Title: Rivals 11/?

Author: Canisa

Pairing: various for now (6+1, Noin+6, 5+2, 3+4/4+3, R+1), but leading to 1+2/2+1, my favorite paring! ^__^

Warning : shounen-ai, AU (no gundam!!!) a bit angst.

Note: Gundam Wing is not mine. I am writing this for my own enjoyment. No profit is being made.

Quick Summary

Heero's family held a grunge against Duo's because Duo's grandfather had indirectly caused his grandfather's death. The two ended up in the same high school and in the same extra curricular activity (well, almost). Heero was the diving team captain while Duo was the swimming team captain.

With the new found knowledge that he and Duo were friends when they were young (for three day? ^_^;;;;), Heero started to open up to Duo little by little. Wanting a fair competition, Milliard Peacecraft, who is Heero's childhood friend and who just faced his own feelings toward Heero, helped Duo to hop over his guilt of ever getting Heero beat up by Alex.

Wufei, revenging for Heero and Duo, had taken on Alex and almost succeeded before he met Meiran who had mistaken the situation and decided to fight against Wufei.

Relena Peacecraft finally showed her presence as she met up with Noin in California, convincing her to go back to Boston.

Previous:

Sensing the attention had shifted toward him, Duo extended his hand nervously and smiled. "Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Yuy, my name is Duo. Duo Max..…"

"Maxton." Heero suddenly interrupted calmly, his face expressionless. "His name is Duo Maxton. He is from my school."

Chapter 11 --- Sunset ---

Alex Mueller felt like hell. Every inch of his body screamed in pain. He nauseated as the world spun around him. Warm blood stuck to his face as he opened his swollen eyes. A low ringing sound hummed at his ears like a persistent mosquito. Annoyed, he painfully propped himself up against the cold wall in a sitting position. He breathed hard and winced.

It hurt when he breathed, like thousand knifes going through his chest and not leaving any of his flesh intact.

Alex cursed, realizing that the bastard had probably broken his rib cage. He narrowed his eyes, trying to focus the blurry vision before him. He could hardly make out the couple in the alley. He could barely make out their sound.

He gritted his teeth, hatred powered his body as he struggled to crawl toward his fallen book-bag.

No one stopped him. They were engrossed in whatever they were doing. Must be his luck. It had seemed like they are fighting for reason he did not care anyhow. All he knew was that this was the chance for his payback.

Alex continued his course with his elbow on the ground. His hand finally reached his book-bag and he searched for his weapon, his butterfly knife. The desperate man bit down his lips in frustration and agony as his hand pushed away books, paper and other junk furiously.

He eyed at the blurry vision of the still fighting couple and managed to gather a smirk on his blood covering face as his hand touched a familiar cold metal. He pulled out the object and flipped the knife out fluidly.

He gathered up the last of his strength and threw the knife toward the fighting couple.

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Noin stared at Relena for a few good second before she left out a laugh. The face in front of her was all too familiar. It was the face of herself when she first heard of Milliard's declaration.

Relena did not even flinched at the laugh. The serenity on her face never altered. Instead, she sat back to her chair quietly and allowed Noin to recompose.

"I am sorry." Noin took a deep breath as she recollected her cool self. "It just that you reminded myself of how I was a week ago." She gave Relena a sad smile, permitting her to see the broken side of her. "You know… I couldn't take the news too well either. I mean… I was with him for so long that I forgot what it was like to be without him." Noin looked into the familiar blue eyes on Relena's angelic face. It was no wonder they were siblings. They bore the same captivating eyes. "I was so scared of what would have become of me. It was then I realized how much I love him. How much I need him by my side."

Relena watched Noin with unreadable expression. Her body seemed relaxed as she listened Noin's story.

