L4, Present

Minako had never felt more like a single woman than she did now, as she found herself eating a pint of ice cream and watching soap opera recaps on TV. She had told Quatre to leave as soon as she had gotten out of the tub, insisting that she was fine. The truth was, she couldn't bare to be there with him, knowing his thoughts were with Rei. It was just one more bitter reminder that she was stuck in the "friend zone."

Frankly, she had no need for it.

Midnight came and went, and even though she would have to be at the studio in about six hours, Minako had no intention of sleeping. If she slept, there was the chance she would have to deal with uncomfortable and impossible dreams, and that would only make her feel worse in the long run. No, right now she was content to numb her brain with Triple Brownie Fudge and bad acting.

She was just beginning to lose feeling when suddenly her phone went off, sending her crash landing back to reality. Groaning, she didn't even look at the ID before opening it. "Hello?"

"MIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Minako nearly dropped the phone at the sound of the wail. It was Usagi, of course. She didn't know anyone who had a voice like that, with the power to shatter glass in space. After the scream, she had gone into a series of moist ramblings. It was obvious she was crying, but Minako knew that could have been about any number of things.

"Whoa, Usagi...slow down, rewind, start over," she said, setting aside the ice cream tub and folding her legs. She knew it was petty and mean, but now that she knew something was obviously wrong in Usagi's life, her own trouble seemed a little better.

"Motoki broke up with meeeeeeeeee!" Usagi sobbed. "He...he's wants to see other people!"

A blond eyebrow arched up. "Um, Usagi? That's not necessarily breaking up..."

"Yes it is! He doesn't love me anymore!"

Minako sighed. Usagi and Motoki had been dating for about a month, a little less. And as usual, she had been convinced it was true love. And as usual, her--enthusiasm, for lack of a better word--had scared the poor guy off. And yet again, she found it necessary to call her best friend in the middle of the night to sob about it.

Luckily, all of this practice had allowed Minako to learn by heart a consolation speech that she was convinced could be marketed and sold to the masses if she ever got the entrepreneurial spirit.

"Usagi, this is just a sign that it wasn't meant to be. And don't you remember all the times you've said that Motoki never had time for you? Well, now you don't have to worry about that anymore. And don't worry about being single. You're a young, beautiful woman with a good job and a great personality. Sooner or later, you'll get another guy. And who knows? Maybe this time he'll be 'the one'," she droned, repeating the words she had spoken several times before (with "Motoki" replaced with several other names).

On the other end of the line, Usagi's sobs had waned to sniffles. "You're right, Mina. Thank you so much. You're such a good friend. I'm sorry I woke you up."

"It's okay, I was up anyways."

"Oh, okay. Hey, can I come visit you next weekend? That was gonna be mine and Motoki's one-month anniversary, and I don't wanna be alone..."

To Minako's surprise, this actually sounded like a good idea. Usagi was well aware of the Quatre situation, and was usually good for a little griping. Now that both found themselves frustrated in love, they would both be more sympathetic to each other's situation. "Yeah, that'll be fun. I'll order a ticket for you over the weekend."

"Thank you Mina! You're the best!"

They made five minutes' worth of small talk, then hung up. Minako sighed a little and hugged her pillow, happy she was able to forget Quatre for fifteen minutes at least.

FOUR:

Mystery Man

Brussels, Belgium, Present

"I don't know why you're making a big deal about this, Usagi. He's just a stupid guy..." the small girl at the table remarked as she sipped at her orange juice. The housekeeper had been in tears ever since showing up that morning. Of course, Lady Une hadn't given it a second thought as she gave the day's orders and took off, but for Mariemaia, who still had twenty minutes until it was time to leave for school, the constant whining was becoming obnoxious.

"He's not just a stupid guy! He was my stupid guy! We were gonna--"

"What, get married? Get over it, Usagi. You always say that and you've never been married even once!" The girl snapped. Turning her attention back to her breakfast, she continued in a calmer voice. "Besides, Motoki wasn't even that good for you. He was too tall."

"Too tall?" Usagi turned around and glared at her charge. "Are you calling me short, Mariemaia?"

"Well you won't be having a career in basketball anytime soon," she replied, picking up her dishes and depositing them in the sink. As she did, she felt the housekeeper grind a fist into the top of her head.

"Well you're no giant yourself, Mariemaia!" she cried.

Whirling around, the pink-haired girl grabbed one of her nanny's pigtails and jerked hard. "I'm nine, stupid! What do you expect?"

"I expect you to show some manners! I am in charge of you, after all!"

"You started it!"

"Um..."

Both girls (now involved in a hair-pulling, face-pinching contest), turned to see Ryan standing in the doorway. "I was just wondering if Miss Mariemaia was ready yet. There's been an accident and the main road is closed, so I'd really like to get going early..."

Nanny and charge instantly released their hold on each other. "Yes, Ryan, I'll be right there. Just let me get dressed..." Mariemaia replied.

"And I'll get your lunch," Usagi added. A few minutes later, the housekeeper was waving as the limousine pulled out of the driveway and vanished down the street. Once it was gone, she sighed. Usagi hated it when Mariemaia was right about things. Normal nine-year-olds weren't supposed to be as smart as her, but then again, Mariemaia was far from normal...

