Chapter 7
Rei stood, somewhat impatiently, behind the boys as they creaked open the stone-looking door with the strange yellow symbol painted across the front. (Stop fidgeting, this is for your own good. They take care of the monsters...) Rei frowned. "What's the matter?" She called to the guys who had already ventured into the room, but surprisingly, had not fired a single shot.
Relena titled her head in the door to see no creatures, only five silent boys creeping around in the large room. Rei titled her head in by Relena's and was suddenly surprised by the size of the Egyptian exhibit. (It never looked this big in the computer...) The room was easily as large as the lobby, with an extensive stone ceiling and walls covered with wallpaper of deep green palm leaves. Off to one side was a large doorway carved out, leading to a room with ancient-looking, though not very Egyptian, murals painted above a row of spiked stands standing against the round walls of the side room. On her left side was a magnificent set of stone steps leading to a stone panel door. There were small statues of Anubis, the dog god, at each stair. To the far side of the room were more murals, this time of Egyptian figures, covering the wall. The chamber had a small corridor turning away from the rest of the room on the far wall. Rei straightened and took a step inside, looking down the room at the side corridor. (I remember what's back there...) Around the corner there was a sarcophagus with another jar. And past that there was a small shrine where the cloth Ixupi sometimes resided.
Taking another step into the room, Rei looked around her at the room and sighed. (How much longer do I have to be stuck in this game...) Her eyes suddenly went to Heero, and, for a reason unknown to her, her eyes stayed on him. She traveled down to his thin shoulders, and further to his strangely thin, but well defined arms. Stopping herself before she went any lower, Rei's eyes suddenly snapped to his slightly angled face, his unruly brown hair, and cold blue eyes searching the shadows for the beasts roaming the museum. Prussian blue orbs suddenly met with violet ones and Rei snapped her head away.
(Did he see me staring at him? Why was I staring? It's not like he's attractive, or...) Rei felt drawn back to him and she saw him looking back at her. There was a brief register of surprise across his face before Heero turned back to the corridor he was looking down.
Rei raised her hand a bit. "There's-" All eyes suddenly focused on her. Rei cleared her throat and pointed back to the corridor. "In the back room, there's a pile of clothes where the cloth Ixupi sometimes is. Oh!" She blinked, remembering what else was down that hall. She trotted over next to Heero, belatedly aware of her skirt bouncing with each step. She carefully kept her eyes away from his and stepped up to the sarcophagus, turning her gaze to the columns on each side. Each column was separated into three sections, an Egyptian character on every section, a single symbol on all of the four sides of the columns. Rei sighed. "Last time I did this, I had to figure the symbols out on my own; I never remembered to go back and get that book from the professor's body... Where's Relena?" Rei looked up.
Relena stood behind Heero, practically against him, and flicked her hair behind her shoulder as a response. "Present." She spat. Rei had the sudden feeling Relena had seen her watching Heero.
Duo, Quatre, and Trowa all stood at her back, but Wufei, who was in front of her, next to Heero, looked back at her irritably. "She needs the book." He cut himself short, not daring to give her the name he reserved for most other women. He glanced at Heero and was vaguely surprised to see him watching Rei indifferently, seemingly not even paying attention.
"Give her the book, Relena." Heero commanded in his usual monotonous voice.
Relena scowled, but reaching into the shoulder bag anyway. Pulling out the muddied book, she tossed it to Rei with a little more force than necessary.
Rei snatched it from the air and tried not to glare back at Relena. (Can't even throw straight...) She opened the book carefully and flipped through the pages, half-aware that they were staring at her intensely again. (Creepy, creepy, creepy...) She smiled to herself as she found the page with the names of two specific pharaohs. Licking her lips, she moved to the first column and pushed each of the three segments around, revolving them around the column, until the symbols matched the ones on the book. "And for the second one..." She muttered, moving to the second column, waiting a second until Wufei paid attention to what she was doing and leaned off of it. Once again moving the symbols, Rei stepped back as she slid the final symbol into place.
There was a grinding sound as the lid slid away and a sudden flash of black brought a jarring burst of gunfire. Rei gasped as the black flash dropped to the ground as yet another creature.
She sighed softly and was suddenly very aware of an arm fixed around her waist and something firm and unyielding against her back. She stared down at the corpse as the realization hit her that the article against her back was Heero's chest. She tilted her face to see him tucking his gun back into the unseen holster at his belt. He looked up at her.
