Tsuki smiled over at Minako. "I'm Tsuki, Quatre's sister," she
gave
Quatre an 'I know all' look, "So... You must be Quatre's girlfriend.
How
cute! I love your hair! Simply gorgeous. So, when's the wedding?
How
'bout you name the first girl Tsuki after me? Or Tsuki Jr. If it's a
guy
you could always go with 'Tsu.' What do you think, Quatre?"
Quatre was blushing a very deep red. "Uh... this is
Minako........."
Tsuki winked at her. "Nice ta meet ya, Mina-chan."
"Thanks. Nice to meet you too." Minako said with a weak smile. Her name, Tsuki...Moon....it
reminded her of Usagi. Heck, she even had the same personality. "You're lucky to have a
brother as nice as Quatre." she said, making sure that Mr. Winner heard.
Quatre's faced changed into an even brighter red.
Mr. Winner looked into Minako's eyes. "I think I should talk to
your
friend here alone."
Tsuki grinned at her father. "Ah, daddy! You got the hots for
Minako
too! Ain't she a li'l young tho'? Well, she is cute. Adorable!" she
laughed as her daddy glared at her.
"Leave." Mr. Winner told her.
"Fine then. I know when I'm not wanted. OOH! Is Duo-honey here?"
Quatre nodded.
"YAY! Duo-baby! I'm coming!" Tsuki raced out of the room.
Mr. Winner looked over at Quatre.
"Don't worry, Minako," Quatre whispered into Minako's ear, "he's a
lot
kinder than he'll admit." With that, Quatre also left.
"Minako, is it?" Mr. Winner asked.
Minako nodded. "Yes, sir." She wondered what he wanted to talk about. She really didn't like
this guy.
Mr. Winner smiled at Minako. "Don't worry, I'm only hard on
Quatre.
It's for his own good. And out of love. If you are Quatre's friend
then you
need to know a few things, and maybe you can help me."
Minako couldn't believe her ears! Quatre was right! He really was much nicer. "What can I
help you with" she asked.
Mr. Winner put a hand on Minako's shoulder. "As you know, Quatre
is a
soldier in the war. He completes top secret missions for the colonies.
The
risk is very high and he is forced to kill enemies.
"You probably have noticed that my son has a kind streak. He is
very
considerate and empathic. He doesn't belong in this war. It's hurting
his
soul to see these people in pain, and he hates himself for hurting
others.
"The battle field is no place for a boy of his age. Especially one
so
innocent and pure. He should fight for peace but not with weapons.
"I have more reasons for being against this. He is my only son. I
treasure him and couldn't bear it if he got hurt in battle.
"I've tried to convince him to stay out of the war, but he doesn't
listen
to me. Maybe you could try talking to him?" Mr. Winner looked at her
with
hope. A tear made it's way down his cheek.
Meanwhile
Quatre paced outside of the room. 'What are they talking about?'
He
pressed his ear to the door. 'I can almost hear them.'
"Quatre, I'm disappointed in you." Duo joked.
"SHHHH!" Quatre shhhh-ed Duo.
"Eavesdropping? And I thought you were mature."
Quatre could hear a few words here and there. "Kill...my
son...hurt...
his soul... hate... him..." (look up^ Mr. Winner DOES say this. notice
the
dot dot dots) Quatre stepped back horrified. 'What the...?'
meanwhile
Minako couldn't help but feel sorry for Quatre's father. He really cared for his son. She could
see why. Who wouldn't love Quatre? She looked up at Mr. Winner and smiled. "I'll see what I
can do."
"Thank you." Mr. Winner said to Minako. He took her hand. "You
remind
me so much of Quatre's mother. Beautiful, kind, and caring. Don't let
yourself be dragged into this war."
meanwhile
Quatre ran back up the stairs with two glass cups. He handed one to
Duo.
They each pressed one against the door in hopes of hearing the
conversation
more.
"Jeez. You do this much?" Duo asked.
"SHHHHH!"
meanwhile
Minako paused for a moment. 'If only he knew what I do back at home!' she thought. "I
promise, Mr. Winner. I'll do my best." Minako put on her confident smile and flashed a v-sign.
"He'll never know what hit him!" she shouted trying to lighten the mood.
"Thank you, Minako." Mr. Winner smiled. "I'm glad my son has a
friend as
kind as you." he turned the doorknob.
meanwhile
Quatre listened at the door. "He'll never know what hit him." He
heard
Minako say. 'What!?' Quatre was utterly confused.
The door opened and Quatre and Duo fell down on the ground in front
of
them. "Hi!" Duo said cheerfully.
Quatre was blushing a deep red. He didn't usually do things like
this.
Minako jumped back as the two boys crashed through the
door. She couldn't help but giggle at the sight.
"What are you two doing hmm?" she asked them.
Quatre blushed. He held up his cup to her. "We were bringing you
water."
Duo sighed. "Quatre, that's a bad lie. Have you no experience?
There IS
no water. A proper lie would be 'We were bringing you water but got
thirsty
so...' and go on. I'm a professional- so I wouldn't expect you to come
up
with one that good... how come that guys giving me a 'I'm going to kill
you'
look? Who's that guy? Is he an OZ agent?... I'm confused..."
