Disclaimer: Do not own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon.
Warning: A bit depressing … ;
Chapter 2: Red Roses
The heavy curtains in the room were drawn tight and filtered out immense amounts of natural light. In fact, he hadn't seen sunlight for three days. Today would be the fourth.
He stared listlessly out of the corner of his eye at nothing. His mouth was too parched for words above a whisper but there was no adamant desire for water weighing on his mind. The first signs of food deprivation were showing in the slight hollow of his cheeks and unnatural paleness of his skin. This pallor sharply contrasted the intense, acrid blue of his eyes and the dull, melancholy violet of the circles around them. He hadn't slept in what he guessed to be thirty hours.
It wasn't that the bed didn't provide enough comfort – he was no longer sentient of what was comfortable and what wasn't – but that he feared sleep almost as much as he had feared the thought of her death. The bruises and deliberate scratches down his arms told vivid stories of his attempts to evade the spectral shadow that sought to close his eyes and submit him to slumber.
Consciousness meant that his mind remained blissfully blank, free of worries and worlds away from the material sentiments of his body. It was when he's sleeping that phantasms veiled in dreams came, giving him false hope and burning memories of Her. Faded and mottled memories from years ago. Of her smile, her laughter, her tears.
Her telling him she loved him. Her last glance back at him before returning to the tender embrace of Innocence, abandoning that love, and traveling to worlds desperately out of his reach.
Nightmares followed the images. Nightmares of swirls of color, of black and gray and red.
Nightmares that always ended in his waking up with the acerbic taste of thunder, of beauty, of Eden in his mouth, and the past flashing past his eyes.
…………………
"Duo," she acknowledged, her voice barely audible. Fear clouded the hesitant smile she shot him. "How have you been?"
He gaped at her. This was a mockery, a travesty of everything he had held as truth in the past few days. He imagined the figure in front of him sneering, a paper-thin imitation of the real thing. After all, even she wouldn't be able to turn back from the gates of Heaven where Eden still reigned supreme.
Usagi started and stared as Duo let out a nervous chuckle and started laughing. "Duo?"
He stopped abruptly. "This can't be happening. You're not real, are you? Are you here to say goodbye?"
"I can explain everything. I'm not dead, Duo; Artemis made up a story at my request." She paused and looked aside. "I should probably tell all of you this at the same time."
Please don't let this be a dream.
He reached his hand out slowly and timorously touched her cheek. Duo winced; there was no doubt in his mind that she was going to disappear. Usagi cocked her head and blinked quizzically at him.
"You're actually here…"
Too many dreams had already…
Usagi grinned. "You've always been a bit slow, Duo."
Burned to ashes.
His hands gripped her shoulders. "You're actually here!" he told her excitedly. Usagi didn't know whether to laugh or be exasperated.
"Yes, I need to tell everybody else too," she repeated patiently. "Where are they?"
Duo beamed at her; his face had already grown unaccustomed to smiling in the last few days. "Well Quatre's probably in his study working himself to death. Trowa might be lost in his own little world and will probably be in his bedroom. Wufei is almost definitely going to be in the gym and Hiiro…" Duo stopped short.
"And Hiiro?" she prompted.
"Well…" he glanced aside and refused to meet her eyes. "After hearing about your supposed death, he locked himself in the room and hasn't come out for meals or … anything."
She froze. "He hasn't eaten for the last…" she quickly tallied up the days of her vacation, "three days?" Usagi blanched and sprinted to and up the stairs, Duo closely behind her after a brief moment of surprise.
There was only one closed door that she could see and she stopped unexpectedly in front of it. Her reason had just caught up to her. What did she expect to do? Pound on the door until it breaks? Timidly, she reached up and rapped her knuckles against the polished wood.
"Hiiro?"
Duo had finally caught up to her and was panting slightly, eyeing the door both apprehensively and hopefully.
No reply reached their ears.
…………………
"Sir, this came for you in the mail this morning." The uniformed man stiffly stepped up to the desk and dropped an envelope onto it. "This," he held up a white rose, "also came with it." His tone didn't betray his bewilderment. Without another word, he dropped the rose onto the desk as well, stepped back, bowed rigidly and exited the room.
Artemis stared after him. It was far too early in the day and the coming and going of the man too abrupt – he fumbled for words to say and found none until the man was already gone.
Shaking his head, he glanced down at the suspiciously nondescript envelope and put it aside to study the flower more closely. His ice blue eyes narrowed into daggers of blue-gray steel.
