Love is in Danger!, a gundam wing/ac fanfic

Disclaimer: All Gundam Wing characters and references belong to their respective owners. The song Duvet from Serial Experiment Lain belongs to the artist and the company that recorded it and was used in this story with the best of intentions. Story elements © Hideki LaShae. No money was gained in the writing of this story.

Love is in Danger!

By Hideki LaShae

And you don't seem to understand
A shame you seemed an honest man
And all the fears you hold so dear
Will turn to whisper in your ear
And you know what they say might hurt you
And you know that it means so much
And you don't even feel a thing
I am falling, I am fading
I have lost it all…

Duvet – Serial Experiments Lain

Trowa walks towards the school building. He doesn't understand the forces that compelled him to go there, but he knows that if she's there, he has to see her… even if it is only just for a moment. He doesn't know why he wants to see her so badly, and he has no idea what he'll do if he does happen to find her there. He just wants to see her. He needs to see her… if she's there, he needs to see her smile, but he doesn't know why he needs to be near her. His feet take him closer to his objective as he ponders all of these questions. The only thing he knows for sure is what he'll say if he sees her.

"Have we met before?"

Trowa stops in his tracks and turns around to look upon the source of the voice. His emerald green eyes widen as he looks upon the object of his search, and he asks the question he had wanted to ask her. "Have we met before?"

"Maybe once… in a dream," says the girl smiling. Her forest green eyes lock Trowa's emerald green in a long gaze. "My name is…"

"Makoto," whispers Trowa.

The girl raises her eyebrows curiously. "Close… My name is Kino Kikyo… My mother is named Makoto. Who are you?"

"Trowa Barton…"

The girl holds out her hand. "Nice to meet you, Trowa."

Trowa takes her hand and shakes it. He smiles slightly. His brown hair falls over one of his eyes to completely hide it from view, and his other eye looks at Kikyo with an emotionless gaze. "Same, Kino."

"Kikyo's fine!" exclaims Kikyo giggling.

The school bell rings.

"Oh, no! I'm late! I hope they don't give me detention for this!" exclaims Kikyo, "I'll be at the coffee shop on the corner of Third and Maple after school!" She hurries off towards the school building at a run.

Trowa watches the girl run away. He smirks slightly as he continues on into the school to complete his registration forms and pick up his schoolbooks before he officially starts class the next day.

Trowa walks into the coffee shop late that afternoon. He looks around for the girl. He sees the brown ponytail first, and he sits down at a table.

Kikyo walks up to Trowa's table wearing an apron over her blue pleated skirt and white t-shirt. She holds a notepad and a pencil in her hands. She smiles. "Hello, Trowa. I was hoping that you would stop by today! I help out here at the shop after school. My mother owns this coffee shop. Would you like a drink? I can sit down and take a break with you."

Trowa nods. "Anything."

Kikyo walks off quickly and comes back with two small bowls of hot tea. She sets them down on the table and sits down across from Trowa. She holds her bowl in both hands and stares at the liquid inside.

Trowa's emerald green eyes stare at the girl in front of him. He lifts his bowl and takes a sip.

"I was hoping that maybe you were real," says Kikyo.

Trowa raises his eyebrows and looks at Kikyo.

Kikyo rolls her forest green eyes and chuckles nervously when she sees Trowa looking at her. "It's not everyday my dreams come true, you know. The dream I had of you felt so real… When I saw you there at school… I thought I was still asleep and dreaming again. I'm still not entirely sure that I'm awake."

"You had a dream of me?"

"Yes. We were in the middle of a blizzard. You came looking for me," says Kikyo, "I don't know why… We apparently hadn't met before." She takes a sip of her tea and looks at Trowa. She smiles. "Why do you ask? You look rather surprised, as if this is something maybe that you expected… Did you have a dream of me too? Maybe it was destiny! Maybe we were meant to be together and our dreams were telling us so."

Trowa sets down his bowl and stands.

"Are you leaving, Trowa? Please, don't go!" Kikyo stands up. She lifts both bowls. "I'll be just a minute."

Trowa stares at Kikyo until she walks into the coffee shop's small kitchen. He watches the door until Kikyo comes out again without her apron.

Kikyo takes Trowa's hand and pulls him out of the coffee shop. "I'm really glad you came by."

Trowa's eyes hide any emotions that he might feel when Kikyo holds his hand and pulls him towards the temple down the hill.

And you don't even feel a thing…

"I was surprised when I saw you at school. How did you find me?" asks Kikyo.

"I wasn't looking for you," whispers Trowa. He has no qualms with lying to her right now. He can't protect her if she knows the truth. He may not be able to protect her anyway, but at least if she doesn't know about the circumstances of his arrival, she won't be hurt by it.

"Oh… you weren't… but…" Kikyo releases Trowa's hand and turns away from him. She looks at the gate into the temple. "Did you have a dream of me? Why are you here, Trowa?"

"I met Kino Makoto, not your mother, but you," says Trowa quietly turning away from Kikyo.

