Author's Notes
I'm so sorry! It's been ages! My internship has been unbelievably busy! I was only able to put this up because it's the end of Spring Break. To make up for the wait, this is the longest chapter ever! (Or maybe you don't like longer chapters, in which case I deeply apologize).
Things get moving along again in this chapter, but it covers a whole lot of different things with different tones that I wanted to take special care to get right. I hope it turned out well :)
Chapter 23: Vanishing Act
A blond-haired man slipped off his coat and slung it on the rack nailed to the wall as he stepped in, then unraveled the red tie around his neck. The man sighed tiredly as he also looped the decorative ribbon on the peg.
The foyer opened to the cream-colored living room, where a brunette woman waited nestled in the corner of a couch, her jean legs curled beneath her as she frowned into a computer tablet screen. "Hey, honey," the man said, molding his weary face into an affectionate smile.
Upon hearing his footsteps, the woman looked up. "Hi, James," she said, smiling. "Was work alright?"
"Yeah, except for the meeting. Getting fed up with Sam. He cares more about his paycheck than about publishing honest results." He shook off his shoes, slid into the couch beside her, and curled an arm around her shoulders. "But, it was alright. What's wrong? You seem worried about something."
"Look at this." She briefly wagged the tablet to draw James's attention. A bird's eye view of a huge, rock-filled crater panned over the screen. "This was at Neotopia. At the park we used to go to."
"What happened?"
"There was an explosion. They haven't said what caused it."
"Alright...?"
"There have been a lot of scary accidents happening in Neotopia, lately," the woman said. "And I think Aleda might be involved in them." With a brush of her finger, another video came up, of the inside of a train station. "This was part of the news local to Neotopia."
"Robot with horse pursues fembot in train station," read the headline scroll at the bottom. The video showed a gold-glinting shape weaving through the crowd while a red form rapidly closed in.
"Look, it's Ally," Mary said.
James's jaw tightened. "Who's that going after her?"
"Not any mobile citizen I've seen before," Mary said. "It has eyes. Like her. This video was taken down from NeoTube minutes after it was posted, and the details have been cleaned from social media. I had to do some digging."
"Have you called her? Isn't she coming home, soon?"
"I tried calling Ally today, James, and she sounded strange." Mary's thin eyebrows creased in worry. "She said she wasn't coming home, anymore, and that a friend of hers got hurt."
James scowled. "I think we need to make a call to Kao Lyn to get this straightened out."
...
Morning found Aleda laying her head on Zero's shoulder, Titan sitting straight-backed against the operation table, and Kao Lyn cocooned in a sleeping bag on the floor opposite. Aleda's eyescreens blinked on, first, and Titan stirred at the noise when her helmet shifted against their wounded comrade. The bulky blue Knight Gundam smirked at the sight of the small Gundamess prying herself from Zero's frame. "What would you do if he woke to find you like that?" he chided.
Aleda flushed but mumbled stubbornly, "I'm not really worried about that, right now."
"I suppose not." Titan leaned back against the table. "You have much more to worry about. Such as what may happen if you remain here."
She blinked for a second to process, and then her shoulders slumped. "I'm kind of scared, but... I don't know where else to go. If they can sense my magic, then I can't really hide anywhere."
"I've hidden for fifteen years by moving from place to place." Titan shrugged. "It is not a pleasant life, I know, but it suffices."
"But, I think I can help more here," Aleda insisted. "Zero..." She looked at his sleeping face and bit her lip. "...he got hurt this time, but Baku said that we'd both get stronger if we were together."
Titan raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"We, um..." Her head bowed as she directed her attention to fighting the butterflies in her energy processor. "We synchronize, sometimes..."
Titan frowned and searched his memory banks. A file opened, a recording from when he had spotted the two younger Lacroans surrounded by the fiends that, he'd been told, had ruined his homeland. Although he hadn't noticed at the time, the pair's GunSouls had both already been shining, and during Zero's duel with Tallgeese, the Winged Knight had only burned brighter.
"Baku said that if we spend more time together, we'll synchronize more, and both of us will get stronger, like Captain and Shute," Aleda volunteered with a blush. "I... owe it to him, don't I? He's saved my life, and he's the Chosen One, so..."
Crossing his arms, Titan grumbled, "I would hope that if you do choose to endanger the life he saved, that it would at least be out of more than mere obligation."
"I..." Aleda trailed off to formulate words. "It really is safer here. I can't go." An agitated snort escaped her guardian, prompting an apologetic, "Sorry, Titan."
Titan then sighed and shook his head. "No, you raise some fair points, young lady," he said, his arms unfolding. "I suppose if I was also unable to defend you in that last skirmish, then it is only for my own pride that I propose to protect you alone."
The Gundamess dropped her eyes.
"But, that doesn't mean that I believe yet in his abilities, either."
She tensed like a coiled spring. "I do," she muttered.
A groan signaled a third person awake. Aleda instantly looked at Zero, but the Knight Gundam still hadn't stirred. An orange shape lifted on the other side of the table: Kao Lyn sat up in the cocoon of his bright sleeping bag, yawning so wide that his throat could be seen past his bushy mustache. His yin-yang glasses lazily swirled as he rotated to face the Gundams. "Still asleep?" he inquired.
"Yeah," Aleda said. "Is that bad?" She frowned.
"Not necessarily." Kao Lyn rolled to his feet, a wide orange burrito standing precariously, and the front peeled open from an inside zipper. Once the sleeping bag had been shucked and discarded on the floor like a banana peel, the scientist leaned over his patient. "Hm..." Pressing his ear to the robot's chest, he said, "He sounds a lot healthier! The fans are quieter, and there's no clicking! Good signs!"
The news brought a smile to Aleda's face. "Good. Thank you, Kao Lyn." She beamed at Zero's sleeping form.
Then, in marched a GM. "Titan?" he began as the Knight Gundam stood. "You are requested for patrol."
"If I must," Titan said. "Who will remain by Lady Aleda?"
"This unit will be posted by the door."
"Hmph." Titan began his heavy paces toward the exit. "Bring another three, and perhaps I'll feel better."
"Your complaint is noted."
Once her fussy protector had left, Aleda turned to the Gundam doctor with such a sour face that Kao Lyn laughed. "I can do nothing about it, sorry!" he said. "I can only fix up Gundams the best I can. Speaking of which, I need to go find some old scans on Titan. I want to compare his and Zero's systems to see if I can improve my repairing methods in the future!"
She bobbed her head. "Okay."
"Keep an eye on him, alright?" the scientist said with a wink.
"Sure," Aleda murmured with a shy smile at the floor.
