Disclaimer: The fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't, unfortunately. All rights to these amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha, Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time suing me! Your 'corporate bogeyman' won't get anything from me anyway, except for a bunch of lousy grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.
Author's Notes: Aargh! Sorry of this took so long! I've been having trouble accessing my FFNET account for the past two days! Fuck fuck fuck!!!
Hikari-angel: Syaoran won't be helpless for long, o tomodachi! ^-^ Just wait and see what happens next...
DESTINY by rei-chan
Chapter Eleven: The Aftermath
It was Duo who took the wheel that night. Heero was swimming in and out of consciousness due to exhaustion and was in no shape to move, let alone drive. The amount of power the dark-haired boy had expended was too much for his still-developing magic, thus his body had immediately shut down as soon as the last remnants of the power had left.
Syaoran sat at the back with Heero, Sakura, and Touya, his amber eyes closed in meditation. His right hand was held parallel to his chest, the middle and pointer finger held up. His was a look of intense concentration. Sakura was staring out the window quietly, while her brother gaped at the semi-automatic pistol sitting on the dashboard in front of the long-haired boy. Tomoyo sat at the front passenger seat, nervously fiddling with her thumbs as she gazed out the window.
"He awake yet?" Duo's flat question echoed across the silence as his amethystine eyes sought to meet Syaoran's amber ones at the rearview mirror. The younger boy slowly opened his eyes and shook his head, his forehead creased with concern.
"Iie. He won't be up for a while, Duo-san." He closed his eyes once more.
"What the fuck did Eriol do with the Leos, Syaoran?? He should've known better than to play hell with the mechas like they were some five year-old's fucking toy! Does he think this is some sick joke?! Many could've been killed! Hell, Heero could've been killed!" Duo railed, his left hand leaving the steering wheel to pluck at the air in his rage.
Tomoyo gave a gasp as the car swerved violently out of the way. "A-ano, Duo-kun, the road...please..." She whimpered, her eyes wide with terror.
"Sorry." Duo ground out tersely. He fixed his eyes on the boy sitting calmly behind him. "Well?" he demanded. "Care to say anything to defend your friend, Li?"
Syaoran inwardly flinched at the accusatory tone of Duo's voice. He went back to calling him Li again. Duo was really pissed. And he understood the reason of the Deathscythe pilot's rage. He himself couldn't understand Eriol's warped idea of a test. He looked at Duo once again. The boy had fixed his eyes on the road, his mouth firmed into a straight line.
There was a few minutes of tense silence among the youths inside the car. Beside Duo, Tomoyo shifted. Sakura gave a quiet cough. Touya wisely chose to remain silent, still not understanding what was happening around him. The last thing he remembered was the gaki's brother ordering some ice cream while he was manning the counter at the shop. Now the said gaki's brother was sitting beside him, unconscious, while the braided guy, whom he assumed was the gaki's brother's friend, was driving a stolen vehicle(1) with a loaded gun sitting innocently on the dashboard. He couldn't comprehend it at all.
Syaoran finally opened his eyes, sighed then turned to look sideways at the unconscious form of his brother. Inwardly he felt pride, pride at the fact that his 'niisan had held his own in the face of Clow Reed's full power. Heero had really gone a long way since he had arrived in Japan.
"It was a test, Duo. It was Clow Reed's test for my brother. He purposefully manipulated the Leos so as to force HIM to release his power. Apparently, it worked."
"Yeah it worked all right, that's why there's a whole field full of broken Leos at the battle site we just left! I bet the junkyard guys are gonna have a field day! And you know what else is scattered there? The ones your 'wise and powerful' ancestor didn't account for? Bodies, Syaoran. Corpses. Human cadavers. Innocent lives that were unwittingly lost because of Eriol's frickin test." Duo raged again. He fell silent for a moment, the hands that were clenching the steering wheel almost white with strain as he gripped it tightly. "This ISN'T the freaking war. Nobody HAD to die." he breathed out thickly.
Syaoran just glanced down at his hands helplessly. The braided pilot saw this and blew out an exasperated breath. "You know, whatever, Syaoran." He told the younger boy tightly. "I understand that you had absolutely NOTHING to do with Eriol's sick mind. I know, you felt as helpless as I did while Heero's ass was getting kicked up there. All I'm trying to point out is, this could have been prevented. Heero wasn't the only one who was affected by this wreckage. Many are now homeless, and some either hurt or--worse--dead. Eriol's one fucked-up little dude, I'm telling you." He shook his head warily as he turned to Tomoyo's street. "I just hope to God that the Card Mistress won't be as demented as your twisted ancestor."
