Sing For Me, Rabbit
By Satanira
Thanks to Jewelclaw Lady of Wind, Queen Zephora Yami, Patricia16, and Dragon-rose-vine for reviewing. I love you guys! *glomps*
Oh, and Dragon-rose-vine, I'm not quite sure what you mean by Usagi- bashing. I mean, I made her into a murdering bitch, but she's not a klutzy airhead in this story. Does that help any?
Chapter Two~ Weaknesses
Serena shifted restlessly, her new silk dress in varying shades of silver rustling with each movement.
~I wish this were over.~ She complained to herself, although her face was a blank mask of polite indifference. ~Just two more years, and they can't marry me to a god if I don't want to.~ But until the two years were up, she'd be stuck sitting in the reception chamber of her suite, trying her best to subtly frighten away suitors.
A light tap on her door startled her from her thoughts.
"Enter." She commanded shortly, knowing full well it was her mother and the half-breed bastard and seeing no reason to be polite.
"Princess Serena." Chang Wufei said tersely, looking even meaner than his hologram.
"Prince Wufei." Serena responded, just as curtly, before turning to Queen Serenity. "You may leave us now, Mother." She all but sneered, daring the silver-haired woman to defy her.
Serenity looked about to argue for a moment, then her eyes clouded in defeat and she nodded meekly. "Very well, Serena. Prince Wufei, it was a pleasure to meet you." With a small half-bow, she turned and swept out of the room, closing the door gently behind her.
Wufei waited a few moments more before turning to Serena with an icy glare not even she could match.
"Let's get one thing straight right here and now." He said coldly. "I do not want to marry you. I'll assume for now that you don't want to marry me, either. Neither one of us has a say in this, however, so get used to the idea."
"And if I go against this marriage?" Serena countered, crossing her bare arms over her stomach.
"I'll understand." Wufei said, still stiff and emotionless. "You are a full-blooded princess of the Moon; I'm a half-blooded bastard who was raised as a soldier. But as I said before, it's not our decision to make."
"You're an interesting one. Most soldiers would jump at the chance to marry a woman of my standing."
"I would, too, if there were any available women of your standing, little girl." Wufei responded, leaning against the wall and crossing his own arms.
"How dare you speak to me like that?" Serena demanded shrilly, standing so quickly that the sleek black cat in her lap fell with a hiss. "You forget your place, soldier!"
Now he unbent enough to smile. "You have great fire in you." He said, pushing away from the wall and moving to stand in front of her. "I must say, I admire that in a woman." His smile widened slightly, and he stooped long enough to give her a feather-light kiss on the lips before turning and striding to the door. "That doesn't mean I like you, of course." He told the stunned princess before leaving.
Serena stood unmoving until the door slammed, then began to suddenly tremble.
"What the hell was that?" She whispered, confused, three fingers brushing the spot his lips had touched. "That...arrogant bastard..."
~*~*~*~
Wufei made it all the way to the corner of the hall before collapsing against the wall, laughing helplessly.
~Gods, but she's fun to taunt!~ He thought with amusement, sliding to the ground. ~What an uptight bitch!~
~*~Four Days Later~*~
Serena paused as she passed her private terminal. The red light indicating an incoming message was pulsing steadily.
"Who in the System would be sending me a message?" She wondered, sitting daintily on her mahogany stool and opening the file. To her surprise, Wufei's face appeared on the screen.
"I was lying." He said, smiling that irritating smirk of his. "I'm beginning to think that maybe I do like you. And just so you know, this isn't really a message. Feel free to start yelling at me any time now."
For a full ten second, Serena simply sat and blinked.
"You look a lot like an owl when you do that."
Blood rushed to Serena's cheeks, and she knew she was blushing. "Why you arrogant little bastard!" The princess screamed, her flush deepening as Wufei actually began laughing at her.
"That's it!" He exclaimed. "That's what I wanted to see! I swear, you look so cute when you're pissed! And all soldiers like to have a cute image of their girl when they're heading into battle!"
