Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction / Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction / Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Urbania ❯ Ogaki ( Chapter 16 )

As Serena had entered the tunnel with her crew, Relena had sped onto the street and veered sharply to the right. Heero held onto the grip above his head and watched the road absentmindedly. Relena was driving pretty fast, faster than he ever would have thought the meek little love of his life would drive. To their left, the sea flowed smoother than the treacherous road, and the smell of salty water entered the cabin through the vents and filled the cabin. Duo started a friendly conversation with Kento, and the two conversed, as usual, between laughs at their own stupid jokes. Heero glanced back at Wufei, who was napping. Relena was locking the rambunctious two out, and driving like Heero. He smiled.

"You drive just like me."

"Huh?" Relena came back to reality. She hadn't just blocked the noise out, she'd gone into a trance. "What did you say?"

"You drive like me, sitting strait up with both hands on the wheel, even when you're stressed."

Relena looked around at what she was doing and thought about it. "You're right." Heero looked at the clock. It was nearing one p.m. Somebody said earlier that they'd be there by late afternoon, but Heero didn't feel like staying in the car for that long. To be perfectly honest, he'd wanted more time alone with Relena for a few minutes' intimacy, but it was probably better that they'd left when they did; based on how she addressed him during most of their first conversation in months, she wasn't in the mood for him, let alone being with him. She continued to drive like Heero, oblivious, of course, to his thoughts and desires. He thought she was cute, driving like him, tough and heartless like him, wielding a semi-automatic that was almost half her size. He smiled as he watched her. Duo leaned forward, interrupting the moment.

"Hey, Lena, did Hilde say anything to me?"

"What?"

"Did she tell you to tell me anything? Anything at all?"

Relena shook her head. "No."

Duo leaned back. "God, I miss that woman. I even miss arguing with her after we make love."

"Dude, why didn't you just slap her for talking back?" Kento demanded, temporarily forgetting who was driving.

"She would have hit me back," Duo admitted sheepishly. Kento rolled his eyes and looked into the rearview mirror to see Relena scowling at him. He closed his mouth in shame and looked away. Wufei didn't stir.

Four hours of torn and tattered road later, Heero caught a glimpse of a large troop of worn female soldiers resting in the middle of the street, the denseness spilling onto the shoulder. Relena pulled over, and jumped out of the car.

"Hey, girls, it's me, it's Relena!"

The initial shock didn't seem to be felt at all as Relena and the rest of the messengers were seized, stripped of their weaponry, and tied up.

The leaders of the brigade would only see them hours later, after wasting the remainder of the afternoon deciding how to punish Relena and the rest. A woman that was slightly older than Relena strolled into the tent that they were being held in. She came in alone, announcing her presence by throwing the opening aside, revealing the inky sky to the prisoners and stepping in. She was small, perhaps about Midii's size, but had a commanding stance nonetheless. She pointed a reddish-brown riding crop at Relena.

"Speak." She ordered simply.

"Akane," Relena started, "It's me, it's Relena-"

"Speak something else."

"I have something very important to tell you."

"Is it that Patricia and Nadine are conquerors that are really using myself and other great leaders to conquer Japan and then serve under a massive army to keep them in power?"

"Yes," Relena confirmed cautiously, "how did you know?"

"Patricia warned me that you and the other girl, Serena, had betrayed her and were assisting the men. She fears it may be too late to warn the northern brigade of her coming."

Relena was stunned to silence. "You believe Patricia?"

"Patricia's dream is for the well-being of Tokyo and her people. For you and Serena to spread such a disgusting rumor is-blasphemous."

Relena looked high and low in her heart for words, but there were none. This wasn't happening.

"Would death suit you?"

The possibility stung Relena more than she thought it would. It was there before, but never so close. "Please…you have to believe me…"

"I do not. And you are very wrong for saying such things of Patricia. They should have executed you when they had the chance-"

"And what reason have I for lying?! I don't want Japan-"

"And she doesn't want you. I suppose we'll kill you at dawn-"

"Punk," Heero muttered.

Akane looked at him. She pulled his chin up to look into his face. "What did you say to me, little man?"

"I called you a punk, a coward, a sorry bitch with a strong fence surrounding a low bridge. You're a coward. You don't want to hear the truth because you're afraid of losing to the bigger army. Well, guess what-the bigger army is the one armed with the truth, not necessarily the one with the most big guns."

Akane was genuinely shocked. How dare a man speak to her this way! Two large women detached Heero from the post he was bound to and threw him at Akane's feet. She dealt him four blows with her riding crop. He didn't cry out. The women untied him.

"Attack me, then, little man, if I am such a coward, I will run away."

Heero didn't move immediately.

"What are you waiting for, little man? A written invitation?"

"Not at all," Heero stood and gave his wrists a shake. Akane dropped her crop and removed her baggy overcoat, revealing a bright red tank top. She took a stiff bow. Heero took a stiffer half-bow. Akane took a running leap at Heero, who switch kicked, almost catching her in the jaw, but she tucked and rolled at the last second and dealt him a side kick that he dodged, and she switch kicked, and he dodged. She tumbled forward, faked left, making Heero lean right, and threw her right leg to the side of his head, which he blocked with his left forearm, so she tried her left leg, and was blocked again. Akane growled.

"Attack me, you bastard."

Heero stretched his neck. "Okay." The two circled each other, and Heero peeled off his dark vest, impressing his adversary with his rippling pecks. She smiled sweetly.

"Nice abs."

"I know."

"Lay off, Akane," Relena scolded, "he's taken."

"Until he finds a better pussy," she shot back. Anger boiled in Relena's blood and she tugged at her bounds.

