(All the characters are waiting outside the Writer's Room.)
Duo: (Sighing) How long has it been already?
Amy: (Checking her computer) It's been about a month now.
Raye: DAMMIT!!! WHY WON'T SHE HURRY UP!?! (Tries to storm into the room, but is held back by Lita and Haruka)
Hotaru: Please calm down Raye!
Wufei: The fire onna is right! What's taking so long?
Setsuna: I see all! I know the future!
Mina: And what's the problem?
Setsuna: Writer's Block!
Everyone: *GASP!* OH NO!!!
Quatre: Don't people have muses to help with problems like this?
Lita: Yeah? So?
Quatre: Then where are Starcatcher's muses?
Trowa: She doesn't have any.
Duo: Then lets find a muse for her!
Mina: YEAH! Then this story will finally get back on track!
Everyone: YEAH!!!
Voices: NOT SO FAST!!!
Everyone: Huh?
(The Voices turn out to be Relena, Dixie, Trixie, Vixie, Mixie, and Darien all wearing togas.)
Relena: Fear not! WE shall help Starcatcher to write! (The six enter the Writer's Room)
Everyone: (Stares)
Duo: Well.they're not going to make it out of there in one piece are they?
Everyone else: (Shakes their heads)
(Inside the room.)
Starcatcher: Think Starcatcher! THINK!
(The six enter)
Relena: Hello Starcatcher! It is we, your muses! We're here to help you write nice things about us in your story! (The other six nod)
Starcatcher: (Blink, blink) Uh.riiiiight.
ChibiChibi: (Pulls a lever, causing an anvil to crash down on the six toga- wearing persons, flattening them) CHIBI!!!
Starcatcher: Cool! I'm inspired now! Thanks Chibi! (Begins typing story)
ChibiChibi: (Bows repeatedly as all applaud her) Chibi! Chibi! (Holds up a sign saying, "Gundam Wing and Sailor Moon do not belong to Starcatcher") Chibi! (She then shows the other side of the sign, which says "Please review.or you'll make Chibi cry!")
(The Scouts and Pilots enter.)
Amy: And-
Raye: You-
Lita: Better-
Mina: Not-
Setsuna: Make-
Michiru: Her-
Haruka: Cry-
Hotaru: Or-
Duo: Else-
Trowa: We-
Quatre: Will-
Wufei: Kill-
Heero: You.
Starcatcher: (Smiles nervously) Overprotective, ne?
********************
As the day continued, Relena continued to show Sharon and Rena around the campus. Several wannabe popular girls named Dixie, Trixie, Vixie, and Mixie were closely following them throughout the tour. During lunch, Hotaru, Raye, Amy, Lita, and Mina watched with pity as the two transfer students were being forced to endure Relena preaching about Pacifism.
"Poor girls." Mina.
"Relena has been at it all day!" Amy.
"I feel really bad for them." Raye.
"I know, lets help them!" Hotaru exclaimed. The other four looked at her in shock.
"But Hotaru, we don't even know anything about them. For all we know, they could be just like Relena!" Lita.
"I don't think so. You remember how that girl Sharon stood up to Relena in class today? And besides, we won't know anything about them until we get to know them."
"Hotaru's right. Lets give them a chance." Mina.
"But first we'll have to save them from Relena and her clones." Amy stated. The others nodded and they all stood and made their way to where Sharon and Rena were.
"Pacifism is the only way to achieve peace! I believe that the only way to ensure the spread of Pacifism is to destroy all weapons! You agree don't you? Of course you do! Because I'm right!" Relena was rambling. Rena and Sharon were only annoyed, but Dixie, Trixie, Vixie, and Mixie were nodding and agreeing with everything that Relena said with their eyes shining.
"Of course you're right!" Trixie.
"You're the great Queen Relena! You're always right about everything!" Dixie.
"I wish I was as pretty and smart and perfect as you!" Vixie.
"You're my idol! It's no surprise that you're destined to be the Queen of the Cosmos!" Mixie.
Sharon and Rena rolled their eyes. Fortunately, the other girls had arrived by this time and they had seen the looks the two girls had that seemed to say 'Help us! For the love of God, please help us!' Hotaru came up with a great idea and whispered it to the inners, who nodded.
"Hey look! Isn't that Heero?" Hotaru shouted, pointing in the direction of the football field.
"Where!?! WHERE!?!" Relena screamed, looking everywhere until she noticed the direction Hotaru was pointing in and ran off screeching "HEEERRROOO!!!"
"Wait a minute! If Heero's over there, then the other guys must be too!" Dixie then took off after Relena.
"Trowa!" Trixie
"Quatre!" Vixie.
"Wufei!" Mixie. The other three then ran off as well as the other seven (the four inners, Hotaru, Rena, and Sharon) just stared as they left. After a minute passed, the two transfer students turned to the five girls.
"Thank you so much!" Rena said, smiling kindly.
"Yeah! They were getting SO annoying!" Sharon.
They all giggled a bit, then Hotaru stepped forward. "Would you two like to eat lunch with us?" She smiled more when the two girls nodded. "Cool! By the way, my name is Hotaru!"
"I'm Raye."
"My name is Amy."
"And I'm Lita."
"I'm Mina! This will be SOOO cool!" The girls all smiled and took their seats in the cafeteria and started talking about stuff, like uniforms! (Sorry to bring that up again, but they are UGLY!!!)
"Man, you guys are lucky you don't have to wear these crummy uniforms!" Mina.
Sharon shrugged. "Well, since Relena wants to get on our good sides, she won't try to force us to wear those uniforms."
Rena nodded, then looked thoughtful for a moment. "If those uniforms are so bad, then why do you wear them?"
"The rules state that we must wear these uniforms on Academy grounds, except for gym class." Amy replied.
Rena smiled. "But they didn't say you had to wear the GIRLS uniform, did they?"
The other five realized what she was saying and began to grin. At that time, however, lunch was over and the bell had rung. Unfortunately, Relena and her group had returned and Rena and Sharon were forced to endure her yapping. While she was talking, the two began whispering, but Relena was too busy talking and the other girls were too busy listening to notice.
"Rena! What did you have to go and tell them that for?" Sharon demanded.
"You have to admit, those uniforms are pretty stupid, so I decided to help them out a bit! What's wrong with that?"
Sharon pouted. "It was so funny to see them all dressed up like that, then you had to go and ruin my fun!"
Rena giggled, then stopped when something caught her eye. Looking to the side, she saw a flyer asking for singers for the yearly dance. Sharon noticed that Rena was looking at something and saw the flyer as well. Immediately, she knew what Rena was thinking.
"You're not thinking."
"Yes. I'm going to sing at the dance."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Sharon asked Rena, who nodded.
"I want them to know that I'm still there for them."
Sharon sighed. "Well, I'm not going to try to talk you out of it. This is your decision."
"You mean I can?"
"I don't think it's smart, but I'll make sure to keep an eye on things."
"Thank you."
"Yeah, yeah." Sharon sighed. At that time, the group had reached Duo and Heero, both of which were putting stuff up in their lockers. As soon as the group saw the boys, hearts appeared in Relena and Dixie's eyes.
"It's THEM!!!" Dixie.
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Heero froze when he heard that shriek. Less than a second later, Relena had appeared and had glomped his arm. Only a moment later, Duo was cornered by Dixie, who was looking at him like a hungry dog would look at a big piece of juicy steak. As soon as Duo realized what that look was, he was trying to find a quick exit.
"Uh.oh my! I'm gonna be late for class!" Duo exclaimed and tried to leave, but at that moment, Dixie had glomped his arm. Unfortunately, it was at this exact moment that Hotaru and the inners arrived.
"Don't leave Duo! There's a school dance next week and I want YOU to go with me!" Dixie smiled and glomped him even more, cutting off the circulation to his arm.
Duo smiled nervously. "Well, gee.I'd love to but-"
Dixie never even let him finish. "OH DUO!!! THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY!!!" She cried and kissed him before he had a chance to get away from her. As soon as Hotaru saw this, tears came to her eyes and she ran off, crying. The other four chased after her, shouting her name. Duo managed to finally break away from Dixie, but it was too late. Hotaru was already gone.