Minako giggled at Duo's questions. "Eavesdropping, are we? Shame on you two! You know
that that isn't very nice!"
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Quatre insisted.
"Yeah. That guy seems scary. Maybe he could get mad and um....
glare
you to death. STOP GLARING AT ME! STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!!! Mister!
You're freaking me out."
Quatre smiled and glared at Duo as well.
"Hey.... stop that.... you're freaking me out...."
A very amused Minako watched for a moment until she finally decided that it was time to break
the glaring contest. "Alright! That's it! Let's move on! Like, for one thing, would you mind
introducing me to your friend, Quatre?(AN: We know, we know she's already met Duo, but hey,
this story was meant purely for our own enjoyment! We didn't care very much about those
minor details..ehe)"
"No need Quatre my friend." Duo bowed. "I am Emperor Hotohori the
Second
of the Level Two Colony Cluster kingdom. Enchanted to meet you." he
kissed
her hand.
Quatre got a sweatdrop.
Minako giggled yet again at Duo's silliness. "It's very nice to meet you, Duo. My name is
Minako." she said with a smile.
The moment was interrupted by a knock at the door. Everyone looked over to see a woman with
short, blonde hair and blue eyes. "I'm sorry to interrupt." she said, "But there's someone on the
phone for you, father."
"Thank you, Himeko." Mr. Winner replied. "I'm afraid that I'll have to be going now." he said,
turning to the group. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Minako." That said, he left the room.
"Hi." Himeko spoke up, "Who are you?" she asked Minako.
"I'm Minako, a friend of Quatre's. Are you another one of his sisters?" Minako asked.
Himeko nodded her head. "Yes, one of the many." she smiled. "So, Quatre." she continued,
"Have you shown your guest around? I'm sure that there are many things here that would interest
her."
"I was going to do introductions first," Quatre explained, "It's
great to
see you again, Himeko."
Duo nudged Minako. "Quatre's got 29 sisters... just f.y.i."
Minako's chin hit the floor. "Twenty-nine?!?!?!" She couldn't believe it! She was an only
child...she had heard horror stories from Usagi about Shingo.... Minako shuddered at her
thoughts....
Tsuki walked in the room. "Have you seen Duo-honey?" she asked.
Duo ducked behind Minako. "Duo is NOT HERE." He stated.
She got a sweatdrop. "Duo-baby? Are you HIDING from me?"
"I'm not Duo! I'm Minako's subconscious."
Quatre smiled. "Would you like me to show you around?" he asked
Minako.
"No Quatre. BAD IDEA. I can't hide behind her while she's walking. I
mean
Minako- this is your subconscious. You are too tired to go on a tour
right
now. You should sit down in a nice comfy chair. You KNOW you want
to." Duo
said.
Himeko shook her head. "Duo..." she scolded.
Duo looked past Minako over at Himeko and smiled. "Okay, fine...."
Tsuki pouted. She knew that Duo liked Himeko.
Minako sighed. What a bunch! She turned to Quatre and smiled. "I'd love for you to show me
around."
Quatre took her hand. "We'd better hurry. Before one of them
burn's the
house down."
Duo looked at Himeko. "You got something on your face..."
As Quatre led Minako out to the hall, she sighed at the newfound silence. "Are they always like
that?" she asked.
Quatre nodded. "Usually they're worse. Especially Duo. But Hiiro
won't
let Duo have any more caffeine or sugar." he smiled. "With sugar, Duo
is
crazy."
He led her into a room. "This was my mother's room."
Minako looked at the room in awe. The huge room was surrounded in lavender wallpaper, the
floor was covered in a soft, dark purple carpet. The curtains were drawn at the large bay
window at the far end of the room, letting the brilliant sunlight pour inside.
Minako walked over to the large dresser. On top were twenty-nine picture frames, each had a
picture of a smiling little girl. She looked for a picture of Quatre, but couldn't find one
anywhere. "I can't find a picture of you, Quatre." she said.
Quatre smiled at the pictures. "My mother took all of these
pictures and
put them here. I'm the youngest in my family."
He picked up the picture of his mother. "She died shortly after
giving
birth to me. So my picture was never taken and is not here."
A tear slipped down his face. "I never met her..."
Minako's heart broke. She placed a hand on Quatre's shoulder. "I'm so sorry." she said. "I didn't
mean to bring up such a painful subject."
"It's alright," Quatre said, "I shouldn't be so weak. I'll try to
be
stronger." He stared at Minako. ' She looks so much like her....'
Minako smiled. "That's good. And besides. I'm sure that right now, she's looking down from
heaven smiling at how wonderful her son is."
Quatre blushed but shook his head. "I'm sure she's looking down
and
thinking what a lucky son she has." He took her hand and smiled. "To
know
someone as great a person as you are."
Minako blushed just as Quatre did. She leaned her head closer to Quatre's and brushed a strand
of platinum-blonde bangs out of his eyes. "You are wonderful..." she whispered.
Quatre's blush deepened. "Minako...I need to tell you
something..."
Sweat trickled down his back. He couldn't recall ever being this
nervous.
His hands were shaking and he clamped them together in a failed attempt
to
stop it. "I know we haven't known each other very long at all...
but... I...
I..." The words failed him. He was too nervous. He sighed and looked
down.
"Nevermind..."
