The sun was silently glistening on the morning dew and was in deep shades
of red, orange and yellow. Giving off an effervescent glow, whoever stared
at its beauty couldn't help but smile. In a little garden, situated on a
gazebo, sat a blonde haired female, who has braiding a little child's hair
while singing gently.
"...everything changes, but beauty remains... something so tender, I can't explain. Well I may be dreaming, but till I awake can we make this dream last forever..." she hummed as she continued to braid the little tike that was playing with her toys in her lap.
"...catch me when I fall, so let me tell you this. Some people wait a life time for a moment like this...." she smiled as the infant turned around to look at her. Kissing her on the forehead, she sat up straight as she heard footsteps crunching on the gravel pathway.
"Hey you two." the arrival greeted with a smile plastered on their face. Looking up towards the friendly face, the eldest of the two on the gazebo beamed as she placed the child on the ground carefully. Walking over towards the figure, she quickly hugged him as she whipped around to hear a wail.
"Let her go!" the woman called out as she hurriedly rushed over towards the child who was in the arms of a hooded man. The stranger was running the opposite way of the others and seemed to be heading towards the wooded area that was in the back of the house. Suddenly, a bright light illuminated the sky as gunshots went off. Dropping lifelessly to the floor, the woman and the man that was with her, lay in a pool of their own blood....
+Fourteen year's later+
"Let me go!" yelled a struggling brunette as she attempted to get out of the grasp that was holding her against a brick wall in a dark and deserted alley way.
"No!" snarled the man that was pushing her forcefully against the hard surface. Crying for help, the girl let a tear roll down the side of her face unnoticed as her captor tried to rip her clothes off.
"Put her down NOW!" boomed a voice from the entrance of the alleyway. Both turning in the direction of the new voice, hope shone through the eyes of the 'damsel in distress'.
"Who the fuck are you?" roughly questioned the shaggy haired man.
"Your worst nightmare." was the only reply he earned as he was brutally shoved to the rough pavement.
"Run!" shouted the savior to the woman as he repeatedly punched the man, hoping she would get away quickly so he could finish the man off. Delivering the final blow, the man huffed as he stood up straight. Brushing off his sleeves and combing his hair back, he noticed that the girl was still in the same spot he had found her in, except she was sitting on the ground with her knees to her chest, arms wrapped possessively around her lithe form and trembling. Walking over towards her, he extended his hand for her.
"Come on. I won't hurt you." he gently spoke. Staring up at him through her bangs, she put her hand in his and was pulled inadvertently against his chest.
"Did he hurt you?" was the question spoken that broke the uncomfortable silence in between the two.
"I'm fine..." she trailed off in a mere whisper. Glancing at her curiously, he picked her up; one hand on the small of her back and the other supporting her knees; and walked off.
"Where are we going?" she murmured into his chest. Grateful, that he had stopped the man from raping her. Or whatever other torture the shagged man had planned for her. Shivering at the thought, she snuggled closer to his built body.
"You'll see...." he merely replied as he headed down more alleyways and halted in front of a white house. It was a simple two-story house with a white door, a bay window, and in a friendly neighborhood. Gently rapping on the door, the man was greeted by a short blonde who had green eyes with a touch of brown in them.
"She okay?" she questioned as she noticed the woman in his arms who's clothes were torn and ripped almost to shreds. Nodding, he was ushered in.
"Follow me." smiled the blonde reassuringly to the girl as she headed up the brown stained stairs. Shaking her head, she complied. Taking a look around the place, she saw that the house was furnished with paintings, potted plants and other such decorations to make it seem homier. All the items seemed to match with one another.
"Nice..." she spoke to herself as she relaxed.
"So.... what's your name?" wondered the blonde as she padded into a white bedroom. It had a four-poster bed with black satin sheets, a mahogany desk with a white lamp and a black laptop on it. The room as well had a connecting bathroom that had a gigantic bath that seemed more of a Jacuzzi than a tub, a large shower, toilet, white counter top, floor mirror and a large white sink.
"Seph." she meekly replied as she tried to take in everything.
"Cool name. I'm Aries and I'll come back to get you in about an hour. Hope you like spaghetti! Oh! And this will be your room, so wash up and do whatever you want to I guess. Feel free to roam around! And there are extra clothes in the armoire; you look around my size so they should fit. If not then Deu could always hem them up for you or something." Aries explained as a grin spread across her face. Blinking, Seph nodded and then curiously asked,
"Who was the guy that saved me this afternoon?"
"Oh! That was Duo. And I think he likes you." Aries winked remembering the look on Duo's face as she walked out of the room. Closing the door behind her so that Seph could have her privacy, she sauntered down the hallway.
Downstairs in the kitchen, Aries was busily preparing supper when Duo walked into the room.
"Yo." he greeted, as he smelled the aromatic sauce.
"Yolo... Seph is upstairs cleaning up. Wonder if she'll stay..." asked Aries as she cut up a few carrots.
"Dunno, you and Deu did when Wufei and Heero found you two. Ya know, you never did end up telling me about your parents eh?" said Duo as he quirked an eyebrow. Casting her eyes to the floor, Aries shook her head as a wave of nausea overcame her.
"Umm... well I was about four. My mom was braiding my hair one morning and my dad was coming out to see us. She was singing one of my favorite songs when she went to go give him a hug. Then next thing I know, I'm being dragged off by some guy in a black suit and a hood, and my parents being shot. Last thing I saw was both of them lying in a pool of blood." softly spoke Aries as she tried to keep her tears from escaping. Wiping them away with the back of her hands, she smiled up at Duo.
"But that was a while ago... out with the old and in with the new I guess..." she trailed off as she failed miserably at attempting to change the subject. Blinking in shock, Duo walked over towards her and lifted her downcast face.
"Be happy that you at least had parents." he forlornly spoke as he pulled her into a hug. Throwing her arms around him, Aries cried into his shoulder. Rubbing his hand up and down the small of her back, he used his other hand to brush through her hair. Sister Helen used to do the same motions to him when something was wrong. Trying to comfort her, Duo saw Heero walking into the kitchen out of the corner of his eye. Motioning to Aries, Duo let Heero take over.
"What's wrong?" Heero gruffly asked.
"No...noth...nothing..." stuttered Aries as she sniffled. Holding back more tears from cascading down her face, she went back to finishing supper. Raising an eyebrow in suspicion, he was about to question Duo but found him to be no longer in the kitchen. Scowling, he thought of what he could do to comfort her.
"Don't worry about it Heero. I'm all right. Just remembered something is all." Aries gently spoke, making it seem as if she was reading his exact thoughts. Sighing she leaned into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"You know I don't know what's wrong, so I don't know how to assess the issue." he spoke, almost dropping into soldier mode. Lifting her head and looking at him through her eyelashes, she smiled up at him.
"All Duo wanted to know was about my parents. No biggy. Just told him how I saw them die in front of me when I was four years old." she repeated in a deadpan tone. Hoping she wouldn't break into tears and having Heero call her weak. Eyeing her carefully, Heero brushed her bangs out of her face as he murmured,
"Baka... you know I won't call you weak. Come on.." he said. Motioning for her to follow him.
"Ok.. hold on first. Let me just go get Seph and bring her down here. I'll meet you in your room k?"
"Hai." he replied. Letting go of her, Heero briskly walked out of the room. Had any one else been present, he wouldn't have shown such a weakness. But seeing how Aries had been a special case, he felt compelled to do so in her presence. And in her presence alone.
Blowing her hair out of her face, Aries set everyone's food on the large table in the dining room and quickly raced upstairs to find Seph. Finding her sitting in the light blue chair tapping away on the computer, Aries smiled as she was greeted with a grin.
"Hey! Supper's ready downstairs. Duo will be up to get you k? I'll see you later tonight." she explained as she walked back out of the room and rushed over towards Heero's bedroom.
