The Perfect Soldier
Chapter 6: Rendezvous and Recollection
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"Yokaze..." Night wind. Yes, that was a perfect name for her.
Green eyes reflected the meager light that seeped from around the heavy curtains covering the mansion's large, unblinking windows. Around him, the shadows were without depth or substance.
She could be anywhere.
He redoubled his silent efforts, sifting through the scattered shadows of the chill night. His breath froze, giving away his position and direction, so he tried to minimize his breathing. His pulse slowed and within a few seconds significantly less air was being dragged into his lungs and even more slowly released again.
It doesn't matter what I do. She knows where I am. She knew that I'd follow her. She's probably not even here. She's probably watching us from Heero's room.
Trowa glanced over his shoulder half expecting to see an inexplicable light on in Heero's room, but perfect darkness glowered down at him.
He shook his head. What was wrong with him? He'd never been prone to such flights of fancy.
His hands were numb, but he didn't move them anymore than he had to in order inspect the shadows; the less movement the better.
Where is Yuy? I left him at the front door and then he started to walk around the house... toward the garden...
Trowa's eyes narrowed.
They're both out here.
Although his facial expression didn't change, he felt his shoulders tense.
Sooner or later we'll find one or the other.
A muffled thump! echoed through the elaborate gardens followed closely by a breathless exclamation. "Shit! Ow! Hey guys—eek! Let my hair go, dammit! I've got her! Shit!"
Trowa turned in mid-stride and rushed through the passages almost completely hidden by the shadows, following the sound of two bodies struggling together on the stone path.
"Duo, you idiot!"
"That's my name. Don't wear it out. Ow! Whatdya bite me for?"
"Get off of me."
Trowa's steps slowed as he broke through the foliage to see Duo sitting on top of a thin, sprawled figure.
"Is it her?" Quatre's voice preceded him through the tangle of branches and brush.
"I'm positive," Duo ground out as he kept an extremely close eye on his catch.
"I'm not." It was Wufei.
"Now why doesn't that surprise me?" the Deathscythe pilot drawled.
Wufei just glowered at him.
Quatre cleared his throat and motioned toward the prone figure that had started growl from the back of her throat. "I suppose it's up to you to, uh, check, Duo."
Duo sighed. "It's a dirty job, but... you know how it goes."
With a swift and sure motion, Duo flipped the other figure over and with a smooth, practiced gesture tore the figure's green shirt from her pants and shoved it up to her chin. The dim light from the mansion reflected down upon the exposed flesh. Everyone and everything seemed to freeze, awaiting the results of Duo's survey.
"Duo?" Quatre prompted.
"Uh..." Duo grinned sheepishly at the narrowed cobalt eyes glaring at him from above the tangle of green fabric. "Uh... Heero... sorry, man, I—"
Thwack!
Duo crumpled under the assault of Heero's single round-house punch to the other boy's temple. With dignified calm, Heero rose to his feet and unwrapped his shirt from around his neck. As he proceeded to tuck his shirt into the waist of his jeans, Trowa stepped forward and shrugged the unconscious Maxwell over his shoulder.
Nothing moved beyond their gathering in the darkness; nothing moved because there was nothing there. The mysterious visitor had slipped away.
As they all turned away from the garden, Trowa Barton couldn't resist glancing over his shoulder. "Yokaze. The perfect soldier," he murmured to himself.
No one heard him. The silence of the night was the only reply to his observation.
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Taki stared at the text of the newspaper that Heero had left on the counter for her. Yes, Taki knew that this message was for her and her alone. It hadn't taken a great deal of intuition to decipher the look on her face. Besides, there was a reason behind everything that Heero did. Everything.
"Dammit. What are you trying to tell me? You know that I suck at trying to understand your obscure codes."
She scanned the page, her brows lifting with artistic interest. "He-ey! The Salzburg Museum is going to be showing an exhibit on the evolution of the mecha. Full-body armor suits from the dark ages up through... present... day... Damn, she's good!"
Taki grinned and reshuffled the paper. "Yes, I get the point, Yuy. I'll—"
The sound of feet and then the soft opening and closing of a door to the room next to hers interrupted her thoughts. A small grin stretched across her lips.
"As I was saying, I'll just find myself some transportation..."
