Mission to the Past
Chapter Four: Dates Don't Grow on Trees! (And Neither Do Heart Crystals)
Heero walked groggily to school the next morning, yawning every few minutes. He had stayed up until two in the morning, searching the Web for information on the Sailor Senshi. Now that he knew they existed, he was doubly determined to find them.
Maybe it was because he was so tired. Or maybe it was because his thoughts were somewhere else completely. Either way, he didn't see or hear the motorcycle coming until the driver yelled, "Hey, kid, look out!"
Heero turned his head in the direction of the voice. A tall, blond guy was racing on a motorcycle, straight for him! He dove out of the way, just as the driver swerved in the opposite direction, barely missing a collision.
The driver jumped off the bike. "Oh, my God! I'm so sorry!" he apologized. "Here, let me help you up." He reached out, grabbed Heero's hand, and pulled him to his feet. "I'm really, really sorry."
Seeing the taller boy's stricken expression, Heero reassured him. "It's okay. Really." He started to pick up his scattered books.
"Here, let me help you," the blond offered, not waiting for Heero's approval.
"What's your name?" Heero asked the boy. "I'm Heero Yuy."
"Haruka Tenoh," he introduced himself. Looking at his watch, he realized, "Oh, man, you're going to be late, and it's because of my carelessness." Noticing Heero's uniform, he said, "Wait. You go to Mugen, so why don't I give you a ride?"
"On your motorcycle?" Heero eyed the bike uncertainly; he'd seen Haruka drive.
"Yeah!" Haruka said. "Don't worry, I've been riding for years. I know what I'm doing. Plus, I've got an extra helmet you can use."
Heero shrugged. Hey, it couldn't be any worse than piloting Wing Zero through Earth's atmosphere while trying to stop a falling piece of the destroyed battleship Libra from crashing into the planet. "Okay, sure. Thanks."
"Great!" Haruka tossed him the helmet and he put it on. Haruka then mounted the motorcycle and motioned for Heero to do the same behind her. Heero obeyed.
"Just grab on real tight, okay?" Haruka instructed.
Heero tensed, waiting for the bike to start up. So close to Haruka, he realized something about him that he had missed before: he was a she!
Heero felt the color drain from his face, then come rushing back, burning his cheeks. However, he had no time to contemplate his embarrassing error, for Haruka had started the bike.
VRROOOMM!!
The engine roared to life, and Heero found himself holding on for dear life. It probably wasn't nearly as fast as flying in a mobile suit, but it felt much faster. In a mobile suit, you had tons of metal surrounding you, and, to some extent, protecting you. Besides, bizarrely enough, Heero felt secure in a mobile suit. He was used to it. On a motorcycle, you were exposed, unprotected, except for a measly inch of metal strapped on to your head. If you didn't hold on, you'd go flying. You could feel the wind blowing your hair back, stinging your eyes. It was intense, and frightening, too. It was exhilarating.
Within a few short minutes, they arrived at the school. Heero got off the motorcycle and took his helmet off.
"Ever been on a motorcycle before?" Haruka asked, smiling.
Heero shook his head.
"What did you think?"
"It was intense," he admitted. "But I enjoyed it."
Haruka nodded her agreement, an excited spark in her eyes. "I love it," she confessed. "The thrill, the excitement, the danger even--it's awesome. I can't imagine anything better. Sorry," she added, a bit embarrassed. "I guess I get carried away sometimes."
"I understand," Heero told her. "It's easy to see why you love it so much."
Haruka grinned. "Well, I'll see you around, Heero." She walked into the building.
Heero watched her go. It was funny: she looked so much like a boy. She even wore the boys' school uniform. Oh, well.. Heero walked into school.
* * *
"He's not an enemy."
"Are you sure, Haruka?"
"Yes, Michiru, I'm sure. There's something weird about him, but he's not an enemy."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I can feel it. Besides, we were alone. If he were an enemy, he would have attacked me."
"That's true. So, do you think we should keep observing him?"
"Nah. Eventually, we'll be caught, and then he'll say we're stalking him."
* * *
Hadesa, the chief Daimon, looked around angrily. "She failed," she spat out. "That weakling. She didn't deserve to call herself a Daimon."