The world seemed to go silent in that one moment and got the faint sensation of falling. (Does he do this on purpose...)
An irritated sigh came from somewhere. Rei snapped awake to see a very agitated Relena standing with her hands on her hips, all but glaring at Rei. Rei glanced around to see the others, seeming to tuck away their own weapons, but not entirely hiding their own stares of slight shock. Stepping back, she slid Heero's arm away, casting him a somewhat uncomfortable sideways look.
"Shouldn't we be moving on?" Relena growled.
Rei looked back at the sarcophagus. "Just have to get the jar..."
Duo grinned widely and held up the rust colored figure. This one had webbed claws protruding from the bottom and a spiked opening across the top. He somewhat eagerly tossed it to Relena, who caught it awkwardly. "Well, let's move it!" He shot his hand in the air excitedly.
Rei shook her head slowly. (Does this guy ever get down?)
Suddenly, there was another loud, grinding noise and several guns darted out. Rei dropped to the ground immediately, this time, followed by Relena. There was an incoherent shout and a few low curses, but no gunshots. Rei looked up and hid her smile.
Quatre and Trowa were at the top of the steps, next to the open panel door at the top. Each was pressed against the wall, holding up open palms. Rei stood up and let out a short laugh. "Looks like you opened the door to the next room!" She shouted to the pair, calming them an iota.
Quatre lowered his hands and shrugged slowly. "I saw the puzzle on the door and figured we would eventually have to solve it anyway..." He trailed off, looking away with a hint of guilt.
They stood silently at the top of the steps while the rest of the group sauntered slowly up the stairs. As Heero, Wufei, Duo passed into the small corridor, Trowa hesitating, but following behind down the narrow set of stairs, Rei cast Quatre a soft smile. "Hey. Thanks for getting that puzzle. You saved us a ton of time." She flashed a reassuring smile again.
"Yeah, I'm sure you didn't mean to frighten anyone!" Relena said brightly from a step away from Rei, showing her own enthusiastic smile.
Quatre half-smiled uneasily and stepped off down the stairs. Rei looked after him a moment before following, a vaguely downtrodden Relena behind her. Rei had the feeling that Relena's words of encouragement didn't quite have the effect she had wanted.
Rei halted at a few steps above the landing on the stairs as the sound of growling and a short scuffle reached her ears. A sharp gunshot silenced the room once again. Rei leaned around the corner. Heero looked at her a moment and nodded. She nodded back and trotted down the steps, silently in her thin white socks. Relena followed still, but went right for Heero, once she stepped off the stairs.
Rei didn't bother to roll her eyes, instead looked around, seeing this particular room from a different perspective than on her computer. It was very dim, casting everything with a blue, green tint. Directly to her left was a small, Norse burial ship, only about five feet in length, but complete with the appropriate shields, hammers and skulls. Across from that was a small hut, nondescript, except that it housed yet another cloth Ixupi hiding place. Beside that, was a less homey display; this one was of a full skeleton lying on a bed of sticks, elevated about six feet from the floor by four wooden poles, one placed at each corner of the bed. There was a wooden lion coffin between this and a very ornate red door. One the opposite side of this door was a tray neatly piled with ceremonial ashes, set closely next to a large, fierce-looking, wooden bear.
"Cozy, isn't it?" Duo muttered sarcastically.
Rei stepped behind him. "It's the rites of burial room. Don't get nervous, I think there's only one other room creepier than this..." She patted his back and turned around, looking over the room once more.
"Well, don't you worry, Rei..." Duo continued suggestively. "You'll have me to comfort you..." He gave a small tug on the back of her skirt for emphasis.
In an instant, Rei had him by the wrist and twisted his arm upwards. She smiled smugly. "I can comfort myself, thanks." She blinked slowly and, still smiling, released his arm.
Duo pulled back, cradling his arm. "Geez, with a grip like that, you could take out these creatures yourself..."
Rei kept her smile but said nothing. She raised her voice to address all of them. "There's only a talisman in this room, but it's going to take a while to get it. Unless anyone here knows how to beat a game called Hi- Q?" She looked around hopefully, but sighed into the silence she received. "Well, there's an African witch doctor exhibit on the other side of that door, but nothing in there now." She waved her hand vaguely. "If you want to go check it out..."
"We will." Heero said firmly and nodded. He brushed past her, giving Rei the same sidelong look she had given him earlier.