"Alright, I'll be right back!" And he twirled out of her presence like a tornado.
Aleda slipped her hand into Zero's nearest one. "You can make it," she whispered. She noted that his hand felt cooler, closer to a healthy temperature for a machine. She smiled at the handsome face. Then, a yawn escaped her, and she eased her head onto the edge of the table, close to Zero's. I'm still so tired... Maybe he'll wake up when I do...
...
"Is it ready, yet?"
"Yes, Lord Tallgeese. Please be patient while I send it through the portal," Deathscythe's phantasmal form said into the purple-edged magical screen.
Deathscythe was conversing with his master in the throne room while a red-armored Gundamess stood behind him. Blue highlights on her frame glimmered in the half-light coming through tall stained-glass windows. Around her blue-edged feet crackled a bright green tether of energy. She wiggled in discomfort and impatience until a word from Deathscythe snagged her attention. "Miku."
"Yes, sir?" she ground out.
"You brought the card?"
"Yes." Turning her head disinterestedly, she held the small, flat object out, and Deathscythe's magic soon caught it up to float it to the magic circle.
"Here it is, my lord," Deathscythe rasped as the card passed through. "I had to modify an invisibility card in order to make the spell impenetrable to the eyes of that Gundam from the other dimension. It should get you safely in and out without anyone the wiser—that is, until they notice what you've taken." A ear-grating snicker followed.
On the other side, Tallgeese snatched up the card to study it. "There is only one. Where are the others for Vayeate and Mercurius?"
Miku's eyes slid to watch the exchange, and she turned up her audio sensitivity.
"It required an immense amount of magic in order to make it strong enough to fool the other-worlders," Deathscythe explained. "I only have enough for one, unless you would like to wait another week, my lord."
"Hmph! I do not wish to wait. I myself will be enough to take a Gundamess from their base." He nodded to someone off-screen. "Take them back to Lacroa, then. They are useless for this mission if they are uncloaked. And ready yourself for my signal when I have her."
"Very well." Deathscythe slid back as the red and blue knight brothers came into view of the portal. Seconds later, they parted the shining veil and stepped into Lacroa.
Miku's slim red-and-blue frame immediately caught Vayeate's attention. He stared for a moment at the magical shackles around her feet before his brother elbowed him. "Come on, brother! We haven't eaten anything but stolen bananas for the last two days, and I'm hungry!"
"Yes, I'm coming," Vayeate responded.
"Please take Miku with you," Deathscythe said to the knight pair. "Lord Tallgeese has ordered that she be watched, but I require my concentration to maintain the cross-dimensional magic."
Mercurius laughed, rattling his floating generators. "She sure wouldn't let anyone concentrate! We'll guard her for you, Deathscythe." He reached for the Gundamess, who jumped back only to trip over her shackles and fall.
Vayeate grabbed her arm before she hit the floor, and so she regained her feet while shooting a glare at each twin in turn. The blue one could feel her tension even through her armor. "Relax," Mercurius intoned. "We aren't the ones who are going to punish you for trying to escape. That will be Lord Tallgeese."
"I can walk fine on my own," Miku spat.
"Keep speaking, and I'll fix that," Mercurius retorted.
"Let's go eat, brother," Vayeate interjected. He wheeled, tugging Miku with him, and Mercurius, glowering at the Gundamess, followed.
As they passed through the tall arch of the throne room's entrance, Miku yanked her arm out of Vayeate's grip, though she still kept pace with her captors. That is, until Mercurius impatiently sped ahead. In only her hearing, Vayeate whispered, "You shouldn't have done that. Lord Tallgeese is in a bad mood, and he might acquire another Sacred Beast Spirit, today. Who knows what he can do to you?"
"I am well-aware," she growled. "But I am tired of this drawn-out game of his. I hope he finally sends me to the Dark Axis, this time. Unless you're going to help me, leave me alone."
The Knight of Storm jolted, then scowled and ground out, "Ungrateful as always," before flying ahead to meet his brother.
"Childish, as usual," Miku mumbled to herself. Behind her brown eyes burned a stubborn fire. I'll try again. And even if he comes back with another prisoner, that'll just be another person I can rely on for help. I can do this. I'm going back to Ark.
...
He ached. His chest, especially. What had happened, again? He had to get up for some reason he couldn't remember. He forced his eyes open: his foggy vision beheld distant but sharp bright lights. To alleviate his burning eyes, he turned his head, and then he could pick out a white shape. Aleda! Is she injured?! He groped his mind desperately for preceding events as he tried to prop himself up on his elbows. Pain exploded in his chest. "Gah!"
Aleda's eyes shot open, and she jumped to her feet, knocking over her chair in her haste. "Zero!" she shouted, joy flooding her face as she darted to his side. "You're awake!"
"Aleda…Agh!" Zero winced again and clutched his chest.
At the sight of his misery, her happiness quickly changed to concern. "Don't move!" Aleda ordered, placing a restraining hand on his arm. "You're hurt. Kao Lyn and Bell Wood had to weld you together."
"Welding?! Good Mana, no wonder I feel so…!" He broke off in a gasp of pain. The agony flushed the memories back to him: Tallgeese's attack, his threats towards Aleda, and the stab he himself had taken while trying to protect her.
Aleda pulled his arm away so she could reach his torso. "Hold still!" she urged as she placed her hands over the patch. The Knight Gundam held his breath to stop the shudders in his body while she worked. Aleda, closing her eyes, murmured, "Mana, source of life, please ease this kind knight's pain…" Her magic circle materialized overhead, and a cool blue glow emanated from behind the tarp.
Zero sighed as the tension left his gears. She muttered a few more words of the spell and then removed her hands.
The glowing died down. "It feels much better, already," Zero breathed. "Thank you."
"It's the least I can do," Aleda said. She cast her gaze guiltily at the floor. "You saved my life, again, because—" The pull of a metal hand interrupted whatever self-deprecating comment was formulating in her processor. Leaning over the edge of the table in spite of his wound, her knight looped an arm around her and hugged her close. "Z-Zero?"
"Are you alright, Little Wing?" Zero said into her audio.
"Yeah, but you were...almost..." She squeezed her optics shut. Her quickened GunSoul thrummed in her audio receptors.
"That is no matter. He almost got you." His arm wrapped tighter. "I almost let him strike you. What kind of Royal Knight am I, failing to protect someone precious?"
Aleda's face warmed, and her eyes watered, and she slipped her arms around her knight. "Zero…" She buried her face in him, wishing to hear the reassuring hum of his GunSoul.
