Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, or "Thankyou." I am borrowing them for entertainment purposes only; no money is being made from the writing or reading of this story.
Bunny Moon
©2001-2002 by Kei
::Chapter 3 – Secrets of the Cold::
I drank too much last night, got bills to pay, my head just feels in pain
I missed the bus and there'll be hell today, I'm late for work again
Quatre, being one of the most kindhearted people alive, invited Bunny to live and work at his mansion, and wouldn't take no for an answer. She thanked him profusely, and when they said goodnight to each other, she always added at least a quick "Thanks." He told her repeatedly that she needn't say it, but she always did.
Bunny continued to work her other jobs, saving up every last cent so she could afford to buy a decent place to live and get Hotaru and Chibiusa back. She worked extra hard and tried to be early all the time, because some of her salary was deducted depending on how late she arrived.
One day, as she rushed out the door of the mansion, she slammed straight into someone and stumbled back a few steps. She raised her eyes to see a gun barrel pointed right between them, wielded by a boy her age with unruly dark brown hair and cold Prussian blue eyes.
"I'm going to kill you," he threatened in a voice that might have chilled anybody else to the core. But not Bunny.
"Do I look like I care, stupid? I have somewhere to be, so get out of my way!" she yelled furiously, slapping the pistol away and shoving rudely past him so she could run like the wind to the restaurant where she worked as a waitress, paid by minimum wage and tips.
"Damn, who was that?" Heero Yuy muttered to himself, putting his gun away and facing Quatre, who had come up behind him carrying a pink purse.
The blond boy went to the door and shouted, "Miss Bunny! Come back! You forgot this!"
She skidded to a halt, did an about-face, and scurried back to the front porch. "Thank you, sweetheart," she managed to say before kissing his cheek and shooting off again to the restaurant.
"Quatre, who is that crazy girl?" Heero questioned, staring after the retreating young woman.
"Oh, you mean Miss Bunny? She's working here as a maid," Quatre said simply.
"Living, too?" Heero added.
"Yes. She was evicted from her apartment about two weeks ago," Quatre explained.
"Probably wasn't paying her bills, huh?" Heero smirked.
"Heero, sometimes you can be so ignorant and rude," Quatre blurted out. "Miss Bunny has had a hard, difficult life, but she is honorable."
"And we haven't had hard lives, Quatre?" Heero shot back.
"Not in the same way. I believe our lives were more physically difficult than anything else. Yes, killing people can be emotionally damaging, but she has felt loss much more deeply. I don't know her whole story yet, but from what I do know, our lives are nothing compared to hers," Quatre said quietly, shutting the door and heading into the living room. Heero followed him, pondering his short speech. The girl intrigued him.
Later on that evening, Bunny returned to the mansion to begin cleaning up, and she came upon Quatre, Trowa, two boys she didn't recognize, and the same jerk from that morning. She had met Quatre's close friend Trowa Barton early on in her stay, and she found him to be polite, if quiet.
"Miss Bunny, these are some friends of mine I'd like to introduce you to," Quatre stated, rising from his seat and beckoning to Bunny. "This is Duo Maxwell, Wufei Chang, and Heero Yuy, who I think you've already, uh, 'run into,' " he grinned.
"Mr. Quatre, please," Bunny sighed, shaking her head as an amused grin lifted on her face. "I'm Bunny Moon, and you can call me just Bunny," she said, bowing to them. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Maxwell, Mr. Chang…" She paused, not sure whether she was pleased to formally meet Heero Yuy. "…Mr. Yuy," she finished, glaring daggers at him with her sky-blue eyes. She already distrusted men enough after what Mamoru had done to her, and this boy did not help matters. She sometimes wondered about how easily she had trusted Quatre, but from the look in his eyes, she knew he wouldn't betray her.
"It's always a pleasure to meet pretty ladies, Miss Moon," Duo smiled. "And you can just call me Duo."
She blushed and tried to find an interesting thread in the carpet. "Alright, Duo."
"It's never very pleasing to meet a weak woman such as you," Wufei said, looking her over with critical black eyes.
"Well, I'm glad you're blunt and direct, Mr. Chang. I knew someone…like that…once…" She trailed off, realizing she had almost started speaking about a past that caused her pain to think of for even a moment. "I'm sorry that you feel I am weak, but we're all entitled to our opinions, right?" she chirped, which took Wufei by surprise. Usually calling women weak at least got him a scowl from any females present.
"It's nice to see you again, Bunny," Trowa spoke up, and Bunny gave him a small smile.
"Likewise, Trowa," she replied. "Well, Mr. Quatre, I've gotta get to work. You boys try not to make a mess, please. This mansion is big and hard to clean," she requested, going up the stairs to change into some old clothes and fix her hair.
She bounded down not long after, wearing some faded, torn blue jeans, an old pink T-shirt, white sneakers, and her sun-gold hair plaited in a braid that was wrapped into a bun on the back of her head. She grabbed a broom and other cleaning supplies and busied herself sweeping the kitchen. Quatre ushered his company out onto the back porch.
"You should make a move, Quatre," Duo winked at the blond, nudging him lightly in the ribs. "That right there has got to be one of the cutest chicks I have ever seen."
"Duo, don't treat Miss Bunny like she's an object. And, no, I will not be making any 'moves' on her, as you call them. I already told Heero this morning that her life's been tough and she's been through a lot," Quatre said.
"Why?" Duo questioned.
"It's not my place to say, and I don't really know anyway," Quatre shrugged.
Just then, the doorbell rang, and the five boys turned to look through the large windows as Bunny answered it and began exclaiming over a letter she had received. She tore open the envelope and excitedly read the letter. She pressed it over her heart and started crying tears of joy.
The letter was from Hotaru, saying she had found out from the people at the family services agency that Bunny had taken up residence at Quatre's place. She wrote that the middle-aged couple that had taken her and Chibiusa in was friendly and caring, but she wouldn't forget Bunny. In fact, she and Chibiusa would be allowed to visit the next day. Bunny could barely contain herself, and she ran outside to tell Quatre, still crying her sparkling blue eyes out.