"What?" Serena asked, confused. No one would dare call her cute! This whole conversation was utterly impossible! "Battle? What are you talking about?"
"I don't know if you've noticed, all safe up there on your neutral little moon, but Earth and Venus are currently involved in a war with Mars. As a member of Earth's top forces, I'm guaranteed to fight. Get used to the idea, lovely. Thanks for the chat. Bai!" And the screen went blank.
"Hey!" Serena exclaimed. "Who the hell do you think you are?" She demanded of the poor defenseless terminal. "You can't call me up, purposely get me angry, then just hang up before I get the chance to chew you out for it!" She yelled. "Just you wait, Chang Wufei! You're going to pay dearly for this, so don't you dare die!"
~*~*~*~
"Captain Chang!" Someone behind him yelled, calling his attention from the terminal. "Captain Chang, we've got trouble!"
"What?" Wufei asked, forgetting completely about the universe at large, and his wife-to-be in particular.
"Captain Chang sir, Mars somehow got about half their army on Earth, and are now attacking villages in the Africas!" The soldier explained, saluting smartly. "The commander says you're to take your fighters and move out immediately to hold off the advance troops while the rest of our army moves in! You'll have full support of the natives, sir!"
"Alert my men." Wufei said, grabbing his katana and heading for his tent. "Tell them frontline packs only!" He added in a shout over his shoulder. Now was not the time for his fighters to decide they had to pack.
~*~The Next Day~*~
Wufei was sweating heavily, panting around a painful stitch in his side.
"Captain Chang, sir, should we head out again?" Miguel, his second in command, asked.
"Miguel, cut the formal bullshit." Wufei snapped, wiping his forehead with the back of his arm. "Taking the time for formalities on the front line will get you killed one of these days. And, yes, we're heading out again. But not you. I don't want anyone with a deep wound headed anywhere but to a medic. Spread the word."
"Yes." Miguel said with obvious relief, limping toward the tent that held the men under Wufei's command.
~Damn if I don't hate this shit.~ Wufei thought, folding his leg under him as he dropped to the ground. ~Five waves in less than a day. It's a wonder we aren't all dead.~ Princess Serena flashed across his inner eye, and he smiled. "I wonder what she'd do if I died before she could yell at me." He wondered out loud, a small smile playing on his lips.
"Got a sweetheart back home?" A voice behind him asked. By leaning backwards on his hands, Wufei discovered it was one of the dark-skinned native soldiers, a slim, agile woman named Umi.
"You could say that." He said, sitting up again as she plopped down in the mud next to him. "It's one of those arranged marriages, but I think I really like her."
"That is rare." Umi agreed, drawing her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on them. "Most men would hate her because they had to marry her."
"Anyone would hate her. I firmly believe that she's an arrogant cold- blooded bitch who would like nothing better than to kick me off a high cliff, if it wouldn't ruin her custom-made, silver-lined high heeled shoes."
"And you still like her, in spite of all that?"
"Because of." Wufei corrected. "After having met her, no other woman will ever do. Besides, I get the feeling that if she doesn't kill me, she'll make sure no one else does."
"This guardian angel of yours have a name?" Umi asked, giggling.
"Serena." Wufei said after a moment. "Princess Serena of the Moon Kingdom."
"And that would make you Prince Wufei, half-blooded son of King Darius of Earth." Umi replied. "News travels fast on the lips and pens of courtly ladies such as my cousin."
"I should have known." Wufei groaned, pushing himself to his feet. "Well, let's hope my bride-to-be will play guardian angel, as I'm about to charge one last time today. Care to join me?"
"How could I refuse?" Umi stood and stretched as well, grinning like a large black hunting cat. "A good battle is what I came here for, and you're the first man to see me as a warrior, not a prostitute in armor."
~*~*~*~
Serena paced her chambers restlessly, pausing now and again to stare at one of the many vidscreens she owned. Mars had managed to sneak troops onto Earth, and the fighting had been fierce for the past day. She'd actually seen Wufei in some of the live footage, so she knew he was alive, at least.
