Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor moon or Gundam Wing. But I do own all the steamy moments between the characters, and the plot line, and two dogs, and a cat, and lots of other cool things. So there.

...

Fuseiseki : Failure

Chapter Fifteen : Learn as You Go

...

It was dark. He sat on the balcony of her bedroom with her in his lap, her head tucked into the crook of his neck. They had pulled two chairs outside, but he liked it better this way, close to her. She looked up at him with eyes that he coudn't read, and his vision traveled to her lips, stealing a kiss that she deepened. When she broke away, she whispered in his ear.

"You will come back to me, won't you?"

He smirked. It came easier around her. "You have doubt?" She looked down, as if ashamed for asking. "Of course I'll be back Usagi. We all will." His heart ached for worrying her, another thing he was getting used to. There was a feeling thst rose above this. A feeling that demanded he show her how much he cared. What words would not say.

He scooped her up in his arms and stood, carrying her to the bed. Once there, he laid her atop the blanket, and moved over her, trailing soft kisses over her neck. She groaned beneath him, and a growl rose in his throat. The things she did to him... there were no words. Only feelings, so intense he didn't know how to fight them, how to handle them.

His lips pressed to hers without pause, his hand fisting in the wavy midnight locks of her hair. She arched beneath him, and whispered his name. "Hiiro..." It drove him wild. In one swift movement both his hands were beneath her, lifting her to him. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and he pushed her up against the headboard, assaulting her lips. His breathing was ragged when he stopped, and hers was too. He stared into her eyes of starlight. Saw the hesitation there, and searched them.

"I would never hurt you." He whispered. She gave him a watery smile.

"I know Hiiro." She whispered back. "Aishiteru." He claimed her lips for his own again. Because he couldn't say it. Didn't know how. But he needed to show her, if she would let him. His hands moved to her shirt, and she helped him with it. Slowly, he unraveled the bandages that covered the wound he thought he'd lost her to. He trailed his fingers over the forming scar. Beautiful. Everything about her was beautiful and perfect. The curve of her breasts, of her lips, of her hips and thighs. He took his own shirt off, threw it, and tugged at the shorts she was wearing. They came off easily, leaving her only in small black panties.

His heart was beating so fast he swore she could hear it. The flush on her face just made her more attractive. His hands slid slowly over her skin, and carefully, tenderly, he kissed her wound, the flesh around it. She moaned softly, stirring his insides.

She was pulling at the buttons of his pants now, and he helped her with them, not caring where they landed. He wore no boxers. He rarely did. His gaze traveled her body up and down, drinking her in, and he laid on the bed next to her, pulling her body to his with force, skin against skin.

The hesitation was there, in her eyes again, and he ran his fingers down her side, watched her shiver as he slid one finger under the band of her panties. He looked into her eyes, kissing her slowly before speaking. "Trust me." He breathed. "Give in to me."

She nodded her head, breathless, and he pulled the last piece of her clothing off, his hands roaming over her, under her. The passion that ensued tied their two souls together in the most solid of ways. Though the words wouldn't leave his lips, he showed her his love with soft touches, kisses, and his harsh breath mixed with hers in the night.

...

She woke tangled in him. His arms were wrapped around her, and his breath was on her face. He left her today. Left to aid in the war at hand. The one she'd almost forgotten about safe in his arms. She reached up to move his bangs from his face, gasping when his eyes snapped open. They looked wild for a minute, but softened at the look of her.

"Hiiro." She whispered. He smirked. It melted her heart. Last night... she had told him she loved him. He hadn't said it aloud, but in other ways... The blush came to her cheeks even though she bid it not to. His naked form was warm against hers. The blanket had been tossed away in the night.

"Ohayo Tenshi." He said, and her heart soared at the endearment. It was comforting, to hear him speak Japanese. she ran her fingers through his hair, and he closed his eyes, a growl starting in his chest. She laughed a bit.

"Ohayo Hii-chan." He wrinkled his nose at the nickname, but leaned closer to give her a soft kiss. She reveled in the taste of him, the smell of him. She gasped at the knock on the door, searching for anything to cover herself.

Hiiro was unfazed. "Go away." He called out, in his steely monotone. The voice from the other side was Duo.

"Sorry to bother you two lovebirds. But we leave at 1200 hours." She moved to get up, unsuccessful at finding cover, but Hiiro stopped her with strong arms, pulling her to him.

