**************
Chapter 2
**************
It was a beautiful little town. Music drifted lazily through the air as it was plucked from an acoustic guitar. The notes didn't seem to be in a hurry to be anywhere... They were just enjoying their existence, much like the people who walked around. The scent of freshly baked goods lured passer-byers to take a seat at the sidewalk cafes. Adobe missionary styled architecture ran deep into the cities roots, giving it an exotic peaceful feeling. There seemed to be no aim to this little town except to bring pleasure to whoever came through.
Usagi scanned the crowded streets, trying her best to fit in and keeping an eye out for her good Doctor. She rolled her eyes in aggravation, wishing the e-mail would have given her a little more specifications then 'little sidewalk café with flowers on the table.' For heaven's sakes! There were about three million of those in this coastal town! She must have gone up and down each of the streets twenty times and Dr. P was no where in sight!
"Excuse me! Miss?" a boy with the same color hair as she stood up from one of the café tables and gestured to an empty seat beside his. "Would you mind keeping me company? You see, I'm waiting for one of my doctor friends and she's running a little bit late."
Usagi caught on immediately. She put on a smile and nodded. "Why thank you for inviting me! I'm also waiting for someone and I'm new here so I feel a bit lost."
"Would you like something to drink, miss?" he asked as she took a seat.
"Lemonade would be wonderful," she answered.
The boy no more then a year older then she snapped his fingers, gaining the attention of a nearby waiter. He said a few things to him in Spanish and then turned to her again, smiling pleasantly. She could tell that, unlike herself, he was meaning every bit of kind gesture and not acting one bit.
"My name is Quatre Winner," he said happily and extended a hand to her.
She looked at it for a split second and smiled, shaking his hand. "Usagi Tsukino."
"Well, Miss Tsukino it looks like our beloved doctor is turning the corner now."
She looked behind her shoulder, where Quatre was staring. Sure enough, Dr. P had confidently started making her way over to where the two sat. She smiled apologetically as she took a seat, which happened to be a little closer to Quatre then to Usagi. She picked up on this right away, knowing that whatever Dr. P was going to make her do she wasn't going to like. She had learned long ago that staying away from an angry Usagi was the best thing to do if she intended to keep her life.
"How are you doing this fine day, Doctor?" Usagi asked, false sweetness dripping from ever syllable.
"Can it Usagi, you're the one's who's supposed to be perfect, not me. I'm allowed to be late," she said and smiled.
"Well you seem to be in fine health; however, I can fix that."
The older woman chuckled and faced Quatre. "And how are you today Mr. Winner?"
"Just fine, though you may call me Quatre."
"How are the arrangements proceeding, Quatre?"
"What arrangements?" Usagi asked coldly, dropping whatever was left of the shallow façade she had been donning.
"You will be staying with Mr. Winner as one of his sisters as an undercover operation." Dr. P informed her.
"You're kidding." It was a statement, not a question.
"While you are there," the woman continued, "You will be undergoing rigorous physical training as well as psychological modifications."
"What, you don't think I'm happy enough?" she asked sarcastically.
"The battled ahead are long and hard, Usa. You will need to become better then you are. Not only that, but you are not equipped to fight these last battles. While you are here you will recover a missing mobile suit that you will use. Do you have any questions?"
"Out of everyone, why do I have to be partnered with him? No offense, but you don't seem like the soldier assassin type." Quatre lightly coughed at her statement
"Usagi, don't be rude, especially to you older brother. I'm sure you'll find out along the way why he was chosen. Take good care of her, Quatre. She's like my daughter."
"Of course I will, Dr. P. Have a great trip home."
*****
"All right now I can understand," Usagi stated as she watched the mansion from the passenger seat of Quatre's red convertible mustang.
"Oh believe me you don't know half of it," Quatre mused.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You'll find out." He brought the car to a stop in front of his house, opening the door for Usagi and escorting her up the steps to the door. A main answered the door and smiled at her master. "Niki, this is Usagi. She's one of my sisters. Would you mind making a room for her?"
"Not a problem, sir." She said. "I'll call when the room's ready."
"Thank you, Niki." Quatre turned to Usagi. "Make yourself at home. However, I must warn you, there are some rather... interesting people roaming around the house. None of them are too dangerous; however, I suggest you be cautious as you explore."
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you Quatre."
"Supper is at nine, it would be nice if you dined with use. Seeing as you'll be the only girl who's not a maid in the house for a while, I hope you can grace us with presence."
"I'll try Quatre. Thank you." She watched him as he walked past the lobby and up the stairs into what seemed a large office room.