The hiss of sliding doors drew their attention to the entrance of the lab, where Kao Lyn darted in. The scientist skid to a stop for a moment upon witnessing the two Gundams in a close embrace, but then grinned and resumed his run. "You're awake!" he cried, twirling around them in a happy dance.
The bewildered couple blushed and stared while Kao Lyn bounced around them. "Y-Yes, I am," Zero said, his wide eyes tracking the scientist as he moved across the way to a set of drawers.
"Spectacular! Wonderful! Oh, but you lovebirds need to split up for a second!" Kao Lyn pulled out a rectangular, handheld scanner and somersaulted over to them.
Both cherry-red, they hastily scrambled to disentangle; Aleda plopped into her chair and stared at the floor, and Zero oh-so-innocently studied the lamp above him.
Heedlessly, the jovial scientist dove upon Zero. "Hm," Kao Lyn hummed as he passed the scanner over him. "The welding job we did is straining to stay together. You must have moved too suddenly when you woke up. Be careful from now on! But, your energy levels are holding. None of your energy lines have reopened. Aleda, good job immobilizing him! Keep it up!" Kao Lyn said with a wink and a thumbs-up, fanning the flush of red in the two Gundams' faces. Then, he continued, "Zero, sorry, but you'll be confined to bed for the next three weeks, at least."
Zero sighed, "Very well."
Aleda spoke up in concern, "He's not going to be staying here the whole time, is he? This surface is too hard."
"Oh, no, don't worry! After a few more tests, we'll set up some equipment in his room, and then he'll stay there." Kao Lyn karate-chopped the air and leaned forward over one knee, ending in a dramatic pose. "Hi-yah! How's that sound, Zero?"
"That is acceptable," Zero affirmed.
"Good. I'll get started right away!" The scientist wheeled.
As Kao Lyn sprang away towards his many racks of equipment, Aleda rubbed her finger along the edge of the table, and Zero surveyed the room. "I suppose I had to eventually end up in here, someday, to be equal to Bakunetsumaru and Captain." With a chuckle, he added, "Perhaps I should eat riceballs, too?"
Quietly, Aleda said, "You're really okay, right?"
Zero, losing his mirth, nodded. "Yes, Little Wing," he said softly, "If I have awoken even after such a deep wound, then I will recover."
"Thank goodness," she sighed. Her exhale seemed to let out all the energy that had sustained her composure; her body quaked. "I-I thought you were dying."
Immediately, Zero grasped her hand. "I am not dying," he assured her. "I promise."
But at his touch, his lady, shivering, stood from her chair to reach for him. Though hesitating a second out of surprise, Zero lifted a hand to support her as she clambered onto the table, and between his cautious movements and her shaky climb, they eventually both helped her reach his arms. Kao Lyn hummed deliberately loud, burying his face in a bin of assorted power cords, as the Gundams settled in a snug embrace.
Zero's hands locked behind Aleda's wings. Warm and steady, her GunSoul hummed beside his. There was no shining. At least, none that Zero could tell. But, the mere presence of his beloved was consoling.
"I'm sorry," Aleda blubbed, "It's my fault."
"Hush, Little Wing." Zero squeezed her close. "It is not your fault. Do not worry, anymore. I'm not leaving you alone." He held her as she trembled, saying again, "All is well." Comfortingly, he rubbed her back beneath her wings, until his warm hold soothed her and her shaking frame stilled.
At last, a shivering sigh released the remainder of her fretting, and Aleda, weakened by the long watch over her wounded love, sank further into Zero's embrace. "Shh, you are alright, milady," the knight continued to murmur. His shoulder was her pillow, and his arms her blanket. It was too comfortable for her exhausted mind to resist. Her eyescreens fuzzed as she began to doze.
Kao Lyn burst into their moment again, struggling with a pile of cords that fell over his arms and face, and Aleda jolted again to full wakefulness. "Okay, I'll go start putting things up in your room, and the tests are running, and we'll all be a-okay!" the scientist noisily announced. "Here I go! Let me know if you need anything! 'Bye!" He scurried out, trailing a few dangling cords as he went.
The door clacked shut, leaving the two alone, and they eased back into the quiet moment. Zero still held her. The Gundamess's audio receptor laid against the knight's chin, and her arms coiled tight around him. With a grace absent from the rest of her self-conscious mannerisms, her golden wings sloped down across her back, straight and lovely, lightly resting over Zero's arms. Her eyescreens fuzzed woozily. As the dust continued to clear from Zero's processor, a rising mix of awe and terror replaced his haziness, at what could be hidden in the beautiful frame he held. His hold tightened. "I'm sorry, Little Wing," he whispered. "I've failed you. Tallgeese has seen you, and now you are in danger."
"I don't understand," Aleda murmured. "How is...? Why is he after me?"
The Winged Knight paused. Any explanation he could give would expose something he didn't wish to bring to her attention. "I... think he meant to cause me distress by harming you." He slipped a hand out from under her wings to cradle the back of her helm. "I'm afraid. Very afraid, because he said he'd come after you, again."
"It'll be okay. Everyone can fight him off like before, right?" Aleda proposed. Sensing the serious turn of the conversation, she lifted her head to pull herself out of sleepiness.
"I will protect you, Little Wing. I will, no matter what." His jaw clenched behind his mouthguard. "Even if it ends in..." His eyes closed against the grim prediction.
This startled her fully awake. The Gundamess's lip quivered behind her faceplate, and her small fingers squeezed the folds of his bandages.
Softly, he said, "I'm sorry. Have I frightened you, milady?"
"Yes." Aleda nuzzled her face into his chest. "Zero, I…"
Zero waited for several breathless seconds, but at her silence, he prompted, "What is it, Little Wing?"
Unbeknownst to him, she was immersed in her memory banks.
"I understand what you feel, but..."
"Milady?" Zero prompted again.
"…Nothing," she said. She leaned against him, pressing her audio against his shoulder, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "Nothing."
Zero pondered her unspoken words, and the unknowns of her destiny, as he clung to her. What should I do? What will save her from Tallgeese?
...
An hour-and-a-half later, Zero was settled in his room, on his own soft bed, with the watchful sensors of the monitoring equipment to be his constant guardians. Aleda sat in a chair beside him. Kao Lyn, after a last check-over, had bounced out with a wink at the young Lacroans, leaving them alone with only each other and the fierce blushes under their faceplates.
"Milady, there is no need for you to stay with me for so long," Zero said. "You seem very tired. Please, won't you also rest?"
"I'm fine," Aleda said.
Zero curled his hand around hers. "The danger has passed. I'll be here tomorrow, Little Wing," he said softly.