Kikyo turns back towards Trowa with wide eyes full of incomprehension. "What? Are you saying…? You met someone who looks like me but was named after my mother? What was she like?"

Trowa shrugs his shoulders and starts to walk away.

"Trowa. Don't leave me," says Kikyo quickly.

Trowa stops, but he doesn't turn towards Kikyo.

Kikyo steps up beside Trowa. "I feel like I know you… not well, but well enough to know that there is some connection between us. I know that you don't like to talk, so you don't have to. I can talk, and you can listen. But don't try to tell me that I can't be around you. Ever since I had that dream where we were lost in a snowstorm together, all I've wanted to do was be close to you. Don't walk away from me."

Trowa nods.

Kikyo smiles. "Thank you, Trowa. Should we head into the temple now? It's rather peaceful in there. I think you'll like it."

Trowa doesn't pull away when Kikyo grabs his hand and pulls him through the gate into the temple.

Kikyo leads Trowa to a large old tree with a bench sitting in front of it. She sits down on the bench. "This is where I come whenever I need to be alone. This is a sacred tree. I don't know the full legend surrounding it, but it's always made me feel peaceful when I sit beneath it."

Trowa sits down on the bench beside Kikyo and looks at the tree.

"I was six when I first moved here to this town," says Kikyo, "and this tree was the only thing that gave me strength when I first arrived. I was alone, but I never felt that way whenever I was sitting beneath it." She looks at Trowa and smiles. She slides closer to him and rests her head against his shoulder. "We can leave whenever you're ready to, Trowa."

Trowa nods his head, but he doesn't move until Kikyo sits up straight again some five minutes later. He stands up and holds out his hand for her.

Kikyo takes Trowa's hand and stands up. "I need to be getting home. I want to see you again though, will I?"

"You could…" Trowa walks away from Kikyo. He pulls a piece of gum from his pocket and sticks it into his mouth. He doesn't seem to notice that a small piece of paper fell from his pocket. He leaves the temple grounds quickly.

Kikyo hurries to pick up the paper. She looks at it and reads the words written on it. She smiles. "I'll see you tomorrow at school, Trowa!"

Kikyo sits in her desk in the lecture hall trying to concentrate on what the teacher is saying. She looks at her paper and notices that the only notes she took during this entire time was the date 1953, but what was it that happened in 1953? She sighs and looks at the teacher again.

The doors open and the school's administrative assistant leads a tall boy into the lecture hall.

Kikyo turns her eyes to the boy at once, and her heart skips a beat.

The boy stands in his school uniform, the standard navy blue blazer with matching pants and tie. His brown hair mostly covers his face and hides one of his emerald green eyes completely, but the part of his face not hidden by his hair holds an emotionless, blank expression.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," says the female who accompanied Trowa into the lecture hall, "but you have a new student arriving today."

"Thank you," says the teacher gruffly, "And your name is…?"

"Trowa Barton."

"Very well, you may sit by… Kino!" exclaims the teacher scanning the hall for a vacant seat, "Kino, I would like you to show Barton around the school until he gets familiar with where everything is!"

Kikyo stands up so that the new boy would be able to find her and the vacant seat that he is supposed to take. She nods her head. "I will be his guide."

Trowa walks up the stairs towards the row where Kikyo sits. He pushes his way past a few of the other students and sits down beside Kikyo, placing his notebook and textbook on the desktop in front of him as he does so.

Kikyo sits down again. She smiles. "I'm Kino Kikyo. Nice to meet you."

Trowa doesn't make any signs that he recognizes the girl beside him.

The teacher begins to drill on again as Trowa opens his notebook.

Kikyo watches Trowa for several minutes. She finally turns her eyes to her paper and makes a quick note.

Trowa looks at Kikyo through the corner of his eye and the edges of his lips turn up in a slight smile.

Kikyo walks beside Trowa to the dining hall, and she leads him up to a table. She sits down.

Trowa looks around the room uncertainly.

"Join me, Trowa," says Kikyo in a quiet, demanding tone.

Trowa sits down beside Kikyo and looks at the empty dishes in front of them.

"Where are you from, Trowa?" asks Kikyo quietly as she smiles at Trowa.

"No where."

"All right. You don't have to tell me," says Kikyo looking at the empty plate in front of her.

"Hey, Kikyo! Aren't you going to sit with us today?" calls a girl with long blond hair in twin ponytails on the side of her head. She sits at a table with three other girls.

The other blond haired girl has her waist-long locks pulled into a high ponytail with a red ribbon. "Yeah, come on over, Kikyo!"

Kikyo looks at her four friends and smiles. She sees the black-haired girl smiling happily and the shorthaired girl waving. She stands up. "I'll be back in just a moment, Trowa."

Trowa watches Kikyo walk away from their table.

"Hi, girls! Sorry, but I won't be joining you for lunch today. I'm the only person that Trowa knows right now, and I don't want him to eat alone! So I'll be sitting with him today!" exclaims Kikyo smiling.