Murmurs of agreement were uttered throughout the room.
"So." Hadesa, her anger cooling, but not leaving her eyes, took a step forward. "Who wants to try next?"
"Let me," another Daimon volunteered. She knelt on one knee in front of Hadesa. "I will not fail to collect a Heart Crystal to revive our master."
"Good." Hadesa'a eyes glittered evilly. "Don't come back empty handed. Bring back a Heart Crystal, or don't come back at all."
"I understand," said the volunteer. "I have already found a target."
Hadesa didn't bother to ask who. She simply gave the command: "Go."
The Daimon disappeared. In her place was a Daimon Pod. She left to find her target: a teenager by the name of Trowa Barton.
* * *
Heero, Duo, and Wufei walked home in the bright afternoon sun, comparing notes of how their day had been.
"Well, I nearly got run over by a girl on a motorcycle," Heero remembered.
"Are you okay?" Quatre asked, looking concerned. "Were you hurt?"
Heero shook his head. "No. The weird part was, I thought the girl was a guy," he admitted.
Trowa gave him a skeptical look. "How exactly did you make that mistake?"
"You would, too, if you saw her," Heero insisted. "She was wearing the boys' school uniform, for crying out loud."
"So, you were late for school?" Wufei said.
"No," Heero told them. "She gave me a ride on her motorcycle. It was a very intense experience. Fun, too."
"Did you catch her name?" Duo wanted to know.
Heero racked his memory. "I think she said it was Haruka Tenoh."
\ Suddenly, a boy with seriously bad hair and coke-bottle glasses popped up from out of nowhere in that weird, annoying way he has of doing. "What?!" he yelled in a nasal voice. "You met Haruka Tenoh?!"
"Um, yeah," Heero said, eyeing the boy suspiciously.
"And you rode his bike?!" the excessively excited stranger continued.
"Yes," Heero said. "And he's a she."
The boy ignored that last bit. "Can I shake your hand?" he asked, awestruck.
"Sure," said Heero uncertainly. He held out his hand. The kid took it and pumped it energetically.
"Oh, my God!" he cried. "I've touched someone who had the sacred privilege of touching Haruka Tenoh's bike! I'll never wash this hand again!"
"Who exactly is Haruka Tenoh?" Heero asked, becoming wary of the slightly deranged boy.
The boy gasped. "He's only the best racer Japan has ever seen! He's amazing in any vehicle! He's totally committed to his sport! It's a joy to watch him race!"
"She," Heero corrected.
The very freaky boy ignored him. He had a look of absolute euphoria on his face. Tears of joy were streaming down his cheeks. "I have truly been blessed!" he cried, and ran off happily.
"Figures," Duo said, grinning. "Heero can't even get run over normally. It has to be by someone famous."
"Who
exactly was that?" Wufei wondered.
Trowa rolled his eyes. "That was Melvin, the class freak."
"Trowa!" Quatre reprimanded sharply.
"Face it, Quatre," Trowa said. "The boy's a freak. Can you deny that?"
"Well, no," the blonde admitted.
"See?"
"Anything
else that's new?" Duo asked, then snapped his fingers. "Oh, yeah!
Have you guys heard of that multi-school dance? All the schools are having a social
together. Are you guys going?"
"Wouldn't be caught dead
going," Wufei answered promptly.
Heero and Trowa shook their heads.
"Me, neither, probably," Quatre told his American friend. "Are you?"
Duo twiddled his thumbs nervously. "Well, I'd rather go with a date, and there's this girl I'd like to maybe go with, but..."
"But you're too shy to ask," Heero finished. "Just ask Minako."
Duo's jaw dropped. "How did you know?"
"It's pretty obvious," Heero told him. "But you really should just ask her."
"Go ahead," Quatre encouraged him.
"Maybe I will," Duo decided. Minako was very nice. But he only liked her as a friend. He was cautious of growing at all attached to anyone here in the past, so it wasn't as he was in love with her.
Not at all.
* * *
"So, who's going to the multi-school dance?" Usagi asked her friends at Study Buddies that afternoon.
Ami looked up from her work. "When is it?"
"This Saturday," Makoto informed her.
