Ooooh...another part. I'm on a roll! Woot! Go me. ^_^
Anyhoo, this story is kind of going off on a totally different tangent then I first intended, and therefore leaning further and further away from the angsty story I had intended. *sigh* Oh well, stories have a mind of their own sometimes, I tell ya.
Oh, and by the way, I revised the dream sequence in the last part as of 6/11/02, so if you read it before then, you might wanna go back and reread it. I also fixed my formatting problems, so all italics and such should show up now. ^^
Anyhoo, that's all folks! Please enjoy, and maybe drop me a review? ^_^
~*~Chapter 2: Tiptoeing through the tulips (or roses, rather) ~*~
Duo pushed open the door to the library and poked his head inside. There was no one there, as far as he could tell. Well, with the exception of the librarian, who didn't even bother to look up as he entered.
He noticed a slightly musty smell to the room as he looked around curiously. Libraries weren't something he had ever spent much time in. It was actually kind of cozy, he decided, with the tall shelves of books looming on all sides and the quiet atmosphere. It wasn't hard to picture Wufei spending hours in this place. Poking around through the long rows of books, he finally found what he was looking for at a table in the back corner of the room.
Wufei didn't even look up from the book he was reading as Duo flopped down in the chair across from him. Taking a peek at the book, Duo noticed it was written in Chinese. Also noticing the battered state of the book, he decided that it had to be extremely old, or maybe just extremely abused.
After Wufei continued to studiously ignore him for a few minutes, Duo finally spoke up, "So...why'd you want to meet me?"
Wufei looked up at him then, and Duo caught himself staring at his eyes. He was almost surprised to see that they were just plain black. Nice eyes, sure, but perfectly normal.
"Duo..." he said, looking thoughtful, "Do you believe dreams have meaning?"
A little surprised at the question, Duo shrugged. "Dunno. I mean, I suppose they could...never really thought about it."
Wufei rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly, and Duo suddenly realized the other boy hadn't been kidding when he said he hadn't been sleeping well. He looked positively exhausted. "It is said that dreams can be a window to the soul," he said quietly, "That they reflect the inner thoughts and feelings of a person, things that the person themselves might not even be consciously aware of. It's also said that they can tell the future. For example, perhaps warn of impending danger or illness, and some even say that dreams can also reveal the past." Duo digested this silently, nodding at Wufei to continue.
"I've been having some...unusual dreams lately," said Wufei. "They all relate to each other in some way or another, but there's one in particular I seem to be having over and over." He looked at Duo then, dark eyes piercing, "And you seem to be the key part of it all."
Duo felt an odd sort of tingle at that statement. He couldn't quite figure out if it had been a good tingle, or a bad one. "Me?"
Wufei nodded, "I normally wouldn't have bothered to mention it, but, something about these dreams strikes me as...unusual. I can't quite say why, they just do. And after what happened today..." he trailed off, looking slightly frustrated for a moment, then shook his head slightly, "Have you been having any unusual dreams lately?"
Duo immediately thought of the dream about the dragon. He wasn't sure if it counted, but decided to tell Wufei about it anyhow. "Well, there has been one. It's about a dragon."
Wufei leaned forward then, eyes glinting with interest, "And?" he prompted.
"Well, there's not much to tell. It's a pretty short dream. I'm sitting outside somewhere, watching this huge black dragon," he grinned, "Man, it' so cool. I mean, I know it's just a dream and all, but it's still way cool. Anyway, he just stretches and stands there for a while, and then he looks at me and says-"
"Catch me if you can." Wufei finished quietly, staring at Duo intensely.
Starting in surprise, Duo looked up, catching Wufei's gaze. They sat like that for a long moment, and Duo had the strangest feeling he couldn't look away if he'd wanted to. He felt...something. Like a tickle starting in the back of his skull and traveling down his spine, turning into a sort of familiar warmth that settled in his stomach and refused to leave him.
The odd sensation leaving him a bit breathless, he said, "How did you know?"
Wufei wrenched his gaze away when Duo spoke, staring fixedly at a spot on the wall. "Because I've been having the same dream. But, I'm not the one watching the dragon. I am the dragon. I'm the one watching you. And in my dream, it is you. Different clothing, but other than that, exactly the same," he paused, as if something had occurred to him. "No, not exactly. Your eyes. They were the same color, but...you had no pupils."
Duo blew a breath through his bangs, settling back in his chair. This was strange. No, this went beyond strange and into the realm of completely freaking bizarre. People didn't run around having the same dream. Except maybe twins, but they didn't count. No, all these strange sensations, coupled with the dreams they'd been having...it had to mean something. Problem was, Duo didn't have the slightest clue as to what it could possibly signify.
