Tired of Normal
By: angelicmayuka
Disclaimer: You seriously think I own this stuff? If I did, this wouldn't be a fanfic, but it'd be what actually HAPPENS. Psch...anyway, I dun own it. Also, thankies to Stevie and Damia for some outfit ideas. :D
Rating: PG-13 for language and some clothes words, if you are offended for the words on the shirts and such I'm sorry, but this isn't G. If you don't like it, you can skip over the shirt, or whatever description.
Chapter 15: The Move In and Missions
To say nothing else, Duo was surprised as hell. He didn't respond until he felt her pulling away and he looked down to her face, her eyes glassy and she refused to meet his gaze. Something about her expression snapped him into reality and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her flush against him. Her eyes widened in surprise and as she was about to ask him a question he ignored her and pulled her into another kiss that shut down all her brain functions. His tounge lightly traced her lower lip and she obediently opened her mouth to him, allowing him to swipe his tounge inside. He finally let her go and she looked up into his eyes.
"I..." she muttered breathlessly. "I'm willing to take the leap." she said quietly. "Are you?" she finished staring into his cobalt eyes as he let a smile drift across his face.
"Always Ami. I've been wanting to for so long but I didn't want to push you. I'm sorry about kissing you so suddenly the other day, publicly and everything. I know how you don't like that and-"
"Well, I guess that just means we don't have to worry about public displays of affection and trying it because it already happened." she said with a shrug not letting herself fall out of his embrace. Duo grinned and nodded.
"Guess not."
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The group was sitting in Minako's room packing her things. They guys were hauling furniture while the girls were stuffing and taping boxes.
"Thanks so much for helping me out you guys."
"Of course Minako, we couldn't expect you to do this on your own." Ami said as she quickly labeled her box. Duo passed by ruffling her hair and taking the next box out to the truck. Makoto's sly grin was met with Ami's cool glance. Minako looked on confused while Ami suddenly gave a short nod and a wink that was met with giggles. Minako shrugged assuming it was an inside joke.
"You know you actually have quite a bit of junk Minako." Makoto said as she taped closed another box.
"While that's true, a lot of it is still in boxes for lack of space to put it." Minako replied as she began to carry the box to the door. Ami seemed distracted slightly as the boys walked back in to grab more boxes and then left. Rei sighed and blew her bangs upward.
"Spit it out Ames, what is up with you?" she asked. The other girls looked up in interest.
"Yes Ami, do tell, I want to know exactly what happened." Makoto said with a smirk. Ami sighed in defeat.
"Oh alright. Duo and I are dating. There. Happy?" she said throwing her hands up at the girls looks of victory.
"Oh really? When did this happen?" Wufei asked from behind her causing Ami's hands to fall slowly back to her lap and her face to have a rather pale tinge to it.
"Well this morning." Duo replied for her.
"Congratulations then." Heero replied simply.
"Indeed." Makoto said with a happy smile.
"Well he has been chasing you for ages, it is about time." Rei said with a wink.
"Sadly I can't really deny that statement." Duo muttered while the others laughed.
"Well it's good to see you not trying to deny that." Quatre muttered. Hotaru smirked and handed Quatre another box.
"I'm glad you two are together, it's really cute." she said with a wink in Ami's direction. Minako nodded.
"Make sure to pass the news onto Usagi-sama because she'll want to know how right she was about you two." Minako added with a sly grin. Ami blinked in shock while Duo rubbed the back of his head.
"I'm sure we can pass along the message somehow." he replied before taking another box and exiting the room.
"Sooo Minako are you excited to be getting a flat of your own?" Makoto said swiftly changing topics to Ami's relief.
"Oh hell yes." Minako said with a grin. The others laughed softly.
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"Welcome to another meeting of Burnt Wings. You can find your paychecks for your missions up front in these envelopes. Just grab yours, they have names written on the front for those who are new to this." Usagi greeted as the group silenced to listen to their Sachem. "Since we had debriefing for the previous missions, I'll say a quick congratulations to all those who participated in missions, they were all successfull. Now I'll just start straight out with the missions for this week. First we'll get the difficult ones out of the way. This one is particuarly dangerous. It's an A-5 and it's only possible for us to send in one entrant and another. Kakyuu I'd like you to handle it, pick out your choice, though I'll be needing your elites for another mission. Secondly another A rank mission. This one is A-3. Rei, take two elites and one whispered. Thirdly B-7. I want Seiya, Yaten and Taiki to take this one out. Minako I need you for a specific mission for yourself. Lastly is two C-3 missions. You'll be needing one whispered or above and two other from any rank. I'll take volunteers for that. First however I'll be speaking to the groups already assigned to explain their missions."
Rei was turning to her friends when Kakyuu touched Hotaru's shoulder.
"Mind if I borrow you for my mission?" she asked with a smile. Hotaru's eyes widened while Rei rose an eyebrow. Hotaru nodded.
"Of course not." Hotaru answered while Usagi walked over to Minako.
"Hey there, what I need from you isn't a mission persay. It's more for the gang. I asked for a tutor for you in the art of tattoos and would like for you to head over there so you can be taught and bring it over here so we can have them done. Her name is Iron Mouse and she'll be teaching you all you need to know. Here's an address, she's expecting you tomorrow around ten. You can stay as long as you feel you need to, you're welcome to come home, you don't have to stay the night or anything but go until you feel comfortable doing it by yourself." Minako nodded in understanding taking the address and stowing it inside her pocket. Usagi next walked over to Kakyuu who motioned to Hotaru and Usagi smiled softly.
"What do you have for us Usagi?" Kakyuu asked with a smile.
"I'll tell you right now, it won't be easy. We're really worried about this little group that's rising up. We fear they may already be completed. First you'll be infiltrating the club Royal Flush in four days time as dancers. This gives you time to get together with some of Nehelania's girls and learn a dance, they tend to do these missions a lot so they'll be perfect to teach you something good. Now you have three objectives. First, get any information you can, you'll need to keep it all in memory so see what all you can get. Second, if you can I'd like a location of a base of operations and last I want any names you can manage. Use any means neccessary to gain this information. However, try your hardest not to blow your covers in case we need to infiltrate at a later time. You know how to get to CereCere's right Kakyuu?"
"Yup. I'm excited, she said she's remodeled her flat." Kakyuu said with a grin. Usagi nodded.
"I heard that also, let me know how it looks. Just go by Quatre's tomorrow morning to grab Hotaru and learn as much as possible. I want this perfected understood? There isn't room for failure in this mission."
"We understand." Hotaru said with a small smile.
"Good. Now here are the passes you'll be needing to get inside the club. Just fill out your code names on the top and give it to the guards. I have to stress that you don't have anything involved with Burnt Wings on your person. That means leave your necklaces behind with someone you trust and get it from them later. I have to go talk to Rei's group so I'll see you later. I want a debrief the second you are home. Oh and girls...good luck." she said parting to go speak with Rei.