She dropped her gaze. "O-Okay..."
Someone knocked at the door, jolting them. Growling at the disturbance, Zero grumbled, "Come in."
Baku ran inside. "Zero! You're awake!" But, he hesitated when his eyes caught the two's intertwined hands. "Uh… Hi, Aleda."
"Hi," she returned blithely.
"Uh... was I... interrupting...?"
"N-No!" Aleda jumped up, self-consciously jerking her hand from Zero's. "I was about to leave! To rest! Um..."
Another pair of metal feet marched in beside Baku. "Zero, I have come to check on your status," Captain announced. "How are you feeling?"
"I am feeling somewhat sore, but that is all," Zero answered. "Lady Aleda's healing magic eased much of the pain," he added with a grateful glance at the flustered Gundamess.
"I'm sure," Baku said with a wink.
Bright blue flashed behind Zero's vents, but before a bark of protest could escape, Captain spoke, "You seem to be fatigued, Aleda. Your energy levels are lower than usual. Are you going to recharge, soon?"
She quickly nodded. "Yeah," she said, "I'm about to."
"I can escort you to your quarters," the Neotopian offered.
"S-Sure."
"Thank you, Captain," Zero said.
"No problem."
As Captain began to move to the hallway, the knight spoke softly to his lady, "I am sorry that I am not well enough to guard you, myself, Little Wing."
Aleda flashed him a small, shy smile. "It's okay."
"Rest well, milady."
"You, too. See you later." She gave Zero's hand a last squeeze before flying out of the room.
Zero's gaze followed Aleda out, as his GunSoul also longed to. After her wingtips disappeared, he sighed.
Baku already had his attention locked on his Lacroan friend. "Come on, come on, tell me what happened!" he begged, dancing in excitement.
"What?" The knight blinked.
"Last time I talked to you, you were gonna tell Aleda how you felt! Well, how'd it go?"
Zero almost sighed again in the face of those sparkling brown eyes. "I... didn't get a chance to say it before Tallgeese attacked."
"Oh. But you told her after you woke up, right?"
"Kao Lyn was in the way," Zero grumbled.
"But, you had a bit of time after he set you up in here and left, right?"
"Two minutes, Baku. Two. Minutes. Before you and Captain came."
"Oh! Sorry," Baku said, scratching his helm.
"No harm done, my friend," Zero said with a brief smirk before pressing his lips into a grim line. "I am wondering if it is even still prudent for me to pursue her."
At that, the Blazing Samurai crossed his arms and glared down at him dangerously. "You said you were going to tell her."
"I would have. But, Bakunetsumaru, something is very wrong. Tallgeese said that she had Spirit energy."
"So what? He's crazy. Absolutely bananas!" At that last crack, Baku guffawed.
"As clever as your humor might be, I do not think that is the case. He said that the Griffin recognized her, and..." Zero's eyescreens unfocused as they sifted through his memories. "...though I never told you, Fenn came to me in a dream. He said I could not let Aleda stay in Neotopia, because she smelled like something familiar to him..." As Baku watched with a furrowed brow, Zero's frame, though too subtly to notice aside from a faint rustle, shivered. "She must be the Sacred Beast Phoenix, Baku. That is the only way it makes sense."
"What? A Spirit?"
"There's no other possible explanation. Her magic is growing more quickly than any other wielded I've ever seen, and the Chiefs say she has a flame in her GunSoul."
Understanding flickered in Baku's brown eyes. "And she's good with fire..."
"Yes. It would also explain her wings." Zero shook his head despondently. "There's no other explanation. She must be the Phoenix."
Baku's eyescreen widened. "Wait, those ghost-Spirit-things can become Gundams?"
"There are legends that it has happened in the past."
The samurai shuddered. "I don't know how I feel about that."
"No one has seen the Phoenix for twenty years," Zero further mused, covering his eyescreens in dismay. "Oh, Mana, to think she's been here this whole time...!"
"Wait, so this means you don't want to be with her, anymore?" Baku said, his eyescreens drooping sadly.
The Winged Knight's shoulders sank. "I do still want her," he said almost as quietly as a whisper. His right hand closed around empty space, bidden by the memory of the Lady's warm hand. "Right now, all I want is to hold her and to protect her. And higher Spirits have taken other forms and found love with mortals before. But, while she is in the midst of the battle for Lacroa, she will be targeted for what she is, and I could do no more than shield her from one blow."
Baku narrowed his eyes. "So, in other words, you're scared."
"If it hadn't been for you and everyone else, Bakunetsumaru, my sacrifice would have been in vain," Zero explained. "I'm too weak to be entrusted with her." His own words drained the brightness of his eyescreens, dulling them to shallow grey. "She ought to be hidden until the end of the war, for her own safety."
The Musha Gundam snarled, "You're going to push her away? How will she feel? She's in love with you, Zero!"
"In spite of what sadness she may endure, she would have a much worse fate if Tallgeese reached her."
"You're the Savior of Lacroa, aren't you? You were entrusted with an entire country, so why can't you be trusted with this girl?!"
Zero ground his teeth behind his mouthguard. "I've failed my country. I lost Fenn, and I am still stranded in another world with nothing to show for the years that I have spent trying to rescue Lacroa. Even my victories against Tallgeese have been erased, as he has shown himself free, alive, and well. Tell me why I should deserve to guard a Sacred Beast!"
"But, you've held your own against him each time! You're going to win, Zero!"
"I don't deserve—"
At that, Baku socked him in the faceplate. "This isn't all about you! She's pining over you! It makes me sick that you can string her along like this and still call yourself a gentleman!"
Zero glared at the fist-bearing samurai while he unconsciously cradled his dented mouthguard.
"She wants you! How long are you going to make her cry by herself, Zero?"
"Once Lacroa is freed from Dark Axis and the danger is past, then, if she still loves me, then I'll tell her!" Zero insisted. "And not before!"
Baku stomped his foot. "Seriously, for Aleda's sake, just stop being stubborn and tell her! You coward!"
Furiousness ignited Zero as he raised his voice to match the samurai's. "How dare you! I can't endanger her! I couldn't live with myself if I lost her, too!"
The Blazing Samurai's enraged visage burned inches from Zero's face. "Zero, wake up! It's not your fault that Tallgeese is after her! If she really is the Phoenix, she's going to get involved no matter what! As the Savior of Lacroa, you have to protect her!" He flailed his arms for emphasis. "You haveto protect her, or when Tallgeese tracks her down, she'll be all alone!"
"No!" Zero shook his head. "I always lose...!" He began to tremble, and the anger sapped from him as his body channeled it into welling tears. "I always..."
