| Mizu-iwa cho | home |
| The Meeting |
A little click echoed down the hall and Mina spotted Duo poking his head out of his bedroom door. His hair was slightly messed up; he was dressed in his boxers and a thin white shirt- the sight of him made the assassin blush madly. She quickly averted her eyes, staring up at the ceiling and whistling nervously. It was times like these Mina wished she didn't have to live with the idiot- let alone like him. Just when she thought he wasn't around, she felt a hand come down on her shoulder. She let out a quiet yell and looked exactly where she didn't want to- Duo's Violet eyes. Why does this always happen? She thought as she tried to cut off the eye contact between herself and the pilot. I can't keep my eyes off him- I can't stop thinking about him…and it's making me so angry! What, It's like Duo always just so happened to be running around half naked whenever we're basically alone in the house…why me?! Mina's thoughts were interrupted by Duo's voice- causing her to take a sharp intake of breath.
"Mina…why are you up so early?" He questioned.
Mina took the opportunity to get him to leave her alone before something bad happened and coyly pulled his hand from her shoulder.
"Because it's school today- Duh. What do you think you're doing? Go on- get ready! We have to be there in two hours!"
Duo let his hand fall to his side and facevaulted. How a girl that eager for school was never called a "Geek" was beyond him…
"I was just on my way to the bathroom," He replied, matter of factly.
Talk about waking up on the wrong side of the bed…" He mumbled and marched right past the angry girl into the bathroom, his braid swinging behind him.
Mina heard the door close and let out an exasperated sigh. That was a close one…from how that turned out; I could say that this is going to be a great day! Mina: 1 Duo: 0…Score! I'll be as loveless as I should be in no time, if I keep that up! Mina swung her braid over her shoulder and took her rightful place, leaning on the pillar in the main hall of Tatalia's house- humming. The haunting song echoed off the walls as Mina stood waiting for the rest of her friends to wake up. She went back into her state of calmness, thinking of how the day was going to be.
"Oh my GOD!" A loud thump rumbled through the house as Doris rolled out of bed.
`I can't miss the first day of school!" She went through the piles of clothes strung out on her floor for something to wear. The look on Mina's face drastically changed, her eyes narrowed on Doris when she came flying out the door- down the hall, past Mina and into the kitchen.
Quatre, Tatalia and Heero were perched at the table- all eating breakfast.
"Why didn't you assholes wake me up?" She fumbled through the cabinets to get a bowl.
Quatre looked up from his tea and smiled.
"Because you always get angry and tell us you have it all under control-" Mina entered the room and took the liberty of finishing his sentence, but in a less "pacifistic" sort of way.
"And it's obvious you don't. Now eat your frickin' cereal and move it!" There were sometimes the others thought of Mina as sort of a drill Sergeant, always yelling at them and egging them on to finish their jobs. The kids at the table all of a sudden went quiet, all staring at Mina; who was standing here, her hands on her hips.
"You all have 5 minutes to get your Asses in gear! Now, let's move!"
Quatre, Tatalia, Doris and a very silent Heero bolted out of the room- each going in different directions of the house. Mina just remained in place- arms crossed in front of her chest. She knew she didn't have to bother following the others- she could just yell form there.
Doris rushed into the bathroom, brushed her teeth and attempted to comb her hair. She put it into ponytails and glanced into the mirror.
"TWO MINUTES!" Mina could be heard, the tone in her voice gradually getting angrier- the girl didn't want to be late on her first day of school.
"Alright! I'm hurrying!" Doris slapped on some shoes, grabbed her bowl of cereal and joined the other running kids down the hall. They all reached Mina at the same time; she stood there, smiling at how she got her friends to get ready so fast.
Mina tromped into the school building glaring down at her pants that Doris had spilt milk on. She came to an abrupt stop when she ran into someone. "Hey! Why don't you watch where I'm going?" Mina looked up at the rather tall person she had come in contact with.
"Excuse me?"
"That's right. What'd you do wet your pants?"
"No you jerk! Now get outta my way!"
"Gimme a dollar."
"Just who do you think you are?"
"I'm Bill Cosby." Mina shook her head and pressed past the obnoxious boy.