"I'm going with Mamoru, of course," Usagi said. "What about you guys?"
Makoto thought. "Maybe I'll ask one of those new boys. Hey, yeah! And, Ami, you can go with the other one."
Ami looked flustered. "Oh, I don't think so, Makoto, I--"
"I knew you'd agree," Makoto cut her off.
Ami sighed. She knew it would do no good to argue. When Makoto made up her mind about something, she made it up for good. She turned to Rei. "Are you going?"
"Good question," Rei said. She yelled into some unknown region of the temple, "Chad!"
"What?" came the reply.
"Do you have a date for the dance yet?"
"No!"
"Well, you do know!"
"Seriously? Way cool!"
Rei turned to her friends. "Well, that was simple enough."
"You can count us now," Haruka said, referring to herself and Michiru.
"What about you, Minako?" Usagi asked.
"Oh, I don't know," she said. "I want to ask Duo, but I don't know what he'll say."
"Do you think he likes you?" Makoto asked.
"I honestly don't know," Minako confessed.
"I say you should go ahead and ask him," Rei declared. "Take the initiative! Be a modern woman!"
"Well..." Minako considered. "Maybe. Usagi, did you ever ask Mamoru out?"
"Me?" Usagi blanched. "Uh, I don't really remember. Once we remembered everything from the Silver Millennium and all, it just seemed kind of natural for us to go out, and neither really asked. But I agree with Rei on this one."
"Same here," Makoto said. "After all, you can bet I'll be the one asking Trowa, not the other way around."
"I think you should definitely do it, Minako," Ami told her.
"They're right," Michiru said.
"Go for it," Haruka said.
Her friends' certainty gave her confidence. "Yeah," Minako decided. "I will. Tomorrow, I'll ask him."
* * *
Duo was sitting across from Minako at a picnic bench on school grounds. It was lunch break, and he was desperately trying to get up enough courage to ask her to the dance. He had missed asking her when he ran into her that morning; he hadn't had another chance until now, and this would be his last chance until the end of the day.
Come on, Duo, he urged himself. You can do this. "Minako?" he said tentatively. He winced, hoping she couldn't hear the squeak in his voice.
Apparently, she couldn't. "Yeah, Duo?" she said, looking at him with her beautiful blue eyes.
Duo felt his mind turn to mush at the sight of those eyes. "I, er, was wondering, if, uh, you might, umm..." he couldn't get th words out. "If you might be cold," he finished lamely.
Minako shook her head. "No," she told him. "But thanks for asking."
"Oh. Okay." Real smooth, Maxwell, Duo thought. That'll win her over for sure. Okay. We're going to try this again. It's not that hard. Millions of guys have done it. Maybe billions. If they all lived through it, so can you. The worst thing that can happen is that she'll say no.
Oh, God. What if she says no? I'd die of humiliation! What if she laughs in my face, or runs away screaming? Calm down, don't panic. Okay. This is it. "Hey, uh..." Oh, God, those eyes again. "Would you, uh, I mean, would you like to, er, to, uh...move to a shadier spot?"
"No, the sun's fine," she answered. "Unless you would like to move."
"No, I'm fine," he managed to get out. He resumed inwardly belittling himself.
Alright, Maxwell. This is not that hard. If she says no, it won't be the end of the world. Oh, God, yes it will. No, that's not the way to think. You'll live. Besides, there's a good chance she'll say yes. But maybe she won't. If she doesn't, I'll have to transfer schools. I'll have to move out of the country!
No, you won't. So, okay. Deep breath now. You can do this. One, two, three!
I can't do this. No, come on! It can't be any harder than piloting a Gundam through a line of enemy troops, already bleeding and low on fuel. If you can do that, you can definitely do this. Okay. One, two, three!
There's no way I can go through with this. What if she rejects me? What if--
"Duo, do you want to go to the dance on Saturday with me?"
Duo jerked his head up to look at Minako in surprise. Somehow, he managed to respond. "Yeah. I'd love to!"
"Great!" she said happily.
"What time should I pick you up?" he wanted to know.
"Oh, seven-thirty's fine, I guess," she said. "Is that okay with you?"
