Thanks for all the reviews! Wow! I've never gotten so many for just one
chapter before! I really hope you like where this is going, but some of you
might be sad to find out about Usagi. Sorry... it was the only way to make
the plot work.
I don't own GW or SM. I wish I did, but the hard, cold truth is that I never will. Just too poor.
Anyways... enjoy.
**
Chapter One
There was a soft breeze in the air as Minako got off the bus, stopping at the hospital. In her hands were a dozen pink roses, tied with a red ribbon. She breathed in the sweet fragrance of the roses as she stepped into the hospital.
Minako had always hated hospitals. They had always scared her as a child, with the off-white walls, the people in uniforms scurrying around, and the strong unsettling smell of disinfectant. They had always held a sense of dread to Minako, making her seem small and out of place. It was still like that every time she stepped in the doors, there was always the same know in her stomach as she stepped up to the reception desk. The smile the woman at eh counter gave her only lifted her uneasiness a little, but Minako still managed to force out a smile.
'It's alright,' she said mentally, just act. 'You're good at acting.'
"Hello Miss Minako." The pretty brunette behind the counter said, "Are you here too see Miss Usagi again?"
"Yes, ma'am." Minako answered politely.
"Ok. Just sign here. And remember to sign out when you leave."
"Of course, ma'am. "Minako answered mechanically. This conversation had become sort of a daily routine. Nothing ever changed, and there were rarely variations.
Looking up at the clock above the doorway, she etched in her arrival time next to her name. Then she gave a final smile to the receptionist as she made her way down to Usagi's room.
Nothing ever changes. Everyday at least one of the scouts went to visit her. Everyday when we arrive, Mamoru is already there, holding her hand and looking at her pale face, lost in his thought. And everyday she is the same... unmoving and unresponsive, trapped in a dream world of her own. It's always the same.
As usual, when Minako got there Mamoru was already at Usagi's side, sitting on a folding chair, holding her hand and staring intently at her face. As Minako entered the room, Mamoru looked at her smiling. And Minako forced herself to smile back... it was just acting. And acting had always been easy for her.
"Is she the same?" Asked Minako, already knowing the answer.
"Yes." Mamoru answered, sadness apparent in his voice.
It's always the same.
**
The buzzing of Heero's alarm clock woke him up at 5:30. He promptly got up and made breakfast. And precisely 5:35 he walked into Duo's room and threw a pillow at his sleeping roommate's face, which of course didn't work in waking the slumbering American. Growling with annoyance, Heero pulled out a gun and pointed it at Duo's head.
"Get up or I will kill you." He said, voice stoic. There was a soft click as he took his gun off safety.
Quick as a flash, Duo was awake and sitting up alert in bed. Looking down the barrel of Heero's gun, he gave a sleepy smile.
"Good morning to you too." He said happily.
"Hn." Was Heero's reply as he put away his gun and walked out of the room.
Stifling a yawn, Duo got dressed and went to the kitchen, grabbing some toast.
But 5:45 they were both at the subway waiting for their train. At precisely 6:00 both of them were at the office. If there was one good thing about being Heero's roommate, it meant that you were never late a single day of your life. Heaven forbid that the perfect soldier ever be late.
Rolling his eyes at the thought, Duo sat back into his desk and opened his e-mail. Opening the first one, he smiled. At long last he had a mission instead of being cooped up all day doing paperwork. Backing out of his desk, he made his way to Commander Une's office...
...to find himself face to face with the old Gundam Pilots.
This was going to be an interesting mission.
**
Minako forced out another sad smile at the familiar answer and pulled a folding chair out of the corner. She placed herself on the other side of the sleeping princess and took her free hand. There was a brief silence as both the senshi and the Earth prince were lost in thoughts.
Then... "Minako?" Mamoru's voice broke the silence that had pervaded the room so quickly.
"Yes, Mamoru?" Minako asked, light confusion on her features. He had never spoken before... what had made him finally break the quiet calm that had become so commonplace?
"I want to thank you."
Confused, Minako blinked a couple of times before answering. "For what?"
"For helping Usagi like this. For helping us all. I know it's been hard on you, and on the others too. You've all sacrificed so much."