"Not yet." He whispered, and then called towards the door. "I'll be ready. Go away." She could hear Duo's footsteps retreating, though she hadn't heard them come. When they had faded, Hiiro ran his fingers lazily up and down her back. The feeling gave her goosebumps. "Tenshi." He whispered. She shivered at his breath on her skin.

They laid there for awhile, before he finally gathered his clothes, giving her a chaste kiss before heading for the door. "Hiiro..." She reached out a hand for him, and he smirked, pausing at the doorway.

"I'll see you downstairs in an hour." He said, and left without another word. Sighing, she gathered herself and headed to the bathroom, turning on the shower and stepping in. She regretted washing his smell from his skin, but the water felt wonderful. She ran her fingers over her neck. She could feel the soreness there. Knew there would be marks she'd have to try to cover. Everything about him in bed was possessive. She shivered despite the hot water. She loved it. She loved him.

She curled on the floor of the shower, and let the water wash over her, ignoring the tears that the water quickly washed from her face. She loved him, and the thought of him leaving, of losing him, especially now. It scared her half to death.

...

"Usagi." She welcomed the girl warmly, patting the space next to her on the love-seat. She took it with a smile. She was wearing a white dress that flattered every curve, paired with matching sandals. Her hair was down, cascading over her shoulders. Hilde suddenly felt very under-dressed in her camo shorts and green top. But she guessed anyone felt under-dressed next to this girl. She made anything look good.

Usagi leaned on her shoulder with a soft smile, and she accepted her hand when it was offered. "I'm nervous." She said. Hilde nodded, squeezing her hand.

"Everytime." She said. "It doesn't fade. Or get easier." She wouldn't lie to the girl. That was the honest truth. "They should be here soon."

She looked up when Noin and Milliardo entered the room, followed by Relena, Sally, and Catherine. They all nodded politely, and seconds later the pilots appeared. She squeezed Usagi's hand again, and stood with her, only letting go when Duo and Hiiro were feet away from them.

"Duo." She said with a smile, and he smiled in return. Her heart could have burst right there. He swept her up in his arms and kissed her with a fury that promised everything she'd ever wanted, if she could be patient, if she could wait. Her breath was short when he broke away.

"I'll be back in three days Babe." He said. She nodded, knocking her head against his playfully.

"You'd better be. Or I'll join up with Usagi and come find you." He laughed.

"Scary." She kissed him then, trying to convey all she wanted to say in that one touch. He was smiling when he pulled away, and she held her hand out for Usagi's when Hiiro let her go, sensing she needed it. The glance between them warmed her as Usagi spoke.

"Come back soon love." Hiiro gave a look that was filled with quiet desperation, as if he'd heard her say it a million times. She just smiled at him. "You four as well." Usagi continued, and Duo rolled his eyes. Hilde resisted the urge to slap him lest it ruin their sweet goodbye. They had turned, and walked through the open front door and out to the cars that were waiting, when Usagi whispered something only the remaining occupants of the room could hear. "Selenity be with you, my knights."

When the cars had started on their way, she turned to Relena with a smile that was sweet as sugar. "Where's your liquor cabinet?" She asked. Hilde was warmed by the laughter that burst from her mouth, and everyone elses.

...

"What is this?" Usagi scrunched her nose at the smell of the bottle she held in her hand. It smelled like pure gasoline.

"I wouldn't drink that." Milliardo sounded slightly amused. She pouted, feeling slightly as if she'd been challenged. Winking at him, she took a sip of the deep golden liquor. And immediately spit it at Hilde.

"Hey!" Hilde was laughing hysterically, trying to wipe the foul smelling alcohol from her shirt. Usagi apologized while simultaneously trying to wipe the taste from her mouth. "Gomen Nasai."

"I told you." Milliardo said, a smirk painting his otherwise perfect features. She stuck her tongue out at him, and picked up the glass of Amaretto she'd poured herself. She should have known. Curiosity usually killed the cat. Her chest was warm and fuzzy already. The liquor was helping her release the knot in her stomach.

"So you said the pilots received powers from your scouts?" Noin had asked. She searched her mind. She had said that. Mmmm... the alcohol was making her feel more fuzzy than she'd thought. It had been a long time since she'd had a drink. The last time had been their graduation from high school.

"Technically I suppose you could call them my knights." She said, swirling her glass in a circle. "I've never had male guardians, that I can remember. But Wufei would have died if I started calling him a Sailor Scout." Sally laughed so hard she spit the liquor that he had been sipping on right back into her glass.

