Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Loving A Stranger ❯ Reaching out and grasping air ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon

This chapter is dedicated to my fellow writer and friend, Rogue Angel Barton. Again, just like with Onii-chan/star, you have been there to listen to me ramble on and on about Ethan, and you have also provided much needed support for my fics! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Loving A Stranger

The sun's light hit the dark blue curtains that decorated the window. A single ray of light found its way through the closed curtains and shone brightly into the closed eyelids of Heero Yuy. They flickered open, and a hand was raised to block the golden star from his eyes. Blinking away his tiredness, he pushed back the covers and stepped into the bathroom to take a shower.

As he sat down at the table, a mug of coffee was shoved in his hands, a waking up gift from Trowa. Looking around the room, he noticed that the others were also drinking coffee and tea. Going over that day's schedule, Heero noticed that he had some spare time, so the prussian-eyed boy decided to take a walk around the town. Walking past Wufei, who was meditating in front of the fire, and Trowa, who was playing a game of chess with Quatre, Heero grabbed an extra set of keys from the counter and left, closing the door behind him. Walking to the back of the mansion, he picked out a black motorcycle and turned the key that was already inserted. Letting the engine roar in life, he sped off towards the market.

Walking around aimlessly, he passed by a cart selling spices. Smelling light lavender made Heero cock his head in question. It seemed so familiar to him, yet he couldn't remember why. Shrugging it off, he continued walking on the paved grounds. Stopping once to grab something to drink, he continued his pointless journey that gave him something to do. Sighing in exhaustion, Heero walked back towards his ride, his ears ringing from the loud chatter around him. A glimmer caught his eye, and he turned towards the light. Squinting his eyes, he could barely read out the sign, "Used books." Checking his watch, he discovered that he had a few more hours before he was supposed to be back at Quarte's house. Speeding up his slow walk to a brisk jog, he hurried to the shop that had caught his curiosity so much. He pushed open the cheap glass door, and above him, the small tinkle of a bell was heard. Contrary to its outward appearance, the shop was actually quite organized. Browsing a few books, he walked to the back of the store after none of the books held his interest. He passed a few boxes of books, but stopped and backtracked as he spotted a small pile of books. Sifting through them, he read some of the titles. Finding them all to his liking, he picked up the small box and headed towards the cashier. Upon recognizing the books and its previous owner, the man smiled broadly.

"Look's like you and Firefly have the same reading style. She comes here every once and a while and donates some of her old books. She has a tendency to write notes in her books, hope you don't mind!" He cheerfully explained. Paying for the books, he loaded them in a bag and got on his bike, slinging the bag around his arm. Getting back to the mansion with many hours to spare, he went up to his room, dumping the books on his bed. The smell of lavender filled the room its scent had been suppressed at the market and at the store. Carefully picking up the almost new book, he quickly sniffed at it, and then pulled away. Heero suddenly realized why the scent had been so familiar to him, for Hotaru's purse had been radiating the perfume. Picking up a book, he flipped past the first few pages, not caring what was written on them. Reading the first few lines, as well as the comments in the margin, his curiosity grew, greatly heightened by the insightful words. Flipping forward a good hundred pages, he noticed that the notes were more elaborate and detailed, explaining what happened between the lines and what was being said. Obviously impressed by the wisdom, he turned to the back of the thick book. Opening it to the last few pages, he saw more of the small, delicate, thin, and neat handwriting. Reading a few more notes, his brain came to the conclusion that the girl obviously enjoyed reading the book. Setting down Great Expectations, he reached for yet another book, wanting to read more of her notes. An awkward smile briefly appeared on his face when he saw that the number of notes were the same. Reading the fourth book of Harry Potter, Heero extracted a small folded piece of paper. On it, contained a short list of the magical terms, as well as the Latin words that it derived from, including the definitions. Surprised, he was astonished by the research done. Picking up Go Ask Alice, he flipped to the 30th page of the ancient diary. Reading the side-notes made Heero want to re-read the entire book, and he did so.

