Sorry it took me a little while to get this out. But I finished up summer school (with A's in both Ethics and Psych of Personality, yay!), so I had some more free time to write. Except I had writer's block for about a week... but I sat at the comp last night and wrote the majority of this chapter. Let me tell you, after getting further into this chapter, I had every intention of this being the last one. I almost ended it with their reunion, but then I figured I had to add in the others' reactions. And then, at the end, I figured I had to introduce Quatre to the girls... so the next chapter may be the last chapter! I don't know yet. But there's at least one more!
I was actually going to post this chapter this evening, but since hurricane Claudette will be sending loads of bad weather our way (none yet, but we're supposed to have rain that could flood from two to six feet, starting in about an hour... I love living in a coastal city.), I decided to post this now just in case we lose power later. I hope I did this chapter justice. Read on and enjoy!
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A low rumbling resounded, breaking the silence that had fallen between the guys. "Hehe, guess I'm hungry," Duo chuckled sheepishly as he rubbed his stomach. This earned him two looks of irritation, which immediately halted his chuckling. He couldn't help it. They had been sitting there for a while, and he didn't get to eat breakfast that morning. Maybe if he made a quick run to the park vendor... But no, Trowa and Hiiro wouldn't let him. So he settled back onto the bench to wait some more.
"I thought Quatre was supposed to be such a great empath," Duo grumbled in irritation. "What's taking him so long?"
That was a stupid question to the other two. Of course Quatre was a great empath! But that's not to say that the same thought hadn't crossed their minds for the briefest of seconds... Usually Quatre had a fairly easy time reading people.
Exchanging a look with Hiiro, Trowa stood and began slowly walking down the path so he would be able to see what was happening behind the tree. Catching a glimpse of clothing, he walked a bit farther to the right and almost tripped over his own feet. He blinked. Then he blinked again. A hand reached up and pushed the long wisp of bangs out of his face so both eyes could see.
Watching Trowa's odd reaction, Duo jogged immediately over to where his taller friend was standing. Eyes widening to an impossibly large size, Duo exclaimed indignantly, "Hey! I thought you said we weren't supposed to hit on the suspect!"
These words brought Hiiro over there in less than half a second. His eyes were narrowed as he observed the two blondes in their intimate embrace. Then he turned around and said simply, "Quatre will explain later. Let's go."
"But--"
"Let's. Go."
Duo didn't need to be told again. With one last glance at their friend, the trio made their way out of the park.
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After standing there for a while, Quatre finally pulled away from the embrace only enough for them to talk. Usagi," he murmured slowly, enjoying the sound of her name on his tongue once again. He knew he had missed her, but he never realized how much until now.
She looked up at him, sapphire meeting ocean. She was still having trouble believing this, that he was here, even though she was currently resting in his arms. After that huge misunderstanding that had caused both of them so much pain, she didn't want to let him go. A part of her, the irrational part, still feared that he might disappear again if she let him go, and she didn't think she would be able to stand that again.
"I have a confession to make," Quatre's words broke through her thoughts, bringing her attention back to him. His eyes were apologetic. "I was actually sent over here to spy on you."
What? To spy? Usagi's mind whirled around this. Oh. Oh! "You're guarding Miss Peacecraft also?" she asked softly.
He nodded the affirmative. "But I didn't know it was you until I walked over here. And I'm happy my friends are so suspicious."
Her lips curled into a smile. "Well, it was quite annoying to be followed around without my knowledge, and even more annoying with my knowledge, but I suppose it did lead to something good."
"Is it?" he asked, face inching closer to hers until their lips were only millimeters apart. "Something good?" And the gap was closed as she tilted her head up to meet his lips, eyes closing as they savored the taste of the other.
Licking her parted lips, she murmured almost inaudibly, "Very good."
Nuzzling the side of her face, Quatre pulled her closer into his arms, not wanting to let her go. And if he had his way, he'd never let her go again. "I can't believe you're here right now," he murmured.
"Well, believe it, because now you're stuck with me," she teased as she poked him in the ribs.
