Time of Ages A few quick notes before 8.1 begins...
I spell Heero "Hiiro" because that's the Japanese way of spelling it and I prefer the way it looks in print. Lucrezia's switch to "Lucretia" comes from having a friend named that long ago and thinking that the other spelling looked more old-fashioned ^.^ And I promise never ever to spell Hilde "Hirde" ^.-
Arigatou! Gomen for taking so long on this one, 8.2 will be up asap!

 

  ( Chapter 8 ) .: Rescue :.

  *~ Part 1 ~*

  She walked with purpose. She was the Black Widow. She had bested her fellow huntresses, she had bested her teacher, and she could best whoever else got in her way. She would find them and destroy them, that was her purpose now. Now then, where to go? Surely she could find the other boys if the girls had been with her... but no, they were too stubborn.
  "In love," she huffed aloud. "As if this were some sort of dream." All right, so she couldn't find the other boys immediately. She smirked. That suited her just fine, all the more time to deal with her more important prey. She knew where she would find him. Quickening her pace, she headed toward the waterfall.

  *~*

  "What now?"
   "We wait."
  "I hate waiting!"
  "Just wait."
  "I'm hungry!"
  "Would you two calm down?" Trowa exclaimed at last. Hiiro and Duo looked at him innocently. Trowa sighed. Quatre tried to make peace.
  "Easy Duo, I'm sure Mytrica and Adriel will show up. We just have to be patient." Zechs said nothing, just smiled at his conversing companions. He leaned back against the tree, closed his eyes, and let his mind wander to Lucretia once again. He loved focusing on her... sometimes he became so utterly centered that he could almost hear her thoughts, her breathing...
  The shriek jarred his mind, shook his body, and affected his entire being.
  His eyes snapped open immediately and lunged forward, gasping for air.
  "Zechs! Zechs, what happened? Are you all right??" Quatre asked, running to him.
  "Lu... Lucretia!" he stammered.
  "What about her?" Quatre asked worriedly.
  "Something is very wrong," Zechs said, standing up shakily. "I could hear her scream." Duo's eyes became dark. Sprinting up a tree suddenly, he commanded a view of the surrounding area's treetops. All seemed calm. He narrowed his eyes as he saw dozens of birds take off from trees about three-quarters of a mile away. He jumped quickly down the tree and informed the others.
  "We have to go," Hiiro said in a low voice. Trowa's eyes glinted.
  "They won't be there by the time we arrive. We must try to gauge where they will go now." Running his hand through his hair, Zechs tried to think.
  "Somewhere quiet... and yet... there needs to be an element of danger," he mused quietly. Quatre's eyes locked with his for a moment, both knowing at the same instant.
  "Come on! No time to lose!" Quatre cried. Wordlessly the others followed as they took off into the woods.

