Usagi glided across the floor, advancing towards Trowa. She hated the neutral look on his face. Why wasn't he terrified with her eyes of blazing rage? Without fear, she had no purpose!
She stopped before his blade, which he had aimed directly at her throat. The tip grazed her skin. She smiled, brushing her fingers against the blood from her newly given wound.
"I just love the smell," she explained cryptically, her voice hoarse, "especially when it's fresh. The texture, the scent… it intoxicates me. That is why I kill. What is your excuse?"
"To rid the world of monsters such as yourself," he replied, lowering his sword. "You have no place in this world. You are nothing but a lost cause."
"Is that so?" Usagi chuckled, licking the blood from her index finger. The Demon had always favored Usagi's blood above the rest, always hungered for its unique taste. She studied him thoughtfully. "That may very well be true, but who are you to stop me? You are no holy man. I see no cross."
Trowa caught her wrist with his free hand, his fingers constricting in a vice-like grip against her delicate skin. He drew her closer to him, his mouth hovering by her ear. "Why does she accept your presence within her? Why does she keep you a secret? That doesn't make sense."
"Ah, yes, Usagi…" She smiled, absently enjoying his painfully firm grip. "A very troubled little girl, she is… I came to her when she was still a child. I coaxed her, promised safety unto her and those closest to her… I told her she'd never have to see the face of death upon her dear father ever again. Of course, being naïve and young, she welcomed me with open arms. And here I have stayed. We are bound together, have I not told you before?"
"Your lies poison her," he hissed, his voice edged with resentment. "Did you keep any of those promises? Does Usagi know of your constant betrayal?"
"Oh my, no. I'm not popular for keeping promises, after all…" She laughed softly as her drew the edge of his blade against her throat. "You're willing to rid the world of me… only to lose her as well? That doesn't seem-"
"Why did Usagi sneak into the bar tonight? What were her intentions?"
"So many questions," she laughed. "Oh, I don't bother questioning the poor girl's authority…" She looked up at him, batting her eyes seductively. "Unless, of course, you'd like me to start looking. Wouldn't that be fun, having absolute control over her beautiful body and knowing her every thought? I could make it possible."
He pushed her forcefully away. "Enough. Your tongue will be the first to go."
Usagi ran her fingers back through her hair, drawing lose strands from her eyes. He wasn't as gullible as she had predicted. "Anxious to cut me into pieces, hm? Well then, let's take it outside."
"Heero, why can't your tough image come with high alcohol tolerance?" Duo sighed, pushing himself up on the barstool next to Heero. "You're such a wimpy drunk, too."
"Where's my goddamned soup!" Heero smacked the counter with the flat of his hand. He sat up, wavering slightly. "I paid for that piece of crap two hours ago. Stupid, stupid…"
"They don't even have soup here," Duo said, smirking. "How much did you drink? Two glasses? How can you possibly be this way after two glasses? Pathetic…"
"What?!" Heero squinted at Duo, finally noticing him. He reached out to give him a punch in the arm and missed. "Come on, stop shouting at me. You're so mean… Go away… Stupid woman…"
"I'll just pretend I didn't hear that," Duo hissed through gritted teeth.
"Where is your weapon?"
Usagi gave Trowa a skeptical look as she positioned herself in front of him. "If this is a fight to the death, I want it to be quick. Weapons are too clunky for my preference."
"Very well." He tossed his weapon aside. "Don't think I'll go easy on you."
"Touché."
She sprang from her ready position like a cat pouncing towards its prey, her fingers spread out like claws as she made the first move.
Trowa easily avoided her attack, swaying away from her and countering with an attempt to trip her. She jumped as he brought his leg around, making another swipe for his face.
He grabbed her arm as he dodged, twisting it back around as his advantage. She virtually went limp in his arms at that point. Strange.
Usagi cried out as he grabbed a clump of her hair, forcing her into an awkward position and preventing her from further attacks. However, she did not attempt to fight his hold on her. Even stranger.
