she sleepily laid back down and drew the blanket over her tan skin, thinking about her future prize. The Coal Pearls… you will be mine…
The noon sun shone down upon Kaida, the autumn breeze blowing through her hair, all while mingling it with the red bandana she always wore. As she passed through the crowd, a few people glanced at her jacket, murmuring things like, "She's with them!" and "Don't mess with her!" Upon hearing this, she smiled. The teen had no idea her gang had such a reputation around this part of town. Her tan jacket, bearing the badge of the Pyronics Gang over her heart and her own personal symbol on her back, marked her as an important member. They had no idea how important.
She finally stopped in front of a store, the sign Glass Heart Jewelers swinging above the entrance. "Stop numaro one," Kaida said to herself, looking up at the clock tower to her left. 12:30. Perfect timing. She calmly walked into the store, glancing around in the show boxes casually, already knowing the item in question would not be in them. It would be in the back. A man in a suit came up to her, black hair gelled back and brown eyes flashing beneath his glasses. "Excuse me, but I do not believe that the likes of you," he said, looking at her jacket, "should be here. Please leave immediately or I will be forced to call the police." The girl turned around and smirked. She knew this kind of person. He'd let her stay if she offered enough money for an item. "Oh," she said, still smirking, pulling out a (empty) wallet. "But you don't understand. I can pay." The man looked at her stuffed wallet (A/N: which, by the way, was filled with paper) and plastered a smile on his face. "How may I be of service to you, madam?" She looked thoughtful, a frown replacing the space once filled with a smile. "All these items out here… they aren't exactly what I've been looking for… do you have anything else?" "I'm sorry ma'am. The back rooms are reserved for VIPs only…" "I guess I will have to take my business elsewhere, then. Ta ta!" she said, putting the wallet by inside her jacket, striding towards the door. The suited man frowned; the thought of loosing such a rich customer would not to great in the mind of the manager. "Excuse me, miss? I just remembered… we are allowed to share a portion of the back stores with the public…" Inwardly she smiled, but the look of concern on her face bore into the sales man's. "Are you sure your… insignificant… jewelry will fit may needs?" "Oh I'm sure, madam. Right this way!" he led her into the back rooms of the shop, stopping in front of a huge safe. After typing in a code to the lock, the words Access Approved popped up on the screen. The vault opened up, revealing millions of dollars worth of necklaces and other accessories. Diamonds, rubies and emeralds met her eyes, none meeting her standards. "Do you have any pearls?" at this question, the man looked confused. "Pearls?" "Yes, pearls you baka. Got any?" "Um, yes… right this way…" he led Kaida to the back of the vault, where sea water and fresh water pearls alike waited for her verdict. She looked carefully inside each of the show cases, finally pausing in front of a black pearl necklace. "What is this?" "That, ma'am, is the necklace of the famous Coal Pearls. Uncultured, salt water black pearls, each a perfect sphere. The black is unusual for the ocean they were harvested in, thus the name." "Hm. Can you take them out, please? I think I have found something to fit my needs." The excited clerk eagerly took the necklace out of its locked case, gently displaying it on the top of the glass box or his "rich" customer. "Yes. It will do," she said, snatching the necklace and dashing from the vault. The stunned sales man recovered from his shock a few seconds later, pulling an alarm that was on the inside of the safe. A siren sounded; all entrances were in the process of being locked down. The thief made it out the side door moments before the steel grating sealed it off from the outside world. She took off immediately, sprinting down the crowded streets. Already she could hear the guards behind you, yelling phrases like "Freeze!" When will they ever learn that I, of all people, can't freeze? She thought to herself as she passed by a group of guys, where she suddenly stopped. Turning to the one with a watch, she asked, "Yo, what's the time?" the blonde, looking at her funny, glanced down at his watch. "12:56," came his reply. She gave him a wink and started running again. "Thanks!" she yelled over her shoulder and continued on her way down the road towards the intersection where she had to meet Keahi.
