A/N: Disclaimer: Refer back to Chapter 1.

WARNING: OOC, LANGUAGE, WAFF, SUGGESTIVE THEMES.

Chapter 15: Caught in Between

Argilla sighed as she waited with Serph and Cielo outside Heat's room.

She hadn't expected that to happen. But then again, maybe she should've. Heat and Gale had had a brawl. And it wasn't pretty.

Even Serph's strength hadn't been enough to avert the crisis. She and her enigmatic leader were both powerless as Heat and Gale had played their stupid game and beat the snot out of each other.

Gale had ended up with a dislocated shoulder and Heat with a broken nose. Well, among other minor bruising that is. Her poor baby Heat.

Although she sympathized with their hurting situations, she also couldn't help but feel perturbed and petulant. Why the heck did they behave in such childish behavior anyway!? And to think that they were both grown men!

She groaned; the night had turned into a disaster.

She stiffened as she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw the childlike face of her blue-haired comrade. She smirked at him, "You should've been there Cielo. You should've seen how stupidly they were acting."

She heard a chuckle in return, "Ya mon! I should've been dere!" he then scratched his head and laughed, "Hehe…But I fell asleep ja?"

She giggled and was supposed to speak but he beat her to the punch.

Cielo stood and stretched his limbs like a cat, "Ja, I'll be back sista. Need to go t'de little boy's room."

She chuckled at his choice of words, "Okay then Cielo. We'll be here."

"Ja, see ya in five leader!" he said politely, making the silver-haired man nod, "Go ahead."

Cielo nodded and started to walk away when he stopped and turned around, pouting, "Mon, why do I always miss de cool stuff!?"

Argilla laughed at that and stood as well, walking up to him and ruffled his blue hair a bit, "That's because you're suffering from ADD!"

"Add?!" Cielo asked, "Wat's add? Add wat?"

Argilla rolled her eyes, "It isn't 'add' you baby! It's A.D.D! It's an abbreviation! It stands for Attention Deficit Disorder you dope!" she said as she giggled at Cielo's lack of intellect upon those matters.

Cielo blushed, "How was I s'possed to know ja?! You were de one who said 'ADD' as 'add' and not as 'A.D.D'!" he defended, quelling the blush on his face; preventing it from worsening.

Argilla continued to giggle, finding his childish behavior adorable and a welcomed change from her tensed situation, "Hm. Maybe you're right Cielo."

At hearing her apology, Cielo felt his heart swell with pride, "Hmph! You got dat right sista!"

She chuckled, "Yup. I suppose it's too much for me assume that you know such things…" she said, waving her hand dismissively, sighing in mock taunt.

Cielo's pride was suddenly shattered, "Are you sayin' I'm stupid!?"

"I didn't say that. You did." she retorted coolly.

"Argilla," began their leader who chuckled lightly. At that, all eyes turned to him, "stop making fun of Cielo."

Argilla grinned, "I'm not…" she responded coyly, "I promise…"

Cielo was drilling holes into her face at that point with his death-glares, "Not fair mon! Always makin' fun of de good guys!"

Serph chuckled again and Argilla turned to him, "What?"

Cielo growled and struggled with his words to convey to her. Argilla saw this and cut him off, "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere…?" she asked casually, trailing off conveniently, reminding him of his…delicate situation.

At that, Cielo immediately blushed as he remembered and as he felt that tight feeling within his manhood.

He bit his lip and covered his crotch with his palms as a gesture of protective measure, "Erm…Gotta go ja?"

With that, without waiting for any response, he dashed from the scene. Argilla merely waved on after him, "Bye!"

A moment later, he disappeared. Argilla sat back down and leaned back on the backrest of her chair as she found herself alone with her leader.

She opened her mouth to talk but stopped when she caught sight of her leader's stoic face, as he now stared at the wall in front of them blankly. She sweat-dropped; she knew it before, but she never really paid much attention to it…until now.

Now, as she saw him doing that, that thing, that weird thing with his eyes on the wall, she began to feel unnerved. Why did Serph do that in the first place?

'My team is filled with weird people…' she thought with a slight shudder.

"It's alright Argilla. It wasn't your fault." was Serph's statement as he felt her eyes on him.

Argilla blinked; Serph did that a lot too. It was as if he knew what people around him were thinking; like he could read them. She chuckled lightly, 'Maybe he had opened Ajna…' she thought.

Well, who knew?

Perhaps he did. Serph was their most strongest and their most talented person in their tribe. He was practically god in the whole of Junkyard. It wouldn't be surprising then, should he have finally opened the mythically lore of Ajna.

If anyone would deserve it, it would be him.

Well, he read her like an opened book. He knew that she was going to apologize…Oh well.

"Thanks sir." she beamed.