~ 0 ~
Duo paced across the wide floor area of his and Heero's room, muttering to himself as he absently brushed the jagged bangs hanging over his forehead. He and Syaoran had wordlessly agreed to stay up together to look after the slumbering Wing pilot. He wasn't all that happy with the arrangement, especially taking into consideration the fact that he was still a bit mad at the younger boy's friend's so-called 'test'. The Deathscythe pilot had spent most of the night walking back and forth across the room and talking to himself so as not to let the almost choking silence get to him.
Meanwhile, Syaoran sat quietly on the carpet a few feet from Heero's bed, polishing his gleaming sword while ignoring the loud footfalls of the older boy. He knew the reason why the braided boy was extremely agitated. He had been wondering too why Eriol chose to administer such a test. Duo was right. Many could have been hurt. It was insensitive of the English boy not to consider the consequences of his actions.
The phone suddenly rang, making both boys jump slightly in surprise. Duo, who was nearest to the bed, leaned over and picked up the cordless receiver. "Li Residence." he barked out shortly, his violet eyes straying slightly to look at his still sleeping comrade.
"Duo-san." A feminine voice spoke up hesistantly.
"Who the hell are you?"
"It's Sakura."
The braided boy's forehead creased slightly. "Oh. Hold on while I get--"
"It's you whom I want to talk to."
"What about? Really, Sakura-chan, I like you and everything, but I don't think this is actually the time for us to chat."
"Eriol-kun asked me to tell you something." Her voice was insistent.
Duo's eyes narrowed at this. "Really." His voice sounded flat and lifeless as he pointedly turned his back at Syaoran to face the window. "What does that freak boy want?"
"He wants to talk to you. Tomorrow afternoon. At the King Penguin Park."
The Deathscythe pilot blew out a sharp breath. "Secret rendezvous, huh? Fine. I'll be there." Whistling to get Syaoran's attention, he tossed the phone at the younger boy. "For you." he deadpanned, before stalking out of the room with his hands in his jacket pockets.
Syaoran silently watched him leave, cringing slightly as the door banged loudly behind the braided boy. Placing the receiver against his ear, he mumbled, "Syaoran desu."
"Konbanha, Syaoran-kun."(2)
He sat up a little straighter on the floor as he heard Sakura's soft voice. "Sakura-chan." He acknowledged her, ignoring the slight racing of his heart as he began toying with the tassel at the hilt of his sword. "What's up?"
He could hear the young girl sigh a little on the other line. "Just relayed a message." She told him simply. "How is your brother?"
Syaoran stole a glance at Heero. "Still out."
"Sou ka."(3)
They became silent. The amber-eyed boy was actually itching to ask what Sakura's message to Duo was, but decided to keep his mouth shut about it. Sakura would tell him if it's important, anyway.
She cleared her throat after a few moments. "Uhm, Syaoran-kun?" she timidly spoke out.
"Aa?"
"I know this is a bad time, but, I just wanted to tell you something that I should have told you a while ago, at the ice cream parlor.
"Nanda?"
Sakura took a deep breath. "Atashi--"
There was an almost audible click from her end, before a deep voice boomed out. "Go to bed, kaijuu."
"ONIICHAN!!!" Sakura shrieked.
"You too, gaki. Enough of the midnight phone calls."
"PUT THE PHONE DOWN, YOU BIG MEANIE!"
"I will if you do."
"ONIICHAN!!!"
"NOW, kaijuu. Not after ten years."
"USO--"
"I think we should turn in, like Kinomo-kun suggests. Oyasumi nasai, Sakura-chan."
The Card Mistress paused from yelling at her older brother to whisper a harried "Oyasumi" before the line was cut off.
~ 0 ~
Heero opened his eyes to discover that some inept fool (more commonly known as Duo Maxwell) had forgotten to pull the curtains back across the windows AGAIN. As a result the sunlight coming from the window beside the bed was enough to blind him good for fairly a few minutes.
"Maxwell..." he growled--or, at least--TRIED to growl threateningly as he pushed himself to a sitting position, his eyes narrowed into tiny slits to keep the blinding light at bay.
Duo's head shot up immediately from its resting place on top of the window sill to glance at Heero. "Oi, Hee-chan! You're up!" he whooped joyously, pouncing over to glomp on the still-glaring boy as Syaoran groggily poked out from under a bundle of blankets on the carpeted floor.
