Title: And Then, Cannibals
Author: Omnicat
Unofficially Adapted From: Masashi Ikeda & co's Gundam Wing, including side stories.
Warnings: None.
Characters & Pairings: Heero and his OC daughter
Summary: The one where Special Agent Yuy finally has nice things.
Author's Note: Sequel to "Fresh Meat" (story id 4513304), "Fresh Wounds" (story id 6927594), "Fresh Blood" (story id 10029542), "Fresh Corpses" (story id 10029564). Last part in the series. Enjoy!
II-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-I-oOo-I-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-II
And Then, Cannibals
"Still with the fish, dad?" asked Katrina, a bright, brave, beautiful young woman Heero could hardly believe was his daughter sometimes. She smiled, her dark eyes – his eyes – twinkling.
Heero smiled back, the lines around his eyes deepening minutely.
Once, when Katrina was small, she had asked for a snake and Heero had given her a fish.
When her favourite horse at riding school retired, Heero had given her a second fish.
For her next birthday, he had gotten her a school of guppies.
The Christmas following, eight gold-and-silvery angelfish and an algea eater.
When, on the day Heero had picked as his own birthday, she gave him marbled hatchetfish, they had stopped pretending the fish were hers even in name. The first two tanks had moved from Katrina's bedroom to Heero's study, and it hadn't taken long for the hobby to claim an entire wall as its own.
"The starfish you gave me before you left for uni is doing well." Heero pointed at it.
"That's nice," Katrina said with a blank smile. Heero and Relena had utterly failed to teach her how to feign interest. Then she added, hands in her pockets and a teasing note in her voice: "I still can't believe that after all those years of hating animals when I was a kid, you suddenly fell head over heels in love with fish."
"I've never hated animals," Heero said with a quizically raised eyebrow.
"You were always grousing about what a pain they were and how ours would never let you catch a break."
"That's how I show affection to lifeforms with below-human intelligence. You don't think I hate your Uncle Duo too, do you?"
Katrina had the decency to hide her laughter behind her hand.
"And your and your mother's pets really don't ever let me catch a break."
"Still. Fish. They're so boring compared to your usual interests."
"They're very interesting to people who like them," Heero said sagely. "Aside from the obvious advantages, that is. They don't run and hide every chance they get, they don't try to skin you alive when you get too close, you don't have to worry about them tearing the place apart when you turn your back on them."
"That's only fun in humans, right?" Katrina grinned.
"Exactly." He let his gaze drift fondly over the many different fish tanks. "The cannibalism is a lot more endearing in fish than people, though."