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 valuable from me, anyway, except for a handful of lousy college grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 standard ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.
Author's Notes: This is actually just the second part of Chapter Fifteen, since I ran out of notepad space. Sadly this is also going to be the second to the last chapter to this fic. Hope you enjoy this piece of insanity!
DESTINY by rei-chan
Chapter Sixteen: Raiu's Choice
"Ok, next game would be a target shooting relay. I want four players from 6-2, sensei. The other classes have already finished." The over-all host told Mr. Terada as class 6-7 whooped and celebrated their victory. Mr. Terada turned to his own class and clapped his hands, calling out, "People! I need volunteers for the next game."
Duo leaned towards Syaoran as various hands started waving in the air. "Target shooting, huh?" he whispered, giving the younger boy a sly wink as Syaoran laughed. He motioned towards the three people the teacher had chosen, Tsukishiro Yukito included. "Let's see what these guys are made of." He made a move to raise his hand but stopped in mid-motion when he noticed Heero already lined up with the other men.
Syaoran turned wide, amber eyes at the braided pilot. "I thought you said he wasn't playing?" he asked Duo in confusion, turning his eyes at the uncharacteristic smirk on his brother's face as the gamekeeper handed him a BB gun.
"Well he told me he wasn't." Duo hissed in reply. They both watched as Heero took his place at the very end of the line while the first of the 6-2 players made his shot. Duo shook his head as the pellet completely missed the target. "I could've given that guy a run for his money if I was playing. Not that Heero won't scare him or anything." he told Syaoran as the judges flashed the score. A two.
The next player missed the target a few centimeters. Six.
Next was Yukito. The spectacled boy grinned at Touya and Sakura first before making his shot. The crowd 'oohed' as his bullet hit the blue mark, the circle before the red target. The judges gave him an eight.
Duo whistled at the near-accuracy of the shot. "Tsukishiro-san's not bad at all." he commented as Yukito walked towards the two Kinomotos', smiling. Touya patted him on the back.
"It's 'niisan's turn now, Duo!" Syaoran cried out in excitement as Heero calmly stepped forward and took his place. He expertly clicked the safety latch on his pistol and aimed, his face a mask of careless concentration. He fired.
Bull's eye.
The crowd roared as the judges flashed his score. Ten.
"Player number four wins!" The host announced as everyone started clapping and cheering.
Syaoran and Duo headed over to where Heero stood conversing with the judges while Mr. Terada congratulated him. As they neared the group, the two boys could hear the host saying, "That was an EXPERT shot Li-san. Are you SURE you're not taking lessons?"
"Iie. I never took any lessons."
"'Niisan!" Syaoran called out. "That was a great shot!"
"Yeah, man! I would've done better, though."
"Baka."
"Nice shot, if I do say so myself." All three looked up as Kinomoto Touya stopped in front of them, Yukito and Sakura in tow. He nodded at Heero. "Congratulations." There was no trace of hostility in his voice.
Heero regarded him silently for a few seconds, before nodding his head back once. "Arigatou."
Touya turned his attention to Syaoran, who was quietly watching their exchange, a look of uncertainty on his face. "The kaijuu drools when she sleeps, didja know that?" he said tonelessly.
Duo and Yukito began sniggering uncontrollably as Sakura kicked her brother in the shin.
"ONIICHAN!!!"
~ 0 ~
During lunch, Yamazaki reached for a cup of orange juice and took a swig, and was about to pour himself another when Duo suddenly sprang out from behind one of the trees, yelling, "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Surprised, the chinky-eyed boy dropped his cup, spilling juice all over his shorts. Duo shrieked hysterically at this before grabbing an entire stack of paper napkins and dumping it all on Yamazaki's lap. "ARRRGH!!!! Must kill it...must kill it..." he screamed.
"Duo-san!" Yamazaki yelled in confusion, jumping up from his seat as Duo attacked his shorts with the paper napkins, his violet eyes wide with fright and manic hysteria as he continued babbling incoherently to himself. "What's going on?!"
The braided boy jabbed him on the stomach. "Are you really that incredibly STUPID, you moron! That juice could KILL you!"
The younger boy's eyes widened at this. "HUH?!"
"IT HAS BEEN EXPOSED! THE DIOXYPLANKTONIC HYDRA IN IT COULD'VE KILLED YOU! AAHHHH!!!"
"What are you yabbering about? It was just some juice!"
