And You I Love

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Location: the Arcade
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...When Minako first left Usagi and Makoto for Area 51...

When Minako got to the Area 51 station, she looked at it with dismay. You had to shoot enemies with a fake gun before they could kill you. No one came close to Minako when it came to this shooting game, and that was part of why she was dismayed. One option of the game was Versus Mode', in which two people fought to kill the most enemies. And had no one ever presented a challenge for her.

Another reason was because of the mysterious Area 51. There was a One Player/Two Player section of the game where you had to shoot at bad guys that controlled drug warehouse or were attempting to rob banks. At the final stage, you entered Area 51. No one had ever gotten that far. They always lost at the Bank of America stage before the last.

If only I could find a partner half as good as me, we could kick! She popped in her tokens, and began fighting her way through the first level.

Take that! she cried, and that and you can have, -she pulled the trigger- THAT! Yeah, trying to rob my chinese food resturaunt... An onlooker might have thought Minako was a sadistic assassin. She often jumpe from side to side.

When she got to the second level, someone took the second player gun out of it's cradle and slipped tokens into the machine. The text YOU HAVE BEEN CHALLENGED! flashed across the screen. Mina looked and saw that her challenger was Duo's blue-eyed pilot-friend. They were taken to Versus Mode and the fighting began.

Minako was in serious shock when he started shooting. She lost all concentration and watched in fascination as he disposed of the bad guys quickly and, it seemed, with little effort. Then she remembered this was a challenge, so Minako quickly started shooting. As she regained her focus, she slowly caught up to him. Her kill count was 52, and his was 58. Minako went trigger-happy, and there was a lot of Ooh, damn you! coming from her mouth. Her focus heightened, and she began shooting the bad guys in the wharehouse as quickly as they appeared.

Finally, the round ended, and the player statistics flashed on the screen.

PLAYER 1 - KILLS: 67

PLAYER 2 - KILLS: 78

Congratulations PLAYER 2!

Minako's jaw dropped. She turned to the mysterious Player 2 and stared at him, eyes wide with wonder and awe. He turned to leave, but Minako grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

Oh, no you don't! You interrupted my concentration! I challenge you to another round, Minako said. Though she received a mighty icy glare, Player 2' stayed, and he inserted tokens into the slot.

Minako closed her eyes for a second and reopened them when the music began to play. Totally in her game, Minako shot at nearly everything she saw, reloading at an amazing speed. Though she didn't have time to look directly, Minako sensed that Player 2 was putting a bit more effort than into the game than before. She didn't let him distract her this time.

When the player stats began to show on the screen, Minako bit her nails in anticipation, but Player 2 remained still. The numbers finished scrolling.

PLAYER 1 - KILLS: 79

PLAYER 2 - KILLS: 79

Congratulations, ERROR!

Minako crossed her arms complacently, half astonished and half triumphant. She looked from Player 2, to the screen, and back. Player 2 leaned slightly forward and curled his fist, staring at the flashing text on the screen in utter disbelief. Wh- Again! he commanded coldly. There was force in his voice, and it almost phased Minako. Almost.

She shook her head. Nope, not this time. She put in four more coins, as did Player 2. We're going to be a team now!

Arcade legends, watch out! Area 51, here I come! she thought. A happy smile graced her face as she began shooting off targets.

---45 Minutes Later---

As a team, Minako and Player 2 advanced through the Bank of America' stage, right before Area 51. Then the test came.

For the Area 51 level, Minako got physically involved, moving from side to side and half-ducking. Even the oh-so-still Player 2 flinched every now and then.

The two fought side by side, not knowing each other's names, but feeling a strong sense of comradery between them. They had progressed several levels through one of the hardest games in the arcade. Minako shot off a last mutant, and Player 2 finished off the rest with ease. Before Minako realized it, they had beaten the level, as well as the game.

The moment Minako had waited for since she discovered the game had come- the chance to put her name on the #1 spot for defeating the Area 51 stage. When Player 2 didn't move, Minako started shooting at the letters that spelled out her name: MINAKO. She was about to press Enter, when Player 2 began shooting in his own name. When he was done, he shot at Enter for her. Player 2 dropped the gun in its cradle, and he began to walk away coolly. The screen changed and showed the high score list for Area 51. At the #1 spot, there was MINAKOANDHEERO, spelled as one word.

Minako couldn't resist what happened next. She jumped onto Heero in a great big hug. Of course, the Perfect Soldier unwound her arm from his body and twisted her into an odd position. He leaned in and whispered flatly in her ear, Don't. Ever. Do that. Again.

He released Minako and walked over to try his luck at the racing games.

After he released her, Minako stared at the her name blinking in the #1 spot. Tears of pure joy welled in Minako's eyes, and she had the sudden urge to jump on Heero once again.

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END
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