Creature of the Wood -Chapter 4
I shall be thy lover...
Sweet love I'll make for thee alone,
And show thee sights before unknown.
I'll be thy master and thy friend,
For I am the gold at the rainbow's end.
I am the beast within all men...
I am the rhyme past mortal ken.
~Heather Alexander, 'Creature of the Wood'.
* * *
No one had prepared him for just how difficult this was going to be. Duo had helped quite a few Changelings discover themselves in the years he'd been on earth. Even Trowa had no clue what he was before the boundless energy of the Sidhe had nearly overwhelmed him with glamour. That was the key, after all... raise enough glamour, infuse it into the Changeling, and force them to see what they were. However, it was harder than hell to generate glamour around someone with the imagination of a brick.
He didn't know how long he'd been playing before he felt a surge of energy nearby and had opened his eyes to find his musical observer. For a while, he had just continued playing, watching the other's reactions as the tune shifted over into a happier melody than what he had been playing previously. Heero was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes half-closed as he listened. Gods, but he was beautiful when one saw him like this instead of as the hard-nosed student he tried to be all the time. Looking at him in this light, it wasn't hard for Duo to decide that no matter what happened, he WOULD break this one free.
After the music had stopped, they had simply stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, as if each were sizing up the other. Finally, Duo had broken the silence.
"You don't have to stand in the door, you realize." He had said softly. "This is your room, too, after all."
Heero had walked in then and settled himself in the chair near his desk. Much to Duo's surprise, he didn't immediately begin at his schoolwork, and instead continued to watch him. Neither boy said much for a while, and it was as if the silence were speaking for them. In that silence, a tentative truce was reached, and Duo was pretty certain that he wouldn't be asked to leave again.
Now they were walking along one of the cement paths towards the school. Duo had mentioned that it was soon to be dinner time, and wondered if the other had eaten since his arrival. It turned out that he hadn't, and both had agreed that food sounded appealing. The autumn wind drifted past the two, rustling the leaves in the trees above as they passed. No one else was seen to be out, but then again the school wasn't the most populated around. It wasn't unusual to go walking on the campus and never encounter another living soul for hours.
"Heero?" Duo began, smiling as the unfamiliar name rolled off his tongue. He'd gotten the other boy's name out of him as they were leaving the dorms, and had given his own as well.
"Hmm?"
"Do you miss your old school at all?" So it wasn't the most original of conversation starters, but at least it was a beginning. Duo wasn't sure exactly how to start this, and was not used to having no common ground to start from.
"Not really." The other boy began, lifting his gaze towards the clouds gathering in the sky. "I hadn't been there long, only since the middle of last year."
"You transfer a lot then?"
"Hai."
The now-familiar silence descended once more and Duo kicked at a few leaves that had fallen across the path they walked. He blinked suddenly, grinning as he looked over at the other boy. "Hey! Why don't we grab something to eat then head out towards the forest? I know a little clearing out there that's perfect for watching the stars."
Heero raised a brow and looked back towards Duo with an expression of disbelief. "For one, there's a storm brewing. We won't be able to see stars through the clouds. For two, what's wrong with eating in the cafeteria?"
Duo just shrugged faintly and grinned. "They don't really appreciate when I play the flute in the cafeteria. most of the boneheads here don't appreciate music unless it's coming out of a speaker at 200 decibels."
At the mention of the music, the cobalt eyes widened faintly and a rare smile passed over his features. "I hear Orion'll be visible around ten. We should be done eating by then."
Duo grinned, nodding vehemently as they continued on their way. One victory won... now to see just how tricky this was going to be.
* * *
"Well?"
Trowa leaned out the window, narrowing his eyes to pick out the two figures that were vanishing into the treeline. "You were right. They're headed into the woods." His keen vision allowed him to see what most people could only dream of, and at distances that would make an eye doctor cringe. "Didn't realize he would move THAT quickly." Pulling himself back inside, he looked over to where Quatre was spreading out the small assortment of sandwiches that he'd managed to filch from the cafeteria. Neither boy had been willing to deal with the throng of students, and they had opted instead to eat in their room.
