"Silent Night", by Aeralea
The slicked black hair, the gilded tan, the irrepressible wit That morning Chang Wufei awoke to the sweet smell of freshly made pancakes as he lay in bed pondering over his present position. Trowa calmly baked in the kitchen. Alone and alone. Wufei lay in a lonely trance. His eyes scanned the ceiling time and time again. Without a fight there was no meaning. There was nothing. The dread came from thoughts of awakening to another pointless day. The dread came from thoughts of a night wasted in the silent thoughts of a useless warrior. What purpose was there to his existence now?
"Good morning!"
Duo leaped onto the end of Wufei's bed and laughed as the lonely young man arose startled – to say the least.
"What the hell are you DOING!!!" exclaimed Wufei-san.
"Why do all you guys just mope around the house all day? Come on, let's go to the park or the beach or something!"
"This is leading to your stomach, isn't it?"
"Of course not!! I'm genuinely concerned about you guy's welfare! However if we happen to bring along a picnic basket I certainly wouldn't complain"
Duo winked and Wufei sighed as Trowa beckoned the group to breakfast.
"Breakfast everyone!"
Duo arrived at the table first – even before Trowa, who had been standing less than two feet away. After Trowa came Quatre – a smile shining across his face lighting up the entire room with his cheery disposition, and then, reluctantly, Chang Wufei, dragged himself out of bed and slowly staggered into the kitchen – his apathetic and lonely gaze perfectly counteracting Quatre's adorable loving nature. The group sat silently for a moment, except for Duo, who had already partaken of half of Trowa's morning's work.
"I wonder why Heero hasn't arrived yet," pondered the steady warrior Trowa.
"Ah, he's probably out with Relena already!" exclaimed Duo, "Man! You wouldn't think it, but then again the quiet ones always seem to be the most"
"I think that's enough talk on my personal affairs without my consent."
Heero slowly paced across the room and took his seat between the over-enthusiastic Duo and the under-enthusiastic Trowa.
"Sooooooo Where WERE ya then, hmm?"
Heero had gotten used to Duo's constant teasing, but at this time of the morning, the comment irritated the silent warrior much more than it should have.
"My business is none of YOUR concern. Continue your eating and leave me be."
"Hey, hey! Don't be so touchy, man! Sheesh! Show a little concern for a guy and he"
"He said that was enough, Duo, or do we have to gag you!"
In Wufei's condition, any slight skirmish could become an entertaining battle. Wufei at once recognized this and returned into his dark depression.
Duo stood up and began to proclaim his brilliance, "Sorry guys, I hate to tell you this, but around you all, plucking my eyebrows with tweezers sounds fun! Come on, let's go to the beach and have some fun for a change!"
"And what purpose would that serve?"
Heero sounded like he was going to be all smiles this morning
"What purpose? What PURPOSE??? To have fun, of course! What was the point of protecting this life if we don't know how to live it???"
The group sat in silence once more and looked down at their empty plates.
Duo continued, "Come on! Get up you wacky 'depresso's' you! Hey Quatre! Go and get the volleyball and some towels will ya! I feel some healthy competition coming on!"
At that comment, the boys' ears perked up along with their demeanors as the thought of a battle – no matter how futile - entered their heavily trained minds.
Quatre politely replied, "Alright," got up and went into the basement to pick up the requested items.
The five young men all piled into their happy teal Geo Storm. Trowa turned the key and the neighbors commented, "There goes the finest looking group of young men we have ever seen," and they wondered, "How long have THEY lived in this neighborhood?"
The ride to the beach was a long one. On the way there, Quatre suggested they pass the time learning one of the songs he had learned in his homeland.
Heero and Wufei replied, "NO."
"Sheesh guys! He was just trying to pick up your spirits a bit! You don't have to get all touchy on him!" Duo then laughed as one of his type of typical thoughts entered his mind as he reviewed what he had just said.
"What do find so amusing?" questioned the ignorant Heero.
"Eh, nothing" replied Duo, "Man, I hope there's some good-looking babes on this beach! I think I've been stuck in the house with you guys for a bit too long!!!!!!!"
The five finally arrived at the beach. They piled out of the car and all but Quatre ran straight for the volleyball net. They hastened to take off their shirts and pants and the four bathing suit-clad warriors stood in position for their next battle. Their hair swaying in the breeze; their fresh, young skin radiating life, no woman who passed by could not help but give a swooning glance – no man an envious one. The four played on and on, battle after ceaseless battle, all flowing into one competitive war – an endless waltz.
Down by the shoreline, young master Quatre kneeled over the water's edge as he studied a young crab's movements. For seemingly hours, it continued walking sideways towards the sands then being pulled back in by the upcoming waves. Quatre sat and watched this dance for about ten minutes until finally the crab buried itself in the sand, never to return to the surface again. Quatre giggled and crawled further into the water and sat down. The water reaching the base of his neck, he closed his eyes and sighed. Looking then up at the sky he commented on what a lovely day it was, but no one was around to hear it.