"Dammit, why did he have to go into battle now of all times?" The blond demanded, kicking her cat out of her way. "If he dies, I'll raise him from the dead and kill him again, I swear it!"
A knock on the outer door broke into her thoughts.
"What?" She demanded angrily, stomping to the door and yanking it open. To the young servant in the hallway, she was terrifying. Without speaking, he handed her an envelope and ran down the hall.
Serena slammed the door, turning the envelope over in her hands. It was decorated only with her name in large, slanted letters. She opened it and pulled out a single sheet of paper.
~Dear Serena~ It read,
~For lack of a vidscreen, I figured I'd better do this the old- fashioned way and write to you. I'm still alive; if I'm going to die by anything but natural means, it'll be at your hand. Don't worry, you can still chew me out of calling you cute. Pray for me, pretty one.~
it was unsigned; Serena didn't need a name to know who had written it.
"Pretty one? Does this bastard want to die or something?"
~*~*~*~
Queen Ikari of Mars stalked the halls of her palace, angry beyond words. Somehow, a handful of Earthlings had managed to keep her elite troops at bay for two entire days before the rest of Earth's army arrived.
"It's that bastard's son." Ikari said out loud, stopping suddenly. "That half-blooded prince that led the advance group. I'd bet money that if we get rid of him, Earth's army will fall apart. After all, an army without a leader is simply a pen full of chickens with weapons. Rei!"
"Yes, Mother?" The haggard, raven-haired girl behind the queen asked, snapping to attention.
"Contact our ladies in Africa. I want Captain Chang's weakness, and I want it by tomorrow. Am I understood?"
"Perfectly, Mother." Princess Rei said, bowing and hurrying off down the hall.
~*~*~*~
And chapter two, complete! Finally! And the plot thickens... What's Wufei's weakness? Why is Mars fighting Earth and Venus? Will Serena get to chew her groom-to-be out for calling her cute?
Stay tuned to find out!
By Satanira
Thanks to Jewelclaw Lady of Wind, Queen Zephora Yami, Patricia16, and Dragon-rose-vine for reviewing. I love you guys! *glomps*
Oh, and Dragon-rose-vine, I'm not quite sure what you mean by Usagi- bashing. I mean, I made her into a murdering bitch, but she's not a klutzy airhead in this story. Does that help any?
Chapter Two~ Weaknesses
Serena shifted restlessly, her new silk dress in varying shades of silver rustling with each movement.
~I wish this were over.~ She complained to herself, although her face was a blank mask of polite indifference. ~Just two more years, and they can't marry me to a god if I don't want to.~ But until the two years were up, she'd be stuck sitting in the reception chamber of her suite, trying her best to subtly frighten away suitors.
A light tap on her door startled her from her thoughts.
"Enter." She commanded shortly, knowing full well it was her mother and the half-breed bastard and seeing no reason to be polite.
"Princess Serena." Chang Wufei said tersely, looking even meaner than his hologram.
"Prince Wufei." Serena responded, just as curtly, before turning to Queen Serenity. "You may leave us now, Mother." She all but sneered, daring the silver-haired woman to defy her.
Serenity looked about to argue for a moment, then her eyes clouded in defeat and she nodded meekly. "Very well, Serena. Prince Wufei, it was a pleasure to meet you." With a small half-bow, she turned and swept out of the room, closing the door gently behind her.
Wufei waited a few moments more before turning to Serena with an icy glare not even she could match.
"Let's get one thing straight right here and now." He said coldly. "I do not want to marry you. I'll assume for now that you don't want to marry me, either. Neither one of us has a say in this, however, so get used to the idea."
"And if I go against this marriage?" Serena countered, crossing her bare arms over her stomach.
"I'll understand." Wufei said, still stiff and emotionless. "You are a full-blooded princess of the Moon; I'm a half-blooded bastard who was raised as a soldier. But as I said before, it's not our decision to make."
