Sensou Tenshi Usagi (War Angel Usagi) ~ VI
Midnight of Shadows
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excuse#567491: Minna I just found out I have a highly contagious disease called
Laziness. No Seriously. Nani?! Why are you all laughing at me?! This isn't
funny!
Ossu peoples! How are you? Good I hope and not too mad. How was your new years? Mine was okay! I was on the road and had to dodge fireworks. I finall
Anyway here's the latest
chapter to Sensou Tenshi Usagi. It's a bit slow in the beginning, but gradually
gets faster paced as it goes on. I tried to make this chapter long. Oh and the
author's notes at the end are extremely long so bear with me. Well on
with the fic!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Disclaimer: Quatre and Duo drag a crazed Shorty into a sunny
room. Gokou sits behind a huge desk, business suit and glasses on.
He puts down the newspaper as they put Shorty in a chair and take off her
straight jacket.
Shorty: Idon'townSailorMoonIdon'townGundamWingIdon'townDBZIdon....
Gokou: *grin* Welcome Shorty! It's a pleasure to have
you here at the anime nut house. I'll be your shrink today.
Shorty: O_O? eh?
Gokou? Is that really you?
Gokou: Ya....why?
Shorty: You look so smart! Don't you have the intelligence
of a gerbil?
Gokou: ^_^; hehe...that's just for the show! I'm
really smart you know, where do you think Gohan gets it from...Chichi?
Shorty: Uh.....thinks hard.........good
point.
Gokou: Now Shorty when I hold up these blob cards, you tell me
what you see. ::holds up card:: you see...?
Shorty: Relena
::another card::
Shorty: Relena preaching about peace
::another card::
Shorty: Mamoru throwing a rose and saying a corny speech
::another card::
Shorty: An edited picture of Jupiter
Gokou: o_O? And
this? ::holds up card::
Shorty: ACK!! IT'S GREEN BEAN AND SAILOR CHAOS!! ::Takes out
shotgun:: DIE YOU FOUL-MOUTHED FIENDS!!!
*BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*
Gokou: -_-; ::puts smoking card full of holes down::
I think that's it for the day....we'll continue this next time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sensou Tenshi Usagi (War Angel Usagi) ~ VI
Midnight of Shadows
"Treize-sama,"
The woman bowed deeply and Treize nodded his head in acknowledgement, not even
bothering to look up and see who had entered his office. That done, she
took a seat in the chair opposite the ruler and waited for him to address her
formally. Treize set aside the documents he'd been reading and looked at
the woman before him.
"Juniper,"
he said, "It's been a week. How are the search efforts for Tenshi
going?" Juniper pulled down the hood of her cloak and riffled a hand
through her bangs, her long hair pulled back into a high bun. Her ruby
gaze settled on Treize and reflected failure.
"My
deepest apologies Treize-kyo, forgive me for my lack of good news, but Tenshi
is nowhere to be found. The search units have explored the desert regions
at your request but nothing was discovered. Are you so sure that Tenshi
is on Earth sir? Perhaps she is residing in one of the colonies, or
moreover, maybe she was killed in the attack that destroyed the
base?" Treize shook his head.
"I
highly doubt that Juniper. Tenshi is a survivor and even more than that,
a War Angel, the last. Survival is her number one objective besides the
desire to fight. Also Tenshi is special. Having trained the girl
for the last 13 years, you should know. That disk, the one that was
stolen by her, contained information I had yet to know about, but am sure it
had to do with her. Take my word, Tenshi is not dead," a sinister
laugh escaped from his throat and he folded his hands in his lap.
"Knowing
her, she's probably beguiled those damned Gundam pilots into taking her with
them. Juniper, I know she's out there, and in league with those
pilots. You remember when she ran away two weeks ago and I sent for you
for discipline training?" Juniper crossed her legs and settled back
into her chair, her all leather tight brown suit creaking as she shifted
positions.
"Hai,
I remember, but what does that have to do with anything?" Treize
slowly rose from his seat and walked to a projector screen behind him. A
machine in the corner was flicked on courtesy of the remote in his hands and
the screen lit up with the image, a blurry one, of a boy and the undeniable
Tenshi standing in a dark room.
"This
is one of the shots from the surveillance cameras at Charles air base.
Tenshi as you can see is there along with a boy. Even with computer
manipulation, this is the best the image can be seen. Now the boy in this
shot, his face is uncertain, but the silhouette does pronounce him to be
male. I have reason to believe he is one of the notorious Gundam
pilots. The coincidence of the meeting here and the destroyed base:
evidence. I think Tenshi has been meeting with the pilots for quite
awhile and giving away top secret information." Juniper's brow
arched in disbelief.
"Forgive
me for disagreeing with you Treize-kyo, but I don't see how it's
possible. Tenshi spent most of her time training and being sent on
missions. Missions, I might add, that were quite parallel to the kinds
the Gundams assume." Treize turned the projector off and resumed his
seat occupation, leaning forward to emphasize his words.
"I
know this Juniper, but she could have been deceiving us all along. Tenshi
is an enigma to us here at the Oz federation. The science team informs me
that she's not even human and therefore can't be trusted. Come now, why
do you look so shocked?" Juniper closed her gaping mouth and shook
her head.
"How
is it possible for her not to be human sir?"
"That
is what I'd like to know, and what I'm sure was on that disk. Now do you
see the importance of her capture? Good. I want you to continue the
search. Is there any place you think Tenshi could be hiding in particular
on Earth?" Juniper uncrossed her legs and sat up straight.
"Sir,
I have reason to believe Tenshi is hiding out in the north, somewhere in the
arctic." Treize raised his brow.
"Honto?
You know as well as I do that Tenshi hates the cold. Why would she choose
a place such as that?"
"There's
why sir. We know her well; her likes and dislikes. If she were to
hide out somewhere she dislikes sir, we would never think to look there."
"And
yet, you have. How is that possible?" Juniper blushed.
Was he implying that she was keeping secrets?
