(Gundam Safehouse / Eleven
hundred fifteen hours)
Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei sat in
various places about the Gundam Safehouse den where Mia was being held captive.
Relena continued to look over the
new girl with disapproval. I just know she's out after my Heero, She thought angrily. Well, you'll wish you never
challenged Relena Peacecraft, whoever you
are.
"Hey! Princess Barbie, why don't
you find something else to stare at before I give you a reason to stare."
"Oh!" Relena stared in shock to
hear this complete stranger insulting her already.
Quatre, meanwhile, had finally
had enough from Mia. He closed his eyes angrily and tried to calm himself as he
spoke. "Listen Mia, we don't know much about you and you don't know anything
about us so why don't you stop insulting everyone and try to be grateful we
didn't let Heero kill you!"
Mia gave Quatre her own version
of Heero's death stare, "What did you say you little mamma's boy?"
Trowa's eyes flashed dangerously
and he took a menacing step towards her. "Trowa don't,"
Trowa turned back to Quatre,
"But she,"
"Don't sink to her level."
Trowa growled but sat down after
another one of Quatre's pleading looks.
Wufei smirked. "Besides that,
there is no honor in striking a woman, especially one who is helpless."
"Helpless? Excuse me, but I am not
a damsel in distress, I can take care of myself."
"I guess that's why you're tied
up and being held captive right?" She glowered furiously, he smirked again.
Mia growled, having been
infuriated to no end, but didn't say more aloud for fear of giving the secret
of her true power away too soon.
Wufei sat across from her looking
rather smug, unaware that Mia was indeed capable of looking out for herself.
She continued to mumble angrily under her breath after the others had clamed
themselves down. "Helpless, I'll show you
helpless. Just wait till I get my hands on you you little bald headed dragon…"
She muttered under her breath.
Nobody else said anything and
Relena tried to find something else to stare at for a while as she played out
some not so nice thoughts about Mia in her head. Mia remained silent as she
tried to analyze what information she had gained from the small group that was
so kind as to continue to grace her with their presence.
The one called Trowa hadn't said
more than two words to her since she'd arrived here, she could see he was in
some ways similar to the one they called Heero. Yes, the dangerous soldier in
spandex, he was quite the silent type… Mia turned her head to look at Relena
out of the corner of her eye. She seemed like the spoiled type, somehow she
didn't like her and she knew nothing of her. This only made her dislike Relena
more so, anyone she didn't know at all and didn't like was someone she really didn't want to bother getting to
know.
She had studied the braided one
long enough to realize he was the joker of the group, she could see it in the
way he wore that ridiculously handsome grin on his face. And that hair! It was
longer than hers had ever been. He
probably had the longest hair she'd ever seen in her life. Duo, that was
what they called him. He was the one who saved me from Heero, hmm. He has guts,
but he obviously needs to learn when to and when not to interfere. If she
had been free of the ropes at the time she would have had no problem with
moving Duo out of Heero's way by force. Lucky for him I was tied up.
She looked right at Quatre, she
felt, she felt, she didn't know what she
felt but it was almost a sense of dejavu. She was almost sorry she and him hadn't started on better terms. He had a
gentle aura that just made her want
to like him, with his blue eyes and soft gentle expression. Too sweet. Snap
out of it Aino, don't let them get to you.
"Now what do you want?" Quatre
asked almost angrily. Mia realized she'd been staring and lowered her head.
"Nothing, just lost in thought."
Trowa felt the hairs on his neck
stand on end and his blood boiled, What the heck did she mean by that remark?!
"Oh," Quatre nodded, then said,
"You know, the sooner you tell us what happened the sooner you'll be untied."
I could easily snap these
ropes little Quatre. The only reason I don't is because I want to find out
about you and your friends here. "I'll talk when I'm ready. No sooner." She
muttered.
No sooner had she said this than
Heero walked in angrily. He and Duo had obviously
had a long, somewhat unpleasant talk because Heero was more aggravated than
usual. He stepped round in front of Mia's chair, she didn't see or sense the
gun on him and wondered if that was going to prove to be a good thing or a bad
thing. "Now, tell me why you were spying on us at the morgue." Mia closed her
eyes and ignored Heero's words. The others held their breath as they waited for
Heero's reaction. "I won't say it again, tell me now."
Mia just burned holes into the
floor with her eyes, Trowa and Quatre and Relena exchanged worried glances.
Even Relena knew not to ignore Heero like that when he was asking a question.
Heero's eyes narrowed and the others could see he was going to explode.
"THAT'S IT!!!!"