"Seven-thirty's fine," he said, still reeling from shock.
RING!
"Come on, let's go to class," Minako said, standing up. Duo followed her example. He was still in a state of shock. She had actually asked him out! He felt as though he was walking on air.
Minako was focused on one simple thought: He said the word 'love' to me!
* * *
"Hey , there are Quatre and Trowa," Makoto whispered to Ami as they walked through the halls of Crossroads. "Let's go ask if they want to go to the dance with us."
"Makoto, I don't--" Ami started to protest, but it was too late. Her tall friend was already dragging her over to the two boys.
"Hi, Quatre. Hi, Trowa," Makoto greeted them.
"Hello," Ami said softly.
"Hi," they both responded.
There would be no beating around the bush for Makoto. She got straight to the point. "Would you two like to double date with us for the dance?"
"Say what?" Trowa said, looking surprised, to say the least.
"Would you two like to double date with us for the dance?" Makoto repeated patiently. "You know...Quatre goes with Ami, and Trowa goes with me."
The boys looked at each other briefly before Quatre said, "Sure. We'd be happy to."
"Why not?" agreed Trowa.
"Great," said Makoto. "Okay, pick us up at seven-thirty. See ya!" She and Ami walked off.
"Well, I guess we have dates," Quatre said.
"Yeah," Trowa said, not exactly enthusiastically.
"Oh, come on," Quatre said. "It'll be fun."
"Maybe," Trowa said, but he didn't look convinced.
* * *
"Lah, di dah, dah di, hmm, hm hmm," Duo hummed dreamily, walking through the door of the house he was sharing with the others.
Wufei groaned. "Can I shoot him?"
"No," Quatre responded automatically.
"Duo, what the heck is wrong with you?" Trowa asked. "More than the usual, I mean."
"Nothing's wrong," Duo replied, the dreAmi look never leaving his eyes. "Why would anything be wrong? Everything is perfect."
"Uh, Trowa and I got dates for the dance," Quatre told him, wondering how he would respond.
"That's great," he congratulated them. "Dates are a good thing. A very good thing. Lah, di dum." He walked over to Wufei. "Wufei, you're a swell guy, you know that? Dah, dee doo."
"Maybe he's drunk," Trowa suggested. "Duo, have you been drinking?"
"Of course I haven't. Don't be stupid," the lovestruck American answered.
"Well, then, what the heck is up with you?" Trowa demanded.
"'What's up?'" Duo echoed. "'What's up' is that I have a date with the most beautiful, the most amazing, the sweetest, the most perfect girl in the universe!" By now, his grin was stretched from ear to ear. He was looking about as happy as anyone had ever seen him.
"So you asked her?" Quatre said. "That's great!"
"Well...no," Duo admitted. "She ask me! Isn't that awesome? It means she isn't just polite. She actually wants to go with me!"
"Good going, Duo," Trowa commented.
"Hmph," was Wufei's show of approval. The smallest of smiles altered his features.
"Say, where's Heero?" Duo wondered, finally coming out of his trance enough to notice his missing friend.
Wufei rolled his eyes. "Glued to his laptop since the second he finished his homework. Don't bother going up there; he's probably heard your arrival already."
"Geez, he's really working hard, isn't he?" Duo mused. "Kind of makes me feel like I should be helping him."
"Don't even try," Trowa advised. "We offered to research while he took a break, but he wouldn't let us near his laptop. He's a bit overprotective."
"And don't think anything's going to change," Heero's voice called from upstairs.
Wufei looked pointedly at Duo. "See what we mean?"
* * *
A few hours later, Duo knocked on Heero's door, a tray of food in his hands.
"Yeah, what?" Heero called. Then, as an afterthought, he added, "Come in."
"Boy, he sure knows how to make a guy feel welcome," muttered Duo, entering. "Here, I brought you some food. Even you need to eat sometimes." He set the tray down next to the computer.
Heero pried his eyes away from the screen long enough to examine the tray and its contents: neat little rolls of fish and rice wrapped in seaweed.
"Sushi made by Trowa," Duo explained.
His Japanese friend nodded. "Thanks."
