Disclaimer: My dear friend, Naoko, gave Sailor Moon to me on Friday! So now all I do not own is Gundam Wing. ^^
Editors: As always, I want to thank you guys. We've been through thick and thin for more than half a year already! Thank you Usagi Asia Maxwell and Autumn Hime. I've missed you, AH! As for SerenityMoon and DevilsDarling, I'm really, desperately wondering where you guys are…
I'd like to give special thanks to all of you who have reviewed, even if it was just once and I never saw you again. ^^''' You guys are great all the way from the beginning, from reassuring me that this idea is not born from a lunatic's mind to … again reassuring me that the couple is realistic and their love believable.
I'd like to thank I Am The Walrus-chan for taking so much time in writing a long review and pointing out how the couple will work out. I am also desperately trying to find out who the anonymous reviewer without a name displaying on the … name place thingi is. It'd be nice if you know anything. Thanks to that person, I won't have the analyze the different Usagi couples myself!
Also, thanks to Cheska and Firefly Princess for being patient enough to review ever chapter, one at a time … it's really sweet of you. ^^'''
But those people aren't the only reasons for this fic. However corny this sounds, you all have helped make this fic what it is and hopefully will be … and I'd like to thank you, even if, in my eyes, that is far from enough. ^^''' I'm sure you all are tired of hearing me by mushy … I'll stop! ^^'''
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Of course, once the remainder of the group were brought up to date in accordance with this recent development (after Quatre was calm enough to approach), each and every pilot leapt at the prospect of being the referee. Check that: only Duo leapt.
A big fuss stemmed from gargantuan prides before a compromise was reached -- Quatre would referee. And after that little bout of psychosis that still sparkled in the now quietly smiling blonde, nobody wanted to argue. Especially not Duo.
The next hurdle was whose Gundam Usagi would pilot, for Hiiro sure wasn't giving his up again. An insightful analysis of which Gundam was more suitable resulted, sounding something like this:
"Mine's better!"
"Nataku can beat yours any day!"
"Oh yeah?!"
"Due to an analysis of artillery and endurance, mine is actually better."
"Well ... well ... mine's prettier!"
In the end, Usagi chose Duo's for sake of her life. Wufei's katana regularly made itself known in a silver flash, Trowa didn't truly care either way, Quatre was already engrossed with being the referee, but Duo ... Duo's pranks can spring up anywhere.
"So what are the stakes?" Oh yes, they still didn't know.
"My life for Hiiro's sanity," she responded cryptically.
"I'm ready," her opponent interrupted challengingly.
"Same here."
"This is going to be so much fun!" Duo laughed, swinging an arm around Usagi, mumbling pointers to her under his breath.
.........................
"Well? What do we do now?" he demanded, still gazing at the silver sheet of metal with Luna, neither reaching to touch it after initially digging it up from underneath garbage.
"I don't know," she answered candidly. "I had assumed all we had to do was touch it, but apparently that is not the case." She reached the tip of her toe over to the metal and tapped. Nothing.
"Well, a nice mess you've gotten us into," he sighed, sitting down and swiping the sweat off of his forehead with a casual sleeve.
She grabbed onto his hand and pulled him up, dragging him before he gained his balance. "C'mon. Back to the laptop. You'd think I'm turning into Hiiro."
"Who?"
"Never mind."
........................
This was perfect. No, far more than perfect. Yes, Wing's control panel was similar to that of her video game, but Deathscythe's was exactly the same! Must be due to high demand of readers for Deathscythe...
The apprehension had already left and was replaced by a severe feeling of exhilaration and anticipation. After all, what did she have to lose? Her life? This story was in her hands and no matter how strongly the rest of the world believes that she's insane, she sure wasn't stupid enough to wish her own demise.
Victory was already at hand, and her poor opponent still didn't know. She laughed out loud with glee.
"Oi, are you okay over there?" Wufei hollered up at her. A fretful look passed over Duo's face.
"You're not experiencing the Quatre syndrome are you?"
In the background came a dim snarl of, "I resent that!"
"I didn't mean anything by it!" The pilot of 02's shoulders were rigid as he quickly yelped out his innocence.
"Are you ready or not," Hiiro's voice crackled over the communication system. She gave him a cocky grin.
"Am I ever not?" With that, the cockpit door closed with a clanging bang and the squabbling outside became faded murmurs.
The first step was to get into the sky. No problem yet! Soon both were hovering outside, and Usagi watched with amusement as the rest of the gang snapped out of their quarrelling phase and sprinted to catch up.
Quatre had grabbed a fluorescent flag while on the way though how everything was so well planned, she had no idea.
The signal to begin flashed through the air. Here goes nothing.
............................
"Says here we should try soaking it in sodium hydroxide and copper sulfate," she mumbled, typing away feverishly.
"And do what, test for protein?" he snorted, looking over her shoulder at the weakly flickering screen.