"First
off sir, let me say, I hide nothing from you. An inside tip was received
here at the base, someone from Russia. Apparently one of the hotel
administrators discovered a girl fitting Tenshi's description dwelling in his
facility. With your consent, I'd like to go there immediately and see for
myself if this is true," Treize settled back in his chair with an audible
sigh and contemplated her request. After ten minutes he nodded his head.
"I
give my permission for you to go. If nothing turns up, come back here and
report. A team of soldiers and scientist will be sent with you. You
may leave now," Juniper stood up and gave a bow.
"Thank
you sir, I will do all in my power to apprehend her," Treize waited until
Juniper walked from the office and shut his door before turning his chair to
face the other occupant of the room.
"What
do you think C? Can I trust her? Juniper knows a bit too much and
her lack of true surprise during the whole conversation alarms me. I'm
convinced she knows what was on that disk. Why can't we force it out of
her and leave it at that? Why all this watching and waiting?"
A deep chuckle issued from the figure in the corner of the room, hidden amidst
the shadows and curtains. Moments later, they stepped forward into the
light, black cloak masking the features of the person well.
"Treize,
do not worry so," the gruff masculine voice replied, "You know as
well as I that Juniper is a traitor and cannot be trusted. Still, our
plan requires that she stay alive for now. Given the chance she will lead
us straight to Tenshi without even knowing it." The figure moved
then, steps slow and measured as it took up residence in the empty seat across
from Treize. Red eyes glinted from the darkness of the hood as the figure
laughed, a deep, evil sound that promised death to all.
"We
will find Tenshi, and then my revenge shall be final. Have patience for
now. You shall have your reward soon enough. It's not every man
that raises the key to the universe," A smirk crept onto Treize's face.
"True
C, it's not."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Usagi
snuggled into the thick white coat further as they walked down Molotov street,
her breath leaving mist in the night air. A week they'd been here and
tonight would be they're last night. Personally Usagi wouldn't miss it at
all. Russia was too cold for her liking. Still it did hold a
certain charm.
She
knew after this, things would change drastically. She'd gotten to know
the G boys (that's what she liked to call them) this past week, Quatre most of
all. He was the nicest out of them, his polite manner and caring nature a
true attribute to his name. Next to him came Duo, smart mouthed and a
prankster but fun. Trowa was okay for most of the time; he was neither
openly nice to her nor mean. More aloof and apt to be by himself than
anything. Now Wufei was another matter all together. A giggle
escaped her lips as she reminisced all the times they'd gotten into arguments
about weak women, a term he used quite often around her. The shouting
matches they held were horrendous, one time even causing them to be thrown out
the hotel. That was one of the rare moments she'd actually seen Trowa
angry. Finding a new hotel at three in the morning wasn't easy.
"What's
so funny," asked Heero. Usagi glanced over to the young man walking
beside her and shook her head. Nothing. Heero accepted this and
continued to walk in silence, hands stuffed into the thick black coat adorning
him. He was an enigma to her, something she couldn't figure out.
Ever since the departure from Quatre's mansion, he'd been loath to hang around
her. There seemed to be a gap between them, something had happened that
he didn't want to discuss. The many times Usagi had tried to get it out
of him he simply refused to answer. She racked her mind for something she
might of done or said to him besides the few exchanges between them during her
escapades, but could think of nothing. Still despite his cold manner and
stolid figure, Usagi knew he felt something for her, protectiveness
perhaps. He was always watching her, sticking close whenever they left to
travel somewhere new, and providing a steady vigil Usagi had grown used
to. Besides that, he was the only one who shared a room with her whenever
they had to double up. She asked him why and his simple reply had been,
'The others don't want to', and left it at that.
Usagi
could also feel the uneasiness of the pilots whenever she was around
them. It didn't help that she had blank spots in her memories either.
Now
as she gazed at Heero's emotionless face she puzzled out her feelings for
him. Sure he was cute, brave, intelligent...everything a girl could want,
but Usagi didn't know what to make of him. He stirred feelings in
her heart, feelings she had yet to understand.
*sigh*
Life was evil indeed.
Ever since Galaxia had appeared, her attacks had been
getting worse, and she seemed to remember things that weren't there before,
faces, events, people, smells, places, powers...
Maybe
she really was this heroine named Sailor Moon as Galaxia had called her, but
Usagi couldn't be sure. It seemed she wasn't sure of anything in life
anymore. It didn't help that Heero wouldn't allow her access to the disk,
the one thing she'd risked her life and her freedom to get. The answers
were there, she was sure of it. She only needed a way to get through the
impenetrable armor of the perfect soldier.
Usagi
stared back forward as they continued to walk, her heels clacking the only
noise made between any of them at all. She half wished she had her boots
on, but no, the thing they were attending required formal wear. A frown
crossed her lips and she cursed Quatre in her mind. The Russian Ballet,
that's what they were attending, at Quatre's insistence no doubt. It'd
been a dream of his since he was young. Now Usagi wished she been quicker
to say no instead of agreeing. This ballet was supposed to be special, it
included an opera performance by a world famous singer, someone Usagi had never
heard of.
Being
a formal event, she had to wear a gown. The dress was beautiful indeed; a
sparkling royal blue that tied behind her neck and clung to her curves
nicely. The gown was long, extending down all the way to her ankles and
stopping just above her blue high heels. A sparkling gold dragon design
snaked up the front and curved around the side, seeming to wrap her body in a
constricting manner. A glittering white flame shot from the dragon's
mouth and ended in the front, near her shoulder. Pearl earrings adorned
her ears and a pearl bracelet on her ankle. She still wore her choker and
leg cuffs with the gun still missing; no doubt Heero had it. The dress
had a nice slit up the side to expose one long leg.
All
of it paid for by Quatre Raberba Winner. Usagi had been a little hesitant
to accept it, Quatre had been so gracious to her, but he wouldn't let her
refuse. He'd even gone so far as to get her hair done, an intricate
design of braids and curls piled atop her head, some hanging down her back to
end at her calves. It was all so lovely. She vowed to pay him back
one day, Quatre was a true gentle man indeed.
"We're
here," said Heero quietly, his voice drawing her from her thoughts.