"Think nothing of it," Duo said. "Try to get at least five hours of sleep tonight, okay?" He walked out of the room, knowing perfectly well that Heero wouldn't follow his advice.
Heero continued to click away, eating his sushi while waiting for sites to download. So far, he had found absolutely no leads. Somehow, these Sailor Senshi had managed to fight for a long time without anyone discovering their identities.
Well, there's a first time for everything, he thought determinedly.
* * *
Rei awoke with a start. She had been sound asleep, but a pressing concern buried deep within her unconscious had stirred her from her slumber. Her groggy mind slowly realized what it was: somewhere, a Daimon was at work.
She rolled over and reached for her communicator. As usual, it was right there on her nightstand. Turning it on, she whispered, "Senshi. Hey, wake up, you guys. There's a Daimon out there somewhere. I can feel it. Transform and we'll meet in McKenna Park, okay?" She turned off her communicator and fastened it on her wrist.
Carefully, she crept out of her bed and made her way out of the temple, hoping Chad wouldn't wake up; having him catch her in her nightgown would be a little more than embarrassing.
Once she was out in the cold night air, she took her out transformation pen. "MARS CRYSTAL POWER...MAKE-UP!" In a matter of moments, Sailor Mars ran off into the night.
* * *
Makoto reluctantly got out of bed, still half-asleep. She fumbled with her transformation stick before finally holding it up and shouting, "JUPITER CRYSTAL POWER...MAKE-UP!"
Once transformed, she ran down the stairs and out the door of her apartment building, praying no one would see her. As soon as she exited, she breathed a sigh of relief before sprinting toward McKenna Park.
* * *
Ami slowly opened her bedroom door and tiptoed down the hallway, trying to wake up her mother.
"Ami? What are you doing?"
The girl genius froze. Her mother was standing sleepily in the doorway of her bedroom. Ami managed to give her a quick smile. "Oh, just getting a drink of water," she lied. "Go back to bed."
Ms. Mizuno yawned. "Okay, sweetie." She turned and headed back to her room.
Ami let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. The rest of her trip outside was uneventful, and she made it safely.
"MERCURY CRYSTAL POWER...MAKE-UP!"
Sailor Mercury took off to meet her friends.
* * *
Minako tried to decide the best way to leave the house. Her mom had supernatural hearing, so the blonde's chances of making it outside the usual way were slim to none.
Which left the window.
Minako peered outside. She could probably reach the tree near her window if she tried, but if she didn't...well, it was a very long way to fall. But she had no choice.
She opened the window and tentatively swung her right leg out. Her left leg quickly followed. She held tightly to the wall. The nearest branch that looked sturdy enough to hold her was just a few inches out of reach.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Carefully, she brought her right leg up to the sill, then her left. She was now crouching on the sill, ordering herself not to look down.
"Are you crazy?" Artemis whispered.
Minako ignored him. Knees shaking, she stood up and leaned out. Stretching as far as she could, she wrapped her fingers around the branch. As she let go of her hold on the wall, she hoped with all her might that the branch was as strong as it looked.
Gripping the branch tightly, she jumped and scrambled to get her legs on another branch. In a few seconds, she was safely in the tree. She climbed down, scraping herself a bit. She ignored it; this wasn't the time.
Standing on firm ground, she thanked her lucky stars that she had made it safely; however, even as she did, she knew the real danger was ahead.
"VENUS CRYSTAL POWER...MAKE-UP!"
From the windowsill, Artemis watched Sailor Venus go.
* * *
"Usagi, wake up!" Chibi-Usa urged.
"It's now use," Luna sighed. "Here, let me try." She went right up to Usagi's snoring face and gave her a hearty scratch with her claws.
"EEE-mmph!" Usagi's shriek was cut off by Chibi-Usa's hand over her mouth.
"Are you trying to wake up the whole house?" Chibi-Usa hissed.
Usagi pried the younger girl's hands off and gasped. "What do you think you're doing?"
Luna rolled her eyes. "Rei just called on the communicator. There's a Daimon on the loose!"
"Oh!" Usagi exclaimed, stifling a yawn. "Well, then, let's go." She groggily stumbled out of bed, out her bedroom door, and down the stairs, with Chibi-Usa right behind her.
