Disclaimer: Don't own Gundam Wing and Sailor Moon. You should know this by heart now. :D
Chapter 7
"Please tell me you're at least one sentence closer to being finished, Minako."
All she received in reply was a sob-moan and the distinct crack of a pencil snapping in two. That would be the fifth one that evening.
"Read to me what you have so far," she advised calmly, leaned back onto the bed, eyes on the girl bent over at the desk.
Minako sighed heavily and reluctantly straightened, blinking the sleep from blood-shot eyes. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, I appreciate your allotting a portion of your time to this welcome back reception for me. Through the duration of the past six months, I have been absent from public as you all are well aware. I am deeply sorry to have worried the general populace regarding my whereabouts and cannot do much else than humbly and abashedly admit that the cause behind this absence was nothing more than a trivial vacation and some self-imposed time off."
Usagi made a noncommittal sound and tilted her head thoughtfully. "Not bad."
"Hiiro's speech is quadruple that length," Minako pointed out flatly. She had long since given up on cheering herself up. Self-depreciation was all the rage in modern society anyhow.
Usagi shrugged. "Well you're not a press-proclaimed genius. Stop being a perfectionist."
Minako pouted and turned back to the paper. "That doesn't mean I don't want to be one."
There was only the dull sound of Minako tapping the eraser end of her pencil on the desk coupled with the steady rhythm of a dainty little alarm clock on the night table.
"Listen."
The tapping of Minako's pencil stopped as she turned around and gazed quizzically at her companion. "What?" She felt compelled to whisper.
A calm blanket of gentle silence covered them. Outside, barely audible, was the hush of drizzle, occasionally broken by the sound of small drops of water hitting against the window.
Usagi reverently closed her eyes. When she reopened them, Minako was grinning at her.
"You know … you were wrong when you said that you were a realist, Usagi," she began lightly and her smile widened when Usagi tilted her head to a side, questioning. "You're a romantic."
The blonde started and stared at her, briefly stunned before dissolving into laughter. "Me? A romantic?" The laughter subsided. "Maybe before."
The note of finality and yearning in those two words was not lost to Minako who decided to leave it at that and bring up the topic at a more opportune time. Usagi's gaze had once again turned to the window but Minako knew she wasn't looking at the lavender-gray sky or marveling at how the droplets on the window caught the subdued light. Rather, Usagi's eyes were turned inward and she was gazing at herself, undoubtedly contemplating some part of her that was well beyond Minako's reach. At the time, at least.
Minako sighed and turned back to the speech in front of her, furrowing her brow in concentration. Ten minutes and two words passed before Usagi's voice broke through her train of thought.
"Minako…"
Usagi's voice sounded so serious that it was almost as if they were discussing death or some other taboo subject.
"What?" she replied equally seriously.
A teasing smile flittered over Usagi's expression. "I'm hungry."
………………..
"There is plenty of food in the pantry but if the two misses can wait for another half hour, dinner will be ready," the fair-featured maid replied with a heavy French accent. She smiled shyly and almost uncertainly as if afraid one or both of the "two misses" would bite.
"Thank you so much. We'll wait." Minako smiled and ignored the desperate look Usagi shot her, taking the blonde girl by the arm. "Come on, Usagi, we still need to finish that speech."
"B-b-b-but … Minako! I'm hungry!"
The maid blinked as the one named Minako walked resolutely back up the stairs, dragging a protesting and stuttering Usagi along with her.
…………………
Usagi exhaled a long breath as she resigned herself to sitting back down on the bed and waiting out another half hour of hunger before the sweet satisfaction of food. "I don't understand what is wrong with using Mr. Hiiro's speech. I mean … it's not as if it's lacking or anything."
Minako didn't turn around but from her tone of voice, Usagi could just imagine her reproachful expression. "You agreed with my actions not two hours ago. Besides, Mr. Hiiro's speech is just so … so … stiff. Who still uses words like 'traumatized' or 'heartrending' in their public speeches?" Minako made a face. "Certainly not Miss Relena, I'd hope."
