Which is my heart
Usagi edged back out of the room as slowly as possible, tiny beads of nervous sweat streaming down her forehead and dangling off her bangs. She watched the people around her, wondering if they had already spotted her or not, but most of all, she watched Wren through the dimness off the room. The girl had a sharp sense of eyesight, as she had predicted.
Wren didn't seem to notice… On the other hand, she could simply be ignoring the situation. Usagi strained to keep eye contact with the young princess, whilst crawling backwards as silently as possible. She reached the open doorway with inward relief, and rolled out into the deserted hallway.
With quick reflexes, she grabbed for her bokken. As she held it vertically before her in a defensive stance, her senses grew accustomed to the eerie silence. She closed her mind in deep concentration momentarily, attempting to pin point the location of the supposed thieves.
In a matter of seconds, her eyes snapped open, and she dashed through an opposed corridor. She realized the clacking of her sandals against the hard ground, and threw her backside against a wall. Her prying fingers tore off the pair of geta swiftly, and she then stood in simple tabi socks. Agitated, Usagi tossed the sandals to the side, and continued her pursuit.
She halted at the end of the hallway, frozen on the spot. There were exactly three rooms, one of which was the emperor's, and she could barely make out the faint sounds of rummaging, shuffling of feet. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and she curved around to face the door to the right of her with an impassive expression. Her foot made its way to the bottom edge of it, and quietly she placed her free hand against the frame, the other gripping the wooden sword behind her back.
A humored grin passed over her features, and with a small grunt, threw the door open, bokken raised, panting slightly.
To her surprise, the cold flat of a sword blade was already pressed to her throat, almost gently. With dismay, her arm went limp, and she released the bokken. 'I've failed…'
A soft chuckle sharply broke her thoughts, and she scowled coldly, wrath blazing inside of her. "Don't… Don't you dare laugh at me…" her voice was awkwardly hoarse, and somewhat frightened her. "I don't like to be laughed at!"
"And I don't like nosey little girls in cherry-print kimonos distracting my missions," came the smooth retort. "Am I wrong, little girl?"
How his sarcasm angered her! "I'm not a little girl," she snarled. "You don't know anything about me!" Her fingers clenched into a tight fist, her fingernails painfully nipping at her palms.
His familiar low chuckle answered her rage. "Well, you are certainly an aggressive girl, try to calm down, ne?"
Usagi blinked. He was distracting her! There was no sight of the other four men; therefore he was simply wasting her time to obtain an easy getaway! Without thinking, she pivoted on her heel, bent one leg, and lashed out sideways. Her foot struck the intended target, and she quickly reacted by leaping forwards, her shakuhachi withdrawn as an attempted weapon. She landed as planned, atop the struggling thief, her small flute horizontally pressed against his throat.
She glared hatefully down at him, fighting the urge to kill him right there. He was taller than her obviously, with wide cobalt blue eyes and lengthy, braided chestnut hair. Even now, she comprehended, staring down at him, he was amused. "What's so funny?" she breathed gruffly. "You've been beaten by a little girl."
"Are you kidding me? Are you calling this beaten? I've got a beautiful young woman lying on top of me! I'd call this the best way to die!" He laughed aloud.
Her eyes widened and she looked at him with disgust. "You'd rather die a perverted, sick-minded death, then an honourable one?" Faint traces of red tinted her cheeks. "Damn you."
The man nodded. "It's not really perverted at all," he stated. "I'm facing the facts, you see?"
"Quit stalling," she snapped. "Where are the others? I'm never going to let you win! Now, tell me where they are, or I'll be forced to… to…"
He shrugged. "The worst thing you could possibly do at the moment is getting off of me." A smirk spread across his lips. "That would be torture."
"Aya! Shut up!" she cried frantically, shaking her head. "I could easily choke you to death! This may be an instrument, but it's still lethal! I will!"
"You haven't yet. The others have probably already escaped… It wouldn't really mater." He placed his arms behind his head and yawned. "If you want to, go ahead and kill me."
Her triumphant expression fell instantly. "Death… Death doesn't frighten you? It doesn't threaten you at all?"
"Why should it? I see death as a gateway to another life. A newer, better life. Dying is the last of my worries, so I am allowing it to come freely."
She frowned sadly. "You sound exactly like my father. He was so carefree about the end of his life. And when he did die, he welcomed it with open arms…" Her head bowed weakly. "He did it boldly." She glanced down at him. "But don't think I'm going to let you go with such ease."