Rei tried not to meet Relena's eyes as the last of the boys passed into the next room. "Should take care of that puzzle..." Rei muttered more to herself than to Relena. Kneeling down next to the bear, Rei dug her fingernails into an indent in the base, smiling with satisfaction when a small drawer slid out. Inside the drawer was a small board with a series of indents in it, at least 45 of them. There were oriental markings around the holes, which were arranged in a cross, a block of 9 holes, 3 by 3, in the center, with a single red framed hole in the center of that block, and another block of 9 on each side, shaping a cross of green background against the red markings. There was a small, red oval button at the base of the cross.
Rei sighed heavily as she pressed it. (Going to be here for a while.) There was a suction noise and small red marbles popped up into each of the holes, all except the center red hole. Picking up a marble, she skipped it over the one in front of it and landed it in the red center. The marble she skipped over disappeared with a clink. Biting her lip, she picked up another one and skipped it into the empty hole create by the one she had just skipped. She continued skipping the marbles around, clearing others away into the board until she had only three left. They were on opposite ends of the board. Rei sighed as she pressed the button again, replacing all of the marbles to their original positions. (Definitely a long while.)
She suddenly recalled a frightening memory. "Relena, don't go in that coffin next to you."
"Why not?" Relena responded haughtily.
Rei considered how Relena would react to the fact that she had been standing next to a dead body for the past five minutes. "Just trust me."
Relena looked over at Rei, crouched scandalously on the floor in her disgracefully short skirt. (She must be some sort of a hooker to wear something like that! Who else would be comfortable wearing such a thing?!) Relena glanced away as Rei sighed heavily and arranged herself in a more comfortable sitting position. The tiny clinks resumed. Relena didn't want to bother with the childish marble game. Her eyes went down to the bag slung over her shoulder. (So she plays games while I am stuck carrying this bag...) Her eyes drew to the decorated red door leading to where her Heero and the others were. (And what is she doing to Heero? How does she manage to get his arms around her?!) Relena glared at the lion coffin next to her, refusing to remember that Heero had never held her, leaned on her maybe, but never held. (Don't let that girl get to you. Just keep calm and wait until they say it's clear.) Relena frowned. (And then what? Will we just keep following her orders until...until what? She leads us into a trap, or any number of nasty things? She could be an enemy for all we know!) Relena glanced back at Rei, sitting cross-legged on the ground, still toying with the marble game. (I will not take orders from this, this....) She searched her mind for a name that would sum up her anger but found none. An irritated sigh to her right, brought Relena's attention back fully on Rei.
Rei looked up to see Relena staring at her. "Do you want to try?" She asked as politely as she could.
"No."
Rei blinked and shrugged her shoulders. "Okay then..." She turned back to the board. (What are those guys doing in there? It's not that big of a room...)
Suddenly, a short creak an ear-splitting scream of fear jarred Rei to her feet. A blur fell by her and Rei realized what had happened just before Relena's arm hit the table of ashes and sent them spraying. All over Rei.
Rei vaguely heard a door slam open and several audible curses. She opened her eyes slowly, not remembering she when had closed them. The room was completely still. Heero and Wufei stood in the door, guns drawn, the others behind them, looking on the scene with equal surprise. Relena sat at Rei's feet, fallen to the ground after stumbling into the ash tray, slightly dusted, but fine. Across the small room, was an open lion coffin, with a crumpled, burnt corpse lying inside, its mouth stretched open in silent horror at some invisible being. Rei looked down at herself. Her arms were covered in ash that slid across her skin to the floor as she moved. She felt her skirt. The back was also covered in ash, along with the backs of her legs. Rei turned her head slowly, letting her hair fall in her face. The rest of her hair rustled as piled of more ash dropped to the floor. She drew her arm slowly around to pull the rest of her hair into view. Her locks of spotless ebony were now covered in the sparkling dust.
The sight seemed to drain Rei, the sight of ashes, the ashes of some dead person, scattered all over her, pulled part of her mind back to reality. "Relena, there's a corpse in that coffin." She said quietly.
Relena stood silently and looked away. "You didn't say-"
"I said not to look in there and to just trust me on it." Rei growled, her anger growing as she began to brush herself off.
Heero suddenly appeared at her side, clicking his gun back into place, brushing his free hand over Rei's hair, dusting the ash away.
The others watched from the doorway, seeing what was happening and giving the appropriate space.