"You said you wouldn't go easy on me," Trowa said. "Why aren't you using your full power? Answer me!" He pulled her head even further back to meet his gaze.
"Trowa-san?" Usagi's pain-filled blue eyes met his as her lips uttered his name in question. Tears she was desperately fighting welled in her eyes. "I only came to see you at the bar… I… I had no intention of leaving! I didn't think you'd be so violent… So angry…" She sobbed into his chest, shuddering. "Please, let go of me… I should have listened… I won't disobey you any longer, I promise! Just, please, let me go…"
As he released her, she slumped down against his knees. A few strands of golden hair still remained clutched in his hand. He stared down at her, eyes wide. No.
"I believe the demon is trying to turn Usagi against us." Quatre glanced across the room at the sleeping form of Usagi, frowning. Heero had collapsed at her side, exhausted and still very much inebriated. He certainly didn't look peaceful as he slept next to her. "Not just us. Everyone."
Trowa had told him about the night's events. It was ultimately disturbing, especially now that the Demon's intentions were now clear. Worse, there was nothing he could do about it.
"She doesn't understand what's going on," Trowa said quietly. He, too, was watching Usagi with a distraught expression. "Does she know?"
"That's hard to say. We'll have to confront her about it, and soon," he replied, sighing. "I'm afraid we'll have to uncover more about her past. That won't be easy."
The demon was powerful, Quatre knew. It grew stronger with every fight, and soon it would dominate Usagi's soul and the drain the remainder of her free will. If that indeed happened… they'd have no choice but to destroy her.
Quatre wrung his hands together nervously, the images of chaos in her past running through his mind over and over again. When he had first seen them, he had been disturbed. But now they terrified him.
"Wufei won't like this," he whispered. "It will remind him of… her."
"He isn't going to find out," replied Trowa, standing from his chair. He looked down at Quatre with a gaze of indifference. "He doesn't need to be reminded."
If Wufei knew; if he was reminded, what would happen? Quatre nodded with slight hesitance. "Y-yes, of course. But Heero won't want to keep this from-"
"Heero," Trowa said, cutting him off, "mustn't know either. We're going to be quiet about this, and try to keep the demon from unleashing itself in front of them."
Let me be part of you. I can take away those nasty thoughts… I can take away the pain.
Usagi sat up forcefully, sweat dripping from her brow. It had been another nightmare. She strained to remember it, but could not. Not once had she remembered a nightmare. It had always bothered her, but not as much as it did now.
She took her head in her hands, fingers digging into her hair. She felt brainwashed. Something had happened last night; something that she could not recall. No, it could not have been a nightmare. It felt too real to have been a figment of her imagination. Too important.
The bar. Usagi had escaped the watchful eyes of Duo to search out Trowa in bar. She had caught sight of him, and then… Well, that was as much as she could grasp, even as hard as she was concentrating. It felt as though a piece of memory had simply vanished. How frustrating!
Her fist hit the pillow next to her. Although, as she looked over in surprise, it wasn't a pillow she had dealt the blow unto. It was a face. Heero's face.
He snorted awake at once, eyes blinking in weary confusion. Slowly he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Ugh," he groaned.
Why do I always wake up with a man at my side?! Usagi's throat tightened. Instead of words, her voice came out in a squeak. "Heero?"
"What." He faced her solemnly, even as his brow shot up in surprise. He squinted. "What are you doing?" A pause as he considered her. "That's my robe you're wearing."
"Oh." Usagi felt a blush rise to her cheeks. She was thankful it was dark. "Well… Something happened. I needed extra clothing…"
Heero studied the room as if it was his first time in it. Stifling a yawn, he turned to her again. "What am I doing down here? Where are the others?"
She felt a sudden pain in her head as she tried again to think back to the night's events. Nothing came. "I was hoping you'd be able to tell me," she admitted. "I can't seem to remember…"
"We'll leave it until morning," Heero concluded, retiring back to the comfort of the futon. He pulled the blankets along with him. "Until then, get some rest."
