ONE SWEET DAY

By : angelofvenusl3

CHAPTER FOUR

"That's the pervert who forced himself on Minako!"

Minako groaned inwardly at this unnecessary remark as she felt blood rushing to her cheeks. Ikiko gasped loudly, then she cast Duo a disgusted look. Hiroto acted indifferently towards the situation, though there was a hint of amusement glinting in his eyes.

"Now that's a little exaggerating," Duo commented, maintaining a lighthearted tone and suppressing the urge to strangle the brunette who seemed to make the situation even worst for him. Despite the accusing stares and exaggerated remark, Duo was actually amused. He had expected this sort of confrontation, although he preferred it if it was confined to just the two of them but at least now he had a chance to apologize and compensate for his error.

Wufei, who had grown very annoyed at this dalliance and combined with the sudden accusation of his staff member for a crime which could leave a dented reputation on the HQ, he was not at all pleased. "What exactly did he do?" he asked quietly but with deliberate emphasis on each word that confirmed Duo the seriousness of the accusation. Duo, however, appeared unaffected by it, believing it was nothing more than a harmless flirtation that had apparently attracted excessive attention. But in her eyes, that was a different story and he was ready to confront that. Once they were alone, of course. Another thought began to toy his mind. Did he just hear her name?

Minako's eyes narrowed in contempt and she hastily turned away, too angry to even speak, especially when Duo seemed to be taking the situation easier than she expected. Since she didn't seem inclined to answer, Rin decided to take matters into her own hand and was more than happy to remedy the confusion.

"He kissed her."

Wufei raised an eyebrow, dragging his gaze to meet Duo and waiting expectantly for him to confirm or deny this accusation. Duo shrugged and turned away, not so much out of fear but rather out of weariness to deal with someone who possessed such level of immaturity.

"You won't even admit what you've done?" Rin stalked over to Duo in determination and jabbed a finger at his chest, taking the braided pilot by surprise. "Are you just going to stand there and hide behind your friend? How pathetic!" Turning to Wufei as though for further conviction, she added sternly, "He just grabbed her and kissed her like she's some cheap toy!"

Yoji grabbed Rin's wrist before she plan to do any serious damage to Duo and pulled her back, all the while eyeing Duo suspiciously.

When Duo opened his mouth to reply, Wufei's eyes narrowed slightly, just in the right degree of disapproval which halted Duo's intention and forcing him to lapse into silence. Satisfied, Wufei turned back to the students and regarded them with cold remorse.

"Is that all?"

There was a frozen moment as the words hung over their heads. Duo had expected Wufei to handle this situation with calm authority regardless to the actual facts of the accusation, manipulating the situation to his advantage. That he always admired of his friend but he did feel a little uneasy allowing Wufei to retain control of his personal affair like this. And from the looks of it, neither did the blonde girl. She was somewhat caught between mortification, anger and bewilderment. At that point, she didn't seem capable of speech.

Yoji stepped away from the girls and stood across Duo, glaring at him in contempt. Duo, amused by the sudden shift of 'control', only gazed back with meager interest. This boy should be several years younger than him and his height almost matched up to Duo's yet there was something daunting about him that made Duo felt a little uneasy. His boyish appearance lacked the ability to intimidate people but Duo detected a flicker of ….rage storming in his eyes. They were a pair of sharp, piercing hazel eyes and had the effect of hardening his whole complexion once they were clouded with anger and discontent.

"You think you can get away with this?" the boy demanded, his voice coated with malice. "You think just because you're a member of the authority, you can abuse your power and get away with anything?" Duo narrowed his eyes, feeling his own irritation rising but he maintained his stance, refused to provoke any unnecessary and further confrontation from this boy. "If you dare so much as to do anything to her …."

"Before you finish that sentence," Wufei intruded in a deadly tone. "I should warn you, the penalty for threatening a member of the authority is most likely going to cost you more than it will cost him. The most you can benefit out of this confrontation will be nothing more than his apology. You are correct, though. We, the members of the Preventers do gain special treatment and enjoy some privileges. Think about it if you plan to pursue this matter. You won't get far."

