I thought I had
finished it, but it seems there are some people out there who don't agree. Something along the lines of 'you can't
finish it there!' type thing…so here it is. The epilogue. Hope you like!!
~ Wannon-chan ~
Blood Money – Epilogue.
A year later…
Quatre entered the dojo, letting an appreciative smile appear as he watched the children train hard. They had such perfect faces of concentration, giving Wufei their complete, undivided attention as he led them through katas. The blonde saw Treize in the corner of his eye, and waved at the taller man, making his way over to him.
"Hello, Quatre. How goes life?" he asked. Quatre smiled.
"Very well, thankyou…Trowa is going to be a little late, I'm afraid. Duty calls…" he said apologetically. Treize dismissed it with a wave of his hand.
"That's perfectly understandable. Teachers have to prioritize…" he said. Quatre nodded, and let his gaze sweep over the dojo once more.
"It's wonderful, Treize. All your hard work has certainly paid off…" he said with a smile. Treize grinned back.
"Thankyou. Of course, it wouldn't have happened without your financial support." He said. It was Quatre's turn to be dismissive.
"Not a problem…I'm just happy it worked out so well." He said pleasantly. Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a tall platinum blonde.
"Quatre! You've arrived!" Zechs cried, striding over to the two. Quatre smiled prettily at him.
"Yes…nice to see you again, Milliardo." He said civilly. A stampede of little footsteps began, and suddenly the dojo was empty, save Wufei and the three others. The Chinese youth grabbed a towel and wiped his face with it, beaming at the trio in the corner.
"Quatre…very good to see you again. How is Trowa?" he asked. Quatre beamed at him.
"He's-" he began.
"-Very well, thankyou for asking…" a new voice interrupted. All three spun around to see Trowa leaning on the doorframe, soft smile touching his lips. Quatre dashed over to him, tackling him with a fierce hug.
"Trowa!" he cried, and heard Treize and Wufei laugh. Trowa wrapped his strong arms around Quatre's waist, pulling him in closer.
"Hello, Little One…how was your day?" he murmured. Quatre smiled up at him.
"It was alright…you obviously had a bad day?" he asked. Trowa nodded, and placed a quick kiss to his Angel's forehead.
"Yes…but let's not talk about it now. We're being rather rude…" he said, indicating their hosts. Quatre blushed.
"Oh! How terribly impolite of me…" he said. Wufei, Zechs and Treize merely laughed and shook their heads.
"No need for apologies…" they all said in unison, which made everyone laugh.
~ * ~
Dinner was spent talking, remembering, enjoying each other's company. They shared stories, ate and drank.
They had cause for such things…after all…
Today was the anniversary of Heero and Duo's passing.
"I remember there was this one time that Duo and I went shopping…and he went around stealing all the heads off the mannequins!" Quatre said, and everyone laughed. Quatre nodded.
"Oh sure…it's funny now…but when you're being chased by hoards of fat security guys…it's not quite as funny." He said completely seriously. Everyone paused and looked at him, before laughing harder. Quatre sighed.
May as well laugh, too…he thought, and joined in. Trowa stopped his laughing for a moment, and looked ready to say something.
"I remember, back when I was with Heero…he was a terrible sleep-talker. I once had a conversation with him while he was completely asleep…it was really strange…" he said. Quatre giggled.
"What were you talking about?" he asked. Trowa grinned.
"Ordering a pizza, actually…Heero woke me up with his ranting about anchovies…and it led into a full debate about the best pizza toppings…all done while he was asleep."
Everyone began to laugh again.
~ * ~
Later on, everyone made their way out to the memorial rose garden, where Heero, Duo and Noin's bodies were buried. It was dark outside, but there was a full moon, spilling its light down upon the garden, highlighting their way. They carried lit candles, which gave off their own sphere of light.
Upon arriving at the tombstones, simply carved with their names and the dates of their birth and death, they placed the candles down before them and sat together, silent, reflecting.
Trowa stole a look at Quatre, and saw that the blonde's eyes were closed, tears sliding silently down his cheeks as he remembered his closest friend. The tears shone under the moonlight as they made their descent, making Trowa want to wipe them away. He felt ashamed that he hadn't been there to save his Angel.
If I hadn't been so stupid…if I had never left his side…he thought. Quatre's eyes opened suddenly, and he turned his watery tourmaline eyes to Trowa's emerald green ones.
"Quit playing the blame game, Trowa…you told me to take my own advice, now it's time for you to take it…" he whispered. "This night is supposed to be a special night, a night where we remember, and honor the memories of our friends…please don't spoil it by blaming yourself…"
Trowa ducked his head.
"I'm sorry…" he replied, and felt Quatre caress his cheek.
"Koi…just remember, okay?" he heard, before the hand was removed. Trowa closed his eyes, and vividly began to play back his memories of Duo and Heero.
I miss you both…he thought.
I miss you, Duo…I wish I could have known you, Heero…Quatre thought.
