A/N: Yeah, I know. I never thought I'd do another one but I couldn't stop the question from running through my mind. It pestered me for five whole months, along with another muse who decided to make himself known; Kelo, the Muse of Angst. *Morrighan is for physical pain* Damn muse wouldn't leave me be and bothered me for so long, so here he is. Hope he's happy now; he had a field day with Torment of Paradise and didn't let me in on it. Hidoi... *messy haired muse in toga and sandals gives Furor a dark look before returning to his scroll to read*
Tiger Lilies
The pencil tapped against the desk in irritation, the obsidian eyes gazing out of the window, searching for something to capture interest. Barely giving a glance to the words written on the page, he sighed heavily before looking back at it.
"This is so pointless." he muttered to himself.
"I beg your pardon Mr. Winner?"
Looking up, he saw the teacher's slightly annoyed face. "This work. You could treat us with a bit of dignity and give us real work; I personally wouldn't give this to as dog; he would find it too easy."
Titters and snickers ran around from the other students at the teacher's flushed expression making him look around. The girl in the back gave him a reproachful look before turning back to her sheet.
"And why not Mr. Winner? Are you that confident in your abilities?" the teacher frowned sharply at the upstart student.
"Yes. Busy work will do nothing but dull the mind. You could at least make the effort to do your job and teach us."
A dead silence descended around the room before the teacher pointed an imperious finger to the door. Lips thinning into a line, he rose, stuffing his things into his bag and leaving the room with his head held high. The door slammed behind him harshly as the teacher went back to the desk and continued at her work. Pausing, he looked into the window; the girl in the back looked at him with a shake of her head and made a lynching motion. He froze for a moment before stalking off, mad at himself; this was the fifth time in the week and his mother would be getting a call home. 'At least Mother is still gone. But Skye back there is going to have a field day with this later.'
Seated on the window seat, he looked out the window before turning back to the book in his hands. A quiet knock on the door made him look up.
"Yes?"
"Can I come in Shen?"
Making a sound, he put the book down. "Fine."
The door swung open slowly, the blonde haired girl entering and seating herself on the floor. "Why do you do it Shen? We all know it's busy work. Just put up with it would you? The school year is almost over. We're in March already. You can put up with the bitch for three more months can't you?"
Shen sighed. "Always the blunt one, aren't we Skye? You know that the whole class is pointless. I swear that all the work is far too easy."
"Really?" she looked at him curiously. "Did you ever consider taking those special classes? I mean, you always ace every subject. . .even the ones you have a tendency to suck at. Maybe you're a prodigy like Blaze."
Shen snorted; Blaze was away at a private school for gifted students and for some reason he couldn't stand Skye's twin. He liked her but hated Blaze. "I don't suck at anything. I just work hard, that's all." Shen ran a hand through his hair. "And I have university applications to do in about in two years. I have to worry."
"Shen, you're seventeen! Lighten up a bit would you? Carpe diem [1], you baka!" Skye said with an incredulous look in her eyes. "I mean you work too much! You work as much as-"
The sound of the front door slamming reached their ears making them sit up uneasily.
"Shen? Skye?"
"Father!!" Skye squealed as she bolted from her seat and took off down the stairs.
Shen groaned and followed as he watched her enveloped the blond man in a hug; his sister acted more like six than sixteen. "Hi Father. How as your day?"
"Pretty good." Aqua-blue eyes looked up at him with a serious light. "Your mother called me today Shen. Apparently she received a call from your teacher."
Shen swallowed hard. "Is Mother mad?"
"Her exact words were something along the lines of 'Quatre, I don't have any patience with that woman. You deal with her this time.' I think you're pretty much in the clear with her. More or less."
He exhaled a deep breath, sinking to the step. He didn't say anything when his father sent Skye to the backyard until he sat beside him. "And how mad are you at me?"
"A bit. I thought we talked about this Shen. You really shouldn't insult your English teacher like that. She does work hard."
He gave a snort. "You mean she sits on her fat butt and pretends that she does work."
A smile passed over his father's face. "As much as that is a bit insulting, I can't really dispute that. Your teacher wants to meet with you and me tomorrow morning before school starts; she said she was going to take care of the problem."
"When is Mother coming back from Spain?" Shen asked as he started at a spot on the carpet. 'Yeah, she'll kick me out of class and probably tried to get me expelled. There goes university up in smoke.'
"She says in a few more days, two weeks at the most but you know how Monique can get sometimes. Busy making sure that all the facts are there for her article." Quatre rumpled Shen's hair. "Just go and do what you want. The talk will come tomorrow."
"Thanks Father." Shen said as he flashed a relieved smile and took back up to his room; at least tomorrow wouldn't be so bad.
"Listen to Ms. Peacecraft, Shen; she may have a point." he muttered savagely as he stalked down the hallway, re-shouldering his bag before it fell from his shoulder. "Damn woman wouldn't know common sense if it slapped her silly. Stick me in a class with a bunch of nerds. I don't need it; I just need a different teacher."
He paused outside a door, looking up at the numbers on the frosted glass; 208. 208 was the fabled room where all the nerds had their class and generally hung out; with a deep sigh, he placed his hand on the knob and started to turn. He looked up startled as the door suddenly swung open and a face greeted him. He felt a blush spread over his face at the amethyst eyes that greeted him, a faint smattering of freckles across the nose framed by loose brown hair that glinted with red. He felt his mouth open and close, only air coming out and no words. The girl gave him a look for a second before she smiled.
"Are you Shen Winner?" she asked.
He was only able to nod his head dumbly.
"I thought so. You're supposed to be joining our class today right? Ms. Po thought you had gotten lost. Come on in. You can have the seat next to me."
Shen let himself be pulled along into the room, the door shutting inevitably behind him; so he was here for good now. He made his way to his seat quickly, going through the perfunctory greetings as the teacher introduced him.
"So why did you decide to join this class?" the girl turned to him with puzzlement in her eyes.
"I didn't; Ms. Peacecraft thought it would do me good since I disrupted hers so much." Shen muttered.
"Elizabeth Maxwell, must you always talk so loudly?" the teacher faced them with a smile of slight exasperation. "What are you talking about anyways?"
"Telling Shen here about the class and whatnot; he has the same lunch as me so I'm going to show him the ropes. That and other things."
"All right then. Just keep it down?" Ms. Po turned back to the board.
Shen gaped between the girl as she nodded and Ms. Po who was writing busily away on the board. "She didn't get mad. . ."
"I know. Ms. Peacecraft can be a bitch. I don't think she's getting any." the girl smiled again. "And please call me Eliza. I get so tired of people calling me Elizabeth. Even my friends do that; Elizabeth this and Elizabeth that." she made a face. "Not my thing."
"All right then Eliza." he said hesitantly. "Are you sure we aren't going to get into trouble for talking like this?"
"Nah. Ms. Po is pretty cool in that regard; so long as we don't disturb anyone else, we can talk as much as we like."
"But the notes she's taking. . ." he gestured to the blackboard futilely.
"From the textbook. If you want in-depth stuff that's pretty much it up there. Don't bother. I bet you'll understand the stuff pretty easily."
"Yes, but-"
"Then don't worry about it." she said as she pulled out a pen and started doodling. "So do you like to read?"
Shen didn't say anything for a moment as he spied the shelves crammed full of every type of book at the front of the classroom before he nodded his head. "I suppose you do as well then faerie Eliza?"
A delicate flush spread across her nose. "What books do you read?"
With a smile, Shen settled down for a long conversation; he was going to like this class.
"Are you sure that your Father won't mind me coming over?"
Shen shook his head. "Besides, we have to get this project done don't we? It does count for plenty of our final mark."