Mina shoved past him, a snicker playing across her lips. Something tells me I should teach that kid a lesson…. jerk… She haughtily walked to the bathroom; on her way there she shoved her way past a group of girls. Just as she walked in, she could hear it, something that made her stop in her tracks and turn her head.
The group of girls were huddled, tittering to one another until they *thought* Mina was outta sight.
"Is that the girl?" The tallest one muttered.
"Yeah- I heard about her…She's the one who-" The shortest one cut off, her eyes darting back and forth as she lowered her voice.
"The girl who's with that hottie- Duo Maxwell." She rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"I thought she would be much…sexier than that- I mean look at her!" The girls began laughing- each and every little high-pitched giggle created a low, deep growl far inside Mina's throat- her eyes squinted as she focused on the door.
Brushing her braid over her shoulder, Mina literally cleared a path to the sink. A gallery of glares was offered to the back of her head as she used the sink to get the milk off her pants. She glanced up in the mirror at the rather foolish looking girls.
"If you do that for too long, your faces might get stuck. Never mind. I think it would be an improvement over those mugs you have now." The girls' jaws dropped as they watched Mina nonchalantly dry her hands and leave.
"Oi! Mina! I want to apologize again for your pants. You did a nice job cleaning them! You can hardly tell anything happened to them. Really!"
"Yeah yeah- just get yourself cleaned up." Doris nodded and started for the bathroom. "Uh- no not in there...the sink is really badly clogged." Mina grabbed Doris's arm and took her to a different bathroom. This pacifist would never make it through those girls in there...
Mina ran up to the bumbling idiot, casting her an angry glance before taking a couple of steps ahead. Doris soon followed, right when the two turned the corner, Mina slapped her hand out and grabbed the back of Doris's neck- her fingers tightly holding onto her friend.
"Don't move…" She threatened as she brought the girl closer, shielding herself from the group of kids ahead. Doris did as she was told, fumbling her way back to where Mina was leading her- not bothering to say anything. Mina let out another loud growl and pointed a finger to the group ahead. Duo was in the middle of a large circle of girls, cracking jokes and just eating up all of the attention. Mina frowned and tried to look the other way, fighting the burning feeling in her chest. She didn't mask what was going on in her heart very well, Doris looked at her obviously disturbed friend and smiled.
"So, you've got a thing for Duo eh? I think it's sweet!" Doris's smile was quickly extinguished by Mina's glare o death times ten. "Sorry, I was just funning you." I know she cares for him; anyone with eyes can see it, except for Duo that is. I just wish she wouldn't be so defensive about it. I can understand though. That just means that I'll have to work on her little by little. Hee hee hee.
"What, pray tell, is so funny?" Mina's voice was harsh as she fought back the urge to hit something, which was most likely going to be Doris.
Hey! Shouldn't we be finding where our classes are? I would hate to go to the wrong class or something. That's totally embarrassing! Have-"
"Alright! All right! Let's go! Just stop jabbering!" The two girls began located each of their respective classes. On their way into a secluded hall, however, they happened upon another group of girls. This group however was more organized and aggressive.
"So, Lise. You think that Ray really likes you? Ha! Don't make me laugh! He just feels sorry for you! Now just give it up, and move on." Lise pressed herself harder against the wall.
"What is this- "The Ray fan club?" No, a fan club is too nice for you. You maniacs are a group of Ray stalkers!" The blonde leader of the "Ray Stalkers" smiled and flipped her hair.
"Alright Lise. Have it your way. Let's get her girls!" The group of crazed girls began to advance on the hapless girl.
"Hey! Knock it off!" Mina quickly turned to see A fuming Doris shout. The gaggle of girls froze and turned around. Mina leaned over and whispered-
"Doris, I hope you don't plan on taking all these girls on. 'Cause you know I'm not going to get you out of this one." Lise took this opportunity to escape the mob and run behind Mina and Doris.
"Ha! Come and get me now Maggie!"
"Get out of our way newbie. This is none of your concern."
It was then that the over- stressed girl lost her temper. Mina shoved Doris and her new attachment behind her and stepped up to the group.
