Naruto Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Since When Do Heeros Have a Sense of Humor? ❯ A New Friend ( Chapter 4 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Armina Skitty 
A new Bish is met.
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Comedy | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 10.07.2005 | Updated On: 03.06.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.0K | Visits: 308 | Status: Completed
A new Bish is met.
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Comedy | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 10.07.2005 | Updated On: 03.06.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.0K | Visits: 308 | Status: Completed
4
Disclaimer: I don’t own these guys… blah blah… only own ‘Mina…yadda yadda… Everyone else belongs to their respective owners…blibity-blah… you wouldn’t want ‘Mina anyway…Suing me is a waste of time, all my pay-checks are converted into manga and gas almost as soon as I get them… all I own is a three year old laptop and said manga…If you are actually thinking a suing me you are in more need of a life then me; and that’s really saying something!
“Well, these chicken legs ought to be good for something.” ‘Mina remarked over her shoulder, “Besides, I told you I was a college student, right?”
“Right, but what does that have to do with any thing?”
“It has to do with everything! Do you have any idea how big campuses are? I go to a community college and I’m still walking a half mile to get from classroom to classroom! Plus, I mentioned I live out in the boonies, correct?”
“You mentioned that, yes…” Heero answered warily.
“And you know that I’m a nature freak, true?”
“Uh-huh…”
“So what do you think a nature freak like me would do when she has read all her books and manga, there’s nothing on TV, and she has dial-up and is downloading something?”
Heero had to digest that long question for a second before he could answer. “Lemme guess, lots of walks, right?”
“Yup, one of my neighbors had a lot of acreage and my dogs absolutely adored going for walks.” She sighed, “I miss my pupper-doggies, they would have loved this…”
“Meh” Heero commented
“Ah! Don’t you start that again!”
“Start what again?” He asked, making his eyes wide with feigned innocence. ‘Mina shook her head. Innocence my left foot! He’s trying to start our game again! She and Heero had continued their ‘arguing’ and ‘Mina continued to keep track of their points. They were pretty even, which surprised and pleased her. Armina had never been good at battles of wits, she wasn’t good at insulting people. But this ‘game’ she had with Heero was different, they weren’t trying to really insult each other, they were just having fun teasing back and forth. For some reason she could do that easily.
She glanced back at Heero, who had fallen silent. He was looking at the scenery at the side of the dirt road they were on with a disinterested gaze. That puzzled her slightly, it was a nice view to either side, with tall grass waving in the gentle breeze, interspersed with small oak groves. The sun was shining, the temperature was lovely, neither too warm nor too cold. Meadow larks were singing their hearts out. Declaring their territory, but who cares about that. It was an absolutely beautiful da-
“If you start singing, I swear to God, I will hurt you.” Heero dead-panned behind her as they came into the shade of another grove.
“Who said I was going to sing, and why should you care if I do?”
“You’re tone-deaf.” He pointed out.
“Well, so are you.” She returned.
“Er, a point…”
“Ah, good!” She exclaimed as she pulled out her note pad.
“Ack! Not that kind of point!” He cried out as he snatched the pad from her hands.
“Hey! Give that back! It was too that kind of point!” She yelled, leaping at him to get her pad back. How dare he be one inch taller then she! It wasn’t fair, she wasn’t that short!
It didn’t make her feel any better when he had explained that he was an older San, and that there was a certain amount of growth within each stage. Chibi’s ranged from the apparent age of four to about ten, San’s went from twelve to about seventeen, while Sama’s aged between twenty-one to around thirty-five. When the stages had been explained to her by the Prof. she had thought it was like Pokemon evolution. Not so, according to Heero, who had better reason to know. Or at least, not always so, sometimes a Chibi or San would evolve if stressed or threatened, a defense mechanism to give the Bish greater strength to defend his or her self.
Not that that matters right now, except that Mister Older-San-Heero is bloody taller than me and won’t give me my notepad back!
“Hey, what’s that?” Heero said as Armina leapt up again to get her pad. He distracted her for that crucial second that she missed in what had been a perfect jump.
“No fair distracting me! I nearly-” She growled at him.
“No, I’m serious. Look.” He pointed into the under brush, where something white could be briefly seen, moving in and out of their line of sight. Armina stopped all attempts to get her pad back, all business now.
“Think we should check it out?” ‘Mina trusted Heero’s judgment in this, he had already defended her from two Thing attacks. Apparently there were creatures in this world that would attack an unsuspecting traveler. Not that they were any real threat, only Chibi’s and the very weakest of San’s would have any trouble with the critters. Heero had dispatched them in less then one minute, and had been very annoyed at being forced to deal with such weak interruptions.
“Yes, I think we should. Stay behind me.” Heero said, slipping into Soldier mode as he handed the pad back to her. He stalked forward silently, barely disturbing the undergrowth at all. ‘Mina followed much more slowly and with less finesse. Not that it mattered too much, the reason she went slowly was to minimize noise, which she did accomplish. Not well, but she did lessen the usual amount of noise.
“It’s alright, come here.” Heero called. ‘Mina dropped all attempts to move quietly and forced her way to where Hee-kun was. He was standing by a large canine whose paw was stuck in a steel-jaw trap. ‘Mina winced as she got a good look at the infected wound, it looked very painful. Then she took a better look at the canine and realized just how wrong that label was. That was no dog!
He sighed, “Think I should put it out of it’s misery?” he asked as ‘Mina came up next to him, “the dog’s too mean for us to get close.” The beast snarled more fiercely as if to prove his point.
