Kill. The word had never really entered Minako's vocabulary 
as something she was capable of, unless it was a roach or ant at 
the receiving end. That was, until now. She sat now, dumbfounded, 
with Ms. Tsukino's words still echoing in her head, even after the 
woman continued on with the details of the assignment.
	"...kill him," was all she could hear. She picked up only 
tidbits of what was said after that.
	"...at his house; you can be waiting for him. Between you 
and Jade, I'm confident that you can find a way in. You found a way 
out with relative ease..." she said, her voice fading out as Minako 
again heard the echoes of her boss's earlier order in her head.
	-She's probably used to it,- she reminded herself. -But I'm 
not. Maybe I won't have to do the killing...surely Jadeite is more 
experienced in this. He can do it-
	"Why do we have to kill him?" she finally got up enough 
nerve to ask.
	"Do you remember me talking about the two major families in 
Keishi?" Ms. Tsukino replied.
	"Yes."
	"Well this man that you're going to kill is closely associated 
with our rival family. It is a demonstration to the Chiba family as well 
as to everyone concerned with the Yakuza that meaningless 
retaliations will not be tolerated."
	-Wait...we're retaliating against a retaliation? Seems like it's 
defeating the point...- Minako thought. -And why does this guy 
have to die?-
	"But what did he do to deserve this?" she voiced her thought.
	"He killed one of our own."
	"Who?" When Minako asked this, Rei closed her eyes tightly 
and dropped her steadfast gaze slightly, biting her lip gently. 
	Minako wondered if she had hit a nerve. Ms. Tsukino looked over at 
her ebony-haired companion before turning her gaze back to 
Minako, her eyes dark and clouded.
	"A man by the name of Yuuchiro. His death was sent as a 
punishment to Rei...a reminder that family betrayals will not be 
tolerated."
	"Family?" Minako asked. -I thought Rei was one of Ms. 
Tsukino's associates...-
	"Rei is a cousin of Mamoru Chiba, the head of the Chiba 
family. When she became aware of the foul business the Chiba's 
were conducting, she switched sides and became my concierge. 
She was involved with Yuuchiro at the time, however, an employee 
of Mamoru, completely outside of Yakuza affiliations, but Mamoru 
had him killed as a punishment for what he took to be betrayal on 
Rei's part. However, Rei a Tsukino now. Here, we do not hurt our 
family," Ms. Tsukino replied, her eyes darting sharply back to Rei, 
whose head was still down, as her words stayed directed on 
Minako. Her voice lowered into dead seriousness.
	"So this man we have to kill..." Minako began.
	"Is the man that killed Yuuchiro," Ms. Tsukino finished. 
	"Think of it as an eye for an eye, Minako. This is strictly business. 
We are giving back to Rei what was taken from her."
	At this point, the progression of thoughts passing through 
Minako's head were scaling from a sense of desperate acceptance 
of the events to dumbfounded disbelief and moral turmoil. 
Presently, she was in a moment of moral turmoil, thinking about the 
few times she had been to church in the past few years. She didn't 
go often, but she went enough to remind herself that killing was 
definitely a sin.
	"That's just...wrong!" It was about the lamest thing she could 
say, but it was currently the only thing she was thinking.
"There are thousands of things that are wrong in the world 
today. We in the Tsukino family are not trying to be right, we are 
trying to be just. Like I said before, an eye for an eye."
Minako was silent, again feeling backed into a state of 
acceptance. Ms. Tsukino sat quietly, waiting for some kind of 
response. 
	"Who is the guy we have to kill, anyway?" she finally asked.
	-Does this mean I'm accepting this job?- Her mind was really 
starting to grasp the futility of opposition this time.
	"We're not sure of his real name, but he's been under the 
alias of Kunzite since he arrived in the states. He's from Paris, is 
French with some Japanese in his background, and basically works 
as a very high class assassin. He's generally associated with the 
Chiba family, and helps them on occasion with large jobs, though 
we aren't sure what he does to make a living. He's managed to stay 
pretty well secretive and undercover."
	"You haven't been able to track his info?" Minako asked.
	"Surprisingly, no, thought we just started trying about two 
weeks ago. Up until the death of Yuuchiro, we've had no need to. 
He's never made a direct strike against the family, and it's odd that 
a man of his caliber was called in for a simple hit like that of 
Yuuchiro..." she looked over to Jadeite and Rei, trailing her 
sentence off as if she was leaving something unsaid. Jadeite raised 
his eyebrows and nodded, but said nothing in response. Rei kept 
her head down, looking oddly guilty.
	"Anyway," she continued, "Thanks to you, we know where 
he's staying. So now, as your first official job assignment as an 
investigative agent, you will assist Jade in the murder of Kunzite 
Ishi."
	"Again," Jade added, "We sincerely hope you accept."
	With that, he reached in his coat pocket, pulling out the 
same gun he had pointed at Minako minutes ago, this time holding 
the barrel firmly, facing the handle her way. Initially she was 
confused by this, but after a moment realized that instead of 
threatening her with it, he was offering it to her. She looked at it 
with her eyes raised, noting the gleam of the twilight off it's chrome 
barrel. It shimmered like a tempting jewel as she pondered what 
she was being offered. 