"Hey Usagi." Rei said with a grin. Around her stood Heero, Quatre, and Makoto.
"Interesting mix. A good group of fighters, which is exactly what you'll be needing. This mission is infiltration and you'll probably run into a lot of resistance. They have too many guards for me to bother giving you an estimate and security is very tight. I want you to sneak in if possible and try to stay hidden as long as you can but don't lose any sleep over it if you get caught or whatnot. Now the reason behind this mission is that basically this little group is getting to cocky and needs to be put back in their place when they start making cracks at our gang. They have a prized possesion in this factory which we will be taking for ourselves. Now look this mission isn't about secrecy. I want them to know just who did this. You're welcome to take whatever you think is needed to let them know that we won't put up with them hands down." Usagi said with a grin that was exchanged with the group.
"I love missions where we can...oh say vandilize our logo on it?" Rei said with a smirk. Usagi nodded and handed her a slip of paper and a rolled up paper as well. She unrolled the bluprints onto the table and began pointing to different rooms and objects.
"Here is the address and blueprints of the factory. I marked in red circles the known security checkpoints and cameras. Of course the tightest security is here in the treasure room. Now your objective is a staff. It's called the serentity staff and I have a picture of it here for you in case there are other staffs in the room. Now you are all also welcome to take any...souveniers that might catch your eye. You have a two day window to get this mission done. You're welcome to go over any plans or routes in advance. I would like a debriefing with the staff at my house after you've completed the mission."
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Minako was rearranging her rooms within her new flat. While her friends had offered to help her unpack as well she had turned them down with a smile and said that she wanted to decorate herself and would probably move things so many times they would get frustrated with her and leave anyway. She heard her doorbell ring and opened the door to see Wufei standing with a bag.
"Wanted to see how it was going and I figured you hadn't let yourself eat in the excitement so I brought you something. Hungry?" he asked and Minako nodded gratefully and let him in.
"Excuse the mess." she said with a slight blush at the state her flat was in. He smirked and brushed her statement off.
"You just got everything in today, you can't expect it to be clean. Not to mention all things that are organized start in a mess." he said with a nod. Minako grinned.
"Well thanks, you must have read my stomach, I'm starving."
"Oh? Your stomach does the talking, not the mind right?" he said with another smirk as he handed Minako the bag.
"Shut up. Anyway so I was thinking all the rooms are really bland you know? I'm an artist at heart and I'm thinking it really needs some paint to spice it up. What do you think?"
"Yea, boring white is never good for the soul." he said with a nod.
"Dreary color."
"What colors were you thinking?"
"Well I like warm colors usually, I think a nice orange for my room...go for a sunset theme or something." Wufei nodded as Minako continued. "I was even thinking maybe orange could go in the kitchen to. I mean how cool would it be to have an orange mixer." Wufei rolled his eyes.
"Do you even cook?" Wufei asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well uh...not really, no. I plan to learn though. I bought recipe books."
"Just ask Makoto, she's good at stuff like that. She'll help you out."
"Thanks, I'll talk to her about it." She opened the bag and took out the burger. "Plain, just how I like it. This was just what I needed to get me motivated. Thanks. I'm thinking of just going one room at a time since all the boxes are labeled. Start with the neccessities and go from there."
"Sounds like a good plan. Sure you don't need help?"
"Yea I'm good, thanks for offering though."
"Alright well don't work too hard."
"Don't worry about that. Thanks again."
"Anytime."
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Hotaru was shaken awake roughly and promptly fell out of bed. Her eyes flickered open at Quatre's laughter. She grumbled into the floor.
"Not funny. What do you want?" she asked with a scowl.
"Well I assumed you wanted me to wake you up so that when Kakyuu comes in oh...forty minutes that you'd be awake and ready to go." he said looking at his watch while Hotaru sat up hastily.
"Why didn't you say that first?" she muttered not really paying attention to the fact that he basically had said that first. She pulled herself to her closet and was half-way pulling off her shirt before she turned to Quatre. "Umm...are you leaving?" she asked in embarassment. Quatre blushed lightly and nodded quickly.
"Right." he mumbled before swiftly exiting so quickly Hotaru didn't even notice his facial expression so she finished changing clothes. She looked down at her selection of tight black leggings that cut off just below her knees and a pair of purple shiny gym pants mostly unsnapped on both sides over top and a black tank top. Kakyuu had said to wear clothes that would be comfortable but allow for various stretches and arobics and shrugged. She assumed it would work. She walked out into the kitchen tying her hair into twin ponytails at the back of her head and nodded to Quatre who placed a cup of coffee in front of her.
"How much time do I have?" she asked sipping at her coffee. Quatre glanced down at his watch.
"Roughly thirty minutes. We have time for meditation if you'd like and probably a sparring match if you're up to it."
"Sounds good. I like a challenge."
"Of course. Want a cinnamon roll? I bought them yesterday because I felt too lazy to make them." he said offering her a plate which she happily agreed.
"So what will you be doing today while Kakyuu and I are out?"
"Well Rei wanted to have a quick meeting about our mission to determine the plan and then I probably will train myself and then I need to get some food for us. I'm running kinda low and haven't been in a while." Hotaru frowned.
"That's right, I'm just free loading off of you. Do you want me to pay for some of this? I feel horrible, like I'm using your kindness." Hotaru said staring down at her plate. Quatre smiled softly and placed a hand on top of her own.
"Don't worry about it. I offered in the first place and I'm not worried about it."
"Surely you don't want me doing this forever, do you want me to-"
"Ready for meditation?" he interrupted, completely cutting her off. Hotaru rose and eyebrow and nodded.
"Alright, I'll probably need it for today." she said draining her cup and standing. They walked over to his gym and sat down across from each other. Quatre closed his eyes knowing that he no longer had to tell Hotaru what to do as it was habit for her now. He silently pondered her words and their living situation. Did he want her to stay? Especially with his sudden attraction to her, being so close to her all the time could be difficult. A solution quickly formed in his head. She'd be gone all day long and if he enjoyed having the space to himself more after today he would help her look for a flat later in the week.
Hotaru on the other hand was trying to ignore the rooming problem and went on to her mission. She was to be a dancer? In front of other men she didn't even know? She knew that she was nervous about it but she'd have to get over it. Both she and Kakyuu had to act like professionals. That was another thing, she barely knew Kakyuu at all. That and Kakyuu was another entrant along with Rei meaning she was very high up there and she knew she would want to make a good impression upon her.
"What is it?" Quatre asked cutting through her inner turmoil. Hotaru opened her eyes to see Quatre's fixed upon her own. "You seem rather troubled and unable to find an answer."
"Well it's actually about Kakyuu. She's the same rank as Rei and that's rather intimidating." Hotaru confessed.
