Lunar Succession
Author: ~Heartless Spirit~
Disclaimer: I don't own SM or GW. I DO own Dederi, so no stealin'! AND IBAREN TOO!!! NOVA BELONGS TO JESS-CHAN!!!
(Youhko's my own character too, if you haven't realized that by now...) BTW, HAKAI BELONGS TO DIANE, MY TALENTED COUSIN.
If you want to read Diane's fics, her pen name on ff.net is SNAPdragon! All other villains are mine as well..yes, it is
a lot of characters. DEAL WITH IT. The other enemies are mine.
AN: Okay, okay..so there wasn't a Mako/Heero moment in ch. 14...but there *might* be one somewhere in here...it will
be slightly inconspicuous in some parts..so you'll have to read the whole thing! Muahahahahhaha! Anyway..*cough*..
in the last chappie Yasuo Hirotoshi appears. He is rather close to Kuroi/Dederi, friendship-wise. Yasuo seems to be
a suprise birthday present, in a way, but what is his TRUE purpose for making his unannounced appearance? Is he the
catalyst of upcoming events which will foresee the final battle? dun dun dun...
AN2: As a future note the 'Musei to Tomei' thing will be explained later. But in 'reality', Musei and Tomei are not
actually in 'Tsurideragon no Chionikuresu'. -_- Maybe they should be..guest appearances! no i'm kidding. no..really.
I am. Stop staring. Really. Stop...STOOOP! @_@ [Musei to Tomei is s'posed to be Sight and Purity..i think..] if i
screwed up the translations please tell me in your review and tell me the correct words!!! ^^;
(Note: #...# = Memories or Visions;Dream Sequence)
======
Lunar Succession
======
Chapter 15- Penetration
======
trou d'enfer- hellhole
capo- coward
Dederi stared at the self-proclaimed 'model of masculine [mortal] perfection'. The raven-haired warrior blinked, then
proceeded to sweatdrop profusely as Yasuo's arm refused to budge from its place around her shoulders. "Hirotoshi-san."
Yasuo let out a comical, toothy grin. "So you HAVEN'T forgotten me!" He then hugged her with both of his nicely tanned
arms, losing his previous aloof, calm disposition and replaced it with a happy, joyous one. Dederi blinked, then sighed
from slight resignation. She hugged him back. The girl looked past her friend's back and glared at Ibaren, who attempted
to fake a serious expression, although it didn't seem to hide his amused look. Ibaren, as expected, burst out laughing.
Nova was already rolling around on the kitchen floor, holding her sides, and Hakai was suprisingly not doing to well
either. In other words, Hakai had bent over, laughter emitting from her usually calm voice. Dederi glared at all of them.
"I'm quite glad you find my glare amusing." Dederi replied dryly.
"Aww, come on, karasu. I haven't seen you for four years. Did you expect me to just smile and wave when I came here?"
Yasuo put on his face a hurt expression, his enigmatic eyes glittering with sadness. Dederi groaned and slapped her
forehead.
"That's not what I meant." Dederi put her left arm around his waist. "I missed you too. You know even I would miss
my friends after a long period of time." Yasuo smiled handsomely and put his arm around her waist in return. A little
child tugged at Dederi's white robe, causing the older teen to look downward. "Oi, don't worry, Chibiusa-chan. He is a
friend." Dederi released her soft hold from her friend's waist and picked Chibiusa up, once again settling her in the
crook of her right arm. "Hirotoshi-san, this is Chibiusa-chan, my fut-friend." Dederi quickly caught herself. [Damnit!
Why'd I almost say 'future daughter'?! I'm losing it.] "Chibiusa-chan, this is my friend Hirotoshi Yasuo. He's from my
home dimension." Chibiusa merely nodded and smiled cheerfully.
"Well, young Chibiusa. As you have been told, my name is Hirotoshi Yasuo. You can call me Yasuo, though." Yasuo shook
her pale hand. For a moment, his eyebrows furrowed, although replaced it with a disarming chuckle. [She bears a striking
resemblance to karasu. I wonder...is she the prophesized girl who is to be the daughter and heir of the Dark Dragon of
Tsurideragon? I will have to implore information from the magi later on.]
Hakai snorted. "No need to be repetitive, you idiot."
Yasuo smirked. "Better to be polite than gruff and stubborn, ne, Hakai?"
"Shut up." Dederi and Hakai glared simultaneously. They both knew quite well that he was implying to them both. The young
woman with the raven locks settled Chibiusa down next to the-[cake?] Dederi blinked. "What is this cake for, may I ask?"
Yasuo, Ibaren, Hakai, and Nova laughed as Dederi's eyes widened a notch after proceeding to read the elegantly written
words on the warm fudge-strawberry chocolate cake. Dederi smiled; it wasn't a fake, superficial smile, but a genuine look
of gratitude and happiness. She then ran over and suprised the two girls, Nova and Hakai, with a warm hug. "How did you
know?"
