I've finally found the time and computer needed to update... I just realized that this chapter is really short and kinda pointless so I'm going to give you an early Christmas/ Hannakuh/ Kwanzaa/ whatever present. (And sorry about the spelling!) Anywho, here's chapter fifteen- Gates of He!!
"Hiiro?" Usagi croaked, trying to open her eyes again. She looked up at him, and saw as he grimaced.
"Thank you, Hiiro." she said slowly. Each word hurt to say- she had gotten slammed in the throat a few times and her mouth was dry from dehydration.
"It's no problem, Usagi. Don't worry about it." Hiiro knew he needed to keep her awake. He grabbed a water bottle from a bag stashed under his seat and unscrewed it with one hand.
"Tilt you head back a little." he told her. She complied, and he let water trickle slowly into her mouth. She licked her lips and thanked him, her normal voice returning a bit.
"Do you think you can heal yourself?" he asked. She thought for a moment.
"I don't have enough energy- I don't think I'll be able to. I've already warned Pluto and the others to stay away." she replied, her voice returning to a hoarse whisper.
"Usagi, I need to tell you something. I think of you as a sister and I would never want anything to happen to you or come between you and Wufei. I am mad at you for not telling us about Unmei, but I'm not half as mad as Wufei is." Usagi tried to smile, but she began coughing instead. She didn't even have enough energy to raise her hand to cover her mouth.
"Gomen, Hiiro. I love you like a brother because I feel safe around you. I love you all, and I'm sorry I let you down." Usagi said before falling back asleep. As soon as Hiiro had established that she was still breathing, he decided it would be alright to let her sleep.
Hiiro landed the Gundam and then maneuvered it so it was on it's back. He carefully climbed out- Usagi cradled in his arms. The other four were waiting for him when he set foot on the ground.
"Holy Allah..." Quatre said. They were all shocked speechless.
Usagi was covered in dried and fresh blood. Her face was black and bruised, and there were several long cuts running across her forehead and down her cheeks. Her shirt had been ripped nearly in half, and her torso was black as well. There were numerous small cuts and a huge cut running down her left side that was still bleeding. Her right arm looked broken and her left ankle was twisted in an odd way. One of her shoes was missing and one of her kneecaps was smashed in.
"What the hell did they do to her?" Wufei demanded, approaching Hiiro. The Perfect Soldier reluctantly handed Usagi to Wufei. He smoothed her hair away from her face softly and sank to the ground with her in his lap. She hook a little at his touch and fought to open her eyes.
"Fei!" she exclaimed softly and hoarsely. "I'm so sorry!" Usagi said, tears streaking down her face, making clean streaks in the blood. He didn't reply, he just held her, shaking. He was relieved, furious at Usagi, furious at OZ, and furious at himself.
"Onna, you need a bath." Wufei tried to joke feebly. She smiled a little.
"Let's get her cleaned up." Quatre suggested. Wufei nodded and followed them back towards the apartment. It was late, and luckily no one else was outside. On the way back Hiiro explained to the others that she couldn't heal herself.
Quatre, Duo, and Trowa went straight to work when they got back- Quatre ran a hot bath that he filled with bubbles for modesty's sake, Duo found their First Aid supplies and got them ready, and Trowa piled all the blankets he could find onto Wufei's bed to make it softer.
Wufei and Hiiro layed Usagi on the floor just outside the bathroom where they could examine her. Trowa, Duo, Wufei, and Quatre each looked over one of her arms or legs while Hiiro checked for broken ribs.
"Broken arm." Duo announced.
"Twisted ankle." Trowa added.
"Two broken ribs and a broken collarbone." Hiiro said.
"Shattered kneecap." Quatre sighed.
"Sprained wrist and four broken fingers." Wufei concluded. Duo lifted Usagi up a little and shook her slightly.
"Usagi who was it?! Who beat you?! Dammit Usagi!" he screamed when she didn't reply. He sat back a little, covering his eyes with his hand. He wasn't crying- he hadn't cried since the Maxwell Church had burnt down- but he couldn't bear to look at her.