Minako dropped her gaze to the floor. "Okay..." she said, a bit disappointed. When he started
saying that, she felt as if she could fly. She felt this electricity flowing through her body, but his
last word sent her heart sinking all the way down to her feet.
She looked back up at him and forced a smile, "So what else would you like to show me?"
Quatre sighed. 'I'm weak... Why can't I tell her? What is it I'm
afraid
of?' "Why don't we just get the reservations for Venus?" he asked.
'Maybe I
can gather up the courage there...'
Minako smiled. "That sounds great! I can't wait to go! Will it take very long to get there?"
"Not at all," Quatre replied, "If we get on first class it should
only
take a couple of hours." he explained. "But I may have to leave during
it...
if I get called to work- but I don't think it's likely."
Minako smiled. "That sounds great!" She looked at Quatre for a moment. "What do you do for
a job?"
Quatre's heart stopped. He didn't want to lie to her- but if he
told her
it would put her in danger. He didn't know what to do. 'I can't tell
her...
but.... If I lie to her... I'll be hurting her trust....' "I'm sorry,"
he
said, "But I do not have the liberty to tell you." Tears wavered in his
deep
cerulean eyes.
"It's okay!" Minako said when she realized how important this was. "You don't have to tell me.
I'm just a nosy person." she flashed a V sign with her left hand.
Quatre dived to the floor. Unbeknownced ('s that a word?) to
Minako, the
V sign was a "I'm gonna kill you" sign in these days. His gun was out
in
seconds. "What the heck were you doing?" he asked.
Minako threw her hands out in front of her when she saw the gun. "What's wrong?!?! It's just a
V sign!!! It's like a wink! It's harmless!" She gave Quatre a VERY confused look.
Quatre put his gun down. "I'm sorry...." He couldn't help it. He
sobbed
uncontrollably. "I'm sorry... I'm trying to trust you... it's just so
hard... That's the sign that OZ members use before killing you... I'm
sorry... Please forgive me..."
Minako ran up to Quatre and hugged him. "It's alright! I'm sorry! I understand why you were
scared! It's okay."
Quatre felt in heaven in her arms. "I'm sorry. I'll try to be
more
understanding." he picked up the phone. "I'll get us reservations.
Would
you like to get a dress or something else nice to wear first?"
"I'd love to, but I'm afraid that I don't have any money." Minako said regretfully.
"That's not a problem." Quatre replied. "It'll be my treat."
"Are you sure?" Minako asked, surprised by Quatre's generosity. "I really don't want to impose
too much."
"It's no problem at all." Quatre replied. "Don't worry- I would
never
think that YOU were imposing." He hung up the phone. "We have to first
class
tickets in 2 hours. Would you like to go shopping?"
Minako's eyes lit up. "I'd love to!" She ran up and hugged Quatre yet again. Shopping always
got her mind off of bad times...
Quatre smiled, happy to get Minako's mind off of her troubles.
"Okay.
We should probably get going- we don't want to be late for the
departure."
He took her hand and guided her down the stairs.
Minako smiled again. As he took her hand into his,
she felt a light tingly feeling as their skin touched.
She thought about how wonderful he was instead of
scolding herself for liking him so much so soon.
"Thank you very much." she said, "This really means
alot to me."
Quatre smiled back at her. "You're welcome," he said. Charmingly,
he
took her hand and led her down the stairs.
"Hey, Quatre," Duo called, "where ya goin'?" He was staring at
Quatre and
Minako. The other pilots were watching as well, though a few of them
were
glaring.
"Just.... out.... I have my pager on if you need anything." Quatre
replied, shooting them a "don't you dare" look.
Minako watched as Heero nodded. There was something
mysterious and sad about him, but she couldn't figure
out what.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a very anxious
Quatre tugging on her arm. "All right! All right!"
she said as she followed him out the front door.
Quatre smiled at Heero. He was a lot more understanding then he
would
let on. But still, Quatre couldn't help but feel a teensy bit jealous.
Minako was after all, staring at Heero. 'Why was she staring at
Heero?'
Quatre asked himself. He pushed all of those bad thoughts from his
mind and
led Minako to his car.
Quatre shut Minako's door after she got in, then went around to his side. Once he started the car,
Minako spoke up. "So, you've been to Venus before, right? What's it like now?"
Quatre nodded. "Yes I've been to Venus before on a business trip."
So
maybe it was to steal a file from an OZ base there. It was still
business.
"I didn't really get to see much of it though. I'm sure it's beautiful
if it
bears your name." He blushed.
Minako's face blushed as well. She couldn't believe how incredibly sweet he was. "You're so
kind." she said.
Quatre felt his cheeks burn. He couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or maybe....something
else.... Just then, Quatre felt something. Not physically but mentally he could feel something
approaching. It seemed evil... "Minako I have a bad feeling..." he choked out.
Minako felt it too. She looked all around as Quatre pulled the car over to the side of the road. "I
do too." she said, calmly. She was worried, but somewhat confident because she knew that she
could transform if needed.
Quatre had never felt something like this before. (Remember-
Quatre's an
empath) It seemed to cut his heart in half. He doubled over in pain.
Noting
Minako's worried expression he smiled through the pain. "It's okay.
I'm an
empath."
