Yesterdays
By: miyaka
Dedications:
Chibi-chan: Awww, thank you soo much! I'm really glad you like this story. The situation with Hotaru will hopefully get more and more intriguing as the chapters go on. Btw, when are you going to update Rot?? I've been dying for another chapter.
Firenze: Thank you so much for your continuous support! I'm afraid her method for getting Heero to leave won't be spectacular, but at least she'll get him to leave.
Mars Child: I hope I didn't make you wait too long for this chapter. Thank you for your wonderful reviews!
DragonStar: Heh *sweatdrops* I'm working on updating sooner. It's summer now so hopefully I'll have more time to write. As to what Heero and Trent are competing for . . . well, I think your hunch is right. You seem to be right on top of things. But, I'll clarify it even more next chappie.
Princess Ren: I'm glad the characters' description was able to help you. I was a bit worried that it might actually serve to confuse people more, but I'm glad it didn't. More will be revealed about Hotaru as the chapters go on . . . all I have to say is that she will play a critical part in the plot later on.
lost little angel: You're very welcome. Thank you so much for all your continuous support and wonderful reviews.
Icyfire: I'm glad you like the way I portray Heero. As for H/R romance, that is a definite possibility, but I'm not guaranteeing any immediate action. Their relationship is going to take time. ^_^
"Blank": I would love to have Rei burn him to a crisp (poor Heero!) but unfortunately, this is AU, and Rei does not have the ability to shoot off fire. Unless if I need to change that little fact to make the plot line work, Rei will not have the ability to shoot off fire.
Tenshi no Hi: You'll just have to keep reading to find out about Hotaru, but she will play a critical part in the plot line in later chapters. I'm slowly integrating her into the story. ^_^
The Voice of Reason: You must have read my mind. There will be some Rei/Duo action, but I won't and can't guarantee that he is going to be the final pairing. I am a very spontaneous writer and fluctuate quite often between things, though. So, it's not a definite no, and it's not a definite yes. Thanks for your compliments!
esztiv: I'm glad you think the storyline is unique. I try not to be cliché, although the whole 'super agent' thing is cliché . . . but I do try to make it as un-cliché as possible . . . if that makes any sense. The plotline is quite complicated from what I have in mind, so hopefully that'll help make my story stand out a bit. Thanks so much for your review!
Special thanks to DragonStar and Princess Ren!
Chapter 3: Attitude
Heero was right. She would pick and choose her battles, a concept she had not forgotten, contrary to his belief. And right now, she wanted him out of her apartment. She felt her temper flare at his cocky demeanor and even more so at how the sofa seemed to be made for him. She had to admit, after all these years, he looked even more dashingly handsome with his rugged, slightly disheveled appearance.
Rei took a deep breath, trying to remind herself that her quick temper was deleterious to her health, namely her blood pressure, and she definitely did not want to suffer a stroke or a heart attack at such a tender age. Uh-uh. Definitely no heart attack.
The raven-haired agent contemplated her options. There was no way she could afford getting into a physical fight with him. Even when she was at full health, Heero was a handful. She probably would last less than ten seconds trying to fight him handicapped. She could call security, but that wouldn't be much help. It would also complicate the situation, forcing her to come up with an explanation as to who Heero was.
Heero decided to jump on her indecisiveness.
"I'll tell you what. I'll leave the apartment willingly in return for a favor."
Rei seemed to only have heard the 'I'll leave the apartment willingly' part, for she impulsively agreed even before she could process his entire sentence. Only too late did she realize he had tricked her. Her eagerness to make him leave had shadowed her judgment for a second, and that was all that he had needed. She scowled at him, having the inkling of a feeling as to what the favor was going to be.
"Join Sanctuary and bring the disk with you."
She knew it! Damn him for tricking her!
"That's two things."
Heero heaved a sigh. She wasn't going to make the same mistake twice, "Fine then. Deliver the disk to Sanctuary, personally."
"Fine," Rei snapped irascibly. One thing that did not change between the two of them was the concept of favors that had originated from their days in the Academy. Favors were always cashed. In fact, they acted like promises. Neither of them had ever broken a favor to one another, and there had been a countless number of them, "Now get the hell out of my apartment."
Heero felt his heart twinge at her annoyance with him. He could still remember a time when she never ever raised her voice at him, and if she did, it never had the same bite as it had now. He mustered up a cold glare at her before stalking out of the room. He had gotten what he wanted. The rest didn't matter.