"BYE!!!" Dixie waved as she and Relena left, Dixie being the only happy one of the two as all the other girls congratulated her. Relena made no progress with Heero, so she wasn't in the best of moods. So now only Duo, Heero, Sharon, and Rena were left.
"AAAAAAAAAAH! I'VE BEEN TAINTED!!! WHERE'S THE NEAREST RESTROOM" Duo demanded. Heero pointed him in the direction and Duo raced off. Heero sighed, then turned and caught sight of the two girls.
'I have to keep an eye on them.' Heero thought as he left. By this time, there was no one left in the halls except Rena and Sharon. Rena frowned and lowered her head, looking at the ground.
"Poor Hotaru.she really liked Duo."
Sharon nodded. "Yeah, but I really don't think Duo actually has a thing for her."
Rena looked at Sharon in shock. "You mean Hotaru!?!"
"Duo.not like Hotaru? OF COURSE NOT! I was talking about that annoying girl, Dixie! He never even got a chance to turn her down!"
"And now Hotaru thinks Duo doesn't like her.she's had a crush on him since they first met, and now.it's over."
Sharon began to smirk. "Maybe not."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The school day ended normally enough. Hotaru avoided Duo for the rest of the day, and Duo somehow managed to avoid Dixie. Heero would have laughed at the fact that Duo had his own Relena chasing after him if it wasn't for the fact that Heero is still playing the perfect soldier.
That night, at Quatre's mansion, Duo was having a rather strange dream.
IN THE DREAM ("." will mean talking, '.' will mean thinking in the dream, and *.* will be Duo's thoughts about the dream.)
He was looking up at the stars. It was a beautiful night, but Duo was shocked when he saw the Earth hanging in the sky. *Am I.on the moon? But if I'm on the moon, then why is it so much like Earth?*
"Wacha thinking about?" came a feminine voice. He looked back to see a young girl who looked almost exactly like him! He was also shocked that he seemed to have no control over anything he did. (Duo: That's because it happened in the past and this is a memory! Starcatcher: They already know that Duo! Now be quiet! You're ruining the moment!)
"Nothing, I'm just looking at the stars." But the girl could tell he was lying.
"I don't like it here either." She said as she sat down beside him. "Everyone here is so snobbish, and that stupid Earth Prince is the worst of them all!"
*Earth Prince? Who is this girl and why does she look like me?*
Duo smiled. "Not everyone is so bad. Serenity and the Princesses are nice."
The girl smirked. "ESPECIALLY the Princess of Saturn!"
*Saturn? That reminds me of that girl, Sailor Saturn.I wonder if there's a connection?*
He could feel himself blush. "She's.okay."
The girl laughed. "Shin's got a cruuush! Shin's got a cruuush!"
*Man! She acts like I do when I want to annoy Wu-man! Wait a minute.did she call me Shin?*
"Be quiet! I DO NOT have a crush on her!"
"Ah, but you do!"
"How do you know?"
"Please.I can read people like a book!"
"Man.it's like you have some sort of power to read minds!"
The girl shook her head. "It has to do with skill, not power!"
"I guess." He said, and the girl then stood and turned to leave. "Hey! Where are you going?"
She smirked. "Oh.nowhere.see you later brother!" She smiled as she ran off.
*Brother.did.she.call.me.brother?*
END DREAM
Duo woke up, gasping. "Whoa.what a strange dream! But.what if it's not just a dream?" He shook his head, sighing, then went back to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, at the girls' mansion, Hotaru had locked herself in her room and refused to come out. The others were all worried about her, especially Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna because they didn't know about her crush on Duo.
The inners met up in Lita's room, which was right next to Hotaru's. They could hear her sobbing and all four wished they could cheer her up somehow.
"Poor Hotaru." Amy.
"She really liked Duo and I was so sure that Duo liked her too!" Mina.
"That's what happens when you're foolish enough to fall in love!" Raye stated, causing the other three to look at her in shock.
"RAYE!" All three shouted.
"Sorry, sorry! But I was only stating the truth!" Raye.
"It would probably be best if Hotaru forgot all about Duo." Amy.
Lita frowned. "That'll be a little hard when she has to see him everyday." The other girls thought about this for a moment and nodded.
"GRR!!! THAT STUPID DIXIE CHICK!!! WHY DID SHE HAVE TO GET IN THE WAY!?!" Mina shouted. The other girls quickly covered her mouth before she could say anything else.
"Be quiet Mina! Hotaru's room is right next to mine and she'll hear you!" Lita.
"Sorry.but I just hate that girl soooo much!" Mina.
"MINA!!!" Raye.
"Well, it's only reasonable considering that she and the other three act almost exactly like Relena." Amy pointed out, causing them all to shudder at the thought of clones of Relena running around.
"We have to do something! We can't let her be depressed like this!" Raye.
"Maybe we should talk to Duo?" Mina suggested as the other girls looked at her, confused.
"But why should we talk to Duo? He's already with Dixie!" Lita.
Mina shook her head. "No one in their right mind would fall for a girl that acts like Relena, or thinks of her as a role model! I'm telling you that he likes Hotaru!"
"Fine, we'll just talk to him tomorrow then." Lita stated as the other three left for their individual rooms.
Meanwhile, Hotaru had heard the whole thing. She was glad that her friends cared enough about her to try and help her, but her heart was completely broken. 'He doesn't like me.he would never like a girl like me.' She began to cry into her pillow, which was already completely damp with her tears.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day at school, all the guys were drooling over the five girls. Relena was extremely angry and wanted to punish the girls for not wearing the proper uniforms, but Setsuna came to the rescue and explained that the rules stated they had to wear the school uniforms, but it never said they couldn't wear the boy's uniform.
For the beginning of the day, Hotaru kept avoiding Duo, leaving him confused. He hadn't seen her or the other girls when Dixie was trying to put the moves on him, so he didn't know that they had seen and heard the whole thing. He thought she liked him, but figured she must have changed her mind.
Relena kept preaching to Rena and Sharon about the wonders of Pacifism, which bored the two of them to no end. Nothing out of the ordinary really happened until it was time for Gym class.
While everyone else was still changing, Sharon entered the Gym. After making sure no one else was around, she began to smile evilly. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a container and smeared an unknown liquid onto the Gym floor. She then quickly put the container back into the bag and rushed to the Girl's Locker Room to change.
After everyone had finished changing, they all made their way to the middle of the Gym floor, where Coach June and Haruka were waiting. Coach June held a soccer ball under her arm and announced that they would be playing soccer that day.
The team captains were unfortunately, Wufei and Raye, both of which jumped at the chance to prove once and for all, which of them was better. On Wufei's team were Heero, Quatre, Mina, Lita, Relena, Dixie, and Mixie. On Raye's team were Duo, Hotaru (hoping this would give the two the chance to patch things up), Sharon, Rena, Amy, Trowa, Trixie, and Vixie.
The game was tied 8 to 8, when Amy was kicking the ball towards the other team's goal, when Quatre came out of nowhere to try and steal the ball. She saw him coming and tried to stop, but the part of the floor she was on was incredibly slick and she went flying through the air. Amy cried out in pain as she fell on her ankle wrong, twisting it.
"Time out! Amy, are you okay?" Coach June asked.
"I think I twisted my ankle." Amy replied.
"You should go see the nurse." Haruka stated. "Will you need any help?"
"I'll help her." Quatre volunteered. With that, he helped Amy to the Nurse's Office while everyone else continued playing. When nobody was looking, Rena walked over to Sharon, who seemed to be grumbling about something.
"What's wrong Sharon? You put the wax on the floor and gave Amy and Quatre their chance together, so why are you so mad?" Rena wondered.
Sharon grumbled. "The trap wasn't for Amy! It was to get rid of Dixie so she couldn't go with Duo to the dance!"
Just then, Relena slipped on the wax and fell, screeching in pain. The other four girls (you know the ones I'm talking about) rush over to help her, but slip on the same puddle of wax and fall to the ground in pain as well. "OOOOOW!!!" they all cried.
Sharon and Rena both stared for a moment before Rena turned and smiled at her companion. "Well.at least it worked."