  *~*

  She breathlessly reached the top. She had gone to the usual cliff, where they had met, but he was not to be found. She could only assume that he would be nearby the waterfall, so her natural choice was to ascend to the very top. Taking a glimpse over the edge, she swallowed hard and stepped back, staying a safe distance from the edge. Searching the nearby woods for him, she eventually decided that he was not in the area. As she thought of where to go in order to find him, she thought she heard someone behind her. Turning to look, she found no one, even after a search. She sat on a rock near the edge of the flowing river that led to the cascading falls. She held her sword in front of her and studied how the sunlight glinted off of it. The mysterious fog had burned off as she had predicted, and it had been a beautiful day after all. She sighed inwardly and thought to herself. She thought of her friends, of those other boys... She thought of herself, of who she was, rather, who she should have been. She thought of Anthony, and she thought of him. Was she really going to kill him? Could she really? Another living thing... another with feelings like her own, who had experienced pain like her own. Could she take the life of one like that? The slight breeze stirred in her hair and she sighed again.
  "Pardon me, am I interrupting something?" She spun around quickly, drawing in a sharp breath.
  "Count Dekim? Why on Earth are you here?" The Count was standing, looking sadly at her.
  "I'm... I'm afraid there's been a terribly unfortunate accident at the manor. I was sent to inform you." Sally rose.
  "Why you? Why not a messenger? What has happened?" she asked.
  "It was too important to simply send a messenger," said he. "I'm afraid that Lord Dermail has died." Sally gasped.
  "What?? How did this happen?" she asked, eyes showing sorrow.
  "We're not quite sure," the tall man said. "It's being investigated. We believe someone was sent to assassinate him... my Liege!" Dekim fell to his knees with his head in his hands. Sally rushed to him.
  "It's all right," she tried to mutter soothingly. An idea occurred to her. "Does this mean that the land is without a Lord at the moment?" she asked with concern. Dekim looked up.
  "No... my Liege held out long enough to bestow the honor upon... me..." he said quietly. "Thought I can never hope to fill the position quite as well as he did!" He buried his head in his hands again and his shoulders shook. Sally didn't know what to do.
  "Well, I'm sure you'll have plenty of help with ruling," she said. "Everyone will do what they can." Dekim looked up once again and rose, a sly smile beginning to play on his face.
  "Ah, Sally Po. That was exactly what I needed to hear! And," he continued, grabbing one of her wrists. "I have been thinking of a way for you to help in particular." Sally tried vainly to regain the use of her right hand.   "Count Dekim, let go of my wrist," she said forcefully.
  "Ah-ah! I'm Lord Dekim now!" he exclaimed. "And I wish for you to be my Lady." Sally froze at the very mention of such an utterly vulgar thing.
  "NO!" she shouted. "LET ME GO!" Trying to pull free by using her other hand was no use, he would just catch that wrist as well. As a last resort, she lowered her head to his arm and tried to bite him. He caught her chin in the hand not holding her wrist and pulled her head up to look at him. He had a terribly glint in his eyes.
  "Come now, Black Widow," he said soothingly, sickeningly. "I can give you back your lost status. I can make you wealthy once again. I can make you powerful." He brought his face closer to hers.
  "Never!" She spat on him. He released both her face and hand and wiped his face.
  "You'll pay for that," he hissed. With a snap of his fingers, guards emerged from the forest, several of them holding very familiar figures.
  "Lucretia! Relena? Hilde, Catherine, and Dorothy? What are you doing with them?" Sally exclaimed with wide eyes. The girls looked frightened to death and made anxious noises from behind their gags. Dekim's eyes blazed.
  "You see? Even if you could kill me, I have them! And," he gestured with his hand. "I have special assistance." A shadowy figure appeared in the air next to him. Lucretia made urgent noises, lunging forward as much as her captor would allow, and Sally saw fear in her eyes. Sally looked at Dekim.
  "What do you want me to do?" she asked shakily.
  "You have nothing now!" the angry man exploded. "You had your chance! Now you shall perish along with the rest!"

  *~*

  "Hurry! Dammit Hiiro, can't you move any faster??" Duo cried.
  "He's going as fast as he can, Duo!" Quatre exclaimed sadly. Hiiro's mind was swarmed with images of what could happen if he didn't get to Relena soon. Trowa helped him along when his mind wandered like that.
  "What happens if we're too late, Quatre?" Duo asked quietly.
  "Then we lose, Duo. We lose them."

  *~*

  The girls stood with their backs to the falls. Their hands and feet were bound. They were nearly on the very edge of the extremely steep drop that would lead to the foaming end of the waterfall. Dekim stood before them, smiling, looking more evil than they could have ever imagined someone to look. It was all they could do to keep their balance, knowing all too well that each breath could be their last if the baneful man before them gave the word.
  "It's rather fitting," he said, pacing in front of them.
  "What is," Sally growled. Her eyes glowed fiercely.
  "That you are to die at my hands," Dekim replied with a chuckle. "Oh! Sally Po, I almost forgot! I have a letter for you; you may be very interested to hear it!" With a snap, a guard brought forward a old envelope that looked like it had been washed and then dried. "Shall I read it?" Dekim asked her. She made no reply. Catherine looked helplessly at her friend.   "Yes, do," she said for Sally. Dekim removed the letter from it's envelope and began to read.

