Gods and Other Creatures
Side-Story: "Criminal" Part 3/3
by Eternal SailorM and Chibi Tenshi

Statement made to save one's own ass: We don't own Sailormoon, Gundam Wing, or Weiss Kreuz; they all belong to people a lot richer than we are. Oneesan/Morrigan belongs to Eternal SailorM; I see her elsewhere without my permission, and you will witness a shit fit like the world has never seen. The whole angsty - whoops, I mean, romantic! - story here is our ideas. I guess I can sum it up with: Ours. Steal. Die. And yes, thank you, I am on a Rurouni Kenshin binge. ^_~

Dedicated solely to Metal Angel Michelle, because she bribed me into posting it early. Ne, MAMi-chan, e-mail me, k? ^_~ Have an offer to make you, if you're interested.

Let me know the way

The house was almost absolutely silent. The only noises were the occasional ticking of the clock or someone shuffling their feet every so often. Just as the clock chimed seven, an hour and a half after the other member of their party left, predictably one of them exploded. "Goddamn it!" Wufei yelled, startling everyone. Usagi, Hotaru, and Setsuna jumped just a bit. "I can't believe we just let her leave like that!"

"How were we supposed to stop her, Wufei-kun?" Setsuna asked quietly, placing a gentle and (hopefully) calming hand on his shoulder. "She wanted to leave."

"No, she didn't! She wanted him -" He gestured wildly at Aya " -to stop her!"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~*~ * ~ * ~

Before there's hell to pay

The Elder Goddess called Oneesan collapsed onto a bench, breathing hard and sweat pouring down her body. She'd been running the entire time and had only just reached one of Tokyo's many train stations. She was tired, snowy, and alone. She'd sent Donguri back to the mansion once she reached the station, with strict orders to watch over the other gods and keep them out of trouble. But over all that, she missed her companion already. I kinda thought Aya... would come after me.

She snorted to herself. Don't be an idiot, Morrigan. Why would he waste his time on someone like you? He has Usagi now. And he obviously thinks more of her than he does you; after all, he told her his real name.

Give me room to lay the law

A body dropped on the wooden bench beside her. She ignored it, till it draped a cape made of some soft textured fabric around her shoulders. Raising her eyes quickly, she nearly choked when she saw who it was, but she swiftly covered it with a cough.

"What brings you out here, Duo?" she asked finally. She glanced closer. Yep, that's Duo all right. Eyes need to glow a bit more to be Shinigami.

"Everyone else was back at Quatre's house looking miserable, so I decided to come find you," he answered simply, stretching out beside her, nearly tripping a few hapless pedestrians. "Besides, unlike Wu-man, I didn't feel like making Aya feel bad."

That caught her attention. "What did you say?"

"When I left, Wufei was trying to goad Aya into coming after you." He snorted pleasantly. "I don't think they even saw me leave."

"Not even Hotaru?"

"Why should she?"

"I thought," she cleared her throat, "you two were kind of an item."

He fell over laughing. "No way! She's just a friend. Besides, she has someone special elsewhere." All the laughter left his eyes in a rush. "And I have... or I wish I had..."

"Usagi," she finished. "But she's with Aya now."

He chuckled shortly, and when he spoke, his voice was harsh. "Hardly. Last I saw, she'd convinced Heero to let her curl up to him."

"So he couldn't keep his resolution." She smiled faintly to herself. "I knew she had her hooks too deep for him to get away." She glanced over at the God of Death. "So you're in love with her too?"

"'Fraid so. I don't really stand a chance with her though, do I, honestly?"

"Only if you can get Heero to share her."

He turned so red that for a moment she wondered if she needed to locate a fire extinguisher. "Sh.. share her?"

She snickered. "You wouldn't have turned that color if you hadn't already thought about it, Duo, so don't try to act too shocked." A woman spoke over the loudspeaker, and she rose to her feet. "Well, that's my train. I'll talk to you later, Duo. Good luck."

"Why are you going to the shuttle ports?"

"I'm going to find Signe, make sure she lives through this. Remember: we can die if our bondmate dies. Of the Elders that are still alive..., well, I just like Signe the few times I ever saw her."

And let me go

"Stay. Fight with us," he requested softly.

"But... Aya's..."