"You don't like Mr. Hiiro much, do you, Minako?"
"Is it that obvious?" Her voice was twisted with sarcasm as she shifted and straightened in her seat, her back still turned to the other occupant of the room.
"That's funny," Usagi started slowly, a small laugh coloring her words. "I'd always imagined I'd be the one to dislike Mr. Hiiro more."
Minako sniffed. "No, you're just tactless enough to say it out loud." She giggled and finally turned around to catch Usagi's wounded expression. "Oh come on, Usagi! How can you so indiscreetly ask him 'what if we refuse to comply?' during the screening? You might as well have been screaming for him to make your life miserable."
"Well it's not as if you educated me in diplomacy, oh great and wise Minako," Usagi replied sulkily.
"Get over it, Usagi. I'd say it's because you're too ingenuous to think before you speak but somehow that word doesn't quite suit you." Minako paused and mulled over the idea before shrugging and turning back to the task at hand. "Maybe I'll just leave the speech at four sentences. I mean … all I have to do is say 'hey, I'm back from my unbelievably long vacation'." She wrinkled her nose and stared at the results of the last three hours of work. "A second grader can say that in two sentences; why in the world does Mr. Hiiro have to go to the trouble of ten?" She waited for some witty, double-edged retort but received none. Minako turned around questioningly and smiled at the sight of the gentle movements of Usagi's chest, her eyes closed in slumber. She picked up her pencil to write and muttered affectionately, "At least she won't complain about being hungry now."
…………………
Dinner was again a clumsy and awkward affair, traveling down the doomed trail of all their other meals together. Minako prodded listlessly at her food. Usagi was apparently convinced that this meal would be her last and was stuffing herself to her heart's content. Well there's one person who'll never become anorexic. She almost laughed out loud.
Hiiro cleared his throat from across the table. Minako looked up, mildly surprised for Hiiro hadn't spoken a single word beside brief, barely audible mutters of "excuse me" after previous meals. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Usagi hadn't taken any notice of Hiiro's subtle call for attention and was still lost in her world of gastronomic delights. Minako sighed. Undoubtedly Relena's chef was delighted to have found such a devoted fan to his cooking after being neglected for so long. Due to Relena's constant and fictitious complaining of a lack of appetite, that is.
"Have you finished the speech yet?" His voice was bland and devoid of concern though at the same time, lacking contempt. Minako decided it was one of those voices that made a person want to hang himself after a few hours of listening to it. Not that it was annoying but rather because it was so frigid and seemed to drain the world of color and beauty.
What a sad world Hiiro Yuy must live in.
"I still need to … perfect it," she bluffed.
He didn't seem like he heard. "Just have it ready by tomorrow morning and I'll check to make sure it is okay." His arctic eyes were focused on her but they looked just like Usagi's that afternoon, turned inward and looking at himself rather than her.
Minako dropped her fork to her plate. Usagi's eating had slowed down considerably but had yet to come to a stop. On the first day, Pagan had been a little dumbfounded by her ability to hold food but he had been too courteous to say anything. Of course that didn't mean he was not incredulously gaping during every meal since yesterday's lunch. She chanced a glance at Hiiro and frowned.
His world seemed so bleak and lacking. Perhaps it was unfair to darken it even more with her resentment. She sipped her lemon-tinged water thoughtfully.
Perhaps Mr. Hiiro needed understanding more than love … and perhaps that was where Miss Relena had gone wrong.
…………………
The next day dawned clear but not sunny. But Usagi didn't notice because she woke up to Minako's face, two inches away from her own, stretched in a wide, almost delirious grin and told of extreme caffeine intake.
"Usagi! I'm so happy! I'm done, I'm done, I'm done!"
Irritatedly, Usagi waved a hand as if attempting to swat the giant fly named Minako away. "Turkeys are done, people are finished," she snapped annoyedly before rolling over and attempting to resume sleep. "And lighten up on the caffeine, Minako."
