Disclaimer: I don't own anything here except the plot and even then I think it's actually the plot that owns me! Anyone know who I can contact to negotiate for rights to Gundam Wing and Sailor Moon, because I'd love to make this story animated!

Dedication: I love all of the readers of my story because they make me feel so good and give me so much to think about when I write the next chapter. I'm definitely inspired by all of you! marzy001: Thank you for the award! I'll treasure it always! *hugs certificate tightly* And you're one of my favorite authors too! When's your next chapter coming out?  Princess Ren: Thanks so much for your well wishes and I'm so sorry for not posting as soon as I could! Sparrow: Are you cursing me to have children as unique as I am? Hidoi! I guess karma would say that I'm to be tortured for everything I've put my parents through! Duckie also says thanks for the compliment on his poetry. Heero is definitely in a tizzy over what's going on with Rei! More on Embers of Fire, Shards of Ice please. Nothing like Tasuki torture, I say!  Mars Fire Goddess: A goddess? Moi? Thank you for thinking so but I'm definitely mortal. If I was a goddess, these chapters would be coming out faster! More of The Phoenix's Song please! It's one of the best Rei/Wufei stories I've ever read and as everyone knows, I'm not normally a fan of that coupling, but you have me hooked on your story. IsleofSolitude and Anairb: Thanks so much for your well wishes and Duckie especially thanks you for the praise for his poem/lyrics! Hopefully, you'll see a lot more development happening soon on the Rei/Heero front and with some of the other couples as well! Alexia Goddess: I hope I got this to you in time so you don't have to use the emergency wig again! I have a feeling since I got married that there will be lots more romance in my chapters. Hope you don't mind too much! huffpuff: Well, I have to admit that I read your fics at work too. They really help me get through the day! Setsuna is really going to get some pressure from Haruka, Michiru and Mamoru to 'fess up soon as it's killing them to see what's going on with all of the Senshi. I love writing Minako and Duo because all of my cheesy jokes and mischievous side gets to come out through them while Haruka and Wufei are great to get aggression out. And I have a major Duo/Ami scene planned to happen next chapter. Here's to hoping it works out as planned! A-chan: Imouto-chan, I'm glad you liked the chapter and I have to keep in mind some of the great points you made. I'm not as good at the angst writing as you are, but I'll do my best to keep up to your standards as much as possible! RubyRedDragon05: Arigatou, Ruby-chan! I'm glad you were able to sit through the last 33 page monster and survive! Marsgoddess: Well, I'll have to see if I can make the chapters better as they go along! Thanks for the encouragement and praise! Zechs definitely has some things up his sleeve for Rei and Heero! Those Peacecrafts seem to be concentrating on the crafty part of their name more than on the peace part of their name! Ara-chan: Thanks for the review and the thought of mistaking me for a 17 year old! I'm definitely over the age of consent for marriage! I live in Ahwatukee, and if I don't stay poetic about the sunshine here, I'll fry like a piece of bacon just thinking about it! DarkSmile: (snaps fingers because a great idea just happened) I hope you don't mind that I put off the chapter until I knew you were back in school! Don't believe me? Well, yeah, I am a crappy liar! But I do hope you like this chapter as much as you liked the last one! Have Rei and/or Heero die? Never! They're immortal don't you know! At least, in my fics they are! Li Ying Fa: Well, just to let you know, married life is excellent! Setsuna is much underappreciated but it's so easy to make her the bad guy among the Senshi, isn't it? As for Zechs, he can be very persuasive. It could happen that Rei might fall for his charm before she came to her senses…And I thank you so much for your awesome pics! They were inspiring! More chapters on your fic too please! lady pyro: I'm glad you liked the details I threw in. They really polish a story up for me. Feelings are extremely sensitive right now for almost everyone in the fic right now, both positive and negative, and I hope to portray them correctly so you can enjoy it! Kellie: Now that's what I like to hear, sharing with your loved ones! Baby Quatres? Too cute! I can just see them now! (Sighs dreamily) Until that time happens though, more on shirtless Gundam pilots! Heart Soul: Thank you so much for all of the amazing compliments! I think my head just blew up to about two times its normal size because I'm letting them go to my head! I also think my wedding and honeymoon went so well because of all of the awesome wishes you and the others left me! Sincere thanks to all of you! gh: I will try to write out as much as I can and I'm glad you like the couples because I wanted some unique ones and some that were a little more common. Duckie: For anyone who read his review, you have to know that he delayed posting his review because he absolutely had to be the 200th reviewer and was having a fit because it stayed at 198 for over a week! See what I have to live with? I wouldn't trade you in for the world though! You'll always be my Heero…and my Quatre, and my Duo, and my Trowa and yes, even my Wufei too! And I'm glad that I can write stuff even you couldn't see coming even if you do live in my head or I live in yours! j: Thanks a ton! Even the shortest review means a lot to me! makoto: Seems you liked the drunken Senshi part like everyone else. Maybe I should do more of that…and it could lead to Relena dying somehow…hmmm, it could work! (Makes fiendish plans involving a blonde vice prime minister, a bottle of whiskey and a tractor trailer with no tail lights) Icyfire: Gomen about not coming out with this sooner, but I hope you enjoy it! Odin Lowe Jr: I plan on continuing for as long as people are interested in reading it and maybe even longer than that! Rena H M: Thank you so much for the congratulations and I hope you enjoy this latest update as well! Joanna: I don't mean to torture anyone with my delays and please don't give up because there will always be a new chapter until I announce the end, which will be a real end and not a giving up.

A/N: I'm late again! I am so sorry for the delays I've made all of you guys go through. Hopefully, you'll cut me some slack since it's harder for me to write now that I have to concentrate on more than myself, namely my husband, who's so patient when I hog the computer to type up my story or when I won't let him talk about anything else but how my story is developing.

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            The slim figure in the enormous bed moved slightly, one eyelid cracking open as the persistent rays of sunshine peeking from behind the curtains penetrated the welcome darkness. Blinking rapidly to clear the fog from her mind, the young woman groaned as the light shone straight into her violet eyes, cutting through her senses like a sharp edged knife. Sitting up rapidly to avoid the light's continued assault, she groaned as her stomach heaved and her head throbbed at the sudden action. Panting heavily, the figure in the bed tried to keep her gorge from rising and mentally calculated how far her bathroom was from her current position just in case she could not fight back the nausea. 'What happened last night,' she thought fuzzily, her mind moving sluggishly as she tried to recall the events that led to her present condition. She ran one unsteady hand through her dark hair and winced as even that light touch sent bolts of pain spearing through her suddenly fragile skull. Giving up against the fight to stay upright, she leaned back heavily as flashes of the night before played in front of her narrowed eyes. She dimly remembered being carried up to her room when her legs could no longer support her own weight by strong arms. She recalled a feeling of warmth and security and the desire to stay in that position forever. Her brow furrowed as her nose twitched at the memory of the scent of musk and spice that had surrounded her. 'That isn't the scent of anyone I know. Haruka-papa always smells like a fresh breeze and Mamoru-san smells like that wonderful aftershave he always uses. It can't be Setsuna-mama or Michiru-mama either and I know it can't be any of the others because they were worse off than I was. Could it have been one of the pilots,' she mused to herself. She tried harder to remember, knowing instinctively that it was somehow very important that she know who had carried her to her room. She shoved the headache pounding in her brain away, working past it. She let out a small gasp as more recollections flooded her brain, the feel of sure hands across her skin made her blush hotly as did a husky voice soothing her in the darkness of the night. She remembered being laid back against the cool satin sheets of her bed and holding onto the strong shoulders of the person, not wanting to let go. She recalled dark, velvety eyes that bore into hers, capturing her attention and mesmerizing her. She closed her eyes softly as the husky voice played in her head once more, murmuring, "Good night, xiao ying huo chong." (A/N: Little firefly in Mandarin. Guess who the speaker is!) Her eyes flew upon in shock as the soft tone replayed in her mind again and again until recognition set in. "Wufei! It was Wufei who carried up to my room last night! Naze?" (A/N: Japanese for why.)

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            While Hotaru was puzzling over the actions of a certain hot-tempered and gruff Chinese man, a slender blue-haired young woman was downstairs in the breakfast room, seated at the table with her head held in her cupped hands. She groaned softly in embarrassment as she recalled how horribly sick she had been earlier that morning, a result from her abnormally carefree behavior at the karaoke club. 'What in the world was I thinking, drinking so much when I've only ever had an occasional glass of wine at dinner with my mother's permission? I've never felt so sick in my life! I guess this answers the question of whether or not Senshi can be affected by foreign substances,' Ami thought blearily, her head sinking lower until she rested her head on her folded arms.  'If feeling this ghastly wasn't bad enough, it had to get worse because Duo-san came in while I was retching up my insides into the toilet. Thank Kami that he hasn't said anything snide or teased me. I've never been so embarrassed before in my life. He even had the decency to hand me a warm, damp towel to wipe my face with afterwards and made me drink mouthwash to get the vile taste out of my mouth. He should have laughed at me. I deserved it for being so stupid,' Ami continued mentally, oblivious to the steaming cup being placed in front of her by one of the Maganacs. In fact, so wrapped in her own thoughts was she that she never noticed the subject of her thoughts wander into the room.

'She looks so kawaii even when she's hung-over,' thought Duo admiringly, sticking his hands into his back pockets. He rocked back on his heels and watched as the soft golden sunlight played over her marble pale skin, tingeing it with much-needed color. His flattering thoughts were interrupted as Makoto stumbled in, hanging onto the doorframe for dear life and panting heavily, as if she had recently run a marathon. She paused momentarily before heaving herself away from the archway with a mighty shove and making her unsteady way next to Ami and plopping into the chair with a groan of pure pain.

"Ami-chan, have you ever wondered if it would just be more merciful to have one of the Gundams squish us instead of having to deal with this agonizing feeling of your head being stuffed with cotton wrapped by thorns and your stomach sloshing with chili sauce," Makoto asked plaintively, looking up with bloodshot eyes at her companion. Her normally cheerful face was drawn with fatigue and it was obvious that whatever sleep the Senshi of Lightning had gotten wasn't very restful. Her chestnut hair was still down but it looked as if she had been a victim of one of her own lightning attacks, for it was snarled beyond belief and puffed to twice its normal thickness. Her clothes hung haphazardly on her, as if she couldn't be bothered with putting forth the effort to make herself look presentable.

            The blue-haired genius pondered that question for a moment before deciding to answer. "Truthfully, Mako-chan? I think I'd rather sing naked in front of an arena full of pubescent boys while juggling porcupines and balancing a red-hot poker on the tip of my nose," Ami said, her description combining just about every possible thing she abhorred at once: performing in public, rude boys, immodesty, and taxing athletic feats.

"Really? I didn't know you were into the kinky stuff, Ami. I'll keep that in mind for the future," Duo said flirtatiously, winking at a beet-red and mortified Ami. He sauntered over to the table and sat on the other side of the bashful young woman before addressing Makoto, who looked partly embarrassed and partly mirthful at Duo's antics. "It's against our code to use our Gundams to hurt pretty girls like you. We only use them to protect or to offer moonlit rides," he said outrageously, flinging his braid over his shoulder and offering a cheeky grin in the process.

            Ami fervently wished the floor beneath her would open up and swallow her whole. 'If I were completely truthful to myself, I'd actually want the floor to swallow up Duo instead. He always seems to take such delight in making me blush and it doesn't help that I can never find anything to say back to him. Everyone always talks abut how smart I am, but I always feel tongue-tied around him,' Ami fumed silently, unconsciously toying with the handle of the cup in front of her.

