Heaven Can Wait

AN: Hmm. Well, how should I start this? All right. Got it. **deeeep breath** Nowdon'tbealarmedthisisjustanewstoryIthoughtofandIwantedtopostitrightawaysoh ereitisenjoy. **biiig grin**

***

Tsukino Usagi looked at the framed photographs sitting on her dresser. There were three of them. The first showed her with Hino Rei, her best friend and dearest confidant. The second showed her with her family. The third, the one her eyes lingered on, showed a smaller version of herself with her past crush, Yui Hiiro.

Regardless of her attempts to preclude it, a tender smile curved her pretty lips as her eyes rested on the handsome face of the young male in the photograph. He was scowling into the camera, while she surreptitiously gave him bunny ears above his head, grinning widely.

She frowned. The photo also brought her back to old memories, memories she sometimes wished she could forget. Was it only yesterday that they had been together...?

***

Yui Hiiro stumbled through the window and into his bedroom on the second floor of Quatre's fourth-biggest mansion. His breath came in short gasps. He practiced putting weight on his left leg--just to see if it was broken, sprained, or simply battered--but pain hammered into him and he fell face- down onto his bed.

Pain.

Memory.

He turned his head and moonlight reflected off of something, bright moonlight that cut into his eyes and made him wince.

It was over. The crash.

He was alive.

The crash is over and I'm alive, he thought. Then his eyes closed and he rested for long, long minutes. When he opened them again it was almost morning and some of the pain had abated--there were many dull aches--and the crash came back to him fully.

Into the trees and out onto the lake. His gundam had crashed and sunk in the lake and he had somehow pulled free.

He raised himself and slid off of the bed, grunting with the strain of movement. His legs were on fire and his forehead felt as if someone had been pounding on it with a dull, heavy boulder, but he could move.

Light. What had blinded him earlier, right before he'd fallen asleep? The moonlight, yes, but it had reflected off of something. He went to his desk, upon which sat his laptop, a few pencils, stolen government files, a spare gun, an army knife...Wait, the knife.

*Her* knife. The gift she had given him.

In his mind he traced the lines of her face, her smile, her eyes and lips. Honey-blond hair. Bright blue eyes. Delicate, perfect eyebrows. Small nose. Pink lips. Blond hair. Azure eyes. Bright. Sweet. Blond. Eyes. Smile. Perfect.

Perfect.

Tsukino Usagi--the name was perhaps permanently imprinted on his dead, shriveled heart, down deep where the flesh was still tender. It hurt. It hurt so badly to think of her and yet, at the same time, it let him breathe easier. It lifted the weight from his shoulders. He smiled. Was it only yesterday that they had been together...?

***

5 years, eight months, two days, 54 minutes ago

***

"Catch me if you can!"

Heart hammering, eleven-year-old Tsukino Usagi twisted to avoid the eager fingers of twelve-year-old Yui Hiiro in the back yard of her home...er, mansion.

Finally Hiiro leapt at her and caught a handful of her silky dress. Neither knew which one had tripped, causing the tumble, and it didn't matter. Panting, spread out on the lush green grass, they laughed. Soon there was a comfortable silence between them, only the sounds of their breathing mingling with the chirping of the birds and low hum of spring insects.

"You--you caught me," Usagi said. "Now--now it's--your turn."

"I know, but I can't." It always amazed her that while she was out of breath, Hiiro was unflagging. He propped himself up on one elbow, staring over at her. "I have to go."

Usagi copied Hiiro's position. Suddenly she was infinitely sad. The flickering flame of hope she'd had that perhaps this day would be different was squashed. "Aww..already?" She didn't want him to go; as it stood, she barely got enough time to play with him without him running off. "Can't you stay longer?"

His answer was simple: "No."

"Not for five more minutes?"

"No."

"Please?"

"Why?"

"Because!"

Hiiro stood and brushed himself off. He was a boy of medium height and slim build. His chocolate hair was windswept, although there was no wind. She thought she heard a smile in his voice when he said, "If you insist."

She was surprised, but very pleased. Her rushing joy could only be compared to that of a bride's, or a mother after giving birth. She realized she was rather spontaneous in doing what she did next. She'd meant to simply hug him. No sooner had Hiiro suspected something than he was on his back, Usagi on top of him. Her legs straddling his abdomen and one arm around his neck, Usagi discovered--as she turned a deep shade of red--their lips touching.

~~~

Hiiro was also in a predicament, with no room to move back and certainly no audacity to move forward. His hands, moist from the dew on the grass, lightly clasped Usagi's shoulders. He thought he could feel the heat of her blush, hear the small whimper in her throat. He didn't have to worry himself with a reaction, however, for too quickly Usagi was scampering to her feet. He too stood and straightened. Her flickering gaze, which never stayed in one place and pointedly avoided him, indicated she was miffed.

"I'm--well, that is to say--I didn't mean to do that and..." she murmured, but trailed off. The sentence hung in the air. The noise of the daytime faded away. They seemed to be standing thousands of miles apart, and neither knew why.

She didn't mean to kiss me, was Hiiro's initial thought. It wasn't a real kiss, it was an accident.