“Uh, Heero?” Armina started in a shaky voice.
“Yeah?” He asked, looking up at his Trainer from his crouch.
“That’s not a dog, and that’s not an it. That’s Kiba in his wolf form.” ‘Mina said, her eyes never leaving the wolf’s, who was staring right back at her with a piercing golden gaze. Heero blinked. Kiba? Wolf form? What’s she talking about? He wondered, and was about to ask when all thought save those of alarm went flying out of his head. Armina, his Trainer, was walking right up to the aggressive beast!
She knelt down next to the huge white wolf, hand partly extended, “Kiba, I’d like to get your paw out of that trap,” she said as the wolf snarled at her, baring every single tooth he possessed, “will you let me do that for you, please?” She kept staring at his eyes steadily, barely blinking.
Her prayers were answered as he slowly stopped snarling and lowered his nose to her hand and sniffed lightly. A strangled noise behind her told ‘Mina how Heero was taking this. Kiba’s ears flattened and he resumed snarling at the source of the noise over her shoulder.
“Heero, it’s okay, I know what I’m doing.” she said without moving an inch. At least, I think I know what I’m doing, I really hope I do. Better not say that out loud if she didn’t want Heero to have a heart attack. “Will you let us help you?” She asked Kiba again.
Kiba looked at her and stopped all threatening behavior. He stared straight into her eyes then sniffed her hand again. “Okay” came the near whispered reply. Hee-kun made a weird noise again. “You can, I’m not sure I trust him.” Kiba amended.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to accept both of us, ‘cause I’m not sure I’m strong enough to open that trap.” ‘Mina said truthfully, shoulders slumping in relief. “Oi, muscle man, stop choking and get over here!” she called, looking over her shoulder at a very pale and strained looking Heero. He had to make two false starts before he could stand and walk over.
“’Mina-chan, if you ever do anything like that again I swear to all that’s holy and unholy, I’ll-”
“Oh, do stop threatening me, I doubt I’ll ever have the chance to do anything like this again so don’t worry.” She said as she looked over the trap. Kiba coughed, probably out of mild amusement at the back-and-forth banter. Heero jumped, which caused Kiba to start, which made him jar his still-trapped paw, which caused him to growl.
“I hope you’re up to date on your rabies shots onna.” Heero grumbled, eyeing Kiba, who eyed him right back.
“Stop acting like Wufei, it doesn’t suit you. And stop insulting Kiba.” she snapped at her Bishonen, “He doesn’t mean it, honest.” she added to Kiba, who looked disbelieving. Since Heero was growling something to the effect of ‘I do too mean it’ ‘Mina wasn’t surprised. “So, do I press here?” She asked, pointing to a tab on the side of the trap. It was really small, too small for Kiba to press with his big paws.
“Yeah, on three while I get this one.” Heero responded, suddenly all business. ‘Mina repressed her exasperation. “One, two, three, Push!” ‘Mina put all her piddling muscle and weight into the push and was able to pry open the rusted chunk of death-trap. “Hurry Kiba, get your paw out before we loose this!” Heero grunted out. Kiba complied and limped away, watching them closely.
‘Mina didn’t care what he did, her arms and hands hurt too much as she let the trap go. Heero pointedly ignored them as he pulled up the trap and started to beat the rust off of it.
“What are you doing?” Kiba asked Heero sharply.
Heero kept his back turned, “Getting it cleaned enough so that I can reduce it to it’s basic parts.” he said shortly. Kiba blinked, obviously surprised.
“Heero is usually a lot nicer then this, he was just worried for me.” ‘Mina explained to Kiba. He blinked at her as well, clearly trying to assimilate what he knew of Trainers and captured Bish with what he was seeing.
The Trainer, was ‘Mina her name? was staring at his paw from the distance that he had put between them. Mean while the Heero was dismantling the trap, muttering under his breath about brainless females and how was he supposed to do his job if his Trainer jumped into danger at every opportunity? ‘Mina was pointedly ignoring him in favor of Kiba.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to tend to that paw of yours.” She said. Kiba limped farther away; she wants to catch me!
“I won’t catch you, I swear, ask Heero!” ‘Mina said hastily, holding her hands out in reassurance. Heero looked over his shoulder at them.
“She’s telling the truth, I had to practically order her to catch me.” He said.
“But… why?! Why would you want to be enslaved? Why would you-?” Kiba demanded in confused alarm. Heero interrupted.
“Whoa! ‘Mina doesn’t enslave, and I wanted to travel with her. The only way I could do that safely was to be her captured Bish, ‘cause I really don’t want to be some really brainless bimbo’s Bish. She’s brainless enough but at least she can talk sensibl- yip!” Heero cut off his monologue as a dirt clod ‘mysteriously’ gained the power of flight and aimed at his head.
“Brainless am I?” growled ‘Mina.
“Well, if you insist. I didn’t hear anyone naming names.” Heero said casually, glancing at the dirt clod. Because he was looking away, he missed ducking the next one that hit his shoulder. “Hey!”
“Oh, dear. How’d that happen?” ‘Mina asked with mock concern. Heero glared, then lunged.
“How dare you throw dirt at me! I’ll get you for that!” He cried, chasing after her.
“Well, what was I supposed to do, throw rocks? That wouldn’t have done anything to your head! Except maybe cause echoes, since it’s hollow!” She cried back, managing to keep just ahead of him.