"Look- I don't know who you are, but if you keep this up- there's going to be one less ugly mouth to feed in this universe." All of the girls including Doris and Lise stood there- mouth agape as the haughty girl frowned and walked off.
That was enough verbal bashing for Maggie- She gathered her followers and scuttled off in the other direction. Very few words came out if her mouth- Mina was sure to watch her walk away from her friends. Serves her right…I can't believe some of the females in this school- so WEIRD..
Doris and Lise still stood in the hallway- eyes darting to and fro, waiting for another confrontation. When none arose, Doris turned to face her newfound friend.
"Hi! Pleased to meet you- I'm Doris." She cheerfully held out her hand and smiled, her baby blue eyes dancing with excitement. She was always like this when she would meet new people- thus the "first impression" bit.
Lise could only blink in confusion. The longhaired girl was the first person on the planet to shut Maggie up, AND send her away. Something made her want to follow the girl, get to know her and avoid the problem with the "Ray stalkers". As the solution seemed to be walking away, Lise remained next to Doris and smiled; joining in with the girl's gleeful chirping.
"Hi! I'm Lise- thanks for helping me out there; those girls always chase after my boyfriend and sometimes it's hard to take them."
Doris pointed to the back of her friend.
"And THAT'S Mina Andrews. I'm sure you don't have anything to worry about- Leave it to her; Maggie will be out of your hair- or breath, in no time. Mina doesn't like seeing things like what happened- I'm sure she'll be…around." She knew there would be no need to formally introduce her when she noticed the small girl's eyes light up.
"That's Mina? Whoa- I thought she was supposed to be-"
Doris raised a stern finger and smiled. There was so much that was needed to be known of Mina- but there was one thing Doris *did* know.
"Mina just disappeared- she is a disposable assassin. It just happened because she wasn't needed." Doris went on, talking and emphasizing on how great her friend was. The two girls walked down the hall; Lise holding her bag and enjoying the stories Doris was telling about the "legendary" warrior.
The bell rang, kids scurried to their classes; pushing their way down the halls to get to their classes so they wouldn't be late. After a happy "See you later!" Doris and Lise went to their assigned groups.
This is going to be great- It's the first day of school and I already found a new friend. Now that I think about it, this school might not be that bad… Doris carefully zigzagged her way through the door and looked around. The teacher- who was already taken by age, grinned when the rest of the class walked in the door. Doris scanned the room for a sign of her friends and groaned when she spotted Sean in the back of the room; a goofy smile pasted on his face as he waved her down. She rolled her eyes at the boy and continued her search; a disgusted look on her face. This is just great…I have a class with- Her thoughts came to a standstill when she heard a familiar voice call her.
"Doris!"
Afraid to look in the direction, from which the voice was coming, she quickly faced the other direction. She should have known that there was no way to escape- a slight tap on her shoulder sent her twirling around.
"I haven't seen you all morning," Quatre smiled sweetly at his *somewhat* koi and led her to a seat.
"Here- you can sit next to Trowa and I."
Doris sweatdropped and let her weight out on the chair, her arms limp at her sides. I guess this isn't going to be that bad….I have to keep a positive outlook on things- I can't go berserk here and now. Now if I had a class with Heero- that would stink. The kid doesn't even talk… She rested her head in her palm lazily and began to stare off into space; preparing for just about the longest 45 minutes of her life.
The tardy bell rang, and after just minutes they were shocked to see Mina casually strut in the room. She automatically took a seat in the back of the room- unaware of Sean sitting only a couple of seats away.
"Sorry for being late…" She mumbled before putting her head down on the desk. To her, that was the perfect way to start off the first day of school.
The class went by pretty much fast; after the "student introductions" the teacher decided she wanted to tell the class her life story. During the lecture, Doris doodled on her paper; the blue pen circling and scratching on the surface of the paper like she was about to go insane. Quatre sat behind her- he took out a piece of paper of his own and after scribbling on it, he tapped Doris' shoulder. With a grin, he silently presented it to Trowa and Doris. Written on the paper was a message that bluntly said:
"Take a look at Mina."
Tiny sweatdrops fell from the side of each their heads as they carefully turned around and glanced at the back row.
Mina sat, her hands on each side of her face, eyes glazed over with dreamy thoughts…Her friends facevaulted when they realized she was staring directly at Sean.