"You know, the stuff in that cup would help you out a lot more if you actually drank it instead of just staring at it," Duo offered helpfully, sensing that somehow he had just stuck his foot a little too far in his mouth when it came to the pretty young woman he was trying to impress. 'Am I trying to impress her? Heh, it's been so long since I've actually had to go out of my way to get someone to notice me and she doesn't seem to even care. She seems so shy and passive that I just can't help teasing her a bit to see if she'll open up. Rei-chan told me that Ami was the quietest of the group of her friends and that she's more likely to be seen in the company of a book because that's her idea of fun. I think that's just unhealthy, a babe like her locking herself away with some dusty old book when she should be living life. There'll always be time to crack open a book later on, but life should be experienced firsthand,' Duo thought slightly resentfully, almost jealous that Ami would prefer to spend time with a book rather than him. Thankfully, he didn't realize the depth of his resentment or he would have been sent into an emotional uproar.

"What is that stuff anyway? It smells gross," exclaimed Makoto, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the foul odor wafting from the cup. It went against everything she held dear as a potential professional chef. She strongly believed that all food should taste, look and smell good and that it should even feel good being swallowed. She grimaced again as she looked down into the murky depths of the thin liquid.

"It's actually a remedy Rashid has that has been passed down through his family for generations. It's supposed to cure just about anything. Most of us can attest to the fact that it gets rid of headaches and muscle aches," came a voice from behind. Makoto whirled around and then promptly groaned at her foolhardy action when the whirling didn't seem to stop even after her body did.  She blinked for several seconds, trying to clear the dizziness from her head before looking at Trowa, the speaker who had just entered.

"Is it because most people feel so nasty after drinking it that they forget about whatever horrid thing happened to them before," Mako asked in response, completely chagrined to realize that she made death warmed over look good in comparison.

            Trowa smiled slowly, the corners of his mouth turning upward in a sweet smile as he recalled how cute the statuesque brunette had been acting earlier that morning as he had tried to escort her to her room. She had made it slightly difficult since she kept pushing him away gently every time he had let her lean on him and announcing proudly that she could do it all by herself, before stumbling over some nonexistent bump in the carpet and falling into him. He had thought it quite amusing to see her wagging her finger at the carpet and telling it to stop trying to trip her because she had handled things much tougher than it and survived. He admired her independent spirit and thought it made her very attractive, bringing light into her emerald eyes. He had finally scooped her up into his arms after she had slid on the marble floor and almost cracked her head on one of the nearby pillars. She had peered into his eyes owlishly, blinking in astonishment at his ease in carrying her. She had timidly asked if she wasn't too heavy for him and he had just smiled and replied that if she was, they wouldn't be standing there but would be sprawled on the floor. She had found that hilariously funny and had guffawed for several minutes until tears ran down her face. Alarmed, he had looked at her as she softly explained that it felt strange having someone take care of her when everyone thought she didn't need to be taken care of, hiccupping softly between sentences. She had fallen silent after that for several minutes. Looking away to give her some time to regain her composure, he looked down at her after a few minutes and realized she had fallen asleep in his arms. He had tucked her into her bed, brushing her hair out of her face and then, on impulse, had dropped a soft kiss on her forehead and wished her peaceful dreams before departing her room. Shaking himself back into the present, he replied, "It's possible that that's the secret behind Rashid's brew, but it does work."

"I'll say! I can't tell you how many times I've gone through an ass-kicking by Heero, drunk this miracle stuff and been ready to get my butt kicked all over again pretty soon after," Duo joined in enthusiastically before frowning in deep thought. "Hmmm, maybe that's not such a good thing after all…"

            A quiet commotion in the hallway distracted them from whatever else Duo was going to say as a blonde-haired mop crawled into the room on its hands and knees. Several Maganacs poked their heads into the room behind it, watching as it made slow progress across the floor before stopping and slumping face down at the foot of Makoto's chair.

"Minako-chan? Is that you," Makoto asked, her eyes darkening in confusion and worry at the uncharacteristic silence from her bubbly and hyper friend. She shoved a long, thick lock of tangled hair behind her ear to keep it from her face as she slowly bent over to look more closely at the lump near her feet.

"Mmrph," came the response. Ami looked at Makoto questioningly, worry etched across her features.

"Minako-chan, daijoubu desu ka," Makoto asked, her voice rough with concern. She put one hand on a revealed shoulder and shook it gently.

"DON"T TOUCH ME! AAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH! MAKE THE HORSES STOP GALLOPING ON MY HEAD," came the sudden scream from the formerly inert body on the floor as Minako came up swinging, blonde hair flying in every direction.

"Ahhhh! Kami-sama, don't ever do that again, Minako-chan! You scared me almost to death," Makoto gasped, holding a hand to her heaving chest as she tried to calm her heart after the rude shock, her head ringing from the sudden outburst. Her chair tipped backwards precariously, rocking backwards on the two hind legs as she shot upwards. Luckily, Trowa was nearby and kept her from falling, catching her chair with one arm from behind her. She shot him a grateful glance before turning back to glare at Minako, who had now turned over and was laying on her back on the cool marble tile, arms and legs akimbo and hair splayed out wildly. Her eyes were closed and she mumbled something unintelligible under her breath.

"Nani? What are you saying, Minako-chan," questioned Ami, leaning closer cautiously and ready to spring back at a moment's notice.

"I was just wondering if I really did make all those remarks to Quatre-san that I fear I did," the Senshi of Love responded, sky blue eyes still closed. The only way to tell that she was still conscious was the tell-tale blush that spread across her face in a slow, rosy wave.

            Ami wrinkled her brow in confusion, for she had been absent when Minako had approached Quatre and had missed the entire scene of Minako throwing herself at the gentlemanly Arabian. "What are you talking about?"

            Makoto also carefully shook her head because even though she had been present, she had been enjoying the buzz she had gotten from sampling all of the fruity drinks she had partaken of at the karaoke bar to have even noticed the goings on around her. The only thing that had penetrated the fog in her mind had been mysterious forest green eyes that had made her feel all giddy inside.

            Duo laughed uproariously, slapping his knee as he realized that this was the situation he had been waiting for almost a long as he had been waiting for Heero to fall in love. As all of the others turned to look at the braided pilot, including Trowa who was frowning at him in warning, Duo forged on ahead anyway, saying, "Did you ever! You were nuzzling his neck, batting your eyelashes at him, giving him sultry looks and everything. I thought he was going to pass out because all of the blood had rushed up to his face when he started blushing. Or maybe it went to other places instead…." Duo trailed off when Trowa's glare started to match the intensity of one normally seen from Heero.

            Ami shot Duo an icy look that could have frozen all of the blood in his veins if he had been looking at her. 'Is that all he can think of? No wonder Rei-chan thinks all men are disgusting and crass,' she thought crossly, unaware that these feelings were extremely abnormal for her. She turned instead towards Minako and watched in awe as Minako slowly turned just about every shade of the spectrum from Duo's words.

            Minako slowly turned green, then red, then white, before finally settling on pink. Her thoughts raced in her head as she felt like throwing up at Duo's revelation, then slowly got upset that Duo would repeat that aloud in front of everyone, before fear of what Quatre's reaction to her would be, and then getting embarrassed that she would  utterly humiliate herself in front of Quatre, when she was so attracted to him. 'I am such a baka! I totally made a fool out of myself in front of the guy of my dreams and think that I can help Rei-chan with her problems with Heero? I must be dreaming! I'd better hang up my Love-Me Chain before I end up choking myself with it, the way I'm going,' she thought morosely. Her thoughts were cut off abruptly when she heard the patter of footsteps and then an exclamation.

"Minako-chan! Daijoubu? Did you fall? Are you hurt," Rei questioned anxiously, her violet eyes filled with concern. She knelt down, her long hair falling like a silken waterfall over her shoulder as she carefully lifted Minako into a sitting position.

"I didn't fall and I'm not hurt unless you count my pride as a casualty," Minako murmured woefully, casting her eyes downward after meeting Rei's eyes momentarily and casting a scathing glance at Duo, who shrugged apologetically back at her.

Rei sighed as she looked down on her friend and knew that Minako was remembering her actions from the night before. Looking up, she motioned to the companion who had entered with her to get a chair for Minako. Looking up at Rei's motion, Minako paled to see Quatre place a cushioned chair before her at the table. Turning his head towards her, he blushed but a soft smile graced his finely carved features. He motioned towards the chair with a graceful but manly hand.

"Onegai, Minako-san, take a seat. It can't be good for you to be lying on the cold marble like that. I'll have one of the Maganacs get you a cup of Rashid's special cure-all to get rid of your hangover," Quatre said politely, before motioning to one of the hovering Maganacs who had followed Minako's progress into the room. The Maganac bestowed a wide smile on both Quatre and Minako before hastily exiting to fetch the desired beverage, eager to tell the rest of his fellow Maganacs about the interesting development taking place. Quatre smiled gratefully, unaware of the news that would soon be spreading like wildfire, before turning back to Minako and offering his hand to her. His smile widened when she accepted it bashfully after a moment's hesitation and let herself be seated, the world tilting precariously as she got up. 'I'm so glad I had a chance to speak with Rei-chan first before I saw Minako-san. I admit that I was extremely flustered after last night. I couldn't sleep much because all I could think of was how her words and the look in her beautiful eyes made me feel. I felt like I was burning all over but there was also a feeling like a soothing breeze as well, comforting and peaceful. I was sure someone as confident as her couldn't be interested in someone like me, someone who has killed so many even though I swore I would never harm anyone. Rei-chan knows how I feel since we've discussed it before and she let me know that they have all been faced with decisions that have tested their morals and their principles just like I and my fellow Gundam pilots have. Maybe she could be the one my heart has been looking for, one who could appreciate that I don't want to fight but will do what I have to, to protect those that I love,' Quatre mused as he continued to look at Minako with warm eyes as he squeezing her hand gently and holding it several moments longer than necessary before relinquishing it. The others gathered around them looked on with interested eyes, especially Makoto, Ami and Rei, since they had either heard or heard about Minako's confession the previous night. Even Trowa quirked an eyebrow at Quatre's behavior before allowing a small smile to grace his lips, hastily hiding it from Quatre's watchful eyes when he began to turn around.

Minako looked at Quatre with almost dazed eyes, the blue seeming lighter and brighter than it had in months. Her heart fluttered like a hummingbird inside her chest and she briefly wondered if a person could die from happiness. 'I know most people would think that I'm jumping into things, thinking that I'm in love after knowing someone for only two days, but my heart tells me that he is someone very special, someone who could change my whole world if I let him. My powers are so much more nebulous than most of the others. It's not like I can command lightning, fire, ice, water or wind at my fingertips or with a wave of my hand. My powers have always been more about feelings than anything else, knowing when a person has love in their heart or even the capability to love. Usagi-chan wants to give everyone a chance to be saved, but I know that not everyone is worth it …like Beryl. I drove the sacred sword into her without hesitation because I could sense that there would never be room for love in her heart because of the corruption of her soul. I knew that if Sailor Moon gave her another chance, she would only use it to plot against us again, possibly succeeding in destroying us and the world. I couldn't take that chance. I couldn't risk Serenity-hime dying at that wench's hands so I took the decision away from her. (A/N: This happened in the manga.) There are nights when I can still feel the sickening way the sword felt, sliding into her flesh, the way her blood felt when it splattered against my face and stained my fuku and gloves. I don't think I can ever rid myself of that feeling, even if I live to be thousands of years old. My powers have always been so hard to deal with, but this time, the feeling is stronger than anything I've ever known. He is so positive, such a contrast to Beryl. Every time I look at him, I see all the wisdom and gentleness in his gaze and a love just waiting for the right person to lavish it on and I want that person to be me, more than just about anything I've ever wanted in my life,' Minako thought with a sudden shock, her robin's egg blue eyes widening imperceptibly. Her sudden revelation was cut short though as Makoto's voice cut through the air.