"Oh, I could think of worse things..." And he had. He could think of worse things, but he could think of nothing better.
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Wufei paced the length of the sitting room, then retraced his steps. He had been pacing for the past hour. When the others had returned, they had given him no information on their progress other than how Quatre was taking care of it. They didn't say how, or when their fifth friend would be back. He grew quite suspicious that he was missing something, but the others weren't talking. He didn't know whether to be relieved or annoyed, so he settled on both.
"What's with the pacing? You're wearing out the carpet," Duo commented as he plopped down on the couch and watching Wufei move back and forth across the room.
Pausing only long enough to glare at the other man, Wufei retorted, "Damn the carpet. I want to know what's going on!"
"Aww, is poor Wufei feeling out of the loop?"
"Aha! So there *is* something you're not telling me!" Wufei swooped down in front of Duo, his eyes demanding an answer.
"We don't know what's going on with Quatre's situation," Duo answered smoothly. And it was the truth. They had no idea what they had seen in the park. It could have been a million and one situations, and he wasn't going to waste his time trying to figure it out. Ok, so he *had* wasted some time trying to come up with some answers, but it was pretty fruitless. They wouldn't know what was going on until Quatre got back.
At that moment, the door to the house opened, and they heard Quatre's voice echo, "I'm back!"
Pushing each other out of the way, Duo and Wufei raced into the living room, as did the other two men. As each reached the room at the same time, they slowed in their pace to show that they weren't in fact eager to hear about Quatre's encounter with their blonde suspect. Of course, they all knew better.
What they didn't know or expect was that Quatre was not alone in his arrival. Standing next to him, arm laced through his, was Usagi. While the others didn't know quite what to say, Wufei's face was steadily turning a flattering shade of purple. His shoulders started shaking as his lips tried to form words. All attention left the two new arrivals as it fell on the volcanic Chinese man, waiting for the explosion.
They didn't have to wait long.
"What the hell did you bring her back here for?" he bellowed at the top of his lungs, causing everyone to cringe. They knew he could yell, but this was above and beyond, even for him. "Are you daft?! What about Relena?"
Usagi regarded the scene with wide eyes, but the smile never left her face. If anything, it broadened at the outburst. Keeping her eyes on the seething man, she said to Quatre, "Your description of his reaction was pretty accurate. What do I owe you?"
Leaning down to whisper in his ear, he told her coyly, "I'll let you know later." As someone cleared their throat, Quatre looked up, cheeks flaming.
Relena had just walked down the stairs, no doubt curious as to what all the shouting was all about. She was extremely surprised to see that Usagi was at the house, and even more surprised to see the intimate way she and Quatre were acting with one another. "I see we have a guest," she announced pleasantly. "Why don't we all sit down?" Leading the way, the others took her words as a command and not an invitation. They followed her into the sitting room, where they all took seats around the room, save Wufei, who refused to sit. He stood off to the side, arms crossed over his chest in defiance, an angry glare focused on Usagi and Quatre.
At the expectant stares from the others, Quatre traded a glance with Usagi before beginning. "First off, I would like to formally introduce everyone to Tsukino Usagi. Usagi, you already know Trowa and Hiiro. The other two are Duo Maxwell and Chang Wufei," he pointed them out as he named them. "And, of course, Miss Relena," he smiled at the vice-foreign minister, who was perched on the couch's arm where Hiiro was sitting. Quatre noticed in amusement that one of Relena's hands was lazily resting on Hiiro's arm, while her other hand was discreetly playing with a wisp of his hair at the back of his neck. Looked like he wasn't the only one with a secret.
Eyes turning back to the group, he continued on. "I'm sure you're wondering why I brought our supposed suspect to the mansion." He suppressed a grin a Duo's vigorous nod. "Well, she's not after Relena."
"I knew it!" Duo cried as he jumped up from his seat, doing a little dance. At the incredulous looks from the others, he halted. Chuckling sheepishly, he admonished, "All right, so I wasn't quite sure. Sorry, babe," he added as an afterthought to Usagi.
