Usagi swung around with her leg, attempting to knock the attacker over by force, but instead, ended up tripping over a knick in the floor and landing on her rear. With a yelp, she helplessly grabbed for any object nearest her.
Tumbling into a heap on the ground, Usagi, shaking, pushed the blanket of bangs from her face and looked up. The man, now staring back at her with mute humor, placed his foot on the hem of her kimono, stopping her from any chance of escape.
Scowling, she succumbed to the fact she had been beaten, and then kicked herself mentally for showing clumsiness. "Go ahead, laugh if you will. I'm not going to run."
His foot did not move as he observed her fallen body with deep, olive green eyes. She stiffened at his intense expression, and quickly averted any means of eye content. Deciding upon a threatening approach, her voice was strangely soft. "Get off me."
"You're sure clumsy, girlie," Duo clucked from behind.
"Just shut up!" she cried, frustrated. "I'm not clumsy! I tripped on this cursed floor!" There was an abrupt pause as she began striking at the man's foot with her fists. "Are you quite deaf?! I told you to move, moron!"
He snorted in return. "You shouldn't have even challenged us in the first place, let alone come near our hideout. Now look where your temper has gotten you."
Yes, well," she began, pounding brutally at his foot with indifference. "My temper has a very good reason to run thin when it comes to arrogant men like yourselves."
"I am not arrogant," Duo scoffed, folding his arms against his chest in a stubborn manner. "I'm just not very good with handling women. I mean, pleasing women."
"I've got a useful tip for all of you," grunted Usagi, pushing against the unmoving foot with the flat of her palm. "When it comes to my gender… You do not get them drunk, you do not assume them as whores, you do not hold them at sword point, and you definitely do not step on their dresses!"
"I never got you drunk!"
Usagi leaned backwards with an exasperated sigh. She had been defeated by a foot! 'How utterly, utterly depressing,' she mused, frowning upon it.
"Hello? I heard some noise in here, so I decided to stay outside to let matters calm themselves down." A younger boy stepped into the room, his eyes taking in the scene with curiosity. The sleeves to his light colored gi were exceptionally long, completely covering his hands. "Oh my, is she one of Duo's… Women?"
"I am not!" she yelled, flustered. "I demand an explanation! Five against one is not a fair fight, especially when you've got some moron pinning you down with his leg!"
"Trowa-kun, maybe you should do as she asks," the boy said quietly, blowing a few blond hairs from his face. "I know she will cooperate if we are considerate."
"That's what I've been trying to do," she muttered, nudging his leg with her elbow. "So there are four of you in total… I could have sworn there was another shadow lurking past the concert room when I caught sight of you…"
Each and every one of the boys then gave each other somewhat nervous glances, Duo coughing faintly under his sleeve and the blond one smiling with uneasy suspicion.
"Don't tell me… There are four of you, am I correct? I'm not counting wrong?" She let out an exaggerated laugh, although her expression was serious. "Nee, I'm not playing games here."
"Well… You see…" Duo began, looking to his companions for help. "Usagi, you haven't been introduced to Quatre yet! Kami, how rude of him! Well, he's our main guy in the business… He plans out our strategies; we follow them."
Usagi sighed jadedly, patting a hand to her mouth. "So, he must be your boss… Does this mean you've got a little boy criminal doing all your dirty work?"
"No! No…" Quatre blushed deeply, bowing his head with shame. "Miss, I am merely here to keep them out of trouble. As in jail or execution…"
"Then why are you risking your lives over this foolish nonsense? You must be mad! Do you even have a master, in the first place? Or do you simply do it as an act of arrogance?"
"Ano… We have a boss…"
"Heh! Good old Wufei-san has always been ordering us around, boss or not."
Heero shot him a furious glare, as if saying; "Shut up, Duo!"
Usagi eyed sheepish boy with sudden perplexity. "So, you really do have a master! What was the big deal? All I wanted was some useless information, and now I have it! Satisfied?"
Duo cringed at the number of scowls he was receiving. "Oi, I didn't mean to say anything… It was a big mistake! Besides, why would Wufei even care if we told some girl his name?"
"Her life," Trowa said quietly, frowning upon her. "Is in serious danger as it stands. If Wufei hears about this girl, he'll either go on a rampage looking for her, or just kill us instead."