He didn't look anymore comfortable than her, forced into wearing a black tuxedo
by Quatre and Duo. He'd been ready to refuse, but Duo blackmailed him,
with what she didn't know, and Heero readily agreed. Wufei had been
another matter altogether. It'd taken three guys to hold him down and
force him into the tux, Usagi rolling with laughter in the background. He
vowed to kill them all after the ballet.
Quatre
approached the cashier behind the glass booth and purchased six tickets.
Luckily the cashier spoke a bit of English and was able to interpret what he
wanted. That underway they proceeded as a group into the huge
building. The outside was nothing special, a dome shaped building painted
a dark blue that looked black at night, dozens of windows. Inside, it was
breathtaking. Usagi had never seen something so lovely in her life.
It was two story, the second floor nothing but balconies, the stairs adorned
with a red carpet that spread throughout the building. The domed roof
held dozens of chandeliers, gold and glittering to give the outer room a
romantic feel. A hallway led off to the side where a bar and lobby
were. It was two buildings in one, the inner room consisting of the stage
and main seating ground. It was sphere shaped and blocked off by two huge
glass doors that were being held open by two red velvet suited doormen.
The outer room circled the inner, most of it stairs that led up to the second
floor where all the balcony seats were. Usagi was so busy looking around
she didn't even notice Duo approach her from behind.
"May
I take your coat beautiful?" Usagi nodded distantly.
"Sure
Heero," she mumbled and began to take her coat off. Duo raised a
brow in surprise. Heero? He'd been called many things in his life
but never Heero.
Once
removed, Usagi handed her coat to Heero who was paying her no attention what so
ever. The coat landed on his shoulder. He was about to throw it on
the ground and tell her he wasn't her servant but stopped when he saw
her. His breath caught and he couldn't help but stare at the lovely
picture she made. Several men who were with their dates stopped and
stared, which in turn earned a slap from their partners. A couple of
single men on their way to the bar whistled at her. Usagi ignored all the looks
and turned to Quatre who was looking around at the sights.
"Quatre-kun,
where do we sit?" Quatre stared at the tickets and sweatdropped.
"I
don't know, I can't read it," he admitted with a blush. Usagi
giggled and took the tickets from him. She examined it a moment and
handed it back to him.
"It's
a balcony seat, fifth door on the left up the stairs,"
"You
can read that?!" exclaimed Duo, his previous thoughts forgotten.
Usagi winked at him.
"Of
course, I can read and write over six different languages. You forget who
raised me?" Duo shook his head and chuckled. They all knew her
story; she'd told them one night while they were switching hotels.
"Oh
ya, I did," Usagi giggled and proceeded up the stairs, followed by Duo,
Quatre and the silent Trowa.
"Damn
all those sissies and that weak onna, dragging me to this retarded ballet.
I swear to kami when this is over they're all gonna die! I got better
things to........" and Wufei followed them, grumbling the whole way.
Heero stood there a while, still a little in awe of Usagi, then he shook his
head to clear it. He was being silly, awe struck by a girl, he told
himself and went up the stairs. The others had already taken a seat in
the curtained balcony room. Quatre and Trowa sat in the first two seats
on the right, Duo and Wufei sat in the second two seats on the left, which left
Usagi and an empty chair in the center, a little ways away from the rail.
Heero took his seat, pausing to drape Usagi's coat on the back of her chair and
settled down as the curtain on stage opened and the ballet began.
Five
minutes later, Wufei was asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About
two hours later, the dancers exited the stage and an announcer came out.
He said something and left, followed by deafening applause from the
audience. A blond, robust lady appeared on the stage then, dragged on a
carriage of some kind by six men dressed up as sea horses. Her legs were
covered in a fin made from aluminum, and she sat in a clam shaped
carriage. Usagi heard Quatre gasp. Obviously he recognized her.
Quatre
turned his head to smile at her, eyes lit up in excitement. Usagi guessed
he'd heard this song before.
"You'll
like this one," he said, voice low, "It's about a mermaid who grieves
for her lost human lover. He drowned when he tried to follow her into the
icy depths of the ocean," he turned back around then as the lady opened
her mouth and began to sing her intro. Moments later the musicians joined
and played a lovely composition; one that touched the soul with it's tremulous
melody. The beautiful music filled Usagi's being and stirred her long
held back emotions. The song, it was so sad, so full of sorrow, and the
woman's voice held a despondent note that would never go away. Usagi let
the music wash over her, listening with not only her ears but her heart.
Unknowingly, a tear slid down her cheek and she smiled in enchantment as she
closed her eyes.
Minutes
later she opened them once again as the song changed tempo, became more heart
pounding, her eyes attracted to the stage.
Her
heart stopped.
The
woman, she changed. Not only that, but she was standing up, no longer
robust, but slender and dressed in a sparkling ivory gown. Usagi knew
that girl, the aqua blue eyes, the chin length, dark blue hair, and benevolent
smile.
'Mercury,'
she mouthed. Usagi looked frantically at the pilots to see if they'd
noticed the girl on stage. They gave no sign that they did. Quatre
and Trowa were watching the show with rapt attention, not paying any notice to
Usagi's panicked face. Wufei slouched in his chair, head thrown back and
mouth open as he snored. Duo was busy trying to watch the performance at
the same time balance paper balls on Wufei's nose. Heero was leaning
against the rail, one arm propping up his head and his eyes closed. She
couldn't tell whether he was asleep or awake. Usagi once more focused on
the girl on stage. It was Mercury, she knew without a doubt. The
memories from her past life flooded her mind with images of the blue haired
genius.
Mercury's
arms were thrown open as she sang, gaze locking with Usagi's. The words
were different now, she could understand them.
Do you hear the sorrow in my voice?
A sorrow so deep it cannot be expressed
Do
you want to know why I grieve so?
I'll
tell you because I can keep it inside me no more
There
was once a girl that I used to know
Eyes
like oceans and hair spun of gold
We
were friends, no sisters till the very end
A
princess, her kingdom destroyed, and yet her soul reborn
but why should I tell you this
when
I've never met you before?
