Note: Bonjour, tout le monde! I hope everyone's having a wonderful holiday
season. This is my pick for updating. I was at my friend's house today,
and we had absolutely nothing to do after we watched Final Destination, so
I happened to have my disk with me. I finished up the last part of this
chapter and started on reviews! Thank you all for your continuing support.
I love you all! ^_______^ I'll try to work harder since it's winter
break, but I have a service project to fill in as well, including
journaling about the experience for English! I'm still working on TLM, but
I skipped that update because of complications. I don't own Gundam Wing.
The pairings are 1+2+1, 3+4+3, and 5+S? *sly grin* I also don't own They
Cage the Animals at Night, which I made a reference to during English
class. You'll get what I mean when it comes.
Prisoner of War 20
"Won't be long now," Treize stared out at the mist and fog suffocating the atmosphere, slight smile curled on his lips. "We'll meet again, Wufei," his smile grew wider at the thought. A delicate glass of sparking liquid was laced in a perfect grip by his long fingers, clasping gently. In a silent toast with an invisible companion he murmured a slight, "Cheers," and took a sip.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
In silence, Wufei's arms dangled off one raised knee, hanging over the side of the ledge. Around him, soft flakes of snow fluttered in downward spirals. Pure white. It cloaked the broken world in a sheen of innocence. He pictured how the crumbling debris looked blanketed with snow. He wondered if the air was as crisp and sweet as it was where he sat with his head bent down, but still staring outward at his surroundings.
The numb cold seeped straight into his bones, but Wufei ignored it completely, sporting his traditional Chinese robes. 'A soldier wearing white,' he laughed inside at the irony. 'A symbol of both death and innocence, how fitting,' sarcasm at the tip of his tongue, but he bit down the remark.
"Wufei," a voice sounded softly, grimly. "Mission." And the boy left with those two words with his long braid trailing after him.
'He may seem like an idiot -' he didn't finish the last thought and picked himself up from the ledge. His muscles protested, seized up from the intense cold. "Maxwell," he called.
The teen turned around, "Hmm?" he asked absentmindedly. "What is it, Fei?"
"How are you?" in all seriousness he asked. He watched as surprise lit up those cobalt orbs unblinkingly.
"Peachy," he responded with a cough.
"What about Heero?"
"As well as he can be, I guess," he muttered, kicking a rock from the doorway with a shrug.
"Talk to him sometime," he suggested. Wufei had noticed the gap between the two pilots now. They spoke to each other, got along just fine, but it wasn't good enough for either of them. "It's been a month."
Duo snorted, but the Chinese boy was already gone to be briefed on his latest mission. Instead, silent treads trailed over there, he lifted his gaze and met crisp blue. "Heero," he breathed, swallowing a gulp. All of a sudden he felt nervous in the boy's presence.
"Close the door," the calm voice suggested, no more orders from the perfect soldier. "It's cold."
Duo shot him a lopsided grin and grabbed the golden knob, pulling the door shut. 'The only way to live a good life is to act on your emotions. Fuck this.' With confidence, he took several strides to where Heero stood and wordlessly gave him a tight but brief hug. It was comforting to be near him again. In that one embrace, it told both boys what lost words could not; quick flash of warmth, but it didn't dissipate.
"We're going to miss the bus," Duo broke the silence and grabbed his backpack from off the floor, towing Heero along out the front door. "Bye, guys! Good luck on your mission!" he said his partings quickly, knowing his loud tenor would reach their ears.
Heero gave a tiny smile in secret, a sense of relief crept up to his heart, and he allowed himself to enjoy that little moment. Prussian snapped back too impassive by the time Duo's shimmering violet met up with his expression.
"Did you do your homework?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes," he responded slightly puzzled at the question, "of course," slowly midnight blue narrowed.
A sheepish grin was flashed in his direction, "Well, that makes - one of us." He expected a lecture or at least a glare, but Heero merely raised an eyebrow and smirked as the pair progressed to the bright red stop sign at the corner of the street.
"Good one," he commented in his soft tone, edges softer than the usual hard ice. "Better finish it on the bus."
"Aww come on. I'll fit in better if I slack off," he whined in good humor, smoky violet glimmered slightly in enjoyment of the near perfect weather.
The Japanese soldier stopped his efficient pace and swiped a white flake of snow off the tip of the other's nose. Duo's eyes crossed in the process, and soon after the strangely familiar episode, a memory flashed back. Heero left him no time to think as he walked past the confused student, secretly smirking.
"The bus is coming," he announced and proceeded to drag the braided boy the seven feet to the yellow, Twinkie-like vehicle, deciding that he liked controlling where Duo was going. 'No wonder he does this so much to me,' he mused. "If you really want to fit in - " he drawled, "finish the last problem a second before the bell rings.
Duo granted him a wry smile, "Haha," he laughed dryly. "Looks like someone's been brushing up on the ways of a typical teenager."
They boarded the depressing vehicle, and the American took the opportunity to give the girls all a wink and an adorable smile. They smiled back, coolly of course. "Looks like someone's been brushing up on Harry Potter," Heero shot back under his breath, knowing the other had heard every word, Prussian eyes flicked over to the book tucked under Duo's arm.
Pouting in response, the braided teen stuck his tongue out with indignity. "Mature," Heero commented, smirking slightly at the sight of the pilot. Large violet eyes peered at him curiously as he did so, wondering what in the world was going inside the Japanese youth's head.
"Harry Potter is cool!" Duo protested loudly.
* * * "All right, class," the Honors English teacher pushed her thin-framed glasses up her nose, "You need to finish the rest of the book by tomorrow as your assignment. You may SSR (Sustained Silent Reading) for the remainder of the period," She clapped her hands in finality and let loose the class.
Immediately, the freshman scrambled from their desks and ran to sit next to each other, grinning as friends whispered to each other. Duo scooted closer to Heero, whom was immersed in the novel, and peered at the other boy curiously with bright violet eyes.
"Hey," he greeted softly.
Heero ignored him blatantly, Prussian blue still fixated on the text. His eyes scanned the page quickly, hitting the period, and he flipped the back cover over. Pushing the book towards the top right-hand corner of his desk, he finally looked up.
He stared at the other pilot unblinkingly, waiting for Duo to talk. Only - he didn't . . . In fact the American was staring at the creamy beige of his desk, unruly bangs downcast. Heero narrowed his dark eyes; confused, wondering what was going inside of the other's mind, but hesitant to ask.
Mouth opening slightly, the boy let out a whistle of air before settling on correct words, and he quietly asked, "Duo?"
"Hmm?" Dark lilac lifted, shifting into view. A smile spread through his heart-shaped face, confusing the other pilot even more.
'He's happy . . . then why is he being so - obedient?' Clearly Duo could read his thoughts because he was waiting for Heero to take the initiative and ask. "You're acting different," he stated blankly, drawing out the words slowly.
Dark brows shot up, "Like it?" he laughed when the other didn't formulate any reply.
'Yes,' he mind immediately jumped on the thought. 'But . . .' "It's just different," and turned his attention to shifting through his backpack. He pulled out a bottle of water only to have it snatched away with one swipe of Duo's hand.
The boy merely grinned coyly at him, teasingly swaying the prize in front of Heero's eyes. The Japanese youth gave a half snort and stole it back. Untwisting the white cap, he took a large swig of water, midnight blue never once leaving the braided teen.
"Mission accomplished," he added for effect, smirking only slightly.
Duo's threatening death glare resulted in an adorable pout, large purple eyes shimmering pathetically. Heero cast an unreadable look straight into those eyes before flicking away to the black writing scrawled neatly across the board. He nonchalantly tossed the youthful soldier his water bottle, much to Duo's surprise. He grinned, following Heero's suite and took a long gulp of the pure liquid, marveling at the ease it slid down his throat.
"It's almost Christmas," the braided youth commented after a short silence, still remembering to whisper quietly.