"A little TOO well." Sharon muttered. At that time, Heero had figured there was something strange about that area of the gym floor and found to his shock (not really), that part of the floor was waxed and kept causing people to fall. He looked around the gym until his gaze fell on Sharon and Rena. Then his eyes narrowed at them.
'They had something to do with this.' he thought to himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, Quatre was helping Amy to the Nurse's Office. When they got there, Vespa turned to look at them.
"Oh my! What happened?"
"I slipped and twisted my ankle." Amy explained as she seated herself on the examining table with Quatre's help.
"Oh dear. I'll need to get some ice for that. Quatre, could you stay with her until I get back?" Vespa.
"Uh.s-sure." Quatre stuttered. And with that, Vespa left. A minute later, Amy turned to look at the blonde.
"Quatre.I really appreciate your help, but you really didn't have to come with me."
Quatre shook his head. "No, it was my fault for tripping you. Bringing you here was the least I could have done."
Amy frowned. "I'm okay. You shouldn't blame yourself. I don't want you feeling so guilty that you had to help me."
"I wanted to." Quatre burst out, but then realized what he said and began to blush.
Amy raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"I.I.I." He was as red as a tomato. 'She's cute and I do like her, but what if she hates me? What if she completely turns me down?'
Amy felt like crying and looked away. 'I knew it.he doesn't really like me. He just doesn't want to feel guilty.'
"Um.Miss Amy.?" He stopped himself. 'I can't do it! I can't do it! I can't do it!'
Amy turned to face him. "Yes?"
"Uh.wouldyouliketogotothedancewithme?"
"What?"
"I would feel honored if you were to go to the school dance.with.me." He noticed the strange way she was looking at him. 'Oh no! She's going to reject me!'
She frowned, thinking he only wanted to not have to feel guilty. "You don't have to."
Quatre took her hands in his. "I want to."
She smiled. "I'd love to go with you."
A bit later, Vespa was walking back towards her office with the ice, humming a sweet tune. She opened the door, but she only managed to open it a tiny bit before seeing the scene. Fortunately, the door was only open enough for her to see in, but not for the ones inside to see out, not like they would even notice her there anyways if the door was wide open.
There, inside the Nurse's Office, Quatre and Amy were sharing a kiss. (Aww.) Vespa saw this and silently closed the door. Smiling, she walked off saying only two words.
"Mission accomplished."
********************
Duo: Q-man and Amy sittin in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!!!
Haruka: HEY! You're the one who broke my Firefly's heart! I'LL KILL YOU!!! (Chases Duo around with her sword)
Wufei: HA! HA! HA! Now Maxwell shall get what he deserves!
Vixie: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Quatre was supposed to be MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!!!
Haruka: (Tries to cut Duo's braid off, but misses and chops Vixie in half instead) Uh.whoops!
Starcatcher: Don't worry about it. She's only an original character that acts WAY too much like Relena! Terrible things are going to happen to her anyways.
Lillith: HEY! What about me?
Starcatcher: You're a GOOD original character! She and those other three clones are BAD original characters! There's a HUGE difference!
Amy: What about those four girls that keep talking to Lillith at the Time Gates?
Starcatcher: (Smirks) They're actually real characters! Almaseti is the only one who's guessed who those four really are! Don't worry readers! The four's identities will be revealed sooner or later!
********************
Later that day, during lunch, Duo was confronted by Mina and Raye.
"Hi Duo!" Mina said, cheerfully.
"Hey Mina! Hey Raye!" Duo.
Raye looked indifferent. "Hello."
"What's going on?" Duo wondered. At this time, Hotaru, being escorted by Amy and Lita were just around the corner, listening in.
"We heard a rumor that you were going to the dance with Dixie! Is it true?"
Duo sighed. "Unfortunately."
Raye narrowed her eyes at him. "Why's that? One girl not enough for ya!?!"
"HUH!?!"
"Uh.don't mind her!" Mina exclaimed as she gave Raye the 'be quiet or else' look. "We just wanted to know if you were going with her or not, but now we know!"
Duo blinked. "Why did you want to know that?"
Mina just gave him her innocent look. "I was just curious. But why are you going with Dixie?"
Duo sighed. "It's not like I wanted to. That girl is so much like Relena it was sickening! The problem was that she was going on and on about it so much that I couldn't possibly get a word in! If I had been able to, I would have turned her down completely!"
Mina smiled. "Oh, I was just wondering because I know someone who would love to go to the dance with you!"
"You mean besides yourself?"
"RAYE!!!" Mina shrieked.
Duo shook his head. "Sorry girls, but there's someone else I want to take to the dance."
Hotaru's heart began to beat rapidly. 'Who is she? Is he talking about me? What if he's not talking about me? WHAT DO I DO?'
"Really? Who?" Mina asked, seemingly curious.
Duo blushed a bit (Duo: A TINY BIT!!!). "Well.I really like Hotaru (hearing this, all the girls are silently shouting "YES!!!"), but I can't ask her."
"Why not!?! Isn't she good enough for ya!?!" Raye.
Duo backed up a few steps. "You don't like guys much, do you?" He sighs as Raye smirks. "Whatever. But the thing is, I'd love to ask her, but she's been really upset with me lately and I don't know why. I'm sort of worried that if I asked her, she'd hate me."
Mina began to smile mysteriously. "Don't worry. I'm sure that somehow, everything will turn out just fine." She glanced over at Lita and Amy and winked. The two smiled and nodded. Mina and Raye then began to sneak away to where Amy and Lita were.
Hotaru was so shocked and happy about what she just heard. She walked forward, catching Duo's attention. He turned to face her and was shocked when he realized she was there the whole time.
"Hotaru?" Duo.
"Duo, I'm so sorry! I was mad at you when I heard you were going to the dance with Dixie because I thought that you liked her more than me and I was jealous! I really like you Duo and I was worried that you didn't like me back and I'm SO sorry!" Tears began streaming down Hotaru's face as she hung her head. Duo lifted her chin and they looked into each other's eyes.
"Don't feel bad, babe! It's not your fault and I don't blame you. The truth was that Dixie never even gave me a chance to say anything, so I was never able to turn her down. The one I want to go to the dance with is you.that is, if you'd go with me."
Hotaru smiled. "OF COURSE I WOULD YOU BAKA!!!" They wrapped their arms around each other and held each other close. Amy, Raye, Lita, and Mina were spying on them and watching the whole scene.
Mina had tears streaming down her face. "Aww! It's SO beautiful!"
Lita smiled. "They're just perfect for each other!"
Amy sighed and shook her head. "Guys! We really shouldn't be spying! It's none of our business if they kiss or not!"
Both Lita and Mina glanced over at Amy, who began blushing.
"Amy." Lita.
"Is there something you've been hiding from us?" Mina.
Amy began blushing even brighter and shook her head furiously. "NO! It's nothing! It's nothing!"
"OH MY GAWD!!! I knew it! You DID kiss a guy! Who was it? Where was it? When was it?" Mina.
"We want ALL the details!" Lita smirked and both girls began cornering Amy as Raye watched in amusement and annoyance.
"Bakas."
Meanwhile, looking out of the second story window and seeing the whole scene, was HARUKA!!! She glared at Duo and the pencil she was holding snapped in two. "You won't get away with breaking my little Firefly's heart that easily!" Haruka then begins to cackle evilly as all the students in her class stare and begin freaking out.
********************
Starcatcher: Okay, I originally ended the chapter there, but something stupid happened and instead of having separate paragraphs, they all just crushed together making it confusing to read! SO SORRY! Anyways, I redid the chapter and I hope it will work right this time. Well.see ya! (Is about to leave when she notices the pilots blocking the door and pointing their guns at her) Uh.something wrong?
Quatre: Where's Chibi!?!
Starcatcher: What do you mean?
Duo: She hasn't appeared once in this chapter!
Starcatcher: Uh.actually.
Wufei: Onna, sit back in that chair and continue the chapter!
Heero: Or else.
Trowa: (Gives a glare that says the same thing)
Starcatcher: Uh.fine then.(Slowly goes back to the computer and continues typing)
********************
Finally, the school day ended and everyone was heading home for the day. Fortunately, the administration had rejected Relena's idea of setting up dorms inside the school for the students to live. They believed it would be considered cruel and unusual punishment for people who didn't even do anything wrong except maybe stuff that normal teenagers do, which doesn't count. What? Oh! Sorry! Getting off track here!