"Oh, okay," says the girl with the short bluish-black hair.

"We'll see you after school at the coffee shop though, right?" asks the girl with the waist-long, straight black hair.

Kikyo nods. "Of course! I'll be at the coffee shop tonight!"

"We'll stop by after school!" exclaims the girl with the single blond ponytail.

"Okay!" Kikyo hurries back over to the table and sits down beside Trowa again. "Those are my friends! The black-haired girl is Hino Nene. She lives right beside the temple we were at yesterday. Her grandfather used to run the temple before he died last year. The blond with the two ponytails, she is Tsukino Linna. The other blond is Aino Sango, and the girl with the short hair, her name is Mizuno Yukari. If you'll be by the coffee shop this afternoon, I could introduce you to them!"

Trowa shakes his head.

"I understand. You're probably still moving into your new house," says Kikyo.

A waiter steps up to the table carrying a basket of bread and a pitcher of water on a serving tray. "Today, we are serving Chicken Fettuccini, Veal Parmesan, or Vegetarian Lasagna. What would you like today?"

"I would recommend the Chicken Fettuccini," says Kikyo smiling at Trowa. She nods to the waiter. "I'll have the chicken, please."

Trowa nods. "Same."

"Very well. It will be just a moment," says the waiter smiling and walking away.

"Prep schools. Just can't get used to some of the things they do, no matter how long you've been there," says Kikyo smiling. She continues to talk about the town, about the coffee shop, and her entire life while she sits close to Trowa during the hour-long lunch break. She tells Trowa all about her little brother, Sota who lives with her father in America, and her mother, Makoto, who runs the coffee shop.

Trowa just listens to Kikyo talk while he eats with a slight smile on his face.

"He is so cute! He's really shy, and he hardly talks at all! He has this air of mystery surrounding him!" exclaims Kikyo as she puts on her dark green T-shirt.

"You like him, don't you?" asks the other girl pulling her brown hair up into a high ponytail.

"I can't help it, Kagome! I do like him!" exclaims Kikyo, "I had a dream about him… I mean, I had a dream that he was in before I met him! I don't know what it means, and I don't know why I had it, but I did have the dream about him!"

"Hey! Kikyo! Listen, girl! You can't fall in love with him! You can't fall in love! Do you hear me?" asks Kagome staring at Kikyo with wide forest green eyes.

"I'm not a fool. I'm not in love with him, Kagome," says Kikyo, "I just really like him." She pulls the hair tie from her brown hair and shakes her head so that her hair flies free from its containment. "Well… I'm ready."

"Me too. We'd better both get going!" exclaims Kagome smiling.

"You have fun out there, okay, Kagome?"

"And you be careful out there, okay, Kikyo?"

Kikyo nods. She hurries from the room as Kagome heads up the stairs.

And you know that it means so much…

"This is Jupiter, reporting for instructions," says Kikyo saluting the man behind the desk in front of her.

"Here's your next assignment," says the man passing a paper to Kikyo, "You know the drill by now, Jupiter. Memorize it and destroy it. If you should happen to be caught, we will deny all knowledge of your existence."

"Have I been caught yet?" asks Kikyo smiling.

The man chuckles. "Let's keep it that way, okay, Jupiter?"

"Of course, commander!" exclaims Kikyo with a curt nod, "I will complete my mission and I will return here for further instructions!"

"You do that… Go on now, Jupiter. You're on a limited time frame," says the man.

"I always am," says Kikyo, "Don't worry, I'll be back in plenty of time!" She hurries out of the enclosed office and grabs her backpack from her storage locker before heading out of the secret base in a forest green Jaguar. She races down the freeway towards her intended objective, and she pulls off the road into the dark forest. She climbs from the car and pulls the backpack onto her back.

Kikyo grabs a set of night vision goggles from the glove box and pulls them onto her head before running away from the car. She hurries towards the OZ base. She slips onto the base with relative ease and breaks into the office building. She finds the computer she needs and turns it on as she pulls her goggles off. She whispers to herself, "Security here is really slack. What's up with that? I've never seen security this relaxed."

The computer whirs quietly as Kikyo starts to search it for the information she's been required to retrieve. She pulls a mini CD from her backpack and inserts it into a slot on the computer. She copies the files she needs and sits back to relax while the computer transfers her copies onto the CD.

Alarms all over the complex sound as a loud explosion erupts on the other side.

Kikyo stands up quickly and looks around in shock. She hurries to flip the lock on the door and she walks back over to the desk. She stares at the computer. She speaks with a quiet, frightened voice, "Fifty-seven percent completed. Please hurry!"

Several sets of footsteps run past the door.

Kikyo pulls a gun from her backpack and slides her night vision goggles over her eyes. She kneels down and looks at the door in case someone tries to enter. She almost jumps out of her skin when the computer beeps quietly. She stands up and pulls the mini CD from the computer. She places the CD into its case and tucks it back into her backpack. She secures the bag on her back again and makes a quick dive out of the window.