Someone
who in hours from now
I'll
certainly forget somehow
Could
it be that you
so
closely resemble that special girl
Whose
soul was so pure
no
evil could ever taint?
Can I trust you?
You remind me of enchantment passing through
The
secrets in my confidence
I
feel are safe enough with you
I
give you a story to keep to your heart
And
from your lips these words should never depart
The
guardians are near, the elements of life's existence
They
wait for you dear, are you yearning for them?
Crystal
tears rolled down Mercury's cheeks as she finished her song, eyes closed.
With a snap her eyes reopened and their gazes locked once more. Usagi
couldn't look away as Mercury beckoned with her arms and calmly walked off
stage. Usagi panicked! Where was she going?! She couldn't
leave now! Usagi stared back at the stage and almost cried in fear when
she lost sight of the water Senshi. Her eyes darted among the stage
fervently, skipping over the crowd and searching for that blue head.
Seconds later she spotted the girl, exiting through a side door that led to the
lobby.
Without
hesitation, Usagi rose from her seat and left out the curtained balcony, none
of the boys noticing her departure. Quickly she maneuvered through the
dense crowd of people in the hall, surprised they weren't watching the
performance. She pushed her way forward, earning glares and curses as she
made her way down the stairs. She raced down the hall and dashed into the
lobby, halting abruptly to avoid hitting a waiter. He cursed at her in
Russian but she ignored him as she looked around the room. No one was
there. The bartender sat behind his serving bar, cleaning glasses and
conversing with a pretty woman. A couple sat at a table drinking
cocktails, but that was all, no Mercury, no senshi.
"Iie,"
whispered Usagi, "She was there, I know what I saw!" But the
truth was, nothing was there. Usagi sighed in defeat and leaned heavily
against a wall. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to rationalize
what happened, and when she opened them again, her breath stopped. The
door, it was open. Cracked more like it, but still it held all the
evidence she needed. Someone had passed through here. Renewed hope
in her heart, she rushed through the door and paid no heed to the sudden
cold.
Snow
swirled around her in white brilliance, covering the ground in a thick
blanket. Usagi trudged through it regardless, the biting wind sending
chills down her spine. She'd forgotten her coat in her haste to catch
Mercury, so now she traveled only in her dress and heels. Her stockings
became soaked, the feeling in her toes long gone, but she didn't stop or go
back. She could see her now, about twenty feet ahead of her.
"Mercury!"
she called, her voice lost in the wind. Mercury paused and Usagi speeded
up. Mercury turned to smile and beckon Usagi once again with her arm
before continuing on.
"MERCURY!"
Usagi called once more, but the woman ignored her. Usagi began to run,
her legs starting to become numb. Her arms felt like dead weights and her
nose was no longer pink, but red. She sniffled and ran faster to catch up
to Mercury. They continued this way for what seemed an eternity, Usagi
gaining and losing. Once she'd heard her name being called behind her, but
she ignored it and pushed on.
Suddenly
Mercury stopped. She turned and waited as Usagi caught up, hope shining
in her eyes. Mercury held out her arm in silent invitation, smile
generous and promising comfort. Usagi came closer, never noticing the change
in the stabilization of the ground. She paused once as she heard it
creak, her heel stepping in a hole. Usagi yanked it out and continued
walking, never noticing the water welling up from the hole where her heel had
been. Mercury was a little ways away now, no more than five feet.
Mercury's eyes shone with light as Usagi stretched her arm out and reached for
her.
"Serenity,"
she whispered and vanished. Usagi stopped and stared in shock.
Where did she go?
"Mercury,"
she whispered, tears springing to her eyes, "Mercury! Iie!!
Come back to me!" With a wail of despair Usagi collapsed onto the
ground. She never felt the shifting of the ground as she sobbed.
Ice began to crack beneath her weight, but she didn't notice. Her
surroundings were lost to her, her grief overwhelming above all. Why did
Mercury leave her?
"Why?
WHY!" with an anguished sob she pounded her fists on the ground in
frustration. Big mistake.
*CRASH*
"EIIIIEEI-"
Usagi's scream was cut off as the icy, black water surged into her mouth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"MMMMMMYYYY
HHEEEEEAAAAAARRRRRTTTTTTTTTTT!!"
Heero
jerked awake as the deafening applause ensued. He straightened in his
chair as the mermaid lady left the stage, bouquets of flowers thrown behind
her. He rubbed his eyes and stifled his yawn as he stretched out.
This had to be the most boring thing he'd ever attended. If Duo hadn't
blackmailed him with last week's incident, he wouldn't be here now. It
was strange indeed. Little things like that never used to bother him, but
ever since Usagi came along, he'd changed. Usagi. Just thinking of
her gave him the impetus to catch a glimpse of the radiant blond. He
didn't know why, but he was attracted to her in some way, the kiss from only a
week ago still blazing brightly in his mind. Why did she make him feel
this way? What was it he felt for her? He didn't know, and probably
never would. In any event, Usagi probably didn't feel the same way.
After all, she'd only known him for two weeks! Counting the times they'd
ran into each other on missions. Unconsciously he rubbed his arm, the
wound where Usagi had shot him. It was healing okay, at a surprisingly
fast rate. Still, it was two weeks that felt like months.
With
an imperceptible sigh, Heero turned his head to see if Usagi was still
awake. His hands gripped the arms of the chair as he stared in sudden
shock. She was gone! He looked around worriedly, but saw no sign of
her. Her coat was still on her chair, half thrown off as if she'd left in
a hurry.
"Duo,
where's Usagi?" Duo turned from his task of annoying the sleeping
Wufei to look up in wide-eyed innocence.
"What?
Gomen, I didn't hear what you said." Heero suppressed the urge to
choke Duo and repeated his question. Duo scratched his head in confusion
and shrugged.
"Gee,
I dunno. Maybe she went to the bathroom or something."
"The
bathroom is all the way on the other side, outside the building. She
would've taken her coat," Duo shrugged again.
"Maybe
she forgot it?" He offered. Heero growled in annoyance and
left, snatching her coat and putting his on in the process. He didn't buy
it; Usagi wasn't that dumb. He was a soldier; he knew the signs of a
frantic departure.