'That explains some things...' she thought to herself. She felt a surge of evil energy invade her
body. She knew that the enemy was close. "Quatre," she said, "I have to fight." she said,
opening the door to the car to get out.
Instinctively, he gently grabbed her wrist. "Be careful... I'll be
right
behind you..." he said, letting go. He smiled sweetly at her and
watched her
disappear. He parked the car and ran to join her.
Minako looked around and soon found herself staring right into a familiar face. "Hello,
princess." he said in a menacing voice.
"What do you want?!" Minako hissed.
"Oh, I believe that you know what I want." he said with a sly grin.
Minako backed up a bit just as he began to advance on her.
Quatre glared at the man advancing on Minako. He quickly took out
his
gun and fired a warning shot towards the sky. "Please stop- or I will
be
forced to shoot you." Quatre said. "Minako, are you okay?" he asked.
Minako nodded, a frown on her face. "I'll be fine as soon as the stench is gone." she said
hatefully.
"Now, Minako. Don't go insulting people like that. It's not polite." the man said.
"Leave us alone, Peridot!" Minako yelled, angrily.
"But if I do that," he started, "You'll never find out how to get home"
Minako gasped. "What are you talking about?"
"You see, senshi," he said, "I'm the one who sent you here."
"You what?!?! WHY?!"
Peridot grinned. "Because it's easier to get rid of you brats one at a time---HAI!" he shouted as
he lunged towards Minako.
Quatre shot off a bullet at the fiend attacking Minako. There was
no way
he was going to let that "man" hurt her.
The man smirked evilly as the bullet hit a shield and ricocheted
off,
impaling itself into Quatre's chest.
Quatre fell to the ground, causing his gun to slide across the
cold, hard
pavement.
"QUATRE!!!" Minako screamed at the top of her lungs as she ran to kneel beside him. She
looked at the wound on Quatre's chest as tears poured from her eyes.
"What a pity..." Peridot said in a sarcastic tone.
Minako jerked her head up. "That's it! I won't tolerate any more of this!" she shouted. She
looked back down at Quatre, and brought her lips to his ear. "I won't let him get away with this."
she whispered.
After doing so, she stood up, and threw her hand straight up in the air. "Venus star power!!!
Make-up!" Once more swirls of gold and yellow wrapped around Minako's body in a brillant
show of lights.
Quatre put a hand to the bullet wound. Blood covered it turned to
a deep
crimson. "Minako..." he tried to stop her from what may cause her
harm.
Knowing that shooting at the man again would only result in a similar
occurrence, he did the only thing he could do. burst out laughing He
chucked
the gun at him.
Peridot screamed as the gun hit him in the face. "You little pest!"
"Venus love-me chain!" Sailor Venus shouted, taking advantage of Peridot's distracted state.
Unfortunately for her though, his shield did the same as it did to Quatre's bullet, sending her
chain straight back at her.
She cried out in pain as the chain hit her right shoulder, sending her collapsing to the ground.
Peridot had finally regained his composure just in time to see Venus fall. He started to walk
towards her, but suddenly stopped, a thoughtful look on his face.
Venus watched curiously as he swore quietly as if to himself. "I'm afraid that I'm going to have
to cut our meeting short today." he said, turning to her. "Don't worry though, I'll be back." With
that, he disappeared in a flash of light.
Sailor Venus turned around and looked at the barely-conscious Quatre. She ran up next to him
and knelt by his side. "Oh, Quatre." she cried, "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault..."
Quatre took Minako's hand. "It's not your fault. I shouldn't have
tried
to fight a force I knew nothing about." He sweetly kissed her hand.
His
eyes squeezed closed and he took a deep breath. 'I probably won't
survive
this... I need to tell her... just in case...' "Minako..... there's
something I've been wanting to tell you... I tried before but the
words
failed me... I hope I can finish this time..."
Quatre took in another deep breath. His vision was splurring and
he
could barely make out her face. He raised his hand up and touched her
cheek.
"It's hard for me to believe you're real... I didn't think such
beauty
existed... Now it seems like my life was meaningless until you came
into
it..."
"I already told you I was an empath. And usually it seemed a
burden to
me. Always feeling the pains of those I hurt. It was almost
unbearable.
But since I met you- I have been so happy to feel what you do..."
"I know this isn't the best time... and I'm sorry I haven't told
you
before... but if I don't say it now I fear I never will..."
Quatre choked on his breath and started coughing. "I...." he
tried to
ignore the pain in his chest. "I..." it was becoming unbearable. "I
love
you." He lost consciousness.
What Quatre had just said took a moment to register in Minako's head. She blinked in
confusion, unable to accept the fact that Quatre was dead. He couldn't die, he just couldn't!
She finally stood up, and ran over to Quatre's car, searching frantically for a cell phone. After a
few moments of searching, she finally found one. She dialed 911 and tried her hardest to
explain her situation calmly. Once she finished talking to the dispatcher, she knelt down next to
Quatre once more. She pressed her cheek against his as the tears started to flow from her eyes.
"Onegai.." she begged weakly, "Onegai, Quatre. Wake up...." Her soft cries turned to sobs as
she laid down next to Quatre, hoping against hope that he would wake up. She snuggled up
close to him, and brought her lips to his ear once more. "I love you too, Quatre..." she
whispered. "Forever, aishiteru..."
gave
Quatre an 'I know all' look, "So... You must be Quatre's girlfriend.