Relena, however, fumed silently a few feet away from the pair, watching as the pair gradually dropped the mountain of dust to the ground. (She's openly flirting with him! Heero! Don't you see what she's doing?! Glancing at you every five seconds, trying to catch your eye, bumping hands... Heero, why don't you see?!) Relena took a deep breath and tried to retain the diplomatic calm she had worked so hard to master. But her mind continued to rage. (Heero, just stop falling into her traps! I know you're smarter than this!)
Rei looked down at herself, making sure she had gotten it all off. Heero's hands stopped dusting her and she turned around to face him. "Thanks..." She said quietly.
"Are you okay?" He asked firmly.
Rei nodded. "It was just ash." Rei suddenly felt that falling sensation again and realized she was staring at him. (But why can't I look away...) In the silence around her, Rei heard and felt her heart slamming in her chest and the part of her mind that was still functioning wondered if they could see her heart pounding against the thin fabric.
"I think she's clean now. We should go." A very familiar voice commanded from somewhere away from the icy blue eyes that seemed to command Rei's entire field of sight. They snapped away and she fell back to reality.
The voice belonged to a very agitated Relena standing a very heated two feet away. Anger suddenly pushed into Rei's mind, but she suppressed it. (Stop it, Rei. Just stop. You are going to have to deal with this priss for a while yet; don't make her hate you more than necessary.) And before she could stop the thought, (Just make sure she's not around when you do that again.)
So....how was that? Sorry this chapter is so late; I had my very first real writer's block. I had totally no idea what to do with this story! Which is kind of unusual, considering with all of my other stories I have always had at least something of an idea how things will develop. Well, I really hope you like this chapter; I must say I must an abnormal amount of effort into it! Maybe if I get enough reviews for this chapter I'll consider doing it all the time... (wink wink) Heh, just kidding, I think I'll try to get back into the habit of writing longer chapters anyway; I'm getting out of practice. Oh, yeah and I want you all to check out jasmine starlight's work, she's a friend of mine and a really good writer. And to Lady Tomoyo, thanks for reviewing all of my stories, even One Summer Day, I really appreciate it. And to everyone else who has been faithfully reviewing me, hugs, kisses and baby kittens to you all! Keep it up! ^_^
Rei stood, somewhat impatiently, behind the boys as they creaked open the stone-looking door with the strange yellow symbol painted across the front. (Stop fidgeting, this is for your own good. They take care of the monsters...) Rei frowned. "What's the matter?" She called to the guys who had already ventured into the room, but surprisingly, had not fired a single shot.
Relena titled her head in the door to see no creatures, only five silent boys creeping around in the large room. Rei titled her head in by Relena's and was suddenly surprised by the size of the Egyptian exhibit. (It never looked this big in the computer...) The room was easily as large as the lobby, with an extensive stone ceiling and walls covered with wallpaper of deep green palm leaves. Off to one side was a large doorway carved out, leading to a room with ancient-looking, though not very Egyptian, murals painted above a row of spiked stands standing against the round walls of the side room. On her left side was a magnificent set of stone steps leading to a stone panel door. There were small statues of Anubis, the dog god, at each stair. To the far side of the room were more murals, this time of Egyptian figures, covering the wall. The chamber had a small corridor turning away from the rest of the room on the far wall. Rei straightened and took a step inside, looking down the room at the side corridor. (I remember what's back there...) Around the corner there was a sarcophagus with another jar. And past that there was a small shrine where the cloth Ixupi sometimes resided.
Taking another step into the room, Rei looked around her at the room and sighed. (How much longer do I have to be stuck in this game...) Her eyes suddenly went to Heero, and, for a reason unknown to her, her eyes stayed on him. She traveled down to his thin shoulders, and further to his strangely thin, but well defined arms. Stopping herself before she went any lower, Rei's eyes suddenly snapped to his slightly angled face, his unruly brown hair, and cold blue eyes searching the shadows for the beasts roaming the museum. Prussian blue orbs suddenly met with violet ones and Rei snapped her head away.
(Did he see me staring at him? Why was I staring? It's not like he's attractive, or...) Rei felt drawn back to him and she saw him looking back at her. There was a brief register of surprise across his face before Heero turned back to the corridor he was looking down.