“Hollow? My head? Aren’t you referring to your own?” He retorted.
Kiba watched them circle around the clearing they had found him in with shock and surprise. Maybe she doesn’t enslave Bishies, since that Heero doesn’t act at all like any slave I’ve ever heard of… “Umm… ano…?”
“Eh?” the other two chorused, stopping simultaneously at Kiba’s tentative interruption.
“I’ve decided that I trust you and I would appreciate it if you took care of my paw. I don’t have any medical equipment with me though…” Kiba said
“Oh, that’s no problem, I have a full kit with me. Let’s just get out where I can un-Capsulize the house so that I can get to it and I’ll patch you up to the best of my ability.” ‘Mina stated with a little pride.
“Prepare to have your paw hacked off.” Heero said in an undertone with a sly look aimed at his Trainer. ‘Mina harrumphed and chucked another dirt clod at Heero. “Hey!”
“Come on Kiba, I’ll take good care of you since you appreciate me.” ‘Mina said, stalking off in a huff. Kiba followed, limping, and ears folded meekly. Heero glared at his Trainer then stomped up behind her and scooped her up.
“Hey, what the heck are you doing? Put me down you Neanderthal!” She yelled as Heero draped her over his shoulder
“Hmm, lemme think about that… Nope. Much more convenient to have you here where you can’t throw stuff at me. Plus, having you like this, I can spank you for being foul-mouthed!” Heero said with a triumphant tone.
“Spank me for being foul-mouthed?! Why you little-” #smack# “HEY!”
“Now now, what did I just say?”
“%*^$^&&%!” #smack# “^*$&!!!”
“Uh… Should I give you two some privacy?” Kiba asked uneasily. The behavior of those two was starting to embarrass him.
“Huh?” They asked, ‘Mina craning her neck up and Heero peering over his shoulder. They looked at each other, blushed, then Heero carefully set ‘Mina down. She stood and very carefully did not look at Heero, who was very carefully not looking at her. They then continued walking, only without the high jinxs this time.
Kiba sighed and sweat dropped. I hope they don’t act like this all the time, that would really be embarrassing. I don’t know if I could handle being seen with them if they ac- Kiba stopped in mid-stride and mid-thought, stunned at the direction his mind was going in. Being seen with them? As if I was traveling with them? What am I thinking, why am I thinking that? I’m just going to have ‘Mina doctor my paw, then I’ll be off. Besides, if I stayed, they’d find out about my… problem. Kiba sighed again, only in depression this time, as he resumed following the two out of the grove. The reason he was out on his own was because of his Problem and because of how the people back home had acted about it.
Nope, I can’t go with them, they’ll shun me as well.
Not that I’d mind going with them, but-
No, I can’t. They’d hate me for my weakness.
But maybe they wouldn’t mind-
No. No, I can’t, I can’t be rejected again.
Kiba’s silent argument with himself was interrupted as ‘Mina stopped by the clearing next to the road and began digging through her backpack. After a moment of fishing and examining individual capsules, she settled on one. About the size and shape of a horse pill with a button on top, it didn’t look like much at all. But after she pushed the button and tossed it, a small, two bedroom house appeared out of a cloud of dust. Kiba blinked (again) in surprise, he’d never seen Capsule houses.
“Ever think about organizing that mess you call a packed backpack?” Heero drawled, sounding bored.
“Organizing? What’s that?” ‘Mina asked in a faux dumb-blonde voice.
Heero sighed and entered the house. ‘Mina followed, holding the door open for Kiba. “Come on in, I need to wash your wound before I bandage it.” she said.
“‘Kay.” the wolf answered, suddenly feeling unaccountably shy. ‘Mina smiled kindly and made sure the door latched after Kiba entered. She then went to the sink in the kitchen area while Kiba took stock of the interior. The first room was a kitchen/living room area, with the only border between the two being the line where the tile ended and the kitchen began. The living room half was closest to the door and held a three seat couch, two overstuffed arm chairs, a coffee table and a small TV. The kitchen held a fridge, an oven, a counter microwave and the sink. Leading away from the front room was a hallway, probably leading to a bedroom and bathroom.
Heero was flopped on one of the arm chairs, watching ‘Mina through half-lidded eyes and apparently being too lazy to move. Kiba was not deceived at all, he could tell from the tension in his muscles and the aggressive scent coming from the other Bish that if he, Kiba, showed any signs of being dangerous, then Heero would become dangerous as well. And he may be just a San, but he is a strong San, that much I can tell already.
“I‘ve been wondering something,” Heero said suddenly, “’Mina mentioned ‘wolf form’ earlier. That means you have another shape, right?”
“Ye-es…” Kiba answered cautiously, “I have a human form as well.”
“Why didn’t you change shape and get out of that trap by yourself then?” Heero demanded, leaning forward. Kiba ducked his head and looked away to avoid his intense gaze. When he spotted ‘Mina standing near the kitchen area with a bowl of hot water with a First Aid kit, he winced. She was staring at him as well, as if she was demanding an answer with her eyes alone
“I’ve been wondering that myself.” She said, confirming his unspoken fear. “How about you trade an explanation for medical care and a dinner?”
“I-” Kiba stood, placed weight on his injured paw, then sat down. “I… it’s stupid, really…”
“Why don’t you let us be the judge of that?” ‘Mina asked as she sat down next to him, gently picked up his paw and started to clean the wound.