Well, after school was over, the halls were quickly empty. Well, except for two certain students we've become familiar with. These two are the transfer students, Sharon Ferryman and Rena Yue. Strangely enough, they were headed to the last place anyone would even think of going.the janitor's closet?
Sharon stepped up to the door and tapped on the sign twice. It began to glow and unknown symbols appeared where the words were before. She turned the door knob and opened the door, but instead of leading to the janitor's closet like one would think, it led someplace else that was completely empty and showed no sign of life beyond the mist inside.
The two girls stepped into the strange dark place, and the door shut behind them, the strange symbols disappearing. A few seconds later, Heero turned the corner and found no sign of the two girls.
'Where did they go?' he wondered. At that moment, Duo appeared next to him.
"Hey Heero! You'd better hurry up! Quatre wants to hurry and get back to the mansion to see how Chibi is doing!"
Heero frowned, but nodded. With that, the two left. But if they had only stayed a bit longer, they might have noticed the sign on the door was glowing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, at Quatre's mansion, Polly was reading a magazine when she heard a noise. Looking up and seeing what caused it, she smiled. "Well.it took you long enough!"
A few minutes later, the pilots returned. Apparently, Chibi had missed them a lot because as soon as Wufei stepped through the door, she was attached to his leg and it didn't seem like there was much out there that could get her off.
Wufei smiled a bit, but then realized that the girl was holding on to HIS leg! "Hey! Get off!" He demanded, trying to shake her off, but it seemed as though she was glued to him or something. Polly giggled as Quatre paid her and she left.
"Aww.I think she missed you Wu-man!" Duo.
"MAXWELL!!!" Wufei shouted, and tried to grab his braid, but fell over because Chibi refused to let go of him. "LET GO OF ME!!!"
Quatre smiled. "She just missed us! Didn't you Chibi?" he asked as he squatted down so he was face to face with her. She smiled at him and nodded. Wufei grumbled and left for the training room. The other boys sighed.well, only Quatre and Duo sighed. Heero and Trowa were their usual quiet selves.
"Sometimes I wonder what we're ever going to do with him.if he keeps acting this way, he'll never get a girlfriend!" Duo stated.
"But he was married before." Quatre.
"But she was killed by Oz." Trowa stated.
Duo was shocked. "You mean he still hasn't gotten over her death even after all this time? He really needs to learn to let go of the past!"
"It's not that simple for someone like him. He most likely blames himself." Trowa.
Quatre frowned. "I just wish there was some way to help him."
Chibi Chibi had heard their entire conversation, and followed the hallways leading to the training room. If anyone could help him, she had a feeling she could.
Meanwhile, with Wufei.
*THRUST!*
'Forget my fears.'
*SWIPE!*
'Forget my sorrows.'
*SLASH!*
'Forget the missions.'
*SWISH!*
'Forget the stupid weak onna.'
He made a mistake and the sword flew from his hands and embedded itself into the floor. Falling to his knees, he punched the ground as though he could take his anger out on it, shouting in his mind. 'Why.? WHY!?! WHY CAN'T I FORGET!?! WHY CAN'T I GET PAST THIS!?! WHY IS THAT ONNA SO MUCH LIKE.Merian.'
He froze, realizing what he just said. That was the reason he always fought with Raye.she was just like Merian. He growled. "GRR.WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME!?!"
"Chibi.?"
Wufei looked up to see Chibi Chibi standing in front of him, looking at him sadly. He looked away, a bit embarrassed allowing a child to see him so upset. 'I am not weak.' he told himself. He was about to stand, when he found he couldn't move.
The reason? Chibi had wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. Wufei's first thought was to push her away, but despite what his mind was telling him, his heart was saying something entirely different. He slowly put his arms around her and held her closer to him, taking some comfort that the child had to give.
In a way, it seemed as though Chibi Chibi actually knew why he was so sad and wanted to help. Of course, in the pilots' cases, it was hard for them to tell, but we know different, ne?
Chibi stepped back and looked him in the eyes. It was then that Wufei realized that despite how much he tried to keep it from happening, tears were falling from his eyes, one by one. He wiped them away. "Damn! I swore I would never cry ever since she."
A teardrop fell onto his hand, breaking him out of his thoughts. He looked up and realized that the tear wasn't his, but Chibi's. She was crying too.
He felt like laughing at that. "You're just an innocent child. What reason would you have to be so sad?"
As though in answer, she slowly pointed to his heart. He wasn't sure exactly what she was saying because he wasn't empathic like Quatre, but he was able to sense the feelings of others directed towards himself. "You.are sad.because.I am hurting?"
Chibi nodded and looked at him as though she was wondering why. He understood and began to explain.
"Some time ago.someone very dear to me was.lost. I've never forgiven myself for letting her down, especially since I really cared for her.and now there's this other onna who is just like her."
Chibi nodded and rested her head on his chest. Wufei held her close and smiled. He had to admit that he was amazed at her ability to heal others whether she knew they were in pain or not. Merian was the same. She always knew what it took to bring out the best in people.
He sighed, knowing that he had been letting this eat away inside him for too long. Merian didn't blame him for there was nothing he could have done at the time, so he shouldn't blame himself either. He would never forget her, but he would no longer be hurt by her memory.
"Rest in peace Merian." he whispered. Inwardly, Chibi smiled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the laptop in Heero's room, an e-mail was received.
Heero Yuy
The new information has revealed a Dark Rose base located 50 miles east from Miller's Clothing Factory. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to break into the base and retrieve any and all data to be found there. Then once you've downloaded all the data to a disk, activate the self-destruct mechanism. You will have ten minutes to get as far away from there as possible before the base self-destructs. Do not leave anyone involved in the Dark Rose corporation alive.
Mission accepted?
Dr. C
It didn't take less than a second for her to get a reply.
Mission accepted.
********************
Starcatcher: Well.that's it! Wasn't it great?
Wufei: GREAT!?! YOU MADE ME LOOK WEAK!!!
Duo: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA-(Turns blue and passes out from not getting enough air)
Starcatcher: The couples are as follows: Hotaru/Duo, Amy/Quatre, Lita/Trowa, Raye/Wufei, and *SIGH* Serena/Heero.
Heero: Why does this chapter have her with Wufei though? Didn't the fans say they wanted ME with her?
Starcatcher: (Rolls eyes) They did, which is the ONLY reason I'm pairing you with her! Otherwise, Mina would have been with Duo, and you would have been paired with Hotaru while Serena stayed young as Chibi Chibi and maybe traveled to the DBZ universe in a sequal! (Sighs) Oh well.so much for that now! That's okay; I have something else in mind.
Mina: (Pouting) It's not FAIR! I don't get to be with anybody! (Cries)
Starcatcher: Um.actually.
Mina: (Excited) Am I going to be paired with someone!?!
Starcatcher: Yeah.but it's not going to be Zechs! (Grins evilly at Zechs) I already have plans for him.
Mina: Then.who am I going to be paired with?
Starcatcher: You'll see later on! NEways, the dance will be in the next chapter! Haruka has a little."TALK" with Duo about Hotaru. Raye and Wufei fight some more. Trowa and Lita share a private moment in the music room and find they make some wonderful music together (NOT THAT WAY YOU HENTAIS!!!). Relena gets kidnapped as well as those stupid clones of hers! Not only that, Chibi Chibi gets seriously injured and it seems like she may die.
Everyone: WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?!
Haruka: (Pulls out her sword) NOTHING HAD BETTER HAPPEN TO KONEKO!!!
Heero: (Pulls out his gun) If anything happens to her, Omae o korosu!
Starcatcher: Just let me finish! GEEZ! Like I was saying, Chibi Chibi gets hurt somehow and Lillith is attacked at the Time Gates by the leader of the Dark Rose, who we all know is Darien, but the characters in the story don't know that, so I guess that would be considered dramatic irony, huh? Oh well!
Quatre: Wait.but if Lillith is Sailor Charon, the one who guides people's souls to the afterlife, and she's out of the picture, then who'll keep Chibi from dying?
Starcatcher: You'll just have to find that out next time! See ya!