He was growing more and more pleased with his new roommate by the minute. Quatre had a charming personality and an almost tangible magnetism about him that seemed to draw the Pooka into its grasp. Several times now, the blonde had caught Trowa watching him while he was pretending to do something else. If he'd been in his Fae seeming, his ears would have pricked up every time the smaller boy made a move and his tail would have been twitching in curiosity. The blonde was far less active than Duo was, and it was hard to believe that they were of the same kith at all. Where Duo was arrogant and brash, Quatre was simply self-assured and reasonable to a fault. He could have explained that the sky was purple, and Trowa would likely have never had to go to a window to check. He'd never been this drawn to anyone before, and to be honest, it was making him just a bit nervous. Was the Sidhe using some kind of magic on him?
"No magic..." Quatre said, looking up and catching Trowa's startled expression. "Sorry. You were thinking loud enough that I could hear even though I try not to."
"You... you can..."
Quatre just nodded and lowered his head apologetically. "Not that I want to, but I can. And I'm not sure either why you seem drawn to me... but I know that I feel the same way. I've never had that happen before, so I can't offer any suggestions."
Picking up half of a sandwich, Trowa just shrugged. "Well, no sense worrying about it then. We'll figure it out." The two continued their meal in an almost uncomfortable silence after that, each lost in their own thoughts.
* * *
Several weeks passed without incident. Wufei could just sit back and smile, watching the other four Fae in their antics. Trowa and Quatre were damn near inseperable, and Duo had dropped several jibing comments that maybe they WERE joined at the hip... for at least part of the day. That wasn't what had surprised him, however. What had gotten him was the fact that neither of the other two seemed inclined to dissuade that theory, and in fact it was the first time he'd ever recalled seeing the Pooka blush. Duo and Heero were making progress as well, although it was going slowly at best. Duo varied from ecstatic glee and wanting to pull his hair out by the roots whenever the taciturn Japanese boy was mentioned. Apparently, the boy DID have some musical talent after all, because Duo had nearly come unglued when he'd journeyed back to his room one day and found his precious flute in someone else's hands. He had gritted his teeth and complimented Heero's skill, but Wufei hadn't heard the end of that little incident yet. It was amusing to see Duo torn between protecting the only item he held dear... and encouraging his budding protegee into becoming more creative. Now, however, it had been solved. Duo had purchased two different instruments for Heero to try out, and the boy seemed to be taking to both of them well. The first was a simple recorder, which was similar to the flute Duo carried. The other was a bit trickier, a set of pan pipes that had caught Heero's attention while they had been out shopping one day.
That was another gap Duo had crossed with ease. Now it was simply a matter of asking to get Heero to follow his friend around on their many walks. Stargazing had become a favourite pasttime of theirs, and none were privy to the conversations they had while in the meadow not far from the school. All Wufei knew was that they both seemed to smile a bit more after they came back, and he was happy to see that maybe they were making progress in awakening the silent youth to his true heritage.
All in all, it made the news he bore now all the harder to bring. He made his way quickly across the campus, towards the dorms. He never really ran anywhere, but right now was the fastest he could move without breaking into a full out dash. There wasn't much time, and he'd rather be the one to break this particular news to his friend. He passed by Trowa and Quatre, not stopping even when he heard the called greeting from one of them... he wasn't even sure which one. He never saw them exchange glances and scramble down off the steps to follow him up to Duo and Heero's room. He didn't bother knocking, and when he threw the door open, he was met by the twin stares of two deer caught in headlights. Duo was curled up sitting on his bed with the flute in his hands as he had apparently been teaching Heero a new song to play on the recorder. The latter was sitting on the floor, staring up at Wufei in surprise as the Asian boy came to a stop in the center of the room.
"Hey Wu-man, what's shaking?" Duo began, his voice containing a rather happy chirp to it.
"Maxwell, I-..."
"Aw relax, I'll get to my homework in a bit, you can stop mothering me."
"Damnit, LISTEN!"
Duo scooted back a pace at that, eyes widening faintly. Heero was shifting his gaze between the two of them, obviously confused, as Trowa and Quatre skidded to a halt in the doorway. Wufei sighed, facing Duo completely. "You likely don't want to hear this right now..."
"W-what... you're starting to worry me now..." Duo stammered, getting the sinking feeling that whatever was coming, he wasn't going to like it.
"Your brother is ill. It's unknown whether he'll recover or not." Wufei grew more and more regretful of bearing this news as he saw Duo's cheerful demeanor melt away into an expression of near despair. "Your sister is here. She's come to take you home."