Ibaren laughed as Dederi released her devastating hold on the two girls and had his turn to hug her. "I asked Quatre
what the date of this dimension was and it turned out to be the night of your birthday. We sort of felt bad that we didn't
know, so we decided to make it up to you by getting Yasuo here. Even if is *was* supposed to be Jikana instead of him."
"So where's Jikana?" Dederi inquired. "The genius studying her ass off again?"
"Jikana's tracking down another youkai in Tsurideragon. She said not to worry and that all of us wished you a happy
birthday." Yasuo reassured. "And, yes, technically she's still studying for mid-term exams. Shiriten, though, is doing
quite the opposite." He took the time to shake his head. "Those nightly street races of hers are killing her grades as
it is."
"Thank you for coming here, hakuchou. Your presence is much appreciated. At least now I won't have to worry about you
as much." Dederi chuckled as she put her left index finger on Yasuo's chest. "You know Shiriten loves her adrenaline rush.
Stop being such a prick..."
"Yesterday was your birthday, Dederi-chan?" Chibiusa asked, beaming with excitement.
Dederi smiled and poured a cup of steamy hot chocolate from the thermos Ibaren had put on the kitchen counter, next to the
food and other delicious drinks and delicacies. She handed it gingerly to her future daughter, who continued to look at her,
awaiting the obvious answer.
"Hai, Chibiusa-chan." Dederi said kindly. "I am now officially eighteen." After the question had been answered, Chibiusa's
smile continued to grow. She sipped her hot chocolate carefully, as it was still quite warm. Dederi proceeded to turn back
to Yasuo, a grin gracing her pale lips. "I suppose you have another reason for coming here, despite my birthday. What is it
you wish to talk to me about, hakuchou?"
"Ah, always to the point." Yasuo answered with a wry smile. "But I suppose I shall have to put that reason to rest until
later." The Jrocker pointed towards the opened doors. "Your senshi and pilots have reentered the vicinity of this kitchen."
"For the last time, we are not HER senshi!" Rei growled angrily, but was quickly silenced by Makoto's slender hand.
Haruka gruffily sat down next to the Lunarian heir, taking in her surroundings. She graced the chocolate cake with her eyes,
then asked, "Your birthday?" She pointed to the cake.
"Hai." Dederi answered blandly. Her fingers unconsciously touched the unbroken necklace that Yukio had given to her the
previous evening, before Inabikari's death; before the rising of the Dark Incarnate; before the prelude to the final
battles of eternal darkness. It vaguely reminded her of the second war, when she had first met him. Despite their
anger and obvious differences, they were kindred spirits. They both knew it. The Demovalran charm was also a reminder
of the deaths she had caused in the past, much to her own chagrin.
A pair of arms encircled her waist, lifting her up from her seat opposite Chibiusa. "Karasu, don't get all moody now. You
have got to remember that this is your birthday party!" Yasuo laughed as Dederi's mouth emitted a feral growl. "Everyone
missed your birthday for four years and I refuse to let you continue being depressed and aloof!" Dederi continued to growl.
She gruffily punched Yasuo on the arm, allowing more room for her to escape from his loving grasp. Yasuo proceeded to let
her go, nursing his now bruised arm. "Itai itai itai..."
"Serves you right," Nova laughed. "Touching a girl like that!"
"You're no fun..." Yasuo groaned.
Ibaren and Hakai burst out laughing, as did the rest of the residents of Winner mansion. Although, Hakai was laughing for
a completely different reason from the rest. Dederi rubbed her temples out of aggravation. "Hakuchou, you know I don't like
it when you do that."
"Anou, gomen nasai..just don't hit me again..itai.." The usually aloof character of Tsurideragon held such a comical, wide-
eyed expression that even Dederi couldn't help but chuckle slightly. Yasuo sighed as he watched the lavender/crimson bruise
disappeared into the epidermis of his body. It was as if he had not been punched at all, much to the suprise of everyone
who did not know of Yasuo beforehand.
"Let me guess...you're an all-powerful legendary warrior with a cocky attitude, right?" Rei asked with a dry expression.
Every single person in the room could tell she was rather aggravated with anyone who was friends with Dederi. [Jesus, not
another one! Even if he is a bishounen. Kami-sama what the hell is going on?] At the question, the handsome Jrocker laughed,
a feral and sly grin gracing his lips. The inner senshi, excluding the fuming pyrokenetic teenager, practically swooned
at the sight. Heero resisted the urge to glare menacingly at the young man. (AN: hahaha, I'm guessing Dede-chan's words
got to him...^_^ wooo I've gone psychotic..bring on the egg nog!)
"Women are the ones who remain cocky." Yasuo grinned. "And I am certainly not an all-powerful warrior. I am merely a
young man who remains faithful to karasu, here."
"Very funny." Hakai replied to his statement with distinct sarcasm. She slapped the backside of his head lightly. "You're
such a baka."
"So...you're a familiar?" Ami interrogated with her soft voice.