"Trowa-kun!" Quatre cried, waving his hands at Usagi. "D-don't listen to him. He's just trying to frighten you, honest! A-ano… Don't worry about Wufei…"
"Start worrying about that pretty little head of yours, girlie," Duo chuckled. "It's best we just kill you now, besides having to go through with his 'honorable death penalty.'"
"What has he got against women?" she breathed, taken aback by the very thought of him. She began picturing him as some fierce samurai she used to hear in legends; with a giant sword and bared teeth. "Is he quite sexist?"
"Quite," Duo mocked, laughing. "Quite doesn't even cut it."
Usagi swallowed the rising lump in her throat, ignoring the beads of sweat tricking down her cheek. "W-will he… Torture me? I… Ah…"
"Don't listen to them," Quatre said softly, kneeling beside her form. He folded his hands upon his lap and sat atop his legs. "Their minds are on scaring you out of the city… Because you may be a threat to our organization…"
She pondered on his words momentarily. "What about you, then, Quatre-san?" Her voice was soft, almost tranquil as she spoke to him. His aurora seemed to somehow clam her. "Do you think I'm really that stupid? To tell?"
Quatre ignored Trowa's snort, and gradually shook his head. Rolling up his lengthy sleeves, he placed a cool hand to her forehead; she didn't even try to pull away. "You're an honest woman," the blond murmured. "I see your past is… Is…"
"Terrible? Disgusting? My past is full of wrath, isn't it?"
He smiled back at her, patting down her hair. "I see nothing but truth, justice, and compassion. You care for your friends a great deal, and although you are seeking revenge, you keep it to yourself. Instead of killing innocent souls, you keep the darkness locked within the depths of your heart. Do not let those emotions go unleashed, or you will surely lose control."
'So, he must be a psychic,' she mused, smiling faintly. 'I can't explain it, but I feel I can trust him. What a strange feeling… There is no explanation?'
"Rei… Rei-chan, Usagi has been gone long enough. It's not right for us to simply leave her out there in the cold." Minako's intense eyes shone with compassion as she began to tug at the silent woman's collar. "This has gone on long enough."
"Minako is right," Makoto retorted, her eyes pinned towards the entrance gate. "She could have gotten herself into big trouble. One night is all I can stand. If you won't come, then you're acting childish."
"I do not care," came her soft-spoken reply. It sounded as if she didn't mean it, but her expression told otherwise. "Usagi is no longer one of us. Her shame is now her own fault… Now, I'm going to sleep."
"Why, Rei? Why do this to her? She's our loyal companion, and even if you're angry, try not to take it out on her…" Makoto turned, wagging a finger sternly. "You think of her as immature; unworthy… But I think of her as a true friend. She likes to protect us."
Rei stopped, sending a chilling stare back at her. "She has betrayed us. I'm not about to go out looking for some useless traitor. Usagi has caused us nothing but distress. I will not go after her."
Duo clasped his hands together, smirking triumphantly. "Finally, we all get to carry out our night shift… I've been anticipating it all day!"
Usagi met his eyes briskly from the corner of the futon, her expression absolutely blank with emotion. "Are you all going somewhere? To create more chaos than this city can handle?"
Quatre smiled reassuringly down at her, resting his palm across her head. "You're as curios as a child, Usa-chan… We are going to do our nighttime business. Nothing to do with chaos."
Usagi nodded tranquilly, folding her hands lightly into her lap. Her lips were pressed into a grim line as she stared straight ahead. "I'm staying behind, aren't I? For I will just get in your way."
"Don't be too down, girlie," Duo cut in. He began to adjust his hakama while speaking. "Night consists of deadly acts. It brings out the drunken men… It's too dangerous."
Trowa paced into the room with light footfalls; his refined movements nearly startling Usagi. 'He's so… graceful,' she observed, awed. When her sensing kicked in, she realized he had noticed her staring. Quickly she averted eye contact. Her face had reddened considerably.
Trowa curtly decided to ignore her, turning to the other boys instead. "Wufei isn't going to be joining us this night," he announced. "He has placed Heero in charge of the mission."
"Damnit," Duo muttered, kicking his heels against the floor. "Heero always makes things difficult for us… Why can't Wufei ever put me in charge?"
"By the sounds of it, never," Usagi shot back cattily, raising her nose indignantly into the air. "On the other hand, this 'Wufei' is starting to be described a lot like Yuy… Both arrogant, both women-haters!"