Baku grabbed his friend's shoulders. "Get a grip! You're not losing us, Zero!" he insisted. "You're not losing anyone else, especially not on this team! You have all of your friends who want to protect Aleda, too!"
Blue eyes lifted, widened by surprise.
"I swear by my honor as a Musha Gundam!" Baku declared. "I'll protect Aleda, too, because you are both my friends!" With each word, he roughly shook the Knight Gundam's shoulders, while he stared intently, as if daring the knight to challenge him. "You're not in this alone!" he insisted. "So, stop worrying! You can go love her, Zero!"
The Knight Gundam blinked. He opened and closed his mouth wordlessly. His CPU reprocessed the words. Then, he gulped back the wetness in his eyescreens.
Baku released him. "You do trust me, don't you?"
Though at first too moved for words, eventually Zero rubbed his face and said, "Bakunetsumaru, you are the truest of friends..."
Baku blushed and rubbed his helmet. "Ah, thanks. You're also a loyal comrade."
Gradually, Zero's breaths slowed and smoothed, and finally, he cleared his speakers and gathered his words. "Thank you. It puts my heart at ease to know that you are also guarding her."
"I really mean it, though. You have to tell her," Baku said.
"I know. I myself can barely stand to be apart from her."
"So, you're going to tell her next chance you get?"
Zero sighed. "I had wanted a peaceful and romantic setting, but yes, I ought to use the next opportunity."
"If it helps, having someone nearly die for you is pretty romantic, too." Baku winked. Then he looked the Winged Knight squarely in the eye. "But you'd better tell her soon, or I'll force you."
Zero scoffed, "Like you could force me to do anything."
"Oh, I could! I'd just tell her for you." Baku burst into a laugh at Zero's horrified stare.
"You wouldn't dare."
"Wanna try me?"
Zero crossed his arms. "Hmph! You have no consideration for romanticism!"
"I'm romantic when I need to be." Baku also crossed his arms, and he locked gazes with the knight. "But, I'm serious, Zero. You'd better tell her. I know what it's like to wait too long and then regret it. I lost my first love, and to this day I still wish I'd said something."
Zero's snide grin wavered and, as he searched Baku's face and found it had dropped all semblance of a joking smile, slipped off altogether. "Wait... you're serious?"
"Yeah." Baku averted his gaze. "My master and my family used to serve a small noble family before Kibaomaru came along. The shogun had a daughter near my age, and my little sister played with her all the time. Hime-sama was graceful and strong, with eyes sharp as a dragon. But, I was still only a youth with no name for myself, so I never told her how I felt. Then Kibaomaru attacked our small land, killed my master and the shogun, and kidnapped many of the Gundamesses in the castle, including my sister and hime-sama."
Zero averted his eyes from the samurai's grim face. "Oh, Mana. I'm sorry, Baku..."
"That is why I know that it's not worth it to wait to say something, because after she's gone, you'll always wish she'd known."
"I see," the knight murmured guiltily.
"So, you will tell her, right?" Baku narrowed his eyescreens.
Zero sighed. "Yes, I promise I will." Slowly, he slid down to lay his head on the pillow. "But first, as Lady Aleda is sleeping, let me also rest so I may heal."
"Sure. See you later, you hopeless romantic."
"Rude simpleton," the Knight Gundam retorted as the samurai started for the door. He momentarily reactivated his eyescreens. "Baku?"
Baku's footsteps paused. "Yeah?"
"What were the names? Of your sister and your princess?"
"Amane-hime was my princess, and my sister was named Miku."
"Let us search for them, as well, when we return to our dimension."
Though hidden by the back of his helmet, the Musha Gundam's smirk could be heard in the softness of his voice. "Thank you, my friend."
...
A cloud in the sky broiled and whipped around an ascending unseen shape. A low hum followed the invisible being, but it quieted when the creature slowed under another flying form screaming overhead. Excited whoops of the SDG's most energetic member carried over the clouds. "Hm..." hummed a deep, throaty voice. "One of the Gundams. Where could he be going, I wonder?"
...
Guneagle righted and angled his jets to slow as he neared a finger of White Base. Once over the runway, he glided, decelerated to a hover, and touched down, wings flared and feet grabbing the flat surface like his avian namesake. The flier walked towards a crew of white-uniformed SDG staff waiting at the end of the runway.
"Hey!" he called, raising a hand in greeting. "How's it, guys? Anything new? I got nothing on patrol." His clunking steps and boisterous shouts drowned out a trailing hiss of breath behind him.
After a few pokes and prods for initial checkup, Guneagle followed them into the hangar door, subtly-not-so-subtly relating the tight turn radius that he had used during his rounds. Suddenly, he whipped his helm to the side.
"What is it?" one of the staff asked while his eyescreens searched the inside walls of the hangar.
"I felt something touch me," Guneagle answered.
"'Touch'?"
Guneagle snapped his visor over his eyes, but the light blue tint still revealed nothing. "My sensors say nothing was there to touch me, but they also say something touched me." Guneagle blinked as his visor retracted. "A fabric and an atmospheric disturbance. Like a big... coat-tail, or cape, or something..."
"Let's get you to see Chief Kao Lyn so he can check your sensors. It might be a glitch."
"I guess..."
They entered the docks with its many shifting platforms carrying Gunperrys and mobile citizen support equipment, and its huge number of robot and human staff. A tiny blip turned a couple of heads among the mobile citizens, but they spotted nothing. On the other side of the hangar, a human SDG member passed through the doors to the main halls, unknowingly letting in their visitor. She continued unawares, passing several intersections on the way to her station.
Five-hundred feet back, around the corner, a low chuckle sounded. "Almost too easy. Now, to find you, Phoenix..."
...
"Why is no one watching her?" Titan stared down Bakunetsumaru and Captain. Though more specifically Baku, the one capable of making rash judgments.
Said Musha Gundam boldly met him with his own unblinking glare and crossed his arms. "She's five doors down. I'll go back in to check on her in a little bit. Aleda is perfectly safe."
"No, I'll go. She needs a more diligent guard," Titan glowered.
"I can protect her just fine, and don't forget that she's with Zero, who's also really strong," Baku said.
"Who also nearly died, yesterday. He's in no shape to protect her." The bulkier Gundam shoved past, quipping, "It is not the time to be playing matchmaker, Arkian!"
Baku grabbed his shoulder. "Come on, just give them a few minutes!" he pleaded. "They really need to talk!"
Titan growled and set his sights on the Neotopian among them. "Captain Gundam, ought I not ensure that someone is always by my charge's side?"