"Anou, iie." The Jrocker replied. "I am merely associated with these 'lovely' friends of mine. Frankly, I don't even know
what you mean by a familiar."
Ibaren grinned handsomely as he walked over, a sharp kitchen knife in his hand. "Anou, Kuro-chan. You do realize you're not
going to escape this small party of yours, ne?" He placed the mahogany handle of the knife briskly into the birthday girl's
hands. *~You know I won't let you.~*
*~Bakemono.~* Dederi telepathically retorted, grasping the knife in her pale, slender hand. *~You are more idiotic than
Maxwell and Minako put together.~*
*~I resent that.~* Ibaren glared. *~Don't compare my actions with their bumbling antics.~*
"At least I'm not a pretty boy jackass like Hirotoshi." Dederi smirked as she stated the insult aloud. Hakai and Nova, who
had been listening to their open-telepathic conversation, began to laugh fervently. Yasuo slapped his forehead in
exasperation. Wufei laughed softly, suprising the rest of the Gundam pilots. Apparently, he had a vague idea of what
had taken place a mere seconds ago.
"Now, if that isn't flirting I don't know what is!" Hakai joked, holding her sides at another attempt to cease her unending
laughter of mirth and amusement. Ibaren and Dederi hastily began to deny anything other than friendship between them,
causing Hakai to laugh even further. (AN: Jeez, they sure seem to laugh a lot in this chapter. =_=) "Oi, I was just joking.
Seriously, loosen up! You two are like Yasuo during an episode, for Kami's sake!" The result was the furious blushing of
the smooth-talking Jrock star. Trowa, Setsuna, Heero, Wufei, Makoto, and Haruka looked on bemusedly at the antics that the
Jrock singer executed.
*~Let me guess. It was Shiriten's idea to push hakuchou into that portal?~* Nova stated silently to Ibaren as she,
once again, swatted away Duo's hand from the hot fudge cake. "Osage-baka you stop that. Kuro-chan gets first cut."
"Actually, it was Shiriten's and Jikana's idea. They were both quite amused at Yasuo's shocked disposition when he
was pushed through. They even tossed the small gift of theirs at his head to snap him out of it." Ibaren replied with
an amused grin. "And Maxwell, do stay away from the cake until it is properly cut...or else I'll cut you." At that
warning, Duo slinked away from the cake, sitting at the far end of the counter on one of the mahogany stools.
"You're so mean, Iba-kun." Nova scolded, but did so with a slight giggle.
"Dede-chan, cut the cake already!" Duo whined.
*~You're hurting my ears, Maxwell.~* Dederi slapped her forehead.
Duo screamed a scream that would rival Minako's and Relena's combined (AN: HAHA FORGIVE ME!). "What the hell
was that?!" Wufei grinned mercilessly as he, once again, knew what had happened.
"I think telepathic messages are a little to hard to handle for Maxwell, even if he's heard them from you before."
Dederi nodded. "Must be true. But you have caught on quite easily, haven't you, gaksei?" [Now I am sure you are Tomei,
Chang Wufei. Your soul must have survived the incarceration from the Gate.] The Chinese pilot of Shenlong Nataku
merely smirked in reply. The raven-haired assassin then proceeded to comply to Duo's whine by slicing the cake into
equal sections (AN: It was a big cake. XP). The fudge slowly flowed down the creamy sides of the luscious confection,
making it tantalizingly pleasing to the eye and stomach. Some of the senshi already held hot chocolate in their cold
hands, which warmed them to the point of bliss (and they tasted good too! ^_^).
"Dederi-kun, you never did tell us that you're a telepath." Minako stated as she blissfully swallowed a piece of the
chocolate strawberry that had been skewered by the black plastic fork she held in her dainty hand. "You have a lot of
secrets in that head of yours, ne?"
Dederi merely smirked at the Venusian's statement. "Hai. Not that my secrets have any relevance to you."
"You're so cold, Dede-chan." Makoto countered in Minako's defence. Dederi chuckled inwardly as she recalled her and Heero's
interesting conversation earlier that morning. She was definitely interesting. Dederi had known Makoto to be one of the
most forceful of the senshi, as well as one of the strongest in brute strength. She was graceful in her actions, albeit
thoughtless, and it seemed that she was the most overprotective, other than Haruka, of the rest. She was also one of the
most cheerful, that Dederi knew when she had been called up by Chibiusa into that infernal white dress.
[Now that I have taken a closer look, it seems they have a lot more in common than I have previously percieved.] Dederi
grinned knowingly. Makoto was certainly brave, since she had practically been the first one to attack her in the Winner
Mansion; Heero was brave because he had been the first one, in the Gundam Era, to shoot her. Usually, her shield would
have been revealed, but since she was truly not supposed to reveal that she had more powers than Serenity had and that
she was more focused on keeping Nova unharmed, she was vulnerable to a man-made bullet. [Oh well. What has happened
has happened.]
