Beauty's Beast
Chapter 10-Legend
Rei smiled at Heero, as she offered no words, rising from the seat. He blinked and although he didn't smile, Rei noticed the corners of his mouth twist.
As a result, she glanced to the floor, wisps of her dark hair falling over her light eyes. Keeping her head down, but raising her eyes, she noticed Duo kiss Minako's hand, as Minako giggled.
Adverting her eyes again, she felt Minako lock arms with her, leading her away after pausing to wave again.
As the door swung shut behind them, Minako removed her arm from Rei's and glared.
"You don't have to be anti social," she accused.
Rei snorted, "I am not anti social."
"It's been two years since you and Jed broke up. Live a little Rei!" Minako exclaimed, slamming the car door shut as she crossed her arms.
Rei rolled her eyes. That's right. Two years since she had lost everything. She started the car, neglecting to even let it warm up as she backed out and sped off.
Inside the diner...
Heero simply shook his head, paying the bill for the four, "Your a flirt," he said, extending his hand to retrieve the keys from Duo.
Jerking the key's back, Duo had a sly smirk on his face, "And your a pervert."
A single familiar phrase beginning with the letter O was uttered out of Heero's mouth as he escorted Duo out of the diner.
"So what was your obsession with that ring of hers. You don't even know how to fix rings," Duo said accusingly.
Heero raised an eyebrow.
Exasperated, Duo flung his arms to the sides, off the wheel. "I pulled my eyes off Aphrodite for a second, and your babbling about fixing a ring."
A silence ensued.
"Woah Woah Woah. You think Rei is death?" Duo asked finally, raising an eyebrow.
Heero nodded, "I think she might be. She has the ring. I didn't notice Minako having one. Rei fits the description. Toned body, pale, long black hair."
Duo squinted.
Not long ago, the doctors had told them of a legend. There would be three women who held the power of the universe. One would be death, one life, and the last, the scientists were unable to determine. They would be guarded closely, by their own respected guardians.
"So you think Minako is Rei's guardian?" Duo asked.
Heero nodded. Duo bit his lip, lost in thought. Life was ironic. He had just ended a date with the most beautiful woman he had ever met, and unknowingly, she was guarding the woman he was on a mission to kill.
The doctors had traced the location of these girls to be in downtown Tokyo currently, although that was by careful scientific calculations, and assuming none of the three powers had died. For without one, the other two powers would cease to exist. As a way of balancing this out, each of the three powers had a ring, that when placed on a chain, with the other two rings, would cause the three to be reborn.
However, if the three rings were placed on a chain, while the power carriers were still alive, there would be eternal chaos.
"Are you sure?" Duo asked. Heero was silent a moment.
"Not entirely. But Trowa shares my suspicions," Heero said finally.
Later that day..
"What are you wearing to the boys?" Minako asked breathlessly. She held three slinky dresses in one hand, and a tunic top in the other.
"Nothing," Rei grunted, returning to her crossword puzzle. She scratched the lead from her pencil into the paper angrily.
"Rei that's a little...forward..don't you think?" Minako asked, confused.
Rei growled, shaking the table as she erased a word, "I'm wearing nothing because I'm not going."
"What? Why?" Minako howled, tossing her ensembles to the floor.
"I try to set you up with a nice boy, so you can get over your two year pity party, and now you don't even want him?" Minako glared.
"You call Heero Yuy a nice boy," Rei scowled.
Minako paused, her lips twisted into a frown. So the boy was a bit weird. Not unlike Rei, after the death of her grandfather, the world rocking breakup of her engagement, and the start of Hotaru's anti socialness.
"Fine Rei. You stay here. Hotaru and I will go," Minako said finally.
Accepting, Rei returned to her crossword puzzle.
Scooping the tunic off of the floor, Minako rolled her eyes, heading to the back of the apartment.
LATER...
Duo pulled her into his arms by her waist, and she giggled, throwing her arms around his neck.
Hotaru smiled, rubbing one arm. She shut the door behind her awkwardly.
"So where's Rei?" Duo asked, waving to Hotaru.
Minako frowned, "Sleeping. She worked all day."
Duo nodded. "Well, I suppose that sucks for He-man."
He led her into the kitchen, handing her a beer as he sat at the high top table across from her.
Minako smiled, straining her brain for conversation. Sometimes she found there was so much to say it was hard to say anything at all.
"Tell me more about your job," she smiled, "you said you travel a lot for work, but left it at that. Your involved with the war right?"
The question caught Duo off guard. He frowned.
"Well I rebuild the machinery soldiers use in the war," he said finally. Not necessarily a lie, he did make his own repairs. It was hard to classify him as a soldier though.
Minako nodded, sensing his evasiveness. Something about him was off, like his personality was trapped.
"So how'd you meet Rei and Hotaru?" Duo asked casually, recalling Heero's point of interest.
She bit her lip, her finger tracing the lip of the beer bottle. The smooth glass felt cool on her fingertip, and she hesitated.
"I met Rei at school, Hotaru's just her younger sister," Minako said, giving the bare basics.
"How long have you lived with them?" Duo asked casually.
"Around two years. A little bit after my parents moved to Europe actually," Minako said quietly, now ignoring the nearly full beer.
A noise came from beside the table, and Duo cocked his head, glancing through the doorway and up at the stairway.
Heero emerged, giving Minako a once over.
"Heero, Rei couldn't make it," Minako said with an apologetic smile.
Heero nodded, glancing to Duo. Duo knew the look. He watched Heero slip a jacket on, and slink out of the house.
Lightening the subject, Minako smirked.
"Who braids your hair?" she asked, wiggling an eyebrow as she giggled.
Duo laughed, glancing over his shoulder at the Chinese man who was currently digging through the refrigerator.
"Oh you know, Wu-man sometimes. He just can't get over how silky my hair is after I condition it," Duo joked, lightening up a bit.
Wufei glared, "Maxwell, it is Wufei. Not Wu-man." He then glanced Minako up and down, before exiting the kitchen muttering to himself.