"Now that I think back I should have known what was happening! Any dumdum should have known, but I thought the whole party was so strange and exciting that I guess I wasn't listening or maybe I didn't want to listen-I'd been scared to death id I'd known. For two days now I've tried to convince myself that using LAS makes me a "dope addict" and all the other low-class, unclean, despicable things I've heard about kids that use LAS and all the other drugs; but I'm so, so, so, so, so, so curious, I simply can't wait to try pot, only once, I promise!" (A/N: I'm just typing out what is in the book…this is really important that you continue reading…If you haven't read the book/diary yet, you really need to do so, so that you understand the horrors of what happens in the end to those who take drugs…)

Heero read along the notes and noticed that the girl had written many observances and analogies between the events that lead her to her state of mind. Many "What ifs" were written out at the top of the page, and Heero noticed that they were very insightful, not at all what a child would write and observe. Turning to the end of the book, he read the last two pages.

"I used to think I would get another diary after you are filled, or even that I would keep a diary or journal through my whole life. But now I don't really think I will. Diaries are great when you're young. In fact, you saved my sanity a hundred, thousand, million times. But I think when a person gets older she should be able to discuss her problems and thoughts with other people, instead of just another part of herself as you have been to me. Don't you agree? I hope so, for you are my dearest friend and I shall thank you always for sharing my tears and heartaches and my struggles and strifes, and my joys and happiness. It's all been good in its own special way, I guess. See ya."

Turning his head to read the opposite page, he read out loud the epilogue. "The subject of this book died three weeks after her decision not to keep another diary. Her parents came home from a movie and found her dead. They called the police and the hospital but there was nothing anyone could do. Was it an accidental overdose? No one knows, and in some ways that question isn't important. What must be of concern is that she died, and that she was only one of thousand drug deaths that year."

Closing the book, Heero leaned back. He was familiar with the story about Alice. He was mildly surprised that he wasn't the only one of his generation that was familiar with it as well, as the schools had stopped making it part of the curriculum, mainly because it was such an old book.

The next few books all followed the same pattern, Heero reading it, Heero reading the notes, and finally Heero deciding that the owner of the book was very intelligent indeed. Piling the books back into the bag, he stopped midway as curiosity took over. Flipping to the inside cover, he read the name that had been neatly written there, declaring ownership of the book. Eyes widening at the irony, he quickly flipped through all the others, finding the same name. Shaking his head with slight amusement, he put on his jacket and headed downstairs, scribbling a note to the others explaining why he would be late. Locking the door behind him, he walked across the street.

Ringing the doorbell, he patiently waited. A tall woman with green hair opened the door. With slight recognition, she let him inside, and led him to a larger room. Shortly after, two others joined them, as the visitor had struck a chord within them. Haruka, however, disposed of the formalities that Setsuna and Michiru were giving.

"Why are you here, how does it concern us, and when are you leaving?" She bluntly asked. At that moment, Heero considered strongly on sending his most deadly glare at the blonde, but thought better of it, for she and her friends were his only chance of meeting the stranger. Knowing how stupid he must sound, Heero answered, "I would like to speak with Hotaru." Setting her teacup on the table, the senshi of time lightly stated. "She left for New York this morning." The simple statement sent the aquamarine-haired girl gushing about why their violet-eyed friend was there.

"I am so proud of her for getting accepted at the ABA for their musical and ballet program!" Michiru spent the next thirty minutes happily explaining everything that was happening, and what Hotaru was studying, as well as her current class rank among the fellow dancers. Noticing the obvious bored looks on Setsuna and Haruka's faces, he came to the conclusion that the princess of Neptune had a tendency to ramble about Hotaru's hobbies. Carefully stopping Michiru from continuing from her speech, Heero tried the most polite way to tell her that he really wasn't interested in spending the rest of the night listening about ballet. Luckily, Setsuna saw this and calmly added, "As you can see, Hotaru isn't here." At that statement, Haruka burst out in a gleeful laugh. Immediately, Michiru slapped Haruka on the shoulder and threw her a disapproving glance before turning back to the perfect soldier. Smiling sweetly, she scribbled an email address on a napkin and handed it to Heero.

"We'd love to stay and talk, but we have a dinner appointment to attend."

Nodding stiffly, Heero got up and left, taking the napkin with him. Inside Quarte's mansion, he pulled up a chair next to the table. Opening his laptop, he turned it on, making sure that it was connected to the Internet. A few clicks later, his laptop showed the unwritten letter. Hands hovering over the keyboard, Heero's mind racked his brain, trying to think of something to say. Making up his mind, he decided to state the obvious.

