Send the Pain Away athenae.
e-mail: bellathenae@yahoo.com
Just a little author's note before the real reading. I know most of you don't read this, but please do. This story is rated R for a reason. Sex, Drugs, Violance, Suggestive Dialogue...all that. I advice is that if you are under the age of 13, do not read this fic at all. If you are over the age of 13, try your luck. If a chapter contains sex I will notify you, since all the rest (ex: drugs, violance, profanity) you see on TV everyday. Voting on couples is optional. And I will post the results in every chapter. Please notice the following characters will be the only charactes from the series "Sailor Moon" and "Gundam Wing" present in this fic are: Aino Minako, Heero Yuy, Hino Rei, Quatre Rebarba Winner, Mizukino Ami, Duo Maxwell... So please keep that in mind when you are voting for couples! Any japanese I might add in this fic *will* be translated if it is not commonly used in fics (such as ne, nani, arigatou, konnichiwa...and suffixes). NOW, on with the story!!
ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY.
( c h a p t e r I : Blood Red Bet )
The blonde looked down at her almost empty drink, sipping up the rest of it quickly after feeling the soft bubbles tickle her nose.
"Another one, please," she asked, setting the glass down hard on the table. A few lazy men drifted their gaze over at her before continuing to their games.
"Yes ma'am," the blonde waiter answered, picking up her glass and filling it with her favorite drink yet again.
"Thank you, kind sir," she smiled beautifully, showing her white teeth, her blue eyes sparkling in remense. She picked the drink up and guzzled more down.
The blonde boy nodded to her, smiling back kindly. "No need to thank me."
"Ah, but I do!" she answered back. Her eyes sparkled again, not that sparkle that remained after you smiled or laughed, but an all-knowing sparkle.
At that another man around the blonde's age sat down next to her, ordering his own drink after flipping his long brunette braid from his shoulder. Her looked over at her, almost doing a double take.
"Now, what is such a beautiful lady doing...sitting there alone like that?" he asked, taking her hand and kissing it gently.
"I'm not alone!" she smiled back. "My friends are off at the tables, probably playing poker. I was about to try my hand at Black Jack..."
The man smiled and introduced himself. "My name is Duo Maxwell...and your name must be Aphrodite!"
She laughed, smiling brilliantly. "Aino Minako."
"The pleasure is mine..." he smiled, taking her hand and kissing it yet again.
She laughed again, throwing her head back in delight. "Yes it is, isn't it! Would you like to join me, Mr. Maxwell?"
"Please, please! Call me Duo!" he insisted. "And I would be delighted!"
The blonde woman smiled, looking over at the waiter for a second before letting Duo help her from her seat.
"Thank you for the drink..Mr..?" she asked, setting her drink down, paying for the drinks in cash.
"Winner...Quatre Rebarba Winner," the boy smiled, taking her money and her glass.
"It was nice meeting you Mr. Winner, and I hope I get a chance to see you again. I have a funny feeling we might just bump into each other again...sometime soon."
With that she led Duo away from the bar and to the nearest table for Black Jack.
Quatre shook his head, hoping his shift would be over sooner. He had about an hour more to go before he was freed from his burden.
"Just one more hour.." he told himself silently.
"Would you like to make a bet, Lady Minako?" Duo asked, not looking at his cards.
"Depends on the bet," she answered back stiffly.
He grinned, fighting his urges to do more than just grin. "You treat me to a night on the town if I win, and if you win I treat you to a night on the town."
She smirked. "What gave you the idea I wanted to spend a night on the town with you in the first place?"
The dealer stared at the two, waiting for them to pick up their cards or at least say '21' or give the signal for another card.
"Ah, com'on!" Duo pleaded, give her his 'puppy-dog' look.
"No, I'd rather not," Minako said back. "I'm leaving tomorrow for Tokyo."
"Then let me make your last night enjoyable!" he argued.
Minako narrowed her eyes, hearing the slip. My last night, eh? We'll see.. she thought to herself, smiling.
"Alright, fine! You win!" Minako said, huffing. She knew she could play the game, and she was going to.
Duo smiled triumphantly, glancing at the dealer. "Alright then, Minako, on with the show..."
Minako picked up her cards, her stone face taking control again, letting herself relax a bit. Five and seven is twelve. Minako scrached the table with her card lightly, signalling for another card. A nine...and that one was on purpose. She put her cards back on the table.
The dealer flipped over both Duo and Minako's cards and his own. All three were added up to 21.
"Again," Minako smiled. She looked up at the dealer, challenging him too, silently. She knew he had given her that nine on purpose. Either he was showing her pity if she lost to Duo, or he was showing her pity because she was woman. A supposedly weak and vunerable woman...
She narrowed her eyes as he placed the cards on the table again, going clockwise, starting with himself and ending with Minako.
She didn't look down at her cards, but into the dealer's Prussian eyes. "Hit me."
Duo looked over at her as another card was placed down. He wondered if she was trying to lose.
"Hit me," she said again, her voice no more or less demanding than before.
The dealer again placed a card into her pile. She waited, knowing he understood her message. Duo scratched the table and the dealer sent him another card.
The dealer again turned over the cards, all were 21 again.
The ragged dark brown haired dealer said nothing, dealt again, and waited. He could do nothing more.