	"You- you're giving this to me?" she asked, eyes darting 
between Ms. Tsukino and Jadeite.
	Ms. Tsukino answered. "If you accept, it's yours. We like our 
employees to be well equipped."
	"What guarantee do you have that I won't just turn it on 
you?" Minako asked, hoping her question didn't sound like a threat. 
She was just wondering why they were trusting her with a gun. 
	Ms. Tsukino laughed at her. "You wouldn't be that stupid," 
she stated simply. "Not to mention, it isn't loaded, anyway."
	Minako felt as if her life was flashing before her eyes, as all 
her questions and speculations came to dance at once in her head. 
Her three interrogators looked at her expectantly, and Minako felt 
the words slip out of her mouth before she even realized she had 
said them: "I'll do it."
	Immediately the tension in the air dropped, and her two new 
co-workers, as well as her boss, all exhaled deeply and smiled. 
Minako smiled, too, though a bit nervously, looking hesitantly at the 
gun she was offered. 
	"Take it," Jadeite offered, "It's a nice 9 millimeter. You do 
know how to shoot a gun, don't you?"
	"Yea, yea, I do," Minako replied truthfully, looking up from 
her study of the weapon to give Jadeite a convincing look. She had 
been shooting guns since she was twelve years old. It was one of 
her Uncle Art's passions. She reached a timid hand out and 
grasped the gun, turning it over in her hand as she studied it. She 
briefly thought of how expensive it was; it was a good model, it 
would be very nice to shoot.
	-Don't think that way!- her mind told her harshly. -How dare 
you!-
	"Well," Ms. Tsukino announced suddenly, standing up from 
her spot on the loveseat. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a 
family to get home to. It is Christmas, you know."
	"Yes, yes, I understand," Minako said, pocketing the gun and 
standing to see Ms. Tsukino out. "I'm sorry to make you come on 
Christmas Day in the first place."
	"It's no problem," she replied as the two walked toward the 
front door, "Some business can't wait."
Rei and Jadeite stood a moment later and followed their 
boss. Rei kept her head down  and Jadeite looked at her almost 
painfully, his eyebrows furrowing in concern as he placed his hand 
on her shoulder comfortingly.  Her face softened and she 
straightened a bit. Ms. Tsukino and Rei moved into the open 
doorframe, Ms. Tsukino holding out her hand. Minako took it almost 
apprehensively and shook it, but managed to smile as perkily as 
she could. 
	"You took this information well, Minako; I know it's a lot," Ms. 
Tsukino said as she squeezed her hand in return, "And I sincerely 
look forward to working with you. Jadeite will be staying behind and 
you two can go take care of our little job. After that, take Monday off 
and consider it my Christmas gift. I'll see you Tuesday, right?" 
	"Right," Minako replied, "Tuesday. Goodbye Rei, it was nice 
meeting you," she added, turning to the raven haired woman and 
shaking her hand.
	"You too, Minako, and I also look forward to doing business 
with you." She gave Minako a more friendly look than she had been 
giving her during the conversation in the living room, and returned 
her handshake. Minako watched them as they headed down the 
hallway, calling out another Merry Christmas before they 
disappeared into the elevator. She turned back to Jadeite and 
sighed, walking past him back into the flat.
	"I don't know about you," she said as she turned the kitchen 
light on. "But I need a drink."

***
	With the combination of Scotch and Jadeite's cool, 
comforting disposition, Minako was soon a bit more at ease. He 
was extremely nice, and through calming reassurances coupled 
with the alcohol, lulled Minako into feeling a bit more comfortable 
with the "kill" concept. After the glasses were put away, she retired 
to her bedroom momentarily to don a set of warmer clothes. She 
returned to find him waiting at the front door, putting his leather 
jacket on over his dark blue sweater.
	"You ready?" he asked as he buttoned the jacket up.
	"Yeah," she replied, grabbing her keys off the counter. "Did 
you drive yourself or ride with Ms. Tsukino?"
	"I drove, and we're taking my car." He opened the door, 
waiting for her to make it across the room.
	"Well, you know, I just barely know where the place is, it'd 
probably be easier if I could just-"
	Jadeite cut her off. "I'm driving, and we're taking my car. I 
know where it is."
	"You do?" Minako was surprised. -But I thought...- her 
thoughts trailed off as a new wave of confusion hit her. She 
inwardly groaned. -Again? Does this ever end?-
	"Yes, I do," he replied curtly, ushering Minako out the door. 
She quickly turned the lock just before he shut it behind them, 
grabbing her arm and pulling her toward the elevator, a small smile 
still on his face but his voice suddenly more intimidating. "Just stay 
quiet," he said as the doors slid open.
	Minako couldn't quell her doubts, however.
	"What is going on?" she asked harshly as they stepped into 
the empty elevator. Jadeite remained silent as he hit the button to 
the lobby. They rode for 6 floors like that, with Jadeite looking 
ahead calmly and Minako glaring at him, before he finally spoke.
	"You'll find out eventually. Until we get there, just stay quiet."
	Minako crossed her arms across her chest and let out a 
small "humph," but didn't speak. She was silent all through the 
lobby and out into the street, and managed to resist comment when 
she saw the '91 Mustang that Jadeite was headed towards.