She walked up to a large over stuffed couch on the side of the lobby. She flopped down on it and took off her shoes and reached for her laptop bag. She lied down on the couch and set the laptop on her lap, using a pillow as a support to look at the screen. She yawned lazily as she popped in a mini CD Dr. P had given to her. To her surprise, instead of just one mission, there seemed to be a long list of them. And furthermore, her first mission didn't start until two months! She grimaced and shut her laptop screen rather noisily.
"This is complete bull."
Usagi stood up and pushed the laptop back in its case. She figured the only thing she could do was wonder around. She found the maid on the way and politely asked her to take her laptop to her room so she was free to look around.
"And so I said, 'No ma'am, I'm sure those buns are indeed mine!'" Laughter erupted from a room in front of Usagi. She grinned. Maybe she would get to meet some of these 'interesting' people. She poked her head through the door of what seemed to be a small kitchen where two boys stood talking to each other. One of them caught sight of her immediately.
"Hello, who's this?" The one with a long braid asked. Usagi just blinked. "Aw, come on gorgeous I'm not gonna bite you!"
Usagi smiled and walked through the doorway. "Hi!"
"Heya! The name's Duo Maxwell. And you are...?"
"Usagi Tsukino."
"Well, Usagi, this here's one of my pals, Trowa," he said jerking his head in his direction. "What are you hear for?"
"I'm one of Quatre's sisters. I'm just visiting."
"Nice try," Trowa said.
She looked at him funny. "What do you mean?"
"You just said your last name was Tsukino, not Winner. And since you're not even older then Quatre you can't be married. Also, he doesn't have any younger siblings," Trowa stated.
"Ouch..." Usagi stated and looked at the floor.
"You must be the new agent then," Duo commented.
Usagi's head snapped up and stared at him. "What?"
"Don't be surprised, miss. The reason we came here is because we're supposed to train a new agent. None of us expected you were going to be a girl though," Trowa said.
"A pretty girl!" Duo added. "I don't think Wufie's going to be too happy about training you though."
"Then he doesn't have to. In fact, none of you have to. I'm perfectly fine," she said coldly.
"Touché! If I didn't know better I'd say we had another Yuy on our hands. What's with you anyway? All happy go lucky one minute and cold as ice the other!" Duo scolded. "It's not good for a pretty girl like you to ruin your features with a bad mood!"
"I'm happy when I want to be and when I don't have to concentrate on my work. However, sense we are talking about my work, which is something I've perfected since I was five, I feel the need to get serious and defend myself."
"Speaking of Yuy," Trowa switched the conversation before Duo could say something stupid. "Where is he?"
"Not coming for another month or so. He's off on some piss off kill everything tangent."
"Well if it isn't the one and only Wufie himself? Coming down strait from China Town!" Duo grinned
Usagi turned to the doorway where a man looked at her distastefully. "Who're you?" he asked.
"I'm Usagi-"
"She's one of Quatre's sisters," Duo said. Trowa looked at him questionably. Wufie just shrugged.
"Nice to meet you," Usagi said and bowed slightly.
He nodded back at her then turned his attention to Trowa. "I need a sparing partner. I was wondering if you would be interested in practicing for a few hours."
"Sure," Trowa said, putting down his cup and followed Wufie out the door.
"Come on," Duo said, grabbing Usagi's arm. "Let's watch!"
The four of them went out into a huge courtyard that was big enough to hold three Olympic pools. Duo and Usagi found a comfortable place to sit on the lawn while they watched Trowa and Wufie get warmed up. The bowed to each other and then went into fighting stances. Usagi was used to this; she'd seen spars as well as been in them almost all of her life. They watched as punches and kicks were thrown and blocked for about ten minutes before Usagi became bored.
"Hey Duo..." she started, gesturing to the spar. "You wanna..."
"Um... I don't hit ladies?"
"Good then!" Usagi stood up and pulled Duo to his feet. "It'll be easier for me to win!"
"Usagi..." Duo whined in protest.
"You're just lazy, you wimp," she said. "Now come on."
She ran five feet ahead of him then stopped and turned. They both bowed and readied their stance. Duo lunged at her, hoping that he could pin her down and get the fight with easily. You could imagine how surprised he was when Usagi suddenly wasn't there.
"I thought you said you didn't hit girls," he heard right before a fist came in contact with his jaw. He faltered with shock and Usagi took the opportunity and kicked his feet out from under him. She got on top of him and pinned him down.
"Well, it's nice to know that you like to be on top," Duo commented wirily.
"You underestimated-"Usagi suddenly threw her head back and winced as she brought her hands up to her temples. She fell off Duo and curled up into a ball.
"What's wrong Usagi?" Duo asked shaking her. "Usagi? Usagi! Can you hear me? Usagi!"
Before Duo could get a reaction from her, she passed out.
******
A/N: WOW it's been about a YEAR! Hm... Hopefully the next chapter will be out a litle bit sooner then that, ne? Lol! REVIEW!