"Nani?" They whispered under their breath, trying to get her attention. But with no prevail- there didn't seem to be any way for them to life her eyes off the boy.
Mina continued to stare, a drunken smile on her face. The class was boring alright- It would only be boring if you didn't have anyone to STARE at the whole time.
Sean was oblivious of Mina's glances; he played with his pen, nibbling on the end of it and listening to the sensei intently. Watching him do that made the girl want to get up and take it away. She wasn't mad at him- the only thing she was sure of was she couldn't keep her eyes off him.
That's what I get for ignoring him…this is only happening because I can't even sleep without seeing this worthless bastard. I guess that was uncalled for. But what is? How can I stop looking at him and thinking about him when he's like following me everywhere?! I swear- some day he's going to push the wrong buttons and I'll- Mina's thoughts were interrupted by the bell- and by that time, Sean not only noticed her staring, but stared back. They stared at each other- both wide eyed with wonder. If there wasn't tiny heart-shaped dealie-o's floating above both of their heads in this scene- then there should be.
***::yelling:: "WHERE ARE THE DEALIE-O'S?! PUT THEM ON SET!" ***
Doris, Quatre and Trowa shoved the hearts out of the way and with sweatdrops they dragged Mina off.
"Come on- we're going to be late for class…. Mina- snap out of it!" Doris gently patted her friend's face and walked her out the door.
The next class the whole group had together. They all rushed in, holding their freshly bought notebooks and sat in a group in the front of the classroom. After the sweet staring contest between Sean and Mina; the two decided to sit almost far away from each other, only one seat left between them.
Mina laid her head on her desk, trying not to look at Duo OR Sean; she needed to keep her mind on the topic Heero had brought up earlier.
The war… I wonder what the significance of Maremia is. Exactly who is she- and where did she come from? I have a lot of things to handle- Mechs to fix, people to kill, the universe to save…blah blah blah… Mina opened her eyes slowly when she heard the door open; after spotting a familiar figure, she took in a sharp intake of breath. She dropped her pen on the ground; it bounced a couple of times and rolled underneath the seat in-between them. She reached for it, only to be rudely interrupted.
"Move…" Mina sweatdropped when she heard it- the voice that would end up tormenting the girl forever- owned by none other than the boy who was looming above her…
She quickly turned around and sat upright in her seat; a frown on her usually calm face.
"Sure thing," She said coyly, her maroon eyes glinting with anger. She knew the boy was going to be some competition, and getting him out of the way didn't seem like too bad of an idea. Of course before she'd kill him she would like to have some fun. He looked like too much of a pretty-boy rich kid to actually put up a fight against the overpowering girl.
"Wouldn't want to get in your way."
Jake looked at the tiny girl in the middle of the walkway, unaware of the girl's plans for him. Stupid girl…always getting in the way. How many times do I have to bump into this brat in one day? I can't have any obstacles in my way- I have a job to do and I must find Duo Maxwell. Rose told me about him-and the invincible girl who risked her life for her colony. I'd like to see that- an invincible girl…no way. With a smirk on his face he pushed past her and took a seat in the only available chair in the room- the one between Mina and Sean.
A scowl came over Mina's face, and before she could say anything- the teacher began his lesson.
"Welcome class, I am Sensei Tucker." The old man mumbled. His monotone was like no other- it was like boring to the 8th power. He soon had the class sleeping- telling them stories about him and his life before teaching. The only two students with their heads still raised were unrepentantly Heero and Jake. Heero had out a pad of paper; scribbling down notes about an upcoming mission. Jake on the other hand was sitting up, his knobby knees bouncing up and down underneath his desk; fiercely drawing on the cover of his notebook.
Mina raised an eyebrow and silently watched him, thinking of excuses she could give if he caught her staring at him. Whoa…he looks so into his…whatever he's drawing. I don't think I've ever seen anybody in the universe that motivated. Not even Heero. Pretty Strange, if you ask me. She continued to stare at him; studying every move he made trying to summarize exactly what drove him to draw. And WHAT is this kid drawing anyway? While Mina's mind began to wander, the teacher made the worst jump from the topic of how he became a teacher to the war.