"I..." Captain's eyes averted. "... am concerned for Aleda's safety, but I am also concerned that your energy levels are depleting from lack of rest. Your time may be better spent recharging while Bakunetsumaru, Zero, and I take a turn to watch over Aleda."
Titan wheeled around fully. "What conspiracy is this?!"
"There is no conspiracy," Captain began.
As the three Gundam argued, an unseen form brushed against the door to Zero's room. A glimmer flashed for only an instant. Captain Gundam's eyescreens honed in. "What is that?"
The other two wheeled. "What is what?!" Baku demanded.
Captain's scanners searched, but nothing appeared in his UI, not even when analyzing the infrared waves passing through Zero's room. The only thing in there was the two Lacroan Gundams, the larger one tracing the chin of the smaller winged one, their faces inches apart. "It was nothing. A glitch in my scanners, perhaps," Captain said. "There is not even anything odd in my memory."
"I'm going—"
"Titan, please go rest," Captain interjected. "Your energy levels are below 50%. You cannot properly defend Aleda in your current condition."
The Knight Gundam's fuzzy hazel eyes bore into him, until finally he spat, "Fine," and turned and stomped away.
...
Chief Haro sat in his chair, reviewing a data pad of reports: Zero's recovery progress—or at least all possible data they could gather to try to assess it—was currently under his scrutiny. The masked man sighed in relief. "He's awake, good. Aleda's healing magic seems to have worked well. It's good that she stayed with us." He slumped back in his chair. "Though, I still worry about those two..." Internally, he groaned at the thought of the Gundam Force increasing in ways other than purposeful recruitment. "...We certainly don't need that under these circumstances..."
A bleep from the phone on his desk interrupted his thoughts. Chief Haro raised it to his mask's ear. "Yes?"
"Chief Haro, sir," came Juli's voice, "there is someone on the line for you. A Dr. James Vaughn."
Unseen by the operator, Chief Haro's mask ears flapped in surprise. "Did you say 'Vaughn'?!"
"Yes, sir."
"I suppose there is no helping it, now..."
"Is there something wrong, sir?"
"Nothing horribly wrong. Put him through."
"Yes, sir."
Silence came over the phone, then crackling, and finally a male voice. Hello? Chief Haro?"
"Yes, I'm here. This is Dr. Vaughn?" Haro tapped his finger on the desk.
"Yes. I don't know if you remember me, but my family was involved in research by Dr. Kao Lyn about a decade ago. I tried calling Dr. Kao Lyn, but your receptionist says he's unavailable."
"That is correct. He's tending to an emergency, right now. What can I help you with?"
"Is my daughter Aleda there with you, Chief Haro?"
The chief curled his fingers around the end of his armrest. "... Yes, sir. She voluntarily sought us out, and we thought it in everyone's best interests to welcome her."
"What have you gotten her involved in? You never asked us if this was for her best interests," James demanded.
"From what we understood, you had allowed her to investigate her origins on her own, and because she is a mobile citizen who has not been manufactured nor purchased by any entity in Neotopia, there was no reason for us to expect a legal obligation for Aleda to receive your permission for anything."
"That sounds like a poor excuse to get what you want, Chief," James ground out.
"It was for her emotional security and her safety, not for us," Chief Haro insisted. "We were not about to let a child, even a Gundam one, wander into danger on her own. If you'll let me explain—"
"Explain what? Why she was chased down by another robot in the train station when she was trying to come home?"
Chief Haro clenched his armrest. "There is a misunderstanding about that incident. She had a fight with another one of our mobile citizen members, and so at that moment she wanted to leave. That was her friend, trying to convince her to stay."
"She looked like she was trying to run away from him."
"That friend... doesn't have much tact."
"I'm also alarmed by his appearance. He wasn't a normal mobile citizen. Are you keeping my daughter so that you can make more prototypes?"
"No, sir! Actually, we have—"
A blaring alarm cut into the conversation. "Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" the loudspeaker blared.
Juli's voice came next: "Chief!"
"What?" James called on the other side.
Haro cupped the speaker of his phone. "Status report!" he called.
"Intruder decloaked in the residential sector, sir! Zero's quarters! The energy signature matches Tallgeese!"
Chief Haro bolted to his feet. "Send Captain, Bakunetsumaru, Guneagle, and all GM units in immediately!"
"What about Gunbike and the Gundivers, sir?"
"Gunbike can't fit in the hall, and the Gundivers are poorly equipped for non-marine combat!" He strode toward the door. "Our first priority is to protect Gundam Force members Zero and Aleda! Surround the intruder, get between him and Zero, and take Aleda to a secure location!"
"Sir, Aleda is also with Zero!"
The ears flapped in shock. "What?!"
The phone in his hand buzzed. "What's going on?!"
Chief Haro whipped the receiver back under his mask mouth. "I have to go. There's an emergency."
"Wai—!"
He clicked, and it silenced. With a toss, the phone clunked on his desk, and the SDG leader ran to the command deck.
...
After a three-hour nap and an awkward talk with a nosey Arkian escort, Aleda was happy to be sitting in Zero's chair by his bedside.
And Zero was happy, too. "I'm relieved to have them returned to their proper place," he said, referring to his helmet and torso armor. He fingered the wing decals on the side of his helm. "It makes me feel almost fully recovered. I felt so bare and exposed."
"Well, I thought you looked... nice," Aleda said as casually as she could muster—which is to say that it wasn't casual at all. She glanced down abashedly.
"'Nice'?" Zero repeated.
"Your helmet is elegant, and it fits you well, but…it hides so much of your face." She blushed.
"Is my face so pleasing to you?" Zero said teasingly. "Then perhaps I can show it more often for you. But for now, if you don't mind, I'll keep this on my head for my own comfort."
Aleda, twiddling her fingers, nodded. Then, she murmured hesitantly, "Zero?"
"Yes, milady?"
"We never got to..." Her eyes dodged, again. "... talk about the important thing before Tallgeese came." Butterflies attacked her energy processor and GunSoul, but still she forced herself to ask, "What did you want to talk about?"
While she wasn't looking, Zero closed his eyes for a moment to collect his thoughts and fight the nervousness rising in his core. "I wanted to talk about... after the war, milady." He opened his eyes. "After the Dark Axis has fallen. I know that you wish to see Lacroa. But what..." His voice dipped nearly into silence as he delicately asked, "...what will you do after you have seen your homeland? After the war has ended? Where will you stay?"
