Disclaimer: *sigh* Why do I keep doing these? Y'all know I don't own Gundam
Wing. You know I own Lani and Jessica. You should know that I don't own
Megan, 'cause she owns herself. If you try to sue me, you're in for a
disappointment, 'cause I'm seriously in debt right now. (My local library
wants all my money!)
A/N: GAH! This chapter is a gift for Megan! Caulk full of SAP!! SAP! *Giggle* WARNING!! Lots of lovey dovey stuff! I think this is it though. *crosses fingers* Here's to hoping! And anyone who's reading this must now do me a favor. Lemme know what you think, though it doesn't really matter to me so much anymore, I think I'd rather have a few fans and have them be my friends, (like Megan!! ^___^) then have a million fans and not know any of them. But tell me anyway.
Chapter 7
(That night)
Lani sat at her desk; her head propped on her elbow, which she was resting on the wooden surface in front of her. On the desk sat her keyboard. She pressed the keys absently, as she stared at the wall, almost as if she was staring through it. There was a knock on the door and Lani sat straight, playing a short tune as a broad smile spread across her face.
"Come in," she said, turning towards the door.
"Oh. Were you going to bed?" Duo asked from the doorway (oh come on. You knew it was gonna be him! 9_9)
"Nah," Lani said, glancing down at her pajamas. "I just thought I ought to be comfortable while I waited for you to get here."
"All right. Good. Listen," Duo said, coming into the room and closing the door gently behind him. "Last night you said-"
"You know, I'm glad you're here," Lani interrupted. "There's something I wanted to tell you."
"Yeah. That's great. But I came here to tell you something."
"I know. But this is important," Lani told him, turning off her keyboard and storing it in it's case. She got up and moved to sit on her bed. Duo sat down next to her.
"All right," he sighed. "Go ahead."
"Okay. To start with, I happen to remember what I said last night, and you can comment on it all you want, after I finish telling you this," Lani added quickly as Duo opened his mouth to speak. "I've only told Jessica, and the teachers of course, I mean, they need to know. Can you imagine what would happen if I hadn't told them, it'd b-"
"Lani!" Duo interrupted. "Get to the point, please!"
"Oh.right.sorry," Lani said, looking down at her hands.
"Don't worry about it. Go on," he told her gently.
"All right. Um.this is kinda hard, 'cause of what I told you last night, but.I'm leaving."
"For how long?" Duo asked, surprise showing clearly on his face. Lani looked up at him, tears starting to well up in her eyes.
"Probably forever," she told him sadly. "My parents are moving back to outer-space, and they want me to go with them."
Duo got to his feet and started pacing in front of her.
"They're making you go with them?" he asked. Lani shook her head, turning her eyes back to her hands.
"They said it was my choice, but I don't really see any reason to stay. I mean, I can go to school in space too."
"What about your friends? Jessica, Megan, Relena?" Duo demanded. He was clearly frustrated by her news and he was just as clearly trying to stay calm. Lani shook her head again; her eyes still fixed on her hands.
"Jessica promised to come and visit. Megan and Relena'll do the same if I ask them too. Besides.I can always make new friends," Lani said, her voice beginning to quaver. Duo sighed and leaned against the wall.
"Isn't there anything I can say to get you to stay?"
Lani looked up and laughed shakily.
"Not unless what you wanted to tell me is that you're madly in love with me. My parents want me to contact them with my final decision tomorrow.'
Duo left the wall and knelt on the floor in front of her.
"I can't say that," he told her quietly. "But there is someone who I might be in love with." A smile crossed over Duo's face, making Lani's eyes start to tear.
"Who?" she asked shakily.
"Guess," Duo said, his smile broadening and laughter creeping into his voice.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
(About an hour later) (Note: Lani has been guessing this whole time. She finished with every girl in the school a while ago and has since moved on)
"Uh.Oh! I know! It's that blonde guy! The one that's like, a million feet tall!" Lani exclaimed, laughing. All her sadness had dissipated in the last hour and she was thoroughly enjoying her time with Duo. Duo himself was rolling on the floor with laughter.
"God! Could you imagine that?"
"I wouldn't have mentioned it if I couldn't imagine it," Lani gasped out through her laughter.
"All right. That's wrong. Guess again," Duo said as he struggled to catch his breath. Lani shook her head.
"Oh no, I've had enough of this guessing, I've gone through practically everyone in the school. Unless you're in love with one of the teachers, I give up!"
Duo burst into a fresh fit of laughter. Lani's eyes widened in false shock.
"Oh my God!" she exclaimed as she restrained her laughter. "You're in love with a teacher!"
Duo doubled over with laughter. Lani laughed as she watched him clutch his sides.