"I'll try not to be insulted," Usagi answered dryly.
"Right then, back to the story," Quatre brought everyone's attention back to him. He didn't like the way Duo was sizing up Usagi. The sooner he finished the story, the sooner Duo would know to back off. "This isn't my first time meeting Usagi. We actually met six months ago at a club."
"Then why didn't you tell us that you knew her?" Trowa asked, genuinely curious.
Cheeks reddening slightly, Quatre replied, "I didn't put two and two together." He wasn't about to tell them that he had been slacking off at their meeting. They would ream him out, and then Hiiro would kill him. But there was no need to bring that on. They seemed to buy his answer, thankfully.
"So you're good friends?" Duo asked, a hint of hopefulness in his voice. He really wanted to ask her out now that she wasn't a suspect.
"I suppose I should tell you everything."
Smacking him lightly on the arm, Usagi corrected with a wicked grin, "Not everything."
The implications did not go unnoticed by certain members of the group. Trowa, who knew Quatre probably better than the man knew himself, caught onto the meaning behind Quatre's words, as did Hiiro, who never let anything slip by unnoticed.
Surprisingly, it was Relena who spoke up at this. "So that was why you were acting so strangely back then," she mused aloud, more to herself than to the others. She stared directly at Quatre, then Usagi, then back again. "I trust everything worked itself out?"
Usagi was floored. The woman was amazingly astute. How she was able to deduce everything before Quatre had even told them was beyond Usagi's comprehension. Then again, she always thought the other woman to be sharp.
Everyone else, though, was still more confused than ever, and some, meaning Duo, were growing impatient with their not knowing. "What is everyone talking about? I'm so lost," he complained, throwing up his hands in exasperation.
"Then I'll explain," Quatre finally spoke up after he got over the shock of Relena's words. "Usagi and I had a brief... relationship that ended because of a very large misunderstanding. When we met up again today, we sorted everything out. Well, after a brief shouting match." He grinned at the woman sitting beside him, squeezing her hand briefly.
Wufei was amazingly silent throughout this entire conversation. He was shocked, that much was true. But he was still trying to wrap his mind around the idea of Quatre's moping being due to some woman. That fact was just bizarre to him. "So all of this, this anger and mood swings that you were having were because of this... woman?"
Quatre frowned at the question. He was about to retort when Usagi broke in.
"Remind me to introduce you to my friend Rei," she said to Wufei through a snort of laughter. "You two would get along, well, horribly, actually. But I think you'd both find the arguing entertaining."
This brought on a round of laughter from Duo, which was instantly squelched at the warning growl that Wufei emitted low in his throat. Apparently this happened often, Usagi mused.
"So does this mean you're off the market?" Duo asked Usagi once Wufei had stopped growling at him.
"Afraid so, Duo. But I do have some other cute friends that I could introduce you to," Usagi commented with a wink, causing everyone to groan at the excited gleam in Duo's eyes.
"On that note, I think it's time for lunch," Trowa spoke up before another round of Duo-bashing ensued. While it was fun, he imagined their braided friend could only put up with so much.
So they all trooped into the kitchen to enjoy a semi-calm lunch.
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That night, everyone was retiring to their rooms for the evening. After a long day of talking, explaining, and telling stories, everyone was ready to get to bed early.
"We have an extra room for you, Usagi," Trowa told her as they climbed the stairs to the hallway where the bedrooms were located.
Smiling sweetly at him, she replied, "Thank you, but that isn't necessary. I'll be sharing a room with Quatre."
Her answer made him blush. "Oh. Of course. Good night then." And to her surprise, he leaned over and gave her a quick hug before going into his room and closing the door quietly behind him.
"Are you sure you don't want to go out with me?" Duo had come up the stairs behind her and now had an arm draped casually over her shoulders.
"Duo!" she smacked him in the chest.
"Hey, can't blame a guy for trying," he shrugged. Continuing down the hallway to his room, he called over his shoulder, "Welcome to our crazy family!"
Wufei brushed past her next, a heavy scowl on his face. He didn't say two words to her either way, but that scowl spoke for itself. He went into his room, slamming the door behind him.