"Do you always have to be on that thing?!" she spoke as she shook her head. Whipping around, Heero smirked as he held out his hand.
"Hn." he replied. Taking his hand, Aries was pulled into his lap. Moving so that she was comfortable, she leaned against his chest.
"Ya know... next time I catch you on that damned laptop I'm gonna take it!" she murmured into his chest. A glint of mischieviousness gleaming in her eyes. Looking down at her curiously, Heero's smirk grew wider as he closed it.
"Iie." he replied as he caught Aries hand. She was reaching for the plug that connected to the outlet. Staring up at him looking innocent, she smiled as she shook her head. Laughing as he began to tickle her, she couldn't find anything to grip onto and soon found herself lying on her back on the floor with Heero on top of her. Grunting, Heero rolled over, pulling her on top of him.
"That was uncalled for." she muttered as she unconsciously rubbed her butt. Smiling, Heero lifted her chin.
"Little baka, don't provoke me if you can't pay the consequences." he teased. In return having a tongue sticking out at him Heero seized her tongue in a passionate kiss. Opening her eyes wide, Aries moaned as his tongue entered her mouth. Putting her arms around his neck, she felt Heero's arms wrap around her waist. When they broke free for air, Aries cheeks were a hue of red.
"And what may I ask was that for?" she asked, looking at him curiously. Shrugging his shoulders, Heero brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and pulled them behind her ears.
"Well do it more often." she laughed as she leaned her head against his chest. Earning a grunt in response.
"Supper." Heero spoke as he placed Aries on the ground gently after picking her up, arms still encircled around her waist.
"Oh yea.... alright come on then before Duo eats it all!" Aries teased as she led the way back downstairs into the kitchen.
"Bout friggin time!" shouted Duo as he saw the new arrivals. Blinking at him, Aries blushed as she took the seat next to Heero. Duo was sitting beside Seph, on the opposite side of the table.
"Hn." answered Heero as he took a plateful of pasta. Content that it was still warm, he began eating it. Doing the same, Aries struck a conversation with Seph.
"So.... whatcha think of the place so far?" she curiously asked, she hoped that Seph would stay. No offense towards the guys but having just her and Deu in the house got a little bit overwhelming. With an added female, the men could then ease up. Perking her ears, Seph placed her fork on her plate.
"It's cool. Bigger on the inside than the outside...." she trailed off. Eyes down cast, she received a curious glance from Aries.
"Look, if you want to talk just say so eh? Deu and me are the only girls here so if it's a girly thing or whatever, don't be scared to come to us. As for the guys.... I'd be afraid if I were you if you went to them for help!" Aries smiled. Picking up parts of the conversation, Duo kicked Aries leg from under the table. Knowing full well that she was talking about him.
"Will you forget about it already! I thought you were talking bout something else!" scowled Duo. Laughing, Aries shook her head.
"I won't even bother asking..." muttered Heero as he swallowed a tall frothy glass of chocolate milk. Facing him, Aries glared at him when she noticed the brown substance in the glass.
"Where the hell did you find the NESQUIK???" she yelled as she pointed accusingly at the glass. Looking up at her bemusedly, Heero smirked as he took another sip. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand he answered,
"In the back of the pantry in between the cheerios and cocoa puffs and underneath the chocolate chip cookies." Jaw dropping, Aries cursed; she had thought no one would of found it. Let alone Mr. Perfect Soldier at that!
"Rude..." she muttered under her breath as she glared daggers at him. Smirking in response, Heero took a long sip to tease her. Growling in annoyance, Aries grabbed the glass from his hands and chugged the remaining contents of the frothy liquid. Slamming the empty glass onto the table, she finished her meal quickly. Duo finding the scene amusing began to laugh.
After supper, Aries had stashed the nesquik and was in her room busily typing on her laptop as she sat on the ledge in front of the bay window that faced the front yard. As she typed she began to sing,
"Baby you're all that I want, when you're lying here in my arms, I'm finding it hard to believe we're in heaven. Love is all that I need and I found it there in your heart. It isn't hard to see that it's there in your heart..."
"..it isn't too hard to see we're in heaven, Ohhh ohhh ohh.. oohhh ohhh ohh, we're in heaven.." she trailed off into a hum. Smiling, she turned down the volume on her radio. Tapping a few more keys on her computer, she was about to get up when she heard a rap on her door.
"Come in." she shouted. Hearing the click of the door open, she turned to see that it was a blushing Seph.
"Umm, hey... you said I could talk to you if I wanted to..." she muttered in an embarrassed tone.
"Yeah, have a seat." Aries laughed as she pointed towards the armchair that sat next to her. Padding over towards it, Seph sighed in relief as she plopped down onto the cushioned seat.
"I wanted to know something. And it's all right if you don't want to tell me..." she started as she faced Aries. Looking at her curiously, she raised an eyebrow in wonder as she let her continue.
"I was wondering why all five of you are here? Even though I haven't met Deu or Wufei yet. If that's their names." she questioned.
"Yeah that's their names. And I'll tell you.." began Aries as she placed her laptop onto the hardwood floor.
"Alright, first off we never even knew the guys when we first met them. I didn't even know Deu until a certain incident. Well, let's just say I was in the wrong part of town and so was she. We ended up getting cornered at this club with these two jerks that wouldn't take no for an answer. Any ways, what happened is that Heero and Wufei had seen what was going on and decided to see if anything was wrong. Which obviously there was. Then this whole fight pursued and one thing led to another." grinned Aries as she remembered a certain part of the fight.
"Then, next thing I know, I get knocked to the ground and fall unconscious, and what happened to Deu was that she got shot by the idiot who was carrying a gun. When I came to, I was here in this very room. I was given an ultimatum; I could stay here, or go back to the shelter that I was staying at for the time being. Seeing how the guy that knocked me out knew that I was staying at the shelter, I decided to stay here. Among other reasons too. But any who, it all turned out great. Now I have friends that I never had to begin with that I can trust and depend on. As well as a place to stay where I know that I'm safe. To make a long story short, Deu was fine and the bullet grazed her shoulder, no permanent damage there, but she was unconscious as well, and was in the room next to mine. She was given the choice as well. But she was living on the streets, not a shelter like myself. And yea, that's the story." she laughed as she noticed the look of surprise on Seph's face.
"And you'll be given a similar ultimatum yourself soon. And I'm actually hoping you'll stay. Need more girls in this place, and I really do think that Duo likes you." Aries spoke in a serious tone as she sat up straight. Seph was about to say something when Heero walked into the room.
"Forgot how to knock?" teased Aries.
"Door was open." he quickly replied as he eyed her.
"Seph, Duo's looking for you." Heero said as he regarded Seph. Nodding, she said bye to Aries as she went to go find Duo. Finding him in the living room sitting on one of the black leather couches, she blushed as he turned around and smiled appreciatively at her.
"Hey." he greeted as he stood up.
"Hi." she shyly replied.
"We need to talk, I need to know something..." he began but was sharply cut off when Seph raised her hand.
"If you're going to tell me about some ultimatum about staying here or going back to the dumps, I think I know what I'm going to say." she spoke gently as she took a seat on the couch. Blinking in surprise, Duo nodded.
"That's what I wanted to ask you. What do you wanna do? Stay or leave?" he asked, praying to shinigami that she would stay. /I really like her... damn! I wish she'd stay!/ thought Duo to himself.
"I want to stay, but only if you want me to." purposefully putting an emphasis on the "you", Seph looked up at him. Nodding Duo continued,
"I do want you to stay, and I need to tell you something else. You could call it somewhat of a confession." he laughed, mainly to himself. Staring at him, she urged him on, wondering in the back of her mind if what Aries said about him liking her was the slightest bit true.