"Dear Hotaru, You don't know me, but due to odd circumstances, I have come across your possessions many times." Finishing his email several minutes later, he read over it again, making sure that it said what he wanted it to, and nothing more or less. His hand traveled over the mouse, before he dragged it over to the "Send" button. Quickly pushing the button, he sent it.

"That wasn't so hard… " He thought.

***In New York***

Carrying her bags from the elevator to her dorm room, she stopped when she reached the door. Pulling out the key, she opened it, and faced a very spacious double dorm room. Glad that she had the extra money to finance the room, she dropped her bags by the door and collapsed on the couch, exhausted from the plane ride and the long trip. Deciding to decorate the room before her roommate could, she hurriedly walked to the center of the room. Since the two desks and beds were on opposite sides of the room, she concentrated on one section. Glowing a dark shade of purple, she floated in the air, letting her powers help her. When she was set back down, she looked on with appreciation at her furnished side. (A/N: I just love that made up concept…I mean, wouldn't you like the power to decorate things without lifting a finger?)

That instant, the door opened, and not a second too early, otherwise Hotaru's secret would have been discovered. Turning around expectantly, she faced her roommate.

"You're Hotaru Tomoe, right?" The girl asked. Nodding, she then asked, "And you are?" Smiling softly, the girl cocked her head.

"It doesn't really matter what you call me, really. My parents used to call me Sarah, but no one calls me that anymore. Now, it's just Alishia." Pulling out her hair band, Alishia let her brown hair fall down from her ponytail. Holding out her hand, she smiled.

"Nice meeting you." Shyly smiling back, Hotaru took the hand, glad to make a friend.

"Can you cook?" Hotaru asked. Grinning, Alishia reached in her backpack and pulled out a thick volume, titled 1,001 Great Recipes.

"I'm no good at creating stuff from scratch, but I can follow recipes well. One thing though, I tend to stay away from ice cream, not that we can eat it anyway." She explained. Hotaru nodded, understanding fully. Opening her black duffel bag, Alishia began emptying the contents on her own bed. Throwing the empty bag under the bed, she proceeded to arrange the bed cover, sheets, pillows, and blankets while making light conversation. As she picked her purse from the floor, a pack of cigarettes fell from the bag. Startled, Hotaru asked, "Are you a smoker?" Bending over and grabbing the package, the brown-haired girl answered, "Nah, that stuff will kill you. I grabbed it from the smoker that was sitting next to me on the bus. I slipped a package of fake cigarettes in place of where these used to be. It contains some medication to help you get over the addiction." Hotaru smiled briefly, as she remembered how her father had worked on that project. Watching Alishia throw the pack away, Hotaru grabbed her bag.

"Wanna go check out the guys?" Alishia asked, noticing how Hotaru wanted to leave. They both changed into more comfortable clothes, and walked out the building.

Heero checked his email the next day, hoping to have gotten a response. To his displeasure, there were no new messages besides the ones that Relena sent him.

Alishia and Hotaru made their way past the many people walking on the streets. A few hours later, the two girls arrived back at their rooms, arms laden with bags.

"That was so much fun, Taru! We should definitely do that again when we have the time." Agreeing with her, Hotaru went to the kitchen area and began pulling things out of the stocked refrigerator. Immediately, the book of recipes came out and they began getting the ingredients ready.

"I'm probably not important to her." Heero decided, as he hadn't gotten a response.

"I'm not supposed to mind."

"Okay, we really need to get the Internet connected, Hotaru." Alishia exclaimed, while they were eating breakfast. Hotaru agreed and they both began setting it up, then connecting their laptops to the outlets. Pretty soon, she had read all the worried emails that Haruka and Michiru had sent her, and was left with just one left. Not recognizing the email address, she opened it, wondering who it was. Scanning the letter, her eyes fell upon the name that ended it. The name sounded familiar, and then she remembered where she had heard it before.

"Hotaru, there was a guy that found your purse, and he wanted to meet you! His name is Heero Yuy!" Rini had exclaimed. Eyes traveling back to the top of the letter, Hotaru began to read the letter.

"Write back." Alishia suggested, after Hotaru told her of her dilemma. Sighing, Hotaru turned back to face her laptop. Clicking the "Reply" button, she began writing her letter to the pilot of Wing Zero.

END!

No, this isn't the ending; you're going to love the ending.

Rogue, I hope you liked this chapter! Bye all!