The rose was perfectly white almost as if it had been put through the washing machine with bleach. The curves of its petals were seductively beautiful and the gentle, vulnerable texture of said petals achieved perfection. The stem and three leaves were a reassuring shade of forest green; the thorns were removed.
It had been established years ago that the symbol of Innocence would be a barely blooming white rose for it traditionally symbolized chastity, honor, and purity of intent; and there was no other message Artemis had wanted more to impress upon the world. That had been ages ago, even before the nickname "Innocence" had been created, even before the office he was sitting in had been built.
Over time, though the symbol itself never changed, the public decided to indulge in laziness and simply associate any type of white rose with Innocence. It was by far not uncommon knowledge that it was the symbol of Innocence and the rose itself revealed no extensive hints – it was as mundane as a rose can get.
Artemis glared at it before setting it down gently and reaching for the unopened envelope. There was the crisp sound of paper tearing followed by the whispering of the note being unfolded.
His breath caught at his throat. The acute sense of panic was unfamiliar. He leaned forward quickly and jabbed at his call button.
"Yes?" His secretary gazed at him worriedly, not missing the clenching of his jaw.
"Call 24AL7 to my office. Now."
………………….
The sound of feet pounding on the stairs reached his ears, ringing and harsh. He gritted his teeth.
Then a respite – a serenity – that fell over the entire house and in that serene moment, he heard the faintest, most distant sound of, "Hiiro?"
He frowned to himself and pushed himself up to a sitting position, resting his throbbing head on the cool wall briefly. His vision dimmed and then cleared as warm blood rushed to his head; he had learned during the years with Dr. J that that happened due to low blood sugar. Hiiro smiled sarcastically to himself. No kidding.
But never in any of his lessons with Dr. J had he learned that low blood sugar also led to imaginary voices.
…………………
"Hiiro? Open the door! This is the most," she paused to think of a strong enough word but came up with none, "…most annoying side of you!" Usagi groaned to herself – she sounded like a petulant third-grader who had been denied milk and cookies.
There was deafening silence as Usagi glared threateningly at the door. "Honestly! If you don't open up, I will personally go in there and drag you out!"
When no response came, she gave a frustrated cry and stomped her right food childishly. "Hairpin, Duo," she demanded, reaching a hand over her shoulder.
He blinked at her as she looked back at him and grinned. "Don't look so surprised. I know you wear them to keep that braid up."
His shoulders drooped in defeat as he pulled one out and sulkily handed it to her.
There was utter silence save for small clicks as Usagi bent down and worked the lock. Duo briefly wondered how long it would take one of Innocence's top agents to pick the lock of a high-quality mansion. He barely had time to finish that thought before Usagi gave a triumphant cry and straightened.
Duo stared at the door uneasily as she twisted the knob and fairly skipped in.
She froze. "Oh my God, Hiiro!"
…………………
"Artemis. You called."
He didn't need to look up to figure out who it was – the slight French accent gave clear indication that his orders had been carried out smoothly and 24AL7 was standing in his office, undoubtedly smiling faintly. Besides, very few people dared to call him simply by his first name – not that it was a written rule or anything, just something most people did out of a mixture of fear and respect – but the man standing in front of his desk had saved his life at least three times. After all that, the least Artemis could do was allow him to address him as something other than the stiff "sir".
Artemis cleared his throat and shuffled his papers together. "Yes." He settled down and leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on the table. "Certain … events have transpired and though I am terribly sorry, Tsukino Usagi's vacation will have to be cut short."
At Artemis's words and uneasy tone, the agent's eyes flashed across his desk, noting the white rose and torn envelop. "I see," he responded quietly, smile gone. "So there is a mission?"
"Of course. This letter came in this morning and, to be blunt, it's little short of a threat." Artemis paused and glowered at the envelope. "I have heard rumors here and there in the streets and spies and scouts have confirmed them. I should have expected this letter a long time ago."
The man opposite of him chose to remain silent, indicating that he should explain further.
"They are officially called the Rose Society though most people have fondly nicknamed them Eden." Artemis quirked an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes at the word "fondly". "I have reason to believe that the Preventers know very little about this new organization. In fact, it was only established about two months back and I still have no idea where the headquarters are." Artemis hesitated and glanced up, satisfied that he had the agent's complete attention.