"I'll get Mr. Hiiro to approve it over breakfast … c'mon, Usagi! Breakfast! Breakfast!"
"Alright already!" Usagi gave up and propped herself up to a sitting position. "Would you at least please stop shouting a-a-and bouncing?"
"But I'm finished! I'm so happy! I wrote it all last night! But you're not reading it … only Mr. Hiiro … it'll be a surprise!" With a giddy peal of laughter, Minako skipped out of the room and back into her own.
…………………
"We're out of coffee." Hiiro's voice sounded strained and vastly grouchy as he glared at Usagi. Usagi glared back.
"It's not as if it's my fault."
The sound of cheery singing drifted down the stairs as Minako half ran half jumped, looking ready to break out into flips and somersaults if she could. Both Usagi and Hiiro turned to her vivacious figure and glowered.
"Minako…"
"Hn."
…………………
There was absolute and consummate silence as Hiiro read over the speech. Minako shifted uneasily. Her hand involuntarily jerked and she blinked down curiously at it, holding it up in front of her face. It shook. She paled. Has anyone ever died from caffeine overdose?
She glanced over and saw Usagi smiling smugly at her trembling hands, undoubtedly still holding a grudge over the caffeine.
Oh please God, let me be okay and I'll never ever drink coffee again.
"It's fine," Hiiro finally stated, handing the sheet of paper back to Minako. She frowned at it. Though it was obvious he was trying valiantly to hide and subdue his yawns, it was also clear that Hiiro was not at his most alert. Minako wasn't sure whether he could tell the difference between "fine" and "disgusting" in his current state.
Nevertheless, she replied, "Thank you." Glancing down at her hands again, she saw that they had ceased their unnatural shaking and breathed a sigh of relief, deciding to alter her deal a bit.
Thank you, God … I'll only drink coffee once a day.
…………………
After much bustling around and cries of frustration – largely due to Minako's Tower of Pisa worth of belongings in her closet, which Usagi courteously managed to not gloat over – the three arrived in the back of the limousine, officially fifteen minutes behind schedule. Hiiro's steady, obstinate staring out the window did not at all bode well for the atmosphere of the ride to Quatre's but Minako was too busy frenetically going over her speech to notice.
Usagi coughed and glanced over at Minako, smiling. "Don't worry so much. It's a short speech and you're an outgoing person so it shouldn't be too difficult."
Minako looked as if she wanted to jump out of the car, sprint home, and hide under the bed until all memory of a Relena Darlian was lost. "But they're all strangers out there! And they all expect so much from me! And-"
"That reminds me." Both girls turned to Hiiro, sitting across from them. He stared back at them blandly without even the slightest hint of anger, sympathy … or anything for that matter, in his gaze. There was, however, a patent tension in his shoulders and he refused to meet either of them in the eye.
"There will be certain people there that are not strangers."
"But we'll know a majority of them already, correct? I mean … it's not as if Miss Relena is some hermit living in the highlands of Scotland and unheard of in the news." Usagi paused and thought. "For example … we'll know Milliardo Peacecraft."
"He's away in Europe."
"But his wife will be there?" Minako joined in the conversation. "Lucrezia Noin?"
Hiiro gave a succinct nod.
"And we'll know Dorothy Catalonia from the screening and Sally Po from the news."
"Dorothy Catalonia will not be present. You might run into Lady Une but Relena and she are not close acquaintances. It is sufficient to greet her cordially."
The two blondes nodded accordingly, Minako's jitters briefly forgotten.
"You will of course know the five of us. Relena is particularly familiar with Quatre." Both girls noted how his jaw clenched and shared a furtive glance. "There will be other famous people there whose names you should know. I believe Ami Mizuno, Mamoru Chiba., and Sylvia Noventa will be there."
"All right. We can pull this off," Usagi chirped optimistically, shooting the again nervous Minako a supportive look, just as the door to the limo opened and they were greeted by the grand sight of Quatre's mansion with all lights on.