"Yeah."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sally hopped off the black motorcycle with a small grunt, dusting off flecks of white snow off her shoulders lightly. Cornflower-blue eyes lifted slowly to drink in her surroundings and tried to memorize as much detail about the area as possible. The last thing she wanted to do was to get lost before her work was done.
It had been well over a month now and still no new orders from Colonel Treize, far too long. Steady tasks and missions were impossibilities in war. The schedule was always subject to abrupt change, rocky and unpredictable. Still it was never like this, and Sally was beginning to feel the restlessness creep up on her. She had kept the tracking device in her bag all those weeks, slipping it out sometimes to watch the blinking, red dot. And she wondered what those youthful soldiers were doing.
Now she stood in front of their safe house, ready to confront them with everything she knew. It was strange that the choice was to surround themselves by nosy neighbors in this beautiful, suburban neighborhood. Time was ticking by whether it was going fast or slow, she didn't know, but Sally had done her research. Five new kids were registered in the local high school as freshman. 'No doubt they've gone past all the hardest senior classes. Maybe they want to slack off as freshman, not that they can't do it any year, age-wise - it's much less noticeable, but dear God how can they stand those immature kids?'
She mused to herself, hands clamping her hips, eyes glittering in nervousness. A grim line served as her mouth, feeling rooted to the spot. The door was only so far away, which was maybe 15 or so feet. The house was silent, and classes had already commenced an hour ago. 'Maybe no one's home,' she reasoned with herself, anxiousness increased to dangerous levels. 'But three of them called in sick today . . .' Sighing in defeat, the internal battle silenced, and she walked towards the imminent door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Blue ink scratched across the white smoothly, pouring down words in the piece of loose-leaf. 'Jennings - he's been through more than anyone should go through in his life, if you can even call it that. No child deserves to be beaten and abused, scarred for life. It's amazing people can be so foolish, but he is so strong to be able to survive through it.' The pen dropped with a soft clang on the desk as Duo sighed.
Creasing lids squeezed amethyst depths shut away from anyone's view. He remembered - something about his former life. Another piece of the puzzle concerning his past. Slowly his eyes fluttered open, settling his gaze on the boy seated next to him. The soldier crouched over his own notebook, quickly scrawling down organized thoughts with passionless duty. 'Does he remember? Or are we both headed for the loony bin?' Duo wondered thoughtfully. 'Serendipity maybe that we're both here still alive.'
Soft music fluttered from a nearby stereo, Christmas carols sang so sweetly by the orchestra. He surveyed the room with interest. Evergreen branches were literally everywhere in wreaths, tinsel wrapping around the room, and perfected by a grand pine tree. Silver and golden balls, shimmered in light, hung off of selective branches, small figurines and symbolic items dispersed around. The room was faintly sprinkled with a glittery substance, congregating the most on patches of cotton snow. Tiny bulbs emulated a soft light, the main source dimmed, making the crimson ribbons stand out more among the others.
"Kirei," he murmured to Heero.
Dark blue, even more navy in the dimmed lights, scanned his surroundings for the first time, "Aa," he agreed. "Christmas has a certain affect on most people," he noted plainly. "Maybe that's why you're acting different."
"Huh?" wide eyes stared back.
Heero's gaze softened only slightly, but it was enough to be noticed. Duo's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Heero cut off his thoughts, "You've always liked Christmas."
The braided boy continued to stare at him, "Huh?" Confusion clouded his vision before a new possibility dawned on him, "You remember?"
Prussian eyes flickered away quickly, "Hai," he replied quietly.
'Damn. He's too cute like this - all shy . . .' An itch -- Duo wanted just to lean over and touch the other pilot, but he managed to suppress his urges. 'Wufei's right. It has been way too long. I can't imagine how I could have gone on this long not talking to him.' The American gave a soft sigh and began to pack up this stuff; many others had done the same.
He drummed his fingers on the beige desk in boredom, eyeing the clock every few seconds, commanding the time to change anxiously. Bright red numerals stared back at him with the same mocking contempt before it finally relented; 8:30. The bell rang, and the hallways flooded with over two thousand students trying to squeeze through the thick throngs of teenagers.
Absent-mindedly, Heero's free hand grabbed a hold of his comrade in an iron grip, dragging him back despite the protests. "Stay," he ordered.
"What?" with mild annoyance, Duo crossed his arms, looking at his friend.
"Trowa just spotted someone around our safe house," he explained quietly but quickly as the two walked out the door of the classroom.
"What???" the same word took on a completely different meaning this time. "Who?"
"It's definitely a girl."
Duo squeaked despite himself and choked out, "A girl? What the Hell is a girl doing, sneaking around like that? I mean what if she somehow gets inside? She'll find out everything and blow our cover, and we'll have about two thousand people be able to identify us, including the teachers!!! Is it Relena? Damn, she has some nerve! I mean . . ." he babbled on insanely, and even Heero could barely understand what he was saying at that incredible speed.
He firmly and effectively clamped Duo's mouth shut with his hand and gave him a meaningful look. "Duo . . ." he stared in a warning tone. "Calm down," slowly, blue turned away, staring straight ahead as the boys expertly weaved through the crowd. "And what do you mean Relena?" caution laced his tone.
Slowly Duo's wild violet had calmed, and now he smiled sheepishly, "Don't tell me you've met her, too . . ." groaned the American.
"Relena Darlian/Peacecraft?" a wary glint flashed in his eyes. "Almost blew my cover - on several occasions," he snorted.
"Oh man!" Duo laughed, shaking his head. "I know exactly what you mean and so does Wufei." He paused for a moment, "Actually . . . she was looking for someone all the times she ran into us. And come to think of it, I think she was looking for you!" Wide cobalt stared in astonishment at Heero.
'Oh shit.' "Hn?"
"Yeah, she would kind of say this long, dragged out, tone-deaf screech. It's barely distinguishable, but it sure as Hell sounds like your name, now that I think about it," he gave a helpless shrug.
"No wonder she ran into you guys," The Japanese student observed as they stepped through the door to their second period classroom. 'Strange how Duo and I have the exact same schedule.'
"Uh-uh!" Duo smacked his piece of gum, "She knows?" he hissed at the pilot, nearing stopping in the middle of the rows of seats.
"Dr. J told her a vague sense of what was going on," he snorted again, pushing the other to start walking again. A quirked eyebrow explained Duo's question. "To scare her away from me."
The braided boy grinned at his answer, "I'm guessing that it didn't work, huh?"
A simple smirk curled at the edge of his lips, "Not in the slightest aspect." 'At least she's not here.'
"Well," they eased into their seats. Duo tapped his chin lightly with his index finger thoughtfully. "I think this is one of those forbidden fruit kind of things. Anyway, I'm just glad she's not in this school yet. It would turn this whole place into a red danger zone," he rolled his eyes.
'Bingo.' Heero merely nodded and riffled through his black backpack. Smoothly he slid out a simple pencil pouch, a book and a binder. Shifting through papers, he pulled out the prize - last night's homework. He set it aside in the corner, dropped his bag to the carpeted floor, and he was set for class. Meanwhile, Duo was frantically finishing off the last ten problems on the page, pencil almost flying off of the page three minutes before the bell was to ring. Heero watched, amused, and smirked again. 'Baka.'
With adrenaline rushing through his veins, his drastic speed remained the same, and two minutes passed like a breeze. Like pulling the finished product from a typewriter, Duo snatched the paper up in triumph. "Done!" he announced proudly.
Heero raised a dark brow as he glanced at the page at his handwriting. Usually, as he grudgingly had to admit it, Duo's manuscript was completely neat, smooth. But as one would scan down the page, it only got worse, but it was still more legible than the guy's in front of Heero. 'I guess that's a good sign . . .' An obnoxious bell shuddered through the room.
"Anyway, so I think she likes you," he brought up after his little moment, setting the homework down on his desk.
'Huh?' "What?" 'Relena . . .' "Why?"
"Oh, come on," he rested a tilted head on his propped-up hand and blinked once for affect. "She's practically stalking you," he moaned. "You can't say that's just because she's trying to stop your missions."