Even Trowa jumped at the sheer
rage in Heero's voice. He grabbed Mia by the collar of her sweatshirt, pulling
her very close to his face, chair and all, he said, "You are seriously getting
on my last nerves! So if your not gonna talk I'll very simply gag you and throw
you into the deepest lake I can find!!!"
Everyone jumped again as the legs
of her chair abruptly hit the ground again with a loud BANG!
Mia sat in her chair, her mouth
hanging open in what could be nothing less than absolute shock. She lowered her
head immediately, desperate to break eye contact with the demon they called
Heero. My God! He can't possibly
be human with a temper like that!!! "I was there to find classified files,
I had just gotten into the computer system when you five idiots showed up and I
hid."
"What files,"
"I don't need to tell you-"
"What files." Heero repeated.
After a moment of silence she
spoke again. "I needed the files for the OZ employees that I'd killed. They
contained information I needed." Quatre looked up at her suddenly.
Wufei had been silent until now,
now he stared at her in a mix of shock and secret admiration. "You killed the Oz employees?!" He asked,
"Yes, what's so shocking about
it, the fact that it was a girl and not some big homicidal vampire? Or the fact
that a girl had the stomach to handle it?"
"I, I…" Wufei shut his jaw closed, he hadn't heard any woman talk to him that way in a really long time now. Not since Nataku's death.
Quatre looked on in surprise.
She must be better at reading people than I thought…
She stared at Wufei a moment
longer before she broke eye contact with him. She had all but forgotten he was
in the room until then. His silence was impressive, she could see he must be a
skilled fighter.
"So you see Heero," she said his name mockingly, she was almost relived to see
he'd kept his cool. She continued. "I wasn't spying on you at all. I thought
you were OZ."
Heero snorted, she watched him carefully
and decided that she would have to be more cautious around him.
Heero turned away in anger and
disgust. How can a girl like HER
cause so much trouble?!
She shook her head and instantly
regretted it as a wave of nausea washed over her. I need to eat, soon. I'm
getting too weak… can't afford to let down my guard without my, medallion…
every thought was becoming a struggle as the pain in her stomach intensified.
I must have food!
This was her last thought just
before she passed out from her exhaustion.
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
"Hey Heero, I think she just
passed out. She's unconscious!"
Trowa took a closer look, "Yep,
she's out like a light."
"Then we'll have some peace for a
while." Relena thought aloud. Heero walked out of the room, leaving the other
three pilots alone with Relena and the girl.
He walked past Duo's door and
stopped to listen for the braided pilot. He heard no sounds coming from inside
the room except for Duo's snoring. Sleeping. He thought as he
continued. I will make it all up to him somehow. Heero decided.
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
Meanwhile, on the contrary, Duo
sat as awake as he could be on his bed eyeing the medallion he'd found at the
morgue. He turned it this way and that as he examined it. What the heck is this thing? He pondered, it was a
golden octagon, and inside the octagon was a gray star, and in the middle of
the star rested a stone… a sapphire, (in the darkest blue he'd ever seen,)
shaped like a hexagon. Hmm, kind of heavy to carry around in your pocket. He thought. "It must be some
kind of symbol for something. But for what?"
………
Silence answered him, so he
surrendered for now and hid the medallion away in a small box with a lock in
his drawer. Then he headed back to the lounge room where only Quatre remained.
Where the others had gone to he didn't know. Must have decided to go for a
walk. He walked over to Mia, to see that she was out cold. "How long has
she been unconscious?"
"Huh? Oh, about twelve minutes."
Quatre answered. Duo placed his hand against Mia's face to see if she would
respond. "Don't worry, she'll be fine. She's only hungry."
"How do you know?" He asked as he
watched her facial expression for any changes.
"Um, lucky guess."
Hmmm, what is that wonderful
smell? She wondered. It was so close, she could almost taste it… She
concentrated all her power to smell and realized it was the braided boy,
holding her face. She caught her breath then thought better of herself and
continued breathing normally.
"If she doesn't come to soon let
me kn-"
She came to, her eyes suddenly
popping open. Mia Aino was very aware
of her surroundings. She caught Duo's stare and locked onto his eyes. He
remained frozen before her, as they stared at each other for what felt like an
eternity. "You should be more careful when so close to a wanted murderer."
Heero watched from the kitchen
door as the two shared their moment, he growled in jealousy and anger at
himself for his own ignorance. If Mia was planning to take Duo away from him it
would be over Heero's dead body…
Duo took his hand away from her
face and walked away sheepishly to find Wufei and Trowa. Mia watched him as he
stood up and walked away, his braid swinging back and forth with every stride.
