Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Defenders Once More ❯ Crashing The Party ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter 8

Alexia dragged Kitsune into her room and sat her down in one of the chairs.
Kitsune crossed her arms. "I do NOT need a makeover."
Alexia raised an eyebrow. "Listen, you go in there dressed in anything but a formal dress and you will have every military agency after you!"
Won't be the first time. Kitsune sighed. "Fine, I'll wear a dress."
"And makeup and you'll have to take down your hair." Alexia added.
"No!!" The bomb mistress shouted, grabbing her braid away from Alexia's grasp. "Anything but the hair!"
Alexia brought out a comb and a bottle of water. "I can't style it if it's in that braid!"
"No one touches the hair!" The Shinigami insisted. "It's a sacrilege!"
"Fine." Alexia sighed. "You undo it."
Kitsune's eyes went wide, but she consented and slowly pulled out the tie and undid each criss cross of the waist long braid until it was all done.
"Permission to at least comb it?" Alexia asked carefully.
Kitsune nodded, already in shock from her recent actions. Alexia combed the long black locks and wet it down, just a little. "Okay, step back so I can see what I need to-" She stopped.
When Kitsune stood up, the hair freed of its "bondage"; it flowed over her shoulders with majestic elegancy.
Alexia was struck with awe. "K-Kitsune…"
"What." She once again crossed her arms.
Alexia had to laugh at her expression, and the obvious ignorance to her own beauty. "You're beautiful! When was the last time you let your hair out of your braid?" She walked around her comrade, observing the locks from every angle.
Kitsune seemed a little unnerved by the question. "Since I was five."
Alexia was shocked. "Why so long?"
"That's none of your business." She spat. Alexia's expression saddened and Kitsune sighed. "When I was young…"

…About five years old, my province of Kyototaki was ravaged by war. Crops died because the farmers were dead or had left. My father and mother could not leave the province. My father was an authority figure, and had to help to keep the peace. The troops had trampled over our crops, and stolen out cattle. We had nothing.
One day troops came and attacked out house. We ran with nothing but the clothes on our backs. But they knew that scared people don't think. They ambushed us, lassoing my parents and tearing me from them. I kept screaming. "Okasan! Otousan! Aishiteru!" Bound and gagged, I watched as they were mercilessly slaughtered.
The unbound me. A soldier, Specials, leaned in to whisper in my ear. "See now, the consequences of poor decisions? They did not do as told, they did not fight for justice. So now, their unjust blood has been spilt. Remember that, Kitsune." I spit in his face, kicked, bit, scratched, until I was loose, and then I ran. And ran. And ran. Until there was no more running to do.

"That was…the last time I wore my hair down. It is to remind me of the bondage my friends are in. Those who knew me."
Alexia nodded. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. They weren't. They died standing by what they believed in." Kitsune looked Alexia right in the eye. "And so will I."
"I agree." Alexia smirked. "Now, time for make up!"
"NOO!!"
Alexia grabbed Kitsune and held her down. "Relax! Just a little blush, some eye shadow, and lipstick."
"Never!!"

An hour later, Alexia walked out of the room, and smiled to the two boys standing there.
"What was going on in there?" Ben asked.
"Yeah, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you slaughtered the poor girl." Dan added.
"Close enough. Almost had to, but I did it." She stepped aside. "I present to you, Kitsune Maxwell!"
Kitsune slowly walked out of the room, and both boys immediately were in shock. The tomboy/bomb fanatic was completely changed. The dress she wore was black, with thick straps and a V cut seam around the waist. Her hair was down, a few strands fell in front of her shoulders. Her bangs covered her midnight black eyes, with dark purple eye shadow. Skin color lipstick covered her lips and a small amount of blush tinted her cheeks. There was only one word to describe her image. A goddess.
Dan was the first to recover and clear his throat. "Kitsune, you look-"
"Don't even say it." She cut him off.
Dan sweat dropped, and Ben laughed. "Well, I guess we don't have to worry about a disguise for you. No one is ever going to recognize you dressed like that."
Dan looked over at Alexia. "What about you?"
Alexia shrugged. "I went out earlier and got something for me. I'll dress in it later."
Ben nodded. "The rest of us have planning to do."