Elizabeth shook her head. I'm amazed that my Mother even let me come over. I mean she gets all defensive when I ask to go over to a guy's house to hang; even with others there."
"She seemed to accept it when I told her who my parents were." Shen shrugged. "Why do we have to be married and stuff?"
"Teach us about responsibility and whatnot. Basically we bullshit around and tell Ms. Po what she wants to hear, so pretty much anything goes. Want to have a failed marriage? Or one of convenience?"
"Let's talk about that later? Here's my place."
"Nice." Elizabeth said as she looked around. "Our garden is my thing; did a damn good job of it too. My parents are glad that someone took care of the front yard; they never seem to get around to it."
Shen snorted. "Ours is the general cleaning. Mother is always off on assignment and Father is at the office and comes home tired. Me and Skye take care of the house basically. I hate cleaning. I swear, this whole marriage project was and is just an attempt to gain insight into how we interact with one another."
"Hell I could have told you that." Elizabeth said as she walked in hesitantly as Shen held the door open for her. "Are you sure it's all right?"
Shen rolled his eyes. "Mother? Father? Skye?" he called out as he shut the door and locked it. "I guess no one is back yet." he said as no one answered. "Want anything?"
"No thank you." Elizabeth said as he went into the kitchen and got himself a drink. "Shall we get started?"
"Yeah." he said coming into the living room; she was still standing in the hallway. "The living room is this way; you don't have to stand there like that."
She turned around startled as her face went red. "I don't really go out to other people's houses without my parents."
Shen watched as she sat on the edge of the couch gingerly her backpack at her feet. Shrugging he set his glass down on the coaster. "Rocky?"
Elizabeth's head snapped around at his words. "Yeah. . .rocky might be a good idea. Has its ups and downs. . .I think we can be creative enough for Ms. Po to enjoy reading our report."
Shen smiled; he had been in the class for only a week and he felt like part of it already; it was wonderful to have people who went at pretty much the same speed as he did and understood when he skipped the obvious steps. "But not too over the top. Believable."
Elizabeth nodded her head as she gave him a wicked smile. "And then we have to get the parents in on this as well. For whatever family dinners we have. Ostensibly we'll have good jobs and a nice place with a balcony."
Shen shook his head with a smile. "Balconies are highly overrated. I say a patio or something like it."
She wrinkled her nose. "Can't stand them. Just a nice grassy backyard is all I need." she paused. "Sorry; all we need."
"How about a small deck and the rest is just grass?"
"How small? Draw it out." she said as she sat beside him.
Grabbing a piece of paper, Shen drew out the dimensions. When Elizabeth smiled and nodded her approval he felt a surge of something run through him. "So," he cleared his throat of the sudden obstruction lodged there. "Do you think if we made a family tree, we would get extra marks? So what may have influenced our family, like ancestry, shows the effect on present generations?"
"Maybe. She did say we could include 'bonuses' as she calls them. Mama and Papa have ours done already. I am so Scottish." she said with a proud smile.
"Hence the 'Kiss me; I'm Scottish.' shirt?" he asked arching an eyebrow.
"You know it." she replied with a grin before it disappeared. "That would only leave your half Shen. I think it could be done in time. Or do you have one made already?"
"No; but if I talked to Mother and Father then I'm sure that they'll help. Well, Father anyways; he's here more often."
"Do you have a family picture?" Elizabeth asked. "I mean, we should have some sort of starting point."
"Yeah. Mother keeps these Godawful photo albums; and one of them has a family portrait." Shen drew out the worn battered black books, waving away the thick dust. "The cover's bad but the pages are fine."
"Got the right one?" Elizabeth asked.
Shen nodded his head as he coughed, reaching for his glass. Taking a gulp, he managed to clear his throat of the dust. Feeling a touch on his shoulder, he looked back to see Elizabeth looking at him with concern in her eyes.
I'm fine." he managed as he sat back into the cushions. "Is that the album?"
"Uh. . .do you realize how well I can blackmail you with this Shen? You really should have checked yourself."
Shen took the book from her and slid it on his lap to reveal butt naked baby pictures. Slamming the book shut, he looked over at Elizabeth who had a huge grin plastered to her face.
"What's it going to take for this to stay between you and me?" he asked in a strained voice.
"I'll think about it later and let you know. For now though. . .I'll keep my lips sealed." Elizabeth smirked. "Why don't you try another album?"
Eagerly, Shen grabbed a few more and tossed them between them. "You can help. That's the only accursed one that has those pictures." he shoved the offending book back into the small bookcase.
He didn't say anything as he eagerly buried himself in the old photos, flipping through the dusty old pages and coughing occasionally. After a few minutes of whipping through, he held up a page relieved that it was blocking his face; he didn't know how he was going to look her straight in the eye again.
"Oh that's the picture." Elizabeth said as she took the book from him and looked at it. "Your mother is really pretty. Aw. . .lookit you; you were a pretty cute baby. All swaddled up in a pretty blue blankie. . ."
"Just look down Eliza." he muttered crossly.
He frowned as she snickered and looked down at the picture he was talking about. Shen sighed mentally as he realized that he could and should have taken out the embarrassing picture. 'But what's done is done.' He watched as a variety of expressions crossed her face as she started leafing through the album; mirth, sadness, anger, they all paraded past one by one, keeping him spellbound and staring at her. She looked up at him suddenly, making him look away hastily, pretending to study the lampshade.
"You have a nice life here Shen." she said quietly. "Something isn't right. You don't bear any resemblance to your father, but that happens. But, you barely look like your mother. Where did the rest of your features come from?"
"What?" he looked at her shocked. "What are you talking about?"
"Here; look for yourself." Elizabeth handed him the book slowly.
Shen gazed down at the page, the happy smiling faces greeting him. There was Mother, Father, Skye, Blaze and himself. He narrowed his eyes as he looked between Skye, Blaze and himself. His sister and brother, blonde little Skye and towering Blaze, who had Father's eyes and Mother's hair, everything about them came from both Mother and Father. And then there was himself, jet black hair and eyes and a lithe figure, which obviously wasn't Mother's or Father's. And the features didn't match up like Elizabeth said. His features had a decidedly different cast to them; something more-
"Mama?! Papa?! I swear we were working on a project! Remember the one I was telling you about!? The marriage thing!? Remember?!"
"Marriage thing?! What the hell does that onna have my son doing?"
Shen looked up at the sound of his mother's voice to see her, Father and Elizabeth's parents standing in the hallway. He looked at his father puzzled slightly before rising to hug her.
"Hi Mother. It took you long enough to get back."
"Sorry. They wanted to get all testy and try to keep me. I told them I had to spend time with my kids; you guys might forget what I look like."
He smiled a bit at his mother's humour before glancing down at the floor; all the bags were there; so she was back for awhile. "I got placed in an advanced class. That's what the marriage project is for."
"Oh. Did you really have to insult your teacher as dumb as she is?"
"Monique, would you drop it? You just got back and I'm sure you don't want to embarrass the boy."
"Heh, for once I agree with Duo. Besides, we do the same thing enough to Elizabeth to know it when we see it." Meghan said as she smirked.
"Mama!!" Elizabeth wailed from the couch. "I can't go out anywhere with you guys!!"
Shen shot her a sympathetic look before looking at his father. "Are you planning to go out somewhere?"
"We're heading out for dinner and came to pick you kids up." Quatre said.
"Where's Skye then?" Shen looked around for his sister.
"She's gone on that class field trip Shen." Quatre said. "You're the one who convinced me it was good for her. Don't you remember that?"
"Huh?" he frowned for a minute before nodding his head. "Yeah, I do. Sorry. "I've been pretty busy lately. Projects and all."