… A whole lot more careful…
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
(Gundam Safehouse / Friday Twenty
four hundred hours)
At midnight that night a slim
figure was sneaking its way down the side of the safehouse, it dropped the
distance to the ground and took off at a run, which was more like a walk to
them. The hunt was on…
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
Wufei watched as she snuck out of
the house, and followed in pursuit thinking, How could she have broken
those ropes? I saw Yuy tie her up myself,
Wufei followed as her figure
slipped in between trees with incredible ease. She's fast, he realized
as he had a bit of trouble keeping up with her.
When she came to a solid wall of
sheer rock blocking her path he thought, Okay, now she has to go another
way. But to Wufei's amazement she crouched, coiling up her lower legs, and
sprang straight up, clutching to the rock face. She climbed with incredible
skill and speed.
He didn't know quite how to react
but didn't waste another minute as he tried to keep up.
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
At the top of the cliff he saw the
village, but no sign of her. He thought back to when he'd seen Mia Aino for the
first time…
FLASHBACK
My god, she's beautiful.
Wufei thought, it was a sudden shock to him to have thought that of this girl.
But she looked just like Nataku, his wife, it was uncanny… How could this
Japanese stranger look so much like his Meiran? The only difference was her eye
color, and the fact that her hair was too shortly cut to be kept in Meiran's
usual two ponytails. And she was so much like her in every sense… From her
looks to what he'd seen of some of her beliefs, Wufei was almost instantly
impressed by her when he'd realized she was actually female.
But it was almost painfully clear
that it wasn't Wufei she was interested in, but Maxwell. Wufei had also watched
from another part of the house as Duo's hand touched Mia's face for at least a
minute. And the worst part was, she seemed to have enjoyed it.
END FLASHBACK
As if there aren't enough reasons for me to hate that
baka! He thought angrily.
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
(Gundam Safehouse / Saturday Two
hundred hours)
Heero couldn't sleep all night,
and the fact that a thunderstorm was raging outside wasn't making it easier for
him. All he could think of was that certain braided pilot in the room next to
his. What can I do? I hurt him, I saw it in his eyes…… Why? Why do
I always destroy innocence?
In his mind the girl asked again;
Are you lost?
I've been lost all my life.
No sense in laying around and
wasting my time. With those thoughts he stood up and left his room. When he
crossed Duo's room he could hear the American scream, "I'm the god of death, so
join me on my journey into hell!"
Heero couldn't help but smile to
himself. That's so Duo. Even in his dreams his mouth won't stop
yakking. He heard the American shift and mumble something else about hell
then all fell silent. When no more sound was heard from Duo's room, Heero
decided to move on.
Mia is lucky I don't have to
go through the den. If I had to see her face again I might kill her without
thinking. Heero crossed the hall into the hangar where the Gundams were
kept.
He went straight to Wing Zero
where he planned to stay the rest of the night.
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
(Gundam Safehouse / Saturday Two hundred fifteen hours)
"NOOOO!" Relena sat up in a cold
sweat. She looked around at the shadows dancing across the wall of her room.
Where the heck did that come from? the remnants of the nightmare
continued to play through her mind until finally, they faded away to random
blurred thoughts.
CLANK!
"What was that?" She whispered to
herself. She slipped out of her bed to investigate the source of the sound. As
her feet hit the floor she thought, It sounded like it came from the
hangar. And with that in mind she tiptoed off towards the hangar.
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
As soon as she'd entered the
immense hall something hard and metallic fell at her feet. She looked straight
up to see Heero working on Wing Zero. "Heero?"
"Go, away..." He said not
bothering to look down at her.
Relena didn't listen, she
continued to voice her thoughts as they came to her. "You know, it was very rude to just walk out without even
saying 'hello'."
"……."
"Heero, talk to me!" Heero
lowered himself from the cockpit to the floor and brushed past Relena to find
peace and most of all, quiet in his
room.
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
(Gundam Safehouse / Sunday Ten
hundred hours)
Breakfast time at the Safehouse…
Heero sat at the table eating
silently, his gun resting directly next to his plate as always. Mia sat
directly across the table from Heero, eyeing his gun cautiously.
Everyone except Heero looked up
as they heard Duo's trademark door-slam and watched him sit at the table next
to Heero.
"Coffee, Black," Duo said in a
hoarse voice, a few seconds later he added; "Please," Quatre smiled brightly as
he placed Duo's coffee before him. "Quatre, how the hell can you be such a
morning person?"
Quatre opened his mouth to answer
but Trowa cut him off to defend his lover himself, "Well someone has to, with
me, you, Heero, and Wufei around."
"Gosh Heero," Duo said when he
saw the gun again, "Do you really
have to carry that damned thing everywhere
you go?"