Dederi sat down on the small, circular table across from the central mahogany counter. It was made of mahogany and
refined cherrywood and was finished brilliantly, for it shined like spiders' silk in the morning rain. The raven-haired
assassin settled her slice of fudge cake, which sat delicately on the black plastic plate, onto the surface of the
table and began to eat. She had to smirk. *~My favorite. And here I thought you had forgotten, Hakai.~*
"Oh, it's nothing." Hakai answered amidst the silence of the kitchen. "I would never forget such a delicious recipe, let
alone your favorite cake." She sat down beside her and began to partake in her slice.
"This is so good!" Duo exclaimed inbetween munches, causing some globs of fudge to drip from his mouth. Nova, Wufei,
Quatre, and the senshi wretched at the sloppy sight. "You have to tell me how to make this!!!"
A distinct 'WHAP' could be heard as Nova slapped a napkin onto Duo's mouth.
Trowa, unnoticed by everyone except Dederi, Ibaren, Hakai, Heero, and Wufei, sat down next to Dederi, his slice of hot
fudge cake already half eaten. He resisted the urge to smile, and his resistance was almost immediately caught by his
lover.
*~And you're resisting, why?~* Dederi asked him amusedly.
Trowa's eyes widened slightly, but suprised Dederi by smirking. He mouthed to her, "Because others still do not really
know that I laugh or smile without thought." And by saying that, she understood. Her mouth gave way to a small, amused
grin. Dederi placed another piece of cake into her mouth.
"You know, Dede-chan," Makoto interrupted Trowa and Dederi's silent conversation as she sat down across from them, "You
really should lighten up about things. Don't you ever have fun like going dancing or singing kareoke?"
The girl in question merely shook her head, the raven tresses falling loosely onto her shoulders as they escaped from her
loose white ribbon. "I do not do such frivolous things." It was then that everyone heard a mirthful laugh from Yasuo, who
had also made his way over to the small breakfast table, his mug of hot chocolate in hand. He had a playful smirk on his
face, and his eyes seemed to almost glow of amusement and disbelief.
"Oh, come on, karasu. You *know* you've done frivolous things before in Tsurideragon. You played sports, competitions..."
"That, hakuchou, is different."
Minako, ignoring Dederi's previous sentence, asked, "What else did she do? Did she sing? Dance?"
"I think that all of us know that she danced, seeing as she danced with that Yukio demon last night." Heero brought up
in his usual monotone. He was aware of his friend's glare, but was unaffected, seeing as he had seen it before. "Don't
glare at me."
"What gives you the right to not tell me who to glare at, Yuy?" Dederi mock growled.
Heero smirked. "I was only stating the truth."
Dederi mock growled again, although no one (besides Heero, Ibaren, Hakai, and Nova) noticed that she was merely playing
with him. Only Ibaren and Nova noticed that Heero was playing back. *~I'm not the one who's afraid to show his emotions
to a certain *girl* that HE likes!~*
Heero glared. "I am not afraid of anything."
"Nisei."
"No, I am not."
"Nisei."
"No, I'm NOT."
"Oookay, then." Duo said, completely confused. "He-man, that's the most I've heard you say in a NORMAL conversation! Well,
as normal as you two can be, anyway." A point blank look at the barrel of Heero's gun and Dederi's inhumane glare shut him
up. [Never thought I'd see the day when Dede-chan and He-man had a 'yes/no' glaring match. Heh. I guess hanging around
social people finally got to 'em.]
(AN: ha! time for another annoying note; nisei means 'untruthful' in Japanese. BE EDUCATED! WOO!..wait..O_o; *cough*
ANYWAY! ..er..too much humor...well..too many *attempts* at humor..hehe I'm better with romance and danger, ne?)
*~Come out...~*
"N..Nani?" Dederi answered. Everyone else merely thought she was talking to Duo, er, arguing with Duo, so they just went
about their own conversations. Although, Trowa somehow noticed her stiffen and her anxiety suddenly increase.
"Dederi, what's wrong?" Trowa whispered cautiously.
*~Come out to the courtyard. I am waiting...~* The voice sounded weak.
"Iie. Nothing is wrong." Dederi answered gruffily, catching Ibaren and the two girls' attention. Nova discreetly elbowed
Yasuo, who was flirting with Makoto and Rei (much to Heero's glare). Yasuo turned.
"Nani?" Yasuo answered her slight jab. "What'd you do that fo-"
"Damare." *~Something is wrong.~*
Yasuo's brow furrowed slightly as his eyes turned to his pale comrad. He nodded in understanding, although as he fully
turned to Dederi, his eyes held worry and confusion. His violet eyes narrowed, the gold stripes within them shining.
"I'm going to go outside for a moment."
======
AN: Well...I call this chappie my "kami-sama this sucks arse" chappie. -_-; In other words, I didn't like this chapter
very much..ah well..this is the shortest chapter I've written...after I started writing really long ones..ah well..I'll
make it up, dun worry.