“Ah… well… um… I…” Kiba hesitated then plunged in. “I have a problem, I can’t shift. Not easily… that is… I don‘t know why! It‘s like I‘m inhibited or blocked or… something. I dunno…”
“Oh, well, that explains things.” ‘Mina said, not missing a beat as she continued to clean his wound.
“You- you don’t care!?” Kiba exclaimed, gaping at her in shock.
“Why should we?” Heero drawled from his chair. The wolf swung his head around to gape at him as well. “It’s not like it’s a medical problem right?”
“Right…”
“Then it’s not like your, hmm, inability to turn human has any affect on our lives. It just… is.” ‘Mina said as she started to carefully wrap Kiba’s wound. “If you had had a disease, that’d be different. Or if this problem caused you pain, then we’d care because it would be a real problem and not a difficulty. Am I making any sense?”
“Kinda, yeah.” Heero answered, Kiba was too busy staring in disbelief. “What you’re saying is that since Kiba’s problem is like your ‘issue’ with higher math, it ain’t our problem, unless he wants help, since it’s probably mental and not physical. Am I right?”
“Mostly, although I wish you wouldn’t tease me about my math problem.” ‘Mina said, glaring at Heero while she taped down the loose end of the gauze bandage. “You act like I’m the only person who can’t memorize the trigonometric equations!”
“But they’re so simple!”
“Too you!”
“Uh, guys?” Kiba interrupted carefully.
“Huh?” They chorused; again.
“Th-thank you… for not… not teasing me. About my… uh… problem I mean.” Kiba finished shyly, carefully resting his newly cleaned and bandaged paw on the ground. ‘Mina and Heero exchanged an opaque glance and Heero shrugged and seemed to relax.
“Like we said,” ‘Mina said, “since it doesn’t cause a problem that we can really do something about, it’s not a problem we really care about.” Then she grinned impishly, “Besides, I like dogs, and you make a pretty decent substitute.”
Kiba laid his ears back and looked seriously offended. “I,” he stated with immense dignity, “am not a dog.”
“Of course not.” Heero stated, “You’re a mangy wolf.” Kiba glared and growled, but did nothing else. He could scent, as well as hear, the playfulness about Heero. It was perfectly clear that the other Bish was trying to lighten Kiba’s mood by inviting him into the ‘game’ that ‘Mina and Heero were playing. He’s acting like he’s bipolar, but I think I must have passed some test by confessing and that’s why he’s being nice all of a sudden.
“To uneducated eyes, I suppose the thinness of my coat could be construed as mange.” Kiba declared with ponderous, and ridiculous, formality, “But in the interest of furthering knowledge, I will have you know that since we are coming into summer weather, my kind sheds the bulk of our fur for greater comfort during the high heat of that season.” Heero choked on a laugh at Kiba’s high handed retort while ‘Mina rolled her eyes and declare the two of them useless and that she was going to do something with a genuine purpose and make dinner.
After dinner, which was a lively affair of continued teasing, boasting and fun-laden banter, ‘Mina and Heero both curled up in separate chairs with a book each and read in dim lamplight while Kiba curled up in the blanket-and-pillow bed that the other two had made for him. I like these people, I could believe that these two were lifelong friends and not Trainer and Bishonen. When they were cleaning up after dinner, it was teamwork. ‘Mina washed while Heero dried and put away. And it was clear from what they said that they switched off each time. There is no slavery here, none. This is no act that they are putting on for my benefit, their actions are too natural, too practiced for this to be an act.
Kiba came to the conclusion that ‘Mina was what she said she was, a conscientious Trainer, and that Heero was what he said he was, a voluntarily captured Bish. Then Kiba reluctantly came to his next conclusion, that ‘Mina was not going to catch him. She never will, she just doesn’t catch Bish in the traditional way. He sighed, he was beginning to hope that he could stay with these people, he had had more fun this night then he had had for years. But it’s not going to happen, they’ll have to go into a city sooner or later and that’s too dangerous for an uncaught Bish. I’d only be safe if I was part of ‘Mina’s party and she won’t add to her party unless- The solution suddenly dawned on Kiba. ‘Mina won’t add me to her party unless I ask to be added. So why don’t I?
“’Mina?”
“Hmm?” She asked, lowering her book.
“I have a question for you.”
“Yeah?” she asked, cocking her head sideways as little.
“Do you want to add a second Bish to your party?” The look on her face, and Heero’s, who had been listening as well, would sustain Kiba through the many difficulties that he would come to face working beside them.
Disclaimer: I don’t own these guys… blah blah… only own ‘Mina…yadda yadda… Everyone else belongs to their respective owners…blibity-blah… you wouldn’t want ‘Mina anyway…Suing me is a waste of time, all my pay-checks are converted into manga and gas almost as soon as I get them… all I own is a three year old laptop and said manga…If you are actually thinking a suing me you are in more need of a life then me; and that’s really saying something!
~*~*~
“You know, for a city girl you sure can walk a lot!” Heero exclaimed in some surprise. It was only the second day on the road and if his calculations were anyway near correct, they were over half way to the next city, which was supposed to be five days away! He had thought ‘Mina was going to be a little on the weak side, taking breaks every mile or so. Boy was he wrong! There she was, striding away in front of him; he was the one who had to ask for breaks!“Well, these chicken legs ought to be good for something.” ‘Mina remarked over her shoulder, “Besides, I told you I was a college student, right?”
“Right, but what does that have to do with any thing?”