At that point, she stood, "Serph, I'm going to see Gale. Alright?" she asked with a smile. He nodded and she continued, "Okay. You can scold Heat or give him community service or whatever. I just have to talk to Gale."

He nodded again.

Argilla chuckled, "Thanks Serph!"

With that, she waved and left her enigmatic leader.

xxxxx

Gale stared at the wall blankly.

Heat's words, moreover, his accusations were still quite fresh in his mind. He then narrowed his eyes.

"At least, I'm not sly and conniving enough to send the woman's mate away continuously so that I'd have time to get into her panties…!"

He was…sly…?

At hearing such a word in his head, Gale felt his worth plummet. His chest tightened, "No…I…"

Why did he do it?

Why did he resort to such trickery anyway…?

He cast his face down. There was no doubt that he acknowledged Heat's accusation. The redhead was right. Gale really did…send him away conveniently. But then again, he never really thought that it was…that bad of a thing.

But after hearing Heat's word for him as a 'sly' and 'conniving', he just couldn't help but feel unpleasant.

'I really shouldn't…' he thought in acceptance, 'I'm as sly and conniving as Heat made me out to be.'

'But…'

Gale shook his head. He had the best intentions!

He was just fighting for what he wanted in life. There was no wrong in that.

But there was a flaw in Heat's accusation. Heat had assumed that he merely "wanted to get within Argilla's panties". He shook his head at that.

'Typical idiotic assumption.' thought the jade-eyed man. That wasn't the reason. Heat probably knew that or maybe he didn't…

Either way, Gale didn't care.

And then, there was the issue of their little "friendly sparring".

He didn't feel remorse for what he had done. To him, Heat had it coming. The asinine redhead had been pushing him from the moment they had rendezvoused.

Gale blinked; it had been inevitable, in his eyes.

They were going to have had that fight anyway. Why wait?

At least now, Heat knew that he wasn't a pushover.

Just because he was silent, stoic and overly serious didn't mean that he didn't take insults or always let them slide.

He narrowed his eyes.

He knew what he wanted in life…and he was going to fight for it. What he said to Heat wasn't a lie either. That redhead wasn't a man; he was a boy. And Argilla was a woman. They didn't belong together!

He would only pull her down. He would ask her to be patient with him while he did his escapades, and then only to ask forgiveness childishly from her.

It was pathetic.

Heat was pathetic.

Argilla didn't need someone like that. She had been taking care of Heat for such a long time…and now, she needed someone who could do the same for her.

And in his opinion, he was more than capable of doing that.

He could care for her more than Heat ever could. He was older and wiser. He could shower the female with all the love that she could ever need and want…

He would be faithful and would be dedicated. He would treat her with respect…

Why couldn't she see that?

He turned his face and saw his braced arm. Well, that was a byproduct of fighting for his cause. It was a miscalculation in his part though. He didn't expect Heat to do that; sure he expected a few bruises here and there…but never an intent to kill.

Yes. Within those few seconds between them, he felt Heat's murderous aura. He saw the psychopathic gleam in his eyes and seeing that, Gale knew that Heat had been angry enough to try and kill him.

He scoffed at that.

He really was a boy, wasn't he?

Well, he rested his case.

He wondered now though, what would Argilla think of them…? Would she be pleased…? Or angry at their childish display?

He knew it to be childish, but to him, such behavior was warranted and justified. He had to fight for what he believed in. And if people would think it to be childish, then so be it. That was none of his concern.

His contemplation was brought to a premature adjournment as he heard the knob of his door, being turned. A moment later, he was met with the alluring face of his object of affection.

"Gale." she said.

He nodded, "Argilla."

"Gale." she said again with a slight smile as she walked over to him, "Mind if I sit down?" she asked jokingly, knowing that he wouldn't refuse her procurement to the chair at his bedside.

"Not at all. Please sit."

She nodded and sat. She drew quick breath and slapped her palms to her knees, "So." she began as she looked at him, "Care to tell me what that was all about?"

Gale cast his face down and after a moment of careful consideration, spoke accordingly, "I believe that you are already aware of the cause of my…disagreement with Heat."

At that, she said nothing as well.

So, that was what was going on.

He was fighting Heat for her.

"I love you." he told her.

She let out a perturbed breath, slowly drawing her eyelids to a close. Not this again.

"Gale…"

"Argilla I-"

She cut him off, shaking her head, "Gale…Please don't say that again."

Her statement was easy enough to understand. It meant for him to not say anything…It was a task that was easily done. But for him, it wasn't so simple. To not utter what he felt for her would be like to deny a river passage from the riverbed, letting its crystal clear water be stagnated.

It would constrict him…making him unable to breathe.

"But I-"

"Gale please." she said, cutting him off again. She then looked at him sadly, "I love Heat."

She knew what it meant. She knew it from the very first moment that she told him that. She knew how he would feel hearing it…but she held her ground. She didn't mean to hurt him…But she had no choice.

