DISCLAIMER: (broken record playing in background) Bakuten is not mine, Bakuten is not mine, Bakuten is not mine, Bakuten is not mine...

PREFACE: not exactly sure how I came up with this- perhaps it is the result of eating chicken chilli strips far too late at night and watching Sin City before I go to bed (excellent movie by the way). Also, this is from the complaints from my girl for not putting any romance in my last fic. It’s kinda hard without making Jo OOC. But, I shall try.

Shoujo-ai, Meg X Jo.

THE FORTRESS

There’s blood on the floor. Somehow, I make some strangled noise of a scream. She’s late, and she’s hurt.

She’s leaning on Sei as she walks in the door- Kyo flaps around like a headless pigeon, and Amy drops her soft drink.

There’s even more blood on Sei, but I know it isn’t hers.

I think she’s unconscious- either way, she isn’t moving much, and her eyes are closed. Her guns slip loosely from her fingers and clatter onto the floor.

No one picks them up- no one would dare touch them.

I run ahead of Sei, slipping through half open doors even as I push the buttons for ‘em to open.

There’s no time to waste.

She’s pretty heavy.

That’s what surprises me the most- that and the fact she managed to walk here all the way from downtown. If I’d have known she was hurt, I would’ve sent someone after her, but...

The look on her face shortly before she passed out told me there was no way she would’ve accepted my help.

Sometimes, Jo’s too tough for her own good.

My jacket’s ruined- I can feel her blood seeping through the seams. It’s warm, sticky, and feels far too real.

Meg’s a mess- her eyes say she doesn’t know whether to run or stay or cry or scream. The door to their room hisses open, and I stop.

For a few seconds, I’m unsure as to whether I want to enter. Meg takes Jo from me –the girl’s holding up surprisingly well under her weight- but still I hesitate. There’s something private about this place, and I get the feeling I’m not welcome here.

As Jo’s laid out on the bed, I leave.

It’s a good thing the number to our doctor is on speed dial...

She’s bleeding far too much, and I can’t stop it. Sei’s already on the phone as she leaves.

She doesn’t speak- I don’t think she can.

She’s breathing, but it’s far too slow.

More blood- and I only washed those sheets yesterday.

A frantic giggle bursts out, and I know I’m not in the right frame of mind for this. I drag in a few panicked breaths, and wind a sheet around her. She’s got too many cuts, too many wounds. I don’t think there’s any broken bones, but she feels tender.

Maybe internal bleeding.

And she’s bruised too.

Her top comes off easily enough, although it sticks to her where it’s crusted with blood. Old blood. Meaning, she’s been bleeding for some time.

Anger takes me over, and tears start.

Damn her! Why does she have to do this? Why is she always the one getting hurt? Why doesn’t she tell me? Why doesn’t she let me know when she’s going to go off and do something stupid and get herself hurt? Why doesn’t she let me in-?

I cut off the last thought.

Not good, that. Not good.

There’s a reason for her walls, a reason for why I’m not allowed in.

She’s never told me.

I get the feeling I probably wouldn’t like it.

I sigh, and the rest of her clothes come off easily enough.

She’s bruised all over.

I never realised she could be so vulnerable.

The doctor leaves an hour after he arrived.

Sei’s face is still worried; Kyo’s almost weeping. I whack him once or twice to snap him out of it. For the love of pizza, he’s a man. He should act like one.

Even if he is a pansy.

I’m worried too, although I’d never admit it.

Sei knows.

I don’t think she’ll tell any one though. Otherwise some nasty pictures of her might end up circling the net...

Meg comes out, lugging sheets into the laundry.

They might’ve been white once- now they’re a dark, horrid brown. Old blood. Not a good colour.

She looks like she’s been crying- she probably has.

She disappears back into their room.

Their room.

I always wondered why it was that they shared when this trailer had so many, but I get it now.

She’s sleeping.

The doctor’s done what he could, and Jo always heals fast, but...

There was a lot of blood.

Nothing serious, he says. Nothing serious my ass. ‘Nothing serious’ doesn’t bleed that much!

She makes a noise, somewhere between a whimper and a moan. Bandages all over her, and more than a few stitches.

I don’t know what happened, but if she ended up this bad, the other guys must be in hell.

I grin wetly and taste my own tears.

She wakes.

Red eyes are clouded with sleep and pain- the painkiller’s the doc’s given her should’ve kicked in by now. She should be knocked out.

“Meg...”

I don’t know if she can see me. She’s half-blinded with pain, and so vulnerable I could cry. And I do, but that doesn’t ease it.

Gods, she’s tough. She’s always been tough, builds up those walls and lets nothing in... But for once, but for now, she’s weak. And alone.

And I’m here.

She drags me down to her, brushes her mouth against mine. I taste tears, blood, and other things I’m not sure of... my minds a mess...

She’s hurt but insistent.

She’s glorious.

And for those brief, beautiful, agonising, intense, impossible moments, the walls come crashing down.

And I know her. All of her. She holds nothing back.

I shut the door.

I leave the tray outside; they’ll probably be hungry when they wake, and the tea’s in a pot, so it’ll still be warm.

I thought about going in, but I saw them, and realised that some things –some sacred things- ought not to be interrupted.

Sei’s already on the phone to her grandfather, conferring about the successful mission; Amy’s emailing Leo to find and pick up Jango.

I go back to the kitchen.

It takes some time, but I manage to get the blood of the floor.

She sleeps.

The walls’ll come back. They always do, and once more I’ll be locked out; once more she’ll shut herself up so tightly. Block out the pain. Block out the horror. Block out everything.

And I’ll be out, in the cold. Unable to help.

Until she needs me.

For some reason, I can smell tea.

I shrug it off, and sleep, resting my head on her chest. Nothing but her heartbeat...

THE END

AUTHOR’S NOTE: well, I hope that was readable. Should’ve been writing my Eng Lit essay, but I wrote this instead. If I fail, koshiteru, I’m blaming you for demanding I write more.

Ahem.

Rants at my girlfriend aside, that was a strange little fic, but I felt it ended up all right. I think I made it obvious who’s POV it was in every section, but for clarity,Meg's POV is in italics. I don’t think it was necessary for Jo to say anything; sometimes the subject doesn’t need to contribute to a conversation.

Well, reviews are always welcome.

Clover.