Kuroi Fuku, Momoiro Hana (Black Uniform, Pink Blossom)
Sequel to Lady Starfarer
Chapter 3: This Is Not Her Fault
Minami sat in one of her armchairs, eyeing the bottle on the coffee table. A crazy-looking, pink hared woman stared back at her from the label, surrounded by the words "Little Washu's Special Sake". Smiling at the woman, Mina refilled the sake cup on the table and raised it high. "To retirement," she grinned, and downed it in one gulp.
She'd changed out of her uniform, pulled on a T-shirt and shorts, and fed the uniform to the incinerator. After that, she had removed the sake bottle and cup from a cabinet where they'd been hidden for God only knew how long. The bottle had been full; it was now half gone. It helped take the edge off the fact that death was easily standing behind her chair.
Suddenly, Mina heard the sound of the apartment doorknob rattling. Drunken stupor vanished, she drew her gun and leveled it on the arm of the chair. She had a clear line of sight at whoever her visitor was; they'd be dead before they saw her sitting down. The door swung open cautiously, and her uninvited guest stepped into the room.
"Trowa?!" She dropped the gun and ran over to him, as he shut the door. After hugging him loosely, she kissed him lightly on the cheek. "How are you holding up?", she asked, running her finger across a bandage near his eyebrow.
"Okay," he said, shrugging slightly.
"How did you get in here?", she demanded, teasingly.
Trowa held something up, a sheepish blush rising slightly in his cheeks. "I…borrowed Duo's lock picks."
"Does he know you borrowed them?"
"Um…he'll figure it out…eventually…"
Mina laughed. "Come on, Trowa. Have a seat. Join me for a cup of sake?"
"What the hell."
He sat down in the opposite armchair, while Mina searched for the other sake cup. He noticed the half-empty bottle.
"How much sake did you have in that thing when you started?", he asked, almost nervously.
"It was a full bottle…What? You afraid I'm gonna ruin my liver or something?", Mina called from the kitchen.
"No…just wondering…Mina, was that true what you said? About that shit in the syringe…it being deadly…no antidote…" His voice faded.
Minami returned from the kitchen with the other cup. "Yeah, Trowa. It was all the truth, what I told you. I meant every word I said."
"You're not…You don't have any regrets?", he wondered out loud, taking the cup from her as she filled it.
"Nope, not a one. I figure it just sped up what the wars have been trying to do to me since I was born." She resumed her seat and sipped at her drink, a contented smile spreading over her features. "Mmm…good stuff…"
Trowa took a drink of his, nodding his agreement. "Very good stuff. I know this seems a little redundant…but are you sure about all this?"
Mina looked met his eyes over the rim of the sake cup. "Very sure."
Trowa nodded, and refilled his drink.
They sat there for a few minutes, only moving to pour more sake into their cups. They had just finished the bottle, when their was a pounding on the apartment door. Mina got up and looked out the peephole. She turned back to Trowa, who looked up, rather unconcerned. "It's the guys," she said. "And Duo looks rather peeved."
Trowa shrugged. "I guess you should let them in, then."
Mina smothered a hiccup. "Guess we'll need another bottle."
Trowa nodded. "And more cups."
The four newly arrived pilots sat or stood as it pleased them, in various states of sullen. Trowa and Mina remained in their armchairs, studying them casually. Mina had searched the kitchen from floor to ceiling, but there was not a second bottle of sake in the house. It didn't really matter, Mina pointed out, because there weren't any more sake cups, either.
"So…what is it you guys want, anyway?", Mina asked, cocking her head to one side. "You come barging up here and bang on the door…only to come inside and not say anything. You've got something to say…and I want to hear it."
They hesitated. "You want to know why, don't you," Trowa said. It was not a question.
"Yes," Quatre said, voice tight. "I want to know why you did what you did to all of us."
Mina looked at him with the eyes of someone who has seen more than they ever wanted to see. "I did it because I wanted to see what they were doing. I wanted to know what they were planning. The only way I could to that was by joining their ranks. I didn't like it, so don't you even start about that. I did things in there that I know I'm gonna burn in Hell for. They are stronger than you could ever know. Tajari is a military genius. Did you know she was one of Trieze's very first Specials? She's no fool; the Kuro Senshi are ridiculously powerful and, what's worse, they hide it well. They hide it so well, hardly anyone knows they even exist. They could destroy everything by tomorrow morning and we wouldn't know it until we were sitting on our asses in the middle of the wreckage. These are people to be afraid of."
"Are you still working for them?", Heero asked.
She shook her head. "No. I resigned this afternoon, not too long after you escaped."
"Your uniforms?"