Monique frowned as she felt his forehead. "You don't seem sick. We'll see if something turns up then. Are you two ready to go?"
"Let me just grab our coats." Elizabeth said as she slid into the hallway to the closet.
"I'll lock the door Mother." Shen said as he took out his key.
"All right. Come on Meghan. You can explain to me again, why the hell I put up with certain things from the jackasses at work." Monique said as she and Quatre walked to the car hand in hand.
Shen paused as Elizabeth stepped out onto the porch after giving him his coat and he shrugged it on. The album lay open on the couch, the family portrait visible even from the door. He didn't look back as Elizabeth's hand rested on his shoulder. Slowly he turned around and locked the door, shoving his hands into his coat pockets and headed for the car, Elizabeth beside him. 'Why don't I look like any of my family?'
Uneasily, Shen opened the door to his parent's room and shut it again; now was the perfect time to do this. Mother and Father had gone to the bus station to pick up Skye and wouldn't be back for another hour at least. Checking his pants pocket he felt the lumpy shapes of the pen and pad. Slowly he crept up to the small black book that lay on his mother's vanity table. He touched it hesitantly before he opened it and turned the cover back. The fine slanted handwriting greeted him as he leafed through easily, finding the section labelled 'Friends'. Quickly he transcribed all the names and addresses that he found, creping back out a few minutes later after placing the book back in the exact spot.
Going down to the living room, he seated himself down in the single chair before opening the album and forcing himself to look at the picture. It always made his head ache to look at it; it now only highlighted his singleness and made him ponder far too much. Easily, he wrote down all the differences he saw between him and the other members on the already crammed pad, combing over the pictures endlessly. He was so absorbed that he never heard the front door open or when everyone looked at him from the hallway.
"Shen?"
His head snapped up as he saw his mother looking at him. A wave of guilt washed over him as he recalled sneaking the phone numbers out of the book. That was his backup plan if all else failed.
"Yes Mother?" he asked as he dusted off his pants and rose.
"Are you still plugging away at that project? It's Saturday; take a break."
"Maybe later. Hey, do you think you could tell me about Father?"
"What do you want to know?" Monique asked as she sent Skye upstairs with her duffel bag.
"Well, there are a few things;" he said as he took a deep breath. "Like why did you decide to give me a Chinese name?"
"You know that's a hobby of mine, doing research on the Asian cultures and languages. I gave you a name I felt to be appropriate to you. What, you don't like it?"
"I like my name. But I was just wondering what it meant actually. This all is going down in the report that Elizabeth and I are doing."
"I figured as much. No wonder you never fail at anything. Your name means dragon. What's next kiddo?"
Shen couldn't help but smile at that. "Ah...tell me about relatives."
"Hm. That's a bit of a problem on my side. You know your father has twenty nine sisters,"
Shen couldn't help but shiver at the memory of the last family dinner that has occurred at Thanksgiving at the mansion in space.
"I know Shen. But on my side, I have no relatives really. A mother and a great-grandmother and that's about it. If you want I can drive you to talk to Grandmother; she remembers everything and everyone."
"I know." Shen grimaced as he rubbed his cheek; pulled one too many times. "Maybe I'll go and talk to Grandmother."
"That would be a wise idea. I unfortunately can't help you Shen." Monique stood up. "Now what do you want for dinner?"
Shen shrugged as he returned to his work. "I'll have leftovers. Are you sure you can't tell me about Father?"
Monique paused as if unsure about the tone and emphasis he had put on the word. "You can ask him yourself Shen. He's outside in the garage."
Shen watched as she went into the kitchen before turning back to his work. 'Now Mother is evasive; I know she can answer anything about Father.' He looked back down at the pad that had all the names and addresses. 'What does she have to hide from me?'
Shen scuffed his foot as he sat on the creaky old bench. Peering up in the bright sunlight, he looked down the road for the bus. 'Now it's only half an hour late.' With a sigh, he rubbed his face before turning around and looking behind him.
"What are you doing here?" he asked surprised.
"I was trying to call you Shen; all week in fact." Elizabeth sat down beside him. "So, did you change your number or have you been avoiding me?"
"No. I've just been busy, that's all." he said as he rubbed his hands together. "I never meant to ignore you."
"Well you kinda did. Makes it rather hard to fill out those sheets she gave us. We have to do those stupid exercises; if she tests us in class, then we're basically screwed. They are pretty much built on trust and stuff; that kind of thing doesn't happen right away."
"I know, I know. But I made these plans today and..." he trailed off as he regarded her for a few minutes. "They can wait if you really want to do them now."
"I don't want to disrupt your plans for the day." Elizabeth paused for a minute. "What time are you gonna be done tonight?"
"I have no clue. I'm hoping for eight; did you want me to stop by then?"
"That would be good. My parents don't have an issue with you. Be glad Shen." she paused as she rose. "Just make sure that you stop by tonight all right? We need to get those done."
"I'll be there. I'll try for eight Eliza." Shen rose as the bus finally clattered down the street. "Look. . .don't tell my mother that I went out. If she asks say you didn't see me."
"Didn't see you? Shen, where exactly are you going?" Elizabeth watched as the bus doors opened.
"I'm going to get some answers Eliza. I'll be there by eight." he said before the doors closed.
With a sigh he took a seat in the back and gazed out the window. There stood Elizabeth by the bus stop watching as the ancient vehicle drove away in a cloud of dust. Part of him wanted to pull the bell and get off; she deserved better than what he was doing. All week, he had been burying himself with finding out the truth of what his mother hid. He hadn't even realized that it was the March Break already; he had been so focused and determined that everything else seemed to slip away; including the important things. But the other part of him burned for that what had been hidden from him; all he wanted was a straight answer and he couldn't even get that from his parents. Muttering darkly to himself he watched the window like a hawk for the street that was supposed to come up. Almost two hours later, he rang the bell and ran off of the bus, heading for the apartment building across the street. Walking into the cool air conditioned lobby, he looked on the listing and rang up 1854.
"Hn. We don't want what you're selling." came the terse reply.
"I'm not selling anything. Remember me Uncle Heero?"
Silence came from the speaker, leaving Shen to stand there looking anxiously at the door. After what seemed an eternity, the sound of the buzzer echoed throughout the cavernous area. Slowly he walked up, to the elevator, waiting as it carried him to the top floor. Nervously, he went to the door marked 2115 and knocked. The sound of mad barking filled the air as the door opened and Shen was greeted by the smiling face of an unfamiliar lady.
"It's been a long time since we've seen you Shen. Come in, come in."
"Hi Aunt Hadeer. How have you been?" he said as he walked in.
"Pretty good Shen. Same with Heero. "
Shen walked in, the dog sniffing curiously around his hand. Absentmindedly, he petted it, setting the tail wagging back and forth. The lady muttered a curse and sent the dog out of her way.
"So do you want anything? It's pretty warm outside for a March."
"No I'm fine, thank you." he stood by the wall, timidly, waving to Heero who was sitting in the living room.
"Come and sit."
Shen bowed slightly before taking his seat. "I don't really know how to say this. Mother doesn't even know that I'm here."
"She doesn't?" Heero raised an eyebrow. "Brave child."
Shen gave a wry grin. "I told her I was studying at the library and then I would be working with a partner." he took a breath. "I came all this way to ask one thing of you and I hope you can help me. Mother wasn't much of one. And please don't tell her what I'm doing; it's not drugs or anything like that. . .but I get the feeling that she'd freak on me."
"She does sort of suck at the talking thing. And freak out sometimes as well."
"Hadeer. . ."
"You know it's true Heero. So what is it Shen?" Hadeer asked.
"I want you to tell me about my father."
"You know your father." Heero stated.
"No," Shen shook his head. "My real father."