'Shit. Happens to be with word of the day - for now . . .' A neutral mask had no intention to budge a millimeter as the boy patiently repeated his question, this time seeking a different answer, "Why?" 'A soldier? Someone that kills? A pacifist would be attracted to that? Hard to believe.'
Duo let lose a laugh, "Looked in the mirror lately?" he snorted all in good humor. Heero just stared at him blankly. "Oh my God," Duo muttered under his breath in exasperation. "You're hot. Okay? No one can truthfully deny that fact, so it's definitely reasonable that she's attracted to you. And plus," he smacked his gum again, "you got that whole enigmatic air around you. I mean no one can figure this emotionless machine out. 'Oops. Eh, maybe he'll take it as a compliment . . . Face it, Maxwell. No one likes to be called that no matter what.'
"I didn't mean it like that," he sighed, scratching his head a little as he sighed.
"Like what?" he asked softly.
His voice quiet, Duo leaned in to whisper, "We're soldiers, Heero, and damn it, you're the perfect model of what we all should be; emotionless fighting machines. If you have feelings, you don't let it get in your way - you're just so efficient and immaculate."
'You have no idea, Duo. I should be what you think I am.'
"But you shouldn't be. None of us should be that way. We are human," the American paused. "You have to open your heart. Who knows - maybe this Relena chick can get through to you. God knows I've tried," he gave a small smile. "No one can really figure you out, and it's driving me insane," he laughed. "So she chases after you, trying to figure you out, trying to influence your actions," he explained, wist ghosting over his words. "No one can figure you out . . ." reiterated Duo, leaning back in his seat. His gaze flickered to Heero's face and swallowed hard when it came to view. He looked at the braided student strangely, brow creasing if only just faintly. 'Whoops . . . That came out wrong.'
"You're closer to that than you think," the whisper slipped past his lips so lightly, easily. 'Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! But what's so wrong about it? I - I don't know. What's wrong with getting close to a best friend? Dammit, because it's a liability! / How many times does he need to save your sorry ass? / And damn you.' He swore he could hear that voice smile in satisfaction. '/ Think. What is wrong with trusting a trustworthy person? /' It disappeared - all the while the tumultuous thoughts tumbled behind an impassive shield.
The look on Duo's face, confusion, surprise, and awe - almost convinced Heero of the voice's argument. 'I can trust him. I do trust him. It's too late.' So he just turned to face the front of the room helplessly in the wake of his epiphany. 'He was my best friend and the best one I have now. We've grown up, but what else has really changed?'
"Thanks," Duo croaked, voice adjusting to talking after the silence. "It's good to know," he nodded and grinned. "So where's the teacher?" Restlessness stirred in his body as he drummed his fingers on the table, amethyst darting around the room.
"Right here, Duo," the Algebra teacher smiled at the pair of boys once Duo's gaze locked on target.
"Oh! Hi, Mrs. B!" he greeted, nudging for Heero to do the same. He merely grunted a hello, barely audible much less coherent.
Mrs. Brandon laughed at the polar opposites. "Good morning, I see that we both have our homework? Mm-hmm," she nodded as she scanned the page, to insure correctness. "Perfect as usual. You two are about the smartest students in this class," she sighed. "Impossible to find mistakes. I wonder why you're in Algebra I."
"Thanks, Mrs. Brandon," Duo grinned, looking at the dark red five that stained his page. He watched the teacher move on to the next student with a heavy sigh, arming herself with the large sharpie. "I didn't like that little smile she gave us," he turned to face Heero.
"Hn," the boy grunted with arms crossed as Prussian eyes surveyed the room.
"So!" he smiled brightly at the change of topic, slapping his hands on the desk. "How do you think the others are holding up?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Winner!" Wufei snapped angrily. "You mean to tell me that - that - *this* is the mission Maxwell informed me about?"
Quatre only smiled at his outburst, "It's brilliant, isn't it?"
The serious scowl that stretched across the Chinese youth's expression broke into a positively evil smirk. Highly rare, "Absolutely."
"Quatre will inform you of how we're going to go about this - operation," the usually silent pilot remarked, leaning up against the white plaster of the wall.
"May I ask why you're taking a sudden interest in Maxwell and Yuy?" Wufei crossed his arms, staring back at the young Arabic.
"They obviously aren't that great at helping themselves, and we have to all be together. People work best as a team, and the tension has to go," he took a small sip of tea, staring out at the winter scene beyond the pane of glass.
"And?" he waited expectantly.
He gave a sheepish smile, "It feels right." The blonde pilot sank into the leather seat, twirling about randomly in thought with a light sigh.
A thump, soft but definitely audible sounded outside. Three sets of ears pricked at the unexpected noise. Slowly the trio advanced to the door with caution, but Wufei halted the other two. 'Probably some salesmen . . . but why was there only one knock? Something's not right.' Narrowed obsidian kept steady observation straight ahead - down the stairs, to the foyer. His demeanor altered completely as he answered the door. The unexpected sight of the woman from the in completely took him by surprise.
'Fuck.' Aghast was clear in his dark eyes, "What do you think you're doing here, woman?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Replies to Reviews
DragonGirl- Hi! Thank you so much for the reviews - well, maybe not the flames . . . Jk! Actually, it was quite different, and I answered them. I hope you didn't mind my email or anything. I got yours by the way, and I'm glad you're okay with my slowness. Believe me, I feel so bad about all of this, but you know, that's just life. I hope your having a wonderful holiday season, if you celebrate! I love this time of year. Except this year doesn't really feel like it's actually Christmas *sighs* Anyway, I'm really flattered by all your compliments. It's great to know that I can make people happy just by doing something I really enjoy! I hope you like this chapter and will continue reading! Thanks again!
Lillie chan - Wow! A lot of poll answers! Thanks so much for the awesome review. I know it's been quite a while, but I'll be better about updates during winter break. Happy holidays, by the way! I definitely appreciate the answers. And now I realize what a bitch it'll be to try to find all the poll answers at the end. Well, I can worry about that later. Your vacations sound like an absolute blast! Maybe I'll use that poll sometime for a new fic or something. That would be interesting. I'm planning a lot of stuff in my head for fics and such, and hopefully it'll work out great!
Hybrid fairy - Hola! Thank you so much for the review! I'm very glad you enjoyed this fic thus far, and I'm hoping that I'll see you again here. It's great to see that new people are taking interest in this fic! That goes for everyone. I'm so sorry about my lateness and all . . . I hope people don't mind it too much.
Sivy - Lol! You don't know how many times that has gone through my mind! Jk! Well, actually I have thought about it before because it takes so long to reply to all the reviews every time, but I'm not about to give up! Oh, I'll try to add you to my mailing list again. It's going to be in your bulk/junk mail folder though, so that might by why . . . That is if you still want to be on it. Anyway, thank you so much for the fabulous review!
Lora-helen - Hey, girl! How are you? Great I hope. Man, I haven't talk to in so long. Were you drunk in your review? ^_^;; I hope you had a fabulous party and all. Thank you so much for the review as usual and Merry Christmas!
Lokogato - Wow! You're visiting China? That is so cool! I haven't been there since I was eight years old, and it's really weird to be far away from the rest of my family. I haven't seen them in five years. Anyway, thank you so much for the review! I'm glad you're liking how this is going. I jumped back to Heero and Duo. I also skipped about a month just because I realized that people don't need to know every, single detail about their lives. I hope you have fun in China and all. I really need to get going. I'm working on a personal deadline here, and well . . . must get this uploaded before the day is over.
Nanaki- Hey! How are you? Good I hope. I have no life. It's Christmas night already, and I'm just sitting in front of a computer in my friend's house while her brother is playing games on the other one for twenty minutes. Sounds so exciting, huh? Merci beaucoup pour le/la review (in French)! I love how hyper you always are. It makes me smile. Good luck on marrying Wufei! I'm sure there's a guy out there that shares many traits of his honorable personality! So maybe it is possible? Lol, anyway, moving on . . . And it's probably going to be Sally and Wufei. I'm not a hundred percent on that because I don't really understand Wufei relationships with people. I mean it's plausible, but then again a lot of things are plausible if said in the right way.