As the meatball-headed pair left the Tsukino house, Usagi grumbled about Daimon's appearing way too late at night. "Alright, Chibi-Usa, let's get this over with."
Together, they called out, "MOON CRISIS POWER...MAKE-UP!"
Fully transformed, Super Sailor Moon and Super Sailor Chibimoon darted toward McKenna Park.
* * *
"Let's go, Michiru," Haruka said.
Her blue-haired friend nodded. "Right."
"Leaving without us?" came a voice from the doorway.
Haruka whirled around. "Setsuna!"
"Glad you could make it," said Michiru. "But who's 'us?'"
Setsuna stepped aside, revealing young Hotaru. "I picked her up on the way here."
"Alright," Haruka said. "Let's go!"
The four headed outdoors, Haruka in the lead, Michiru close behind, and Setsuna keeping an eye on Hotaru in case the frail girl had an attack.
"URANUS CRYSTAL POWER...MAKE-UP!"
"NEPTUNE CRYSTAL POWER...MAKE-UP!"
"PLUTO CRYSTAL POWER...MAKE-UP!"
"SATURN CRYSTAL POWER...MAKE-UP!"
The Outer Senshi ran off into the night, prepared to fight evil.
* * *
"So, is everyone here?" Sailor Mars asked. Jupiter nodded.
"I've used my computer to analyze the negative forces in the city," Mercury reported. "I've pinpointed the Daimon's location to 536, Greenwalk Boulevard."
Sailor Venus felt her heart race. "That's where Duo lives!"
"Isn't it also the same place as last time?" Neptune recalled.
"That's right," Uranus asserted.
"Let's go," Sailor Pluto said. The Sailor Senshi ran toward the house, hoping they would make it in time.
* * *
Heero felt his eyelids slowly close. No! he ordered himself, forcing them to open. I can't fall asleep yet. I haven't found anything. But he was wondering if, maybe, he had done enough for the night. He looked at the lower right-hand corner of his computer screen. Three thirty-seven A. M. He probably should be getting some sleep soon. He signed off and shut down the computer.
"WAKEY, WAKEY!" a shrill voice screamed in a nearby room.
Heero's eyes widened as he tried to control his speeding pulse. What the heck was that? he wondered. His brain was so cloudy from lack of sleep that it took a while for him to realize that one of his friends could be in danger. Once it dawned on him, he dashed into the hall.
Duo, Quatre, and Wufei were already there. "What's happening?" Heero demanded.
"Don't ask me," Duo told him.
"That scream came from Trowa's room!" Quatre exclaimed.
Wufei thrust open Trowa's door, a gun ready in his hand. Inside the room, they found an extremely freaky-looking monster woman with green skin. She bore an uncanny resemblance to a digital alarm clock. Trowa was pinned against the wall, and the monster was closing in on him.
"Come on, my pretty," the monster jeered. "Show me that beautiful Heart Crystal!"
"Get away from me, freak!" Trowa cried.
"I think not," the monster said.
"Lay off of him!" Wufei cried, pointing the gun and pulling the trigger. The monster whirled around and neatly caught the bullet. Trowa tried making his escape while her back was turned, but to no avail. The electric cords trapping him held fast.
"Trowa!" Quatre cried desperately.
"Is that the best you can do?" the monster sneered, dropping the bullet and crushing it under her high heel.
"What the heck is that thing?" Duo said. Everyone was now terrified.
"I'm a Daimon, faithful servant of the Sovereign of Silence, Mistress Nine, and devoted follower of Pharaoh Ninety!" cried the Daimon proudly. "And your Heart Crystal belongs to me!" She lifted her shirt up to reveal a black star on her stomach. A beam shot out from it and connected with Trowa's chest.
"AAAH!" Trowa cried in anguish. In front of him, a small crystal formed, identical to the one that had been stolen from Heero before. His scream ceased. His body slumped over, still pinned to the wall. His breath came in ragged gasps.
"TROWA!" cried Quatre.
"Don't worry, leave it all to us!" came a voice from outside.
The four boys looked out the window. In a nearby tree stood the Sailor Senshi.
"Oh, not again," grumbled the Daimon. "Just when I thought I would have an easy job."