"Ne, Rei-chan, why do you look so good this morning? I saw you drink those four tropical drinks one right after the other last night and that's only what I saw before my vision started blurring after drinking that vodka thing. You look completely clear-eyed and not a hair's out of place. It can really get on a girl's nerves when one of her best friends always looks like a cover girl," Makoto said begrudgingly, her arms folded across her chest in displeasure that not everyone was suffering through the same thing she was.

Rei looked down at her faded, stonewashed denim shorts, turquoise-colored knit camisole top and simple sneakers questioningly before looking back up at Makoto and shrugging, replying, "I guess when Haruka-san and Michiru-san took me to the ladies' room to splash water on my face, it cleared up my head a lot more than I thought. I was already partly sober by the time I went to bed, so when I woke up this morning I only had a slight headache and a bad case of cottonmouth. A long, hot shower did wonders to clear that up and then I spent an hour meditating before the fire in my fireplace which really helped to clear my head of the last of the cobwebs. I know it'll sound silly but it really felt like the fire in my room was like the Sacred Fire back at the shrine." She smiled slightly before tilting her head in puzzlement. "And what do you mean I look like a cover girl? I'm just wearing casual clothes and I don't have on any make-up at all. Your vision must still be blurry after last night," Rei said in amusement, her eyes crinkling slightly at the corners as she looked over at Makoto's bloodshot eyes.

"My vision is not still blurry, unless you move too fast and then you look like you have a vapor trail following you. But I'm not about to be sidetracked by you. You always look like you're a high fashion model, even when you're wearing sweats, Rei-chan. I don't know how you do it, but by Kami-sama, I'm going to figure it out one of these days," Makoto said, frowning down at her own t-shirt and shorts that suddenly seemed way too big on her. She plucked at the fabric in confusion before Minako piped up, "Ne, Mako-chan? Why are you wearing one of the t-shirts and shorts we bought for Mamoru-san? I don't think they're your style at all. They do nothing for your figure or your coloring because you can't carry off that shade of grey-blue and those shorts are hanging on your hips funny. The t-shirt is sexy the way you have it hanging off your shoulder though." Makoto colored as she realized that she must have grabbed clothes from one of the bags that had been reserved for their male friend. "Great, just great. Now I can't even tell my clothes from Mamoru-san's clothes," Makoto grumped, her countenance turning darker as she realized just how slovenly she must look in front of Trowa. 'Wait a minute! Why do I care what Trowa thinks of how I look? I thought I had outgrown that silly way of letting only a guy's opinion about me matter. Demo, he hasn't made any judgments on me at all. He's just been extremely supportive and sweet to me,' Makoto thought wonderingly, unused to such behavior from the young men she normally met, who were usually so image conscious.

"Daijoubu, Mako-chan, daijoubu. It's a wonder you got down the stairs without breaking your neck after all you had to drink last night. And it's not as if Minako-chan looks much better either," Rei said, trying to soothe one friend while staring disapprovingly at Minako, who had the grace to flush and duck her head ashamedly. "I'm pretty sure everyone will cut us some slack, considering what we've been through, though I don't think any of us will want to repeat that experience any time too soon."

Ami, who had been silent this entire time, pondering over what Rei had said earlier, suddenly piped up. "Rei-chan, you said the fire in your fireplace felt like the Sacred Fire back at the Shrine. Did you know that the fire at the Shrine actually went out? We discovered it when we went looking for you after the…incident. We thought something horribly tragic had happened to you because of that," Ami concluded softly, recalling the horror and despair they had all felt when they thought they had been presented with irrefutable proof that Rei was truly gone.

"Nani? The fire went out? I wonder how the acolytes the main shrine sent over are dealing with that since the fire has been burning at the temple ever since the first Hino priest established a connection with the fire. I never thought it would go out if I wasn't there," Rei mused, her deep amethyst eyes thoughtful and serious.

"I'm guessing that since you weren't even in the dimension that the Sacred Fire somehow sensed your absence. Perhaps it draws power from you like you draw power and insight from it, kind of like a symbiotic relationship. It might have even followed you here," Ami said sagely, nodding as the throbbing in her head dulled as her theory made more and more sense to her, her sapphire eyes gleaming at the unexpected discovery. 'Who would have ever thought I would be theorizing about the magical properties of fire and the possibilities of a fire following a person through time and space? Okaa-san (mother) would be horrified to see me so nonchalant and believing in magic,' Ami thought to herself in amusement, the corner of her lips quirking upward in a small smile.

"Hold on! Did you just say a fire followed Rei-chan through another dimension? Ne, Rei-chan, isn't the saying supposed to be Like moths to a flame and not the other way around," Duo joked, his lavender eyes sparkling with mirth at the dark-haired beauty. He loved seeing what retorts he would get from her and his normal target, Wufei, had been conspicuously absent all morning.

"Maybe Rei-chan is the flame in this case and the flame is the moth," Trowa offered, sending a smirk towards Rei, who tossed her hair in response after shooting the green-eyed young man a sparkling smile. Makoto subconsciously frowned, suspicious of Trowa's easy rapport with Rei.

"Onegai, don't tell me that you've fallen for Rei-chan's charms too, Trowa-san," Minako begged jokingly, highly aware of Makoto's discomfort and wanting to find some way to alleviate it since she sensed that Trowa wasn't interested in Rei romantically. She blushed when she caught Quatre's eye and he nodded approvingly at her actions. She reluctantly tore her eyes away from the handsome blonde to pay attention to Trowa's response.

"I admit that Rei-chan is a beautiful woman but there are two reasons why I would not approach her as a potential lover. One, she's caught the attention of one of my best friends and comrades and I would never poach on another's territory, and two, she makes a better friend than love match for me," Trowa concluded gravely, but his twinkling green eyes signaled the underlying humor in his answer. 'That's not to say that I wouldn't have fallen for her in some other lifetime. Maybe if we were in different situations, it could have happened,' Trowa thought in passing. (A/N: Gomen, but I do like Trowa/Rei pairings too!)

"Personally, I think it's more the fact that Hee-man would happily tear you limb from limb if you even looked at Rei-chan for too long that dissuades you to look elsewhere. Man, I really thought that Heero would have Zechs' head rolling on the floor after what he said about Rei-chan," Duo said earnestly.

"How did you know what Zechs said to Heero? I thought you had been too immersed in your thoughts about Hilde to notice what was going on around you, not to mention that we were too far away to hear most of what they were saying to each other," Quatre said quizzically, his eyes bright with confusion. The others around him nodded while Rei's slim eyebrows knit together in bafflement.

"Geez, you all must think I'm stupid or something! It's called multi-tasking, you know. Granted, I was upset over Hilde because she was one of my good friends and it does hurt to think that she may be gone, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to lose all control of myself and not notice what's going on around me. As for how I know what they were saying, have you ever heard of lip reading? I'll forgive you girls since you don't know me very well, but Trowa and Quatre should remember that I'm usually the guy who does recon, otherwise known as spying, and I can't exactly get my info by walking up to the enemy and asking them what they said because I'm too far away to hear them," Duo sighed exasperatedly, blowing upwards, his bangs fluttering in the mild gust.

            Minako and Makoto snickered at the abashed looks on both Trowa and Quatre's faces at Duo's words while Rei smirked and shook her head at the familiar sarcastic tone coming from Duo. Ami frowned at Duo and when he looked at her, he cocked his head questioningly. "What's wrong, babe?"

"You shouldn't be so harsh on your friends, Duo-san. It shows a lack of respect," Ami said reprovingly, her eyes dark with disappointment at his attitude. She ignored the babe comment and manfully kept herself from blushing through sheer willpower. She pulled the mug in front of her closer and gingerly sipped at it while Duo sputtered at her response.

"It's all right, Ami-san. This is just Duo's way of communicating, just like how Heero only grunts and Wufei can't speak more than a sentence without insulting someone. We all have our quirks," Trowa said gently, inwardly smirking at Duo's lack of success with the reserved blue-haired genius. 'If he gets any more obvious about how he feels for her, he's going to be sitting in her lap and purring to get her attention. He might as well just lasso her with his braid because I don't think she's used to this kind of attention from men. It's almost funny to see how hard he's working when he normally has girls falling all over themselves to get his attention due to his flirtatious nature,' Trowa thought in amusement, his deep green eyes sparkling behind the fall of his light brown bangs.

            Ami looked doubtful at Trowa's statement but reluctantly accepted the truth of his words after noticing Rei nodding at her, agreeing with Trowa's assessment. She was going to apologize to Duo for jumping to conclusions about his behavior when her delayed sense of taste kicked in. Everyone looked on as Ami's face went through a series of contortions, looking much like she was mutating from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. The other Senshi wouldn't have been surprised if she had sprouted horns and whiskers and bulked up to ten times her size. Ami, on the other hand, couldn't have cared less what she looked like in that moment because all she could focus on was the vile taste in her mouth. It was a cross between raw sewage, vomit, old lint balls, and Brussels sprouts all rolled into one and it felt like thick, slimy sludge going down her throat. She gasped desperately, unsure if she was going to throw up or pass out. 'I think I'm seeing my life flash before my eyes,' she thought deliriously, as her eyes glazed over and she slumped forward, her head banging against the table with a dull thud.

"Ami-chan! Ami-chan! Kami-sama, I think Ami-chan just died from poisoning or something! There's an intruder or spy in the house," Minako said frantically, pulling Ami up by the shoulders and shaking her like a rag doll, ignoring the pain in her own head, which threatened to blind her with the pinpricks of light that were exploding behind her eyelids. Her distress over Ami's condition made her go past the pain with nary a thought. She was so concerned that she never noticed the three men silently laughing or how Rei was biting her lip to keep from laughing. "Mako-chan, try to give her the Heineken move, maybe we can still save her before it's too late!"

"Hai! Move over and hand her to me, Minako-chan, By the way, it's called a Heimlich maneuver, not a Heineken, which is a beer," Makoto said authoritatively, all illness and queasiness instantly forgotten in her anxiety. She hefted Ami's slim body into her arms and wrapped her arms around her, making a fist below her breast bone and pulling back in an upward thrust. She silently blessed whoever had inspired her to take first-aid courses in high school.

"Whatever, just save Ami-chan! Rei-chan, why are you just standing over there and why are the rest of you laughing," Minako said, thoroughly offended until she realized that Ami must be perfectly safe or they wouldn't be reacting that way. 'Unless, they've cracked under the grief they're experiencing because Ami-chan is really dead and they just realize that we're fooling ourselves, trying to save her,' Minako thought agitatedly, yanking on her hair.

"Min-minako-chan, Ami-chan is all right. That's just one of the side effects of Rashid's special brew. She'll be all right in a minute as long as Mako-chan doesn't break her ribs. Trowa-kun, please rescue Ami-chan from Mako-chan's eagerness to save her," Rei said laughingly, her voice lilting and sweet with suppressed giggles. Her amethyst eyes gleamed with mirth and she tried extremely hard to not look at Minako, who resembled nothing so much as a frustrated, bedraggled hen with her hair sticking up in several places, a far cry from her normal fashionable and well-groomed self.

