AUTHOR'S NOTES:
I am so sorry! I meant to write something like a good girl but at first I was stuck and then I went back to Washington for a while to visit with some old friends. Anyhow, this chapter is rather long and I hope you like it! Please forgive me...! Thank you for the reviews, it means a lot to me! Athenae.
………………………………………………………………………..
POISON SPILL
CH II, Tricks are Kids
"We got our own battles to fight on our soil.
No more psychological warfare to trick us to think that we ain't loyal." – Eminem
Usagi watched her blonde comrade crumble before her with pain on her lovely features ...but that was only a few seconds before she knew exactly how Minako had felt. Oh, good LORD, did it hurt! But Usagi wasn't out, she was well aware of everything around her, albeit her closed eyes and slackened heart beat; she watched from outside her body, watched Minako literally being dragged to another room while the lifeless form of her own body was mishandled to a room so far away that Usagi couldn't remember which turns to take to get out.
Suddenly, though, her body pulled back and Usagi found herself staring up at a dark ceiling...or what SHOULD have been a ceiling, it was too dark to tell. She felt tears slowly slide down her cheeks and wondered if one was racing the other...
She missed Minako...and she wanted out of the prison that was her life.
……………………………
The sensation of falling clouded Minako but when she felt the misery Usagi was enduring, Minako's eyes opened in wild rage and she forgot what she had felt, even if it continued to nag at the back of her head.
However, she couldn't miss the odd surroundings she found herself in.
Pain shot through her body as she sat up, hurried to find out where the hell she was. She was panicked, hurt, and she wanted to leave. NOW. She was missing something, though, she was missing someone. Without a moment's hesitation, her golden eyes widened in realization and she gasped out, "Usagi!"
She brushed off the pain in her right shoulder and left knee and stood. Her feet hit cold, white flooring and the clean, crisp air caressed her body. Quickly, she grabbed her white bed sheet and wrapped it around her naked body, and headed for the door.
However, it flew open before she could reach the handle...and there stood a tall man. His hair matched her room and his cold eyes reminded her of ice. His voice was silky, though, and ran shivers down her bare back, "Where do you think you're going? You are being held captive, Aino Minako, until I say otherwise."
"Who the HELL do you think you are?" Minako spat out, keeping any anger that should've been in those glorified words stored away in her subconscious. Her vehemence would have to be forgotten because she had a mission...she had to find Usagi and make sure she was alright.
Unexpectedly, she found herself looking down his body from the red coat with black cuffs to the tight, white spandex like pants he wore underneath black boots that reached his knees. God...he had a body...
His voice drove her eyes back to his chiseled face that reminded her of a long ago enemy. "Lieutenant Zechs Merquise, the man who expertly knocked you out," he said as he flipped silver-white stands of hair off his shoulder so Minako could see various badges and other assorted goodies that came with being in whatever he was in. "I don't care less right now-"
"You are Aino Minako."
She paused and stared at him, ice filling her eyes. How'd he know? What else did he know about her?
As if answering her question, he continued to share his knowledge. "A nineteen year old woman with blonde hair and intriguing golden eyes who holds no fear; you're said to be vicious and uncaring, coldhearted, emotionless," he paused and placed a white gloved hand on the top of her head, "but on the other hand... rather annoying, irritating, surprisingly clumsy and ditzy. I know quite a bit about you, Minako."
"Not enough to do serious damage," she countered, easily ducking from his hand to secure the thin sheet keeping this Lieutenant from a very full view of her body.
"You killed one of my officers and that, alone, is enough to put you in jail for the rest of your life. I'm sure, Minako, you would rather that not happen. What would Usagi do without you?"
Minako forgot her promise to herself, about her emotions. "How the hell did I know he was an officer, Lieutenant? He didn't say a word, not even a warning! To me, it looked like he was trying to RAPE her. What were you expecting me to do, just sit there and watch him violate her like that?"
"No, of course not, but you could have thought for a second and it would've saved your ass from being hauled off to jail," he said calmly and coolly in a way that irked her incredibly.