~~~

It wasn't even a kiss, Usagi told herself. She felt she had to look at anything--the sky, the ground, her fingernails, anything--other than Hiiro, because when she looked at him, heat crawled from her neck to her cheeks. She thought he would look right through her to the secrets within, and if he ever found out that...

No, she thought. No, he'll never know.

She wrung her hands nervously. "I'm sorry, Hiiro," she said. She was careful to maintain a fairly straight face while he watched her. She wished he would look away. She wished he would say something to relieve the tension building, ready to smother her.

~~~

He took all of her in, the total picture of a fidgeting girl struggling with conflicting emotions. He saw her brow crease--this, he thought, made her all the more adorable--in worry and concentration. She pursed her lips and scrunched up her small nose, and it seemed to him that she was almost shrinking, trying to fold in on herself. "I'm sorry, Hiiro," she said.

Then, it hit him.

She was shrinking away from *him*. She was fidgeting under *his* gaze. She was uncomfortable when *he* observed her for too long. He wanted to console her, ease her fears of losing him as a friend. He said tentatively, "Don't be sorry."

Her blue eyes were fixated on him for a moment. "You're not...mad at me?"

He shook his head, and even debated about whether or not he should tell her that...

No, he thought. No, she'll never know.

Usagi smiled warmly. She came to stand by his side and took his hand in hers. She led him across the patio and through the sliding doors into her house, where she made him sit on the couch in her living room. Hiiro didn't resist, but only for Usagi--he would do anything for his best friend.

She left the room. A minute later she came back, carrying a box. He couldn't see its contents. Her eyes twinkled as she instructed him to close his eyes--and to not peek--and hold out his hands. He grudgingly complied. Something small and long and sleek was pressed into his palms. He thought the object might be metallic, but he wasn't sure. It was awfully light for metal.

"Okay...now you can look."

It was a...

"A knife?" he asked, very surprised. Indeed, it was an army knife--the kind with the retractable blade, the kind that was easily sharp enough to slice through bone and metal, the kind used to kill. "Usagi, why did you...where did you...?"

"Do you like it? I bought it just for you, 'cause, you know, you're into that sort of stuff," she said, and it was obvious to Hiiro that she had no idea, absolutely *no* idea she had given him a weapon. She didn't understand the concept of killing or bloodshed. Sweet, sheltered little Usagi, daughter to the famous diplomat, Tsukino Kenji.

Something hot and painful squeezed tight around his heart. In the depths of Usagi's eyes he saw her innocence. He felt heavy guilt and fear that he might someday taint her. Viciously stomping the idea away, he smiled at her. "I like it a lot. Thanks."

~~~

"I like it a lot. Thanks," he said. His smile didn't escape her. She didn't smile back. Instead she plopped down on the couch beside him. She felt oddly giddy, like she was going to lose something precious very soon. She needed something solid, something real and firm that could keep her grounded. "Hiiro," she began. "Hiiro, would you do me a favor?" His nod gave her the courage to proceed. "Promise me that we'll--that we'll always be friends. Promise me, please."

He didn't hesitate. In fact, he said it so quickly that she wondered if he had known what she had been going to say before she'd said it. "I promise we'll always be best friends, Usagi-chan."

There it was. The first time he'd called her "Usagi-chan," as opposed to "Usagi." The "chan" was significant in that it endeared her to him. She knew she had nicknamed him "Hii-chan" in the past--mostly to aggravate him and for amusement--but she rarely called him that. She called him "Hiiro- chan" or plain ol' "Hiiro."

But now she didn't know what to say, how to respond. She hadn't expected him to promise her anything; she hadn't expected him to be as compassionate and gentle as he was. She scooted closer to him on the couch. She put her arms around him and leaned into his warmth, breathed in the faint scent of roses on the fabric of his shirt.