“It has to do with everything! Do you have any idea how big campuses are? I go to a community college and I’m still walking a half mile to get from classroom to classroom! Plus, I mentioned I live out in the boonies, correct?”
“You mentioned that, yes…” Heero answered warily.
“And you know that I’m a nature freak, true?”
“Uh-huh…”
“So what do you think a nature freak like me would do when she has read all her books and manga, there’s nothing on TV, and she has dial-up and is downloading something?”
Heero had to digest that long question for a second before he could answer. “Lemme guess, lots of walks, right?”
“Yup, one of my neighbors had a lot of acreage and my dogs absolutely adored going for walks.” She sighed, “I miss my pupper-doggies, they would have loved this…”
“Meh” Heero commented
“Ah! Don’t you start that again!”
“Start what again?” He asked, making his eyes wide with feigned innocence. ‘Mina shook her head. Innocence my left foot! He’s trying to start our game again! She and Heero had continued their ‘arguing’ and ‘Mina continued to keep track of their points. They were pretty even, which surprised and pleased her. Armina had never been good at battles of wits, she wasn’t good at insulting people. But this ‘game’ she had with Heero was different, they weren’t trying to really insult each other, they were just having fun teasing back and forth. For some reason she could do that easily.
She glanced back at Heero, who had fallen silent. He was looking at the scenery at the side of the dirt road they were on with a disinterested gaze. That puzzled her slightly, it was a nice view to either side, with tall grass waving in the gentle breeze, interspersed with small oak groves. The sun was shining, the temperature was lovely, neither too warm nor too cold. Meadow larks were singing their hearts out. Declaring their territory, but who cares about that. It was an absolutely beautiful da-
“If you start singing, I swear to God, I will hurt you.” Heero dead-panned behind her as they came into the shade of another grove.
“Who said I was going to sing, and why should you care if I do?”
“You’re tone-deaf.” He pointed out.
“Well, so are you.” She returned.
“Er, a point…”
“Ah, good!” She exclaimed as she pulled out her note pad.
“Ack! Not that kind of point!” He cried out as he snatched the pad from her hands.
“Hey! Give that back! It was too that kind of point!” She yelled, leaping at him to get her pad back. How dare he be one inch taller then she! It wasn’t fair, she wasn’t that short!
It didn’t make her feel any better when he had explained that he was an older San, and that there was a certain amount of growth within each stage. Chibi’s ranged from the apparent age of four to about ten, San’s went from twelve to about seventeen, while Sama’s aged between twenty-one to around thirty-five. When the stages had been explained to her by the Prof. she had thought it was like Pokemon evolution. Not so, according to Heero, who had better reason to know. Or at least, not always so, sometimes a Chibi or San would evolve if stressed or threatened, a defense mechanism to give the Bish greater strength to defend his or her self.
Not that that matters right now, except that Mister Older-San-Heero is bloody taller than me and won’t give me my notepad back!
“Hey, what’s that?” Heero said as Armina leapt up again to get her pad. He distracted her for that crucial second that she missed in what had been a perfect jump.
“No fair distracting me! I nearly-” She growled at him.
“No, I’m serious. Look.” He pointed into the under brush, where something white could be briefly seen, moving in and out of their line of sight. Armina stopped all attempts to get her pad back, all business now.
“Think we should check it out?” ‘Mina trusted Heero’s judgment in this, he had already defended her from two Thing attacks. Apparently there were creatures in this world that would attack an unsuspecting traveler. Not that they were any real threat, only Chibi’s and the very weakest of San’s would have any trouble with the critters. Heero had dispatched them in less then one minute, and had been very annoyed at being forced to deal with such weak interruptions.
“Yes, I think we should. Stay behind me.” Heero said, slipping into Soldier mode as he handed the pad back to her. He stalked forward silently, barely disturbing the undergrowth at all. ‘Mina followed much more slowly and with less finesse. Not that it mattered too much, the reason she went slowly was to minimize noise, which she did accomplish. Not well, but she did lessen the usual amount of noise.
“It’s alright, come here.” Heero called. ‘Mina dropped all attempts to move quietly and forced her way to where Hee-kun was. He was standing by a large canine whose paw was stuck in a steel-jaw trap. ‘Mina winced as she got a good look at the infected wound, it looked very painful. Then she took a better look at the canine and realized just how wrong that label was. That was no dog!
~*~*~
Heero looked over the canine with a touch of pity from a safe distance as Armina approached. He might not love animals as much as ‘Mina did but he still felt a little responsible for his fellow creature. There was not much they could do for the big canine, he was displaying too much aggression for them to get close enough free it from the rusty trap, and even if they did, that wound was too deep to mend on it’s own. Letting the beast loose would just be condemning it to death, a slower death then if they left it, since this trap was obviously a forgotten one by it’s condition, but death just the same.He sighed, “Think I should put it out of it’s misery?” he asked as ‘Mina came up next to him, “the dog’s too mean for us to get close.” The beast snarled more fiercely as if to prove his point.
“Uh, Heero?” Armina started in a shaky voice.
“Yeah?” He asked, looking up at his Trainer from his crouch.
“That’s not a dog, and that’s not an it. That’s Kiba in his wolf form.” ‘Mina said, her eyes never leaving the wolf’s, who was staring right back at her with a piercing golden gaze. Heero blinked. Kiba? Wolf form? What’s she talking about? He wondered, and was about to ask when all thought save those of alarm went flying out of his head. Armina, his Trainer, was walking right up to the aggressive beast!
