AN: I had some questions about this story. On was how old is everyone. Good question. The senshi are very old, in all my stories they are always immortal beings who can only die if they expel all their energy so the senshi have been alive for decades. Small Lady however is in her twentieth year of living. The Gundam pilots for the sake of fun lets say they are twenty-four and the senshi are ageless. I also have a dilemma. I'm sorry but I don't know how the configuration of the seating is in the Gundam so in my story it is going to have a pilot seat and then a navigation seat and communication section in the back. Sorry.
Chapter5 - About that Kiss...
The senshi and the 'knights' stood on the battlefield among the bodies of the dead youma regarding each other with suspicions, amazement and surprise.
"What just happened?" Quatre finally asked sheathing his black sword and the other Knights did the same.
"I honestly don't know," Venus answered his question shrugging her slim shoulders. Mercury came forward tapping her chin thoughtfully as her brain worked a mile a minute.
"The fact that your bodies were able to sustain our powers is fascinating in itself, our powers are no mean feat to master yet all of you did so with ease, I can't even begin to fathom the mechanics of it all," Mercury drifted off trying to imagine all the complications of absorbing senshi powers.
Mars came forward placing her hand on Mercury's shoulder stopping her mumbles.
"I think I have an idea of why this happened," Mars revealed and everyone turned to her expectantly but Quatre knew now was no the time nor the place to discuss something like this.
"Lets return to my mansion and we can discuss our theories there."
As soon as the escape pod landed Relena tucked up her skirts and ran as fast as she could to the basement of her palace with Lady Une hot on her heels. They ran past a startled Small Lady who glanced around her carefully before following the two women through the halls, and down to the basement. Relena pressed a dainty hand to the access code panel to gain entry to the command centre below.
"Enter," a machine-like voice commanded as the huge steel doors slid open to reveal a centre full of people working, typing on computers and watching big screens all over the walls. The steel door began closing as Lady Une and Relena strode into the command centre and Small Lady managed to creep in after them using a necklace from Helios that created illusions, to disguise her from the cameras view.
"I want a full visual of the laboratory and how our Gundam Pilots are faring, show me that surveillance footage now!" Relena commanded racing to the main screen slamming her hands on the control panel furiously and the girl sitting beside her typed away quickly and pressed the confirm button.
A visual popped up on the main screen and Relena gasped in surprise, a hand pressed to her chest, for she felt as though she couldn't breathe. There on the big screen was her Heero, kissing the girl called Mars. Even as she watched, they both pulled away from each other gazing dreamily and lovingly into each other's eyes, as they both said things Relena couldn't hear and she dropped her eyes from the screen unable to watch anymore.
"Vice Minister should we send backup troops? Vice Minister? Can you hear me?" the girl manning the controls asked this a little more urgently and Relena snapped out of her shook, pulling herself together, breathing deeply.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Relena asked and the girl looked concerned but repeated her question.
"Did you need me to send out more troops to assist the Gundam Pilots?" the girl asked Relena dared to look back up on the screen and saw the pilots fighting the youma with swords that came from nowhere, wearing uniforms she had never seen before. After watching them a few moments it became clear that the Pilots were indeed winning, and quite easily.
"No, hold off," Relena commanded watching the screen, her gaze fixed upon Heero.
"Relena are you ok?" Lady Une asked knowing of the Vice Minister's fondness for Heero but Relena didn't turned to look at her.
"Hold off," Relena commanded in that hard voice and Lady Une bowed her head.
Small Lady's heart jumped excitedly upon seeing Rei and Heero kiss on the big screen, silently thanking the God's that the senshi were in love again and Small Lady could finally go home to a warm bubble bath and constant pampering. Her dreams were shattered when she saw Rei push Heero away from her and they both glared at each other. Small Lady couldn't help but roll her eyes at Mars' predictable reaction to a young man kissing her.