Duo jumped back on his feet and began examining Yamazaki's eyes, his ears, his nose, and his mouth, all the while muttering to himself. Finally satisfied that the juice had not infected the younger boy in some way, he pushed Yamazaki back down on the blanket and grabbed the jug of juice, sloshing it over the ground. "Didn't your mother teach you anything, Yamazaki? Never ever," he lectured, waggling a finger in front of the confused Yamazaki's face, "imbibe something if you don't know what it's made of!"
"Duo-san," Yamazaki burst out, "it was just orange juice. I know what orange juice is made of! Water and juice concentrate. It's not lethal!" he pointed out.
"That's what you think." Duo replied solemnly. He walked a few steps away then suddenly whipped around, startling the younger boy. "Dioxyplanktonic hydra is extremely toxic. These little critters, when absorbed by the human body, are mostly dormant. But," Duo began pacing again, "when the liquid they happen to be in is drank by a 11 year-old, highly imaginative, chinky-eyed Japanese boy, the results...well..." A big sigh. "You sure you wanna know all this, Yamazaki? I don't want you to get a heart attack or anything."
"Come on, Duo-san, just tell me! If what I am suspecting--based on your story--is true, a heart attack is just icing on the cake! Tell me already!"
"If you say so." Another big sigh. "The infected person's physical body slowly starts to vanish." Duo fixed solemn violet eyes on Yamazaki, whose mouth was hanging open in shock. He slapped a hand over the younger boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry, kid. I tried to warn you, I really did!" he sighed.
"uh...aa." Was all Yamazaki could utter. He looked slowly down at himself. "When do I start disappearing?"
"If the book I read was accurate, you should start disappearing--" he looked at his watch, "--right about...HOLY SHIT Yamazaki what the hell's happening to your hand??"
"No...no....NO!!! AAAAAAAAHHHH!!" Yamazaki screamed, running away from the laughing pilot with his hand cradled protectively against his chest.
Duo shook his head. "You are such a WUSS, Yamazaki-kun."
~ 0 ~
"I'm just gonna go and see where Sakura and Tomoyo were heading to, okay? I'll be right back." Syaoran told his brother before darting off after the two girls. Heero watched as Syaoran skidded to a stop directly in front of Sakura and blushed. He sighed and shook his head as he began clearing up their plates. 'Kids today...' he thought to himself in amusement.
The sound of approaching footsteps quickly alerted the Wing pilot. Knowing that it would probably be unwise if he took out his gun, he powered up all his senses and turned around.
Eriol smiled at him over a plate of blueberry cheesecake(1). "Hello, Raiu. I brought some dessert."
Heero didn't answer as Eriol took off his shoes and seated himself in front of him, gently placing the plate on top of the cooler. He went about stacking their utensils, all the while keeping an ear out for the news he knew the English boy was bringing from the Elders.
Sure enough, it wasn't even a minute until Eriol spoke up, "Your destiny in this time has been fulfilled."
The Wing pilot didn't even blink. "I know."
Clow's reincarnation watched him tidy up their spread for a while. "Did you like how it went?" he asked softly.
Heero paused, and it took a moment before he replied, "Yes, very much." Was his almost reluctant admittance.
Soft laughter. "I'm glad you did. Xiao Lang seems to have gotten used to your's and Duo-san's company. Not to mention Sakura-san and Daidouji-chan."
"Aa." Opening the picnic basket, Heero started putting their leftovers inside. Eriol held out a hand.
"Let me help."
"Aa."
The two boys spent a few minutes in silence as they worked, Heero lost in his thoughts. In a way, he knew just what Eriol's news was. The problem was, he still had not figured out an answer to the question that he knew the master sorcerer would be springing any time soon.
"Have you made your decision? Whether to stay or not?"
It took an even longer time for him to answer. Snapping the lid back on the basket, Heero raised his eyes to meet Eriol's dark ones for the very first time since he arrived.
"Not yet."
~ 0 ~
After lunch, the games went on. Syaoran joined a track contest and a soccer game with his classmates, while Duo managed to beat one of Syaoran's teachers in a chess game. The three boys teamed up and joined an obstacles relay, tying to the second place with the Kinomotos. Chiharu's family placed first. On the three-legged race the two pilots exhibited their perfectly matched paces as they raced on, finishing the course a hairsbreadth ahead from the duo that was Touya and Yukito. The two older brothers of the Card Captors also joined an egg-eating contest. Touya won on that one.(2)
Finally, at the end of the day, three very tired yet very happy boys drove home. Heero took the wheel. Duo was too wound up to drive properly.
"--and I told him that his body will disappear right this moment and he flipped out!" His comrade was regaling Syaoran with the story of the prank he pulled on Yamazaki.