	-Obviously we won't be getting there quickly,- Minako 
thought, but was contradicted when he passed right by it. The sleek 
midnight blue of an older Mustang (-67?- Minako guessed at the 
sight of it.) wasn't detectable behind the stark white of the new one, 
and she let out a barely audible gasp at the sight of it's immaculate 
body work, noting the near perfection in its condition. As she led 
herself around to the passenger side, she traced her fingers along 
the silver letters that spelled Shelby across the hood.
	-Nice,- she thought to herself, -Very nice. Maybe we'll be 
getting there quicker than I thought.-
	The ride was spent in a daunting silence, Minako alternating 
between loving the feeling of riding in the classic car, which ran as 
beautifully as it looked, and speculating. She had been doing a lot 
of that in the past day in a half, speculating, mainly on exactly how 
and why her life had been turned upside-down in an instant, and 
exactly where she was fitting in with this oddly complex grand 
scheme of things.
	-Every time I think that I've got it figured out enough to just 
go along and deal with it, everything changes and I'm stuck where I 
started. I feel like a piece of carry on luggage, I'm getting all tossed 
around, or a friggin' pawn or something. How does Jadeite know 
this Kunzite guy? This is so friggin' complicated,- she thought as 
the car squealed around the corner, taking them down yet another 
road in the maze that made up Kishi's downtown.
	-He's driving like a maniac,- Minako thought as her body 
lurched into the window, managing to make her lose sight of the 
street sign before she could get a clear look at it, trying to 
determine where they were. -A controlled maniac, but I still hope 
there are no cops out.-
	Eventually she quit trying to figure out if she recognized 
where she was, and paid attention to memorizing scenery and what 
road names she could catch. She chalked up her previous escape 
to sheer luck, and her lack of recollection of directions from the 
night before to simple shock and the fact that it was nighttime. It 
was somewhat of a condolence to realize that in fact, the route to 
the secluded neighborhood was pretty complicated, seeing as how 
it was a solid fifteen minutes later when they finally pulled into 
Auroure Blvd. Jadeite hadn't spoken a word the entire time, so 
Minako jumped slightly when he did, his voice tinged with the tone 
of slight annoyance.
	"Just come in and stay quiet. We weren't counting on you 
being here in the first place, and it would be entirely too easy to say 
that you simply got caught in the crossfire that Usagi thinks is about 
to ensue," he said as he shut the car off. 
	"Who's Usagi?"
	"Sorry, I meant Serena. Her real name is Usagi."
	"Oh...ok. Are you gonna kill me?" She felt as if it were a 
logical question to ask, considering how many times she had been 
threatened with it in the past day and a half.
	"Not if you just come in and shut up. Oh, and another thing, 
you aren't allowed to say a damn word about anything, I repeat, 
ANYTHING, that you hear in here. This is much more than you've 
been led to believe it is, and you'll be better off just doing as you're 
told and following along. Okay?" he asked, gazing at her with an 
almost mischievous smile.
	"Yeah," she complied, brushing her hair out of her face as 
she opened the car door. She had a feeling that Kunzite was not 
about to die. "Just follow along."
	Entering into the house was a slightly frightening experience; 
it was really not a place she had planned on returning to. She 
couldn't quite figure out if it was a bit more or less foreboding now 
that Jadeite was there to accompany her, since all of a sudden it 
was in question as to whether he was a friend of enemy. It was 
impossible to determine if anyone was a friend or an enemy yet, or 
even what her friends and enemies would be, she realized as 
Jadeite jiggled expertly with the lock. The door swung open about 
thirty seconds later, and despite the voice in her head telling her not 
to go back in, she followed Jadeite into the now well lit corridor.
	-This house isn't half as scary when it isn't covered in 
shadows,- she noted. In fact, it almost looked friendly. The sound of 
laughter radiated in the distance, and Minako heard the slight clang 
of glasses coming from somewhere in the house.
	-I'm here for a dinner party?- she thought as she followed 
Jadeite down a hallway to the back of the house. Strains of voices, 
male and female, emanated from the dining room, which Jadeite 
entered.
	A dinner party seemed to be exactly what Minako had 
entered in upon, though she stood timidly a little outside the 
doorframe, allowing the shadows to conceal her.  The table full of 
people were talking and laughing happily, eating what must have 
been their Christmas dinner. She recognized Kunzite immediately, 
looking surprisingly happy as opposed to how Minako had seen him 
previously that day.
	-Okay, so are all mafia people extremely capricious? Is it a 
natural thing to be able to switch your emotions and dispositions at 
the drop of a hat?- she thought as she scanned the other people in 
the room, thinking of how Ms. Tsukino, Kunzite, and Jadeite had all 
managed to turn their emotions on and off like light switches. The 
people in the room hadn't taken note of Jadeite's presence yet, but 
considering the spaciousness of the room and the liveliness of the 
conversation, Minako wasn't surprised. He stood quietly, leaning 
against the wall with his hands crossed across his chest and a 
smirk on his face. While he waited for someone to notice him, 
Minako took to studying everyone else. There were an additional 
three people at the overly large mahogany table, two men and one 
woman. A handsome, lanky man with long blonde hair was seated 
next to Kunzite, and the other man, equally handsome, sat across 
from him. His wavy brown hair was cut to the top of his back and 
secured back in a small ponytail at the nape, a few stray strands 
framing the strong line of his jaw and the deep brown of his eyes. 
