Author's note at the bottom. Guys, I'm really sorry about the 2 year hiatus.. but I haven't forgotten this story! I promise!
Enough of my babbling..
Chapter 12:
The whistle blow summoned the whole camp of boys to the back of the school, where their commanding officers stood waiting, along with four neat rows of older boys who all stood side-by-side, legs spread, arms folded in front of their chests; all were waiting patiently. Among them was Hiiro, eyes dull and lifeless, face wiped of any emotion that would portray his feelings.
Trainees of all shapes and sizes stretched and practiced moves they'd learned in the past months they'd been living at the boot camp. Every now and then, two or three boys would glance nervously at the threatening row of superiors. A strong sense of overwhelming fear, anxiousness, and excitement was apparent to any that watched the interactions. The knowledge of their upcoming fight was enough to make any weary.
Mikoshi and Kihono stood side-by-side in front of the rows; they were clothed head-to-toe in military attire, the same clothing they'd worn during the first war. They watched the trainees closely, their faces portraying neither pity nor hope.
Usagi sat among the trainees, stretching beside Duo. She was more nervous than she'd ever been in her entire lifetime of being a Senshi. There was a certain feeling she'd usually feel before fighting an enemy from the Negaverse, but what she felt now was nothing like she'd ever experienced. Nausea settled itself low in her stomach, fear pulsed in her head, and her lip throbbed with pain as her two front teeth sunk lower and lower into the pink flesh.
"Scared." It wasn't a question. Duo supportively patted Shenji on the knee, noting how pale the boy had become. Wufei had disappeared among the large group of trainees, and Duo hadn't seen him since.
Usagi's eyes sought out and found Trowa, standing next to Kihono, and beside him was Quatre. All were dressed in military attire, yet while Mikoshi and Kihono's uniforms were navy blue, Trowa and Quatra's uniforms were a deep olive. They're all talking, she noted, and wondered what it was about.
"Shenji."
She looked at Duo, the question in her eyes.
"I don't know about you, but I'm terrified." He grinned sheepishly when the other boy smiled. "I'm just sayin' that maybe we should be getting ready like everyone else is. I can't say that I'm fully ready for this test, and—"
"I know what you mean," she interrupted softly, sighing. "Duo, I don't know why I ever thought I could become a soldier. I'm totally not cut out for this." Usagi felt a small light inside of her flicker, then fade. Looking at all of these boys made her realize that she was in over her head. Way more than she'd ever been in her life. "I should," she muttered, more to herself than to Duo, "I should just give up and go home before I get up there and take a beating worse than any I've ever felt before."
Duo frowned, shaking his head. "Don't even start with that pathetic bullshit, Shenji. If you didn't believe you could take this test, you wouldn't have trained so long and hard with Hiiro." When the other boy merely lowered his eyes, Duo shrugged. "Alright, if that's how you feel. But I can't believe you're gonna walk away just like that. You didn't get that cool scar for nothin'."
Usagi smiled a small smile. Duo was talking about the knife wound she had on her thigh. Her scar had appeared shortly after she'd healed herself, which had been quite strange considering that she'd never gained scars whenever she had healed herself in the past.
"Besides," Duo continued, rubbing his ankle absentmindedly, "if we get through training, we get to become Alliance—"
Blood suddenly seemed to rush through her system at the word 'Alliance'. Hot and cold raced through her veins, causing Usagi to tense, then shiver while she clenched her fists and teeth as tight as she could. How could I have forgotten? she asked herself, glaring mercilessly at the ground beneath her. How could I have forgotten that my whole reason for being here has changed? How could I have forgotten my family and friends? Her head pulsed, her heart raced.
"You're right, Duo." Her voice was colder than she'd meant it to be. "I'm doing this to get to the Alliance."
Duo grinned and chucked Shenji on the shoulder, mistaking the other boy's malice for passion. "That's the spirit. Now let's haul ass. Might have a few more minutes of practice." He pushed himself up and off the ground, then held out his hand to Shenji and pulled him up as well.
Duo dropped into a fighting stance and nodded to Shenji. "Shall we dance?"
Usagi dropped into her own stance and grinned back playfully. "Let's."
Kihono's eyes swept over the whole camp of trainees, and he grimaced. "They're not ready," he growled quietly. "Not ready at all."
"I agree." Mikoshi's eyes followed her husband's, and she shook her head slowly. "We're losing time, Kihono. This morning, Princess Relena announced that there was a direct attack on the Cinq Kingdom. She's already sent troops to each colony. These boys we're training are among the only ones left."