Kitsune walked down the halls back to her room, when the Doctor J stepped out from behind another hallway. "Ms. Maxwell. I thought you would be pleased to know that your gundam is repaired."
Kitsune's eyes lit up. "When can I see it?"
Doctor J chuckled. "Right now, if you'd like."
Kitsune bowed her head in gratitude. "Arigatou gozaimasu."

In the hanger, Kitsune saw her wonderful Hellbringer, fully restored and polished even! At the base of the massive machine, sat a small woman, red hair covering her eyes. She was bent over Hellbringer's foot, doing some last minute adjustments.
Kitsune growled. "What are you doing to my gundam?" She demanded.
The woman, Nikki Rune, looked up with a smile. "Hi there!" She greeted Kitsune's black eyes with her own green orbs. "You did one hell of a job on this one."
Kitsune pouted. "One does what one must to obtain peace."
"Yeah, yeah, right, right, that's what they all say." Nikki dismissed the excuse. "It took a lot of hours to get this puppy moving again." She patted the armor.
"It's not a puppy and get your hands off!" Kitsune slapped Nikki's hands off the gundanium alloy.
Nikki, though, was not unnerved in the slightest. "Well, thanks to me, this gundam is now ready for battle once again. These burniettes will take you higher than you've ever been."
Kitsune kept her arms crossed. "Fine, fine, thanks. Now get away!"
Nikki shrugged and left. "Nice meeting you, Kitsune."
Kitsune gasped at the girl's knowledge of her name, but dismissed it and turned to Hellbringer. "Hope you're ready. This one will be tough."

The four pilots entered the ballroom from the top a staircase. Dan and Ben wore classy, double-breasted tuxedos. Kitsune wore the dress she had been in before, and Alexia…well let's just say white is her color.
Her lithe and luscious form was ensconced in a pure white ball gown. The skirt was full and bell shaped, the hem brushing the floor. A soft gauze floated over the actual skirt, bedecked with sparkles as white as the actual dress. The overall effect was that of an angel floating into the midst of mortals.
Although undercover, Dan was obviously uncomfortable with his attire. He pulled at the collar, but tried desperately to remain descent.
Kitsune crossed her arms in growing agitation.
Alexia looked over at her friend. "What's the matter?"
"The party is thrown by the Peacecrafts."
"Yeah, so?"
Kitsune shuffled her feet. "I don't like Relena Peacecraft, better known as Bitchcraft."
Alexia hushed the bomb mistress. "Will you try and keep it down at least?"
Kitsune scoffed. "No promises." She started begrudgingly down the stairs.
Alexia sighed and started down the stairs herself.
Suddenly Dan was by her side. "Please, allow me to escort you." He interlocked her arm in his and led her down to the party.
"If we were anywhere else, I would push you down these stairs." Alexia whispered, still smiling to all the onlookers.
"Well, too bad. You can't. So go with it."
Back at the top, Ben saw Dan turn his head and stick out his tongue at the leader. Ben sighed. "Let's get this over with."

Relena Bitch-err Peacecraft was an adequate host, for a sixty-year-old woman. Times changed but she…didn't. She still chased Heero around, even though he had long ago dumped her for Duo Maxwell. Those who knew them all saw that coming.
She was old and wrinkly, her blond hair was now faded and gray. It was no wonder she remained single.
Alexia stood up and tried to make her way to the bar. She was just too tense to enjoy herself. She was halfway through the crowd, on her way to reaching a nice, dark bourbon, when a hand grabbed her and pulled hers into a dance.
"What the he-"
"Shhh. Blend in, remember?" The man none other than Crimson, said.
He danced with her and smiled, and she could do nothing but comply. If she made a scene it might attract attention to herself. "I will get you back for this." She hissed.
"I can't wait." He replied with a grin.
Right then, Alexia saw her chance. She gave Dan a spin and he ended up right in Relena's Bitchcraft's arms.
"Shall we dance?" Relena smiled her smile, some of her teeth missing.
Dan tried to move away, but Relena started dancing. He was stuck between her ample breasts and the term The Valley of Death came to mind.
Satisfied with her work, Alexia turned her back to the "lovely couple" and suddenly ran into someone herself. She looked up and her dark black eyes met hazel ones. She gasped and tried to get away, but he took her arm and started dancing.
If she fought, they'd be captured, or at least eventually, with all the commotion it would cause. Kamran Yarseea knew this well and smiled. "You look lovely this evening."
"What are you guys up to?" she hissed.
Kamran chuckled. "Curious, are we? Well, you'll find out soon enough."
Alexia glared at him. "And when I do, you will be sorry." She stopped the dance and went over to the bar.
"What can I get you, miss?" The bartender said.
"A shot of sake."
The man raised an eyebrow. "Ain't that a bit strong for-"
"I can handle it." She near growled.
The bartender shrugged and poured the drink. Alexia took it and drank it in one swig. The bartender blinked in amazement.
"Love problems?" The man asked, trying for nonchalance.
Alexia sighed. "Don't ask."