"Get off me, Duo."
"Hee-chan!!! Fucking hell, I was soooo worried, you little sonuvabitch! I thought you've died on me!"
"Get off!"
There was a sudden startled yelp and a pained 'oaf' as Duo crashed down on the carpet, landing solidly on top of Syaoran.
Two pairs of annoyed eyes turned to glare at the Wing pilot.
He merely glared back at them, unfazed. "Hn."
With some difficulty, the amber eyed boy managed to extricate himself from the tangle of limbs that was him and Duo Maxwell before clambering over to his brother's bedside. "I trust that you're feeling a lot better?" he inquired, wincing slightly as Duo accidentally trodded on his foot in his haste to pick himself up from the floor.
"Sorry, man." The older boy apologized as he hurried over to stand on the other side of Heero's bed.
Heero crossed his wiry arms over his chest. "Hai." His Prussian blue eyes shifted to pin his comrade on the spot. "How long have I been out?"
Duo shrugged nonchalantly at him, his tense facade from last night completely forgotten as he plopped down on the bed. "Just overnight, dude. T'was nothing serious."
"The troops?..."
The Deathscythe pilot winced slightly at the question. "Blown up to pieces, man. Ninmu kanryou."(5)
"Sou ka."
Syaoran immediately leapt to his feet when Heero made a move to shift himself upward to lean on the head board.
Duo watched the younger boy help his brother settle in before glancing out the window. Almost time for his meeting with the kid freak according to his (faulty) internal clock. Stretching his arms over his head, he grunted, "You guys need anything? I'm taking off for a while."
Heero looked at him strangely but shook his head. Syaoran did the same.
He shrugged, then padded towards the door, softly closing it behind him.
He was going to go and get some answers from the idiot English boy.
~ 0 ~
"Shouldn't you be in school?"
Syaoran looked up from his book to meet his brother's inquiring eyes. "I didn't go." He simply replied. "I figured you would need me here to answer your questions."
"Hai." Confusion flickered in the depths of Heero's eyes. "What happened?"
His brother sighed. "Eriol's test."
"I know. But why Oz?"
Syaoran toyed with the binding of his Science book as he thought. "I'm not really sure because I haven't spoken to Eriol yet. But from what I can understand, he used the presence of those robots to trigger your full powers."
"My full powers?"
His brother nodded. "Hai. He wanted to test whether or not you have been improving in wielding your magic. Guess he was satisfied with the results. There were barely scraps of them left from your shot."
"Hn." He paused for a while before asking softly. "How many were killed?"
Syaoran looked up at him uneasily. "Well, all the pilots were killed." he said instead in the hopes to dodge the question.
"Civilians, Syaoran. How many of them were killed?"
"We still don't know. The police are already swarming the battle site since this morning, but there haven't been reports of dead bodies--" He paused long enough to stop himself from adding a 'yet'.
Heero immediately caught on.
~ 0 ~
"C'mon, kid. Where are you?" Duo muttered to himself in annoyance as he jiggled his left leg impatiently.
"Here." Eriol's soft voice replied, stepping out from the shadows of the huge trees surrounding the park. "I'm glad you made it, Duo-san."
Duo's eyes narrowed as he stalked towards the English boy, stopping only a couple of feet away. "Cut the pleasantries, bastard. What the hell were you thinking manipulating those Oz fuckers?" he snarled, violet eyes blazing with surpressed anger as Eriol turned deadly calm gaze at him.
"I was merely trying to provoke Raiu to release his full power, Duo-san."
"Then why THEM?! You could've just had a one-on-one with Destructo Boy! You didn't have to waste all those innocent lives just for the sake of 'provoking' Heero!"
The corners of the younger boy's mouth quirked up into a small smile as he read the agitation in the Deathscythe pilot's slight frame. "That seems to sound a little hollow, coming from someone whose hands have been stained with innocent blood for the past year." he whispered softly, taking a step towards the older boy as Duo made a move to draw his gun. "Besides," he went on, "it doesn't matter, Duo-san. Whether or not those pilots were killed last night is not important. They would've suffered the same fate in your hands in the future."
Duo pulled out his weapon and aimed as Eriol took another step towards him, closing the distance between the two of them. "Fuck you, you sick bastard. Go to hell." he snarled angrily.