"The girl is coming."
Duo tilted his head to send a dumbfounded stare in Heero's direction, who was currently standing in the doorway. "Heh? This is a change on your part, Heero."
He shot him a dark look before giving an explanation, his gaze then altering towards the seated blond. "It was a direct order from Wufei. We must bring her to him by midnight."
"Nani?!" Duo shouted, his humored grin instantly fading. "Why the hell did you tell Wufei?! He's not going to want to see her… He'll kill her…"
Usagi stood herself up, face indifferent to the world around her. For some reason, she felt as though it was something she needed to do; meeting Wufei. Carefully, slowly, she met Heero's eyes. "I will go."
Duo was jumping up and down, frantically trying to get her attention. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Can't you see, Wufei is going to murder you! Without hesitance, he'll k-i-l-l you! Listen to me for once…"
"I am not afraid," she whispered harshly. "I'm not to be underestimated by him, nor any of you. I will show you the ways of the Tsukino clan once and for all…"
Slouched shoulders, wary faced, Duo trudged out of the room after the girl and his companions. "This isn't going to be good… You should turn back…"
As they exited the back door of the tea house, Usagi found herself forced against Heero's side, a sturdy arm draped around her shoulders. At first, she began to resist his firm hold on her, yelping out unheeded protests.
"Stay close," Heero murmured as she fretfully struggled, his eyes focused on the dark alleyway. "Nighttime isn't the best time to go out for little girls."
"I'm not a little girl, pervert," came her muffled reply. She had ceased her deliberate squirming, much to the relief of Heero. "If you call me that again, you're going to pay the price!"
"Usagi, Usagi, lay off the criticism for now…" Duo strode along side her, a goofy grin playing his lips. "You two look like some kind of couple…"
Usagi growled and kicked out with her heel, which landed intentionally on his toe. As he let out a cry and rubbed his foot in pain, she snickered. "Well, well, clumsy me."
"Stop fighting," Heero commanded; his tone icy. Usagi glared up at him, parting her lips to yell out a random protest, but he had already anticipated this, and covered her mouth with a hand. "No speaking. You direct too much attention."
She shook her head violently, and when he simply ignored her, bared her teeth and sunk them into his palm. Her eyes flickered over with a bright shade of lavender. He reacted immediately, jolting himself free of her jaws.
"What the hell are you doing," he snapped, observing her glazed eyes cautiously. "I told you not to move."
Her lip curled. "You have no right silencing me. Or even coming near me…" She shifted onto her other foot, taking a defensive stance. "I never wanted to be involved in this little kidnapping to begin with."
Quatre began to back away slowly as he focused on her glittering eyes and her tinkling laugh. "There's something wrong. You may have angered her…"
"Oi, don't you think we've figured that out for ourselves?" Duo answered, taking a cautious step forwards. "Usagi, calm yourself. We're not here to hurt you."
Her eyes seemed to pierce through his insides like venom, tearing him apart inwardly as she growled. Her actions were taken as though she were some kind of cat; cautious, yet her movements were smooth and agile.
"Stop playing games, woman, we don't have time to deal with it," Trowa said, reaching out to grasp her arm. She jerked away from him swiftly, a low hissing sound escaping her lips.
"Quatre, take some action," Duo said, shoving him towards her hunched form. They watched silently as her shoulders heaved with rasping breaths, rising and falling. "Before she destroys herself."
Rising and falling, raspy breaths and vicious snarls. Quatre shuddered with slight fear as he approached the girl, step by step. Her aurora was terrifying to say the least. "Usagi-chan? It's me, Quatre."
She blinked. Once, and then a second time. Her head lifted slowly; she had wrapped her arms around herself tightly, as if to squeeze the sudden ferocity out of her soul. "Q… Quatre…" she repeated, as if saying his name for the first time. "Quatre… Quatre."
Duo viewed with anxiousness as her eyes gradually dulled into the familiar shade of blue. She was never ceased repeating his name until she was completely aware of her surroundings, Quatre and all.
Releasing her firm grip around herself, she eyed every one of the boys with confusion. Cocking an eyebrow and resting a hand upon her hip, she sighed. "I don't appreciate being stared at. Why don't we just continue, ne?"
"Freaky," Duo whispered beneath his breath. "Utterly freaky…"
"Quit staring at me, you look like a bunch of possessed morons," she barked, slapping Heero's shoulder with the back of her hand. "Snap out of it already!"