Duo flinched inwardly at the coldness in Wufei's voice. He could see the boy even hesitated, caught between his determination to stand for his friend and doubts from the truth ringing in Wufei's words. But after a moment's hesitation, he decided furiously he wasn't about to simply accept the facts and took a threatening step forward, ready to throw a fist at one of them.

"Why you sons of a …."

Yoji's voice stopped abruptly when Minako gripped his arm and his body froze almost immediately in obedience. He glanced at her in a mixture of confusion and annoyance but the stubborn look in her eyes demanded that he followed her silent command.

"Yamete (Stop)," she whispered brokenly. "Onegai (Please) …."

The helpless plea beneath her forceful tone threw Duo off and he felt a tug at his heart upon this revelation. Her features were rigidly controlled but there was still a hint of embarrassment and hurt shuttered in her eyes. As though sensing her deception was being detected, she shrugged and forced out a preoccupied smile and told Wufei quietly, "This isn't necessary. I'd rather we just forget this whole thing ever happen. Frankly, I was planning on doing that anyway …"

Wufei had expected this respond and he gave her a smug smile. "Glad we have an agreement." Then, he turned to Duo expectantly.

Duo caught Wufei's silent order and hesitantly gazed at Minako, who quickly turned away, refusing to meet his gaze. "Sorry about ….that," he said earnestly, hoping that she would at least glance at him and once again, giving him a glimpse of her exact feelings. Somehow, he needed to know if she forgave him.

"Apology accepted," she replied automatically without even glancing at him. Turning to her friends, she said almost too sweetly, "Shall we?" Without waiting for a reply, she strode past the men, brushing Duo's shoulder lightly and continued to walk ahead.

The contact was brief but intense enough to be acknowledged by both, though neither would admit it. Duo's eyes lowered to the ground as he allowed her friends to brush hesitantly past him, oblivious and unconcerned with the looks of disdain they cast at him and Wufei. He failed to notice the exceptionally scowl of fury hurled towards him by his previous proprietor, absorbed in his own remorse from his action and the recollection of her cold gaze that pierced his soul. There was something in her gaze, the extremely cold gaze of hers that made his body froze a moment, forcing him to reconsider the actual morality of his action.

He was about to call out to her when Wufei clamped a firm grip on his shoulder, preventing him from rushing over towards the group. He glanced at Wufei in annoyance but any form of objection died in his lips when Wufei's features hardened in disapproval.

"Leave them," he instructed in a deadly calm voice that booked no room for argument. "This is already bad enough without you attempting any further contact with that girl. Now, care to explain your perverse misconduct?"

"So Yoji, what do you think about the school's Cultural Festival next month?" Rin inquired with guarded hope, inching closer to the blonde man.

They were seating at the bleachers, supposedly watching the daily volleyball training and occasionally cheering for them. Several of the students, as usual were presence in spite of the lateness of the evening, all in the name of school spirit and the simple pleasure of watching girls running around in tight shorts. "Everyone's been talking about it and I heard your class has decided to sell rice ball cakes for this occasion."

When Hiroto nudged his friend at the ribs, Yoji, who had his eyes fixed at the practice, glanced at Rin in annoyance. "Yea, sure," he muttered distractedly.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Rin went on happily. "My class hasn't even started on anything yet. I mean, I heard we're planning to sell sushi but we haven't decide what kind that will appeal to everyone. It's a competition, after all. Personally, I think it's better if we just sell sweet confectionaries, you know. I did some research of my own and I found out that sweets always have the highest rating for school students." She sighed and feigned a sad look. "If only the class had chosen me for president of this food committee, I'm pretty sure we could have get the highest selling food store in the school. But don't worry, I'm pretty sure your class will sell like hot cakes, too."