"Aya can't train us. He's a good fighter - he's a great fighter -" he added at the evil glance she sent him, "but he's not a good teacher. You have to talk to teach someone."

She frowned in his general direction. "How did you find me anyway, Duo?"

He grinned. "Donguri told me where you were, of course. I'm a good tracker, but not this good."

"I'll have to beat that traitor bird for this."

The smile grew. "Does that mean you'll come back with me?"

I've got to make a play

"I suppose so." She frowned. "But I need to get something from a locker here and I reserve the right to leave at any moment. No questions asked. I'll even help you fight Thanatos. Deal?"

"Deal." He stood and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, the grin on his face continuing to grow. At least till he saw the height of the locker. "What's in that thing? King Kong?"

"No... Just my favorite weapon." She ran her hand down the smooth metal of the locker door. "Another Elder God gave it to me. He... went a bit mad, and he gave me his own sword to take his head with. Told me I'd need the extra reach, so that he couldn't hurt me. I kept it. It's all that I have left of him now."

To make my lover stay

"You killed him?"

She frowned. "Have you ever seen the kind of destruction an Elder God can do?" He nodded. "Then imagine what an insane Elder God could do." His eyes grew wide as prospects flew through his mind. "I had to kill him." The frown grew, and she rested her head against the locker. "And not a day goes by that I don't regret it. But some of us - And -"

"Duo!" a voice rang out. The God of Death whirled like someone had tried to shoot him instead of get his attention then visibly relaxed when he recognized the voice's owner.

"Hey, Quatre! Trowa! Welcome back!"

The blond slid to a graceful stop beside his friend, Trowa at his side. "Did you come here to meet us? How did you know we'd be here?"

Duo looked a bit embarrassed. "Actually I didn't. Actually, I was here to find -" He broke off as he saw Quatre's eyes and the visible one of Trowa's eyes grow large. Turning around, he saw what exactly Oneesan had produced from the oversized locker: a thin sword, almost like a katana but longer than she was tall. How do you balance that thing to swing it? was all he could wonder for a long moment. Finally words came again. "What the hell is that thing?"

"Masamune," she answered simply, strapping it to her back. "So you're Quatre and Trowa, eh? I've heard a lot about you." She glanced behind them. "I thought Uranus and Neptune were supposed to be with you."

"We're here," Haruka answered sharply, coming to a stop behind the two young men. "Now, who are you?"

"Everyone calls me Oneesan."

The other two goddesses eyes grew large. "As in the Oneesan?" Michiru whispered, falling a step back.

So what would an angel say

Duo grinned, slinging his arm back around her shoulder. She cast him a sideways look but didn't protest. "Yep, the Oneesan. She's pretty famous, you know? And you came this close to missing her. But thankfully yours truly talking her into staying."

"Duo, your friends look exhausted and I'm sure they'd much rather be back at the house than standing here listening to you ramble," the Elder Goddess cut in. She glanced back up at the two goddesses of the outer planets. "You can call me Morrigan if you'd prefer. Duo, are we ready to go?"

The young man frowned slightly. She didn't seem to notice she kept switching back to English every time she spoke to him. Is she really that starved for a conversation in English? Aya, did you even realize what you had? I think you may have lost her now. He stretched and grinned at her. "You bet! I'm about ready to get back myself." The Elder Goddess turned on her heel, muttering something about catching a cab, and stalked away. Duo immediately tackled the small blond young man. "So, Quatre, did you and Trowa enjoy your little romantic vacation?" He snickered and couldn't quite help wondering if this was the shade he'd turned earlier.

That had to have been the quietest car ride Duo had ever experienced. Quatre fell asleep against Trowa's shoulder, Haruka and Michiru both seemed ready to do the same and had snuggled up to each other, Trowa of course never talked, the driver looked like he'd had the fear of God (or maybe of goddess and Masamune) put in him, and Oneesan sat looking out the window, a definite brooding look in her eyes.

Usagi was outside when they arrived, almost like she'd been awaiting them. "Duo?" she asked, confusion in her voice.

"I come bearing presents," he answered.

"Presents?" She looked a bit lost, then..."Quatre-kun! Trowa-kun! Haruka-san! Michiru-san! You're all back!" She froze as the final person stood up on the opposite side of the vehicle, where she'd been paying the obviously terrified driver. "Oneesan? You came back?"