Nanashi- Hey! Great to hear from you! A mailing list? Well, it really depends on what you're going to use it for. Basically it's a list of people you email all at one time that's related to one theme. For example, the person probably meant to see when you update. So it would be - whenever you update, you can email everyone and tell them! There are two different types as far as I know. One where everyone can email everyone else or only one person can. Anyway, thanks a lot for the awesome review as usual! I'm sorry for the long wait. I hope you like!
FoxFire - Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww! You are so sweet! Thank you very much for the fabulous review! I'm so flattered that people think I'm really that good! It's doing wonders for my self-esteem, and all of this is definitely helping with English papers ^_____^ Thank you for the poll answers, too! I'm glad to see many people participating in it. Well, I hope I'll run into you again, and I hope you liked this chapter (if your still reading)!
Morkeleb - Hey! Thanks very much for giving me a review and answering polls! It's awesome to hear other people's opinions, opens up your mind, you know? I got you on the mailing list ^_^ so all is gravy!
Kat - Hola! Thank you so much for the review! It's great to know that you like how this is going and all, and I hope you'll stick by until the bitter end! Lol, okay, wrong wording there. The end isn't exactly going to be bitter, but you know what I mean. Besides there has to be a happy or semi- happy ending, right? I'm glad you like Heero and Duo. Personally that's my favorite to read, but we could always try new flavors. I'll keep that in mind!
Jalee - Aww! I'm so sorry that it took incredibly long for me to update. I'll probably have another chapter up before winter break is over. I'll have everyone know that I'm going to seize the homework-less opportunity and work my butt off on this instead! I'm glad you found my fic again! It's great to know I can keep people's interest over time ^_^;; Well, mucho gracias for the awesome review!
Kelp Soda - Hi! Danke schön for the review and poll answers! I love the pictures of the boys playing different instruments. Wufei would look interesting in those German overall shorts with the little red feather on that funny green hat. Lol, I got that from seeing him playing tuba.
XPKogani4PX - Wow, I haven't seen you around in a long time! Thank you so much for leaving the review for every chapter you read again! I can imagine you'd run out of things to say after a while, but that's all gravy!
Hellcat - Ooh, it'd be kool if I was German . . . but I'm actually Chinese. I had exploratory German, Japanese, French, and Spanish for four weeks each in 8th grade. I really liked it because it was easy . . . and the food was absolutely delicious! And we didn't have a final because it's too hard to keep four languages straight. So I know very limited German, and this year I'm in honors prep French. German III came to our class to sing carols! It was so much fun ^_^ Anyway, thank you so much for reviewing and answering polls! I'm glad you like this fic so far, and I hope I'll see you again.
SilverShinigami- Eek! Hi! Great to see that you reviewed again. And of course I need YOUR help! Lol, actually explaining my problem to you got the old wheels turning again ^__________^ I'm being retarded, but that's okay! Yup, you're great, but I'm hungry . . . I love your poll answers. You crack me up! And that sounds like one great vacation - unlike band camp. Which reminds me . . . I got the weirdest idea for TLM. It was shoes and shako night out on the football field this one Thursday, and I remember how ridiculous we looked. It was great ^_^ Anyway, Ryan was making his usual jokes (and they're actually funny). And he came up with this interesting pick-up line, but I'll tell you about it later. And we can see how to work that in the story! Thank you very much for the great review!
Aurenne- Hi! It's great to see you (and everyone else of course) again! Wow, nice glomp ^_^ You guys are so supportive *sniffles* Lol, I'm a little hyper right now for some odd reason, but I still can't freaking type. Damn this keyboard! I totally agree; gravy is awesome. And I'm so sorry about you having exams! *hugs* Those are definitely evil. I mean I don't mind taking them if I know everything, but it's the studying that gets me. And to the pandas, I say hi back!
LB- Damn right he gets justice! ^_^ Wufei's awesome, and it's only right to have a Wufei centric part in the whole scheme of 1x2x1! I know that was a ridiculously long time to wait, and I'm so sorry about that -_-;; You know me . . . And I know if I suck up enough to the directors I'll get into ensemble sometime in my high school career ^_~ Damn them for being so bias! I swear band directors are the most bias people in the world, but I never suck up. And they usually put seniors in the top band because they're seniors. We have a pretty good band program though! I mean in 2000 Wind Ensemble were the state champions. Well thank you very much for the great review and definitely trumpets forever ^_________^
DBZVelena- Hola! Thank you so much for the fabulous review and all those wonderful comments! And are you kidding? I love GWA! It's one of the first fan fiction sites I've been on for Gundam Wing and really, really got me in shounen ai and Gundam Wing. I love that place, and the authors there are just absolutely amazing ^_________^ And I can't believe that you think I'd be welcome there! I never thought that I was good enough for it, so I never tried submitting. I love those fics though. Anyway . . . I'm glad you like how this is going, and I bet that was a lot to read. I wouldn't be able to read this in one sitting probably just because I've gone over this thing a million times.
Tigerlily26- Hey! I'm glad to see that you got my email safely and everything! Thank you very much for the fabulous review of course. I know that it took forever. The replying to reviews thing gets hard when I have a lot, and it really slows me down, which is why I thought that I should do this. I think it'll be a lot easier on me and you guys. All your comments were great! And it was wonderful to read them all. Reviews really make my day ^_^
Diane- Hi! I'm glad to see that you're still reading the fic after so long of non-updating. I decided to start to answer reviews right away, so I wouldn't be flooded with the work later, which really slows the whole process down ^_^ Thank you so much for the awesome review! The poll answer was absolutely wonderful! It would sound like so much fun, and who knows? Maybe I'll write a vacation fic sometime . . . The only thing I don't really like about winter is the fact that it's soooooo cold! Brr! During the last week or so of marching band, it started to get really chilly outside, and being out there for two and a half hours isn't exactly fun . . . especially when you can't even move. My hands froze, lips chapped, instrument went way sharp, and all that good stuff. But snow is kool. I can't wait until it starts to snow. All the comments are just fabulous, and I really like how some reviewers tell me more specific things about what he/she (just to be more politically correct) liked. As for Sally . . . they should actually view her as trouble seeing her background and everything, not to mention that little tracker of hers. But they don't know anything about it, and all they really know is that they sense something's off about her. And the couple thing, it's going to be quite a ride for Fei just because ^_~ To be honest, I don't really think that his and Sally's personality are extremely compatible as in the sense that they were made for each other. Who knows? Someone may convince me so. But I do think that they would compliment each other very well. Wufei is just different. I can't really think of someone that fits him really, really, really well. Either way it'll get interesting once Sally tracks the boys down.
Ryoko-onee- Hi! It's great to see and hear that you'll be here until I'm done with the fic. I think that's a pretty daunting thing actually. From the pace I'm going, it's not moving along very fast. I think I'm going to pretty much take them through a chunk of the war in my level of detail, so it's not just one threat. I want to see how they're going to handle everything that fighting tosses them and when Heero and Duo will notice what's actually going on between them. Actually I may just be getting ahead of myself a bit here, so I'll stop. The weekend game was just something I thought would be fun do. Maybe I'll turn that into something . . . And hopefully (since I'm doing this early) I'll get the next chapter out sooner than this time ^_^;
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mailing List - You guys know the drill! Mailing list for updates! Leave an email address and a name, and I'll put you on if you want!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Polls!
On going ones:
What ice cream flavor would each of the Gboys be?
Which character on Gundam Wing would you like to marry the most?
What instrument would the characters play in band (any band)?
What is your favorite Wufei pairing that won't interfere with the ones I have in this fic already?
Vacation time! Well not in the REAL world, but that's okay ^_~ Where and which characters would you like to take on vacation? Have fun imagining!