"Take into consideration that she chose you for this mission which means she's probably one of two things. One being that she's interested in you and your abilities and two, she trusts your abilities to work with her and both of those things are good. Kakyuu isn't the kind of person who would pick you out of spite and look for your faults. That's Relena. I think Kakyuu is interested and genuinely wants to work with you on this important mission. It's an honor really. She could easily have chosen Ami or Makoto who have more experience in the field but she didn't. She chose you. Just be yourself Hotaru and I'm sure she'll become friends with you as easily as we have."
"Thank you Quatre." Hotaru said quietly with a smile. Quatre grinned and stood up and held out his hand to assist her.
"Ready for that spar?" he asked. Hotaru nodded and accepted his hand as he pulled her to her feet. The faced each other and bowed quickly. Quatre immediately moved in to take the first move. Hotaru held her lazy stance watching him in an attempt to guess his move but with Quatre, that was difficult. Quatre had a tendency to make you believe he was doing one thing while actually be doing something completly the opposite. She quickly darted forward as well and did a front flip over Quatre's head and spun while Quatre easily caught her foot. He grinned as he yanked her ankle towards him before pushing her roughly away sending her sprawling to the ground. She immediately sprung back onto her feet as Quatre did a swipe towards her head. She quickly ducked attempted an upper slash at his chest which he avoided by jumping backwards. His feet slid into a well practiced stance and he jumped, one leg following the other in a smooth arc. The hit landed upon her arms as she blocked her body and slid her foot back to push Quatre's leg away from her. She managed it and Quatre stumbled back slightly but quickly righted himself. He grinned as Hotaru jumped at him once again and he spun away from her grabbing her wrist and yanked her backwards and pushed her to the floor. He quickly dropped, his hands upon her wrists above her head and smirked at her as she stopped struggling against his superior strength.
"Yield?" he asked with a cocked eyebrow. She sighed.
"Yield."
"Impressive." came a voice from behind them. Both immediately snapped at the sound and jumped to their feet. Kakyuu stood leaning against the door looking on with interest. "You really shouldn't leave your door unlocked Quatre." she said with a grin. Quatre smirked.
"People should know better than to try and break in." he replied and Kakyuu smiled slowly.
"Indeed. I'm here for Hotaru. You ready to head out?" she asked and Hotaru nodded as she fixed her hair into a messy bun as it had fallen out during the spar. "I'll have her back to you tonight Quatre." she said and Quatre nodded absently.
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Minako looked from her address to the house in front of her. She knew she had the right address so she quickly breathed in and out once before ringing the doorbell. After a few moments the door opened to present a girl with white hair in six buns, three on each side with beads interwoven in the strands. She was dressed in a red satin corset shirt with a white dress jacket over top and a matching white mini-skirt. She had fishnets that cut off above her knees and short white boots. She grinned.
"Minako Aino?" she asked holding out her hand. Minako nodded and shook her hand.
"I'm called Iron Mouse but you can call me Mousie if you like." she said beckoning Minako inside. Minako walked in and had to hold in her surprise. Iron Mouse had art all over her walls that she had painted, airbrushed or had artistic pieces hanging. "I have my own tattoo parlor inside my house here so just follow me." Minako nodded and followed her. "I apologize in advance if my place is a mess. I have problems with cleaning." she said with a grin. Minako smiled in response.
"I don't mind a mess." she replied with ease as she reached the room Mousie had been talking about. She looked around in awe as she saw the large room before her with a long chair in the center surrounded by a table with a tray on top holding various tools. Against the walls where file cabinets and shelves with inspirational books lining them. A bright light was hanging from the wall and pictures lined the walls of finished products and design ideas. Minako turned to Mousie to finally notice the tattoos that she had upon her body. She had a small white mouse on the back of her neck just where it met her shoulder on the right side. Also she had a chinese looking cloud with the edge silver on her upper thigh.
"Every cloud has a silver lining I suppose?" Minako asked. Mousie turned and grinned.
"That'd be my thought behind it. I like to think I'm an optimist."
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Rei, Heero, Quatre and Makoto sat in Rei's room with the blueprints spread across her bed. Rei grinned and looked at each of them.
"Alright so here is the basic plan. I was thinking the first thing we should do is split into two groups. That way we not only cover more space for damage we have a less chance of get caught. Since we have to get there ourselves Heero and I will have to ditch his car and enter after you guys. We'll drive you up as close as we can before you're on your own. I want you to enter from the back while Heero and I enter through the roof. Take a look around and see how well guarded it is. If it's heavy get up in the ducts and if it isn't that bad then just take them out. Once we get here-" she said and circled the spot a few blocks from the treasure room "-we'll meet up with each other. This is our checkpoint which I want to be meeting at 2:15. If either group hasn't shown up within fifteen minutes we have to assume they've been captured and finish the mission by yourselves. She circled another set of rooms at the other end of the building. "This is their prisoner keep. If you do end up finishing the mission without the other two of us leave the building and secure the staff before you come back and see if the other group is there. If you can, break them out. If not, leave. We'll have a rescue mission return if it comes down to it. To be honest I doubt it will happen but it's better to be safe. Now assuming we meet each other at the checkpoint we'll continue down to the treasure room. Our main target is of course the staff however we are free to take whatever we feel like. I have a can of spraypaint for each of us as well. So if you have a dear friend or beloved whom may want something you see in there, go ahead, take it. It's all fair game. We'll escape through the rafters above the room as a group. Once we reach outside we'll make a rather...large sign on the side of the building with our nicknames. I haven't had someone target me in a while, it's getting rather lonely." she said with a sadistic grin. The others chuckled. "Any questions?"
"With a plan where you show us all angles, where is the room for questions?" Makoto asked with a smirk. Rei grinned in return.
"Well you never know, I could have missed something."
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Ami leaned against Duo's chest as they sat on his couch. Duo had his arms wrapped around Ami's waist as they silently watched t.v. together. Duo hugged her tighter and she turned to face him.
"I'm almost done with the girls bikes. Wanna see?"
"Oh yes." she agreed as Duo led her off the couch to his garage. In the center were two pure black motorcycles with swirls spray-painted down at the end in a metallic bright green and a similarly metallic light lavender.
"I'm just waiting to see if the girls want anything specialized that I can stencil on. Which reminds me that I got your snowflakes all finished up over there." he said gesturing to her bike that rested in the far corner. Ami smiled as she circled the bikes admiring them.
"Hotaru and Minako are going to love these."
"Well they better. I had to fix a few of the stencils I did when I screwed up and had to paint over it."
"So...who will end up teaching them to ride?"
"I told you, Trowa."
"You talked him into it?" Ami asked in surprise.
"Hell yea I did. You owe me dinner."
"Mmm I guess I do. I can't believe you did that."
"Blackmail is a rather powerful thing." Duo said with a wink. Ami grinned in return.
"I guess it is. I wasn't aware you had much dirt on Trowa."
"Oh I have dirt on everyone, it's just a matter of using it."