Aleda paused for a moment, and then spoke contemplatively, "When I left home to find out where I came from, I thought I would live in my home dimension. At least for a while. I didn't really want to be separated from my family forever, but I knew that once I left Neotopia, I might never get back…"
"It was difficult to reach this dimension, but travel is possible." His blue gaze sank. "Do you then intend to return to Earth after you have seen Lacroa?"
"I, um, well..." she fingered the Lacroan crest on her skirt piece. "I think I would like to live with other Gundams like me. Or at least try to, y'know?"
His GunSoul buzzed. "Then you'll stay with—er, in Lacroa?" The knight said, his words almost tumbling into a clumsy stammer at the heartening news.
"I would like to. But, where would I go in Lacroa?"
"You could come to Lacroa Castle." For a second, he paused to swallow down his eagerness and recollect his voice. "...A lady who has tended so well to our band of warriors would be welcome in the castle."
"I could... stay... with you?"
Zero nodded. "Yes, Little Wing."
Her emerald eyes shone more brightly than he had ever seen, as did her GunSoul. "I...If you're there, then I'll be happy."
Oh, Mana, she's beautiful, Zero thought in awe. He noticed his lady glancing down at her shining GunSoul in surprise, and he could tell from the burning brightness in his heart his own was alight, as well."Aleda…" Zero cupped her cheek, drawing her light green eyes back so he could lovingly gaze into them. "That is what you wish? To live in Lacroa? ...With me?"
Aleda gaped, then smiled and nodded. Her hand grasped the one on her cheek.
"Then after Lacroa is restored to life, we shall return there together. I'll take you to the Majesties and Princess Rele, and surely they'll allow you to stay in the castle. I'll be there with you every day, to teach you and to guard you, my…" His voice caught on the potent word, which stuck in his throat. Though Aleda poised her audio receptors to hear, Zero dropped that last word in favor of, "...What say you, Little Wing?"
Aleda, face flushed and eyescreens misting, whispered, "Yes."
Zero slipped an arm around her waist and drew her nearer, and his other hand slid down her face. As Zero gently tugged her chin up, both Lacroans leaned in, their eyes drifting closed. My friends are with me. I can love her, he mantraed to himself. The words sank into his GunSoul, saturating it like oil in a lamp, and his passion set it aflame with heart-bursting joy. I can make her happy...!
Aleda waited for a long moment, breath held, heart abuzz, her sensors primed to perceive every sound and touch from her knight, from the gentle cradle of his fingers on her cheeks to the quietest hum of his GunSoul. His hand reached for something on her face. She had pictured it a million times, how two Gundams might kiss, if the armor over the face were first removed...
But just before Zero could reach the clasp to her mouthguard, an eerily familiar voice interrupted them. "You'll go to Lacroa, Lady, but I am afraid not quite the way you thought."
The two Gundams tore away from each other while the tall form of the white Knight of the Tempest shimmered into existence at the foot of Zero's bed. "Surprised?" Tallgeese laughed.
Zero glared. "Tallgeese! How did you get in?!"
Tallgeese held a card in his hand triumphantly. "A Pawn Leo made a little donation," he said. He took a step forward, and gold talons flashed over his feet. Claws grew across his arms. "And, you know what I'm here for."
A loud wail rang, causing Tallgeese to lift his eyes to the speakers embedded in the ceiling for a second. "Oh, the alarm." He whipped around and, with a wave of his hand, golden feathers stabbed the door lock, leaving nothing more than a shattered, smoking box. "That'll buy me plenty of time."
Even before Tallgeese had resumed his pace, Zero had swung out of bed to stand between Aleda and danger. The Knight Gundam grunted at a sharp prick in his chest. "Zero, your wounds!" Aleda protested in vain.
He swayed in front of her. "Oh, Mana!" Zero's magic circle bloomed.
But, his raised hand couldn't reach the Vatras Sword before Tallgeese flew in and swept him aside. Crack! Zero slid down the dented wall with three new scrapes across his torso.
"Zero!" Aleda sprang.
Tallgeese bared a claw and flung ethereal orange extensions at his victim. "Say your prayers, Winged Knight!"
Zero, on his hands and knees, raised an armguard to shield himself.
The roar of flame sounded, followed by the roar of Tallgeese. Zero looked up to see the enemy knight curled inside a globe of flames. Aleda, though trembling, held both hands outstretched to pour forth her full fiery fury. "Aleda—run!" Zero shouted.
Within the fire, purple-ish red eyes gleamed, and with a flap of golden wings, the flames were blown out. "Not as powerful as I expected!" Red-and-black arcs whizzed.
"Ack!" One, then the other, snapped in place; Aleda flailed against the ridged Semicircle Claws pinning her to the wall.
"Aleda!" Zero screeched. Gathering his weak magical reserves in his flight boosters, he flew at the assailant. Clang! He dropped at Tallgeese's feet, reeling from a blow to the head.
""Zero!" Another fierce blaze exploded from Aleda, burning her bonds to ashes. But, just as she raised her hand to summon her rapier, Tallgeese stepped on the fallen knight's arm. She hesitated. Her foe, his pupil-less eyes never once leaving her, leaned down and pressed one set of claws against the panting Knight Gundam's chin.
"Although I am disappointed at the relatively poor display of your strength, it seems that you still have enough power to give my Griffin some trouble, Phoenix," Tallgeese rumbled. "So, I kindly ask that you cooperate with me."
She lowered her arm uncertainly. "Phoenix?"
"Open the door, ugly duckling!" Baku's muffled voice yelled from the other side of the locked door.
Tallgeese ignored the muted demand in favor of Aleda's question. "Has your memory left you as well as your powers, Sacred Beast? Your last regeneration must have been difficult." Zero thrashed, only for Tallgeese to jab him. "Stay still!" he warned the Royal Knight.
Zero croaked at the shallow puncture in his chin. Aleda's wings quivered, but Tallgeese wagged a finger. "Uh-uh-uh~ You stay where you are, sweetheart. I see that you don't understand what I'm saying, but that's alright. All you need to know is that if you don't come with me, I'll skewer the Knight Gundam, and you can watch him die in the most torturous ways I can imagine."
"Don't!" Zero writhed against Tallgeese's foot until he felt another warning prick at his neck.
"If you come peaceably, I will let him live—for today," Tallgeese continued.
"Don't trust a thing he says!" Zero called desperately, his blue eyes wide with the future horrors playing before his processor. "Run, Aleda! Please!" I am already lost! Go!
Aleda beheld Zero's predicament, her face twisted by the pain in her GunSoul and her frame tingling from the surge of fear through her circuits. Tallgeese's cold, red eyes sent her knee joints knocking. But, Zero's labored breaths threatened the function of her own coolant system. Her knight's blue eyes pleaded, but the golden claws glinted... She stepped forward, wings folded. "I'll do what you want," she said.