            Trowa was carefully prying Makoto's fingers apart and motioned with his head for Duo to catch the now conscious and wheezing Senshi of Ice.  The long-haired young man dashed forward from his seat, catching the sputtering Ami and leading her back to her chair so she could collect herself. Minako and Makoto hovered anxiously over the petite girl, waiting to see if she was truly okay.

            Ami coughed once before slowly tilting her head in concentration. She looked up carefully, her eyes bright with discovery. "I feel completely fine now," she exclaimed, her sapphire blue eyes gleaming.

            Minako and Makoto exchanged relieved looks before simultaneously bursting out,"We thought that nasty concoction had killed you! I'm so glad we could help you out, Ami-chan!"

"Arigatou, Minako-chan, Makoto-chan, but really I meant what I said. I feel completely fine. That drink was nasty tasting but I don't have a headache anymore and my nausea has totally disappeared. I don't know what Rashid-san put in it, but it's miraculous! You both should drink some immediately," Ami said fervently, leaning forward and capturing a hand from each girl in one of her own small hands.

            The blonde and brunette gave each other terrified looks before looking at Ami with hesitant, nervous smiles. "Anou, I really don't think that's in my diet, Ami-chan. I would hate to ruin my perfect complexion. I'll just let nature run its course in helping me to get rid of my hangover. After all, it's not nice to fool with Mother Nature," Minako babbled, one hand behind her head in tentative sheepishness. Makoto stood behind her and nodded vehemently in agreement, silently cursing at the foolish action as her head swam with the abrupt motion.

            Ami frowned sternly and both girls were suddenly and uncomfortably reminded of their mothers' same expressions when it came to taking a medicine they didn't like when they were ill. Ami smoothly grabbed the mug Meshif had just brought into the room and the one that had been placed before Makoto's place and handed them to Minako and Makoto, both accepting them halfheartedly. "Drink up and don't stop until you can see the bottom. This is for your own good," Ami ordered, her slim brows drawing together in all seriousness.

            Minako looked at Makoto resignedly, the both of them knowing that when Ami got this adamant that there was no way to win against her. "Dictator," Minako murmured before pinching her nose shut and guzzling the drink down in one quick motion. She finished the noxious brew, placing her mug on the table carefully. Everyone looked on anxiously, wondering what her reaction would be, for Minako had a notorious sweet tooth and was very picky about what she ate. She was known for sending back a salad if it had too much or too little salad dressing or a soda if it had too much or too little carbonation. She maintained that her body needed the finest of nutrients to fuel her boundless energy. The others had gotten used to it by now and would just roll their eyes, knowing that Minako didn't do it to be contrary or cause problems. Minako stood stock still, looking around her with a smug expression on her face. "That wasn't so bad. I didn't taste a thing. Mind over matter wins the race, as they say," Minako boasted, flashing a brilliant smile.

"Great, now she's mixing metaphors instead of just slaughtering them," Rei murmured, shaking her head. Her eyes narrowed as she watched Minako laugh off the effects of Rashid's cure-all, waiting for a reaction of some kind. 'There's no way she can just laugh that off. I know her,' thought Rei. She was quickly proven correct as Minako suddenly froze before keeling over, making hacking noises and clutching her throat. Her eyes bulged from her head and she was extremely fortunate that Quatre caught her in his arms as she fell, for her sense of balance had been taken from her.

            Makoto gulped nervously, looking down at the murky brown liquid in her mug before looking back at the spectacle of Minako clawing at her throat. She shook her head and set the mug down with a dull thud of finality. There was no way she would willingly drink Rashid's cure after seeing what Ami had gone through and Minako was currently experiencing.

            Several long minutes passed before Minako finally stopped struggling and spasming in Quatre's arms, flopping down tiredly. Makoto watched with wide eyes as Minako blinked several times, clearing the tears from her eyes at the rancid taste in her mouth. She shook her head back and forth tentatively, her mouth curling up at the corners into a slight smile as the pain that she had grown accustomed to accompanying her every move was blessedly absent. Her small smile blossomed into a huge grin and she turned to look at Quatre, her smile dazzling and her blue eyes glowing from within.

            Quatre smiled back in response, his heart feeling light and happy to see her not suffering anymore. 'When did my happiness seem to depend on her happiness? I've always wanted to make the people around me comfortable and content, but she makes me happy with nothing more than a smile. I could easily spend the rest of my life just basking in the warm glow she exudes. I have this feeling that she would not turn away from me in disgust, that she would care for me as much and as carefully as I would for her,' Quatre thought with a sense of satisfaction that spread a warmth down into the pit of his stomach. He looked deeply into her eyes and smiled one of his genuine, sincere smiles, untouched by diplomacy or politeness.

            Minako blinked as she saw the handsome smile that graced Quatre's elegant features. She felt her breath hitch in her throat as it touched her heart in ways she couldn't even begin to imagine, much less describe. His eyes seemed so soft that she felt as if she could wrap herself in them and be forever protected and warm. Her heart skipped a beat as his eyes seemed to change from soft to warm. The senses related to love that she depended upon so highly seemed to be singing a chorus from the angels in her veins. 'Is this love? Is this love for me? Could Quatre be the man I've been looking for all of my life, the man my mother always told me was out there just for me, waiting for me to find him? After all these years of seeing just about everyone else around me find the man of their dreams, could he be the one that is my other half. Is it finally my turn? If he is, I will cherish him forever. He will want for nothing from me,' Minako vowed to herself. Though neither of them had said anything aloud, both knew something momentous had just happened between them. Minako knew they would talk later and she looked forward to it with anticipation. Her eyes shone like beacons when she felt his hand slip into hers and gently squeeze, the message unspoken between them.

            Rei, Ami and Makoto looked at each other with soft, conspiratorial smiles as they watched the touching scene between the two blondes unfold before their eyes. They all hungered for love but didn't begrudge Minako the chance she had found. Rei especially was overjoyed to see the look of wonderment that crossed Minako's beautiful features as she saw the look of tenderness aimed at her. 'How wonderful! Minako-chan deserves this chance at happiness. I hope she can make her chance work out better than mine. Onegai, Kami-sama, hear my prayers. Let her have the things she wants most, a man to love her for all that she is,' Rei silently begged. If anyone had looked at Rei at that moment, they would have seen that her wondrous eyes seemed to shine just a little brighter, the light reflecting off the tears of happiness that dampened them.

            Ami turned away to grant some privacy to the couple that was currently absorbed in each other, neither of them aware of the people who were still in the room. She bit her lip agitatedly as a small spurt of longing shot through her. 'I'm so happy Minako-chan seems to have found her soul mate, but I wonder if I'll ever have someone like that, someone who will understand and appreciate me. Is it wrong for me to hope that I'll find him soon? I never used to feel things like this before. My books and studies used to be enough for me in the past. Why can't I stay the same,' Ami asked herself, shaking her head at herself for feeling so negative in the face of such an auspicious beginning happening before her eyes. Envy was something the blue-haired genius was extremely unfamiliar with and it made her uneasy. Unconsciously, her eyes sought the grinning figure of Duo. He had his hands stuck in the back pockets of his black jeans and the grin he had while looking on the romantic tableau in front of him threatened to split his face in half. Reflexively, Ami began to smile as well until she realized what she was doing and turned away from him in mortification, her cheeks burning. She brought her hands to her breast, vainly trying to still the rapid beating of her heart which she attributed to the thought that she might have been caught staring at the cocky pilot. It was while she was trying to calm herself that her eyes fell upon the discarded mug and a frown crossed her features as she eyed Makoto starring starry-eyed at Minako and Quatre. 'You don't get away that easily, Mako-chan,' Ami thought impishly, her mood lightening considerably. Stealthily, she sidled next to Rei and nudged her. Gaining her attention, she cocked her head towards the mug and then winked in Makoto's direction. Smiling when Rei's eyes widened with awareness and then narrowed in mischief, both nodded at each other conspiratorially. Ami crept along the table until her fingers wrapped around the handle of the mug firmly. She signaled Rei and watched as the raven-haired miko made her move.

            Makoto was fighting tears of happiness as well, her vision blurry as she watched the golden couple smile at each other, lost in their own happy world. 'Who knew so much could be said with just the eyes,' she thought happily, her heart overflowing with happiness and wistfulness. So wrapped up in the moment was she that it came as a total surprise when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and then pulled backwards strongly. She let out a startled shriek as she tumbled to the ground when a knee came up behind her own knee and forced it to buckle. She collapsed like a ton of bricks, her green eyes wide in shock as she was quickly rolled over onto her back and held firmly in place. She looked up to see Ami grinning and holding a very familiar mug above her face. She groaned and let her head rest on the floor beneath her for a second, shaking her head ruefully and trying not to cringe when the movement sent a sharp, stabbing pain through her eyes.

"Don't be a baby, Mako-chan. You'll feel all better after you drink the cure," Rei promised, looking down at Makoto from her position above her head. She had been the one to yank Mako to the floor and was pretty darn proud of herself for sneaking up on the Senshi of Thunder and Lightning. 'I guess I have to thank Duo-kun for all of those lessons in creeping around like some whacked out spy in the middle of the night,' she thought fondly. The pilot of Deathscythe had insisted that stealth training was vital for sneaking up on buggy, freaky looking Ravagers.

Makoto struggled, nearly throwing Rei over her head before the dark-haired miko braced herself. Ami grimaced as Makoto's struggles caused the mug in her hand to slosh dangerously close to the rim. She tried to steady herself but it was like riding a giant wave on a surfboard. Rei's muttered curses and Ami's admonitions for Makoto to stay still caused no small amount of amusement for Trowa and Duo and both were trying hard to not laugh at the statuesque brunette as she cursed like a sailor on shore leave. Both men had been shocked to see Rei and Ami move so swiftly and silently, bringing Makoto down like lionesses going after defenseless prey.

Duo issued a silent whistle as he watched Ami deftly maneuver herself so she was seated firmly on Makoto's stomach, threatening to spill the hot liquid on her friend with every panicked lurch that Makoto gave. He looked on, his admiration increasing as she continued to hold on, her lips set into a firm line as she concentrated on keeping the beverage from spilling over before it had done its intended work. 'It's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for,' he thought to himself as he whistled soundlessly between his front teeth as she tightened the grip of her thighs on Makoto's sides as the much stronger girl continued to buck.

The ruckus that Makoto, Ami and Rei were causing was so loud that it broke into the reverie that Minako and Quatre had fallen into. They had been so absorbed in the emotions flowing from each other that it came as a slight shock to see Makoto flat on her back with Ami perched stubbornly on her stomach and Rei gripping Makoto's wrists while kneeling on her arms to keep her from flailing around too much. The bubble that seemed to envelop the two blondes burst suddenly as Minako shouted, "What in Kami-sama's name are you doing to Mako-chan? Have you two gone crazy?"

Rei looked up, her face flushed and her hair swirling madly around her as she tried to press down on Makoto's arms without doing any damage to her. "Mako-chan won't drink Rashid-san's cure so we're trying to make sure she's a good little girl and takes her medicine like you and Ami-chan have," Rei said with a wide grin and sparkling eyes. "Want to help?"

