^_^ Hello again, everyone! I'm back! After a few months of dormancy, I'm finally starting to pick up the pace with my fics. I'm VERY VERY VERY SORRY that I had to leave the fic unfinished for a long time. But I promise those fics will be constantly updated from now on. Please don't forget to review! Thanks a bunch! ---jd_anney

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CHAPTER 7                         When Two Rivals Collide

"Artemis, come down here!"

A white cat lazily went down the carpeted stairs and looked questioningly at his friend. "Going out?" he asked when he noticed her wearing her outdoor clothes. "Yep! Heero called me," Minako answered cheerfully. "Although it's rather odd since I'm usually the one who drags him to dates.

Her cat noticed the picnic basket she was carrying. "Don't tell me you tried cooking again," he said incredulously and groaned when she actually nodded her head. "Mina, sometimes I wonder if you truly love the guy or you're just secretly plotting to kill him." Minako held on to the basket more tightly and gave Artemis a suspicious look. "Don't start getting any ideas. These foods are for my Hee-chan alone, ok? But I'll bake you a cake one of these days so don't feel so jealous, alright?" Minako promised and then went out to meet Heero.

"Darn it! Now I've got to save money for flowers. After he eats those dangerous things, I'm sure he'll appreciate the flowers when he's in the hospital," the white cat commented and laughed at his own joke.

AT THE PARK

He gripped the handrails as he watched the boats floating through the park's lake. Damned mission! he cursed silently. The morning sun was shining perfectly and the autumn breeze was cooperating as well. All in all, it was the perfect day for a picnic date. Why? Why did I have to pick this day to tell her about it? Stupid timing, Heero. His hands felt clammy and he was on the verge of having cold feet where his impending revelation was concerned. He even practiced his lines the night before so when he announces the trip to Mina, he'd sound comforting and she'd feel assured that he would come back. Hopefully, that is what will happen and not the bawling Mina situation he was dreading.

"No room for mistakes," he said. Heero inhaled deeply and recited his lines. "Minako, I'll be going away…on a mission. Standard operating procedures apply and I'll be gone for a whole month at the very least. I'll be in contact as often as I can but I doubt it'll be frequent. Take care of yourself." He breathed out a sigh of relief thinking that he had executed his speech smoothly. "And I doubt you'll take all this information easily," he added mostly to himself.

"I doubt it, too," agreed a man with a quiet but amused voice. Heero spun around and saw someone with long silver hair smiling sarcastically at him. "Quite a stuffy speech there, pilot," the guy added.

"What are you doing here, Yaten?" Heero demanded. "And it's none of your business if it was stuffy or not!" "I'm afraid it is part of my business, Heero," Yaten replied seriously. He stood beside his enemy for Minako's love and stared at the lake full of lovers in their boats. "We are in love with the same girl and you're planning to break her heart," the singer reasoned. "Heero dismissed him with a grunt but Yaten kept on talking. "Are you really going on that mission, Yuy?" he asked, a hint of laughter in his voice. "Because you do know that I'll be courting and wooing Minako every chance I get."

"I know that, Kou you scumbag," retorted Heero. "But I trust you to keep your hands to yourself until I return. Trying to steal Mina from me while I'm gone wouldn't be fair." His challenge didn't threaten his competitor at the least. Yaten just laughed shortly and kept on staring at the lake. "It wouldn't be, would it?" Kou replied. "But as they say, all is fair in love and war."

"Are all singers as disgustingly poetic as you are or is it just you and your brothers?" Heero said. "Look, Yuy," Yaten answered, obviously ignoring the other guy's remark. "Our Minako is very emotional."

"Now that's an understatement," the brown-haired guy interrupted.

"Right," Kou agreed. "As I was saying, Minako is very emotional and from what I heard from your stuck up speech, she would end up crying her head off instead of being calm and understanding."

"I didn't ask for your opinion!" protested Heero but Yaten paid no heed to the stubborn guy and just kept on going.

"Instead of saying that you're going away directly, you have to start off pleasantly, beat around the bush a bit. Say something like, 'Great day, huh? Even greater coz I got to spend it with you.' Then fix your eyes on her and say quietly that you have a mission to accomplish, a task at hand that you have to finish and it would mean that you'll be away for a while. Don't promise her a certain time when you would come back. If that time comes close, she'll start anticipating for you and if you don't get back on time, which I'm sure would happen, she'll be depressed and worried. I'll hunt you down if that happens, Heero Yuy," Yaten said the last line menacingly and then continued. "You're supposed to say 'I'll get in touch with you whenever I can and not 'I'll contact you but I doubt it'll be frequent." And lastly, …" the silver haired guy faced the Wing Zero pilot and looked at him seriously. "Don't forget to say you love her."

Heero gave a slighting look to the other boy and looked away. But secretly, he absorbed all the information…no…the advice his rival gave and rethought his whole speech. "You seem to know everything about promising good byes," Yuy observed. "You must've had a lot of practice with all those starstruck girls that you toyed with and left in the past."

"On the contrary, you little twerp," the singer objected softly. "Minako is the only one that I truly love. All those zany and mushy pointers a while ago were thought of way before you even came to the picture. I kept on rehearsing those lovey-dovey farewells for who knows how long! The reason for my great good bye speech was because I left Minako without saying one word of comfort for her…and not one word of my true feelings for her. That was my biggest regret- to leave without a proper goodbye."

"And no you're trying to make up for whatever guilt you have because you don't want me to make the same stupid mistake you did in the past," Yuy concluded.

"Not exactly," said Yaten. "I just don't want to see her get hurt again, this time by an emotionless baboon who doesn't know how to say good bye without breaking her heart."

Heero looked at him tauntingly and raised and eyebrow at him. "You think she got hurt when you left? In your dreams, you silver haired freak."

"What did you jus say, you sorry excuse of a man? If anyone's the freak here, it's you, you cold-hearted ape!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Yaten-kun? Heero-kun?" A female voice stopped the two from going at each other's throat and both guys turned to look at the speaker who sounded thoroughly confused.

"It's show time, buddy," chirped in Yaten as he patted Heero on the back and started to walk past Minako. "If ever you feel the need to throttle this creep, I'll just be around the park to do the honor," he offered Mina and walked away.

Heero looked at Minako's puzzled expression. He gulped and took Minako's hand tentatively.

"Great day, huh? Even greater coz I get to spend it with you."