Rei waited until he was out the door before she started to move. Her apartment had been compromised, which meant it was time to move. The raven-haired agent knew better then to stay in an exposed apartment, which was why she had rented out several just in case one of them was compromised. She scowled as the idea of packing flashed through her mind.
Just great. I decide to get shot right before I need to move.
Since Hotaru had been on her best behavior for quite some time, Naomi had allowed her to get some fresh air for about twenty minutes every day. Each time Hotaru went out, she noted every detail about her surroundings, storing it in her mind for future reference. She may have been on her best behavior, but that definitely did not mean she was a good girl. She had been planning her escape for some time now, and each time she set foot outside her cell, she felt like she was one step closer to home.
Hotaru had originally planned her escape for two weeks ago, but a most unusual sickness had kicked in before she could actually set her plan in motion. The doctor had been summoned, and he had examined her, only to announce she was suffering from food poisoning. Apparently Hotaru was allergic to some special sort of fat emulsifier additive that had been in one of her meals.
So her plan had been delayed, and just when she was feeling better and ready to attempt an escape, Naomi moved her to a different cell, a larger, somewhat more comfortable room. So Hotaru had to start all over again, strategizing and storing away precious details regarding her surroundings. It had taken days again to memorize every little tidbit she could gather about her milieu, knowing full well she would need every bit of information she could use to escape.
Yet Fate had another cruel joke to play. Naomi stopped visiting her, and without Naomi visiting, Hotaru was not allowed to go outside. If she couldn't go outside, she couldn't escape. There was no way she could plan a way to get out quietly. She knew better than to fake an illness as an attempt to get the nearly 7-foot, 385 pounds of muscle outside her door to come in to check up on her. How the hell was she supposed to get around the Hulk?
She could have sworn the man could even make a professional weight lifter quail in his wake. Hotaru suspected she wasn't even a third of the man in width and in height. And that was a scary observation. If the man had been fat, then maybe she could have dealt with him, but the man did not have an ounce of fat on him. And how did she know all this?
[Flashback]
This was the first time Hotaru had been allowed to go outside after Naomi had relocated her. In her eagerness to step outside to observe her surroundings, Hotaru ran out the door and right into the guard. Apparently in her eagerness to rush outside, she had not bothered to wait to see if anyone else was on the other side of the door when it slid open. Before the young girl could halt her running steps, she slammed right into the Hulk
And boy, did it hurt! She felt like an egg splattering on the floor. The man was solid rock, and even harder than the wall, if it were possible. She had fallen on her rump and sat there on the cold tiles, utterly dazed. Hotaru was dimly aware of Naomi chastising her and the Hulk picking her up like a rag doll to set her on her feet.
Even then, Hotaru wobbled about, forcing the Hulk to hold onto her until she could steady herself. As her head cleared, she could see the Hulk grinning down at her with an amused expression on his face.
Great. Just great.
[End Flashback]
In Hotaru's first plan to escape, she had counted on knocking the Hulk out with a heavy statue that had been exhibited in the room outside of her's. But now that she had been relocated, using the statue was no longer an option. And after that one time she was allowed out since she relocated, she had not seen anything that was heavy enough that could possibly knock out the Hulk. She had seen a lamp that might be able to stun him for a few moments if she swung hard enough, but Hotaru knew she needed more than a few precious moments to escape.
Sure, she may be able to escape the Hulk, but from the vicinity? Definitely not. As soon as the Hulk recovered, he would sound the alarm, and then it would be over for her. She simply did not know the area well enough to escape with the amount of leeway using the lamp as a weapon could give her.
No, she needed something heavy. Something with substance. She needed the statue, which was back God knows where. Until she could get outside again, until she could find something to use as a weapon against the Hulk, all she could do was wait.
And wait.
And wait . . .
The dark haired woman slid out of the king sized bed and grabbed her clothes, which had been hastily thrown to the floor earlier by an eager pair of hands. She began to put on her underwear when she felt a pair of eyes on her.
"Leaving so early?"
The woman seductively turned around to face the blonde, completely unfazed as his eyes traveled up and down her body. She shrugged, tossing her hair over her shoulders, teasing the playboy on the bed.
"You know Trent, I thought you had work you needed to get back to."
"You expect me to think of work with you teasing me like that?" Trent asked, as he too got out of bed and walked towards her like a panther stalking its prey. She shivered. Even she, who was considered incapable of feeling, could not ignore the Hound's charms.