"Dammit Usagi..." Duo repeated in a whisper, his voice strained. Wufei lifted Usagi up and into the bathtub. The water was stained red as the blood was lifted from her skin. She hissed as the hot water entered her wounds and she tried to move to climb out.
"Iie, Usagi. Stay in there." Hiiro told her. Usagi relaxed and nodded slightly. Wufei looked between the two suspiciously and Hiiro caught the look.
"Wufei come with me for a minute." the Prussian-eyed boy commanded. The other one nodded and followed him into the bedroom. Hiiro split open a few self-heating plastic packs and put them between the layers of blankets on Wufei's bed, where they would lay Usagi.
"Nothing happened between me and Usagi. I think of her as a sister. I thought you knew that." Hiiro informed him. Wufei accepted what he said and the two returned to help Usagi wash off. Trowa busied himself making a paste that would dry to form a type of cast for her. As soon as the blood had been rinsed from her body, they gently lifted her out of the tub and set her on a towel on the floor. Each guy grabbed a bottle of peroxide and a cloth and began cleaning and bandaging her wounds. She hissed and moaned every time a new dab was applied, writhing in pain as the chemical stung her.
"Usagi I need you to lay flat and calm down. I need to set your broken bones." Hiiro said. Usagi whimpered but complied. Wufei held Usagi's unbroken hand as Hiiro put his hands on her broken arm and snapped it back into place.
"Owww!" Usagi screamed, her pulse increasing. Hiiro flinched at the pain he was causing to her but moved on to correct her fingers, ribs, and collarbone, as well putting her sprained wrist in a sling. Quatre and Trowa followed behind Hiiro's work and wrapped the bones tightly in cloth before applying the cast-paste Trowa had made. (AN: someone proof-read this and asked how they put her collarbone and ribs in a cast--- They didn't!!!)
When they were completely done, they moved her to the bed, careful not to twist her ribs. She grimaced with each movement, but her forehead smoothed out peacefully as they lay her on the soft bed. Usagi took a deep breath, wincing slightly as her ribs rose and fell. She closed her eyes and was asleep almost instantly. Wufei pulled the blankets up to her chin and went with the others into the living room.
"You think she'll be okay?" Duo asked quietly as they sat around the room.
"She will be, eventually." Trowa said.
"Remember, Usagi's a very strong person." Quatre added.
"I can't believe she would do something so stupid as building a Gundam and fighting!" Duo exclaimed.
"What I want to know is what she thought she had to prove." Wufei said. A brilliant flash interrupted any answer he might have recieved from the other pilots.
Pluto soon stood in the midst of them. She smiled sadly.
"Usagi-hime didn't want to prove anything except that she loves you all. She even told the Outers that all she wanted to do was make you unite in your fighting against a common enemy." the Time Senshi tried to explain. "That's what Usagi-hime does- she protects the people she loves at all costs... She'll never change." she concluded wistfully. Wufei punched his fist into his palm.
"But why would she do something like that?! She could have killed herself!" Quatre exclaimed.
"She had no training!" Hiiro added angrily. Pluto sighed and relaxed a bit, leaning against the wall.
"Like I said, she acts to protect the people she cares about most. Usagi-hime didn't know how to protect you in this war, so she learned. Sailor Mercury was able to learn to train Usagi-hime and believe me when I say that her training was adequate. She knows that she could be killed anytime- but she still did it."
"But why?" Duo asked, exasperated.
"Because she loves you all! Plain and simple, she loves you. Usagi-hime is the most loving, caring person you'll ever meet." Pluto replied. She walked through the room and into the bedroom, gasping slightly at the sight of Usagi's bruised and battered face. The others were right behind her.
"I saw it happen... but Usagi-hime blocked me from coming to her aide. She doesn't understand her full power yet, but she will eventually be more powerful than Sailor Saturn herself." she said wistfully. She moved to kneel by the side of the bed, grasping Usagi's undamaged hand. The blonde girl stirred slightly and opened her eyes, straining to focus on the newcomer.