She knelt down next to the huge white wolf, hand partly extended, “Kiba, I’d like to get your paw out of that trap,” she said as the wolf snarled at her, baring every single tooth he possessed, “will you let me do that for you, please?” She kept staring at his eyes steadily, barely blinking.
~*~*~
If this was a normal wolf, I wouldn’t have a face right now. ‘Mina thought as her heart tried to beat it’s way out of her chest. Real wolves, and almost all dogs, took a direct stare as a direct challenge. People were different though, a direct stare meant honesty to most minds and ‘Mina was trying to prove her honest intentions to a threatened and frightened person. So she didn’t dare drop her eyes until she got an answer. And she didn’t dare stop praying that Kiba was ‘human’ enough that he didn’t feel challenged but reassured.Her prayers were answered as he slowly stopped snarling and lowered his nose to her hand and sniffed lightly. A strangled noise behind her told ‘Mina how Heero was taking this. Kiba’s ears flattened and he resumed snarling at the source of the noise over her shoulder.
“Heero, it’s okay, I know what I’m doing.” she said without moving an inch. At least, I think I know what I’m doing, I really hope I do. Better not say that out loud if she didn’t want Heero to have a heart attack. “Will you let us help you?” She asked Kiba again.
Kiba looked at her and stopped all threatening behavior. He stared straight into her eyes then sniffed her hand again. “Okay” came the near whispered reply. Hee-kun made a weird noise again. “You can, I’m not sure I trust him.” Kiba amended.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to accept both of us, ‘cause I’m not sure I’m strong enough to open that trap.” ‘Mina said truthfully, shoulders slumping in relief. “Oi, muscle man, stop choking and get over here!” she called, looking over her shoulder at a very pale and strained looking Heero. He had to make two false starts before he could stand and walk over.
“’Mina-chan, if you ever do anything like that again I swear to all that’s holy and unholy, I’ll-”
“Oh, do stop threatening me, I doubt I’ll ever have the chance to do anything like this again so don’t worry.” She said as she looked over the trap. Kiba coughed, probably out of mild amusement at the back-and-forth banter. Heero jumped, which caused Kiba to start, which made him jar his still-trapped paw, which caused him to growl.
“I hope you’re up to date on your rabies shots onna.” Heero grumbled, eyeing Kiba, who eyed him right back.
“Stop acting like Wufei, it doesn’t suit you. And stop insulting Kiba.” she snapped at her Bishonen, “He doesn’t mean it, honest.” she added to Kiba, who looked disbelieving. Since Heero was growling something to the effect of ‘I do too mean it’ ‘Mina wasn’t surprised. “So, do I press here?” She asked, pointing to a tab on the side of the trap. It was really small, too small for Kiba to press with his big paws.
“Yeah, on three while I get this one.” Heero responded, suddenly all business. ‘Mina repressed her exasperation. “One, two, three, Push!” ‘Mina put all her piddling muscle and weight into the push and was able to pry open the rusted chunk of death-trap. “Hurry Kiba, get your paw out before we loose this!” Heero grunted out. Kiba complied and limped away, watching them closely.
‘Mina didn’t care what he did, her arms and hands hurt too much as she let the trap go. Heero pointedly ignored them as he pulled up the trap and started to beat the rust off of it.
“What are you doing?” Kiba asked Heero sharply.
Heero kept his back turned, “Getting it cleaned enough so that I can reduce it to it’s basic parts.” he said shortly. Kiba blinked, obviously surprised.
“Heero is usually a lot nicer then this, he was just worried for me.” ‘Mina explained to Kiba. He blinked at her as well, clearly trying to assimilate what he knew of Trainers and captured Bish with what he was seeing.
~*~*~
How can a Trainer and tame Bish act like this? Kiba wondered. Everyone knows that this is slavery and that tamed Bish no longer have a will of their own. But this… this is…I don’t understand.The Trainer, was ‘Mina her name? was staring at his paw from the distance that he had put between them. Mean while the Heero was dismantling the trap, muttering under his breath about brainless females and how was he supposed to do his job if his Trainer jumped into danger at every opportunity? ‘Mina was pointedly ignoring him in favor of Kiba.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to tend to that paw of yours.” She said. Kiba limped farther away; she wants to catch me!
“I won’t catch you, I swear, ask Heero!” ‘Mina said hastily, holding her hands out in reassurance. Heero looked over his shoulder at them.
“She’s telling the truth, I had to practically order her to catch me.” He said.
“But… why?! Why would you want to be enslaved? Why would you-?” Kiba demanded in confused alarm. Heero interrupted.
“Whoa! ‘Mina doesn’t enslave, and I wanted to travel with her. The only way I could do that safely was to be her captured Bish, ‘cause I really don’t want to be some really brainless bimbo’s Bish. She’s brainless enough but at least she can talk sensibl- yip!” Heero cut off his monologue as a dirt clod ‘mysteriously’ gained the power of flight and aimed at his head.
“Brainless am I?” growled ‘Mina.
“Well, if you insist. I didn’t hear anyone naming names.” Heero said casually, glancing at the dirt clod. Because he was looking away, he missed ducking the next one that hit his shoulder. “Hey!”
“Oh, dear. How’d that happen?” ‘Mina asked with mock concern. Heero glared, then lunged.
“How dare you throw dirt at me! I’ll get you for that!” He cried, chasing after her.
“Well, what was I supposed to do, throw rocks? That wouldn’t have done anything to your head! Except maybe cause echoes, since it’s hollow!” She cried back, managing to keep just ahead of him.