Email: injusticepilot05@hotmail.com
Author: ~Heartless Spirit~
Disclaimer: I don't own SM or GW. I DO own Dederi, so no stealin'! AND IBAREN TOO!!! NOVA BELONGS TO JESS-CHAN!!!
(Youhko's my own character too, if you haven't realized that by now...) BTW, HAKAI BELONGS TO DIANE, MY TALENTED COUSIN.
If you want to read Diane's fics, her pen name on ff.net is SNAPdragon! All other villains are mine as well..yes, it is
a lot of characters. DEAL WITH IT. The other enemies are mine.
AN: Okay, okay..so there wasn't a Mako/Heero moment in ch. 14...but there *might* be one somewhere in here...it will
be slightly inconspicuous in some parts..so you'll have to read the whole thing! Muahahahahhaha! Anyway..*cough*..
in the last chappie Yasuo Hirotoshi appears. He is rather close to Kuroi/Dederi, friendship-wise. Yasuo seems to be
a suprise birthday present, in a way, but what is his TRUE purpose for making his unannounced appearance? Is he the
catalyst of upcoming events which will foresee the final battle? dun dun dun...
AN2: As a future note the 'Musei to Tomei' thing will be explained later. But in 'reality', Musei and Tomei are not
actually in 'Tsurideragon no Chionikuresu'. -_- Maybe they should be..guest appearances! no i'm kidding. no..really.
I am. Stop staring. Really. Stop...STOOOP! @_@ [Musei to Tomei is s'posed to be Sight and Purity..i think..] if i
screwed up the translations please tell me in your review and tell me the correct words!!! ^^;
(Note: #...# = Memories or Visions;Dream Sequence)
======
Lunar Succession
======
Chapter 15- Penetration
======
trou d'enfer- hellhole
capo- coward
Dederi stared at the self-proclaimed 'model of masculine [mortal] perfection'. The raven-haired warrior blinked, then
proceeded to sweatdrop profusely as Yasuo's arm refused to budge from its place around her shoulders. "Hirotoshi-san."
Yasuo let out a comical, toothy grin. "So you HAVEN'T forgotten me!" He then hugged her with both of his nicely tanned
arms, losing his previous aloof, calm disposition and replaced it with a happy, joyous one. Dederi blinked, then sighed
from slight resignation. She hugged him back. The girl looked past her friend's back and glared at Ibaren, who attempted
to fake a serious expression, although it didn't seem to hide his amused look. Ibaren, as expected, burst out laughing.
Nova was already rolling around on the kitchen floor, holding her sides, and Hakai was suprisingly not doing to well
either. In other words, Hakai had bent over, laughter emitting from her usually calm voice. Dederi glared at all of them.
"I'm quite glad you find my glare amusing." Dederi replied dryly.
"Aww, come on, karasu. I haven't seen you for four years. Did you expect me to just smile and wave when I came here?"
Yasuo put on his face a hurt expression, his enigmatic eyes glittering with sadness. Dederi groaned and slapped her
forehead.
"That's not what I meant." Dederi put her left arm around his waist. "I missed you too. You know even I would miss
my friends after a long period of time." Yasuo smiled handsomely and put his arm around her waist in return. A little
child tugged at Dederi's white robe, causing the older teen to look downward. "Oi, don't worry, Chibiusa-chan. He is a
friend." Dederi released her soft hold from her friend's waist and picked Chibiusa up, once again settling her in the
crook of her right arm. "Hirotoshi-san, this is Chibiusa-chan, my fut-friend." Dederi quickly caught herself. [Damnit!
Why'd I almost say 'future daughter'?! I'm losing it.] "Chibiusa-chan, this is my friend Hirotoshi Yasuo. He's from my
home dimension." Chibiusa merely nodded and smiled cheerfully.
"Well, young Chibiusa. As you have been told, my name is Hirotoshi Yasuo. You can call me Yasuo, though." Yasuo shook
her pale hand. For a moment, his eyebrows furrowed, although replaced it with a disarming chuckle. [She bears a striking
resemblance to karasu. I wonder...is she the prophesized girl who is to be the daughter and heir of the Dark Dragon of
Tsurideragon? I will have to implore information from the magi later on.]
Hakai snorted. "No need to be repetitive, you idiot."
Yasuo smirked. "Better to be polite than gruff and stubborn, ne, Hakai?"
"Shut up." Dederi and Hakai glared simultaneously. They both knew quite well that he was implying to them both. The young
woman with the raven locks settled Chibiusa down next to the-[cake?] Dederi blinked. "What is this cake for, may I ask?"
Yasuo, Ibaren, Hakai, and Nova laughed as Dederi's eyes widened a notch after proceeding to read the elegantly written
words on the warm fudge-strawberry chocolate cake. Dederi smiled; it wasn't a fake, superficial smile, but a genuine look
of gratitude and happiness. She then ran over and suprised the two girls, Nova and Hakai, with a warm hug. "How did you
know?"