Kitsune sat at the table, refusing to dance with any of the many prominent males that had offered and asked to dance with her. Even with her awesome looks, she couldn't stand being in a dress. All these classy people were making her nauseous. She stood up in a huff and Ben looked over at her weirdly.
"Where are you going?" He asked.
"I have to get some fresh air. I'm allergic to debutantes." She started to leave.
"What if something goes down?" The leader asked.
"Don't worry. If anything goes down." She raised her dress, revealing a fully loaded pistol, strapped to her leg. "I'll be ready." She lowered her dress and exited the ballroom.
A man approached Ben as Kitsune left. He had light brown hair and light brown, almost yellow eyes. He was a pilot of the Gundam Slayers. His name: Xi Char, but Ben didn't know that. "May I sit down?" Xi Char asked.
Ben nodded. "Go ahead."
Xi Char sat down and sighed. "So, how did you get roped into coming here?" He asked casually. If anything, he was a wonderful actor.
Ben quickly thought up an excuse. "I'm here with my -err, wife."
"The lady you walked in with? In the black dress?"
Ben frowned. "No!"
"Then the other one? White dress…brown eyes…perfect curves…"
"Hey!" Ben stopped him.
"Right, right, sorry." So, they do have something going on. The General was right. Xi Char smiled. Got him.

Alexia couldn't stand the ballroom anymore. She decided to get into some trouble somewhere else. She left the main hall and went into an adjacent hallway…

Dan and Ben were the only ones left in the ballroom. They were the only ones of the group to see Relena take center stage. The music ceased and conversations quieted. All attention was on her, just the way the liked it.
"First of all, I want to thank you all for coming tonight. Those of you who are Generals or holders of rank in the military honor us with your presence."
Dan leaned into Ben. "So, if all the big wigs are here…"
"Anything said or to occur here would leave a big impact on them." Ben concluded.
"Tonight, we have an important speaker: Senator Lucar." Relena introduced him, stepping away from the podium, leading an astounding round of applause, and Lucar made his way up to the stage.
"Here's where things get interesting." Dan cracked his knuckles in anticipation.

Alexia moved quietly through the halls, searching for any clue as to what WFO was up to. She had already checked many rooms and come up fruitless. Turning around the corner, she abruptly ran into someone.
The person, a woman, had short black hair, and striking blue-green eyes. It was Tamashii Kutsu, also a member of the Gundam Slayers. Tamashii had studied each of the Gundam pilots extensively and hated this one the most. Alexia Lunaria. Tamashii would make sure she died a slow painful death.
Alexia's danger sense flared and she turned in time to block a vicious attack from Tamashii.
"Baka desu ka!" Tamashii growled.
Alexia ground her teeth. "Mesuinu!" (Bitch!)
Tamashii's skin went from peach to yellow fur, her ears extended, and her claws grew to that of a tiger. Whenever Tamashii was pissed, her DNA encoding transformed her into this fighter: Part cat; part human. This was, of course, Lucar's doing.
In her sudden fury, Alexia ripped off the bottom of her dress (with shorts underneath) and got into a fighting stance. She glared at Tamashii. "You wanna fight? Let's go! You and me, pussy cat!"
Tamashii didn't like that at all. Her fangs and sharp claws made the comment suit her, but it also increased her rage. Alexia was about to find out what fighting a tiger turned human was really like. Tamashii jumped up with feline ease, coming down with a mean kick…