Chapter 2
**************
It was a beautiful little town. Music drifted lazily through the air as it was plucked from an acoustic guitar. The notes didn't seem to be in a hurry to be anywhere... They were just enjoying their existence, much like the people who walked around. The scent of freshly baked goods lured passer-byers to take a seat at the sidewalk cafes. Adobe missionary styled architecture ran deep into the cities roots, giving it an exotic peaceful feeling. There seemed to be no aim to this little town except to bring pleasure to whoever came through.
Usagi scanned the crowded streets, trying her best to fit in and keeping an eye out for her good Doctor. She rolled her eyes in aggravation, wishing the e-mail would have given her a little more specifications then 'little sidewalk café with flowers on the table.' For heaven's sakes! There were about three million of those in this coastal town! She must have gone up and down each of the streets twenty times and Dr. P was no where in sight!
"Excuse me! Miss?" a boy with the same color hair as she stood up from one of the café tables and gestured to an empty seat beside his. "Would you mind keeping me company? You see, I'm waiting for one of my doctor friends and she's running a little bit late."
Usagi caught on immediately. She put on a smile and nodded. "Why thank you for inviting me! I'm also waiting for someone and I'm new here so I feel a bit lost."
"Would you like something to drink, miss?" he asked as she took a seat.
"Lemonade would be wonderful," she answered.
The boy no more then a year older then she snapped his fingers, gaining the attention of a nearby waiter. He said a few things to him in Spanish and then turned to her again, smiling pleasantly. She could tell that, unlike herself, he was meaning every bit of kind gesture and not acting one bit.
"My name is Quatre Winner," he said happily and extended a hand to her.
She looked at it for a split second and smiled, shaking his hand. "Usagi Tsukino."
"Well, Miss Tsukino it looks like our beloved doctor is turning the corner now."
She looked behind her shoulder, where Quatre was staring. Sure enough, Dr. P had confidently started making her way over to where the two sat. She smiled apologetically as she took a seat, which happened to be a little closer to Quatre then to Usagi. She picked up on this right away, knowing that whatever Dr. P was going to make her do she wasn't going to like. She had learned long ago that staying away from an angry Usagi was the best thing to do if she intended to keep her life.
"How are you doing this fine day, Doctor?" Usagi asked, false sweetness dripping from ever syllable.
"Can it Usagi, you're the one's who's supposed to be perfect, not me. I'm allowed to be late," she said and smiled.
"Well you seem to be in fine health; however, I can fix that."
The older woman chuckled and faced Quatre. "And how are you today Mr. Winner?"
"Just fine, though you may call me Quatre."
"How are the arrangements proceeding, Quatre?"
"What arrangements?" Usagi asked coldly, dropping whatever was left of the shallow façade she had been donning.
"You will be staying with Mr. Winner as one of his sisters as an undercover operation." Dr. P informed her.
"You're kidding." It was a statement, not a question.
"While you are there," the woman continued, "You will be undergoing rigorous physical training as well as psychological modifications."
"What, you don't think I'm happy enough?" she asked sarcastically.
"The battled ahead are long and hard, Usa. You will need to become better then you are. Not only that, but you are not equipped to fight these last battles. While you are here you will recover a missing mobile suit that you will use. Do you have any questions?"
"Out of everyone, why do I have to be partnered with him? No offense, but you don't seem like the soldier assassin type." Quatre lightly coughed at her statement
"Usagi, don't be rude, especially to you older brother. I'm sure you'll find out along the way why he was chosen. Take good care of her, Quatre. She's like my daughter."
"Of course I will, Dr. P. Have a great trip home."
*****
"All right now I can understand," Usagi stated as she watched the mansion from the passenger seat of Quatre's red convertible mustang.
"Oh believe me you don't know half of it," Quatre mused.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You'll find out." He brought the car to a stop in front of his house, opening the door for Usagi and escorting her up the steps to the door. A main answered the door and smiled at her master. "Niki, this is Usagi. She's one of my sisters. Would you mind making a room for her?"
"Not a problem, sir." She said. "I'll call when the room's ready."
"Thank you, Niki." Quatre turned to Usagi. "Make yourself at home. However, I must warn you, there are some rather... interesting people roaming around the house. None of them are too dangerous; however, I suggest you be cautious as you explore."
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you Quatre."
"Supper is at nine, it would be nice if you dined with use. Seeing as you'll be the only girl who's not a maid in the house for a while, I hope you can grace us with presence."
"I'll try Quatre. Thank you." She watched him as he walked past the lobby and up the stairs into what seemed a large office room.