A large Gundam moves out from behind a building shooting at half a dozen mobile suits.

Kikyo freezes in her tracks for a moment. She pulls her night vision goggles off and looks at the Gundam, illuminated by the spotlights from the guard towers.

For a split second, the Gundam stops its attack on the mobile suits.

Kikyo smiles at the Gundam and nods her head. She runs off towards the fence and shoots the men who rush towards her. She jumps when she gets close to the fence and pulls herself over the top with one quick action. She falls on the other side and runs away into the forest. She stops just long enough to pull her night vision goggles back on before she races towards her car.

Kikyo throws the backpack into the passenger seat. She climbs into the driver's seat and tosses her goggles into the glove box again. She starts the engine and races back the way she had come. She parks the forest green Jaguar back in her parking spot and carries her backpack into the secret base. She drops her backpack in her storage locker and takes the CD with her back to the man's office. "Hey, commander! I got that info you wanted."

"Welcome back, Sailor Jupiter!" exclaims the man taking the CD case from Kikyo, "So… How did it go, Jupiter?"

"There were complications…"

"What kind of complications?"

"A Gundam attacked the base while I was there," says Kikyo.

"A Gundam?" asks the man with wide eyes, "You're sure?"

"Hey, commander! I know a Gundam when I see one, okay? It was a Gundam!" exclaims Kikyo, "It had a large shield, and a lot of weapons! I know what I saw! It was definitely a Gundam! It was attacking the base, but I managed to get out in one piece with the information you requested!"

"And thank you very much for that, Jupiter," says the man.

Kikyo sits down and bites her bottom lip.

"Is something bothering you, Jupiter?"

"No… it's… it's nothing… It's just… well…" Kikyo sighs. "I've never seen a Gundam in this area before. Why would it just suddenly appear tonight? Why tonight? Why that base? Why when I was in there getting this information? It's like the pilot of that Gundam knew that I was going to be there!"

"There's no way that he could have known any of it! I don't know why the Gundam came to the base tonight, but if it will make you feel better, I'll put Mars on a detail to try to find out," says the man.

Kikyo nods. "Yes, commander. Thank you!"

"Now, you'd better get to your bunk and get some rest. I have another mission for you tomorrow," says the man.

"Right, and I have to get back to school the day after that too!" exclaims Kikyo with a smile, "I can't work for you all the time you know!"

"In a hurry to get back to school? Is there something you're not telling me?" asks the man.

"I've made a new friend. That's all. I'll be back to get my assignment tomorrow." Kikyo nods her head to the man and heads out of his office. She hurries down two flights of stairs to a small private room containing only a bed, a toilet and sink, and a small dresser. She pulls off her shoes and black jeans and lies down on the bed wearing just her t-shirt and underwear. She fluffs the pillow slightly and relaxes as she sets the alarm on her watch. She closes her eyes and goes to sleep.

Kikyo heads out in her forest green Jaguar again. She heads this time to another OZ base, one on the opposite side of the Japanese island than the one she had visited the night before. She parks her car in a hidden location and pops the trunk. She places a forest green baseball cap on her head before she grabs a sniper rifle from the trunk. She slings it over her shoulder with the strap and lifts a nine-millimeter to tuck it into the back of her pants. She tucks a few extra clips for the nine-millimeter into a pouch around her waist. She takes out a small portable camera and slips it into her t-shirt pocket. Then she walks towards the base.

Kikyo reaches the base and looks at the number of guards. She counts at least ten guards covering a stretch of fence only fifty feet long. "They must be on alert because of the attack last night from the Gundam."

The OZ soldiers walk around with machine guns looking nervously about them.

Kikyo pulls the rifle from her back and lies on her stomach in the dirt as she aims it at the soldiers. She takes a deep breath and lines a soldier up in her sights. She pulls the trigger and watches the soldier fall. She turns her sights quickly to another soldier and fires, then she fires at another, and another. She pushes herself to her feet, slings the rifle over her shoulder again, and runs as fast as she can to the fence. She pulls a pair of extremely sharp fence cutters from her pants pocket and slices a hole in the fence to gain entrance. She draws the gun from the back of her pants and runs towards the main building.

The alarms sound all around Kikyo, but she keeps going. She shoots any soldiers that run her way, and she races into the building. She makes her way to an office and shoots the lock. She steps inside and swings the door closed behind her. She aims her gun at the chair. "Don't move!"

The man in the chair glances nervously to Kikyo's right as he holds his hands up in a submissive position.

A shame you seemed an honest man…

Kikyo glances to her right and stares wide-eyed at the boy in the corner of the office. She recognizes the brown hair and the emerald green eyes, but she never expected to see him here of all places, and aiming a gun at her while aiming another gun at the man sitting at the desk. She smiles. She looks at the man behind the desk. "Do as we say, and you just might live!"

"Who are you?" whispers the man.

"Jupiter!" exclaims Kikyo, "I'm Sailor Jupiter!" She walks towards him and knocks him over the head with her gun. She pulls out the camera from her pocket as she tucks the gun in the back of her pants.

