By : angelofvenus_l3
CHAPTER THREE
His lips were moving slowly, caressing hers in a gentle manner, sending tingles of electricity through their bodies which stunned her, physically and mentally into submission. Minako's heart began to beat in painful lurches. It had been so long since someone kissed her so tenderly and caused such devastating effects on her nerves. After many years of keeping her emotions reserved and deprived herself from any forms of pleasure, she felt the emotional barrier that protected her heart from enduring anymore shattering impact slowly began to crack. Drowning by the rapid beating of her heart, she inched her lips closer to his, kissing him back in uncertainty. Duo was more than happy to oblige her request and encourage her to explore by deepening their kiss.
However, his attempt to pry her mouth open for further access penetrated her drugged senses into wakefulness, jolting her mind to race wildly at her repulsive behavior that enjoyed his kiss. Horrified, her eyes flew opened as she instinctively pushed him back while struggling desperately to collect herself. Her heart was pounding so hard that it actually hurt her chest for this man had such an effect on her, especially with his ability to stun her mind and stir her emotions with a mere brush of his lips. She stared at him in bewilderment and puzzled before her expression gave away into a mixture of shock, rage and mortification.
Duo was startled by her sudden reaction but he quickly composed himself, masking his surprise with a vague smile. Taking a moment to survey her features now, he came to realize she was even more breathtaking than ever, especially with that flush coloring her cheeks. Despite the fact that their kiss lasted barely a minute which certainly was not enough to steal their breaths, she was breathing a little heavily. There was something about her reaction that disturbed him. Her eyes were staring accusingly into his, obviously in outrage but he detected a hint of uncertainty in them …something that didn't belong there. Her body was trembling …in fear? Duo seriously hoped not, it wasn't his intention to frighten her at all nor was he even attempting to mark his territory or gain any male satisfaction for 'scoring' with a gorgeous underage teenager.
Tears burned the back of her eyes. She felt so violated, as though his callous hands were all over her body this very minute. The way his eyes gazing smugly at her and that vague smile touching his lips only added more to her discomfort and humiliation. No doubt he was summarizing his opinions of her. Her tongue was just eager to blast out swears and curses which half of them she wasn't even aware of the meaning until she mentally ran out of words to express her turbulent animosity. So to sum up her exact opinion of him, she raised her hand swiftly to meet his cheek in an angry slap.
The sharp contact was not enough to whip his neck but it was definitely more than enough to signify her feelings towards being treated cheaply. A collective gasp was heard after that, although nobody dared to interfere. Duo's eyes had closed in reflex, all at once wiping the smile off his face as he fought for control of his own paralyzed state due to her unexpected retaliation. When he finally recovered, he felt his cheek stung but the pain was instantly forgotten when his eyes met hers once more. The baby blue eyes stormed with rage yet there was a flicker of another emotion in them, which most probably played a big role as well since she seemed surprise herself but she recovered pretty quickly and her hand instantly flew to her chest or more precisely, to grasp the tiny pendant of her necklace for reassurance and strength.
Sitting there in the middle of a store with the back of his palm resting on his bruised cheek and in complete view of other customers who had been following their previous display of 'affection', Duo was puzzled, to say the least. He wasn't angry or even embarrass, just confused. He had his fair share of dates and he had kissed enough women to know their preference from a simple brush on the lips to intense French kissing. And what he had gathered, she had enjoyed the kiss and was halfway kissing him back until he decided to push things a little further than he intended. The slap was deserving, although it was unexpected. However, even that didn't seem to improve her mood.
"Baka!" she cried helplessly, shaking with thwarted outrage.
Duo frowned a little until he caught a glimpse moisture at the corner of her eye just before she turned away and stormed out of the store, leaving her friends gawking. Rin, who had been standing there all this while, was completely baffled at the exchange and it took her a minute to regain enough sense to chase after her friend. Duo's features slowly softened at the discovery and all of a sudden, it struck him, why she reacted the way she did.
Minako forced herself to focus on the game. The coach was generous enough to let her off with a warning for her tardiness but between her outrage at that man's inexplicable behavior and other overwhelming emotions that threatened her patience, her mind refused to cooperate with what her other senses had supposedly fed. Her chest constricted with emotions, careening crazily from one feeling to another, torturing her already bruised pride and questioning her moral standards.
