CMH – 16

Usagi studiously ignored Hiiro while Hiiro scrutinized Usagi endlessly.

Minako shuddered. The tension on the airplane was thick enough to cut – and she was right in the middle of the two. Not only that, but her hair was pulled up underneath a very itchy, very warm, very black wig. Usagi's own hair was covered with a stylish white cap that she had been ordered not to take off. Both of them had undergone a small make-over before boarding the airplane.

Turning to Usagi, she smiled and opened her mouth to speak. Usagi merely gazed at her with watery eyes and looked away. Minako turned to Hiiro, hoping to make some sort of conversation with him.

"Hiiro, how are you?" she whispered.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Fine."

"You don't look so great."

"Hn..." He turned away.

Minako looked at him worriedly. "She doesn't hate you."

Usagi snapped at Minako from behind. "I can hear you. And I do hate him."

Minako gulped and spoke in a normal tone. "You don't mean that."

Usagi snorted. "Like hell I don't."

"Leave her alone."

"Trying to get into her pants?" Usagi sneered.

The color drained from Minako's face. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she attempted to stem the flow of tears. "I-I have to go to the washroom."

"Hn..."

"Hiiro?"

"What?"

"Do you hate her, Hiiro?"

"No."

"But she hates you."

"Hn..."

"Can't you guys at least try to get along?"

A smiling flight attendant pulled her suit into place before heading out to deliver the in-flight meals. The threesome sitting in aisle 27 were being particularly troublesome; the hostility radiating off them was irritating the other passengers.

She pushed the crate down the aisle with a practiced smile, eventually coming to the scowling trio.

"Chicken, salmon, or vegetarian?"

The blonde girl smiled tremulously. "Chicken, please."

The flight attendant smiled, passing the tray to the girl as she asked the same question to the girl with the wig. Her tone was sympathetic after deciding the girl must have fallen victim to an acute case of cancer. Scientists never did find a cure-all for the ancient disease. "And what would you like?"

"I'll have the vegetarian, please." And she was so polite, too.

The flight attendant smiled one more time at the girl before turning to the man looking out the window.

"What meal would you like, sir?"

An uncomfortable silence fell over his companions.

"Excuse me, sir? Would you like chicken, salmon, or the vegetarian meal?"

His cold blue eyes glared at her before turning back to the window – she flinched. Her face a few shades paler, she withdrew. The blonde touched her arm. "I'll take another chicken meal, please. Save it for later." The girl smiled briefly before turning back to her meal of chicken and potatoes.

"Of course, miss."

As she rolled the crate to the next person, she heard the young man snap at the blonde. "Are you trying to eat yourself out of this job?"

The blonde replied with deadly sweetness. "At least I won't be in a hospital waiting for treatment because my guardian couldn't bring himself to care for me until it was too late."

The flight attendant winced with more misplaced sympathy for the thin girl sitting in the middle of the childish feud.

"Usagi..."

"What?"

"Couldn't you forgive Hiiro? Please?"

"No."

"Why not? Why can't you forgive him?"

"Hmph..."

"Not even for me?"

Hiiro contemplated the stars and the universe as they rushed by. He frowned and turned away, hoping that the girl hadn't eaten his lunch. He looked over to see that, indeed, she had.

He fell easily into his habitual monotone. "So I see you've taken it upon yourself to eat my lunch."

The girl's voice was like acid. "It's mine. When the flight attendant came, you glared and I asked nicely. It's as simple as that."

"Next time, do not be so presumptuous."

"Fuck you."

He smirked. "Nice to see you've expanded your vocabulary to such vulgarity."

Minako cut into the conversation, her voice sharp with annoyance. "Shut up, both of you. All you two ever seem to do is argue, and none of it is helping anybody."

They each fell into an uneasy silence once more.

Minako sighed beside him. "Look, guys. Can't we just get along? Hiiro, I don't think I can do this without you. Usa, I know we can't do it without you. I know I'm not strong enough to do this by myself."

Usagi snorted and jerked her thumb in Hiiro's direction. "Tell idiot over there that."

"I am! I'm telling you both!"

Hiiro frowned. "I will not be subject to such negative speculation of my own person."

Minako groaned. "Hiiro..."

Usagi's eyes were wide with mock-surprise. "Too bad you couldn't force yourself to undergo a personality reformation." She smiled. "And too bad you couldn't have-"

"Usagi, that's enough," Minako snapped.

Usagi grumbled. "Yeah, sure, whatever you say."

Hiiro turned furious eyes to the burning particles of gas light years away and wished he was anywhere but here.

Usagi's gaze constantly drifted back to the frighteningly unemotional man to her far right. Of course, that wasn't completely true. He had lost his temper, and almost choked her to death. That had been disastrous. Her throat still ached.

Usagi closed her eyes and sighed. Did life always have to be so hard? Hiiro hated her, Minako didn't seem too pleased...

She sighed, leaned her head back, and somehow fell asleep.

It felt like only seconds later when Minako nudged her awake. 'Hey, Usagi! It's time to get up."

Usagi blinked blearily. "What?"

"The plane is landing."

Usagi cocked her head to the side as the pilot announced the arrival of the aircraft on Earth. Her eyes threatened to close again, but Minako's sharp elbow drove into her ribs. "Ow, stop that!"

"Well you were going to fall asleep again."

"I was not!"

"Was too."

"Was not!"

Minako smirked and crossed her arms. "You were too, so stop trying to deny it."

Usagi looked off to the side and mumbled, "I hate you."

The smirk maintained its width. "What was that?"

"Nothing..."

The plane slowly descended and finally jerked to a stop.

Minako glanced at Hiiro and a determined expression appeared on her face. "Usagi, you should talk to Hiiro."

Usagi gave her a strange look. "Why?

"You should try to resolve things with him."

"I don't want to."

"Just say something to him."

Usagi clenched her jaw and began getting ready to get off the plane.

"Usagi, let's go." Minako gently prodded her out of her seat.

"Whatever."

Walking off the plane she felt Hiiro's eyes burn perpetual holes in her back. She slowed her steps and waited for him. She gestured to Minako, telling her to move on ahead.

Hiiro glared as she walked beside him. "What do you want?"

"I honestly think I hate you. I think I hate everything you represent and everything you are. In fact, you don't deserve to be cared about." She hesitated. "But for the sake of people I love, I'll tolerate you."

Hiiro never even flinched. "It doesn't matter."

"Doesn't it?"

"No. I want you to be gone as soon as possible."

Usagi paled. "What did you say?"

Hiiro turned dead eyes to her. "You heard me."

"No."

A spark of anger flared in Hiiro's eyes. "What?"

She smirked. "You heard me."

The spark in his eyes was quickly smothered. "Do whatever you want then."

He lengthened his stride and walked ahead.

She grimaced and shouted ahead. "You bet your butt I will!"

Hiiro's smooth gait paused, but then continued.

Usagi smiled right before realizing her two companions were really quite far ahead of her – she burst into a sprint.

People stared as a petite girl ran by, blonde hair streaming from a stylish white cap. They then smiled; the girl so obviously ecstatic it brought even the most depressed people joy.

No one seemed to notice the dark haired man, who smiled just the same as everyone else. Whose eyes shimmered with a different sort of joy.

AN: Ashika speaking: Well, this was sort of strange. Took me awhile to finish too. Sorry about that. Oh, the two interludes in the middle were meant to sound a lot alike. I don't know if anyone caught onto that.

I promise things will be happier next chapter. Anyway, let me know how it is! (Please)