Noin sighed. She brought her tea to her lips and allowed herself to taste the warmth. "There were thoughts running through my mind. It exposed the side of me I never knew existed. It was frightening." Her finger tapped the handle of the teacup lightly as she let the words rolled out her tongue quietly. "But you see… I knew Milliard. And there was nothing I could do to make him retract the words he said. So I talked to Heero. I was glad I did." Noin smiled as she looked at Relena with sympathy. "He is a great kid. Strong. He put me at ease. As I sat there next to him in his living room, I realized that I was not afraid anymore. I would wait patiently. Maybe he would return to me. Maybe he would not. Either way, I would try to live my life the fullest. Because you see….. you cannot force love. Patience is the answer. You let your feeling known and in time, if you are destined to have it, it would come to you." Noin lowered her head and smiled, mixing with some embarrassment. "It sounds pathetic, doesn't it? But I don't want to force him… I love him and so I will wait. Maybe I will get tired of waiting and meet someone. Who knows. But at present time, I would wait for him because I still profess my love for him. I will not be defeated by my bad thoughts….I will not force him." Noin locked her gaze on the small blonde girl. "I hope you will not force Heero either. If he loves you, he would come to you."

Relena smiled faintly at the endnote. Slowly, she reached for Noin and covered her hand with hers. "That's why I so desperately wanted you and my brother to be together. No, I don't think it's pathetic. I think you are a stronger person than my brother."

Noin was startled when she felt the squeeze on her hand and saw Relena's sweet smile slowly hardened.

"But you misunderstood me." Seriousness surfaced on Relena's face as she released Noin's hand. "I do not love Heero as you love my brother. We are marrying each other out of necessity."

Noin tensed. She grabbed onto the tablecloth as she widened her eyes at the woman in front of her.

Relena's angelic smile replaced the seriousness as if to comfort the tension between them immediately. It was as if she was trained to smile at the most impossible situation. She broke her gaze from Noin briefly to take out some money from her purse and place it on the table. She pushed back the chair and stood up, one hand automatically smoothed her skirt. "I came here only to look for you. I wish for your happiness because I do very much like you. And I believe my brother will be happy with you. Please do keep the ticket if you decide to change your mind. It's an early Christmas present from me to you. Good bye, Noin." She politely nodded at Noin before she headed toward the exit.

"WAIT!" Noin uncharacteristically shout out before she pushed back her chair hastily. Her palms pounded on the table uncontrollably, shouting at Relena again. "What do you mean you have to marry Heero?!" Her face flushed as she ignored the unwanted attention from the rest of the customers in the cafe.

Relena turned around elegantly and smiled. "It is our parents' wish."

Noin widened her eyes. "Arranged marriage?!" She breathed the words out with a hint of absurdity. "Relena, you don't have to marry Heero if you don't want to!"

Relena slowly shook her head. "You misunderstood once again, Noin." She locked her gaze at her confused friend. "I want to marry Heero because I agree with them. We should be married. Like I said, it is a necessity."

Noin shook her head wildly. "A marriage is sacred. It's not supposed to be like that! You should be marrying out of love!!"

Relena said nothing. A mysterious look gathered on her face.

To Noin, it looked suspiciously like sympathy. The blue-haired woman became desperate. She did not know what do think and did not understand. It was her who supposed to feel sympathy toward the girl in front of her!! "Does Heero know about this? Did he agree too?"

Relena smiled again. Glancing at Noin the final time, she turned and walked away without replying.

Noin stared at the back of the retreating figure. Thousand threads of thoughts ran through her mind, all tangled up.

As the people in the café realized that the show was over, they discreetly got back to their routine. Undistinguished words started to form to replace the uncomfortable silence. The waiter and waitress started to move around in the café, carrying the orders of their customers. The world, once stopped, was spinning again.

Noin fell back on her chair, dazed. Just as she thought that she would not get an answer from Relena, she heard the faint words from the blonde girl who paused at the door only too briefly.

"I don't think he ever cared." She whispered.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Duo Maxwell was surprised when he heard Heero lied about his last name. But he did not show his surprise as he hand-shook with Heero's parents.

"Nice meeting you, Duo." The woman smiled faintly.

Duo was suddenly mesmerized by the smile. The woman had looked a lot like Heero. He could not help to wonder what Heero would look if he smiled like that instead of the smirk he knew all too well.