Heero only snorted in response,
realizing the American should already know the answer to that question.
Wufei dragged into the kitchen,
bags visible under his eyes, his black hair hanging loosely about his
shoulders. He didn't meet anyone's gaze but said aloud, "Good morning Aino. I
hope the night found you well…"
"PPPPPHHHTT!!!" Duo began to choke on his coffee, Heero immediately began to pound him on his back, Relena and Mia glared at them, their eyes burning with anger, but each with their own separate motives.
Trowa raised his one visible
eyebrow inquiringly at Wufei's polite greeting towards Mia. Where the hell
did that come from?! What the heck has gotten into everyone?!
"Oh, so now you speak to me? Last ni…" Her voice trailed off and she
cleared her throat, "Yesterday you
had nothing to say to me, nothing social
anyway." Wufei clenched his teeth together tightly and he narrowed his eyes
visibly. So, the silent warrior has weakness… Figures, every mortal human
has at least one. She snorted in
contempt.
Wufei growled, She is impossible! How could I ever have even thought this woman was anything like Nataku?! Wufei
glowered intensely and sat down without another word.
Needless to say everyone was silent for the rest of the
meal.
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
(Gundam Safehouse / Sunday Twelve
hundred hours)
Again the entire group sat about
the living room, waiting for Heero's return from the hangar so they could begin
questioning Mia.
Mia watched Duo with growing
interest, ignoring everyone else in the room while she continued to look the
American over. Such intense eyes, it's like staring at the Northern
lights... Beautiful… She furrowed her eyebrow in admiration, Riding
pants and a priest collar? And yet… they seem perfect on him. His skin, he
can't be human with looks like that. Even more pale than my own… Maybe he's a
vampire to… a sadistic smile crossed her face.
At that moment (which for Mia,
couldn't have been worse timing) Heero walked in, and caught her eyeing HIS Duo. "What the hell do you think
you're looking at?"
Duo's head snapped up in
confusion to see Heero glaring angrily at Mia, and Mia looking from him to
Heero, like everyone else was at that moment.
"Excuse me?"
"If I ever catch you looking at
Duo like that again I'll kill you." He said simply but dangerously.
Relena looked back and forth
between Heero and Duo, It can't be!
My Heero? Is a… a… a homosexual?
I know this is the work of that
braided demon! Heero would never do
such a thing under his own-- She cut her own thoughts short as she finally
understood what Heero had said, "If I ever catch you looking at Duo like
that again…" Hmm, Mia and Duo? Is it possible that this girl could prove useful
for something other than insulting people? As Relena plotted out her plans
for Mia, Wufei watched Duo with a renewed hatred.
What does she see in him
that's so damn charming? Why does she go out of her way to be kind to that
baka? He went back to sharpening his sword, his full attention on the task
at hand. At least, most of his
attention was on the task at hand… He kept one eye trained on Mia as the
conversation continued.
"I can look at anyone I want any way I want, and why should you care so
much? Are you jealous?" Heero and Duo stiffened simultaneously at her words.
Is he… Is he jealous? No it couldn't be, it must be because he doesn't
trust her. Heero would never… Would
he?
Heero growled and dropped the
subject.
Trowa watched curiously, things
seemed to be getting more interesting as the days went by…
"Maybe you'd like to answer a few
more questions now." Quatre suggested, she looked at the floor angrily.
Who is he to tell me who I
can and can't look at? I should just kill him right now but I know not to be
that stupid. It would upset the others, and hurt Duo. Though I don't see why… the way that fool treats him he's
lucky to have Duo as a friend…
"Duo, what were you doing that's
so damn interesting? Normally you feel it when someone's watching you."
"Sorry Heero, I guess I got lost
in thought about this strange medallion I found." He showed the object to
everybody, "I still can't figure out what it's for."
Mia's eyes went wide when she saw
the medallion hanging from Duo's fingers. Her eyes were locked onto it intently
and fearfully as he began to toss it absently into the air and then swung it
slightly back and forth. Without even thinking she jumped up and charged at
Duo.
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
Duo didn't know what happened.
One moment he was standing in the middle of the room, the next he found himself
slammed against the wall, Mia in front of him holding him up on his braid and
pressing a short but none the less sharp sword against his throat. Where
the hell did she get that thing
from? He wondered with wide eyes.
Mia stared him directly into the
eyes. "Where did you get it from?" He couldn't tell what it was but she looked
like she was ready to kill.
"Why do you wanna know?" He
asked, even though it might have made his situation even worse.
"Because. It's. Mine." Her voice had gotten dangerously
low now and there was no doubt that she would do anything to get it. Duo closed
his eyes, he wasn't willing to give the medallion away, not yet at least.