The man slumps down in his chair.

"So… what are you here for?" asks Kikyo as she opens a file cabinet quickly and rifles through the files. She pulls out one and opens it. She starts to take pictures of it with her camera.

"Getting information. You?" replies Trowa staring at Kikyo in shock.

Kikyo smiles. "Same thing. I work for a special organization that is trying to discredit and destroy OZ. That's all I can tell you I'm afraid. What about you? You want to destroy OZ too?"

"Yes." Trowa nods.

Kikyo finishes taking pictures and she quickly stuffs the file back into the file cabinet. She pulls out her gun and changes the clip quickly. "We'd better get the info you need and get out of here!"

"I'm done."

Kikyo nods. "Let's go then!"

Trowa leads the way out with Kikyo following just a step behind. They shoot any soldiers that get into their way and rush off the base.

"Do you need a ride back?" asks Kikyo, "I brought my car!"

Trowa shakes his head.

"Are you sure?" asks Kikyo, "It's not a problem!"

"Go," whispers Trowa.

Kikyo nods. "Okay… I'll go… You be careful though, Trowa! I will see you back in school tomorrow won't I?"

Trowa smiles slightly.

"Great!" exclaims Kikyo, "I'll see you tomorrow!" She runs off to return to her car, and she drives away from the base even as the Gundam attacks the base. She returns the Jaguar to its parking spot and enters the base where she works. She hurries to her boss's office. She tosses the camera down on his desk. "There's what you wanted!"

"Jupiter?"

"I'm sorry! I have to go! I'm meeting someone and I have to get ready!" exclaims Kikyo smiling happily. Her cheeks turn pink.

"Jupiter? What are you talking about?" asks the man, "You know you can't get involved!"

"It's just a friend," says Kikyo, "Just a friend that I care about! It's not like that at all! We're friends!"

"Okay… I've seen that look in agents eyes before, Jupiter," says the man standing, "There is something more to this than friendship. It's a boy, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's a boy, but I don't think that it will ever be more than friendship! You don't have to worry about me!" exclaims Kikyo, "I'm Sailor Jupiter! I can handle anything!"

"Even your own heart? You can't fall in love with this boy! You understand that, don't you?"

"I understand that. I won't fall in love with him! I can control my own heart! I won't fall in love!" exclaims Kikyo, "Don't worry about that! I won't fall in love with him!"

"You're a good girl, Jupiter!" exclaims the man with a smile.

Kikyo nods. She hurries out of the office and hurries home. She sits down on her bed and reads a book until Kagome comes into the room.

"Kikyo? What are you doing back so soon? I thought you were going to be gone all week!" exclaims Kagome looking at Kikyo in shock.

"I'm sorry, Kagome! But I forgot that I promised to meet that boy, Trowa, and give him a tour of the town!" exclaims Kikyo, "Did you want to do that with him?"

"I would rather face a hundred missions than go off with a strange boy!" exclaims Kagome, "He might have asked for the tour just so he could get you alone and take advantage of you!"

"Don't worry! I'll be okay!" exclaims Kikyo, "Do you mind going back?"

Kagome shakes her head. "Not at all! I'd rather go on a hundred missions than face one day at school! So I'll see you next weekend then! Oh, and the gang is coming by on Tuesday afternoon to drag you off to a new donut shop downtown!"

"Okay, great!" exclaims Kikyo smiling.

"Bring me a donut if you could," says Kagome smiling.

"Will do!"

Kagome hurries out of the room while Kikyo gets ready for bed.

"Trowa… could I… well… I was wondering…"

"What, Kikyo?"

"How long have you been in town? Do you need someone to show you around? I could, you know… I wouldn't mind taking you on a tour this afternoon," says Kikyo blushing slightly, "If you wanted me to, and if you don't mind hanging out with me for a few hours. The coffee shop isn't that busy on Monday afternoons, so Mom won't be needing my help there today."

Trowa nods and walks a few steps towards the front doors to the school. He stops when he notices that Kikyo isn't following. He turns to look at her with the one emerald green eye that isn't hidden beneath his hair. "Aren't you coming?"

Kikyo smiles happily and jogs up to Trowa. She takes his hand gently and pulls him forward out of the school. "I'm glad you came here!"

Trowa holds Kikyo's hand and squeezes it gently as Kikyo leads him through town telling him everything she knows about the individual buildings and shops and the people around them.

Kikyo looks into Trowa's emotionless eyes and slides closer to him so that her shoulder brushes up against his as they walk.

Trowa leans a little closer to Kikyo and whispers into her ear, "Who are you, Jupiter?"

"My name is Kino Kikyo, and I am a soldier, a spy, named Sailor Jupiter. Who are you, Trowa?"

"Trowa Barton. The same."

"Would you like some ice cream? My treat!" exclaims Kikyo as they approach an ice cream shop.

Trowa smiles.

