Serene
Kikenbutsu
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"AH! Man what a jerk! I mean, she's only a little kid you know, and he was totally rude to us, geez if I ever see that guy again, I'll give him a piece of my mind! He totally made me late this morning thinking about him all last night!" Twin walking sticks moved with ease as she made her customary sprint down the block, "I'm so late!"
She could barely manage out the pleasantries as Usagi ran, dodging the people who scuttled about in the streets, "Hey you little brat, this is our park." The child's scream brought her out of her own thoughts. She was only about two blocks away from her school as she peered into the playground. Peering round the corner she could make out the little girl that had acted so strangely last night and had disappeared shortly after she'd run into the Chinese boy.
Two teenage boys stood in front of the child, holding what looked like slingshots. Usagi slapped her forehead, "Man if I stop and help this kid I will miss the bell. If I don't, she'll be pummeled!" Usagi mused slightly to herself, debating on whether or not to stop and assist. "What am I saying? She maybe a little wacko but she doesn't have a chance against those guys."
"Hey you!" Usagi shouted, jogging to stand in before the boys and stopping in front of the strange little girl. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size you losers? Back up, kid." She called.
Serene's glossy eyes filled with tears before she nodded, "Mmhmm." She ran behind the jungle gym and watched the fight between her mother and the two boys.
"You're just about our size..." One of the boys mused allowed, advancing towards her.
"Yeah, pretty short but we're just about squared away." The other one said, mimicking his friend and stepped towards Usagi who held her ground.
"You'd better get away from me!" Usagi argued, as the two boys circled her. Oh no…what have I gotten myself into? Maybe I should take the kid and make a run for it…? Before she finished her thought, each one of her arms was in custody between the boys that loomed around her. She screamed, struggling against them, "Let me go!"
Before she knew what was happening, her left arm was set free and her right arm was released shortly afterwards. She stood still, so many things were happening around her that she hardly had a grasp on her surroundings.
"Hey man, what's your problem! Why don't you mind your own business?" One of the two teenage boys yelled at the boy with a tight ponytail. "Argh!" He threw a punch, but the Chinese boy simply caught it, forearms working readily and squeezing the boy's fist until he bucked into the floor.
"You're going to break his arm, let him go!" The other boy yelled, getting up slowly from the floor, nose still bleeding from where Wufei had punched him. Usagi stared, tears shining in her eyes. "I'm out of here!" His friend said, abandoning him.
That's that same guy…from last night! The one that called me stupid! Usagi's face flushed with tears as he fought to defend her. Why…is he doing this for me? This so weird…
Usagi was only brought out of her thoughts by the loud shouts of pain that erupted and gurgled from the boy's throat. He clenched his teeth in pain, "My hand! You're breaking my hand!" Usagi ran over to Wufei, placing a gentle hand over his own.
"Let him go! You're hurting him!" His screams tore throughout the city like a hot knife through butter, "Please! Let go!" Wufei looked at her briefly, and then back to his hand that clutched the other man's. Without a second glance, Wufei released his fist.
"You're crazy! You're crazy!" He yelled before he backed away and ran from the park, "You'd better watch out blondie, because if I see you again, you're gonna get it!"
A breeze passed over Usagi as she stood, still clutching Wufei's fist. Wufei looked down at her hand, and then back up to her face. "Let go of me, onna." He barked out, snapping his hand back.
"You're such a jerk! I didn't want to hold you're hand, I was telling you to let go! Ugh, every time I see you, you get me so mad!" Usagi yelled on the top of her lungs.
Wufei snorted, crossing his arms over his chest before shaking his head at the girl, "Not only are you loud, obnoxious and weak but also ungrateful, I just saved your life."
Usagi almost face-faulted, clenching her fists together until her knuckles turned white, "YOU WHAT! I DIDN'T ASK YOU TO—I WAS GONNA—UGH!" She yelled in his face, stomping her foot into the sand of the park. "The first thing you did was insult me, and you want me to say thank you! Forget that bud, you are the meanest most—" Usagi blinked twice as Wufei turned to walk away.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" But it was too late; he had already left the park and had disappeared behind the large cement wall. "Oh! Next time I see that guy I'll give him a piece of my mind, definitely this time! He won't be able to get a word in," Usagi stood in the park a few more moment, fantasizing of her telling of the Chinese boy that plagued her mind senseless until she looked down at her watch.
"I'M SO LATE!" Usagi yelled, almost jumping into the air at the time, she glanced around the deserted park, looking for that mop of black hair, but instead found nothing. Strange kid…
"Ms. Haruna is gonna kill me!"
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"Aaahhh! This thing is going too fast! Somebody make it stop!" Usagi whined as she slid down the hallway, upon making it to school she'd disregarded one of the signs that read Wet Floor and now was on random trip slipping down the hallway. "Somebody help me!"