"Wouldn't they, 02?" The English boy asked him softly, coming to a stop directly in front of the braided boy, the gun pointed at his chest. "You still would have killed them."
Duo's arm wavered slightly. "Oz is dispensable, Eriol. But this town's citizens aren't. The fucking war isn't HERE, damnit. They didn't have to suffer the wrath of Shinigami." he said blankly.
Eriol gently lifted both his hands and rested them on the pistol, closing his fingers around the weapon's length and pushing it downwards, away from his chest. "I know you wouldn't believe me, Duo-san, but what I'm going to tell you is the truth. Only the dispensable were terminated.(6) I've seen to that." he quietly assured the older boy as Duo slumped bonelessly by his feet.
~ 0 ~
Ding dong. Ding dong.
"Who could that be?" Syaoran wondered to himself as he closed his book. It was almost seven that night, and he was trying to catch some reading for his upcoming Science test in his room. Heero was back to his old self, which basically means that he was in his and Duo's room typing away on his laptop while his long-haired partner napped. He was still a little drained, but Wei had assured that his full strength would be restored the next day.
He could hear footsteps coming from the hall, and a minute later, there was a knock on his door. "Syaoran-sama?" Wei called through the thick wooden door, "Kinomoto-san and Daidouji-san are here to see you."
"I'll be right out, Wei. Arigatou."
Moments later he found himself facing a very nervous Sakura and a slightly frowning Tomoyo in the living room. After nodding his thank you at Wei for the snack he had just brought out, Syaoran turned to his two companions. "Well?"
Tomoyo's frown was immediately replaced by a sunny smile as she asked. "How is your brother?"
Syaoran smiled back a little. "Better. Wei says his strength would be back by tomorrow morning." he informed the long-haired girl. Noticing that Sakura's face had gone pale as he and Tomoyo talked, he turned to her and asked, "What's wrong, Sakura-chan?"
She exchanged a meaningful glance at her best friend, who nodded encouragingly at her. However Syaoran noticed that Tomoyo's uncharacteristic frown was back in place. 'What's up with these two?' he wondered to himself as Sakura visibly fidgeted.
Sakura bit her lip nervously as she met Li Syaoran's inquiring amber eyes. She had confided to Tomoyo her 'problems', and her friend had advised her to immediately let Syaoran know what she felt. The 'incident' last night had freaked her out so much that she seriously considered backing out from helping Raiu train with her Sakura Cards. But a promise was a promise, and she never broke a promise. Ever. So she decided to ask if Syaoran and his brother would agree if she trained him right away.
"Sakura?"
"Ah! Ah, ano, uhm...hehehehe...Syaoran-kun..."
Syaoran's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Are you alright?" he asked her slowly, noting the too-bright smile on her face and the sweat drops dotting her forehead.
She nodded vigorously. "Oh, ha-hai! Daijoubu! Hehehehehe..."
She felt Tomoyo gently nudge her.
"Uhm...Syaoran-kun?"
"Aa?"
"Can we--" she was cut off by the telephone ringing.
"Shit." Syaoran muttered as he reached for the cordless receiver. "Hai. Syaoran desu."
Sakura watched as the boy's eyes widened. "Okaasan...hai...yes, everything's fine...he passed Clow's test...hai...oh, yeah, she's here with Tomoyo-san...Heero and Duo?...hai...hold on while I get them..." With an apologectic look on his face, he dashed over to where the bedrooms were, returning a bit later with Heero and a very groggy Duo. Heero nodded curtly at the two girls while Duo managed a sleepy smile.
Syaoran punched the speaker phone button on the pad. "Okaasan."
Li Ieran's voice was full of distress when she spoke. "The Tzes know that Raiu is alive. The Elders believe that it will only be a matter of time before Tze Hao Shu and Tze Kang Peng challenge Raiu and Syaoran to battle. We do not have anymore time to waste. Raiu has to train with the Card Mistress tomorrow."
TBC
==gomen if eriol sounded too evil in this chapter. it had to happen. let's all remember that shin kidousenki gundam wing is famous not only for the pretty boy pilots but also for its extremely angsty story...
FOOTNOTES:
1. In case you guys are wondering where their rented vehicle was, let's just say that the explosion had been a little too close for the poor car's comfort ^-^
2. I think it's "Good evening, Syaoran-kun."
3. "I see."
4. "What is it?"
5. I think it's "mission accomplished."
6. I really meant for this to sound a little vague. In case people want to know what Eriol really meant, he was trying to tell Duo that no Tomoeda citizens were harmed. Only the Oz pilots were killed.