He was sitting next to a woman with long auburn hair, curled into 
long, natural-looking ringlets. She looked elegant and strong, with a 
soft looking smile and electric green eyes. Minako stayed in the 
shadows as Kunzite finally looked in their direction. At first, he 
stopped mid-sentence to stare dumbfounded at the man, before 
standing up to greet Jadeite. Large smiles lit up both of the men's 
faces as they embraced in an warm, friendly hug. They laughed 
and pulled away after a brief moment.
	"It's good to see you, Kei!" Jadeite said happily as the other 
members of the dinner party stood to join them.
	"You motherfucker!" Kunzite said in an excited return, "How 
long have you been standing there?"
	"Not long, but you did take a minute for you to notice me 
over here," he replied, laughing. "This house has the shittiest locks 
on it. It took me less than a minute to get in!"
"Hey, don't look at me," Kunzite replied with a smile, "It's not 
like I built the thing. Anyway, I figure that if anyone breaks in, I'll just 
bust their ass with a bat."
 Everyone laughed at that, especially Jadeite. "Right, 
Kei...always one for brute strength, huh? Hey, Mako," he said as 
the auburn-headed woman approached him. He hugged her 
warmly and she returned his greeting with a kiss on the cheek. She 
saw to his eye level, a good 5'11" or so.
	"Hey Jade," she said, "How've you been?"
	"I'm good. How are you?"
	"Great. Neph and I got married over in Venice last summer," 
she replied, showing off the gold band that resided in front of a 
large diamond ring that almost caused Minako to gasp out loud.
	"Good for you!" Jadeite said excitedly, "Nephrite, that's 
great!"
	"Thanks!" the brown haired man replied as he snaked his 
arm around her waist. "We would've sent invitations, but it was a 
sudden thing. We figured everyone would understand."
Minako found herself sinking further back into the recesses 
of the dark hallway, still unnoticed by the guests in the house. For 
the moment, she would have liked to keep it that way; she wasn't 
interested in disturbing the greetings. Apparently they hadn't seen 
each other in a while.
	The blonde was the last to greet Jadeite, but with a small 
smile, gave him a warm hug and friendly "Merry Christmas." Jadeite 
returned it and the two chatted jokingly about the weather "down 
south". They didn't specify where in the south they were talking 
about, but apparently the blonde, whom Jadeite called Zane, had 
just returned from there. The party, now consisting of 5 members 
since Jadeite had joined them, all wandered back to the table, 
talking happily about what had been going on since they were last 
assembled. Minako didn't follow him in, rather, she just stayed 
where she was, pressed in the doorway. So far no one still had 
noticed her, and since Jadeite had seemingly forgotten that she 
existed, the feeling of awkwardness and misplacement had 
increased tenfold. She didn't want to say anything, even though 
Jadeite had blown her off and started filling up a plate with the 
culturally diverse Christmas dinner that was residing on the end of 
the table.
	-Uh, . I feel so...special,- she thought, -I'm not standing here 
this whole time while Jadeite eats his damn Christmas Dinner. 
What am I supposed to do now?-
	As if on cue, the woman, whom Minako had heard referred 
to as Mako, looked her way as she was re-seating herself at the 
table, stopping before she reached the padded chair. Neph noticed 
his fiancé's alert expression, and stopped and checked the 
direction in which she was staring.
	-Great,- Minako thought. -So much for not being noticed.-
	 
	In the next instant, both Zane and Kunzite, whose nickname 
she discovered to be Kei, both stopped their actions to look at 
Minako, who was presently standing in the shadows of the hallway 
with a deer-in-the-headlights look. Only Jadeite paid no mind, and 
simply continued in loading up his plate with the odd combination of 
turkey stuffing, mashed potatoes, and fried rice. Suddenly, three 
guns were pointed her way, drawn at virtually the same time by 
Mako, Kunzite, and the brown haired man, whose Minako hadn't 
caught. This got Jadeite's attention, and he looked up from his plate 
nonchalantly. Zane simply sat back in his chair, an intrigued 
expression on his face as he tried to make out the figure in the 
shadows.
	"Show yourself," Mako barked at her.  Minako stepped out 
into the room a little ways, timidly.
	-Aren't you going to say something, asshole?- she silently 
thought to Jadeite as she locked eyes with him. He stood up after a 
moment, sighing deeply.
	"This is Minako Aino. Sorry guys, I guess I should have 
introduced her," he said as he walked in front of her. The guns 
dropped and were put back wherever they came from.
	"That's okay, we've already met," Kunzite said bitterly, 
staring at Minako. He muttered something under his breath, and 
Minako said nothing. The past few hours she had spent as carry on 
luggage had quelled her snappy nature considerably, so she settled 
for shooting a nasty look at Kunzite, who returned it tenfold.
	"How have you met?" Mako asked Kunzite. "What's she 
doing here?" she added, directed at Jade.
	Kunzite jumped to respond first. "Mamoru asked me to get 
some information out of her, and the little bitch snuck out of the 
house."