An uncomfortable silence descended around the room as Heero and Hadeer looked at each other uneasily. Shen sighed as he rose; he saw where this was going. "Thank you for your time Mr. and Mrs. Yuy. I'm sorry to have disturbed you." Shen turned to leave.
"August."
Shen turned around at Heero's quiet word. "I beg your pardon?"
"Like Heero said. . .August." Hadeer said as she nodded her head in agreement. "It happened in August."
"What happened in August?" Shen asked turning to face them both.
Heero simply shook his head. "That's all."
"Any more and she'll kill us." Hadeer said softly. "I think you'd better get back home before you get into trouble Shen. We wouldn't want that happening." Hadeer rose, ushering to the living room doorway.
"But how do you know Mrs. Yuy?" Shen asked as he was escorted to the door.
"We left soon afterwards and traveled for a bit." Hadeer paused lost in her thoughts. "Just go home Shen and keep pestering Monique about it. She'll give in time."
Shen soon found himself on the step as the door closed silently. He scowled at the door before heading out of the building and hopped on the bus. He absentmindedly analyzed things until his hand reached up and rang the bell, getting off and walking down the street towards the house at the end. Walking up the steps, he rang on the bell, chewing on his lip as he waited.
"Hey you made it. Where exactly did you go?"
Shen simply nodded hello as he walked in and removed his jacket, placing it on the coat pegs. "They're hiding something. If they are, then the rest must be as well."
"Shen, would you sit down and talk some sense to me?" Elizabeth said as she ran after him. "You have to fill me in on what the hell you're talking about!"
Pausing he watched as Elizabeth waited with a slightly ticked and expectant expression. "I am sorry. I have been a bit wrapped up in my own affairs. That's no reason to ignore you or the project."
"At least you knew what to say." she said as she smiled finally. "Jenny was talking to me today and says that her marriage is going horribly."
"Well good for Jenny and Sam." he muttered as he flopped down on the couch, his bag at the end.
"Now will you tell me what's wrong?" Elizabeth asked as she came and sat beside him.
"I don't think. . .I mean. . .it doesn't make sense." he said as he stared ahead at the wall broodingly. "Nothing makes sense really."
"Is this because of what I said? It was just some passing observation Shen. You don't have to put much into it."
"At this point I can't help it." Shen rose and started pacing back and forth. "When I asked Mother to tell me about Father, she actually hesitated."
"People do that all the time Shen."
"I know my mother; this was a pause of uncertainty. She deliberately avoided answering my question. She knows everything about Father; she knows him inside and out. That was pure bullshit what she said. And then there was the Yuys."
"The Yuys? Hey, I know a Yuy; Heero Yuy." Elizabeth said. "He's my godfather and Hadeer is my godmother."
"Coincidence. But they just clammed up on me. All they would say was August; something happened in August."
"What the hell could be so important about August?" Elizabeth said as she frowned slightly, thinking.
"Hey. . .where are your parents?" he asked looking around. "Usually when I come over your father tries to impress me with some crack and your mother says I need to eat."
Elizabeth giggled as he looked around warily. "You don't have to worry; they're visiting your parents tonight. I bailed out saying I was waiting for you and if we did this at your house, they would disrupt us."
"Thank you. Skye wouldn't have left us alone." Shen said as he sat back down.
"Look, if it's bothering you that much, let me help." Elizabeth paused for a moment. "Then we can get the project out of the way easier."
"All right then. I get the feeling that you would insist and still help if I said no." Shen sighed. "So what's our first exercise?"
"Cooking. We have to cook something for each other and rate it." Elizabeth replied. "But my idea of cooking involves take out numbers. . ."
Shen reached for the phone. "I think I'll make. . ."
"Chinese?" Elizabeth said as he left a blank.
"Chinese." he said as her face broke into a grin.
"This is the place?"
Shen looked down at the address written down on the piece of paper before looking back up at numbers on the house. "This is the place. Same address as the one in my mother's address book."
The slightly worn down old house greeted him and Elizabeth as they looked over the house.
"It must be at least a hundred years old." Elizabeth hissed at him. "Do you really think Trowa Barton lives here?"
"Eliza. . ."
"I know. . .but this is Trowa Barton we're talking about here. Trowa Barton Shen. His name is only synonymous with books on colonial settling on other planets and the setting of the colonies in space." Elizabeth drifted off with a dreamy sort of look. "I've always wanted to meet him in person. I even got my book signed by him when I went to the colonies and he was there." she hugged the book she had in her arms slightly.
"Lord." Shen rolled his eyes and walked straight up to the door and knocked.
Elizabeth scurried up to him, hovering behind him anxiously. He heard her sharp intake of air when the door opened and a small wild haired green eyed boy about their age answered the door. He didn't say anything, simply looking at them patiently.
"I-Is. . .Is. . .Is. . . ." Elizabeth managed as her voice squeaked.
The boy looked at them critically before he turned away. "Dad!"
Shen looked back at Elizabeth who looked almost blue in the face. "Hey, are you going to be all right? Take a breath, you look like you could use it."
Elizabeth didn't reply as her entire face froze with an expression of shock and amazement. Hearing the sound of a throat being cleared, he looked back to see a much taller and older version of the boy who had been at the door.
"Trowa Barton?" Shen asked, uncertain; he had never seen the man before.
Once the man nodded his head, he heard Elizabeth make a small sound before her hand reached out and poked Trowa slightly on the arm. A puzzled look crossed his face before he spoke.
"Can I help you two with anything?"
"Oh my God. . ."
Exasperated, Shen turned around slightly to see Elizabeth falling to the ground. Moving he managed to catch her and hold her up easily enough, the book from her arms clattering to the wooden beams.
"Do you mind Mr. Barton? We did come a long way to talk to you hopefully. I think you knew my mother."
Trowa looked at him carefully before recognition dawned in his eyes. "Come in. You can let your friend recover on the couch."
Shen managed to make his way to the living room following Trowa with the book she had dropped, placing Elizabeth down on the couch before he took a seat on the end by her feet. "I'm terribly sorry about that Mr. Barton. I didn't think that she would faint."
"She reads my books I see." Trowa said as he looked over one of the glossy covers that Shen had placed on the coffee table. "I just got back from finishing up this one's promotion in space."
Shen nodded, remembering the book shelf in her room that had been crammed full of books, the name Barton predominant on most of them.
"How is she doing?" Trowa said as he sat back into his seat.
"Mother is fine." Shen paused. "But she doesn't seem to be herself lately."
"How so?" Trowa asked leaning forward slightly.
"Well you know how she's normally straightforward." Shen waited as Trowa nodded his head. "Lately, she's been skirting something whenever I ask her about my father."
"Your father?" Trowa repeated slowly. "What do you want to know about him?"
"Really?!" Shen's face lit up. "Then tell me who he really was!"
Trowa paused for a minute. "We aren't talking about Quatre are we?"
Shen shook his head. "No. I want to know about my real father. Why won't anyone tell me about him?"
Not responding for a few minutes, Trowa rose and walked to the window, looking out at something. After a few minutes he motioned Shen over to look out. Coming over, he spied bright vibrant orange swaying gently in the breeze that had kicked up. 'Tiger lilies. . .'
"We planted them to remember him. She left them for him afterwards. That's what Quatre told us. Those flowers hold a special significance to us; your mother in particular."
"Remember who by? Does it have something to do with August?" Shen asked as he watched the flowers move slightly.
Trowa nodded. "It takes long to heal from a wound like that." he paused as he watched the plants a bit longer before looking back inside. "Ask your mother Shen. Show her the flower and she'll know."
Shen didn't say anything for a few seconds. "Show her the tiger lily?"