"Setsuna-sama." she whispered, voice still hoarse. Trowa disappeared into the kitchen and returned a few moments later with a water bottle, which he handed to Pluto. She unscrewed the cap and helped Usagi drink.
"Arigato." Usagi said after wetting her parched throat. "Could you prop me up a little?" Hiiro and Quatre moved forward to lift her up carefully and put more pillows behind her.
"Usagi-hime, why wouldn't you let me assist you?" the green-haired woman asked.
"I wanted to prove that I was strong." she admitted quietly.
"Usagi what are you talking about?!" Quatre demanded.
"We know you're strong. You've proved that to us many times." Trowa added.
"You don't have to prove anything to us." Hiiro told her.
"Yes I do!" Usagi sobbed. "In Tokyo I had everything to prove- None of them believed I was strong- Mamoru thought I was a joke, even my friends thought I was an airhead clutz. I was constantly fighting to prove that I wasn't weak to everyone, myself included." Her throat dried as she spoke and Pluto helped her have another drink.
"You need sleep, Usagi." Pluto said before the others could reply to her statement. The green-clad Senshi waved her hand over Usagi's eyes, causing them to close and the blonde girl to fall into a deep sleep.
"What'd you do?!" Quatre exclaimed, worried when he felt Usagi relax so quickly.
"She's blocked me so that I can't heal her, but I can do this- I put her in a sleep washed with my energy so she'll rejuvenate faster. As soon as she's stronger I'll ask her to lift her restraints so that I can bring the other three here to help." Pluto stood and strode out into the living room. "Until then, I entrust her to your care. Goodbye, gentlemen, I will be back to check on her periodically." With that, she disappeared through one of her portals.
The next few days passed by in a blur- Four of them attended school each day, alternating who stayed with Usagi. They did the same on missions- one of them always stayed near her. Her condition improved a little each day, but by the end of the week, she was still unable to stand or move much. She ventured from the bed only to use the bathroom once a day. It was a thirty minute process that required three of them to help her.
Pluto came about every other day to help Usagi heal. By the end of the week she had convinced Usagi to let the other three Outer Senshi come to visit.
And this was the day Pluto had said they would come. The pilots were preparing themselves for Haruka's visit.
Then they saw the portal opening.
"Where is she?" Haruka demanded, the first one out of the portal.
"She's sleeping in the bedroom." Wufei answered. Haruka stormed through the living room, followed closely by Michiru and Hotaru, who appeared split seconds later. The Wind Senshi stopped dead in her tracks before Usagi. Hotaru rushed passed the stopped one and immediately grabbed Usagi's hand, emitting a healing power to the sleeping girl. She gasped and jerked away. Usagi opened her eyes, waking as she sensed the Outer's presence.
"Hi Hotaru, Haruka, Michiru. Missed ya!" she exclaimed. Haruka raised an eyebrow. Michiru still stood behind her, hand over mouth.
"Koneko..." Haruka growled in a low voice. Usagi seemed to shrink down a little under the covers.
"Before you get mad-" she began, but was cut off.
"BEFORE?!" Haruka screeched. "I knew this was a bad idea from the beginning! I knew you were going to go off and pull some stunt to keep someone else safe and end up getting caught and hurt! And NOW look!"
"Wait a minute you knew she was doing this when you came last time?!" Duo demanded. Michiru nodded.
"And you didn't stop her?!" Trowa asked. Hotaru sank to the floor with her back against Usagi's bed.
"Iie!" Haruka exclaimed. "You try stopping her when she gets her mind set on something!"
"But you didn't even try?" Wufei asked. This comment made them all break out in a shouting argument- even Hotaru began to fight. Usagi just sighed and closed her eyes, trying to use her energy to calm them.
Quatre was the first to realize what she was doing- his empathy was working overtime anyway during her healing. He strode over to the side of the bed and angrily grabbed her shoulders. She winced as he twisted her broken collarbone.
