Broken Wing
A Sailor Moon / Gundam Wing crossover
Part 9
By Sailorcelestial

Authors Notes: IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ! This is a rewritten version of chapter nine. Someone pointed out in a review that Quatre couldn�t possibly have overheard Duo in the last scene, because Quatre had already left with Hiiro! Baka me! So I�ve changed it in this one, so it will make more sense.

Disclaimer: Stupid lawyers . . . I don�t own Gundam Wing. I don�t own Sailormoon. Please . . . don�t sue me. All you�ll get is a few notebooks and maybe a Lifesaver or two.

The door opened, much too early for Usagi�s liking, and the guards returned to carry her to her doom. She even helped them, able to walk somewhat after the rest. She wanted this over as soon as possible. She wanted to be in the Afterlife, calm, without pain, waiting patiently for her Mamo-chan to be with her again.

Gomen nasai, Chibiusa . . . it looks like your existence will be erased now.

The journey down the corridor was as silent and as long as ever. She spent these minutes, the last of her life as she saw them, remembering her home and her family and friends. Then she thought of the pilots, who apparently had failed to rescue her, for whatever reason. Her heart, in its kindness and trusting nature, wouldn�t allow her to believe that it was because they hadn�t tried.

Without warning the building shook as though in a vicious earthquake, and Usagi was flung from the guards unprepared fingers. Her head hit the corridor wall, but she barely noticed. It was only another pain added to that which already burned through her body. She didn�t even try to get up and run away.

"What was that?" she heard one guard ask the other before another intense tremor shook them to their knees again.

They had a point; what was it causing the shaking? She really didn�t care.

"What are you idiots doing?" called the impatient and rather unpleasant voice of the stick-wielding officer from behind them, "Don�t you realize that we�re under attack?!? Pick her up and take her to the interrogation room! We�ll get that information from her before they find her, or kill her first!"

Yes . . . kill me.

She hadn�t even noticed the other words he spoke.

"It�s a Gundam. Those pilots must be here for her! She said she had friends who were coming to rescue her."

"B-but a Gundam, sir?" stammered a guard.

"That�s what I said, isn�t it?" the officer shrieked with a whap of his stick on the guard�s shoulder. Then he prodded the other less than gently, "Go on, pick her up!"

The guards obeyed, lifting a barely conscious Usagi from her place on the ground. They rushed as fast as they could with their burden and within moments had plopped her into the lone chair that sat in the all too familiar room. Usagi was almost happy to see it, like an old friend.

"Konnichiwa . . ." she murmured, although she didn�t know whether it was morning, afternoon, or evening.

"Quiet!" The sharp command was followed by the crack of the stick connecting with her jaw. She even winced at this new pain, but something instinctual told her that no matter how hard he seemed to have hit her, her jaw wasn�t broken. Not yet. If he broke her jaw, she wouldn�t be able to speak, and he wasn�t ready yet to let her off that easily. "Now, for the last time, little girl, tell me what your weapon was! If you don�t tell me, your friends will have come to save a corpse!"

She kept her head bowed and didn�t say a word.

"Fine!" the officer seethed, raised his arm, and this time Usagi knew there would be no pause.

The distinct sound of a gunshot resounded through the small room, and a bullet hole sprang from nowhere in the wall near the officer�s head.

"Not to sound cliché or anything," came a unique voice, one that registered in Usagi�s mind slowly, "but I won�t miss next time."

"Who the hell are you?" growled Lieutenant Stick, face contorted into an expression on pure rage. Usagi lifted her head gently and turned it to see a shadow in the doorway, features blurred by the light from behind it or from her own failing vision, or perhaps both. At either side of the door lie the bodies of the two guards.

"Don�t you know? I�m Shinigami, asshole."

The officer scoffed, which seemed to be his favorite gesture.

"Shinigami . . . right. Well, Sir God of Death, here�s a gift from me to you."

With that, and a cold, cruel grin, he brought his stick arm hurtling downwards towards Usagi�s head.

Another shot, and she saw the form of her tormentor fly backwards, weapon propelled through the air as his grip loosened.

"Told you I wouldn�t miss," said the mysterious figure, and the voice became more and more familiar, "See you in Hell," he muttered, and at last a name came to her.

"D-Duo-kun . . ."

"Hey," his voice softened, and she opened her eyes again to see him kneel in front of her. His eyes grew dark as he gazed on her bruised and battered face. Then he scowled, "Damn them, how could they do this?" She felt his arms push behind her back and underneath her knees and suddenly she was being lifted again, only this time in a gentle cradle.

"How is she?" came a quieter speech from the doorway.

"Beaten pretty bad," Duo replied to the person Usagi couldn�t quite make out. Stupid light. "You were right, Quatre, he was going to kill her. If we�d waited any longer . . ."

"No time for that, we have to get her out of here so the others can retreat."

"Right."

Usagi relaxed in Duo�s arms, even though in her mind there was the image of a man, cruel but human, falling backwards, with blood spurting from his chest.

 

Duo dared to peer downwards at Usagi again, and flinched at the sight of her. A blossom of dark purple surrounded her right eye, and a cut that was never cleaned left a trail of dry blood down her cheek from her eyebrow. More, smaller bruises decorated her pale skin, and an angry red welt was beginning to rise where Duo imagined that officer had hit her with his stick.

"Duo," Quatre called to him softly, and the braided one snapped himself from his angry trance.

"Yeah, I�m coming."

Another shock wave went through the building, sending Duo hurtling into the nearest wall. He managed to turn so that his back would hit and Usagi wouldn�t, but he saw her wince with the impact anyway.

"I think Hiiro�s getting a little carried away up there," he growled, "he�s forgotten that we�re in here too!"

"It�s possible."

It was then that they broke into the air outside, evening air, the setting sun casting an eerie pinkish orange glow over the chaotic battle scene before them.

OZ soldiers were running and stumbling all over the place, some of them with sense enough to grab for guns, but most of them were just rookies who were too green to know any better than to run around in a panic. Duo almost felt sorry for them. Almost. They WERE OZ, after all. They�d chosen this destiny for themselves.

"It�s too thick," Quatre said, holding his gun with an expertise one wouldn�t expect of this quiet, polite boy unless they really knew him, "Too many soldiers who know what they�re doing. Trowa and Wufei aren�t going to be able to hold them all back. Even Hiiro can�t; he has to be too careful about where he�s shooting," on cue a bright yellow bolt shot through the sky and exploded down upon the base, "We�ll have to fight to get through."

"Luckily the truck isn�t too far away," Duo said, referring to the vehicle he had managed to borrow from one of the villagers.

"I�ll go ahead of you and clear a path. You can�t shoot with her in your arms."

Duo nodded in agreement. He crouched as well as he could, ready to sprint through the upheaval after Quatre. Two seconds passed as the blonde waited for the perfect moment . . . three . . . four . . .

At second five, Usagi suddenly gave a cry and squirmed from Duo�s grasp, heading out across the battle on her own, towards who knew what.

"Usagi-san!"

But she wasn�t listening to him.