"Hey! Is that a smile?" asks Kikyo. She smiles and stares at Trowa in amazement. She swallows hard. "You should smile more often, Trowa! It really looks good on you!"

Trowa pulls Kikyo into the ice cream shop.

"Hello, Sensei! Can I get two vanilla cones?" asks Kikyo. She turns to Trowa. "You like vanilla, don't you?"

Trowa nods his head.

"Yeah. Two vanilla cones, please, Sensei!" exclaims Kikyo.

The old man sees Kikyo holding Trowa's hand, and he raises his eyebrows. "Two vanilla cones. Would this happen to be a date, Miss Kikyo?"

"Well, I… I am actually giving my friend here a tour of the town! He's new to the area!" exclaims Kikyo pulling some folded bills from her skirt pocket. She passes one to the old man before returning the rest to her pocket.

The old man steps away from the counter to make up the two vanilla cones. He returns and passes them to the two teenagers.

"Thank you, Sensei!" exclaims Kikyo bowing slightly to him, "My friend here is named Trowa. He's really shy and doesn't talk that much."

And you don't seem to understand…

"Now, Miss Kikyo. Mister Trowa… the next time I see you here together, I want it to be a date, do you understand?" asks the old man smiling.

Kikyo blushes.

Trowa nods his head.

"Well, I'll see you later then," says the old man.

Trowa pulls Kikyo out of the ice cream shop.

Kikyo and Trowa walk down the street together eating their ice cream while Kikyo continues to tell him about the city.

"I have to go home pretty soon," says Kikyo as she watches the sunset in the park with Trowa, "It's getting late."

"I'll walk you home," whispers Trowa.

Kikyo blushes and nods her head.

Kagome slowly enters Kikyo's bedroom. She collapses onto the bed.

"Kagome? Are you… are you all right?" asks Kikyo fearfully.

"I almost got caught… in China," whispers Kagome, "You'll have to take over on both fronts for awhile… I'm sorry."

"Don't worry! Other Sailors do it, and so can I!" exclaims Kikyo, "You rest up and relax! I'll handle everything! I can do it on my own if I absolutely have to! But just for a little while! So heal yourself, okay?"

Kagome nods her head. "The mission tonight is complete. So you start the double shift tomorrow. I hope you don't have any big plans."

"No… I'll have to tell Mom that I have a lot of homework I'll need to work on at the library, and I'll have to cancel the get-together that you planned with the girls. I'll tell them that the new boy, Trowa, asked me to tutor him so that he can catch up with his classes," says Kikyo.

And all the fears you hold so dear
Will turn to whisper in your ear…

"And what will you tell him?" whispers Kagome.

"There's only one thing I can tell him," says Kikyo quietly as she looks away from Kagome, "That I'm going to be busy."

"Kikyo… look at me," says Kagome staring wide-eyed at Kikyo's back.

Kikyo turns to look at Kagome, and she smiles.

"Oh, no! Kikyo, you didn't…!" Kagome's forest green eyes widen even further as she looks into Kikyo's similar forest green eyes.

"I've done nothing," says Kikyo grabbing the blanket and wrapping it around Kagome, "Now… please… go to sleep, Kagome. And rest."

"Okay… but promise me that you won't fall in love with him," whispers Kagome.

"I promise, Kagome," says Kikyo. She whispers to herself as she sits down at her desk to do her homework, "I won't fall for him again."

The next afternoon, instead of going to work at the coffee shop, Kikyo heads to the secret base. She enters her superior's office. "Jupiter, reporting in!"

"Jupiter? I was expecting to see Sailor girl. How is everything?" asks the man relaxing in his desk.

"Getting better," says Kikyo, "I think everything should be normal by the weekend. At least I hope so. It's very likely."

The man nods. "Good. You're going to be going even further away than last night, I'm afraid. Outer Mongolia. Be careful…"

"I always am," says Kikyo.

The man passes a manila file folder to Kikyo.

Kikyo looks over the papers quickly. She nods her head. "Don't worry, commander! You'll get it!"
"I know I can count on you!" exclaims the man.

Kikyo passes the folder back and hurries out of the office. She grabs her backpack and runs out to her forest green Jaguar. She drives her car into the cargo hold of a plane and calls out to the awaiting pilot. "I'm ready! Let's fly!"

The plane takes off while Kikyo hurries to attach a vehicular parachute to the Jaguar.

"We are approaching the drop zone, Sailor Jupiter!" calls the pilot.

"Roger that!" exclaims Kikyo clipping the parachute release line to the plane, "I'm ready to drop! Give me a count-down, okay?" She climbs into the car and rolls the window down so she can hear the co-pilot count down the three minutes.

The cargo-bay doors open, and the Jaguar slides out of the plane and falls towards the ground. The parachute opens, and Kikyo's car lands safely on a deserted stretch of dirt road.