"Let him go." Duo opened his eyes
to see Heero standing next to Mia, aiming his gun directly at her head.
Heero stared blankly at her and she stared back.
"If you two wanna have a staring contest you could at least let me- owwwww!!!!!!!!" Duo wasn't able to finish his sentence when something hard hit him in the stomach and he felt the pendant being ripped from his hand.
"You baka! If you had broken my mother's medallion…" She growled
menacingly.
"Get away from him." She turned
slowly to face Heero as she put the necklace on and before she could calm
herself to think straight she was challenging him again. "I dare you… Shoot me!" She yelled. He pulled the
trigger and she stumbled back.
Relena and Quatre turned away as
Mia collapsed onto the floor, her body motionless. Wufei moaned inwardly,
No… He glared his immediate hatred at Heero but a low laugh made every
head snap back around, they watched in shock as Mia stood up laughing softly.
She stopped laughing abruptly but the amused smile remained, she walked over to
Heero without so much as a word and stopped an inch from his face.
She placed something hard and
warm in his hand. When he opened it to look there sat his bullet. She grinned
evilly. The blood dried almost instantly and the wound on her forehead was
already closing. "Ouch."
Meanwhile, Quatre was caring
for Duo, looking down at the grimace of pain that now occupied Duo's normally
cheerful face. I know that she is stronger than I am, Duo can consider
himself a lucky man. Confronting a vampire and living to tell about it.
Relena's mouth dropped to the
floor, she shrieked. "IEEEEEEEEE!!! DEMON!
DEVIL WOMAN!!! Don't you DARE TOUCH
MY HEERO!!!" She said taking a step towards Mia.
You insolent fool! You dare challenge me?!
"Don't even try me little girl." She
hissed, "You have no idea what you'd be getting yourself into." She turned to
Quatre, "How do you live with her?"
"What are you?!" Relena yelled.
"I'm a vampire."
"But, but I thought vampires were
afraid of crosses. Why didn't you react to Duo? He has one on at all times!"
"I do not fear crosses, or
garlic, or even sunlight. In fact, I love the sun. You and your pathetic human
stereotypes disgust me. And you truly believe that I am an evil devil right
Relena Peacecraft?"
"How, do you know my full name?"
"I'm a mind reader," She said,
Relena blinked and Mia chuckled. "Quatre told me of course."
"You brainwashed him into telling
you!!!"
"No Relena, I did not brain wash
him, I do not have those kind of powers unfortunately. Otherwise I would have
found my mothers medallion days ago."
"Your mother's medallion?" Duo
repeated.
"Why were you so surprised when
Duo showed you that medallion? You said you were watching us in the morgue. If
you really were spying on us then you should have seen Duo pulling it out of
that guy's pocket." Wufei said.
Trowa glared at her with a
look fit to scare a mobile-doll. "And if it's really yours, why did that man
have it?"
She ignored the questions and
said quickly. "It was pure luck that you had it with you here. I am still young
in our standards, and with this on I am as strong as a full-grown vampire.
Without it I am weakened to your standards, powerless to protect myself from my
enemies."
Quatre's eyebrow rose
questioningly. "Your enemies?"
"Yes Quatre, there are others out
there like us, who would have me killed."
"Why,"
She held up the medallion. "Why? They want this of course. It is called the Sapphire's Eye Safeguard, with it I can come to no permanent harm, no vampire could come to permanent harm. Can you imagine what would happen if a vampire with fully developed powers ever got hold of this?" She shook her head sadly, "They are ready and willing to kill for it, as am I." She began to rub the jewel affectionately between her thumb and fingers.
"You see, my father gave this medallion to my mother when I was still a little girl. He told her that as long as she had it with her we would always be safe. I didn't understand then, but one day he was attacked, and killed by the same vampires who are hunting me now. They learned then that he didn't have it anymore and came after my mother, she gave me the medallion and told me that I could never let them have it. Then she disappeared too, trying to lead them away from me. Even my own vampire mother had her weaknesses,
"This medallion has been in my
family for centuries since before any
of the colonies were formed." She tucked it away in her shirt and except for
the light shinning off of the chain they couldn't tell she wore it still. "They
will find me soon, and so I must go, I cannot let them find me here. I will
leave first thing tomorrow morning if it suits you. If not I can leave now."
She said simply,
"You can stay till morning."
Quatre answered before any of the others could object.
"Thank you Quatre," She nodded
her leave for the night and followed Quatre to the room where she would be
sleeping. When the others had gone they watched after their retreating forms.