Heero faked a jump, getting Akane to throw a kick. He seized her airborne leg, jerked it behind him and switch jabbed her right in the nose, totally disorienting her, and smashed his knee into her back on her way to the ground. She hit the ground face down, groaning and moaning. She slowly pushed herself up, pulling up from her knees.

"Why didn't you kick me while I was down?"

Heero glanced over his shoulder at Relena. "I don't do that anymore." He put his fists down. Akane was angry; this was man, a stupid, vengeful, violent, lustful man.

"Liar!" Akane took two running steps, and leapt at Heero, one leg out to knock him out. Heero fell backwards smoothly, kicking his legs up, throwing the flying Akane, over Relena's head and through the back of the tent and into a hidden pile of junk behind the tent. He jumped up and hurried past his love and comrades to peer through the hole. He spotted Akane, laying motionless amongst various supplies and guns. Heero climbed through the hole. Relena heard the rustle of metal-this and paper-that and footsteps. Heero's physique, silhouetted against the night sky, stopped at the front of the tent to give Akane to her attendants. He spoke to them in a hushed tone, then one of them in a strained tone, and Heero reentered the tent with a set of keys.

"Akane says she wants to see you, Relena," Heero said, unlocking her. Relena dropped her arms before she rubbed her wrists.

"What for?" she queried, standing and inch from Heero's lips. She could tell that even though he'd won with flying colors, he was just a tiny bit nervous. Relena squinted at him, reading his hopes and fears.

"She didn't say. I think it's about what all we came to tell her."

Relena bit her lip. Right outside, the two women that released Heero to fight Akane stood by the tent. She joined their side, glanced back at Heero, and proceeded along to a large tent in the middle of the camp, right behind a bon fire. They held open the floppy doors and Relena stepped inside.

She was surprised to step up on a wood finish platform some inches from the ground, and take another step onto carpet. Three beds were lined up against one wall, and three piles of clothes, food, and water bottles were on the other wall. On the back wall, Akane sat at a table with two other women on either side of her, each bearing some resemblance to Akane. In front of them was a desolate, unfurnished seat, the stand. Akane gave her a 'Come over here and sit' gesture. Relena took a brave breath, and strode over to her place. She was the newly deceased and Akane and the two others were the three judges who awaited her at Hades' Gates.

"Miss Relena," Akane began, "This is Kasume and Nabiki, my consul. They need to be convinced that we should join your cause."

Relena sighed in the spot of light that she sat in. "I don't know where to start."

One of the judges snickered. Relena found her focus.

"Yes I do," she corrected herself with a garble of her throat. She sat up strait. "Why would I lie? What do I need and empire for?"

"Every one dreams of success." Nabiki said solemnly.

"Power does not always define success, and it doesn't define my success."

"What is it that defines your success, Miss Relena?"

Relena looked at her hand. "My happiness." She looked Akane in her eyes. "I know it sounds like I'm against the revolution, but I love Heero, and I can't deny that. I followed Serena out of the lead brigade. She knew what she was doing then, and she knew what she was doing when she never settled in Master Wildfire's Community."

"That was a great testimonial, Relena, but you haven't convinced us to believe you yet."

"Then ask yourselves: why? Why would I do this? If I wanted power, why would I have wasted my time serving under Patricia and Nadine, when so many times they have commended us as being just as good at liberating as they, and everyone, everyone agreed? Why would I have stayed, pledged my loyalty? Why, if I just wanted power? Or, even better," Relena leaned in close to Akane, "What would I have done with it?"

"Relena, you sound absolutely ridiculous. I've half a mind to tie you right back up and kill you and keep that man of yours, since he is such a figher."

"A true fighter?"

"By all means."

"Then why do you think he didn't kill you?"

Akane paused. "I haven't a clue. He should have."

"No, he shouldn't have. He didn't because he doesn't want power any more than I do. I didn't kill you because we need you to held us bring down the real enemy, and I am not the enemy. If I was, he would have killed you for me. Wouldn't that make more sense?"

"For once, it does."

Relena smiled. "If I wanted power, I would ask you to join me to make an army bigger that Patricia and Nadine's, so that we could not only bring them down, but execute them in the square and then rule Japan. All I want is to bring them down, and make sure they don't rise again, but I'm not interested in killing them. If I wanted power, I'd silence them completely."

Nabiki and Kasume looked at Akane. Akane looked hard at Relena. Relena kept her hard, solemn gaze and backed to lean on the back rest of the chair, her skin painted with the white light that fell on her dirt-streaked cheeks. Akane smiled a small smile.

"I don't see any reason that you would betray our supreme leaders. This must be valid. Patricia did sound a bit nervous when she alerted me. I asked her if she was frightened I would believe you. She told me that she wasn't worried about me. She just didn't want to go down with Tokyo. I felt almost like she was more in this for herself than the enslaved. I believe you, Relena."

Relena stood up and shook Akane's hand, then Akane stood and hugged Relena.

"Relena," Akane started, "Patricia may be self-centered, but she's no fool. I know she's going to be ready for us, even if she believes I won't sway."

"I know. We'll need some sort of plan. I wish I had a way to contact Serena…"

"Where is she?"

"She went to deliver the message to Saki. She should be down there already."

"What a coincidence. Saki and I are pretty close friends. We have our own frequency. Patricia and Nadine can't access it on their walkie-talkies."

"Can it hit Iwaki?"

"Certainly. Clear as a bell."

Relena was overjoyed. Akane pulled out her unit and began adjusting the channel while Kasume closed the skyline and Nabiki lit some candles, lighting up the once-gloomy room with tiny, warm fires. The little brown walkie-talkie fizzled. Akane called to Saki.