She would not be the cause of his long-term breakdown because she had given him false hope. It would be because she wouldn't give him any false hope.

Not even a shred of it.

And if hurting him now would prevent further and worse agony in the future, she deemed that it was a small price to pay.

"I love Heat Gale." she said again, knowing that she was putting salt in his gaping wound.

"And there's nothing that you can do or say…to change that." she finished in a sad tone, her voice like an angel's whisper…and with her eyes mirroring her words' sentiments.

Her words hit him like the way a runaway freight train would. She loved Heat. Even after showing her that he could be like Heat…

She loved him and nothing would change it. Ever. Her tone was that of final absolutism.

Huh.

Was that the way it really was?

The prick and pang of pain in his heart concurred and corroborated her statement.

"I…I hope you feel better and get well soon." she said as she stood up carefully.

"Bye."

With that, she left the room.

She didn't know, did she? Didn't she know that she stole his heart…? And that now, he wasn't the same person…? No, he'd never be the same again…

Gale, still with the calm façade, looked at the door blankly…She had walked out of that room so calmly, so nonchalantly…

The word 'bye'. It was a casual goodbye.

He knew that.

She said it in that fashion, didn't she…? She had said her goodbye the way friends said it to friends didn't she?

His spirit suddenly crumbled as he came to realize something.

No. That was a lie.

That goodbye wasn't a simple casual friendly one…

That was a goodbye forever.

He wanted to shout, yell and break everything in sight. Why had life been so unfair…? Was it really this way…? He felt as if he had been cheated. He frowned. Yes; that was the way he felt.

Cheated.

His lips tugged downwards. It had been her who had changed him. She had roused feelings within himself that he had thought didn't exist. She had shown him the different hues of the world…and had let him taste the different flavors of life…Right from the proud feeling of camaraderie, to the warm sentiment of friendship…down to the passionate sensation of love and longing.

He sighed heavily.

And along those sensations, did he fall.

Was it fate really who tested and detested him so?

Did the gods really resent him and the way in which he lived his life that they had decided to taunt him, by making him feel deprived of those sensations that zealous humans felt…? Taunting him, giving him hope and giving him a taste of it…only for them to take it all away…?

He narrowed his eyes as they felt heavy. Why did the gods bother to send him Argilla, to wake those damned feelings within him only for her to reject him when he had decided to confess to her?

Was it really some sick game to them? To the gods…?

He was beginning to think so.

He was a scientist. He believed in what he can perceive. He believed in facts and had used the aforesaid facts to rule and predict his life. It had been like mathematics; it was mathematics that created and preserved the fragile harmony of the universe.

But at the same token, he believed in matters or rather, points of deviations in life that he couldn't account for; things in life that he couldn't control, even when he had ruled out all possibilities of escape…and uncertainty.

And he knew the cause to be of divinity and divine beings.

No. He wasn't a religious fanatic…But he knew that gods existed.

And right now, he was cursing them.

Feeling the moisture within his eyes beginning to pool together, making his eyelids even heavier, he closed his eyes.

He was shaken from his thoughts, however, as he heard the door beginning to open. His heart skipped a beat and his eyes shot open. Was it her?!

Did she come back…?!

Did she change her mind?!

His heart pounded relentlessly like a jackhammer as the millisecond ticked by and looked at the person, the figure, as it emerged from the door.

"Hello," began the person, whom he knew now to be female…and not his Argilla. The vigor within his soul suddenly died and numbness once more engulfed his sense of being. He felt numb…and dead.

He cast his face down; he wasn't interested now. He wasn't interested to know who it was any longer.

All that he knew was that it wasn't Argilla hence, he wasn't interested.

"I'll be your attending physician."

He stiffened though; that voice sounded familiar. He looked up and so did she, as she was previously preoccupied with her file.

Their eyes met and both froze.

"It's you." they simultaneously said.

Time froze as the two stared into one another's eyes. It had been as if they had entered a different world; a world that they had created unknowingly together.

At that point, all of his life's experiences seemed to have poured in front of his jade eyes…All of a sudden, in the midst of logic, reality and sense, everything had turned upside down…all had been thrown into chaos…as Gale laid his emerald orbs into a pair of eyes that he never thought he would see.

He stared at her silver eyes, frozen, petrified with surprise…stupefied. He felt as though he was shrinking.

It was as if, he had been a child once more.

Suddenly, all around him felt ominous.

xxxxx

FIN

Primoris secui peractio…

xxxxx

A/N:

A.D.D:AKA Attention Deficit Disorder. A disorder more common in children characterized by hyperactivity and less attention span.

Ajna: The sixth Chakra located just at the eyebrow region. Also known as the Third Eye or Shiva's Eye. It is associated with psychic/clairvoyant ability.