	"The locks are shitty, Kei. It's not surprising. Anyway, Usagi 
gave the damn girl a promotion and stuck her with me. It seems 
she's got some computer skills, that I don't have," Jadeite said, 
returning to his seat at the table.
	"Well nobody told me she actually had skills as a spy. The 
way I saw it, Usagi would be sending along you, Jade, or some 
other dumb grunt. When I saw her, I assumed she had traded in a 
moron for a dumb blonde. It was all the same to me, until she got 
out right under my fucking nose," Kunzite retorted. They had both 
begun referring to her as if she wasn't standing ten feet away, 
Minako noticed. The carry-on luggage feeling returned.
	"Quit bitching, you two. Whatever happened, she's here 
now, so shut up," the brown haired man said, turning to Minako. 
	-Well I'll be god damned. Someone's actually going to 
defend me,- she thought, astounded.
"If Usagi's promoted her that fast, she's got to be good at 
something. Maybe we can use her for our cause," he snapped at 
them. Turning to Minako, he said, "You'll have to excuse these two. 
They're not the best welcoming committee."
	Jadeite and Kunzite both opened their mouths to say 
something in their own defense, but the brown haired woman cut 
them off.
	"Minako, I'm Makoto. Excuse the assholes," she greeted her. 
Her green eyes shone with a smile, and for the first time since she 
entered the house, Minako felt at ease enough to speak.
	"Hey, it's nice to meet you," she said quietly.
	"Since Jade is too big of a prick to do it, let me introduce you 
to everyone. I see you've already met Kunzite," Makoto said, 
smirking at the platinum-haired man. "This is Zoicite," she said, 
indicating to the blonde man sitting across from her. "And this is my 
husband, Nephlyte. How long have you been working for Usagi?"
	Zoicite gave Minako a nod and a smile, and Nephlyte 
extended his hand to her. She walked over and shook it, muttering 
a greeting under her breath. 
"About 2 years," she answered Makoto, "But I've only known 
about this part for a few hours."
Makoto gave a soft chuckle, and Minako noticed her eyes 
dart over to Jadeite's direction. At his indifference, she spoke again. 
"Well, I guess I can just say welcome, and I'm sorry. I'm sure this 
isn't quite what you expected."
"Heh, no," she replied.
"Trust me, Mako," Jadeite finally chimed in, "She doesn't 
know the half of it."
"Oh?" Makoto replied, but made no move to say anything 
else. "Is that so..."
Minako stepped back as an odd silence drifted over the 
room. The multi-cultural Christmas dinner was sitting on the table, 
uneaten, and everyone was casting odd glances at each other. 
Minako's obvious lack of information about the "situation" was 
definitely an unwelcome impediment.
	-Aah, awkward silence. And I'm the cause of it. Lovely. 
Apparently you don't get asked to sit down unless you know ALL of 
what's going on, and as if I hadn't figured it out before, I definitely 
don't know what's going on here. God, I hate this. Screw it,- she 
thought resolutely, and turned to Jadeite.
	"I'm obviously holding things up. Can I leave? Usagi won't 
hear a word of this, and you can just brief me tomorrow evening on 
how it is that we're going to pretend that we actually killed Kunzite. 
Really, I'm tired, though, and I seem to be a hindrance," she bit at 
him, angered by his indifference. Even the courtesy of Makoto and 
Nephlyte hadn't broken the odd air very well, and while that was 
probably Jadeite's job, he ignored it. Blatantly. He looked up from 
his plate about halfway through her request and sat there quietly for 
sometime after, turning the idea over in his head, wondering about 
what Minako had asked for. When he didn't answer, she spoke 
again, this time to Makoto.
	"Makoto, it's been nice meeting you. You, too, Nephlyte and 
Zoicite. And Kunzite, it's always a pleasure. But, since my superior 
can't seem to make a decision, I must retire. Jadeite, I'm calling a 
taxi to take me to my apartment. It's been fun. Call me if you need 
something else."
	With that, she turned and walked out of the dining room.
	She was making her way back to the living room, listening to 
the muffled sounds of Makoto, Nephlyte, and Jadeite arguing as 
she searched for a phone.
	"How much does she know?" she heard Nephlyte's angry 
voice ask.
	She couldn't make out the reply.
	"Well what the hell was I supposed to do with her?" she 
picked up a few moments later, and identified the voice as 
Jadeite's.
-Fuck this,- she thought as she heard the last comment, and 
stormed into the kitchen. She found a phone there, and picked it up 
off the receiver, hitting the 0 button.
	"Don't bother," a familiar icy voice shot at her. She turned 
around to face Kunzite. "I'm taking you home."
	"No, you're not," Minako replied, and began speaking into 
the mouthpiece. "New York...Keishi...Yellow Cab-"
	"Yes," he cut her off, walking over to her. He snatched the 
phone out of her hand and slammed it back on the cradle, "I am."
	"Ugh!" she exclaimed as he pulled on her arm and dragged 
her out of the kitchen. "Why not someone who fucking LIKES me? 
Can't Makoto do it?"