"No!" Zero shouted, and he grabbed Tallgeese's forearm, his hands gleaming with a hasty spell-cast. Sizzling sounds rose simultaneously with a burning scent.
The Knight of the Tempest growled but effortlessly shoved Zero's head into the floor. Aleda keeled over as if she were the one under abuse. "Stop!" she cried.
Zero coughed and pulled at the hand on his throat. With a sneer into the defiant glare of his struggling victim, Tallgeese turned his eye to the spectating Gundamess. "You were saying?"
"I surrender. Don't hurt him, anymore," she whimpered.
"Wise decision, young lady. Hold still, then."
Aleda's watering eyes widened at a flurry of golden feathers. She squeaked in surprise as the projectiles glued themselves to her wings and encircled her arms, binding her.
"Aleda!" Zero shrieked.
The next second, Tallgeese snapped his fingers, and the feathers glowed, instantly sapping the light from her frightened eyes. She collapsed and thunked her head hard on the floor.
"No!" Zero again wriggled futilely against the iron grip. His hand grasped for his precious lady, though it merely closed the gap by a couple of feet. Too short and weak to touch her. "Let her go!" he demanded.
"I'm afraid I can't. She has something I want." Tallgeese leered like a gloating goose. "I'm sorry you grew so fond of her."
Zero stared at the unconscious form of his beloved, bound and fallen like a netted sparrow, and his GunSoul twisted near to breaking. "Please. Destroy me if you must, but let her go!" he pleaded. Please, Mana, don't do this to me!
"Oh, I will destroy you, don't worry." Tallgeese raised his claw. "But, she is still my captive. Perish, Winged Knight, knowing that you failed to protect anything!"
The sharp blades fell. Zero flinched.
A crash and a laser beam rang in Zero's audios. Tallgeese recoiled, and Zero lowered his arm to see a flash of red closing in. The tall intruder of White Base ducked, then swerved, then pulled back to avoid the quick flashes of dual katana. Bakunetsumaru stood himself between the enemy and his weakened friends. In the busted entrance, Captain eyed Tallgeese through his green scanner piece and his rifle scope.
While the enemy was occupied, Zero rolled over to crawl toward his lady. "I'm coming, Aleda, hold on...!"
"I have special dispensation—" Captain began before a golden feather whizzed into his scanner piece. Crack! The tip cracked through the lens and into Captain's eyescreen.
A hurl slammed Baku into the weakened wall and smashed him through to the other side.
Zero's fingertips brushed the edge of Aleda's V-fin, and he moved to draw her into his arms. But then, a rush of wings and gold swooped in front of him, snatched the Gundamess in his talons, and flew. The knight's hand grasped empty air. "No!"
Captain hadn't stopped stumbling before a heavy wing clipped him. "Out of the way, rats!" The Gundam tumbled, and Tallgeese dashed through the demolished doorway. With Aleda.
Panic clutched the Winged Knight's heart. "Aleda...!" Zero mustered the last of his energy to lift himself into the air and materialize his sword and shield into his hands. Baku's groan drifted into hearing, and Captain's gears whined as he tried to stand. Zero wobbled toward the hall.
A loud war cry rang, accompanied by rapid bleeps of closing flight boosters. Titan barreled past the giant hole; wild green had flared forth from the hazel mix of his eyes. When Tallgeese wheeled to lash with his armguard claws, Titan rammed straight into him, shield-first. His huge bulk pressed, and his flight boosters whined and strained, while Tallgeese held steady. Titan raised his other arm to bash the intruder with a second shield.
"I wouldn't," Tallgeese quickly interjected with a shake of the limp frame in his arm, "if you don't want to accidentally—"
But he'd already swung—thwack! Tallgeese reeled, cradling his aching CPU with his free hand.
Zero hovered at the hole in his door for one second, enough to see the disoriented kidnapper and to exchange a glance with Titan. "Oh, Mana!" he raised his sword to cast a sizzling corral of energy lines around Tallgeese.
The golden-winged robot straightened, cocked his crested helm, and sized up the barrier. Then, he snapped his wings and clipped through the magical cage like a knife slicing through butter. "You thought you could trap me, Winged Knight?" he taunted.
Said knight held a glare with him while rapid clunks neared from behind: Titan spread his arms for a bear-crush on Tallgeese's other side.
"And you thought you could trick me, too!" Suddenly, the elongated orange energy claws whipped at the attempted ambusher.
"Titan!" Zero cried in concern.
The claws ground against the two shields in Titan's hands, and while the Knight Gundam braced himself against them, he started to slide toward the side of the narrow hallway.
Captain and Baku leapt into the hall on either side of Zero. The first rolled immediately into the fray while Baku paused to spit out crumbled pieces of wall. "Gack, concrete—" Then, Baku turned his attention to the chaotic dance of wings and magic and sparks in the residential hall. "Zero, what's going on?!"
"Aleda! Tallgeese... urk!" Zero gasped, curling inward for a moment as pain spiked through his chest. "...He has Aleda!"
Baku's eyes narrowed. "Okay, got it! One fried goose, coming up!" The samurai's swords whistled as he rushed in.
Author's Notes
Sorry for the cliffhanger! It was getting too long, and if I'd kept going, this chapter would never have been done XD You'll have to find out the result of Tallgeese's infiltration next chapter.
I hope I got Tallgeese alright, here. I tried to make him strong, but at the same time I didn't want him creaming the whole base. And I know we could all see it coming when Tallgeese planned to off Zero whether or not Aleda chose to go with him (just rewatch episode 11). Aleda knew, too, though, that that's what Tallgeese was likely to do. She was just willing to take the risk, anyways, on even the chance that Tallgeese would feel generous or that she'd earn enough time for their friends to come help. She just couldn't give up on Zero.
Update schedule is pretty... up in the air. I'm going into my independent teaching, meaning I'm going to be even busier, and I could possibly go for longer than the other interns so that I can meet my MT's expectations and my 20-day independent teaching requirement. It's going to be either hell or fun or both. -_- I'll be done by the middle of May, though, for better or for worse, so expect that the next chapter won't come out later than the beginning of June. So sorry for the long wait, guys. I just really gotta put this rl concern first.
I do still check in to see any comments, faves, and the like, though, so feel free to say something. It always cheers me up to hear your reactions to my stories ^^ Were the sappy moments sappy? Were the action moments exciting? What do you think's gonna happen next? Let me know!
Until next time!
-Penelopi