She was just about to protest when he cut her off, "Aww, come on Naomi, what's another few hours?"
Naomi could only heave a sigh as he pulled her to him. This was a battle she had never won before, so why did she think she could start now?
Several days later . . .
It was just after lunch when Rei pulled into the parking lot. People were just beginning to return from their lunch break to another five hours or so of work. Great. I'll fit right in . . . NOT.
Whereas the people returning to work were dressed in suits and other forms of business attire, Rei had adorned herself in a backless, flaming red halter-top and simple white capris. Her luscious locks had been sloppily pulled into a high ponytail-like design by a silver hair clip, effectively giving people a full view of her healthy, tanned skin.
Rei smirked under her sunglasses at the shocked stares she was getting from the women and the men. She did not abide by dress codes . . . obviously. The automatic door slid open and Rei practically waltzed in, relishing the attention she was receiving for her lack of respect for their dress code. Rei strutted up to the front desk, resisting the urge to smirk again at the way the elderly woman was gawking at her. She propped her sunglasses up on top of her head and fixed the woman with a long stare with her piercing violet orbs.
"I'd like to speak with Setsuna."
The woman stared at her, dismayed at the audacity the young woman before her was displaying. Just who the hell did she think she was?!
"I'm afraid Ms. Meioh is in a very important meeting right now. You'll just have to wait."
Rei smiled, "All the better. I assume the briefing room hasn't changed?"
Not even bothering to wait for the clerk to snap out of her dazed stupor, Rei strode away from the desk.
"Hey, wait! Wait a second! Who are you? Security! Security!"
Not bad. Sanctuary had improved its security. They had detained her before she even reached the metal detectors. Last time she was here, she had made it all the way inside before they had caught up to her. Or was she getting slow? Nah. They definitely beefed up their security.
"Miss, I'll have to ask you to state your name and business," Rei didn't need to turn around to know there were guns trained at her back. All she had to do was stare at the guns aimed at her head from the front.
Rei remained unfazed, "Do tell Setsuna that Phoenix is here to pay her a visit. I believe I have something she wants."
She could see the guards glance uncertainly at each other before one of them, who she considered to be the commanding officer of the bunch, nodded his head and one of the officers withdrew his weapon and hurried towards the briefing room.
Rei yawned, lifting her arms up to stretch. She heard multiple safeties click off at once as the guns in front of her seemed to stiffen by a few centimeters, aimed to shoot with deadly accuracy.
"I've never seen you people before. Did you just start working here? Because last I remembered, you people were much more incompetent," She watched as incredulous expressions flashed across their faces.
Good. She was going to have some fun with this group.
" . . . And this is the hotel that you will need to infiltrate. As usual, Op-Tech will brief you in on what you'll need for this assignment. We have already clocked the shift changes for-" Setsuna halted as the door slid open and a guard rushed in, one who looked slightly confused.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Ms. Meioh, but there's a lady outside who is currently detained by the others. She says she wants to see you and that she has something you want."
Everyone but Heero perked up. Setsuna arched an eyebrow, "Did this lady leave a name?"
The guard nodded, "Phoenix."
Murmurs broke out between the four Gundam pilots. Heero simply sat in his seat, watching the range of emotions washing over their handler's face.
About damn time, girl!
When she had not shown up the next day, or the day after, he was worried that their pact from back in the day no longer held any meaning to her and that she wasn't going to show up. But when the guard had announced that she was here, he had nearly heaved a sigh of relief.
"Send her in. Immediately."
The officer nodded and hurried out the room to do as Setsuna had bid him.
"Hello Setsuna."
Rei sauntered into the room, eliciting a few gasps and a lot of amazed stares. The elusive, enigmatic agent was finally here, standing right before their very own eyes.
"Hello Rei. It's been a long time."
"Not long enough," Rei muttered under her breath as she took a quick look around. The room was still the same. Louder, she added, "I believe this is what you've been looking for?"
Rei pulled out the disk from her back pocket and with a quick flick of her wrist, handed it over to the evergreen haired woman. She watched as her magenta eyes widened in surprise.
"What brings you here, onna?"
Rei fixed her gaze on the Chinese agent before answering, "Let's just say I'm returning a favor. By the way, I heard what you said about me back in the warehouse. You ought to watch your mouth."