"DAMN!"

 

Wufei never knew what happened, why he tried to swipe his blade when he should have ducked. It wasn�t a mistake he normally would have made; it was amateurish really. Perhaps it was fate, though.

When he found his wrist caught in his opponents hand, he knew that somehow he had lost this fight. A growl began to rise but was cut off when the soldiers elbow came crashing into his throat. His dark eyes widened and he fell, choking miserably, unable to breathe for the pain that lanced through his neck. He knew he had to get up or this would be the last battle he would ever see. But he couldn�t seem to make his limbs work; all he could do was cough, choke, and try to pull air past his screaming throat into his lungs.

"Heh, I�ll get a promotion for this for sure," rumbled the deep voice of the soldier from above. Through pain blurred vision Wufei looked up and saw a gun barrel pointed straight at him. In a second his face would be a mess of blood and bullets. "Dead Gundam pilot, comin� right up."

Wufei glared up at him, refusing to shut his eyes like a coward at his own death.

Then a pale golden bundle crashed into the soldier, knocking him to the ground. Wufei heard a THUD that could be mistaken for nothing other than the soldier�s head hitting the hard concrete. Then a horribly battered face moved to hover over him. With the chaos still humming around them, Usagi reached forward to help him.

"Stop moving," she murmured to him gently, only to have him slap her hand away violently.

"Leave me alone, Onna!" he choked on the words, sending him into another coughing fit. He felt her hands grab his shoulders and push him back down to the pavement. He tried to growl, but only ended up with a strangled sound that was nothing like what he�d wanted. He felt her touch at his throat, ever so light, and the muscles relaxed, leaving him free to breathe without effort again.

"I know you don�t like me," she said, and he sensed the exhaustion and pain in her voice, "I�m not quite sure why, though." She extended a hand to him, but he refused, pushing himself up on his own. "And I�ve never understood how a man can be so stupid as to refuse help, just because it�s from a female."

"Onna . . ." he began, but thought better of it, and turned to the fallen soldier. The rise and fall of the man�s chest showed him to be still alive. Wufei retrieved his katana from the ground and prepared to finish him off.

A strong hand on his wrist stopped him.

In shock he looked to Usagi. He never thought she had such strength in her small, feminine body, especially in her current condition. But there she was, standing beside him, hand clenched tightly around his wrist, bruised face set into a hard, determined expression.

"Don�t kill him."

"What?!?"

"I said don�t kill him," she repeated, slowly, firmly, "I have never in my life killed a human being, and while I�m here, neither will you."

Wufei�s mouth fell open in utter amazement. How dare she tell him not to kill! It was his mission, his duty as long as OZ was in power or he died, whichever came first. But she stared at him with her electric blue eyes, eyes that held in them secrets and power and ever so much more than Wufei had ever thought could be within the eyes of a woman. He wondered for a moment if she even realized the power of her gaze. This was a girl who, despite her age, was used to her orders being obeyed. Neither of them moved even as Duo and Quatre finally made their way through the battle towards them. Both of them stood in silence, waiting to see who would win this battle of wills.

At last he nodded, a barely perceptible movement, but she saw and released him. Usagi sighed, then fell forward in a dead faint. Wufei caught her, more out of a natural reaction than any actual desire to do so. After a surprised moment he bent down to pick her up properly, cradling her limp form much the same way Duo had earlier. Speaking of the braided one, he glared at Wufei in something akin to jealousy.

Trowa ran up to them, placing a hand on Quatre�s shoulder.

"I�m out of bullets," he said softly, "If we plan to leave, now would be the time."

"I�ve still got ammo," Duo said, turning back to the crowd of soldiers, some of them converging on the pilot�s meeting place, "You guys make a run for it and I�ll keep �em back." Trowa pulled Quatre away as an agreement, but before Wufei could follow, Duo gripped his arm, "She�d better get there alive," he said, voice sharp, "If she doesn�t, you�ll find out what I can really do."

Wufei jerked his arm away and didn�t even bother to respond. He turned away and ran towards the waiting truck to the sound of Duo�s gunshots behind him. A few times he was barely missed by enemy bullets, seeing the trees that bordered the base take the shots for him. And he cursed Duo each time that happened for not paying enough attention.

When he reached the truck he handed Usagi up to Trowa, then climbed into the back himself. Quatre sat behind the wheel, waiting for Duo, who was just now appearing through the trees, shooting off the last of his ammunition. The braided one fired his last bullet then turned and ran full force, leaping into the truck bed just in time to avoid getting shot in the leg. Instantly Quatre stepped on the gas pedal and they went flying through the trees, travelling over the path the pilots had cleared earlier.

Duo sat up and leaned against the upright tailgate, looking back over the fiery remains of the OZ base. He grinned.

"Chaos. Panic. Disorder. My work is done here."

Wufei groaned.

 

They arrived at their own base approximately five minutes after Hiiro returned in Wing, and they found him waiting outside standing alongside Setsuna. The woman was dressed strangely, however, in a short-skirted sailor outfit, with a tiara perched on her forehead. In her right hand she held a large key-shaped staff. Her expression was hard, set into what Quatre thought was anger, though he couldn�t be certain. She was so difficult to read. Things looked even worse when Duo picked up the unconscious Usagi and carried her from the truck.

"What happened," Setsuna asked, and Quatre became positive beyond a doubt that she was definitely angry. Incensed was more like it. Her voice was so cold, unlike before when it had been kind.

"It�s my fault," Duo immediately spoke up, and from the look on his face he believed in his guilt, "She was captured by OZ," his voice cracked a bit, and he cleared his throat, "They beat her. I don�t know why."

"I do," she said, stepping forward to examine the girl. Her expression grew darker with each bruise that marred Usagi�s face.

"Why?"

"Nothing that is important to you," Setsuna spat at him. Instantly she looked sorry for her outburst, but she didn�t apologize. None of them asked her again. "I should have known better . . ." she sighed and turned away.

"Better than what?" Wufei stepped forward, looking none too pleased himself, "Than to bring a weak and utterly untrained girl into the heart of a war? Is that it? She has absolutely nothing to give to us, she can�t even protect herself against two men! What on Earth where you thinking when you brought her here, Onna?!?"

"WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?" Setsuna thundered, and for a moment it seemed her anger echoed off of the valley walls and intensified, "I was thinking that I would save your lives! You have no idea what Usagi-chan has gone through! She has seen and done much more than any teenager should ever have to, much like the five of you! And as for her not being able to protect herself," she growled, then stalked right up to Wufei and stared down at him, maroon eyes flashing with an odd and enraged light, "Did you ever think of teaching her how to protect herself? You�ve had a month here with her, what did the five of you do with that time? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! I�m disappointed," she sighed, resting her forehead in one hand, "How are you ever going to save a world and colonies if you can�t even think to teach ONE person how to defend themselves?"

They didn�t reply, merely looked at her. Even Wufei and Hiiro quailed under this assault, knowing the woman to be right. Duo cursed under his breath and Quatre nearly burst into tears from guilt. Only Trowa remained completely stoic, perhaps only because he was so practiced at it.