Wufei, on the other hand, had been one step ahead of him in the whole business. So hopefully he had some sort of insight as to what the hell this was all about, and he said as much.
To his disappointment, Wufei shook his head. "I have no idea. I've been trying to figure out what it could possibly-"
"There you are!"
Duo blinked as Quatre seemed to appear out of nowhere. The small blonde bounced anxiously, peering around to see if anyone was near. "You forgot, didn't you?" he asked.
Duo and Wufei looked at each other, and Duo winced. "Oh hell, Heero's going to have my ass on a platter."
Quatre smiled at him reassuringly, "It's okay, I told him that I forgot to remind you."
Wufei said, "But you didn't."
Winking, Quatre said, "Well, he doesn't have to know that, does he?"
Throwing an arm around Quatre's shoulder, Duo grinned. "Thanks, man. I could kiss you! I don't particularly feel like being on the receiving end of one of Heero's responsibility lectures."
They slipped out of the library and made their way to Heero's dorm carefully, avoiding teachers and other students as much as possible. To make things look less suspicious, Heero, Wufei and Trowa had been registered at the school before the start of the term, while Duo and Quatre had come in as transfer students.
The two of them had been registered as brothers, putting Duo in the system as younger then the rest. It was the reason he didn't have any classes with the other pilots. He was a second year, Quatre and Wufei were third years, and Heero and Trowa were in fourth year classes.
Quatre and Trowa, attached at the hip as they were, had made a great show of becoming friends after Quatre had transferred in. Of course, there was some speculation among the students that they were considerably more then just friends. Unfortunately for the gossipmongers in the school, they didn't really do much to support nor deny it. Being Quatre's younger 'brother' also gave Duo an excuse to spend time around his fellow pilot.
With the exception of Trowa, who was usually the one to relay the orders, they rarely saw Heero at all. Wufei had only limited contact with the others as well, usually with Quatre, with whom he shared a few classes, or Duo, who was being put up the third year dorm because of space limitations.
The sneaking around was damned inconvenient at times, but what was necessary was necessary. You never could be too careful these days. Especially not in a school so close to a top secret OZ base.
Thankfully, the dorm was practically empty when they reached it. Everyone was outside enjoying the sun. Quatre knocked on Heero's door, and it cracked open an inch, one of Trowa's emerald green eyes peering out. When he saw who it was, he stepped back, holding the door open and allowing them inside.
Heero was sitting on the bed, and for a few minutes the only sound in the room was the fast clicking of a keyboard. Duo leaned against the windowsill, tapping a foot and waiting for Heero to start talking. He always did this. What was the point of calling a meeting when he was gonna make them sit there for a half a hour while he played on his laptop?
A few minutes later, Heero let out an audible sigh and shut his laptop with a click. He set it aside and looked over the room with those piercing eyes and began to relate the new information he had gathered. They listened intently, unfortunately, there wasn't much. The place had so many damned security protocols that even the people who swept the floors and cleaned the bathrooms had extensive background checks run. Spies, or even people unlucky enough to not have a full record, were picked out immediately and killed.
The computer system was so well protected that even the best of Heero's hacking skills couldn't get very far into the system, not past the multiple firewalls, passwords, fingerprint checks, retina scans, and a whole slew of other security measures. They weren't just being cautious, they were being downright paranoid.
"I've been unable to get any farther into the system," Heero said, "However, I was able to find a map of the grounds from a landscaping company. Apparently the commander of the base has a fondness for...roses."
Duo snickered. "That's pretty sad when their security was compromised by a pansy boy who likes pretty flowers."
"There wasn't much to see," Heero continued as if he hadn't heard him, "However, I did find a possible point of entry. There's an irrigation system for the flowers that the company installed. I don't have any way of knowing if it will lead into the base or not, but it's the only lead we have, and we've got to get someone in there. The garden is scheduled for maintenance tomorrow, and I want three of you take the place of the workers. One to keep up the pretense, the other two to go in."
"I'll do it!" Duo piped up, grinning. He'd been cooped up in this damned school way too long. He needed to get out and do something before he went crazy. To his surprise, Wufei immediately volunteered as well.
In the end, it was decided that he, Quatre and Wufei would go. Quatre would stay outside and keep up the act while he and Wufei went in and did the dirty work.
Finally, some action. Duo grinned and stretched as he made his way back to his dorm. Time to forget about all these crazy feelings and weird dreams. It was time to have some fun.
Shinigami was back in business.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Wufei smoothed out the front of the uncomfortable uniform. He wasn't quite nervous, per se, just...edgy. Which was hardly unusual before a mission. He and Duo sat in the back of the van among the gardening equipment while Quatre drove. They were almost to the ferry that would take them out to the base, that is if they made it past security. It was unlikely they'd get in, but it was the only shot they had.