"There's only so many training camps. We need more time."
"Unfortunately, sir," Trowa intervened, "we don't have any more time."
Quatre nodded solemnly. "Sir, I'm not even sure if we'll have time for a second semester. According to the Princess, we're getting closer and closer to sending everyone out, ready or not."
Mikoshi watched two trainee boys spar. She noted how flimsy their movements were, how sloppy they looked. Her heart sank. "We're not ready. We started this camp with the knowledge that we'd have time. We—"
"There wasn't supposed to be a damned war." Kihono glared through the trainees. "There wasn't supposed to be a war."
"But there is a war." Trowa said, as his eyes swept over the trainees in front of him. "Many of these boys you've trained will die. Many will falter under the pressure of war, and many will respond to this pressure by aligning themselves with Oz." And after saying this, he spotted Usagi.
Quatre followed Trowa's gaze and his eyes softened. If there was anyone who had worked hard at this camp, it had been Shenji. But if there was also anyone who would probably die early on in this war, if they were to become a soldier, it would be Shenji.
"Well," Mikoshi stated, breaking through the tensed silence. "We mustn't waste what little time we do have." She glanced at Kihono and at his nod, she blew her own whistle.
Immediately, each trainee stood up straight and tall, rigid and unmoving, silent and tensed.
Kihono glanced over the congregation of trainees only once before barking out what he had to say. "All of you are here for a reason, and all of us know what that reason is. Due to a change in the world outside of this camp, there will be many sudden and urgent changes happening upon the end of this test." He paused, then nodded to Mikoshi to continue.
She stepped forward. "Those who fail this test, honorably or not, will be sent home. There is simply no room for anyone who is not strong enough to withstand the current war. Yes, gentlemen, we are at war."
No one said a word, yet many trainee boys turned ghostly pale and shared looks went all around the camp.
Beside Usagi, only those around her could hear Duo's sharp intake of breath. She remained still and unmoved, as the knowledge of the war had been presented to her early on. The Alliance was the cause of the war. The Alliance was to be destroyed.
"Because of this fact," Mikoshi continued loudly, "we can only accept the best of the best, and many of you do not fit in this category. Those of you who fail will be sent home immediately. You are to go back to your dorm, pack your things, and report to the front of the school. The train that brought you here will be taking you all to a station, and from there you will be taken home."
Usagi's body trembled slightly, and her blood chilled in its veins. Sent home? She couldn't be sent home! If she were to be sent home… how would she ever achieve what she'd come to the camp to achieve? Especially now that she had a reason to fight. This war was the root of all evil in her book. Realizing this, she lifted her eyes to the sky and bit her lip, sending a mental distress signal. Setsuna, she thought urgently, if you're still watching me, and you're probably not because Rei told me you left, but if you are.. Please, please help me in this fight. Please, I have to do this for everyone. For my family. For my life.
"Now." Kihono's voice roared loud and clear over the camp. "We will begin this test. All of you will fight in front of your fellow trainees. There is no shame in failure. There is only shame quitting. Listen closely to my instructions…"
Each trainee was to be paired with a superior member of the camp. The pair would then stand in front of the camp of boys, and at Mikoshi's whistle, would fight until one or the other won. Since the test was only for the trainees, only the trainees would leave if they lost.
"The first pair," Kihono began, noting how deathly silent the camp was. "The first pair will be: Duo Maxwell and Hiiro Yui."
Duo's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. He couldn't speak. Couldn't move. Me and Hiiro? he thought, panicking. Shit. Hiiro is gonna to kick my ass. Easily. A warm touch on his arm made him jump out of his mental panic. He looked over at Shenji. The boy smiled back.
"You'll do fine." Usagi smiled as encouragingly as she could. Hiiro was an excellent fighter. He was elite, and it wasn't as if everyone didn't know this. Duo would really have to work for this. "You'll do just fine."
He received many pitying stares as he trudged up to the front of the camp, frowning at the occasional snicker he heard every now and then. If I lose, Duo thought, I go home. But to what? I don't have a home to go back to. That was partly why he'd signed up for the camp. Any shelter was better than none.
Hiiro was waiting for him when he arrived. He's afraid, Hiiro noted, mentally satisfied. This will go quickly. He stood straight and tall, arms crossed, legs spread.
