Chapter Four: Meet the Parents

*Serena, her pride officially insulted, managed to quickly recovered from the devastating blow. “You rude, insensitive creep! How dare you waltz in here after you’ve been out there killing people, taking lives, and then be rude to me! You miss those power trips you had when you killed in a blind rage during the wars you sick freak? Too bad, but don’t you dare bring that attitude in here!”

“Hnn.” His eyes narrowed. What an unbelievable woman! She was right though. He was a killer. He had so much blood on his hands…so many lives taken with them, so much destruction and pollution caused by two small appendages. Still… her rude attitude was getting to him.

“And another thing! How dare you grunt you slob! Until you can grow up and speak like a normal adult, you can very well take your maps and lists and shove them down your throat!”

“I’m not the one raving like a lunatic over nothing.” He glared.

“Lunatic? Raving? You’re the one who was eavesdropping earlier! If that isn’t psychotic then I don’t know what is.” She smirked, ignoring the dangerous gleam in his eyes. She wasn’t going to be scared that easily.

“You were on a public street and I couldn’t help but overhear.” He defended himself.

“But you had the gall to mention it! And on top of it all, you wouldn’t even apologize! How rude. Impudent weasel. Refrain from my sight from now on.”

“As I recall, I did apologize. However, you decided it was not enough.” He smirked. Her death glare put his to shame.

“Listen up, Mr. Yui.” She paused. That name… She still liked his name. She couldn’t help it. But back to the important situation… His attitude!

Of all the low, dirty men to come waltzing into Relena Peacecraft’s office, it had to be this scumbag murderer. He was not good enough to shine Relena’s shoes in her opinion. Any man who had blood on their hands was not worthy of the ground they walked on, much less being able to integrate themselves into society. They had killed! They were dangerous! And she had to make this clear to him somehow. She cleared her throat and began again.

“Mr. Yui. I am going to tell you this one time, and one time alone. I do not agree with soldiers. They are murderers and killers who take lives for a living. I am working in this office to help prevent soldiers from ever being needed ever again. However, you are not innocent. You are dirty and disgusting, and frankly I don’t see what Relena sees in you. But she’s got an infatuation with you for some reason- one that I hope she will grow out of soon. At any rate, while you are here, I want nothing to do with you. I don’t want to see you, hear you, smell you, or anything else along those lines. Is this clear?”

“Crystal.” Hiiro grunted. Her philosophy didn’t sting as much as he had thought it might. Most of what she had said was true, things he had already known and come to terms with. Soldiers were killers- at least, the majority of them. The rest were technicians and such, but even they had been through their fair share of fighting. And in working with Relena she really was working to achieve peace, therefore preventing the need for more soldiers in the future, so that was true. It was also true that he was a killer, a murderer himself; he most certainly didn’t deny it. And she had confirmed his suspicions that Relena still had feelings for him. He could understand all of this; he had stopped battling himself and accepted all of these things.

But what he didn’t see was why he personally, was so hated by her. All he had done was… nothing! In fact, it had been her who had run into him! He had merely tried to help her by breaking her fall. And he had apologized! It had been her who had gone off the handle with his ‘not good enough’ apology and grunting. She was the cause of this whole catastrophe, and yet she had the nerve to glare at him?

“Well then Mr. Yui.” Serena began. “I’ll give you your maps and files, and then I trust you’ll be gone?”

“Yes.” He felt like laughing. She was so serious about such a simply misunderstanding between two strangers.

“Fine, I-”

“Serena! Sere!” Hiiro placed the voice instantly. The secretary from the desk downstairs was calling them.

“In here Mina!” Serena called back. Mina rarely left her post until either lunch break or six, when she called it a night. Now Serena was worried. Soon enough the other blonde came racing into the small file storage closet.

“Sere!” She gasped.

“Mina!” Serena chocked back laughter. “Did you run the steps? All thirteen flights?” Mina just nodded. “What ever for dear?” Serena laughed.

“They’re here!”

“Who’s here?” Hiiro’s eyes narrowed. Terrorists? Rapists? Who?

“Serena, your mother and father are on their way up!” Mina finally gasped out. Serena’s smile dropped off of her face and panic took over.

“No! I have to go! I have to get out of here! Oh God! Mina, tell Relena!” Serena pushed her way past both Hiiro and the other blonde and grabbed her purse.

“What’s so bad about her family coming to visit her?” Hiiro whispered to Mina. The blonde, who was finally calming down, looked hard at him for a moment, then smiled.

“Her parents, especially her mother, are a little… eccentric.”

“How eccentric? Terrorist eccentric?”

“You must be Relena’s new bodyguard?” Mina smiled.

“Yes.”

“Figures. No, they aren’t that eccentric. More like all they can do when they see Serena is set her up on a date. They’re very old fashioned, and both her parents hate the thought that she works. It drives her crazy sometimes I think; to have them both so critical of the way she’s chosen to live her life. Anyway. They think she should be married and settled down and having children right now, so of course they’re eager to set her up with the next man who walks into their lives her age.”

“She’s running because she doesn’t want to date?”

“Didn’t you hear anything I just said? You know, about her parents wanting her to quit her job, wanting her to go out on a blind date, wanting her to get married? Those things scare Serena more than anything. She’d rather die than marry someone she didn’t love. And know the funny thing?”

“What?” Hiiro asked, afraid of what would happen if he didn’t. Still, he really did want to know the funny thing.

“Serena doesn’t believe in love.” Hiiro stopped. No love? Even he believed in love!