Duo: (Sighing) How long has it been already?
Amy: (Checking her computer) It's been about a month now.
Raye: DAMMIT!!! WHY WON'T SHE HURRY UP!?! (Tries to storm into the room, but is held back by Lita and Haruka)
Hotaru: Please calm down Raye!
Wufei: The fire onna is right! What's taking so long?
Setsuna: I see all! I know the future!
Mina: And what's the problem?
Setsuna: Writer's Block!
Everyone: *GASP!* OH NO!!!
Quatre: Don't people have muses to help with problems like this?
Lita: Yeah? So?
Quatre: Then where are Starcatcher's muses?
Trowa: She doesn't have any.
Duo: Then lets find a muse for her!
Mina: YEAH! Then this story will finally get back on track!
Everyone: YEAH!!!
Voices: NOT SO FAST!!!
Everyone: Huh?
(The Voices turn out to be Relena, Dixie, Trixie, Vixie, Mixie, and Darien all wearing togas.)
Relena: Fear not! WE shall help Starcatcher to write! (The six enter the Writer's Room)
Everyone: (Stares)
Duo: Well.they're not going to make it out of there in one piece are they?
Everyone else: (Shakes their heads)
(Inside the room.)
Starcatcher: Think Starcatcher! THINK!
(The six enter)
Relena: Hello Starcatcher! It is we, your muses! We're here to help you write nice things about us in your story! (The other six nod)
Starcatcher: (Blink, blink) Uh.riiiiight.
ChibiChibi: (Pulls a lever, causing an anvil to crash down on the six toga- wearing persons, flattening them) CHIBI!!!
Starcatcher: Cool! I'm inspired now! Thanks Chibi! (Begins typing story)
ChibiChibi: (Bows repeatedly as all applaud her) Chibi! Chibi! (Holds up a sign saying, "Gundam Wing and Sailor Moon do not belong to Starcatcher") Chibi! (She then shows the other side of the sign, which says "Please review.or you'll make Chibi cry!")
(The Scouts and Pilots enter.)
Amy: And-
Raye: You-
Lita: Better-
Mina: Not-
Setsuna: Make-
Michiru: Her-
Haruka: Cry-
Hotaru: Or-
Duo: Else-
Trowa: We-
Quatre: Will-
Wufei: Kill-
Heero: You.
Starcatcher: (Smiles nervously) Overprotective, ne?
********************
As the day continued, Relena continued to show Sharon and Rena around the campus. Several wannabe popular girls named Dixie, Trixie, Vixie, and Mixie were closely following them throughout the tour. During lunch, Hotaru, Raye, Amy, Lita, and Mina watched with pity as the two transfer students were being forced to endure Relena preaching about Pacifism.
"Poor girls." Mina.
"Relena has been at it all day!" Amy.
"I feel really bad for them." Raye.
"I know, lets help them!" Hotaru exclaimed. The other four looked at her in shock.
"But Hotaru, we don't even know anything about them. For all we know, they could be just like Relena!" Lita.
"I don't think so. You remember how that girl Sharon stood up to Relena in class today? And besides, we won't know anything about them until we get to know them."
"Hotaru's right. Lets give them a chance." Mina.
"But first we'll have to save them from Relena and her clones." Amy stated. The others nodded and they all stood and made their way to where Sharon and Rena were.
"Pacifism is the only way to achieve peace! I believe that the only way to ensure the spread of Pacifism is to destroy all weapons! You agree don't you? Of course you do! Because I'm right!" Relena was rambling. Rena and Sharon were only annoyed, but Dixie, Trixie, Vixie, and Mixie were nodding and agreeing with everything that Relena said with their eyes shining.
"Of course you're right!" Trixie.
"You're the great Queen Relena! You're always right about everything!" Dixie.
"I wish I was as pretty and smart and perfect as you!" Vixie.
"You're my idol! It's no surprise that you're destined to be the Queen of the Cosmos!" Mixie.
Sharon and Rena rolled their eyes. Fortunately, the other girls had arrived by this time and they had seen the looks the two girls had that seemed to say 'Help us! For the love of God, please help us!' Hotaru came up with a great idea and whispered it to the inners, who nodded.
"Hey look! Isn't that Heero?" Hotaru shouted, pointing in the direction of the football field.
"Where!?! WHERE!?!" Relena screamed, looking everywhere until she noticed the direction Hotaru was pointing in and ran off screeching "HEEERRROOO!!!"
"Wait a minute! If Heero's over there, then the other guys must be too!" Dixie then took off after Relena.
"Trowa!" Trixie
"Quatre!" Vixie.
"Wufei!" Mixie. The other three then ran off as well as the other seven (the four inners, Hotaru, Rena, and Sharon) just stared as they left. After a minute passed, the two transfer students turned to the five girls.
"Thank you so much!" Rena said, smiling kindly.
"Yeah! They were getting SO annoying!" Sharon.
They all giggled a bit, then Hotaru stepped forward. "Would you two like to eat lunch with us?" She smiled more when the two girls nodded. "Cool! By the way, my name is Hotaru!"
"I'm Raye."
"My name is Amy."
"And I'm Lita."
"I'm Mina! This will be SOOO cool!" The girls all smiled and took their seats in the cafeteria and started talking about stuff, like uniforms! (Sorry to bring that up again, but they are UGLY!!!)
"Man, you guys are lucky you don't have to wear these crummy uniforms!" Mina.
Sharon shrugged. "Well, since Relena wants to get on our good sides, she won't try to force us to wear those uniforms."
Rena nodded, then looked thoughtful for a moment. "If those uniforms are so bad, then why do you wear them?"
"The rules state that we must wear these uniforms on Academy grounds, except for gym class." Amy replied.
Rena smiled. "But they didn't say you had to wear the GIRLS uniform, did they?"
The other five realized what she was saying and began to grin. At that time, however, lunch was over and the bell had rung. Unfortunately, Relena and her group had returned and Rena and Sharon were forced to endure her yapping. While she was talking, the two began whispering, but Relena was too busy talking and the other girls were too busy listening to notice.
"Rena! What did you have to go and tell them that for?" Sharon demanded.
"You have to admit, those uniforms are pretty stupid, so I decided to help them out a bit! What's wrong with that?"
Sharon pouted. "It was so funny to see them all dressed up like that, then you had to go and ruin my fun!"
Rena giggled, then stopped when something caught her eye. Looking to the side, she saw a flyer asking for singers for the yearly dance. Sharon noticed that Rena was looking at something and saw the flyer as well. Immediately, she knew what Rena was thinking.
"You're not thinking."
"Yes. I'm going to sing at the dance."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Sharon asked Rena, who nodded.
"I want them to know that I'm still there for them."
Sharon sighed. "Well, I'm not going to try to talk you out of it. This is your decision."
"You mean I can?"
"I don't think it's smart, but I'll make sure to keep an eye on things."
"Thank you."
"Yeah, yeah." Sharon sighed. At that time, the group had reached Duo and Heero, both of which were putting stuff up in their lockers. As soon as the group saw the boys, hearts appeared in Relena and Dixie's eyes.
"It's THEM!!!" Dixie.
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Heero froze when he heard that shriek. Less than a second later, Relena had appeared and had glomped his arm. Only a moment later, Duo was cornered by Dixie, who was looking at him like a hungry dog would look at a big piece of juicy steak. As soon as Duo realized what that look was, he was trying to find a quick exit.
"Uh.oh my! I'm gonna be late for class!" Duo exclaimed and tried to leave, but at that moment, Dixie had glomped his arm. Unfortunately, it was at this exact moment that Hotaru and the inners arrived.
"Don't leave Duo! There's a school dance next week and I want YOU to go with me!" Dixie smiled and glomped him even more, cutting off the circulation to his arm.
Duo smiled nervously. "Well, gee.I'd love to but-"
Dixie never even let him finish. "OH DUO!!! THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY!!!" She cried and kissed him before he had a chance to get away from her. As soon as Hotaru saw this, tears came to her eyes and she ran off, crying. The other four chased after her, shouting her name. Duo managed to finally break away from Dixie, but it was too late. Hotaru was already gone.