Minako squealed and dove, landing on the tall girl's legs and effectively stilling much of the motion the brunette was causing. As Makoto's cries of "Traitor!" rang through the air, Minako beamed. "It wouldn't be right if only Ami-chan and I got to experience the wonderful effects of Rashid-san's miracle brew," the blonde said in a cheery sing-song voice. "Now be a good girl and open wide. Don't make me have to do the choo-choo," Minako warned darkly as she seemed to loom over the helpless Senshi of Protection even from her place at the bottom.

Makoto freaked slightly, seeing the look in Minako's eyes but she staunchly refused to give in and drink the odious contents of the steaming mug in Ami's hand. She kept her lips clamped shut and kept tossing her head to and fro, not letting them get a clear shot at her. She also continued to buck for all her worth, which was still quite considerable even with her three friends trying to pin her down, ignoring the stabs of pain lancing through her head at her wild movements. Finally, Rei sighed in exasperation and wrestled Makoto so that both of her arms were pinned beneath her body while her legs locked in a scissor position behind her head to keep the hands from wrenching free. "I can't believe I have to become a contortionist to get you to do something as simple as drink something that's good for you. You so owe me," Rei muttered, blowing hair out of her face as Makoto continued to struggle like an animal caught in a trap. She wriggled one hand free and promptly clamped her fingers over the green-eyed girl's nose, pinching it shut firmly and holding her head still. After several minutes of watching as Makoto slowly turned red and then blue from lack of oxygen, even Makoto had to give in and she opened her mouth to suck in desperately needed air. Ami immediately struck like a cobra, one hand trapping her head in place while the other poured as much of the mug's contents down her friend's throat. Makoto gurgled and her face defiantly telegraphed that she would spit it up immediately. Ami smirked in an uncharacteristic fashion and placed one slim hand on the green-eyed beauty's throat, rubbing it in a rhythmic motion, causing Makoto to involuntarily swallow the liquid being poured into her mouth.

"Remind me to never piss them off. They are brutal," Duo whispered, his eyes fixed in fascination on the spectacle in front of him. He had seen Rei at her fiercest in battle, but strangely, this terrified him more than any Flame Sniper ever could.

"Just think, they're best friends. Imagine what they would do to an enemy," Trowa responded, the faintest of shivers crawling up his spine as he witnessed the gleeful expressions on the dominant girls' faces as poor Makoto was forced to drink the nasty brew. He sympathized heartily but even he would not dare brave the three girls' wrath to save her. 'Even Gundam pilots know a losing battle when they see one,' he thought irreverently.

"The Ravagers don't stand a chance," Quatre said in agreement, his light blue eyes wide as they observed the look of determination on Minako, Ami and Rei's faces. He didn't interfere for he knew that it was for the best that the taller girl drink the remedy, regardless of how horrible it tasted.

            Finally, after several long minutes, the mug was drained and Ami, Rei, and Minako hastily vaulted from their positions, not stupid enough to stick around to see if their Amazonian friend was going to be in any shape to kick their butts. Sputtering, Makoto sat up, wiping her hand across her mouth in distaste. Glaring hotly, her green gaze pinned all three of her friends with unerring accuracy. Minako waved feebly, her smile nervous. Makoto snorted before slowly standing up, used to feeling the excruciating pain of her hangover stab through her brain and not anxious for it to wrack her frame again, especially after the battle she had just gone through.

"You feel better, don't you, Mako-chan," Ami asked uncertainly, gnawing on her lower lip. She hadn't wanted to force Mako-chan to drink but she hadn't wanted her friend to suffer unnecessarily either and she knew Makoto was stubborn enough to suffer through a splitting hangover for days just so she wouldn't have to drink the nasty concoction.

            The brunette hesitated before answering as she tilted her head from side to side tentatively. She was rewarded with the blessed feeling of painlessness. Unfortunately, she also had the taste of rotted mushrooms clinging to her tongue like a chalky residue, but she swallowed manfully, determined to not show how much it disgusted her. She pursed her mouth slightly before replying, "I guess I haven't died yet, but you better not try anything like that ever again." All four girls smiled at each other as the taller girl wagged her finger warningly at the others.

"Well, now that we're all feeling better, why don't you three go shower and get ready to do some training. Just because Usagi isn't here, doesn't mean we don't have to train. We have to work even harder, because our stamina isn't used to the kind of pace that the Ravagers set. I know that I was ready to die after my first few battles," Rei stated matter-of-factly, mentally recalling the many close calls she had had in the beginning.

"In that case, while we're getting ready, why don't you tell Haruka-san and the other Outers and Mamoru-san to join us? We might as well make it a full-fledged workout," Minako ordered, her leader poise back in full effect. She turned suddenly, facing Quatre and the other pilots. Her eyes were on Quatre only though she was addressing the other young men as well. "Gomen nasai for all of the trouble we've caused you so far. We'll make sure to hold up our end of the fighting. Count on it!" She flashed one of her brilliant, trademark smiles and with a last lingering glance at Quatre that had his cheeks flushing with color, she herded Makoto, Ami and Rei out of the room in front of her.

            Silence descended upon the room as the three young men stared at each other before Duo broke the moment by stating, "Those girls are either going to kill us or be the best thing that has ever happened to us." Trowa and Quatre nodded solemnly in agreement. "Of course, Quatre is getting the best end of the deal so far! Q-man, you sly desert fox, working the wiles already, eh? Minako's a beauty too," Duo crowed gleefully, his indigo eyes sparkling with good humor, his elbow digging into the young Arabian's side as he nudged him good-humoredly.

Quatre's blush, which had been fading since Minako left the room, blossomed into full Technicolor glory once more at the irrepressible pilot's statement. "Duo! It's not like that at all. I have not been working any wiles on her! Minako-chan is much more intelligent than you give her credit for if you think she could be charmed so easily. She is extremely beautiful, but she is much more than that. There is strength in her that is cleverly hidden behind her bubbly mask," Quatre replied absentmindedly as his thoughts lingered on the recent feelings that had run through him when he had looked deeply into her eyes. He had been attracted to her from the first, but he had never thought to see knowledge of who he had been and what he was now and also see understanding and acceptance from a person other than his fellow Gundam pilots. Rei understood him but there wasn't the softness and, did he dare even imagine it, love that there was in Minako's eyes. Her aura had bathed him in soft golden light and he had lost himself willingly in it, feeling a comfort he hadn't felt in ages.

"Yare, yare. You're in love so of course you're going to think she's the best thing to exist since nuclear energy. In your eyes, she can probably walk on water and make it rain gold coins. Heck, maybe she really can! Rei-chan did say that there were a lot of things she and her fellow Senshi weren't sure about since their memories of their past is so foggy. Look, Q, if you think she's the one, go for it. Don't let my teasing prevent you from enjoying yourself," Duo said, his voice going from teasing to serious.

            Trowa smiled slightly as he watched Quatre's face brighten at the braided man's words. 'How different we're becoming since those days during the war. It's difficult to believe that it's only been three short years since we felt as if we were the only ones we could depend on. Quatre has found someone to trust his sensitive feelings with and even Heero has let a woman touch the heart beneath his steely exterior. Maybe all of us could find someone to cherish,' he thought wistfully, closing his brilliant green eyes briefly under the cover of his light brown bangs.

"Hey, why are we sticking around here, philosophizing, when we can go up to the training room and maybe catch the girls while they spar? Nothing like watching gorgeous babes while they sweat, I always say," Duo offered cheekily, his grin cocky.

            Both Quatre and Trowa shook their heads repressively at Duo, but neither one of them shot down his idea. Duo's grin grew even wider and he slung an arm over each of their shoulders as they made their way out of the breakfast room.

####***

            The two combatants circled each other grimly, the silence in the room so thick as to be palpable, almost another presence. Both were toned and leanly muscled, neither body marred by superfluous mass. Each moved as though the martial exercise they were going through was second nature, as easy as breathing and maybe just as necessary. Both were male, one of them with jet black hair and equally dark eyes, the other with chocolate brown hair and icy Prussian blue eyes. Wufei's eyes narrowed, gauging his opponent's possible response, trying to read what Heero's next move would be. The loose fitting white pants were large enough to be comfortable but not so baggy as to get in his way. His hair was tied back in his customary ponytail, but slight wisps were beginning to come loose and fall into his face. His bare chest heaved slightly for he had been exercising with the pilot of Gundam 01 for three hours and the slight sheen of sweat that covered him was disregarded. Heero wore black cotton shorts, the drawstring tied securely and tucked inside the waistband to prevent his opponent from using it as a weapon against him. Though Wufei showed little exertion from their practice, he presented even less. He breathed easily and his upper body showed no sign of the sweat that dotted his opponent's physique. His eyes were focused and the sight of these two men was that of two jungle cats circling each other warily. The silence was abruptly broken as the two sprang at each other, their muscles coiled as they leapt and a flurry of blows was exchanged. They broke apart as suddenly as they came together, the movement like a thunderclap in the stillness of the room.

            Wufei's thoughts drifted as he continued to exchange light blows with his fellow pilot, his arms moving almost automatically in response to Heero's attacks. He had awoken that morning after only a couple of hours of fitful dozing. Frustrated, he had tried meditating, a tried and true way for him to let go or work through most of his problems. Wufei was very much of the school of thought that if he was determined enough, he could push his problems away with the sheer force of his will. He had spent the early morning thinking over the events of the previous day, mulling over his feelings that Sally, his one-time lover and Preventers partner, was safe and alive, after going missing for a short period of time. Ever since their break-up, there had been bad blood between them. Unlike, Duo and Hilde, it had not been a friendly dissolution of their relationship. In fact, it had been so tense that they had had to be reassigned to new partners in different departments. Wufei had almost been relieved when the Ravagers came and the Gundam pilots were needed out in the field, away from the Preventers. He knew that Sally was still angry with him, the kind of anger that teetered on the brink of mindless feuding. His teeth clenched as he recalled the accusations she had flung at him during their last argument before they parted ways.

He had been suffering through nightmares for several weeks, the figure of a slim, young woman/girl beckoning to him and quietly sobbing. The voice had been soft and wispy and the only words spoken were,"Don't forget me. Remember me always." He would wake up, tears flowing freely down his face, dampening his hair and pillow. At first, Sally had been reassuring and concerned, promising to help him work through what she surmised to be survivor's guilt. She had told him that it was most likely a combination of the guilt over his wife, Meiran's, death and the death of Trieze during the war. She had helped him find a psychologist to help him work over his feelings and he had grudgingly gone, both to keep her from harping about it and also to stop the nightmares. He had put up a grudging face and she had soothed him by saying he wasn't weak for seeking out help that would bring him peace of mind again. It had taken several months of intensive therapy for him to work through his guilt and the dreams had subsided for a while. Things had improved and Wufei had toyed with the idea of possibly proposing to Sally until the dreams had started again, stronger and more soul wrenching than the previous ones. The feeling of loss and regret he had felt during these new dreams intensified every time he tried to deepen his relationship with the honey-blonde haired doctor. In response, he started to pull away from Sally, becoming morose and curt when she would mention possibly deepening their relationship. Finally, after several long weeks, she had snapped, screaming at him that if he wanted to be comforted by the arms of his long-dead wife, he was welcome to it. She had spit out horrible things to him, belittling the image in his dreams. The last straw had come when she had said he could only feel strong by clinging to the image of some small, puling girl needing him. His pride battered, his rest disturbed and his heart unsettled, Wufei's infamous temper had exploded and by the end, both of them had said things that were lethal to any romantic relationship, no matter how strong. Later, he had felt badly about the way the relationship had broken apart, but strangely enough, he knew that the things said were things that had lain beneath the surface of their feelings, things that would have broken them up sooner or later. The dreams had subsided afterwards and he had thrown himself wholeheartedly into finding a way of stopping the Ravager invasion. Seeing Sally again had brought up a lot of the old feelings and memories but he had been strangely satisfied to realize that she didn't affect him in the same way, though it was obvious that she still hated him. He had hoped that time away from each other could have at least restored a working relationship between the two of them, but he could see now that it was fruitless. After going through his feelings, Wufei had realized during his meditating that it hadn't been his feelings for Sally or hers for him that had disturbed his rest. Becoming highly unsettled, he realized it was the thought of the slim, pale girl, Hotaru, that was in the back of his mind and refused to let him rest. Almost spitting in frustration, the Chinese pilot had brooded over his actions until the first pale rays of dawn had touched the sky and he heard Heero's footsteps go past his door. Knowing the brown-haired man like to train during the early morning hours, he had risen and followed him to the practice room.