“Hollow? My head? Aren’t you referring to your own?” He retorted.
Kiba watched them circle around the clearing they had found him in with shock and surprise. Maybe she doesn’t enslave Bishies, since that Heero doesn’t act at all like any slave I’ve ever heard of… “Umm… ano…?”
“Eh?” the other two chorused, stopping simultaneously at Kiba’s tentative interruption.
“I’ve decided that I trust you and I would appreciate it if you took care of my paw. I don’t have any medical equipment with me though…” Kiba said
“Oh, that’s no problem, I have a full kit with me. Let’s just get out where I can un-Capsulize the house so that I can get to it and I’ll patch you up to the best of my ability.” ‘Mina stated with a little pride.
“Prepare to have your paw hacked off.” Heero said in an undertone with a sly look aimed at his Trainer. ‘Mina harrumphed and chucked another dirt clod at Heero. “Hey!”
“Come on Kiba, I’ll take good care of you since you appreciate me.” ‘Mina said, stalking off in a huff. Kiba followed, limping, and ears folded meekly. Heero glared at his Trainer then stomped up behind her and scooped her up.
“Hey, what the heck are you doing? Put me down you Neanderthal!” She yelled as Heero draped her over his shoulder
“Hmm, lemme think about that… Nope. Much more convenient to have you here where you can’t throw stuff at me. Plus, having you like this, I can spank you for being foul-mouthed!” Heero said with a triumphant tone.
“Spank me for being foul-mouthed?! Why you little-” #smack# “HEY!”
“Now now, what did I just say?”
“%*^$^&&%!” #smack# “^*$&!!!”
“Uh… Should I give you two some privacy?” Kiba asked uneasily. The behavior of those two was starting to embarrass him.
“Huh?” They asked, ‘Mina craning her neck up and Heero peering over his shoulder. They looked at each other, blushed, then Heero carefully set ‘Mina down. She stood and very carefully did not look at Heero, who was very carefully not looking at her. They then continued walking, only without the high jinxs this time.
Kiba sighed and sweat dropped. I hope they don’t act like this all the time, that would really be embarrassing. I don’t know if I could handle being seen with them if they ac- Kiba stopped in mid-stride and mid-thought, stunned at the direction his mind was going in. Being seen with them? As if I was traveling with them? What am I thinking, why am I thinking that? I’m just going to have ‘Mina doctor my paw, then I’ll be off. Besides, if I stayed, they’d find out about my… problem. Kiba sighed again, only in depression this time, as he resumed following the two out of the grove. The reason he was out on his own was because of his Problem and because of how the people back home had acted about it.
Nope, I can’t go with them, they’ll shun me as well.
Not that I’d mind going with them, but-
No, I can’t. They’d hate me for my weakness.
But maybe they wouldn’t mind-
No. No, I can’t, I can’t be rejected again.
Kiba’s silent argument with himself was interrupted as ‘Mina stopped by the clearing next to the road and began digging through her backpack. After a moment of fishing and examining individual capsules, she settled on one. About the size and shape of a horse pill with a button on top, it didn’t look like much at all. But after she pushed the button and tossed it, a small, two bedroom house appeared out of a cloud of dust. Kiba blinked (again) in surprise, he’d never seen Capsule houses.
“Ever think about organizing that mess you call a packed backpack?” Heero drawled, sounding bored.
“Organizing? What’s that?” ‘Mina asked in a faux dumb-blonde voice.
Heero sighed and entered the house. ‘Mina followed, holding the door open for Kiba. “Come on in, I need to wash your wound before I bandage it.” she said.
“‘Kay.” the wolf answered, suddenly feeling unaccountably shy. ‘Mina smiled kindly and made sure the door latched after Kiba entered. She then went to the sink in the kitchen area while Kiba took stock of the interior. The first room was a kitchen/living room area, with the only border between the two being the line where the tile ended and the kitchen began. The living room half was closest to the door and held a three seat couch, two overstuffed arm chairs, a coffee table and a small TV. The kitchen held a fridge, an oven, a counter microwave and the sink. Leading away from the front room was a hallway, probably leading to a bedroom and bathroom.
Heero was flopped on one of the arm chairs, watching ‘Mina through half-lidded eyes and apparently being too lazy to move. Kiba was not deceived at all, he could tell from the tension in his muscles and the aggressive scent coming from the other Bish that if he, Kiba, showed any signs of being dangerous, then Heero would become dangerous as well. And he may be just a San, but he is a strong San, that much I can tell already.
“I‘ve been wondering something,” Heero said suddenly, “’Mina mentioned ‘wolf form’ earlier. That means you have another shape, right?”
“Ye-es…” Kiba answered cautiously, “I have a human form as well.”
“Why didn’t you change shape and get out of that trap by yourself then?” Heero demanded, leaning forward. Kiba ducked his head and looked away to avoid his intense gaze. When he spotted ‘Mina standing near the kitchen area with a bowl of hot water with a First Aid kit, he winced. She was staring at him as well, as if she was demanding an answer with her eyes alone
“I’ve been wondering that myself.” She said, confirming his unspoken fear. “How about you trade an explanation for medical care and a dinner?”
“I-” Kiba stood, placed weight on his injured paw, then sat down. “I… it’s stupid, really…”
“Why don’t you let us be the judge of that?” ‘Mina asked as she sat down next to him, gently picked up his paw and started to clean the wound.