The entire classroom jumped as something ran right into the door, Ms. Haruna opened the door, only to find an ever-late Usagi pressed against the doorway, "My goodness Usagi, when are you ever going to be on time?" Ms. Haruna said, peeling Usagi off of the doorway and pressing a detention slip in her chest. "Today, Ms. Tsukino!"
"But Ms. Haruna it wasn't my fault I was late today!" Usagi complained as the class stared on, tears flowed from her eyes as she took the slip, "Some wacko little girl showed up yesterday and I ran into her this morning and she was getting attacked by these really, really mean creepy guys and I tried to help her but they attacked me and then the rudest, meanest boy ever come out of absolutely no where and he called me stupid!"
Usagi's whining had become a shrill cry; everyone in the room had their hands pressed into their ears, as if to muffle some sort of the sound. "USAGI STOP WHINING AND SIT DOWN!"
Usagi sat in her usual seat, sniffling into her detention slip. "It's not fair, Molly…"
"Usagi! Change you're seat, I don't need you to come in late and talk on top of his, go sit next to Wufei! Wufei kindly raise your hand so Usagi can sit down."
Usagi's eyes rolled around the classroom once before her blue eyes landed on the boy who was called, Wufei. She felt her face turn all shades of blue until she realized she'd been holding her breath, breathing out, she yelled, "THAT JERK IS IN MY CLASS!"
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Usagi sniffled as she stepped out of the girl's bathroom, wiping her eyes. Nothing was going well lately. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she looked in the mirror at herself. It was only then that she realized she'd been reduced to one of those girls that cry in bathroom stalls over their boyfriends. That thought brought a smile onto her face, and she giggled.
"Are you alright, Usagi?" Ami stepped out of the stall next to her. Usagi backed into a wall in surprise.
"Ah! Ami, where you in here the whole time?" She asked, hopefully she hadn't heard her talking aloud about Mamoru, or about that jerk Wufei, but then again, maybe if I make him sound mean enough, Ami won't tell the other senshi if I dust him… Usagi smiled like a Cheshire cat while she fantasized.
"Usagi, stop daydreaming!" Ami said, standing in front of her friend and shaking her shoulders. Usagi looked up at Ami's face, and noticed that large clear orbs of water trailed down Ami's face.
"Ami…?"
"Usagi, you've been so unhappy these past few weeks and everyone has noticed it, including the scouts and I. It feels like everyday you're slipping away from us, and I can't go on knowing that I have a friend that is unhappy but I can't help."
"Ami." Usagi's voice was soft as Ami enveloped her in a hug, "Oh, Ami." Usagi closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around her friend. "Don't cry Ami."
Ami shook her head, the blue ringlets around her head swinging in the dimly lit bathroom, "I can't help it Usagi, and I just hate to see you like this." Ami whispered into her friend's long blonde hair.
Usagi nodded, now planting a smile on her face despite the foreboding feeling that had settled itself into her bones and skin. "Don't you worry about a thing Ami. I'll be fine, I've lost Mamoru before, and after all. He can't resist me." She winked, "I'm Sailor Moon and we are meant to be together!"
She desperately wanted to believe her own words, but willed herself to be positive when Ami smiled, the tears drying on her face. "Mmhmm."
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"I mean, what a jerk that guy is! And look at all those bimbos; they're just flocking to him like he's some war hero or something!" Usagi said, pressing her index finger into her forehead and shaking her head. "Jeez, some girls would just do anything for a pretty face, right guys?"
Usagi opened her eyes to see Makoto, in the back of the large crowd that had gathered around Wufei. "Makoto!" Usagi yelled, standing to snatch her friend by the collar and plant her back down into the Sakura tree.
"Wow, he looks like my old sempai…" Makoto's eyes looked foggy as she stared from afar at the boy that had made such a buzz around the school. "He's a foreigner too, wow, he's so cultured."
Ami giggled at the disgusted look that was written all over Usagi's face, "Cultured? Makoto, he's only from across the ocean, he's Chinese." She went back to reading her book, "Yet I do wish these girls would move somewhere else, I really need to study and their giggling is distracting me. I'm only eight chapters ahead and we have the big test in a week."
Usagi gave both of her friends incredulous look, "Ugh. I give up."
Her stomach growled loudly, "Makoto, I forgot my lunch this morning on my way out, do you think you could possibly swing some of that—" Usagi's eye twitched as she watched Makoto jump in the crowd that had surrounded Wufei, all of them shouting something akin to—
"Have some of my lunch, Wufei!"
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"Oh it's so late. And I'm so tired." Usagi said, yawning and making her way to the school doors. Her stomach growled as she walked, "Ugh. I'm so hungry I can hardly stand it." She winched as her stomach rolled. "That was really mean of Ms. Haruna to have me stay so late, I mean, it wasn't my fault if I was missing sixteen homework assignments, I don't see why I had to make them all up today. If they weren't so hard, I would do then."