How
cute! I love your hair! Simply gorgeous. So, when's the wedding?
How
'bout you name the first girl Tsuki after me? Or Tsuki Jr. If it's a
guy
you could always go with 'Tsu.' What do you think, Quatre?"
Quatre was blushing a very deep red. "Uh... this is
Minako........."
Tsuki winked at her. "Nice ta meet ya, Mina-chan."
"Thanks. Nice to meet you too." Minako said with a weak smile. Her name, Tsuki...Moon....it
reminded her of Usagi. Heck, she even had the same personality. "You're lucky to have a
brother as nice as Quatre." she said, making sure that Mr. Winner heard.
Quatre's faced changed into an even brighter red.
Mr. Winner looked into Minako's eyes. "I think I should talk to
your
friend here alone."
Tsuki grinned at her father. "Ah, daddy! You got the hots for
Minako
too! Ain't she a li'l young tho'? Well, she is cute. Adorable!" she
laughed as her daddy glared at her.
"Leave." Mr. Winner told her.
"Fine then. I know when I'm not wanted. OOH! Is Duo-honey here?"
Quatre nodded.
"YAY! Duo-baby! I'm coming!" Tsuki raced out of the room.
Mr. Winner looked over at Quatre.
"Don't worry, Minako," Quatre whispered into Minako's ear, "he's a
lot
kinder than he'll admit." With that, Quatre also left.
"Minako, is it?" Mr. Winner asked.
Minako nodded. "Yes, sir." She wondered what he wanted to talk about. She really didn't like
this guy.
Mr. Winner smiled at Minako. "Don't worry, I'm only hard on
Quatre.
It's for his own good. And out of love. If you are Quatre's friend
then you
need to know a few things, and maybe you can help me."
Minako couldn't believe her ears! Quatre was right! He really was much nicer. "What can I
help you with" she asked.
Mr. Winner put a hand on Minako's shoulder. "As you know, Quatre
is a
soldier in the war. He completes top secret missions for the colonies.
The
risk is very high and he is forced to kill enemies.
"You probably have noticed that my son has a kind streak. He is
very
considerate and empathic. He doesn't belong in this war. It's hurting
his
soul to see these people in pain, and he hates himself for hurting
others.
"The battle field is no place for a boy of his age. Especially one
so
innocent and pure. He should fight for peace but not with weapons.
"I have more reasons for being against this. He is my only son. I
treasure him and couldn't bear it if he got hurt in battle.
"I've tried to convince him to stay out of the war, but he doesn't
listen
to me. Maybe you could try talking to him?" Mr. Winner looked at her
with
hope. A tear made it's way down his cheek.
Meanwhile
Quatre paced outside of the room. 'What are they talking about?'
He
pressed his ear to the door. 'I can almost hear them.'
"Quatre, I'm disappointed in you." Duo joked.
"SHHHH!" Quatre shhhh-ed Duo.
"Eavesdropping? And I thought you were mature."
Quatre could hear a few words here and there. "Kill...my
son...hurt...
his soul... hate... him..." (look up^ Mr. Winner DOES say this. notice
the
dot dot dots) Quatre stepped back horrified. 'What the...?'
meanwhile
Minako couldn't help but feel sorry for Quatre's father. He really cared for his son. She could
see why. Who wouldn't love Quatre? She looked up at Mr. Winner and smiled. "I'll see what I
can do."
"Thank you." Mr. Winner said to Minako. He took her hand. "You
remind
me so much of Quatre's mother. Beautiful, kind, and caring. Don't let
yourself be dragged into this war."
meanwhile
Quatre ran back up the stairs with two glass cups. He handed one to
Duo.
They each pressed one against the door in hopes of hearing the
conversation
more.
"Jeez. You do this much?" Duo asked.
"SHHHHH!"
meanwhile
Minako paused for a moment. 'If only he knew what I do back at home!' she thought. "I
promise, Mr. Winner. I'll do my best." Minako put on her confident smile and flashed a v-sign.
"He'll never know what hit him!" she shouted trying to lighten the mood.
"Thank you, Minako." Mr. Winner smiled. "I'm glad my son has a
friend as
kind as you." he turned the doorknob.
meanwhile
Quatre listened at the door. "He'll never know what hit him." He
heard
Minako say. 'What!?' Quatre was utterly confused.
The door opened and Quatre and Duo fell down on the ground in front
of
them. "Hi!" Duo said cheerfully.
Quatre was blushing a deep red. He didn't usually do things like
this.
Minako jumped back as the two boys crashed through the
door. She couldn't help but giggle at the sight.
"What are you two doing hmm?" she asked them.
Quatre blushed. He held up his cup to her. "We were bringing you
water."
Duo sighed. "Quatre, that's a bad lie. Have you no experience?
There IS
no water. A proper lie would be 'We were bringing you water but got
thirsty
so...' and go on. I'm a professional- so I wouldn't expect you to come
up
with one that good... how come that guys giving me a 'I'm going to kill
you'
look? Who's that guy? Is he an OZ agent?... I'm confused..."
Minako giggled at Duo's questions. "Eavesdropping, are we? Shame on you two! You know
that that isn't very nice!"
