Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon.
Chapter 12: Miracles
The door swung open heavily as she trudged into the kitchen. The living room light was dimly on, but she was in absolutely no mood for Rei's inquisition or pity.
"Usa-"
"No comment," she cut her raven-haired roommate off shortly before heading towards her room and closing the door quietly.
Rei blinked after her before looking down sadly, mindlessly unfolding and refolding the marked page of her sappy romance novel. Her brow creased in a frown before she reached for the phone and dialed Minako's number.
"Operation Blind Date failed," she greeted grimly but quietly to prevent Usagi from hearing.
The older twin of their target sighed into the phone. "You're telling me."
…………………
Rei looked up as her blonde roommate stormed out of her room and poured herself a glass of orange juice after sticking a slice of bread into one side of the toaster and pressing it down. After much bustling around the kitchen, grabbing the toasted bread, grabbing the knife, finding the strawberry jam, etc, Usagi finally plopped down at the breakfast table, muttering a barely audible, "Mornin'"
Rei smiled to herself – one thing would never change: Usagi wouldn't become a morning person until chickens had puppies.
Tired but still vibrant blue eyes turned up to her again, wary and disgruntled. "One word about dating or love or anything like that, and I will throttle you."
"Is that any way to treat your roommate?" she teased easily back.
Usagi humphed and bit into her heavily jam-covered toast.
"I'm sorry if this is violating the rules, but those came in for you this morning. He asks you to meet him at the fountain of the park at 4:00," she continued, indicating a vase of fresh flowers Usagi had passed more than three times in her dazed sleepwalking around the kitchen, preparing breakfast.
The blonde didn't glance in that direction but instead frowned at her. "It's morning right now."
"Only if you define morning as 2:38," she shot back.
Usagi's jaw fell. "I slept that late?!"
"Flowers?"
Her roommate turned back to her toast. "Throw them away."
"What?!" Her fists banged the table as she stood up angrily. "He's sincere, you kn-"
"You're not one to tell me he's sincere! He can't even tell me he loves me – I had waited for over five years for him and after another year, he finally shows up again and can't tell me he loves me!"
"He is a gundam pilot for goodness's sake, Usagi! You don't understand what he's seen, how he's been trained!"
"Well, Rei, excuse me if I can't see how a person cannot tell the woman he supposedly loves that he loves her after having over six years to brood over it!" The milk in the glass swished dangerously as she too stood and banged her hands on the table.
"Consider going at least! He had the kindness to drive you home last night!"
"We didn't talk, Rei."
Violet eyes blinked away as she sat back down. "It's not my business-"
"You're damn right it isn't!"
She continued, unfazed, "-but I would like for you to go, if at all possible."
"No it isn't. Besides, I have an interview with some company in Houston. I have to leave on a 5:00 plane."
"What?! When did this happen?"
Usagi smiled guiltily at her as she sat back down as well. "This firm offered me a job-"
"You haven't even graduated yet!"
She shrugged. "One more year. Not even."
"B-but … you'll be leaving him forever?"
The blonde breathed in deeply. "Why does it always come back to him? Hiiro, Hiiro, Hiiro. Is he the center of your lives?"
Rei winced at the feigned teasing tone. "Sorry. So what about this company?"
"I'd be a financial consultant … and in Houston, maybe I'll have a slim chance of utterly forgetting the name Hiiro."
"Can't you go this afternoon?"
Usagi was silent as she gazed out of the large window next to the both of them, streaming sunlight onto the lightly colored table. Finally, she sighed and smiled. "To say goodbye."
…………………
Her mind was in turmoil as she marched towards the gardens in the park after taking a short bus ride there. Rei had promised her her luggage would get taken care of – she herself would take it to the airport. That was not the problem. She had told everybody else and found, to her utter delight, that Ami might be heading south with her after the high-salaried offer she had received in Fort Worth. That was not the problem either.
She was scared. Scared breathless. So scared that her thoughts darted around in her head in incoherent little strips of color, leaving barely anything in their wake. And Usagi Tsukino, soon to be Harvard graduate, did NOT like to be scared.
The distant blobs of color neared and separated into petals and bundles of flowers. The decoratively and neatly kept beds appealed to the eye, but her heart was pounding too loudly and distractingly for her to notice.
She prayed that he had forgotten. That he decided to chicken out and not show up. Irony decided to allow him to catch sight of her at that exact moment.
"Usagi," he greeted tersely. She mustered up a small smile.
"Hiiro. What am I here for?"
"I heard about Houston."
Her lips curved up in a smile. "It's quite a deal." She didn't even make an effort to avoid the silence that followed. Finally, he spoke again.
"Does my past really bother you that much?" he questioned, no inflection in his voice, staring steadily into her eyes. She looked aside and sighed.
"It's not really that, Hiiro. Let's just say I'm more upset that you lied to me." Her voice sounded small and tired.
"It was for your own good," he argued.
He stared at her as she laughed. "I thought five years of friendship meant more than that. I thought you trusted me more." The words, though light, carried a darker and deeper meaning.
He was silent for a moment before curtly replying, "Don't go."
Her eyes flashed up at him. "Are you commanding me?"