"BYE!!!" Dixie waved as she and Relena left, Dixie being the only happy one of the two as all the other girls congratulated her. Relena made no progress with Heero, so she wasn't in the best of moods. So now only Duo, Heero, Sharon, and Rena were left.
"AAAAAAAAAAH! I'VE BEEN TAINTED!!! WHERE'S THE NEAREST RESTROOM" Duo demanded. Heero pointed him in the direction and Duo raced off. Heero sighed, then turned and caught sight of the two girls.
'I have to keep an eye on them.' Heero thought as he left. By this time, there was no one left in the halls except Rena and Sharon. Rena frowned and lowered her head, looking at the ground.
"Poor Hotaru.she really liked Duo."
Sharon nodded. "Yeah, but I really don't think Duo actually has a thing for her."
Rena looked at Sharon in shock. "You mean Hotaru!?!"
"Duo.not like Hotaru? OF COURSE NOT! I was talking about that annoying girl, Dixie! He never even got a chance to turn her down!"
"And now Hotaru thinks Duo doesn't like her.she's had a crush on him since they first met, and now.it's over."
Sharon began to smirk. "Maybe not."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The school day ended normally enough. Hotaru avoided Duo for the rest of the day, and Duo somehow managed to avoid Dixie. Heero would have laughed at the fact that Duo had his own Relena chasing after him if it wasn't for the fact that Heero is still playing the perfect soldier.
That night, at Quatre's mansion, Duo was having a rather strange dream.
IN THE DREAM ("." will mean talking, '.' will mean thinking in the dream, and *.* will be Duo's thoughts about the dream.)
He was looking up at the stars. It was a beautiful night, but Duo was shocked when he saw the Earth hanging in the sky. *Am I.on the moon? But if I'm on the moon, then why is it so much like Earth?*
"Wacha thinking about?" came a feminine voice. He looked back to see a young girl who looked almost exactly like him! He was also shocked that he seemed to have no control over anything he did. (Duo: That's because it happened in the past and this is a memory! Starcatcher: They already know that Duo! Now be quiet! You're ruining the moment!)
"Nothing, I'm just looking at the stars." But the girl could tell he was lying.
"I don't like it here either." She said as she sat down beside him. "Everyone here is so snobbish, and that stupid Earth Prince is the worst of them all!"
*Earth Prince? Who is this girl and why does she look like me?*
Duo smiled. "Not everyone is so bad. Serenity and the Princesses are nice."
The girl smirked. "ESPECIALLY the Princess of Saturn!"
*Saturn? That reminds me of that girl, Sailor Saturn.I wonder if there's a connection?*
He could feel himself blush. "She's.okay."
The girl laughed. "Shin's got a cruuush! Shin's got a cruuush!"
*Man! She acts like I do when I want to annoy Wu-man! Wait a minute.did she call me Shin?*
"Be quiet! I DO NOT have a crush on her!"
"Ah, but you do!"
"How do you know?"
"Please.I can read people like a book!"
"Man.it's like you have some sort of power to read minds!"
The girl shook her head. "It has to do with skill, not power!"
"I guess." He said, and the girl then stood and turned to leave. "Hey! Where are you going?"
She smirked. "Oh.nowhere.see you later brother!" She smiled as she ran off.
*Brother.did.she.call.me.brother?*
END DREAM
Duo woke up, gasping. "Whoa.what a strange dream! But.what if it's not just a dream?" He shook his head, sighing, then went back to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, at the girls' mansion, Hotaru had locked herself in her room and refused to come out. The others were all worried about her, especially Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna because they didn't know about her crush on Duo.
The inners met up in Lita's room, which was right next to Hotaru's. They could hear her sobbing and all four wished they could cheer her up somehow.
"Poor Hotaru." Amy.
"She really liked Duo and I was so sure that Duo liked her too!" Mina.
"That's what happens when you're foolish enough to fall in love!" Raye stated, causing the other three to look at her in shock.
"RAYE!" All three shouted.
"Sorry, sorry! But I was only stating the truth!" Raye.
"It would probably be best if Hotaru forgot all about Duo." Amy.
Lita frowned. "That'll be a little hard when she has to see him everyday." The other girls thought about this for a moment and nodded.
"GRR!!! THAT STUPID DIXIE CHICK!!! WHY DID SHE HAVE TO GET IN THE WAY!?!" Mina shouted. The other girls quickly covered her mouth before she could say anything else.
"Be quiet Mina! Hotaru's room is right next to mine and she'll hear you!" Lita.
"Sorry.but I just hate that girl soooo much!" Mina.
"MINA!!!" Raye.
"Well, it's only reasonable considering that she and the other three act almost exactly like Relena." Amy pointed out, causing them all to shudder at the thought of clones of Relena running around.
"We have to do something! We can't let her be depressed like this!" Raye.
"Maybe we should talk to Duo?" Mina suggested as the other girls looked at her, confused.
"But why should we talk to Duo? He's already with Dixie!" Lita.
Mina shook her head. "No one in their right mind would fall for a girl that acts like Relena, or thinks of her as a role model! I'm telling you that he likes Hotaru!"
"Fine, we'll just talk to him tomorrow then." Lita stated as the other three left for their individual rooms.
Meanwhile, Hotaru had heard the whole thing. She was glad that her friends cared enough about her to try and help her, but her heart was completely broken. 'He doesn't like me.he would never like a girl like me.' She began to cry into her pillow, which was already completely damp with her tears.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day at school, all the guys were drooling over the five girls. Relena was extremely angry and wanted to punish the girls for not wearing the proper uniforms, but Setsuna came to the rescue and explained that the rules stated they had to wear the school uniforms, but it never said they couldn't wear the boy's uniform.
For the beginning of the day, Hotaru kept avoiding Duo, leaving him confused. He hadn't seen her or the other girls when Dixie was trying to put the moves on him, so he didn't know that they had seen and heard the whole thing. He thought she liked him, but figured she must have changed her mind.
Relena kept preaching to Rena and Sharon about the wonders of Pacifism, which bored the two of them to no end. Nothing out of the ordinary really happened until it was time for Gym class.
While everyone else was still changing, Sharon entered the Gym. After making sure no one else was around, she began to smile evilly. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a container and smeared an unknown liquid onto the Gym floor. She then quickly put the container back into the bag and rushed to the Girl's Locker Room to change.
After everyone had finished changing, they all made their way to the middle of the Gym floor, where Coach June and Haruka were waiting. Coach June held a soccer ball under her arm and announced that they would be playing soccer that day.
The team captains were unfortunately, Wufei and Raye, both of which jumped at the chance to prove once and for all, which of them was better. On Wufei's team were Heero, Quatre, Mina, Lita, Relena, Dixie, and Mixie. On Raye's team were Duo, Hotaru (hoping this would give the two the chance to patch things up), Sharon, Rena, Amy, Trowa, Trixie, and Vixie.
The game was tied 8 to 8, when Amy was kicking the ball towards the other team's goal, when Quatre came out of nowhere to try and steal the ball. She saw him coming and tried to stop, but the part of the floor she was on was incredibly slick and she went flying through the air. Amy cried out in pain as she fell on her ankle wrong, twisting it.
"Time out! Amy, are you okay?" Coach June asked.
"I think I twisted my ankle." Amy replied.
"You should go see the nurse." Haruka stated. "Will you need any help?"
"I'll help her." Quatre volunteered. With that, he helped Amy to the Nurse's Office while everyone else continued playing. When nobody was looking, Rena walked over to Sharon, who seemed to be grumbling about something.
"What's wrong Sharon? You put the wax on the floor and gave Amy and Quatre their chance together, so why are you so mad?" Rena wondered.
Sharon grumbled. "The trap wasn't for Amy! It was to get rid of Dixie so she couldn't go with Duo to the dance!"
Just then, Relena slipped on the wax and fell, screeching in pain. The other four girls (you know the ones I'm talking about) rush over to help her, but slip on the same puddle of wax and fall to the ground in pain as well. "OOOOOW!!!" they all cried.
Sharon and Rena both stared for a moment before Rena turned and smiled at her companion. "Well.at least it worked."