-Mars, always so stubborn,- Small Lady thought to herself shaking her head in exasperation realising they all had a long way to go before Small Lady could see home again. She prayed with all her might that the senshi and their Knights would make up soon. Small Lady didn't know hope much more she could take of being a servant.
"I am not getting in that thing!"
Mars folded her arms across her chest stubbornly as she stared up at the huge machines that Quatre had insisted they use to take them all back to safety at his mansion. His mansion, what kind of man owned a gigantic robot and a mansion? Obviously one with far too much time and money on his hands.
"Oh come on Mars it will be fun," Jupiter elbowed Mars in the ribs egging on her fury and Mars tossed her head flicking her hair behind her ear haughtily.
"Flying through the air in a hunk of metal junk is not my idea of fun," she retorted and Wufei turned all shades of red before finally settling on beet.
"How dare you disrespect our Gundam's onna!" Wufei practically yelled at her and Mars put her outstretched pal in front of Wufei's face looking away form him dismissively.
"Eat shi..."
"Mars, stop it," Mercury pleaded before Mars had time to finish her response terribly embarrassed at her fellow senshis' manners and Mars seemed to realise she was being disrespectful and rude. Wufei however was not quite done with her yet.
"No onna you go eat shi..."
"Wufei, that is enough," Trowa snapped in Wufei's general direction sick of the bantering between the two. They were grown ups not children.
Mars and Wufei both seemed to cool their tempers as they realised everyone was less that impressed about their bickering. Wufei turned in a humph and strode back to his Gundam manoeuvring into the pilots seat. Once there he crossed his arms over his chest and looked away from the group who gathered together to decide who rode with who.
"You will come with me," Heero finally spoke and he said this to Mars who looked over at him, feeling a challenge in his tone.
"Oh will I?" Mars asked innocently but her eyes glittered with danger. Venus saw this, and didn't want another fight on her hands. Mars was in fine form today, but then again, Mars always was the short tempered one of the group.
"Yes," Heero replied in a voice that left no room for argument but Mars always had time for argument. She opened her mouth to contest his words when Venus spoke, in a firm voice.
"Do it Mars."
Mars looked over at Venus furiously then back at Heero just glaring at him, not moving. Heero stood there as the two played the stare game a little while longer. Venus understood Mars disliked being told what to do, but right now Venus just wanted to get somewhere safe, and if Heero was happy to take Mars then that was where Mars would go. There were times when Mars just had to begin to realise there was more to a situation than just her and her pride.
"That was not a request, it was an order," Venus spoke again her voice cold and Mars broke the contest to nod briefly at Venus, although from the stature of her body it was clear that Venus was on her least favourite persons list at that moment in time.
Heero offered his arm to help her up but Mars brushed it away and entered the Gundam as she had seen Wufei do moments before. She may have been stubborn and hot-headed but Mars picked up quickly. Heero sat in the Pilot's seat with Mars seated behind him. Once those two were settled in Venus looked at the remaining senshi sighing deeply, working out in her mind who would pair up with who.
Quatre moved over to Saturn and smiled politely.
"Miss, if you would like you may come in my Gundam," he offered and Saturn opened her mouth to accept but never got around to it as Venus stepped between the two of them.
Venus was not a fool. She had seen the chemistry between the two of them, even before Quatre and Saturn fell under the reverie. Venus was the Senshi of Love, but love between these two was not something that she wanted to be encouraging right now. Plus she knew Uranus would be furious enough with her for letting Quatre kiss Saturn never mind taking her to his place.
"I don't think so Casanova, Saturn, you go with Trowa," Saturn made no move to argue as she nodded and moved towards Trowa and Quatre blushed a deep red, embarrassed at being called such a thing by Venus. For some reason Venus trusted Trowa to take Saturn where they were going safely. Somewhere in side she knew Trowa was all right.
"Miss Venus, I assure you my intentions were honourable," Quatre stood up for himself, appalled that Venus could think such a thing of him and Venus chuckled. His intentions weren't worrying her, it was what Uranus' intentions would be when she got her hands on Venus if she found out what happened.