"I know that I just met you today and all... and well... I really like you and was wondering if you'd go out with me?" quickly said Duo almost in a mumble. To his surprise, Seph replied,
"I'd like that." blushes apparent on both they're faces, their little moment went silent when they heard someone speaking.
"Awww! That was so cute!" Aries cooed as she leaned on the banister. She was going to go downstairs into the kitchen to get something when she heard Duo say he had to tell her something important. That, and the fact that she wanted to know whether Seph was going to stay or not, seeing how she was left on a cliffhanger and curiosity getting the best of her yet again. Sighing, Duo flipped Aries the middle finger as he shouted,
"Go bug Heero Aries, I really don't need this at the moment." Watching a blush creep up his cheeks, she quickly blew him a kiss as she ran towards Heero's bedroom.
"Hee-chan!" she called out as she jumped onto his bed. Whipping around, Heero winced at the tone in her voice.
"What?" he growled in reply. Mocking him, Aries pouted as she put her hands on her hips. Sitting on her knees, she stuck out her tongue at him.
"Don't be such a party pooper. And sides, I was bored and listened in on Duo and Seph's little convo. Seems we have a new member." she laughed as he raised a curious eyebrow. Grinning, she continued,
"Any who, Duo in his nicest way told me to fuck off and go bug you. So here I am." Shaking his head, Heero walked over towards her. Smirking as he stopped in front of her, his nose adjacent to hers. Arms reaching out, he tickled Aries until she started screaming at him.
"St....sto...stop... it... Heero!!!" she gasped in between laughs as she fell onto her back. Heero falling on top of her, continued to mercilessly tickle her, ignoring her plea. Squirming under him, Aries tried to hit him, but luck not being on her side, Heero instinctively reached for her arm, holding her arms above her head, he tickled her more forcefully with his remaining hand. Smirking, as he knew he had won, he ceased the torture. Inhaling, Aries sat up. Brushing her hair out of her face she glared at him.
"Now that was just uncalled for!" sticking her tongue out at him she poked him in the side. Heero's smirk grew wider as the corners of his mouth lifted into somewhat of a smile. Sitting next to her on the king sized mattress, Heero actually laughed. Jaw dropping, Aries laughed with him.
"So much for me bugging you." she teased. Standing up, she padded over towards his dresser and looked at the blue screen. Clicking her tongue she gave Heero a smirk of her own.
"You just couldn't resist the pc could you?" she spoke softly in a mocking tone. Shaking his head, Heero got up and stood next to her. Blinking as she sat in his chair, Heero snorted as she began to idly tap on his computer. Easily hacking into his files and folders, Aries went into the accessories program and started a new game of solitaire.
"This game is addictive ya know." she said rhetorically. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he turned her around to face him.
"Off." was all he grunted as he nodded his head towards his precious laptop. Whipping back around, Aries giggled as she closed the game and opened another file. The latest report that Heero had been working on. Adding a few things to the document that was in front of her, she felt Heero's arms wrap around her waist. Yelling as he picked her up, Aries flailed about as he threw her over his shoulder.
"Put me down, put me down, put me down!" she shouted in a chanting voice. His smirk even more evident on his face, Heero left his room and headed downstairs to where Seph and Duo still were.
"Package." warned Heero as he none to gently dropped Aries on top of Duo. In a jumble of limbs, Aries blew the hair out of her face as she attempted to disentangle herself from Duo.
"Not fair." she pouted as she finally unlocked her legs with his and stood up. Crossing her arms over her chest, an idea struck her. Smiling innocently, she walked over towards Heero.
"Hey Heero..." she began, Heero knowing she was up to something began to back up. Every step he took backwards, she took forwards. While she advanced on the perfect soldier, Duo and Seph couldn't help laughing at Heero and the look that was on his face. Smiling sheepishly, Aries poked him in the chest with her index finger.
"Why'd you go and do that? First you steal my chocolate syrup, then tickle me, and then throw me on top of Duo. Well, guess I'll just have to do something about that." she threatened. Closing his eyes, Heero awaited his judgment. Instead, all he heard were muffled laughs and a pair of feet that were racing up the stairs. Opening his eyes, he caught sight of Aries heading to his bedroom.
"Shit." he whispered as he ran after her. Laughing as she sat back down in front of his computer, Aries opened up some more files and began fooling around on his computer before Heero came to get her. Stifling a laugh as she shut the pc down, she stood up abruptly as Heero ran into the room.
"What'd you do?" he questioned, knowing she did something wrong. Eyeing his computer warily he sat in the chair as he booted up his laptop. Repeatedly hitting the keys as he tried to type in his password, a certain icon kept popping up saying the wrong password. Turning around, Heero glared at Aries.
"What'd you change it to?" he demanded. Sighing, Aries sat down in his lap and began typing. Writing in the correct password and reestablishing certain folders, she felt Heero's arms wrap around her waist.
"You know I was just teasing you Heero." she said as she leaned backwards. Grunting in reply, Heero typed in a new password and shut off his computer. Turning around in his lap so that she was straddling him, Aries smiled at him.
"What?" he asked curiously. Grinning as her cheeks began to turn red, Aries took a deep breath and leaned in towards Heero. Pressing her lips against Heero's, she was awaiting for him to push her off and look at her funnily. She was surprised instead when Heero's hands became tighter around her as he kissed her deeper. Eyes widening in shock at first, Heero's first impulse was to push her away, but gradually he put that thought to the back of his mind as he licked the bottom of her lip. Gently nibbling on it, he grinned inwardly as he heard a low moan coming from Aries. Sticking his tongue in her mouth, Heero battled her tongue then began to idly suck on it. Pulling apart for air, Aries' cheeks were tainted crimson as she grinned at Heero.
"Why'd you kiss me back?" she asked on impulse. Knitting his eyebrows as he heard her question, Heero shrugged as he replied,
"Cause I did, and I've been meaning to do so for a while." Looking at him curiously, Aries noticed his eyes and how they shone with lust and passion. Unconsciously licking her lips, she interlocked her lips with Heero's for another passionate kiss. Heero was about to do something when he heard someone clearing their voice. Breaking away, Heero turned in his chair to see Duo and Seph standing there.
"What?" he growled in frustration as he held Aries in place. Sighing as she leaned into his chest, Aries glared at Duo.
"Party pooper." she muttered under her breath.
"Came to talk to you is all. But seeing how Aries is 'teasing' you, I guess it could wait until tomorrow." Duo answered as he grinned at Aries. Sitting up, Aries flipped Duo her middle finger as she directed a wet raspberry at him.
"And it's such good teasing at that Duo. At least now I can say Heero's getting more action than you!" she teased. Chuckling, Heero shook his head as he watched expressions cross over Duo's face.
"Uhuh.. keep dreaming." was Duo's only comeback as he huffily stormed out of the room with Seph trailing behind him. Bursting out into giggles, Aries curled up against Heero as he laughed with her.
"Did you have to say that?" wondered Heero as he eyed her with a hint of mischief.
"Yup!" she replied as she kissed him on the cheek. Snuggling into his chest she closed her eyes as sleep claimed her. Sighing, Heero picked Aries up into his arms as he headed over towards his bed. Laying her down on top of the black satin sheets, he quickly discarded his clothes until he was clad only in his black silk boxers. Placing both himself and Aries under the covers, he pulled her body flush against his as sleep called for him.
The following morning, Aries woke up to something warm against her back. Murmuring under her breath, she snuggled closer to the source of heat. Eyes widening as she felt arms snake around her waist, she cocked her head to the side. Blushing as she saw Heero with a little scowl on his face.
"Awww..." she cooed as she reached a hand out and brushed his bangs from out of his face. Blushing as he leaned towards her touch, Aries withdrew her hand and got comfortable. /No need to complain./ she thought to herself as she quietly yawned.