"Las Vegas is a wonderful town," Minako started. "It's a shame I wasted it."
"Wasted it?" Duo asked, eyebrow raised. "Aw, com'on. You're with me, it can't be wasted!"
She laughed. "That is not what I meant, Duo!"
"Then what did you waste it on?" Duo inquired. "Off stealing money?"
Minako laughed. "No, not me. My parents funeral. What a bore."
"I'm..sorry," Duo said slowly.
"Don't be. My parents deserved to die," she said coldly. "Hit me."
The dealer threw her a card, still not saying a word.
"..Why do you say that?" Duo asked.
"Persistant, aren't you?" she snorted.
Duo smiled. "Of course. I like to know as much as I can about a beautiful lady, like yourself."
"HA!" Minako started. "Hit me, please!"
"Are you sure?" the dealer asked, his voice low and unchanging.
Minako looked up at him, smiling. "Very sure."
He threw another card at her.
"I don't think you know your cards as well as you should," Minako winked.
The dealer once again turned over the cards. All were 21, except for his. His eyes narrowed.
"Good game," he said simply, handing over a few coins.
"You, too," she grinned. "Again."
The dealer once again dealt the cards.
"Stay," Minako said instantly.
The dealer nodded, looking to Duo.
"I'll stay, too," Duo said cautiously. He didn't know what he had, that was a first.
"Mina-chan! How you doing?" a raven haired woman sat down in the open stool next to Minako.
Minako grinned. "You'll see in a second."
Minako's companion rolled her eyes. "Always the one to toy with others, aren't you, Minako?"
Minako nodded, looking back at the dealer.
He turned over the cards, revealing a sum of 21 for Minako's, a 20 for his own and a low 13 for Duo.
"I should have hit..." Duo mumbled.
"Yes you should have," Minako grinned, receiving more chips from the dealer.
Duo looked over at Minako's friend.
"Amazing, I've never met such amazing woman at a casino before," Duo stated. "I didn't catch your name..."
"That's Hino Rei," Minako said for her friend.
Rei glared at Minako. "Com'on, Minako. Ami wants us to meet with her before we head back to the hotel."
"Eh, I can't," Minako shrugged.
"You can't?" Rei said furriously.
"Duo and I made a bet, you see," Minako said nervously. "And..well..he owes me a night on the city so..."
"You mean a night on the town?" another woman inquired.
"Yeah yeah..that's what I said!" Minako smiled.
"Alright Minako, but don't expect us to do your packing for you," Rei said sternly.
Minako turned to Duo. She smiled as she followed his gaze to the blue haired beauty.
"On second thought..." Minako said. "Why don't we all go?"
Duo looked up at Minako. "Do I have to pay?"
"You lost by what...8? I'm only bringing two others. And if you can't pay I'm sure they will be able to pay for themselves."
Duo snorted. "There goes all my money..." he grumped. "But what the hay, sure, why not?"
Rei looked astonished. "I have some major packing to do, I can't!"
"You are going unless you want to do all of the packing," Minako whispered to her.
Rei growled. "Okay fine, whatever."
"Ami..." Minako looked over to her petit friend, pleading.
Ami smiled. "I'd love to go!"
Minako grinned looking over at Duo who gave her a silent 'thank you'.
"You wouldn't mind if I brought a few friends along, would ya?" Duo asked.
"As long as they pay for themselves, it's fine with us!" Minako smiled.
"Great. Why don't I pick you three up at about 11?" he asked.
"Sure, we are staying at the hotel across the way," Minako smiled. "We'll be waiting in the lobby. See you then!"
"Yeah...see you then," Duo smiled.
He watched the three amazing women walk out of the casino, then turned to the dealer.
"No," he said simply as the blonde waiter came and sat down.
"Heero..." Duo begged. "You have to. They are leaving in the morning. This is our last chance, either come or miss out."
The dealer, Heero said nothing still.
"Where are you going?" Quatre, the waiter asked.
"A night on the town, Q-man. Doesn't it sound lovely?" Duo asked, painting the picture for Quatre.
"Well, yeah. That sounds great..but..what's the catch?" Quatre asked.
"Aino Minako, Hino Rei and Mizuno Ami."
"Fine," Heero said simply.
Quatre thought for a moment. "My shift ends in fifteen minutes. When do we pick them up?"
"Eleven, across the street in the lobby," Duo answered.
Quatre sighed and nodded.
"Great. We can have a fun time before we get our jobs done. Sounds fun to me," Duo smiled mischeivously.
"As long as we get paid," Heero grunted, dealing the cards to the new players.
Duo grinned. Heero wanted more than to just get paid.
Okay, please do not forget to vote. The poll will be at the top of each chapter (except for this one). I will count every vote, one vote per chapter.
Minako/Heero: -- Rei/Heero: -- Ami/Heero: --
Minako/Quatre: -- Rei/Quatre: -- Ami/Quatre: --
Minako/Duo: -- Rei/Duo: -- Ami/Duo: --
Thank you for reading, PLEASE REVIEW. Good reviews, bad reviews, flames, whatever. I can handle it. Though, if you flame I might not continue, so what out. Or, I might flame back. You never know with me. Thank you transcendent!