"Oh I have to use that." She said, her eyes watering. Usagi smiled.

"Do you think they'll be alright, Usagi?" Catherine asked, from behind her wine glass.

"I can keep track of their energies, if I focus." She said. "I didn't tell them, but the communicators I gave them work in two ways. They are a direct link back to me first and foremost. But they also emit a beacon that leaves them practically invisible to Chaos' probing, and any electrical equipment they should come across."

"Clever." Relena said. Usagi waved her hand to brush off the compliment.

"It wasn't my design." She said. "It was Ami's, Sailor Mercury's. There was allot of publicity surrounding us in Japan. To a point where it was an obsession to find out who we were. Our communicators were hand designed to emit a wave that blocked cameras of all types. They also blocked our energy signatures. Since most of our enemies had a knack of seeking those out. I didn't tell them because I didn't want them to think it was a superpower. The communicators failed more than once against Chaos."

"She sounds like she was a smart girl." Relena said. Usagi smiled warmly.

"The smartest of us all. She was already a doctor at the hospital when the end came. Sometimes I wonder what they did when we disappeared. What they said. It was all so sudden."

"I can't imagine them not missing someone like you." Noin said, and Usagi's smile dropped. Noin opened her mouth to apologize, but Usagi stopped her.

"The thing is, I hope they didn't." She said. "I hope they remembered me. Loved me in my absence. But it pains me to think I left a hole behind." She swirled her glass again, took a sip. The ice cubes were melting. She reached for the bottle on the table next to her as Relena spoke. She was nursing a glass of wine.

"I'd like to think, that though the wound is deep, you can fill it with the good memories of those you lost."

Milliardo smiled. "Well spoken Imouto."

"Here here." Usagi said. She raised her glass, and everyone followed suit. "To tomorrow." She said. "And the day after. On until forever."

Catherine continued. "To the ones we hold dear."

"To the ones we fight for." Hilde said.

"Until they make thier safe return." Sally added.

"To the war we fight." Milliardo said, his voice strong.

"And the peace we bring." Relena said.

"And the battles we've won, and lost." They all leaned in after Noin spoke, to tap their glasses together.

"May Love lead us forward without fail." Usagi said, and they sipped their glasses as one, toasting it all. She settled back in her chair then, content to listen to the voices of her friends...yes, her new friends, as they chatted amicably. They all knew they were ignoring the worry they harbored for their comrades, their loves. But at the moment they were dealing in the best way they knew how. Enjoying life at it's fullest while it was still there. While, though far apart, they were still whole.

...

"We're here." Duo whispered it into the communicator, in position with Wufei. They were treating this mission in true black ops style. Everyone was dressed in deep black. Everyone had a part to play. Wufei was laying explosives, while he provided cover and simultaneously gathered any information he could. Hiiro and Trowa were the distraction. Quatre was the backup. They had estimated this base held no more than 50 soldiers. 10 to one were good odds in their book.

"Get ready." The voice was Hiiro's. He watched the patch of woods parallel to where He and Wufei stood, as gunfire suddenly burst forth from it. One guard went down. The other returned fire immediately. The reaction time was impressive. More than 30 soldiers ran out of the stone building to chase what Duo hoped by now was smoke. It was why Hiiro and Trowa were the best distraction. Even in a wooded area, they were invisible. Their footsteps were nonexistent. It made them seem like ghosts. There had been many a mission where their stealthy maneuvers had cleared a base simply because the soldiers were convinced they were dealing with a horrible curse. It amused Duo greatly.

Wufei took the first step, and he followed with his gun in hand, creeping with his comrade towards the entrance that had been abandoned. As soon as they entered the door, they turned left. It was a habit. Usually these facilities were built like a maze. From experience, the left had always led them where they needed to go. He wondered if this was innate, or if it was only a coincidence, and took the thought back. There definitely weren't any such thing as coincidences.

He'd been lost in thought, but still managed to dodge the bullet that flew at him, firing back with one shot. The boy fell, and he turned him over with a foot. Dead. It had been a head shot on instinct. Duo's eyes hardened. He'd only been 17 or so, by the looks of it. Wufei looked back at him for a moment with eyes that said 'get moving', and he bounced back into soldier mode, following him down the hall.

He tried not to think it. But the thought was prevalent. "Usagi. Please forgive us."

...

There wasn't a time before, that he could remember, that the killing didn't bother him a little. He had seen it once, as a waste of life. Now... He wanted to say Usagi had clouded his vision. But that wasn't right. In truth, she had broadened it. He understood better now, these people. They fought for a cause they believed in. It was just too bad they were on the wrong side.