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Quatre insisted.
"Yeah. That guy seems scary. Maybe he could get mad and um....
glare
you to death. STOP GLARING AT ME! STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!!! Mister!
You're freaking me out."
Quatre smiled and glared at Duo as well.
"Hey.... stop that.... you're freaking me out...."
A very amused Minako watched for a moment until she finally decided that it was time to break
the glaring contest. "Alright! That's it! Let's move on! Like, for one thing, would you mind
introducing me to your friend, Quatre?(AN: We know, we know she's already met Duo, but hey,
this story was meant purely for our own enjoyment! We didn't care very much about those
minor details..ehe)"
"No need Quatre my friend." Duo bowed. "I am Emperor Hotohori the
Second
of the Level Two Colony Cluster kingdom. Enchanted to meet you." he
kissed
her hand.
Quatre got a sweatdrop.
Minako giggled yet again at Duo's silliness. "It's very nice to meet you, Duo. My name is
Minako." she said with a smile.
The moment was interrupted by a knock at the door. Everyone looked over to see a woman with
short, blonde hair and blue eyes. "I'm sorry to interrupt." she said, "But there's someone on the
phone for you, father."
"Thank you, Himeko." Mr. Winner replied. "I'm afraid that I'll have to be going now." he said,
turning to the group. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Minako." That said, he left the room.
"Hi." Himeko spoke up, "Who are you?" she asked Minako.
"I'm Minako, a friend of Quatre's. Are you another one of his sisters?" Minako asked.
Himeko nodded her head. "Yes, one of the many." she smiled. "So, Quatre." she continued,
"Have you shown your guest around? I'm sure that there are many things here that would interest
her."
"I was going to do introductions first," Quatre explained, "It's
great to
see you again, Himeko."
Duo nudged Minako. "Quatre's got 29 sisters... just f.y.i."
Minako's chin hit the floor. "Twenty-nine?!?!?!" She couldn't believe it! She was an only
child...she had heard horror stories from Usagi about Shingo.... Minako shuddered at her
thoughts....
Tsuki walked in the room. "Have you seen Duo-honey?" she asked.
Duo ducked behind Minako. "Duo is NOT HERE." He stated.
She got a sweatdrop. "Duo-baby? Are you HIDING from me?"
"I'm not Duo! I'm Minako's subconscious."
Quatre smiled. "Would you like me to show you around?" he asked
Minako.
"No Quatre. BAD IDEA. I can't hide behind her while she's walking. I
mean
Minako- this is your subconscious. You are too tired to go on a tour
right
now. You should sit down in a nice comfy chair. You KNOW you want
to." Duo
said.
Himeko shook her head. "Duo..." she scolded.
Duo looked past Minako over at Himeko and smiled. "Okay, fine...."
Tsuki pouted. She knew that Duo liked Himeko.
Minako sighed. What a bunch! She turned to Quatre and smiled. "I'd love for you to show me
around."
Quatre took her hand. "We'd better hurry. Before one of them
burn's the
house down."
Duo looked at Himeko. "You got something on your face..."
As Quatre led Minako out to the hall, she sighed at the newfound silence. "Are they always like
that?" she asked.
Quatre nodded. "Usually they're worse. Especially Duo. But Hiiro
won't
let Duo have any more caffeine or sugar." he smiled. "With sugar, Duo
is
crazy."
He led her into a room. "This was my mother's room."
Minako looked at the room in awe. The huge room was surrounded in lavender wallpaper, the
floor was covered in a soft, dark purple carpet. The curtains were drawn at the large bay
window at the far end of the room, letting the brilliant sunlight pour inside.
Minako walked over to the large dresser. On top were twenty-nine picture frames, each had a
picture of a smiling little girl. She looked for a picture of Quatre, but couldn't find one
anywhere. "I can't find a picture of you, Quatre." she said.
Quatre smiled at the pictures. "My mother took all of these
pictures and
put them here. I'm the youngest in my family."
He picked up the picture of his mother. "She died shortly after
giving
birth to me. So my picture was never taken and is not here."
A tear slipped down his face. "I never met her..."
Minako's heart broke. She placed a hand on Quatre's shoulder. "I'm so sorry." she said. "I didn't
mean to bring up such a painful subject."
"It's alright," Quatre said, "I shouldn't be so weak. I'll try to
be
stronger." He stared at Minako. ' She looks so much like her....'
Minako smiled. "That's good. And besides. I'm sure that right now, she's looking down from
heaven smiling at how wonderful her son is."
Quatre blushed but shook his head. "I'm sure she's looking down
and
thinking what a lucky son she has." He took her hand and smiled. "To
know
someone as great a person as you are."
Minako blushed just as Quatre did. She leaned her head closer to Quatre's and brushed a strand
of platinum-blonde bangs out of his eyes. "You are wonderful..." she whispered.
Quatre's blush deepened. "Minako...I need to tell you
something..."
Sweat trickled down his back. He couldn't recall ever being this
nervous.
His hands were shaking and he clamped them together in a failed attempt
to
stop it. "I know we haven't known each other very long at all...
but... I...
I..." The words failed him. He was too nervous. He sighed and looked
down.
"Nevermind..."
