Look, look! Another chapter! ^^
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon. ::sniff:: How can I ever get over it…? And when will you guys stop shoving it in my face? Lol. : P
Editors: As always, thanks to DevilsDarling, Usagi Asia Maxwell, Lady Artemis, and Autumn Hime for their contributions to this chapter. ^^
Chapter 6: Jealousy
Her blood turned to ice in her veins, and her fingertips felt numb as she shakily raised the cup of iced water to her mouth. She conveyed a voiceless thank you to Makoto who was perceptibly making an effort to distract both their dates. Even so, Quatre ended up detecting the sweeping swing of moods.
"Usagi, are you all right?" His eyes were darkened with concern, and she had to smile back.
"I'm fine."
Minutes ticked by as Makoto chatted with and occupied the two men while she collected herself. More than once she felt the discreet blonde next to her's fretful gaze but decidedly ignored him and stared straight ahead.
She knew for a fact that Hiiro and Minako were sitting at one of the booths along the wall to her right. It was also obvious that they were not in her line of vision. Craving to turn around to look, she admonished herself severely. Her mind was focused on two tasks -–ignoring the couple and barricading a wall against the wave of tears that pulsed on her chest.
Hiiro, Minako, here, date, Quatre, love, happiness, misery swarmed around in her head, and she felt the barricade evaporating. Before she could make a moron of herself in public, she quickly stood up in one graceful movement and dropped her crumpled napkin onto the table, muttering a soft, "Excuse me," under her breath. Lady Luck granted her one favor – no tears stained her tone. Her white, heeled sandals tapped cheerfully on the immaculate marble floor, and she glared down at them, hair falling over her shoulder to cover her face.
………………….
He checked to make sure Minako was still glancing up and down the menu before sneaking several furtive looks towards his roommate's table half a room away. Damn it! Who was her date? Sending a black look towards the ornamental pot of flowers atop a plaster pedestal blocking his vision, he didn't notice his own date's words until it was too late.
"Hiiro! Have you been listening to a word I've said?" she demanded, humorous blue eyes playfully flickering. His chest hurt at the sight – they looked almost exactly like … He shook his head and expediently finished his sentence – no one's.
Looking away, he grunted, "Of course I have."
"Then pray tell – what have I been talking about?"
His lips were drawn in a tight line, and his hands clutched at the table until his knuckles turned white. The person his eyes were pointed at got up, golden head bowed, and dropped her napkin onto the table, walking off towards the restrooms. He propped himself up and slid out from the booth, murmuring a distracted, "Excuse me."
…………………
She tapped her way to the back of the restaurant where Makoto had directed her. Somebody collided into her from behind, jolting her out of her frenzied thoughts.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, sir!" she cried quickly, startled, and glanced up. Nothing could have prepared her for the pair of eyes she met. His name stuck at her throat.
"What're you doing here?" he challenged.
Tears forgotten, she glowered at him. "Thanks for the apology! And I'm here on a date."
He mentally rolled his eyes. "Well you're the undisputed queen of obvious. Who're you here with?"
"Well, DAD, excuse me if I cordially decline your poking into my private life!" She whirled around to go, but he caught her shoulder, turning her back to him.
"Who are you here with?" he repeated, the look one his face so dark that she inwardly cringed.
"Will you leave me alone if I tell you?"
"No promises."
"Then no deal!" Again, she tried to escape, and again he held her back.
"Please."
"How touching," she snarled sarcastically. "And with such sincerity."
A growl fought up through his throat, and he scowled at her. "I can go look."
"Look all you want!"
His eyes flickered uncertainly aside, and she caught the movement. Her heart warmed a few degrees at the hesitant look that escaped his shell of coldness, and she sighed resignedly.
"Look, I'm here with Quatre. Go back to Minako – she's infatuated with you. And I know I may be an infinitesimal speck to you, but I suggest you take my advice."
"Quatre," he growled, the moment of weakness gone and ignoring her last two sentences outright. "You just couldn't choose somebody I DIDN'T know?"
Annoyance flared up with alacrity. "Well EXCUSE ME for going on a blind date. Besides, even if I HAD known it was Quatre, you think I would have declined? Do you HONESTLY believe that I would personally consult you for all of my dates?! Good evening to you too, Mr. Yui," she finished coldly and at last succeeded in her attempt to get into the restroom, but the tempting taste of victory was short-lived and easily overwhelmed by the bitter flood of tears.
…………………
Her quick exit left him breathless and his mind spiraling downwards. He leaned against the wall and brought both hands up to cover his eyes, fighting to draw in air. Quatre … the last person he would have expected to inflict pain upon him. Mentally sighing, he stood up and walked back towards the booth. He met the stares of all occupants of the restaurant, including his date and hers.
"What're you all looking at?" he snapped and was relieved when senseless chatter resumed and eyes waltzed away. Only Quatre and Minako's gazes remained intense and shrewd, scanning his face guardedly. His blonde comrade looked away after a dark emotion, so unlike Quatre, passed over his eyes. Sliding back into his own booth, he ignored his date's stare and gulped at his water, wishing uncharacteristically that it contained alcohol.
"Didn't go too well, huh?" the blonde questioned lightly.
He grunted.
His eyes didn't turn up as he heard her breathe in deeply. "Hiiro, tell me," she started slowly. "Is Usagi simply like a sister to you or … or something more?"
Her luminous cerulean eyes gazed earnestly up at him as she licked her lips and swallowed uneasily, her hands nervously making slight fluttering movements.