Kikyo climbs from the car and folds the parachute into the small backseat. She returns to the driver's seat and zips away. She drives to the OZ base and crashes through the main gates. She holds a machine gun out the window and fires at the soldiers as they try to stop her from getting further onto the grounds. She crashes her car through the side of the mobile suit storage building and through two of the Leo class suits before her engine explodes sending a third Leo up in flames. She scrambles from the driver's seat before her gas tank catches fire. "Dammit! This was my favorite car!"

The OZ soldiers run into the storage building.

Kikyo climbs into the last Leo mobile suit and guides it quickly out of the building. She downloads the information she needs straight from the cockpit as she sits within it firing its machine gun at the soldiers around her.

A Gundam lands in front of Kikyo's suit and aims its weapons at her.

Kikyo grabs the mini CD and jumps out of the Leo's cockpit even as the blast from the Gundam flies towards the suit. She stands and looks up at the Gundam. "Thanks for the assist, Gundam! I'll just leave the rest of these guys to you then!"

The rain starts to fall as Kikyo runs towards a soldier and kills him with a knife hidden within her shirtsleeve. She takes his machine gun and starts shooting the soldiers that stand between her and her only hope of exiting the base.

Kikyo and the Gundam both shoot down the enemy soldiers. After nearly fifteen minutes, the soldiers quit rushing to their doom.

Kikyo shivers as the cold rain washes away the sweat from her recent exercise. She looks at the Gundam, and her eyes widen as she sees the boy standing in front of the Gundam. "You… you are the pilot?"

Trowa looks at Kikyo and simply nods his head.

Kikyo looks down at her clothing, and she sees the soaking wet, forest green T-shirt clinging to her body while her black denim jeans drip water. She runs her hand through her wet brown hair, and she looks at him again. "I'm glad to see you."

"What are you doing here?" asks Trowa.

"My job. I'm Sailor Jupiter, super-spy… remember?" asks Kikyo walking towards Trowa.

Trowa watches Kikyo walk towards him, but he doesn't move.

Kikyo steps up to Trowa and wraps her arms around him.

I am falling, I am fading…

Kikyo leans in and kisses Trowa on the lips. Then she rests her head on his shoulder. "I don't suppose that you could give me a ride back to Japan… I accidentally shot the plane I was going to steal and take home."

Trowa wraps his arm protectively around Kikyo's back. "Yes."

Kikyo tilts her head to quickly kiss Trowa again.

Trowa steps away from Kikyo and climbs up into the Gundam's cockpit.

Kikyo follows after Trowa and climbs into the cockpit.

Trowa pulls out a handkerchief and ties it over Kikyo's eyes the second she completely enters the cockpit.

"You can't let me see anything, right?" asks Kikyo, "Well, thanks for not blindfolding me until after I made that climb!" She shivers slightly.

Trowa pulls Kikyo into his lap in the pilot's chair and wraps his arm around her to try to warm her up. He closes the cockpit hatch and guides his Gundam away from the destroyed OZ base.

Kikyo shivers in Trowa's arms.

"Cold, Kikyo?" whispers Trowa into Kikyo's ear.

"Yes… I think I overdid it in that rainstorm," whispers Kikyo. She cuddles up to Trowa and shivers again.

Trowa rubs Kikyo's arm with his free hand.

"Are we close to Japan now?" whispers Kikyo, "I need to get back to the base. I have to report in before I can go home."

"We're almost to Japan. Where do I take you?" says Trowa.

"Please… take me to the ice cream shop. I'll have to walk from there. I can't let you get any closer to the base. No outsider must ever know where it is," says Kikyo shaking even harder.

"You're not walking anywhere. Where's the base?"

The sternness in Trowa's voice makes Kikyo shudder, and she whispers the coordinates.

Trowa nods. He flies his Gundam to the coordinates and lands a little ways away. He helps Kikyo down to the ground before he unties the blindfold over her eyes.

Kikyo blinks and looks around. "Thank you, Trowa. You must go now! I'll see you in school tomorrow!"

Trowa nods. "Tomorrow."

Kikyo runs off while Trowa returns to the cockpit and leaves the area.

Kikyo rests her head on her desk and closes her eyes.

Trowa steps up beside Kikyo and sets his hand on her shoulder.

Kikyo lifts her head and looks at Trowa. She smiles. "Hi…"

Trowa nods his head.

"I'm fine," says Kikyo, "really… I am…"

Trowa nods and takes his seat beside her.

Kikyo leans over and whispers into Trowa's ear, "I have to go out again tonight, but there's something I want to tell you before I leave… please meet me at the temple after school."

Trowa looks at Kikyo for a moment, and his eyes show a spark of emotion, much unlike their normally blank gaze.

Kikyo smiles at Trowa and turns her attention to the teacher in the front of the lecture hall.

In the late afternoon, Trowa walks onto the temple grounds and heads towards the old tree where he had sat with Kikyo. He sees her pacing nervously beneath the tree, and his pace quickens. He steps up to Kikyo and stops in front of her.

Kikyo looks at Trowa. She takes a deep breath and sits down on the bench.

"Kikyo," whispers Trowa as he sits down beside her.