Slamming against the lightly cushioned mat on the floor, Wufei snapped back to reality to see the expressionless face of his compatriot offering a hand up. Snarling, he refused it and sprang back up with fierce grace, slipping into a defensive stance immediately, signaling that their session wasn't over. Shrugging, Heero followed suit silently before pouncing again, driving Wufei back. Trying to concentrate as Heero pressed the attack, Wufei sneered at himself for his lapse. 'Shimatta! I can't believe I'm letting some nuhaizi (A/N: Mandarin Chinese for little girl. Wufei is meaning to be insulting here.) get me all twisted into knots because she can't handle her drinking. I should have let her self-proclaimed guardian carry her upstairs instead of letting my pride force me into doing something I didn't want to do. Hell, I should have just dropped her in her room or called one of Quatre's Maganacs to take care of her. What do I do instead? Oh, that's right, I tuck her into bed and call her cute little nicknames! Am I going insane? Has Maxwell finally corroded my brain with all of that girl-chasing he does? I just don't know what to think anymore. First, Yuy gets all soft over a girl that drops into our laps and then all of her friends decide to drop into our laps and keep her company! Granted, Rei is different from any other onna I know, but that doesn't mean I want her friends here! In fact, if I had the choice to make, I'd send them all back so we can return to being the soldiers that we're supposed to be. We're all becoming weak, even the Perfect Soldier! Yuy has lost his edge, becoming so wrapped up in Rei that he can't think straight. And the rest of those other girls aren't any better, that blonde one making goo-goo eyes at Winner like she's the belle of some ball at one of those stupid private schools. Maxwell has always been soft in the head for the girls. At least Barton isn't showing any signs of melting at one of their flirtatious glances and come-hither smiles! And the little one is the worst. She's going to be the one to blame if we fall in battle; she's too damn weak to be of any use to us in a fight. One swipe from a Ravager and she'd be splattered across the pavement like so much bloody confetti. She's either going to die the first time we go out or the others will be so busy looking out for her that they'll get distracted and they'll be cut down like blades of new grass. I don't care how beautiful her eyes are or how soft her pale, white skin is, she is not going to get to me,' Wufei thought irrationally, his ire rising with every blink of his eye. He would have killed himself with his beloved katana if he had realized his train of thought lingered more and more over Hotaru's beauty and how attracted he was to her.

On the other end, Heero's own thoughts were no less chaotic. His gut churned with anger as he recalled Zechs' smug face and silky taunts. A flash of possessiveness went through him like lightning as he remembered Zechs promising to seduce Rei away from him. His fist met flesh with a satisfying thud as his anger unleashed itself on a physical target. He imagined himself beating Zechs to a bloody pulp every time he even tried to approach Rei. His mouth curled into a satisfied grin as he visualized the arrogant Preventer Wind groveling in the dirt and battered beyond belief. He hadn't been so determined to see Zechs defeated even during the War. He knew he was being irrational over his jealousy and it hadn't been alleviated when he heard Haruka mention all the men buying drinks for Rei at the club they had gone to, especially when he had seen her in her short black skirt, the sides open and laced together with thin leather ties. Her thin, rose red peasant top had clung enticingly to her bosom and her silky shoulders had risen from the off the shoulder top, begging to be touched. Her long legs seemed to go on forever, capturing the attention of men everywhere. Even the Maganacs hadn't been immune, he had noticed.

A solid crack to his cheekbone shook him slightly and he renewed his efforts against Wufei as he tried to exorcise the emotions within himself. It was difficult and he found himself in the unfamiliar territory of feeling out of control. 'Why is she doing this to me? I thought she wanted us to explore this feeling that runs through us like a raging wildfire, a current of electricity. I know it's not just lust or physical attraction because I want to see inside her soul, want to know how she got through my defenses like they were nothing more than cheap tissue paper. Is she just toying with me, getting back at me for being so cold to her after that night? No, I can't start believing that. The pain and uncertainty swimming in her eyes is too deep to be faked, even by the most accomplished of actresses. Kuso! I bet it was something Setsuna said to her. Rei told me about how whenever Setsuna showed up it meant that something dire was going to happen. She probably told her to stay away from me because we're from different dimensions. Well, I won't give up without a fight, not until I know for sure that Rei doesn't want me the way I want her,' Heero thought, determination flaring into his cold eyes, warming them. He smiled ferally, his blood quickening as he anticipated seeing Rei again because he wanted to set things straight between them, let her know that he wasn't backing down from her challenge or letting her wriggle free from the gauntlet she had thrown down. The anticipation was so keen that he never noticed as he responded automatically to Wufei's feint, his own hand clamping down with an iron grip on Wufei's wrist and using the momentum to throw Wufei several feet away to land in a heap against the wall. Normally, this would have never happened for Heero was careful to not use his strength wantonly when he knew that others did not have the same strength that he was blessed with, but his mind had been preoccupied. He was shocked out of his thoughts when he heard a loud groan coming from behind him. Turning around, he saw Wufei lying in a crumpled heap, groaning as he clutched at one arm. Hurrying over, he knelt down and noticed that the Chinese man's wrist was swollen. Looking up to apologize for his unnecessary roughness, Heero flinched as he saw Wufei's bruised face and split lip.

"What happened, Wufei? Were you not paying attention? How could you let my attacks get through so many times," Heero asked roughly, noting the swelling of the split lip, the puffiness around one eye which was already beginning to discolor, and the multitude of bumps and scratches that dotted his opponent's arms, face and legs. There was also a huge mottled bruise on Wufei's upper ribcage.

"What happened? You happened! You went insane and started pummeling me with a strength and speed you know I cannot hope to match since I don't have the Newtype abilities you do. You were so lost in your thoughts or fighter's rage that you didn't even hear me call for a break. I walked up to you and was going to make you stop and you grabbed my wrist and threw me into this wall. What the hell is wrong with you, Yuy," Wufei snarled, his eyes narrowed in a combination of pain and anger. He struggled to stand up without using his bruised wrist to steady him, pushing himself up the wall with the strength of his legs.

            Heero stood by, knowing that any offer of assistance would be rejected immediately by the proud man. He would not offer insult in addition to the physical damage he had already inflicted upon his comrade by intimating that Wufei was weak enough to need help. He watched as he stood up shakily before straightening himself proudly, his chin tilted arrogantly and defying the pain he was sure to be suffering. Heero let a small smile grace his lips momentarily before nodding curtly. "Sumimasen, Wufei, for letting my inner thoughts dictate my fighting. It won't happen again."

"Just get whatever issues you have with Rei out of the way before you end up killing all of us," Wufei commanded as he walked towards his towel. "We're sick of all of this going back and forth like a tennis match. If you love the onna so much, just tell her and get it over with. If not, cut her loose so we can all get on with our lives."

"You make it sound so easy, Wufei. It's not like she's making it easy on me, changing her mind every other day," Heero snorted, his eyes flashing in annoyance. "It's easy for you to say when you don't have the same problems."

"Then make her make a decision. You're supposed to be the Perfect Soldier. Surely, you can come up with something," he retorted, wiping his chest lightly with his towel before slinging it around his neck.

"This is Rei that we're talking about. How easy do you think it is to force her to do anything? I know you don't have the highest opinion of women, but even you have to admit that Rei is not your typical woman," Heero stated flatly. He smirked when he saw Wufei nod his head once in agreement, a wry grin gracing his features as well.

            Further conversation was interrupted as the door to the workout room was suddenly thrown open and a parade of beautiful young women and several handsome young men walked in. Haruka stopped a couple of feet away from the previously dueling pair and a malicious grin crossed her face when she saw the state that Wufei was in. "Well, it looks like someone beat me to the punch. Too bad," she drawled, her navy colored eyes snapping in enjoyment.

"Haruka-san, we're not here to start fights. We're here to work out so we can get in shape for the important fights we'll be getting into later," Minako said impatiently, tapping her foot to a staccato beat. Her hair was woven into a long braid that was looped back up and fastened securely. She wore black shorts topped with a sporty halter top, also in black with red racing stripes down the side. She was in the process of slipping off her shoes, wriggling her bare toes into the squishy mat beneath her feet.

Haruka grunted her compliance, throwing a look of disdain over her shoulder at both Heero and Wufei as she walked over to where everyone else was discarding their shoes as well. She wore dark blue shorts that hugged her body tightly yet comfortably and a simple white tank top that had the Japanese kanji for #1, Ichiban, emblazoned across the front.

Hotaru, who was wearing a charcoal grey tank top that laced up the front paired with burgundy running shorts, looked up at her surrogate parent and frowned softly at her attitude. "Haruka-papa, you shouldn't get distracted,' she chided gently. Her eyes darted over to the grim figure of Wufei clutching an ice pack to his wrist, her gaze darkening with uncertainty. 'Was it all a dream last night? Why am I feeling so unsettled,' she thought to herself before shaking her head over the irony of not listening to her own advice.

Michiru chuckled softly, her hair held in two thick pigtails, as she watched her disgruntled life companion stomp over towards them. "Haruka likes to act tough, but you know she's always focused when it comes down to it," she said calmly while adjusting her cream colored sweat shorts that resembled a boxer's outfit. Her midriff showing top was a vivid teal, matching her hair perfectly.

Makoto started stretching her arms skyward, loosening her muscles, pumping herself up for the exercise to come. She grinned at Haruka's continued grumbling and snickered when one look from Michiru made her clam up. She immediately averted her gaze as Haruka's eyes shot up to meet hers. Fiddling with the hem of the mint green baby tee adorning her long and lean torso, she continued to avoid Haruka's gaze, knowing that she was in deep trouble for daring to snicker at her friend's behavior. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Haruka brushed past her, whispering, "I'll get you, my pretty." Nearly fainting in shock at the unexpected words coming from her taller teammate, Makoto nearly fell over when she looked to see the glint of humor in Haruka's eyes.  "Remember, I have tons of blackmail on you from last night. Amazing how many of your inhibitions disappear when there's alcohol in your system, ne? Like telling a woman she looked like your old sempai," Haruka chuckled as Makoto blanched. The brunette groaned in absolute embarrassment as she fuzzily remembered the incident. She fidgeted nervously, tying and untying the drawstrings at the waistband of her baggy black shorts.

Ami shook her head in reproach as she knotted her long, rose colored t-shirt at one corner so it would rest around her waist instead of past her hips. "Mako-chan, you know that Haruka-san would never do something like that. After all, the woman you said that to was her,' she finished cheekily as she watched relief flood over her best friend's face while Haruka grimaced at her. She muffled her giggles as she smoothed her light gray leggings over her calves, dodging Haruka's halfhearted swipe.

