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 flying around turns as he drove 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 Kei 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 got people 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, they’re 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 she 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 give the finger to the screen. 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 her tires on the 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…Navigators? No, 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 and the scraping of footsteps, 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 closest Irish brute. "Merry fuckin' Christmas!" she yelled the first thing that popped in her head, 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." "Thank you, too," she replied, smiling softly, "For saving mine."