"Talking"

Thinking

***Change of Scene***

@@@Flash Back@@@

Note: Gundam Wing/Sailor Moon Story. First of a kind from me. Please don't be too cruel. I'm not used to other people actually reading what I write. And this is all new stuff. One more thing. As much as I would like to have the g-boys as my own personal slaves. It can't be so. For I don't own them or the sm girls. Oh well. On with the story

THE LOVE OF A MORTAL

Chapter one

It had been raining all week. A cold, heavy, unforgiving rain. It pounded the earth and pinched her skin. But still she trudged on. How long had she been lost in these woods? Five days? Did it matter? No. What else was there left to do? She was all that was left. The other scouts were dead. Had been for nearly four thousand years. Each one fighting to the very end. They would not die without a fight, they died like warriors.

The sun had long since gone down. Now the stars shone brightly over the treetops. The full moon glowing brighter than any star. It hung in the sky like an ethereal graveyard. It glowed dimly, reminding her of her pain. It had been soo long. She had lived the last battle while the other sailor scouts had perished. She no longer cared. She was soo tired of living. With a silent cry she fell to the ground, not bothering to get up. Instead she just laid there. Letting the small drops of water pelt her skin. Curling slightly she hugged her arms to herself.

"I'm soo tired." Slowly her dark eyes rolled back as her eyelids fell closed.

******

Quatre jogged along the small hidden path near their house. It had been three years since the wars had finally ended. Now he and the rest of the ex-Gundam pilots lived together in a two-floor house in the middle of a forest he owned. The house was built to look like a cabin in design. Once you were inside you saw it was anything but. The front door opened into a beautiful living room. A black and silver swirled couch rested infront of a fireplace. A matching loveseat sat next to it, an end table placed neatly between them. The carpeting was a silvery color and was soft and fluffy. Another table rested under the window. Pictures of the pilots various family's and friends rested upon it. It was simple yet cozy. Then a small hallway led from the living room to a library, den and office. A door led from the living room to the garage. That housed two cars and three motor cycles.

The kitchen branched off from the living room as well. A small round table marking the in-between from living room and dining room. The dining room was plane. It held a simple cherry wood table with eight matching chairs. Though most would find this an odd place, but, the door to the laundry room was placed here. Another window gave a clear view of the clearing in there back yard. Stairs led upward. Dividing the dining room from the 'gather room' as they called it. This was the room in witch they all came to discuss things. Or to simply live. The living room was merely for show. None of them stayed there much. Another black leather couch was placed against the wall. A low coffee table sat before it. To the side, next to another window was a navy blue lazy boy. On the other side of the table, across from the couch was a black recliner, in between the two chairs another end table was placed. On the other side of the room a computer table was smugly pushed into a corner.

A double door led to the outside, beside it. A big screen t.v. complete with DVD, VHS, X-box, and a PS2 sat on another coffee table. Diagonally in the opposite corner. Beside it a video cabinet stood. It was filled with various movies and games. It was the 'rec. room' so to speak. The stairs wound up to the second floor, which consisted only of rooms and another office.

There house wasn't small, it was more compact. The perfect thing for five young men to live in.

As Quatre walked along he enjoyed the feel of nature around him. Though born in the colonies. He always loved earth's natural forests and oceans. The rain had finally let up lightly since the night before. The weather had been cold and cruel since the beginning of the week. So he had chosen to go for a walk.

As he was passing a gap in the forest he noticed the most peculiar thing. Animals had gathered in a ring around something. What surprised him were the animals themselves. Deer, wolves, squirrels, and raccoons. Creatures that would normally be afraid of one another gathered to… protect something? Walking closer Quatre gasped as he noticed it was a woman. She was unconscious and looked to have been in the forest for days. Leaning closer he moved to touch her only to be snarled at by a wolf. This wolf had fur as white as snow with eyes of swirling mercury.

"I mean you, nor this woman, harm." He calmly stated. Reaching out again he smiled as the animals moved aside. Carefully he lifted her into his arms. The wolf silently following behind.

******

"So …Who is she?" A quiet voice whispered. Five shadows stood outside the door of the room the girl Quatre had brought home rested in. They had all been equally surprised to see him enter through the door with her held gently in his arms.