New Poll: Does Relena deserve to be bashed? An explanation would also be great!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yay! I'm done! I am still working on TLM. The thing is that I need my dad to email me what I have of chapter four. Currently it's on his laptop - which is in China _ How smart am I? Well, I hope you guys all liked! Merry Christmas everyone, if you celebrate! And Happy New Year!
Prisoner of War 20
"Won't be long now," Treize stared out at the mist and fog suffocating the atmosphere, slight smile curled on his lips. "We'll meet again, Wufei," his smile grew wider at the thought. A delicate glass of sparking liquid was laced in a perfect grip by his long fingers, clasping gently. In a silent toast with an invisible companion he murmured a slight, "Cheers," and took a sip.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
In silence, Wufei's arms dangled off one raised knee, hanging over the side of the ledge. Around him, soft flakes of snow fluttered in downward spirals. Pure white. It cloaked the broken world in a sheen of innocence. He pictured how the crumbling debris looked blanketed with snow. He wondered if the air was as crisp and sweet as it was where he sat with his head bent down, but still staring outward at his surroundings.
The numb cold seeped straight into his bones, but Wufei ignored it completely, sporting his traditional Chinese robes. 'A soldier wearing white,' he laughed inside at the irony. 'A symbol of both death and innocence, how fitting,' sarcasm at the tip of his tongue, but he bit down the remark.
"Wufei," a voice sounded softly, grimly. "Mission." And the boy left with those two words with his long braid trailing after him.
'He may seem like an idiot -' he didn't finish the last thought and picked himself up from the ledge. His muscles protested, seized up from the intense cold. "Maxwell," he called.
The teen turned around, "Hmm?" he asked absentmindedly. "What is it, Fei?"
"How are you?" in all seriousness he asked. He watched as surprise lit up those cobalt orbs unblinkingly.
"Peachy," he responded with a cough.
"What about Heero?"
"As well as he can be, I guess," he muttered, kicking a rock from the doorway with a shrug.
"Talk to him sometime," he suggested. Wufei had noticed the gap between the two pilots now. They spoke to each other, got along just fine, but it wasn't good enough for either of them. "It's been a month."
Duo snorted, but the Chinese boy was already gone to be briefed on his latest mission. Instead, silent treads trailed over there, he lifted his gaze and met crisp blue. "Heero," he breathed, swallowing a gulp. All of a sudden he felt nervous in the boy's presence.
"Close the door," the calm voice suggested, no more orders from the perfect soldier. "It's cold."
Duo shot him a lopsided grin and grabbed the golden knob, pulling the door shut. 'The only way to live a good life is to act on your emotions. Fuck this.' With confidence, he took several strides to where Heero stood and wordlessly gave him a tight but brief hug. It was comforting to be near him again. In that one embrace, it told both boys what lost words could not; quick flash of warmth, but it didn't dissipate.
"We're going to miss the bus," Duo broke the silence and grabbed his backpack from off the floor, towing Heero along out the front door. "Bye, guys! Good luck on your mission!" he said his partings quickly, knowing his loud tenor would reach their ears.
Heero gave a tiny smile in secret, a sense of relief crept up to his heart, and he allowed himself to enjoy that little moment. Prussian snapped back too impassive by the time Duo's shimmering violet met up with his expression.
"Did you do your homework?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes," he responded slightly puzzled at the question, "of course," slowly midnight blue narrowed.
A sheepish grin was flashed in his direction, "Well, that makes - one of us." He expected a lecture or at least a glare, but Heero merely raised an eyebrow and smirked as the pair progressed to the bright red stop sign at the corner of the street.
"Good one," he commented in his soft tone, edges softer than the usual hard ice. "Better finish it on the bus."
"Aww come on. I'll fit in better if I slack off," he whined in good humor, smoky violet glimmered slightly in enjoyment of the near perfect weather.
The Japanese soldier stopped his efficient pace and swiped a white flake of snow off the tip of the other's nose. Duo's eyes crossed in the process, and soon after the strangely familiar episode, a memory flashed back. Heero left him no time to think as he walked past the confused student, secretly smirking.
"The bus is coming," he announced and proceeded to drag the braided boy the seven feet to the yellow, Twinkie-like vehicle, deciding that he liked controlling where Duo was going. 'No wonder he does this so much to me,' he mused. "If you really want to fit in - " he drawled, "finish the last problem a second before the bell rings.
Duo granted him a wry smile, "Haha," he laughed dryly. "Looks like someone's been brushing up on the ways of a typical teenager."
They boarded the depressing vehicle, and the American took the opportunity to give the girls all a wink and an adorable smile. They smiled back, coolly of course. "Looks like someone's been brushing up on Harry Potter," Heero shot back under his breath, knowing the other had heard every word, Prussian eyes flicked over to the book tucked under Duo's arm.
Pouting in response, the braided teen stuck his tongue out with indignity. "Mature," Heero commented, smirking slightly at the sight of the pilot. Large violet eyes peered at him curiously as he did so, wondering what in the world was going inside the Japanese youth's head.
"Harry Potter is cool!" Duo protested loudly.
* * * "All right, class," the Honors English teacher pushed her thin-framed glasses up her nose, "You need to finish the rest of the book by tomorrow as your assignment. You may SSR (Sustained Silent Reading) for the remainder of the period," She clapped her hands in finality and let loose the class.
Immediately, the freshman scrambled from their desks and ran to sit next to each other, grinning as friends whispered to each other. Duo scooted closer to Heero, whom was immersed in the novel, and peered at the other boy curiously with bright violet eyes.
"Hey," he greeted softly.
Heero ignored him blatantly, Prussian blue still fixated on the text. His eyes scanned the page quickly, hitting the period, and he flipped the back cover over. Pushing the book towards the top right-hand corner of his desk, he finally looked up.
He stared at the other pilot unblinkingly, waiting for Duo to talk. Only - he didn't . . . In fact the American was staring at the creamy beige of his desk, unruly bangs downcast. Heero narrowed his dark eyes; confused, wondering what was going inside of the other's mind, but hesitant to ask.
Mouth opening slightly, the boy let out a whistle of air before settling on correct words, and he quietly asked, "Duo?"
"Hmm?" Dark lilac lifted, shifting into view. A smile spread through his heart-shaped face, confusing the other pilot even more.
'He's happy . . . then why is he being so - obedient?' Clearly Duo could read his thoughts because he was waiting for Heero to take the initiative and ask. "You're acting different," he stated blankly, drawing out the words slowly.
Dark brows shot up, "Like it?" he laughed when the other didn't formulate any reply.
'Yes,' he mind immediately jumped on the thought. 'But . . .' "It's just different," and turned his attention to shifting through his backpack. He pulled out a bottle of water only to have it snatched away with one swipe of Duo's hand.
The boy merely grinned coyly at him, teasingly swaying the prize in front of Heero's eyes. The Japanese youth gave a half snort and stole it back. Untwisting the white cap, he took a large swig of water, midnight blue never once leaving the braided teen.
"Mission accomplished," he added for effect, smirking only slightly.
Duo's threatening death glare resulted in an adorable pout, large purple eyes shimmering pathetically. Heero cast an unreadable look straight into those eyes before flicking away to the black writing scrawled neatly across the board. He nonchalantly tossed the youthful soldier his water bottle, much to Duo's surprise. He grinned, following Heero's suite and took a long gulp of the pure liquid, marveling at the ease it slid down his throat.
"It's almost Christmas," the braided youth commented after a short silence, still remembering to whisper quietly.
"Yeah."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sally hopped off the black motorcycle with a small grunt, dusting off flecks of white snow off her shoulders lightly. Cornflower-blue eyes lifted slowly to drink in her surroundings and tried to memorize as much detail about the area as possible. The last thing she wanted to do was to get lost before her work was done.