Duo
scratched his head as he watched Heero leave.
"What's
with him lately? You'd think Usagi was his girlfrie......eh......never
mind," and he turned back to piling his paper balls on Wufei's face.
The program never saw it coming as Duo ripped another piece of paper off it and
balled it up.
"Just
one more," he whispered and placed the last bit of paper on the massive
pyramid atop Wufei's face.
"Perfect!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heero
raced down the hall hurriedly, one thing on his mind. Usagi. When
he'd left the balcony, he had asked an English-speaking hall monitor if he'd
seen a blond girl run through. The guy said he'd seen a gorgeous blond in
a blue and gold dragon dress run through there towards the lobby. He
didn't even get to finish his sentence before Heero was gone. He arrived in
the lobby minutes later and pulled aside a serving boy. He questioned him
same as the hall monitor and got the same answer.
"Ya,
I saw a pretty blond run through here about five minutes ago, damn near ran me
over. Anyway she comes in here, leans against the wall, says something I
don't understand and closes her eyes. Next thing you know, I hear her
gasp and she runs out the door, no coat or nothin. Crazy if you ask
me. Hey wh-" Heero took off, the guy still rambling behind him.
Usagi was out there, in the cold. The crazy girl had left without a coat
or anything. It was suicide! The temperature was below zero and she
had the nerve to go for a walk! To say he was pissed would be an
understatement. He was fairly livid! He knew what it was, she was
chasing one of her delusional visions again.
He
paused outside to try and gain his bearings. There was no way of telling
which way she'd gone. He was about to take off blindly in the snow when
something caught his eye. Heero bent down and examined a glistening
object in the snow, recognizing it instantly. It was Usagi's pearl
bracelet. Then he saw it, the footprints leading north. Already
they were filling up with snow, but he could still make them out, headed
straight for the lake.
Alarmed
with the bit of revealing news he quickly took off, running to catch up to the
already ahead Usagi. She had a five-minute lead and he'd be hard pressed
to catch her. Adrenaline raced through his veins as he ran, one goal in
mind. He had to catch her; there was no telling what she'd get into.
It
was awhile before he spotted her, blond hair whipping in the wind and blue
dress soaked with snow. She was just running for no reason, nothing but
snow in front of her.
"Usagi," he called, trying to gain her
attention. She didn't hear him and instead pressed on. Several
times he heard a name being called out, sounded like Mercury.
Mercury? Why would she be calling for a planet? Then with dread he
remembered something: Galaxia's story. Mercury had been one of the scouts
Usagi was supposedly the leader of.
"Usagi!"
Heero called to her again as she stopped in the middle of nowhere. He
paused, uncertain of what was happening. When Usagi made no move he
stepped forward.
*creak*
Heero jumped back as he heard it and glanced down. Ice! Usagi was
in the middle of the frozen lake! If it cracked.....
Heero
made up his mind and stepped onto the ice, ignoring the creaking and the
cracks. He made his way slowly towards her, determined to keep the ice
solid. His head jerked up as he heard her cry in anguish and collapse
onto the ground. He held his breath. The ice held. He let out
his breath and continued on, silently praying she didn't do anything else
stupid. He was close enough to see her now, notice her shaking shoulders,
and deathly pale skin.
"Why?
WHY!!" and she pounded on the ice.
*CRASH*
"EIIIIEEI-"
"Usagi!"
Heero sprinted across the distance and ran full speed. She was
drowning! Her arms flailed about wildly trying to get a grip.
Quickly he dived across the ice and grabbed her arm as she began to sink.
Gritting his teeth, he sprang up and yanked her out the water. Heero
pulled her close and stepped back from the edge. Once he was sure the ice
was stable he held her out at arms length and checked over her. Usagi
panted heavily, coughing up lungfuls of water as she breathed. Heero let
her cough up all the water, arms holding her steady; she was too weak to stand
on her own.
Suddenly
the ice began to creak under his feet and Heero jumped back as it broke.
The lake, it was breaking up! Heero pulled Usagi close again and began to
run, narrowly missing the open water. Several times he slipped and almost
fell in the water, but desperation fueled him and he got up, running again.
Usagi
tried hard to keep up as she was pulled along by Heero, held close to his
side. Her feet barely touched the ground as he sprinted. When he
fell his grip loosened a little and Usagi was forced to run on her own.
Her legs were so sore, she was so tired, so cold. Usagi's eyes closed
once in tiredness and she tripped. Heero cursed as he was dragged down
with her. Usagi cried in pain as he roughly got up and jerked her to her
feet. The bank was a few feet away. Heero panicked as he noticed
the ice by the bank beginning to break up. They were trapped! He
looked behind him. The water was catching up fast, ice breaking and
falling into the black water. He finally made up his mind and picked
Usagi up, arms under her legs and back. With a crouch, Heero jumped with
all his might just as the ice gave beneath them. They landed on the bank
with a thud and rolled a few feet.
He
lay on the ground for a while, Usagi on top of him, catching his breath and
listening to her labored breathing. Then he suddenly remembered where
they were and got up, forcing Usagi to stand on her feet against her
protest. He looked around him and finally spotted it, her coat where he'd
dropped it on the bank. Making sure she could stand on her own he went to
retrieve it. Then he placed it around her shivering, dripping wet
form. Usagi's teeth chattered loudly, her hair plastered to her body and
face. Heero took one of her hands and placed it in his own. It felt
like ice. Usagi would freeze to death if he didn't get her out of the
cold. Hoping to ward off more of the chill, he took off his own coat and
placed it around her, buttoning in all her arms and leaving her wet hair out.
"Usagi,
daijobu ka?" He waited silently for her to answer, but the only
sound made was the chattering of her teeth. Usagi was too cold to answer,
to shocked to think coherently. Heero cursed. Of all the stupid
stunts to pull she picked this! If she weren't so important, he'd kill
her. He set aside his irrational thoughts and took a deep breath to calm
himself. He needed to be clearheaded right now. First things first,
he needed to get her out of those wet clothes, therefore travel back to the
hotel was necessary.