In the kitchen later that morning, Aries was busily preparing lunch with Deu. "Alright, so wonton soup with egg rolls and rice, or that for supper?" Aries wondered as she dug through the contents in the fridge. "Umm, make it lunch. I was planning on making something for supper since I couldn't help you last night. Seeing how I was out with Wufei." Replied Deu as she rummaged through the cupboards for ingredients they would need. "Alright then, I'll work on the soup if you do the egg rolls?" wondered Aries as she stood back up. Nodding, Deu went to finish her task. Doing the same, Aries began to work on the soup. Soon after, they had built up a big enough meal to feed them all and have plenty for leftovers. "Lunch!" screamed out Aries, but started laughing when she noticed Deu was blocking her ears. Frowning, Deu stuck her tongue out at Aries as she finished setting the table. "Did you have to scream that loud?" Deu asked her. Nodding, Aries smirked evilly.
After lunch, Aries had decided to do a little training outside in the backyard. Having found a patchy piece of grass that was soft enough to fall onto, she began to do a couple of stretches. Soon after, she began punching and kicking the air. Falling into a routine, Aries started shadow boxing as she pictured her invisible opponent to be someone she resented. Not noticing that someone was watching her, Aries was oblivious until she felt a pair of hands encircle her waist. Gasping, she whipped around in the person's arms. Frowning when she noticed it was Heero, she stuck her tongue out at him. "And the point of scaring me was?" she questioned him in a teasing tone. Chuckling, Heero shrugged. Then out of nowhere, kissed her. Gasping, Aries eyes widened in surprise, but soon closed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Kissing him back, she smiled innocently as they pulled apart. "You seem to surprise me even more Yuy. I'm beginning to wonder if you're plotting something." Laughed Aries. Smirking, Heero began to tickle her until she started screaming for him to stop.
That night, everyone had met up in the foyer. All sitting in front of a roaring fire while it rained outside, they started discussing about odds and ends until Aries started talking to Seph. "So.think you're up for shopping tomorrow? I need some things and so does Deu. Then we need to redecorate your room, get you a new wardrobe and even more!" laughed Aries as Seph looked at her with eyes wide. Groaning, Heero clamped his hand over her mouth. "No shopping." He muttered. Chuckling, Duo agreed. "But shopping's fun. And I could use a few things." started Seph but started laughing when Duo began to tickle her. "It's evil I tell you!" exclaimed Duo.
When they had all decided to go to bed, Heero had led Aries into his room. "We need to talk." Was all he said as he ushered her inside and made sure to close and lock the door behind him. "'Bout what?" questioned Aries as she stifled a yawn. Standing before him in an overly large shirt she found in the wash, Aries had dubbed it hers knowing Heero wouldn't mind a missing shirt. "About Seph." he started off as he took his computer chair and sat in it. "This about her staying here Heero?" wondered Aries as she chose to sit in his lap. Nodding, Heero encircled her waist with his arms. "I know Duo likes her and all, but I don't know if we have the room. Wufei's due back any day now, and Trowa and Quatre are coming soon to visit." he started off but was cut off when Aries put a hand to his mouth. "Listen up, Seph and Duo like each other, so same bed and room for them. Quatre and Trowa are gay, so no biggie there either. As for Wufei, I don't know if you've been hearing Deu and me talk, but they're a couple now, so duh, they'll be sharing the same bedroom. Problem solved." Grinned Aries triumphantly. Shaking his head, Heero had to admit that she had a point. Frowning after a while, he remembered something she said as he questioned her, "Since when have Deu and Wufei been a couple, and how do you know that Duo and Seph like each other?" Smirking with a hint of evil flashing in her mischievous eyes, Aries retorted, "A few weeks for Deu, and I "overheard" part of their discussion this afternoon." Chuckling, Heero picked her up and walked towards his bed. Both of them soon falling asleep, all that was heard in the house was the constant rapping of the rain on the window panes, the clock silently ticking away, and Duo's incessant snoring.
Bustling around in the kitchen early the next morning, Aries was hustling around trying to get breakfast prepared before everyone woke up. "Damn. where'd he stash it now?" grumbled Aries as she searched through the pantries for her hidden stash of chocolate chips. She was planning on making pancakes and omelets for everyone along with bacon and blueberry muffins, but she soon noticed that Duo and Heero had plotted against her and hidden most of the sweets. "Bakaryous." She mumbled under her breath. Grinning as she finally found the ingredients she was searching for, Aries began to prepare breakfast.
Waking up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and blueberry muffins, Duo sat up in bed. Grinning when he felt something moving beside him, he gently shook Seph awake. "Hey, I think Aries made breakfast for us all. And since you girls planned on going shopping, I suggest you go early." Duo whispered into her ear. Kissing her on the temple, he got out of bed and went on a hunt for his clothes that were scattered around her room.
Setting the table, Aries smiled as everyone in the house emerged from their bedrooms and took seats around the dining room table. "How long have you been awake?" asked Heero as he came up behind her. Whipping around, Aries looked at him innocently as she replied, "I think about six. I don't remember, all I know is that I've been working on breakfast since before the sunrise." Eyebrows knitting together as he regarded her curiously, Heero shrugged it off as he took his seat. Taking the chair next to him, Aries had to slap Duo's hand away as he tried to take a whole stack of chocolate chip pancakes. "Save some for us too Duo!" she teased as he stuck his tongue out at her.
A few weeks had passed since Seph's staying and Aries had been receiving anonymous calls. Every time she answered the phone and spoke into the receiver, she would hear someone clearing their voice and then the sharp ring of the dial tone. Keeping it to herself as to not worry the others, Aries was exiting a store with a few bags in hand when someone bumped into her. "Sorry." The man apologized in a gruff tone. "Umm.yea." stuttered Aries as she stumbled upon words while trying to think up at least one coherent sentence. Shaking her head to clear her mind, Aries noticed a wry grin curling onto his face as he sized her up. Rubbing his rough chin with calloused hands, he shrugged and sprinted the opposite way form which he had come from. "Creepy." murmured Aries as she headed towards her car. While opening the hatch and depositing her purchases into the trunk, she felt a nervous feeling as if someone was watching her. Back stiffening ramrod straight, Aries was quick to close the hatch door and climb into the driver's side. Putting the keys into the ignition, she slowly turned them as she looked through her rear view mirror to see the guy from the earlier on accident standing behind her car. Gasping, Aries' face paled as she saw him coming towards the passenger door. Making sure she locked the doors, she jumped when he banged on the window and started yelling at her. Trembling, Aries pulled her cell phone out of her black hand bag. Dialing Heero's number, she stuttered as she explained the situation to him. "Yes! I swear! Can't you hear him pounding on my window? No he won't go away Heero and he creeps me out. he seems kind of familiar but I don't know from where." Telling her he'd be there soon and not to interact with the man, Heero gave no notice of hanging up until Aries heard the familiar dial tone. Putting her phone away, she regarded the man that was still bustling about the passenger side of her vehicle and screaming out obscenities at her. Shrinking lower into her seat, she watched every move he made while waiting for Heero to show up. "Get out here Aries!" the man's gravelly voice was muffled by the window as he appeared before her. Trying to pick the lock of the front door, Aries began to shake in fear as a glimpse of her past flashed before her eyes.
"You're the guy who killed my parents!" Aries exclaimed as she trembled. Smirking, the man had heard her and was about to successfully unlock the door when he was abruptly pushed aside. "What the." started off Aries as she looked out of her rear view mirror. Sighing out the breath of air that she was unconsciously holding in, Aries got some color back into her paled face at the sight of Heero. He was pummeling the man into the harsh pavement below and demanding things that Aries couldn't hear because they were too muted. Jumping out of the vehicle, she sprinted over to where the two of them were fighting. "I remember how I know him Heero," shouted Aries as she tried to regain his attention, "He's the one who killed my parents." Still quivering in fear, Aries looked down at the man. He was smirking some what knowingly at Heero as he eyed him curiously. "Is that true?" demanded Heero as he shook him about. Merely chuckling, the man shrugged nonchalantly.