"It's the same for us all, Mamoru. Seeing Usagi like this... it's tearing us all apart. And anyone would make the sacrifices we have for a friend like Usagi. She would have done the same for us."
"No one should have to make the sacrifices you girls have. You've already all given up your apartments and moved to Raye's temple. You work almost every second of your life to manage both Usagi's medical bill, your bills, and to keep up in school. And still, somehow you always find time to visit her."
Minako knew she had to turn this around somehow. This was just extra guilt piled onto an already broken heart... Mamoru didn't need this grief too.
"You've made the same sacrifices we have, Mamoru. You've given up your apartment as well, moving to Usagi's old house to take care of it. The stress of your job is pressing down hard on you too, and you're here even more than us. If it's hard on anyone, than it's hard on you."
Looking down, he muttered, "But it's different for me. I love her."
"And you think we don't?" Minako asked, rebuking him gently. "She has lightened our lives so much... how can we sit back and do nothing? Not only is it our duty as senshi, it's our duty as friends."
Nodding slowly, Mamoru met Minako's eyes and smiled. "Thank you."
**
Looking around the room at the other four pilots and Lady Une, Duo smiled. He had a feeling that this would be fun.
"Now that we're all here," Lady Une gave Duo a sharp glance, "I'll inform you of your mission. As the top team of Preventers, we are sending you on a difficult mission in hopes that you will succeed where others have failed."
Pausing, she motioned for them to turn around to face a massive television screen. Suddenly, black and white surveillance camera footage began playing. The band it was taken in was functioning normally for the first couple of shots, but by the third four figures appeared in the door dressed in... sailor fukus? A few eyebrows arched up from Quatre, Duo, and Wufei. Trowa remained expressionless like always and God forbid the perfect soldier *ever* be caught off guard. More screens flashed and the problem became apparent.
The five boys watched expressionlessly as the people in the bank all fell facedown on the floor. Even Heero was surprised as the one with the bow in her hair shouted something and summoned a... meteor shower?
Not only did that completely defy physics, (which is really not very uncommon in the world of anime), it made this mission suddenly seem a *lot* harder. Silence as the final flicks of the video were shown, and then...
"Nice legs." Duo commented.
"You called us here to catch *bank robbers*?" Wufei's indignant voice rang out. "Don't you have police officers for that kind of stuff?!"
"As you can see," Lady Une answered with a glare, "these girls are much more than ordinary bank robbers. They have a very organized group structure and mystical powers. There seems to be no DNA evidence to track these girls down with. They're untraceable, and whenever the Preventers get lucky and actually manage to be at the right bank at the right time, they are easily defeated."
"All that from four weak onnas?" Wufei asked, a disbelieving look on his face.
"Do you have any other information?" Quatre piped in before Lady Une could retort to Wufei's comment, "This really isn't a lot to work on."
Pulling a file out of the cabinet, Lady Une handed it to Trowa. "This is all we have. Only a short background on the group before they became bank robbers and some general statistics." Peering at the papers in his hand, Trowa looked confused at such an odd type of robbery. Passing it around, all of the others showed the same confusion at such abnormalities.
"They used to be... crime fighters?" Duo asked with an amused look, "I wonder what happened. Guess the pay wasn't good enough."
Flipping casually through the file as if her were reading a magazine, Duo continued to make flippant, random remarks. Finally fed up, Heero snatched the file out of the God of Death's grasp.
"Hey! I wasn't finished with that!" Duo whined, but shut up quickly as Heero gave him a look that has been known to give the elderly heart attacks. Wisely clamping his mouth, Duo shrugged as he folded his hands behind his head, making a note to get Heero back for that.
Quickly scanning through the contents, Heero looked at Lady Une. "Do you have a copy of this?"
"The file you are holding *is* a copy, designated for this mission. Its contents are to be secured at all times."
"Mission Accepted." Was Heero's short reply.
"I accept as well." Trowa spoke out.
"I accept this mission too." Quatre followed up.
"Aw, Hell. Why not?" Duo answered in his usual fashion.
The four pilots turned around to face Wufei. Mumbling something, he sighed. "Fine. I'm in too. Now let's just get this over with."
**
This is an unusually long chapter for me. It really didn't take much time to write, but that's probably because I liked this prompt. I hope you liked it. Reviews please! Tell me what you think... give me advice on couples... whatever. I think this is gonna have a happy ending. I haven't really decided yet.