"What do you kids think about the war? Personally I think-" The sensei didn't get to finish his sentence; Mina as well as her friends snapped into attention.
"I think the war is meaningless, what do we gain?"
"Nothing- that's why I think Pacifism is the only way." Quatre and Doris nodded- each were finishing the other's sentence.
Duo grinned at that comment and began on his bragging roll.
" I think there's nothing we can DO to prevent the wars- or what is going on at the moment, so it's like a godsend that the Gundams were sent down to help us." Duo leaned back in his chair and looked over to Trowa; who was nodding slightly in agreement.
"And with High tech things like the Mechs-" Tatalia smiled sweetly at the others and crossed her legs- it was time for the British girl to get comfortable and tell them what makes her shop SO wonderful.
"It puts already rich girls like me into business. Tatalia's auto- we had a specialist…" She trailed off.
Sean took great advantage of her silence and blurted.
"That leaves guys like ME to ::ahem:: hack into their computers so I can find out things that would be acceptable for our advantage. Who introduced Mizu-iwa's main base?! Why- that would be me! Thank you every much." He raised a cocky eyebrow and flashed a smile to Mina.
She wasn't paying attention to what he was blabbing about- she was taken in too much by the looks on both Heero and Jake's faces. Their eyes didn't light up at all; both had their fists balled up on the desk, faces showing the same a blank expression. I know about Heero-he and the others are just emotionless toys only to be used for none other than the subject. I've seen most of them in deep depression, but never Heero. The look in his eyes…what is going on in his mind? When the kid sitting next to her cleared his throat, as if to silence the others so he may talk; she cocked her head to the side, preparing to listen to what he had to say.
I don't know what this kid's deal is. He looks like Heero- but there's no way one so frigid could be…a pilot. Let alone…the enemy. I think he could pilot a Leo- maybe even a Taurus- a cancer? I don't know…Maybe I need to do some researching.
"I think the war is one of the many ways to lower the population rate…" Jake snickered slyly and turned his head to meet Mina's stare.
"It makes room for the TRUE leaders of the world." His eyes narrowed on the angering girl; knowing that every word that was about to come out of his mouth would make her even angrier.
"There's nothing more rewarding than to see your enemies suffer beyond belief…" He moved in closer to her, in a matter of seconds- he was leaning over his desk
" How would YOU know? You look like a mere civilian anyway. And as much as I disagree with my friend's pacifistic ways- I think that whoever the TRUE ruler is wouldn't have a chance against me." Mina growled, before facing forward and preparing to leave the class. The bell rang and the group of kids rushed out, gabbing about their classes and planning on what was to be done during after school.
When that did arise, Mina and the others sat at a table, eating and chatting about their boring classes.
"Have you ever heard of Graphic Arts?" Mina mumbled in-between bites of her piece of pepperoni pizza.
"Oh yeah- how bout you; have you heard of Ceramics?" Doris took a tiny sip of her Pepsi- trying to swallow down the cookie she shoved in her mouth earlier.
Mina and Doris soon parted from the group to get a better view of the area.
"I think it's pretty strange to have a half day on the first day of school, if you ask me…" Tatalia mumbled, looking down at her schedule in deep concern. The British girl was keen on pointing out strange things- and this little situation struck her as strange.
"I don't mind. Not at all." Duo mused as he smiled and leaned back in his chair.
"You wouldn't." Doris shot at him while grabbing his chair and quickly uprighting it causing Duo to almost hit his head on the table. "I don't understand how a school could be so stupid, maybe it's to accomodate all thee stupid students it has. Not that I'm naming any names or anything DUO! Oh my bad- it slipped." Everyone laughed, except for Duo that is.
"Okay- I think that's enough making fun of Duo, time to get to business." Mina moved her plate aside and cast the group a solemn look. "Heero?" Heero leaned forward, and the rest of the group followed suit.
"There has been some suspicious activity around a supposedly abandoned warehouse. We are to investigate, and if we find anything to confirm our suspicions destroy the building." The bell rang signifying the end of the period.