"A little TOO well." Sharon muttered. At that time, Heero had figured there was something strange about that area of the gym floor and found to his shock (not really), that part of the floor was waxed and kept causing people to fall. He looked around the gym until his gaze fell on Sharon and Rena. Then his eyes narrowed at them.
'They had something to do with this.' he thought to himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, Quatre was helping Amy to the Nurse's Office. When they got there, Vespa turned to look at them.
"Oh my! What happened?"
"I slipped and twisted my ankle." Amy explained as she seated herself on the examining table with Quatre's help.
"Oh dear. I'll need to get some ice for that. Quatre, could you stay with her until I get back?" Vespa.
"Uh.s-sure." Quatre stuttered. And with that, Vespa left. A minute later, Amy turned to look at the blonde.
"Quatre.I really appreciate your help, but you really didn't have to come with me."
Quatre shook his head. "No, it was my fault for tripping you. Bringing you here was the least I could have done."
Amy frowned. "I'm okay. You shouldn't blame yourself. I don't want you feeling so guilty that you had to help me."
"I wanted to." Quatre burst out, but then realized what he said and began to blush.
Amy raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"I.I.I." He was as red as a tomato. 'She's cute and I do like her, but what if she hates me? What if she completely turns me down?'
Amy felt like crying and looked away. 'I knew it.he doesn't really like me. He just doesn't want to feel guilty.'
"Um.Miss Amy.?" He stopped himself. 'I can't do it! I can't do it! I can't do it!'
Amy turned to face him. "Yes?"
"Uh.wouldyouliketogotothedancewithme?"
"What?"
"I would feel honored if you were to go to the school dance.with.me." He noticed the strange way she was looking at him. 'Oh no! She's going to reject me!'
She frowned, thinking he only wanted to not have to feel guilty. "You don't have to."
Quatre took her hands in his. "I want to."
She smiled. "I'd love to go with you."
A bit later, Vespa was walking back towards her office with the ice, humming a sweet tune. She opened the door, but she only managed to open it a tiny bit before seeing the scene. Fortunately, the door was only open enough for her to see in, but not for the ones inside to see out, not like they would even notice her there anyways if the door was wide open.
There, inside the Nurse's Office, Quatre and Amy were sharing a kiss. (Aww.) Vespa saw this and silently closed the door. Smiling, she walked off saying only two words.
"Mission accomplished."
********************
Duo: Q-man and Amy sittin in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!!!
Haruka: HEY! You're the one who broke my Firefly's heart! I'LL KILL YOU!!! (Chases Duo around with her sword)
Wufei: HA! HA! HA! Now Maxwell shall get what he deserves!
Vixie: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Quatre was supposed to be MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!!!
Haruka: (Tries to cut Duo's braid off, but misses and chops Vixie in half instead) Uh.whoops!
Starcatcher: Don't worry about it. She's only an original character that acts WAY too much like Relena! Terrible things are going to happen to her anyways.
Lillith: HEY! What about me?
Starcatcher: You're a GOOD original character! She and those other three clones are BAD original characters! There's a HUGE difference!
Amy: What about those four girls that keep talking to Lillith at the Time Gates?
Starcatcher: (Smirks) They're actually real characters! Almaseti is the only one who's guessed who those four really are! Don't worry readers! The four's identities will be revealed sooner or later!
********************
Later that day, during lunch, Duo was confronted by Mina and Raye.
"Hi Duo!" Mina said, cheerfully.
"Hey Mina! Hey Raye!" Duo.
Raye looked indifferent. "Hello."
"What's going on?" Duo wondered. At this time, Hotaru, being escorted by Amy and Lita were just around the corner, listening in.
"We heard a rumor that you were going to the dance with Dixie! Is it true?"
Duo sighed. "Unfortunately."
Raye narrowed her eyes at him. "Why's that? One girl not enough for ya!?!"
"HUH!?!"
"Uh.don't mind her!" Mina exclaimed as she gave Raye the 'be quiet or else' look. "We just wanted to know if you were going with her or not, but now we know!"
Duo blinked. "Why did you want to know that?"
Mina just gave him her innocent look. "I was just curious. But why are you going with Dixie?"
Duo sighed. "It's not like I wanted to. That girl is so much like Relena it was sickening! The problem was that she was going on and on about it so much that I couldn't possibly get a word in! If I had been able to, I would have turned her down completely!"
Mina smiled. "Oh, I was just wondering because I know someone who would love to go to the dance with you!"
"You mean besides yourself?"
"RAYE!!!" Mina shrieked.
Duo shook his head. "Sorry girls, but there's someone else I want to take to the dance."
Hotaru's heart began to beat rapidly. 'Who is she? Is he talking about me? What if he's not talking about me? WHAT DO I DO?'
"Really? Who?" Mina asked, seemingly curious.
Duo blushed a bit (Duo: A TINY BIT!!!). "Well.I really like Hotaru (hearing this, all the girls are silently shouting "YES!!!"), but I can't ask her."
"Why not!?! Isn't she good enough for ya!?!" Raye.
Duo backed up a few steps. "You don't like guys much, do you?" He sighs as Raye smirks. "Whatever. But the thing is, I'd love to ask her, but she's been really upset with me lately and I don't know why. I'm sort of worried that if I asked her, she'd hate me."
Mina began to smile mysteriously. "Don't worry. I'm sure that somehow, everything will turn out just fine." She glanced over at Lita and Amy and winked. The two smiled and nodded. Mina and Raye then began to sneak away to where Amy and Lita were.
Hotaru was so shocked and happy about what she just heard. She walked forward, catching Duo's attention. He turned to face her and was shocked when he realized she was there the whole time.
"Hotaru?" Duo.
"Duo, I'm so sorry! I was mad at you when I heard you were going to the dance with Dixie because I thought that you liked her more than me and I was jealous! I really like you Duo and I was worried that you didn't like me back and I'm SO sorry!" Tears began streaming down Hotaru's face as she hung her head. Duo lifted her chin and they looked into each other's eyes.
"Don't feel bad, babe! It's not your fault and I don't blame you. The truth was that Dixie never even gave me a chance to say anything, so I was never able to turn her down. The one I want to go to the dance with is you.that is, if you'd go with me."
Hotaru smiled. "OF COURSE I WOULD YOU BAKA!!!" They wrapped their arms around each other and held each other close. Amy, Raye, Lita, and Mina were spying on them and watching the whole scene.
Mina had tears streaming down her face. "Aww! It's SO beautiful!"
Lita smiled. "They're just perfect for each other!"
Amy sighed and shook her head. "Guys! We really shouldn't be spying! It's none of our business if they kiss or not!"
Both Lita and Mina glanced over at Amy, who began blushing.
"Amy." Lita.
"Is there something you've been hiding from us?" Mina.
Amy began blushing even brighter and shook her head furiously. "NO! It's nothing! It's nothing!"
"OH MY GAWD!!! I knew it! You DID kiss a guy! Who was it? Where was it? When was it?" Mina.
"We want ALL the details!" Lita smirked and both girls began cornering Amy as Raye watched in amusement and annoyance.
"Bakas."
Meanwhile, looking out of the second story window and seeing the whole scene, was HARUKA!!! She glared at Duo and the pencil she was holding snapped in two. "You won't get away with breaking my little Firefly's heart that easily!" Haruka then begins to cackle evilly as all the students in her class stare and begin freaking out.
********************
Starcatcher: Okay, I originally ended the chapter there, but something stupid happened and instead of having separate paragraphs, they all just crushed together making it confusing to read! SO SORRY! Anyways, I redid the chapter and I hope it will work right this time. Well.see ya! (Is about to leave when she notices the pilots blocking the door and pointing their guns at her) Uh.something wrong?
Quatre: Where's Chibi!?!
Starcatcher: What do you mean?
Duo: She hasn't appeared once in this chapter!
Starcatcher: Uh.actually.
Wufei: Onna, sit back in that chair and continue the chapter!
Heero: Or else.
Trowa: (Gives a glare that says the same thing)
Starcatcher: Uh.fine then.(Slowly goes back to the computer and continues typing)
********************
Finally, the school day ended and everyone was heading home for the day. Fortunately, the administration had rejected Relena's idea of setting up dorms inside the school for the students to live. They believed it would be considered cruel and unusual punishment for people who didn't even do anything wrong except maybe stuff that normal teenagers do, which doesn't count. What? Oh! Sorry! Getting off track here!