Back at the ballroom, Lucar began his speech. "Citizens of Colony XTC05983. It is time you see the light about your so called Defenders and what they really stand for!" A murmur ran through the crowd. The original pilots, Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei, growled. They did not like a guy who dissed their gundams like that.
"They don't fight for peace! They do not fight for you!" A monitor that took up the whole screen behind him lit up with scenes from the bomb when it dropped. "See the carnage they have laid in their wake!" He gestured to the screen behind him. "You need to know that they are not on your side! Earth is on your side. Put your forces behind us, support us! Support our cause. We will defend your children, not slaughter them!" The screen lit up with a grisly picture of a toddler crushed beneath a slab of concrete, eyes open and staring. The women turned their faces to their dates' shoulders, and they tightened their hold on their waists. For many of them, the most horrible scene they had ever experienced was a paper cut. This was overkill for them…

Alexia dodged to the side and brought her knee into Tamashii's stomach, followed up by a chop to her neck. That didn't even faze her!
Tamashii grabbed Alexia's leg and twisted it, popping it out of its socket.
Alexia screamed and crumpled to the ground.

In the crowd, Terrik made a fist. What Lucar was saying was wrong. It had been Kentos, not Kitsune, who made that bomb drop on those civilians. They were the monsters, WFO, not the Defenders.
Terrik saw that now. He had been controlled and lied to this whole time. These pilots were fighting for peace, something Terrik wanted more than anything. But here was Lucar, turning the people against them! The one reason the gundam pilots were fighting at all! He knew the truth, and he wasn't going to stay quite any longer.

Tamashii bared her fangs and grabbed Alexia by the throat. "Gundam pilot." She said in disgust. "We will kill you and slaughter your hopes for peace. A warrior is only alive in battle, and so war must come." She tightened her grip on Alexia's throat, cutting deep into her skin and cutting off her air supply.

"No more!!!" Terrik shouted. He flipped up on stage and everyone, including Lucar, and Kamran (who was offstage) let out a surprised gasp. "No more lies!" He shouted. He turned to the audience. "This man is lying to you! The gundam pilots aren't the bad guys! They have risked their lives several times, so that normal people like you could live in peace!"
Dan and Ben exchanged looks. What is going on?

Alexia grabbed the cat woman's collar and pulled her down. "Don't threaten me or you will lose." She let out a scream and threw Tamashii across the hall, making her fall through a window at the other end.

Lucar glared at Terrik. "Avalon. Get down."
"No! I will not take orders from you anymore! I plan to think with my own mind from now on!" He shouted in defiance. "These pilots are not merely military trained soldiers! They are different! I found that out by one that was severely tortured, but because of his strong heart…he did not break!"
Dan gasped as Terrik met his gaze for a split second.
"These pilots are hope for a normal life, where death and war are not a factor." He turned back to Lucar. "I hereby defect my loyalty and rank from WFO."

Kitsune exited the main ballroom area and entered one of the surrounding gardens of the Bitchcraft's estate. The biting cold of the crisp evening air made contact with Kitsune's skin, but it didn't seem to bother her. She had survived freezing cold Japanese winters, hadn't she?
Japanese winters…

She lay huddled in the corner, curling against her friend. Pulling the blanket up to her chin, she struggled to hide the shivers that ran up her spine. Even though she had become one of the Sweepers, it didn't mean she was immune to the cold. "C-c-ch-ch-i-k-ku-s-s-o."
She suddenly found herself in an older boy's lap, his blanket now wrapped around her. He had longish hair, for a boy, but his face was kind and somehow it comforted her more than the blanket.

Was it her childhood friend, Duo Maxwell, another member of the Sweepers, or was it her false protector Solo? Her memories kept overlapping themselves. The memory of him made her fists clench in unconscious anger.
"Genki desu ka, senshi de tenshi?" (How are you, Downward Angel?) That voice sent alarms screaming throughout her body. Her instincts reacted and she whirled around with a kick to ward off the intruder, before getting into a fighting stance, reading for any further combat action.
"Only one person could know my nickname; stand and face me, Solo." She challenged the seemingly empty night air.
Solo Reiki stepped forward with a smirk on his face. "It's been a long time, Kitsune." He looked her in the eye. "Too long in fact."
The penetrating stare he cast her way made her want to cover herself in more clothing. He chuckled softly and begun to pace a slow circle around her.
She never once took her eyes off him or turn her back to him. Always facing him, watching him wearily, as a mouse watched a suspicious looking hawk.
"Didn't I always tell you, you would grow up to be beautiful, Kitsune?"
Kitsune didn't give him the pleasure of a smart retort.
"Oh, I see, you've been perfecting the great Heero Yuy's death glare."
Still, no response.
"Oh, come on. Admit it. You missed me."
That pushed her over the edge. Flames of hate leapt into her eyes, and she pounced screaming. "You will die at the hands of the Shinigami!!"