Author's Notes: Aargh! Sorry of this took so long! I've been having trouble accessing my FFNET account for the past two days! Fuck fuck fuck!!!
Hikari-angel: Syaoran won't be helpless for long, o tomodachi! ^-^ Just wait and see what happens next...
DESTINY by rei-chan
Chapter Eleven: The Aftermath
It was Duo who took the wheel that night. Heero was swimming in and out of consciousness due to exhaustion and was in no shape to move, let alone drive. The amount of power the dark-haired boy had expended was too much for his still-developing magic, thus his body had immediately shut down as soon as the last remnants of the power had left.
Syaoran sat at the back with Heero, Sakura, and Touya, his amber eyes closed in meditation. His right hand was held parallel to his chest, the middle and pointer finger held up. His was a look of intense concentration. Sakura was staring out the window quietly, while her brother gaped at the semi-automatic pistol sitting on the dashboard in front of the long-haired boy. Tomoyo sat at the front passenger seat, nervously fiddling with her thumbs as she gazed out the window.
"He awake yet?" Duo's flat question echoed across the silence as his amethystine eyes sought to meet Syaoran's amber ones at the rearview mirror. The younger boy slowly opened his eyes and shook his head, his forehead creased with concern.
"Iie. He won't be up for a while, Duo-san." He closed his eyes once more.
"What the fuck did Eriol do with the Leos, Syaoran?? He should've known better than to play hell with the mechas like they were some five year-old's fucking toy! Does he think this is some sick joke?! Many could've been killed! Hell, Heero could've been killed!" Duo railed, his left hand leaving the steering wheel to pluck at the air in his rage.
Tomoyo gave a gasp as the car swerved violently out of the way. "A-ano, Duo-kun, the road...please..." She whimpered, her eyes wide with terror.
"Sorry." Duo ground out tersely. He fixed his eyes on the boy sitting calmly behind him. "Well?" he demanded. "Care to say anything to defend your friend, Li?"
Syaoran inwardly flinched at the accusatory tone of Duo's voice. He went back to calling him Li again. Duo was really pissed. And he understood the reason of the Deathscythe pilot's rage. He himself couldn't understand Eriol's warped idea of a test. He looked at Duo once again. The boy had fixed his eyes on the road, his mouth firmed into a straight line.
There was a few minutes of tense silence among the youths inside the car. Beside Duo, Tomoyo shifted. Sakura gave a quiet cough. Touya wisely chose to remain silent, still not understanding what was happening around him. The last thing he remembered was the gaki's brother ordering some ice cream while he was manning the counter at the shop. Now the said gaki's brother was sitting beside him, unconscious, while the braided guy, whom he assumed was the gaki's brother's friend, was driving a stolen vehicle(1) with a loaded gun sitting innocently on the dashboard. He couldn't comprehend it at all.
Syaoran finally opened his eyes, sighed then turned to look sideways at the unconscious form of his brother. Inwardly he felt pride, pride at the fact that his 'niisan had held his own in the face of Clow Reed's full power. Heero had really gone a long way since he had arrived in Japan.
"It was a test, Duo. It was Clow Reed's test for my brother. He purposefully manipulated the Leos so as to force HIM to release his power. Apparently, it worked."
"Yeah it worked all right, that's why there's a whole field full of broken Leos at the battle site we just left! I bet the junkyard guys are gonna have a field day! And you know what else is scattered there? The ones your 'wise and powerful' ancestor didn't account for? Bodies, Syaoran. Corpses. Human cadavers. Innocent lives that were unwittingly lost because of Eriol's frickin test." Duo raged again. He fell silent for a moment, the hands that were clenching the steering wheel almost white with strain as he gripped it tightly. "This ISN'T the freaking war. Nobody HAD to die." he breathed out thickly.
Syaoran just glanced down at his hands helplessly. The braided pilot saw this and blew out an exasperated breath. "You know, whatever, Syaoran." He told the younger boy tightly. "I understand that you had absolutely NOTHING to do with Eriol's sick mind. I know, you felt as helpless as I did while Heero's ass was getting kicked up there. All I'm trying to point out is, this could have been prevented. Heero wasn't the only one who was affected by this wreckage. Many are now homeless, and some either hurt or--worse--dead. Eriol's one fucked-up little dude, I'm telling you." He shook his head warily as he turned to Tomoyo's street. "I just hope to God that the Card Mistress won't be as demented as your twisted ancestor."
