Number Wars

Back up the Mountain

The Gimmicks and Quattro where sitting around the fire back up the mountain where they first properly met. It was pretty quiet, as they where all in deep thought, sitting under the starry sky, until Strings broke the silence.

"Hey Quattro?"

"Ye-Yeah?" Strings had caught Quattro mid-thought.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah! Why, what's up Strings?"  Quattro looked up from the fire to look at Strings.

"Um..." He tried to find the right words. "Since Leo and Ragna love each other, does this mean you and Rio will spend more time together?" Quattro jerked back and nearly fell over.

"Wait, where did that come from?" He thought a moment. "Also, probably."

"I was just wondering." They both resumed watching the fire crackle in its stone ring. Leo was sitting a little further away from the fire than the other two, wrapped in a cocoon of his on thoughts. Quattro nodded his head to Strings.

"You said Leo and Ragna love each other. Is that true?" Strings nodded. "Wow. No wonder he went into battle with her all that time ago." Strings nodded again. "Must be hard for him. Being on the opposite side to her..."

"Before the war, he suggested that they both be Neutral, so they can stay together. But, she said no. She claimed she would be betraying all her friends."

"No matter what she did, she'd be betraying her friends. She's friends with you guys too."

"True..." Strings agreed. Leo moved closer to his brother.

"What do you think we should do? Just sit around and wait 'til something happens?" Leo looked at Quattro over the fire.

"I'll go keep watch." Strings stood, and moved to the entrance of the place they where standing, now covered in shadow. Quattro shifted closer to Leo.

"What's on your mind? You've been, distant recently, and I haven't known you in person for long."

"It's nothing." Leo looked away from him. Quattro placed his hand on Leo's upper arm.

"Leo, there's something wrong. You are my Number, and I feel responsible. So I'll ask again; What's wrong?"

"It's Ragna."

"What about her?"

"I just can't believe... She's alive." Quattro was a little confused.

"After 96 left, did you never see her again?" Leo nodded.

"That's exactly what happened." His voice was quiet, and a little hard to hear.

"That sounds, painful."

"It was." Strings shifted his feet.

"We humans don't need to put up with even a smidgen of what you guys do." Quattro looked up into the stars. "But, nonetheless, it hurts still." He sighed, as he looked back at the flames dancing before him. Leo looked at him.

"What's it like? Being human." He asked.

"It's... All right." Quattro shrugged. "I  mean, not everybody gets caught up in crazy adventures with aliens and Number, or bracelets with your father's power in them." Leo laughed.

"I wish I was human. I just can't believe she's alive." Quattro grinned.

"Well you'd better start believing, because she is!" Even Strings laughed at this one.

"Yeah...." Leo smiled a little.

"What do you think the others are doing right now?"

"Probably hunting Numbers." Leo shrugged.

"Well, I got no clue. What should we do?" Leo thought for a moment, and Strings came back over.

"We should stay here. Some of the Numbers will break the rule and try to kill you, if you they find out your with us."

"Well, maybe they just don't know the rule. But still, better safe than sorry, right?"

"Right."