"You can�t stay here anymore," Setsuna finally said when she spoke again, "OZ will be looking for her and for you now that you�ve taken her from them. They�ll search this entire area."

"Where do we go?" Quatre sniffled, yet to regain control over himself.

Setsuna paused and tapped her staff against the ground thoughtfully before replying.

"Quatre, you and Hiiro must go into the Sanch Kingdom and ask the princess for political asylum."

"WHAT?!?"

"It will work, Duo," she turned to the braided one, "trust me."

"But why Quatre and Hiiro?" Wufei asked, having quickly regained his mask of arrogance.

"I say again, trust me. It�s the way it must be." Setsuna took a deep breath and offered them a rare smile, "Hiiro, Quatre, leave tonight and you will arrive at the palace by morning. Ask to see the princess, and Hiiro, only you give your name."

"But�"

"Do I have to say it again?"

"No . . ."

"Good. The rest of you keep Usagi here until you here word from them. If OZ comes close, hide in the trees�"

"We know how to hide," Wufei snapped impatiently. This time Setsuna didn�t shout or even frown at him. It seemed she�d lost most of her anger.

"Good. I expect Usagi to be alive and safe next time I return." She turned to leave, then, as if caught by some last minute thought, she spoke over her shoulder, "Oh, and don�t think that you can threaten me into telling what I know."

Quatre saw both Wufei and Hiiro scowl at that, but he had to smile. Setsuna had known about their plan to try and kill her all along. When he looked back to ask her a question, the woman was gone. He sighed. If only they could come and go like that, infiltrating and escaping OZ would never be a problem.

 

As instructed by their mysterious benefactor, Quatre and Hiiro left that night to sneak into the Sanch Kingdom and ask the princess for political asylum. It had taken some convincing on Quatre�s part, but at last Hiiro had agreed to go. But before they left, the brown-haired boy had made a very good point.

I thought there was no royalty in Sanch Kingdom. When did they get a princess?

 

Long into the night Duo stayed up in Usagi�s room, tending her wounds, making a cold cloth to go over her bruises for comfort, and merely assuring himself that she was back, and alive. He�d seen Quatre and Hiiro leave from her bedroom window, and now he watched the moon as it trekked across the sky in its invisible pathway. He didn�t know exactly when, but perhaps somewhere around four in the morning his indigo eyes finally began to droop. He jerked his head up, determined to stay awake and protect her, like he hadn�t been able to do in the village.

To keep himself busy, Duo decided to take the time to go down to the kitchen and trade the old bowl of warm water for a fresher, cool one. He carefully removed the cloth from her head and quietly left the room, closing the door only partially behind him.

Outside he stretched his limbs and neck, working out the kinks that were the result of sitting in a chair for hours on end. Once his legs were useful for walking again, Duo journeyed through the halls and corridors, arriving in the kitchen with a large yawn. A short, sharp pain went through his head to remind him that he himself wasn�t exactly in tip top shape yet either. The pain also brought back the memory that plagued him: turning around too soon, getting himself hit and Usagi captured.

He dropped the bowl into the sink in disgust. Placing his hands on the counter, Duo hung his head and squeezed his eyes shut tightly against the guilty tears that sprang up, screaming to be released.

"Damn it," he muttered, "It�s my fault. Me and my stupid self!"

Without thinking, he swiped his arm across the counter top, sending glasses, bowls, and plates flying through the air and crashing to the floor. A moment passed in silence when he realized that he might have woken the others. He stood perfectly still for a minute, and when he decided that all was still quiet, he turned and sank to the floor, resting his arms on his bent knees. At last, he began to speak again, but this time not to himself.

"God . . . I know it�s been a while . . . hell, I�ve never prayed, have I? Well . . . uh, could you forgive me for that just long enough to listen for a while? If you�re even there," he quickly amended, for it was difficult to go from disbelief to belief in a moment�s time, "I just . . . I feel so guilty about Usagi-san. I know it was my fault, and I�m not begging you to forgive that or anything. No . . . I deserve whatever punishment I�m going to get for being stupid. But . . ." he paused, wondering what he was doing, sitting in the middle of a kitchen floor amongst broken dishes praying to a God he�d never believed in before. Should he even continue? "Please God, if you�re there, if you have any compassion at all, let me be stronger next time! Let me be able to protect her, to make up for my stupidity now! Please!!"

He fell into silence, waiting. He didn�t know exactly what it was he waited for. Confirmation, perhaps, that his prayer had been heard and answered. He waited a very long time on that kitchen floor, and there was no bolt of lightening or booming voice, or even a sense of overwhelming peace. There was just . . . nothing.

"Ah, fuck God," he snarled, pushing himself up from the ground.

 

Wufei stood outside the kitchen door. Perhaps he�d been the only one to hear the shattering of dishes, but he doubted it. He was simply the only one paranoid enough to have to get up and see what it had been. He caught himself wondering briefly about Trowa�s skills. If the tall boy was willing to let anything suspicious happen without investigating . . .

"Ah, fuck God."

Duo�s last, angry words brought Wufei out of his thoughts.

To hear the braided one pray . . . it was extremely odd. Each of them knew a bit about each other�s pasts, but not enough to truly understand each other. Wufei knew that Duo wore his hair in that braid and wore that ridiculous looking collar for a specific reason, but it had never been through faith in God, the black-eyed boy was certain of that. The only god that Duo seemed to believe in was himself as Shinigami. So what was going through that braided baka�s head that caused him to pray? Was it the girl? Why was she so important to him?

As his mind trailed to Usagi, Wufei suddenly realized something, and cursed under his breath.

Setsuna didn�t know what had happened to Usagi! Even her vision of the future was distorted! Otherwise she would have seen Usagi�s capture and moved to stop it. It made him extremely uneasy that even the Guardian of Time was completely in the dark about the future.

What did that mean for them?

End Chapter Nine.

Broken Wing
A Sailor Moon / Gundam Wing crossover
Part 10
By Sailorcelestial

Authors Notes: Here we are, chapter ten, the last chapter before I go back to class for the semester. I hope that everyone has been enjoying Broken Wing up until this point, and I REALLY hope that you all will be patient with me as once again the time between postings becomes longer and longer once more. I�m sure that you understand, most of you probably being students yourselves. And to answer a question someone asked me in a review: Quatre doesn�t know that Setsuna is Sailorpluto. He knows that she is the Guardian of Time because she told them in chapter six. Also, look forward to chapter eleven, my next comedy chapter! It�ll be funny, whenever I manage to get it out! Well, thankies as always to Marika Webster, Trenchcoat Man, VeeBees, and everyone who reads Broken Wing!

Disclaimer: I don�t feel like writing an attempt at a witty disclaimer today. Sailormoon and Gundam Wing don�t belong to me, they belong to their respective Japanese creators.