"You're an interesting one. Most soldiers would jump at the chance to marry a woman of my standing."
"I would, too, if there were any available women of your standing, little girl." Wufei responded, leaning against the wall and crossing his own arms.
"How dare you speak to me like that?" Serena demanded shrilly, standing so quickly that the sleek black cat in her lap fell with a hiss. "You forget your place, soldier!"
Now he unbent enough to smile. "You have great fire in you." He said, pushing away from the wall and moving to stand in front of her. "I must say, I admire that in a woman." His smile widened slightly, and he stooped long enough to give her a feather-light kiss on the lips before turning and striding to the door. "That doesn't mean I like you, of course." He told the stunned princess before leaving.
Serena stood unmoving until the door slammed, then began to suddenly tremble.
"What the hell was that?" She whispered, confused, three fingers brushing the spot his lips had touched. "That...arrogant bastard..."
~*~*~*~
Wufei made it all the way to the corner of the hall before collapsing against the wall, laughing helplessly.
~Gods, but she's fun to taunt!~ He thought with amusement, sliding to the ground. ~What an uptight bitch!~
~*~Four Days Later~*~
Serena paused as she passed her private terminal. The red light indicating an incoming message was pulsing steadily.
"Who in the System would be sending me a message?" She wondered, sitting daintily on her mahogany stool and opening the file. To her surprise, Wufei's face appeared on the screen.
"I was lying." He said, smiling that irritating smirk of his. "I'm beginning to think that maybe I do like you. And just so you know, this isn't really a message. Feel free to start yelling at me any time now."
For a full ten second, Serena simply sat and blinked.
"You look a lot like an owl when you do that."
Blood rushed to Serena's cheeks, and she knew she was blushing. "Why you arrogant little bastard!" The princess screamed, her flush deepening as Wufei actually began laughing at her.
"That's it!" He exclaimed. "That's what I wanted to see! I swear, you look so cute when you're pissed! And all soldiers like to have a cute image of their girl when they're heading into battle!"
"What?" Serena asked, confused. No one would dare call her cute! This whole conversation was utterly impossible! "Battle? What are you talking about?"
"I don't know if you've noticed, all safe up there on your neutral little moon, but Earth and Venus are currently involved in a war with Mars. As a member of Earth's top forces, I'm guaranteed to fight. Get used to the idea, lovely. Thanks for the chat. Bai!" And the screen went blank.
"Hey!" Serena exclaimed. "Who the hell do you think you are?" She demanded of the poor defenseless terminal. "You can't call me up, purposely get me angry, then just hang up before I get the chance to chew you out for it!" She yelled. "Just you wait, Chang Wufei! You're going to pay dearly for this, so don't you dare die!"
~*~*~*~
"Captain Chang!" Someone behind him yelled, calling his attention from the terminal. "Captain Chang, we've got trouble!"
"What?" Wufei asked, forgetting completely about the universe at large, and his wife-to-be in particular.
"Captain Chang sir, Mars somehow got about half their army on Earth, and are now attacking villages in the Africas!" The soldier explained, saluting smartly. "The commander says you're to take your fighters and move out immediately to hold off the advance troops while the rest of our army moves in! You'll have full support of the natives, sir!"
"Alert my men." Wufei said, grabbing his katana and heading for his tent. "Tell them frontline packs only!" He added in a shout over his shoulder. Now was not the time for his fighters to decide they had to pack.
~*~The Next Day~*~
Wufei was sweating heavily, panting around a painful stitch in his side.
"Captain Chang, sir, should we head out again?" Miguel, his second in command, asked.
"Miguel, cut the formal bullshit." Wufei snapped, wiping his forehead with the back of his arm. "Taking the time for formalities on the front line will get you killed one of these days. And, yes, we're heading out again. But not you. I don't want anyone with a deep wound headed anywhere but to a medic. Spread the word."
"Yes." Miguel said with obvious relief, limping toward the tent that held the men under Wufei's command.