She disregarded him and tried to forget what he was saying. It wasn't her fault. She didn't kill him on purpose. She hadn't meant to...well...yes, she had meant to kill him and that's why she had aimed for his forehead, not his shoulder or hand. But what was he going to do to Usagi? It's not like she could read minds or anything.
"Could you please get out of my way?" It was not polite and he did not move.
"Change into something; I'll be back in five minutes for you." His hand reached out for the door but she intercepted him...she held onto his hand.
"And Usagi?"
"Is fine."
She let go and shut the door for him.
……………………………
Usagi had stared up at the "nonexistent" ceiling for a while, thinking about escaping to find Minako. She could feel Minako, could feel the troubles her friend was going through but...she felt other things, too. Minako wasn't in any real trouble, just minor things. Usagi knew Minako was trying to get to her...
But Usagi was still scared and lonely...she still missed having Minako's strength next to her, guiding her.
Usagi's reveries were disrupted by a soft knock at a door Usagi never knew was there. She sat up and softly told whoever it was to come in. Light filled the room and Usagi was able to see WHY she could never see the ceiling: it had been painted black.
"Get dressed and come with me." Usagi looked over to the blue, short haired woman standing in the doorway. "Clothes are located on the foot of your bed."
Usagi didn't move but continued to stare at the woman. She reminded her of Ami, calm, confident, ...happy...
"Move it." A hard, commanding tone that Usagi did NOT like.
"Maybe I don't want to, ever think of that, huh?" Usagi huffed and reached for the dark blue lump at the foot of her bed. She unfolded the so-called folds and held the thing out in front of her and drew the conclusion that it was a mechanics uniform or a blue jail uniform. Usagi didn't like either of those and scrunched up her nose in distaste.
The girl at the door leaned on the sill. "Wear it or wear nothing."
Usagi sighed and slipped out of the warmed bed to slip on the stingy uniform. She zipped it up from her pelvic region to her neck, hoping nothing would jiggle and to keep anything from falling out. Minako, however, Usagi knew, would barely bother to zip it up...
"Am I going to see Minako soon?" Usagi asked the lady who reminded her of Ami while walking towards the door. She wanted to know, at least, if she was going to see Minako without having to do it herself or rely on Minako to find her...
Instead of a nice, pleasant answer, the lady replied, gruffly, with, "follow me."
Usagi pursed her lips. Why should she even listen to this lady? This was a bunch of crap.
……………………………
Lieutenant Merquise had knocked on the door and Minako had followed him in an untrusting, hesitant way. He COULD be leading her to her death...or to Usagi's death... since when had Minako EVER trusted someone?
Try...never.
But, instead of going with her gut for the time being, Minako followed him like a dog following a man with food. She felt stupid following him down the long, dark hallways that mazed and zigzagged in too many directions; she was getting dizzy just walking.
Nonetheless, she followed...slightly willingly... him into a larger room. Minako couldn't wait for anything. She was impatient (although, she hadn't known that up until this very point). All of her frustrations in not knowing where she was or where Usagi went kind of... exploded from her chest. Despite every yelling muscle in her body, Minako did something she really shouldn't have done.
Her hand reached out, easily grabbing the gun attached the Merquise's hip. When he turned on his heel, the gun was already cocked and aimed for the spot in between his nail blue eyes.
He laughed as hundreds of men darted around her to secure a tight knitted spot, a circle ten feet around her each way...Merquise and her in the middle. She didn't feel uncomfortable but very much defeated.
His laughter finally died down enough to allow him words. "Put the gun down, Aino Minako; you're too smart to fight the odds like this and you're too smart to let Usagi down."
In her defiance, though, she pointed the gun to her own head. They wanted her for something. They wanted her to do something. He had called her smart. They weren't attacking her. What did they have in mind?
To use her? To steal what little she had? Her power, her dignity, her princess? Hell no. Never. Not today and not ever. Never again. NEVER.
Suddenly, she felt pain in her right knee and she dropped down. God she hated guns. The bastard had shot her. He had shot her down! Merquise had won.
"Fine," she said, gritting her teeth to perhaps subside the pain encompassing her entire body. "I'll do it but..."
A small smile crept onto his face. "Demands, already?"