"Stop it! Stop it, hear me?!" he shouted at her as he shook her a little. Wufei immediately stopped yelling at Haruka and pulled Quatre off Usagi.
"Make her stop..." Quatre whispered, tears running down his face as Wufei held him back.
"What is she doing?" Wufei asked.
"She was trying to calm us all down using her own energy!" the blonde one exclaimed. "You're going to kill yourself one of these days by trying to save someone else!" Usagi hung her head.
"I'm sorry..." she began, but trailed off, as if changing her mind. She then lifted her head to look them straight in the eye.
"You know something? I'm not sorry! I'm not sorry that I love you guys so much. I'm not sorry that I met you. I'm not sorry that I built Unmei or that I learned to fight this way. And most of all, I'm not sorry I followed Hiiro that day! I'm not sorry I got hurt!" Usagi practically yelled. Hotaru placed her hand over Usagi's and tried to hug the older girl. At first, the odango-haired one tried to shrug her off, but then relented and calmed down.
"Usagi-mama let me heal you!" Hotaru exclaimed.
"I can't, Hotaru. I can't." Usagi replied before falling asleep suddenly. The Outers didn't hang around long after that. They left, with Haruka promising swift death to them all if anything else happened to Usagi.
A week passed. Usagi's condition improved little. She could stand for a little while on her own but had problems walking without assistence. They thought they had been through hell and back, but there's no way they could have known that they were still at the gates.
Duo: De shittith is about to hittith the fannith.
Aka: Huh?
Wufei: Ignore him. It works.
Trowa: Who took my mask?!
Aka: Huh?
Hiiro: Hnn. Haven't seen it.
Trowa: Duo!
Duo: It wasn't me!
Aka: Huh?
Trowa: Wufei!
Wufei: I wouldn't touch that onna mask with a ten foot pole.
Aka: Huh?
Trowa: Quatre!
Quatre: I wouldn't steal your mask, Trowa.
Aka: Huh?
Trowa: Aka!
Aka: Huh?
Trowa: *head blows up*
All: REVIEW!
Duo: There may be two chapters but please review this one before going on!
"Hiiro?" Usagi croaked, trying to open her eyes again. She looked up at him, and saw as he grimaced.
"Thank you, Hiiro." she said slowly. Each word hurt to say- she had gotten slammed in the throat a few times and her mouth was dry from dehydration.
"It's no problem, Usagi. Don't worry about it." Hiiro knew he needed to keep her awake. He grabbed a water bottle from a bag stashed under his seat and unscrewed it with one hand.
"Tilt you head back a little." he told her. She complied, and he let water trickle slowly into her mouth. She licked her lips and thanked him, her normal voice returning a bit.
"Do you think you can heal yourself?" he asked. She thought for a moment.
"I don't have enough energy- I don't think I'll be able to. I've already warned Pluto and the others to stay away." she replied, her voice returning to a hoarse whisper.
"Usagi, I need to tell you something. I think of you as a sister and I would never want anything to happen to you or come between you and Wufei. I am mad at you for not telling us about Unmei, but I'm not half as mad as Wufei is." Usagi tried to smile, but she began coughing instead. She didn't even have enough energy to raise her hand to cover her mouth.
"Gomen, Hiiro. I love you like a brother because I feel safe around you. I love you all, and I'm sorry I let you down." Usagi said before falling back asleep. As soon as Hiiro had established that she was still breathing, he decided it would be alright to let her sleep.
Hiiro landed the Gundam and then maneuvered it so it was on it's back. He carefully climbed out- Usagi cradled in his arms. The other four were waiting for him when he set foot on the ground.
"Holy Allah..." Quatre said. They were all shocked speechless.
Usagi was covered in dried and fresh blood. Her face was black and bruised, and there were several long cuts running across her forehead and down her cheeks. Her shirt had been ripped nearly in half, and her torso was black as well. There were numerous small cuts and a huge cut running down her left side that was still bleeding. Her right arm looked broken and her left ankle was twisted in an odd way. One of her shoes was missing and one of her kneecaps was smashed in.