"For some reason I don't doubt that you have blackmail on each of us. It just makes me curious as to what it is." she murmered. Duo grinned and stepped forward and leaned his forehead against hers.
"Want to know what I have on you?"
"Mmm you could tell me but for some strange reason I'm rather wondering what on earth you could have on Trowa."
"Aaah but a man never shares his blackmail because otherwise it makes it useless does it not?"
"Depends. It could make it useless or useful for more than one person." she said with a mischevious glint in her eyes. Duo grinned as she turned and changed the subject. "Well what kind of dinner were you wanting?"
"Italian. I haven't had it in ages."
"Well it's a good thing Makoto has taught me a few good recipies then."
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Kakyuu and Hotaru reached their destination as a girl with vibrant pink hair pulled open the door before them. She smirked.
"Come in girls, I hear you'll be needing a lot of practice and so we can chat while I'm teaching. We've got a lot of work to do." she said standing out of the way to allow Kakyuu and Hotaru to enter. Kakyuu took a quick glance around.
"I love what you've done. It looks way better."
"That's good. Jun Jun helped me move and Ves Ves helped me with some decoration ideas. Palla Palla just sort of...hung out and made us refreshments you know?" Cere Cere said with a grin pushing open a wood door. "Here is the dance studio. I have a song all ready for you in the cd player. First I'm going to demonstrate the dance so you all get a jist of what it's going to look like. The dance itself is seductive so you'll have to get used to that if you're not. It focus' on your hips and chest so that the men will be looking. If you're uncomfortable with creepy guys staring at you as if they want to strip you and have their way with you then...well the best thing I can suggest is try and get over it. Space yourself out or something because you can't afford to look disgusted. I know this mission is important so we're going to have to learn this quickly and nail it." She pressed play and Kakyuu and Hotaru both watched carefully as Cere Cere slinked around in front of them twisting her body and running her hands over her chest, waist and legs. She circled slowly and let her eyes flutter to an almost closed state as she slowly sunk towards the ground to the music. Hotaru felt an immediate chill in her stomach at the thought of attempting half of what she was seeing. Kakyuu was nodding and smiling in approval by the time she was finished. Cere Cere turned to the girls with a grin.
"What do you think? Jun Jun and I came up with it."
"It's perfect." Kakyuu said with a smile.
"It looks incredibly difficult.." Hotaru replied. Both girls grinned.
"Just takes practice and confidence. You'll have it down in no time. First let's start out with some stretches to make sure we don't hurt ourselves. I'll give you ten to fifteen minutes and then we'll begin with the first part."
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Quatre was bored out of his mind. He was walking through the grocery store and constantly thinking of Hotaru. He knew she was training hard for her mission that really, he knew nothing about. He'd have to ask her for details once she returned home. He knew that his train of thought had not left Hotaru since she had left but he wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. He knew that his attraction to her had been steadily mounting with each passing moment, especially when she was around him. He wondered how long he could control himself around her before snapping. He silently praised Duo for waiting as long as he did to confront Ami. He could only admire his patience. He had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to do the same. He felt a little pathetic if he was trying to be honest. In a way it made him disgusted to feel like a lost puppy when she wasn't around. He scowled at the shelves of food before him. He didn't know when it had happened, but Hotaru had found a nice spot in his life that he knew he would feel totally lost without.
"Quatre?" a familiar voice made him look up.
"Usagi? what are you doing at the supermarket?" Usagi laughed.
"Buying food just like everyone else. What kind of question is that?"
"Sorry, a little distracted." he muttered. A sly grin formed on her face.
"Oh? Having girl troubles?" she asked innocently. Quatre glanced sharply at her.
"What would make you think that?"
"You're Quatre. You don't get disctracted. It's not like you to be caught off guard at all. So since the only thing that changed in your life recently is that a certain Hotaru Tomoe is currently living with you...don't even think I didn't know about that by the way...then that's the only logical solution."
"I was hoping for something less logical. Like woman's intuition so that I could blow it off. Thanks." a laugh followed and Quatre sighed.
"So what's the problem?"
"Well we were talking this morning about the living arrangements I guess. She feels like she's freeloading off me because I pay the rent and food and all that stuff and feels like she should either help out or get out. I don't really care all that much, I mean I've always paid for that stuff."
"That didn't tell me your problem."
"I know. My problem is more that I am incredibly attracted to her and I'm not sure if her living with me is a good idea. It's not helping my control at all. I don't know if I should tell her to stay or get her own place so that I can restore my sanity." he said with a defeated sigh. Usagi nodded.
"I see where you are coming from. I think that if something romantic happens between you, you should talk about it. See if you both think it's a good idea. If you don't plan on doing something about it then having her stay might not be a good idea. It would just make you uptight because you're trying to stay away from her when you're around her all the time. I'm assuming you want to do something about it."
"I...yes."
"Good. We've made progress. I'd say let things happen and go from there. Then when it does happen you can talk about living arrangements. Hey maybe she'll move into your room." she added with a wink. Quatre attempted to glare at her but Usagi only laughed. "Don't think about it too hard Quatre, you're blushing enough as is. You might want to get some of the burnt stuff out of your room to. Make it look a little nicer."
"As lovely as you are when you're making fun of me Usagi, are we done?"
"Unless you need any more friendly advice."
"No, no I think I'm good."
"Then I'll see you when you are being debriefed tonight."
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Hotaru and Kakyuu reached the mall and Kakyuu began talking quickly.
"Now this dance is seductive so we'll be needing clothes to that effect. Most of the time, the easiest way to scout out information is to get them to spill it because they're so entranced by you. We'll be buying a few outfits to practice and then the ones for the performance. We need to practice in them so that we can get used to wearing them and won't feel embarassed. Especially the shoes, I'm sure you'll really need practice. They are platforms and you'll probably want to practice a few fighting moves in them in case. I also suggest practicing ways to get them off fast if it really comes down to it."
"I think I'll really have to do that. I've never really danced in front of others before."
"Then you might want to try dancing for say...Quatre tonight?" Kakyuu said trailing off as Hotaru's eyes widened. She squeaked and Kakyuu smirked. "Let me explain before you freak out. If you can't dance in front of your friends then how do you expect to dance in front of strangers? Especially since this is directed towards men. If you don't want to openly do it, then maybe just blast your music and leave the door open? That way he has the oppurtunity to come in but you can't let it affect your dancing. Just try it. Now we have to look at some outfits. I'm thinking two colors. You can take black and purple and I can have black and red. What do you think?"
"That sounds good."
"Good. Well let's look around and see what they have."
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Makoto stood in Minako's doorway with a grin. She had quickly explained that she wanted to have dinner with her new neighbor. Minako smiled.
"I'd love to have dinner with you guys. Truth is I had no idea what I was gonna do for dinner, I was just about to pop a boxed pizza in or something when you came over. Thanks for saving me the grief!" she said with a grin as she followed Makoto to her flat. Trowa opened the door for them with a nod of greeting to Minako which she returned with a smile.