Love,
Inverse-chan
I don't own GW or SM. I wish I did, but the hard, cold truth is that I never will. Just too poor.
Anyways... enjoy.
**
Chapter One
There was a soft breeze in the air as Minako got off the bus, stopping at the hospital. In her hands were a dozen pink roses, tied with a red ribbon. She breathed in the sweet fragrance of the roses as she stepped into the hospital.
Minako had always hated hospitals. They had always scared her as a child, with the off-white walls, the people in uniforms scurrying around, and the strong unsettling smell of disinfectant. They had always held a sense of dread to Minako, making her seem small and out of place. It was still like that every time she stepped in the doors, there was always the same know in her stomach as she stepped up to the reception desk. The smile the woman at eh counter gave her only lifted her uneasiness a little, but Minako still managed to force out a smile.
'It's alright,' she said mentally, just act. 'You're good at acting.'
"Hello Miss Minako." The pretty brunette behind the counter said, "Are you here too see Miss Usagi again?"
"Yes, ma'am." Minako answered politely.
"Ok. Just sign here. And remember to sign out when you leave."
"Of course, ma'am. "Minako answered mechanically. This conversation had become sort of a daily routine. Nothing ever changed, and there were rarely variations.
Looking up at the clock above the doorway, she etched in her arrival time next to her name. Then she gave a final smile to the receptionist as she made her way down to Usagi's room.
Nothing ever changes. Everyday at least one of the scouts went to visit her. Everyday when we arrive, Mamoru is already there, holding her hand and looking at her pale face, lost in his thought. And everyday she is the same... unmoving and unresponsive, trapped in a dream world of her own. It's always the same.
As usual, when Minako got there Mamoru was already at Usagi's side, sitting on a folding chair, holding her hand and staring intently at her face. As Minako entered the room, Mamoru looked at her smiling. And Minako forced herself to smile back... it was just acting. And acting had always been easy for her.
"Is she the same?" Asked Minako, already knowing the answer.
"Yes." Mamoru answered, sadness apparent in his voice.
It's always the same.
**
The buzzing of Heero's alarm clock woke him up at 5:30. He promptly got up and made breakfast. And precisely 5:35 he walked into Duo's room and threw a pillow at his sleeping roommate's face, which of course didn't work in waking the slumbering American. Growling with annoyance, Heero pulled out a gun and pointed it at Duo's head.
"Get up or I will kill you." He said, voice stoic. There was a soft click as he took his gun off safety.
Quick as a flash, Duo was awake and sitting up alert in bed. Looking down the barrel of Heero's gun, he gave a sleepy smile.
"Good morning to you too." He said happily.
"Hn." Was Heero's reply as he put away his gun and walked out of the room.
Stifling a yawn, Duo got dressed and went to the kitchen, grabbing some toast.
But 5:45 they were both at the subway waiting for their train. At precisely 6:00 both of them were at the office. If there was one good thing about being Heero's roommate, it meant that you were never late a single day of your life. Heaven forbid that the perfect soldier ever be late.
Rolling his eyes at the thought, Duo sat back into his desk and opened his e-mail. Opening the first one, he smiled. At long last he had a mission instead of being cooped up all day doing paperwork. Backing out of his desk, he made his way to Commander Une's office...
...to find himself face to face with the old Gundam Pilots.
This was going to be an interesting mission.
**
Minako forced out another sad smile at the familiar answer and pulled a folding chair out of the corner. She placed herself on the other side of the sleeping princess and took her free hand. There was a brief silence as both the senshi and the Earth prince were lost in thoughts.
Then... "Minako?" Mamoru's voice broke the silence that had pervaded the room so quickly.
"Yes, Mamoru?" Minako asked, light confusion on her features. He had never spoken before... what had made him finally break the quiet calm that had become so commonplace?
"I want to thank you."
Confused, Minako blinked a couple of times before answering. "For what?"
"For helping Usagi like this. For helping us all. I know it's been hard on you, and on the others too. You've all sacrificed so much."
"It's the same for us all, Mamoru. Seeing Usagi like this... it's tearing us all apart. And anyone would make the sacrifices we have for a friend like Usagi. She would have done the same for us."