"...everything changes, but beauty remains... something so tender, I can't explain. Well I may be dreaming, but till I awake can we make this dream last forever..." she hummed as she continued to braid the little tike that was playing with her toys in her lap.
"...catch me when I fall, so let me tell you this. Some people wait a life time for a moment like this...." she smiled as the infant turned around to look at her. Kissing her on the forehead, she sat up straight as she heard footsteps crunching on the gravel pathway.
"Hey you two." the arrival greeted with a smile plastered on their face. Looking up towards the friendly face, the eldest of the two on the gazebo beamed as she placed the child on the ground carefully. Walking over towards the figure, she quickly hugged him as she whipped around to hear a wail.
"Let her go!" the woman called out as she hurriedly rushed over towards the child who was in the arms of a hooded man. The stranger was running the opposite way of the others and seemed to be heading towards the wooded area that was in the back of the house. Suddenly, a bright light illuminated the sky as gunshots went off. Dropping lifelessly to the floor, the woman and the man that was with her, lay in a pool of their own blood....
+Fourteen year's later+
"Let me go!" yelled a struggling brunette as she attempted to get out of the grasp that was holding her against a brick wall in a dark and deserted alley way.
"No!" snarled the man that was pushing her forcefully against the hard surface. Crying for help, the girl let a tear roll down the side of her face unnoticed as her captor tried to rip her clothes off.
"Put her down NOW!" boomed a voice from the entrance of the alleyway. Both turning in the direction of the new voice, hope shone through the eyes of the 'damsel in distress'.
"Who the fuck are you?" roughly questioned the shaggy haired man.
"Your worst nightmare." was the only reply he earned as he was brutally shoved to the rough pavement.
"Run!" shouted the savior to the woman as he repeatedly punched the man, hoping she would get away quickly so he could finish the man off. Delivering the final blow, the man huffed as he stood up straight. Brushing off his sleeves and combing his hair back, he noticed that the girl was still in the same spot he had found her in, except she was sitting on the ground with her knees to her chest, arms wrapped possessively around her lithe form and trembling. Walking over towards her, he extended his hand for her.
"Come on. I won't hurt you." he gently spoke. Staring up at him through her bangs, she put her hand in his and was pulled inadvertently against his chest.
"Did he hurt you?" was the question spoken that broke the uncomfortable silence in between the two.
"I'm fine..." she trailed off in a mere whisper. Glancing at her curiously, he picked her up; one hand on the small of her back and the other supporting her knees; and walked off.
"Where are we going?" she murmured into his chest. Grateful, that he had stopped the man from raping her. Or whatever other torture the shagged man had planned for her. Shivering at the thought, she snuggled closer to his built body.
"You'll see...." he merely replied as he headed down more alleyways and halted in front of a white house. It was a simple two-story house with a white door, a bay window, and in a friendly neighborhood. Gently rapping on the door, the man was greeted by a short blonde who had green eyes with a touch of brown in them.
"She okay?" she questioned as she noticed the woman in his arms who's clothes were torn and ripped almost to shreds. Nodding, he was ushered in.
"Follow me." smiled the blonde reassuringly to the girl as she headed up the brown stained stairs. Shaking her head, she complied. Taking a look around the place, she saw that the house was furnished with paintings, potted plants and other such decorations to make it seem homier. All the items seemed to match with one another.
"Nice..." she spoke to herself as she relaxed.
"So.... what's your name?" wondered the blonde as she padded into a white bedroom. It had a four-poster bed with black satin sheets, a mahogany desk with a white lamp and a black laptop on it. The room as well had a connecting bathroom that had a gigantic bath that seemed more of a Jacuzzi than a tub, a large shower, toilet, white counter top, floor mirror and a large white sink.
"Seph." she meekly replied as she tried to take in everything.
"Cool name. I'm Aries and I'll come back to get you in about an hour. Hope you like spaghetti! Oh! And this will be your room, so wash up and do whatever you want to I guess. Feel free to roam around! And there are extra clothes in the armoire; you look around my size so they should fit. If not then Deu could always hem them up for you or something." Aries explained as a grin spread across her face. Blinking, Seph nodded and then curiously asked,
"Who was the guy that saved me this afternoon?"
"Oh! That was Duo. And I think he likes you." Aries winked remembering the look on Duo's face as she walked out of the room. Closing the door behind her so that Seph could have her privacy, she sauntered down the hallway.
Downstairs in the kitchen, Aries was busily preparing supper when Duo walked into the room.
"Yo." he greeted, as he smelled the aromatic sauce.
"Yolo... Seph is upstairs cleaning up. Wonder if she'll stay..." asked Aries as she cut up a few carrots.
"Dunno, you and Deu did when Wufei and Heero found you two. Ya know, you never did end up telling me about your parents eh?" said Duo as he quirked an eyebrow. Casting her eyes to the floor, Aries shook her head as a wave of nausea overcame her.
"Umm... well I was about four. My mom was braiding my hair one morning and my dad was coming out to see us. She was singing one of my favorite songs when she went to go give him a hug. Then next thing I know, I'm being dragged off by some guy in a black suit and a hood, and my parents being shot. Last thing I saw was both of them lying in a pool of blood." softly spoke Aries as she tried to keep her tears from escaping. Wiping them away with the back of her hands, she smiled up at Duo.
"But that was a while ago... out with the old and in with the new I guess..." she trailed off as she failed miserably at attempting to change the subject. Blinking in shock, Duo walked over towards her and lifted her downcast face.
"Be happy that you at least had parents." he forlornly spoke as he pulled her into a hug. Throwing her arms around him, Aries cried into his shoulder. Rubbing his hand up and down the small of her back, he used his other hand to brush through her hair. Sister Helen used to do the same motions to him when something was wrong. Trying to comfort her, Duo saw Heero walking into the kitchen out of the corner of his eye. Motioning to Aries, Duo let Heero take over.
"What's wrong?" Heero gruffly asked.
"No...noth...nothing..." stuttered Aries as she sniffled. Holding back more tears from cascading down her face, she went back to finishing supper. Raising an eyebrow in suspicion, he was about to question Duo but found him to be no longer in the kitchen. Scowling, he thought of what he could do to comfort her.
"Don't worry about it Heero. I'm all right. Just remembered something is all." Aries gently spoke, making it seem as if she was reading his exact thoughts. Sighing she leaned into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"You know I don't know what's wrong, so I don't know how to assess the issue." he spoke, almost dropping into soldier mode. Lifting her head and looking at him through her eyelashes, she smiled up at him.
"All Duo wanted to know was about my parents. No biggy. Just told him how I saw them die in front of me when I was four years old." she repeated in a deadpan tone. Hoping she wouldn't break into tears and having Heero call her weak. Eyeing her carefully, Heero brushed her bangs out of her face as he murmured,
"Baka... you know I won't call you weak. Come on.." he said. Motioning for her to follow him.
"Ok.. hold on first. Let me just go get Seph and bring her down here. I'll meet you in your room k?"
"Hai." he replied. Letting go of her, Heero briskly walked out of the room. Had any one else been present, he wouldn't have shown such a weakness. But seeing how Aries had been a special case, he felt compelled to do so in her presence. And in her presence alone.
Blowing her hair out of her face, Aries set everyone's food on the large table in the dining room and quickly raced upstairs to find Seph. Finding her sitting in the light blue chair tapping away on the computer, Aries smiled as she was greeted with a grin.
"Hey! Supper's ready downstairs. Duo will be up to get you k? I'll see you later tonight." she explained as she walked back out of the room and rushed over towards Heero's bedroom.
"Do you always have to be on that thing?!" she spoke as she shook her head. Whipping around, Heero smirked as he held out his hand.