"Stay back," Hiiro ordered quietly, crouching down in the underbrush. Quatre nodded and echoed the stoic boy�s movement, blue eyes scanning the horizon for signs of what Hiiro saw. While Sanch did not have a military to speak of, they did allow OZ troops within their borders as long as none of the soldiers caused any trouble. So the two pilots still had to be very careful about travel and exposing themselves.

It was nearly a week since the day they�d rescued Usagi from the clutches of their enemy. If they had taken the shorter route through Sanch they would have been in the capitol the morning after, as Setsuna had said. But Hiiro, who was wary of this entire expedition to begin with, had insisted that they travel in a spiral about the location of the palace, finally arriving from the opposite direction than if they�d come straight from the base. The Wing pilot also refused to stop in villages along the way to look for shelter or food. Quatre thought that Hiiro was perhaps a bit too paranoid, but knew that the boy was only trying to keep them both safe. However, the blonde�s stomach grumbled to remind him of his diet of edible nuts and berries.

"It�s alright," Hiiro finally said, standing and tucking his gun back into . . . Quatre blinked, realizing that he had no idea where Hiiro always pulled that gun from. He didn�t ask, however. He didn�t really want to know.

"What did you see?"

"Thought I saw OZ troops," he replied shortly, as was his custom.

Quatre sighed as Hiiro led the way forward. Not only had the good-natured pilot been deprived of good food, but also of decent human interaction. Hiiro slept, ate, and marched. The only time he ever spoke was to warn Quatre if he saw something. The young Winner couldn�t imagine what it might be like to be Hiiro, to never have a friend to confide in. Normally his empathic gift only picked up emptiness from Hiiro, but every so often he thought he felt a bit of . . . loneliness.

Are you so lonely because you make that loneliness yourself? Or is it something that was forced on you?

Quatre was determined that he would become a friend for Hiiro. Even the Perfect Soldier had need for companionship every once in a while, he was sure of it. But now was not the time to begin, for . . .

"There�s the palace," Hiiro motioned to the large, yet simply constructed building nestled between a town on one side and a forest on the other three. Hiiro was scowling ever so slightly, and Quatre soon saw why.

His plan to approach the palace from the opposite direction of the base wouldn�t work. There was only one direction that it was possible to come at the palace, and that was the front, from the town. If the situation were different they would quietly infiltrate from one of the forested sides, but the situation was what it was. They were going to ask for political asylum, and it wouldn�t look very good for them to do so after invading the royal palace of Sanch.

"We have to slip into the town unnoticed," Quatre said, "so that the guards at the gates won�t be able to tell from what direction we really came."

Hiiro nodded, offering one of his affirmative grunts. He agreed.

As it turned out, blending in with the inhabitants of Sanch�s capitol, so long as they kept their weapons concealed, wasn�t very difficult at all. The people were extremely happy and smiled to each other, tipping their hats or curtsying. Quatre smiled despite himself, finding the peace and tranquillity of this place the embodiment of a deeply desired dream of his. He hadn�t known that such a place existed anywhere, let alone right smack in the middle of the Earthsphere. He�d thought the planet to be too riddled with war and the hunger for power to have anywhere as peaceful as this.

Whoever this princess is, she�s doing a wonderful job of keeping the peace.

Quatre found himself wishing he could stay forever in this calm kingdom for the rest of his days and never again worry about going to battle or killing. Though his heart ached with the realization, his head knew that such a wish would not be granted. At least not until OZ was completely defeated.

He dared a glance to Hiiro, finding to his quiet amusement that the boy wasn�t reacting as well to the amiability of the citizens as himself. Hiiro had a muted scowl plastered on his face, which only deepened every time someone smiled at him. Quatre assumed it was because he was so unused to smiling or having someone smile at him. The blonde thought to himself that a stay in the Sanch Kingdom might do Hiiro some good.

It seemed like at least an hour before they wound their way through the entire town and finally found themselves standing before the great iron gates of the Sanch Palace. A guard stood at either side, but neither looked ready to fight with anyone. In fact, they both smiled at the two approaching boys and one asked them very congenially what their business was in Sanch. Quatre and Hiiro both blinked at the guards who seemed to not believe that anyone would ever actually try to get into the palace who didn�t belong.

"We�re here to ask the princess for political asylum," Quatre replied to the man�s question. The two guards looked at each other in surprise. Did they even know what political asylum was?

"Well," the one on the right pursed him lips in thought, "I don�t have any idea why two boys like yourselves would have need of such a request . . . but I�ll go inside and see if the princess can receive you at the moment." He turned to open the gates but paused and looked over his shoulder at them, "Who may I tell her is requesting an audience?"

Silence. Quatre elbowed Hiiro in the side.

"Hiiro Yui," the boy grunted, tossing his companion an annoyed glance. The guards blinked, then broke into disturbingly knowing grins.

"Ah, so you�re Hiiro Yui, eh?" asked Left Guard.

Hiiro lifted an eyebrow.

"Oh, then we don�t need to ask!" Right Guard laughed and opened the gate wide, motioning for the two of them to go inside, "Her Highness will see you even if Treize himself were here!"

Quatre and Hiiro moved forward, glancing to each other uneasily as they passed through the gates. What had THAT been about?

 

Usagi vaguely felt the hand on her shoulder, shaking her awake. But she didn�t want to wake up. She wanted to stay in the wonderful painless oblivion of sleep. Even the dream world had been kind enough to leave her alone for the past week, letting her sleep without the nightmares she had been so sure were coming.

"Go away, Duo-kun," she murmured, knowing who it was. Duo had been hovering over her like a worried mother hen, and she was getting sick of it.

"I�m not Duo," growled a gruff voice, "Now get up."

Confused, Usagi opened one eye and peered up into the scowling face of Wufei. She sighed and rolled her eye.

"What do you want?"

"You�re starting your training today."

"Wha? Training? What are you talking about?" she yawned and turned over, pulling the sleeping bag up to her chin. No sooner had she finally gotten comfortable again than Wufei�s rough hand jerked the material away from her, unzipping the bag.

"You�ll see when you get up."

"But, I still hurt . . ."

"I know, but you�ve healed enough. We can�t wait any longer to start training you. We�ve already had two close calls and Hiiro and Quatre aren�t back yet. We don�t know what has happened to them and we might have to go after them. You have to learn how to protect yourself, otherwise you�ll just be a burden to us." That said, Wufei reached a hand downward in an offer to help her up.

Usagi, realizing that he was right despite herself, pushed herself into a sitting position and grasped his strong hand. He pulled her to her feet most ungently then handed her a bundle of clothes.

"What�s this?" she asked, blinking dumbly.

"You can�t train in that," he replied, motioning towards the school uniform she still wore, "Those are more suitable clothes." He stood back and crossed his arms, waiting. Usagi glared at him. He glared back.

"Do you MIND?!?"

Wufei tilted his head to the side, brow furrowed in confusion.

"I need to change . . ."