Shaking her head in amusement, Usagi was startled when someone touched her arm. Whirling around, she found herself face to face with Hiiro.
He stared at her for a minute, not saying anything, just studying her face intently. Finally, he said quietly, "You won't hurt him." It wasn't a threat, just a mere statement, and Usagi was both puzzled and grateful for the words. As an afterthought, he added, "I still don't trust you." Then he gave her a tiny half-smile for the briefest of seconds, making Usagi wonder if she even saw it at all. "But I do trust Quatre, so I won't kill you."
"Now if that isn't the sweetest thing ever heard, I don't know what is," Relena commented with a straight face as she joined them. She received a glare from Hiiro, but it was expertly ignored.
"I'm going to check out your room to make sure it's secure," he growled before going into Relena's room.
Smiling after him, Relena turned to Usagi. "I don't know what exactly went on between you two, but I'm happy you patched things up," she spoke in a quiet tone, since Quatre was heading up the stairs toward them. "And I *do* trust you, so I hope we can become friends?"
"Absolutely," Usagi replied, touched by the statement. She gave Relena a hug in her thanks.
"Now, I'd better get back to Hiiro, make sure he checks my room correctly." Eyes twinkling, Relena disappeared into the same room Hiiro had gone into and closed the door behind her.
As Quatre walked up next to her, Usagi asked him, "Is there something going on between those two?" She gestured to Relena's room.
"I couldn't give you a definite answer, but if anyone could get to Hiiro, it would be Relena." He swooped down and grazed his lips over her cheek. "Tired?"
"I wasn't a second ago, but I wouldn't say no to retiring to our room."
At her sly grin, Quatre matched it with one of his own before reminding her, "We still have to meet your friends tomorrow..."
"We'll make it an afternoon trip, then," she whispered as she brushed her lips over his before leading him into their room.
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What did you think? See how this would have been a good place to end the fic? Probably not, because if you've made it this far, I'm sure you want to read more. ^*^ I tried to add some more humor in this chapter. I've just been dealing with the drama, so I figured a good laugh was needed. Sadly, it was all at the expense of Duo and Wufei. But they did deserve it! Anyway, please review! I cherish my reviews, and they make me want to keep on writing. I love you guys!
I was actually going to post this chapter this evening, but since hurricane Claudette will be sending loads of bad weather our way (none yet, but we're supposed to have rain that could flood from two to six feet, starting in about an hour... I love living in a coastal city.), I decided to post this now just in case we lose power later. I hope I did this chapter justice. Read on and enjoy!
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A low rumbling resounded, breaking the silence that had fallen between the guys. "Hehe, guess I'm hungry," Duo chuckled sheepishly as he rubbed his stomach. This earned him two looks of irritation, which immediately halted his chuckling. He couldn't help it. They had been sitting there for a while, and he didn't get to eat breakfast that morning. Maybe if he made a quick run to the park vendor... But no, Trowa and Hiiro wouldn't let him. So he settled back onto the bench to wait some more.
"I thought Quatre was supposed to be such a great empath," Duo grumbled in irritation. "What's taking him so long?"
That was a stupid question to the other two. Of course Quatre was a great empath! But that's not to say that the same thought hadn't crossed their minds for the briefest of seconds... Usually Quatre had a fairly easy time reading people.
Exchanging a look with Hiiro, Trowa stood and began slowly walking down the path so he would be able to see what was happening behind the tree. Catching a glimpse of clothing, he walked a bit farther to the right and almost tripped over his own feet. He blinked. Then he blinked again. A hand reached up and pushed the long wisp of bangs out of his face so both eyes could see.
Watching Trowa's odd reaction, Duo jogged immediately over to where his taller friend was standing. Eyes widening to an impossibly large size, Duo exclaimed indignantly, "Hey! I thought you said we weren't supposed to hit on the suspect!"
These words brought Hiiro over there in less than half a second. His eyes were narrowed as he observed the two blondes in their intimate embrace. Then he turned around and said simply, "Quatre will explain later. Let's go."