"I should have known… from the minute I saw her I knew…" Wufei muttered. Just my luck, the girl I have come to care for is an immortal, blood sucking, vampire witch.
This time it was Duo who eyed Wufei suspiciously; not for
the first time that week. Something odd was happening to everyone, ever since
Mia had appeared.
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
"Are you sure you want to go?
It's not going to be the same if you leave."
"I am sure Quatre, I cannot risk
staying in one place for long or I will be found again. I was lucky that Duo
happened to come across my medallion before someone else did."
Quatre nodded, he understood her
reason being for leaving,
And besides, She added
privately, I don't want to endanger you, any of you in my mission. As much as I dislike most of you. This is my problem and no one else's.
"If you insist Mia, it's been
nice having someone I could really relate to here with me."
"Yes, likewise. I will miss you
also Quatre. Oyasuminasai Ko iti'," She said in her native language. "Mo,
do'umo," she said softly as she turned towards her room.
"Do itashimashite, Mia Aino,"
Quatre answered softly before going back to join the others.
Mia watched Quatre walk down the
hall and back into the living room with new admiration, she smiled again before
she closed the door and went to go to bed, the conversation she and Quatre had
just shared lingering in her mind just before she dozed off. "Goodnight little one. And, thank you."
"You are welcome Mia Aino"
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
(Gundam Safehouse/ Sunday Twenty
three hundred hours)
"Trowa what's wrong?" Quatre
asked, slightly worried.
"Nothing little Angle. It's just
that Heero reacted rather oddly today. Don't you think so?" Trowa gave Quatre a
questioning look.
"I think so too. But if you knew
what I know you wouldn't be saying it's odd."
"And what is it that you know?"
Trowa asked with a suspicious gleam in his visible eye.
"Awww, come on. Didn't you figure
it out yet? Heero is helplessly in love with Duo." Quatre said and turned to
face Trowa again. When he saw the shocked expression on his koi's face he
started laughing again. "So you really didn't know. That's actually kind of
funny,"
"I didn't even know Heero was
capable of any feelings. Just think of it, a gentle Heero. It's just as
impossible as an women's right activist Wufei, at least to me it is."
"It really does sound odd, but I
guess we won't get to see that side
of Heero at all. The only person who'll get to see it is Duo."
"If he loves Heero back that is."
Trowa said silently.
Oh Trowa, I have no doubt
about it.
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
(Gundam Safehouse / Monday Five
hundred hours)
Wufei sat awake in his room, unable to sleep. His thoughts kept turning back to that blasted woman no matter what he did. Even thinking about getting revenge against Duo turned to thoughts of the Japanese girl. He cursed himself for ever falling so deeply. She will never feel the same way for me as I feel for her, why can't I accept it and move on? He tossed and turned, still, he couldn't become comfortable enough to sleep. None of his usual tricks worked in putting him to sleep and he sat awake. What would Heero do?
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
Wufei sat in the hangar working busily on his Gundam, he worked more dedicated than usual, knowing that if he stopped he would begin thinking of Mia again. After a while he had to stop to rest before he would go back to nonstop work. He began to meditate. He was just about to close his eyes when he saw Mia's figure slinking through the dark Where is she going at this god-forsaken hour of morning?
But he already knew she was leaving, never to return. He ducked down low and watched her look about, probably checking to see that Heero wasn't watching somewhere, and slipped out through the door. And there she goes. He looked back up at Shenlong. He wouldn't get anymore sleep that night, but perhaps he could somehow manage to clam himself and relax for a while, and perhaps get his mind off of Aino…
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
Be careful Mia Aino, take
care of yourself. Quatre thought as he watched her fleeing form disappear
into the night. Tomorrow, I must tell the others the truth about me. I
wonder how they will take it…
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
(Village / Monday Twenty three
hundred twenty hours)
Mia walked alone down the streets
of the village with her hood drawn over her face. You made the right choice
Mia, you can't risk exposing Quatre and his companions. They are the only real
hope for this world. And you couldn't possibly expect them to want to put up
with you after the trouble you caused. A fight between Heero and Duo, insulting
not only Trowa, but Wufei and even Quatre. And Relena, well… who wants to deal
with that pest everyday anyway? She focused her attention on
the forest ahead of her with only one more glance back over her shoulder.
Leaving behind Quatre and Duo and even Wufei had been harder than she'd first
imagined. She reset her face into a grimace and marched forward.
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
(Unknown location / Monday Twenty
four hundred hours)
Wufei sat under the canopy of the
trees looking up at the stars, wondering if Nakatu was maybe watching him from
somewhere above. Nataku, why did you have to go and do something so cruel…
leaving me here alone like this… "Kisama!" He suddenly swung his sword in
anger at a large tree he was resting under, slicing it nearly clean through.