"No, seriously," he managed to say after a few moments. "You missed one girl."
"Who?" Lani asked, her laughter dying down. Duo sat up and shook his head.
"Naw uh. No way. I'm not telling you. Ya gotta guess."
"Com'on Duo. Just tell me who it is. I'm tired of guessing." Lani swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat, looking down at Duo. He crawled over and knelt in front of her again.
"All right," he said slowly. He took her hands in his own and looked up at her, his eyes sparkling. "It's you."
Lani stared at him in shock
"It can't be me," she said, shaking her head. "Tell me who it really is." She tried to hands away but Duo held fast.
"You," he told her quietly. Lani shook her head again.
"It can't be me," she repeated, her voice almost a whisper. "You said so yourself, you don't love me." She got to her feet, sliding her hands out of Duo's grasp. She took a few steps away from him and stood facing away. Duo stood and went over to her. He put a hand to her shoulder, gently turning her around. Lani stared at him as he repeated the motion with his other hand, so he was standing, both hands on her shoulders, gazing into her eyes. They stood staring at each other for a moment, then, very suddenly; Duo shook his head quickly, pulled Lani towards him, and kissed her. Lani's eyes widened in shock. After a moment, Duo pulled away from her and looked into her eyes once again, a grin spreading across his face, keeping his hands on her shoulders.
"Me?" Lani asked him in a whisper. Duo smiled at her. A big, almost goofy, grin.
"You," he replied, a hint of laughter in his voice. Lani shrugged out of his grip and went back over to her bed. She picked up her bear and started to fidget with it.
"But you said that you weren't in love with me," she protested. Duo smiled and went over to her, pushing her into a sitting position and kneeling once again in front of her.
"I said nothing of the sort," he said smiling and allowing his amusement at her continuing protests to litter his voice.
"But-" Lani started.
"No buts," Duo interrupted, sitting comfortably in front of her. "What I said was, I couldn't say I was madly in love with you. I still can't tell you that. Not yet anyway. I can't put a title on my feelings right now; they're all jumbled up. I don't know if I'll ever be able to. All I know is that I love you and I might just die if you were to leave."
All through his speech, Duo smiled at her. But even so, Lani could tell he was serious. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she did. I wonder.Lani thought.
"D'you understand what I'm tryin' to tell you?" Duo asked after Lani didn't respond.
"Huh? Oh. Yeah. Sure I do," Lani said, startled out of her thoughts. "But Duo.can I ask you something?"
"Yeah. Of course," Duo said with a nod.
"Why do you love me? That is, why did you fall in love with me?"
"I dunno," Duo told her with a shrug. "When I first saw you up close, something kinda clicked and.well.like I said, I dunno."
"I think I know," Lani told him quietly, meeting his gaze evenly, drawing strength from his presence. Confusion spread over Duo's face.
"What d'you mean?" he asked. A small smile appeared on Lani's face.
"NaniLoa," she said, her smile widening as Duo's confusion visually intensified.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
(The next day)
Lani's eyes fluttered open. That's more like it. She thought as she glanced towards the window. The sun had risen, but had not moved far enough through the sky to shine completely through the window. That never happened until noon. She turned her head towards the other side of the bed and smiled. Thank you NaniLoa. She thought, smiling at Duo's peacefully sleeping form. He had again spent the night in her room, though this time both had slept peacefully through the whole night. (NOTHING happened between them! Get your minds out of the gutter!) Lani rose out of bed, slowly, careful not to disturb Duo. She walked slowly and tiredly over to her desk and opened the seldom-used cubbord. Reaching inside she drew out five candles, an empty terra-cotta dish and a lei. She took the dish to the bathroom and filled it with water. As she placed the dish on the floor in front of the window, she glanced over at Duo and smiled.
She went back over to her desk, gathering the candles and the lei. She set four of the candles around the dish and placed the fifth in the center. She ran fingers over the silken flowers of the lei. This'll have to do. She thought, placing the lei into the water so it surrounded the candle. I'm sorry NaniLoa, she thought as she lit the candles. But with the little amount of prayer I do, real flowers just aren't practical. Lan I knelt in front of the dish and folded her hands on her lap.
"I thank you NaniLoa. I thank you for your influence on all lovers and I thank you for giving me this wonderful gift," she muttered. A quiet chuckle from behind her jolted Lani out of her prayer.
"What'cha doin'?" Duo asked, his voice quiet yet still filled with mirth.
"Thanking NaniLoa," Lani replied simply, turning around and smiling at him. Duo rolled onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow.
"You really think I'm that wonderful?"
"How long have you been awake?" Lani replied turning and blowing out the candles.
"Long enough. Answer my question." Lani smiled to herself as she picked up her water dish and carried it to the bathroom again. She stopped just in front of the door and turned her smile on Duo.