Usagi was almost amused at the faint blush that tinted his face as it finally dawned on him what she was talking about. But she was more amazed that he even had the decency to blush at all. He turned quickly, and she even thought that he closed his eyes. She slipped behind a tree and first unfolded the bundle he�d given her. It consisted of a light grey cotton tank top and olive green pants, a belt, and a pair of shiny black boots. She couldn�t help but wrinkle her nose at the sheer ugliness of the ensemble. Ah well. She stripped off her uniform quickly, just in case Duo DID decide to come around. She had no fear of Wufei peeking. For all of his arrogance, she knew him to be better than that. Usagi was just pulling the boots on over her pants when Wufei�s voice cut through the silence.

"I . . . never did thank you."

"For what?" she asked absentmindedly, tugging the right boot on with some difficulty.

"For . . . uh . . . s-saving my life," he stuttered out, as if the words themselves were fighting to remain unspoken. He was not used to giving thanks, apparently, especially not to a female. He probably had never been saved before, Usagi reasoned.

"You don�t have to thank me," she said, standing and brushing the dirt and leaves from her rear. She picked up the messy pile that was her uniform and walked back around. Wufei still stood with his back to her, arms crossed. She walked in front of him and saw that his eyes were indeed closed.

"I didn�t say I was going to," he said a bit loudly, thinking she was still behind the tree.

"Good," she gave a smile when his eyes flew open and he stumbled back, surprised. Usagi giggled and took his hand to pull him forward, for it seemed that now his legs were locked in place. "C�mon, let�s go. You said you were going to train me, right?"

"R-right."

She released his hand and Wufei started forward, leading her deeper into the trees than their small camp. Usagi followed him quietly, feeling immensely proud of herself for being able to wrest a partial thanks at least from this most disagreeable of her five charges. She truly didn�t require a thanks, as she had told him, but the fact that he had almost given one was proof that she was still doing her job.

Without warning Wufei stopped and Usagi had to screech to a halt to keep from running into him. When she at last had her balance she peered around him to see just where they were.

It was a small clearing within the forest. Usagi had been too immersed in her own pain to notice when her companions took turns scouting for a decent place to train. The first thing she saw was Trowa sitting off to her right, cleaning what looked to be a very big and very dangerous gun. She gulped; she�d had enough of guns for a lifetime. To her left she spied a section of the ground that had been cleared of leaves and marked in a circle with large stones. No one occupied that area, and Usagi assumed it had been set aside for Wufei.

The most striking image in the entire clearing, however, was Duo. He occupied the area directly in front of her and in his hands he held a thick, strong wooden staff that had no doubt been cut by Wufei�s katana. Usagi�s eyes widen as she watched him. Graceful was too crude a word to describe the sweeping fluidity with which he moved. The staff jabbed out into the air, creating a whistling sound in its swiftness, and the next moment it swung about to Duo�s other side, stopping there with a suddenness that made Usagi jump. Though she knew it to be a dangerous fighting skill, the Deathscythe pilot�s motion seemed to her more a dance. As he passed his stave through the air again and again in practiced rhythm, Duo�s face was locked into the most serious expression she�d ever seen, even from Setsuna. He knew the ability he was engaged in could kill if employed correctly. And by the looks of it he was very capable of doing just that.

"You�ll start with me," Wufei�s voice suddenly cut into her reverie. Trowa looked up from his work at the words, and Duo ceased his intricate action to look to them. Instantly the sober expression was gone as he smiled and waved towards her. Usagi waved back.

"Alright," she replied to Wufei, who led her to the cleared ring.

"I�ll teach you some basic martial arts first. We�ll be going quickly because we don�t have much time. I just hope you�re a fast learner."

Usagi sweatdropped, but didn�t bother to mention her many deficiencies.

"After that we�ll move into some of the more difficult moves. Then you�ll move on to Duo, who�ll work with you in learning the mostly non-lethal weapons. Once you�ve got a well enough grasp on that you�ll go to Trowa, and learn how to�"

"I don�t want to know how to use a gun." Usagi interrupted, voice firm, expression hard. The three pilots shared a helpless glance, then Trowa walked over and spoke.

"Usagi-san, I understand that you don�t want to use a gun, but you have to at least learn how to hold one properly." He looked down at her, green eye kind.

"Yeah," Duo cut in, serious once more, "We don�t know what kind of situations we�re going to be getting into later on, and you don�t know when you may need to bluff. If you tell an OZ officer not to move or you�ll shoot him, but you�re holding the gun the wrong way, he�ll know instantly that you don�t know what you�re doing and your safety will be compromised. Do you understand?" His indigo gaze settled on her, alight with the intelligence he only rarely allowed to show.

"Hai," she nodded regretfully, furious at the world because these pilots were right.

"Then come over here�" Wufei had placed his hand on her shoulder to direct her inside the ring, but in the next second found himself flat on his back, looking wide-eyed up into her grinning face. She�d thrown him! And perfectly at that!

"I have a friend back home who taught me some of the basics," she said, and reached out a hand, as she had done the night of her rescue. This time Wufei lifted his own hand and gripped hers tightly, allowing her to help him to stand. She smiled brightly, knowing that this was a step in the right direction. She couldn�t know that the simple fact that he was willing to train her, a woman, was a good sign.

"Good, that saves us some time then," he said, dusting off his pants as he reentered the ring. He continued to speak even as the walked across the small area and removed his shirt, "Show me what you know already so I�ll know where to pick up your . . . are you alright?" He�d turned around to see that Usagi�s face had turned a deep shade of crimson. Her eyes were wide and she looked as if she might be choking on a boulder. "What�s wrong with you, Onna?" he growled, obviously impatient with whatever silly girlish thing might be causing her flush.

"Don�t call me that!" she seethed, instantly brought out of the embarrassment of seeing him shirtless, "My name is Usagi-san, NOT Onna!"

"Fine, Usagi-san, come on, we don�t have time for you to be standing around like that."

"Alright, alright," she grumbled and moved into the ring. For the first time she thanked Makoto for insisting that she learn some basic moves. But she knew that she would still come out of this training with more bruises than she already had.

Duo and Trowa stood a bit away from the ring where Usagi was getting a pretty good beating. Both were in a mild state of shock. Not only was Wufei actually taking the time to train a female, but the entire idea of training her in the first place had been his idea. Duo had been thinking that they should do something, but Wufei had been the first to suggest it.

"How long do you think she�ll last?" Trowa asked, turning his attention back to his gun.

"Usagi-san�s pretty tough, even if she doesn�t look like it," Duo responded, eyes glued to the golden-haired girl as she dodged a punch from Wufei, "She�ll do great." He twirled his staff in his hands and thought of his energy scythe, a miniature version of the one Deathscythe wielded. He missed that scythe.

"Be careful, Duo."

The braided one turned an indigo eye towards Trowa, who hadn�t looked up to speak.

"What are you talking about?"

"Have you noticed how she acts around us? She carries herself very formally, even around you. You�ve become her friend more than the rest of us, but she hasn�t relaxed very much."

"So?" Duo pursed his lips in annoyance, not understanding what the tall boy was trying to say.

"Quatre and I have both caught her staring off into space, always smiling when she does," Trowa paused and finally glanced upwards with a serious eye, "She�s thinking of someone when she does that. Someone is waiting for her at home, someone she cares very much about."