"No one should have to make the sacrifices you girls have. You've already all given up your apartments and moved to Raye's temple. You work almost every second of your life to manage both Usagi's medical bill, your bills, and to keep up in school. And still, somehow you always find time to visit her."
Minako knew she had to turn this around somehow. This was just extra guilt piled onto an already broken heart... Mamoru didn't need this grief too.
"You've made the same sacrifices we have, Mamoru. You've given up your apartment as well, moving to Usagi's old house to take care of it. The stress of your job is pressing down hard on you too, and you're here even more than us. If it's hard on anyone, than it's hard on you."
Looking down, he muttered, "But it's different for me. I love her."
"And you think we don't?" Minako asked, rebuking him gently. "She has lightened our lives so much... how can we sit back and do nothing? Not only is it our duty as senshi, it's our duty as friends."
Nodding slowly, Mamoru met Minako's eyes and smiled. "Thank you."
**
Looking around the room at the other four pilots and Lady Une, Duo smiled. He had a feeling that this would be fun.
"Now that we're all here," Lady Une gave Duo a sharp glance, "I'll inform you of your mission. As the top team of Preventers, we are sending you on a difficult mission in hopes that you will succeed where others have failed."
Pausing, she motioned for them to turn around to face a massive television screen. Suddenly, black and white surveillance camera footage began playing. The band it was taken in was functioning normally for the first couple of shots, but by the third four figures appeared in the door dressed in... sailor fukus? A few eyebrows arched up from Quatre, Duo, and Wufei. Trowa remained expressionless like always and God forbid the perfect soldier *ever* be caught off guard. More screens flashed and the problem became apparent.
The five boys watched expressionlessly as the people in the bank all fell facedown on the floor. Even Heero was surprised as the one with the bow in her hair shouted something and summoned a... meteor shower?
Not only did that completely defy physics, (which is really not very uncommon in the world of anime), it made this mission suddenly seem a *lot* harder. Silence as the final flicks of the video were shown, and then...
"Nice legs." Duo commented.
"You called us here to catch *bank robbers*?" Wufei's indignant voice rang out. "Don't you have police officers for that kind of stuff?!"
"As you can see," Lady Une answered with a glare, "these girls are much more than ordinary bank robbers. They have a very organized group structure and mystical powers. There seems to be no DNA evidence to track these girls down with. They're untraceable, and whenever the Preventers get lucky and actually manage to be at the right bank at the right time, they are easily defeated."
"All that from four weak onnas?" Wufei asked, a disbelieving look on his face.
"Do you have any other information?" Quatre piped in before Lady Une could retort to Wufei's comment, "This really isn't a lot to work on."
Pulling a file out of the cabinet, Lady Une handed it to Trowa. "This is all we have. Only a short background on the group before they became bank robbers and some general statistics." Peering at the papers in his hand, Trowa looked confused at such an odd type of robbery. Passing it around, all of the others showed the same confusion at such abnormalities.
"They used to be... crime fighters?" Duo asked with an amused look, "I wonder what happened. Guess the pay wasn't good enough."
Flipping casually through the file as if her were reading a magazine, Duo continued to make flippant, random remarks. Finally fed up, Heero snatched the file out of the God of Death's grasp.
"Hey! I wasn't finished with that!" Duo whined, but shut up quickly as Heero gave him a look that has been known to give the elderly heart attacks. Wisely clamping his mouth, Duo shrugged as he folded his hands behind his head, making a note to get Heero back for that.
Quickly scanning through the contents, Heero looked at Lady Une. "Do you have a copy of this?"
"The file you are holding *is* a copy, designated for this mission. Its contents are to be secured at all times."
"Mission Accepted." Was Heero's short reply.
"I accept as well." Trowa spoke out.
"I accept this mission too." Quatre followed up.
"Aw, Hell. Why not?" Duo answered in his usual fashion.
The four pilots turned around to face Wufei. Mumbling something, he sighed. "Fine. I'm in too. Now let's just get this over with."
**
This is an unusually long chapter for me. It really didn't take much time to write, but that's probably because I liked this prompt. I hope you liked it. Reviews please! Tell me what you think... give me advice on couples... whatever. I think this is gonna have a happy ending. I haven't really decided yet.
Love,
Inverse-chan