Duo swallowed hard. The adrenaline pumped through his veins and the silence throughout the camp pounded in his ears. Hiiro was looking just as comfortable as he could. Wait.. was he even smirking? Cocky bastard. Cocky, confident bastard. A small flicker of anger rose up in Duo at Hiiro's attitude. He thinks he'll wipe the floor with me? Asshole. If I lose, I'll go out with a fight.
Duo dropped into his stance. He was ready.
Mikoshi looked at her husband, and he nodded. She blew her whistle.
No one moved. Life itself seemed to stop. Duo was crouched in his stance, waiting, and Hiiro stood tall, rigid, arms crossed, also waiting.
Why the hell doesn't he attack me? Duo's mind was racing, ready, on edge. His body was almost trembling with anticipation. Attack, you fool!
And still as stone, Hiiro stood, his gaze level and meeting Duo's without wavering.
Duo was antsy, impatient. I can't take this waiting anymore. If you won't attack, I willAnd he was off. He lunged at Hiiro with his fist outstretched, intent upon packing a mighty blow.
Seconds before impact, Hiiro tilted his head to the side, and Duo's punch flew past his ear. The wind whistled as it did so.
Duo stumbled a bit, caught his balance, and faced Hiiro again. He growled, dropping into his stance once more, waiting. He'd made the first move, and Hiiro had merely tilted his head to avoid it.
Yet still, Hiiro stood rigid, refusing to move. His arms remained crossed, and his feet remained parted.
This confused Duo. Hiiro was a known fighter—he was an elitist! So why the hell isn't he fighting back? Why isn't he attacking me? His eyes picked apart each of Hiiro's features, and then Duo stopped cold. And why the hell is he smirking? Then, it hit him.
Hiiro was playing with him.
The knowledge sent Duo into a tiny fit of rage, and he trembled visibly. Hiiro was playing with him. Playing with his future, his dreams, his goal, and his ambition. Playing with him as if he were some kind of object that had little to no value.
Anger coursed through Duo's body, and he tensed. Bastard! I'll show you what you're playing with! He lunged again, but instead of punching, he swung his leg out.
Hiiro sidestepped and leaned his body back, and Duo's leg swung right past his chest. The only thing Hiiro felt was the air that swished from the force of Duo's kick.
Now, Duo was riveting with anger. He dropped back into his stance, his eyes clear and sharp, focused solely on Hiiro. The world seemed to drop around him, and the only thing in his line of fire was Hiiro, his obstacle. "Fight back or forfeit!" His voice was deep, rumbling. His eyes were ablaze with fury.
Hiiro's eyes were cold and unmoving. The smirk upon his face vanished the second Duo lunged for the third time, fist outstretched. In his eyes, the whole fight was moving in slow motion, and as Duo's fist inched closer and closer to his face, Hiiro reared his own fist back, then shot it forward, meeting Duo's fist head on with his own.
The pain shot through Duo's wrist almost immediately, and it dragged its way up Duo's arm, causing it to vibrate. The sickening thud of bone hitting bone beat heavily in Duo's ears, and a groan flew from his mouth before he could stop it. He stumbled back and clutched his fist, trying to soothe the pain by rubbing his fingers and wrist.
Mistake. Hiiro ducked low, lunged forward.
Duo didn't even see the other boy—he simply felt him. A new pain settled itself low in his gut, then shot upward to his chest and squeezed every bit of air out of his body. Duo stumbled back and let go of his wrist, only to clutch his stomach and grunt as he fell. Hiiro had punched him in the stomach while he'd been unaware.
And he wasn't finished. Duo stumbled only once before Hiiro flew into action by sending a powerful punch to Duo's jaw, causing the other boy to fall hard to the ground with a thud. Hiiro spread his fingers wide, then quickly clenched his fists. A loud crunch could be heard as he did this. His knuckles had stiffened with that last punch, and now they were cracked, relaxed.
Duo fell on his hands and knees, clutching the dirt below him as he spit out a small wad of blood that spurted from his busted lip. Inside his mouth, his cheek had also been torn open because of his teeth and Hiiro's punch. He let the blood gather up into a puddle, then forcefully spit it out upon the ground, yet some still dribbled in a thin, heavy line of saliva mingled with blood, from his lips.
Hiiro stood over him, silent and merciless. His face was calm; his eyes were narrowed and cool. He spoke one word.
"Weak."