	"No, she can't. She and Neph just got in; there's no way in 
hell I'm letting either of them drag your sorry ass back to your 
shithole apartment. I got you into this, and as of now, I'm getting 
you out of it. As of the moment we reach your apartment, you know 
nothing of any of this. You don't know me as more than someone 
you were assigned to track one night, and you sure as hell don't 
know Zoicite, Makoto, or Nephrite. Jadeite will see to it that Usagi 
thinks you're involved as much as you need to be, but from now on, 
stay the fuck away from all of us. You don't realize the capacity of 
what you've gotten involved in, and it's in everyone's best interest 
that it stays that way."
	At this point, Kunzite had dragged her all the way to the front 
door. He opened it and shoved her out into the cold, snatching his 
keys off a hook on the wall. He shut the door behind them and led 
her over to the garage adjoining the house. He ignored her protests 
as he punched in the numbers that raised one of the doors.
	"I fucking hate you! Let me drive myself home, I'll get out of 
your fucked up life that much quicker! It's not like I asked for 
Serena, or Usagi, or whatever the hell her name is to drag me into 
this mess!"
	Kunzite looked up at her from the side of his open car door, 
anger blazing in her eyes.
	"Get in the car, princess, and shut up!" he yelled.
	"Fuck you!" Minako retorted, and then fell silent.
	She climbed into the other side of his car, glaring daggers at 
him, and he squealed out of his garage and onto the quiet street 
before she even had a chance to shut the door.
	They rode for fifteen minutes in silence, Kunzite's car 
squealing around turns as he drove like a madman to her 
apartment. She didn't ask how he knew the way, nor did she care; 
at this point, her only concern was getting home, getting some 
alcohol in her system, and getting to sleep. This day had been too 
much.
	It was almost a surprise when he slammed on the breaks 
outside her apartment building, and her head nearly made contact 
with the windshield. She growled in anger as he hastily reached 
over and opened her door for her.
	"Go," he said simply, putting the car back in gear.
	"Fuck off," she replied just as calmly as she stepped back 
out into the cold, and slammed the door behind her.

	Minako had one thing on her mind on her way up the 
elevator, down the hallway, and into her door. Alcohol. Her body 
was screaming from the day's ridiculously complex events, and her 
mouth was watering at the thought of the cold, healing liquid 
passing through it. She tossed her keys on the kitchen counter and 
opened up her liquor cabinet, pulling out a bottle of Scotch. It was 
almost empty.
	-Shit,- she thought. 
	As she pulled the bottle out, something surprising hit the 
floor. It was small, and covered in red and gold paper. There was 
no tag, and no writing on it. Baffled, Minako picked it up.
	"A Christmas gift?" she thought out loud. She studied the 
package. "Who put a Christmas gift in my liquor cabinet?"
	She made hasty work of the wrapping paper and studied the 
white box that it contained. A note was taped to the front.
	"Minako-
		Welcome to the family. Merry Christmas. If you need 
more, Jade 
will know where to get them.
			The Tsukinos"
	She laughed softly to herself as she opened the box. Five 
gun clips fell into her hand.
	"Shit," she muttered. "I got ammo!"
	She pulled the gun out of her inner coat pocket and slid a 
clip into it. It gave a satisfying click, and Minako smiled. -Merry 
Christmas, indeed. Time to celebrate.-
	Four hours later, Minako lay sprawled on the couch, the 
loaded gun laying on her chest, the empty bottle of Scotch tipped 
over on the floor, and "It's A Wonderful Life" playing softly on the 
television.

- - -

	"Where are you?" a woman's voice said into the telephone.
	"Mamoru's," came the reply from a male's voice.
	"Is he dead?"
	"No, of course not."
	"Good, just making sure."
	"Babe, is this line secure?"
	A pause. The female spoke.
	"Shit! We're tapped. You know where to meet me. I love 
you."
	-Click.-

- - -

	In Minako's apartment, the phone rang.
	-Stupid fucking phone,- Minako thought unhappily as she 
was pulled from her dream. -Let it ring, the machine will get it.-
	Five rings later, the machine hadn't gotten it. She opened 
her eyes and was glanced at the clock. 1:59 a.m.
	"God damn it," she grumbled as she reached for the phone. 
She pressed the talk button. "What?"
	"Leave your house, Usagi's coming, and she's pissed," a 
deep voice told her urgently. Minako was wide awake.
	"What?" she demanded.
	"Don't ask questions, I don't have time to explain. 
Everyone's got to leave. You know who this is, and you know 
where to go, but don't say it over the phone. We aren't secure. 
Understand?"
	Minako thought for a moment. Did she trust this? She 
recognized the voice now...it was Kunzite. -Fine,- she gave in. "You 
want me to go...I know where. I'll be there as soon as I can."
	"Good," came the reply. "Drive fast, she's coming."
	The line went dead.
	Minako took a moment to evaluate her options. Either this 
was a big hoax set up by Kunzite so that he could get rid of her, or 
it was the truth. One way, she would go to the house and have to 
kill the bastard, or the other way, she could stay here and get killed 
by Usagi. It looked as if Minako had her choice made for her.
	-Shit, shit, shit,- she thought as she scrambled around her 
house. She turned off the television just as Jimmy Stuart was 
saying, "It really IS a wonderful life!", and she paused to flick the 
screen off. She tossed a hairbrush and a toothbrush into her purse 
and slipped her boots on under her jeans. The sense of urgency 
she felt was only heightened by her complete lack of knowledge 
about what was going on, and she found herself literally running 
around her house, grabbing as little as she needed. The last thing 
to go on was her heavy leather coat, and she hastily grabbed the 
clips from off her countertop and slid them in her inner coat pocket. 