Kikyo smiles as she looks into Trowa's eye. She reaches up slowly and pushes his hair away so that she can see both of his emerald green eyes. "Trowa, I love you…"

And you know what they say might hurt you…

Trowa's eyes widen, and he opens his mouth as if to speak.

Kikyo takes this opportunity to give Trowa an open-mouthed kiss. She stands up quickly after pulling out of the kiss. "Well, that's all I had to say. I… hope to see you again, Trowa!"

"Kikyo!" Trowa stands up.

Kikyo runs away from Trowa and hurries off the temple grounds. She hurries home and enters her bedroom crying. "Oh, Kagome!"

"Kikyo? What's wrong?" asks Kagome looking up at her sister and dropping the roll of bandages she had been wrapping around the wound on her arm, "Oh, Kikyo! What happened?"

Kikyo falls into Kagome's arms. "I've done the unthinkable, Kagome! I've taken on a mission that I'm almost certain not to come back from! And what's worse… is that I need to come back!"

"Talk to me, Kikyo!"

"I've fallen in love! Kagome, I've fallen in love with Trowa!" exclaims Kikyo sobbing uncontrollably.

"Kikyo! You promised!" exclaims Kagome rubbing Kikyo's back.

"I know! But… I promised that I wouldn't fall after I already had!"

"Oh, Kikyo! Help me with my bandages. I'll go back out!" exclaims Kagome, "I'm not that badly hurt. I'm okay… really… I was going to tell you tomorrow that I thought I was ready for duty again!"

"No, you're not!" exclaims Kikyo wiping her eyes.

"Neither are you right now!" exclaims Kagome, "And you've already accepted the mission! So one of us has to do it, and you can't! I will!"

"I have to tell you one thing… He's the pilot of a Gundam!" exclaims Kikyo.

"Help me get ready, and you can tell me everything about him… in case I meet him out there!" exclaims Kagome smiling.

Kikyo wipes her eyes and smiles. "Thank you, Kagome! Be careful, and remember, I love you!"

"I love you too, sister."

Trowa takes his Gundam Heavyarms and heads out to destroy an OZ base that is manufacturing the Aries class mobile suits. He arrives a little late, to find the base already in chaos. He smiles to himself when he sees a familiar face on the ground shooting at the soldiers with two machine guns. He goes about his mission to destroy the plant facilities as quickly as he can. He returns to help Kikyo fight against the soldiers.

A shaking soldier turns his gun on Kikyo's and fires.

Kikyo screams and falls to the ground.

"Kikyo!" exclaims Trowa turning his gun on the soldier who had shot her.

Within a few moments, there isn't a soldier standing.

Trowa jumps down from the cockpit and runs to Kikyo's side. He sees the bullet-wound in her back and the pool of blood in which she lies. He rolls her over and pulls her into his arms. "Kikyo!"

"Hi, Trowa," whispers Kikyo, "Am… I hurt badly?"

Trowa nods.

"I thought so… There's a CD in my breast pocket… Could you take that to my boss?" asks Kikyo.

"At the base? Of course!" exclaims Trowa.

Kikyo smiles.

"Don't die, Kikyo! I love you too!" Trowa pulls Kikyo up into a quick kiss.

"I'm sorry, Trowa," whispers Kikyo closing her eyes. Her head falls limply backwards, and her body slumps in Trowa's arms.

"No!" screams Trowa.

I have lost it all…

Trowa lifts Kikyo's body into his arms and carefully climbs into the Gundam's cockpit with her. He cradles her in his arms and flies his Gundam away, to the coordinates she had given him the night before. He holds her close to him as he jumps out of the cockpit. He busts through the door of the manufacturing plant and looks around at the emptiness.

"Hey! You can't be in here!" exclaims a security guard aiming his gun at Trowa.

"I'm bringing Jupiter home!"

The security guard's eyes widen and he tucks his gun back into his holster. "Is she all right?"

"She's dead."

"Come this way," says the security guard, "I'll take you to the morgue."

"No! I'm taking her to her boss!" commands Trowa.

The security guard nods to Trowa. "This way."

Trowa follows the security guard down a flight of stairs into the base, and the security guard leads him to the enclosed office where Kikyo gets all her assignments. He enters the office and sets Kikyo down on the man's desk.

The man grabs Kikyo's left wrist and feels for a pulse as he looks at the small letter tattoo, an ornate "S". He lowers his head as he speaks, "Oh, no… Sailor girl's dead."

Trowa reaches into Kikyo's shirt pocket and pulls out a mini CD. He passes it to the man. "I hope it was worth Kikyo's death."

"Kikyo?" asks the man with a confused expression as Trowa turns around to leave the office, "Her name's not Kikyo."

"Right. It's Sailor Jupiter," says Trowa walking out of the office. He hurries out to his Gundam and leaves. He sends the school the information saying that he has transferred to another school, and he leaves Japan to return to the circus that he calls home.

Duvet – Serial Experiments Lain