  My dearest Sally,
  Oh, how it pains me to write you! Not being able to see your smiling face or bask in your radiant glow. The long days at sea kill me slowly. However, I do not write to you to tell you of my love, nor of my journeys. I write to you this time, love, in great fear. I hope with all my heart that this letter reaches you. A few days ago our ship was taken by other men, strange men. They say their leader will arrive today to decide on our fate. My dear, they do not seem like the kind to keep us in life. I will make my plea to this commander of theirs to spare my life, that I may see you once more. If I could only tell him of how much I love you...

  "Dear me," Dekim murmured. "It seems the letter was ripped here. It continues on later, shall I continue?" Sally fought tears harder than she ever had in her life.

  Sally, news has come to me. I am to be executed. They are going to sink the boat. We will all perish here, the water is too dangerous to swim to safety. Sally, I have also learned of who this commander of theirs is. It seems that I am destined to die at the hands of the Noble Dekim. Sally, listen. Though I may perish here, my love for you is endless. I cannot give it boundaries or limits, for it would only exceed them. I need you to live, Sally. Live for me. Live and LOVE. Do not feel burdened by me, sweet. The only thing I want for you is happiness in all that you do. Find another, Sally, one who loves you as much as I do. And thank him for me, my love. I want you to always have someone on Earth to look after you, while I look after you from Heaven. I love you, my sweet Sally. I love you.

  "Such sentiment!" Dekim said with a fake sniffle. "And such a young lad too! A shame that he was in my way."
  "You... you KILLED HIM!" Sally screamed.
  "Why, yes! Just as I killed Lord Dermail! And just as I will kill you!" the excited man screamed back.
  "Bastard!!" she shrieked, sobbing, rocking back and forth as much as he bonds would allow. "You killed him! You killed him! My Anthony! Anthony..." she gasped and sobbed into herself, her whole body shaking with the force of her anguish. Crying themselves, the other girls were speechless. Dekim smirked.
  "Now then, for the fun part. Who's to die first?" Catherine gasped and looked at the others. With wide eyes they waited fearfully as Dekim paced back and forth in front of them. To her horror, he stopped in front of Relena.   "How about you, precious?" he slithered. Relena held her head high.
  Please God save me... she prayed silently. Looking the man straight in the eye, she said nothing. Dekim raised a hand and was about to push her. Relena refused to close her eyes.

  The arrow flew swift and straight and struck its target. Dekim gaped in horror at the arrowhead protruding from his left chest. Hiiro stood proudly in the tree, bow cocked, ready to shoot again at a moment's notice. Dekim's breathing became labored, but he did not die.
  "You will lose what you treasure first, elf," he hissed between breaths. He gave Relena a slight shove, throwing her just off balance.
  "Relena!!" Lucretia screamed as she started to fall. In a flash, Hiiro leapt from the tree and flew to the cliffside. Relena was too far for him to grab her hands, and he dared not grab anywhere else. Thinking quickly, he reached out and grasped the sturdy silver chain around her neck, pulling her safely back into her arms. As he did this, the other boys quickly fought off the guards that had been ordered to attack. The Gremlin had surprisingly left the scene at the first hint of trouble. Dekim breathed heavier still as the boys left his guards unconscious and each picked up their respective girl. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Sally Po was left standing by herself on the edge.
  "So you think you win," he said. "I am always victorious. Farewell, ladies. And to the hunters as well." He staggered to the edge where she stood. Nudging her with his shoulder, the Lord Dekim toppled off the edge into the splashing falls.

  With him went Sally Po.

  :. *~*~* .:

  

A/N: Ack! I'm crying myself just writing this! ;_; Please don't kill me because of the cliffhanger, I'll work super hard to get 8.2 out really soon!!