Ibaren laughed as Dederi released her devastating hold on the two girls and had his turn to hug her. "I asked Quatre
what the date of this dimension was and it turned out to be the night of your birthday. We sort of felt bad that we didn't
know, so we decided to make it up to you by getting Yasuo here. Even if is *was* supposed to be Jikana instead of him."
"So where's Jikana?" Dederi inquired. "The genius studying her ass off again?"
"Jikana's tracking down another youkai in Tsurideragon. She said not to worry and that all of us wished you a happy
birthday." Yasuo reassured. "And, yes, technically she's still studying for mid-term exams. Shiriten, though, is doing
quite the opposite." He took the time to shake his head. "Those nightly street races of hers are killing her grades as
it is."
"Thank you for coming here, hakuchou. Your presence is much appreciated. At least now I won't have to worry about you
as much." Dederi chuckled as she put her left index finger on Yasuo's chest. "You know Shiriten loves her adrenaline rush.
Stop being such a prick..."
"Yesterday was your birthday, Dederi-chan?" Chibiusa asked, beaming with excitement.
Dederi smiled and poured a cup of steamy hot chocolate from the thermos Ibaren had put on the kitchen counter, next to the
food and other delicious drinks and delicacies. She handed it gingerly to her future daughter, who continued to look at her,
awaiting the obvious answer.
"Hai, Chibiusa-chan." Dederi said kindly. "I am now officially eighteen." After the question had been answered, Chibiusa's
smile continued to grow. She sipped her hot chocolate carefully, as it was still quite warm. Dederi proceeded to turn back
to Yasuo, a grin gracing her pale lips. "I suppose you have another reason for coming here, despite my birthday. What is it
you wish to talk to me about, hakuchou?"
"Ah, always to the point." Yasuo answered with a wry smile. "But I suppose I shall have to put that reason to rest until
later." The Jrocker pointed towards the opened doors. "Your senshi and pilots have reentered the vicinity of this kitchen."
"For the last time, we are not HER senshi!" Rei growled angrily, but was quickly silenced by Makoto's slender hand.
Haruka gruffily sat down next to the Lunarian heir, taking in her surroundings. She graced the chocolate cake with her eyes,
then asked, "Your birthday?" She pointed to the cake.
"Hai." Dederi answered blandly. Her fingers unconsciously touched the unbroken necklace that Yukio had given to her the
previous evening, before Inabikari's death; before the rising of the Dark Incarnate; before the prelude to the final
battles of eternal darkness. It vaguely reminded her of the second war, when she had first met him. Despite their
anger and obvious differences, they were kindred spirits. They both knew it. The Demovalran charm was also a reminder
of the deaths she had caused in the past, much to her own chagrin.
A pair of arms encircled her waist, lifting her up from her seat opposite Chibiusa. "Karasu, don't get all moody now. You
have got to remember that this is your birthday party!" Yasuo laughed as Dederi's mouth emitted a feral growl. "Everyone
missed your birthday for four years and I refuse to let you continue being depressed and aloof!" Dederi continued to growl.
She gruffily punched Yasuo on the arm, allowing more room for her to escape from his loving grasp. Yasuo proceeded to let
her go, nursing his now bruised arm. "Itai itai itai..."
"Serves you right," Nova laughed. "Touching a girl like that!"
"You're no fun..." Yasuo groaned.
Ibaren and Hakai burst out laughing, as did the rest of the residents of Winner mansion. Although, Hakai was laughing for
a completely different reason from the rest. Dederi rubbed her temples out of aggravation. "Hakuchou, you know I don't like
it when you do that."
"Anou, gomen nasai..just don't hit me again..itai.." The usually aloof character of Tsurideragon held such a comical, wide-
eyed expression that even Dederi couldn't help but chuckle slightly. Yasuo sighed as he watched the lavender/crimson bruise
disappeared into the epidermis of his body. It was as if he had not been punched at all, much to the suprise of everyone
who did not know of Yasuo beforehand.
"Let me guess...you're an all-powerful legendary warrior with a cocky attitude, right?" Rei asked with a dry expression.
Every single person in the room could tell she was rather aggravated with anyone who was friends with Dederi. [Jesus, not
another one! Even if he is a bishounen. Kami-sama what the hell is going on?] At the question, the handsome Jrocker laughed,
a feral and sly grin gracing his lips. The inner senshi, excluding the fuming pyrokenetic teenager, practically swooned
at the sight. Heero resisted the urge to glare menacingly at the young man. (AN: hahaha, I'm guessing Dede-chan's words
got to him...^_^ wooo I've gone psychotic..bring on the egg nog!)
"Women are the ones who remain cocky." Yasuo grinned. "And I am certainly not an all-powerful warrior. I am merely a
young man who remains faithful to karasu, here."
"Very funny." Hakai replied to his statement with distinct sarcasm. She slapped the backside of his head lightly. "You're
such a baka."
"So...you're a familiar?" Ami interrogated with her soft voice.