Rei was also stretching, listening while Minako decided who would spar with whom. She was currently on the floor, her legs spread out into a perfect split, her torso bent over so her chest touched the floor and her arms stretched outwards as far as they could go. She felt the lavender gray t-back cutoff shirt ride up as she continued to stretch just a little bit further. She unbent slowly before getting up gracefully, tugging her matching colored shorts down and making sure the laces up the front were tied securely. Her hair was ingeniously done, two locks of hair on either side braided and swept backwards to twine around the rest of her hair in a long plait to keep it from getting in her way. She was studiously ignoring Heero, still mulling over her feelings. The meditation she had done earlier had helped to allay some of her fears but she knew she was feeling extremely vulnerable and torn. One part of her soul, the wishful, romantic side of her, wanted nothing more than to toss aside all of her reservations and profess that she cared for him more than any other man in her life, while the other side of her, the one that had been hurt countless times before, was wary and cautious, unwilling to risk her tender heart once more when it seemed there was so much standing in the way of true happiness. She was vividly aware of him, aware of the way his eyes were focused on her with all of the frustration and pent up desire in his soul, even without looking at him. But she also remembered the way he had looked in her first vision, his eyes cold and uncaring, the iciness of it searing in its own intensity. Firming her lips into a grim line, she determined that she would find some way to resolve her dilemma once and for all.

Setsuna stood by silently, her eyes flitting from one to the other, sometimes smiling or frowning in response to what she saw. She was clad in comfortable sweatpants that were cut off above the knee, her t-shirt sleeves rolled up to bare her toned arms. The cerulean blue of the outfit with accents of white complemented her tan perfectly. No one looking at her would know of the turmoil in her head. She had had a fierce argument with Haruka that morning, both she and Michiru coming to her to ask about the visions Rei had seen at the club. Mamoru had also been there and he had been extremely lost in thought ever since hearing about Rei's episode. She was equally unsettled, for she had not been anticipating so many visions to manifest for Rei. 'They're coming faster and in greater quantity than I had thought they would. It may not be too far off before Rei pieces everything together and learns the truth of her past with Heero, before she'll demand answers from me that I won't be able to hide from her. Of all the Senshi, she is the only one I cannot truly lie to, for she would sense my deception immediately. But what will this do to the future of the Senshi, the future of Crystal Tokyo? I can't see a way for this situation to resolve itself peaceably, without heartbreak and anguish,' she concluded silently, internally damning the former Queen Serenity for leaving her alone to deal with her charges.

Mamoru stood off to one side, watching Rei with shadow darkened eyes. He didn't like keeping things from the others, especially since they all looked up to him as an older brother, protective and understanding. He fervently hoped that Setsuna would give them permission to tell the girls what they had seen soon for it was killing him to see Rei avoid Heero and suffering because her subconscious was urging her to go to him. Rei had the strongest will he had ever known anyone to possess and she would most likely kill herself by holding herself away from Heero, her soul's other half, as Mamoru believed him to be. He crossed his arms, the loose tank top emphasizing the muscles in his arms as he moved. The black color of it matched his somber mood as did the equally dark blue workout pants. He wondered if things could work out for Rei before too much happened and she was unable to open her heart anymore.

"Okay, minna, let's get going! Are we all warmed up? Good! Since Usagi-chan isn't here, pairings are going to be a little different than normal. Uranus and Jupiter will face off since you both have the strength advantage, Mercury and Saturn, work on your defensive physical skills, Neptune and Pluto will also work out together while Mars and I will be matched together. Endymion, you'll have to sit this one out until we finish and then we'll match you up with one of us, either Uranus or Pluto most likely. Let the blood flow," Minako cheered as she whipped out her instructions and the others nodded and picked out spots on the floor. "Remember, no powers, just pure physical skills."

"And why don't we keep the blood flow to a minimum, regardless of what our fearless leader says," Rei said wryly, dropping into a classic attack stance.

            At some unseen signal, the practice began and the gathered group of men, with the exception of Mamoru, gaped in awe at the spectacle of what they saw happening before them. Graceful, yet fierce, their moves blended into each other as each combatant faced their partner and was met blow for blow, but without any sign of this being a rehearsed pattern. Mamoru smiled proudly as he watched them, remembering how some of the initial workouts had gone, with mistakes that had caused injuries and temper blow-ups.

            Haruka and Makoto were like two rams, strong and fast, butting heads over and over again. The advantage went back and forth between them, as they grappled, kicked, wrestled and punched before springing away and starting over. The sounds of coarse grunts issued from each set of lips, their eyes locked like true enemies, neither one giving way. The grins on their faces though, belayed the image that they were angered at each other. The joy of physical contact showed in the sparkle of their eyes, each one knowing the other could take the brunt of their attacks with no worries.

Ami and Hotaru were different, both being slighter than most of the others. They had both learned to think strategically and use their physical assets in the most efficient way possible. They gauged each other constantly, looking for openings and weaknesses before committing to an attack. They did well performing hit and run tactics, getting a jab in and retreating, over and over again, sending the other one into reassessing the situation.

Setsuna and Michiru, surprisingly, fought extremely dirty for two such elegant looking women. Setsuna had learned from years of experience while Michiru had learned things from watching the men who had lost to Haruka in the racing tourneys over the years try their best to gain an advantage with anything they could. Sucker punches and distraction tactics were employed by both women, but that didn't detract from the sheer grace of their moves.

Minako and Rei, however, were the most captivating among the paired fighters. They fought with an instinctive style, both knowing the other's move and already moving to intercept or block. No distinct style of fighting was used; it ranged from several forms of martial arts to plain brawling to styles never before seen. Kicks and punches were traded in equal measure and sometimes the fighting ranged into aerial acrobatics as well, both opponents leaping like gazelles or flipping to dodge a blow.

The pilots openly expressed their surprise, especially when the workout began to increase in difficulty and more complex moves were utilized and the speed of the attacks became faster and faster. Soon limbs were disappearing into blurs as Senshi speed kicked in, and soon, only the sounds of flesh meeting flesh were signals that sparring was still going on until abruptly it stopped, all of the Senshi falling back before relaxing into a closing stance. Duo gaped down at his wristband, seeing that it had been two hours since they had started and the girls were breathing lightly with only the faintest sheen of sweat on all of them.

"Sugoi! You girls really know how to fight! See, Wu-man, they're not as weak as you said they were. In fact, I'm sure they could kick your butt any day," Duo crowed, missing the glare the Chinese man shot him.

"You know, that weak remark is really getting on my nerves, especially when it comes from a scrawny little thing like you," Haruka directed towards Wufei scornfully. The Senshi of Wind wiped her brow with a hand towel before slinging it over her shoulder casually. "And it really annoys me when you can't even prove yourself against one of us before making your blanket assumptions. Maybe the women in your world are weak, but I can assure you that the women in ours are not. Tell you what, little boy, why don't you go against me. If you win, I won't say a thing when you make your asinine remarks. If I win, you shut your trap or lose it," the tawny-haired woman challenged, a smirk playing about her lips. The gathered Senshi and pilots fell silent as they waited for Wufei's response.

"Bring it on, onna," Wufei smirked, stressing the word onna, the smirk widening as he heard her growl in response before grinning wolfishly at him, the smile more a baring of teeth than anything else.

"No. Wufei can't fight. His wrist is sprained and he has numerous bruises from our workout," Heero said flatly. Though there was no love lost between 01 and 05, they were still Gundam pilots and Heero would make sure that Wufei's unyielding pride would not endanger them further.

"Humph, so the boy is all talk and no action after all. Figures," snorted Haruka, her navy eyes filling with disdain. 'If he actually had something to back up all of his posturing, I might have been able to stomach the thought that Hotaru-chan used to be in love with him,' the warrior woman thought to herself.

            Knowing that it was killing Wufei to have Haruka make those remarks to him, Heero felt a surge of protectiveness for his fellow pilot and he blurted, "Fight me instead. Wufei and I are pretty evenly matched and fighting me will be like fighting him. We can't afford to have Wufei possibly endanger himself in case another Ravager attack happens. As is, he'll need to be put into a med-unit to take care of the small injuries he has now." A part of him wondered what the hell he was thinking to challenge Haruka while the other part of him rejoiced, knowing he would get a good workout from Haruka and needing the physical release from all of his pent up frustrations.

            Haruka mulled the offer over consideringly, observing Heero through a hooded gaze. 'Let's test his mettle. Chibi honoo (A/N: Little flame) is as much a little sister as the others and she is particularly close to Hota-chan as well. He needs to be tested as well to see if he's worth all of this anguish she's going through. If he's not, I'll make sure Rei-chan doesn't have to make a decision about him. This should be a lot more fun than having to fight Yuiichiro (A/N: Which Haruka did in Sailor Moon S),' she thought grimly. "Fine. I'll accept you as a proxy for that baka who likes to shoot off his mouth. We'll see how good you are," Haruka replied, her eyes shifting to Rei momentarily before returning to meet Heero.

            Heero's gaze also slid over to Rei and he watched as her finely arched brows knit together in disapproval. He knew that Haruka was issuing a silent challenge to him over Rei. He knew she didn't approve of him and that her attitude toward him had worsened quite a bit after they left the UEA headquarters. 'I don't know what the hell has gotten into you, but if this is about Rei then I want to get to the bottom of it,' he telegraphed back to Haruka with his defiant glare. She smirked in response and gestured with two fingers for him to start the match.

"Heero, yamete! You don't know what you're getting into! You may have increased strength, speed and durability because of your Newtype abilities and training, but they're nothing compared to what Haruka-san can do to you as a Senshi of the Wind! Even in her untransformed state, she's much stronger than you," Rei warned, her violet eyes darkening to a deep plum in her worry. She bit her lip, afraid she had said too much, the pearly white teeth worrying into her full bottom lip. 'I don't want to see him hurt. I don't think I could stand it. Even after all of the doubts, all of the visions that are plaguing me, the thought that he could be seriously hurt makes my insides freeze. Is this love,' she battled internally. Setsuna placed a steadying hand on Rei's shoulder as she shot Haruka a glance of warning.

            Heero stared at Rei, their gazes clashing in a storm of Prussian blue and deep amethyst. He had had eyes for her only, sparing glances at the other Senshi as they fought when he could tear his eyes away from her as she fought, which had been rare. He had thrilled to be able to see her fight in a non-threatening situation, one in which he didn't need to worry about her safety even though he knew she could take care of herself. He had felt a frisson of excitement run down his spine to see her joy to be working out at full strength, with no holding back. She had worked out with them but they had all known she was holding something back. Wufei had called her on it once, hoping to anger her enough to get her to cut loose, but she had just shook her head, smiling slightly as she had replied that if she had done as he wanted, he would be nothing more than a bloody stain on the floor, for she was the Senshi of War. "I can handle her," was all he said, walking to meet Haruka in the middle of the mat.  

            Haruka smirked as she turned her head away from Setsuna's warning look. 'I'm not going to do everything you say, Setsuna. This punk owes a lot for making Rei-chan suffer and I'll make sure he pays it back in full. Let's see how good you are, Perfect Soldier,' she thought mentally, recalling what the Maganacs had called Heero in their private conversations.