She was silent for a moment as Minako's team made another score and at that moment, Yoji's features lit up and his smile widen, to which Rin found completely charming. Her heart fluttered when his face seemed to beam with pride and clearly full with school spirit. The only reason she agreed to stay for Minako's training was him. Because it seemed as though this was the only time she could see his face lit up in pleasure. Strangely, he was never one to participate actively in sports or other form of school activities but when it came to giving support, he was always present at the trainings, particularly this volleyball practice. The competition was in two days and she understood why he felt the need to offer as much support as he could.

Hiroto whispered something to Yoji, then chuckled when his friend gave him a playful punch on his arm. Yoji was grinning when he returned his attention back to the court. The girls were given a few minutes to rest and they scattered to their respective corners. Minako trotted past the row of bleachers where Rin sat and she gave Rin a wave. Rin instinctively clung onto Yoji's arm, startling him and gave Minako a meaningful smile and a wave. Minako caught her meaning and winked at her friend, then she proceeded on her way.

"What was that all about?" Yoji demanded in confusion at Rin while squirming in her grip.

Oblivious to his discomfort, Rin replied with a noncommittal grin, "Oh, nothing. It's just her way of saying she's alright. You know, after that kissing incident couple of days ago."
"She had better be," Yoji muttered, eyeing Minako warily as she drank from her bottle.

"Still, I don't understand what the big deal is, anyway," Rin said with a frown. "Minako is still kinda upset about it. So that guy kissed her, so what? It's not like he grope her or anything. He's a Preventer. As pervert as he is, it's highly unlikely he would go anywhere beyond a few stolen kisses. For one thing, we were in a store when it happened. Minako should get over it, really."

"She's still upset?" Yoji asked.

Rin shrugged in indifference. "Seems like it." Then, when she noticed Yoji's expectant look, Rin quickly added, "Don't get me wrong, I'm angry at him, too, for taking advantage of my friend. But Minako seem to make such a big deal out of this, it's pretty tiring, you know. The least she could feel is a little grateful. That could be the closest thing to a relationship she could get. Plus, he is kinda good looking for a Preventer."

Yoji's features hardened at that remark. He yanked her arm away from his and turned back to the game. In between her confusion and disbelief, Rin perceived his silence for jealousy of her reference to any male other than him as good looking. Her heart practically leapt in joy and she smiled to herself throughout the game.

Minako sighed wistfully as the whistled was blown, signaling the continuation of the match. She immediately took her position, drawing a deep breath to assure herself.

"A photographer?" Quatre echoed, his eyes widen as the corner of his lips twitched into a wry smile.

Heero nodded gravely behind his desk. "I find that hard to believe, too."

Quatre leaned back against his seat, chuckling to himself. He looked at Heero in amazement. "And it takes a miracle to surprise you. But surely this is one of his random hobbies he picked up between his work and his free time. Like that cooking hobby he discarded when he found peace with those horrid drum playing." Then, Quatre's smile widened in amusement. "If I recall correctly, that was the reason why you moved out, wasn't it?"
"No, that was Wufei," Heero pointed out. "I moved out because of his annoying tendency to exercise his nonexistent culinary skills that always resulted in a flaming stove."

A look of confusion passed across the blonde man's face. "But Wufei lived across the hall …" Heero merely stared at Quatre. Understanding dawn on Quatre immediately after that and he acknowledged it with a hesitant nod. "Right. Anyway, at least this photographing business of his is harmless. I think it's a wonderful idea and it'll be even better if he sticks to it. He's always good at taking pictures anyway. If it falls through, I'll be saving quite a lot of money at Christmas parties and weddings." He paused and his expression slowly dimmed into one of concern and uncertainty. "Although it is quite an unusual transition, isn't it? I mean, this art of photography doesn't qualify much of a challenge for someone who is constantly bored and fickle with his choices."

"I suppose it's a matter of interest," Heero said grimly. "Some people do enjoy the strangest things or things that contradicted their nature. But that's who they really are and they're just responding to their personality. It shouldn't concern us. Duo could do anything he wants with his time, just as long as he doesn't make any unnecessary interference in peoples' lives."