It had been well over a month now and still no new orders from Colonel Treize, far too long. Steady tasks and missions were impossibilities in war. The schedule was always subject to abrupt change, rocky and unpredictable. Still it was never like this, and Sally was beginning to feel the restlessness creep up on her. She had kept the tracking device in her bag all those weeks, slipping it out sometimes to watch the blinking, red dot. And she wondered what those youthful soldiers were doing.
Now she stood in front of their safe house, ready to confront them with everything she knew. It was strange that the choice was to surround themselves by nosy neighbors in this beautiful, suburban neighborhood. Time was ticking by whether it was going fast or slow, she didn't know, but Sally had done her research. Five new kids were registered in the local high school as freshman. 'No doubt they've gone past all the hardest senior classes. Maybe they want to slack off as freshman, not that they can't do it any year, age-wise - it's much less noticeable, but dear God how can they stand those immature kids?'
She mused to herself, hands clamping her hips, eyes glittering in nervousness. A grim line served as her mouth, feeling rooted to the spot. The door was only so far away, which was maybe 15 or so feet. The house was silent, and classes had already commenced an hour ago. 'Maybe no one's home,' she reasoned with herself, anxiousness increased to dangerous levels. 'But three of them called in sick today . . .' Sighing in defeat, the internal battle silenced, and she walked towards the imminent door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Blue ink scratched across the white smoothly, pouring down words in the piece of loose-leaf. 'Jennings - he's been through more than anyone should go through in his life, if you can even call it that. No child deserves to be beaten and abused, scarred for life. It's amazing people can be so foolish, but he is so strong to be able to survive through it.' The pen dropped with a soft clang on the desk as Duo sighed.
Creasing lids squeezed amethyst depths shut away from anyone's view. He remembered - something about his former life. Another piece of the puzzle concerning his past. Slowly his eyes fluttered open, settling his gaze on the boy seated next to him. The soldier crouched over his own notebook, quickly scrawling down organized thoughts with passionless duty. 'Does he remember? Or are we both headed for the loony bin?' Duo wondered thoughtfully. 'Serendipity maybe that we're both here still alive.'
Soft music fluttered from a nearby stereo, Christmas carols sang so sweetly by the orchestra. He surveyed the room with interest. Evergreen branches were literally everywhere in wreaths, tinsel wrapping around the room, and perfected by a grand pine tree. Silver and golden balls, shimmered in light, hung off of selective branches, small figurines and symbolic items dispersed around. The room was faintly sprinkled with a glittery substance, congregating the most on patches of cotton snow. Tiny bulbs emulated a soft light, the main source dimmed, making the crimson ribbons stand out more among the others.
"Kirei," he murmured to Heero.
Dark blue, even more navy in the dimmed lights, scanned his surroundings for the first time, "Aa," he agreed. "Christmas has a certain affect on most people," he noted plainly. "Maybe that's why you're acting different."
"Huh?" wide eyes stared back.
Heero's gaze softened only slightly, but it was enough to be noticed. Duo's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Heero cut off his thoughts, "You've always liked Christmas."
The braided boy continued to stare at him, "Huh?" Confusion clouded his vision before a new possibility dawned on him, "You remember?"
Prussian eyes flickered away quickly, "Hai," he replied quietly.
'Damn. He's too cute like this - all shy . . .' An itch -- Duo wanted just to lean over and touch the other pilot, but he managed to suppress his urges. 'Wufei's right. It has been way too long. I can't imagine how I could have gone on this long not talking to him.' The American gave a soft sigh and began to pack up this stuff; many others had done the same.
He drummed his fingers on the beige desk in boredom, eyeing the clock every few seconds, commanding the time to change anxiously. Bright red numerals stared back at him with the same mocking contempt before it finally relented; 8:30. The bell rang, and the hallways flooded with over two thousand students trying to squeeze through the thick throngs of teenagers.
Absent-mindedly, Heero's free hand grabbed a hold of his comrade in an iron grip, dragging him back despite the protests. "Stay," he ordered.
"What?" with mild annoyance, Duo crossed his arms, looking at his friend.
"Trowa just spotted someone around our safe house," he explained quietly but quickly as the two walked out the door of the classroom.
"What???" the same word took on a completely different meaning this time. "Who?"
"It's definitely a girl."
Duo squeaked despite himself and choked out, "A girl? What the Hell is a girl doing, sneaking around like that? I mean what if she somehow gets inside? She'll find out everything and blow our cover, and we'll have about two thousand people be able to identify us, including the teachers!!! Is it Relena? Damn, she has some nerve! I mean . . ." he babbled on insanely, and even Heero could barely understand what he was saying at that incredible speed.
He firmly and effectively clamped Duo's mouth shut with his hand and gave him a meaningful look. "Duo . . ." he stared in a warning tone. "Calm down," slowly, blue turned away, staring straight ahead as the boys expertly weaved through the crowd. "And what do you mean Relena?" caution laced his tone.
Slowly Duo's wild violet had calmed, and now he smiled sheepishly, "Don't tell me you've met her, too . . ." groaned the American.
"Relena Darlian/Peacecraft?" a wary glint flashed in his eyes. "Almost blew my cover - on several occasions," he snorted.
"Oh man!" Duo laughed, shaking his head. "I know exactly what you mean and so does Wufei." He paused for a moment, "Actually . . . she was looking for someone all the times she ran into us. And come to think of it, I think she was looking for you!" Wide cobalt stared in astonishment at Heero.
'Oh shit.' "Hn?"
"Yeah, she would kind of say this long, dragged out, tone-deaf screech. It's barely distinguishable, but it sure as Hell sounds like your name, now that I think about it," he gave a helpless shrug.
"No wonder she ran into you guys," The Japanese student observed as they stepped through the door to their second period classroom. 'Strange how Duo and I have the exact same schedule.'
"Uh-uh!" Duo smacked his piece of gum, "She knows?" he hissed at the pilot, nearing stopping in the middle of the rows of seats.
"Dr. J told her a vague sense of what was going on," he snorted again, pushing the other to start walking again. A quirked eyebrow explained Duo's question. "To scare her away from me."
The braided boy grinned at his answer, "I'm guessing that it didn't work, huh?"
A simple smirk curled at the edge of his lips, "Not in the slightest aspect." 'At least she's not here.'
"Well," they eased into their seats. Duo tapped his chin lightly with his index finger thoughtfully. "I think this is one of those forbidden fruit kind of things. Anyway, I'm just glad she's not in this school yet. It would turn this whole place into a red danger zone," he rolled his eyes.
'Bingo.' Heero merely nodded and riffled through his black backpack. Smoothly he slid out a simple pencil pouch, a book and a binder. Shifting through papers, he pulled out the prize - last night's homework. He set it aside in the corner, dropped his bag to the carpeted floor, and he was set for class. Meanwhile, Duo was frantically finishing off the last ten problems on the page, pencil almost flying off of the page three minutes before the bell was to ring. Heero watched, amused, and smirked again. 'Baka.'
With adrenaline rushing through his veins, his drastic speed remained the same, and two minutes passed like a breeze. Like pulling the finished product from a typewriter, Duo snatched the paper up in triumph. "Done!" he announced proudly.
Heero raised a dark brow as he glanced at the page at his handwriting. Usually, as he grudgingly had to admit it, Duo's manuscript was completely neat, smooth. But as one would scan down the page, it only got worse, but it was still more legible than the guy's in front of Heero. 'I guess that's a good sign . . .' An obnoxious bell shuddered through the room.
"Anyway, so I think she likes you," he brought up after his little moment, setting the homework down on his desk.
'Huh?' "What?" 'Relena . . .' "Why?"
"Oh, come on," he rested a tilted head on his propped-up hand and blinked once for affect. "She's practically stalking you," he moaned. "You can't say that's just because she's trying to stop your missions."
'Shit. Happens to be with word of the day - for now . . .' A neutral mask had no intention to budge a millimeter as the boy patiently repeated his question, this time seeking a different answer, "Why?" 'A soldier? Someone that kills? A pacifist would be attracted to that? Hard to believe.'