“No love?”

“I think that’s just what she says. I think secretly she’s just scared she’ll never fall in love, so she doesn’t want to put herself out there, but that’s just me! Maybe she really doesn’t believe in love. Who knows?” Mina grinned. “But look at me! Here I am, jabbering away, and her parents will be here any moment!” Both Mina and Hiiro walked out of the small closet and into the open reception room. Just then, Serena burst back through the door.

“I left my car keys!” She sputtered out of breath. “I was half way down those steps when I realized-”

“Serena darling!” Hiiro watched as Serena’s lovely, sweet face contorted into a look of pure loathing- much like it had when he had first been introduced to her by Relena. In the doorway stood a tall woman with wavy brown hair, and behind her stood a taller man with black hair lightly graying just above his ears and a pair of thick rimmed glasses.

“Mother, Father.” Serena greeted her parents dryly. Quickly she whipped around, and Hiiro saw that the expression on her face had changed to one of patronizing happiness.

“Serena dearest, your father and I were in the neighborhood for lunch and we thought you might care to join us… oh, and who is this young man?”

“Mother.” Serena answered between clenched teeth. “This is Mr. Yui, Relena’s new bodyguard. Mr. Yui, my parents, Ilene and Kenji Tsukino.” Hiiro was mildly surprised she had so politely introduced them.

“Nice to meet you.” He greeted them monotonously.

“Yes, likewise. In fact, your name sounds familiar for some reason… can’t imagine why…” Ilene drawled in a heavy English accent. “Well Serena? Lunch?”

“I’m sorry Mother, but I’m just in the middle of setting Mr. Yui up in his new job… perhaps the next time you’re in town.”

“But Serena, we never see you. Come, it’s good to spend time with your family. Why, you haven’t been to lunch with us forever.” Her father chimed in with his Japanese accent.

“I’m sorry, just that I am busy with things here…”

“Oh, trivial things! Serena, a woman’s real work is in the home, you should know that by now!” Her father scolded.

“Of course Father.” Serena just let them comment roll off her back.

“Come now Serena, your Father is right. And anyway, I have some good news for you! The other night there was a huge opening gala for the Museum of Technological Advancement… fascinating place by the way, and they served the most wonderful champagne… I’m sorry; I’m forgetting my place. As I was saying, your father and I were introduced to a man, a scientist, who has a son your age!”

“Mother! You didn’t!” Serena groaned.

“She did!” Kenji rolled his eyes. “But it will be good for you Serena.”

“What will?” Serena closed her eyes hard and prayed.

“Your marriage to him of course!” Her mother announced proudly. For a moment silence reigned. Then it all abruptly ended.

“What!” Serena screeched. “How could you do this to me? Why would you do this to me?”

“It’s for your own good dear!” Her mother frowned trying to explain.

“My own good? Forcing me to marry someone I’ve never met based on his scientist father you met while you were drunk on champagne? Absolutely not! I will not be marrying this man! Are you out of your minds?”

“Serena Usagi Tsukino! How dare you take that tone of voice with your mother!” Her father roared. “I agree it isn’t the best way to settle you down, but look at yourself! Gallivanting off and working? You’re not even dating anyone, and you haven’t for the longest time! It’s time you settled down and begun your family! Your mother and I were married when she was sixteen. You are now eighteen and old enough to take responsibility, but you haven’t. Desperate times call for desperate measures!”

“And I want to see my grandchildren!” Her mother stated proudly.

“What is going on out here?” Relena asked, eyes narrowed as she opened her office door and stepped out. Then her eyes widened. “Serena, your… parents… right?”

“Yup!” Mina answered for her. It was obvious to Hiiro that Relena knew all about Serena’s situation with her parents. “And they just dropped a huge bombshell on her too… they made an arranged marriage.” Relena gasped.

“Oh Serena…” She whispered.

“Don’t worry Relena, I won’t be following through with it.”

“You’ll marry that boy or be disowned!” Her father roared.

“Disown me then, because I will not sell myself for your benefit!”

“Serena, you will marry that boy, it’s final.”

“Does he even know what’s happening?” Serena finally asked.

“Don’t be daft child, of course he knows. Or he will know by tonight. James said it was difficult to reach him until he checked his email.”

“Great. Just great.” Serena muttered. A very tense moment hung in the air until Relena coughed.

“Serena? Hiiro? I need you to get back to work. You too Mina.” Serena shot Relena a look of relief.

“Yes Miss Relena, right away.” Then she turned to Hiiro. “Relena’s office, now.” He nodded and followed her.

“Bye dear! Don’t worry, this will all work out for the best, you’ll see!”

“Somehow, I highly doubt it, I really do.” *

~~~EXTRA IMPORTANT NOTE: This Vixen is not having a very good day. She read a very harsh review that stung. A lot. Basically it listed all of my faults. Every single one of them. Now I’ve removed it, but the damage has been done. I can take flames usually, but this one was much harsher than any I’ve EVER gotten before. So I am not the best writer of all times. So I do have a few spelling and grammar errors. So I am not perfect. I try my absolute hardest, and it really fries me when I screw up. But to point it out like that… it was beyond evil. Constructive criticism is very welcome, but all out flaming hurts way too much. Please try to be careful. I look forward to my reviews… usually they cheer me up when I’ve had a hard, long and tiring day. But this one just made me feel horrible. Ok. Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest I feel a little better. Please review (thoughtfully)! Much love, Vixen~~~