* * *
TBC
I shall be thy lover...
Sweet love I'll make for thee alone,
And show thee sights before unknown.
I'll be thy master and thy friend,
For I am the gold at the rainbow's end.
I am the beast within all men...
I am the rhyme past mortal ken.
~Heather Alexander, 'Creature of the Wood'.
* * *
No one had prepared him for just how difficult this was going to be. Duo had helped quite a few Changelings discover themselves in the years he'd been on earth. Even Trowa had no clue what he was before the boundless energy of the Sidhe had nearly overwhelmed him with glamour. That was the key, after all... raise enough glamour, infuse it into the Changeling, and force them to see what they were. However, it was harder than hell to generate glamour around someone with the imagination of a brick.
He didn't know how long he'd been playing before he felt a surge of energy nearby and had opened his eyes to find his musical observer. For a while, he had just continued playing, watching the other's reactions as the tune shifted over into a happier melody than what he had been playing previously. Heero was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes half-closed as he listened. Gods, but he was beautiful when one saw him like this instead of as the hard-nosed student he tried to be all the time. Looking at him in this light, it wasn't hard for Duo to decide that no matter what happened, he WOULD break this one free.
After the music had stopped, they had simply stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, as if each were sizing up the other. Finally, Duo had broken the silence.
"You don't have to stand in the door, you realize." He had said softly. "This is your room, too, after all."
Heero had walked in then and settled himself in the chair near his desk. Much to Duo's surprise, he didn't immediately begin at his schoolwork, and instead continued to watch him. Neither boy said much for a while, and it was as if the silence were speaking for them. In that silence, a tentative truce was reached, and Duo was pretty certain that he wouldn't be asked to leave again.
Now they were walking along one of the cement paths towards the school. Duo had mentioned that it was soon to be dinner time, and wondered if the other had eaten since his arrival. It turned out that he hadn't, and both had agreed that food sounded appealing. The autumn wind drifted past the two, rustling the leaves in the trees above as they passed. No one else was seen to be out, but then again the school wasn't the most populated around. It wasn't unusual to go walking on the campus and never encounter another living soul for hours.
"Heero?" Duo began, smiling as the unfamiliar name rolled off his tongue. He'd gotten the other boy's name out of him as they were leaving the dorms, and had given his own as well.
"Hmm?"
"Do you miss your old school at all?" So it wasn't the most original of conversation starters, but at least it was a beginning. Duo wasn't sure exactly how to start this, and was not used to having no common ground to start from.
"Not really." The other boy began, lifting his gaze towards the clouds gathering in the sky. "I hadn't been there long, only since the middle of last year."
"You transfer a lot then?"
"Hai."
The now-familiar silence descended once more and Duo kicked at a few leaves that had fallen across the path they walked. He blinked suddenly, grinning as he looked over at the other boy. "Hey! Why don't we grab something to eat then head out towards the forest? I know a little clearing out there that's perfect for watching the stars."
Heero raised a brow and looked back towards Duo with an expression of disbelief. "For one, there's a storm brewing. We won't be able to see stars through the clouds. For two, what's wrong with eating in the cafeteria?"
Duo just shrugged faintly and grinned. "They don't really appreciate when I play the flute in the cafeteria. most of the boneheads here don't appreciate music unless it's coming out of a speaker at 200 decibels."
At the mention of the music, the cobalt eyes widened faintly and a rare smile passed over his features. "I hear Orion'll be visible around ten. We should be done eating by then."
Duo grinned, nodding vehemently as they continued on their way. One victory won... now to see just how tricky this was going to be.
* * *
"Well?"
Trowa leaned out the window, narrowing his eyes to pick out the two figures that were vanishing into the treeline. "You were right. They're headed into the woods." His keen vision allowed him to see what most people could only dream of, and at distances that would make an eye doctor cringe. "Didn't realize he would move THAT quickly." Pulling himself back inside, he looked over to where Quatre was spreading out the small assortment of sandwiches that he'd managed to filch from the cafeteria. Neither boy had been willing to deal with the throng of students, and they had opted instead to eat in their room.