"You want me for something and so I want something from you. You will protect Usagi with your life. Do you agree to these terms? Will you protect Usagi like I have been for nearly three decades?"
He nodded, the smile gone and eyes hard.
"Painkillers would be nice, too...a computer, some music."
"We'll start tomorrow, Aino."
"Tomorrow it is."
……………………………
Usagi held back her tears. Minako was too great a friend...she didn't deserve someone like Minako but she was thankful that Minako had been protecting her since...longer than Usagi could remember.
During the Silver Millennium, before Crystal Tokyo, during Crystal Tokyo, after Crystal Tokyo...and now... even after the others had gone to "do their own things", Minako was still there by her side. Still caring, still loving, still protecting, still the same person.
The others had found boyfriends and eventually husbands and kids...a family... Usagi yearned for that, yearned for what she had such a long time ago. She missed Mamoru and Chibi-usa. She missed Crystal Tokyo. She missed the Silver Millennium...but there wasn't anything she could do about it now but wait until the next time of peace. Perhaps then, Usagi thought, everyone will be back together and we can live like we used to.
But Usagi highly doubted it. Everyone's lives had changed so much in the past ...million, give or take a few thousand, years. She knew the other girls couldn't just break away from their families and their homes and what they loved doing.
It had been, ultimately though, Minako who had kept the promise of duty. It had been Minako who had remained entirely selfless since they day she started serving Usagi. It had been Minako who denounced what she stood for and it had been Minako who comforted Usagi when Mamoru and Chibiusa died during the fall of Crystal Tokyo.
And it was Minako by her side right now.
Or at least, technically, because Minako had just...once again... put herself in danger just for Usagi. Not because it was the right thing to do but because Minako loved Usagi. Now THAT was a true friend and Usagi savored it.
But she couldn't help feeling lost and alone following the Ami-lookalike down the many passage ways that, Usagi knew, weren't leading to Minako.
She could hear Minako crying out to Usagi, telling her to stay strong...
Usagi doubted she could... and her doubt only heightened the farther she was from Minako.
.………………………………………………………………………..
Please Review! Thanks!
I am so sorry! I meant to write something like a good girl but at first I was stuck and then I went back to Washington for a while to visit with some old friends. Anyhow, this chapter is rather long and I hope you like it! Please forgive me...! Thank you for the reviews, it means a lot to me! Athenae.
POISON SPILL
CH II, Tricks are Kids
"We got our own battles to fight on our soil.
No more psychological warfare to trick us to think that we ain't loyal." – Eminem
Usagi watched her blonde comrade crumble before her with pain on her lovely features ...but that was only a few seconds before she knew exactly how Minako had felt. Oh, good LORD, did it hurt! But Usagi wasn't out, she was well aware of everything around her, albeit her closed eyes and slackened heart beat; she watched from outside her body, watched Minako literally being dragged to another room while the lifeless form of her own body was mishandled to a room so far away that Usagi couldn't remember which turns to take to get out.
Suddenly, though, her body pulled back and Usagi found herself staring up at a dark ceiling...or what SHOULD have been a ceiling, it was too dark to tell. She felt tears slowly slide down her cheeks and wondered if one was racing the other...
She missed Minako...and she wanted out of the prison that was her life.
……………………………
The sensation of falling clouded Minako but when she felt the misery Usagi was enduring, Minako's eyes opened in wild rage and she forgot what she had felt, even if it continued to nag at the back of her head.
However, she couldn't miss the odd surroundings she found herself in.
Pain shot through her body as she sat up, hurried to find out where the hell she was. She was panicked, hurt, and she wanted to leave. NOW. She was missing something, though, she was missing someone. Without a moment's hesitation, her golden eyes widened in realization and she gasped out, "Usagi!"
She brushed off the pain in her right shoulder and left knee and stood. Her feet hit cold, white flooring and the clean, crisp air caressed her body. Quickly, she grabbed her white bed sheet and wrapped it around her naked body, and headed for the door.
However, it flew open before she could reach the handle...and there stood a tall man. His hair matched her room and his cold eyes reminded her of ice. His voice was silky, though, and ran shivers down her bare back, "Where do you think you're going? You are being held captive, Aino Minako, until I say otherwise."