…………………
I never realized how much my state of mind affected my chapters … lol. I was incredibly sleepy [it was about 3:00 in the morning] when I wrote the whole caffeine interlude … so maybe it came out a bit exaggerated. xD But again I had dwelt longer than expected on other minor aspects of the story [while dropping hints, mind you. :D] than I'd first projected. At first the party/reception was meant to be in this chapter … ; But no worries … this chapter helped me explore a bit into the girls' characters … :D Still that means my pseudo-promise of romance this chapter remains unfulfilled. ;-; Sorry, sorry! ::bows::
Xixi: Hiiro mean? Hmm … I meant for him to seem cold … maybe harsh … but mean? Lol. Okay yeah. Mean. I hadn't planned on Michiru and Usagi being related actually … lol. Until I read Andante [this shoujo manga scanlation that only has one chapter translated so far … grrr. P] But I think Michiru will play a fairly … important role. :D As for Haruka and Hotaru … I'm not positive I'm bringing any other major parts in … they might be mentioned as Ami and Mamoru did this chapter but I don't believe anybody outside of the already established roles will play a particularly decisive part in the plot … if that makes sense. :D
Venus of Love: Lol … Minako asking for the picture might be a bit too drastic right now. :D I think this chapter was sterile of hints too … xD But I swear! Next chapter [focused on the reception/party] will have hints galore … or I hope … ; But it'll be equal … that is, hints of both couples … again, I hope. Lol.
AznxAngel: Haha … Hiiro's always listening to us … ; Nono … scary thought. I hope you were equally delighted with this chapter. :D
Kolinshar Benito: ::frantically trying to match up the expressions with the chapter:: My expression's through the review à ?-?, ._. , o_o , xD , ^_________^.
Liquid Ice: Ack! Of course reviewing's not the only thing you're good at! Though admittedly … it is something you're exceptionally so at. :D Yes, yes. I admit that it is always so refreshing to read a fic where the characters are actually genuinely in character … [like the-no-longer-updating Jemjols-san's … grrr] And truly I think that that is more challenging to pull off … but there is the factor of artistic license … and though the "purists" tend to believe crossover sections take a bit too far … it's really just a minority … right? Or have I been completely out of touch with this section? [lol … I haven't been reading too much lately…] However, they'd be hypocrites if they asserted that the pure categories do not warp characters. In fact, it is from reading [years and years] of SM fanfiction that my vision of Usagi became so … different. A majority of the better fics there make Usagi smarter and more graceful though, admittedly, nowhere close to a perfect soldier or anything. xD And also with Hiiro's character … people in the GW as well as crossover categories tend to … exaggerate his apathy and harshness … [I just noticed by how much when I started watching the actual episodes … lol] But … I forgot why I'm talking about this. Is this a tangent? Lol … xD The hidden plot, hmm? ::cackle:: It's actually a bit … strange and unlikely. I think I'll change it. xD This review actually influenced me a lot … and I think you can find out exactly how so. :D
Tenshi-Hotaru: ::blush:: thank you! :D Here's the update … in my definition of "soon". :D
Gackt Camui: Lol … I don't think any extensive explanation will come until about … urk … 4 chapters from now…? That's a very rough estimate. xD I can see Hiiro the terrorist … as for Hiiro the rapist … that brings back memories of Vixen-san's Hiiro the prostitute. Lol. But it's not an unbelievable picture … x3 And even if I didn't deserve all those compliments … I'll take 'em all anyhow. ::cackles:: Yesyes I've heard of Gackt Camui :D I've mostly listened to his solo songs … none of the Malice Mizer ones … but now I will. :D And you have very perceptive friends, Gackt-san. xD
Usagi Asia Maxwell: Relena is just … urk … "out of commission" Lol. She shall be back … I think … ;
Kazzeh Sodapop: Ack! You make me feel so evil for saying that … lol. Hopefully next chapter … ; But romance was planned for this chapter … if that helps … :D Sorrysorry!
Cheska: Uaa! You're back! :DDD I'm glad you like it … and we'll see about the Usagi/Hiiro-ness of it … ;D