Going back inside, she finished up the dishes and got out the chemicals for cleaning the kitchen. Throwing herself into her work, Usagi managed to keep her boyfriend troubles off her mind until about noon, at which point she had completed the kitchen and now found herself starving. Luckily, Une had brought home leftover cheesecake last night and told the maid to help herself. Even better, there were only two pieces missing from the pie. Though by the time Usagi had finished, the entire tin was completely empty.

After rinsing it out, she slipped into her shoes and took it out to the garage where she deposited it in the recycling bin. The sight of such a full container reminded her that tomorrow was garbage day, and with some effort she lifted the plastic bin and carried it out to the curb. She was just about to set it down when she heard a scream.

Letting out a shriek of her own, she stumbled backwards and tripped over a stick that happened to be laying on the blacktop. Losing her balance, Usagi crashed to the ground, recycling bin on top of her. Groaning, she pushed off the rubbish and looked around to see just what had caused her embarrassing mishap.

She spotted it right away.

Sitting on its haunches at the end of the driveway was a skinny black cat. It was staring at her with wide orange eyes, and was now completely silent. Leaping to her feet, Usagi took a few steps backwards. "Oh crap...black cat...I'm gonna have bad luck all day!"

Looking around for something she could use as a weapon, she picked up the pie tin from the cheesecake and tossed at the animal. It let out a yelp and darted into the street. Turning around, it stared at Usagi one more time, and this time the maid noticed the strange mark on the cat's forehead. It was a bald spot that looked like a crescent moon. She recalled the missing cat flyer she'd seen, just in time for the creature to vanish into the brush on the other side of the road. Usagi rolled her eyes. "No wonder they lost it. Still, who'd want such an unlucky pet?"

Bending over, she set about the daunting task of picking up every bottle and can that had spilled out of the bin, cursing the cat the whole time. It was only when she had put the last soup can in the container that she noticed the car parked across the street.

She wasn't good at recognizing makes of cars, but the knew for sure that one was a Lamborghini Diablo. Silver, spotless, and very, very fast. Although Lady Une lived in a wealthy neighborhood, Usagi knew for a fact that none of the doctors, lawyers, or politicians who lived nearby drove such a vehicle. Squinting, she could almost make out the silhouette of someone behind the tinted windows.

Then the someone made it easier by opening the door and stepping out.

Usagi's jaw hit the ground. He was absolutely gorgeous. Long platinum blond hair, piercing blue eyes, a killer body in what had to be Armani...and he was headed straight for her.

The man raised an eyebrow upon seeing the young housekeeper gawking at him. "Excuse me...is Lady Une home?" he asked.

His voice sent shivers up Usagi's back. She didn't even hear the question, she was so completely lost. The man had to repeat himself twice more before she finally drifted back down to Earth.

"Um...huh? Oh, I mean, no. She won't be back until tonight," she answered bemusedly.

A look of disappointment and exasperation crossed the handsome man's face. "I see. Will you tell her I was here?"

Usagi nodded slowly. "Uh-huh...who are you?"

After a moment of hesitation, the man smiled. If it was at all possible to melt any more before the man, the maid did. Leaning forward as if sharing a secret with the young woman, his voice dropped to a whisper. "I used to be a prince of the stars, but now..."

"Yes?" she murmured, realizing how kissable his lips seemed.

"I am Wind."

Pulling away, the man didn't say another word. Turning around, he returned to his car, got in, and sped away, leaving Usagi standing alone in the driveway.

She didn't think about Motoki for the rest of the day.

New York Spaceport

He was sitting alone in the spaceport bar, drinking not alcohol but just a glass of water. A laptop was open on his table and he appeared to be composing an email of sorts. The light reflected off his Prussian blue eyes and seemed to make them light up behind his curtain of brown bangs. A slender man but attractive enough, it was a wonder he was alone and not with some cute girl.

Ah, but wait.

A woman had stepped into the bar from the main concourse. Far from behind a "cute girl," she was tall, sharply dressed, and in a word, beautiful. Long ivy-colored hair pulled away to reveal a pale face emphasized by dark red eyes and a serious expression. Going to the young man, she sat down at the table across from him and set her briefcase on the surface.

"What took you so long?" the man asked, not looking up.

She didn't look at him either, but pulled out a manila envelope and slid it across to him. "The flight was delayed. I can't stay."

"That's fine," the man replied, finally meeting her gaze for a moment before taking the envelope. Opening it up, he raised an eyebrow in surprise. "The White Fang killer?"

The woman nodded. "The Preventers put out a reward early this morning. I thought you could use a challenge. You've seemed a bit bored lately."

"If you say so," he answered, closing the envelope. "How long will you be in New York?"

"The whole week. Can I meet you on L1 next Sunday?" she asked, getting to her feet.

He nodded. "I'll call you if I make any breakthroughs."

"Thank you," she replied. "Take care."

"You too."

She walked away.