Back at the game, the four boys changed sides as Duo and Heero had won another round. Infuriated, Wufei cried out with claims against their "unfair practices" and "falsely-judged calls." Beginning the fifth round of play, the four did not notice the arrival of three new faces in the small crowd of onlookers
"Good evening gentlemen," greeted the dignified warrior, Treize Krushrenada, "You all seem to be enjoying yourselves."
The game halted, and the four men broke out of their timeless gaze to greet the man and his companions.
"Good evening Colonel Treize," replied Heero.
"Such formalities are no longer necessary Heero – you may now call me Treize. Afterall, the war is finally over. Gentlemen, I hope you do not mind if a group of older soldiers join in your play, perhaps?"
"Very well Colonel, but the teams will then be uneven."
"Where is Sir Quatre?" asked Lucrecia Noin.
"Hey where IS that guy?" broke in Duo, "I haven't seen him since we got here this morning!"
"You've been here this long and you just now realize he's gone?!" exclaimed Noin.
"Ease down Noin, the boys were just enwrapped a bit in their own battle. It isn't like any of us haven't been the same way at some point," spoke the third member of the new party.
Zechs Merquise, standing, an honorable man. The four young men, the man, though especially the lady, could not help but gaze in awe at the beautiful and dignified man. When he spoke, they listened. Where he looked, their eyes followed. Such honest beauty was rarely seen in a man, and all who saw him were instantly reminded of that depressing fact.
He continued, "Now then, so the teams shall be even, I will go along the beach and search for the boy myself, Noin may side with Heero and Duo and Treize with Trowa and Wufei."
Although older and a superior officer during the war, the wise and noble Treize automatically agreed with the younger man, and he, the even younger men, and the woman of the same age as Zechs quickly took on the position the young man had prescribed.
Strolling along the shoreline, former Lieutenant Zechs pondered over the current status of his homeland and the current demeanors of the younger men. His long white hair glimmered in the dim light of the near complete sunset as the wind gently tossed it about his shoulders and back. He gazed off into the sunset and held his breath as he took in the beauty of the lights dancing upon the waters.
"Good evening Zechs, sir."
Broken from the trance, the man looked down at the boy lying on the shoreline.
"Good evening Sir Quatre."
Without a word, the man laid down next to the boy and the two men closed there eyes and did nothing but enjoy the wind's whispered touch upon their faces and the waves gentle lapping against their bodies. The warmth of the setting sun gradually faded as the cool night dawned across the beach.
Still riding in the heat of battle, the six warriors fought bravely against each other. Each hit against the object in play was countered by yet another blow from the enemy and on the dance went. The crescent moon waned high up in the sky and the battle seemed without end until at last a grumbled cry broke their concentration.
"Hey, uh, guys, you think we could ever get a bite to eat around here?" exclaimed the starved warrior Duo.
"Yeah, afterall, it is getting rather a bit late and you boys probably haven't stopped all day have you?" added Miss Noin.
"The game is currently tied. We must continue until the victor is found," dryly spoke the hardened warrior Heero.
"Oh come ON!" exclaimed the frequently-exclaiming warrior Duo.
Despite Duo and his stomach's desperate cries, the battle raged onward until the victor was finally determined.
"AH HA HA HA! I KNEW I could never fail!" exclaimed Wufei from the delight felt in the warmth of his victory over his enemy friend.
Depressed, Heero replied, "It wasn't just your victory. You were just one of three soldiers."
Again, Wufei's depression returned.
Duo, no longer with any care or remembrance of his newly lost battle, ran rapidly towards the place he had left his highly coveted picnic basket.
The other five began to look for Zechs and Quatre.
Searching up and down the beach they all began to worry about their lost comrades. After half an hour's searching, Trowa came upon the pair of resting warriors and Trowa swiftly ran and gathered the others. All but Duo silently arrived and looked upon the two beautiful men as they rested in the wind and moonlight. Without a word Treize laid down beside the young boy. Trowa followed and lay next to him silently. Heero and Wufei looked at each other with a rage that slowly turned to a depressed calm and the two laid down next to Trowa. The two turned to each other with a understanding and closeness neither had before felt and, despite scornful futility, the two burnt-out warrior children held each other and shed silent tears in the stilled night.
Noin watched with a motherly eye over the boy soldiers and could not help but shed a tear herself. Suddenly realizing her exhaustion, she decided that even she needed rest. Emboldened by witnessing the display of the once-hardened young men, Noin silently curled up to Zechs on his empty side as close as possible without evading his space or her fears. A faded gasp rung out from her lungs as the former lieutenant neared her side and gently reached his arms around her. He held her silently in the moonlight and realized something about her: not the battle or the victories, but her, she, she was what the fighting had all been for. He turned his head downward. His eyelids lifted to find hers already completely parted. Beauty. Had he ever thought of her beauty this way before? Her eyes stilled with a sudden fear as he lowered his head near hers. His lips parted - he breathed a faint sigh. She did the same and finally, at last, the two's lips were joined.
With a filled stomach, Duo happily skipped down the shoreline. He suddenly came across the seven silent people basking in the cool midnight air.
"You've all been down here this whole time? Yeesh! And you all say I waste all of my time!"