He raised his gun, and fired a single shot followed by a flurry. The noise was familiar to his ears. Like an old friend. He may never like what war brought, but the truth was it had always made his heart sing. Just like...His Tenshi did. His lip twitched. Could she forgive him? For this? For more bloodshed? Because this wasn't the past. It was the present. And these people didn't know. Didn't understand that they were wrong.

He fired off another shot, ran with Trowa to the next location they had plotted out. Waited. When they appeared again, he did not hesitate. One, two, three fell. If she didn't forgive him, at least she would be safe.

...

"Got it?" Wufei was nursing a bad hand, but they had reached the last place he thought needed explosives. He was laying it down from the black bag he carried, as Duo's fingers tapped over the keys of what looked like the main computer screen.

"It's set." He pressed a button to activate it, fingered the detonator in his good hand carefully. "You?"

"I'm having a bit of trouble." Wufei stepped up to the console next to him and looked up at the screen that was set in the wall.

"Ah." He looked at Duo, and was surprised to see the flash of deep purple beneath his shirt. When he looked up at his friend, his eyes shone with a vibrant violet that was ethereal, and his forehead shone with Saturn's insignia. The screen before him flashed, the light traveling to the keys, and the disk the expert hacker had put in five minutes ago, popped out of the console. "Got it." He smiled in triumph, and Wufei shook his head in mild wonder. These powers were as useful as they were unpredictable.

"Let's go." He said. Duo followed him out the door, and around a corner. Back where they came. "We're done." He said into his communicator. It was tucked snugly in his ear. He had to admit it was comfortable too. Usagi-Onna had done well.

He spun the corner with his gun drawn and was confronted by five soldiers. The shots did not faze him. They never had, though he preferred the clean slice of his katana. His vision sharpened when he heard Duo cry out in pain. They all fell fast.

He turned his eye on his comrade. "Baka." He said aloud. "Where is it?" Duo was clutching his thigh. Dark red blood seeped down his leg, over his hand. He cursed. Duo was smiling. He ripped his sleeve with quick hands, and tied it around his friend's wound.

"Thanks Wu-man." Duo sounded pained, but smiled through it. "Lead on."

The bleeding worried him. But there was no time to think about it. They had to get out. The soldiers were returning to base. He could hear the footsteps as he ran, gun drawn and ready. He checked the clip with lightning fast reflexes, slammed it back home, shot two men down.

Duo was close behind him, but he could hear his limp on the hard concrete floor. He looked behind him for a moment, looked back, and cursed aloud. "Kuso."

20 men stood before him, at least. 10 to one was usually a good number. But with their odds put off by Duo's injury, the number was far less appealing. He stopped, drew his sword with one hand and held his gun with the other, and with an imperceptible nod to Duo, who knew all his movements from years of working together, he charged.

...

"Hiiro." Trowa said it aloud, because they both knew they were alone. They had caught on to their ruse. He and Hiiro had been trying to lead away as many soldiers as possible from the base. They had all turned around.

His comrade nodded and they ran, fast and silent, towards where Quatre was stationed. "Cover them." He said to his koi through the communicator. He worried for him every moment when he was not with him. Not that the blonde could not care for himself.

*Already on it. Hurry.* It was natural for them to use such short sentences. Should the frequency ever be hacked, the conversation was light, spread out, and inconspicuous. When he reached the break in the trees where Quatre was camped, his gun was blazing, and already they were returning fire.

He and Hiiro settled in, bullets flying, taking down who they could to give Wufei and Duo clearance. He saw them, at the door, with another 15 men running in their direction. Duo was injured, favoring his leg. He didn't speak when he fell, but took down the two men surrounding him with a sharp eye.

He just barely saw Hiiro run forward out of the corner of his vision. Shifted to covering him. Wufei was nearly there. He recoiled in pain as a bullet traveled through his shoulder, immediately steeling himself and focusing on another target.

"Report?" He couldn't see Hiiro or Duo under the flurry of bodies that appeared, Wufei was next to him now.

"Go. Go. Go!" It was Duo's voice. They all hesitated for a moment, sparing a glance at each-other, and then turned and ran. He sincerely hoped it wasn't a mistake. As he ran, he heard the beep of the detonator Wufei held in his hand, not turning at the sound of the immense explosion.

...