~ 0 ~
Duo paced across the wide floor area of his and Heero's room, muttering to himself as he absently brushed the jagged bangs hanging over his forehead. He and Syaoran had wordlessly agreed to stay up together to look after the slumbering Wing pilot. He wasn't all that happy with the arrangement, especially taking into consideration the fact that he was still a bit mad at the younger boy's friend's so-called 'test'. The Deathscythe pilot had spent most of the night walking back and forth across the room and talking to himself so as not to let the almost choking silence get to him.
Meanwhile, Syaoran sat quietly on the carpet a few feet from Heero's bed, polishing his gleaming sword while ignoring the loud footfalls of the older boy. He knew the reason why the braided boy was extremely agitated. He had been wondering too why Eriol chose to administer such a test. Duo was right. Many could have been hurt. It was insensitive of the English boy not to consider the consequences of his actions.
The phone suddenly rang, making both boys jump slightly in surprise. Duo, who was nearest to the bed, leaned over and picked up the cordless receiver. "Li Residence." he barked out shortly, his violet eyes straying slightly to look at his still sleeping comrade.
"Duo-san." A feminine voice spoke up hesistantly.
"Who the hell are you?"
"It's Sakura."
The braided boy's forehead creased slightly. "Oh. Hold on while I get--"
"It's you whom I want to talk to."
"What about? Really, Sakura-chan, I like you and everything, but I don't think this is actually the time for us to chat."
"Eriol-kun asked me to tell you something." Her voice was insistent.
Duo's eyes narrowed at this. "Really." His voice sounded flat and lifeless as he pointedly turned his back at Syaoran to face the window. "What does that freak boy want?"
"He wants to talk to you. Tomorrow afternoon. At the King Penguin Park."
The Deathscythe pilot blew out a sharp breath. "Secret rendezvous, huh? Fine. I'll be there." Whistling to get Syaoran's attention, he tossed the phone at the younger boy. "For you." he deadpanned, before stalking out of the room with his hands in his jacket pockets.
Syaoran silently watched him leave, cringing slightly as the door banged loudly behind the braided boy. Placing the receiver against his ear, he mumbled, "Syaoran desu."
"Konbanha, Syaoran-kun."(2)
He sat up a little straighter on the floor as he heard Sakura's soft voice. "Sakura-chan." He acknowledged her, ignoring the slight racing of his heart as he began toying with the tassel at the hilt of his sword. "What's up?"
He could hear the young girl sigh a little on the other line. "Just relayed a message." She told him simply. "How is your brother?"
Syaoran stole a glance at Heero. "Still out."
"Sou ka."(3)
They became silent. The amber-eyed boy was actually itching to ask what Sakura's message to Duo was, but decided to keep his mouth shut about it. Sakura would tell him if it's important, anyway.
She cleared her throat after a few moments. "Uhm, Syaoran-kun?" she timidly spoke out.
"Aa?"
"I know this is a bad time, but, I just wanted to tell you something that I should have told you a while ago, at the ice cream parlor.
"Nanda?"
Sakura took a deep breath. "Atashi--"
There was an almost audible click from her end, before a deep voice boomed out. "Go to bed, kaijuu."
"ONIICHAN!!!" Sakura shrieked.
"You too, gaki. Enough of the midnight phone calls."
"PUT THE PHONE DOWN, YOU BIG MEANIE!"
"I will if you do."
"ONIICHAN!!!"
"NOW, kaijuu. Not after ten years."
"USO--"
"I think we should turn in, like Kinomo-kun suggests. Oyasumi nasai, Sakura-chan."
The Card Mistress paused from yelling at her older brother to whisper a harried "Oyasumi" before the line was cut off.
~ 0 ~
Heero opened his eyes to discover that some inept fool (more commonly known as Duo Maxwell) had forgotten to pull the curtains back across the windows AGAIN. As a result the sunlight coming from the window beside the bed was enough to blind him good for fairly a few minutes.
"Maxwell..." he growled--or, at least--TRIED to growl threateningly as he pushed himself to a sitting position, his eyes narrowed into tiny slits to keep the blinding light at bay.
Duo's head shot up immediately from its resting place on top of the window sill to glance at Heero. "Oi, Hee-chan! You're up!" he whooped joyously, pouncing over to glomp on the still-glaring boy as Syaoran groggily poked out from under a bundle of blankets on the carpeted floor.