"But--"
"Let's. Go."
Duo didn't need to be told again. With one last glance at their friend, the trio made their way out of the park.
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After standing there for a while, Quatre finally pulled away from the embrace only enough for them to talk. Usagi," he murmured slowly, enjoying the sound of her name on his tongue once again. He knew he had missed her, but he never realized how much until now.
She looked up at him, sapphire meeting ocean. She was still having trouble believing this, that he was here, even though she was currently resting in his arms. After that huge misunderstanding that had caused both of them so much pain, she didn't want to let him go. A part of her, the irrational part, still feared that he might disappear again if she let him go, and she didn't think she would be able to stand that again.
"I have a confession to make," Quatre's words broke through her thoughts, bringing her attention back to him. His eyes were apologetic. "I was actually sent over here to spy on you."
What? To spy? Usagi's mind whirled around this. Oh. Oh! "You're guarding Miss Peacecraft also?" she asked softly.
He nodded the affirmative. "But I didn't know it was you until I walked over here. And I'm happy my friends are so suspicious."
Her lips curled into a smile. "Well, it was quite annoying to be followed around without my knowledge, and even more annoying with my knowledge, but I suppose it did lead to something good."
"Is it?" he asked, face inching closer to hers until their lips were only millimeters apart. "Something good?" And the gap was closed as she tilted her head up to meet his lips, eyes closing as they savored the taste of the other.
Licking her parted lips, she murmured almost inaudibly, "Very good."
Nuzzling the side of her face, Quatre pulled her closer into his arms, not wanting to let her go. And if he had his way, he'd never let her go again. "I can't believe you're here right now," he murmured.
"Well, believe it, because now you're stuck with me," she teased as she poked him in the ribs.
"Oh, I could think of worse things..." And he had. He could think of worse things, but he could think of nothing better.
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Wufei paced the length of the sitting room, then retraced his steps. He had been pacing for the past hour. When the others had returned, they had given him no information on their progress other than how Quatre was taking care of it. They didn't say how, or when their fifth friend would be back. He grew quite suspicious that he was missing something, but the others weren't talking. He didn't know whether to be relieved or annoyed, so he settled on both.
"What's with the pacing? You're wearing out the carpet," Duo commented as he plopped down on the couch and watching Wufei move back and forth across the room.
Pausing only long enough to glare at the other man, Wufei retorted, "Damn the carpet. I want to know what's going on!"
"Aww, is poor Wufei feeling out of the loop?"
"Aha! So there *is* something you're not telling me!" Wufei swooped down in front of Duo, his eyes demanding an answer.
"We don't know what's going on with Quatre's situation," Duo answered smoothly. And it was the truth. They had no idea what they had seen in the park. It could have been a million and one situations, and he wasn't going to waste his time trying to figure it out. Ok, so he *had* wasted some time trying to come up with some answers, but it was pretty fruitless. They wouldn't know what was going on until Quatre got back.
At that moment, the door to the house opened, and they heard Quatre's voice echo, "I'm back!"
Pushing each other out of the way, Duo and Wufei raced into the living room, as did the other two men. As each reached the room at the same time, they slowed in their pace to show that they weren't in fact eager to hear about Quatre's encounter with their blonde suspect. Of course, they all knew better.
What they didn't know or expect was that Quatre was not alone in his arrival. Standing next to him, arm laced through his, was Usagi. While the others didn't know quite what to say, Wufei's face was steadily turning a flattering shade of purple. His shoulders started shaking as his lips tried to form words. All attention left the two new arrivals as it fell on the volcanic Chinese man, waiting for the explosion.
They didn't have to wait long.
"What the hell did you bring her back here for?" he bellowed at the top of his lungs, causing everyone to cringe. They knew he could yell, but this was above and beyond, even for him. "Are you daft?! What about Relena?"
Usagi regarded the scene with wide eyes, but the smile never left her face. If anything, it broadened at the outburst. Keeping her eyes on the seething man, she said to Quatre, "Your description of his reaction was pretty accurate. What do I owe you?"