"Well, what should concern us then?" Quatre inquired. "About Duo, I mean. I know you didn't invite me over for dinner for nothing. There's always a reason for everything."

"I hardly invite you over for anything, Kat," Heero stated blankly.

Quare's eyes twinkled in amusement. "Exactly. And when you do, you must have a reason for it." He winked at Heero. "Us former Gundam pilots are very observant about this kind of things, you know."

Heero's lips quirked faintly with a mirthless smile before resuming back to its usual, tight line of grimness. A shadow of doubts flickered in his eyes and at this point, he seemed to let his guard down a little as he confided to his friend, "Duo seem a bit distracted lately. And something tells me the reason doesn't lie entirely in his work. All of us are aware of his disposition in this job but I've a feeling it's more than that."

"What do you mean?" Quatre asked worriedly all of a sudden, drawing nearer to his friend. "Duo's always been the life of a party. The prankster of a prank. The last time I talked to him, he was telling me about some party he's conducting for a friend and he seem pretty excited about it. Just like his old self." He paused and hesitated when Heero gave Quatre a frown. "At least, to me, he sounds like his old self …"

"But then, he has always been like that, hasn't he?" another voice spoke before Heero could reply. Heero maintained an impassive expression as he looked past Quatre and found Trowa and Wufei entering his office. Quatre turned around shortly after and his features softened involuntarily at the arrival of his friends. "Like us, he finds it difficult to let his guard down," Trowa continued, stopping across the desk and placing a set of clipped papers across Heero. "And even more difficult to admit that sometimes he's not as strong as he portray himself to be."

"We all have our own reason to feel that way," Wufei said. "Some are just more apparent than the rest. It's becoming more obvious when he tries to hide it."

When Quatre still looked puzzled, Heero replied solemnly, "Kat, we all have our moments when we have to face our past. Regardless of how far we've came into the future, there will always be a reminder of who we are, where we come from. Duo seem to be struggling even harder to conceal that notion lately."

"But it shouldn't be," Quatre murmured, his head lowered guiltily. "I mean, I know it's difficult for us to live like this, bearing the souls of those innocent we killed but …." His eyes hardened in determination and his fists clenched tightly on his lap. "But the war is over …"

Trowa placed a hand on Quatre shoulder, his gaze softened as he met Quatre's cerulean ones. "That's the fate of us soldiers, Kat. Even though the war is over, we still have to live with bloodstains in our hands. Being the kindest of us all, you know that better than any of us."

"We grieved," Heero spoke grimly. "For the crimes we've committed. Then, while bearing the souls of the innocents, we move on. That's the fate of the soldier. It helps if we have reasons to keep living. I think all of us have grown accustomed to this sort of environment. But Duo …" He paused, compiling his thoughts. "I think he's still searching …"

The door suddenly swung opened, much to the pilots' surprise and Duo came sauntering in, waving some papers in his hand. "Hey, Heero, I got these reports that you …" His eyes widen when he noticed the other occupants in the room and his face lit up in pleasure. "Whoa, seems to be a party going on around here. Wufei, haven't seen you since this morning. Trowa, I see that clown mask have done you some good. Glad you're back, man. Kat, haven't seen you for awhile. How've you been, buddy?"

Quatre smiled hesitantly at him. "Good. Everything's well. How about you?" He couldn't resist adding, "Still working here?"

Laughing, Duo gave Quatre a light punch. "Not if there's a position open for president in your company."

Snickering, Quatre answered lightheartedly, "Haven't we gone through this before?"

"Yes but I'm not letting up until I get that position."

"How are you feeling today?" Wufei asked, scanning the papers Duo handed to Heero. He kept his voice needlessly devoid from concern.