"I understand. You can have dinner with us whenever you want and if you ever need some cooking lessons, I'm your girl. I wouldn't want you to starve on pizzas and boxes of mac n' cheese."
"Thanks, I'd really appreciate that. I'm pretty sure my own concoctions are well...toxic. I'm sure even I wouldn't want to eat them."
"Well I guess you'll be starting from the beginning. How did your mission go? Usagi said it was like a half-mission or something. Was it difficult?"
"Well Usagi-sama has placed me as the tattoo artist for us so I'm being trained by Iron Mouse in the art. It's very interesting and I'm really getting the hang of it. I think I'll need about two or three more days of training and then I'll be ready to start working on the gang. I need to talk to Usagi about the placement of the tattoos and I'm assuming she'd want to be done first. Mousie offered to do my own for me as well. I'm thinking of making a small tattoo parlor inside my flat like Mousie has. That way the members can just drop by and I already have the equipment. I have some money from the last mission and I was going to ask Usagi-sama for a little help since it's gang related." Minako said as she sat down at the counter to watch Makoto cook. Trowa took his place next to her and nodded.
"Usagi will help for the cost, I'm positive. Don't worry about that."
"That's totally awesome! I'm so excited, are you gonna schedule it out so we can get appointments?" Makoto gushed stirring her pot faster than she needed to. Minako grinned.
"Of course! Plus I'll let my friends know ahead of time so they can get in on the first day and the best times!"
"Thanks Minako. Is she a good teacher?"
"I really think so. I mean I've learned so much already and it's only been a day. She really made me feel comfortable with the needle and pressures of it and stuff. She's been really supportive and answered any questions I had."
"She sounds great. I can't wait for you to be fully qualified." Makoto said with a grin. Minako nodded in agreement.
"I know, me to! You never know though, I might press a little too hard on Relena and her goons, my hand is a bit slippery sometimes." Minako said with a wink while Makoto laughed and Trowa smirked in response.
"Just make sure you tell that to Usagi when Relena complains." Trowa said with a knowing look. Minako winked in return.
"I'll try and get Mousie to back me up if I can."
"Well dinner is ready so let's get started! For tonights dish I have alfredo chicken. Noodles and chicken topped in alfredo sauce! On the side is a fresh batch of rolls. Sound good?"
"Sounds absolutely amazing." Minako said with a nod as her plate was placed in front of her.
"You know I love this." Trowa said simply and Makoto nodded.
"Do I ever make anything you don't like?"
"Every now and then."
"Well...that's just sisterly duty you know." Makoto said with a wink to Minako. She stifled her giggle as Trowa turned to her.
"Something funny?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Minako shook her head.
"It's just interesting to watch you guys react. Hotaru and I were only children so we didn't really have sibling rivalry or anything like that."
"I understand. Rei and Ami are only children too. They were a bit amused by our behavior once Trowa opened up enough to talk in their presence."
"So are you the only siblings in the group? Do the others have a family?"
"Well Duo doesn't know, he was an orphan. We honestly don't know a thing about Heero's family and Quatre has a ridiculous amount of sisters. Wufei used to have siblings but well he told you what happened right?"
"Yea." Minako said with a sigh. "I feel so bad for him, but I know he wouldn't want pity."
"Well you're right about that. You're getting to know his personality pretty well."
"Well he helped me through some of my problems and we go out to breakfast sometimes. We talk a lot then. I think we're going tomorrow."
"That's good. Wufei needs to open up more about his past because he keeps it bottled up and it'll overpower him one day."
"Well I think it's progress that you got him to talk about it at all." Trowa interjected. Makoto and Minako nodded.
"I agree. Those are some wounds Wufei doesn't like re-opening."
"Yet you can't keep those things quiet. If you don't talk to someone about your problems, how do you expect to get past them? You can't solve everything on your own." Minako said pushing her noodles around the plate with her fork. Trowa nodded quietly.
"I think Trowa might need that lesson to." Makoto said with a pointed stare. Trowa glanced towards her and shrugged.
"Well if either of you need to talk, you know where my flat is!" Minako said with a grin. Makoto and Trowa both nodded. "So you have missions this week?"
"Yup, with Quatre, Rei and Heero. It's going to be fun. We love graphitti-ing our name all over things and flaunting our superiority." Makoto said with a smirk. Trowa chuckled softly.
"I'm off this week. I might have time to finish my book."
"Oh? Well a break is always nice. You've been working missions a lot lately right?"
"Indeed. About seven weeks straight. Some were lengthy missions as well." Trowa replied. Minako nodded in understanding.
"Well he got really rich then to so it's a matter of prefrence. You need to work for money so we consider it worth it to work lots of missions. We usually volunteer but I think Trowa is just getting exhausted. Especially when we work around the house during the week as well."
"That's understandable. Every person has a point where they need rest." Minako said with a shrug.
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Rei and Heero were laying comfortably on Heero's bed in each other's arms. Rei was letting her head rest on his chest as she listened to his heartbeat.
"Did you like Minako's flat?" she asked conversationally. Heero nodded.
"I think it's good for her to get out on her own, get that feeling of independence. Plus she's close to Trowa if she ever needs anything." he replied.
"Mmm that is a good thing. Hopefully Trowa will open up to her more."
"If you think about it, she's got him to open up to her much faster than we did."
"I guess you are right about that. Think that's our influence at all or just Minako?"
"I'd say it's a bit of both. He's changed a lot since we first met him but I've noticed recent changes in him as well."
"Which is most likely due to Minako."
"I'd say so."
"It's a good thing." Rei murmered as she closed her eyes letting his steady heartbeat soothe her.
"Rei..."
"What?" she asked and propped herself on her elbows to look at him. Her eyes narrowed in concern. "Is something wrong?"
"No, it's nothing like that but...I was thinking."
"Oh? About what?"
"Well it's all a matter of if you want to or not."
"Get on with it already. What's on your mind?"
"Well basically I wanted to know if you wanted to move in here? With me?" he asked locking his eyes with hers. Rei's eyes widened.
"You mean...like permenantly?"
"Like I said it's up to you but yes that is what I had in mind." There was a moment of silence as Rei let her jaw slacken and her eyes stare into his.
"Oh Heero I would love to!" she said with a bright smile as she leaned forward to kiss him properly. Heero pulled her closer to him as he responded to her kiss instantly, he felt a great burden lift off his shoulders at the thought that she had accepted. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer to him. He didn't need to reply as he crushed her form to his. They had always had a silent form of communication that the other automatically understood. It was rather convient for both of them.