She walked up to a large over stuffed couch on the side of the lobby. She flopped down on it and took off her shoes and reached for her laptop bag. She lied down on the couch and set the laptop on her lap, using a pillow as a support to look at the screen. She yawned lazily as she popped in a mini CD Dr. P had given to her. To her surprise, instead of just one mission, there seemed to be a long list of them. And furthermore, her first mission didn't start until two months! She grimaced and shut her laptop screen rather noisily.
"This is complete bull."
Usagi stood up and pushed the laptop back in its case. She figured the only thing she could do was wonder around. She found the maid on the way and politely asked her to take her laptop to her room so she was free to look around.
"And so I said, 'No ma'am, I'm sure those buns are indeed mine!'" Laughter erupted from a room in front of Usagi. She grinned. Maybe she would get to meet some of these 'interesting' people. She poked her head through the door of what seemed to be a small kitchen where two boys stood talking to each other. One of them caught sight of her immediately.
"Hello, who's this?" The one with a long braid asked. Usagi just blinked. "Aw, come on gorgeous I'm not gonna bite you!"
Usagi smiled and walked through the doorway. "Hi!"
"Heya! The name's Duo Maxwell. And you are...?"
"Usagi Tsukino."
"Well, Usagi, this here's one of my pals, Trowa," he said jerking his head in his direction. "What are you hear for?"
"I'm one of Quatre's sisters. I'm just visiting."
"Nice try," Trowa said.
She looked at him funny. "What do you mean?"
"You just said your last name was Tsukino, not Winner. And since you're not even older then Quatre you can't be married. Also, he doesn't have any younger siblings," Trowa stated.
"Ouch..." Usagi stated and looked at the floor.
"You must be the new agent then," Duo commented.
Usagi's head snapped up and stared at him. "What?"
"Don't be surprised, miss. The reason we came here is because we're supposed to train a new agent. None of us expected you were going to be a girl though," Trowa said.
"A pretty girl!" Duo added. "I don't think Wufie's going to be too happy about training you though."
"Then he doesn't have to. In fact, none of you have to. I'm perfectly fine," she said coldly.
"Touché! If I didn't know better I'd say we had another Yuy on our hands. What's with you anyway? All happy go lucky one minute and cold as ice the other!" Duo scolded. "It's not good for a pretty girl like you to ruin your features with a bad mood!"
"I'm happy when I want to be and when I don't have to concentrate on my work. However, sense we are talking about my work, which is something I've perfected since I was five, I feel the need to get serious and defend myself."
"Speaking of Yuy," Trowa switched the conversation before Duo could say something stupid. "Where is he?"
"Not coming for another month or so. He's off on some piss off kill everything tangent."
"Well if it isn't the one and only Wufie himself? Coming down strait from China Town!" Duo grinned
Usagi turned to the doorway where a man looked at her distastefully. "Who're you?" he asked.
"I'm Usagi-"
"She's one of Quatre's sisters," Duo said. Trowa looked at him questionably. Wufie just shrugged.
"Nice to meet you," Usagi said and bowed slightly.
He nodded back at her then turned his attention to Trowa. "I need a sparing partner. I was wondering if you would be interested in practicing for a few hours."
"Sure," Trowa said, putting down his cup and followed Wufie out the door.
"Come on," Duo said, grabbing Usagi's arm. "Let's watch!"
The four of them went out into a huge courtyard that was big enough to hold three Olympic pools. Duo and Usagi found a comfortable place to sit on the lawn while they watched Trowa and Wufie get warmed up. The bowed to each other and then went into fighting stances. Usagi was used to this; she'd seen spars as well as been in them almost all of her life. They watched as punches and kicks were thrown and blocked for about ten minutes before Usagi became bored.
"Hey Duo..." she started, gesturing to the spar. "You wanna..."
"Um... I don't hit ladies?"
"Good then!" Usagi stood up and pulled Duo to his feet. "It'll be easier for me to win!"
"Usagi..." Duo whined in protest.
"You're just lazy, you wimp," she said. "Now come on."
She ran five feet ahead of him then stopped and turned. They both bowed and readied their stance. Duo lunged at her, hoping that he could pin her down and get the fight with easily. You could imagine how surprised he was when Usagi suddenly wasn't there.
"I thought you said you didn't hit girls," he heard right before a fist came in contact with his jaw. He faltered with shock and Usagi took the opportunity and kicked his feet out from under him. She got on top of him and pinned him down.
"Well, it's nice to know that you like to be on top," Duo commented wirily.
"You underestimated-"Usagi suddenly threw her head back and winced as she brought her hands up to her temples. She fell off Duo and curled up into a ball.
"What's wrong Usagi?" Duo asked shaking her. "Usagi? Usagi! Can you hear me? Usagi!"
Before Duo could get a reaction from her, she passed out.
******
A/N: WOW it's been about a YEAR! Hm... Hopefully the next chapter will be out a litle bit sooner then that, ne? Lol! REVIEW!