"I don't know," Came an equally quiet rely. This voice began to lead the others down a flight of stairs and into the 'gather room'. "I found her in the forest. Just off the over grown trail." Many looks of surprise were present. "The only reason I even saw her was because of the animals."

"Animals?" Asked a nearly silent voice hidden in the shadows. Jade green eyes peered intensely at the young Arabian man.

"Yes, Trowa, animals." Folding his hands in front of him Quatre nodded. "It was as if they were protecting her. Guarding her from the rain. A small circle of them. Deer, wolves, birds. They were all there."

A disbelieving snort came from another young man with short black hair pulled into a tight ponytail. "Not the sort of group you usually find." His name was Change Wufei. The most prideful of the group.

Sighing Quatre stood. "You don't believe me then?" At their doubting looks he sighed. Walking over to the double door he had first entered through. He peered into the rain through the glass. It had began to come down hard again once he had returned. You couldn't see beyond the door. Opening it slowly he held it open. Letting in the cold and rain.

"Q-man! What the hell do you think your doing? It's fucking cold out there! Close the damned door!" Shouted Duo. His chestnut braid lifted momentarily by the gust of wind. His eyes were an unusual magenta.

Calmly Quatre looked out into the rain once again. He stood to the side as if waiting for something. "Just be patient."

"What the hell are you……." His words died in his throat as a large white wolf came through the door. Its fur was soaking wet and hung limp at its sides. Looking to each of them it shook the water from its fur before fully entering the room. Quatre closed the door behind it. The creature was larger than most wolfs. And its unnatural silver mercury eyes held a human like wisdom.

"This one followed me home." He announced, again taking his seat. The other four men watched the wild wolf carefully. It watched them in return. Inspecting them, it seemed to Duo. Quietly the wolf moved past them all and up the stairs. Following the girls sent. "As I said. That one followed me here. Almost took of my hand when I tried to picker up too."

A contemplative silence fell upon the group of five. Duo cleared his throat and spoke softly. "So. can we keep her?" The other four pilots all looked up at him in disbelief.
Trowa's eyes widened at the request "What did you just say?"
"Duo, she's not a dog!" Quatre argued.
"No." Came Heero's indifferent reply
Wufei chuckled as he glanced a Duo. Not bothering to come up with a reply.
Duo franticly shook his head as his fellow Gundam pilots continued to spat out their disapproval. Only to be rescued by a silvery laugh. It was like chimes in the wind and stopped their argument. Turning they were all met with the dark eyes of their guest. Her eyes seemed to have no pupil. They were black orbs that glowed a faint plum. Her arms crossed over her chest as she watched them, watching her. The dark plum shirt Quatre had loaned her brought out the ebony black of her short hair. It brushed just past her caller bone and hung freely around her shoulders. She had some how managed to snag a pair of black khakis as well.

They each admitted she looked more than beautiful standing there. Leaning against the wall in a mans clothing, the shirt not tucked in. The myschiviose glint in her eyes as she laughed at them. Suddenly Duo's face turned bright red at the realization that she had heard them. Exactly how long had she been standing there without them knowing? "No need to be embarrassed." Her voice was quiet and amused. "After all, you're not the first to ask if they could 'keep me'." She announced. Thoughtfully she listened to herself as she talked.

It had been a very long time since she last spoke. Her voice was different. She remembered it used to higher pitched and louder. But then again she was younger than too. Now her voice was a bit deeper and barley above a whisper. Somehow she thought it fit her better.


"So are you lost?" Quatre awkwardly asked. He didn't know why, but something about her frightened him. He couldn't feel her emotions like he could the others or anyone else for that matter. She had an oblivion like feel to her aura. As if this could be the last moment he lived. As if she could steal their life away with a mear glance. It deeply unnerved him.

A small quark in her lips said how much she thought of his question. "I am never lost." Carefully she noted that three of the rooms five other inhabitants stiffened. Plopping herself down between Quarte and Wufei. She raised her arms to rest on the back of the couch as she crossed her legs. One of her small, bare, slender feet hovering just above the coffee table. "Then again," She shrugged. "There is a first time for everything."