'Possessed? Us?' Duo almost felt like laughing out loud, but he knew better then to actually begin laughing in the middle of an alleyway.
Usagi grabbed hold of Heero's collar and began urging him forwards. "Nee, I want to get out of this alleyway! Did I not make myself clear?"
Quatre was the first to respond. He smiled with flushed embarrassment and tugged at Usagi's kimono sleeve. "Gomennasai, we were only taking a short rest. We should get going…"
She released Heero confusedly, allowing him to pull her sleeve. "Demo… Quatre-san… Why won't anyone else speak to me? It's like they're… Unreal…"
He laughed nervously, motioning for the others to follow. "It's nothing to worry about, Usagi. They're just focusing on they're next task… It's complicated."
"I see…" Usagi swallowed the lump forming in her throat. 'No, I don't… Why are they acting so strangely? Was it something I said? Something I did wrong?' She continued to think to herself for a considerable amount of time. 'My hair? My nose? Do I look weird? Do I look stupid? Is there something on my face? Something on my kimono? Do I have dirt on me? Are they ignoring me for the fun of it, perhaps? Or am I just painfully annoying?'
Quatre could sense her puzzled musings and smiled to himself. Enveloping her small, delicate hand into his, he sent a responding message with his mind. 'Don't fret, Usagi-chan. You look fine, you act fine. Nothing is wrong.' To his surprise, she sent one back, 'then why are they acting as if I'm some kind of alien?' He felt her smooth fingers hold on tighter to him, as if she were unsure. He replied softly, "because you aren't stained, as we are. To us, you are untouchable."
"Heh?" She blinked bluntly. "It doesn't seem that way with Heero… He practically squeezed the life out of me! I can't believe he had the nerve to…"
Quatre interrupted as they finally made their way into the deserted streets. "Exactly my point. Notice how careful he was with you? Heero-san is never that gentle…"
'Gentle?' Usagi all but said. 'If that was gentle, I never want to see his rough side… Aya…'
Quatre's faint laugh snapped her out of any previous thoughts. She blushed, realizing he could still read her thoughts. 'Oh my, I forgot about that…'
Quatre stopped in his tracks. Usagi bumped into him, unaware. She shook his tensed shoulder briefly, urgently. "Quatre-san, what's wrong? Why have you…?"
"I feel something… wrong…" he announced, his voice kept lower than usual. He protected Usagi with an outstretched arm, backing away. "Stay close to me."
He sounded so much like Heero, she had to fight the urge to shove him. "What's going on," she repeated in his ear. "Why have you stopped in the middle of the street?"
"Oi, Quatre, what's the idea?" Duo piped from behind. He scrambled to Usagi's side, checking her briefly. "You're not hurt, are you, girlie?"
She snorted. "I'm not a weakling. I can protect myself!"
"Shut up, both of you," Trowa said quietly, halting beside Quatre with a withdrawn sword. "If he senses an enemy, you must be silent. He needs to concentrate. You must focus."
'You must focus…' her mind repeated. 'Otousan used to say that… When I was training with him, he'd always tell me to keep my focus…'
She heard Quatre's voice a few times, although it seemed distant. "It's fine, Trowa-san… I just felt a presence... But, it's gone now… Probably just a lost soul…"
'A lost soul… Like me… When I lost Otousan, I lost myself.' She wavered slightly, tripping over herself. With a sharp intake of breath, she felt her legs give way beneath her.
Two hands grabbed her shoulders, preventing her from collapsing. "Usagi. Wake up."
She opened her eyes immediately, refusing to allow herself to display such weakness in front of the four men, and met Heero's narrowed eyes. Her ironic smile surprised him. "Heero?"
"Get up," he replied, lifting her by an arm. She grinned dazedly and latched onto his neck, purring. "Too sleepy. Carry me home, Otousan…"
"Otousan?" She could make out Duo's familiar laugh. "Carry me too, Otousan! I want a ride home too!" he mimicked, whining. "Otousan!"
Usagi let out a cheerful laugh, and contently nuzzled Heero's neck. 'Iie, Otousan will always be a part of me… No matter what, he'll be there.'
"Girlie, if you hug poor Heero any tighter, you'll choke him…"
Should Usagi:
Tell Duo to shut up,
OrSimply hold Heero tighter…
VOTE NOW!