"Minako, focus!" the coach's booming voice yelled just as soon as the ball missed her hands and bounced back on the court. "What are you doing?! That was a terrible catch! How do you expect to win the next tournament with that level?! Concentrate!"
Heaving a frustrated sigh, Minako assumed back her position on the court, then masking her annoyance with an apologetic smile to her teammates' questioning stares.
"Minako, are you okay?" one of her friends inquired more skeptically than out of concern as she took her own position next to Minako.
Minako nodded. "Sorry, I'm just a little distracted…"
Her friend gave her an encouraging nod, assuring her nothing was really at lost since it was only a practice game. Minako managed a weak smile and turned away, her mind still loaded with built-up frustration that was practically at the verge of bursting. Truthfully, she didn't feel like playing anymore and when the coach yelled at her again, she had almost walked out of the hall. Usually the sound of her schoolmates' cheers would have lifted her spirit but the mixture of their incoherent voices only sounded like noise to her now and it began to irritate her.
However, as the game progressed on, she managed to exonerate her terrible performance and played earnestly to tie the score. Her movements became quicker and her attempts to spike the ball became much more affective as she channeled all her energy, emotionally and physically into the game. The voices of support and chorus remarks roared in her ears as she gained another score for her team. Yet, she wasn't content. It was simply not enough, she could still feel her heart wretched as she recalled back the kiss. That man …
Her rage escalated, dousing whatever satisfaction she had left from her previous success and thus, she made several drastic attempts that required the usage of strength and energy more than necessary in order to feed her burning anger and restore her pride. As she visualized the man's face on the ball, she raised her fist and slammed the ball with all her might.
The startle cry punctuated with a satisfying sound of the ball hitting the ground penetrated Minako's mind. As she snapped up, it suddenly dawned on her at what she had just done. One of her opponent was sprawled on the floor, moaning in pain while the rest of her teammates surrounded her and several of their schoolmates who had been watching game, rushed over to the brunette girl. Minako's mind began to race in sinking horror. Raised murmurs and excited cries mixed in a heap of blur echoing in her ears as she rushed over to the scene.
The coach was already there, dragging the girl, Ayami into a sitting position while murmuring something in her ear. She was clutching her arm, her eyes squeezed shut and gritting her teeth in pain. Minako pushed past the crowd that surrounded her and kneeled across the girl, horrified to discover the damage she had done.
"Ayami, are you alright?" Minako called out frantically but received no reply from the moaning girl.
"Alright, everyone move," the coach ordered as he helped Ayami to stand, supporting her with an arm around her waist. The students followed obediently as they stepped back. "Everyone get back at the game while I send her to the nurse's office." Then, he stared coldly at Minako. "As for you, I would like a word with you later. For now, you are dismiss from practice."
Minako watched helplessly as the couch and Ayami disappeared through the door. All of a sudden, her energy vanished and her body suddenly felt so heavy and weak. Her friends confronted her of the incident after that which Minako handled with a halfhearted attempt to explain that it was purely accidental. Dragging her feet to the corner where she had tossed her bag pack, she grabbed her water bottle and gulped it down to cover her bewildering emotions.
A short moment later, the game began and as the crowd cheered, Rin and Ikiko approached her at the bench. Minako forced out a weak smile at them, wishing silently that they would leave her alone. She refused to deal with her friends' accusation when she was currently at the verge of being kicked out of the game. At least, she assumed she was since the coach had never been so angry with her before.
"Minako," Ikiko said with caution as she sat next to her friend. "What's going on? You didn't just dislocate Ayami's shoulder on purpose now, did you?"
"Of course not," Minako answered bluntly, staring at Ikiko skeptically as if she was daft enough to ask such a question.
"Then, what's the matter?" her friend demanded. "You're not being yourself out there and the competition's only a week away. It's not like you to lose your concentration like this."
Minako sighed in exasperation. "I'm fine," she insisted weakly, keeping her eyes on the game and noting the defense had weaken drastically on both team over the two missing star players. "It was just recklessness on my part, I was too absorbed in the game, I was trying to score a point…."