"You okay?" Hiiro was clutching at his side. Duo smiled through a bloody lip and a river of blood that obscured his vision. His head ached. Hiiro's stoic glare wasn't helping, but he was used to it. "Geez you'd think after a night with Usagi you'd smile more." The glare grew in intensity, and he laughed. His thigh had stopped bleeding, but he was sticky and dirty from running through the woods, and weak. "Why'd you come back for me?" He asked, breathing deep.

"Hn." Duo laughed.

"Aw buddy. I didn't know you wuved me so much."

Hiiro spit, which just made him laugh harder. When he quieted, the stoic soldier spoke. "I promised Usagi we'd all come back." He said, and Duo's smile lost it's luster.

"Tall order." He said, somber.

"I didn't think so." Hiiro said. It brought the smile back to his face. No mission The perfect soldier took on was impossible. Merely because he made it so. He was a powerful ally to have. He reached up to his ear. The communicator was there, but it was broken. It had been crackling in his ear since he'd taken the butt of a gun to the face.

"Does your communicator work?" Hiiro pulled the remains of his communicator from the pocket of his black jeans. It was split in half by what looked like a bullet. Duo squinted his eyes, and then opened them wide. "Whoa." Hiiro's ear had been grazed. The communicator had saved him from a head-shot.

Hiiro closed his fist around the small device. "We have to get back to base." Duo laughed, squinting when the act made his head spin.

"No shit Sherlock. How do you suppose we do that?" Hiiro glared at him. He smiled back. The man's glare had lost his power on him years ago.

There was a voice then, mocking, obviously female. "I don't think you're going anywhere." Duo's eyes turned to the darkness of the woods, not five feet away from where he sat. The woman was dressed in something that normally would have made his eyes pop. A leotard of shiny black leather. But something was off. She stepped into the dim light of the moon that filtered through the trees. Her eyes were yellow. Her hair long, and fiery red. And she had a tail... A scorpion tail.

"Shit." He cursed, and his hand went immediately to the key that dangled around his neck. Hiiro was right there with him. With too many questions and no answers to quell them, he felt the transformation come over him. He hadn't needed the words. Hiiro hadn't spoken either. He noted it, focused his attention on the threat.

His wounds tingled. But he stood and called his glaive to his hand with a smile. Hiiro was standing next to him, his sword drawn. "You're in our way." He growled.

The woman... thing smiled. Her teeth were all sharp and pointed. "Master will be happy if I take care of you two." She purred. Duo licked his lips.

"Good Luck. We don't go down easy." The words came to his lips like they had always been there. "Silent Glaive Surprise!"

...

"Ahh..." She clutched at her chest frantically. There was pain there, and a loss of something. Hilde and Sally were with her at the moment. They had been taking a walk in the cool gardens. She felt Hilde's hand on her arm, blinked, looked up into her clear blue eyes.

"I can't find them." She whispered. Hilde's eyes widened.

"Usagi... You can't find who?" She sat hard on the ground, dropping to her knees.

"I can't find Duo and Hiiro." She raised her hand over her ear and the communicator formed there. "Trowa?"

The voice on the other end was unmistakably the pilot with no name. *Usagi. The base was equipped with more soldiers than we thought.*

She bit her lip. "And?"

He sighed into the communicator. *We lost Duo and Hiiro.* Her heart stopped. *We are circling back, but...* He paused, and she knew he was feeling what she was. A burst of power at the edge of her senses. Duo and Hiiro had transformed.

Her eight pointed star flared to life on her forehead. She knew by the look Hilde was giving her that her eyes had changed too. Her hair stayed it's midnight black. The change was a reaction to the connection she had with her knights. "Find them Trowa." She said, her voice hard. "Find them now."

His voice was sure. *We'll all be home together soon Usagi.* The connection was cut off. She dropped her hand from her ear, the strength in her gone.

"Usagi... What's going on?" Hilde was kneeling in front of her, both hands on her shoulders. She'd barely known she was there until she spoke. She looked up at her with a smile that hurt to force.

"They got separated." She said, lying through her teeth. "They just got separated and Hiiro and Duo's communicators are malfunctioning. That's all. Trowa is going to get them now."

Hilde squeezed her shoulder hard, and when she smiled, her eyes were watery. "You know Usagi?" She said. "You're a really bad liar."

...

And the real fight begins. With their communicators broken, and little idea of how to hide themselves, Duo and Hiiro are in a bind. Can they pull on the powers of their guiding planets quick enough to save themselves? Will Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei make it in time? Find out next time. Ja, .