Above everyone in the ballroom, one of the side windows shattered and glass fell from the sky like rain. In the middle of all that…fell Tamashii. She twisted and landed on her feet, a few pieces of glass still embedded in her flesh. She was now in the ballroom, the people scattered and ran around frantic to find an exit.
Kamran, seeing the tides had turned, and not in their favor, grabbed Relena and held a gun to her head. "Don't scream, or you will find yourself with a bullet in her head."
Relena, being the "smart" person that she was…screamed. "Heero! Somebody! Save me!"
The five retired pilots, all exchanged looks. Duo put his hands behind his head. "Alright, who has to save her this time?" He said with a sarcastic tone.
Heero backed away. "I already saved her more times than she can count. I'm out."
Quatre shook his head. "It's against my beliefs." He prayed they believed him in his role as the leading pacifist.
Pilot 01 turned to Wufei. "You've never saved her, it's your turn."
Wufei waved his hands to ward off the suggestion. "No way! I'm...-err…a widower! It'd be wrong for me to lay hands on a demon."
Trowa stepped forward. "There's only one way to solve this." He took out a yen. "Coin toss!"
Duo nodded. "I got tails! 'Tails never fails'!"
The rest agreed and ultimately, after several "re-dos", Wufei lost.
He sighed in defeat. "Oh, damn. I'm going to hell for this one."
Duo took offense to that. "Hey! It ain't that bad!"
Wufei took off with his hands in the air. "This is INJUSTICE!!!!"

Solo stood still until the last moment, at which time he pushed forward with his hands, slamming Kitsune back. Kitsune recovered and landed on her feet.
"You will pay for the hell you have put me through!" She charged.
Solo raised an eyebrow in amusement. She can't do anything in a dress…
Little did he know, Kitsune reached down and lifted up her dress, clear off the ground, and flipped right over his dirty blond covered head, and landed expertly behind him.
Before he could react, Kitsune whirled and landed a kick at the base of his skull. Solo grunted and bent forward with the force of the blow.
Kitsune saw him hold his arms in front of him, as if readying to charge, and braced herself. To her surprise, Solo brought out a serrated knife and slashed back; slicing Kitsune's leg just above the knee, dress ripping as well. She fell to her knees, right behind Solo.
Solo turned around slowly, and grabbed a fist full of Kitsune's hair, pulling her head up to face him. "You seem to forget that it was I who brought you in when you had nothing. It was I who gave you food and water during your first winter. And this is how you repay me?"
"No, this is how I repay you." She pulled her right fist back and snapped it into his manhood.
His hold on her immediately slackened and he doubled over in agonizing pain. Though, he quickly recovered, Kitsune used the precious seconds to get some distance between them. "Worthless gratitude from a pitiful street brat." He growled.
Kitsune glared at him. "I owe you nothing! You condemned me to a life of hell and now you're going to get a taste of it!"
Solo fully composed himself. "Oh, so I guess you owe it all to that wanna be pilot, Duo Maxwell?"
"That's it! You're going down!" She shouted.
In a flash, Solo reached into his pocket and took out a gun. He spun it around once before pointing it at Kitsune. "I don't think so."
Kitsune smirked. "So, you wanna play with toys, huh?" She reached into her bra, underneath her dress, and pulled out a grenade. She pulled out the pin and tossed it at him, before diving behind a cement wall for cover.
The explosion went off with deafening effect, and Kitsune came out of her hiding spot. She reached down and took out the gun that was still strapped to her leg. She pointed it at the cloud of smoke, making sure the body was dead.
When the dust cleared…her eyes widened when no body was visible. "Damn! He got away!" Inside, a loud crash was heard, and Kitsune looked in through a window to see a cat person land in the middle of the falling glass, then her fellow pilot, Alexia, land behind her, though falling back to the ground. It was obvious she was injured. "Starting the real party without me? Think again!" She took one look at her dress and ripped it the rest of the way, before running in to lend a hand.