"Yeah, Yeah, Mercury your with blondie," Venus said and Mercury nodded, obviously grateful not to have been stuck with either Duo or Wufei however Duo looked a little upset. A blushing Quatre and a silent Trowa helped their female companions into their Gundams leaving Wufei, Duo, Jupiter and Venus without partners.
"Jupiter, its you or me who gets the grumpy one," Venus said dejectedly and Jupiter rolled her eyes.
"Oh come on, that's not fair," Jupiter grouched and Duo smirked at their conversation, almost sad that Wufei wasn't in earshot to hear it all.
"Scissors, paper rock," Venus suggested the game and Jupiter nodded holding out her fist.
"Fine, loser goes with him," Jupiter confirmed the deal and Venus nodded accepting.
"Fine"
Two seconds later Venus was staring down at her scissor and Jupiter's rock.
"Damn it," Venus cursed and Jupiter grinned widely running over to Duo and ushering him into his Gundam as quick as she could seeing that Wufei had descended once again from his Gundam, his expression annoyed.
"What is taking so long baka onnas?" he hissed at her and at Jupiter's retreating form and Venus gave a sadistic grin.
"I just won the privilege of riding with you, I can barely contain my excitement," Venus said, her voice so full of sarcasm. Wufei chose to ignore it and turned and went back inside his Gundam leaving Venus to get in on her own.
Once everyone was settled Quatre got on the radios,
"Let's go."
Heero turned off the radio and Mars stared out of the window secretly fascinated by all that she saw from this high up. She leaned onto the controls not noticing that a red light started flashing behind her.
"Why did you kiss me?" Heero suddenly demanded and Mars jumped right back up on her high horse.
"Hey buddy, I do not go around kissing random men, you kissed me," Mars corrected him and Heero grunted at her claim.
"I didn't."
"Yes you did."
"No, I didn't."
"You did, trust me, I was there, you kissed me," Mars leaned over the front of his seat and Heero turned to look at her and pulled back when he realised how close she was to him.
"Hn…"was all he said and Mars sensed the conversation was over and sat back in her seat.
Thinking about the kiss brought back feelings inside her that made her uncomfortable and terribly sad. Mars leaned forward again to talk with Heero.
"Heero," Mars called for his attention and Heero grunted in reply.
"Hn..."
"This may sound like a weird question but when we did kiss, did you feel anything?" Mars asked this, wanting to know if he maybe felt the same way she did when she had kissed him.
"Why?" Heero responded not answering her question and Mars leaned back in her seat pondering why she had even asked the question in the first place, but thought it better to be honest with him and reveal what she had felt.
"Because just after you kissed me, I felt as though I would never see you again, I felt as though you were leaving me, I felt like I was losing you, that you were slipping away from me and for some reason it felt like my heart was breaking because of it," Mars said telling him in a jumble of words all she could remember feeling and Heero was silent after her revelation. Mars leaned forward again looking at his side profile, but Heero didn't even turn to look at her.
"Heero, did you feel anything like that?" Mars prompted and Heero finally turned to her, his blue eyes gazing into her own violet eyes with intensity and sadness.
"I felt like I was dying," Heero finally told her and Mars sat back in her chair astounded by that. Something sounded like a crackling radio and muffled voices could be heard.
"Onna release me! you should not be eavesdropping on them!" Mars could distinguish Wufei's body but it was like his mouth was being smothered by something as his words were gruff.
"Shut it Wufei, or we will miss what happens next," Venus' voice cold he heard scolding him into silence and Mars looked around the Gundam in surprise, wondering how on Earth she could hear Venus.
"Venus!" Mars asked in disbelief and there was a pause before Venus responded in an embarrassed voice.
"Uh, surprise!"
"Were you listening in on us the whole time?" Mars demanded knowing what a big snoop Venus was, but a small voice replied for Venus.
"You pushed on the intercom, we all heard it," Saturn said this quite seriously and Jupiter and Duo burst out into giggles much to Mars and Heero's horror.