"It's because of that man, isn't it?" Rin suddenly accused. Minako hesitated, feeling her cheeks warmed a little, then she shrugged in indifference.
"What man?" Ikiko demanded incredulously.
"We met this guy at the store a few hours ago, that's why she's late," Rin explained halfheartedly. "And then, without a reason, he forced himself on her."
Minako blanched while Ikiko gasped in horror. Then, she turned frantically to Minako. "Minako, is this true?"
"Rin!" the young blonde groaned at the unnecessary exaggeration.
"Alright," Rin replied indignantly. "He just kissed her but she didn't consent him, so that clearly states the he FORCE his way with her." Minako merely rolled her eyes.
Ikiko's features expressed her relief as her hand rested on her chest. "Don't scare me like that. I mean, if he did anything beyond that, it's bound to be serious."
"Look, it's just a
kiss," Minako cried in annoyance. "It's not a big deal. Let's drop it…"
"Well, if this kiss is
worth your distraction at practice, then it is a big deal," Ikiko pointed out
stubbornly.
"Minako, why are you so upset about it?" Rin queried. "It's not like you've never been kissed before."
Minako suppressed her groan and the urge to simply walk off. "Well, you would be upset, too if you've being treated cheaply!" she snapped back.
"Not if it's with Yoji we're talking about," Rin answered back calmly and with a faint hint of drawl in her tone.
"Wait, what really happened here?" Ikiko demanded in confusion. "Did he just walk over and kiss you? Just like that?"
"No," Minako muttered, then sighed helplessly. "I'm sorry, I don't feel like getting into the details right now."
She rose to her feet angrily, not quite sure where she was going but when she turned, her body collided with something solid. She cried out in surprise and staggered back, then her eyes rose to meet a pair of hazel eyes staring intensely down at her. She suppressed another gasp when she realized who this blonde boy was. Minako had never been this close to him before, which gave her the opportunity to inspect his features and she came to realize there was definitely nothing wrong with Rin's taste. As far as she could tell, he was the handsomest guy in school, with that straight blonde hair that fell just past his chin. She couldn't help noticing he had a faint dimple on his right cheek which deepened when he smiled. Still, for some reason, he didn't appeal to her as someone she would date.
Minako didn't realize she had been staring at him until he grinned sheepishly at her scrutiny. "Did you hurt your head, too when we bumped?" he asked teasingly.
Minako opened her mouth to answer when Rin called out happily, "Yoji!" She trotted over to them and stood right next to Minako, grinning as though she was basking in his affections at this very moment. "Yoji, I didn't realize you were watching the game. How long have you been here?"
"Long enough to see the little incident," he stated meaningfully, casting a glance at Minako who responded with a scowl. Chuckling, he added playfully, "Hey, I didn't say you did it on purpose. I just came down to see what's going on. You seem a little distracted in the game …"
Minako sighed in exasperation. "Look, I was just …"
"She's just upset that some guy had his way with her," Rin offered helpfully, still grinning as she gave Minako a playful slap on her arm.
Minako glared at her momentarily before Yoji interrupted in confusion, "What guy?"
"Nothing, he's no one," Minako snapped back irritably.
"We were at this store today when this guy started hitting on me for no reason," Rin quickly explained. "Then, Minako came to rescue me and they had a brief quarrel about something before he kissed her. He force himself on her and it could have easily been me if Minako didn't come over."
Yoji's eyes widen slightly, then he turned to Minako for confirmation. Minako sighed helplessly and nodded, seeing as Rin was desperately trying to attract Yoji's attention. Although she would prefer if it wasn't at her expense.
"Did he do anything else to you after that?"
"No," Minako replied hesitantly, wondering briefly why did that issue matter to him. "He didn't. He was just fooling around, I suppose, like all guys do. Look, it's not a big deal."
"Yea, don't worry, Minako will be fine," Rin exclaimed, patting Minako's arm. Then, she looked hopeful. "Yoji, there's this new ice-cream parlor at the corner of Jyuban Street. Minako, Ikiko and I are planning to try it out after practice …."