"Sorry to burst your bubble," the same Senshi spoke. "I am Sailor Moon, champion of love and justice, and in the name of the moon, I will punish you!"
"I am Sailor Mercury, and..." Her voice trailed off. "You know, guys, this is really pointless, since I doubt the Daimon cares, and we're just wasting time. I mean, that poor boy's life is draining away, and we're standing here introducing ourselves. He's dying, for crying out loud."
"Good point," acknowledged Sailor Mars. "Come on, Jupiter, help me! MARS FLAME SNIPER!"
"JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION!"
Sailor Moon and Chibimoon raised their kaleidoscopes. "MOON GORGEOUS MEDITATION!"
In a flash of light, the Daimon was gone. Unfortunately, the explosion sent Trowa's Heart Crystal flying out the window.
"Oh, no!" cried the Senshi.
"Don't let it break!" shouted Venus.
Uranus leaped down from the tree, diving for it and catching it a split second before it would have crashed on the ground. She tossed it gently to Sailor Pluto, who then sent through the window. Quatre caught it between his hands and replaced it in his friend's chest. Color came back into Trowa's face, and he looked up at Quatre.
"Are you okay?" Quatre asked.
Trowa nodded slowly. "Yeah, but...could you get me off this wall?"
"Oh, for goodness' sake," Uranus exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "Saturn, go help him out."
Saturn nodded. "Right." She gracefully jumped from the tree through the window. With one quick swipe of her Silence Glaive, she released Trowa from his bonds. Then she exited, just as quickly as she came. After joining her friends, they all bounded off, disappearing into the night.
"You alright, Trowa?" Heero asked.
"I'm fine," Trowa said.
Duo gave a huge yawn. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to bed." He walked out of the room.
"Sounds like the first good idea I've ever heard from Duo," Wufei said, following the braided boy's example.
Trowa walked over to his bed and collapsed on it. He was asleep in seconds. Quatre also left. Heero stumbled out of the room, struggling not to fall asleep in the hall.
As he passed Duo's room, he heard his friend stir. For a brief moment, curiosity and sleep fought. Curiosity won. Heero stepped into Duo's room.
The young American was asleep with a contented smile on his face. As Heero left, he could hear Duo mumble, "Minako..."
Heero rolled his eyes and went into his room. Climbing into bed, his last conscious thought was, I hope I don't act that stupid around Relena.
* * *
The Inner Senshi had left to go their separate ways, and the Outer Senshi were walking to Haruka and Michiru's home. "Setsuna," Haruka said suddenly. "Did you see that boy with the messy brown hair in that bedroom?"
"Yes, I did," Setsuna said. "Why?"
"He goes to Mugen," Haruka told her. "And Michiru and I think there's something strange about him, but we don't know what."
"My mirror won't tell me anything," Michiru added. "We thought you might know."
Hotaru stiffened and blushed. The boy they were talking about was Heero. Luckily for her, in the dark, no one could tell.
Setsuna hesitated before answering. She wanted to say, "Yes, there's something strange about him; he's from the future." Instead, she said, "No, I didn't feel anything strange about him at all."
"Oh. Okay," Haruka said. She shrugged. "Guess we're just paranoid, then."
* * * * * * * *
Notes: Well, I hope someone's still reading this. Sorry about the fact that my titles are really stupid. Titles aren't my thing, okay? Hopefully, you find the content more original and entertaining. As usual, e-mail me, PLEASE! But NO FLAMES! Especially, no flames from devoted fans of the Duo/Hilde match-up. You have your opinions, and I have mine.
FYI: Hadesa was named after Hades, Greek god of the Underworld. McKenna Park is a real place in the Sailor Moon universe; it's the park where Nephlite and Molly met in the first season (English episode #19, I think). Keep that in mind, because that's not the last time I'm going to use McKenna Park. Greenwalk Boulevard is a street name I made up. I know that in the anime, Sailor Saturn doesn't have a transformation, and I'm not sure whether any of the Outer Senshi ever use Cyrstal Power. In the manga, however, they all do.
Disclaimer: As you probably know by now, no, I don't own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon, and no, I'm not making any money from this.