Leaning down to whisper in his ear, he told her coyly, "I'll let you know later." As someone cleared their throat, Quatre looked up, cheeks flaming.
Relena had just walked down the stairs, no doubt curious as to what all the shouting was all about. She was extremely surprised to see that Usagi was at the house, and even more surprised to see the intimate way she and Quatre were acting with one another. "I see we have a guest," she announced pleasantly. "Why don't we all sit down?" Leading the way, the others took her words as a command and not an invitation. They followed her into the sitting room, where they all took seats around the room, save Wufei, who refused to sit. He stood off to the side, arms crossed over his chest in defiance, an angry glare focused on Usagi and Quatre.
At the expectant stares from the others, Quatre traded a glance with Usagi before beginning. "First off, I would like to formally introduce everyone to Tsukino Usagi. Usagi, you already know Trowa and Hiiro. The other two are Duo Maxwell and Chang Wufei," he pointed them out as he named them. "And, of course, Miss Relena," he smiled at the vice-foreign minister, who was perched on the couch's arm where Hiiro was sitting. Quatre noticed in amusement that one of Relena's hands was lazily resting on Hiiro's arm, while her other hand was discreetly playing with a wisp of his hair at the back of his neck. Looked like he wasn't the only one with a secret.
Eyes turning back to the group, he continued on. "I'm sure you're wondering why I brought our supposed suspect to the mansion." He suppressed a grin a Duo's vigorous nod. "Well, she's not after Relena."
"I knew it!" Duo cried as he jumped up from his seat, doing a little dance. At the incredulous looks from the others, he halted. Chuckling sheepishly, he admonished, "All right, so I wasn't quite sure. Sorry, babe," he added as an afterthought to Usagi.
"I'll try not to be insulted," Usagi answered dryly.
"Right then, back to the story," Quatre brought everyone's attention back to him. He didn't like the way Duo was sizing up Usagi. The sooner he finished the story, the sooner Duo would know to back off. "This isn't my first time meeting Usagi. We actually met six months ago at a club."
"Then why didn't you tell us that you knew her?" Trowa asked, genuinely curious.
Cheeks reddening slightly, Quatre replied, "I didn't put two and two together." He wasn't about to tell them that he had been slacking off at their meeting. They would ream him out, and then Hiiro would kill him. But there was no need to bring that on. They seemed to buy his answer, thankfully.
"So you're good friends?" Duo asked, a hint of hopefulness in his voice. He really wanted to ask her out now that she wasn't a suspect.
"I suppose I should tell you everything."
Smacking him lightly on the arm, Usagi corrected with a wicked grin, "Not everything."
The implications did not go unnoticed by certain members of the group. Trowa, who knew Quatre probably better than the man knew himself, caught onto the meaning behind Quatre's words, as did Hiiro, who never let anything slip by unnoticed.
Surprisingly, it was Relena who spoke up at this. "So that was why you were acting so strangely back then," she mused aloud, more to herself than to the others. She stared directly at Quatre, then Usagi, then back again. "I trust everything worked itself out?"
Usagi was floored. The woman was amazingly astute. How she was able to deduce everything before Quatre had even told them was beyond Usagi's comprehension. Then again, she always thought the other woman to be sharp.
Everyone else, though, was still more confused than ever, and some, meaning Duo, were growing impatient with their not knowing. "What is everyone talking about? I'm so lost," he complained, throwing up his hands in exasperation.
"Then I'll explain," Quatre finally spoke up after he got over the shock of Relena's words. "Usagi and I had a brief... relationship that ended because of a very large misunderstanding. When we met up again today, we sorted everything out. Well, after a brief shouting match." He grinned at the woman sitting beside him, squeezing her hand briefly.
Wufei was amazingly silent throughout this entire conversation. He was shocked, that much was true. But he was still trying to wrap his mind around the idea of Quatre's moping being due to some woman. That fact was just bizarre to him. "So all of this, this anger and mood swings that you were having were because of this... woman?"
Quatre frowned at the question. He was about to retort when Usagi broke in.