Minako dropped her gaze to the floor. "Okay..." she said, a bit disappointed. When he started
saying that, she felt as if she could fly. She felt this electricity flowing through her body, but his
last word sent her heart sinking all the way down to her feet.
She looked back up at him and forced a smile, "So what else would you like to show me?"
Quatre sighed. 'I'm weak... Why can't I tell her? What is it I'm
afraid
of?' "Why don't we just get the reservations for Venus?" he asked.
'Maybe I
can gather up the courage there...'
Minako smiled. "That sounds great! I can't wait to go! Will it take very long to get there?"
"Not at all," Quatre replied, "If we get on first class it should
only
take a couple of hours." he explained. "But I may have to leave during
it...
if I get called to work- but I don't think it's likely."
Minako smiled. "That sounds great!" She looked at Quatre for a moment. "What do you do for
a job?"
Quatre's heart stopped. He didn't want to lie to her- but if he
told her
it would put her in danger. He didn't know what to do. 'I can't tell
her...
but.... If I lie to her... I'll be hurting her trust....' "I'm sorry,"
he
said, "But I do not have the liberty to tell you." Tears wavered in his
deep
cerulean eyes.
"It's okay!" Minako said when she realized how important this was. "You don't have to tell me.
I'm just a nosy person." she flashed a V sign with her left hand.
Quatre dived to the floor. Unbeknownced ('s that a word?) to
Minako, the
V sign was a "I'm gonna kill you" sign in these days. His gun was out
in
seconds. "What the heck were you doing?" he asked.
Minako threw her hands out in front of her when she saw the gun. "What's wrong?!?! It's just a
V sign!!! It's like a wink! It's harmless!" She gave Quatre a VERY confused look.
Quatre put his gun down. "I'm sorry...." He couldn't help it. He
sobbed
uncontrollably. "I'm sorry... I'm trying to trust you... it's just so
hard... That's the sign that OZ members use before killing you... I'm
sorry... Please forgive me..."
Minako ran up to Quatre and hugged him. "It's alright! I'm sorry! I understand why you were
scared! It's okay."
Quatre felt in heaven in her arms. "I'm sorry. I'll try to be
more
understanding." he picked up the phone. "I'll get us reservations.
Would
you like to get a dress or something else nice to wear first?"
"I'd love to, but I'm afraid that I don't have any money." Minako said regretfully.
"That's not a problem." Quatre replied. "It'll be my treat."
"Are you sure?" Minako asked, surprised by Quatre's generosity. "I really don't want to impose
too much."
"It's no problem at all." Quatre replied. "Don't worry- I would
never
think that YOU were imposing." He hung up the phone. "We have to first
class
tickets in 2 hours. Would you like to go shopping?"
Minako's eyes lit up. "I'd love to!" She ran up and hugged Quatre yet again. Shopping always
got her mind off of bad times...
Quatre smiled, happy to get Minako's mind off of her troubles.
"Okay.
We should probably get going- we don't want to be late for the
departure."
He took her hand and guided her down the stairs.
Minako smiled again. As he took her hand into his,
she felt a light tingly feeling as their skin touched.
She thought about how wonderful he was instead of
scolding herself for liking him so much so soon.
"Thank you very much." she said, "This really means
alot to me."
Quatre smiled back at her. "You're welcome," he said. Charmingly,
he
took her hand and led her down the stairs.
"Hey, Quatre," Duo called, "where ya goin'?" He was staring at
Quatre and
Minako. The other pilots were watching as well, though a few of them
were
glaring.
"Just.... out.... I have my pager on if you need anything." Quatre
replied, shooting them a "don't you dare" look.
Minako watched as Heero nodded. There was something
mysterious and sad about him, but she couldn't figure
out what.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a very anxious
Quatre tugging on her arm. "All right! All right!"
she said as she followed him out the front door.
Quatre smiled at Heero. He was a lot more understanding then he
would
let on. But still, Quatre couldn't help but feel a teensy bit jealous.
Minako was after all, staring at Heero. 'Why was she staring at
Heero?'
Quatre asked himself. He pushed all of those bad thoughts from his
mind and
led Minako to his car.
Quatre shut Minako's door after she got in, then went around to his side. Once he started the car,
Minako spoke up. "So, you've been to Venus before, right? What's it like now?"
Quatre nodded. "Yes I've been to Venus before on a business trip."
So
maybe it was to steal a file from an OZ base there. It was still
business.
"I didn't really get to see much of it though. I'm sure it's beautiful
if it
bears your name." He blushed.
Minako's face blushed as well. She couldn't believe how incredibly sweet he was. "You're so
kind." she said.
Quatre felt his cheeks burn. He couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or maybe....something
else.... Just then, Quatre felt something. Not physically but mentally he could feel something
approaching. It seemed evil... "Minako I have a bad feeling..." he choked out.
Minako felt it too. She looked all around as Quatre pulled the car over to the side of the road. "I
do too." she said, calmly. She was worried, but somewhat confident because she knew that she
could transform if needed.
Quatre had never felt something like this before. (Remember-
Quatre's an
empath) It seemed to cut his heart in half. He doubled over in pain.
Noting
Minako's worried expression he smiled through the pain. "It's okay.
I'm an
empath."