Concealing his hesitation with a false smile, Duo replied brightly, "Good. Got those Ziract files compiled, handed over my reports in time …" He motioned his head to the papers in Wufei's hand. "And I actually went through the list of shipment supplies for next week's assignment. Yeah, I got everything done and it's not even a day yet. I gotta say I'm doing pretty good. Oh, and best of all, I finally got that new girl's number, Tracey Alison. We're going on a date tonight so nobody page me unless someone's dying or getting their head blown off or something." Grinning, he added slyly, "I might get lucky."

"Stacy," Trowa said all of a sudden.

Duo blinked. "What?"

"Her name is Stacy."

Duo frowned as he fished out a tiny strip of paper from his jeans pocket and studied it.

Clearing his throat and exchanging glances with the others, Quatre asked, "So Duo, we're actually on our way for dinner at that new restaurant across Roxy's. Maybe you can push your date a little later and join us."

Duo looked up from the strip of paper. The others expected him to pounce on the suggestion, seeing as he was always the one to offer such invites. Any reason to get off from work was valid enough for him.

"Oh …."

When Duo displayed the faintest hint of hesitation, their expressions remained neutral but their eyes darkened in disbelief and concern. "Love to but I can't," Duo finally replied. Then, he sighed in disappointment. "Got some personal errands to run and I hope to make it in time for my date later. Hope you guys don't mind but I'll take a rain check. Maybe next time?"

After he closed the door behind him, the pleasure in Duo's expression reduced to unusual grimness. Crumpling the tiny paper in his hand, he tossed it swiftly into the wastebasket as he walked down the corridor. His gaze lowered grimly to the ground and his mind focused solely on getting away. On contrary to his earlier allegations, with the exception of the reports, he didn't get anything else done. Wufei would be extremely furious but at this moment, Duo couldn't bring himself to feel even a little guilty at his lack of concern. There was something about the atmosphere in the building that unnerved him. He couldn't quite explain why but he felt suffocated and he just needed to get away.

He expelled his breath in a rush as he stepped out of the building. He tilted back his cap slightly to gaze at the darken sky, allowing the evening breeze to tug at his hair. Sighing, he began to wander aimlessly down the row of stores as crowds of people brushed past him, muttering incoherent remarks under their breaths when he bumped into them. Duo merely cast them a blank gaze, sometimes nodding apologetically but most of the time, he didn't even acknowledge them, as if he was trapped in his own train of thoughts.

Duo reflected back the scene that took place in Heero's office and his grim expression darkened into misery. They were talking about him. He knew. He didn't need to eavesdrop. The moment he entered the room and saw all of them there, their expressions had cracked into surprise and immediately, he knew they were talking about him and he could guess what had provoked their attention. It was strange, being on the other end of the receiving 'line', considering he and Quatre were the only ones among them who actually expressed any concerns for other people's welfare. Particularly among the five of them.

Truth be told, he wasn't sure if it was a good thing. It was nice to know that there were people who cared for him but somehow coming from the other pilots, the feeling wasn't entirely pleasant or comforting. When it came to these people whom he gladly called friends, he refused to give them the impression that he was capable of vulnerability. Why? He wasn't even sure himself. Maybe because it was part of his male ego that prohibited any portrayal of weaknesses in front of other masculine creatures. He rather held onto that reason, hating to admit that at one point, he was actually a little intimidated by his friends. Even by Quatre. Quatre was naturally warm, even the air around him was congenial but that was what intimidated him. He had never met anyone so kind and gentle. Yet deep beneath Quatre's warm, trusting nature, laid an unsettling soul crying for peace. It reminded Duo of himself, of the innocence he used to possess before he indulged in the battles.

The fact that he could relate to these pilots scared him a little. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate their friendship. As a matter of fact, he treasured the bonds they shared with his life. But there were those moments, those times when he gazed into their eyes, trying to search for similarities to connect them and at one point, he realized they were doing the same thing. But what he found disturbed him. Until now he could still remember the cold look in Heero's eyes the night before a terrifying battle. He had known Heero for only a couple of months at that time and he had familiarized himself when Heero fastened him with such gaze but somehow that night, his eyes appeared unusually cold and distance. Empty and hollow. It pierced his soul and it terrified him to know if these were the exact things that they saw in his eyes. Maybe not exactly in Quatre's but Trowa and Wufei used to have the same look, only they weren't exactly trained to possess the qualities a 'Perfect Soldier' like Heero should possessed. But the similarities were there. The thread that bound them together. That was why he found it really difficult to confide to them about his inner turmoil. With the exception of Quatre, they hardly ever allowed emotions to cloud their better judgments, which he assumed was the reflection of their intractable minds. He was always afraid he wasn't strong enough to control his fears but admitting to people of his struggle was a different issue altogether.