It took Duo a few more seconds to figure that out, but when he did there was a strange sinking hurt in his chest.

"So she�s got a boyfriend," he choked out, "Why should I care? I don�t."

Trowa peered at him a bit longer from underneath those aggravating bangs. Then he shrugged, moving back towards his area and the four or five guns that waited there for him.

"Still," he said on his way, "be careful."

"I�m always careful," Duo replied, tapping his staff against the ground for emphasis. He shouldn�t even have to tell the Heavyarms pilot; they all were careful at all times. None of them wanted to get into personal relationships that would most likely end in death and sorrow. Duo didn�t know about the other four, but he had lost enough people he cared for to ever risk that pain again. No, he didn�t care if Usagi had a boyfriend. It was probably better that way anyway.

He watched her spar with Wufei for a few more moments before he turned away, returning to his own designated area. Practice, yes, that would get his mind off of things he�d rather not think about. The problem was, he�d rather not think about anything. He had no memories that were not painful, no thoughts that did not involve OZ or the Gundams or fighting. He had no dreams that were not drenched in blood.

Damn . . . what do I have to do to escape?

 

Setsuna, Sailorpluto, watched the ensuing training from her calm abode in the Realm Between Times. A sigh escaped her, and a smile crossed her stern features. At last the pilots were taking their futures into their own hands. Instead of sitting around waiting for someone to attack them, and expecting the need to protect Usagi, they were preparing. They were teaching her the skills she would need to know, not only for this ordeal, but also for the future war with the Black Moon. Which meant, of course, that those pilots who had lagged were beginning to trust Usagi now. Perhaps not completely, but that would come in Time.

She closed her eyes, thinking over the course she wanted to be the future. In her vision, the trust in Usagi would be only the first step for these pilots towards truly trusting each other. Usagi was easy to trust, easy to become friends with, because of who she was. Her sunny personality and total innocence combined with an innate knowledge of people created an individual who could become friends with the most world wearied of soldiers. Given time, Setsuna thought with a small grin, Usagi-chan could probably make friends with a youma.

All thoughts of the pilots and Usagi were suddenly shattered as the Guardian felt another presence flittering at the outskirts of her mind. She stumbled back, eyes wide; this other mind was dark, immensely dark. And extremely powerful.

What? What is it? What can it be?

There were only a few entities in the universe powerful enough to reach into the Realm with only their mind. There were only a few beings able to enter the Realm physically for that matter. Most of the dark entities that powerful, however, had no care for Time. Most had what they wanted and therefore didn�t bother to harass Setsuna or her charge. So what evil being had decided suddenly that they wanted more?

Who are you? She thought at the seeking mind, eye narrowed in concentration and expectation. But at her inquiry the consciousness retreated, and she couldn�t tell from what Time or place it came. She searched for it a moment, then turned to retrieve her Time Staff. She must tell the pilots and Usagi . . .

But why? She had no proof that this was in any way connected to them. It was probably a separate situation all together; in fact, the odds were that this was not related to the events occurring on Earth or in the colonies. Right. She would keep her eye and mind out, but she wouldn�t tell them of this. They didn�t need to know.

 

Apparently word spread quickly in the Sanch Palace. As Hiiro and Quatre perused one hallways after another, searching for the potential whereabouts of the elusive princess, servants everywhere smiled at them. Correction: They smiled at Hiiro.

He scowled, not liking the attention, no not one tiny little bit. He hated it. It was just what he needed, to be recognized by every citizen of a country so any person on the street could identify him for OZ. Yes officer, I know Hiiro Yui! I just saw him not five seconds ago! This was a disaster.

Not to mention the fact that the Sanch Kingdom�s security wasn�t worth the training that went into their guards, if any. No one had barred their entrance into the town, and the sentries at the gate had been only too happy to let them into the palace. Now he and Quatre were walking aimlessly about the building, who knows what they could be doing, and no one seemed suspicious enough to stop them. Now, Hiiro wanted peace just as much as anyone, but there were just some places where the line had to be drawn, dammit! Give him a day with the guards and he�d have them whipped into shape in�

What am I thinking?!? It�s not my mission to train guards for Sanch! My mission is to destroy OZ!

He nodded and, now renewed in his knowledge of his destiny, turned a corner as confidently as if it were his palace.

And ran right smack dab into the middle of a very large, very mean looking person dressed in the formal diplomatic uniform of Sanch. Had he been anyone else he would have gone crashing into the ground. But, he was Hiiro Yui, and he rolled when he hit and was on his feet again three quarters of a second later.

"Who are you? What do you want in the palace?" the man rumbled, looking down on the two young pilots with the only suspicious eye in the entire kingdom. He was easily five times the size of Hiiro, and not just vertically, but horizontally as well. Beside him, Quatre gulped, wide-eyed.

"W-we�re here to see the princess."

"The princess is busy at the moment," the gruff man eyed Hiiro as the boy began to move forward, "and she cannot be disturbed." Evidently word had yet to reach this burly bodyguard, for if he knew who Hiiro was he would most likely show them straight to the princess. This was a challenge. And Hiiro loved it. He had no plans to tell this guard who he was.

"You don�t understand!" Quatre cried to Hiiro�s undying horror, "He�s Hiiro Yui!"

Damn.

Bubble Man, for that was what he most resembled, leaned forward and squinted at the brown-haired boy, his lips twisting into the most horrid expression of thoughtfulness. At last his face broke into an even more hideous grin and he slapped Hiiro hard on the back.

"So you�re Hiiro Yui!" he echoed the words of the guard at the gate, "Well then, that�s another story all together! Her Highness will see you right now!"

He took both boys by the shoulder and led them further down the hallway and through so many twists and turns that even Hiiro wasn�t sure that he would be able to find his way back. All the while Bubble Man gabbled on and on about something or another that Hiiro ignored. Once he thought he might have heard the tail end of the princess�s name, but he wasn�t sure. Quatre was smiling and nodding politely, though his expression looked a bit uneasy. He probably didn�t like being in the grip of a man who could easily crush him with a flick of his finger.

"Here we are," Bubble Man finally said, stopping before two great white doors, "I�ll go in first and announce you!" he continued, grinning and looking extremely proud of himself. Apparently he didn�t get to announce visitors to the princess every day.

He knocked first, then opened one door and stepped through. They heard his booming voice inside declaring the presence of "Mr. Hiiro Yui and guest." There was a muffled reply in a tone that was distinctly feminine, but he couldn�t make out the actual words. There was, however, something in what he did hear that suddenly put Hiiro on guard. In a moment Bubble Man reappeared.

"The princess is very excited to hear that you�re right here in Sanch Kingdom! She�ll see you now," he bowed as well as his frame would let him and swept his overly round arms in the direction of the open door.

Hiiro saw Quatre take a deep breath and start forward. Then the blonde paused and looked to Hiiro. Obviously the Wing pilot was supposed to enter first. After all, it had been his name that had gotten them this far. Hiiro scowled and stepped into the door, expecting to see some middle-aged woman in a gown much too fancy to be real and a crown upon her head.