            An anticipatory hush fell over the room as Haruka and Heero circled each other warily like caged animals. Narrowing his eyes, Heero suddenly lunged, a lightning quick strike aimed for Haruka's neck. A small smile flitted over Haruka's face as she dodged, letting him barely brush past her as she moved her upper body to the left. She countered with a shot to his momentarily exposed ribs. He staggered, the pain a dull throbbing. Righting himself, he feinted left before sweeping his leg to the right and across the back of her knees, sending her to the floor to land on one knee. She quickly launched herself backward before he could follow up with a downward flying fist. As she landed on her feet, she launched forward, slamming her shoulder into his solar plexus at full charge. Feeling his breath whoosh out of his lungs, she allowed herself another small smile.

            Falling back, Heero reassessed the situation, watching Haruka for flaws, his mind going through several attacks and discarding them immediately. His attack plan was unnecessary because Haruka started in on the offensive, swinging a leg into a roundhouse kick with supreme grace. He instinctively dodged, coming in under her, one hand grasping her leg to keep it from connecting while the other struck her in the chin with the heel of his hand, making her teeth click together from the impact and sending her head back. Staggering, she shook her head from the sudden, unexpected blow and reeled as he pushed her leg away from him violently, keeping her off-balance. He followed up with a hard, short jab to her mouth, feeling the flesh of her lip split under the pressure. Stepping back, Haruka wiped the blood trickling from her mouth and grinned, "Gloves are off now that first blood is yours."

            The others watched tensely, sensing the undercurrents of something other than pure competitiveness over a silly challenge going on. Michiru held Rei's hand, each of them squeezing the other's hand when either Haruka or Heero landed a blow. Michiru knew Haruka, knew how she fought and this was serious. Michiru knew that Haruka saw all of them as family, especially the younger girls, and that Haruka was extremely protective since she had lost her own family by following her own path, her own love. The other girls were well aware of their relationship and never said anything about it though the rest were decidedly heterosexual, only occasionally teasing. They all were very open-minded and never said anything about each path each individual girl had chosen for herself, encouraging each other in the pursuit of their own dreams. She turned her attention back to the fight at hand and prayed silently that Haruka would not let her frustration get the best of her.

            Heero landed several more blows and received some in return, both of them suffering hits in equal measure. His shoulder ached where Haruka had wrenched it before spinning him around to land a solid punch to the center of his face and he knew his knuckles were going to be bleeding from when he had punched her several times in the stomach. He was using his heightened abilities to their fullest, dodging when he could and maximizing his hits whenever he could get past her defenses.

            Haruka's admiration for Heero rose up a notch in her observation of his techniques. 'He's not bad at all. At least he can make a good showing to back up his friend's mouth and his own foolishness. If he worked with Rei-chan, she could make him downright formidable even against Senshi since she knows how to fight the best even without any formal training like Mako-chan and myself. I guess being the Senshi of War gives her some advantages, like being able to pick up just about any fighting style by watching it or being able to pick it apart and counter it immediately, even subconsciously. Too bad, this is the end for you. I just can't forgive the thought that you're causing her to hurt, even if you are her soul mate.' She let her power flow through her, making her blood race. Even though it was nothing compared to the power she could tap into while henshined, what she could use was more than any mortal man would be able to handle. All of the Senshi had seen an increase in their affinity to their power, even while not transformed and had been slowly cultivating it.

            The pilots gasped as suddenly, Haruka seemed to become nothing more than a blur and was behind Heero, slamming him with a solid punch to the back that sent him flying nearly halfway across the mat. She was immediately there, pummeling him with blows that were almost too fast for the eye to see, the only sign that they connected being Heero staggering under the blows and the sounds of flesh hitting flesh with heavy thuds. Heero's mind was racing as he couldn't understand why he couldn't seem to counter or even see where his opponent was coming from. Several minutes more passed and finally it ended as suddenly as it started, Heero crumpling like a puppet with its strings cut. It was almost as if Haruka's kicks and punches had been the only thing keeping him upright. Rei let out a strangled cry before smothering it behind her hand. Haruka stood over the gasping figure lying on the heavily padded mat, her dark blue eyes still snapping with energy. She knelt down and whispered into his ear, "You've had that coming for a long time, punk. Remember this day when you feel like playing with the major leagues and start toying with people." Stunned silence filled the room except for the harsh breathing of Heero and the stifled gasps of Rei. The pilots were stunned, seeing this kind of power directed at another human being, for Rei had always been careful of how much power she used when she fought them in sparring matches. Heero was the best out of them all when it came to fighting prowess and even Wufei readily admitted that he couldn't match Heero's amplified abilities. To see him cut down so easily by a relatively regular looking woman seemed incomprehensible to them.

"Haruka-san, you didn't have to be so rough on him. You may have been trying to make a point, but this was too drastic a measure to take. They're our allies, not our enemies," Minako scolded severely, her light blue eyes darkening with her dissatisfaction over her fellow Senshi's conduct. Being leaders of the Inner and Outer Senshi, Haruka and Minako clashed the most often within their tight-knit team, often debating how things should be approached or resolved. Minako often felt that Haruka was too unforgiving and prone to use physical force to solve everything.

"It had to be done. I won't have them thinking we won't stand up for ourselves or that we'll take that kind of abuse sitting down. It's not my fault that he decided to take the place of the real jerk, though he has his problems too," Haruka stated pugnaciously, thrusting her chin out as she jerked a thumb at the remaining pilots and then gave a significant glance from Heero to Rei. "After all, how will they learn to respect us as allies if we can't even defend ourselves against them?"

            Minako shook her head in exasperation as she realized that Haruka really did think the way she spoke and she knew there would be no changing her mind any time soon. "Well, let's not do this again, ne? We're supposed to be warriors for love and justice not warriors of grudge matches and assaults. Quatre-kun, do you think the med-unit Heero mentioned earlier could help Heero as well as Wufei," she asked as she turned towards Quatre with a remorseful look in her eye. Even though Haruka was older than she was and the leader of the Outer Senshi, an equal position with her, she felt responsible for the impression Haruka was making on their recently made comrades.

"Daijoubu, Minako-chan. It's not your fault and Heero has come back with worse injuries before. The med-unit will heal him in a couple of hours at most. I've already signaled Rashid and some of the others to get it ready and escort Wufei and Heero to the med bay. In fact, here they are now," the gentle blonde responded, watching as Auda and Hakeem carefully picked up the semi-conscious man and carried him out of the room. Wufei glared at Haruka, but wisely kept his tongue and followed them out, still cradling his swollen wrist.

"Too bad Quatre didn't mention that the last time Heero looked that bad was when he had self-destructed Gundam Wing," Duo murmured to Trowa, who nodded, remembering how long it took to nurse Heero back to health while hiding with the circus. They both looked at each other and shrugged, wondering how exciting the upcoming time with their new houseguests would be, before filing out of the room as well.

            Haruka frowned at Setsuna who was shooting her a disapproving look. She knew she had been a little rougher than normal on the young man but she knew he would have been insulted if she hadn't at least put some effort into their fight. She did have better feelings toward him though because he hadn't given up and had continued trying to fight her even after she had begun pummeling him with her superior strength and speed. 'I have to give it to the little punk for lasting as long as he did. Most others would have been down during the first minute. Maybe there's hope for him yet,' she mused before striding out of the room, followed by Setsuna, Michiru, and Mamoru, who had decided by an unspoken look that they were going to meet to talk some more after the workout.

            Quatre gave Minako a tender look before remarking, "Please don't let this make you feel bad. I could tell this was building up between them and Heero and Wufei weren't making things any better themselves, Wufei especially. He lives to cause conflict. Maybe this will get it out of their systems."

"I wouldn't count on it, but here's hoping you're right," Makoto said doubtfully, her arms folded across her chest. She shook her head and announced, "Well, I'm off to the showers. Anyone want to do anything later?" She paused at the door, awaiting a response.

"Can you show me how to make that white chocolate fudge you made for last Valentines' Day," Hotaru asked, trying to put aside the feeling of worry she had when she saw Wufei holding his hand and with his faced scraped and bruised.

"Sure. Anyone else," she asked. She smiled when Minako raised her hand enthusiastically, nearly bouncing in her eagerness. "I would hope so since you ate most of it last year, Minako-chan." She grinned when the blonde pouted at her before laughing sheepishly.

"I want to explore the library here, if you don't mind, Quatre-san," Ami said shyly, biting her lip at the prospect of being able to find books that hadn't even been written in her time period yet. She thrilled at the thought of so much knowledge at her disposal and beamed when Quatre gave his permission graciously.

            Quatre also excused himself, stating he needed to catch up on his paperwork in his office and wouldn't be able to join them though he wouldn't mind tasting some of their efforts later. He looked adorable, the wistful yearning in his eyes at the mention of the sweet treats making him look even younger. All of the girls Awwwed over him and Makoto cheerfully volunteered Minako to bring him a sample. Minako blushed furiously, shooting a glare at Makoto before smiling and promising Quatre she would bring him a taste of the first batch.

            Makoto turned toward Rei, who had been conspicuously silent during the whole exchange since the match had ended. Rei smiled half-heartedly before saying softly, "Go ahead, minna. I just want some time to myself for a while so I can get my thoughts together, maybe do some meditation. I'll join you later though, I promise." They stared at her for a moment before nodding and leaving the room.

            Standing alone in the middle of the room, Rei bit her lip fiercely, trying desperately to not make a sound. The image of Heero being battered and finally lying there on the floor, looking broken and bloodied finally broke through her hastily built defenses and her control shattered. Gasping in a lungful of air, she sank down on her knees onto the padded mat and sobbed, replaying the brutal encounter in her mind over and over again. Hugging herself close, she let the tears drop onto the mat in a silent river. It had broken her heart to see him that way. Each blow Haruka had landed had been a blow to her heart and she felt each one as if it had connected with her flesh instead. 'Why did I let that farce of a fight continue? Why didn't I stop it? How could I have let him suffer so? Onegai, Heero, forgive me. I should have realized that Haruka-san would have blamed all of my confusion and turmoil on you. How can I explain what's going on without telling you about the feelings and visions I'm going through? I know I owe it to you to tell you the truth about what's going on, but I can't bring myself to reveal what's been going on in my head and heart yet. I'm scared that what I'm seeing is a portent of the future to come. What if my revealing this to you is what breaks us apart. Will you think I'm a delusional freak like so many others used to,' she wrestled internally, the demons in her mind battling to crush her spirit. She looked over at the spot where he had lain, gasping for breath and in pain. After several long minutes, she nodded resolutely, the demons of doubt banished away forcefully by the strength of her will and her determination to always have the truth.

"Let's get this over with. I'll never know for certain what the truth is if I don't pursue it. Truth has never come easily and it won't just reveal itself to me. I hope you're ready for this Heero," she said aloud as she squared her shoulders and stood up.

###***

A/N: I am so sorry for the delay. I know it's been over three months but life has been so hectic I thought I'd die if I did anything more than work, sleep and get used to being married. I definitely didn't forget all of you or this story and have been stressing like crazy to get this done. (Just ask my husband, Duckie!) It's another long one, 34 pages, so I hope you have enough patience with me to sit through all of it. I'm going to run away from Rei and Heero now because they're both mad at me for keeping them apart for so long. I wonder if I can get Minako and Quatre to help defend me since I finally got them together? (Sees them nuzzling and cuddling each other blissfully in a corner, cooing, "Quatre-kun", "Minako-chan", "Quatre-kun", "Minako-chan") I guess not. Ja ne!

Next: Rei confronts Heero! Minako and Quatre have a chat and another couple has a confrontation.

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