"It is strange though. The leader of this organization has made a deliberate attempt to make himself known. Every drug dealer and gangster as well as some of the more sophisticated mafias in town know his name by heart." Artemis let his tense shoulders drop and studied his desktop calendar for a moment before finally turning his attention back to the man in front of him. "I want you, as Usagi's partner, to go to Quatre Winner's Toronto mansion and inform her of these events discreetly. Preferably…" Artemis paused and shot him a sharp look, "without the Gundam pilots' knowing."
"And the head of this organization? His name?"
Artemis frowned. The man opposite of him had been ordered years ago to get rid of that French accent – it was too distinguishable and, in the United States, stuck out like a sore thumb. The fact that most people thought it was exotic and euphonious did nothing to change Artemis's mind that it was subversive and an impediment to concealing one's identity. Of course, he had to admit to himself that the only reason the accent was still there, as annoying as ever, was because of his lack of enforcement. Though pointedly less so than Usagi, Artemis had to admit that he did indeed allow excesses in his top agents.
"His name," Artemis paused to scowl, "is Chiba Mamoru."
…………………
She stared at him, wide-eyed, mouth dry, and mind completely free of any thoughts as to what to say beyond those four incredulous words.
Hiiro gazed at her blankly. He was seeing things. A small wave of satisfaction washed over him – this probably meant death wasn't far.
"Hiiro … what have you … done to yourself?" she choked out, blue eyes unblinking. Usagi gulped and frowned. "You look horrible … this-this-"
"You're not real, are you?"
The question sounded so nonchalant that Usagi halted in her steps toward him. He was smiling faintly at her.
"It doesn't matter. I'm not devastated." The smile was gone but his voice continued in that low murmur, hardly above a whisper, and more expressive than what she remembered. "I've come to accept that you're no longer alive. And that you died without…" He paused and pursed his lips, eyes lowered, studying his hands before turning upward to meet hers again. "…without knowing that I still loved you more than I loved myself."
He didn't flinch or gasp as she reached over to hug him; gorgeous, supremely delicate tears clung to her eyelashes and slid down her cheeks.
"This is me … I'm real … I … I lied about my death. There was just so much going on in my life and…and…" She found herself unable to continue.
…………………
Duo had tactfully decided, when Usagi entered Hiiro's room, that then would be a good time to inform Quatre and the others and leave the two alone. He congratulated himself on the insight happily and quietly headed back downstairs.
Moments later, the pounding of quick footsteps on the stairs again fractured the quiet serenity.
"Miss Usagi! Y-" Quatre stopped short as his shocked words died in his throat and left only the accelerated beating of his pulse resounding in his ears. He bit his lip but smiled at the scene in front of him.
There, in front of four pairs of eyes, was Usagi, a small, calm smile on her face, nothing compared to her usual grin, but one that spoke of misery and triumph, of oppression and hope. In her half embrace rested Hiiro, asleep and for the first time in three days, smiling faintly.
"Y…you're actually here," Quatre whispered dumbfoundedly.
Wufei frowned at her, looking ready to lecture. "That was some clever trick you pulled. You almost had Yui killed."
She bowed her head slightly. "I never realized…"
"That he loved you so much?"
Usagi looked up and smiled at Trowa. "That anybody could love me that much."
"I'm sure Art-"
The sound of the doorbell shattered the golden moment. Quatre started. "I wonder who…" He frowned briefly before heading out of the room and down the stairs again.
Glancing at each other, Trowa and Wufei followed him.
Duo grinned at her. "You have no idea how much … how much all of us are glad that you're back. Even if Wufei is horrible at talking to women."
She shifted Hiiro until he was lying on the bed and got up. "I can imagine how his dates all went."
Duo wrinkled his nose. "Then you can probably also imagine that he had none."
…………………
"A young lady? Yes, a Serena Lucian came by th-"
"Rashid! Who is it?" Quatre peaked from behind the door and smiled uncertainly at the man in front of him.
The stranger smiled genially at him and introduced himself with a slight French accent. "I'm Andrew Levoir and I'm looking for Serena Lucian."
Quatre hesitantly shook the hand the blonde stranger stuck out. "Serena Lucian?"
"Yes, I thank you for sheltering her this past night. We had a fight yesterday and, well, you know how women are," Andrew paused to grin. Quatre made no indication that he knew how women were. Andrew cleared his throat. "She ran off. It was today that I recalled her mentioning that she had friends in town and – ah! Cheri." His face broke into a wide smile.