"What the hell did they do to her?" Wufei demanded, approaching Hiiro. The Perfect Soldier reluctantly handed Usagi to Wufei. He smoothed her hair away from her face softly and sank to the ground with her in his lap. She hook a little at his touch and fought to open her eyes.
"Fei!" she exclaimed softly and hoarsely. "I'm so sorry!" Usagi said, tears streaking down her face, making clean streaks in the blood. He didn't reply, he just held her, shaking. He was relieved, furious at Usagi, furious at OZ, and furious at himself.
"Onna, you need a bath." Wufei tried to joke feebly. She smiled a little.
"Let's get her cleaned up." Quatre suggested. Wufei nodded and followed them back towards the apartment. It was late, and luckily no one else was outside. On the way back Hiiro explained to the others that she couldn't heal herself.
Quatre, Duo, and Trowa went straight to work when they got back- Quatre ran a hot bath that he filled with bubbles for modesty's sake, Duo found their First Aid supplies and got them ready, and Trowa piled all the blankets he could find onto Wufei's bed to make it softer.
Wufei and Hiiro layed Usagi on the floor just outside the bathroom where they could examine her. Trowa, Duo, Wufei, and Quatre each looked over one of her arms or legs while Hiiro checked for broken ribs.
"Broken arm." Duo announced.
"Twisted ankle." Trowa added.
"Two broken ribs and a broken collarbone." Hiiro said.
"Shattered kneecap." Quatre sighed.
"Sprained wrist and four broken fingers." Wufei concluded. Duo lifted Usagi up a little and shook her slightly.
"Usagi who was it?! Who beat you?! Dammit Usagi!" he screamed when she didn't reply. He sat back a little, covering his eyes with his hand. He wasn't crying- he hadn't cried since the Maxwell Church had burnt down- but he couldn't bear to look at her.
"Dammit Usagi..." Duo repeated in a whisper, his voice strained. Wufei lifted Usagi up and into the bathtub. The water was stained red as the blood was lifted from her skin. She hissed as the hot water entered her wounds and she tried to move to climb out.
"Iie, Usagi. Stay in there." Hiiro told her. Usagi relaxed and nodded slightly. Wufei looked between the two suspiciously and Hiiro caught the look.
"Wufei come with me for a minute." the Prussian-eyed boy commanded. The other one nodded and followed him into the bedroom. Hiiro split open a few self-heating plastic packs and put them between the layers of blankets on Wufei's bed, where they would lay Usagi.
"Nothing happened between me and Usagi. I think of her as a sister. I thought you knew that." Hiiro informed him. Wufei accepted what he said and the two returned to help Usagi wash off. Trowa busied himself making a paste that would dry to form a type of cast for her. As soon as the blood had been rinsed from her body, they gently lifted her out of the tub and set her on a towel on the floor. Each guy grabbed a bottle of peroxide and a cloth and began cleaning and bandaging her wounds. She hissed and moaned every time a new dab was applied, writhing in pain as the chemical stung her.
"Usagi I need you to lay flat and calm down. I need to set your broken bones." Hiiro said. Usagi whimpered but complied. Wufei held Usagi's unbroken hand as Hiiro put his hands on her broken arm and snapped it back into place.
"Owww!" Usagi screamed, her pulse increasing. Hiiro flinched at the pain he was causing to her but moved on to correct her fingers, ribs, and collarbone, as well putting her sprained wrist in a sling. Quatre and Trowa followed behind Hiiro's work and wrapped the bones tightly in cloth before applying the cast-paste Trowa had made. (AN: someone proof-read this and asked how they put her collarbone and ribs in a cast--- They didn't!!!)
When they were completely done, they moved her to the bed, careful not to twist her ribs. She grimaced with each movement, but her forehead smoothed out peacefully as they lay her on the soft bed. Usagi took a deep breath, wincing slightly as her ribs rose and fell. She closed her eyes and was asleep almost instantly. Wufei pulled the blankets up to her chin and went with the others into the living room.