"More than you know," she told him, still smiling. Before Duo could respond, she turned away and went into the bathroom
A/N: GAH! This chapter is a gift for Megan! Caulk full of SAP!! SAP! *Giggle* WARNING!! Lots of lovey dovey stuff! I think this is it though. *crosses fingers* Here's to hoping! And anyone who's reading this must now do me a favor. Lemme know what you think, though it doesn't really matter to me so much anymore, I think I'd rather have a few fans and have them be my friends, (like Megan!! ^___^) then have a million fans and not know any of them. But tell me anyway.
Chapter 7
(That night)
Lani sat at her desk; her head propped on her elbow, which she was resting on the wooden surface in front of her. On the desk sat her keyboard. She pressed the keys absently, as she stared at the wall, almost as if she was staring through it. There was a knock on the door and Lani sat straight, playing a short tune as a broad smile spread across her face.
"Come in," she said, turning towards the door.
"Oh. Were you going to bed?" Duo asked from the doorway (oh come on. You knew it was gonna be him! 9_9)
"Nah," Lani said, glancing down at her pajamas. "I just thought I ought to be comfortable while I waited for you to get here."
"All right. Good. Listen," Duo said, coming into the room and closing the door gently behind him. "Last night you said-"
"You know, I'm glad you're here," Lani interrupted. "There's something I wanted to tell you."
"Yeah. That's great. But I came here to tell you something."
"I know. But this is important," Lani told him, turning off her keyboard and storing it in it's case. She got up and moved to sit on her bed. Duo sat down next to her.
"All right," he sighed. "Go ahead."
"Okay. To start with, I happen to remember what I said last night, and you can comment on it all you want, after I finish telling you this," Lani added quickly as Duo opened his mouth to speak. "I've only told Jessica, and the teachers of course, I mean, they need to know. Can you imagine what would happen if I hadn't told them, it'd b-"
"Lani!" Duo interrupted. "Get to the point, please!"
"Oh.right.sorry," Lani said, looking down at her hands.
"Don't worry about it. Go on," he told her gently.
"All right. Um.this is kinda hard, 'cause of what I told you last night, but.I'm leaving."
"For how long?" Duo asked, surprise showing clearly on his face. Lani looked up at him, tears starting to well up in her eyes.
"Probably forever," she told him sadly. "My parents are moving back to outer-space, and they want me to go with them."
Duo got to his feet and started pacing in front of her.
"They're making you go with them?" he asked. Lani shook her head, turning her eyes back to her hands.
"They said it was my choice, but I don't really see any reason to stay. I mean, I can go to school in space too."
"What about your friends? Jessica, Megan, Relena?" Duo demanded. He was clearly frustrated by her news and he was just as clearly trying to stay calm. Lani shook her head again; her eyes still fixed on her hands.
"Jessica promised to come and visit. Megan and Relena'll do the same if I ask them too. Besides.I can always make new friends," Lani said, her voice beginning to quaver. Duo sighed and leaned against the wall.
"Isn't there anything I can say to get you to stay?"
Lani looked up and laughed shakily.
"Not unless what you wanted to tell me is that you're madly in love with me. My parents want me to contact them with my final decision tomorrow.'
Duo left the wall and knelt on the floor in front of her.
"I can't say that," he told her quietly. "But there is someone who I might be in love with." A smile crossed over Duo's face, making Lani's eyes start to tear.
"Who?" she asked shakily.
"Guess," Duo said, his smile broadening and laughter creeping into his voice.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
(About an hour later) (Note: Lani has been guessing this whole time. She finished with every girl in the school a while ago and has since moved on)
"Uh.Oh! I know! It's that blonde guy! The one that's like, a million feet tall!" Lani exclaimed, laughing. All her sadness had dissipated in the last hour and she was thoroughly enjoying her time with Duo. Duo himself was rolling on the floor with laughter.
"God! Could you imagine that?"
"I wouldn't have mentioned it if I couldn't imagine it," Lani gasped out through her laughter.
"All right. That's wrong. Guess again," Duo said as he struggled to catch his breath. Lani shook her head.
"Oh no, I've had enough of this guessing, I've gone through practically everyone in the school. Unless you're in love with one of the teachers, I give up!"
Duo burst into a fresh fit of laughter. Lani's eyes widened in false shock.
"Oh my God!" she exclaimed as she restrained her laughter. "You're in love with a teacher!"
Duo doubled over with laughter. Lani laughed as she watched him clutch his sides.
"No, seriously," he managed to say after a few moments. "You missed one girl."
"Who?" Lani asked, her laughter dying down. Duo sat up and shook his head.