He was growing more and more pleased with his new roommate by the minute. Quatre had a charming personality and an almost tangible magnetism about him that seemed to draw the Pooka into its grasp. Several times now, the blonde had caught Trowa watching him while he was pretending to do something else. If he'd been in his Fae seeming, his ears would have pricked up every time the smaller boy made a move and his tail would have been twitching in curiosity. The blonde was far less active than Duo was, and it was hard to believe that they were of the same kith at all. Where Duo was arrogant and brash, Quatre was simply self-assured and reasonable to a fault. He could have explained that the sky was purple, and Trowa would likely have never had to go to a window to check. He'd never been this drawn to anyone before, and to be honest, it was making him just a bit nervous. Was the Sidhe using some kind of magic on him?
"No magic..." Quatre said, looking up and catching Trowa's startled expression. "Sorry. You were thinking loud enough that I could hear even though I try not to."
"You... you can..."
Quatre just nodded and lowered his head apologetically. "Not that I want to, but I can. And I'm not sure either why you seem drawn to me... but I know that I feel the same way. I've never had that happen before, so I can't offer any suggestions."
Picking up half of a sandwich, Trowa just shrugged. "Well, no sense worrying about it then. We'll figure it out." The two continued their meal in an almost uncomfortable silence after that, each lost in their own thoughts.
* * *
Several weeks passed without incident. Wufei could just sit back and smile, watching the other four Fae in their antics. Trowa and Quatre were damn near inseperable, and Duo had dropped several jibing comments that maybe they WERE joined at the hip... for at least part of the day. That wasn't what had surprised him, however. What had gotten him was the fact that neither of the other two seemed inclined to dissuade that theory, and in fact it was the first time he'd ever recalled seeing the Pooka blush. Duo and Heero were making progress as well, although it was going slowly at best. Duo varied from ecstatic glee and wanting to pull his hair out by the roots whenever the taciturn Japanese boy was mentioned. Apparently, the boy DID have some musical talent after all, because Duo had nearly come unglued when he'd journeyed back to his room one day and found his precious flute in someone else's hands. He had gritted his teeth and complimented Heero's skill, but Wufei hadn't heard the end of that little incident yet. It was amusing to see Duo torn between protecting the only item he held dear... and encouraging his budding protegee into becoming more creative. Now, however, it had been solved. Duo had purchased two different instruments for Heero to try out, and the boy seemed to be taking to both of them well. The first was a simple recorder, which was similar to the flute Duo carried. The other was a bit trickier, a set of pan pipes that had caught Heero's attention while they had been out shopping one day.
That was another gap Duo had crossed with ease. Now it was simply a matter of asking to get Heero to follow his friend around on their many walks. Stargazing had become a favourite pasttime of theirs, and none were privy to the conversations they had while in the meadow not far from the school. All Wufei knew was that they both seemed to smile a bit more after they came back, and he was happy to see that maybe they were making progress in awakening the silent youth to his true heritage.
All in all, it made the news he bore now all the harder to bring. He made his way quickly across the campus, towards the dorms. He never really ran anywhere, but right now was the fastest he could move without breaking into a full out dash. There wasn't much time, and he'd rather be the one to break this particular news to his friend. He passed by Trowa and Quatre, not stopping even when he heard the called greeting from one of them... he wasn't even sure which one. He never saw them exchange glances and scramble down off the steps to follow him up to Duo and Heero's room. He didn't bother knocking, and when he threw the door open, he was met by the twin stares of two deer caught in headlights. Duo was curled up sitting on his bed with the flute in his hands as he had apparently been teaching Heero a new song to play on the recorder. The latter was sitting on the floor, staring up at Wufei in surprise as the Asian boy came to a stop in the center of the room.
"Hey Wu-man, what's shaking?" Duo began, his voice containing a rather happy chirp to it.
"Maxwell, I-..."
"Aw relax, I'll get to my homework in a bit, you can stop mothering me."
"Damnit, LISTEN!"
Duo scooted back a pace at that, eyes widening faintly. Heero was shifting his gaze between the two of them, obviously confused, as Trowa and Quatre skidded to a halt in the doorway. Wufei sighed, facing Duo completely. "You likely don't want to hear this right now..."
"W-what... you're starting to worry me now..." Duo stammered, getting the sinking feeling that whatever was coming, he wasn't going to like it.
"Your brother is ill. It's unknown whether he'll recover or not." Wufei grew more and more regretful of bearing this news as he saw Duo's cheerful demeanor melt away into an expression of near despair. "Your sister is here. She's come to take you home."
* * *
TBC