******************************
Mina, Duo, Heero, and Quatre met up outside the warehouse. Indeed the warehouse that was supposed to be abandoned wasn't. There were workers busily storing large crates inside. All four nodded to each other. Mina clutched her knapsack a little tighter. Simple enough- get in, plant bombs, get out, detonate bombs, go home. Then why do I have this knot in my stomach? Maybe it's what Doris told me before we left. "Mina- please, be extra careful on this mission, I have a weird feeling. It's probably just me, so I won't go so I'll be out of your way." She was probably feeling that cookie she ate for lunch. Time to go. Mina glanced at the rest of her comrades- Heero calm and cool as usual, Duo anxious, and Quatre seemed more worried than usual. Both pacifists are freakin' out on me. Oh well, I have a mission to complete. I can't let anything come between me and destroying my enemy. They advanced on the warehouse each entering in their own unique way. Mina slid in through a small window proud of her maneuverability. She sunk down behind a few crates and started planting her explosives. She could hear a strict voice barking orders.
"I said move that crate there you moron! I should carry a baseball bat with me to beat some sense into you imbeciles." The girl was now curious and stuck her head out from behind the crate. A girl a little older than herself wearing a long coat was standing in the middle of the floor over seeing all the operations. Suddenly she quickly turned around and grabbed a clipboard from a person standing behind her. Mina couldn't see, and didn't dare stick her head out further to get a better look. The girl in the coat read the clipboard and motioned to two of the guards standing nearby. They nodded and ran off to an upper floor. Mina's heart dropped. One of them had been discovered. Not long after, the two guards had brought back a squirming Quatre. Oh shit- why Quatre? No way. I can't help him, I can't endanger the mission. But Doris would never forgive me if I let anything happen to him. Besides- if I fail, Duo and Heero will blow this place sky high, with me inside. Mina slinked (yes slinked) through the shadows until she was as close to the Arabian as she could get. As she was about to pounce on his captors- she was quickly restrained.
"I knew you'd come." Mina's eyes bulged at the recognition of the voice.
"Kisama!" She struggled against the lanky boy- but to no avail.
"Where's my dollar?" He chuckled in her ear.
"Jake. That's enough, bring her here."
"Whatever you say Rose." Jake shrugged and maneuvered Mina towards Rose.
"I don't understand how you can wear that jacket everywhere, it's so hot." A bullet whizzed past Jake before he could reach Rose. Duo of all people was holding the offending gun aiming for Jake.
"Next time I won't miss. Let her go."
"You wanna fight? C'mon let's go." Jake handed the girl to another guard and wiggled his finger at Duo.
"That is the worst way I can think of to sentence your own death. Have it your way." The two boys squared off.
Meanwhile Mina managed to free herself from the guard and run to the fight. As Duo lunged at Jake, Mina threw herself in the way taking the full brunt of Duo's offense.
"Mina!! Oh my God! What the hell were you thinking?" Duo bent down to check on the girl.
"Ha- stupid." Jake loomed over them and laughed. Duo looked up with anger surging through his veins.
"You jerk! She just took a hit for you! I don't even know why!" Duo was loosing control of his rage, but Mina quickly put a hand on his shoulder.
"Duo. Please...don't."
Duo was shocked to hear what just had come out of her mouth. Mina wasn't one to stop the fights in the house (or anywhere else) in fact- she was the one starting them. That made Duo think of the true reason why she stopped them.
"I want to handle him myself- you don't need to take care of me..." She grunted and stood up- to face Jake. She winced in pain- that WAS quite a hit- just about the hardest hit she'd ever seen Duo deliver. But feeling the hurt of it was something she didn't expect. She pushed the angry Duo aside, out of the way more and without a word, pulled out a gun.
"You don't want me to blow your head off, do you?" Mina pointed the barrel directly to his forehead, pressing the cold metal into his skin. Neither what she said nor what she did made that smirk come off his face- in fact- it made it even wider.
"Put the gun down, step to the side and let me complete my mission..." Jake warned, pressing up against the gun as he spoke.
"I'll let you live long enough to watch the rest of your friends die- but first I have to kill Duo Maxwell."
"Mina, get out of the way!" both boys snapped unanimously, completing their transaction with a quick glare at each other.