Well, after school was over, the halls were quickly empty. Well, except for two certain students we've become familiar with. These two are the transfer students, Sharon Ferryman and Rena Yue. Strangely enough, they were headed to the last place anyone would even think of going.the janitor's closet?
Sharon stepped up to the door and tapped on the sign twice. It began to glow and unknown symbols appeared where the words were before. She turned the door knob and opened the door, but instead of leading to the janitor's closet like one would think, it led someplace else that was completely empty and showed no sign of life beyond the mist inside.
The two girls stepped into the strange dark place, and the door shut behind them, the strange symbols disappearing. A few seconds later, Heero turned the corner and found no sign of the two girls.
'Where did they go?' he wondered. At that moment, Duo appeared next to him.
"Hey Heero! You'd better hurry up! Quatre wants to hurry and get back to the mansion to see how Chibi is doing!"
Heero frowned, but nodded. With that, the two left. But if they had only stayed a bit longer, they might have noticed the sign on the door was glowing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, at Quatre's mansion, Polly was reading a magazine when she heard a noise. Looking up and seeing what caused it, she smiled. "Well.it took you long enough!"
A few minutes later, the pilots returned. Apparently, Chibi had missed them a lot because as soon as Wufei stepped through the door, she was attached to his leg and it didn't seem like there was much out there that could get her off.
Wufei smiled a bit, but then realized that the girl was holding on to HIS leg! "Hey! Get off!" He demanded, trying to shake her off, but it seemed as though she was glued to him or something. Polly giggled as Quatre paid her and she left.
"Aww.I think she missed you Wu-man!" Duo.
"MAXWELL!!!" Wufei shouted, and tried to grab his braid, but fell over because Chibi refused to let go of him. "LET GO OF ME!!!"
Quatre smiled. "She just missed us! Didn't you Chibi?" he asked as he squatted down so he was face to face with her. She smiled at him and nodded. Wufei grumbled and left for the training room. The other boys sighed.well, only Quatre and Duo sighed. Heero and Trowa were their usual quiet selves.
"Sometimes I wonder what we're ever going to do with him.if he keeps acting this way, he'll never get a girlfriend!" Duo stated.
"But he was married before." Quatre.
"But she was killed by Oz." Trowa stated.
Duo was shocked. "You mean he still hasn't gotten over her death even after all this time? He really needs to learn to let go of the past!"
"It's not that simple for someone like him. He most likely blames himself." Trowa.
Quatre frowned. "I just wish there was some way to help him."
Chibi Chibi had heard their entire conversation, and followed the hallways leading to the training room. If anyone could help him, she had a feeling she could.
Meanwhile, with Wufei.
*THRUST!*
'Forget my fears.'
*SWIPE!*
'Forget my sorrows.'
*SLASH!*
'Forget the missions.'
*SWISH!*
'Forget the stupid weak onna.'
He made a mistake and the sword flew from his hands and embedded itself into the floor. Falling to his knees, he punched the ground as though he could take his anger out on it, shouting in his mind. 'Why.? WHY!?! WHY CAN'T I FORGET!?! WHY CAN'T I GET PAST THIS!?! WHY IS THAT ONNA SO MUCH LIKE.Merian.'
He froze, realizing what he just said. That was the reason he always fought with Raye.she was just like Merian. He growled. "GRR.WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME!?!"
"Chibi.?"
Wufei looked up to see Chibi Chibi standing in front of him, looking at him sadly. He looked away, a bit embarrassed allowing a child to see him so upset. 'I am not weak.' he told himself. He was about to stand, when he found he couldn't move.
The reason? Chibi had wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. Wufei's first thought was to push her away, but despite what his mind was telling him, his heart was saying something entirely different. He slowly put his arms around her and held her closer to him, taking some comfort that the child had to give.
In a way, it seemed as though Chibi Chibi actually knew why he was so sad and wanted to help. Of course, in the pilots' cases, it was hard for them to tell, but we know different, ne?
Chibi stepped back and looked him in the eyes. It was then that Wufei realized that despite how much he tried to keep it from happening, tears were falling from his eyes, one by one. He wiped them away. "Damn! I swore I would never cry ever since she."
A teardrop fell onto his hand, breaking him out of his thoughts. He looked up and realized that the tear wasn't his, but Chibi's. She was crying too.
He felt like laughing at that. "You're just an innocent child. What reason would you have to be so sad?"
As though in answer, she slowly pointed to his heart. He wasn't sure exactly what she was saying because he wasn't empathic like Quatre, but he was able to sense the feelings of others directed towards himself. "You.are sad.because.I am hurting?"
Chibi nodded and looked at him as though she was wondering why. He understood and began to explain.
"Some time ago.someone very dear to me was.lost. I've never forgiven myself for letting her down, especially since I really cared for her.and now there's this other onna who is just like her."
Chibi nodded and rested her head on his chest. Wufei held her close and smiled. He had to admit that he was amazed at her ability to heal others whether she knew they were in pain or not. Merian was the same. She always knew what it took to bring out the best in people.
He sighed, knowing that he had been letting this eat away inside him for too long. Merian didn't blame him for there was nothing he could have done at the time, so he shouldn't blame himself either. He would never forget her, but he would no longer be hurt by her memory.
"Rest in peace Merian." he whispered. Inwardly, Chibi smiled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the laptop in Heero's room, an e-mail was received.
Heero Yuy
The new information has revealed a Dark Rose base located 50 miles east from Miller's Clothing Factory. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to break into the base and retrieve any and all data to be found there. Then once you've downloaded all the data to a disk, activate the self-destruct mechanism. You will have ten minutes to get as far away from there as possible before the base self-destructs. Do not leave anyone involved in the Dark Rose corporation alive.
Mission accepted?
Dr. C
It didn't take less than a second for her to get a reply.
Mission accepted.
********************
Starcatcher: Well.that's it! Wasn't it great?
Wufei: GREAT!?! YOU MADE ME LOOK WEAK!!!
Duo: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA-(Turns blue and passes out from not getting enough air)
Starcatcher: The couples are as follows: Hotaru/Duo, Amy/Quatre, Lita/Trowa, Raye/Wufei, and *SIGH* Serena/Heero.
Heero: Why does this chapter have her with Wufei though? Didn't the fans say they wanted ME with her?
Starcatcher: (Rolls eyes) They did, which is the ONLY reason I'm pairing you with her! Otherwise, Mina would have been with Duo, and you would have been paired with Hotaru while Serena stayed young as Chibi Chibi and maybe traveled to the DBZ universe in a sequal! (Sighs) Oh well.so much for that now! That's okay; I have something else in mind.
Mina: (Pouting) It's not FAIR! I don't get to be with anybody! (Cries)
Starcatcher: Um.actually.
Mina: (Excited) Am I going to be paired with someone!?!
Starcatcher: Yeah.but it's not going to be Zechs! (Grins evilly at Zechs) I already have plans for him.
Mina: Then.who am I going to be paired with?
Starcatcher: You'll see later on! NEways, the dance will be in the next chapter! Haruka has a little."TALK" with Duo about Hotaru. Raye and Wufei fight some more. Trowa and Lita share a private moment in the music room and find they make some wonderful music together (NOT THAT WAY YOU HENTAIS!!!). Relena gets kidnapped as well as those stupid clones of hers! Not only that, Chibi Chibi gets seriously injured and it seems like she may die.
Everyone: WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?!
Haruka: (Pulls out her sword) NOTHING HAD BETTER HAPPEN TO KONEKO!!!
Heero: (Pulls out his gun) If anything happens to her, Omae o korosu!
Starcatcher: Just let me finish! GEEZ! Like I was saying, Chibi Chibi gets hurt somehow and Lillith is attacked at the Time Gates by the leader of the Dark Rose, who we all know is Darien, but the characters in the story don't know that, so I guess that would be considered dramatic irony, huh? Oh well!
Quatre: Wait.but if Lillith is Sailor Charon, the one who guides people's souls to the afterlife, and she's out of the picture, then who'll keep Chibi from dying?
Starcatcher: You'll just have to find that out next time! See ya!