"Who the HELL do you think you are?" Minako spat out, keeping any anger that should've been in those glorified words stored away in her subconscious. Her vehemence would have to be forgotten because she had a mission...she had to find Usagi and make sure she was alright.
Unexpectedly, she found herself looking down his body from the red coat with black cuffs to the tight, white spandex like pants he wore underneath black boots that reached his knees. God...he had a body...
His voice drove her eyes back to his chiseled face that reminded her of a long ago enemy. "Lieutenant Zechs Merquise, the man who expertly knocked you out," he said as he flipped silver-white stands of hair off his shoulder so Minako could see various badges and other assorted goodies that came with being in whatever he was in. "I don't care less right now-"
"You are Aino Minako."
She paused and stared at him, ice filling her eyes. How'd he know? What else did he know about her?
As if answering her question, he continued to share his knowledge. "A nineteen year old woman with blonde hair and intriguing golden eyes who holds no fear; you're said to be vicious and uncaring, coldhearted, emotionless," he paused and placed a white gloved hand on the top of her head, "but on the other hand... rather annoying, irritating, surprisingly clumsy and ditzy. I know quite a bit about you, Minako."
"Not enough to do serious damage," she countered, easily ducking from his hand to secure the thin sheet keeping this Lieutenant from a very full view of her body.
"You killed one of my officers and that, alone, is enough to put you in jail for the rest of your life. I'm sure, Minako, you would rather that not happen. What would Usagi do without you?"
Minako forgot her promise to herself, about her emotions. "How the hell did I know he was an officer, Lieutenant? He didn't say a word, not even a warning! To me, it looked like he was trying to RAPE her. What were you expecting me to do, just sit there and watch him violate her like that?"
"No, of course not, but you could have thought for a second and it would've saved your ass from being hauled off to jail," he said calmly and coolly in a way that irked her incredibly.
She disregarded him and tried to forget what he was saying. It wasn't her fault. She didn't kill him on purpose. She hadn't meant to...well...yes, she had meant to kill him and that's why she had aimed for his forehead, not his shoulder or hand. But what was he going to do to Usagi? It's not like she could read minds or anything.
"Could you please get out of my way?" It was not polite and he did not move.
"Change into something; I'll be back in five minutes for you." His hand reached out for the door but she intercepted him...she held onto his hand.
"And Usagi?"
"Is fine."
She let go and shut the door for him.
……………………………
Usagi had stared up at the "nonexistent" ceiling for a while, thinking about escaping to find Minako. She could feel Minako, could feel the troubles her friend was going through but...she felt other things, too. Minako wasn't in any real trouble, just minor things. Usagi knew Minako was trying to get to her...
But Usagi was still scared and lonely...she still missed having Minako's strength next to her, guiding her.
Usagi's reveries were disrupted by a soft knock at a door Usagi never knew was there. She sat up and softly told whoever it was to come in. Light filled the room and Usagi was able to see WHY she could never see the ceiling: it had been painted black.
"Get dressed and come with me." Usagi looked over to the blue, short haired woman standing in the doorway. "Clothes are located on the foot of your bed."
Usagi didn't move but continued to stare at the woman. She reminded her of Ami, calm, confident, ...happy...
"Move it." A hard, commanding tone that Usagi did NOT like.
"Maybe I don't want to, ever think of that, huh?" Usagi huffed and reached for the dark blue lump at the foot of her bed. She unfolded the so-called folds and held the thing out in front of her and drew the conclusion that it was a mechanics uniform or a blue jail uniform. Usagi didn't like either of those and scrunched up her nose in distaste.
The girl at the door leaned on the sill. "Wear it or wear nothing."
Usagi sighed and slipped out of the warmed bed to slip on the stingy uniform. She zipped it up from her pelvic region to her neck, hoping nothing would jiggle and to keep anything from falling out. Minako, however, Usagi knew, would barely bother to zip it up...
"Am I going to see Minako soon?" Usagi asked the lady who reminded her of Ami while walking towards the door. She wanted to know, at least, if she was going to see Minako without having to do it herself or rely on Minako to find her...
