Sensou Tenshi Usagi (War Angel Usagi) ~ VI


Midnight of Shadows

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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!

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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.

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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."

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            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.

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            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.

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            "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!"

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            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.