"Back off and I will!" Mina announced, raising her head high stubbornly and pressing the barrel of her gun harder against Jake's head.
"Come on, Mina, quit being such a baka!" Duo whined as he stepped towards her. He abruptly froze when Mina whipped out another gun with her free hand, pointing it at Duo.
Jake managed to chuckle, despite his situation.
"You're really gone shoot both of us?" he mused, his mischievous smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.
Mina narrowed her eyes first at him, then at Duo.
"I won't kill you, but I can do a lot of damage."
"You're ruining my mission," Duo growled through gritted teeth, his patience running thin as he stared daggers at Jake.
Mina pressed the gun aimed at Duo hard against his head. "Well, too bad," she snapped.
A little sigh escaped Jake's lips as he shrugged.
"Fine then, suit yourself. I'll get out of this my own way." It was then that he made his move.
Using his long arms, Jake soon whipped the gun out of Mina's hand and into the air. He had pulled out his own gun and in a matter of seconds he had it pointed at Mina, whom he had spun around and held captive.
"Now why didn't you just take the easy way out and do as I say?" He whispered, his eyes still staring into Duo's as he wrapped his arm tighter around Mina.
"Believe me, this would have been a lot less painful."
"You'd better let me go...I'm warring you..." Mina growled at the lanky boy. She had her fill of holds and choke moves- and this one just crossed the line.
"Cause if you don't I don't want to be in charge of blowing a pretty-boy such as yourself away so early in life." She warned. Mina winked at Duo, who was still staring at Jake- but not enough to notice the girl's call of attention. Her gun wasn't too far from Duo's shoe, all he had to do was bend over really fast and get it- no big deal. But it WAS a big deal to the god of death; the boy in front of him, who was obviously the enemy- held in his arms the heart and soul of their group, and the one he really cared for.
The look in Mina's eyes hardened as Jake pressed the gun against her head. Just friggin do it- GRAB THE GUN, DUO! She thought as she gave him some even more urgent glances.
Duo's eyes widened, realizing what Mina wanted. What a total baka I am! he thought as he snatched up the gun with lightening speed. The sudden movement from Duo gave Mina enough of a distraction to make her move. She twisted out of his grasp with alarming speed and accuracy, snatching the gun from the surprised boy's hand. Now it was Jake's turn to harden his eyes and Mina and Duo both pointed guns at his head.
"We're good," Duo sneered, a wide smirk on his face. Mina nodded, never taking her flashing eyes off of Jake.
The unarmed boy glared, sour over his defeat.
"Do you really have it in you to kill me, Mina?" he challenged in a low voice, staring her down.
Mina raised her head defiantly, tightening her hold on her gun.
"Just a few minutes ago if seemed like you were the one that had it in you to kill me."
"And I outta blast you away right here, right now," Duo growled, his anger suddenly erupting. The mere thought of Jake wanting to kill his koi was enough to make his blood boil.
Jake flashed a large, sinister grin, his eyes glitterering.
"I wouldn't be smiling if I were you," Duo pressed, unamused by Jake's reaction.
The smile on Jake's face only widened as he snickered.
"No, Duo Maxwell, you don't understand. I bet if you knew the truth about me, you would never even think about pulling that trigger." Mina sighed, growing impatient. "What truth? I'm getting tired of holding this gun up, so just spit it out."
Jake's mysterious gaze shifted on Mina. "Oh, I don't know," he drawled, "Maybe I should just keep it a secret."
"Just spit it out!" Duo screamed, pressing his gun between Jake's eyes.
The smile on the spy's face grew wicked as he stared hard at Duo. "I guess Solo never told you he had a little brother."
Mina looked down the barrel of her gun, shocked at what just came out of Jake's mouth. No way- I was the only one with Solo...what is he getting at? Just thinking of what Jake was going to say made the assassin even angrier. She was going to catch the boy at his own lie.
"I don't think he did- you see...." Mina took a step forward, lowering her gun as well as her defenses as she looked directly into Jakes' eyes.
"I am the only sibling Solo had, a little sister named Mina, who promised she would protect her colony and the ones she cared about at any cost." Her voice faltered. She remembered what happened the night Solo passed away; the other kids were told to keep her out of the room. Solo did not want his sister to see him die. But somehow, Mina found a way to get to his side- she had time enough to make a promise to him, a promise she wasn't about to break.