Instead of a nice, pleasant answer, the lady replied, gruffly, with, "follow me."
Usagi pursed her lips. Why should she even listen to this lady? This was a bunch of crap.
……………………………
Lieutenant Merquise had knocked on the door and Minako had followed him in an untrusting, hesitant way. He COULD be leading her to her death...or to Usagi's death... since when had Minako EVER trusted someone?
Try...never.
But, instead of going with her gut for the time being, Minako followed him like a dog following a man with food. She felt stupid following him down the long, dark hallways that mazed and zigzagged in too many directions; she was getting dizzy just walking.
Nonetheless, she followed...slightly willingly... him into a larger room. Minako couldn't wait for anything. She was impatient (although, she hadn't known that up until this very point). All of her frustrations in not knowing where she was or where Usagi went kind of... exploded from her chest. Despite every yelling muscle in her body, Minako did something she really shouldn't have done.
Her hand reached out, easily grabbing the gun attached the Merquise's hip. When he turned on his heel, the gun was already cocked and aimed for the spot in between his nail blue eyes.
He laughed as hundreds of men darted around her to secure a tight knitted spot, a circle ten feet around her each way...Merquise and her in the middle. She didn't feel uncomfortable but very much defeated.
His laughter finally died down enough to allow him words. "Put the gun down, Aino Minako; you're too smart to fight the odds like this and you're too smart to let Usagi down."
In her defiance, though, she pointed the gun to her own head. They wanted her for something. They wanted her to do something. He had called her smart. They weren't attacking her. What did they have in mind?
To use her? To steal what little she had? Her power, her dignity, her princess? Hell no. Never. Not today and not ever. Never again. NEVER.
Suddenly, she felt pain in her right knee and she dropped down. God she hated guns. The bastard had shot her. He had shot her down! Merquise had won.
"Fine," she said, gritting her teeth to perhaps subside the pain encompassing her entire body. "I'll do it but..."
A small smile crept onto his face. "Demands, already?"
"You want me for something and so I want something from you. You will protect Usagi with your life. Do you agree to these terms? Will you protect Usagi like I have been for nearly three decades?"
He nodded, the smile gone and eyes hard.
"Painkillers would be nice, too...a computer, some music."
"We'll start tomorrow, Aino."
"Tomorrow it is."
……………………………
Usagi held back her tears. Minako was too great a friend...she didn't deserve someone like Minako but she was thankful that Minako had been protecting her since...longer than Usagi could remember.
During the Silver Millennium, before Crystal Tokyo, during Crystal Tokyo, after Crystal Tokyo...and now... even after the others had gone to "do their own things", Minako was still there by her side. Still caring, still loving, still protecting, still the same person.
The others had found boyfriends and eventually husbands and kids...a family... Usagi yearned for that, yearned for what she had such a long time ago. She missed Mamoru and Chibi-usa. She missed Crystal Tokyo. She missed the Silver Millennium...but there wasn't anything she could do about it now but wait until the next time of peace. Perhaps then, Usagi thought, everyone will be back together and we can live like we used to.
But Usagi highly doubted it. Everyone's lives had changed so much in the past ...million, give or take a few thousand, years. She knew the other girls couldn't just break away from their families and their homes and what they loved doing.
It had been, ultimately though, Minako who had kept the promise of duty. It had been Minako who had remained entirely selfless since they day she started serving Usagi. It had been Minako who denounced what she stood for and it had been Minako who comforted Usagi when Mamoru and Chibiusa died during the fall of Crystal Tokyo.
And it was Minako by her side right now.
Or at least, technically, because Minako had just...once again... put herself in danger just for Usagi. Not because it was the right thing to do but because Minako loved Usagi. Now THAT was a true friend and Usagi savored it.
But she couldn't help feeling lost and alone following the Ami-lookalike down the many passage ways that, Usagi knew, weren't leading to Minako.
She could hear Minako crying out to Usagi, telling her to stay strong...
Usagi doubted she could... and her doubt only heightened the farther she was from Minako.
Please Review! Thanks!