Minako glanced at her in puzzle. "We are?" Rin pinched the back of her arm and Minako instinctively yelped, "Right, we are!"
"So would you like to join us?" Rin added sweetly.
Yoji's eyes flicked briefly towards Minako. "I'd love to."
Rin squealed in delight. "Great!"
"Alright, I'll see you after practice then," Yoji said, giving them a brief wave before he left to join his friends.
"Maxwell, are you paying attention?"
The other staff members paused to look up from their files as Duo dragged his lazy gaze to meet Wufei's irritated scowl.
It had been almost three hours since the meeting commenced and up until now, he wasn't even sure what it was all about but he was almost certain it had something to do with selecting some members to assist Wufei in monitoring the Parliament while the representatives from the colonies had their meetings. Either that or Wufei was planning to dump some minor assignments on him like reviewing the damage reports and sorting out old documents. It was so predictable. Heero would usually lead the Special Unit against some terrorist attacks, Trowa would have the honor of monitoring some organization in outer space suspected to be a threat to peace and Quatre was usually the negotiator, although his duty was only assigned to him if the mission was really in dire need of his assistance. Everyone was sent out to outer space or around the world to complete a certain task but unlike them, his main assignment was confined to his office or at least the building he worked in.
Not that he minded much, but his everyday routine was getting so predictable, it was boring. Perhaps he should appreciate this calm, peaceful atmosphere of simplicity but having spent all of his life fighting in the war, he was still not accustomed to letting his guard down and lead a life of total boredom and predictability.
"Of course I am," Duo replied indignantly, straightening himself. "You're talking about a certain mission, right?"
Wufei's features slowly hardened. "Are you aware what exactly the mission requires you to do?"
Duo was puzzled and glanced at Wufei in suspicion. "I have a mission?"
Wufei's jaw clenched and for a minute there, he seemed seriously at the verge of strangling Duo. Duo shifted uncomfortably at Wufei's glare, laughing nervously as if to dismiss his question with a joke, "Of course I have a mission. I was just….you know, messing around with you, Wufei. You don't joke around like you used to anymore. I know my mission. It's all stated inside this and …." He flipped through his file and scanned it, before he frowned in confusion. "Hang on a sec, this isn't my mission ….it isn't a mission at all …"
Wufei slapped the papers he was holding on the table and scowled at the American man. "Is there any questions regarding the assignments?" he asked with forced courtesy to the other members and immediately received a collective 'no'. "Meeting adjourn. Sophia, I will need the minutes on my desk tomorrow morning. Agent Kent, please refer to Agent Po for the statistic reports on the assignment given and Agent Maxwell." Duo was about to dash out of the room when he stopped abruptly and flinched upon being called unexpectedly. Slowly, hesitantly, he turned to Wufei and regarded the angry Chinese man with an uncertain smile. "May I see you for a minute?"
As soon as everyone piled out of the room, Duo quickly defended himself before the Chinese man could speak, "Ne, Wufei, if you're planning to dump anymore assignments on me just because I wasn't aware of what the meeting was all about, then I think that is totally unfair and you ….you should cut me some slacks because I've never done this before. Well, with the exception of my coming late to work, and occasionally forgetting to read the memos, and missing last month's evaluation meeting. But remember the time when I helped you …." Duo stopped abruptly when Wufei raised his hand to halt any further ramblings. By then, Wufei, who seemed to have gotten used to deal with this sort of obstacle, was in control of his patience once more and the scowl had slowly left his face, replaced by a detached expression he usually wore when dealing with private office matter.
"All I want to know is why are you so distracted."
Instinctively, Duo felt his cheeks warmed as the girl's features flashed in his mind. "Nothing particular really," he mumbled halfheartedly.
Wufei peered at him in disbelief. "I know you are not always that keen to complete a task nor are you excited about anything that this job offers, but this lackadaisical behavior of yours is getting very apparent in your performance and it's beginning to affect the office."
Duo snorted, waving his hand dismissively. "You got all that from me tuning out in the meeting?"