Duo's face immediately contorted into a mask of anger, and he clenched the dirt in front of his so hard that it gathered painfully under his fingernails. His fingers scraped the ground, and he growled. Weak? I'll show you 'weak', you ass.
Hiiro took a step forward, but before he could blink, Duo's leg shot out and up from the ground, catching Hiiro square in the chest. The boy heard a crack in his ears, and a hot pain soured throughout his body all at once. He stumbled back, wheezing. For a moment his limbs were numb, and he clutched his chest, trying in vain to suck air into his body, only dragging in ragged, broken breaths.
Duo didn't think twice. He pushed himself off of the ground and reared his fist back, then shot it directly at Hiiro's face.
At the moment of impact, Hiiro gasped painfully and threw his hands up, catching Duo's punch in both palms.
Perfect. Duo swung with his other hand, his wounded hand, and caught Hiiro at his temple. The sound of bone meeting bone once again reverberated throughout his ears, yet instead of pain, Duo felt a rush of rage fill his body as Hiiro grunted loudly and stumbled backward.
Hiiro was in pain. His chest ached from Duo's blow, and he already knew it had caused a rib to break. Now, his head pounded from Duo's punch, and a deafening pain cut through his body. Yet it didn't stop there. Duo had become mad, and he was attacking Hiiro mercilessly.
Each punch Duo threw landed on its mark. He punched with one fist and hit, and then swung back around with his other fist, meeting flesh wherever he swung. He didn't even realize that his punches had caused both boys to fall back, and that now he sat on top of Hiiro, punching the boy's face as hard and fast as he could, as if trying to beat the other boy's skull in.
Hiiro couldn't move his hands to block Duo's punches, especially since the boy was on top of him, and his face was slick and wet with the blood Duo was causing to flow. The pain was excruciating, and he was sick of it. Hiiro lifted his leg and kneed Duo's back as hard as he could, causing Duo to fly off of Hiiro's stomach and land on his back. Hiiro took the opportunity to roll over onto his stomach, struggling to push himself up and spit blood and dirt from his mouth at the same time.
Duo's eyes were squeezed shut and sweat poured down his face. His mouth was wide open, sucking in air, and his breaths were ragged and loud. Blood trickled down one side of his mouth, and his chest heaved painfully. From behind him, he heard Hiiro struggling to stand. Have to get up, he thought wearily, eyes popping open. He rolled over onto his own stomach, eyeing Hiiro as hard as Hiiro was eyeing him. Well, as hard as Hiiro could eye him—one of the boy's eyes was swollen shut, and it was a deep, dangerous purple in coloring. This had long ago stopped being a test.
This was a fight to the death.
Hiiro wearily pulled himself up to his feet, and sweat swept itself into his one good eye. Blood dripped lazily from his lips, and his whole body was aching. His rib was broken, his face was cut and open from Duo's punches, and his skin was slick with sweat and dirt from the ground. This ends now. And without another thought, he tore towards Duo, arms outstretched, fingers wide, intent on tearing the boy to pieces.
Duo's adrenaline kicked itself back into gear, and he met Hiiro's open fingers with his own, causing both boys to lock their hands together, standing, gripping each other madly in a fight for dominance. Duo pushed against Hiiro's palms, and he felt an equal amount of force being pushed back against his own.
Their eyes were locked, just as their hands were. Their stance was the same; their bodies were worn. But neither was going to give in.
Duo felt faint from the heat, the sweat, the pulsating blood from his cheeks and mouth, and from the pounding in his head, and the pain searing throughout his body. But he wasn't going to give this fight to Hiiro. He wasn't going to stop fighting until either he or Hiiro was dead. Or both.
Hiiro was thinking likewise. His teeth were clenched and the blood boiled in his veins, drowning out the pain that coursed throughout his own body. He pushed, and felt the same force being pushed back on him. He growled, and a growl was his only response. I will not give in. I will not fail. I will not—
The whistle blew.
Kihono's eyes were wide and surprised, as were Mikoshi's. Her mouth was open, drawing in short breaths, and her hand was gripping Kihono's arm just as hard as Kihono was balling his fist. The boys were still locked in their passionate struggle for dominance, as if they hadn't even heard the whistle.
Mikoshi blew again, yet still neither boy wavered. Their fingers were locked together so tightly that both sets of knuckles were white with pressure.
"Stop! The fight is over!" Kihono bellowed. "I said STOP!"
Duo snapped out of his madness at the word, and at the same time, lost the force he was pushing on Hiiro.