"Show her the flower. But be forgiving of her; she went through hell." Trowa said quietly. "She does love you very much Shen. And perhaps once she tells you, you may see why she did some of the things she did."
"You mean like the name? Why she taught me Chinese? And why we celebrate some of those festivals and whatnot?"
Trowa shrugged before he looked at Shen. "Why don't you pick a flower and see?"
"So tell me again why you're carrying a flower?" Elizabeth asked as they walked down the street, lighted with puddles of orange light.
"Mr. Barton said to show it to Mother." Shen looked over the stem that led up to the curving petals. "I really don't see what that will do you know."
Elizabeth reached over and plucked the blossom from his hand. "Well. . .he would have said it for a reason. Guess you'll have to find out what. It really was nice of Mr. Barton to let me ask him all those questions like that."
"I guess so; I mean you only asked him around two hundred. No wonder we're coming back so late." Shen muttered as he looked back up. "Let's cross to the other side of the street Eliza."
What? Why would you. . ." she trailed off as she looked up. "Yeah. I hear you."
Silently, Shen and Elizabeth crossed to the other side of the street, watching the cluster of thugs around the next streetlight carefully; they were the reason why his mother didn't want him coming home at ten at night. He put his arm around Elizabeth's shoulder as they hurried along, not paying attention to the names and slurs being hurled at them. But one made Shen freeze in his tracks and stare back at them hard.
"Don't do it Shen." Elizabeth whispered in his ear. "It's not worth it. Just let it go."
Shen struggled visibly before he decided to heed Elizabeth's advice. With angry mutters he turned to walk away, Elizabeth taking his arm and holding him close. When the words were hurled again, Shen yanked his arm away and stalked up to the guy, not flinching as he stared him dead in the eye.
"I dare you to say that again." he said in a dead cold even tone.
"Say what?" the guy sneered in his face. "You can't make me do anything."
Shen took a deep breath. "Then why waste my time on you?" he turned to leave.
"Stupid little prick. What makes you think you have a chance with her; you're nothing more than a fucking little chi-"
Shen whirled around and slugged the guy right across the jaw and sent him staggering into the light post hard. The others growled threateningly before they jumped and started pummeling him to a bloody pulp, insulting slurs hurled at him in addition. He fought back with all he had causing yelps of pain. Suddenly he felt himself being pulled out, and dragged along. Through a swelling eye, he saw Elizabeth's brown hair. Forcing his feet, he ran down the street, the angry cries of the thugs following him, It wasn't until he slammed the front door shut and locked it top and bottom that he looked up at Elizabeth, the tiger lily crushed in her hand.
"Shen, is that you? Guess who's back? Blaze came home today. He's been waiting to see you!"
He looked up sharply as his mother came out to the hallway. The expression of happiness morphed into one of shock as she looked between him and Elizabeth.
"Oh my God Shen; who did this to you and Elizabeth? I'll make them pay for-"
Suddenly feeling a need to lash out, Shen grabbed the tiger lily and shoved it in her face. "Explain this to me Mother! Explain it!"
She recoiled visibly, her face paling slightly. "Shen, what are you talking about?"
"Do you take me for a fool? How long did you think the charade would last until I realized? Or were you hoping that I wouldn't realize at all?! Is that is?!"
"Shen," Monique whispered in a strained voice. "You couldn't possibly-"
"Why are you yelling at Mother Shen?" Blaze came out of the living room, flanked by Quatre and Skye.
"Allah Shen, what on Earth happened to you?" Quatre's voice was thoroughly shocked and angry.
"Jeez, looks like you got you beat up pretty badly; you and Elizabeth." Skye said in a quiet voice.
"Butt out Blaze. All of you butt out." Shen growled as he looked intently at his mother. "Well, answer me. Explain it Mother!"
"Shen. . .I. . .it was. . ."
"Do you know what those assholes out there called me? They called me a. . .a. . .ch. . .ch. . ." he gagged, not able to bring himself to repeat the word.
Monique remained silent, her face now pale white, shaking her head mournfully.
"Then tell me this if you are so tongue tied. Is he my real father?" Shen asked pointing to Quatre. "Is he or isn't he?"
A tense silence descended upon the room as Shen and Monique locked gazes, his stern and unyielding, hers collapsing and tearful. She sank to the carpet, holding her face in her hands as if ashamed of herself.
"No," she said in a choked voice. "He isn't."
Shen's face tightened imperceptibly as he swallowed hard, the dead silence from Skye, Blaze, Quatre and Elizabeth hammering home Monique's words even more. He looked at his mother long and hard before he turned around and stalked out to the porch, slamming a fist into the wooden rail.
"Come on Shen. I know you're mad and all but is that any reason to act the way you did?" Elizabeth said quietly as she came out and stood beside him.
"She lied to me! For seventeen years of my life Eliza! For all my life!!" he whirled around. "Seventeen years when she could have told me the truth and she kept me in the dark."
Nothing more was said as he looked back out over the garden, feeling something inside him constrict painfully. What else in his life was a falsehood? Was everything that he had held dear and close a fraud? He whipped around as Elizabeth touched his shoulder softly, her fingers squeezing gently. Not saying anything, he held her gaze before she held her arms out slightly. A tiny part of him felt comforted as he hugged her and felt her hug him back. He buried his face in her neck, as his eyes started to sting.
"Hey, it's all right. You can stay the night at my place Shen." Elizabeth said as she rubbed his back soothingly.
Shen simply nodded his head, not trusting his vocal chords. Slowly, they walked off the front porch and headed down the street towards Elizabeth's house. For the first time in his life, he didn't want to see his mother ever again.
The faint rays of sunlight bled into the sky greeting restless eyes. Blinking owlishly, Shen stared out the window before looking over at the neat untouched bed; he hadn't slept at all last night, his mind too busy wondering what if and what could be. Feeling frustrated once more, he went to the desk and clicked on the light, pulling u p a pen and paper and scribbling away, another piece to add to the thick pile on the right hand side of the desk. As the emotion drained out of him, he stared at the characters on the page, his mind racing. Chinese; why had she bothered to teach him Chinese and about Chinese culture? She had gone to great lengths, everyone in the family joining in as they celebrated the festivals, the Lunar New Year in particular; it was as if they were trying to seamlessly blend someone into a family. 'Did a bloody good job of it.' He pushed off from the desk and returned to pacing, starting to chew his lip unconsciously. 'They made me feel like family; I didn't feel separated or an outcast because of how I looked.' Shen flopped down onto the bed finally, staring up at the ceiling. 'But family in the strict sense consists of a mother and father plus biological offspring. Whose am I? What exactly is my heritage and why did Mother and Father feel as if they had to hide it from me?' Rolling over, Shen closed his eyes as he wracked his brain, none of the answers presenting themselves for the solving. It was the faint ring of the doorbell that made him sit up suddenly; who came calling at, he glanced over at the clock, six twenty in the morning. 'But a family is also a place where you feel at home and with people who you love and they love you back. There has to be more than one definition, but I don't know what mine is at the moment.' His feet carried him down he stairs and to the door, where he opened it. Standing there before him was Blaze looking as calm as ever in jeans and a loose jacket.
"Morning Shen." he said quietly.
Shen made a sound in his throat and started to shut the door but was stopped as Blaze's foot wedged itself into the space.
"What the hell do you want Blaze?" he muttered disgruntled and thoroughly in a bad mood.
Blaze shrugged as he placed his hands in the pockets. "Just to talk. Is it all right if I come in?"
"No. Beat it." he said.
"Thanks." Blaze said ignoring him as he walked in.
Muttering to himself, Shen shut the door and watched as he took off his shoes and headed into the living room to sit on the vacant couch.
"I think we should discuss last night." Blaze said as he cracked his knuckles slightly.