"You think she'll be okay?" Duo asked quietly as they sat around the room.
"She will be, eventually." Trowa said.
"Remember, Usagi's a very strong person." Quatre added.
"I can't believe she would do something so stupid as building a Gundam and fighting!" Duo exclaimed.
"What I want to know is what she thought she had to prove." Wufei said. A brilliant flash interrupted any answer he might have recieved from the other pilots.
Pluto soon stood in the midst of them. She smiled sadly.
"Usagi-hime didn't want to prove anything except that she loves you all. She even told the Outers that all she wanted to do was make you unite in your fighting against a common enemy." the Time Senshi tried to explain. "That's what Usagi-hime does- she protects the people she loves at all costs... She'll never change." she concluded wistfully. Wufei punched his fist into his palm.
"But why would she do something like that?! She could have killed herself!" Quatre exclaimed.
"She had no training!" Hiiro added angrily. Pluto sighed and relaxed a bit, leaning against the wall.
"Like I said, she acts to protect the people she cares about most. Usagi-hime didn't know how to protect you in this war, so she learned. Sailor Mercury was able to learn to train Usagi-hime and believe me when I say that her training was adequate. She knows that she could be killed anytime- but she still did it."
"But why?" Duo asked, exasperated.
"Because she loves you all! Plain and simple, she loves you. Usagi-hime is the most loving, caring person you'll ever meet." Pluto replied. She walked through the room and into the bedroom, gasping slightly at the sight of Usagi's bruised and battered face. The others were right behind her.
"I saw it happen... but Usagi-hime blocked me from coming to her aide. She doesn't understand her full power yet, but she will eventually be more powerful than Sailor Saturn herself." she said wistfully. She moved to kneel by the side of the bed, grasping Usagi's undamaged hand. The blonde girl stirred slightly and opened her eyes, straining to focus on the newcomer.
"Setsuna-sama." she whispered, voice still hoarse. Trowa disappeared into the kitchen and returned a few moments later with a water bottle, which he handed to Pluto. She unscrewed the cap and helped Usagi drink.
"Arigato." Usagi said after wetting her parched throat. "Could you prop me up a little?" Hiiro and Quatre moved forward to lift her up carefully and put more pillows behind her.
"Usagi-hime, why wouldn't you let me assist you?" the green-haired woman asked.
"I wanted to prove that I was strong." she admitted quietly.
"Usagi what are you talking about?!" Quatre demanded.
"We know you're strong. You've proved that to us many times." Trowa added.
"You don't have to prove anything to us." Hiiro told her.
"Yes I do!" Usagi sobbed. "In Tokyo I had everything to prove- None of them believed I was strong- Mamoru thought I was a joke, even my friends thought I was an airhead clutz. I was constantly fighting to prove that I wasn't weak to everyone, myself included." Her throat dried as she spoke and Pluto helped her have another drink.
"You need sleep, Usagi." Pluto said before the others could reply to her statement. The green-clad Senshi waved her hand over Usagi's eyes, causing them to close and the blonde girl to fall into a deep sleep.
"What'd you do?!" Quatre exclaimed, worried when he felt Usagi relax so quickly.
"She's blocked me so that I can't heal her, but I can do this- I put her in a sleep washed with my energy so she'll rejuvenate faster. As soon as she's stronger I'll ask her to lift her restraints so that I can bring the other three here to help." Pluto stood and strode out into the living room. "Until then, I entrust her to your care. Goodbye, gentlemen, I will be back to check on her periodically." With that, she disappeared through one of her portals.
The next few days passed by in a blur- Four of them attended school each day, alternating who stayed with Usagi. They did the same on missions- one of them always stayed near her. Her condition improved a little each day, but by the end of the week, she was still unable to stand or move much. She ventured from the bed only to use the bathroom once a day. It was a thirty minute process that required three of them to help her.