"Get off me, Duo."
"Hee-chan!!! Fucking hell, I was soooo worried, you little sonuvabitch! I thought you've died on me!"
"Get off!"
There was a sudden startled yelp and a pained 'oaf' as Duo crashed down on the carpet, landing solidly on top of Syaoran.
Two pairs of annoyed eyes turned to glare at the Wing pilot.
He merely glared back at them, unfazed. "Hn."
With some difficulty, the amber eyed boy managed to extricate himself from the tangle of limbs that was him and Duo Maxwell before clambering over to his brother's bedside. "I trust that you're feeling a lot better?" he inquired, wincing slightly as Duo accidentally trodded on his foot in his haste to pick himself up from the floor.
"Sorry, man." The older boy apologized as he hurried over to stand on the other side of Heero's bed.
Heero crossed his wiry arms over his chest. "Hai." His Prussian blue eyes shifted to pin his comrade on the spot. "How long have I been out?"
Duo shrugged nonchalantly at him, his tense facade from last night completely forgotten as he plopped down on the bed. "Just overnight, dude. T'was nothing serious."
"The troops?..."
The Deathscythe pilot winced slightly at the question. "Blown up to pieces, man. Ninmu kanryou."(5)
"Sou ka."
Syaoran immediately leapt to his feet when Heero made a move to shift himself upward to lean on the head board.
Duo watched the younger boy help his brother settle in before glancing out the window. Almost time for his meeting with the kid freak according to his (faulty) internal clock. Stretching his arms over his head, he grunted, "You guys need anything? I'm taking off for a while."
Heero looked at him strangely but shook his head. Syaoran did the same.
He shrugged, then padded towards the door, softly closing it behind him.
He was going to go and get some answers from the idiot English boy.
~ 0 ~
"Shouldn't you be in school?"
Syaoran looked up from his book to meet his brother's inquiring eyes. "I didn't go." He simply replied. "I figured you would need me here to answer your questions."
"Hai." Confusion flickered in the depths of Heero's eyes. "What happened?"
His brother sighed. "Eriol's test."
"I know. But why Oz?"
Syaoran toyed with the binding of his Science book as he thought. "I'm not really sure because I haven't spoken to Eriol yet. But from what I can understand, he used the presence of those robots to trigger your full powers."
"My full powers?"
His brother nodded. "Hai. He wanted to test whether or not you have been improving in wielding your magic. Guess he was satisfied with the results. There were barely scraps of them left from your shot."
"Hn." He paused for a while before asking softly. "How many were killed?"
Syaoran looked up at him uneasily. "Well, all the pilots were killed." he said instead in the hopes to dodge the question.
"Civilians, Syaoran. How many of them were killed?"
"We still don't know. The police are already swarming the battle site since this morning, but there haven't been reports of dead bodies--" He paused long enough to stop himself from adding a 'yet'.
Heero immediately caught on.
~ 0 ~
"C'mon, kid. Where are you?" Duo muttered to himself in annoyance as he jiggled his left leg impatiently.
"Here." Eriol's soft voice replied, stepping out from the shadows of the huge trees surrounding the park. "I'm glad you made it, Duo-san."
Duo's eyes narrowed as he stalked towards the English boy, stopping only a couple of feet away. "Cut the pleasantries, bastard. What the hell were you thinking manipulating those Oz fuckers?" he snarled, violet eyes blazing with surpressed anger as Eriol turned deadly calm gaze at him.
"I was merely trying to provoke Raiu to release his full power, Duo-san."
"Then why THEM?! You could've just had a one-on-one with Destructo Boy! You didn't have to waste all those innocent lives just for the sake of 'provoking' Heero!"
The corners of the younger boy's mouth quirked up into a small smile as he read the agitation in the Deathscythe pilot's slight frame. "That seems to sound a little hollow, coming from someone whose hands have been stained with innocent blood for the past year." he whispered softly, taking a step towards the older boy as Duo made a move to draw his gun. "Besides," he went on, "it doesn't matter, Duo-san. Whether or not those pilots were killed last night is not important. They would've suffered the same fate in your hands in the future."
Duo pulled out his weapon and aimed as Eriol took another step towards him, closing the distance between the two of them. "Fuck you, you sick bastard. Go to hell." he snarled angrily.
"Wouldn't they, 02?" The English boy asked him softly, coming to a stop directly in front of the braided boy, the gun pointed at his chest. "You still would have killed them."