Why does everyone I care for
always leave me?!
He sighed and began to put his
sword back into its sheath.
What is he doing out here all
alone? She thought. He seemed deep in thought, he must have been thinking very deeply to not notice that the old
tree he'd attacked so carelessly a few seconds before, was hurtling down
towards him, to fast for even Wufei to react by now. "Wufei!" Mia didn't waste
another second and leaped up, the tree only a foot from Wufei's head.
He gasped, I'm coming to join
you in death Nataku… He closed his eyes tightly and waited to see what
sensation would come after death…
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
He felt, the same as he had
before, I'm, am I dead? Wufei opened his eyes, he almost couldn't
believe what he was seeing. Mia stood over him, straining to hold the tree up,
with one knee dug into the ground and the other supporting the immense weight
on her back. Pain was clearly written across her face.
"Wufei you baka! What are you
doing out here, trying to get yourself killed?!" He stared up at her,
dumbfounded for a moment, she groaned inwardly, "Um, Wufei?"
"Oh!" Wufei jumped out of the way
and the tree was sent crashing to the ground. Mia collapsed onto her hands.
My god, I may be strong but
not even I can hold that sort of
weight for long! He must be trying to
kill me…
Wufei reached down and helped her
to her feet, "Are you alright Aino?" he asked softly. Mia glared at him
angrily.
How can he be so pig headed
about women's rights, and yet still be so kind towards me? Wufei turned
away when he saw the familiar anger in her eyes.
Nice one Wufei, nearly
getting you and her almost killed
would really win her over.
Her expression softened. Just a
tiny bit. "I'm fine, what the heck are you doing out here all alone? Or do you always go around trying to get yourself
killed…" She said dryly.
"Actually, I was meditating." He
confessed, "I guess when I'm out here, surrounded by so much nature I get lost
in my thoughts." He admitted.
What a fool! He could have
been killed, and for what? To admire some trees and a few stars? How can
someone who is such a skilled fighter be so, so… gentle-hearted? "You crazy
baka! You could have gotten yourself killed because you wanted to star gaze?!
What, why would you, what were you thinking?!"
Wufei tried to hold his patience
and began to count to ten, "Yi, Er, San, Sz, Wu, Leo, Qi, Ba, Jou…" This
woman is driving me insane! How can I
care for her so and want to wring her neck at the same time?!
Mia took a deep breath and calmed
herself. Why am I so concerned that he was almost killed? It must surely be
because Quatre is his friend and cares for him. Yes, because Quatre would have been hurt if something
happened to any of those other
bakas.
"Mia, I realize we might not have
started on the best of terms but I…" Mia's ear perked, she turned sharply
towards the direction where she had been heading before she was 'sidetracked'.
Wufei trailed off when he saw she wasn't hearing anything he said. "Are you
even listening to me? K'so! You can be so-"
"Shh!" She said sharply. She
listened hard, she heard it again. Her heart froze over when she recognized the
footsteps. "Wufei, you have to get out of here. Now! Get back in your Gundam or however you got here and go, don't
tell Quatre about any of this!"
"I, I don't understand. What's
going on?"
"I don't have time to explain,
just swear you won't tell Quatre, I don't want him doing anything stupid like
coming after me."
"What are you talking about come
after you? Tell me what's going on!" He took firm hold of her shoulders and
looked her square in the eye. "I'm not going anywhere unless I know why."
Suddenly a sinister voice cut
through the conversation. "Mia, where are you hiding pet?" She shuddered at the
familiar voice,
"That's why. He can't find you here Wufei. He is more powerful than
I am, he can read humans minds. If he finds you he'll know about you and your
friends, he'll find out about Quatre and seek him out until he's sure we are both dead, Quatre and I in the same! You
can't let that happen! You have to go back!"
Is she really worried about
me? Or is she really just trying to warn Winner? Am I only imagining the words
I want to hear? "Come with me," He said as an idea hit him.
"Wufei, I don't have time for
this."
"You don't have a choice. If he
finds you he will get you and your
mothers medallion!"
Mia froze, How could he
realize… He is quicker than I gave him credit for, I seem to be misjudging
people a lot lately.
"Aino, I do hate it when you make
it hard for me. You know I'll find you. And when I do I'll take back the
medallion. And if you play your cards right you might just become my queen…"
His voice paused,
"I would rather die a thousand
times than let you ever touch me you cowardly murderer," She whispered in
disgust,
"I know you are close, I can
sense your fear nearby. Are you afraid of me little Aino?" She judged the
distance of his voice,
I can only imagine how strong
he must be, but are his powers strong enough to find us in the dark if we try
to sneak away? Will the Medallion be enough to protect us? "Wufei, it's now
or never, we have to make a break for it. You're, right, I can't let him have
my mothers medallion, but I still can't put the others at risk. He will only
track me back to the safehouse."