Next door, the shower spurted to life as the room's occupant prepared to indulge in one of his typical, long showers. She glanced at the clock. In silence, she carefully scheduled the tasks she would need to complete before meeting with her friend in the Salzburg Museum.
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10:45.
Taki had surveyed the assortment of vehicles in the mansion's circle drive and studied the make and model of her chosen ride. She'd always met with Heero at 11:40 p.m. and she had precious little time to accomplish her first objective. She studied the white bedroom door before her and sighed; all she knew about the location of the precious object she required was that it was somewhere within Wufei's suite, presumably with Wufei. Taki glanced up and down the main corridor of the guest wing. No one was in sight. She held in her sigh of relief for when she completed her mission. She cocked her head and listened very carefully to the sounds seeping from the room. As she had expected, the sound of running water was still issuing from the room's shower.
If his bathing routine doesn't change from the way it's been for the past week, that means I've got a good ten minutes more before I've got to boogie. That boy sure has a thing for being squeaky clean, that's for sure.
She grinned.
And then she remembered that she'd never seen Wufei with his motorcycle keys. Which meant she'd have to search the entire place before she found them.
Dammit.
For a moment, she considered skipping the quest and hot-wiring the vehicle of her choice. But no, this was her best opportunity, right here. Taki moved back toward the door and slipped a thin tool from a small pocket in her boot. Within moments, she was inside Wufei's room.
She blinked at the utter lack of personal belongings.
It was hard to believe that one person could make do with single copy of Confucius's teachings for entertainment. She shuddered as she replaced the volume on the nightstand where she'd found it. She scanned the room, quickly coming to the realization that the bike's keys were probably carefully tucked away in their appropriate spot if not hidden. With necessary speed, she inspected every drawer, every pocket in every article of clothing she could find. Nothing resembling a set of keys could be found. With a heavy heart, her eyes focused on the bathroom door that stood slightly ajar. It was the only room she hadn't searched.
The shower had been steady for the past five minutes. She hoped that it took another good five minutes to shampoo that gorgeous hair of his because she was going to need it.
She flattened her hand against the door and peered in cautiously. From her vantage point, she could see the shower stall and a blurred figure on the other side of the glass. From the dark cascade falling down the figure's shoulders, she could tell that he had his back to the door. For now.
Taki slipped into the steam-filled room and gently replaced the door to its former position. She stayed low to the floor, trying not to stare at the tantalizing glimpses of male anatomy barely hinted at through the pebbled glass. As she got closer, she noticed the white suds in his hair. So, he was in the middle of a rinse cycle, was he? This was the best chance she'd have to move around the bathroom. She hoped that he was like normal people and closed his beautiful eyes when he was standing under the shower's spray. Her gaze swept the bathroom floor, coming in contact with a pair of white pants. She practically pounced on the article of clothing and managed to yank a set of keys from the left pocket. Counting seconds in her head, Taki retreated toward the door. She was inches away when his form shifted on the other side of the glass. He pulled his hair over his shoulder to massage his neck.
Taki's mouth went dry and fell open at the sight of his blurred but obviously muscled naked back arching with the motion of his arm to rub at the tension in his nape. He lifted his arms and placed them on the tiled wall. With a half growl, half sigh, he lowered his head and allowed the water to pound at his tensed back. And then he shook his head and mumbled something. In spite of herself, Taki strained to make it out.
"... he's going soft. What was he thinking? She's not Yokaze; she's human, like the rest of us. We'll find her. She can't hide forever. And Trowa, well, he's going to have to learn how to control his imagination..."
Her heart lodged in her throat at the words murmured so sensually from his throat. Later she would examine their meanings...
Must make it to the door...
Yet, even as she reached behind her to do just that, his figure shimmered again as he leaned back, exposing his chest to the spray and wiping his hair out of his eyes. Her hand froze in mid-air. She could no more peel her eyes from those slim, wet hips than she could not interrogate Heero about what in the hell she was up to.
"... and this… friend of… Heero's… a thief. Dishonorable and manipulative and... and..."
And fuck you.