"I'm sorry Ms! We haven't even introduced ourselves and here we are asking you all these questions!" Quatre suddenly exclaimed. "I'm Quarte. Quatre Rebaba Winner."

"Duo Maxwell."

When the last three made no move to introduce themselves, Quatre stepped in. "Beside you is Wufei Chang. Beside him is Heero Yuy. And…" At this name Quatre looked around the room. The last person seemed to be no where in sight. "Trowa has disappeared."

While he said this she twisted on the couch until she was leaning on her knees. Raising to her elbows she rested her head in her hands. "So Trowa is your name." She spoke to seemingly nothing. None of the other pilots could master the unnatural ability to completely blend with shadows that Trowa had. He could hide even from them . Then how did she know where he was? "Are you going to hide in that shadow all day? Or can't I get a look at you?" The quark in her lips grew into a myschiviouse smile. A secretive glint appeared in her dark eyes. "Or are you so horrible looking. That I can't get a look of you in fear I may die of fright?" Amusement clear in her voice.

The pilots blinked as a small chuckle sounded through the room. Trowa steeped forward into the light. "Interesting sense of humor you have." It felt good to laugh again. I haven't laughed since the wars.

"So I've been told."

Stepping forward Trowa leaned his side against the couch still facing her. "Well then since you know our names. I wish to know yours."

"Hotaru is my name. Mischief is my game." The words were eerily dark when uttered from her lips. Like a clap of thunder on a clear summer's day.

"Firefly." He repeated.

"Yes," This smile was all knowing and ageless. Suddenly she seemed older than the nineteen years she looked. " was once called the 'Firefly of the night'." A deep sadness was evident in her voice with it a great loss. "So," The sadness and loss were gone as if they were never there. The five young men were beginning to wonder if it actually was. "What are five young Gundam Pilots like you. Doing in the middle of nowhere?"

Instantly Hotaru found herself at gunpoint from three directions. Wufei beside her stood. His gun never leaving it's line of sight. Heero behind her stood tall and ridged. And Trowa before her. His full height topping her own by a head and a half. The gun held just before her, aiming for her heart. His eyes never leaving her own.

"Who are you and who do you work for?" Heero demanded. He had felt the same as Quatre once she made herself known. She was dangerous. Maybe even more so than he and his Gundam combined.

"I work for no one as I answer to no one."

'Wrong answer.' Heero thought as he pulled the trigger. The sound of the bullet firing rang in their ears. Hotaru didn't even flinch as it lodged itself in her shoulder. Possibly braking the caller bone with its close proximity. Nor did a sound leave her throat as blood began to pour from the wound. "Warning shot."

Hotaru clucked her tongue at Trowa three times before she spoke. She spoke to him as of he had asked the question and not Heero. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, Keneko. Such a silly little kitten. I may be no more than a simple girl. Who wanders the world on foot." Reaching forward she touched the barrel of his gun. Effortlessly pushing it the side, as if her were aiming at Wufei. "But even I watch the news." At the mild curiosity she found in his eyes Hotaru laughed. "You see, Keneko, I am not blind. I know all about the Gundam wars. As does the rest of the world. Only problem is no one else seems to notice you. I did. I found it hard not to look at the five gorgeous young men standing next to their equally impressive beasts." Leaning forward she supported herself on her arms. They were inches apart when she let him watcher eyes roam over his tall, lean figure. "And I must admit." She whispered. "The view is much better up close." He was the only one who heard her. It brought a faint pink to his high cheekbones.

"Heero!" Duo shouted. "I can't believe you shot her! You didn't even know if she was a threat! You can't go around just shooting people. At least not in the Sanq Kingdom, were we happen to be!"

Again the room fell silent as they thought about what Duo just revealed. And the fact that it was logical. That is until Hotaru's quiet voice broke the silence. "Uh oh," She was looking down the back of Quatre's ruined shirt at the wound. "I do believe I'm experiencing an allergic reaction to this bullet."

"Huh?" Was the only thing any could come up with.

"What I meant was. If I don't get this out now. You will be forced to deal with me in a very bad mood. With a very painful infection and rash. And trust me. I am not pleasant." To prove her point she ent a meaningful glare that outclassed Heeros to all of them. Thus began the beginning of a new chapter in all their lives.