Usagi yawned loudly, her mouth opening wide as she stepped out into the cool early spring Tokyo air, a moment later though; she was knocked to the ground, on the floor. She looked up to who she had bumped into, "I'm sorry I wasn't—" She stopped, staring at Wufei for what seemed like one thousand years.
"Well, are you going to sit there all day and stare at me or what, girl?" His rude, curt tone brought her abruptly out of her thoughts. Usagi pounced up.
"What the heck do you think you're doing? Are you following me or something?" She yelled, he'd been standing outside of the school, looking out into the street.
"Shut up girl. I was waiting for you." He explained, turning his head back to look into the street once again. Usagi felt her face flush as she clenched and she clenched her fists.
Was he from the Negaverse? She clutched the brooch in her hands, "They are across the street. They've been there all day." Huh? Usagi's hand fell as she peered around his head.
"What? Who's where?" She asked, but Wufei, turned to face her, stepping in front of her, to obscure her view.
"Don't be stupid, if they know you see them they'll think of another way to get to you. Don't you know anything about tactics, the element of surprise?" Usagi blinked, shaking her head no. "Loud, obnoxious, weak, ungrateful, crybaby and such a civilian it's sickening." He mumbled underneath his breath.
"Don't start that again, mister!" Usagi wasn't sure if it was best to argue with the boy now, since she so desperately needed his help, so she just frowned to appease him. "Why are they here? Why aren't they coming now that I'm outside?"
"Because I'm here, girl." He replied as if it were the most obvious reason in the world, and as Usagi thought about it, it was true, that was the only reason, thus, making it obvious. "Now let's go." He said, taking hold of her hand and dragging her down the street.
"Wufei?" Usagi asked, eye slowly rolling left to see the boys that had settled themselves in front of her high school, they were on the move, there were more of them now, about four but still although they outnumbered Wufei greatly, the did not cross. "Where are we going? I don't live this way."
"Shut up. You talk as if you want them to hear you." Wufei snapped, still dragging the girl down the street, heading towards downtown Tokyo.
Why is he doing this for me…? I thought he hated me. He's so mean sometimes…Usagi's face flushed as she stared at him, his eyebrows were furrowed as he peeked into storefronts. She blinked back the tears that had willed themselves up to her irises. I could have been in a lot of trouble right now if it weren't for him…
A shiver passed through Usagi's body as she imagined the situation she would have been left in had it not been for Wufei. "This way." His gruff voice brought her out of her thoughts.
"Do you have a reservation, sir?" The host asked with distaste as the boy of fifteen waltzed into Sakura the most expensive and exclusive restaurant in town. Usagi looked down at her school uniform, a flush covering her cheeks. She felt so underdressed in it, everyone else looked like they were just about ready to walk in a fashion show.
"Yes, Chang for three." Wufei replied, Usagi's eyebrow raised, he had a reservation, what kind of guy is this, to have a reservation just on hand? Wufei didn't look back at Usagi, instead his hand held firmly to her wrist. He peered out from one of the large, sparkling windows at the boys that sat across the street on top of garbage cans.
Damn it, running around like this, like I'm some weak onna. If it weren't for that damn Barton, I could take out these idiots. He absentmindedly pulled the chair out for Usagi in his dream-like state. Usagi blushed heavily, looking around at the rest of the occupants in the restaurant.
Oh…everyone is so beautiful. She mused, the chandeliers that hung from the ceiling illuminated the entire room romantically, her eye fell on Wufei as he sat down, taking his own seat across from her. "Order something." Usagi's eye fell to the menu that the waiter had just placed in front of them.
"Tonight, the chef's special entree is the Raspberry Glazed Rosemary chicken, with two sticks of skewered garlic shrimp and jasmine rice. Would you two like drinks to start off?" He spoke in a high, English accent, which by itself intimidated Usagi. She looked to Wufei, he noticed her discomfort. "Bring us to waters, and we'll have the special, both of us."
The waiter nodded and gathered up the menu's and scuttled away towards the kitchen. "Wufei, why did you bring me here?" Usagi whispered across the table to Wufei. "I mean, if you wanted to take me out, you could have just asked." Usagi said crossing her arms over her chest, "Then I could have at least had the supreme pleasure of saying, no. I have a boyfriend, I'm not interested."
Wufei grunted in response to her comment, and soon, his grunting grew louder, raising decibel upon decibel until Wufei was laughing, a smile cracking broadly on his lips. Usagi wanted to sink into her chair; the entire restaurant was looking at them. "Go out, on a date? With you? A ditzy, whiny crybaby like you? Why would I ever want to go out with you." He shook his head, laughed subsiding. "You give yourself far too much credit, you know that?"