He smiled, and then nodded his head.
Usagi scanned the room, and spotted his sword, abandoned, cast to the side. The blade gleamed almost evilly, and her eyes expanded. "It's… It's that sword…" She turned to face the perplexed man. "You're the one who took my sword?! How dare you?!"
He blinked in confusion. "Oi! I won that fairly! I didn't take your sword!"
"Hai! You did! I remember the dragon pattern precisely, and that is identical! I was there in the marketplace when you took it! Give it back!"
He leaned forwards, supporting himself on his elbows. "Listen, I won that gambling all by myself, and I did not steal it from you! It was one of the prizes!"
She poked his forehead with an accusing finger. "I'm not that naïve, bakamono! That was my sword from the start, and I was the one who wanted it!"
He grabbed her wrist rapidly. "I played five games in a row to win that damn sword! I'm not going to simply give it to a little girl just because she's stubborn!"
She shook him off. "I'm not stubborn and I'm not little!"
"Funny, because you seem to demand everything you set your eyes on! What are you doing, on top of me!? You're just a seducing little girl! Stop seducing me, I'll never give in!"
"Nani?! I'm not seducing anyone! I'd never do anything with such dishonour! And what about you, sneaking around the palace?!"
"Kami, you are pushy as well!" he shouted. "I'll never give the sword away! Never! Never! Never! Never! Never! Never, never, never, never-"
He was cut off short as Usagi slapped a hand across his mouth and forced his head against the ground. Tears welled in the depths of her sparkling blue eyes, and she spoke softly. "Onegai… Don't… You don't have to be like that…" She removed her hand slowly, almost hesitantly, watching him through glazed eyes. "Please stop the anger…"
He was silenced immediately, and he lolled his head drowsily to the side. "Besides, how is a woman like yourself able to wield a sword? They're much too heavy."
The man shifted to look up. The girl's head was bowed limply. Her finger was softly tracing lines against his chest, and she struggled to speak. "My name is Tsukino Usagi. My father was a powerful general in war, and I was fully trained to become another warrior. I wanted the sword, because it is identical to his."
He frowned in thought, watching her through his thick bangs. "I'll tell you this, Usagi. I'm the kind of person who likes bargaining, so… We'll dual."
Her head snapped upright with alarm. "You'd dual me? A woman?"
He nodded, grinning. "You must meet me at the Touka Teahouse at twilight. Ah… I must warn you, the men can be quite… Dangerous."
Usagi folded her arms smugly. "I've dealt with enough perverts to last me a lifetime. Remember, I am a wanderer, and I have been to many places."
"I'm certainly not one of them."
Usagi cocked an eyebrow. "I'll let it pass, since you're going to regret ever challenging a descendant of the Tsukino clan to a battle!" She threw back her head and laughed.
It was his turn to raise an eyebrow. "Well, I'm Duo Maxwell, and I'll kick your ass, little miss! Your wooden sword is no match for my abilities!"
Usagi tucked the miniature flute back into the folds of her red kimono, and slid off him. "Bakamono. You told me your name, and I can use that against you! Remember to bring the other thieves."
"You're harsh, and my friends aren't so forgiving," he hissed, grabbing for his sword. "I'll promise not to beat you too badly."
"Shut up."
Usagi backtracked through the long corridors, recollecting both of her sandals she had kicked off, and slipped past the massive gates of Tsugawa Place. Just as she was about to recline onto a pillar, her four companions had appeared through the gates.
A very mad looking Rei stormed up to the smiling blond, and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Just where were you for the past half hour? We were worried sick about you! How could you be so arrogant?" She emphasized each word by shaking her with incredible urgency.
Usagi let a nervous laugh escape her throat before replying. She kicked herself inwardly for not coming up with a good excuse, and then kicked herself again for realizing how guilty she was looking. Her mouth gradually opened, and calmly she replied…
Should she say:
"I caught site of five shadows sneaking through the palace. They turned out to be thieves, so I ran after them."
Or"Did you expect me to hold my bladder for that long? Besides, it is unladylike."
VOTE NOW!!Author's Comments: I'd like to thank you all for being so cooperative. I really enjoy writing this, and I simply love feedback from the readers! I hope you like what is going on… And things will get more interesting, you'll see.