The younger boy laughed and patted Duo on the back. "Better be careful next time, though. He's bound to come up with SOMETHING against you." he warned the still-chuckling pilot as Heero steered the car to their street.
'...next time...' The words rang hollowly in Heero's head as he listened with half an ear to the other two's conversation. '...next time...'
'Have you made your decision yet?'
'Not yet.'
He thought of Ieran, his mother. The woman who had sacrificed a lot in order for him to live. He thought of his father, the man he never knew, the man from whom he inherited his powers. He thought of his sisters. He thought of their cousins. He thought of Syaoran...
Syaoran...
His brother needed him, he knew that. Even more than the clan needed him. He could feel it. As much as Syaoran tried to pretend that he was mature enough to handle the burdens of being the second-born heir to the clan, he was just a little kid. A kid who deserves to have all the fun in life. A kid who deserves to go to the mall and watch movies and hangout with friends. A kid who deserves to be given a break.
Syaoran needed him.
But the future needed Heero Yuy as well.
The future...
He thought of his co-pilots. Quatre was probably worried sick right at the moment. Trowa and Wufei were probably searching every place they could think of for Duo and himself. If he was looking for a family to come home to back in the future, he didn't have to look far.
They WERE family.
They ARE family.
And those civilians...
He thought of the endangered lives of all the innocent back at the Colonies. He thought of all the Oz soldiers, who were probably wreaking havoc in space at the moment due to their absence. He thought of Sally and the Preventers, the scientists...all the people who were counting on him to set everything right.
He thought of the girl and her puppy.
As he turned towards their apartment's driveway, Heero knew that he had made his choice.
TBC
--Yes, that's really it. Sorry if it was kinda short.
Some of you might think that it's rather stupid that I used the Family Day concept for chapters fifteen and sixteen. I just figured it would be appropriate, since Sakura and Co. are all still in elementary. Back in my old school, we used to celebrate Family Days annually, and I and my classmates had tons of fun. (Mind the past tense. Hey, I WAS a kid before!)
FOOTNOTES:
1. *drool* Erm, excuse me. *wipes up the mess*
2. No questions asked here. Think CCS 2nd Movie, the scene when he and Yukito were eating spaghetti. *swirly eyes*
Like it? Hate it? Let me know!
Author's Notes: This is actually just the second part of Chapter Fifteen, since I ran out of notepad space. Sadly this is also going to be the second to the last chapter to this fic. Hope you enjoy this piece of insanity!
DESTINY by rei-chan
Chapter Sixteen: Raiu's Choice
"Ok, next game would be a target shooting relay. I want four players from 6-2, sensei. The other classes have already finished." The over-all host told Mr. Terada as class 6-7 whooped and celebrated their victory. Mr. Terada turned to his own class and clapped his hands, calling out, "People! I need volunteers for the next game."
Duo leaned towards Syaoran as various hands started waving in the air. "Target shooting, huh?" he whispered, giving the younger boy a sly wink as Syaoran laughed. He motioned towards the three people the teacher had chosen, Tsukishiro Yukito included. "Let's see what these guys are made of." He made a move to raise his hand but stopped in mid-motion when he noticed Heero already lined up with the other men.
Syaoran turned wide, amber eyes at the braided pilot. "I thought you said he wasn't playing?" he asked Duo in confusion, turning his eyes at the uncharacteristic smirk on his brother's face as the gamekeeper handed him a BB gun.
"Well he told me he wasn't." Duo hissed in reply. They both watched as Heero took his place at the very end of the line while the first of the 6-2 players made his shot. Duo shook his head as the pellet completely missed the target. "I could've given that guy a run for his money if I was playing. Not that Heero won't scare him or anything." he told Syaoran as the judges flashed the score. A two.
The next player missed the target a few centimeters. Six.
Next was Yukito. The spectacled boy grinned at Touya and Sakura first before making his shot. The crowd 'oohed' as his bullet hit the blue mark, the circle before the red target. The judges gave him an eight.
Duo whistled at the near-accuracy of the shot. "Tsukishiro-san's not bad at all." he commented as Yukito walked towards the two Kinomotos', smiling. Touya patted him on the back.
"It's 'niisan's turn now, Duo!" Syaoran cried out in excitement as Heero calmly stepped forward and took his place. He expertly clicked the safety latch on his pistol and aimed, his face a mask of careless concentration. He fired.
Bull's eye.
The crowd roared as the judges flashed his score. Ten.
"Player number four wins!" The host announced as everyone started clapping and cheering.