"Duo talked me into it," she answered shortly over the noise of the taxi driving away. "He's quite persuasive when he wants to be." She glanced up to the courtyard to stare at the redheaded man waiting there.

The devil wants to know

Their eyes met, a fateful moment lingering in the air. Bittersweet emotions churned within him, along with the undeniable confusion that greeted him when he saw her return once again. Was that relief he felt when he saw her, combined with a surge of happiness that threatened to knock him off his feet?

He had gritted his teeth at Wufei's goading. Unaccustomed to the overwhelming sense of loss at Oneesan's departure, he had found himself feeling anything but icy at that moment. It had threatened to bring him to his knees, so powerful was the pain. Why? Why was he having all these unwanted feelings? ~ Because you care, you moron. ~

He had faltered momentarily. He cared for Oneesan. No way. He was incapable of that emotion. He had sworn never to care again after he had become an Elder God and went through everything he did to get there. He had numbed his heart, never wanting to feel again. Usagi had laid a comforting hand upon his arm and the warmth that he had seen from within the blonde's eyes rendered him speechless. Compassion. She had so much compassion for everyone, just like just like Aya.

Contrary to what Oneesan believed, he didn't feel the same way about Usagi as he did about her. What he felt for her was more powerful, more involved Wait a minute. When had his heart gotten involved? ~ From the moment you met her, you moron. You needed each other. You are her half, the other part of her soul. With each other, you find completion. ~

Shutting his eyes, he sought to silence that damnable voice in his head that sounded too much like Hidaka Ken. All he knew was this unbelievable pain that hit him when she had just turned around and left like that. What would he do without her? When had he become so dependent on her? Shit! He had no use for these thoughts that blurred his mind and rendered him stupid with all these cursed emotions. But he needed her. And he had never realized how much until she had left.

What I need is a good defense

He had been able to read the brief spasm of pain that crossed her face as she had bade her goodbyes. He had wanted so badly to say something, but it was too new, too private for him to share in front of the others. So he had contented himself with a "Take care".

~ Take the chance, you baka. She's back isn't she? ~

So she was, but the question was for who?

His eyes widened at the sight of the huge sword behind her back. ~ She kept it. All this time she kept the sword and never mentioned it to me. Even after all this time, he still has her. What's the point in even trying...? ~ It felt like that voice did an abrupt about-face and kicked itself. ~Shut up, you moron. He's been dead for damn near forever. ~ He stifled that inner voice yet again in time to hear her speaking.

"The children will need help if they're going to defeat Thanatos. I've decided to help them out. What you do is your business."

'Cause I'm feeling like a criminal

Heero gave Oneesan a undecipherable look. The words had been strangely cold, as if she had made up her mind about something when she had left the second time. Usagi tightened her fingers against his, and the familiar surge of warmth and sensation spread through him like feathers tickling.

"They're both hurting so much," she whispered under her breath. "I want to help."

How like Usagi to always want to help, but this time-- "This is between them. They need to settle something."

The bond, the almost perplexing friendship that had sprung up, that he had developed between himself and Oneesan seemed to increase his perceptibility on the Elder Goddess's emotions. Bringing their clasped hands up to press a brief kiss upon hers, he let go of her hand and walked towards Oneesan.

"You will teach us how to play with swords?" he growled out, secretly happy when he saw her tense up and react the way he had intended.

"This isn't like what you remembered from the wars," she replied coldly. "The battle between gods is deadly, and not just for you. If I don't teach you properly, Earth will be destroyed."

And I need to be redeemed

"I don't think they're ready," Aya finally spoke up. His amethyst eyes flashed with something unreadable at how close Heero and Oneesan were standing. Usagi's lips quirked upwards, though she felt a brief flash of fear for Heero. After their little 'talk', they had managed to return back to square one. But too much stood between them still, needing to be resolved. As if sensing her hesitancy and doubt, Heero raised Prussian blue eyes to give her the warmest look she had ever received from him, causing her to blush. Oneesan, having caught the exchange, only rolled her eyes, as if wondering what on earth the blonde goddess had to capture three men's attentions.

"What makes you say that?" Duo demanded. The Elder God finally spoke, and it was a damned insult.

"The sword is your life," he replied vaguely.