Shen winced at the sound as he sat in the chair farthest away from Blaze. "Speak and then get out."
Blaze chuckled as he shook his head. "Still the same. Just why do you hate me so much anyways?"
"I don't hate you; I can't stand you. Now talk or get out." Shen said as he closed his eyes and rubbed his temple.
"Fair enough I guess." Blaze paused as he collected his thoughts. "Do you really want to know about your father Shen?"
"What the hell do you think you idiot?" he snarled. "Shit, I need an aspirin." he muttered as he got up and headed for the cabinet in the kitchen.
"Feel better?" Blaze asked once he came back out and plopped himself back down into the seat.
Shen shot him a look that said to keep talking.
"Do you know where the Mtshali Cemetery is?"
"Yeah. A cemetery?"
"Go there and you'll see for yourself."
"Go to a cemetery at this time in the morning?" Shen looked at him like he was crazy. "Who are you kidding? By all rights I should have been asleep."
"But you weren't were you? You were up all night struggling with this, most likely writing stuff in Chinese."
Shen scowled at him. "See? That's why; you know everything and I wish you would just stay out of my business."
"I know squat Shen." Blaze said looking at him seriously. "Where I go to school, I am barely making it by and I work my ass off day and night. Other slack off and do better than me. Do you think that's fair?"
"So why have Mother and Father sent you there? Me and Skye suffer it out at regular school."
Blaze shook his head. "Father knows that I hate it there. It's so far away from home. How would you like it to be little over a thousand miles from home and you can't call or even write because the work is so piled on? The only time I come home is for Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year; both of them." he paused for a minute. "That's why they kept you two here. I actually envy you Shen. You have it all and pretty easy."
"I think not." he said rather huffily. "All the things I have, I had to work for. Driving lessons came out of my pocket, school supplies, whatever I wanted, barring the twenty dollar allowance. I would be self reliant and able to survive in the world if I moved out. But I'm a student and that takes priority."
"See; you're perfectly suited to take over Father's business when you graduate from university. Me and Skye have to think about our careers and futures, they aren't set in stone." Blaze sighed. "I am sorry; I shouldn't be wasting your time like this. I'll go now."
Shen watched as Blaze rose and walked to the front door.
"Mtshali Cemetery; I would suggest you go there if you really do want answers. And just for the record, I do consider you my brother."
Shen watched as Blaze walked out and closed the door behind him. He didn't move, mulling over Blaze's words. The sun was just turning into a golden colour when the stairs creaked softly, the whisper of slippers coming across the floor reaching his ears.
"Shen, it's seven in the morning now." Elizabeth said with a yawn. "Don't you think you should get some breakfast or something?"
"I'm not hungry." he said before he rose. "I have to go out Eliza. I'll be back soon."
"Where are you going? I really need to know. Last time, I found myself worried sick."
Shen smiled faintly. "I'm going to Mtshali Cemetery."
"You're going to a cemetery; at this time in the morning? What the hell for?"
"Answers; don't worry, I'll be fine. The cemetery is only half an hour away. I'll take a nice morning walk."
"All right then. I'm going back to sleep. Call if you need anything Shen." Elizabeth said as she shuffled to the door.
Shen nodded before he stepped out and took a deep breath of the crisp air; he felt a bit better today. Perhaps all that writing had cleared his system somewhat. He walked southwards slowly, up the sloping sidewalk. Reaching the top he paused as he looked back down; the town looked so peaceful and content at this early time, people starting to stir and go about their business. Turning back to the side walk, he headed down, the green grass and tombstones beside him filling his vision; Mtshali Cemetery. He walked up to the gate and pushed it open, heading down the stone pathway. Winding and twisting, it led him through the serene green hills and stately stone figures. When he reached a fork, he paused; the simple green grass or the tree lined path. Without a moment's hesitation, he took the tree lined path, glad for the shade that it gave as well as the small breeze that had started up. The path curved westward and upwards before it opened up into a hilltop, a single stone perched at the top; and before it sat a still figure. Shen walked closer slowly, his mother's silhouette clearer in the light. She simply sat there, staring at the black stone in front of her, two objects resting on her lap.
"Good morning Shen." she said in a barely heard voice.
Mother." Shen paused feeling a bit awkward. "Blaze said I should come here for answers."
She nodded her head before she looked at him. "I am not going to ask for forgiveness. I am far too old for that and have done things that can never give me redemption and don't merit me for forgiveness." she remained silent for a few more minutes before she spoke again. "This is where your father lays Shen."
Shen approached the marker slowly, the white etchings of dragons becoming apparent as the flowed down the side of the black stone. He sat down beside Monique slowly, staring at the words written across both in English and Chinese. The English one was standard enough, only the name, date of birth and date of death. It was the characters in Chinese that caught his attention.
"Chang Wufei. Born December 5, A.C 180. Died August 16, A.C. 203. Companion, friend and Beloved of Monique" Shen whispered in a hoarse voice. "August. . ."
She nodded. "He was your father Shen. He said that he always wanted his son to be named Shen. I did agree with him."
"He was Chinese. . ." Shen said as he remembered the picture; it made sense now, why his features looked more Asian than Arabian.
"Yes. Your father was Chinese with a very strong moral sense." Monique paused. "He seemed to not care and could be harsh but he was a good person. If he was still here and he heard what those bastards had called you he would have hunted them down himself. He lived through enough hatred, biases and prejudices to not tolerate it in the slightest."
"He was in the war?" Shen asked numbly as he started at the dragons.
"Yes. When he was fifteen, he was enlisted to be a certain rebel warrior. He was not pleased with it but he felt that he was bound to honor someone's memory. He had a wife before that was killed defending their colony."
"He was a Gundam pilot?!" Shen asked as he started at her in shock once the underlying meaning sank in.
Monique nodded her head. "When I first met him, he was still very much hurting from it."
"Is that why you did all those things and said I should learn Chinese?"
"Yeah; Blaze and Skye weren't too interested in it and Quatre picked up a few key things. Basically the ones who really speak it are you and I son."
"Why didn't you tell me before Mother?" Shen asked. "Don't you think I deserved to know the truth?"
"You did Shen." Monique said as she finally turned to look at him. "But I wanted to be sure that you wanted it; for yourself. I knew that one day you would notice that you didn't look like Blaze or Skye. So that's why we celebrated Chinese traditions and I had you learn the language. It's your heritage and I would never try to deny you that birthright; I just wanted you to be prepared for it and for your inheritance."
"Inheritance?" Shen looked at her puzzled.
"You have a house in China, a hefty bank account and your father's sword. Apparently Wufei drew up a rough will and didn't complete it before he died. He left everything to me until he had a son; at that point it all became yours."
"He left you with nothing?!" Shen frowned.
Monique shook her head as she touched his face. "He left me with you. That and he assumed that you would look after us in our old age. I think on some level he knew that he was going to be a father. Wufei had a knack for knowing these things. . .just like Quatre's does. Saves me from plenty of talking."
"How did he die?" Shen finally looked at her; there was a pained sadness in her eyes.
"A car accident; he went to get some medicine and was hit by a truck. They say he died instantly." Monique looked at her son. "You are rather the spitting image of him you know."
Shen simply nodded his head as he looked at the tombstone. "You loved him a lot didn't you?"
"With everything I had. It crushed me when he died. It took a long time but I healed eventually; it was long and hard but everyone was there for me, especially Quatre. I love Wufei and I love Quatre. I am done for the rest of my life. I don't need a broken heart once more."
"Are you still mad at me for yelling at you Mother?"
"Shen, no; I never really can stay mad at you. It was more the flower than you. It's just that when you yelled at me. . .I remembered my last argument with Wufei, that's all. Don't blame yourself for the way I reacted. Sometimes I do blow things out of proportion."
