Chapter 2: The Truth of the Present
"So you looser, giving up already?" The Chinese woman settled beside the young man laying on the roof.
Solo waved with his hand. "What are you thinking about? I'm just relaxing a bit. If you ask me, something is wrong with that maniacs head." He swirled his finger beside his temple.
"Be patient with him. It's not in his nature to actually do what's best for him. As far as I know from monitoring him he always puts others first or better whatever mission he's on."
"Oh and poor Duo is his newest mission now or what." Solo asked jokingly.
"Now don't make fun of Heero. Give him some credit. The guy invested his whole youth to gain peace. He deserves something good in his life."
"And that's gotta be Duo?" Solo asked doubtfully.
"Of course. Or are you stupid not to see how those two idiots dance around each other? Both too careful not to destroy their friendship and the happiness of the other. Stupid."
"Hey. They are the good guys. Not everybody can be as selfish as you."
Meiran kicked him in the side. "Watch your mouth, Solo. I only speak the truth."
"Che. But without any tact."
"They're not here to hear. So it's not a big deal. I have to go now and you better get your lazy ass back to Yuy's apartment. Our work is not done yet."
"Yeah. Yeah." Solo sucked on his cigarette he had been smoking for the last part of the conversation.
"I SAID GET GOING, YOU LAZY ASS!"
"OUCH! Would you stop kicking me already?!" Solo yelled.
"You deserve it and stop smoking. It stinks." Meiran stopped on the next rooftop to yell back.
"Who cares?! I'm dead anyway it's not like I can die of lung cancer."
But Meiran ignored him and disappeared. Solo only shrugged. "Stupid woman! Always wants to be right." Before vanishing as well.
***
Heero woke with a start. Something was wrong. His bedroom was dark and only the moon light illuminated it sparely. His heart was hammering in his chest. What had he been dreaming about? And why was he feeling so sad? And what was it about Duo being in his dream? He shook his head.
"If you start telling me now that all the stuff had been only a dream I'm gonna whack you over the head, Yuy."
Heero's head snapped up. There on the end of his bed sat Solo smoking a cigarette and waving at him with a smirk on his lips.
"Got ya, hm?!"
"Hn."
"Oh common now. Maybe Duo can figure out your 'hn' language code but not me so how about you move to a higher level and actually start talking. It's not that difficult." Solo looked slightly annoyed at him.
"Put out the cigarette." Heero replied coldly.
Solo frowned. "That weren't exactly the words I've been waiting for but well..." He stumped it out on his ragged jeans.
Heero frowned at him. Catching the ex-pilots look Solo said. "I'm getting better him?! But it only works cuz it's a small object."
He jumped off the bed. "So are you ready for another trip?"
"What? I thought we were done. Anyway I need to sleep now. I've got to work tomorrow." With that Heero let himself drop back onto his pillow.
"Che. Only Heero Yuy gives the excuse of having to work the next day when it's actually A HOLIDAY. Common man, can't you think of anything better to do? What are the other pilots doing?"
Heero opened his eyes. 'Doesn't look like he's gonna disappear anytime soon. Well, maybe if I get over this quickly he'll leave me alone for the rest of the night.'
"Quatre and Trowa celebrate together with Catherine and the rest of Quatre's family on L4 I think. Wu Fei? Well I'm not sure if he even acknowledges Christmas as a celebration."
Here a grinning Solo interrupted. "Oh trust me he will. When my partner is done with him he will."
Heero frowned. 'Does that mean Wu Fei is going through the same harassing than me? Well at least I'm not alone then.'
"And what about Duo?" Solo asked curiously his eyes not leaving Heero's face.
Heero sighed. "I don't know. I never asked him I just assumed he'd accept one of the many invitations he got. Why would he want to spend the day with me anyway?" 'Shit. The last bit wasn't supposed to be said out loud.'
A loud smack could be heard. Heero glanced over to Solo who was smacking his hand repeatedly against his forehead and muttering under his breath.
"You know you should stop that. It's destroying brain cells."
Solo looked up. "Excuse me but you're the brainless idiot here. Did you ever consider the option that Duo might have thought that you would accept Relena's invitation like each year?"
Heero sputtered. "What?... I've never... I've never even once spent Christmas Eve with her. You're out of your mind. Duo would know that."
Solo rolled his eyes. "Oh really?! And how would he? Did you ever tell him what you were doing in the first way?"
Heero thought about that. 'No. I've never told him. But then again he never asked or even told him what he had been doing.'
Seeing the befuddled expression on Heero's face the thing was decided for Solo. "You see you need another trip. It will show you what you're missing out on. Common get up."
The ex-pilot slowly got up. He wasn't really so sure he wanted to see how happy Duo was without him on one of the many parties he usually got invited to.
But he didn't had any time to protest. They were gone as soon as he stepped beside Solo.