Pluto came about every other day to help Usagi heal. By the end of the week she had convinced Usagi to let the other three Outer Senshi come to visit.
And this was the day Pluto had said they would come. The pilots were preparing themselves for Haruka's visit.
Then they saw the portal opening.
"Where is she?" Haruka demanded, the first one out of the portal.
"She's sleeping in the bedroom." Wufei answered. Haruka stormed through the living room, followed closely by Michiru and Hotaru, who appeared split seconds later. The Wind Senshi stopped dead in her tracks before Usagi. Hotaru rushed passed the stopped one and immediately grabbed Usagi's hand, emitting a healing power to the sleeping girl. She gasped and jerked away. Usagi opened her eyes, waking as she sensed the Outer's presence.
"Hi Hotaru, Haruka, Michiru. Missed ya!" she exclaimed. Haruka raised an eyebrow. Michiru still stood behind her, hand over mouth.
"Koneko..." Haruka growled in a low voice. Usagi seemed to shrink down a little under the covers.
"Before you get mad-" she began, but was cut off.
"BEFORE?!" Haruka screeched. "I knew this was a bad idea from the beginning! I knew you were going to go off and pull some stunt to keep someone else safe and end up getting caught and hurt! And NOW look!"
"Wait a minute you knew she was doing this when you came last time?!" Duo demanded. Michiru nodded.
"And you didn't stop her?!" Trowa asked. Hotaru sank to the floor with her back against Usagi's bed.
"Iie!" Haruka exclaimed. "You try stopping her when she gets her mind set on something!"
"But you didn't even try?" Wufei asked. This comment made them all break out in a shouting argument- even Hotaru began to fight. Usagi just sighed and closed her eyes, trying to use her energy to calm them.
Quatre was the first to realize what she was doing- his empathy was working overtime anyway during her healing. He strode over to the side of the bed and angrily grabbed her shoulders. She winced as he twisted her broken collarbone.
"Stop it! Stop it, hear me?!" he shouted at her as he shook her a little. Wufei immediately stopped yelling at Haruka and pulled Quatre off Usagi.
"Make her stop..." Quatre whispered, tears running down his face as Wufei held him back.
"What is she doing?" Wufei asked.
"She was trying to calm us all down using her own energy!" the blonde one exclaimed. "You're going to kill yourself one of these days by trying to save someone else!" Usagi hung her head.
"I'm sorry..." she began, but trailed off, as if changing her mind. She then lifted her head to look them straight in the eye.
"You know something? I'm not sorry! I'm not sorry that I love you guys so much. I'm not sorry that I met you. I'm not sorry that I built Unmei or that I learned to fight this way. And most of all, I'm not sorry I followed Hiiro that day! I'm not sorry I got hurt!" Usagi practically yelled. Hotaru placed her hand over Usagi's and tried to hug the older girl. At first, the odango-haired one tried to shrug her off, but then relented and calmed down.
"Usagi-mama let me heal you!" Hotaru exclaimed.
"I can't, Hotaru. I can't." Usagi replied before falling asleep suddenly. The Outers didn't hang around long after that. They left, with Haruka promising swift death to them all if anything else happened to Usagi.
A week passed. Usagi's condition improved little. She could stand for a little while on her own but had problems walking without assistence. They thought they had been through hell and back, but there's no way they could have known that they were still at the gates.
Duo: De shittith is about to hittith the fannith.
Aka: Huh?
Wufei: Ignore him. It works.
Trowa: Who took my mask?!
Aka: Huh?
Hiiro: Hnn. Haven't seen it.
Trowa: Duo!
Duo: It wasn't me!
Aka: Huh?
Trowa: Wufei!
Wufei: I wouldn't touch that onna mask with a ten foot pole.
Aka: Huh?
Trowa: Quatre!
Quatre: I wouldn't steal your mask, Trowa.
Aka: Huh?
Trowa: Aka!
Aka: Huh?
Trowa: *head blows up*
All: REVIEW!
Duo: There may be two chapters but please review this one before going on!