Sister … or something more? He closed his eyes frustratedly but snapped them open again when Minako sighed. "That's okay, Hiiro. You don't have to answer that." She got up and grabbed her purse. "I should probably-"
Seizing her wrist, he stared at her as she paused and turned around. "Sister." A small smile emerged on his date's face as a look of relief floated past the windows of her soul. She sat down, smiled tenderly, and leaned forward, gently pressing her lips against his.
Keep saying that and maybe you'll start believing it, his mind jeered as he stubbornly deepened the kiss.
…………………
After a good cry and some creative art with makeup, she came out looking almost perfectly fine, eyes just barely pink to indicate her recent tears. Her cloudy mind had cleared up and sliced past rage and bitterness. Abashedly, she had to admit she had gone too far this time. She hoped to expunge the previous damages by offering him her sincerest apologies as she walked, head high, towards his booth.
Halfway there, she stopped sharply and forgot to breathe. The intimate kiss of the two faded beautifully into the soft lighting and inconspicuous twirling of gilded wallpaper. Turning on her heel, she strode back to her table.
"I'm terribly sorry, Quatre, everyone, but I have to go," Usagi stuttered out hastily, grabbing her purse and digging out a small wad of bills.
"Usagi, are you sure you're all right?" Her dinner date laid a comforting hand on her forearm, and she had to gulp back tears.
"I'm fine," she laughed lightly, but the giggle sounded more sarcastic than reassuring.
"Could I meet with you again, perhaps?"
She stared into his soft, apologetic blue eyes but looked away. This wasn't his fault. Nodding, she dug her planner out and tore off a sheet of notepaper, scrawling her phone number on it with a pen that Duo had offered solemnly. Her date folded it carefully and tucked it into his front pocket.
"I'm terribly sorry for leaving like this," she apologized. "Please excuse my behavior throughout this entire dinner-"
Warm cobalt eyes beamed up at her. "No need to be so formal, Usagi," Duo smiled.
"I'll call you, Usa," Makoto called to her retreating form.
…………………
Out of the corner of her eye, Makoto saw Hiiro stand up to follow the departing blonde and excused herself from the table. Amusedly, she heard Duo sigh.
"Women."
Quatre smiled. "Creatures of emotion."*
"Wish they'd tone it down a bit in our presence…" the braided man sighed.
She maneuvered herself over so that she easily bumped into Hiiro.
He muttered a lukewarm "excuse me" and was about to push past her before she held him back, thanking the years of martial arts she had taken through childhood and as a teenager.
"Hiiro Yui, right? Usa's roommate?" she didn't pause for an answer and instead pushed on, flashing a bright smile at his stunned expression. "I haven't seen you in YEARS! You know, Rei and I keep asking Usagi to bring you over, but she always refuses! You know what? I think I've seen you somewhere else too … are you a close acquaintance of Miss Peac-"
"Do I know you?" jutted rudely into her words, but she smiled. Usagi had made her escape, and her mission was accomplished.
"I'm one of Usagi's friends, Makoto and if a single bit of your heart is still there, you would apologize to her as soon as possible."
He nodded vaguely and thrusted past her, only to see the frosted glass doors swing shut and a car glide out of the parking lot. Dark eyes turned to glare at her.
"You did that on purpose," he accused.
"Give the genius a cookie," she muttered derisively, staring audaciously back at him and shrugging. "That is nothing, I tell you, NOTHING next to what you've put her through. Now, if you'll excuse me, MR. Yui, I believe I have a dinner date to attend to." She flounced past him.
He gaped after her.
…………………
The answering machine beeped incessantly after she entered the house. The date with Quatre had been three days ago, and she had just gotten back from Advanced Economics, tired as hell and wanting nothing more than to dent the wall with the beeping contraption.
She turned up the volume and pressed the play button before leaving the study and walking to the kitchen to make herself a sandwich. Her ears caught several hang-ups as she hummed to herself and grabbed some lettuce out of the vegetable compartment in the fridge.
Sighing, she grabbed a bag of grapes out of there as well and stuffed them into the fruits' section. The drawer system was set up by Hiiro, a.k.a. the neat freak of their little trio, but she had no problems with it. However, this was the last time she was EVER letting Minako put the groceries away. Just yesterday she had searched for over thirty minutes to find the eggs in the pantry.
"Monday, twelve thirty-five a.m.," the voice on the machine droned as she grabbed her cup of orange juice and headed back towards the study. Thankfully Hiiro had Computer Science something or other at this time and had almost just left for class. She had another two hours or so before he came back and by then she would be at her Theory of Knowledge course. Minako was off in the Newark area for some elite photo shoot and runway so the house was pretty much quiet again. Considering she was avoiding Hiiro like the plague, of course.
Quatre's voice drifted from the machine, and she blinked. "Miss Usagi, this is Quatre from Friday night. I hope you're all right and would like to say that I am very worried about you and disappointed that the date was cut short. I had a great time despite the, uh, difficulties and have just recently received two tickets to the Meyerson for a showing of Les Miserables from a friend who decided he couldn't go. So, um, please call me back if you're interested. Thanks."
Her brow wrinkled as she sat back into the smooth leather seat and glanced over at Hiiro's laptop on screensaver mode. Her eyes traveled downwards to take in the mass of multi-colored post-it notes stuck on the barely visible desktop calendar. She peeked at his open planner and sadly noted "date with Mina – 7:30" scrawled in his hurried cursive. Her hand reached for the phone.
…………………
Hmmm … they say opposites attract but this is ridiculous! Even ~I~ find Usa a little odd for sticking around this long … :sigh: Thanks for reading and don't mind my rambling. Yours, Angel. ^_~
Notes:
*Creatures of emotion – courtesy of the Black Rose from Missing by a Mile and Love's Labors Lost. Go read her fics! So what if they are all Hiiro/Relena? The writing itself is AMAZING! *_*