"I know somewhere you will be
safe, follow me." Wufei took her by the hand to pull her along but she quickly
pulled away. He didn't seem to notice and instead concentrated on the task at
hand.
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
(Gundam Safehouse / Monday Eight
hundred hours)
He made no sound as he silently
entered the room. His eyes just needed a spilt of a second to adjust to the
darkness that surrounded him. Heero gasped at the vision of Duo sleeping on his
bed. He hadn't been prepared for the sight he saw.
Duo was lying on the bed, the
sheets half covering his waist, his chest and the black boxers he wore easy to
see even in the darkness of the room. Duo's braid was undone, his hair falling
all over the pillow and to the ground.
Heero watched the Americans chest
rise and fall with every breath he took. Heero suddenly felt his knees go weak
and he sat down quietly. Hell Duo! If you only knew what you're doing to
people…. to me. He breathed
softly, He looks like an Angel. A dangerous
Angel, but an angel none the less.
Heero stiffened when Duo started
to move in his sleep, whispering words Heero wasn't able to understand because
his own heart was beating in his ears like hammers. Duo became more and more
restless, so Heero decided it was time to disappear before the braided boy woke
up.
"Heero… Heero please, I….I love
you."
WHAT?! In surprise Heero
totally forgot to breath and when he remembered he inhaled deeply. Had he heard
right, did Duo really say that? Trembling he moved back to where the
Deathscythe pilot slept, but in the semidarkness of the room he didn't see the
pile of books Duo had left on the floor like the careless boy he was.
"What…? Who's there?" Duo sat
bolt upright in his bed. Still dizzy from his sleep he couldn't focus. That was
one of the reasons why he didn't realize that it was Heero who was lying on the floor next to his bed. He reached out
for the small lamp next to him.
"HEERO!!! What are you mmmmpppphhhhh…" Heero grabbed the American
pilot and silenced him by putting his hand on the confused boys mouth.
"Shut up. Our do you want to wake
everybody?"
"They're probably already awake.
All that noise you made… like the sound of a herd of stampeding elephants! Now
why are you in my room? Do we have a new mission?" Duo stared as his fellow
pilot sat on the floor still trying to clear his head.
Heero stared at Duo and blushed.
Great, what now? I can't say that I was here just to watch him sleep. He'd
think I was insane!
I can't believe it. Heero is…
is blushing. What the hell is going on? Duo couldn't help but stare at
Heero as he tried to understand the situation.
"Well I… I…" Heero still didn't
know what to say. He looks adorable when he is confused. Duo I love
you. With this thought Heero grabbed Duo by the waist, and pulled the now
even more confused boy closer. Before he even realized what he was doing he
kissed Duo.
Heero felt Duo's body stiffen in
surprise as the braided boy's eyes widened in utter shock, but when he was
about to pull away Duo's eyes closed and his body relaxed. Heero pulled away,
but only to get some oxygen. But the embrace didn't stop.
"Heero? Where did that come from?"
Duo asked still in Heero's arms. I need to know that I'm not dreaming.
I have to tell him, he needs
to know. "Duo, aishiteru." Heero said silently.
"Really?! Oh Heero I love you
too!" Duo hugged Heero even closer, tears streaming down his face.
"Duo, what's wrong? Why are you
crying?" Heero felt complete helplessness when he saw the tears on his koi's
face. Have I done something to upset him in such a short span of
time???
"It's because I'm so happy." Duo
sighed as he nuzzled his head under Heero's chin. Oh, I could just stay
like this forever.
The both of them sat like this
for several minutes, neither wanting to move and upset the perfect moment, but
the moment was lost when someone knocked softly at the door. No, why
now? Duo silently cursed as he stood and went to the door.
"Who's there?" Duo called softly.
"Duo it's me, Quatre. Please
hurry up and come to the living room as soon as you're ready. And bring Heero
with you, too." Quatre's cheerful voice almost whispered the last sentence.
Now, what the hell was that?
Oh no… could it be that he already knows about me and Duo? Heero stared at
the door.
Duo snickered when he saw the
look on Heero's face. "Well, I guess that's one person less for us to tell when
the time comes." Duo moved slowly towards Heero, kissing him before he said, "I
have to get dressed, but first I need to shower, so if you would excuse me."
And with these words Duo headed for the bathroom.