***
Wu Fei lay awake in his bed. He hadn't been sleeping long after Meiran dropped him off in his bedroom. A small girl with blue eyes was following him in his dreams though whenever he wanted to look at her she hid behind a window covered in ice flowers. The black haired man sighed. He wished Meiran would come back and tell him what to do. She always knew how to take on things. He sat up on his bed. It wasn't so much a surprise that her ghost had shown up here in his apartment on Christmas Eve. Well maybe a bit. Rather that she had obviously followed every step in his life since she had died.
Ghosts and spirits were deeply integrated in the old myths of the Chinese. Even for a scholar like Wu Fei they were part of his religion and in a way he was honored that Meiran came back to help him find his way.
"And I'm honored to have been married to you."
Wu Feis head shot up. There at the window Meiran stood again in that white Chinese dress with the lotus flowers in her hair.
"Don't worry I can't read your mind you just talked out loud." She came closer.
"Oh." Wu Fei lead out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "So can you help me be a worthy man for Sally?" He asked quietly.
Meiran shook her head. "Oh Wu Fei I think you still didn't understand what this is all about. Love can't be measured in honor, money or virtues. It just happens. And if you decide you're not worthy for a woman like Sally you're hurting her as well. It's not always all about you men, you know." Wu Fei snorted but gave her a slight smile.
"Common I want to show you something."
He looked at her. "Another trip?"
Meiran nodded. "Into the Past?"
She smiled. "No not that far. You'll see."
And they were gone in a flash.
***
'Great just great. Exactly where I didn't want to be.' Heero noted with a hint of annoyance mingled with something like fear. They haven't gone back into the past this time. Actually they were only gone to the other side of the city. He knew most of the people here. They were colleagues from Preventers and somewhere here was Duo. Heero wasn't so sure he really wanted to see his partner having fun without him.
But too late.
There he was. Of course in the center of attention. Probably telling the others some stupid joke like they were laughing. Heero moved through the crowd to watch Duo closer leaving Solo behind who followed his every move. Duo had just excused himself from the crowd with a look to his watch.
Heero knew it was around 12.30am now. Somehow Solo managed to manipulate the time with him waking up in his bed the last time. He followed Duo who was dressed in a black attire and the red shirt he had worn before.
'Probably the only spot of color in all the black. Why does he only wear black and white anyway?' Heero wondered. Nobody had ever asked Duo after his preferred style of dressing and back in the war there were more important things to do and later on everybody had been used to see Duo in black. Heero began asking himself what at all he knew about the person he had fallen in love with somewhere along the way.
He stepped after Duo into the empty bathroom and watched Duo close the door before opening the tab of the cold water. But the black clad man didn't move, he just stared into the mirror and for the first time Heero noted how tired Duo looked. He had often wondered where Duo took all the energy to entertain all the people. Heero had never thought it'd take a toll on his partner. But now he took a closer look. They were both still young but Duo's eyes looked so much older much alike his own he knew without a doubt. The braided man leant heavily onto the sink staring at his other self in the miror as if asking silent questions only Duo and his reflection could hear. How many secrets did it knew Heero didn't and maybe would never find out about? But before Heero could fall any deeper into thought Duo suddenly dipped his hands under the water and splashed it into his face. He quickly wiped it dry plastered a grin on his face and went in search of the self serving bar. He choose a bottle of liquor and vanished up the stairs.
Heero stayed close behind and was quite surprised when not only Duo carefully walked out onto the roof but Solo happily greeted him from his spot where he lay sprawled out on all fours. Heero sent him a glare for good measure but the blonde haired man only shrugged. Duo sat unconsciously down beside Solo who sent a warm smile up to him even if the braided man couldn't see it.
Heero watched the scene and sat on the other side of Duo. 'I have to remember asking him just how they had met.' Heero noted a bit enviously. Solo obviously felt very comfortable next to Duo unlike Heero who usually was a bit edgy when Duo got too close what happened quite often.
Duo just sat there drinking from his bottle. To Heero it smelled horrible but Duo wasn't peeved by it and stared at the dark night sky as if searching for something.
"What is he looking for?" Heero wondered after awhile noting with concern how quickly Duo seemed to empty the bottle with the heavy liquor. He hadn't known Duo could take stuff like that.
Solo obviously caught him frowning at Duo. "Don't worry. He's not an alcoholic or something like that. It's just a remainder of living on the streets. He can take it."
Heero stared him. "He's been quitting the streets even before he met up with us. You talk like it's a general thing to do as a street kid."
Solo shrugged. "Not general. Sure real food is better but L2 was pretty cold in the winter cycle and food scarce. Alcohol was easy to get and in bits it takes your mind of things."
Heero still looked clueless. Solo sighed. "Like hunger, cold and death. You get the picture?"
The ex-pilot looked back to Duo. "And why is he drinking now? It's not necessary."
Solo cast a look at Duo. "Oh now he's drinking for us."
"And who's us?" Heero inquired after a moment when Solo didn't explained the matter any further.
"The dead of course."
Heero froze. 'The dead? What is going on here?' But before Heero could question Solo any further Duo started to speak.
"Happy anniversary, Solo."