"What the hell do you mean by something like that?" Wufei yelled out in outrage. To suggest that he wasn't ready he had been trained in sword fighting for so many years.

As if he hadn't heard anything the other two gods had said, Aya continued. "You are using your essence to generate and control the sword. If you fail to control it, not only could you destroy yourself, you could wind up destroying Earth."

They gaped at him. They couldn't help it. It had been the longest speech from him thus far. Oneesan smiled in bemusement. "Some of them are prone to childish displays of temper."

To the one I've sinned against

Wufei clenched his teeth and gave Oneesan as close to a dirty look as he dared. She merely raised an imperious brow in his direction as if saying, "I could kill you in a single blow, so try not to upset me." To everyone's surprise, he muttered under his breath before nodding his assent.

Duo snickered beside him, and he elbowed the braided god hard in the ribs. "Damn it, Wu-man!"

"Kisama! Stop calling me that stupid name!!!"

Oneesan nearly broke out in laughter at the exchange. It was exactly as she needed, though the look on Aed's face was one she could not understand. What was it about him that made her knees feel so weak? She couldn't describe it. For all her talk with Donguri, what if he wanted to be with Usagi? Despite the young goddess' obvious attachment to Hachiman, there was nothing that said that Aya could not be in love with her. She found herself being filled with self-doubt. She hadn't felt that since she became an Elder Goddess, and she really didn't like it. Pushing aside her churning emotions, she took a page from Aya's book, proud of how steady her voice sounded.

"You're merely proving his point," she said. "Teaching you isn't the hard part. It's what you do and how you react that could result in disaster. Make no mistake. Thanatos will show no hesitation in provoking you so that you will lose control." She took a deep breath, forcing herself to lock eyes with Aed. "And if you lose control, even for a moment, the power can drive you out of your mind."

Quatre's eyes widened. "Soo na..." So much pain and hostility radiated between the two of them; it was painful to watch them, to be near them.

"It's happened before" was all she said, her voice and her body stiff.

Because he's all I ever knew of love

"Why did I bother coming back?" she muttered to herself, so low that Heero, standing right beside her, could barely hear her. Glancing to her, he could see tension singing throughout her; her knuckles were white from her grip on the huge katana. When she spoke again, her voice was loud enough to be heard by everyone. "I'll be in the training room if anyone wants me." She trudged through the falling snow, holding up a gloved arm for Donguri to land on. With the bird secured, she stepped back inside the house, not looking at Aya once the whole time.

"She's so cold inside," Quatre whispered. Everyone heard him anyway.

"Come on," Trowa stated, just as quietly. "Let's get you inside where it's warm."

Quatre nodded, and the pair went inside. A set at the time, the other couples followed until only three people remained outside in the cold weather. A small hand touched his shoulder, and Duo smiled down at Hotaru. "I'll be in in a moment," he answered her silent question. "I need to talk to Aya alone for a moment."

She returned the grin. "I'll have some hot chocolate waiting for you then. See you in a bit."

He let his eyes follow her inside till the door shut behind her, when they instead locked on Aya.

What I need is a good defense

"What do you want?" the redhead demanded, his voice still quiet.

"Why do you keep treating her like that?" Duo returned, never letting his own voice rise. "Why did I have to stop her from going to L2, to Signe," he let his voice drop just a bit, "to where Thanatos last was seen?"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~*~ * ~ * ~

*You're a bleeding idiot, girl.*

"I know, Donguri. I know."

*You had a chance right then and there. And what did you do?*

"I blew it."

'Cause I'm feeling like a criminal

*If you know that, then why did you-*

"Because I'd have to be blind not to see the way he looks at her," she snarled, throwing her head wildly somewhere towards Usagi. The bird followed her glare to stare at the blonde goddess. When his mistress spoke again, her voice was almost too soft to be picked up. "He's never looked at me with that soft glance. Not like he looks at her."

*Probably because he's never thought of you as a younger sister before.*

"Then what does he think of me as, Donguri? Something more than an nuisance, something less than a friend? What? He's too cold to love me, and I won't risk what will happen if I love him."