Duo let lose a laugh, "Looked in the mirror lately?" he snorted all in good humor. Heero just stared at him blankly. "Oh my God," Duo muttered under his breath in exasperation. "You're hot. Okay? No one can truthfully deny that fact, so it's definitely reasonable that she's attracted to you. And plus," he smacked his gum again, "you got that whole enigmatic air around you. I mean no one can figure this emotionless machine out. 'Oops. Eh, maybe he'll take it as a compliment . . . Face it, Maxwell. No one likes to be called that no matter what.'
"I didn't mean it like that," he sighed, scratching his head a little as he sighed.
"Like what?" he asked softly.
His voice quiet, Duo leaned in to whisper, "We're soldiers, Heero, and damn it, you're the perfect model of what we all should be; emotionless fighting machines. If you have feelings, you don't let it get in your way - you're just so efficient and immaculate."
'You have no idea, Duo. I should be what you think I am.'
"But you shouldn't be. None of us should be that way. We are human," the American paused. "You have to open your heart. Who knows - maybe this Relena chick can get through to you. God knows I've tried," he gave a small smile. "No one can really figure you out, and it's driving me insane," he laughed. "So she chases after you, trying to figure you out, trying to influence your actions," he explained, wist ghosting over his words. "No one can figure you out . . ." reiterated Duo, leaning back in his seat. His gaze flickered to Heero's face and swallowed hard when it came to view. He looked at the braided student strangely, brow creasing if only just faintly. 'Whoops . . . That came out wrong.'
"You're closer to that than you think," the whisper slipped past his lips so lightly, easily. 'Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! But what's so wrong about it? I - I don't know. What's wrong with getting close to a best friend? Dammit, because it's a liability! / How many times does he need to save your sorry ass? / And damn you.' He swore he could hear that voice smile in satisfaction. '/ Think. What is wrong with trusting a trustworthy person? /' It disappeared - all the while the tumultuous thoughts tumbled behind an impassive shield.
The look on Duo's face, confusion, surprise, and awe - almost convinced Heero of the voice's argument. 'I can trust him. I do trust him. It's too late.' So he just turned to face the front of the room helplessly in the wake of his epiphany. 'He was my best friend and the best one I have now. We've grown up, but what else has really changed?'
"Thanks," Duo croaked, voice adjusting to talking after the silence. "It's good to know," he nodded and grinned. "So where's the teacher?" Restlessness stirred in his body as he drummed his fingers on the table, amethyst darting around the room.
"Right here, Duo," the Algebra teacher smiled at the pair of boys once Duo's gaze locked on target.
"Oh! Hi, Mrs. B!" he greeted, nudging for Heero to do the same. He merely grunted a hello, barely audible much less coherent.
Mrs. Brandon laughed at the polar opposites. "Good morning, I see that we both have our homework? Mm-hmm," she nodded as she scanned the page, to insure correctness. "Perfect as usual. You two are about the smartest students in this class," she sighed. "Impossible to find mistakes. I wonder why you're in Algebra I."
"Thanks, Mrs. Brandon," Duo grinned, looking at the dark red five that stained his page. He watched the teacher move on to the next student with a heavy sigh, arming herself with the large sharpie. "I didn't like that little smile she gave us," he turned to face Heero.
"Hn," the boy grunted with arms crossed as Prussian eyes surveyed the room.
"So!" he smiled brightly at the change of topic, slapping his hands on the desk. "How do you think the others are holding up?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Winner!" Wufei snapped angrily. "You mean to tell me that - that - *this* is the mission Maxwell informed me about?"
Quatre only smiled at his outburst, "It's brilliant, isn't it?"
The serious scowl that stretched across the Chinese youth's expression broke into a positively evil smirk. Highly rare, "Absolutely."
"Quatre will inform you of how we're going to go about this - operation," the usually silent pilot remarked, leaning up against the white plaster of the wall.
"May I ask why you're taking a sudden interest in Maxwell and Yuy?" Wufei crossed his arms, staring back at the young Arabic.
"They obviously aren't that great at helping themselves, and we have to all be together. People work best as a team, and the tension has to go," he took a small sip of tea, staring out at the winter scene beyond the pane of glass.
"And?" he waited expectantly.
He gave a sheepish smile, "It feels right." The blonde pilot sank into the leather seat, twirling about randomly in thought with a light sigh.
A thump, soft but definitely audible sounded outside. Three sets of ears pricked at the unexpected noise. Slowly the trio advanced to the door with caution, but Wufei halted the other two. 'Probably some salesmen . . . but why was there only one knock? Something's not right.' Narrowed obsidian kept steady observation straight ahead - down the stairs, to the foyer. His demeanor altered completely as he answered the door. The unexpected sight of the woman from the in completely took him by surprise.
'Fuck.' Aghast was clear in his dark eyes, "What do you think you're doing here, woman?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Replies to Reviews
DragonGirl- Hi! Thank you so much for the reviews - well, maybe not the flames . . . Jk! Actually, it was quite different, and I answered them. I hope you didn't mind my email or anything. I got yours by the way, and I'm glad you're okay with my slowness. Believe me, I feel so bad about all of this, but you know, that's just life. I hope your having a wonderful holiday season, if you celebrate! I love this time of year. Except this year doesn't really feel like it's actually Christmas *sighs* Anyway, I'm really flattered by all your compliments. It's great to know that I can make people happy just by doing something I really enjoy! I hope you like this chapter and will continue reading! Thanks again!
Lillie chan - Wow! A lot of poll answers! Thanks so much for the awesome review. I know it's been quite a while, but I'll be better about updates during winter break. Happy holidays, by the way! I definitely appreciate the answers. And now I realize what a bitch it'll be to try to find all the poll answers at the end. Well, I can worry about that later. Your vacations sound like an absolute blast! Maybe I'll use that poll sometime for a new fic or something. That would be interesting. I'm planning a lot of stuff in my head for fics and such, and hopefully it'll work out great!
Hybrid fairy - Hola! Thank you so much for the review! I'm very glad you enjoyed this fic thus far, and I'm hoping that I'll see you again here. It's great to see that new people are taking interest in this fic! That goes for everyone. I'm so sorry about my lateness and all . . . I hope people don't mind it too much.
Sivy - Lol! You don't know how many times that has gone through my mind! Jk! Well, actually I have thought about it before because it takes so long to reply to all the reviews every time, but I'm not about to give up! Oh, I'll try to add you to my mailing list again. It's going to be in your bulk/junk mail folder though, so that might by why . . . That is if you still want to be on it. Anyway, thank you so much for the fabulous review!
Lora-helen - Hey, girl! How are you? Great I hope. Man, I haven't talk to in so long. Were you drunk in your review? ^_^;; I hope you had a fabulous party and all. Thank you so much for the review as usual and Merry Christmas!
Lokogato - Wow! You're visiting China? That is so cool! I haven't been there since I was eight years old, and it's really weird to be far away from the rest of my family. I haven't seen them in five years. Anyway, thank you so much for the review! I'm glad you're liking how this is going. I jumped back to Heero and Duo. I also skipped about a month just because I realized that people don't need to know every, single detail about their lives. I hope you have fun in China and all. I really need to get going. I'm working on a personal deadline here, and well . . . must get this uploaded before the day is over.
Nanaki- Hey! How are you? Good I hope. I have no life. It's Christmas night already, and I'm just sitting in front of a computer in my friend's house while her brother is playing games on the other one for twenty minutes. Sounds so exciting, huh? Merci beaucoup pour le/la review (in French)! I love how hyper you always are. It makes me smile. Good luck on marrying Wufei! I'm sure there's a guy out there that shares many traits of his honorable personality! So maybe it is possible? Lol, anyway, moving on . . . And it's probably going to be Sally and Wufei. I'm not a hundred percent on that because I don't really understand Wufei relationships with people. I mean it's plausible, but then again a lot of things are plausible if said in the right way.