~Damn if I don't hate this shit.~ Wufei thought, folding his leg under him as he dropped to the ground. ~Five waves in less than a day. It's a wonder we aren't all dead.~ Princess Serena flashed across his inner eye, and he smiled. "I wonder what she'd do if I died before she could yell at me." He wondered out loud, a small smile playing on his lips.
"Got a sweetheart back home?" A voice behind him asked. By leaning backwards on his hands, Wufei discovered it was one of the dark-skinned native soldiers, a slim, agile woman named Umi.
"You could say that." He said, sitting up again as she plopped down in the mud next to him. "It's one of those arranged marriages, but I think I really like her."
"That is rare." Umi agreed, drawing her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on them. "Most men would hate her because they had to marry her."
"Anyone would hate her. I firmly believe that she's an arrogant cold- blooded bitch who would like nothing better than to kick me off a high cliff, if it wouldn't ruin her custom-made, silver-lined high heeled shoes."
"And you still like her, in spite of all that?"
"Because of." Wufei corrected. "After having met her, no other woman will ever do. Besides, I get the feeling that if she doesn't kill me, she'll make sure no one else does."
"This guardian angel of yours have a name?" Umi asked, giggling.
"Serena." Wufei said after a moment. "Princess Serena of the Moon Kingdom."
"And that would make you Prince Wufei, half-blooded son of King Darius of Earth." Umi replied. "News travels fast on the lips and pens of courtly ladies such as my cousin."
"I should have known." Wufei groaned, pushing himself to his feet. "Well, let's hope my bride-to-be will play guardian angel, as I'm about to charge one last time today. Care to join me?"
"How could I refuse?" Umi stood and stretched as well, grinning like a large black hunting cat. "A good battle is what I came here for, and you're the first man to see me as a warrior, not a prostitute in armor."
~*~*~*~
Serena paced her chambers restlessly, pausing now and again to stare at one of the many vidscreens she owned. Mars had managed to sneak troops onto Earth, and the fighting had been fierce for the past day. She'd actually seen Wufei in some of the live footage, so she knew he was alive, at least.
"Dammit, why did he have to go into battle now of all times?" The blond demanded, kicking her cat out of her way. "If he dies, I'll raise him from the dead and kill him again, I swear it!"
A knock on the outer door broke into her thoughts.
"What?" She demanded angrily, stomping to the door and yanking it open. To the young servant in the hallway, she was terrifying. Without speaking, he handed her an envelope and ran down the hall.
Serena slammed the door, turning the envelope over in her hands. It was decorated only with her name in large, slanted letters. She opened it and pulled out a single sheet of paper.
~Dear Serena~ It read,
~For lack of a vidscreen, I figured I'd better do this the old- fashioned way and write to you. I'm still alive; if I'm going to die by anything but natural means, it'll be at your hand. Don't worry, you can still chew me out of calling you cute. Pray for me, pretty one.~
it was unsigned; Serena didn't need a name to know who had written it.
"Pretty one? Does this bastard want to die or something?"
~*~*~*~
Queen Ikari of Mars stalked the halls of her palace, angry beyond words. Somehow, a handful of Earthlings had managed to keep her elite troops at bay for two entire days before the rest of Earth's army arrived.
"It's that bastard's son." Ikari said out loud, stopping suddenly. "That half-blooded prince that led the advance group. I'd bet money that if we get rid of him, Earth's army will fall apart. After all, an army without a leader is simply a pen full of chickens with weapons. Rei!"
"Yes, Mother?" The haggard, raven-haired girl behind the queen asked, snapping to attention.
"Contact our ladies in Africa. I want Captain Chang's weakness, and I want it by tomorrow. Am I understood?"
"Perfectly, Mother." Princess Rei said, bowing and hurrying off down the hall.
~*~*~*~
And chapter two, complete! Finally! And the plot thickens... What's Wufei's weakness? Why is Mars fighting Earth and Venus? Will Serena get to chew her groom-to-be out for calling her cute?
Stay tuned to find out!