Duo's arm wavered slightly. "Oz is dispensable, Eriol. But this town's citizens aren't. The fucking war isn't HERE, damnit. They didn't have to suffer the wrath of Shinigami." he said blankly.
Eriol gently lifted both his hands and rested them on the pistol, closing his fingers around the weapon's length and pushing it downwards, away from his chest. "I know you wouldn't believe me, Duo-san, but what I'm going to tell you is the truth. Only the dispensable were terminated.(6) I've seen to that." he quietly assured the older boy as Duo slumped bonelessly by his feet.
~ 0 ~
Ding dong. Ding dong.
"Who could that be?" Syaoran wondered to himself as he closed his book. It was almost seven that night, and he was trying to catch some reading for his upcoming Science test in his room. Heero was back to his old self, which basically means that he was in his and Duo's room typing away on his laptop while his long-haired partner napped. He was still a little drained, but Wei had assured that his full strength would be restored the next day.
He could hear footsteps coming from the hall, and a minute later, there was a knock on his door. "Syaoran-sama?" Wei called through the thick wooden door, "Kinomoto-san and Daidouji-san are here to see you."
"I'll be right out, Wei. Arigatou."
Moments later he found himself facing a very nervous Sakura and a slightly frowning Tomoyo in the living room. After nodding his thank you at Wei for the snack he had just brought out, Syaoran turned to his two companions. "Well?"
Tomoyo's frown was immediately replaced by a sunny smile as she asked. "How is your brother?"
Syaoran smiled back a little. "Better. Wei says his strength would be back by tomorrow morning." he informed the long-haired girl. Noticing that Sakura's face had gone pale as he and Tomoyo talked, he turned to her and asked, "What's wrong, Sakura-chan?"
She exchanged a meaningful glance at her best friend, who nodded encouragingly at her. However Syaoran noticed that Tomoyo's uncharacteristic frown was back in place. 'What's up with these two?' he wondered to himself as Sakura visibly fidgeted.
Sakura bit her lip nervously as she met Li Syaoran's inquiring amber eyes. She had confided to Tomoyo her 'problems', and her friend had advised her to immediately let Syaoran know what she felt. The 'incident' last night had freaked her out so much that she seriously considered backing out from helping Raiu train with her Sakura Cards. But a promise was a promise, and she never broke a promise. Ever. So she decided to ask if Syaoran and his brother would agree if she trained him right away.
"Sakura?"
"Ah! Ah, ano, uhm...hehehehe...Syaoran-kun..."
Syaoran's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Are you alright?" he asked her slowly, noting the too-bright smile on her face and the sweat drops dotting her forehead.
She nodded vigorously. "Oh, ha-hai! Daijoubu! Hehehehehe..."
She felt Tomoyo gently nudge her.
"Uhm...Syaoran-kun?"
"Aa?"
"Can we--" she was cut off by the telephone ringing.
"Shit." Syaoran muttered as he reached for the cordless receiver. "Hai. Syaoran desu."
Sakura watched as the boy's eyes widened. "Okaasan...hai...yes, everything's fine...he passed Clow's test...hai...oh, yeah, she's here with Tomoyo-san...Heero and Duo?...hai...hold on while I get them..." With an apologectic look on his face, he dashed over to where the bedrooms were, returning a bit later with Heero and a very groggy Duo. Heero nodded curtly at the two girls while Duo managed a sleepy smile.
Syaoran punched the speaker phone button on the pad. "Okaasan."
Li Ieran's voice was full of distress when she spoke. "The Tzes know that Raiu is alive. The Elders believe that it will only be a matter of time before Tze Hao Shu and Tze Kang Peng challenge Raiu and Syaoran to battle. We do not have anymore time to waste. Raiu has to train with the Card Mistress tomorrow."
TBC
==gomen if eriol sounded too evil in this chapter. it had to happen. let's all remember that shin kidousenki gundam wing is famous not only for the pretty boy pilots but also for its extremely angsty story...
FOOTNOTES:
1. In case you guys are wondering where their rented vehicle was, let's just say that the explosion had been a little too close for the poor car's comfort ^-^
2. I think it's "Good evening, Syaoran-kun."
3. "I see."
4. "What is it?"
5. I think it's "mission accomplished."
6. I really meant for this to sound a little vague. In case people want to know what Eriol really meant, he was trying to tell Duo that no Tomoeda citizens were harmed. Only the Oz pilots were killed.