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Quatre heard music coming from Hotaru's room. Her door was cracked open and he shrugged hearing music he didn't think Hotaru would normally listen to. He took place in the shadow of the door and looked inside. The sight before him made his jaw drop in surprise. There was Hotaru dancing on top of her bed wearing a tight tank top that showed a good portion of her toned stomach and goucho pants that flared open with every movement of her legs. Her eyes were closed and her hands above her head as she swung her hips in a slow circle and allowed her body to turn with each flick of her hip as her hands slowly traveled down her body, her eyes only half open as she looked down at the mattress. As her hands ventured down, her body sunk to her knees and let her hands and body move seductively to the music as she began to crawl forward Quatre took a quick exit of her room and practically ran to his own room never seeing her eyes begin to slowly open, not realizing Quatre had ever been present. Quatre leaned against the back of his door holding his chest and breathing deeply. He slowly began regulating his breathing back to normal as Hotaru's performance burned a permanent image in his eyes. The sight of her body before him was taunting and tempting him to give in to his inner desires. He had known he had to leave or he would have burst into her room and shoved her on her bed and...he sighed. He needed a shower. A very cold one. Then he had to train. Cook. Clean. Anything to get Hotaru's performance out of his mind.
What he didn't expect was that she would be training once he got out of the shower and to the gym. He definitely didn't expect her to be wearing platform shoes that tied up her her calfs and attempting to train. She had the same shirt on however she had changed into a short pair of black shorts. He rose an eyebrow in interest.
"What exactly are you trying to do?" he asked as she stopped and looked at him in surprise.
"Well Kakyuu suggested I try doing some basic fighting in them...since I'll be performing in them."
"Performing?" Quatre asked as he watched her try to move swiftly in the shoes that weighed her legs down significantly.
"Didn't I tell you? The mission for Kakyuu and I is at a club where we'll be trying to gain information. Our cover is as dancers so I'll be performing in these. I have no idea why girls would wear these on a regular basis. They are horrible." Hotaru said in annoyance tightening the bows at the back of her knees tighter. Quatre inwardly felt his stomach drop. Hotaru...would be dancing like he had just seen for other men? He walked forward as she lost her balance and helped her to her feet.
"It's just a matter of practice. You have to compensate for the added weight of the shoes." Quatre said with a shrug. Hotaru nodded and Quatre leaned against the wall to watch her progress. After she had begun to get the hang of it, he pushed himself off the wall.
"Take a break. How about we try the moves from yesterday again? I bet you'll feel a lot faster without the shoes on." he said and Hotaru nodded quickly untying the shoes and throwing them against the wall. Quatre pulled out the dummy once again and nodded to Hotaru who ran in a wide circle around the opponent. She jumped around the dummy grabbing it around the neck and swinging her legs around planting them on the dummy's chest and pushing herself back with the momentum and Quatre caught her around the stomach as she flew backwards towards him. He placed his foot behind him for balance and let her feet drop to the ground after the backed up a few inches from the force in the kick. The feel of his hand touching her skin made a flash of warmth shoot up both of them and he quickly let go and he nodded. "Let's try again." he said with a nod and Hotaru grinned and ran once again. This time however she jumped over the dummy and pushed off it straight towards Quatre who looked deeply surprised as she flipped him over and landed on top of him, her arms around his neck laughing hysterically. Quatre let his head rest on the wood as he realized she had caught him off guard once again. She seemed good at knowing when he was off his guard which to him was not good. He opened his eyes to see her resting against his chest with a smile on her face and something inside of him snapped. The feel of her body pressing so closely against his own and her breath against his neck stopped him from fully thinking his next actions through. He rolled them both over so that she lay pinned beneath him with her wrists caught above her head, eyes wide. Quatre caught her gaze and she found his eyes unreadable as she tried to understand what he was doing. Quatre then leaned forward and closed the distance between them. Hotaru gasped at the sudden contact and Quatre seized the oppurtunity to deepen the kiss roughly as his tounge probed the inside of her mouth. Hotaru felt her eyes close as the shock wore off and she felt pure passion as she returned the kiss, allowing her tounge to reach out and touch his own as she wrapped her arms around his chest letting her fingers grip the back of his shirt as the other hand twined into his hair. At that point Quatre realized what he had just done and broke away from her as they both gasped for breath. Hotaru's eyes fluttered open at the loss of contact and took in the sight of a dissheveled blonde before her, his eyes several shades darker than she usually saw them. They both sat up on the floor and stared at each other. Hotaru never remembered putting her hand in his hair and Quatre had a strange look in his eyes that she couldn't quite decipher. He felt uncertain, she had responded but she could still feel very different. He tore away his gaze and looked down to the floor.
"Quatre..." Hotaru breathed and Quatre flinched slightly.
"I'm sorry." he murmered. Hotaru breathed in and out quietly for a few moments.
"Don't apologize...unless you didn't mean it." she finally uttered looking away from him. Slowly he took hold of her hand and let his thumb circle the back of her hand.
"The thing is...is that I did mean it Hotaru. I couldn't hold myself back anymore. It was selfish of me, I know. I don't even know if you wanted it and in a way I probably didn't care. I just-"
"Quatre." Hotaru said holding a finger to his lips effectively silencing him. "I did want this. You have no idea how much I've wanted this. I thought...that you were totally uninterested."
"I've been fighting my attraction to you for a while now." Quatre admitted.
"I thought you'd never see me as anything other than a training partner." she said quietly as Quatre locked his gaze with hers.
"You're so much more than that to me." he muttered pushing stray hairs from her face and behind her ear. Hotaru turned to him and opened her mouth to speak. Quatre shook his head and leaned forward, gently placing his mouth over hers, halting any words she would have said. He broke away and pulled her into his lap leaning his forhead against hers. "Do you really want to talk now?" he asked. Hotaru smiled softly and shook her head no as they leaned in to kiss once more in celebration of their new found feelings.
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Minako walked inside Usagi's salon and smiled when Usagi smiled brightly and beckoned her over to the chair. Minako sat down as Usagi sat in the chair next to her.
"How are you doing?"
"Mousie has taught me a lot. I just had some basic questions."
"Shoot."
"First, are we going to want the tattoos placed in the same place on everyone or whever they want? We want to take into consideration some members may already have tattoos. Second do we want specific colors or just whatever colors the animals are? Third, did you want to be done first? I rather assumed you would."
"Some very good questions. I'm thinking as long as the animals are distinct colors then the members should feel free to have them placed wherever they like. I'm thinking black and gold is a good combo for the animals. Lastly, of course I want to be first! As the leader of the gang not only is it my duty to set the example for the gang in everything, but I am the role model for others. If I get it done first then the others will feel more comfortable with the process. Will Mousie be doing yours?"
"That was my plan but I'll do yours first. I was going to have Mousie watch over my first few so that we can make sure I'm perfectly comfortable with doing it on others and then alone. Also as for location I was wondering if the gang would be giving me some money for the materials I'll be needing. I was rather hoping for my own equipment. What I wanted to do was have a little parlor inside one of my empty rooms at my flat for convenience. I of course have some money from my last mission but definately not enough."