With a great force of will, she tore her eyes from the image before her and slipped through the door before she could make her presence known by objecting to his harsh evaluation of her. She shot through the room. Her single-minded determination to get the hell out before she went postal was the only thing that kept her from glancing over her shoulder. With swift silence, she slipped through the door. As the lock clicked shut, Wufei's voice echoed softly through the bedroom as the shower stopped.
"... and very… loyal."
From the circle drive, the sound of someone gunning a motorcycle engine drowned out anything else that Wufei Chang might have said.
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She took her time sketching the suits of armor and model mechas while she waited for Heero to show up. It had been a routine matter to break into the museum; she'd been doing this sort of thing for years. In fact, she was so confidant of her stealth abilities, that she often forgot place and time when she chose to create her illicit sketches. So, she was more than a little surprised when she finally glanced at her watch and noticed that it was well after midnight.
Taki sat up and examined the shadows of the vault more closely. Had she misread Heero's signal? Had she come a day too early? Taki sighed and reluctantly began to gather up her supplies. Within a few moments, she was carefully navigating her way back through the maze of security systems. It was nearly one in the morning when Taki slipped into the darkened ally where she'd left the borrowed motorcycle.
She grinned as it came into view. Man, oh man, Wufei would be pissed if he knew that she'd taken his ride for the night. Her grin widened even further as she pictured his reaction when he realized how she'd discovered the keys.
Well, he deserved it. And I am not dishonorable or manipulative.
She paused and dug through her pockets to re-locate the keys.
I just can't figure out why I'm actually dwelling on what he said. He doesn't know the first thing about me. So why does it matter, anyway?
Taki shook her head as her fingers closed around the keys.
What's more important is what he said about Trowa. He called someone Yokaze—night wind—and it must have been my Heero. I wonder what's going on inside his head? It is possible that he and Heero, or rather Yokaze ...?
She stepped into the shadows, where she'd left the bike, and was nearly startled to death when she brushed up against a warm, solid body. She whipped around, only to find herself face to face with a pair of angry, black, slanted eyes.
Wufei Chang held out his hand. "My keys."
Taki recovered quickly and grinned. "You mean you don't have a spare set for emergencies?"
A muscle ticked along his jaw.
She slid onto the bike's seat in one smooth motion. Wufei Chang felt his pulse zip through his veins at the casual yet sensual action. With a fat grin, she glanced over her leather-clad shoulder at him and inquired, "Can I give you a lift?"
His dark eyes narrowed and he snorted. "It is my bike," he pointed out as he stepped closer.
Taki chuckled. "Jeez. You've gotta be technical."
A moment of silence followed her remark and she looked up. She found herself ensnared in his serious, somber eyes. "Yes," he said very quietly. "I do."
She managed a flippant show of rolling her eyes. "Man, you have got to lighten up. Egad, you are as bad as Heero and God knows the universe only needs one of her at any given time. Now get your butt on the bike, already."
With reluctance, he complied. I can't believe I haven't just dumped her on the street and taken off with my bike. What's gotten into me? Yet even as these thoughts stampeded through the Dragon Clan heir's mind, he was settling in behind Taki, wrapping his arms around the slight young woman who seemed capable of coaxing his common sense into taking an extended vacation.
With ease and expertise benefiting the professional wealth-redistributor, she coaxed the moody engine to life. Wufei gritted his teeth as the purring of the motor echoed up through the seat, making his body gravitate closer to the infuriating female.
In very short order, Wufei realized that Taki had a need for speed. As they came out of a ninety-degree right turn coasting at a smooth 45 miles per hour, he found his hands clutching her vest.
"Loosen up already!" she shouted back to him. "You trying to puncture one of my lungs?"
He yanked his fingers away from her with a start when he realized exactly where his hands were clenched on her torso. He briefly considered placing his hands on her hips but discarded that thought immediately. When the bike swerved to avoid a truck pulling out from an alley, he reached behind him and gripped the backrest, but the action only pressed his hips and torso against her. With gritted teeth, he found the idea of enduring the remainder of the ride distinctly distasteful. However, no sooner had he decided that he disliked his present situation than Taki guided the screeching bike through the gates of Relena's estate.
When she braked to a stop in the circle drive, Wufei peeled himself off of the seat and glowered at her. Taki had the unfortunate luck to look up at his face while she retrieved her bag from the side compartment. He looked like he was experiencing severe bowel distress. The man had to be addicted to antacids.