Hiiro snapped to his senses as well, and dropped Duo's hands at the same time Duo dropped his. He wrapped his arms around himself painfully, breathing raggedly. He cast one look at Duo, and noted how pale and tired the other boy looked. How dirty, how bloody, how worn.
Duo met the stare with one of his own. Did I do all of that to Hiiro? The other boy's eye was swollen shut, his face was caked with old blood and new, and his chest heaved painfully. Dude…
Mikoshi shook her head, looking at Kihono, who only nodded. He leaned over to Trowa and whispered something in the boy's ear.
Trowa nodded back, and faced Hiiro, Duo, and the rest of the silent, watchful camp.
"Both boys," he began, "will remain in this camp. Next up!"
And that was that. No discussion, no dwelling, no congratulations. Just 'next up'. The pain settled itself upon Duo's body ten-fold, and he limped over to a spot on the ground to sit with his fellow trainees. He watched Hiiro do the same, except he went back and settled himself on the ground with the superiors. He looked up at Duo, narrowing one eye. Duo agreed mentally.
Hatred between them had been born.
Usagi scurried through the crowd of boys to find Duo. She'd seen him sit, looking for all the world like a dead man on his feet. When she got to him, his eyes were closed, mouth open, and he was breathing hard. She knelt, biting her lip. "Hey Duo?"
"What?" His eyes remained closed, yet his breathing had calmed a bit, slowed down.
"DUO!" Usagi's little squeal was a happy one, and she slapped him on the chest, smiling like a fool. "Duo, you're alive!"
He grunted loudly, flinching. "Yeah.. but if you slap me again, I don't know if that'll still be true."
She smiled down at him, poking his chest. "You're one tough cookie, huh? Man, you really smoted Hiiro out there!"
"Smoted? I don't even want to know."
Usagi nodded happily. "Yeah, I've been studying new words. I learned 'smoted'. You know, the Inter—"
"Shenji." Duo opened one eye. "You know.. there are times when people would really like to sleep…"
Usagi nodded. "Okay?"
"…Dude, this is totally one of those times."
She took the hint. Duo wanted to rest a little. He'd just wiped the dust with Hiiro. She looked over him. "Okay, Duo," she whispered, "sleep tight."
He mumbled something and closed the one eye.
She sat back, deciding to wait impatiently until her name was called. It wasn't that she was ready for her fight, but watching other people go at it just made her antsy altogether. Besides that, time was passing as slowly as it possibly could.
Each superior member was dressed in a crimson colored gi, while the trainees were all dressed in white. "White is the color of innocence." Trowa had said. "Red is the color of experience." She bit her lip anxiously. White is the color of innocence, she thought. White is the color of—
"Shenji Tsukino and Wufei Chang."
Her blood froze.
Wufei?
Her eyes were wide with shock and little flecks of fear.
All of this time. Wufei was. An elitist?
It didn't make any sense, and at the same time, it did. When she'd first come to the camp, he'd always been around Hiiro. He was vicious, cruel, unwavering, just like Hiiro. He was an extraordinary fighter. He'd been a well-kept secret. He was elite.
And he was waiting for her up front.
She pushed herself up and onto wobbly legs. Her breathing deepened. Sweat gathered under her armpits, causing a prickling sensation so uncomfortable that she rubbed her arms hard against her sides. The lump in her throat wouldn't go down.
It seemed as if she were walking in slow motion, because Wufei's eyes followed her every move, mocking and laughing at her, yet his face was a mask of complete calm.
Trowa watched her the whole time, yet there was no compassion in his eyes. This is your time, Usagi. He thought. From here on out, you're on your own.
As if she'd heard him, she cast one look toward Trowa and breathed deeply to calm herself. Then, she faced Wufei, nodded, and crouched down.
It was time.
AN:
You can't hate me for ending there. Well.. you sort of can since I haven't updated this in about 2 years. But.. I'm asking you not to hate me! I told you I wouldn't forget about this story, and I haven't. (Yeah, here come the excuses..) I've had a major, major mind block with this. I knew where I wanted to go with the story, but getting there was pretty difficult. I know there's no real good excuse, but I'm sorry. I haven't forgotten this! And now that I have more time, updates should be more frequent. Thank you to all who haven't given up on me (though, I'm pretty sure that's not a lot of people. Heh ;) Some of you hate me for not continuing, but I'm sorry. Really, I am /
Hope you enjoyed! My Way is back up and running.