"Get with Mousie and put together a list of all the equipment and materials you'll be needing. Top quality as well. I like the best for my gang. Once you have that list you can add ten colors other than black and gold for your personal use and if you want any more colors than that those will have to come from your personal money I'm afraid. Once you get the list finished, preferably with prices, get it over to me immediately. I'll put in the order for the things you'll be needing. I'll have them delivered to your flat and you can ask someone help you put together your parlor. Honestly I think the parlor in your flat is a great idea. Not only is it easy access for the whole gang but no questions will be asked and you can do it from the comfort of your own home. Plus we won't have to find anywhere secluded to do it and you won't have to go anywhere for it. I'm glad you've offered up your personal space for the gang. It does truely mean a lot. As I said all of those expenses will be paid for through the gang but personal touches or wants will go through you."
"I completely understand Usagi-sama."
"Oh Minako please call me Usagi. I feel as though I've known you for ages and I trust we'll have many chats for merely fun in the future. Don't you agree?"
"I do. I'll have the list for you tomorrow and then you're at the top of the list. Also if you wanted anything other than the gang tattoo just let me know and I'll do it for free of course!"
"Even if I want it somewhere inappropriate?" Usagi asked with a waggle of the eyebrows. Minako grinned.
"If I'm not willing to look there how could I possibly tattoo there?" she retorted with a wink. "Of course you're a girl, it's not like whatever you could show me I haven't seen before."
"I think I rather like your sense of humor. Well at the next meeting I'll have you announce when you'll begin the tattoo's. Is it first come first serve or what?"
"I was planning on having a schedule where they could sign their name in a slot that way I have specific times I have to be home and days I have completely off. If someone has an issue with any of the days they can talk to me personally and we can set something up."
"The equipment will probably take a good week to get in so once you give them a timeframe of when you'll most likely be starting and as soon as you have everything set up you can post the schedule up. Also before I forget you will be paid for these services to Burnt Wings. It'll be included in your paycheck if you give me a list of everyone you have already tattoo'd. That way I can pay you for the amount you've done and I also know who still needs to have it done and who still needs to set up a time. Once we get through the whole gang it'll definately be much less hectic for you and I'll need you to come to the trials to introduce yourself to new members and let them know about the tattoos. Also as soon as you start running low on the colors drop by so that I can get you a new shipment."
"Alright I understand. I'll get in touch with you tomorrow. Later Usagi."
"I look forward to it." Usagi said with a grin that she had managed to get Minako to treat her less formally.
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"So...basically you're saying you two made out in the training room for a few hours?" Kakyuu asked with a grin. Hotaru nodded, her blush brightening with each word. Kakyuu rose an eyebrow. "I knew it'd happen sooner or later, I could tell on the spot he was smitten with you." she said.
"How? I couldn't tell at all." Hotaru said in dismay as Kakyuu continued the drive to Cere Cere's house.
"Well for one, since his feelings were directed towards you I'm sure he hid them from you more than anyone else. Secondly, you didn't have the outside perspective that I do. You were stuck on the thought that Quatre wasn't interested in you at all, so that blinded you from the obvious hints that he was indeed interested."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Can you honestly say that you would rather have found out from me than the way you did with Quatre? Where is the suprise and the romance in that?"
"I can't believe I'm telling you this." Hotaru said and put her hands to her face. Kakyuu smiled and placed a hand on her back.
"Sometimes you don't need to know a friend for years to trust them with something important. I can already tell you from just knowing you these two days that you're a good person and person I want to be my friend. You're someone I trust to watch my back. You're looking for advice right? It's not wrong to look for that in your friends. Unless...you don't see me as a friend yet?"
"It's not that. To be honest I'm honored you consider me a friend. You're so high up in the gang and I guess I felt like you would be difficult to approach."
"I can understand that feeling, I once was in your position. I was here when Usagi was an Entrant and we had a different Sachem."
"Really? For some reason I've always seen Usagi-sama as a person who never really took orders."
"Well you've seen her as a Sachem and that's it. Usagi was the one that recruited me. She also recruited Heero, Quatre, Trowa, Duo and Wufei. Rei as well. Would you believe that Rei actually was recruited into the gang after her boys were already in it?"
"Now that you mention it, when I was cheered for getting into whispered, they said since Rei, not since the boys. How did she fly over them in ranks?"
"Well raw talent for one. She also had a flair for leadership. Though I'll say that Heero does as well. In actuality he was the entrant before her and she was his elite under our old sachem."
"So technically Heero got demoted?"
"In a way yes. Trust me, Heero was rather happy with the decision. As you know Heero doesn't open up to people. He was hard to approach and had trouble finding recruits because of his personality. Rei was already helping him with that as it was. He never did like having all the meetings with the sachem and when Usagi was having problems deciding between the strong bond of friendship and trust she had with Rei and Heero's strong leadership and power in the gang, he went to her and told her to choose Rei."
"Were they dating then?"
"No they weren't. They deeply respected each other for their skill so when Rei was given the position Heero was her first choice for an elite."
"Don't you only have three elites?"
"Yes, you aren't required to have five it is just the maximum. I can add two more elites any time I deem fit. The only requirement is that they have to be from the whispered category. Elites can't just be your friends, they have to have skill."
"Gives me something to aspire to I guess."
"I think it's what everyone in whispered aspires to. I mean those above whispered are all highly respected by the lower members of the gang and are usually considered role models. We're there to be role models and people for others to look up to. Heero is a good example. He is well known to be one of our strongest members along with Quatre. A lot of the older members also remember him when he was an entrant. He's not talkative but he has a perfect record, no failed missions and people are honored to work with him. People look up to his strength and skill. Duo is our master in stealth. He is our most trusted to get information no one else can. I suspect Usagi will be having him do some recon missions with the info we get on our mission. Quatre is pretty much a legend both in the gang and on the streets. He's never been defeated in a battle and the terrifies a lot of people. If people know he's around they tend to avoid the area. His technique is also something just amazing to look at. People are really hoping he's going out for the tournament this year. They go just to watch him. I have a feeling he may go into doubles instead of singles though this year."
"What tournament?"
"Oh, you wouldn't know about that would you? The tournament is something all the gangs throw together every few years. Basically all members of any of the gangs can join this fighting tournament. It's split into two divisions. Singles and doubles. What it is basically is just a fun fight with all the people you know, pitted against each other for a prize in each devision. It's well known and a lot of people look forward to it. I'm going to be going into doubles with Seiya as my partner. I know that Rei and Heero are entering into doubles as well. Wufei tends to go to singles as well as Ami and Duo, but they may try doubles this year. I'll have to ask them. I'd like to see you and Quatre out there in doubles to. Give me more competition than Rei and Heero and someone to win in singles instead of Quatre. It'd definately give everyone something to talk about."
"I'll talk to Quatre about it."