*That time was not your fault.* She opened her mouth to reply, but it was cutoff. *And you did not know the cure then, not like you do now. At least you saved her that same sad fate.*

And I need to be redeemed

"Yeah, I guess I did." She scowled again at the couple behind her. "If they'll ever - Oh for the gods' sake!" She threw her hands up in the air, whirling on them. Startled at the sudden movement, Donguri flew up to perch on a door frame, and Usagi and Heero froze. "Will you two quit pussyfooting around each other and put us all out of our misery?!"

"Oneesan -"

"Anechan -"

"We're going to solve this very simply. Usagi, did you ever ask Heero to protect you?"

"No, demo..."

"No 'buts'. Heero, did you ever ask Usagi to understand everything you've ever gone through?"

"Never."

"Now, both of you listen to me very carefully. Usagi, Heero doesn't expect you to understand him perfectly because if you did, you wouldn't be the same trusting person you are now; that's what he needs. Heero, Usagi has survived for four years as a goddess before you came along; she doesn't need you to make sacrifices right and left to protect her. And this last bit is for both of you. I know what's going through your head, and you're both wrong: you have proven time and again that you are good enough for each other and deserve each other. So get it together, make this love of yours a strength rather than the weakness it is now, and stop driving the rest of us crazy!"

To the one I've sinned against

She whirled again and stormed out the side door, slamming it hard enough for some of the plaster on the wall around it to shake loose. With a loud squawk, Donguri followed her out an open window. Heero barely realized he'd taken a step to follow her when a sudden hand on his chest stopped him, held him in place.

"Duo...," he growled out.

The God of Death just shook his head slowly. "I know it sounds corny, but she needs to be alone. Any of us would just make the whole thing worse. We're not the ones who can help her."

"Meaning there's someone else who can?" Usagi whispered, a slow smile appearing on her face. A matching grin became apparent on Duo's, and as the idea began to grow on him, a small smirk lit Heero's lips.

"Exactly," Duo answered, his voice ripe with amusement.

"They'll just need a push in the right direction," Heero stated, much to the other two's surprise.

"I have a few ideas," Usagi finished.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~*~ * ~ * ~

The goddess that most everyone called Oneesan sat on the cold, mostly dead grass in the horse pasture, the Masamune on the ground beside her. One of the Arabians that inhabited said pasture leaned down to gently nuzzle her dark hair. With a smile, she stroked the animal's head.

"I wish everyone was as easy to deal with as animals, you know," she whispered to it. "Those children are impossible to deal with." It whinnied slightly, almost as if in agreement.

From the fence, two figures watched the Elder Goddess intently. The much smaller one turned luminescent dark eyes on the other, in a glare only an animal could master. *Lord Aed?*

"Hmm?"

*You know you're a moron, right?*

~ Even the bird agrees with me... Wonderful... ~

"Hai, I know."

The bird shook its head in a very human-like gesture of disgust and turned its attention back to the woman before them. The same woman Aya's attention had never left.

Because he's all I ever knew of love


16 June 2001

Closing note from Eternal:
This side-story was fun from start to finish, even with those sticky parts we hit along the way. Honestly, I haven't expecting to get addicted to my own fic. Umm... dedications... To Chibi Tenshi, *huggle glomps* my incomparable co-author. Couldn't have done it with you. ^_~ Aya just doesn't behave well for me. Not like he does for you. *places 'Aya expert' hat on Tenshi-chan*... And to Usa-chan, *glomps* as always, with Usa-chan, I don't know what to say. Your praise and encouragement got me this far and I can't wait to see where it will take me in the future. Major dedication to MAMi-chan again!

And one final note from Eternal:
The entire last section (the last chorus) was written when I had Roar on the brain. I know it only ran one season many years ago, but if anyone is ever interested in seeing what my favorite TV show of all time was, let me know; I'll try to arrange making a copy of it for you. There was also a bit of Weiss on the brain; I just downloaded the first opening (Velvet Underworld), and it's rife with ideas.

So anyway, hope you enjoyed and you stick around for the coming chapters.

Ja!!

Eternal SailorM

[ Prologue | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | Spoils of War - Lemon Version | Spoils of War - Lime Version | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | Criminal - 01 | Criminal - 02 | Criminal - 03 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | Paler than Grey | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | Between the Lines | 35 | 36 | 37 | Apart at the Seams | 38 | A Deeper Shade of Pale | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | Epilogue ]