“Ah… well… um… I…” Kiba hesitated then plunged in. “I have a problem, I can’t shift. Not easily… that is… I don‘t know why! It‘s like I‘m inhibited or blocked or… something. I dunno…”
“Oh, well, that explains things.” ‘Mina said, not missing a beat as she continued to clean his wound.
“You- you don’t care!?” Kiba exclaimed, gaping at her in shock.
“Why should we?” Heero drawled from his chair. The wolf swung his head around to gape at him as well. “It’s not like it’s a medical problem right?”
“Right…”
“Then it’s not like your, hmm, inability to turn human has any affect on our lives. It just… is.” ‘Mina said as she started to carefully wrap Kiba’s wound. “If you had had a disease, that’d be different. Or if this problem caused you pain, then we’d care because it would be a real problem and not a difficulty. Am I making any sense?”
“Kinda, yeah.” Heero answered, Kiba was too busy staring in disbelief. “What you’re saying is that since Kiba’s problem is like your ‘issue’ with higher math, it ain’t our problem, unless he wants help, since it’s probably mental and not physical. Am I right?”
“Mostly, although I wish you wouldn’t tease me about my math problem.” ‘Mina said, glaring at Heero while she taped down the loose end of the gauze bandage. “You act like I’m the only person who can’t memorize the trigonometric equations!”
“But they’re so simple!”
“Too you!”
“Uh, guys?” Kiba interrupted carefully.
“Huh?” They chorused; again.
“Th-thank you… for not… not teasing me. About my… uh… problem I mean.” Kiba finished shyly, carefully resting his newly cleaned and bandaged paw on the ground. ‘Mina and Heero exchanged an opaque glance and Heero shrugged and seemed to relax.
“Like we said,” ‘Mina said, “since it doesn’t cause a problem that we can really do something about, it’s not a problem we really care about.” Then she grinned impishly, “Besides, I like dogs, and you make a pretty decent substitute.”
Kiba laid his ears back and looked seriously offended. “I,” he stated with immense dignity, “am not a dog.”
“Of course not.” Heero stated, “You’re a mangy wolf.” Kiba glared and growled, but did nothing else. He could scent, as well as hear, the playfulness about Heero. It was perfectly clear that the other Bish was trying to lighten Kiba’s mood by inviting him into the ‘game’ that ‘Mina and Heero were playing. He’s acting like he’s bipolar, but I think I must have passed some test by confessing and that’s why he’s being nice all of a sudden.
“To uneducated eyes, I suppose the thinness of my coat could be construed as mange.” Kiba declared with ponderous, and ridiculous, formality, “But in the interest of furthering knowledge, I will have you know that since we are coming into summer weather, my kind sheds the bulk of our fur for greater comfort during the high heat of that season.” Heero choked on a laugh at Kiba’s high handed retort while ‘Mina rolled her eyes and declare the two of them useless and that she was going to do something with a genuine purpose and make dinner.
After dinner, which was a lively affair of continued teasing, boasting and fun-laden banter, ‘Mina and Heero both curled up in separate chairs with a book each and read in dim lamplight while Kiba curled up in the blanket-and-pillow bed that the other two had made for him. I like these people, I could believe that these two were lifelong friends and not Trainer and Bishonen. When they were cleaning up after dinner, it was teamwork. ‘Mina washed while Heero dried and put away. And it was clear from what they said that they switched off each time. There is no slavery here, none. This is no act that they are putting on for my benefit, their actions are too natural, too practiced for this to be an act.
Kiba came to the conclusion that ‘Mina was what she said she was, a conscientious Trainer, and that Heero was what he said he was, a voluntarily captured Bish. Then Kiba reluctantly came to his next conclusion, that ‘Mina was not going to catch him. She never will, she just doesn’t catch Bish in the traditional way. He sighed, he was beginning to hope that he could stay with these people, he had had more fun this night then he had had for years. But it’s not going to happen, they’ll have to go into a city sooner or later and that’s too dangerous for an uncaught Bish. I’d only be safe if I was part of ‘Mina’s party and she won’t add to her party unless- The solution suddenly dawned on Kiba. ‘Mina won’t add me to her party unless I ask to be added. So why don’t I?
“’Mina?”
“Hmm?” She asked, lowering her book.
“I have a question for you.”
“Yeah?” she asked, cocking her head sideways as little.
“Do you want to add a second Bish to your party?” The look on her face, and Heero’s, who had been listening as well, would sustain Kiba through the many difficulties that he would come to face working beside them.
~*~*~
Yeah, Chapter four and now people can stop asking if I died or not! Not that anyone did but... well you know. Speaking of reviews, kinda, I got a MAJOR compliment from Lady Demoonica Darkmoon, she called me original! #Squeals#Heero: Please don't do that, my ears are sensitive. And what are you squealing about anyway?A.S.: Being called original is a huge thing in the fiction writing industry baka. You don't want to do something everyone else and her mother has already done obviously!Heero: And what's so original about a spin-off of someone else’s idea again?A.S.: uuuhhh...Kiba: Oh, give her a break, she is expanding on the idea, isn't she?Heero: Oh, fine, take her side why don'tcha?Kiba: Of course, since the great author is always right.A.S.: #Glomps Kiba#Heero: #cough#kiss ass#cough#Readers: #sweat drop#A.S.: Any way... On to the next chapter!Heero: And let it come out sooner then this one... Ack! Don't hit me! 'MI-NA!