Plan
in mind, Heero picked Usagi up and hefted her over his shoulder. He ran
back to the streets, the journey to the lake quite a distance from everything
else. Five minutes later they emerged on the street and he hailed a cab.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heero
stood Usagi on her own two feet and closed the door behind him. The room
was dark, freezing, and not the best place to be. Silently he felt along
the chilled wall until he felt the light switch and flicked it on. His
eyes protested to the sudden invasion of light and he blinked awhile to adjust.
When he was settled he went to the task of seeing to the hypothermic
blond. Usagi was worse than before, skin a tint of blue, her teeth
chattering still, and yet she struggled to speak.
"HHH....Heee....eee....rrr...rr...oo
I ssss..... sss.... a....aw...... her!" she stuttered,
"I....I.....I.... ss...ss.. ssss.... ss..... ssaa-" Heero placed a
hand to her chattering lips and silenced her with a glare.
"Baka,
you're this close to dying and I don't feel like hearing any excuses
why." He then moved to undress her. He took off the coat with
difficulty, her wet hair, fallen out of it's grand style and hanging down her
back getting in the way. That done, he underwent the embarrassing task of
removing her dress. The behind the neck tie had a layer of ice over it
and he struggled awhile before the knot finally came undone. Unexpectedly
the dress fell. In a sudden fit of modesty, Heero closed his eyes and
spun around before it fell all the way to the floor. He wasn't a
pervert. He snatched the comforter off the bed, held it up so his face
was covered, and turned around. Speedily he wrapped the blanket around
her, leading her to the bed and forcing her to sit, then made his way to the
suitcases and pulled out two of the thickest sweaters. One he put on to
ward off the chill. The other, he temporarily unwrapped Usagi, pulled the
sweater over her head, rewrapping her and laying her down on the bed. He
made sure he removed her shoes and thigh high stockings before leaving her to
sleep. He went around the room then and turned all the heaters up to the
highest.
After
ten minutes, Usagi still hadn't stopped shaking and it seemed her color had
gotten paler. Heero cursed and felt her forehead. It was ice
cold! What now? The heat was up; she was layered in blankets and
still not any better. What else could he do? Then a revelation
struck him, something he remembered Doctor J telling him before leaving on a
mission in the arctic.
"My
boy, if you happen to be traveling and your partner becomes hypothermic, the
best possible cure is body heat."
Heero
stared at Usagi for a while before finally making up his mind. He climbed
into bed with the shivering girl and unwrapped the blanket, pulling it around
himself as he pulled Usagi close. Her icy cold skin almost made him leave,
but he resolved to stick it out. Usagi, sensing heat closer to her,
wrapped her arms around him and twined her legs with his. After half an
hour she was asleep. Heero lay awake for a moment, listening to her
shallow breathing as she slowly began to heat up. It wasn't too long
after that he joined her in slumber, tired and worn out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heero
jerked awake roughly as the pounding at the door invaded his dreams.
Mumbling curses he untangled himself from Usagi's embrace, her legs entwined
with his and arms around his waist. Never in his life had he ended up in
a bed with the same person so many times.
He
purged all other thoughts from his mind and angrily opened the door, only to be
greeted with the beaming face of Duo.
"About
time you answered the door! I've been banging on it for ten
minutes!" Heero glared at him and leaned against the doorframe, arms
crossed over his chest.
"What
do you want," The ice in his tone was enough to freeze fire.
Duo by now was used to the grouchiness of his co partner and shrugged it
off.
"The
others were kinda worried when you and Usagi didn't came back to the
theater. The show was over three hours ago! Why'd you leave anyway
and not came back? You and Usagi weren't..." Heero's face remained
impassive. Duo, seeing he wouldn't get a thing out of Heero by teasing
him, didn't finish his sentence. Heero glowered at the braided boy.
Why did Duo always have to imply things? It was then that he noticed Duo
was traveling solo.
"Why
are you the only one here," Duo grinned broadly.
"I
was worried about you, dude! Besides I didn't wanna be there when Wufei
woke up." Heero frowned, getting the feeling Duo was up to
something.
"Why
not," It was a demand, not a question.
*BAM*
"MAXWELL!!
KISAMA!! WHEN I FIND YOU YOU'RE DEAD!!" Duo sweatdropped
"That's
why." Two more bangs echoed down the hall followed by the sound of
steel sliding against leather. Duo's eyes suddenly grew huge.
"Kuso,"
he whispered, "Wufei's got his kitana out!" Desperately he
grabbed Heero's shirt, eyes begging.
"Heero,
please, hide me!! I think he's gonna kill me this time! You
wouldn't want to see your best friend massacred would ya?" Heero
frowned and pried Duo's hands off his shirt.
"Duo,
a thought suddenly came to mind of my room and Relena Peacecraft. You do
the math,"
*SLAM*
Duo
blinked and stared at the closed door awhile before it finally sunk in.
"Heero!!
Why! How could you do this to me? I can't believe you're still sore
about the Relena thing, I didn't mean it...really! I....." Heero
rolled his eyes as he listened to Duo rant, pounding on the door as Wufei drew
closer. It served the baka right, always playing pranks and never being
punished for it. He hmphed and made his way to the small table then,
taking a seat and opening his laptop even as the noise reached a crescendo
outside his door.
"MAXWELL!!
BAKAYARO!! PREPARE TO DIE!!!"
"Wu-man,
please, calm down. It was just a joke! I'm sorry, really I am, you
forgive me....right?"
*THUNK*
Heero
almost flinched at the sound of metal striking wood. He turned his head
and stared at the door, which happened to have a kitana sticking through
it. Luckily, no blood.
"MAXWELL
COWARD!! GET BACK HERE!!"
"IS
IDIOT STAMPED ON MY FOREHEAD? NO WAY!!" The kitana was roughly
pulled from the door, followed by the sounds of rapidly running footsteps and
loud curses.