Wufei narrowed his eyes. "No, I got all that from this proposal I asked you to rectify after lunch." He produced a set of clipped papers and tossed it on the table. "All I ask you to do was reverse this plan's procedure but instead, you've jumbled up the details, messed up the entire plan and reconstructed it into your very own mission, one that apparently requires the assistant of the terrorists themselves to attack the parliament in Europe, while holding the Sanq kingdom as captive. You even misspelled the word 'parliament'. I wouldn't have minded so much if this proposal wasn't due for today's appointment with Lady Une. Because of this, many plans has to be postponed until major correction has been made, which means half of Heero's work has to be delayed …."
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry," Duo apologized hastily, raising his hands up in defeat. "I'll finish the proposal by tonight, just don't reprimand me or anything."
Wufei leaned back against the leather seat and studied Duo's expression intently, still unsatisfied. "This is not a miniscule task you can take lightly, Duo. There's still a lot more assignments I have to hand out following the proposal, which I'm afraid will still have to be done at the next meeting even if you're able to complete it now. And I still need to discuss this proposal thoroughly with Lady Une in order to get her approval before the mission is extended among the members at the next meeting. So, by now you should realize how time consuming it really is and your recklessness is not helping in the least. As your supervisor, I have every right to penalize you for this error. But as a friend and a comrade who has gone through many battles side-by-side with you, I suppose I should be worrying what led you to this sudden incompetence before I take any official actions. Now, why don't you tell me what are the problems you're encountering. Are you ill? Is the HQ not paying you enough? Or are you currently involve in some mafia activities that takes up half of your time?"
Duo stared at him in stupefaction. Then, he answered flatly, "No. No, Wufei, not lately. Apparently they don't accept former Gundam pilots as members, not to mention those who are still currently working under the organization serve to eliminate their kind of people …"
"So, aside from the grudge you have against their refusal to have you as a member, what's your problem?"
Duo hesitated, scratching the back of his head nervously. There was no way Wufei would accept his simple explanation that he was merely distracted by the mere thought of a beautiful high school girl. Truthfully, he wasn't thinking about her looks ….that much but what appealed to him most about her was her expressiveness. At one time, he could almost see right through her and yet other times, she managed to mask her feelings as well as him. It amazed him, to find someone with a personality so intriguing, so mysterious. Somehow among all the girls he had seen walking by him, she stood out the most, in beauty and he could sense as well as in her personality.
He recalled back their kiss and reveled in the feel of her lips. So soft, moving hesitantly and almost apparently unskilled in exploration yet he could detect a dangerous streak of a temptress in her every move, stamped in every curve of her body. Her reaction to that kiss had puzzled him until he caught a glimpse of tears in her eyes. All of a sudden, he knew why, he understood why she reacted that way and his conclusion only proved how innocent she really was. His heart ached a little at that thought, knowing that he was at fault for triggering her carefully masked emotions. Having concealed the true depths of his feelings from his friends, he knew what it was like to be provoked and suffered helplessly all over again. His guilt had been nagging him all day long, he had to do something about it soon or else he would not be able to do any work at all, and this small talk with Wufei was only the beginning stage of him being fired. Maybe he could drop by her school tomorrow morning to apologize before he set off to work, and maybe brought over some flowers or chocolates to indicate how sorry he was but would it be appropriate? He doubted it would be enough to ease her resentment so perhaps he should considered another alternative in case she decided to …..
"Duo? Duo!"
Duo snapped from his thoughts and fixed his eyes at Wufei, who looked rather annoyed now. "Oh, right, sorry," Duo murmured apologetically for his dazedness. "I was just ….you know."
"No, I don't know," Wufei pressed in annoyance. "What is going on with you, Maxwell? Are you in some kind of trouble? Is that why you're so distracted?"
Duo flinched, squirming inwardly under his friend's scrutiny. "Look, I said I'm sorry," he insisted weakly. "I guess I was just …bored and I chose the wrong moment to mess up. I'm sorry, okay. You're right, it's my fault and …." He rose to his feet and grabbed the proposal. "I'll get this done as soon as possible. You'll have this on your desk by tomorrow morning, good as new or …as good as you expect it to be. As your subordinate, I totally understand if you want to fire me, you have every right to. I deserve every single punishment. However, as a friend, I can only offer to take you dinner at that Chinese restaurant you love so much, just to compensate for my grave mistake …" He risked a smile, looking expectantly at Wufei. "My treat?"