An order. How typical of him. Usagi listened in silence as Heero's breathing gradually labored. In a matter of moments, he had fallen back asleep.
She would have to be more cautious of her fists of anger.
Usagi woke up at sunrise with no sight of Heero; the blankets at her side had been tossed hurriedly aside. Must have been in a hurry.
As she looked around the room, only two had remained asleep. Trowa sat with his back against the wall, his hair shadowing his face like an umbrella against the sunlight. Quatre slept in one of the chairs, sprawled untidily across the table with his arms pillowing his head. He snored lightly in his sleep, Usagi realized with a smile. How cute.
Duo and Heero must have been summoned by Wufei, she decided, and these two had been left to supervise her behavior. It was the first time she had ever woken up before one of the others.
Although she felt somewhat refreshed, her memory wasn't returning. And to her surprise, she was almost desperate to remember.
She glanced over at Trowa, her brow furrowing. Would he be willing to help? Usagi didn't think he would, but she knew he had been in the bar. Was he even a morning person?
Her gaze then settled on Quatre. Would he possibly be able to use some kind of psychic ability in order to restore her memory? On the other hand, she wasn't sure if he knew about her whereabouts that night. She was, in fact, supposed to stay away from the bar. Would he freak out?
She chewed her lip in thought. It was times like these she wished she had just listened to the instructions given to her. Maybe then she wouldn't have such a problem.
SHOULD USAGI:
Wake up Trowa,
OR
Wake up Quatre
Authors Notes: I'm sorry that this chapter was a bit of a disappointment, but I don't have as much time on my hands as I used to… I know that I've been taking way too long to update! Next chapter I'll try my best to get out much sooner. I hope nobody's to upset! This chapter is really short, sorry again.
Feedback Corner: Chapter 14
Mimi: I'm really happy you're enjoying this as much as I am… And I hope everyone isn't too upset over my late updates! I'm glad you finished it, too.
SaiyanCosmos: With a cherry on top? I can't say no to that!
Yami-chan: You're a Trowa fan? I think he's very interesting to write about, since he's not really portrayed as a main character usually. I'll do my best!
Dragon-wing3: It rocks the world, does it? Yay, I'm so glad XD
Lethargic Gackt Camui: I'm really glad you like my story so much… I really enjoy writing it, after all. Oh, and I love Usagi-centered fics, too. She's so interesting!
Lady Lydia: I think your vote came across very nicely, hehe.
SilverBladeSilencer: Thank your for your ideas and ponderings… Well, you see, I'm going to be getting more into Heero's low-tolerance of alcohol soon. I love little surprises in characters- and his happens to be low alcohol tolerance! I think that's cute for Heero… I think… Hehe.
Sparkle: Thank you for your review, I'm glad you like my fic so much!
Ginzou Tsuki: Is Trowa falling for Usagi? Well… We'll have to see, actually X3
Lena Yuy1: Thanks for your supportive review. I'm glad you took the time to review!
Spacecase: The other girls will have their re-entry later on, I think. I don't really know what to write about them at the moment. They're just confused…
Chibi-Lilith: Oh, what's the name of the book? That's neat, I'm glad you like it.
OtAkU: Nope, I don't think that demon goes down easily without a fight… unless it's arrogance.
Viette Adele: Too much sugar can be a good thing, after all. I'm glad you like the characters… And although the fight scene wasn't a big deal, I'll be having a lot more soon!
Diamond-chan Check!: I'll be filling in for ChibiBear, just for a little, because I REALLY wanted to do this check for some reason. It looked so fun, can you blame me? Anyways, even if it is short Deedlit-chan, it was a-w-e-s-o-m-e. As usual, of course! Usagi and Quatre are my favorite so far, but I'm totally getting a soft spot for Trowa at the moment. He cares! You're really great with your wording, too. I love it. Please, keep it up, and get stuff out faster so we can worship some more! Oh I almost forgot, I vote to wake up Quatre. I just wanna his cute reaction again ^^