'That explains some things...' she thought to herself. She felt a surge of evil energy invade her
body. She knew that the enemy was close. "Quatre," she said, "I have to fight." she said,
opening the door to the car to get out.
Instinctively, he gently grabbed her wrist. "Be careful... I'll be
right
behind you..." he said, letting go. He smiled sweetly at her and
watched her
disappear. He parked the car and ran to join her.
Minako looked around and soon found herself staring right into a familiar face. "Hello,
princess." he said in a menacing voice.
"What do you want?!" Minako hissed.
"Oh, I believe that you know what I want." he said with a sly grin.
Minako backed up a bit just as he began to advance on her.
Quatre glared at the man advancing on Minako. He quickly took out
his
gun and fired a warning shot towards the sky. "Please stop- or I will
be
forced to shoot you." Quatre said. "Minako, are you okay?" he asked.
Minako nodded, a frown on her face. "I'll be fine as soon as the stench is gone." she said
hatefully.
"Now, Minako. Don't go insulting people like that. It's not polite." the man said.
"Leave us alone, Peridot!" Minako yelled, angrily.
"But if I do that," he started, "You'll never find out how to get home"
Minako gasped. "What are you talking about?"
"You see, senshi," he said, "I'm the one who sent you here."
"You what?!?! WHY?!"
Peridot grinned. "Because it's easier to get rid of you brats one at a time---HAI!" he shouted as
he lunged towards Minako.
Quatre shot off a bullet at the fiend attacking Minako. There was
no way
he was going to let that "man" hurt her.
The man smirked evilly as the bullet hit a shield and ricocheted
off,
impaling itself into Quatre's chest.
Quatre fell to the ground, causing his gun to slide across the
cold, hard
pavement.
"QUATRE!!!" Minako screamed at the top of her lungs as she ran to kneel beside him. She
looked at the wound on Quatre's chest as tears poured from her eyes.
"What a pity..." Peridot said in a sarcastic tone.
Minako jerked her head up. "That's it! I won't tolerate any more of this!" she shouted. She
looked back down at Quatre, and brought her lips to his ear. "I won't let him get away with this."
she whispered.
After doing so, she stood up, and threw her hand straight up in the air. "Venus star power!!!
Make-up!" Once more swirls of gold and yellow wrapped around Minako's body in a brillant
show of lights.
Quatre put a hand to the bullet wound. Blood covered it turned to
a deep
crimson. "Minako..." he tried to stop her from what may cause her
harm.
Knowing that shooting at the man again would only result in a similar
occurrence, he did the only thing he could do. burst out laughing He
chucked
the gun at him.
Peridot screamed as the gun hit him in the face. "You little pest!"
"Venus love-me chain!" Sailor Venus shouted, taking advantage of Peridot's distracted state.
Unfortunately for her though, his shield did the same as it did to Quatre's bullet, sending her
chain straight back at her.
She cried out in pain as the chain hit her right shoulder, sending her collapsing to the ground.
Peridot had finally regained his composure just in time to see Venus fall. He started to walk
towards her, but suddenly stopped, a thoughtful look on his face.
Venus watched curiously as he swore quietly as if to himself. "I'm afraid that I'm going to have
to cut our meeting short today." he said, turning to her. "Don't worry though, I'll be back." With
that, he disappeared in a flash of light.
Sailor Venus turned around and looked at the barely-conscious Quatre. She ran up next to him
and knelt by his side. "Oh, Quatre." she cried, "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault..."
Quatre took Minako's hand. "It's not your fault. I shouldn't have
tried
to fight a force I knew nothing about." He sweetly kissed her hand.
His
eyes squeezed closed and he took a deep breath. 'I probably won't
survive
this... I need to tell her... just in case...' "Minako..... there's
something I've been wanting to tell you... I tried before but the
words
failed me... I hope I can finish this time..."
Quatre took in another deep breath. His vision was splurring and
he
could barely make out her face. He raised his hand up and touched her
cheek.
"It's hard for me to believe you're real... I didn't think such
beauty
existed... Now it seems like my life was meaningless until you came
into
it..."
"I already told you I was an empath. And usually it seemed a
burden to
me. Always feeling the pains of those I hurt. It was almost
unbearable.
But since I met you- I have been so happy to feel what you do..."
"I know this isn't the best time... and I'm sorry I haven't told
you
before... but if I don't say it now I fear I never will..."
Quatre choked on his breath and started coughing. "I...." he
tried to
ignore the pain in his chest. "I..." it was becoming unbearable. "I
love
you." He lost consciousness.
What Quatre had just said took a moment to register in Minako's head. She blinked in
confusion, unable to accept the fact that Quatre was dead. He couldn't die, he just couldn't!
She finally stood up, and ran over to Quatre's car, searching frantically for a cell phone. After a
few moments of searching, she finally found one. She dialed 911 and tried her hardest to
explain her situation calmly. Once she finished talking to the dispatcher, she knelt down next to
Quatre once more. She pressed her cheek against his as the tears started to flow from her eyes.
"Onegai.." she begged weakly, "Onegai, Quatre. Wake up...." Her soft cries turned to sobs as
she laid down next to Quatre, hoping against hope that he would wake up. She snuggled up
close to him, and brought her lips to his ear once more. "I love you too, Quatre..." she
whispered. "Forever, aishiteru..."