Heero
scowled disdainfully at the crack in the door. Somebody was going to pay
for that, and it wasn't going to be him. He cast thoughts of the incident
to the back of his mind and focused once more on the task at hand. He
glanced over to Usagi, making sure the girl was still asleep. It was a
wonder she could doze through that ruckus earlier, even now he could hear
countless other occupants of the hotel yelling complaints down the hall.
Usagi was oblivious to it all, body curled up in the comforter and features
relaxed. Sure that the girl would awake none too soon, Heero got up and
rummaged through his suitcase, searching for the one thing he'd been hesitant
to look at lest Usagi find out. The disk, here was his chance to see what
it held, see what caused Usagi to take such risks as she did with her
life. Secrets would be revealed, things that might decide their next move
on the mission.
His
groping hand finally closed around the plastic case and he pulled it free,
stopping to check the label before proceeding to the table. With one last
glance to the slumbering bunny, he inserted the disk and sat back as it played.
It
took awhile for the contents to load, but when they did, a black screen popped
up, a video. Heero watched in curiosity as a green haired woman appeared,
her maroon eyes and tanned skin proclaiming her to be exotic, a woman who would
never be found in these parts. Her head was held high even as her eyes
watered with unshed tears. She sniffled once, dabbed at her eyes with a
piece of tissue, and staged a placid facade.
"If
you're watching this, then I have failed in my duty and the princess has been
reborn. To the viewer of this disk, you need not know my name, only that
I am...was a protector of the woman who resides with you. I know she is
with you, her heart urged her to take this from hence it was stored and discover
the truths it held, truths I shall reveal to you. Lacking a name, I shall
give you my title. Time Guardian I am called, protector of the gates of
time. Alas, the gates have no protector now, for I am dead, yes, you
heard me, dead. Killed in the attack against Galaxia. I knew my
fate, same as I knew the princess's, and still, I wish I could've prevented
it."
The
woman paused then, taking a deep sigh and recollecting her bearings before
continuing on with her tale.
"This
disk has a sole purpose: to inform the viewer of the urgency of the situation
and explain the outlines of the mission."
Heero's
interest suddenly peaked. Mission? Did she say mission? If
there was one thing that Heero paid attention to, it was a mission.
"Chaos
has escaped and taken form once again no doubt. It may not seem like it
yet, but its reign will be the end of the universe as we know it. Chaos
in its new form will only be the embodiment of evil, and evil should never be
allowed to roam free. To counter this ultimate evil, the ultimate
goodness was created: the ginzouishu and the Lunarian race. Only a true
blooded Lunarian could control the crystal, one who had a true heart and
understood the consequences. In the princess's case, the ginzouishu has
found the ultimate purity and innocence, and therefore, bound itself to her for
eternity. The ginzouishu will always come forth when the need arises for
battle and the princess, being a part of the ginzouishu now, will always be
reborn and called upon to perform her duty. I tried to prevent this from
happening, saw the future and knew the consequences would be great. In
your day and time, evil has arisen, slowly and barely noticeable at first, but
now it is clear the state of the world is in. Look around you. Is
it stable outside? Can you step outside the door and not encounter a vile
act? War, death, tragedy, genocide, massacre, tyranny, communism,
democracy, political warfare. Is your world full of this? Your
universe, turned upside down and filled with these things? All a sign
that Chaos has arrived and is ready to exact revenge on the universe that
denied it."
"Having
explained the graveness of the situation, I shall now explain the
mission. Yes, you have to contribute to this, you hold the princess and
this disk, and you have the responsibility of saving the universe. The
princess has four main guardians, Mars, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter, each the
respectful owner of her planet. Each possessing the power needed to help
the princess in the future battle. I have news for you....they are
alive! But not as you'd expect them to be. They were not reborn as
mere mortals, no; their souls would not allow it. They have returned to
maintaining their rightful powers, as goddesses. Your mission should you
choose to accept, is to retrieve them. I can't tell you how, that you
shall decide for yourself. Know that each resides on her respectful
planet and has the power to destroy you should you fail. Of all the
things you must accomplish, this goal is perhaps the greatest. The
princess needs her guardians, more so than she admits. Without them,
she'll fail. Above all things, even the mission, you must remember the
greatest power of all is needed to defeat Chaos for good, the power of
Love. Without Love, the universe will be doomed."
"I
have said all that is necessary, to say more would alter the future, and the
future has already been altered enough. I leave you on this note: Gather
the guardians, do not fail. And remember what is needed to save your
universe. I have one request of you though. I know the princess
will never see this disk, it will self-destruct thirty seconds after the video
ends. Could you, possibly, tell her I said hi, and that I miss her.
Tell her we all do and we love her very much, that if it had been my decision
alone, she would be here with us and not the bleak future she has now.
Please Heero, do this for me."
The
video ended then, and a countdown from thirty began. Heero was too
shocked to notice. She knew his name! How?! This tape was thousands
of years old! How did she know his name?!
Twenty seconds
How
did that woman know Usagi was there? HOW DID SHE KNOW HIS NAME!!
Heero was so confused, not to mention, creeped out. He didn't expect
something like this, something so strange. He concluded that he was just
imagining things, that the woman hadn't said his name at all. Yep, that's
it, he was just imagining it. Heero took a deep breath and relaxed.
No worries, it was just a hallucination.
Fifteen
seconds
"Heero I suggest you throw this disk away before it
destroys your laptop," Heero jumped out his seat at the woman's
voice. What the hell?!! It was then that he noticed where it came
from: the computer. Which at the moment was informing him he had ten seconds
to dispose of the disk. Without caring, he yanked it out of the cd-rom
drive and rushed over to the window, kicked it open and tossed the disk out.
*Boom*
Heero
sagged against the sill as the last remnants of the disk settled on the
ground. All gone, it was gone. And he didn't even get a chance to copy
it. He sighed, one of the few emotions he'd been doing lately and turned
around, closing the window behind him. Sitting once again at the table,
he turned his chair to face the bed and slumbering Usagi. What now?