The father gave Duo a very powerful and authoritative squeeze as he took his hand. "It was very rare to have Heero to introduce a friend to us. Do you do any sports, Duo?"

Just as Duo opened his mouth, Heero beat to him again. "Basketball." He said quietly.

"I see." The father looked down on Duo.

The chestnut-haired boy suddenly feel how miniscule he was, comparing to the tall man before him. He nervously inched closer to the hospital bed, extracting some irrational protection from Heero.

"When did you return?" The Japanese youth said without much emotion behind the words.

Duo looked at his friend and wondered if he intended to shift his parent's attention from him.

"Just now. We came straight from the airport." The mother looked at Heero's bandage covered body. Sadness suddenly surfaced on her beautiful face. "We came as soon as we heard from Milliard. He told me it was bad but I didn't expect to see……"

Heero ignored the sympathetic look. "It will heal."

The father looked at Heero sternly before he gathered the mother's arm. "Let's give him some rest." He returned his attention to Heero. "We will pick you up tomorrow." Without that, he walked out of the room and closed the door behind them.

Silence fell between the two boys before Duo cleared his throat. "So.. care to explain why you call me 'Maxton'?"

"Baka." Heero fell back on his hospital bed. "Your grandfather killed my father's father."

Duo studied Heero's face. "You can't be serious that they believe that too! It was not entirely his fault! They are adults. They should know that!!"

"Perhaps." Heero said quietly

"Then why?!"

Heero closed his eyes as he remembered the busy signals he had received on the other end of the phone when he was trying to reach his parents the day of his grandfather's collapse. "Because they need someone to blame." Heero paused as he recollected his own futile attempt of CPR on his grandfather. "They were just like me."

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"Woman. You are not so bad." Wufei smirked as he attempted another strike. He suddenly found it odd that he was actually enjoy the fight. Well, not really a fight anymore. He felt like he was doing a free-style sparring against a worthy opponent.

Meiran laughed as she blocked it easily with both of her hands. "God damn it, I have a name!" She intertwined her wrists and locked Wufei's attacking fist by his wrist. Recognizing it was her chance to attack since the Chinese man was wide open, she kicked.

Wufei tore himself from Meiran with effort and dodged the kick. He smirked.

Meiran softly cursed at her lost chance. She charged toward Wufei, intending to bring down that condescending smile. Just as she was ready to do a roundhouse kick, out of the corner of her eyes, she caught a shinning metal flying toward their direction. Without second thought, utilizing her momentum, she pivoted, intending to knock the metal off the midair with her foot.

Wufei saw the shinning metal after he noticed that Meiran had switched her direction of attack He also saw how she intended to bring it down. He winced as he observed that she was wearing a long pants with thin fabrics and sandals. "Watch out!!!" He screamed as he tried to push Meiran away but was too late. He heard the inevitable scream and saw she fell down on the ground. The small butterfly knife pierced through the pants and anchored in her lower calf. Already, a pool of blood gathered at her foot. "Bon-Dun!!!" He reverted back in Chinese as he screamed again. His eyes narrowed dangerously and looked around for the source of the dishonorable attack. Within seconds, he located Alex Mueller.

Sitting on the ground, Meiran painfully pulled out the small butterfly knife. She heard Wufei's word and recognized the Chinese meaning. "Don't call me an idiot!" She irritatedly cut away the lower part of her pants with the knife to reveal the wound. She winced as she discovered her once flawless skin was marred with blood as the crimson fluid gushed out from the wound.

"Complete idiot!!" Wufei returned from his punishment of Alex. He looked down on Meiran as he stood next to her. "What kind of idiot would block a knife with her foot?!"

"Geez, like I have a choice." Meiran snorted as she bandaged her wound with the torn fabric. "If I dodged, it would have hit you."

Wufei narrowed his obsidian eyes. "Idiot. You don't think I can dodge that?"

"Riiggght." Meiran attempted to stand up but the pain tore through her body and she fell down again. She cursed softly. "Right… like you could see it when I was in the way and your hands were up in your face for blocking!" Meiran attempted to stand up the second time. She failed miserably.