"Sometimes?"
"A good portion of the time then." Monique sighed before she held out the objects in her lap to him. "Wufei's sword and journal. I figured that you would want to get to know him, even on some small level."
Shen took them wordlessly, looking at the black leather bound tome and gleaming hilt; his legacy lay in the metal of this very sword. Monique rested her hand on his head before she rose.
"When, you're ready, go and tell Elizabeth."
Shen looked up at her surprised. "But I don't-"
"Don't deny it Shen; I'm a mother and I can see these things. But do me a favor son; don't take her for granted. Tell her every day and mean it." Monique gave a small chuckle. "And don't break her heart or Duo will have your head on a stick and I do prefer you to be whole Shen. Come home when you're ready."
Nothing more was said as Shen watched Monique walk down the path back towards the main road and home. He looked down at the journal before untying the smooth cord and opening it to the first page. A picture was stuck in the front cover, Monique and a man who obviously must have been Wufei. Jet black hair gleamed in the sun along with Monique's, the obsidian eyes, staring back with an intensity that he had never seen before. The lithe figure was clothed in traditional white Chinese pants and a black top.'This is my father. . .' He looked over the picture once more, noting how happy they had been before he spied the date on the picture; A.C. 201, August 16th; two years before they were separated forever. He turned his attention to the lined paper now; the finely written characters scrolling down the page. 'Now I see why she wanted me to know Chinese. Hello Father. You don't know me and I don't know you but I want to know why I am who I am.' He settled himself down and started reading the pages one by one and started to acquaint himself with his father.
The water rippled as the breeze whipped across it briskly, small waves lashing at the ring of sand. Shen sat there watching as the ducks on the water, quacked at each other as they paddled to the cluster of plants and reeds at the shoreline. He looked up at the sky absentmindedly, noting the dark clouds that started to roll in thickly rumbling with thunder. He had been sitting here for the entire morning and a good portion of the afternoon, Wufei's journal clutched in his hand hard. His father had been an amazing person who had done so much with his life before the age of twenty. And here he was, simply studying and complaining about a bitchy teacher and seventeen.
"How can I ever live up to his expectations of me?" Shen whispered as he stared out at the water. "He wanted so much from a son." he looked back down at the journal that contained the life of a man. "There's no way on Earth that I can. Quatre has expectations of me and now there's this."
The first faint drops of rain pattered down onto his face, making him look up; time to leave. Sticking the journal under his shirt, he huddled forward and started running. The rain poured down harder and harder, as he ran, feet splashing in the puddles. Turning down the street, he started to head for Elizabeth's house, knowing that his was a good fifteen minutes away still; he didn't want the journal to get that wet.
Coming up, he saw the front porch soaked to the bone, He went to the side gate and headed to the back, seeing the glassed off porch. Opening the door against the wind, he stepped onto the mat, water dripping off of him like droplets of lead. Taking out the journal and sword, he placed it on the table. Taking off his shirt, he used the dry part to wipe the sword and book dry before he started wringing it out in the nearby plant pot he spied in the corner.
"Man this shirt is like a sponge." he muttered as the water dripped out. "But it's taking so bloody long to drain out."
"Whoever's out there had better be ready to meet a baseball bat. If you're one of those assholes who insulted me and Shen you'll get it three times as bad." the door was wide open but he couldn't see anybody.
"It's just me Eliza." Shen called out as he frantically tried to get the water out of his shirt. "You can put the bat down."
"Shen, haven't you heard of a front door?" her voice was slightly exasperated. "You have a bad habit of disappearing for the day you know. I called the cemetery trying to get a hold of you but you were gone. Where the hell were you?"
"I went out to the park just behind your house. I needed to think and clear my head."
"Uh huh. Do you realize that this project is due in about two days and we have a week's worth of paperwork to do Shen? I can only do so much!" Elizabeth started forward.
"I know, don't think that I don't realize that," Shen said as he back away from her, still wringing his shirt. "I can get it all done if that's what you mean. But I think were going to fail on those trust exercises. I mean I haven't been doing my part and actually doing the. Except for the cooking part and that was take out so that doesn't really-"
"Shen would you stop moving so I can talk to you face to face?" Elizabeth finally exploded. "You're moving around more than a worm about to be dissected! Stay put so I can talk to you damn it!"
"I'm trying to keep my feet warm. My shoes are soaked Eliza!" he managed to get out as the last of the water came from his shirt. "I'm completely soaked for Christ's sake! Give me a break; I'm cold and I'm wet and you're probably still holding that accursed baseball bat!"
"Well I thought you were a burglar so forgive me!" she said irritably.
"I do." he said as he fought with his shirt trying to find the arm and neck holes.
"Oh give me that!" she snapped as she took it from him. "I think you just said that to shut me up!"
"Elizabeth," he sighed as he ran a hand over his hair, forcing the water out. "Must you harp on me so? I know I can get the work done."
"I'm harping on you because you have to realize that people do care for you Shen! I care for you!! You can't just go around not telling people where you going! Christ, you make me so mad sometimes. . ."
Shen paused, watching her as she trailed off, obviously fuming at herself. "You care for me?" he asked again; it seemed like that was the only thing that he had heard.
"Yes, you stupid idiot." she said. "Just what the hell is this anyways?" the sound of damp material flapping told him she was shaking it.
Shen crossed his arms. "My shirt."
"Oh." Elizabeth's reply was fairly muted, making him frown.
"What? Did you want it to be something else?"
A crack of lightning illuminated the glass room for a brief second, the look on Elizabeth's face more than clear; his mother had been right.
"No. . .I just didn't think that you would take off your shirt. Um. . .why did you take off your shirt exactly?"
"To dry some things. I was wringing it out when you came out here with that bat in your hand." Shen started walking closer. "Are you going to put that bat down?"
"I probably should, shouldn't I?" Elizabeth managed as she took an involuntary step back. "How about I get you another shirt?"
"I'm fine like this." he said with a nonchalant shrug as he walked closer. "I could use a towel though."
"Hang on!" Elizabeth shot out of the room like a bullet, the sound of her footsteps thundering up the stairs.
Shen sat down in one of the plastic chairs, trying to not laugh too hard. Elizabeth came back down a few minutes later, handing him a fluffy towel. Drying his hair quickly, he looked up at her, framed in the doorway. She was wrapped up in a blanket, her hair in a messy bun.
"You look nice." he said as he returned to finishing off his head.
"Thank you Shen. You look. . .uh. . .fit." she said.
Shen looked up, seeing a bit of a blush in her face. "Are you afraid of me Eliza?"
"No!" she retorted, her face flaming slightly. "What the hell would I have to be afraid of you?"
"What if I said I was going to get up and kiss you? Would you still be afraid then?" Shen asked as he placed the towel on the table.
"Well. . .I. . .can't say that I would be afraid." she said before she tossed her head. "But I think that you've never kissed anyone before."
Shen walked up to her. "And would you care to find out for yourself?"
Elizabeth's face burned bright red. "I would but my parents are in the living room; I don't think they'd be thrilled to find us in here, in the dark doing that."
"Touché." Shen murmured as he remembered his mother's words; he really didn't want an angry Duo on his tail for God knows how long. "Then, give me my shirt and we'll go and get that work done."
Promptly Elizabeth handed it to him. Finding the holes, he slid into the damp material and picked up the journal and sword. They walked down the hallway, Elizabeth slipping her hand in his. He smiled at her before they hit the living room.
"Mama, Papa, guess who came to visit?"
Both heads turned to see a rather wet Shen and a smiling Elizabeth. He watched as their eyes flickered to their hands before Meghan cleared her throat.