The van rumbled to a stop. Wufei tensed as the security guard walked up. Quatre smiled at the man brightly and greeted him with a sunny, "Hello!"
The guard blinked at him suspiciously. "You're not Bert," he said almost accusingly. Wufei cursed inwardly.
Quatre, however, didn't miss a beat. "Yeah..." he said, schooling his expression into one of sad concern. "He's my uncle. He couldn't make it this time because he's in the hospital. Poor uncle Bert had a heart attack a few days ago."
"No shit?" said the guard, buying right into it. Wufei let out a silent sigh of relief. Quatre was one hell of an actor. "Well, tell him Harry said hi, and get well soon."
The guard made as if to pull back, then paused for a moment, and stuck his head in the window, "Who've you got with you?"
Wufei pulled his hat as far down over his eyes as possible, and before the last words had left the mans lips, Duo blurted out, "Man! You wouldn't believe it! She had the biggest tits-"
He never finished as the guard pulled his head out, shaking his head and chuckling. He waved the van on, and Quatre pulled onto the ferry.
Looking over at Duo, Wufei raised an eyebrow. "What?" Duo said, grinning, "Got him to get his ugly mug outta the truck, didn't it?"
"I suppose," Wufei said, smiling despite himself. Duo certainly had a bizarre sense of humor sometimes. However, he was finding that the more time he spent around the energetic American, the more he was beginning to like him.
"I saw that!" Duo said, pointing a finger at Wufei, "You should do that more often you know."
"Do what?"
"Smile," Duo said, "It suits you. You're too serious most of the time."
Wufei said nothing, shifting uncomfortably and turning to stare at the base that seemed to be rising out of the sea. For some reason, every so often his fellow pilot would say or do something that left him feeling a little off balance. In a good way. And that bothered him. A lot.
He was silent for the rest of the ride, though once Wufei caught himself staring at Duo's profile as he chattered at Quatre. Wufei sighed in frustration. He didn't know what to make of this sudden fascination with the Deathscythe pilot. In their rather limited acquaintance before now, he'd always found him to be strangely intriguing, but never really took more then a passing interest in him. A curiosity and nothing more.
At least, that's what he tried to tell himself.
All too soon the ferry docked, and the mission was really underway. Thankfully, none of the guards on the base spared them more then a glance. Apparently the van was a common sight. Quatre parked and hopped out of the truck, helping Duo and Wufei unload the equipment.
"The opening to the irrigation system is over there, " he jerked his head in the direction of a low, squat looking building, "On the far side. All the buildings are connected by an underground ventilation system, so if you can find your way inside, we're in business. Trowa and Heero are out there in case anything goes wrong," He beamed a smile at them. "Good luck."
Duo chirped back a perky affirmative, and Wufei merely nodded. Talking in a hushed voice as they made their way toward the other building, Duo said, "Man, I hope this pans out. We really need some decent info on this place. I'd really rather not get stomped when we decide to attack."
Wufei said nothing, searching along the wall for the opening. He almost missed it, just barely poking out from behind a rose bush. Pushing back the bush, he winced when he pricked his finger. Absently sticking his finger in his mouth, he knelt down and examined the opening. Wufei made a face. It wasn't very big. He should be able to fit, but just barely.
The pipe seemed to come out of the building at a slope, with five smaller pipes disappearing underground funneling off the trickle of water, presumably taking the water to the rest of the grounds. He looked up at Duo and was about to speak when a face appeared over the American's shoulder. "What're you guys doing?"
Duo's eyes widened and he started, surprised. Then he turned around and shot a winning smile at the guard, "There's a problem with the irrigation duct. We were just about to crawl in there and try to fix it."
"Oh," The man looked from Duo, to the duct, and back again, "Well, I don't envy you," he said, clapping Duo on the back, then turned and disappeared back the way he came.
After he was out of earshot, Duo shook his head. "Man, for being such a high security base, they sure as heck aren't very tight on the security."
Wufei stood up, absently wiping the dirt from his knees. "Landscapers are a common sight to them, remember. And I imagine if we tried to actually get inside one of the buildings, we'd have a bullet through our heads faster then we could blink."
Bobbing his head, Duo said, "Yeah, I suppose so," he looked down at the opening, "So, what's the verdict?"
Wufei held the bush aside and gestured to pipe. "After you," he said.
Duo dropped down on all fours, poked his head inside, and after a moment vanished into the duct. Wufei followed suit, staring into the inky blackness for a brief second, then clicked on his wrist light a crawled inside.