Duo stretched. He hadn't been to this part of L2 in a long time; the part of L2 he grew up in. "Didn't I tell you guys? Isn't it great here?" "It's just like any other colony we've been to. I don't see why we had to vacation here," Wufei said with a frown. The braided pilot tugged the Chinese boy's short ponytail, grinning his fully patented Duo-grin. "Aw, come on, Wu-man! Don't you just LOVE this clean air?" "Duo, the newspaper stated that one of the air filters exploded, taking another two with it," Quarte said, holding up a copy. Duo scratched his head. "Oh. Well at least we get to see the circus! Right, Trowa?" the green eyed boy shook his head, wondering how the hell they ever got Duo to get them into these messes.
Suddenly, a brunette about their age ran around the corner, then spotted them and came over. "Yo, what's the time?" a bewildered blonde looked down at his watch. "12:56." The girl winked at him and sped off, shouting her thanks over her shoulder. Duo looked to the confused Quarte. "What was that all about?" "Guess she was late for an appointment," came the blonde's unsure reply. Trowa shrugged. "Who cares? Come on, let's go…" "Hey! Where'd she go?" came the bewildered shouts of the guards, just now reaching the point. One turned to the pilots, a frown on his face. "Did any of you see a brunette with a Pyronics jacket and a red bandana pass by here?" Wufei snorted. "How well are you guys doing your job?" the guard rolled his eyes, apparently used to such comments. "Give us a break. Just tell us where the girl went!" Wufei started to say something, but Duo cut him off. "Nope. No girl's been past here!" The guard narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure?" A shrill whistle from down the road caused the guard and Duo to look in that direction. The girl they were inquiring about stood there, casually leaning on the rail, a smile across her features. "Getting so slow ya have to ask people? Huh, thought you were made of tougher stuff than that!" The mob of guards' eyes grew wide, the lead one pointed at her, shouting, "Get her! Get the wench!" The girl's eyes suddenly changed from an ice blue to a dark crimson, a frown replacing the grin. "The name's Kaida, and I don't appreciate you criticizing my work!" she reached into her jacket and pulled out a sting of black pearls. "Looking for this, officer?" "GET HER!" the officer roared, his patience on end. She tucked the necklace back into her jacket and sprinted away laughing. "YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO CATCH ME, SUCKA!" All the guards ran after her, pulling out guns from their holsters. Once they were gone, Quarte turned back to Duo. "Why did you lie?" Duo smiled. "That's just what you do here. Some people steal because they need to. Not just because they want to." Heero started walking in the direction that the thief and the guards went. "Come on, we don't want to miss the show."
The guards followed Kaida to the intersection, where she looked up the street, only to find Keahi running towards her with guards on her tail as well. The blonde ran past her friend. "What are you waiting for? Let's go!" she yelled. One look at the brunette's eyes and she understood. "Oh damn it all to hell. They did it again, didn't they?" "Ya, and they're not getting away with it this time." She thrust her prize in her friend's direction. "Get this back to hq! Now!" she said, cracking her knuckles and glaring at the upcoming guards. "I need to heat up this chase." As Keahi slipped away, the guards joined up and started to shoot. In the midst of the gunfire, she crossed her arms across her chest and closed her eyes, focusing on what she needed to do. A bullet hit her shoulder, but it was just a dull beesting compared to the rude awakening the guards were about to get. Kaida's eyes shot open, at the same time stretching out both hands. From her outstretched palms, flames shot toward the unsuspecting guards.
Duo's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. How the hell did she do that! Wufei was gaping at the sight of the burnt guards, some struggling to their feet, others down for good. "A GIRL did that? Impossible!" Trowa and Heero watched as the girl noticed the shot wound, shrugged it off, and ran the way her friend went. Suddenly, she stopped and glanced at the rooftop the boys were standing on. Her eyes met Duo's… and became light blue again. Her mouth dropped and she held up two fingers, shaking her head with confusion. Finally, she retreated back into the alleyways and disappeared into the shadows. Kaida… why does that name sound so familiar? the braided baka wondered. Then the name clicked. O damn! Kaida! Could that really be her?
A/N: Oi! Just wanted to say: YIPEE! Sorry. This is my first fic and I'm excited! So please review (comments, flames, and suggestions are welcome!) I might just give you a cookie wink I got chocolate chip and peanut butter. À bientôt! …GAH! NOW FRENCH IS STUCK IN MY HEAD! At least its not as bad as having the Dora the Explorer theme song stuck… that's torture… o.O