"Well let me know. I'm sure that Usagi will be telling us about the tournament in a meeting sometime this month. It's not too far off."
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"Are you all ready?" Rei asked as she looked around at her group. They were all already dressed in their regular mission blacks and waiting for her orders. "As you all know we've already gone over the mission plan a few dozen times and we know what to do. We'll be taking transportation via Heero's car. While we are getting that out of the way we split into our two groups. Quatre and Makoto you know where you are headed?"
"Yep." Makoto nodded. Quatre rolled his eyes and lazily flicked his lighter. He nodded once to show he was listening.
"Good. Now then..." she said with a conspirital grin. "What time is it?"
"Mission time." they muttered together with traded smirks as they piled into Heero's car with Rei at shotgun. As they began their drive Rei turned around.
"Just as a quick question, you also remember the checkpoint?"
"Yes Rei, I'm sure you've drilled into our heads well enough. We practically have the blueprints memorized." Quatre said with a grin. Rei nodded and turned back around. The drive was over relatively quickly and Heero pulled the car over into a well shaded forest area and they all jumped out of the car. Quatre and Makoto immediately took off at a run while Rei circled the car to Heero. She smirked as he leaned over and kissed her softly.
"For luck." they murmered together as they took off in the opposite direction from Quatre and Makoto. They quickly reached the building and scaled to the roof. After a quick search they found the trap door that would let them drop into the top floor. They then took off down the hall as quickly and quietly as they could. Pausing at the corner they grabbed a hold of a guard and placed a hand over his mouth and a swift karate chop to the neck sent him sprawling onto the floor. They made quick work of the guards they ran into and headed closer to the treasuure room. It was at the basement level so they cut to the stairwell and rand down a few stories. At the first floor, Rei and Heero found that it was crawling with guards. The checkpoint was the floor below and they had to reach the secret tunnel that was hidden behind a painting. Rei snorted softly at how unoriginal they were. She turned to Heero.
"What do you think?"
"I'd prefer to take them out. Makes escape less of a hassle since we'll have cargo and we still need to spread our name. Hard to do when running away."
"I was hoping you would say that. Let's do this." they nodded to each other and broke into a run down the hall. Before they could shout for help the guards dropped to the ground unconscious. Rei and Heero quickly began to clear out the path to the painting. Some fought but against Rei and Heero were no match. They both shared a conspiritorial look before pulling out their spraypaint cans and graphitti'd their names onto the painting before pulling it from the wall and gaining access to the basement. Waiting for them, Makoto and Quatre were standing among a mass of unconscious forms. They all grinned and headed towards the treasure room. They opened the large door and took a look around. Rei immediately aquired the staff before they began to rummage through the treasures. Rei turned to Quatre.
"Getting Hotaru a gift from work?" she asked innocently.
"Sure why not? I was looking through all this, look at all the jewlery? I wonder if she's a jewelery kind of girl."
"I can see simple stuff but half this guady crap? No chance." Makoto said with a snort.
"Thinking of rings already Quatre?" Rei asked trying to get him to admit something. Quatre rose an eyebrow before glancing at Heero.
"Not really. Why? Are you?"
"Touche' my friend. I would suggest some of the artsy stuff personally, I think she'd like that fan that's been painted on better. Though jewelry is always nice."
"Hmm I think I agree."
"So you are getting her a gift? Any reason?"
"I'm not telling you anything. Isn't that a girl thing? Grilling each other for information?" Rei and Heero simultaniously rose an eyebrow.
"Is there information that needs to be grilled from her?" Quatre's face gave away nothing.
"Well I wouldn't want Hotaru to be exempt from the ritual of the grilling for juicy information." Makoto said with a nod. "I already did it to Ami about Duo. I guess it's Hotaru's turn. Sounds fun."
"Oh definitely." Rei agreed immediately.
"Well as much as I enjoy chatting like this, shouldn't we be plastering our name all over the place and making ourselves scarce? I do want to get to sleep sometime tonight." Heero interrupted. They all nodded.
"We'll continue this conversation at a later date." Rei stated. Quatre grinned.
"Or will you and Hotaru continue it?"
"Oh don't worry, you both will." Heero answered for her. Rei just nodded and smiled sweetly while shaking a can of red spraypaint.
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Hotaru returned to Quatre's flat to see he was gone for the mission. She sighed, she had forgotten he had a mission that night. Kakyuu had bid her a quick farewell saying she had to meet Seiya and would pick her up the next morning at the same time. She began to muse about the tournament that Kakyuu had told her about. Would Quatre want to do it? Should she bring it up? Would he? Was she ready for something like that? They had been working together since her training and she knew how easily their moves flowed together. She knew that Rei and Heero would be a tough fight and she'd never seen Kakyuu in action. She had a feeling with this mission though she might. It would be a good test of their skills and see how they worked together in real situations. She shook her head and tried not to think about it. Next time they were meditating she would ask him. She glanced at the clock and tried to guess when he would arrive, struggling to decide to wait up for him or wait until morning. She laid her head onto her arms and let herself drift away at the table.
Quatre walked into his apartment to find only a soft glowing lamp on next to Hotaru's sleeping form. She was sleeping at the table with her head resting on her folded arms. He felt a smile cross his face as he went to her side. He clicked the lamp off and carefully lifted her out of the chair. She blinked groggily.
"You're home."
"Yea, it's really late. You didn't have to wait up for me."'
"I know, but I wanted to." she murmered against his chest. He slowly carried her towards her bedroom.
"Well I want to apologize in advance."
"What for?" she asked as he laid her down on her bed.
"Rei and Makoto seem to think something has gone on between us." he said with his eyes sparkling mischeviously. "The want to talk to you about it."
"Oh. Joy. I'm sure they want to just talk to me. Are you telling me this when I'm half asleep so that I won't get mad at you?" Quatre chuckled.
"Might be. I'm sure you'll remember tomorrow and I'll hear about it."
"You better believe it."
"Well you look tired, I'll see in the morning for some breakfast and meditation."
"Sounds good." she murmered before pulling up the covers and quickly falling back asleep. He smiled softly before retreating back to his own room to do the same.
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A/N: ...well I don't even know how long ago it was when I last updated this story. Granted I've had like 80% of it done for like...ages. I just had to add some extra stuff in there. Don't hate me? I haven't stopped the story I just have finally settled into my life w/ work and friends and all that crap where I can find time to actually write fanfiction and rekindle my love for GW/SM stories and pairings and romance-ness. I've been reading some awesome Rei/Heero fanfics lately and they really inspired me to work on this more. Particularly What's Left of Me by Requiem of Fire makes my day brighter. I plan on putting a lot more of Rei/Heero goodness into the next chapter because I feel like they got kinda shafted in this one. Though quite a bit of Minako in the next chapter! Perhaps even a spark of some attraction w/ fellow gang members. If you can't tell by the title.
Chapter 16 - Tattoo's and Attraction