She didn't notice the tears running down her pale cheeks.

~~~~

The familiar feel of her arms encircling his chest, her hands coming to lock behind his upper back, a soft mop of flower-scented blond hair tucking itself under his chin, and warm wetness soaking through the fabric of his shirt flooded his senses. He heard choked murmurs, which faded to small hiccups and, soon enough, silence. The whole time he rocked her back and forth protectively. He smoothed her hair and whispered words of comfort. Between them there was a connection, discreet, slowly growing.

It was evening. The sun went down beyond the crest of the nearby hills and they were both asleep. They dreamt of each other.

***

back in the present

***

Tsukino Usagi sat at her desk in her office. Head bent, she lost herself in her paperwork. Busily she typed up orders and filed them. Tomorrow the orders would be ready to be sent by mail to the factory.

Usagi was a printing broker. She worked for her company with many other brokers. Here, a customer called in and told one of the brokers over the phone what they wanted made--mostly customers wanted business cards. The broker typed up the customer's information, or order, and then found a factory--there were specific factories all over the country that dealt only through printing brokers--to send it to, where it would be made for the cheapest price possible.

At two o'clock, she sighed heavily and stretched. She leaned back in her chair and put her feet on her desk. So far, she'd gotten twenty-two orders from customers and had only typed up eighteen. If she had any remaining orders by the end of working hours, she'd take them home and finish them tonight using her own computer. Her boss should be pleased with that.

Her stomach made a sort of squishy noise before growling lowly. Sharp hunger tore at her insides. She put her hands to her belly sadly. She hadn't yet eaten. Her lunch break had been an hour or so ago, but she had been worrying about her paperwork and falling behind on it and she had missed her chance to leave for food. Darn.

She stood and smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt. Maybe Minako would allow her a brief twenty-minute period of leisure, during which she would pick up a cheese-burger--extra pickle, no mustard, sesame-seed bun--at McDonalds.

Cheered and rosy-cheeked because of the prospect of food, Usagi grabbed her jacket and, humming a tune, exited her office and closed the door behind her.

***

Yui Hiiro holstered his gun. It had been a long day indeed. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples--it seemed he hoped he might rid himself of his throbbing migraine by this simple action.

But his headaches were of the least importance on a very long list of other problems, one of them being that Dr. J had just awarded him with another delightful mission. Dr. J had received an e-mail from a terrorist who wanted thirteen million dollars in ransom money in exchange for a kidnapped kid--what was the kid's name again? Usuko or Asugi or something--who was supposedly the daughter of a prominent political figure. Which political figure, Dr. J didn't know--there were so many of them these days.

Hiiro checked the daily newspaper. He didn't find anything about a kidnapped rich brat. That meant she hadn't been kidnapped yet. The terrorist was planning to do it soon, though. Hiiro would have to wait. Damn.

***

Usagi felt a distinct dread the instant her fingertips left the doorknob of her office. She couldn't place it, but she thought she sensed trouble brewing. Deep trouble. Big trouble. Trouble from which only pain could come.

The building was bustling and busy and stifling. Usagi scanned the many rows of cubical offices that filled the entire big room for Minako Aino, the sort of Head Supervisor of all that went on within company walls. Upon seeing a pretty head of long blond hair, she made her way through the scurrying employees, calling, "Minako-chan! Minako!"

But Minako didn't seem to hear her. She stood with her back turned to Usagi, conversing with another employee--what was his name again? Bill or Bob or something--at the vending machine. Usagi frowned. She didn't have time to get Minako's attention if she wanted to get done with all of her work before five o'clock. But if she didn't as--

Suddenly there was a scream. Soon thereafter more shouts made her whip around. People were running past her, rushing and stumbling to the nearest exit. And panicking. Everyone was either panicking or held paralyzed to the spot by some invisible force, some unknown threat.

Then.

Then the gunshots blazed by the dozens--she guessed they were machine guns because they made horrible rapping noises, firing several bullets at the ceiling in steady streams. Men in thick, black body suits, well-armed men, were swarming through the silver double-doors of the entrance of the building.

She herself screamed. And she knew. She knew this is what she had felt was going to happen. She knew this was going to swallow her whole. It was a wave of terror that was going to grab her and never let go. These men were here to take her. They were here for her. They wanted her. Only her.

It was happening so fast.

Oh, God, she thought, just as men surrounded her. God, Lord, have mercy.

Two grabbed for her arms and another for her legs. They must have predicted she was too afraid to move and that they could capture her easily. They were right about one thing--she was shocked and stunned and for long moments couldn't move.

"USAGI!!!!" Minako was on top of a man, beating his face and chest with her fists, clawing at his eyes. "DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!!!"

By the time Usagi regained herself they were practically carrying her away. But quickly she resolved to never go quietly--she loved life and her freedom too much. Minako was fighting for her, risking her own life and freedom for her. Usagi felt she owed it to Minako to at least return the favor.

So she fought. She screamed. Her fingernails tore into the fabric of their shirts, which was hard to penetrate so she focused on where they were exposed. Cotton and skin and blood bunched up under her nails, thick and stifling. She couldn't stop screaming, she couldn't stop trying to kill the men who were clutching at them.

They let the two of them go, taken partially aback by the onslaught--Usagi saw Minako run and lock herself in an office. Through the transparent window, Minako looked out at her, her blue eyes teary and pleading. Usagi thought she saw one word in Minako's eyes.

Escape.

Usagi was on her feet, panting, and she bolted. She sprinted. She ran in whatever direction, she didn't care. She could almost sense them raising their guns to aim at her back before a pain she'd never known existed hammered through her shoulder. But she didn't stop. The one word burned into her mind. This word wasn't so much a word as a need within her, filling her. Usagi knew only this word.

Escape.

But so far! So far to the exit and it was her only hope. She felt another bullet rip her, tear her. More hot blood gushed from the newest wound and she gasped. She could not do this thing, could not bear the dizzying loss of energy that the blood seemed to take with it as it left her body, and she fell, took a great fall that would--finally--win, finally end her. She laid still, everything laid still. A color came that she had never seen before, a color that exploded in her mind with the pain and she was gone, gone from it all, spiraling out into the world, spiraling out into nothing.

Nothing.

***

Author's Notes: Hope you thought this was somewhat enjoyable, if nothing else. I'd greatly appreciate any feedback! ^^ And this is absolutely, positively, no matter WHAT going to be a Hiiro/Usagi pairing fic!