"Hn." he replied. Taking his hand, Aries was pulled into his lap. Moving so that she was comfortable, she leaned against his chest.
"Ya know... next time I catch you on that damned laptop I'm gonna take it!" she murmured into his chest. A glint of mischieviousness gleaming in her eyes. Looking down at her curiously, Heero's smirk grew wider as he closed it.
"Iie." he replied as he caught Aries hand. She was reaching for the plug that connected to the outlet. Staring up at him looking innocent, she smiled as she shook her head. Laughing as he began to tickle her, she couldn't find anything to grip onto and soon found herself lying on her back on the floor with Heero on top of her. Grunting, Heero rolled over, pulling her on top of him.
"That was uncalled for." she muttered as she unconsciously rubbed her butt. Smiling, Heero lifted her chin.
"Little baka, don't provoke me if you can't pay the consequences." he teased. In return having a tongue sticking out at him Heero seized her tongue in a passionate kiss. Opening her eyes wide, Aries moaned as his tongue entered her mouth. Putting her arms around his neck, she felt Heero's arms wrap around her waist. When they broke free for air, Aries cheeks were a hue of red.
"And what may I ask was that for?" she asked, looking at him curiously. Shrugging his shoulders, Heero brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and pulled them behind her ears.
"Well do it more often." she laughed as she leaned her head against his chest. Earning a grunt in response.
"Supper." Heero spoke as he placed Aries on the ground gently after picking her up, arms still encircled around her waist.
"Oh yea.... alright come on then before Duo eats it all!" Aries teased as she led the way back downstairs into the kitchen.
"Bout friggin time!" shouted Duo as he saw the new arrivals. Blinking at him, Aries blushed as she took the seat next to Heero. Duo was sitting beside Seph, on the opposite side of the table.
"Hn." answered Heero as he took a plateful of pasta. Content that it was still warm, he began eating it. Doing the same, Aries struck a conversation with Seph.
"So.... whatcha think of the place so far?" she curiously asked, she hoped that Seph would stay. No offense towards the guys but having just her and Deu in the house got a little bit overwhelming. With an added female, the men could then ease up. Perking her ears, Seph placed her fork on her plate.
"It's cool. Bigger on the inside than the outside...." she trailed off. Eyes down cast, she received a curious glance from Aries.
"Look, if you want to talk just say so eh? Deu and me are the only girls here so if it's a girly thing or whatever, don't be scared to come to us. As for the guys.... I'd be afraid if I were you if you went to them for help!" Aries smiled. Picking up parts of the conversation, Duo kicked Aries leg from under the table. Knowing full well that she was talking about him.
"Will you forget about it already! I thought you were talking bout something else!" scowled Duo. Laughing, Aries shook her head.
"I won't even bother asking..." muttered Heero as he swallowed a tall frothy glass of chocolate milk. Facing him, Aries glared at him when she noticed the brown substance in the glass.
"Where the hell did you find the NESQUIK???" she yelled as she pointed accusingly at the glass. Looking up at her bemusedly, Heero smirked as he took another sip. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand he answered,
"In the back of the pantry in between the cheerios and cocoa puffs and underneath the chocolate chip cookies." Jaw dropping, Aries cursed; she had thought no one would of found it. Let alone Mr. Perfect Soldier at that!
"Rude..." she muttered under her breath as she glared daggers at him. Smirking in response, Heero took a long sip to tease her. Growling in annoyance, Aries grabbed the glass from his hands and chugged the remaining contents of the frothy liquid. Slamming the empty glass onto the table, she finished her meal quickly. Duo finding the scene amusing began to laugh.
After supper, Aries had stashed the nesquik and was in her room busily typing on her laptop as she sat on the ledge in front of the bay window that faced the front yard. As she typed she began to sing,
"Baby you're all that I want, when you're lying here in my arms, I'm finding it hard to believe we're in heaven. Love is all that I need and I found it there in your heart. It isn't hard to see that it's there in your heart..."
"..it isn't too hard to see we're in heaven, Ohhh ohhh ohh.. oohhh ohhh ohh, we're in heaven.." she trailed off into a hum. Smiling, she turned down the volume on her radio. Tapping a few more keys on her computer, she was about to get up when she heard a rap on her door.
"Come in." she shouted. Hearing the click of the door open, she turned to see that it was a blushing Seph.
"Umm, hey... you said I could talk to you if I wanted to..." she muttered in an embarrassed tone.
"Yeah, have a seat." Aries laughed as she pointed towards the armchair that sat next to her. Padding over towards it, Seph sighed in relief as she plopped down onto the cushioned seat.
"I wanted to know something. And it's all right if you don't want to tell me..." she started as she faced Aries. Looking at her curiously, she raised an eyebrow in wonder as she let her continue.
"I was wondering why all five of you are here? Even though I haven't met Deu or Wufei yet. If that's their names." she questioned.
"Yeah that's their names. And I'll tell you.." began Aries as she placed her laptop onto the hardwood floor.
"Alright, first off we never even knew the guys when we first met them. I didn't even know Deu until a certain incident. Well, let's just say I was in the wrong part of town and so was she. We ended up getting cornered at this club with these two jerks that wouldn't take no for an answer. Any ways, what happened is that Heero and Wufei had seen what was going on and decided to see if anything was wrong. Which obviously there was. Then this whole fight pursued and one thing led to another." grinned Aries as she remembered a certain part of the fight.
"Then, next thing I know, I get knocked to the ground and fall unconscious, and what happened to Deu was that she got shot by the idiot who was carrying a gun. When I came to, I was here in this very room. I was given an ultimatum; I could stay here, or go back to the shelter that I was staying at for the time being. Seeing how the guy that knocked me out knew that I was staying at the shelter, I decided to stay here. Among other reasons too. But any who, it all turned out great. Now I have friends that I never had to begin with that I can trust and depend on. As well as a place to stay where I know that I'm safe. To make a long story short, Deu was fine and the bullet grazed her shoulder, no permanent damage there, but she was unconscious as well, and was in the room next to mine. She was given the choice as well. But she was living on the streets, not a shelter like myself. And yea, that's the story." she laughed as she noticed the look of surprise on Seph's face.
"And you'll be given a similar ultimatum yourself soon. And I'm actually hoping you'll stay. Need more girls in this place, and I really do think that Duo likes you." Aries spoke in a serious tone as she sat up straight. Seph was about to say something when Heero walked into the room.
"Forgot how to knock?" teased Aries.
"Door was open." he quickly replied as he eyed her.
"Seph, Duo's looking for you." Heero said as he regarded Seph. Nodding, she said bye to Aries as she went to go find Duo. Finding him in the living room sitting on one of the black leather couches, she blushed as he turned around and smiled appreciatively at her.
"Hey." he greeted as he stood up.
"Hi." she shyly replied.
"We need to talk, I need to know something..." he began but was sharply cut off when Seph raised her hand.
"If you're going to tell me about some ultimatum about staying here or going back to the dumps, I think I know what I'm going to say." she spoke gently as she took a seat on the couch. Blinking in surprise, Duo nodded.
"That's what I wanted to ask you. What do you wanna do? Stay or leave?" he asked, praying to shinigami that she would stay. /I really like her... damn! I wish she'd stay!/ thought Duo to himself.
"I want to stay, but only if you want me to." purposefully putting an emphasis on the "you", Seph looked up at him. Nodding Duo continued,
"I do want you to stay, and I need to tell you something else. You could call it somewhat of a confession." he laughed, mainly to himself. Staring at him, she urged him on, wondering in the back of her mind if what Aries said about him liking her was the slightest bit true.
"I know that I just met you today and all... and well... I really like you and was wondering if you'd go out with me?" quickly said Duo almost in a mumble. To his surprise, Seph replied,
"I'd like that." blushes apparent on both they're faces, their little moment went silent when they heard someone speaking.