"Remind me to introduce you to my friend Rei," she said to Wufei through a snort of laughter. "You two would get along, well, horribly, actually. But I think you'd both find the arguing entertaining."
This brought on a round of laughter from Duo, which was instantly squelched at the warning growl that Wufei emitted low in his throat. Apparently this happened often, Usagi mused.
"So does this mean you're off the market?" Duo asked Usagi once Wufei had stopped growling at him.
"Afraid so, Duo. But I do have some other cute friends that I could introduce you to," Usagi commented with a wink, causing everyone to groan at the excited gleam in Duo's eyes.
"On that note, I think it's time for lunch," Trowa spoke up before another round of Duo-bashing ensued. While it was fun, he imagined their braided friend could only put up with so much.
So they all trooped into the kitchen to enjoy a semi-calm lunch.
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That night, everyone was retiring to their rooms for the evening. After a long day of talking, explaining, and telling stories, everyone was ready to get to bed early.
"We have an extra room for you, Usagi," Trowa told her as they climbed the stairs to the hallway where the bedrooms were located.
Smiling sweetly at him, she replied, "Thank you, but that isn't necessary. I'll be sharing a room with Quatre."
Her answer made him blush. "Oh. Of course. Good night then." And to her surprise, he leaned over and gave her a quick hug before going into his room and closing the door quietly behind him.
"Are you sure you don't want to go out with me?" Duo had come up the stairs behind her and now had an arm draped casually over her shoulders.
"Duo!" she smacked him in the chest.
"Hey, can't blame a guy for trying," he shrugged. Continuing down the hallway to his room, he called over his shoulder, "Welcome to our crazy family!"
Wufei brushed past her next, a heavy scowl on his face. He didn't say two words to her either way, but that scowl spoke for itself. He went into his room, slamming the door behind him.
Shaking her head in amusement, Usagi was startled when someone touched her arm. Whirling around, she found herself face to face with Hiiro.
He stared at her for a minute, not saying anything, just studying her face intently. Finally, he said quietly, "You won't hurt him." It wasn't a threat, just a mere statement, and Usagi was both puzzled and grateful for the words. As an afterthought, he added, "I still don't trust you." Then he gave her a tiny half-smile for the briefest of seconds, making Usagi wonder if she even saw it at all. "But I do trust Quatre, so I won't kill you."
"Now if that isn't the sweetest thing ever heard, I don't know what is," Relena commented with a straight face as she joined them. She received a glare from Hiiro, but it was expertly ignored.
"I'm going to check out your room to make sure it's secure," he growled before going into Relena's room.
Smiling after him, Relena turned to Usagi. "I don't know what exactly went on between you two, but I'm happy you patched things up," she spoke in a quiet tone, since Quatre was heading up the stairs toward them. "And I *do* trust you, so I hope we can become friends?"
"Absolutely," Usagi replied, touched by the statement. She gave Relena a hug in her thanks.
"Now, I'd better get back to Hiiro, make sure he checks my room correctly." Eyes twinkling, Relena disappeared into the same room Hiiro had gone into and closed the door behind her.
As Quatre walked up next to her, Usagi asked him, "Is there something going on between those two?" She gestured to Relena's room.
"I couldn't give you a definite answer, but if anyone could get to Hiiro, it would be Relena." He swooped down and grazed his lips over her cheek. "Tired?"
"I wasn't a second ago, but I wouldn't say no to retiring to our room."
At her sly grin, Quatre matched it with one of his own before reminding her, "We still have to meet your friends tomorrow..."
"We'll make it an afternoon trip, then," she whispered as she brushed her lips over his before leading him into their room.
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What did you think? See how this would have been a good place to end the fic? Probably not, because if you've made it this far, I'm sure you want to read more. ^*^ I tried to add some more humor in this chapter. I've just been dealing with the drama, so I figured a good laugh was needed. Sadly, it was all at the expense of Duo and Wufei. But they did deserve it! Anyway, please review! I cherish my reviews, and they make me want to keep on writing. I love you guys!