Wufei looked at the woman. He pressed his lips thin and knew the truth behind Meiran's words. She was right. He did not see it coming because she was blocking his view. Although he was quick person, he did not know if he could have dodged the knife in time if he saw it. "Well, woman, it was your own fault for helping him out. I told you. You know nothing about justice." Wufei clenched his fists. Of course he could not admit his weakness to her.

"Geez. I accept your gratitude of helping you out!" Meiran gave up her attempt to stand. She looked around, searching for her book-bag. Maybe she could use her cell phone to call someone to pick her up. "So who the heck is that guy?"

"Alex Mueller."

Meiran looked up at Wufei in surprise. She recognized the name. It was the name of the supposedly fearful gang leader. She eyed at the badly beaten man who lied unconscious on the ground in the dark corner. She suddenly wondered how strong the Chinese man actually was. Meiran cursed as she hoped that Wufei didn't hold back on her while they were sparring. She had a lot of pride too! "I see, so I guess you are revenging for Heero Yuy?" The words in school traveled fast. She had heard that Alex was expelled from school for picking a fight and sent the famous diving captain into the hospital.

"Not exactly but close enough." Wufei eyed at the injured girl. "You should not have interfered. It was your own fault." The Chinese man emphasized his last point, trying to drive out his own guilt. "I told you that it was not your business. Next time, don't use the word 'justice' if you don't know what's going on."

"Geez.. That's why I hate man. Always wants to be superior and right." Meiran grumbled. "I still think it is not right to fight the weak. You don't kick someone when they are on the ground. It defied the code of justice."

Wufei snorted. "You have to kill a scorpion so that you won't get sting by a desperate one at its last breath."

Meiran matched Wufei's glare a few second before she shrugged. "Whatever, today is just not my day to deal with men." She ran through her fingers through her short black hair. She had spotted her book-bag but she wanted to wait for the guy to leave before she made her way to her cell phone. Her pride would not allow her to ask for help.

Wufei pressed his lips thin and knew that Meiran could not possibly stand on her own at her present situation. He made a decision as he squatted down. His back toward Meiran with his arms curled backwards.

Meiran widened her eyes as she recognized that Wufei intended to give her a piggyback ride. She hesitated.

Wufei sighed. He shifted his body closer to Meiran and somehow loaded her onto his back. "Woman, I don't have time all day."

Meiran burnt with embarrassment as she struggled to get off. "Let me down!"

Wufei only tightened his hold on her. He walked toward her book-bag and picked it up. "Where is your house." He made the question sound like a statement.

Meiran gave up and knew she needed the help. "Just a few blocks down." Secretly, she was grateful that the Chinese man did not vocalize his intention of help. Otherwise, she would have been even more embarrassed. She placed her hands on Wufei's back awkwardly, trying to at least distance her body from Wufei's.

Wufei walked out of the alley. "Woman, I am not going to be responsible if you fall off." He said quietly.

Meiran tensed but recognized that Wufei was right. She said nothing as she slowly wrapped her arms around Wufei's neck, stabilizing herself.

Wufei faintly flushed as he felt the warmth emitted from the burden on his back. He had never thought that the worthy sparring opponent who had been pretty good at keeping up with him could be this light and warm. "Woman, which direction?"

Meiran pointed to the right direction. "I have a name, you know?"

Wufei said nothing but walked, carefully not to bump his body into Meiran's wounded leg.

Meiran sighed. She rested her chin on Wufei's shoulder, smelling the fragrance of the detergent emitting form the shirt, which was different than the one she noticed on her ex-boyfriend's. The man carrying her had a fresher smell, untainted by the fragrance of any cologne. Meiran faintly blushed as she briefly wondered if the man had a girlfriend. Catching her train of though immediately, the girl mentally kicked herself for thinking like that. Trying desperately to shift her mind away from the dangerous path, she lifted her chin up from his shoulder and stared into the darkening sky. She caught the sight of the sun settling down in the far west. Around the burning fireball, the once blue sky was now painted with all shades of yellow, orange and red.

Meiran smiled.

It was beautiful.

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