"Naw uh. No way. I'm not telling you. Ya gotta guess."
"Com'on Duo. Just tell me who it is. I'm tired of guessing." Lani swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat, looking down at Duo. He crawled over and knelt in front of her again.
"All right," he said slowly. He took her hands in his own and looked up at her, his eyes sparkling. "It's you."
Lani stared at him in shock
"It can't be me," she said, shaking her head. "Tell me who it really is." She tried to hands away but Duo held fast.
"You," he told her quietly. Lani shook her head again.
"It can't be me," she repeated, her voice almost a whisper. "You said so yourself, you don't love me." She got to her feet, sliding her hands out of Duo's grasp. She took a few steps away from him and stood facing away. Duo stood and went over to her. He put a hand to her shoulder, gently turning her around. Lani stared at him as he repeated the motion with his other hand, so he was standing, both hands on her shoulders, gazing into her eyes. They stood staring at each other for a moment, then, very suddenly; Duo shook his head quickly, pulled Lani towards him, and kissed her. Lani's eyes widened in shock. After a moment, Duo pulled away from her and looked into her eyes once again, a grin spreading across his face, keeping his hands on her shoulders.
"Me?" Lani asked him in a whisper. Duo smiled at her. A big, almost goofy, grin.
"You," he replied, a hint of laughter in his voice. Lani shrugged out of his grip and went back over to her bed. She picked up her bear and started to fidget with it.
"But you said that you weren't in love with me," she protested. Duo smiled and went over to her, pushing her into a sitting position and kneeling once again in front of her.
"I said nothing of the sort," he said smiling and allowing his amusement at her continuing protests to litter his voice.
"But-" Lani started.
"No buts," Duo interrupted, sitting comfortably in front of her. "What I said was, I couldn't say I was madly in love with you. I still can't tell you that. Not yet anyway. I can't put a title on my feelings right now; they're all jumbled up. I don't know if I'll ever be able to. All I know is that I love you and I might just die if you were to leave."
All through his speech, Duo smiled at her. But even so, Lani could tell he was serious. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she did. I wonder.Lani thought.
"D'you understand what I'm tryin' to tell you?" Duo asked after Lani didn't respond.
"Huh? Oh. Yeah. Sure I do," Lani said, startled out of her thoughts. "But Duo.can I ask you something?"
"Yeah. Of course," Duo said with a nod.
"Why do you love me? That is, why did you fall in love with me?"
"I dunno," Duo told her with a shrug. "When I first saw you up close, something kinda clicked and.well.like I said, I dunno."
"I think I know," Lani told him quietly, meeting his gaze evenly, drawing strength from his presence. Confusion spread over Duo's face.
"What d'you mean?" he asked. A small smile appeared on Lani's face.
"NaniLoa," she said, her smile widening as Duo's confusion visually intensified.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
(The next day)
Lani's eyes fluttered open. That's more like it. She thought as she glanced towards the window. The sun had risen, but had not moved far enough through the sky to shine completely through the window. That never happened until noon. She turned her head towards the other side of the bed and smiled. Thank you NaniLoa. She thought, smiling at Duo's peacefully sleeping form. He had again spent the night in her room, though this time both had slept peacefully through the whole night. (NOTHING happened between them! Get your minds out of the gutter!) Lani rose out of bed, slowly, careful not to disturb Duo. She walked slowly and tiredly over to her desk and opened the seldom-used cubbord. Reaching inside she drew out five candles, an empty terra-cotta dish and a lei. She took the dish to the bathroom and filled it with water. As she placed the dish on the floor in front of the window, she glanced over at Duo and smiled.
She went back over to her desk, gathering the candles and the lei. She set four of the candles around the dish and placed the fifth in the center. She ran fingers over the silken flowers of the lei. This'll have to do. She thought, placing the lei into the water so it surrounded the candle. I'm sorry NaniLoa, she thought as she lit the candles. But with the little amount of prayer I do, real flowers just aren't practical. Lan I knelt in front of the dish and folded her hands on her lap.
"I thank you NaniLoa. I thank you for your influence on all lovers and I thank you for giving me this wonderful gift," she muttered. A quiet chuckle from behind her jolted Lani out of her prayer.
"What'cha doin'?" Duo asked, his voice quiet yet still filled with mirth.
"Thanking NaniLoa," Lani replied simply, turning around and smiling at him. Duo rolled onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow.
"You really think I'm that wonderful?"
"How long have you been awake?" Lani replied turning and blowing out the candles.
"Long enough. Answer my question." Lani smiled to herself as she picked up her water dish and carried it to the bathroom again. She stopped just in front of the door and turned her smile on Duo.
"More than you know," she told him, still smiling. Before Duo could respond, she turned away and went into the bathroom