~ * ~
Wufei watched as Quatre and Trowa got caught up in memories, before glancing at Treize and Zechs, who were doing the same. He felt a pinprick of shame for being the only one not doing it. In all truth, he hadn't really known any of them, not even Noin. He only knew her by name, and hadn't even set eyes on her before she died. Duo and Heero he hadn't known either. He knew Heero by reputation only, and Duo…he only had a memory of him as he died, which wasn't anything pleasant to remember him by.
The terrible scenes of Duo and Heero's death flooded his mind, yet he felt so detached from it all, like he was looking at himself watching it. He felt no pain, no grief for them, and extreme guilt because of it. He saw Quatre's beautiful face twisted in an expression of anguish as he sobbed brokenly on the chest of his best friend, which had fallen still. He watched Heero's chest rise slowly and shakily, and saw him reach out towards the newcomer – Trowa.
Wufei felt himself drift into Heero's body, and felt a mixture of pain, anguish and undying love enter him. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he was looking through Heero's eyes, feeling what he felt, seeing what he saw. He could feel death approaching, and heard his voice speak, his thoughts process, his heart slow down. A tear trickled down his/Heero's cheek, and then blackness engulfed them both.
~ * ~
Treize heard an agonized gasp from beside him, and opened his eyes to see Wufei clutching his chest in pain. He reached out to his young lover, bringing him close, holding him.
When Wufei's eyes opened, they were foreign, distant. Not at all like the loving eyes Treize knew.
"We…we miss you all…Duo misses you, Quatre, Trowa…he loves you…" he said in a whisper. Treize looked puzzled.
"Wufei?" he asked softly. The Chinese youth shook his head.
"It's Heero and Duo…we're borrowing Wufei for a little while." The voice said. Quatre and Trowa scrambled over to Wufei's side, while Zechs watched from afar.
"Duo, Heero…" Quatre whispered. Wufei's head turned to face him, and his hand reached out to caress his cheek.
"Hey Q-chan…" Wufei's voice said in a soft whisper. Quatre began to cry, clinging to Wufei, whose body clung back.
"I'm sorry, Duo…" he sobbed.
"Quatre…I was going to betray you. I was going to help take your life in order to ensure mine was safe…it's me who should be sorry…" he admitted. Quatre gasped.
"You…were? Heero made you do it?" he asked. Wufei/Duo nodded.
"Yeah. I loved him…still do, Q-man. I did it because he was gonna go through with it regardless of whether he had my support or not. I chose life, but in the process, I condemned you to death…I can't ask you to forgive me…I just want you to know that I really couldn't go through with it…which is why I leapt in front of you. I realised that I couldn't live with myself had I let you die…"
"Duo…it's been a year. I forgave you a long time ago…Trowa and I had a hunch that you were working for Heero…" Quatre admitted. Wufei/Duo pressed his lips to Quatre's.
"I love you, Quatre Raberba Winner…" he whispered, tears tracking down his borrowed face. Quatre brushed them away.
"And I you, Duo Maxwell…" he replied, voice thick with unreleased emotion. Wufei/Duo nodded, a soft smile appearing.
"We have to go…goodbye." He said quietly, and Wufei's eyes closed. Quatre sought comfort in Trowa's arms, and the uni-banged boy held him tightly, not caring about the kiss, or the words…all he cared about was his Angel.
"Feel better, Little One?" he whispered, and Quatre looked up at him. He nodded and sighed.
"Yes…but I'd like to go to bed now, if you all don't mind. I'm exhausted…" he admitted. Wufei moaned softly as he came around, and Quatre stroked his hair.
"Poor Wufei. That must have been a strange experience for you…" he said softly. The Asian youth smiled softly at Quatre.
"I could see everything from a distance…it was scary, yet strangely fascinating…" he said with a yawn. Treize scooped him up into his arms, and stood, throwing a look towards Zechs.
"We're off to bed. Quatre's not the only one here who's
exhausted…" he said, looking at the bundle he was holding.
Wufei had already fallen asleep in Treize's arms and the ginger-haired man smiled, pressing a soft kiss to his temple. Trowa then extended a helping hand to Quatre, pulling him to his feet. The little blonde shivered in the chilly night air, and clutched Trowa closer. He yawned delicately and squeezed Trowa's hand, signaling his desire to sleep.
"Goodnight, everyone. Quatre's nearly falling asleep on his feet…" Trowa whispered, and picked up the sleepy blonde. Together they trudged away from the other three, to their room.
Trowa placed Quatre into bed, and crawled in next to him. He snuggled up to his Angel, kissing his cheek softly.
Quatre sighed happily.
The dojo idea is a success, Treize, Wufei and Zechs are happy, Trowa and I are still together…Duo…Duo loves me…all is forgiven. He thought, his heart warming. Things are looking promising…a brand new start for us all. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.
The End.
There ya go! Done!
All is well, nothing else needs explaining? I bloody well hope not!! ::exhausted
sigh:: Quatre really isn't the only
one who's exhausted…I am, too!
~ Wannon-chan ~