He'd seen the disk, something Galaxia had urged him to do and it gave him
little answers. Not only that, but an impossible mission. Retrieve
the guardians? What kind of bull was that? It was common knowledge
that the planets sustained no life, all inhabitable and this woman was telling
him to retrieve the guardians? The more he thought about it, the more
Heero realized he was crazy. He had to be. Kidnapping strange girls
who had crescent moons on their foreheads, creepy woman who could vanish in an
instant, wacko girl who was supposedly from the past, and now this: goddesses
on the planets!
If
he'd been normal, he might have cracked, but being one used to the annoying and
odd quirks of life, Heero was taking this surprisingly well. So far all
had proven to be true, Galaxia's story about Usagi and what the woman had said
on the disk. The wars, political battles, genocides, all of it was
true. So, he concluded, this also had to be correct.
Heero
placed his head in his hands and rubbed his temples vigorously. What
now? How were they supposed to go on from here? A noise sounded
from the bed and Heero glance up to see Usagi, eyes open and blinking.
They stared at one another, prussian clashing with sapphire in a silent
war. It was then that he made up his mind, knew what it was they had to
do. Averting his eyes, he got up from the chair and moved to his
suitcase. They were going back to Quatre's place.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I
don't see why you had to come back here Heero," complained Duo for the
thirteenth time. Heero gritted his teeth and prayed the drive would be
over soon. They'd been traveling for a long time in Quatre's personal
limousine and needless to say, tempers were wearing thin. Between Duo,
Usagi, and Wufei, he didn't know who he wanted to kill first. A wise
decision was to keep quiet, and that's exactly what he did.
"I'm
hungry! Are we there yet?" Usagi's stomach seemed to agree
with her as it growled, loudly.
"Grrrr!
Onna! You and your damned stomach need to shut up!"
"Don't
start with me china boy!"
"I
wouldn't if you would keep your mouth shut!"
"I
can't help it if I'm hungry baka! We can't all survive on our ego's like
you!" Quatre placed a restraining hand between the two as they
lunged for each other across the limo.
"Minna,
please, we're almost there. Look, the house is over the next hill so just
stay calm till then." Usagi mumbled a few choice words and slouched
in her seat, Wufei following her example and glaring daggers through her.
Usagi stuck her tongue out at him and grinned as his face turned red.
"Heero!
Unless you want her dead, I suggest you keep your koibito on a leash and teach
her some manners!" Usagi blushed furiously. With a cry of
indignation she leapt across the car and tackled Wufei, Duo getting caught up
in the fight as they wrestled around the car.
"Why
you little!" Usagi and Wufei's shouts and curses echoed, followed by
Duo's shouts of protest and Quatre trying to separate them.
"You
guys please! Not here!
"Get
off me you weak brat!"
"Yaro!
I'll show you who's weak!"
"Hey
get off my braid!"
"Stop
fighting please!"
"Who's
weak now huh?!"
"GET
OFF IDIOT!"
"GET
ME OUT OF HERE!"
"Stop
fighting!"
"ARGHH
PSYCHOTIC TRICK! LET GO OF ME NOW!
"PSYCHOTIC!!
I'LL SHOW YOU JACKASS!!"
"OWW!!
GET OFF OF ME YOU DORKS!!
"STOP
IT!!"
"BEG
FOR MERCY BAKA!!"
"NEVER
RETARD!!"
"WILL
YOU TWO PLEASE LET ME UP!!"
"THAT'S
IT!!"
*click*
*BANG*
All
activity halted as one by one, heads turned to gawk at....Trowa? Trowa
sat there, smoking gun levered at them and angry expression on his face,
visible green eye glittering with unrestrained rage. A hole in the roof
filtered the evening's dwindling sunlight.
"All
of you sit down and shut up. If I hear one peep, just one growl, one
hiss, I see one tongue or anything, I'll shoot you. Do I make myself
clear?" Heads nodded vigorously as they all separated and resumed
their seats. Wufei and Quatre sat next to each other across from Duo,
Usagi and Heero. Trowa resumed his seat next to Quatre and put his gun
away. Heero couldn't help as a smirk tickled at his lips.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ugh,
it's about time we got here. Hurry and open the door Quatre."
"Okay
Usagi, give me a minute to find my keys." Quatre fumbled around in
his pocket for a while, searching for his keys underneath the broken porch
light. It was too dark to see anything, but finally he managed to locate his
keys and open the door.
"Why
is it so dark in here?" Curses soon followed as they all filed into
the living room, bumping into furniture.
"ITAI!
*sniffle* My poor foot."
"Stop
whining onna!"
"Shut
up!"
*click* Silence once again reigned as they
moved into the den, almost blind in the dark. Heero decided to take the
initiative and felt along the wall until he found the light switch, flicking it
on and flooding light into the room.
"Konban
wa minna, motsu yoi ryoko suru?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shorty: HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! CLIFFHANGER!! YES!!! NOW
YOU SHALL FLAME ME AND THREATEN ME UNTIL I GET OUT THE NEXT CHAPTER!!
Okay minna, so I'm slow at getting these chapters out. Sorry, please
forgive me. I don't mean to take so long, it's just that life seems to be
so fast paced of late....you know? Ne wayz, stay tuned for the next
chapter. We'll find out who is in the house and what this person
wants.
While I'm here, I want to say thanks to all the readers who support me and give
me compliments. Without you guy's input, this fic would never've been
written. Thanks to Bunny-chan for letting me beta read her fic!
It's coming along nicely! And Traci and Moon goddess (Brooke) and Zpan
Sven and Tenshi who's fic Forever Afters gave me the inspiration to write this
chapter. Also all the people who have been reviewing my fic. You
guys are the best!! You truly do make my day!! I think next time
I'll type all the names of anyone who's ever given me a good review.
Now that I got that out....
1) If any of you are big Sisqo fans, you'll notice part of Mercury's song came
from his song "Enchantment Passing Through" featuring Dru Hill.
I couldn't help myself, it was so perfect for this fic. And it's one of
my favorite songs from his album. *sigh* I think I'll go listen to
it now........
Wufei: Ahem.....since the baka author seems
to be out of it right now, I'm taking over! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Finally REVENGE!!!!!
*silence*
Wufei: Eh? Where'd they all go? *sniffle* I didn't even get
to tell them to review.
