AN: Well, I thank you all for the reviews that I got. Which, by the way, wasn't much. But that's okay, as long as people DO review. Of course, if people DON'T review, it will take me much much longer to get chapters out. In fact, it will make me consider giving up the fic altogether. I've done that several times. Discontinued a few and took them off ff.net. Just wanted to let you all non-reviewers know that, if you're reading and not reviewing, that's not very helpful towards my overall writing mood. Just take that extra minute to type a review, heck, I don't CARE if it's one word, just do it.
Twist of Fate
by
Iris
Usagi groaned from her position on her bedroom floor, surrounded by things she needed to pack, when loud knocking rang through her apartment once more. Shooting daggers at the innocent piece of wood, she stalked over and yanked it open, irritation rolling off her in waves.
"Look here, Kivardi or whatever your name is, I've told you over and over again, I'm. not. interested." Usagi snapped angrily, sapphire eyes flashing.
"Um, hi?"
Usagi blinked and her mind finally processed who was standing at the door. Her eyes widened and an embarrassed blush spread rapidly over her cheeks, "Duo?"
The sopping wet boy gave her a genuine smile as he spoke, "Yeah, nice to see you too."
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! It'sjustthatIthoughtyouweresomeotherguythat'sbeenpesteringmesinceIgotbackandI wasgettingreallyannoyedand...my god! You're soaked through, what the hell happened to you?!?" Usagi grabbed the unsuspecting pilot by the arm and dragged him into her apartment.
Duo could only watch in awe as Usagi rushed around the apartment in a blur. In moments, he had been shoved into her bathroom, handed a set of...his own clothes?
"Ano, Usa-chan, when did you get these?" Duo eyed one of his many priest outfits that had been shoved into his hands.
She blushed again, "Those were from the resort. I just kind of picked them up, I guess."
Duo stared at her and she flushed a deeper red.
Looking away from his violet gaze, she handed him a towel, "We'll talk about it later. Right now, you need to get a hot shower. I'll have hot chocolate when you're done and then you can tell me what the hell drove you to driving around in sleet, on a motorcycle no less!"
The bathroom door closed after her and Duo was left to his own devices. Placing his clothes by the sink, he moved over to the shower and turned it on. One glance at his ice-covered braid drove him to tugging out the small, black hair tie that held it in that shape. Minutes later, he stepped into the blessedly warm shower with a sigh.
Outside, Usagi moved busily around the kitchen, soon, she had two cups of hot chocolate set on the kitchen table and sat down to wait. Second after second after second passed before Duo finally stepped out of the steamed bathroom, toweling his hair with one hand.
Once again, she marveled at the length of those coppery strands, while her own hair fell down to her waist in a silvery wash of strands, Duo's hair fell well down to his knees in sparkling wave of bronze. Duo grinned when he found her staring at his hair; it was that sparkling look in her eyes that made him do what he did next.
"Here."
Usagi blinked when she found a hair tie in front of her face, "What?"
"You can braid my hair if you'd like." Duo placed the band gently on the table before seating himself at a seat.
Usagi's eyes lit up, "Are you sure?"
When Duo nodded, she immediately dragged her chair over behind his and picked up the hair tie. Unknown to Usagi, she was the only other person, besides Sister Helen and Duo himself, that had ever braided his hair. Duo relaxed into his chair, eyes fluttering close as Usagi's nimble fingers began to braid.
It was soothing, the pace she set as she carefully began to overlap strands of hair. It was hard to imagine that she was trained to be a cold-hearted killer when she was braiding his hair with such care. He adamantly refused to believe it and who could blame him? No one would want to believe that their beloved was a Gundam pilot.
Duo had no idea how long he sat there just sipping his hot chocolate and letting Usagi braid his hair. Eventually, however, she finished and he was forced back to reality by the scraping of wood over tile.
"So, why are you here?"
Duo sighed and looked down at the warm mug between his hands, "I got in a fight with Hiiro."
Usagi's eyes saddened as she watched him watch the table, gently, she prodded for more information, "What about?"
A shrug, "You wouldn't want to know."
Gracefully, she got up and hugged him from behind, arms draping across his body as she placed her chin on his shoulder, "I won't prod if you don't want to tell me, Duo."
"Arigato."
That word hung between them for a while before Duo realized that his cup was empty. Slowly, he got up and Usagi let go of him to stand awkwardly in front of him, unsure of what to do.
"Do you want to go to the living room?" she questioned softly, "You look like you could use some distractions."
Duo smiled gently, that was Usagi, always looking out for others, "Actually, the bedroom sounds nice."
The lightest tinge of red covering her cheeks, Usagi nodded and led him to said room. Duo fell onto the queen-sized bed, violet eyes watching her silently as she stood in the doorway, waiting for her next move. The door clicked as it closed and Usagi moved over towards him and the bed.
Neither of them knew who moved first but they eventually found both of themselves on the bed, Duo kissing her frantically. Usagi's eyes slid close as she went pliant beneath him, feeling the desperation behind that kiss. Her arms wrapped themselves around him, dragging him closer to herself until they were practically melded together.
Panting, Duo drew back from her, studying her. Violet eyes darkened with passion swept her body as he took in everything. She lay on the feathery white sheets, red lips slightly swollen, crystalline eyes bright in the near-darkness. Somewhere along the line, her hair had come undone and now it was spread around her in a half-circle of molten silver.
"I love you." the breathy whisper rang through the silence, breaking the stillness like a piece of glass.
Duo regarded her silently, "Are you sure?"
"Yes."
That word shattered all the self-control he had left and he attacked her passionately. One small hand found its way to his hair tie and tugged it loose, surrounding them both in a curtain of copper that blocked out the world beyond them.