Usagi's face grew hot and she whispered across the table angrily at him, "So why in the world did you bring me here?"
"Well, you uncouth little piglet…" He began crossing his arms over his chest, "if it were up to you, we would have probably gone to video arcade, and what stops a group of punks from fighting inside a video arcade? Nothing. They wouldn't dare come in here."
"Don't you dare call me a piglet, you arrogant jerk!" Usagi hissed at him, "the only thing keeping me sitting here with you is slight fear that something might happen to me by myself. And besides, I'm hungry."
Wufei snorted, "You don't look hungry." Usagi's jaw almost hit the table as she stared across him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She demanded.
"Well, I don't know little piglet, I would eat you first if a plane were to crash with us in it." Wufei's arms sat at his chest, as he watched Usagi's face bubble over with rage.
"You're such a jerk! What did I ever do to you, Wufei? I can't believe I was actually thinking you were nice!" Her mouth curved downwards sadly, and she quieted. "You win; I don't want to argue anymore…"
Why would she think that I'm nice? The thought hit him like a sack of potatoes; he'd never been referred to as nice before. Never as far back as he could remember.
They sat their in silence, through the meal, through desert, and sipping their water glasses quietly as the allure and shine of the restaurant died down around them. Usagi ate slowly, and played with her desert, hardly touching it despite if it looked like it tasted good. It was well past nine o'clock when the duo finally left the restaurant and their watch owls had left long before.
Usagi and Wufei parted ways in silence, she going North and him going South.
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Usagi kicked off her shoes, exhausted, her mother's voice called out to her from the living room, "Usagi, honey? Is that you? Can you come in for a minute?"
Usagi grunted, the day had been tiring and all she wanted to do was to get up to bed as quickly as possible and never open the door ever, ever again. She managed to drag her feet into the living room and leaned against the wall. Shingo, her mother and father all sat gathered around someone.
"You are so pretty!"
"Look at you're hair, you're absolutely adorable."
"Wow, your eyes sure are amazing."
Chibi-Usagi? She remembered the small girl's tactics vividly. She had hypnotized her parents into thinking their niece Chibi-Usa had come to stay for the season. Usagi's eye watered thinking about the child. She needed someone to talk to right now, Luna just didn't understand.
"Usagi, Serene has come to visit." Shino said, backing away from the circle that their family had made, allowing Usagi view of the little black-haired girl that stood in the middle of her living room.
"Ahhh! What are you doing here, you little twerp?" Usagi said bending down to get at eye level with the child. "You tell me where Chibi-Usagi has gone or I swear I'll give you whooping of you're life!" Usagi said, picking her up and placing her down on the coffee table.
"Usagi, I'm scared, please, just hug me!" Serene called to her 'cousin', opening her arms wide. "Please don't play this game."
"This isn't a game you little booger, now you tell me what you've done with Chibi-Usagi!"
"Usagi, have you gone bonkers! She's just a little kid and who the heck is Chibi-Usa?" Shingo asked, picking up the three year old and holding her close to his body.
"And you couldn't even have been original about the whole thing! This is Chibi-Usa's way of doing things! Ahhh! You'd better tell me where she is!"
"Usagi!" Her parents chorused, standing in front of Serene.
"You'd better stop that right now, or you're grounded young lady! I don't want to hear another word out of you. You're scaring your cousin."
If this little kid really is from the future then…that must mean… "No!" Usagi's eyes welled up in tears, face twisting so horribly it were as if she were in physical anguish, running from the living room and up the stairs.
Serene stared dejectedly at Usagi as she ran away from her, lower lip trembling in worry. "Mama?" The whisper would go unnoticed by the rest of the Tsukinos.
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"Did you get it?" The question greeted him as he walked into the house.
"No." He replied curtly to his comrade. "The opportunity didn't present itself." His strong legs kicked the shoes off his feet before walking into the living room.
"Either we stop the girl or we stop Sailor Moon, and since we didn't accomplish either today with our plan, what do we do?" Quatre asked, worry set deeply into his delicate features.
"We try again. And we keep trying until we get that crystal." Trowa's face was downcast to the floor as he leaned against one of the walls in the living room. The area was completely bare except five small cots in the far corner and a closet full of clothes.
Duo sat on one of the cots, sitting up, his arms placed behind his head in collective thought. "The girl seems like a total ditz to me."
Wufei snorted from his place on his cot, legs crossed Indian style, "You don't have right to call anyone a ditz, Maxwell."
Duo laughed, "I guess you're right, Wuffie."
Wufei's eyebrow twitched as he heard the all too familiar nickname, "My name is Wufei Maxwell, now get it right unless you want to taste my blade."
"We should all stop arguing like this, we just need to figure out a way to get that the ginzuishou away from Usagi Tsukino, without hurting her."
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