Nanashi- Hey! Great to hear from you! A mailing list? Well, it really depends on what you're going to use it for. Basically it's a list of people you email all at one time that's related to one theme. For example, the person probably meant to see when you update. So it would be - whenever you update, you can email everyone and tell them! There are two different types as far as I know. One where everyone can email everyone else or only one person can. Anyway, thanks a lot for the awesome review as usual! I'm sorry for the long wait. I hope you like!
FoxFire - Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww! You are so sweet! Thank you very much for the fabulous review! I'm so flattered that people think I'm really that good! It's doing wonders for my self-esteem, and all of this is definitely helping with English papers ^_____^ Thank you for the poll answers, too! I'm glad to see many people participating in it. Well, I hope I'll run into you again, and I hope you liked this chapter (if your still reading)!
Morkeleb - Hey! Thanks very much for giving me a review and answering polls! It's awesome to hear other people's opinions, opens up your mind, you know? I got you on the mailing list ^_^ so all is gravy!
Kat - Hola! Thank you so much for the review! It's great to know that you like how this is going and all, and I hope you'll stick by until the bitter end! Lol, okay, wrong wording there. The end isn't exactly going to be bitter, but you know what I mean. Besides there has to be a happy or semi- happy ending, right? I'm glad you like Heero and Duo. Personally that's my favorite to read, but we could always try new flavors. I'll keep that in mind!
Jalee - Aww! I'm so sorry that it took incredibly long for me to update. I'll probably have another chapter up before winter break is over. I'll have everyone know that I'm going to seize the homework-less opportunity and work my butt off on this instead! I'm glad you found my fic again! It's great to know I can keep people's interest over time ^_^;; Well, mucho gracias for the awesome review!
Kelp Soda - Hi! Danke schön for the review and poll answers! I love the pictures of the boys playing different instruments. Wufei would look interesting in those German overall shorts with the little red feather on that funny green hat. Lol, I got that from seeing him playing tuba.
XPKogani4PX - Wow, I haven't seen you around in a long time! Thank you so much for leaving the review for every chapter you read again! I can imagine you'd run out of things to say after a while, but that's all gravy!
Hellcat - Ooh, it'd be kool if I was German . . . but I'm actually Chinese. I had exploratory German, Japanese, French, and Spanish for four weeks each in 8th grade. I really liked it because it was easy . . . and the food was absolutely delicious! And we didn't have a final because it's too hard to keep four languages straight. So I know very limited German, and this year I'm in honors prep French. German III came to our class to sing carols! It was so much fun ^_^ Anyway, thank you so much for reviewing and answering polls! I'm glad you like this fic so far, and I hope I'll see you again.
SilverShinigami- Eek! Hi! Great to see that you reviewed again. And of course I need YOUR help! Lol, actually explaining my problem to you got the old wheels turning again ^__________^ I'm being retarded, but that's okay! Yup, you're great, but I'm hungry . . . I love your poll answers. You crack me up! And that sounds like one great vacation - unlike band camp. Which reminds me . . . I got the weirdest idea for TLM. It was shoes and shako night out on the football field this one Thursday, and I remember how ridiculous we looked. It was great ^_^ Anyway, Ryan was making his usual jokes (and they're actually funny). And he came up with this interesting pick-up line, but I'll tell you about it later. And we can see how to work that in the story! Thank you very much for the great review!
Aurenne- Hi! It's great to see you (and everyone else of course) again! Wow, nice glomp ^_^ You guys are so supportive *sniffles* Lol, I'm a little hyper right now for some odd reason, but I still can't freaking type. Damn this keyboard! I totally agree; gravy is awesome. And I'm so sorry about you having exams! *hugs* Those are definitely evil. I mean I don't mind taking them if I know everything, but it's the studying that gets me. And to the pandas, I say hi back!
LB- Damn right he gets justice! ^_^ Wufei's awesome, and it's only right to have a Wufei centric part in the whole scheme of 1x2x1! I know that was a ridiculously long time to wait, and I'm so sorry about that -_-;; You know me . . . And I know if I suck up enough to the directors I'll get into ensemble sometime in my high school career ^_~ Damn them for being so bias! I swear band directors are the most bias people in the world, but I never suck up. And they usually put seniors in the top band because they're seniors. We have a pretty good band program though! I mean in 2000 Wind Ensemble were the state champions. Well thank you very much for the great review and definitely trumpets forever ^_________^
DBZVelena- Hola! Thank you so much for the fabulous review and all those wonderful comments! And are you kidding? I love GWA! It's one of the first fan fiction sites I've been on for Gundam Wing and really, really got me in shounen ai and Gundam Wing. I love that place, and the authors there are just absolutely amazing ^_________^ And I can't believe that you think I'd be welcome there! I never thought that I was good enough for it, so I never tried submitting. I love those fics though. Anyway . . . I'm glad you like how this is going, and I bet that was a lot to read. I wouldn't be able to read this in one sitting probably just because I've gone over this thing a million times.
Tigerlily26- Hey! I'm glad to see that you got my email safely and everything! Thank you very much for the fabulous review of course. I know that it took forever. The replying to reviews thing gets hard when I have a lot, and it really slows me down, which is why I thought that I should do this. I think it'll be a lot easier on me and you guys. All your comments were great! And it was wonderful to read them all. Reviews really make my day ^_^
Diane- Hi! I'm glad to see that you're still reading the fic after so long of non-updating. I decided to start to answer reviews right away, so I wouldn't be flooded with the work later, which really slows the whole process down ^_^ Thank you so much for the awesome review! The poll answer was absolutely wonderful! It would sound like so much fun, and who knows? Maybe I'll write a vacation fic sometime . . . The only thing I don't really like about winter is the fact that it's soooooo cold! Brr! During the last week or so of marching band, it started to get really chilly outside, and being out there for two and a half hours isn't exactly fun . . . especially when you can't even move. My hands froze, lips chapped, instrument went way sharp, and all that good stuff. But snow is kool. I can't wait until it starts to snow. All the comments are just fabulous, and I really like how some reviewers tell me more specific things about what he/she (just to be more politically correct) liked. As for Sally . . . they should actually view her as trouble seeing her background and everything, not to mention that little tracker of hers. But they don't know anything about it, and all they really know is that they sense something's off about her. And the couple thing, it's going to be quite a ride for Fei just because ^_~ To be honest, I don't really think that his and Sally's personality are extremely compatible as in the sense that they were made for each other. Who knows? Someone may convince me so. But I do think that they would compliment each other very well. Wufei is just different. I can't really think of someone that fits him really, really, really well. Either way it'll get interesting once Sally tracks the boys down.
Ryoko-onee- Hi! It's great to see and hear that you'll be here until I'm done with the fic. I think that's a pretty daunting thing actually. From the pace I'm going, it's not moving along very fast. I think I'm going to pretty much take them through a chunk of the war in my level of detail, so it's not just one threat. I want to see how they're going to handle everything that fighting tosses them and when Heero and Duo will notice what's actually going on between them. Actually I may just be getting ahead of myself a bit here, so I'll stop. The weekend game was just something I thought would be fun do. Maybe I'll turn that into something . . . And hopefully (since I'm doing this early) I'll get the next chapter out sooner than this time ^_^;
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mailing List - You guys know the drill! Mailing list for updates! Leave an email address and a name, and I'll put you on if you want!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Polls!
On going ones:
What ice cream flavor would each of the Gboys be?
Which character on Gundam Wing would you like to marry the most?
What instrument would the characters play in band (any band)?
What is your favorite Wufei pairing that won't interfere with the ones I have in this fic already?
Vacation time! Well not in the REAL world, but that's okay ^_~ Where and which characters would you like to take on vacation? Have fun imagining!
New Poll: Does Relena deserve to be bashed? An explanation would also be great!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yay! I'm done! I am still working on TLM. The thing is that I need my dad to email me what I have of chapter four. Currently it's on his laptop - which is in China _ How smart am I? Well, I hope you guys all liked! Merry Christmas everyone, if you celebrate! And Happy New Year!