"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."
"You burned them?"
"Yeah…what else was I ever going to do with them?"
"I don't know."
"Anything else?"
"You said…Tajari…What…what about her?"
Minami smiled. "General Tajari is the Kuro Senshi's most closely guarded secret. Her first name, Akebono, earned her the nickname 'the Cherry Blossom General'. She was one of Treize Khushranada's original Specials, and apparently one of his favorites. She's a very soft-spoken woman, but a genius when it comes to military strategy. None of her underlings, not even her highest ranking officers, know at all the details to an invasion plan. Everyone doesn't know everyone else's part until the invasion is underway."
Heero nodded appreciatively. "You're right, she is smart. Must have been interesting working for her."
Minami's mouth quirked at the corners. "You have no idea, Heero. You have no idea."
"So this General Tajari is a woman?!", Wufei demanded.
"Yes, Wufei. The general Tajari is a woman. Somehow I knew you'd find that hard to stomach." Duo snickered at her words. "Again…is there anything else?"
"Not that I can think of," Heero said, sweeping the other pilots with his gaze.
"Then…not to sound rude…but would you mind leaving? I'm feeling kinda wiped…and I'd like to rest…"
"No problem," Trowa said, rising from his chair. He walked to the door and stood there expectantly as the other four young men moved slowly to the exit.
"Good-bye, guys," Mina smiled; then, looking as though she remembered something, got up and called to Heero from the doorway.
"What is it?", he asked.
"Heero…It's…over the next few days…it's gonna get really bad…" Mina began, stumbling over the words. "I want you…to keep this for me…and use it when you think you should. I trust your judgment." She pressed a small gun into his hands. "You know…what I'm asking you to use it for…who I'm asking you to use it on…"
He nodded. "I understand…I'm not turning you down…by why can't you…do this yourself?"
"Because…I don't think…that when it comes down to the time…I'll have the strength…or the stability…to do it right…I…You're the only one…who would do this if I asked…I…thank you, Heero."
"Don't thank me, Mina. Please…don't thank me."
******
Told ya you'd hate my cliffhangers.
Anybody got any song guesses for this one? This one's a bit harder, 'cause it's part of a longer line, but the song is appropriate given the chapter. (Just so ya know, I'm gonna post all the answers to the chapters in the final chapter, along with the names of those that guess correctly.)
*Kat-chan out* ^_^ \/
Sequel to Lady Starfarer
Chapter 3: This Is Not Her Fault
Minami sat in one of her armchairs, eyeing the bottle on the coffee table. A crazy-looking, pink hared woman stared back at her from the label, surrounded by the words "Little Washu's Special Sake". Smiling at the woman, Mina refilled the sake cup on the table and raised it high. "To retirement," she grinned, and downed it in one gulp.
She'd changed out of her uniform, pulled on a T-shirt and shorts, and fed the uniform to the incinerator. After that, she had removed the sake bottle and cup from a cabinet where they'd been hidden for God only knew how long. The bottle had been full; it was now half gone. It helped take the edge off the fact that death was easily standing behind her chair.
Suddenly, Mina heard the sound of the apartment doorknob rattling. Drunken stupor vanished, she drew her gun and leveled it on the arm of the chair. She had a clear line of sight at whoever her visitor was; they'd be dead before they saw her sitting down. The door swung open cautiously, and her uninvited guest stepped into the room.
"Trowa?!" She dropped the gun and ran over to him, as he shut the door. After hugging him loosely, she kissed him lightly on the cheek. "How are you holding up?", she asked, running her finger across a bandage near his eyebrow.
"Okay," he said, shrugging slightly.
"How did you get in here?", she demanded, teasingly.
Trowa held something up, a sheepish blush rising slightly in his cheeks. "I…borrowed Duo's lock picks."
"Does he know you borrowed them?"
"Um…he'll figure it out…eventually…"
Mina laughed. "Come on, Trowa. Have a seat. Join me for a cup of sake?"
"What the hell."
He sat down in the opposite armchair, while Mina searched for the other sake cup. He noticed the half-empty bottle.
"How much sake did you have in that thing when you started?", he asked, almost nervously.
"It was a full bottle…What? You afraid I'm gonna ruin my liver or something?", Mina called from the kitchen.
"No…just wondering…Mina, was that true what you said? About that shit in the syringe…it being deadly…no antidote…" His voice faded.
Minami returned from the kitchen with the other cup. "Yeah, Trowa. It was all the truth, what I told you. I meant every word I said."
"You're not…You don't have any regrets?", he wondered out loud, taking the cup from her as she filled it.