Rei raised her hand a bit. "There's-" All eyes suddenly focused on her. Rei cleared her throat and pointed back to the corridor. "In the back room, there's a pile of clothes where the cloth Ixupi sometimes is. Oh!" She blinked, remembering what else was down that hall. She trotted over next to Heero, belatedly aware of her skirt bouncing with each step. She carefully kept her eyes away from his and stepped up to the sarcophagus, turning her gaze to the columns on each side. Each column was separated into three sections, an Egyptian character on every section, a single symbol on all of the four sides of the columns. Rei sighed. "Last time I did this, I had to figure the symbols out on my own; I never remembered to go back and get that book from the professor's body... Where's Relena?" Rei looked up.
Relena stood behind Heero, practically against him, and flicked her hair behind her shoulder as a response. "Present." She spat. Rei had the sudden feeling Relena had seen her watching Heero.
Duo, Quatre, and Trowa all stood at her back, but Wufei, who was in front of her, next to Heero, looked back at her irritably. "She needs the book." He cut himself short, not daring to give her the name he reserved for most other women. He glanced at Heero and was vaguely surprised to see him watching Rei indifferently, seemingly not even paying attention.
"Give her the book, Relena." Heero commanded in his usual monotonous voice.
Relena scowled, but reaching into the shoulder bag anyway. Pulling out the muddied book, she tossed it to Rei with a little more force than necessary.
Rei snatched it from the air and tried not to glare back at Relena. (Can't even throw straight...) She opened the book carefully and flipped through the pages, half-aware that they were staring at her intensely again. (Creepy, creepy, creepy...) She smiled to herself as she found the page with the names of two specific pharaohs. Licking her lips, she moved to the first column and pushed each of the three segments around, revolving them around the column, until the symbols matched the ones on the book. "And for the second one..." She muttered, moving to the second column, waiting a second until Wufei paid attention to what she was doing and leaned off of it. Once again moving the symbols, Rei stepped back as she slid the final symbol into place.
There was a grinding sound as the lid slid away and a sudden flash of black brought a jarring burst of gunfire. Rei gasped as the black flash dropped to the ground as yet another creature.
She sighed softly and was suddenly very aware of an arm fixed around her waist and something firm and unyielding against her back. She stared down at the corpse as the realization hit her that the article against her back was Heero's chest. She tilted her face to see him tucking his gun back into the unseen holster at his belt. He looked up at her.
The world seemed to go silent in that one moment and got the faint sensation of falling. (Does he do this on purpose...)
An irritated sigh came from somewhere. Rei snapped awake to see a very agitated Relena standing with her hands on her hips, all but glaring at Rei. Rei glanced around to see the others, seeming to tuck away their own weapons, but not entirely hiding their own stares of slight shock. Stepping back, she slid Heero's arm away, casting him a somewhat uncomfortable sideways look.
"Shouldn't we be moving on?" Relena growled.
Rei looked back at the sarcophagus. "Just have to get the jar..."
Duo grinned widely and held up the rust colored figure. This one had webbed claws protruding from the bottom and a spiked opening across the top. He somewhat eagerly tossed it to Relena, who caught it awkwardly. "Well, let's move it!" He shot his hand in the air excitedly.
Rei shook her head slowly. (Does this guy ever get down?)
Suddenly, there was another loud, grinding noise and several guns darted out. Rei dropped to the ground immediately, this time, followed by Relena. There was an incoherent shout and a few low curses, but no gunshots. Rei looked up and hid her smile.
Quatre and Trowa were at the top of the steps, next to the open panel door at the top. Each was pressed against the wall, holding up open palms. Rei stood up and let out a short laugh. "Looks like you opened the door to the next room!" She shouted to the pair, calming them an iota.
Quatre lowered his hands and shrugged slowly. "I saw the puzzle on the door and figured we would eventually have to solve it anyway..." He trailed off, looking away with a hint of guilt.
They stood silently at the top of the steps while the rest of the group sauntered slowly up the stairs. As Heero, Wufei, Duo passed into the small corridor, Trowa hesitating, but following behind down the narrow set of stairs, Rei cast Quatre a soft smile. "Hey. Thanks for getting that puzzle. You saved us a ton of time." She flashed a reassuring smile again.
"Yeah, I'm sure you didn't mean to frighten anyone!" Relena said brightly from a step away from Rei, showing her own enthusiastic smile.
Quatre half-smiled uneasily and stepped off down the stairs. Rei looked after him a moment before following, a vaguely downtrodden Relena behind her. Rei had the feeling that Relena's words of encouragement didn't quite have the effect she had wanted.