He finally said, or rather, growled, "You are as careless with your driving as you are with your mouth."
Taki gaped at the venom in his normally dispassionate voice. "What in the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Wufei Chang felt a unique, restless sensation—a sensation caused by the woman in front of him—and that guided his irritation right to Taki. "If you had a shred of honor in your being you would never have disclosed the fact that you were a thief, let alone be one at all."
Her eyes narrowed. "Has it ever occurred to you that I might be proud of my accomplishments as a thief? Has it ever occurred to you that I take pride in not being a victim? Let me ask you this, how many occupations do you think are available for young, homeless females, Chang?" With a snort of disgust, she shrugged her ever-present backpack onto her shoulder. "It seemed to me, at the time, that being a thief was a lot more honorable than being someone's plaything."
He said nothing, simply stood and stared at her, his face a blank mask.
She said, feeling the wound burn both from his comments now and from earlier, when he hadn't known she was listening, "Are you always such a prick?"
He didn't answer, but his fists twitched by his sides. Taki dug into her pocket and pulled out the bike keys. "Here." She tossed them without looking at him and then turned on her heel and disappeared into the dark mansion.
Wufei stared after her for a moment before turning his attention onto the keys he'd caught in a reflexive movement. He imagined that he could still feel the heat on them from being in her pocket. His fist closed around them, crushing any lingering sensation of warmth.
He silently swore at himself. Why had he said that? And why did he care that she'd been an orphan? Why did he despise her image of him? Why was he even still thinking about it? He spat an obscenity into the darkness and wished like hell he could start this vacation over again.
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"The man who calls himself Trowa Barton..."
Pair of green eyes stared through unruly brown hair at the computer monitor. For a brief moment, he considered closing the file. He considered not reading anymore, not allowing his fabricated personality to be dismantled totally, leaving him with, perhaps, a real future. But he and Heero had been unsuccessful at determining the location of the imposter. The girl named Taki had even complained about being stood up last night when she'd gone to meet with the other Heero. No one had any ideas. The only thing he could hope for was that he could, by reading this file, discover some clue as to her whereabouts. He closed his eyes for an instant, dragged a fortifying breath into his lungs, and began to read.
"The man who calls himself Trowa Barton was born in the countryside just outside of Nice, France, A.C. 179 as Triton Bloom..."
Bloom? His eyes widened. That's...
Quickly he scanned the data, shocked when he read the decisive phrase, "...only remaining relative... sister, Katherine Bloom, an employee at a traveling circus..."
He sat frozen at the desk, disbelieving.
And then his training took command of his brain. It's an easy guess. That's all it is. None of this is true. He scanned the information with customary distance and detachment. He memorized all of it, of course, but believed none of it. Trowa rose from his chair and crossed his room. He was about to open his door, intending to ponder this new development elsewhere when an odd object caught his eye. His gaze was drawn toward his bed. After a moment, he realized that the foreign object was the foot of the teddy bear. But that wasn't what kept his attention. There was writing on the seam of the pad.
Trowa let himself down onto the bed and pulled the bear carefully from underneath a large pillow. With a single finger, he traced the name. It was written in a delicate cursive. It was also faded and blurred with age. He tucked the bear under his arm to steady it and brought the signature closer to his eyes.
"Here, sweetheart, I have a present for you. It's a teddy bear."
The memory wrapped around him and he remembered sitting in a woman's embrace. He remembered her perfume. He saw her hand move as she wrote out something on the foot of the bear.
"There. I've put your name on him. That way everyone will know that he belongs to you."
He felt her lips in his hair as she kissed him. She gave him one last squeeze and he gathered the bear closer to him.
The memory dissolved around Trowa and he realized that he was clutching the bear. With an urgency he had not allowed himself to feel in years, he lifted the thing to his nose and inhaled. Yes, it smelled like the woman. And the name on the foot...
He moved closer to the light in order to be sure that he read it correctly.
After a moment of studying the script, he looked up and at the computer monitor, where his file was waiting patiently for his return. His fingers tensed around the toy. Could it... could it be true?
Trowa stared at the stuffed bear, completely still. It took him a full minute to realize the odd emotion warming him from the inside was hope.
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~End of Chapter 6~