Quatre turned to her and cocked a questioning eyebrow. Usagi's eyes were unusually wide and her face unnaturally pallid.
"Andrew … what are you doing here? D-did…"
"Yes, yes, I found the address of the friends you were talking about and drove here to pick you up, dearest," he interrupted quickly and shot her a small, almost indistinguishable shake of his head. "I must say I am terribly sorry about the row yesterday and I admit that it was indeed my fault.
"Ah … Serena? Who is this man?" Quatre interjected, a small shadow of doubt creeping into his mind.
Usagi opened her mouth to speak but Andrew cut her off quickly. "Oh, did she not tell you?" He smiled puzzledly at Usagi. "I am her fiancé."
…………………
Haha … how amusing. ::cough:: I am amused by the futility of Usagi/Hiiro-ness. xD Feel free to hate me. :3 But what annoyed me was how ... especially in the middle, I started writing this chapter as if it were an essay … ; That and the ever pestering being verbs … ::stabs:: This chapter was longer than intended … ; And yet I still didn't cover everything I wanted to … so hopefully more clarification next chapter. :D Happy Turkey Day, minna-san. :DDD
***Thank you to Aria-sama for inspiration. :3
Moon Mage Goddess: Thank you! I was replying to reviews just when yours came in … xD As for coupling … ::mouth sealed:: xD
Dark Universe: Thank you! :D Still hoping this won't ruin the one before it … xD
Kolinshar Benito: Reread Gray Matter? O_o Don't bother … lol. I'll try to recap … if I can … :x
Heeros Bunny: o_o A woodchuck would chuck much wood if a woodchuck could chuck wood. x3 I don't think this was updating soon but … you forgive me, right? :3
Usagi Asia Maxwell: Lol … I'm deathly afraid to read over stuff I had written about … was it a year ago? Two years? O_O I'm … old … lol … fanfiction-wise. xD Thank you for all your great editing-ness! :D ::huggle::
Dragon-wing3: Duo or Hiiro … Duo or Hiiro … fufufu ~~ me laughing. 3 As for ending suspensefully … [which isn't a word…] I don't know … please don't hate me if it ends up weird … lol. ::cringes::
OtAkU: Hmm … let's just say Usagi got discovered so easily because her senses were … uhh … dulled by emotional instability? :3 And leave it at that. xD There would've been more Hiiro/Usagi development … but … Hiiro isn't really himself … as you can see. xD
Angellus Lee: Yesyes … I've actually used Usagi and Serena as two different people before … xD It never seems confusing to me until somebody else does it … :3 But Usagi and Serena are one person in this fic. :D And I'm glad you're still doing that jig … lol.
Desert Fox: What Quatre said … I kind of wanted it to seem strange-funny rather than funny-funny. xD Yes, I admit that they seem a bit immature at times in the show … in fact … I actually think everybody starts out as being immature in some manner … but they're only fourteen, of course. I was farfarfar from mature when I was fourteen. xD [makes me sound old…] And yes … lol … the moons theory is very disturbing … ;;
Serenity Silvermoon: Lol … I don't think he's eaten anything yet … ::scans over chapter:: Nope … still hasn't eaten. xD And Wufei/Usagi is cute too … reminds me of Hiiro/Usagi except more … fighting. x3
Hiyayaka: Lol … thank you! :3
Serenity Angel: I … urk … tend to swing back and forth between Hiiro and Duo … lol. Moments of interest in both couplings … :3 I've plotted this out … so I know who she's going to end up with … but there is always the possibility of my changing it … ; [but the only one I did that to was Picture This … ;]
Raye-chan: Lol … Duo was disbelieving … and if Hiiro had only starved for one day, I'm sure he would've yelled/lectured at her much like Wufei … xD [somehow almost all of my Hiiro/Usagi conversations end in conflict … ;]
Jupiter Angel: Thankyouthankyou! :DDD
Kawaii Usa: Lol … I'd much rather have you alive though … xD
Kylarachan: I'm addicted to cliffhangers … lol. :3 I do them almost unconsciously now … xDxD Good news, ne? :D
Brittany67: Here's the update. :DD
Gackt Camui: Lol … I'm trying to make it happier … tryingtrying … ; ::grr:: It WILL be happier. :P And … ::will not say anymore that will give away huge segments of the plot:: :3
S: Lol … my thoughts exactly. xD Though I don't think others appreciate it as much as you do. :3