Wufei frowned and just when Duo thought he would refuse, the Chinese man grunted, turning away to clear the papers scattered on the table. "Fine."
Duo's grin widen and as they proceed to leave the room, Wufei added, "You're still going to work extra hours to pay for the delays you've caused."
"Dang it."
With her bag pack slung over her shoulder, Minako dragged her feet lazily from the teacher's lounge and walked along the empty hallway. The coach had decided to give her a second chance, since she had a clean record and fortunately, Ayami's injury wasn't serious. Unfortunately, she still wouldn't be able to make it for the tournament next week so Minako would need more than just flowers and dozen of get well cards to soften Ayami's temper. According to the coach, Ayami had been more upset about her unable to join the game than her injury. However, Minako was certain that doesn't mean Ayami wasn't blaming it on her.
Rin, Ikiko, Yoji and his brunette friend, Hiroto were waiting for her at the gate. Minako suppressed a groan when she saw them as she wasn't exactly in the mood for ice-cream but seeing as they had waited for at least half an hour for her, she couldn't possibly turned them down now.
"So what did Takigawa-sensei say?" Ikiko asked once Minako approached them and they began to walk in group. "Are you still in the game?"
"I am but unfortunately, Ayami's not."
"Oh dear," Ikiko gasped, glancing momentarily at the others. "That's terrible."
"Can't say I'm surprise, though," Hiroto interrupted with a shrug. "You got her good, I'm pretty amaze you have the strength. Did you hear the sound when the ball hit her? It was a sharp, defining crack, like a stick being broken into two …."
"Oh, shut up," Minako muttered under her breath, not caring if he heard her or not. She was too busy thinking of an appropriate forms of apology to Ayami. While the conversation went on among her friends, Minako couldn't help noticing how Rin kept tugging at Yoji's arm and how uncomfortable he seemed at her boldness. He kept glancing at Minako for help, which at first only made her chuckled but after that, she began to feel earnestly sorry for him. At one point, Minako could have sworn Yoji was glaring as Rin talked incessantly about her childhood while leaning her head on his shoulder affectionately. Ikiko and Hiroto were aware of the exchange, yet neither seemed to care that much as they seemed to be animated in their own conversation.
Minako was so deep in thought she didn't realize a pair of familiar figures striding towards her direction until Rin's bitter excitement broke her thoughts, "Oh god, you again!" Hearing this, Minako looked up quizzically and a gasp tore her lips once she realized who it was.
Duo, who had been absorbed in his own monologue with Wufei, glanced quizzically at where the cry came from and was granted with shock. Then his face instantly lit up in pleasure and this prompted Minako to scowl as he seemed to deliberately remind her of their kiss.
"Hey," Duo greeted good-naturedly, giving her a small wave. "Fancy meeting you again." Narrowing her eyes in contempt, Minako merely glared at him, daring him to remark about their previous encounter. Duo chose to disregard her temper because this time he was prepared for whatever retaliation she would hurl at him, which was why he made certain he was at least two feet away from her. "I was just thinking about you …"
"Or are you just
thinking of another way to take advantage of her again?" Rin challenged, eyeing
him in contempt. "First her lips, then who knows? Maybe her body …That's what
you were after in the first place, right? You're a sick man, you know that!"
"Rin!" Minako whispered
harshly. She was pleased with her friend's support but there was certainly no
need for any unnecessary implications which only served to embarrass her.
Duo lifted an eyebrow in amusement. He expected that sort of remark from the girl he had kissed earlier but not from this young lady who appeared to have suffered the same effect of being kissed as well. "How highly you think of me," he remarked lightheartedly.
Still locking eyes with the group, Wufei inquired quietly in displeasure, "Maxwell, what did you do now?"
"What's going on?" Yoji demanded in confusion. "You know these guys?"
"Don't you get it?" Rin exclaimed excitedly, pointing an accusing finger at Duo. "That's the pervert who forced himself on Minako!"