"Shall I guess that you two are finally going to work on that project of yours?" Meghan said with a twitch to the corner of her mouth.
"Yes Mrs. Maxwell." Shen said as he bowed slightly. "It has been put off for far too long."
Duo snickered. "All right then, up you two go. Try not to stay up too late. I'll call Monique and let her know that you're staying the night Shen."
"Thank you Mr. Maxwell." Shen said as he and Elizabeth headed for the stairs.
"Oh and Shen?" Meghan called.
"Yes Mrs. Maxwell?" he asked, his throat drying suddenly.
"If you want a different perspective of him, just ask all right?"
"Huh?"
Duo chuckled before he pointed to the book. I get the feeling that I may be somewhat misrepresented in there as well as my wife."
Shen looked at the book before he smiled slightly. "If I remember correctly the term was baka for you and onna for Mrs. Maxwell."
Duo and Meghan laughed, tears coming to their eyes.
"You guys get going and do your work." Duo managed as he waved them away.
Elizabeth gave him a puzzled look before he held up the book and the sword. "These were my father's. My real father's."
"Oh. All right then. Night Mama, night Papa!" she called as she dragged Shen upstairs.
Barely able to wish the Maxwells a good night, Shen found himself in Elizabeth's room, her desk crammed full of papers from the project. He walked to the desk and placed the sword and journal down on a table before he turned. He jumped slightly, seeing Elizabeth so close to him.
"Yes?" he asked in a slightly amused voice, knowing what was coming.
"How about that kiss now?"
Anxiously, Shen looked over the papers one last time. "Are you sure we can pull this off? I mean all the time we should have spent on this, I was running around digging up stuff."
"Shen if you ask me that once more, I'll hit you." Elizabeth said as she leaned over his shoulder and plucked the booklet away from him. "It's fine. We worked on it for the last forty eight hours straight. It's going to be perfectly fine."
"If you say so." He paused. "Can I look it over once more?"
"No. Do you have your speech ready?" Elizabeth asked, thumbing her cue cards.
"Right here. At least we only have to make a five minute speech to our classmates."
"Didn't you hear?" Elizabeth asked as she looked at him. "Ms. Po invited the parents and family to hear the speeches as well."
"What?!" Shen froze at the thought of his parents in the audience, not to mention Skye and Blaze. "You have to be kidding me!"
"Don't worry Shen, you'll do fine. Just follow your cue cards."
"Which are pretty much tied in with yours." he moaned. "Blaze will never let me live this down. He'll call it cute and other patronizing names."
"Oh come on, it can't be that bad. "Elizabeth said as she pulled him to his feet. "Come one, we should go in now."
Shen wanted to sink into the ground and become a speck of dirt as he walked in beside Elizabeth. There was Mother, Father, Skye and Blaze, the few well known faces in the crowd. He sat down in the front row, patiently looking over his cards as the other went pair by pair until it was his and Elizabeth's turn. Walking up to the dual podiums, he waited as Elizabeth made her speech, everything that people wanted to hear happened in a marriage. Then they looked at him expectantly. He gazed down at his cue cards before tucking them away and clearing his throat.
"I know this may be spur of the moment, but I will not be following the speech I had prepared."
"Shen. . ." Elizabeth said from the corner of her mouth. "You'll be fine, just follow the cards."
He couldn't help but smile. "I've learned a lot over the past week about marriage; mainly that women put up with a lot of crap on the men's part." this garnered quite a few chuckles from the audience. "And vice versa though less often."
"Says you." Elizabeth huffed.
"I figured that at this whole project could be done within a few days. It would have been done early if not for one picture that changed my view on things." he paused, collecting his thought. "They say that family is a sacred institution, one to be cherished and protected, for they are the foundation upon which a society is built and kept prosperous. Yet time and time again, they suffer from the same crises that affect everyone."
"Is there a point to this Shen?"
"There's the vice versa I was talking about." he said rolling his eyes; another laugh from the audience. "Sometimes people are ignored, pushed aside as one struggles with revelations; it is in a time like this that ones sees the family for what it really is. Far from people who are related to you by blood it goes much deeper than that; family are the ones who stand by you no matter what and stay supportive of you. You may lash out at them in various ways," his gaze shifted from Blaze and Monique. "Yet they still stay there, a guiding hand that sets you straight; or knocks some common sense into a thick skull." he made a momentary jerking motion with his head towards Elizabeth.
"I saw that buster." she muttered.
"They encourage you to be your best and to keep a flaring temper in check more often than not." he glanced at Skye and Quatre. "Family is a direct result of a good marriage and that's what I had with Elizabeth. She put up with half my crap and still stuck through with me until we got this project done; granted it was around four in the morning but we got it done. "
"Hey!" came Duo's protest but he was quickly hushed by Meghan.
"I don't really think there's anymore to say about this. I could tell you that it was a wonderful experience and that I look forward to getting married whatever you want to hear, but honestly, Elizabeth was yelling in my ear every five minutes it seemed so I'm just going to agree with whatever she says."
"Thanks Shen." Elizabeth said as she glared at him. "Count yourself lucky that this project is over."
"Uh huh, whatever you say." Shen said with a mock sigh of resignation.
"Thank you Elizabeth and Shen; that was a very illuminating speech." Ms. Po said as she rose, clapping her hands along with the rest of the audience.
They bowed before walking away from the podiums and taking their seats in the front row. Patiently they heard the last of the pairs, who droned on and on.
"They have to be the most boring people I have ever heard!" Elizabeth whispered into Shen's ear.
"They make having a root canal sound fun." Shen said a bit dryly.
Finally the speeches came to a close, people staring to file out slowly. Shen took Elizabeth's hand and quickly led her through the crowd. They ran down the hallway, heading outside.
"Man is it nice to get out of there. It was starting to get stuffy." Elizabeth said as she unbuttoned the high button on her shirt once the door closed shut with a heavy thud.
"I know; I thought this tie would choke me." Shen undid the offending material and left it dangling around his neck before he undid a few buttons. "This is killer and it's only the last week in March."
"Come on, let's go to the garden." Elizabeth said. "It has shade and comfy benches. . ."
Shen grumbled but let himself be pulled along, the garden coming up. Seating themselves on the shaded wooden bench they kicked off their shoes and made themselves comfortable.
"Ah. . .now this is nice." Elizabeth said as she leaned back and took a deep breath.
Shen nodded. "Do you think what I said was inappropriate?"
"No. Very nice actually, so I decided to play up on it a bit. Did you mind?"
"No." he looked down at his socked feet. "Do you think he would have liked it?"
"Was that rhetorical?"
Shen shrugged. "You can answer if you want."
"I think he would have liked it. From what Papa says, he was eternally cranky but I think he would have liked it; people tend to be proud of their children no matter what."
Smiling, Shen drew her closer, before they gazed up at the sky completely relaxed. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied the bright orange flower. 'A tiger lily. . .' Reaching over suddenly, he picked one and placed it in front of Elizabeth's face.
"For you." he said in a whisper.
"For me? What for?" she asked even as she took it.
"I don't want it to stand for something so painful anymore." Shen watched as she looked up at him. "It should mean something else. Life would be a better idea."
"Eh heh." Elizabeth said as she sniffed the flower. "Thank you Shen. That's a good idea."
He smiled as she kissed him softly and settled back against him. He looked up at the sky once more, a strange sense of pride radiating over him. 'Yes. . .I'm proud too Father.'
Note: [1]Carpe diem - Latin for 'Seize the day'
If anyone wants to contest the garden thing, I'll just laugh at you because my school does have one!! Very nice to sit there and read on a summer afternoon. Or have insane conversations with your friends. You guys remember those Gundam Wing discussions we had. That and convenience marriages, ne? ^^