L3

"So tell me, Mr. Winner. Doesn't it feel good to be bad?" Duo teased as they stepped out of the cab. The blond man rolled his eyes.

"Please don't remind me, Duo. I'm really tempted to call up my secretary right now and--"

"Do it and I'll chuck your phone into the nearest four-way intersection," his friend remarked brightly.

The circus grounds were mostly quiet this time of day. The main tent was closed off and the midway deserted. Indeed, there was no sign of anyone, save the sound of a motorcycle engine revving.

Duo shot Quatre a look. "Hear that?"

His friend nodded. "Yeah...I don't remember the show featuring motorcycles though..."

The braided man's indigo eyes glittered as he grabbed Quatre's sleeve. Dragging him into the rehearsal yard behind the main tent, the pair saw huge spherical cage set up in the center of the grassy area. The sphere was constructed of several metal panels, one of which was folded down to create a ramp. And as the sound of the engine revving grew louder, a motorcycle sped up the ramp into the globe, where it was shut inside by the curly-haired woman standing beside the ramp.

When she turned and saw the pair gawking at the spectacle, a smile crossed her face. "Duo! Quatre!"

Quatre smiled at the woman. "Catherine, how are you?" he asked, embracing her tightly when she ran over to them.

"Good!" she replied, going from Quatre to Duo, who was still staring incredulously at the stunt in the motorcycle. Catherine followed his gaze. "Amazing, isn't he?" she asked.

"Incredible," Duo agreed. "Who the hell is he?"
"His stage name is Angel. We don't know his real name. He showed up a couple of weeks ago wanting a job. When the boss asked for a demonstration, even Trowa was impressed. He's debuting tonight."

The three watched the man on the bike circle the inside of the globe for about five minutes. Not only did he move in lateral circles, but he even went over the top of the cage, turning upside down. Upon some unspoken signal, Catherine returned to the cage and unlatched the ramp. It crashed to the ground just in time for Angel to speed out and screech to a halt in front of the onlookers.

Removing his navy helmet, the man revealed a startlingly feminine face. His sandy blond hair was messy and obscured his eyes, although when he brushed it out of the way they saw they were deep sapphire. Suddenly, the shy look on Catherine's face made a lot more sense.

"Great job, Angel. People are going to love you," she murmured, coming up beside him.

Looking over his shoulder at her, he smiled coolly. "I hope so." Turning his attention back to the men in front of him, he tilted his head slightly. "Who are you?"

"We're Trowa's friends. I'm Quatre Raberba Winner, and this is Duo Maxwell," the blond introduced.

Angel raised an eyebrow. "Head of the Winner family? Impressive. I'm Angel."

"Angel!" another voice called. "Boss wants to see you."

Quatre whirled around. "Trowa!" he cried joyfully, racing towards the taller man and throwing his arms around him. Angel gave Catherine a look. She only smiled back.

"Quatre always acts like a kid around Trowa," Duo explained, walking over to clap his friend on the shoulder. "Hey man, what's up?"

Trowa smiled, an event that always seemed to happen more often around his friends. "What are you guys doing here? Quatre don't you have work?"

His friend turned slightly red. "Well, um..."

"Aw, he just wanted to see you!" Duo grinned. "Me too. Plus, looks like you've got a great show lined up for the night. So how about some free tickets?"

"How about I let you watch from backstage as usual?" Trowa replied.

"Do we get folding chairs?"

"Do you ever?"

"I missed you."

The afternoon was spent catching up and politely bearing a pre-show meal prepared by Catherine (who still, after all these years, could not cook to save her life). When the performers left to get ready, Duo and Quatre settled in one of the wings to wait for the show to start.

Then, out of nowhere, Duo was yanked backwards by the braid, right over a wooden crate and onto the floor.

"DUO MAXWELL!"

Groaning, he opened his eyes to stare into the enraged green eyes of a young woman.

"Mako, what are you doing?" another woman cried out, racing to her friend's side and trying to pull the fallen man's braid free of Mako's iron grip, but to no avail.

"What the hell, Duo? Six months and you don't call?!?!?!"

Quatre stared at the scene confusedly. "Wait...Duo, do you know this woman?"

Duo, unfortunately, was still trying to pull his hair free. "Makooooooooo! You're hurting meeeeeeeeee!" he whined. "I'm sorry I didn't call! But I lost your number, and--"

"Stupid excuse," she grumbled, but let go nonetheless. "Come on, Ami. Let's just buy tickets. I'm not hanging out back here with a jerk like him."

"Mako, wait, please!" he called, but she was already dragging her friend towards the door.

The blond man came up behind him. "Old girlfriend?"

Duo sighed. "Something like that. She's a friend of Trowa's. Owns the cafe down the block."

"Let me guess. You slept with her, then took off without a word?"

The braided man nodded, then hung his head.

"You should've called her."

"I know."

Author's Note:

Sorry this has taken so long to update everyone. Things have been kind of crazy lately. If you want weekly reports on the progress of my fics, you can check out my LJ (click the "homepage" link on my profile). I've got some other fics & original work there too. end shameless plug

PS: Good to be back y'all!