Duo looked back and forth between the two, his eyes wide.
"Come to think of it, I do see a resemblance there!"
"That's bull, Duo," Mina snapped, glaring daggers at Jake.
"It's obvious this punk is lying. I don't have another brother, or else why wouldn't I have known about it?"
The fact that two guns were now pressed against his forehead didn't seem to bother Jake in the slightest as he continued. "Well, first of all, I'm only your half brother. Mother wasn't exactly an angel. And secondly, Oz took me away from her when I was just a baby. Turns out I have some special ability. I remember things much, much better than the average human. I guess Oz wanted my brilliance. But, when I got old enough, I just said 'screw it' and lived my own life. But, I still Gotta eat, and Rose is paying me a lot of money to do her dirty work. And now you know why I know so much about you, Mina. It's only natural for a brother to keep tabs on his family, right?"
Mina raised an eyebrow and scoffed.
"Talk about the bad seed- you must be it." Her humor was the only way she could put this new subject behind her so she could complete the mission without any worries.
"Now- I guess I'm going to do what I always wanted to do and just shoot you here and now," Mina continued, her hand raised up in Jake's face as she pointed the gun directly at him.
"I don't need any competition here- and having you around will only piss me off." Anger filled the girl's mind as she pulled the trigger; causing Duo and Jake to gasp.
The trigger was pulled and nothing but a small "click" echoed in the room. The gun Jake had in his hand was empty. And Mina knew this since he held her captive.
"Gotcha-" she chuckled at her worried boy before hitting him across the face with the butt of the firearm. Jake fell to the floor in a heap, before Mina could leave, he sat up to sharply glance back at her.
"You see I have skills too- but since you're the enemy, I don't think you'll live long enough to see em all." Mina smiled.
"What in the hell was that?" Duo questioned- hopping up next to the girl.
"Just forget it- we'll get him next time.... alright everybody- let's move out!" Mina motioned to the door.
By the time this whole ordeal was over, Doris and the others already planted the bombs and were waiting near the exit for the rest of their comrades.
"I wonder that Mina's doing..." Tatalia cast another worried glance at the door, expecting Mina and Duo to come out; grinning and laughing, as usual.
"Don't sweat it- Mina's gotten better with the whole ditching us thing since Amy blew her up-" Noah mumbled before noticing Amy was standing next to him. He looked up at her, a tiny sweatdrop forming on the side of his head as he tried to change the subject.
"So- who's up for pizza after this?"
"Not you when I'm through," Amy replied, holding a dangerously sweet smile.
Doris nudged them both, only after Amy got a few swings in.
"Let's just get some grub, I'm hungry." She glanced briefly at Noah. "And Mina didn't ditch us," she added.
"Hi, guys," Duo chirped with a little smile, trying to forget what had happened in the base with Jake.
"Who's hungry?"
"It's about time you two showed up," Tatalia quipped. "We were getting worried."
Mina forced out a little laugh.
"After all this time we've been together and you're still worried about us?"
The others only stared, curious looks on their faces. Doris leaned over towards Amy's ear.
"Is it just me, or are Mina and Duo acting a little strange?" she whispered.
The other girl nodded.
"Who cares," Noah grumbled, pushing past the bunch with a grumbling stomach. "Thinking about that pizza got me hungry. Mina and Duo probably got laid and they're trying to hide it from us. That's what took them so long to get out here." He marched forward without so much as a pause, determined to find the nearest pizza place.
The others followed, giggling as they passed by a speechless Mina and Duo.
"Hey, we did not!" Mina protested, running to catch up with the group. Duo grasped her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.
"Are you prepared to tell everyone what happened?"
Mina blinked, thinking about it.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll tell the others later. I need to sort out my thoughts first, try to make sense of it all."
A heavy silence hung over the two before Duo finally spoke, his familiar grin back on his face.
"But hey, we can stick to Noah's excuse if you want. I don't mind."
Mina rolled her eyes as he winked at her.
"Hentai," she muttered with a little smile before she took off towards her friends, Duo right behind her.