Rei halted at a few steps above the landing on the stairs as the sound of growling and a short scuffle reached her ears. A sharp gunshot silenced the room once again. Rei leaned around the corner. Heero looked at her a moment and nodded. She nodded back and trotted down the steps, silently in her thin white socks. Relena followed still, but went right for Heero, once she stepped off the stairs.
Rei didn't bother to roll her eyes, instead looked around, seeing this particular room from a different perspective than on her computer. It was very dim, casting everything with a blue, green tint. Directly to her left was a small, Norse burial ship, only about five feet in length, but complete with the appropriate shields, hammers and skulls. Across from that was a small hut, nondescript, except that it housed yet another cloth Ixupi hiding place. Beside that, was a less homey display; this one was of a full skeleton lying on a bed of sticks, elevated about six feet from the floor by four wooden poles, one placed at each corner of the bed. There was a wooden lion coffin between this and a very ornate red door. One the opposite side of this door was a tray neatly piled with ceremonial ashes, set closely next to a large, fierce-looking, wooden bear.
"Cozy, isn't it?" Duo muttered sarcastically.
Rei stepped behind him. "It's the rites of burial room. Don't get nervous, I think there's only one other room creepier than this..." She patted his back and turned around, looking over the room once more.
"Well, don't you worry, Rei..." Duo continued suggestively. "You'll have me to comfort you..." He gave a small tug on the back of her skirt for emphasis.
In an instant, Rei had him by the wrist and twisted his arm upwards. She smiled smugly. "I can comfort myself, thanks." She blinked slowly and, still smiling, released his arm.
Duo pulled back, cradling his arm. "Geez, with a grip like that, you could take out these creatures yourself..."
Rei kept her smile but said nothing. She raised her voice to address all of them. "There's only a talisman in this room, but it's going to take a while to get it. Unless anyone here knows how to beat a game called Hi- Q?" She looked around hopefully, but sighed into the silence she received. "Well, there's an African witch doctor exhibit on the other side of that door, but nothing in there now." She waved her hand vaguely. "If you want to go check it out..."
"We will." Heero said firmly and nodded. He brushed past her, giving Rei the same sidelong look she had given him earlier.
Rei tried not to meet Relena's eyes as the last of the boys passed into the next room. "Should take care of that puzzle..." Rei muttered more to herself than to Relena. Kneeling down next to the bear, Rei dug her fingernails into an indent in the base, smiling with satisfaction when a small drawer slid out. Inside the drawer was a small board with a series of indents in it, at least 45 of them. There were oriental markings around the holes, which were arranged in a cross, a block of 9 holes, 3 by 3, in the center, with a single red framed hole in the center of that block, and another block of 9 on each side, shaping a cross of green background against the red markings. There was a small, red oval button at the base of the cross.
Rei sighed heavily as she pressed it. (Going to be here for a while.) There was a suction noise and small red marbles popped up into each of the holes, all except the center red hole. Picking up a marble, she skipped it over the one in front of it and landed it in the red center. The marble she skipped over disappeared with a clink. Biting her lip, she picked up another one and skipped it into the empty hole create by the one she had just skipped. She continued skipping the marbles around, clearing others away into the board until she had only three left. They were on opposite ends of the board. Rei sighed as she pressed the button again, replacing all of the marbles to their original positions. (Definitely a long while.)
She suddenly recalled a frightening memory. "Relena, don't go in that coffin next to you."
"Why not?" Relena responded haughtily.
Rei considered how Relena would react to the fact that she had been standing next to a dead body for the past five minutes. "Just trust me."
Relena looked over at Rei, crouched scandalously on the floor in her disgracefully short skirt. (She must be some sort of a hooker to wear something like that! Who else would be comfortable wearing such a thing?!) Relena glanced away as Rei sighed heavily and arranged herself in a more comfortable sitting position. The tiny clinks resumed. Relena didn't want to bother with the childish marble game. Her eyes went down to the bag slung over her shoulder. (So she plays games while I am stuck carrying this bag...) Her eyes drew to the decorated red door leading to where her Heero and the others were. (And what is she doing to Heero? How does she manage to get his arms around her?!) Relena glared at the lion coffin next to her, refusing to remember that Heero had never held her, leaned on her maybe, but never held. (Don't let that girl get to you. Just keep calm and wait until they say it's clear.) Relena frowned. (And then what? Will we just keep following her orders until...until what? She leads us into a trap, or any number of nasty things? She could be an enemy for all we know!) Relena glanced back at Rei, sitting cross-legged on the ground, still toying with the marble game. (I will not take orders from this, this....) She searched her mind for a name that would sum up her anger but found none. An irritated sigh to her right, brought Relena's attention back fully on Rei.