Syaoran and Duo headed over to where Heero stood conversing with the judges while Mr. Terada congratulated him. As they neared the group, the two boys could hear the host saying, "That was an EXPERT shot Li-san. Are you SURE you're not taking lessons?"
"Iie. I never took any lessons."
"'Niisan!" Syaoran called out. "That was a great shot!"
"Yeah, man! I would've done better, though."
"Baka."
"Nice shot, if I do say so myself." All three looked up as Kinomoto Touya stopped in front of them, Yukito and Sakura in tow. He nodded at Heero. "Congratulations." There was no trace of hostility in his voice.
Heero regarded him silently for a few seconds, before nodding his head back once. "Arigatou."
Touya turned his attention to Syaoran, who was quietly watching their exchange, a look of uncertainty on his face. "The kaijuu drools when she sleeps, didja know that?" he said tonelessly.
Duo and Yukito began sniggering uncontrollably as Sakura kicked her brother in the shin.
"ONIICHAN!!!"
~ 0 ~
During lunch, Yamazaki reached for a cup of orange juice and took a swig, and was about to pour himself another when Duo suddenly sprang out from behind one of the trees, yelling, "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Surprised, the chinky-eyed boy dropped his cup, spilling juice all over his shorts. Duo shrieked hysterically at this before grabbing an entire stack of paper napkins and dumping it all on Yamazaki's lap. "ARRRGH!!!! Must kill it...must kill it..." he screamed.
"Duo-san!" Yamazaki yelled in confusion, jumping up from his seat as Duo attacked his shorts with the paper napkins, his violet eyes wide with fright and manic hysteria as he continued babbling incoherently to himself. "What's going on?!"
The braided boy jabbed him on the stomach. "Are you really that incredibly STUPID, you moron! That juice could KILL you!"
The younger boy's eyes widened at this. "HUH?!"
"IT HAS BEEN EXPOSED! THE DIOXYPLANKTONIC HYDRA IN IT COULD'VE KILLED YOU! AAHHHH!!!"
"What are you yabbering about? It was just some juice!"
Duo jumped back on his feet and began examining Yamazaki's eyes, his ears, his nose, and his mouth, all the while muttering to himself. Finally satisfied that the juice had not infected the younger boy in some way, he pushed Yamazaki back down on the blanket and grabbed the jug of juice, sloshing it over the ground. "Didn't your mother teach you anything, Yamazaki? Never ever," he lectured, waggling a finger in front of the confused Yamazaki's face, "imbibe something if you don't know what it's made of!"
"Duo-san," Yamazaki burst out, "it was just orange juice. I know what orange juice is made of! Water and juice concentrate. It's not lethal!" he pointed out.
"That's what you think." Duo replied solemnly. He walked a few steps away then suddenly whipped around, startling the younger boy. "Dioxyplanktonic hydra is extremely toxic. These little critters, when absorbed by the human body, are mostly dormant. But," Duo began pacing again, "when the liquid they happen to be in is drank by a 11 year-old, highly imaginative, chinky-eyed Japanese boy, the results...well..." A big sigh. "You sure you wanna know all this, Yamazaki? I don't want you to get a heart attack or anything."
"Come on, Duo-san, just tell me! If what I am suspecting--based on your story--is true, a heart attack is just icing on the cake! Tell me already!"
"If you say so." Another big sigh. "The infected person's physical body slowly starts to vanish." Duo fixed solemn violet eyes on Yamazaki, whose mouth was hanging open in shock. He slapped a hand over the younger boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry, kid. I tried to warn you, I really did!" he sighed.
"uh...aa." Was all Yamazaki could utter. He looked slowly down at himself. "When do I start disappearing?"
"If the book I read was accurate, you should start disappearing--" he looked at his watch, "--right about...HOLY SHIT Yamazaki what the hell's happening to your hand??"
"No...no....NO!!! AAAAAAAAHHHH!!" Yamazaki screamed, running away from the laughing pilot with his hand cradled protectively against his chest.
Duo shook his head. "You are such a WUSS, Yamazaki-kun."
~ 0 ~
"I'm just gonna go and see where Sakura and Tomoyo were heading to, okay? I'll be right back." Syaoran told his brother before darting off after the two girls. Heero watched as Syaoran skidded to a stop directly in front of Sakura and blushed. He sighed and shook his head as he began clearing up their plates. 'Kids today...' he thought to himself in amusement.
The sound of approaching footsteps quickly alerted the Wing pilot. Knowing that it would probably be unwise if he took out his gun, he powered up all his senses and turned around.