She stopped sharply and glanced back. "That's the test for protein?" she offered as a tangent before resuming typing.
An extensive silence followed, clouding the car with impatience and unease.
"Ah!" the possessor of the laptop cried out happily, making the person sitting behind her jump.
"It says here that Gundanium needs to be in the presence of an activator, something to trigger it, in order to lead you to its original location ... hmmm ... a possibility is mineral water."
"Do you have mineral water?" he asked despairingly, glancing around the car.
"Not a chance."
"How far away is the nearest grocery store?"
"Hmmm ... maybe fifty to sixty miles."
"Great." He slumped back into the seat, his hair tangling chaotically behind him, and closed his eyes. Just fifteen minutes of sleep ... a catnap, really.
........................
His first move was to get above her. She beamed at the white flash and shook her head. How many times had Shingo tried that ploy on her?
Fire erupted from the silver Gundam as Usagi dodged jerkily, gripping the throttle so forcefully that her knuckles turned white and jutted out sharply. He didn't wait for the fire to fade and sparks to vanish before swooping down towards her.
Oh God, he's fast... Panic had always been the worst solution so instead, she chose to meet him halfway, counter his impact with her own. Bright green scythe acting both as a shield and a weapon, she advanced.
.......................
An hours drive was enough to make anybody cranky, but after a previous hour of sifting through a junkyard, she was spitting mad. And Artemis's snores from behind her made her want to drop the planet Pluto onto him.
Getting out of the car, she didn't bother to wake him. A sweeter revenge was in sight. A ding ricocheted off of white walls in the cheerfully lit convenience store as she walked in. She grabbed the nearest six pack of water and headed towards the register.
Nobody was there. Scowling, she dug into her pocket for a twenty and left it there, a post-it note attached.
Striding back towards the car, she tore one bottle out of its binding and twisted the cap off. Opening the back door, she proceeded to dump the entire bottle's contents onto Artemis.
The man woke up with a yelp followed by several sputters. "What the-"
"Are you awake now, Arty-chan?" she purred into his ear.
"Luna!" he whined, looking desolately up at her, the quintessence of a wet cat.
"Now you feel about half as bad as I do."
"Luna!" he repeated, pulling a few fingers through wet, tousled hair.
"If I don't get to sleep, you don't either," she bargained tartly.
"Fine," he muttered sullenly.
"Fine."
......................
A blaze of electricity passed between the two Gundams followed by a sound even worse than the screeching of nails on blackboards. She ground her teeth with vigor and squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Gundanium was resilient to injury, but heat was a whole other matter. The air around her was getting noticeably warmer. She cracked an eye open and tried to look below her at the ground.
Uh-oh ... trees were getting closer and so were the four figures. He's forcing me down she realized with an indignant cry.
Now, if she had been paying enough attention in her math classes, he had to be using a certain angle to amplify his strength ... the only thing she had to do was change that angle.
She broke the contact, and slipped upwards. He faltered.
...................
"You actually think mineral water will work?" he asked her sarcastically.
"Yes."
"Well, if it doesn't, we'll have to go back! Why didn't you pick up some orange and grape juices there too? Those might work," he nagged, following her.
"It's more likely this will work because of the varied amounts of minerals in it," she explained, not cheerfully, but not harshly.
By then, they had reached the metallic glare again.
...................
He flew up to her and aimed. She darted away and tumbled downwards in a controlled fall. The world swirled incessantly around her as colors merged, jumbled, and distorted -- green, blue, lavender, silver.
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. A crystal stream of liquid fell and slipped onto silver. Gray and lavender watched intently, both with hands laid on its cool surface. Crystal convened with silver as lavender and gray glowed intensely.
........................
An explosion of lightening green joined the sickeningly colorful dance around her. She closed her eyes, but nothing changed. She needed to stop .... stop ... burnt saffron joined the assortment, the flare of artillery.
..........................
Her hand seized his as the metal smoldered even more fiercely, crystal merging with silver.
.......................
She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, brows furrowed, and plummeted downwards. Ultraviolet purple broke past the horizon.
....................
Gray met lavender as silver glimmered in the background. Ultraviolet purple dimmed their world.
...................
"Usagi!" Male and female voice entwined, shouting out a single word was both watched the blur of black plunge downwards.
"Luna? Artemis?" she whispered hazily, eyes bewildered, then alarmed, and finally, closed.
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A cliffhanger. Okie dokie then! ^^
Has anybody else noticed the details in this fic? They are VERY contradictory! Okay, maybe not, but still. They don't make sense. I, for one, am painfully aware of them … an example? Hiiro is currently fifteen by Gundam Wing terms and time period, and I had stated in the prologue that Usagi is nineteen. ARG! I hate myself. I know I can change it, and I will, but for those of you who have already followed me this far, PLEASE NOTE THIS! Thanks. ^^
Have fun waiting for the next chapter! And review! ^^