Rei looked up to see Relena staring at her. "Do you want to try?" She asked as politely as she could.
"No."
Rei blinked and shrugged her shoulders. "Okay then..." She turned back to the board. (What are those guys doing in there? It's not that big of a room...)
Suddenly, a short creak an ear-splitting scream of fear jarred Rei to her feet. A blur fell by her and Rei realized what had happened just before Relena's arm hit the table of ashes and sent them spraying. All over Rei.
Rei vaguely heard a door slam open and several audible curses. She opened her eyes slowly, not remembering she when had closed them. The room was completely still. Heero and Wufei stood in the door, guns drawn, the others behind them, looking on the scene with equal surprise. Relena sat at Rei's feet, fallen to the ground after stumbling into the ash tray, slightly dusted, but fine. Across the small room, was an open lion coffin, with a crumpled, burnt corpse lying inside, its mouth stretched open in silent horror at some invisible being. Rei looked down at herself. Her arms were covered in ash that slid across her skin to the floor as she moved. She felt her skirt. The back was also covered in ash, along with the backs of her legs. Rei turned her head slowly, letting her hair fall in her face. The rest of her hair rustled as piled of more ash dropped to the floor. She drew her arm slowly around to pull the rest of her hair into view. Her locks of spotless ebony were now covered in the sparkling dust.
The sight seemed to drain Rei, the sight of ashes, the ashes of some dead person, scattered all over her, pulled part of her mind back to reality. "Relena, there's a corpse in that coffin." She said quietly.
Relena stood silently and looked away. "You didn't say-"
"I said not to look in there and to just trust me on it." Rei growled, her anger growing as she began to brush herself off.
Heero suddenly appeared at her side, clicking his gun back into place, brushing his free hand over Rei's hair, dusting the ash away.
The others watched from the doorway, seeing what was happening and giving the appropriate space.
Relena, however, fumed silently a few feet away from the pair, watching as the pair gradually dropped the mountain of dust to the ground. (She's openly flirting with him! Heero! Don't you see what she's doing?! Glancing at you every five seconds, trying to catch your eye, bumping hands... Heero, why don't you see?!) Relena took a deep breath and tried to retain the diplomatic calm she had worked so hard to master. But her mind continued to rage. (Heero, just stop falling into her traps! I know you're smarter than this!)
Rei looked down at herself, making sure she had gotten it all off. Heero's hands stopped dusting her and she turned around to face him. "Thanks..." She said quietly.
"Are you okay?" He asked firmly.
Rei nodded. "It was just ash." Rei suddenly felt that falling sensation again and realized she was staring at him. (But why can't I look away...) In the silence around her, Rei heard and felt her heart slamming in her chest and the part of her mind that was still functioning wondered if they could see her heart pounding against the thin fabric.
"I think she's clean now. We should go." A very familiar voice commanded from somewhere away from the icy blue eyes that seemed to command Rei's entire field of sight. They snapped away and she fell back to reality.
The voice belonged to a very agitated Relena standing a very heated two feet away. Anger suddenly pushed into Rei's mind, but she suppressed it. (Stop it, Rei. Just stop. You are going to have to deal with this priss for a while yet; don't make her hate you more than necessary.) And before she could stop the thought, (Just make sure she's not around when you do that again.)
So....how was that? Sorry this chapter is so late; I had my very first real writer's block. I had totally no idea what to do with this story! Which is kind of unusual, considering with all of my other stories I have always had at least something of an idea how things will develop. Well, I really hope you like this chapter; I must say I must an abnormal amount of effort into it! Maybe if I get enough reviews for this chapter I'll consider doing it all the time... (wink wink) Heh, just kidding, I think I'll try to get back into the habit of writing longer chapters anyway; I'm getting out of practice. Oh, yeah and I want you all to check out jasmine starlight's work, she's a friend of mine and a really good writer. And to Lady Tomoyo, thanks for reviewing all of my stories, even One Summer Day, I really appreciate it. And to everyone else who has been faithfully reviewing me, hugs, kisses and baby kittens to you all! Keep it up! ^_^