What greeted him instead was the very familiar face of a teenage girl who wore, instead of the regal garments of her station, the simple school uniform that he remembered.

"Hello, Hiiro." Relena Darlian/Peacecraft smiled at him and stood from her seat behind the desk.

Hiiro swallowed, suddenly forgetting why he was there.

End Chapter Ten

Broken Wing
A Sailor Moon / Gundam Wing crossover
Part 11
By Sailorcelestial

Authors Notes: I�ve always thought that the best comedy fanfictions were the ones in which the characters knew that they were in a fanfic. Therefore, you will be seeing some of that in this chapter. Also: Due to time constraints and my REALLY odd lack of humorous inspiration, chapter eleven is really short compared to the other chapters. I�m sorry, I really am, but for some odd reason I can�t seem to write the humor right now. I did the best I could, but I don�t think it is anywhere near chapter five. ::sighs:: And� that�s all I have to say. Enjoy chapter eleven!

Disclaimer: Sailormoon � not mine. Gundam Wing � not mine. Darn. Broken Wing � MINE MINE MINE MINE!!! And . . . I don�t own Tootsie Pops either. Whew, almost missed that one.

"I�m ready to move on!" Usagi cried. She had her wooden staff in one hand, and a booted foot propped on Duo�s head. Her pose was very much like that of a safari hunter of old who had just killed a great lion. Wufei and Trowa both sweatdropped.

"Er . . . are you sure, Usagi-san?"

"Yeah! C�mon, Trowa-kun! Show me the guns!" Usagi�s statement was presented with just a little too much gusto for the three pilot�s liking. And the killer gleam in her eyes was just the teeniest bit too disturbing.

"But . . . um . . . Usagi-san," Wufei stepped out of his ring of stones, "I thought you said you didn�t like guns."

"I don�t. But this is a comedy chapter!"

"Oh." Wufei and Trowa blinked at each other. It DID make sense.

Beneath Usagi�s boot, Duo mumbled something incoherent. None of them paid him any attention. Duo was usually incoherent. Usagi didn�t even bother to lift her foot and allow him some room to breathe. Who cared if he lost a billion brain cells from suffocation? It wasn�t as if he really needed them, after all. It didn�t take a whole lot of thought to blow people away.

"So can I learn to shoot now, Trowa-kun? Huh? Can I, can I, can I? PLEEEEEAAAAASSEEEE?!?"

Trowa�s head was completely blocked from view by what has to be the largest sweatdrop ever in the history if anime. He receives a good nine points for that one.

"O-okay, Usagi-san," he stuttered, but whether it was from shock at her attitude or simple fright at the thought of putting a gun into the hands of Tsukino Usagi . . . the world may never know.

"Yay!" Usagi clapped and bounded off of Duo�s head with barely contained glee. Her bright golden banners of hair trailed after her as she skipped across the clearing to stand next to her tall tutor. None of them heard Duo�s gasp as he was finally allowed to pull air into his long deprived lungs.

"Okay, now, see how I�m holding mine?" Trowa asked, one hand gripping the handle of the gun, the other planted at the base. He held the weapon out before him to show his student the proper method, and was surprised when Usagi immediately struck up the proper pose. He didn�t have to correct her on anything; she was simply a very fast learner.

"Alright," he shook his head in disbelief, "you stay there while I set up a target for you."

"Got it."

Trowa lowered his gun and walked towards the human shaped targets piled on the ground. Picking one up, he stared at it for a moment before hanging it on a tree in front of Usagi. Quickly, before she could get restless and decide to shoot without word from him, he rushed out of her line of fire and walked FAR around her until he returned to her side.

"Now, keep both eyes open and use aim the barrel for either the heart or the head. Later you�ll have to do this much more quickly, but for right now take your time and pull the trigger when you�re ready."

Usagi nodded to show him that she�d heard and understood. He watched her as she carefully pointed the gun towards the target, taking notice of each little inch and half-inch. A minute passed, then two, and her tongue poked out from between her lips as she concentrated. Three minutes, four, five, and still she hadn�t pulled the trigger. Trowa nearly sighed as he waited, hoping that she would be able to move past this perfectionist stage quickly. He could just see her standing in the middle of a hoard of OZ soldiers: Excuse me, could you all hold still please while I aim my gun at you? No, that just wouldn�t do at all.

Trowa was so caught up in his own thoughts that he nearly missed it when Usagi�s finger finally began to close on the trigger . . .

 

Serenity yawned, placing her cheek in one hand, watching the news sideways. It was the same as always: crime, murder, war, OZ trying to convince the colonies that peace was really, truly all it wanted in this vast, wide universe. Of course, Serenity knew better than to believe it. She�d seen their cruelty first hand, though it was long ago.

"Serenity," a grating voice cut into her private musings. The former NeoQueen flinched and grimaced before lifting her head and glaring at the raven-haired woman sitting next to her on the couch.

"What is it, Mars?" she asked with the familiar annoyed tone.

"You were drifting off again. I swear, your mind wanders more and more every day. You must be finally getting old."

"No older than you, Mars no baka."

In truth, Serenity�s mind had been wandering because she knew that her younger self was at this very moment on Earth with the five Gundam pilots. She wasn�t sure exactly what was going on, for in those days she hadn�t cared to check the time every few moments. How could she know then that her future self would be interested in knowing?

"�as if we really need any more violence!" Queen Mars was finishing. Serenity nodded her head vaguely, pretending to have heard the entire statement.

"Absolutely."

"Those new style mobile suits are bad enough! What do they call them? Mobile dolls!" Mars� hands flew in irate patterns through the air as she ranted, "Those things are bad enough without issuing new guns to those soldiers who won�t even be going into battle! Without a war to fight those soldiers will just take those new issue guns into villages and colonies and make all sorts of trouble!"

"Not to mention the fact that the bullets they made for those guns are way too heavy," Serenity offered with a yawn, "Those weapons won�t get the range they could have if the bullets were lighter. And the barrel is too long as well; they�ll be off balanced."

Silence reigned over the two of them for somewhere around three minutes before Serenity realized that Mars was simply staring at her in open mouthed shock. The silver-haired woman blinked at her confused friend.

"What?"

"And since WHEN do you know so much about guns?"

"C�mon, that�s just common knowledge, isn�t it?" Serenity gulped when Mars shook her head. Somewhere along the way Serenity had gotten the idea that everyone in this time were experts on weapons, if not so, then at least had a basic knowledge of the workings of a gun.

"I�ll bet you don�t really know anything," Mars scoffed with a mocking grin, "You just made that up."

Serenity sighed and shrugged her shoulders. She didn�t need to prove her knowledge to anyone, least of all Mars. Then the raven-haired former queen offered a bet that Serenity simply couldn�t pass up.

"I�ll bet that you couldn�t shoot a target from three feet away. In fact, I�m SO sure you can�t that I�ll put my brand new vid-phone on the line."