"Awww! That was so cute!" Aries cooed as she leaned on the banister. She was going to go downstairs into the kitchen to get something when she heard Duo say he had to tell her something important. That, and the fact that she wanted to know whether Seph was going to stay or not, seeing how she was left on a cliffhanger and curiosity getting the best of her yet again. Sighing, Duo flipped Aries the middle finger as he shouted,
"Go bug Heero Aries, I really don't need this at the moment." Watching a blush creep up his cheeks, she quickly blew him a kiss as she ran towards Heero's bedroom.
"Hee-chan!" she called out as she jumped onto his bed. Whipping around, Heero winced at the tone in her voice.
"What?" he growled in reply. Mocking him, Aries pouted as she put her hands on her hips. Sitting on her knees, she stuck out her tongue at him.
"Don't be such a party pooper. And sides, I was bored and listened in on Duo and Seph's little convo. Seems we have a new member." she laughed as he raised a curious eyebrow. Grinning, she continued,
"Any who, Duo in his nicest way told me to fuck off and go bug you. So here I am." Shaking his head, Heero walked over towards her. Smirking as he stopped in front of her, his nose adjacent to hers. Arms reaching out, he tickled Aries until she started screaming at him.
"St....sto...stop... it... Heero!!!" she gasped in between laughs as she fell onto her back. Heero falling on top of her, continued to mercilessly tickle her, ignoring her plea. Squirming under him, Aries tried to hit him, but luck not being on her side, Heero instinctively reached for her arm, holding her arms above her head, he tickled her more forcefully with his remaining hand. Smirking, as he knew he had won, he ceased the torture. Inhaling, Aries sat up. Brushing her hair out of her face she glared at him.
"Now that was just uncalled for!" sticking her tongue out at him she poked him in the side. Heero's smirk grew wider as the corners of his mouth lifted into somewhat of a smile. Sitting next to her on the king sized mattress, Heero actually laughed. Jaw dropping, Aries laughed with him.
"So much for me bugging you." she teased. Standing up, she padded over towards his dresser and looked at the blue screen. Clicking her tongue she gave Heero a smirk of her own.
"You just couldn't resist the pc could you?" she spoke softly in a mocking tone. Shaking his head, Heero got up and stood next to her. Blinking as she sat in his chair, Heero snorted as she began to idly tap on his computer. Easily hacking into his files and folders, Aries went into the accessories program and started a new game of solitaire.
"This game is addictive ya know." she said rhetorically. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he turned her around to face him.
"Off." was all he grunted as he nodded his head towards his precious laptop. Whipping back around, Aries giggled as she closed the game and opened another file. The latest report that Heero had been working on. Adding a few things to the document that was in front of her, she felt Heero's arms wrap around her waist. Yelling as he picked her up, Aries flailed about as he threw her over his shoulder.
"Put me down, put me down, put me down!" she shouted in a chanting voice. His smirk even more evident on his face, Heero left his room and headed downstairs to where Seph and Duo still were.
"Package." warned Heero as he none to gently dropped Aries on top of Duo. In a jumble of limbs, Aries blew the hair out of her face as she attempted to disentangle herself from Duo.
"Not fair." she pouted as she finally unlocked her legs with his and stood up. Crossing her arms over her chest, an idea struck her. Smiling innocently, she walked over towards Heero.
"Hey Heero..." she began, Heero knowing she was up to something began to back up. Every step he took backwards, she took forwards. While she advanced on the perfect soldier, Duo and Seph couldn't help laughing at Heero and the look that was on his face. Smiling sheepishly, Aries poked him in the chest with her index finger.
"Why'd you go and do that? First you steal my chocolate syrup, then tickle me, and then throw me on top of Duo. Well, guess I'll just have to do something about that." she threatened. Closing his eyes, Heero awaited his judgment. Instead, all he heard were muffled laughs and a pair of feet that were racing up the stairs. Opening his eyes, he caught sight of Aries heading to his bedroom.
"Shit." he whispered as he ran after her. Laughing as she sat back down in front of his computer, Aries opened up some more files and began fooling around on his computer before Heero came to get her. Stifling a laugh as she shut the pc down, she stood up abruptly as Heero ran into the room.
"What'd you do?" he questioned, knowing she did something wrong. Eyeing his computer warily he sat in the chair as he booted up his laptop. Repeatedly hitting the keys as he tried to type in his password, a certain icon kept popping up saying the wrong password. Turning around, Heero glared at Aries.
"What'd you change it to?" he demanded. Sighing, Aries sat down in his lap and began typing. Writing in the correct password and reestablishing certain folders, she felt Heero's arms wrap around her waist.
"You know I was just teasing you Heero." she said as she leaned backwards. Grunting in reply, Heero typed in a new password and shut off his computer. Turning around in his lap so that she was straddling him, Aries smiled at him.
"What?" he asked curiously. Grinning as her cheeks began to turn red, Aries took a deep breath and leaned in towards Heero. Pressing her lips against Heero's, she was awaiting for him to push her off and look at her funnily. She was surprised instead when Heero's hands became tighter around her as he kissed her deeper. Eyes widening in shock at first, Heero's first impulse was to push her away, but gradually he put that thought to the back of his mind as he licked the bottom of her lip. Gently nibbling on it, he grinned inwardly as he heard a low moan coming from Aries. Sticking his tongue in her mouth, Heero battled her tongue then began to idly suck on it. Pulling apart for air, Aries' cheeks were tainted crimson as she grinned at Heero.
"Why'd you kiss me back?" she asked on impulse. Knitting his eyebrows as he heard her question, Heero shrugged as he replied,
"Cause I did, and I've been meaning to do so for a while." Looking at him curiously, Aries noticed his eyes and how they shone with lust and passion. Unconsciously licking her lips, she interlocked her lips with Heero's for another passionate kiss. Heero was about to do something when he heard someone clearing their voice. Breaking away, Heero turned in his chair to see Duo and Seph standing there.
"What?" he growled in frustration as he held Aries in place. Sighing as she leaned into his chest, Aries glared at Duo.
"Party pooper." she muttered under her breath.
"Came to talk to you is all. But seeing how Aries is 'teasing' you, I guess it could wait until tomorrow." Duo answered as he grinned at Aries. Sitting up, Aries flipped Duo her middle finger as she directed a wet raspberry at him.
"And it's such good teasing at that Duo. At least now I can say Heero's getting more action than you!" she teased. Chuckling, Heero shook his head as he watched expressions cross over Duo's face.
"Uhuh.. keep dreaming." was Duo's only comeback as he huffily stormed out of the room with Seph trailing behind him. Bursting out into giggles, Aries curled up against Heero as he laughed with her.
"Did you have to say that?" wondered Heero as he eyed her with a hint of mischief.
"Yup!" she replied as she kissed him on the cheek. Snuggling into his chest she closed her eyes as sleep claimed her. Sighing, Heero picked Aries up into his arms as he headed over towards his bed. Laying her down on top of the black satin sheets, he quickly discarded his clothes until he was clad only in his black silk boxers. Placing both himself and Aries under the covers, he pulled her body flush against his as sleep called for him.
The following morning, Aries woke up to something warm against her back. Murmuring under her breath, she snuggled closer to the source of heat. Eyes widening as she felt arms snake around her waist, she cocked her head to the side. Blushing as she saw Heero with a little scowl on his face.
"Awww..." she cooed as she reached a hand out and brushed his bangs from out of his face. Blushing as he leaned towards her touch, Aries withdrew her hand and got comfortable. /No need to complain./ she thought to herself as she quietly yawned.