"Anou, iie." The Jrocker replied. "I am merely associated with these 'lovely' friends of mine. Frankly, I don't even know
what you mean by a familiar."
Ibaren grinned handsomely as he walked over, a sharp kitchen knife in his hand. "Anou, Kuro-chan. You do realize you're not
going to escape this small party of yours, ne?" He placed the mahogany handle of the knife briskly into the birthday girl's
hands. *~You know I won't let you.~*
*~Bakemono.~* Dederi telepathically retorted, grasping the knife in her pale, slender hand. *~You are more idiotic than
Maxwell and Minako put together.~*
*~I resent that.~* Ibaren glared. *~Don't compare my actions with their bumbling antics.~*
"At least I'm not a pretty boy jackass like Hirotoshi." Dederi smirked as she stated the insult aloud. Hakai and Nova, who
had been listening to their open-telepathic conversation, began to laugh fervently. Yasuo slapped his forehead in
exasperation. Wufei laughed softly, suprising the rest of the Gundam pilots. Apparently, he had a vague idea of what
had taken place a mere seconds ago.
"Now, if that isn't flirting I don't know what is!" Hakai joked, holding her sides at another attempt to cease her unending
laughter of mirth and amusement. Ibaren and Dederi hastily began to deny anything other than friendship between them,
causing Hakai to laugh even further. (AN: Jeez, they sure seem to laugh a lot in this chapter. =_=) "Oi, I was just joking.
Seriously, loosen up! You two are like Yasuo during an episode, for Kami's sake!" The result was the furious blushing of
the smooth-talking Jrock star. Trowa, Setsuna, Heero, Wufei, Makoto, and Haruka looked on bemusedly at the antics that the
Jrock singer executed.
*~Let me guess. It was Shiriten's idea to push hakuchou into that portal?~* Nova stated silently to Ibaren as she,
once again, swatted away Duo's hand from the hot fudge cake. "Osage-baka you stop that. Kuro-chan gets first cut."
"Actually, it was Shiriten's and Jikana's idea. They were both quite amused at Yasuo's shocked disposition when he
was pushed through. They even tossed the small gift of theirs at his head to snap him out of it." Ibaren replied with
an amused grin. "And Maxwell, do stay away from the cake until it is properly cut...or else I'll cut you." At that
warning, Duo slinked away from the cake, sitting at the far end of the counter on one of the mahogany stools.
"You're so mean, Iba-kun." Nova scolded, but did so with a slight giggle.
"Dede-chan, cut the cake already!" Duo whined.
*~You're hurting my ears, Maxwell.~* Dederi slapped her forehead.
Duo screamed a scream that would rival Minako's and Relena's combined (AN: HAHA FORGIVE ME!). "What the hell
was that?!" Wufei grinned mercilessly as he, once again, knew what had happened.
"I think telepathic messages are a little to hard to handle for Maxwell, even if he's heard them from you before."
Dederi nodded. "Must be true. But you have caught on quite easily, haven't you, gaksei?" [Now I am sure you are Tomei,
Chang Wufei. Your soul must have survived the incarceration from the Gate.] The Chinese pilot of Shenlong Nataku
merely smirked in reply. The raven-haired assassin then proceeded to comply to Duo's whine by slicing the cake into
equal sections (AN: It was a big cake. XP). The fudge slowly flowed down the creamy sides of the luscious confection,
making it tantalizingly pleasing to the eye and stomach. Some of the senshi already held hot chocolate in their cold
hands, which warmed them to the point of bliss (and they tasted good too! ^_^).
"Dederi-kun, you never did tell us that you're a telepath." Minako stated as she blissfully swallowed a piece of the
chocolate strawberry that had been skewered by the black plastic fork she held in her dainty hand. "You have a lot of
secrets in that head of yours, ne?"
Dederi merely smirked at the Venusian's statement. "Hai. Not that my secrets have any relevance to you."
"You're so cold, Dede-chan." Makoto countered in Minako's defence. Dederi chuckled inwardly as she recalled her and Heero's
interesting conversation earlier that morning. She was definitely interesting. Dederi had known Makoto to be one of the
most forceful of the senshi, as well as one of the strongest in brute strength. She was graceful in her actions, albeit
thoughtless, and it seemed that she was the most overprotective, other than Haruka, of the rest. She was also one of the
most cheerful, that Dederi knew when she had been called up by Chibiusa into that infernal white dress.
[Now that I have taken a closer look, it seems they have a lot more in common than I have previously percieved.] Dederi
grinned knowingly. Makoto was certainly brave, since she had practically been the first one to attack her in the Winner
Mansion; Heero was brave because he had been the first one, in the Gundam Era, to shoot her. Usually, her shield would
have been revealed, but since she was truly not supposed to reveal that she had more powers than Serenity had and that
she was more focused on keeping Nova unharmed, she was vulnerable to a man-made bullet. [Oh well. What has happened
has happened.]