She snatched the gun off her couch, grabbed her keys, threw her 
purse over her shoulder, and stepped quietly out into the hallway.
	The silence, which Minako was accustomed to being 
comforted by, was eerily disturbing as she snaked down the hall. 
	-Elevators or stairs?- she wondered. -Elevator...I've got a 
better chance of meeting up with someone on the stairs.-
	She watched the numbers above the sliding doors with 
anticipation as the elevator approached from the ground floor. 
When it crossed past the fifth floor, she swallowed hard and aimed 
the gun at the center of the doors. It seemed an eternity as the 
elevator stopped and the steel doors slid open, and she held her 
breath nervously, steadying her grip on the gun. The elevator was 
empty.
	-Wait, it's empty! That's a good thing!- she told herself, 
forcing her tense arms back down by her sides and exhaling 
deeply. She rushed into the elevator, slid her resident's card into 
the slot on the wall, and punched the button for the garage. She hit 
the "Close Door" button about six times in a row, and they finally 
slid shut indifferently. The elevator lurched and began its slow 
descent. Minako's mind was racing.
	-They can't get to the garage without a key, so my car's 
okay...wait - I assume that Kunzite was talking about the house on 
Auroure, but can I get there? I have to try...God, I hope no one's 
down here waiting for me."
	She again steadied her gun as the elevator lurched to a stop 
at the garage, willing to take the chance of pointing a loaded 
weapon at an innocent stranger. Again, no one was there. That was 
getting freaky in itself. But, she chalked it up to good luck and 
sprinted across the dimly lit, creepy parking garage, up to her car. 
She had barely shut the door and tossed her purse in the other seat 
when she slammed the key in the ignition and put the car in gear. 
She accidentally squealed out, and effectively flew across the 
garage, pausing a bare moment to wait for the gates to go up. As 
she peeled out into the night, she tried her best to maintain her 
speed and remember where it was she was going. She tried to view 
in her mind the way the roads had looked when Jadeite was 
driving, and thus far, she thought she had succeeded. A quick 
glance into her rearview mirror chilled her, though. Two pairs of 
identical headlights were approaching fast, the only other cars on 
the road in the early morning traffic.
	-Two identical Escalades,- she noted as she sped up, -
There's no way these guys aren't following me.-
	A gunshot confirmed her suspicions as a bullet shattered her 
driver's side mirror.
	"SHIT!" she screamed as she swerved, trying to calm her 
nerves and her driving. More shots followed that one. She assumed 
they were aimed at her head and her tires, though both were safe 
at the moment. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she 
grabbed her own gun, cocking it in preparation for what she was 
about to do. She lowered the window, grabbed the wheel with her 
knees, and took a deep breath. In the next instant, she had 
launched her torso out the window, turning around backwards to 
face her two assailants. The wind rushed through her long hair and 
bit at her neck.
	"Aim," she instructed herself, locking on to the leading car's 
front tire. She shot 3 times. She didn't even have time to check to 
see if her shots impacted, for she had turned herself back around 
and locked her hands on the steering wheel, pulling herself into the 
right lane. She heard the blowout, however, and the subsequent 
squeal of metal as the Escalade impacted with the brick wall of a 
building. The second Escalade, trying to avoid the same fate as its 
companion, held back a little. The gunfire didn't cease, and every 
now and then Minako heard the impact of metal tearing through 
metal as a bullet would connect with her car.
	-This intersection,- Minako remembered as she pulled her 
body back in the car, -Left.- 
	She approached the coming intersection at about 65 miles 
per hour, and, hoping to throw off the Escalade, made a move 
which she had seen in a movie. 
Once. 
She thought.
She hoped.
Throwing her doubts to the wind, she flew past the place 
where she was supposed to turn and, without warning, slammed on 
the brakes, downshifted, and turned the car 180 degrees. She 
grabbed the gun with her left hand and began to approach the 
Escalade head on. It was about 100 yards away, and she ran her 
car through the gears as she advanced on it, gaining speed 
steadily. The Escalade matched her, not swerving off its course as 
they grew closer in a game of chicken. Minako steadied herself as 
the vehicles neared each other, and waited until she could see the 
outline of the driver's head. 
-It's you or me, buddy...and I'm not going to die today. Now!- 
she thought as she slammed on the brakes, again launching her 
body outside the car window. She grabbed the gun in her other 
hand and took quick aim. She pulled the trigger once. The window 
cracked, but the SUV took no change in its course.
Twice. The bulled cut through to the passenger's side, 
effectively stopping the gunfire in her direction. The Escalade didn't 
slow, and was quickly closing the 20 yard gap between them.
-Third time's a charm,- she thought, and pulled the trigger 
again.
"Yes!" she exclaimed as she pulled herself back in the car, 
rejoicing in the shattered, bloody window of the Escalade as it 
swerved itself away from her direction. She saw the limp body of 
the driver slump over the wheel as she peeled out into the 
intersection, finally back on course. The adrenaline pumped in her 
head so hard it was almost affecting her vision, and for the first time 
ever, she drove with shaky hands. She was gradually plagued with 
more and more guilt that she had just killed at least 3 people, yet, 
she couldn't wipe she smile off her face. The fact that she had killed 
was masked by the knowledge that she had come a literal second 
away from death...and survived. 