"I-no," he returned shakily.
"Good. Is that all you had to say? May I leave now?"
"Usagi … stay here. Marry me," he pleaded tonelessly, and she stared wistfully up at him.
"Only if you can tell me you love me … the offer stands," she stated quietly, looking anywhere but at him.
The words that he had practiced for over five months stuck at his throat. She sighed.
"I'm sorry Hiiro, but I have a plane to catch at 5:00." She grinned bitterly up at him and turned to leave. "Oh and … goodbye," she called over her shoulder before swiftly striding out of the park. Hailing a taxi, she headed towards the airport, unconsciously praying that he would come after her.
…………………
He stared at the flickering digits, dancing dangerously near to 5:00. The need to punch the taxi car watch in was suppressed but just barely. Instead, he turned his eyes to the speed meter and growled at the driver to speed up. The smart alec flicked him off.
Tension was high and automatically, his hand reached for the gun in his back pocket. Grabbing it, he brought it slowly up to the driver's head, calmly ordering him to, quote, hurry the hell up, unquote.
The car jerked forward with a satisfactory screech of tires.
………………….
She rushed into the brightly-lit airport, frigidly cold, just as she had remembered it. Gate numbers loomed up above her as she bypassed security and headed towards Gate 26.
The verdict was in. He had rejected her completely, despite five years of friendship and another year to think over it. Even now … he didn't trust her … he probably never planned to tell her that he was a Gundam pilot if she hadn't found out. But if she had accepted his proposal would he have…
She shook her head and accepted that she truly didn't understand him. Her impression of war had always been of tighter food rations, missing Dad and Sammy, and the constant urgent broadcasts on every news station. How could she possibly understand him? Especially when he didn't want her to?
She had always known Hiiro was a tad overprotective of his loved ones though it hardly showed behind the barrage of silence and death threats. She understood that he thought she was some pure, innocent life on the sidelines that didn't need to be dragged into the arena but…
"Pure and innocent, my foot," she laughed softly to herself.
Her heart hurt from all the what-if's going around in her brain.
Had she made the right choice?
…………………
Getting out of the car, suddenly remembering he hadn't brought his wallet, he growled and hurriedly emptied the magazine* before tossing the weapon towards the man across from him.
"Your payment," he muttered to the stunned driver and headed towards the front doors.
Besides, leaving the gun behind worked out – he would never have been able to get through security had he brought it. Sighing, he shook his head and sprinted in – it was his favorite gun too…
…………………
She closed her eyes and hoped against hope that he would arrive but already hope was dwindling. The call for rows 1-16 to board echoed emptily, and she got up, waiting for the next call. She glanced at her ticket and sighed. Houston … heard it was pretty darn humid down there. Cowboys? Horses? She didn't prefer to live in a Western movie but … the pay was most definitely good considering she was just graduating … and money makes the world go 'round, no?
…………………
He rushed onwards into the airport, silently cursing the slight delay when he had to drop his keys out of his pocket.
Damn it! He didn't know the gate number!
The urge to walk over to the nearest wall and start banging his head was logically held back – he didn't want to make a public fool out of himself. The search slowed down quite dramatically as he scanned each waiting area with calculating eyes.
"Flight 895 to Houston, Texas is now boarding rows 17-29. Please board at Gate 26…"
The rest of the words trailed off into oblivion as he raced forward with a spurt of energy, desolation nipping at his heels. Looking up at the tiered ceiling, he closed his eyes and mentally thanked whatever kind of being was up there.
…………………
She slowly got up and headed towards the flight attendant, getting into the semi-long line.
Hope died a long time ago.
…………………
"Usagi!" he yelled and ignored the heads that turned. Only one pair of eyes mattered to him and, as if in slow motion, the blonde head turned back, eyes wide with surprise and tears. Tears?
"Please stay," he pleaded, breathing slightly audible after the short sprint. He grabbed her shoulders as if reassuring himself that she would not be able to go.
Her eyes closed. "Do you love me?" The tone was begging him to say yes. He stopped short. In all the hurry to get to her, the need to say three words had been pushed out of his mind. Until now.
His slightly accelerated breathing filled the space between them.
Her eyes turned sadly towards him. "Hiiro, what is wrong with you? You've dragged me through this all through high school, and you're still trying to make me miserable? It's just love you know! Really … three words and I'm yours forever."
He finally had something to say. "It may just be love to you … but to me, it's so much more…"
Delicate sapphire watered at this. "Why? I don't know your past at all," she concluded, looking back at the gate. The echoed call for rows 30-37 reverberated to her ears.
Taking a deep breath, three small words inched out, "I love you."
Wide cerulean eyes widened even further at this as she gaped at him. "What?"
"I love you, Usagi. Ever since … forever."
Disbelief dissolved to tears dissolved to laughter as she swung her arms around him. "I love you too,
was whispered in his ear. "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear that…"
He sighed relievedly as the tension flew from his body. "You have no idea how long I've waited to say that." His voice cracked but no embarrassment bubbled up.
The waiting room around them erupted in applause, and Usagi's eyes widened as a blush tinted her cheeks.