Dederi sat down on the small, circular table across from the central mahogany counter. It was made of mahogany and
refined cherrywood and was finished brilliantly, for it shined like spiders' silk in the morning rain. The raven-haired
assassin settled her slice of fudge cake, which sat delicately on the black plastic plate, onto the surface of the
table and began to eat. She had to smirk. *~My favorite. And here I thought you had forgotten, Hakai.~*
"Oh, it's nothing." Hakai answered amidst the silence of the kitchen. "I would never forget such a delicious recipe, let
alone your favorite cake." She sat down beside her and began to partake in her slice.
"This is so good!" Duo exclaimed inbetween munches, causing some globs of fudge to drip from his mouth. Nova, Wufei,
Quatre, and the senshi wretched at the sloppy sight. "You have to tell me how to make this!!!"
A distinct 'WHAP' could be heard as Nova slapped a napkin onto Duo's mouth.
Trowa, unnoticed by everyone except Dederi, Ibaren, Hakai, Heero, and Wufei, sat down next to Dederi, his slice of hot
fudge cake already half eaten. He resisted the urge to smile, and his resistance was almost immediately caught by his
lover.
*~And you're resisting, why?~* Dederi asked him amusedly.
Trowa's eyes widened slightly, but suprised Dederi by smirking. He mouthed to her, "Because others still do not really
know that I laugh or smile without thought." And by saying that, she understood. Her mouth gave way to a small, amused
grin. Dederi placed another piece of cake into her mouth.
"You know, Dede-chan," Makoto interrupted Trowa and Dederi's silent conversation as she sat down across from them, "You
really should lighten up about things. Don't you ever have fun like going dancing or singing kareoke?"
The girl in question merely shook her head, the raven tresses falling loosely onto her shoulders as they escaped from her
loose white ribbon. "I do not do such frivolous things." It was then that everyone heard a mirthful laugh from Yasuo, who
had also made his way over to the small breakfast table, his mug of hot chocolate in hand. He had a playful smirk on his
face, and his eyes seemed to almost glow of amusement and disbelief.
"Oh, come on, karasu. You *know* you've done frivolous things before in Tsurideragon. You played sports, competitions..."
"That, hakuchou, is different."
Minako, ignoring Dederi's previous sentence, asked, "What else did she do? Did she sing? Dance?"
"I think that all of us know that she danced, seeing as she danced with that Yukio demon last night." Heero brought up
in his usual monotone. He was aware of his friend's glare, but was unaffected, seeing as he had seen it before. "Don't
glare at me."
"What gives you the right to not tell me who to glare at, Yuy?" Dederi mock growled.
Heero smirked. "I was only stating the truth."
Dederi mock growled again, although no one (besides Heero, Ibaren, Hakai, and Nova) noticed that she was merely playing
with him. Only Ibaren and Nova noticed that Heero was playing back. *~I'm not the one who's afraid to show his emotions
to a certain *girl* that HE likes!~*
Heero glared. "I am not afraid of anything."
"Nisei."
"No, I am not."
"Nisei."
"No, I'm NOT."
"Oookay, then." Duo said, completely confused. "He-man, that's the most I've heard you say in a NORMAL conversation! Well,
as normal as you two can be, anyway." A point blank look at the barrel of Heero's gun and Dederi's inhumane glare shut him
up. [Never thought I'd see the day when Dede-chan and He-man had a 'yes/no' glaring match. Heh. I guess hanging around
social people finally got to 'em.]
(AN: ha! time for another annoying note; nisei means 'untruthful' in Japanese. BE EDUCATED! WOO!..wait..O_o; *cough*
ANYWAY! ..er..too much humor...well..too many *attempts* at humor..hehe I'm better with romance and danger, ne?)
*~Come out...~*
"N..Nani?" Dederi answered. Everyone else merely thought she was talking to Duo, er, arguing with Duo, so they just went
about their own conversations. Although, Trowa somehow noticed her stiffen and her anxiety suddenly increase.
"Dederi, what's wrong?" Trowa whispered cautiously.
*~Come out to the courtyard. I am waiting...~* The voice sounded weak.
"Iie. Nothing is wrong." Dederi answered gruffily, catching Ibaren and the two girls' attention. Nova discreetly elbowed
Yasuo, who was flirting with Makoto and Rei (much to Heero's glare). Yasuo turned.
"Nani?" Yasuo answered her slight jab. "What'd you do that fo-"
"Damare." *~Something is wrong.~*
Yasuo's brow furrowed slightly as his eyes turned to his pale comrad. He nodded in understanding, although as he fully
turned to Dederi, his eyes held worry and confusion. His violet eyes narrowed, the gold stripes within them shining.
"I'm going to go outside for a moment."
======
AN: Well...I call this chappie my "kami-sama this sucks arse" chappie. -_-; In other words, I didn't like this chapter
very much..ah well..this is the shortest chapter I've written...after I started writing really long ones..ah well..I'll
make it up, dun worry.
Email: injusticepilot05@hotmail.com