Duo closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath to steady himself. All of a sudden, series of events and flashbacks cut through his mind. Suddenly, he was back at the war. Back at the scene where he had committed horrendous crimes of massacre killings. Wreckages of buildings and destructions of all sorts surrounded him. Lifeless bodies were scattered all over the place, some laid in gruesome heaps. Eyes bulging, mouths hanging open in a silent scream. The strong combination of blood and corpse stung his nostrils. He recognized the air as his body stiffened and fear gripped his throat in a way so familiar to him. His chest constricted with dread as he watched the same event replaying across from him as he stared into the eyes of his victims as he took their lives yet helpless to stop the images from unfolding. Once again, he heard their bloodcurdling screams, bearing immense pain that he did not dare imagine. Their shriek so anguish that it actually hurt his ears. When he gazed down, he realized in horror that his hands were splattered with blood. His breath caught in his throat and he began to tremble.

A blaring honk jolted him and immediately the images vanished as he blinked. When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing across the street as people brushed past him to cross the road. His breath expelled in relief, although his heart still raced frantically from the effect. Mentally shaking his head and banishing the effects of such violent images, he quickly jogged down the road before the traffic lights changed. Once blended among the sea of rushing people, his pace slowed and he shamefully savored the feel of being surrounded by the crowd, as if it was his last meager attempt to be 'normal'.

Even so, the images would not leave him alone. Usually it came in the form of taunting dreams and he hadn't had any until recently. The images were always so vivid and if he was lucky enough to wake up in the midst of a terrifying deed, it was always difficult to sleep after that. Though most of the time he chose not to, for fear he would be trapped in the haunting void of pain and guilt. He didn't intend to let the others know about this, even if they had shared similar histories. However, Wufei, who had stayed over his apartment last night to complete some tasks, had caught his unintentional display of inner turmoil as he yelled in his sleep. Wufei didn't probe much about it, much to Duo's appreciation and the Chinese man acted indifferently towards him after that, as though it was a normal occurrence. But Duo knew Wufei wasn't the type to let this sort of things slipped past him that easily. Wufei was merely keeping silent about it to protect Duo's pride, which he later incidentally trampled on it by informing the others about his state.

A drop of rain fell on his nose, startling him. He glanced up to inspect the sky in time for the rain to come pouring down on him. Streaks of lightning flashed briefly in the sky and a moment later, a thundering roar was heard. Everyone began to rush frantically for shelter, bumping into him and almost knocking him over. The gusting wind wrapped him in a chilly embrace and his clothes were almost soaked. Instinctively, he pulled his jacket tighter around him, pressing the cap to his head and began running towards the nearest shelter available, which unfortunately, wasn't anywhere to be found as all of the stores had closed.

When his teeth started to chatter, he quickened his pace and was about to turn around the corner when something bumped into him hard. The impact was so strong that he instantly fell backward. A jolt of pain shot through through his body as he landed hard on the ground, forcing him to groan and he had to blink a few times to adjust to the sudden dizziness that washed over him as he tried to get up. When he finally regained a measure of control, he looked up in annoyance, intending to yell at whatever that was responsible for his pain but his voice was caught in his throat when he realized what had hit him.