"Your vid-phone?" Serenity straightened and turned her face towards her best friend and rival, "I wouldn�t do that if I were you, Mars. You love that vid-phone."

"What am I going to win?" the woman returned, showing with her question that she wasn�t even considering the idea that she could lose.

"Let�s see . . ." The former NeoQueen leaned back in her chair and propped an index finger on her chin, as if in deep thought. Finally she turned sparkling, mischievous blue eyes on to Mars, "I�ll bet my Mercedes." Serenity referred to the classic 2015 model Mercedes that she had kept in tip- top shape over the millennia. It was a one of a kind, none of its comrades left in the entire universe. Countless vehicle collectors and museums had come to her about trying to buy the car or to see if she might donate it to their cause. Serenity had always told them no, the car was not for sale and had too much sentimental value to donate.

Mars� violet eyes widened so much, Serenity was tempted to try and set a teacup on them.

"You aren�t serious!"

"Deadly."

She saw the other woman pause for a moment. Then Mars laughed and grabbed Serenity�s hand, dragging her out of the apartment without even letting her turn off the television.

Half an hour later they were standing in one of the colonies many shooting ranges, both sporting earplugs and stylish green goggles. Mars tried to convince Serenity to move the target closer, but the silver-haired one insisted on moving it as far back as it could possibly go. The black silhouette looked like that of a munchkin, and neither the white target lines nor the numbers were visible from that distance. Eyes glinting, Serenity loaded the gun with a proficiency that would have frightened Mars if she had been paying attention. But she was too busy pondering what she was going to do with a multi-millennia old, extremely valuable Mercedes.

Holding the gun with the familiarity one uses with an old friend, Serenity aimed, cocked the gun, and pulled the trigger . . .

 

BANG!

ZOOM!

CRACK!

ZOOM!

CLANG!

ZOOM!

THWACK!

The three Gundam pilots and Usagi lay flat on the ground. Silence accompanied them for the few minutes that passed until Duo dared to stick his head up to check for safety. Usagi peeked through her slender fingers at the target.

It was whole.

The same could not be said, however, for the tree. About five feet above the target there was a great wound in the bark where the bullet�s impact had caused a miniature explosion. Splinters of wood hung from the rim of the hole in all directions, and a waft of thin smoke drifted upwards into the air.

"I . . ." Trowa paused to gulp, "I think you . . . you need . . . eh . . . more practice."

Duo and Trowa both paled, but Wufei wasn�t paying any attention. After the danger passed, Wufei had immediately checked the state of his katana. A large dent marred the blade�s surface and marked where the bullet had ricocheted off of it after ricocheting off of a high tree branch.

"NOOOOOO!!" he sobbed, hugging the sword, albeit carefully, to himself. "MY BABY!!! YOU�VE KILLED MY BABY!"

"I thought Nataku was your baby," Duo mused.

"MY BABY!!!" Wufei wailed, completely ignoring anything else. Then he sniffled and began to murmur quiet assurances to the sword that everything would be all right. Patting the blade gently, he rose and turned his back on the others, completely wrapped up in the plight of his precious katana.

Usagi sighed and pushed herself up from the ground.

"This gun stuff is harder than I thought," she muttered, picking up the weapon again and turning to face the target. One can never say that the golden haired odango atama is not persistent. She lifted the gun and aimed towards the target, once more carefully lining up the end of her weapon with the simple black silhouette. While Trowa and Duo ran for cover, Usagi took a deep breath and pulled the trigger . . .

 

BANG!

Thwap!

Had they not been wearing earplugs, the former queens would have heard the eerie, ringing silence that followed Serenity�s final shot. She�d fired three times in quick succession, and the target was just now traveling on its cable towards her. Closer . . . closer . . . closer . . .

Mars paled.

"I . . . I don�t believe it."

Two head shots, one chest.

"Damn," Serenity murmured, "I missed the heart."

"But . . . but, but, but . . ." Mars stuttered helplessly. It didn�t matter that the silver haired one had missed the heart. What mattered was that she HADN�T missed the target. "But, but, but . . ."

While Mars stood there repeating herself in utter disbelief, Serenity put a new target on the cable, returned it to its farthest position, and reloaded the gun. This time her companion watched as the NeoQueen lowered the gun, aimed, and fired. She had a confidence to her, and a gentle knowing that Mars was shocked to see, especially about such a destructive thing as guns. She�d been a staunch advocate of peace, ever since she was sixteen years old.

"Serenity, where did you learn to use a gun like that?"

There was no answer. Serenity was, after all, wearing earplugs.

She brought the target close once more. Three head shots.

Mars gulped.

 

Hiiro tossed Quatre inside a small, closet-like room, and slammed the door behind them. His eyes were wide and wild, and he looked from side to side as if expecting to see Relena pop out at them at any moment.

"Hiiro . . ." Quatre began carefully, "Why did you just run away from the princess of Sanch?"

"It�s a long story," Hiiro replied shortly, and it was obvious that he wasn�t interested in sharing the story.

"But, if you hate her so much, then how are we expected to gain political asylum?"

"It�s not that I hate her . . . not really." Hiiro paused, and Quatre couldn�t help but wonder if it was because he didn�t know how to explain what he wanted to say, or if because he didn�t know how to speak more than one sentence at a time.

"HIIIIIIIIIROOOOOOO!"

"Oh no!" Hiiro whispered loud enough for Quatre to hear. "She�s coming! I can�t let her find me! Hide me!"

"We ARE hidden," Quatre�s voice was barely above a murmur, but Hiiro leaped forward and slapped his hand tightly over the blonde�s mouth. Unfortunately this put them both off balance and the two went tumbling backwards into a stack of boxes in the back of the room. In a jumble of bumps and cries the boxes came tumbling down, giving away their location. Batting aside fallen cardboard, Hiiro emerged from the pile just in time to see the door open and Relena�s head poke through.

"THERE you are!" the girl�s slender hand darted into the dimly lighted space confidently, unerringly through the boxes and tangled limbs of the two boys to find Hiiro�s wrist. "Hiiro, that isn�t your room! If you had just followed me, silly, you wouldn�t be in this mess right now!"

Quatre couldn�t help but laugh at that one.

Hiiro jabbed him in the ribs . . . hard.

"OW! That was completely uncalled for!"

"So was the laugh." Hiiro muttered.

Relena tugged Hiiro out of the closet, dragging him along until he managed somehow to pull himself to his feet. He followed the chipper, cheerful, happy princess in silence. His head was settled in between his scrunched shoulders, and his bottom lip protruded ever so slightly. The stoic, unbendable, unmovable Wing pilot looked like a pouting child being led back to class.

"You�re asking for political asylum, right?" Relena asked calmly, then proceeded without waiting for an answer, "Well I grant it. You and your friend, in fact all of your friends, where ever they may be, are welcome in Sanch Kingdom. You are all invited to spend your time here in the Palace. So, do you have any other friends?"

Hiiro and Quatre looked at each other.

With the time they�d taken to get here . . . DID they have any friends left??

 

End Chapter Eleven