In the kitchen later that morning, Aries was busily preparing lunch with Deu. "Alright, so wonton soup with egg rolls and rice, or that for supper?" Aries wondered as she dug through the contents in the fridge. "Umm, make it lunch. I was planning on making something for supper since I couldn't help you last night. Seeing how I was out with Wufei." Replied Deu as she rummaged through the cupboards for ingredients they would need. "Alright then, I'll work on the soup if you do the egg rolls?" wondered Aries as she stood back up. Nodding, Deu went to finish her task. Doing the same, Aries began to work on the soup. Soon after, they had built up a big enough meal to feed them all and have plenty for leftovers. "Lunch!" screamed out Aries, but started laughing when she noticed Deu was blocking her ears. Frowning, Deu stuck her tongue out at Aries as she finished setting the table. "Did you have to scream that loud?" Deu asked her. Nodding, Aries smirked evilly.
After lunch, Aries had decided to do a little training outside in the backyard. Having found a patchy piece of grass that was soft enough to fall onto, she began to do a couple of stretches. Soon after, she began punching and kicking the air. Falling into a routine, Aries started shadow boxing as she pictured her invisible opponent to be someone she resented. Not noticing that someone was watching her, Aries was oblivious until she felt a pair of hands encircle her waist. Gasping, she whipped around in the person's arms. Frowning when she noticed it was Heero, she stuck her tongue out at him. "And the point of scaring me was?" she questioned him in a teasing tone. Chuckling, Heero shrugged. Then out of nowhere, kissed her. Gasping, Aries eyes widened in surprise, but soon closed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Kissing him back, she smiled innocently as they pulled apart. "You seem to surprise me even more Yuy. I'm beginning to wonder if you're plotting something." Laughed Aries. Smirking, Heero began to tickle her until she started screaming for him to stop.
That night, everyone had met up in the foyer. All sitting in front of a roaring fire while it rained outside, they started discussing about odds and ends until Aries started talking to Seph. "So.think you're up for shopping tomorrow? I need some things and so does Deu. Then we need to redecorate your room, get you a new wardrobe and even more!" laughed Aries as Seph looked at her with eyes wide. Groaning, Heero clamped his hand over her mouth. "No shopping." He muttered. Chuckling, Duo agreed. "But shopping's fun. And I could use a few things." started Seph but started laughing when Duo began to tickle her. "It's evil I tell you!" exclaimed Duo.
When they had all decided to go to bed, Heero had led Aries into his room. "We need to talk." Was all he said as he ushered her inside and made sure to close and lock the door behind him. "'Bout what?" questioned Aries as she stifled a yawn. Standing before him in an overly large shirt she found in the wash, Aries had dubbed it hers knowing Heero wouldn't mind a missing shirt. "About Seph." he started off as he took his computer chair and sat in it. "This about her staying here Heero?" wondered Aries as she chose to sit in his lap. Nodding, Heero encircled her waist with his arms. "I know Duo likes her and all, but I don't know if we have the room. Wufei's due back any day now, and Trowa and Quatre are coming soon to visit." he started off but was cut off when Aries put a hand to his mouth. "Listen up, Seph and Duo like each other, so same bed and room for them. Quatre and Trowa are gay, so no biggie there either. As for Wufei, I don't know if you've been hearing Deu and me talk, but they're a couple now, so duh, they'll be sharing the same bedroom. Problem solved." Grinned Aries triumphantly. Shaking his head, Heero had to admit that she had a point. Frowning after a while, he remembered something she said as he questioned her, "Since when have Deu and Wufei been a couple, and how do you know that Duo and Seph like each other?" Smirking with a hint of evil flashing in her mischievous eyes, Aries retorted, "A few weeks for Deu, and I "overheard" part of their discussion this afternoon." Chuckling, Heero picked her up and walked towards his bed. Both of them soon falling asleep, all that was heard in the house was the constant rapping of the rain on the window panes, the clock silently ticking away, and Duo's incessant snoring.
Bustling around in the kitchen early the next morning, Aries was hustling around trying to get breakfast prepared before everyone woke up. "Damn. where'd he stash it now?" grumbled Aries as she searched through the pantries for her hidden stash of chocolate chips. She was planning on making pancakes and omelets for everyone along with bacon and blueberry muffins, but she soon noticed that Duo and Heero had plotted against her and hidden most of the sweets. "Bakaryous." She mumbled under her breath. Grinning as she finally found the ingredients she was searching for, Aries began to prepare breakfast.
Waking up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and blueberry muffins, Duo sat up in bed. Grinning when he felt something moving beside him, he gently shook Seph awake. "Hey, I think Aries made breakfast for us all. And since you girls planned on going shopping, I suggest you go early." Duo whispered into her ear. Kissing her on the temple, he got out of bed and went on a hunt for his clothes that were scattered around her room.
Setting the table, Aries smiled as everyone in the house emerged from their bedrooms and took seats around the dining room table. "How long have you been awake?" asked Heero as he came up behind her. Whipping around, Aries looked at him innocently as she replied, "I think about six. I don't remember, all I know is that I've been working on breakfast since before the sunrise." Eyebrows knitting together as he regarded her curiously, Heero shrugged it off as he took his seat. Taking the chair next to him, Aries had to slap Duo's hand away as he tried to take a whole stack of chocolate chip pancakes. "Save some for us too Duo!" she teased as he stuck his tongue out at her.
A few weeks had passed since Seph's staying and Aries had been receiving anonymous calls. Every time she answered the phone and spoke into the receiver, she would hear someone clearing their voice and then the sharp ring of the dial tone. Keeping it to herself as to not worry the others, Aries was exiting a store with a few bags in hand when someone bumped into her. "Sorry." The man apologized in a gruff tone. "Umm.yea." stuttered Aries as she stumbled upon words while trying to think up at least one coherent sentence. Shaking her head to clear her mind, Aries noticed a wry grin curling onto his face as he sized her up. Rubbing his rough chin with calloused hands, he shrugged and sprinted the opposite way form which he had come from. "Creepy." murmured Aries as she headed towards her car. While opening the hatch and depositing her purchases into the trunk, she felt a nervous feeling as if someone was watching her. Back stiffening ramrod straight, Aries was quick to close the hatch door and climb into the driver's side. Putting the keys into the ignition, she slowly turned them as she looked through her rear view mirror to see the guy from the earlier on accident standing behind her car. Gasping, Aries' face paled as she saw him coming towards the passenger door. Making sure she locked the doors, she jumped when he banged on the window and started yelling at her. Trembling, Aries pulled her cell phone out of her black hand bag. Dialing Heero's number, she stuttered as she explained the situation to him. "Yes! I swear! Can't you hear him pounding on my window? No he won't go away Heero and he creeps me out. he seems kind of familiar but I don't know from where." Telling her he'd be there soon and not to interact with the man, Heero gave no notice of hanging up until Aries heard the familiar dial tone. Putting her phone away, she regarded the man that was still bustling about the passenger side of her vehicle and screaming out obscenities at her. Shrinking lower into her seat, she watched every move he made while waiting for Heero to show up. "Get out here Aries!" the man's gravelly voice was muffled by the window as he appeared before her. Trying to pick the lock of the front door, Aries began to shake in fear as a glimpse of her past flashed before her eyes.
"You're the guy who killed my parents!" Aries exclaimed as she trembled. Smirking, the man had heard her and was about to successfully unlock the door when he was abruptly pushed aside. "What the." started off Aries as she looked out of her rear view mirror. Sighing out the breath of air that she was unconsciously holding in, Aries got some color back into her paled face at the sight of Heero. He was pummeling the man into the harsh pavement below and demanding things that Aries couldn't hear because they were too muted. Jumping out of the vehicle, she sprinted over to where the two of them were fighting. "I remember how I know him Heero," shouted Aries as she tried to regain his attention, "He's the one who killed my parents." Still quivering in fear, Aries looked down at the man. He was smirking some what knowingly at Heero as he eyed him curiously. "Is that true?" demanded Heero as he shook him about. Merely chuckling, the man shrugged nonchalantly.