~*~
"Do you love me?"
"I love you."
"How much?"
"More than life itself."
~*~
The knocking woke Duo first. Next to him, Usagi whimpered subconsciously, wrapping the blankets more firmly around herself in her sleep. As the obnoxious knocking continued, Duo sighed and slid out of the bed, carefully not to disturb Usagi anymore than she had already been disturbed.
Snatching his pants from the floor, he slid them on and strode irritability towards the door. Angrily, he flung the door open to confront whoever it was that had dared disturb Usagi and him.
He raised an eyebrow at the black-haired man standing before him. Duo's eyes narrowed as the man glared at him in return.
"Who the hell are you?" the man demanded rudely.
"Funny, I should be asking you that same question." Duo snarled.
The man huffed in a way that told Duo that he was unused to being talked to in that tone, "I am Chiba Kivardi. I suggest you get out of my way, civilian."
'Civilian?' Duo's startled look must have crossed his face because Kivardi smirked smugly.
"Well?"
"Well, this civilian has rights and if you try to force your way past me, this civilian will file charges of breaking and entering private property." Duo said coolly, shutting the door in Kivardi's shocked face.
However, once out of Kivardi's sight, Duo's calm mood changed. He rushed over to Usagi's vidphone and flicked it on, dialing in Quatre's number quickly. The phone rang for a few minutes before it was finally picked up.
"Maxwell?" Wufei glared at him from the screen, "Get the hell back here right now."
"Shush, Wu-man, this is important." Duo said seriously, Wufei quieted down, "I need a background check on Chiba Kivardi. Immediately."
"All right. I'll be back." Wufei disappeared from the screen and Quatre's worried face appeared.
"Duo? Where are you?" the Arabian asked anxiously, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine and I'm at Usagi's." Duo said tiredly.
Quatre took in Duo's appearance, "You did that with Usagi-san?!?"
Duo raised an eyebrow, "Yes, I did that. Tell Wufei to hurry up."
Just then, Wufei rushed back onscreen, "He's a third-level commander."
"Shit." Duo slumped forward, "They've found us."
Wufei cursed as well, "Dammit, I thought we'd have more time than this."
Quatre appeared next to Wufei, "We'll get your stuff packed, Duo. We'll be over in an hour."
"Yeah, whatever." Duo turned off the vidphone.
Slowly, he made his way back to Usagi.
"Hey, Usa-chan."
She mumbled something and cracked an eye open, "I'm tired."
Duo smiled tenderly, "I know, but you have to get up. The guys are coming over."
"Mm hmm...that's nice..." Usagi burrowed back under.
"Usa-chan, we need to talk before they get here." Duo sat down on the bed and gently shook her bare shoulder.
"All right, all right..." Usagi sat up, sleep-filled eyes blinking slowly as she pulled the blankets around her self-consciously.
Duo grinned at her shyness, amazing that she could still feel body shy considering what they had did just a few hours before.
"Well?"
"What I'm about to tell you is classified information, Usa. And if you love me, you won't tell anyone a word about this." Duo murmured softly.
Usagi's eyes widened but she nodded, "I love you."
Duo sighed and closed his eyes, "Usa-chan...I'm a Gundam pilot."
Usagi stiffened, sure she had known, but hearing it from him...that was completely different.
Duo took her silence the wrong way, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you that. If you hate me for screwing up your life then-"
He was tackled by Usagi as he tried to stand up, "What?"
Usagi stared at him, a tinge of sorrow in her eyes, "Don't you believe me when I say I love you?"
"I-" Duo stared at her bewildered, "But-"
Usagi curled up on top of him, her eyes staring into his, "I love you. And I'll keep loving you, no matter what happens."
'Even when you find out that you're a pilot? Will you love me then, Usa-chan?'
Silence surrounded them both for a while. She just lay on top of his chest, all modesty forgotten as she listened to the steady thump of his heart.
"Are you leaving me?"
Duo cringed at that child-like voice, 'Am I leaving her?'
"Are you?"
"I don't know. I really don't know."
Outside, the sleet changed into an icy warm rain that pounded the streets sorrowfully.
~*~
"Usagi-san, it's a pleasure to see you again." Quatre murmured politely as she opened the door.
Usagi smiled weakly at him, "Come on in."
The four remaining pilots file in. The quiet settled around them thickly as Usagi led them to the corner of the apartment designated as the 'living room'. There, Duo sat waiting for them in an overstuffed chair. Usagi silently moved over towards him and seated herself on the chair arm. The rest of the pilots sat on an ivy-patterned sofa.
"Ah, Usagi-san, if you would excuse us?"
Duo regarded the rest of the pilots while Usagi looked at him, "I told her who we really are. She stays."
Quatre glanced nervously at the other pilots. When they didn't move, he nodded.
"Alright. She can stay."
An awkward silence filled the room.
"I'd like to come with you all when you leave." Usagi said quietly, "If it's not too much of a problem."
Despite her wording, her eyes challenged them, daring them to say no. But she didn't know that they had already decided to bring her along because of...complications.
"No, it's no problem."
"You better get ready, onna." Wufei said seriously, "We're leaving tonight, with or without you."
Usagi got up, kissed Duo on the cheek, and disappeared back into the bedroom, closing the door softly behind her.
Duo smiled bitterly when she left, "She wouldn't have come before, right Hiiro?"
Hiiro showed no sign that he heard, instead, his Prussian eyes remained focused on some point beyond Duo.
"Duo...I think you should just drop it." Quatre murmured.
Another bitter smile, "Alright, Q-man. I'll drop it. For now."
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon.