Luna caught the smell of food wafting through the air. She opened her eyes and looked around, careful not to move for fear of being noticed. Then she remembered that she had become human for this journey. The attendant was passing out trays with some unknown contents on them to each passenger.
Even in the 29th century the airline food is atrocious, Luna thought to herself.
“Here you go Ms. Moon,” the stewardess said as she set down a tray in front of Luna. Luna was going under the alias Serena Moon for this trip.
“Thank you,” Luna said politely. She made a face when she unwrapped the tray, looking at the reddish sauce on some kind of meat. She ate it anyway, knowing that any kind of food would be a good thing right now. Her stomach had been rumbling for the last two hours of the flight and she still had three or more hours to go.
Quatre had set up an account for Setsuna and her two companions to use to travel, giving them access to almost limitless wealth. Luna was glad for that. The first few days had proven to be rough, trying to travel as a cat and hop aboard shuttles when no one was looking. So far, her attempts to track the traces of the Silver Crystal had been for naught, turning up absolutely no results. She had begun to wonder if there was an easier way to search when an idea had struck her. She would travel back to Earth and find the Control Center! She just hoped that no one had found it yet, which was very unlikely since it was cloaked from the Moon. Luna decided just to wait and relax, so she finished her meal, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
* * *
When Luna awoke the second time, the shuttle was already through the atmosphere and on the ground.
“Welcome to Tokyo,” the pilot said over the intercom. Luna deboarded with the other passengers and picked up her single suitcase, filled mostly with cat food. She caught a cab and headed for the hotel she had made reservations in. As the cab sped by the huge buildings of downtown, Luna stared in wonder. Then she noticed that nothing looked familiar. She frowned at that. I’ve lived here for over 300 years and suddenly nothing looks familiar? And the street names have all been changed! K’so! I’ll never be able to find anything now! she ranted to herself.
The cab stopped in front of a huge hotel on the edge of the city that stood at least 40 stories high. The entire front entrance was a huge glass window that had plants growing by the doors. Luna walked in, throwing on her best regal glamour, and approached the front desk. Heads turned as she walked, people staring at her swaying hips and extreme charm.
The feline grace gets ‘em every time, she snickered to herself, approving of the trick she was pulling. Even though she wasn’t drop dead gorgeous, she had an ethereal beauty about her. The man at the front desk gawked at her as she looked deep into his eyes.
“I have a reservation,” she whispered to him, her voice almost seductive. The clerk looked like he was going to faint.
“Under wh-what name m-m-miss?” he stuttered, almost afraid of her aggressive personality. He tried to keep his eyes on the computer.
“Miss Serena Moon,” she told him. These humans, too easy to keep under my heel. Too bad Usagi never responded to my regal glamours. The Princess can see right through her own powers though I suppose.
“Here you are miss,” he said after he had regained his composure. He handed Luna a room card. She frowned at the card. We can do better…
“Don’t you have anything else?” she asked, putting on her best sympathy face.
“Um, well, uh… let me look…”
Luna kept her charms high and her price low. The clerk searched the entire hotel for vacancies and tried to pass off anything that her could on her. Luna simply smiled and shook her head, going for the best room she could find. She knew the glamour would fade eventually, so she kept it up until the clerk handed her the cardkey to a suite on one of the top floors of the hotel. Luna smiled and thanked him.
Success!
Luna got into an elevator and rode to the 38th floor, then found her room. The room was huge, complete with little fridge and balcony. It faced out toward the city, giving a sweeping view of everything in it. She walked out onto the balcony and sniffed the wind. Even after 300 years, Tokyo still smells the same. She surveyed the city, looking for the one thing that would help her find the Control Center: the Tokyo Tower. But to her surprise, the tower was gone…
* * *
Deep underground, a man lay sleeping. He was encased in ice, totally frozen to keep the fires of his heart at bay. He was not a prisoner, but someone who had agreed to be sealed away so that he could be there to protect his lady in the future. He slept, meditating on the truths of his life. He thought of the present, melding over who he was; he was a rock star, but he was also a priest. His heart had been torn in two directions. Three actually. She had always held his heart. He had always wanted to be with her. But she seemed surrounded by danger. Monsters attacked her constantly and he would try to protect her, but he would just get in the way and end up broken and hurt. One day he left, thinking that she would be better off without him. But she had chased him down, drawing him back. It had made him happy that she wanted to be with him too. He remembered that he had become a priest later, to replace the priest that had passed away. That had allowed him to stay with the girl he loved. She had and will be the focus of many conflicts, he thought. His mind shifted to the future and where his life would lead.
She had not said anything about what the future held until the end, the end of his life on Earth. She had wanted him to know why they could not be together. The truth had shocked him, but he knew it was true. Somewhere inside, he knew. He saw the events that were to come to pass and become a part of history. He saw the battles with the Black Moon that she would fight in, where again, he could not protect her, unless he matured within his heart and in his skill. And because of that, he had pledged to guard her forever, just like before. Before? I’ve never known her, he thought. His meditation had started to uncover something that he did not remember. From deep within his own mind, a reply came.
*But you do. You just don’t remember*
Who are you?
*I am you*
But how? I don’t know you.
*You do KNOW me, you don’t REMEMBER me. I am a part of who you were, who you are, and who you will be.*
He realized that this voice had come as a guide to the past, the last part of his meditation. He did not know how long it had been since he had gone into his sleep or how long he had been reliving all the experiences, but this, he knew, was to be the last part. She was awakening and he could feel it.
What do you wish to show me?
*A time from long ago. This is the time when you were a hero, truly able to protect the Princess as you desire to now.* And as the voice faded away, he felt the past come rushing up to replace every corner of his mind. Every part of his soul awakened and he saw the past, not from this life but from a life long ago, as it came blasting forward to greet him.
He remembered the test the he had to undergo. It was inane really, to force the Knight to try and pass any kind of initiation, because if he did perish, the royal family would have to wait until he was reborn so he could try again, and there was still no guarantee that he would succeed even then. His task was not an easy one; he had to survive in the Martian wilderness for five days after a day’s journey to the First Knight’s Tomb and then a day’s journey back.
He had completed the task with little trouble. Even the normal sandstorms seemed to have stopped for him. At the Tomb, he saw the actual skeleton of the First Knight, his first life, and had received visions of the future into which he was now going. It was strange for him to see a future where there were no wars, no royal family that really needed a guardian, even though they didn’t really need one now. Usually royal families needed protection from the people of Mars, not the other way around. But the Knight was valuable none the less. By returning alive from his task, he had proven that he was brave and strong, yet cunning enough to survive. He would make a good general in the Martian army.
The last thing he saw was of a battle that raged between two armies. He had managed to get the Princess to safety just as he was delivered his final blow. The Princess turned to see him fall and as his vision faded, he heard her whisper, “We shall meet again… Earth is the place…”
The man’s meditation finished as his memories were fully restored. The fires that ran through him warmed his cage, but something held him back. He knew that when the time was right, the Princess would come and get him. His eyebrow twitched and Yuuichirou slipped back into his icy slumber.
* * *
Luna perused the streets in search of some sign of where the Control Center might be. She hadn’t heard anything about the Tokyo Tower being taken down, but so much had gotten past her while she with the circus. Tokyo had grown by the millions during the last few centuries, but since there was no room to expand out, the city had grown up. Luna was glad that she had changed into her cat form before going out. It would have taken forever for her to walk through the city. It was taking a long time even now, even though she could sneak in, around, and even over, some of the buildings. Unfortunately most of the city had been remodeled and she recognized nothing.
I wonder what happened to Crown Game Center? she asked herself. The Control Center was right under it… They wouldn’t have torn it down, would they? Then Luna got an idea. She knew that all the records of Tokyo had to be stored somewhere in this vast metropolis. That would include construction contracts and closure of businesses. Luna knew she had to find out where to go. She saw an alley and ducked into it, sneaking through an opened backdoor to some restaurant. Stealthily maneuvering into the bathrooms, she transformed into a human and walked out of the restaurant, no one being the wiser.
She went to the first place she could think of: the police station. She waltzed into the main office and smiled sweetly at the man on duty there.
“Where is the Hall of Records for Tokyo?” she asked.
The man looked at her in shock, trying to keep from drooling on himself. “Uh, it’s uh… the records are in a cyber system,” he stuttered.
“And how might I be able to access them?”
He hadn’t realized that she was talking until a moment later. He shook his head and tried to focus on her face. “You can get the public records at the library.”
She wasn’t satisfied with his answer. “But the library is such a long way to walk from here…”
He looked at her again and decided to tell her more. “The only way to get the complete files is by logging in at the main government building…” Luna looked at him quizzically, wanting more. “Or through us,” he added as a side note.
She smiled to herself and then continued. “And how might I be able to get in through you?” she purred as she slinked over to the deputy’s desk. He practically fell out of his chair as he moved away to resist her charms.
“I uh… I could get… get you in…” he stammered. Luna looked at him seductively and smiled.
“I’d like that.”
The deputy fired up his computer and logged into the system, immediately pulling up the confidential files on the city. He stood up and offered his chair to Luna who promptly sat down and began looking through the files for anything on Crown Game Center and the Tokyo Tower. The deputy ran out to get some coffee for them as Luna read about anything having to do with either place.
UFO, blah blah blah, monsters, demons, yada yada yada, fought that… fought this… Sailor Scouts come to rescue… She yawned as she skimmed the basic stuff on the supernatural disturbances that had occurred around the Tokyo Tower area, everything from weird mice to huge flying demons fighting angels during the night. It took a while, but she finally found what she was looking for.
Tokyo Tower torn down… The need for metal to build the colonies extended beyond the raw materials available and the Tokyo Tower was torn down in an effort to provide building materials… Luna stared at the screen dumbfounded. She couldn’t believe that one of the largest broadcasting towers in the world had been used for scrap metal. Fortunately, the next article gave the location of the former Crown Game Center. The old favorite, Crown Game Center, was closed permanently today when the owner passed away. He had requested the center be closed after his passing, since he had no children and didn’t want the arcade to move outside of his family. A favorite place for children and families, the old building will be remodeled and converted into a new game center/ice cream parlor. The new owners plan to call the arcade Tokyo Fun World and will try to keep as many of the old games as possible. The full list of usable machines is not available, but the ‘Sailor V’ game was mentioned as a classic and therefore a keeper. Included in the plans… The message continued, but Luna didn’t need to read anymore. The Control Center was still safe and she knew where to go. She stood up and bolted from the station before anyone could say a word.
She found a phonebook and looked up the address of Tokyo Fun World, then hopped on a bus and headed for her destination. When she arrived, she saw the huge building that now stood on what remained of Crown Game Center. It was nearly twice as tall as the old building and had a flashy new sign in front. When Luna walked in, she noted that the whole building had been remodeled to look like a mall. There was a huge fountain/waterfall in the middle of a plaza that was surrounded by food shops. There was a huge ice cream shop, just like the article had said, but the article was a few decades old. The other eateries must have been brought in later, Luna though. There was a huge stairway that went up one side of the room and led onto the second floor where all the games were kept. Most of the anyway. Luna saw a sign that read, 'Old Crown Game Center this way ->' and decided that she would follow. She followed a short hallway and then found herself right at the old entrance to Crown Game Center. People were all over, playing the ancient machines, many of which, amazingly, still worked. And right in the heart of the room, she found what she was looking for: the Sailor V fighting game.
Luna slipped into the bathrooms and changed back into her cat form, then hid in the arcade until it closed. She carefully made her way through the abandoned building and worked her way into the old game room, then jumped up onto the Sailor V machine. She looked at it the blank screen, then pressed her front paws against the glass and said, “The cat is back from her nap.”
The screen lit up, but instead of booting up the Sailor V game, it stayed blank. “Welcome back,” a mechanic voice said.
“Let me in.” Luna hopped off the machine as it started to move. Gears that hadn’t worked in a long time creaked to life and the machine slide back to reveal a set of stairs. Luna walked down the stairs and entered into the Control Center. Even now it made the rest of Earth’s technology look like junk. Luna pressed a button and the large screen flared to life and the game machine slid back over the entrance.
Luna stepped on the keys, punching out the search she wanted to have performed. A search for trace of energy from the Silver Crystal excluding Cathrine and Dorothy… That will show us the way to the other Senshi… Pluto had contacted her before she headed to Earth to say that she had found Sailor Venus and her Knight. Luna still had no clue what a Knight was, but she figured it must be important if Pluto was saying to look for them. Luna was glad to have Pluto around to help out. Luna decided to lay down and let the search run, waiting to see what the results would be and how far she would have to travel. I really hate having to travel so much. I can’t wait until this is over with. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.
* * *
When Luna awoke, the main screen of the computer had revealed just two dots. The search was still going too, finding traces everywhere, but no concentration large enough to be a hidden Senshi. Luna looked at the screen again and decided that something was wrong because both dots were miles under the Earth’s crust. Great. I get two possible answers only to find out that they’re both completely wrong… she griped. Suddenly a third dot flared up on the screen. Hmm… L2 huh? Might as well check this out… She left the Control Center and went to book a shuttle to L2.
* * *
Drakala and Malore were seated in some room of the growing dark dimension. The little pod had become its own world-between-worlds. Malore was pouring over plans and statistics, trying to find some kind of weakness in the Sailor Scouts.
“It appears that you have failed again Malore,” Drakala taunted.
“I don’t see YOU doing anything!” he shouted at her.
“That’s because Mister Know-It-All here hasn’t put me on any missions!” she retorted.
“You were in charge of the Galaxia mission and we all almost DIED from that!”
“Overlooked abilities. Besides, once we collect enough Star Seeds to release Chaos, we won’t have to worry about Galaxia,” Drakala said. Malore looked at her with anger.
“I thought I assigned you to finding the Prince and Princess, yes?” he asked her.
She swallowed and looked at the floor.
“You haven’t been looking have you?”
“I started but nothing came up! I haven’t had any luck finding energy traces or anything!” she defended.
“A likely story. But just to shut you up, I will put you at the head of this next mission.”
“Oh thank you, kind and venerable one,” Drakala said as she bowed with mock thanks and respect.
Gods you’re annoying. Bitch.
Geezer. I’ll show you, you tight-ass. Drakala promptly summoned up a Darkling and vanished.
* * *
Three days later, Luna arrived on L2. She had spent the rest of her time on Earth sight-seeing in the new Tokyo that she had arrived in, then stocked up on food and left. She was anxious to meet this new girl that the computer had brought up. She sounded quite interesting. A former solider, now working for a salvage company. Reported to have a male roommate. Luna knew that this would be a problem, so she had decided to follow her target for a while, then catch her when she was alone.
Luna got a hotel room, nothing fancy this time since she knew that she wouldn’t be spending much time there, and got ready to begin her search. Control had told her where her subject lived, gave her a picture, a name, and a workplace, but Luna still had to track her down, and L2 was a HUGE colony. Transforming to cat form, Luna found the building for Deep Space Salvage Co. and took up a spot to watch the building.
For a while, nothing happened. She saw her target a few times, nothing more than a glimpse, but it was enough to prove that this girl definitely had potential. Luna watched until the building closed for the night, then followed the girl home. Her apartment was just a mile or so away, so the girl walked to work. It wasn’t much of a surprise that she was barely 17, since Luna had heard that the heroes of the war had been teenagers themselves. She did seem to have some kind of special feel to her though. She was outspoken but cautious and tried to do what was best for other people. When the girl finally got inside, Luna watched her through a window for a few seconds, then left and returned to her own room. In the morning, Luna returned to the salvage building and watched the girl.
It went on that way for a few days until Luna was sure that this one of the Sailor Scouts. Then one day after the girl had left work, Luna followed her and intercepted her just outside her apartment. Luna meowed piteously like she was hurt, drawing the girl’s attention.
“What happened here kitty?” the girl asked as she leaned down to examine Luna.
Luna quickly got up and looked at her, then sat upright and smiled. “So I have found you at last, Sailor Mars.”
The girl’s eyes nearly popped out of her head and she backed away from Luna. “Duo must be rubbing off on me… I’m hearing things…” she said in shock.
“You’re quite sane. I AM a talking cat. My name is Luna.” The look on the girl’s face showed that she was about to bolt for her door. “Please wait! We need you help. I am looking for the Sailor Scouts.”
Suddenly, a hint of remembrance flashed across the girl’s mind. “Sailor… Scouts…?” she asked.
“So you are one of them! You must help us,” Luna continued. “We are fighting a new enemy and I know that they will be after you soon.”
The girl looked at Luna in fear as she remembered her past. Fight… evil? I remember… something… “What do I do?”
Luna breathed a sigh of relief and flipped through the air, leaving a ruby heart behind her. Luna was about to explain what to do when the girl grabbed the crystal and raised it into the air.
“MARS CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE-UP!!!” She ignited into a single bright flame, but when the flame died down, instead of Sailor Mars remaining behind, there was nothing.
The door to the apartment opened and a boy with a long chestnut colored braid poked his head out. Luna ducked for cover as he looked around.
“Hirde?” Not seeing anything, he shrugged and closed the door.
* * *
Sailor Mars found herself in a huge room with a flaming floor. She cried out and tried to jump back, only to find that the walls and ceiling were ablaze as well. She screamed, but then noticed that it wasn’t hot. It was also strange because the flames didn’t burn her. She looked around and saw only one thing; a huge block of ice.
The Hell? She walked closer to the block of ice, a dark figure inside coming into focus. She stepped back in surprise, but then shook her head to clear her thoughts. You’ve seen weirder today Hirde. Just see who, or what, it is, she thought to herself. This rivals Duo’s dreams in weirdness. I can’t wait to tell him! She looked into the ice, at first not recognizing the figure. Then something deep inside her mind cried out a single name, and from that, she knew the man she looked at.
“YUUICHIROU!” she screamed. The flames roared up around them, shrinking the cavern into a pocket that could barely hold Mars and her frozen Knight.
She has come! Yuuichirou began to move in the ice, trying to reach out to his love.
Mars fell to her knees, the memories of her life with Yuuichirou flooding her mind. She looked up at the man encased in ice, letting the tears roll down her cheeks. “You gave everything for me. You always have…” She crossed her hands over her heart, not sure if she was sad or giving thanks, but then the flames began to burn brighter, like magnesium had been tossed into them and her tiara faded away, leaving the sign of Mars in its place on her forehead. Yuuichirou’s eyes slowly slid open and he started to glow with a violent red light. Mars began to glow in sync with him as his body faded into the sign of Mars and the ice quickly melted, as if just now feeling the heat of the fiery oven it was in.
“Hirde… Hino Rei…” a voice whispered.
“Who’s there?” she asked through her tears.
“I am. Now we can be together again,” the voice, obviously male, said.
“Yuuichirou?”
“Yes,” he said, fading back into reality. His priest robe had disappeared; in its place was a suit of black armor that was plated with gold design. At his side hung a huge black hammer. He reached out a hand to Mars, pulling her to her feet. “It’s not very royal to be on your knees crying, now is it?” he asked, smiling gently.
“Oh Yuuichirou! It’s been too long,” Mars said as she fell into his arms.
“I know. But right now, we have a world to protect.”
“How do we get out of here? And where is here?” Mars asked, finally looking around and taking in the surroundings.
“We are deep in the Earth. The only way out is to banish the flames. You must regain control of the fire,” Yuuichirou explained.
Mars looked at him for a second, then realized what she had to do. She turned away from Yuuichirou, held her arms out to her side and drew the flame into her body. She pulsed with life for a few moments before the entire cavern collapsed in on itself and the two figures exploded into flames then disappeared.
When Mars lowered her hands, she was back on her apartment doorstep with Yuuichirou in tow and Luna hiding around the corner. She looked first at the door, then Yuuichirou, then Luna and then fainted dead away. Yuuichirou caught her and set her down gently.
Luna looked up at Yuuichirou with reverence in her eyes. “Welcome back Yuuichirou.”
Before he could respond, a woman dressed in what appeared to be a long black evening gown, appeared behind Luna. She grabbed the cat and threw her away like a rag doll.
“Damn cat! You’re almost as annoying as Sailor Pluto!” the woman hissed.
“Who the Hell are you?!” Yuuichirou demanded.
“I am Drakala, sorceress of the Star Destroyers! I will crush you!” she shouted as she clenched her fist. Suddenly, Yuuichirou felt something grab him by the neck and lift him off the ground. “I will kill you!” she screamed. Yuuichirou struggled against the invisible grip, but was quickly suffocating. He tried to reach for the hammer at his side, but it was instantly pulled out of his reach.
“No no no! I will be the victor here.” Drakala tightened her grip on the Knight’s neck.
Mars slowly regained consciousness, trying to get a grip on the situation. Something was wrong with her vision though and she tried to clear her eyes of it, but when nothing happened, she realized that what she saw was the energy that flowed through the universe and all living things. It allowed her to know what was happening miles away, and it helped her concentrate on the current moment. Some woman had wrapped dark bands of energy around Yuuichirou’s neck and was slowly draining the life out of him. In an instant reaction, she held her index and middle fingers between her eyes, summoning a small scroll of paper. Quietly, she began the chant that she knew would break all the negative bonds and give them time to fight.
“Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, sai, zen. Akuryo taisan!” Mars tossed the paper scroll at the woman, dissipating all the energy that the woman controlled. She screamed in pain and dropped Yuuichirou to the ground.
“You bitch!” she shouted. “No one does that to me! You hear? NO ONE!!!” she boomed. “Dalin!” she shouted as she snapped her fingers. A huge red eagle creature appeared on command.
“Yes Drakala?”
“Destroy the Knight! I will crush the Sailor brat myself!”
The eagle screeched and charged Yuuichirou. He quickly grabbed his hammer and hit the beast upside the head, knocking it back a few feet. He quickly turned the tables and charged the monster, threatening it with his hammer.
“Now as for you!” Drakala sneered at Mars. Drakala pulled out a wand and fired a single shot at Mars. Mars leapt out of the way of the huge plume of purple flame, trying to avoid the dark power.
“Burning Mandala!” Mars shouted as she send a wave of burning fire symbols at Drakala.
Drakala simply teleported away and smiled evilly at Mars. “You’ll have to do better than that!” She sent a huge barrage of ice flying at Mars, the hundreds of shards cutting up her body. Mars swore and turned to attack. “Oh no, dear. We’ll have none of that!” Drakala hissed. Mars felt the water before she saw it, her psychic sense kicking in. She jumped up and threw Drakala into the column of water that shot out of the ground where she stood. Drakala screamed in rage as Mars landed and readied her shot.
“Mars…” She held her hand out in front of her, a flaming bow appearing. “Flame…” She pulled back her right hand, an arrow of fire forming in the bow. “SNIPER!” she screamed as she let the arrow fly at Drakala.
“DAMN IT!” Drakala swore. She knew this mission was a flop. She teleported out of the trap and disappeared.
Yuuichirou was still trying to fight off the eagle creature with little success. Mars ran over to him and landed a kick squarely across the monster’s face. Yuuichirou grabbed up his hammer and attacked. He raised the gleaming black hammer high over his head, the head suddenly igniting. “Flaming Crush!” he shouted as he brought the hammer down through the air, flame coming off the head of the hammer. As he smashed the hammer into the ground, fire erupted in a column around Dalin. She creature was hurt but not dead. It recovered and tried to attack again.
“A little help here Princess,” Yuuichirou said.
Mars pulled the flame forward from her body and welled it up in her finger tips. She aimed at the monster and yelled, “Fire Soul!” The creature fell back, met by another flaming blow from Yuuichirou’s hammer. It squealed and then turned to ash.
This had of course attracted a BUNCH of attention from the people nearby. Nearly everyone from the apartment complex had run out to the front to see the battle and were watching in surprise. Mars and Yuuichirou just looked at the group of tenants that had gathered then each other. Instantly, Mars ran and grabbed Luna, and then she and Yuuichirou made a break for it. They ran down the main street of the colony, running for a vet.
I think I recognized her… a braided man thought to himself. Hirde? Na. My eyes my be playing tricks on me… He and the rest of the residents slowly returned to their rooms.
* * *
Hirde and Yuuichirou left the vet’s office after getting Luna treated. She had broken a few bones, but luckily there were no serious injuries. Hirde carried Luna into her apartment, Yuuichirou close behind her. “Hey Duo! We’ve got a new cat!” she shouted. “And a new roommate…” she uttered.
Duo, his usually ball of energy self, came bouncing into the living room where Hirde stood, cradling Luna. “Hey Hirde! A new cat huh? Lemme see!” he said, reaching for Luna. As soon as Yuuichirou saw him, Yuuichirou tensed up, hoping that his Princess was not in the arms of another.
“Be careful Duo! She’s been hurt,” Hirde said, relinquishing the cat over to her roommate. “Her name is Luna.”
Duo cooed at Luna for a few seconds, then looked up to see the scruffy Shinto rockstar standing behind Hirde. “And who is this?” he asked suspiciously.
“Duo, this is my new friend Yuuichirou. He and I met just a little while ago back at the vet’s office,” she said, hoping that her lie was convincing.
Duo was convinced. Never being one to look into a situation too deep anymore, he just smiled and bowed. “Nice to meet you!” he beamed. Yuuichirou looked confused. Hirde just shook her head at him and made a gesture to give the cat back.
“Are you two…?” Yuuichirou asked, insinuating on their relationship.
“No. Just really close friends,” Hirde said, rolling her eyes. “We get that a lot.”
Yuuichirou breathed a sigh relief and noticeably relaxed. “Hey, relax man!” Duo said, slapping him on the back. “If Hirde wants to bring home a guy, that’s fine by me!” he said, trying to make Yuuichirou comfortable. “Gods know I’ve done it more than once…” Duo added under his breath. “Hey man, what’s your name?”
“I’m Yuuichirou,” Yuuichirou said bowing.
“My room is this way,” Hirde said, pulling Yuuichirou down the hall. “Duo, I have a lot to ask Yuuichirou about, so try to keep it down tonight okay?”
“You got it! See ya in the morning!” Duo said slyly as he waved to them. Not too bad… Couldn’t hold a candle to Heero though… Duo thought, rating Hirde’s ‘catch.’ With that, he headed to his own room and resumed reading his magical girl manga.