Minako groaned quietly as she tried to block out the throbbing pain in her head. As though the hit had triggered a button on her emotions, she felt her eyes burned with unshed tears and her first instinct was to bawl her eyes out. She had had an extremely exhausting day, with mountains of unfinished school assignments, volleyball practice, the tournament in two days and the emotional baggage she had been carrying for years. All that was enough to drain her spirit. Then the rain fell and within seconds she was almost drenched. All of a sudden, the task of simply living seemed too strenuous for her and whatever remaining strength she had seemed to disappear. She didn't even have the energy to sit up so she simply laid on the hard ground. Streaks of rain streamed down her cheeks …or was it her tears? She couldn't tell. The chilly air didn't seem so cold anymore. In fact, her body was numbed yet it felt good to have the rain washed over her like this. Soaking her, cleansing her tortured and broken spirit.

"Aw, geez, are you okay?"
The person who spoke sounded almost as weary as she was but before she could answer, she felt her body being hauled up to a sitting position. She finally looked up in daze yet even with the shock of terror paralyzing her body, she couldn't react properly upon meeting him again. Her energy was completely drained. She couldn't even sum up her anger or whatever bitter resentment she felt towards him.

"We have got to stop meeting like this."

His eyes lacked the amusement in his tone and Minako realized he was almost, if not already, equally drenched from the rain but his demeanor seemed different somehow. She tried to dismiss it as the result of the bleak weather but she could not ignore the apparent weariness in his features. His eyes no longer twinkled with mischief and instead, replaced by something that seemed to drain his spirit.

Realizing he was gripping her elbow, Minako stifled a startle cry and as though the feel of his skin around hers burned her, she yanked her arm back. Casting him an annoyed glance, she struggled to stand on her own until she felt a jolt of pain from her ankle and stumbled in the process.

"Hey," Duo cried in surprise as she fell into his arms, which almost dragged him back to the ground. "Don't get so excited now …." Noticing that she was too stunned at her predicament to reply, he immediately sensed her discomfort and inquired, "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Minako was about to answer until she realized who he was. A surge of renewed anger forced her to pull back from him and maintain her stand. Her swift movement, however, caused the pain in her ankle to throb and she stumbled back to the ground with a wince. She was horrified at the sight of the swell forming around her ankle. "Oh god …"

Aware of her current state of distress, Duo wordlessly went to his knee to inspect her ankle. "It looks pretty bad," he concluded with a frown. "You must have sprained it when you fell. Come on. I'll take you to the doctor." With that, he helped her up gently and ignored her reaction as she recoiled from his touch. "You know, at least, we need to get you out of this rain."

"I can walk by myself, thank you," Minako spat out, jerking away from his grip.

Duo let out an exasperated sigh as he watched her picked up her bag from the floor and flinched. "I'm just trying to help. You're welcome by the way."

Minako opened her mouth to retaliate but exhaled her breath in a rush of impatience instead and turned away, too frustrated to even speak. She began limping ahead of him and she had her hand pressed against the wall for support. The sight of her forcing herself like this obviously had the effect of intensifying his guilt. He might not feel like hitting on her or even resuming their previous confrontation but his cavalier manners dictated that he could not allow such feminine creature, who was in obvious state of distress, limping about on her own, defenseless, cold and in the middle of the night like this.

Sighing and dismissing his growing irritation and weariness, he strode towards her. She looked up at him in puzzle, quickly concealing the brief inkling of pain in her features. Then, swiftly and without a word, he lifted her into his arms, emitting a cry from her and after a minute of adjustment, he trotted down the path, carrying her form.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Minako exclaimed, struggling to get out of his grip while at the same time, contemplating whether to hit him with her bag or give him a surprise punch. "Haven't you done enough? Let go of me, you pig!"

"Look, here's how it goes." His tone was so serious that Minako immediately lapsed into silence. "Whether or not you appreciate my help, I am still going to get you to the doctor. You can kick and scream all you want and try to escape but you will do it after you see the doctor. You can try to run now but you as well as I know, you are in no condition to go far." He let out a sigh, as though the mere act of talking and carrying her at the same time had drained away his energy. "So let's not make it any harder for either of us and just be quiet for the next five minutes, okay?"