Eriol smiled at him over a plate of blueberry cheesecake(1). "Hello, Raiu. I brought some dessert."
Heero didn't answer as Eriol took off his shoes and seated himself in front of him, gently placing the plate on top of the cooler. He went about stacking their utensils, all the while keeping an ear out for the news he knew the English boy was bringing from the Elders.
Sure enough, it wasn't even a minute until Eriol spoke up, "Your destiny in this time has been fulfilled."
The Wing pilot didn't even blink. "I know."
Clow's reincarnation watched him tidy up their spread for a while. "Did you like how it went?" he asked softly.
Heero paused, and it took a moment before he replied, "Yes, very much." Was his almost reluctant admittance.
Soft laughter. "I'm glad you did. Xiao Lang seems to have gotten used to your's and Duo-san's company. Not to mention Sakura-san and Daidouji-chan."
"Aa." Opening the picnic basket, Heero started putting their leftovers inside. Eriol held out a hand.
"Let me help."
"Aa."
The two boys spent a few minutes in silence as they worked, Heero lost in his thoughts. In a way, he knew just what Eriol's news was. The problem was, he still had not figured out an answer to the question that he knew the master sorcerer would be springing any time soon.
"Have you made your decision? Whether to stay or not?"
It took an even longer time for him to answer. Snapping the lid back on the basket, Heero raised his eyes to meet Eriol's dark ones for the very first time since he arrived.
"Not yet."
~ 0 ~
After lunch, the games went on. Syaoran joined a track contest and a soccer game with his classmates, while Duo managed to beat one of Syaoran's teachers in a chess game. The three boys teamed up and joined an obstacles relay, tying to the second place with the Kinomotos. Chiharu's family placed first. On the three-legged race the two pilots exhibited their perfectly matched paces as they raced on, finishing the course a hairsbreadth ahead from the duo that was Touya and Yukito. The two older brothers of the Card Captors also joined an egg-eating contest. Touya won on that one.(2)
Finally, at the end of the day, three very tired yet very happy boys drove home. Heero took the wheel. Duo was too wound up to drive properly.
"--and I told him that his body will disappear right this moment and he flipped out!" His comrade was regaling Syaoran with the story of the prank he pulled on Yamazaki.
The younger boy laughed and patted Duo on the back. "Better be careful next time, though. He's bound to come up with SOMETHING against you." he warned the still-chuckling pilot as Heero steered the car to their street.
'...next time...' The words rang hollowly in Heero's head as he listened with half an ear to the other two's conversation. '...next time...'
'Have you made your decision yet?'
'Not yet.'
He thought of Ieran, his mother. The woman who had sacrificed a lot in order for him to live. He thought of his father, the man he never knew, the man from whom he inherited his powers. He thought of his sisters. He thought of their cousins. He thought of Syaoran...
Syaoran...
His brother needed him, he knew that. Even more than the clan needed him. He could feel it. As much as Syaoran tried to pretend that he was mature enough to handle the burdens of being the second-born heir to the clan, he was just a little kid. A kid who deserves to have all the fun in life. A kid who deserves to go to the mall and watch movies and hangout with friends. A kid who deserves to be given a break.
Syaoran needed him.
But the future needed Heero Yuy as well.
The future...
He thought of his co-pilots. Quatre was probably worried sick right at the moment. Trowa and Wufei were probably searching every place they could think of for Duo and himself. If he was looking for a family to come home to back in the future, he didn't have to look far.
They WERE family.
They ARE family.
And those civilians...
He thought of the endangered lives of all the innocent back at the Colonies. He thought of all the Oz soldiers, who were probably wreaking havoc in space at the moment due to their absence. He thought of Sally and the Preventers, the scientists...all the people who were counting on him to set everything right.
He thought of the girl and her puppy.
As he turned towards their apartment's driveway, Heero knew that he had made his choice.
TBC
--Yes, that's really it. Sorry if it was kinda short.
Some of you might think that it's rather stupid that I used the Family Day concept for chapters fifteen and sixteen. I just figured it would be appropriate, since Sakura and Co. are all still in elementary. Back in my old school, we used to celebrate Family Days annually, and I and my classmates had tons of fun. (Mind the past tense. Hey, I WAS a kid before!)
FOOTNOTES:
1. *drool* Erm, excuse me. *wipes up the mess*
2. No questions asked here. Think CCS 2nd Movie, the scene when he and Yukito were eating spaghetti. *swirly eyes*
Like it? Hate it? Let me know!