The rest of the way was relatively more peaceful, if you 
didn't count the fact that Minako was driving at least 70 miles an 
hour in zones that she assumed were somewhere near 45. She let 
out another cry of joy when she saw Auroure Boulevard, relieved 
that she had found it. She looked down at the clock on her radio. 
2:07...she had made it in 8 minutes. That in itself was something 
impressive. 
Her smile faded as she approached the massive house, 
when she saw the black Escalade that sat in the driveway. Minako 
came to a stop quickly, keeping a good distance between herself 
and the house, and ran the rest of the way on foot, her gun 
clutched expectantly. The first thing she heard was gruff voices, 
followed by a gunshot. This was followed by a long groan. As she 
approached, she could actually see what was going on. The front 
door was open, and all three garage doors were up. The only car 
left in the garages, however, was a distinctive black Porsche. The 
next thing she noticed was a shock of platinum hair spilled over the 
concrete, and a pool of blood seeping nearby.
-Oh God, he's not dead, please say he isn't dead,- she 
silently prayed as she approached the house, sneaking around and 
behind bushes. When she finally reached the yard of the massive 
house, she could make out the thickly accented voices of the two 
men in black leather trench coats that crowded around Kunzite's 
fallen body.
"If that bloody traitor couldn't do ya in, we're sure as hell  
ready to," one said, and kicked Kunzite. Minako could hear him 
groan and cough.
-Oh no you fucking didn't,- she thought as she cocked the 
gun again. She stepped out into the open and took aim at the first 
Irish brute.
"Merry fuckin' Christmas!" she yelled, and fired at his head. 
He didn't even have a chance to notice her before he fell to the 
ground, dead.
"You fuckin' bitch!" the second one bellowed, turning his 
attention away from Kunzite. Minako pulled the trigger again. 
Nothing happened. She pulled it again. Nothing.
"Shit!" she screamed as she emptied the clip out onto the 
ground, pulling in her coat for another one. She barely had a 
chance to pull it out before the huge man was in front of her. She 
looked up at him fearfully the moment before he punched her 
square in the jaw. 
Minako fell from the impact of the hit, the clip bouncing out of 
her hand and out of her reach. She tried desperately to regain her 
composure, but a heavy boot to her ribs knocked all conscious 
thought from her head. 
-The clip,- she thought as the pain shot through her body. It 
was hard to breathe. Her attacker laughed loudly and stepped 
back, watching as she tried to pull herself over to where the 
ammunition had fallen.
"You think you're going to get it in time?" he asked her. "I 
suggest you stop, you little bitch, before I shoot you in the head." 
Minako looked up at him as he pulled a large gun out of his 
trench coat. She stopped immediately.
"I think I'm going to have a little fun with you," he said 
menacingly, walking back over to where she lay. He dropped to his 
knees and Minako again began squirming over to her clip, impeded 
by the broken ribs which were sending shots of pain through her 
entire body. A thick hand on her neck stopped her, and in the next 
moment, Minako found herself being pulled up into the air as the 
man stood back up.
"What do you think you're going to do now?" he yelled at her, 
his face inches away from hers. She tried desperately to kick her 
attacker, but he simply grabbed her hips with his free hand and 
ground her into his pelvis, effectively stopping any impact her 
attacks might have had. He laughed.
"Eager to get your legs around my waist, I see," he growled, 
and Minako bit back tears. She knew what he was going to do, and 
there was no way she could stop him. He pulled her face close to 
his and whispered in her.
"You're going to scream for me."
"Minako, duck!" 
The voice yelled hoarsely at her, and without thought, 
Minako did as she was told. She pulled her head down as far as 
she could as the huge man turned in the direction of the voice, his 
attention momentarily diverted. With a clear shot at the man's head, 
Kunzite fired.
The man released her as he fell back, the bullet making a 
clear hole in his forehead. She fell to the ground in a heap, jarring 
her ribs. She heard the dull thud where the man hit the ground near 
her, and the scraping of footsteps as Kunzite approached her. She 
looked up at his bruised face and did the only thing she could think 
to do. She cried.
He collapsed to his knees on the ground next to her and she 
reached out for him blindly, tears spilling out of her eyes 
uncontrollably. He pulled her up into his arms and held her there, 
neither of them giving a thought to the fact that hours earlier they 
were at each other's throats. Through her sobs, Minako choked out, 
"You...you - they shot you."
He smoothed her hair affectionately. "In the leg, Minako...it's 
their preferred way. The like to immobilize you, and then beat you 
to death. It's these two guys' trademark. You stopped them, 
though."
Minako sniffed as her tears died away, and she suddenly 
became aware of who the man was that she was clinging so 
desperately to. She pulled her head back and looked at him, face to 
face.
"Thank you,"
"I'm sorry," they said simultaneously.
Minako was the first to speak again. "I'm sorry, I was just so 
scared...he - he was going to...and I - I didn't mean to cry on you."
"It's okay, Princess...and thank you for saving my life."
"And thank you," she replied, smiling softly, "For saving 
mine."