"Ladies and gentlemen, flight 895 to Houston, Texas has been delayed. Please check the screens located in each waiting area and near the exits for exact times and details."
Her jaw dropped.
"What, you thought we were going to just let you go without a single protest, Meatball Head?" Rei teased lightly as she stood up from one of the seats, grinning and referring back to an old high school nickname.
"I-"
"And we all thought you knew us better than that, Usa!" Ami giggled, appearing from behind.
"Shame how you don't know your own twin well enough to anticipate this!" Minako huffed, appearing from their right and crossing her arms over her chest.
"Took you all long enough! If Hiiro hadn't come, I would have been on that plane long before that announcement," Usagi shot back, arms still wrapped around Hiiro, never letting go. Never.
"And we would have went in there after you," Ami grinned.
Rei shook her head. "Besides, deep down, did you really think you were going to leave?"
Another laugh joined them as Makoto entered on their left. "Took you long enough though, Hiiro! Better take care of our little Meatball Head here," she grinned but raised a fist, threatening.
"Until forever," Usagi laughed, fingers entwined with his as she swung her arm upwards giddily.
"And Hiiro?"
"Hn."
"We're not getting married until at LEAST half a year from now."
…………………
Only epilogue left! ^_____^
Heart Soul: Lol. The fiancee part was completely on my whim and I never follow it up with anything. And Hiiro agreed to the date because he loved her! Or at least … we think he did. ^___~ I don't know what I'm thinking either. :D
TyBass3: Welcome onboard! We're almost done but … ^___~
Pyro-Girl: Here's more! It's almost over … I'm not sure whether or not I'll miss it but … ^___~
Serenity Silver Dragon: blushes Thanks so much! :D
Alexz: Wow! You're still here! :D Here's more.
LeaD: Wow! You can actually stand it for five chapters. -___-;;; I'm very flattered … but if you do ramble … it'd probably only take five minutes for you to run out of words. ^____~
Kaze: Hmm … kind of long. Not as long as last chapter, I guess but last chapter was primarily dialogue. Lol … the easiest way to write a chapter – make it all dialogue. ^___~ Hopefully by now the readers are appeased because this is NOT a cliffhanger and it's almost over. Sigh No more cliffhangers for this fic! :D
Lady Espelle: You're confused? Ack! That's not good … where did I mess up? I know I should explain the ring but it doesn't really need to be explained and it might seem extra and irrelevant especially at this point. Though I loved your explanation! :D
SilverGundamu BladeWingu Neo: No, no, no! Don't hate Hiiro! ;_; I mentioned that there was a passing of some time between the ring and the roommate but … I don't think I emphasized it enough … isn't an author supposed to mention all important facts three times? Hmm…and the missions. Arg …. Blushes This is so embarrassing. I have a major problem with keeping in mind that the war is still raging outside … I think I mentioned it in the epilogue though. As for Relena … I like Hiiro but I don't hate her at all … but my exposure to Relena has only been through EW and Gundam Wing fanfiction. Somehow the condemning that is so often in crossovers never did affect me. Shrugs Though I suppose the exposure to her in EW would be very different from seeing her in episode one in GW because … she supposedly matures a lot through the series, right? Thanks for your comments!
Cheska: Reasonings … do they make sense? I hope so! And what would be your preferred chapter length? Lol … it's just not as suspenseful and tends to get boring once I exceed 10 pages but … hmmm … Lol. ^___~
Obsessed: Thanks! And thank goodness it's almost over…
Celestial DreamBlaze: Darn it. Another hole. I guess Usa's suffering wasn't that evident because she was busy trying to forget him … hmm … -____-;;; Actually long reviews, no matter talking about what, brighten my day! :D Lol. And yours did. ^___~
KyLara: ARG! There are so many things wrong with this fic! And Usa never really finds out what Hiiro said because … how would she? I can't imagine Hiiro telling her…and the waiter … sigh Too many problems this late in the fic. -___-;;; Thanks for the review! And here's the update. ^___^
Jade Stellar: I'm sorry! Lol. ^____^ Poor Hiiro … grins In this state he'll tell the truth…right? Who do you love, Hiiro? Hiiro: …Treize. O___O;;; Thanks for the review! ^^
Serena Yuy: I never noticed the mood swings until now. Lol. Maybe it was due to my mood swings while I wrote it … don't really remember though. ^___^ Poor Usagi … a brat now. ^^;;; I tried to explain somewhat in this chapter but again, this is how I see it: Hiiro hurt Usagi for several years and even though he never knew it, the last part without his confession to her WAS, in part, his fault. Not to mention the way he treated her throughout the five years they roomed together. However, one can most definitely assign all the blame to Dr. J. And Usagi, being a mere civilian in this war doesn't realize what the war truly is, as is often for civilians during the war. They don't quite understand the emotions of the people who've been there because the only way they could would be if THEY had been there themselves. And so, she doesn't understand Hiiro's inability to say "I love you' and therefore blames it on that he does NOT love her at all. From my view: the angst had to be equal on both sides – Usagi got it for the first few chapters (especially with Minako coming and etc) and Hiiro got it in the last few chapters. Shrugs But it's true – it's not fair. Lol.
Thanks for your comments, everybody!