"Nope, not a one. I figure it just sped up what the wars have been trying to do to me since I was born." She resumed her seat and sipped at her drink, a contented smile spreading over her features. "Mmm…good stuff…"
Trowa took a drink of his, nodding his agreement. "Very good stuff. I know this seems a little redundant…but are you sure about all this?"
Mina looked met his eyes over the rim of the sake cup. "Very sure."
Trowa nodded, and refilled his drink.
They sat there for a few minutes, only moving to pour more sake into their cups. They had just finished the bottle, when their was a pounding on the apartment door. Mina got up and looked out the peephole. She turned back to Trowa, who looked up, rather unconcerned. "It's the guys," she said. "And Duo looks rather peeved."
Trowa shrugged. "I guess you should let them in, then."
Mina smothered a hiccup. "Guess we'll need another bottle."
Trowa nodded. "And more cups."
The four newly arrived pilots sat or stood as it pleased them, in various states of sullen. Trowa and Mina remained in their armchairs, studying them casually. Mina had searched the kitchen from floor to ceiling, but there was not a second bottle of sake in the house. It didn't really matter, Mina pointed out, because there weren't any more sake cups, either.
"So…what is it you guys want, anyway?", Mina asked, cocking her head to one side. "You come barging up here and bang on the door…only to come inside and not say anything. You've got something to say…and I want to hear it."
They hesitated. "You want to know why, don't you," Trowa said. It was not a question.
"Yes," Quatre said, voice tight. "I want to know why you did what you did to all of us."
Mina looked at him with the eyes of someone who has seen more than they ever wanted to see. "I did it because I wanted to see what they were doing. I wanted to know what they were planning. The only way I could to that was by joining their ranks. I didn't like it, so don't you even start about that. I did things in there that I know I'm gonna burn in Hell for. They are stronger than you could ever know. Tajari is a military genius. Did you know she was one of Trieze's very first Specials? She's no fool; the Kuro Senshi are ridiculously powerful and, what's worse, they hide it well. They hide it so well, hardly anyone knows they even exist. They could destroy everything by tomorrow morning and we wouldn't know it until we were sitting on our asses in the middle of the wreckage. These are people to be afraid of."
"Are you still working for them?", Heero asked.
She shook her head. "No. I resigned this afternoon, not too long after you escaped."
"Your uniforms?"
"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."
"You burned them?"
"Yeah…what else was I ever going to do with them?"
"I don't know."
"Anything else?"
"You said…Tajari…What…what about her?"
Minami smiled. "General Tajari is the Kuro Senshi's most closely guarded secret. Her first name, Akebono, earned her the nickname 'the Cherry Blossom General'. She was one of Treize Khushranada's original Specials, and apparently one of his favorites. She's a very soft-spoken woman, but a genius when it comes to military strategy. None of her underlings, not even her highest ranking officers, know at all the details to an invasion plan. Everyone doesn't know everyone else's part until the invasion is underway."
Heero nodded appreciatively. "You're right, she is smart. Must have been interesting working for her."
Minami's mouth quirked at the corners. "You have no idea, Heero. You have no idea."
"So this General Tajari is a woman?!", Wufei demanded.
"Yes, Wufei. The general Tajari is a woman. Somehow I knew you'd find that hard to stomach." Duo snickered at her words. "Again…is there anything else?"
"Not that I can think of," Heero said, sweeping the other pilots with his gaze.
"Then…not to sound rude…but would you mind leaving? I'm feeling kinda wiped…and I'd like to rest…"
"No problem," Trowa said, rising from his chair. He walked to the door and stood there expectantly as the other four young men moved slowly to the exit.
"Good-bye, guys," Mina smiled; then, looking as though she remembered something, got up and called to Heero from the doorway.
"What is it?", he asked.
"Heero…It's…over the next few days…it's gonna get really bad…" Mina began, stumbling over the words. "I want you…to keep this for me…and use it when you think you should. I trust your judgment." She pressed a small gun into his hands. "You know…what I'm asking you to use it for…who I'm asking you to use it on…"
He nodded. "I understand…I'm not turning you down…by why can't you…do this yourself?"
"Because…I don't think…that when it comes down to the time…I'll have the strength…or the stability…to do it right…I…You're the only one…who would do this if I asked…I…thank you, Heero."
"Don't thank me, Mina. Please…don't thank me."
******
Told ya you'd hate my cliffhangers.
Anybody got any song guesses for this one? This one's a bit harder, 'cause it's part of a longer line, but the song is appropriate given the chapter. (Just so ya know, I'm gonna post all the answers to the chapters in the final chapter, along with the names of those that guess correctly.)
*Kat-chan out* ^_^ \/