Wufei was about to retort a reply when Setsuna silenced him with a wave of her hand. The woman focused her attention back on the agent, "Since you're already here, why don't you stay?"
Rei scoffed at the preposterous offer, "I will certainly do no such thing. I have no desire to be any part of this-"
"We have a lead on Hotaru."
Rei stared at the woman, who was at least two heads taller than her, trying to determine whether or not she was bluffing. The young fighter decided to call it.
"Liar."
Setsuna merely shrugged, knowing she had Rei's attention regardless, "Maybe, maybe not. Are you going to risk the chance that we actually DO have a lead? Or are you going to stuff your pride for once, take a seat, and participate in the next mission as an agent of Sanctuary?"
Magenta clashed with amethyst. Neither one wavered.
Rei hated it when she was right, but there was no way she was going to down quietly. Setsuna may have backed her into a corner, but there was no way Rei was going to let her get away with it.
"On my terms," Rei shot back.
"No."
"My terms, my rules, or I leave. I don't want-"
"You can't leave. You won't leave."
The Gundam pilots watched the two women in amazement as the verbal argument continued. They could all sense the animosity and tension brewing between the two stubborn women. They were complete polar opposites clashing against one another in a battle of wills.
"Watch me."
Rei whirled around and purposefully strode towards the door, having no intentions of stopping until she heard Setsuna give, which was highly unlikely.
"Wait."
Everyone turned to Quatre, including Rei. No one had expected the blonde to speak. Quatre fidgeted with his jacket, not quite sure what to do now that he held everyone's attention. All he wanted was to keep her from stepping outside the door.
Unlike the others, he could sense her feelings, and determination had been emanating off her in waves. He knew that if she stepped outside that door, there would be no turning back, and from what he had seen, she would be a valuable asset to the group.
"Setsuna is telling the truth when she says she has a lead on Hotaru's whereabouts. If you join Sanctuary, Setsuna will disclose the information after we return from this next mission," He turned to Setsuna and managed to evoke a reluctant nod from her.
After seeing her nod, he diverted his attention back to Rei and added, "Please, you would be a great help to us, and in return, we will do everything in our power to find your sister."
Rei stared at him, trying to ignore the earnestness shining from his soft cerulean eyes. There was just something about the way he had pleaded with her that Rei couldn't refuse. Such innocence . . . he reminded her of Hotaru. The two of them just seemed to be so earnest. Rei could feel herself being sucked into a losing battle.
"Fine," Rei sighed resignedly as she agreed, much to the delight of several pilots.
"Good going, Q!" Duo cried happily. As Rei took a seat next to him, it looked like he was going to wrap his arms around her, so she shot him a blistering glare, warning him to keep his hands to himself.
"As I was saying earlier to the pilots before you arrived, this is the hotel that we need to infiltrate. Apparently members of the Alliance are holding a dinner party here for some sort of celebration. We're not sure what exactly it is that they are celebrating, but we know that it is something of significant importance. Nearly everyone has been invited, including close associates of the Alliance, ranging from mafia families to politicians. The party is scheduled to last for three nights, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
"We expect you to be there all three nights. We want to know exactly what the Alliance has up their sleeves that they are willing to throw away millions of dollars on such an extravagant party. Quite truthfully, Sanctuary is worried that they may have gained an upper hand. We want you to find out everything you can about what they have been up to.
"Before you came, I had decided that the others would simply have to work as waiters, ushers, and as other hotel workers, but now that you're here, there is going to be a slight change of plans. You will infiltrate the hotel with a partner, under the guise of a newly married couple, and attend the party. The others will be your support on this one."
As if reading her mind, Setsuna quickly added, "You will have backup on this mission, no exceptions. There will be way too many dangerous people attending to go in without support. You'll be entering a lion's den. Should it turn ugly, you will need all the help you can get. But of course, we are hoping everything will run smoothly. Should something happen, we have already strategized several possible escape routes for you, to ensure you get out of there okay."
Rei arched an eyebrow. Newlyweds, eh?
"So which lucky bastard gets to be my husband?"
= = = = = = = = = =
So, what did you guys think? I already have someone in mind for the mission, but if you want someone else and give me a really good reason and if I can make it work . . . then I'll reconsider changing the person and rewriting the beginning of the next chapter. As for who I have in mind . . . well, you'll just have to see! I got to get you guys to come back somehow! ^_^
As usual, drop me a line, a review, a whatever if you have any comments, suggestions, questions, or concerns. Thank you all for reading!