Heero's eyes flew to the blonde man beside Duo. What was going on here? But Duo didn't stop there he continued wishing a happy anniversary to a lot of names none familiar to Heero's ears. Had they been his friends? But they couldn't ... couldn't all be dead, could they?! Heero looked horrified at Duo's somber face who didn't appear to be the least bit drunk. For each name he took a swig from the bottle until the last two.
"Happy anniversary Father Maxwell. Happy anniversary Sister Helen." Heero stared at Duo when he took the last swig and then threw the bottle of the house. It crashed with a loud noise on the sidewalk but nobody seemed to hear it.
"Who are those people? And why is he carrying his name?"
"Yuy, why don't you start using your oh so high prized brain for a change."
Heero scowled at him in return. "Sorry but Duo's brain is wired in a way I cannot always understand and I'm probably the closest to him. Alive." He added Solo's pointed look. "He named himself Duo to remember you, didn't he?!"
Solo looked at him for a moment then he grinned and looked back up at the sky. "So you do have a brain after all."
Heero glared at him again but obviously Solo was as immune to them as Duo. He sighed. "Are you going to tell me where you'd met?"
Solo gave him a grin. "Nope."
"What about the other names?"
"Nope."
"Why?" Heero asked frustrated.
"Simple. If you want to know you have to ask Duo."
Heero looked at the young man beside him. "He was trying to find L2, wasn't he?!"
"Wow, you're getting closer."
"Stop mocking me."
Solo glanced over to the dark brown haired man before saying. "He tried but he couldn't. You can't see L2 from Brüssel. Though that doesn't keep him from trying to find it next year again."
Heero looked sadly at Duo. "So that's what you're doing each Christmas. No wonder you're not telling me what you have been doing."
Solo snorted. "You know he probably would if you would simply show some interest in him and his life. If you'd just put in a bit of effort and stop pitying yourself you could actually be a part of his life."
"I do not pity myself." Heero's temper flared up.
"Yeah but you have one hell of an ego problem. As soon as you can't safe the world anymore you feel not needed and esteem yourself unworthy of being the recipient of someone's love. Or better Duo's love."
Heero was up in a flash. "What are you talking about?"
"I said Duo's love like Duo is in love with you."
For a moment Heero's brain shut down. 'Duoisinlovewithme?' Then the anger bubbled up. "Take that back. Don't lie to me. Duo is my friend. Maybe not everything is as fine as it seemed with him but that doesn't give you the right to make fun of me. Don't toy with me or you will regret it." Heero's chest heaved with anger. No one is making fun of him and Duo.
Solo slowly got up and looked Heero over. "You know, you're damn scared, man. Scared of admitting to your best friend that you fell in love with him and to be rejected. Really too bad. And all you do in the end is making Duo and yourself unhappy. I really had thought you were cleverer than that."
That toped it off. With a yell Heero pulled back his fist and attempted to smash it into Solo's face. But he hadn't on counted that Solo was a ghost. Like that he swished right through him and with a scream he fell off the roof. The earth came closer and closer and the only thing he heard was Solo's voice in his ear. "Okay. Definitely maniac." Before the world went black.
***
"Her apartment?" Wu Fei recognized the place instantly. "But..."
Meiran motioned to him to be quiet and follow her. They stopped in the living room where Sally was talking with somebody on the vid phone.
Wu Fei whispered to Meiran. "But I thought she was at the Christmas party. Why is she here?"
Meiran rolled her eyes and mouthed to him to 'Shut up.' where in return Wu Fei sent her a scowl. Sally had her back to them and was quietly listening to an old woman. She held herself erect, eyes downcast.
"You are a disgrace to our clan. Not only a working woman but no a doctor you had to be. Not that it hadn't been bad already with you running away from home and joining rebel groups no you had to join the army also. And now, what are you now? An old unmarried woman. Who would want to marry you now? Not that you ever had a chance to find a man with your looks in the first way. You are a disgrace to your ancestors." The old woman spat at her.
Wu Fei followed the rather one sided conversation first astonished than more and more angrily. What was going on here? That wasn't at all the Sally he knew. His Sally was courageous and always spoke her mind. She didn't take shit from anybody. Sally was proud like him. Who was that quiet obedient woman in front of him. It wasn't his Sally. Not the woman he thought he knew.
Meiran watched Wu Fei carefully. Finally he asked. "Did you knew about this?"
"Yes and no. I only followed your path but what Sally is facing now happens to every Chinese woman of the old clans who disobey the family. She has no protection and sooner or later she has to face the consequences for her actions."
Wu Fei tore his eyes away from Sally to Meiran. "What do you mean? She's far away from China. They have no power over her."
Meiran shook her head. "Do you remember when we discussed our marriage?"
Wu Fei frowned at the old memory.
"I wasn't happy with arrangement neither were you. But I was the daughter of one of the five high clans. You don't know what it means to disobey the family." She turned away from him. "I agreed to marry you but I was still an outcast driven out of the community of the women by my own dream to be a warrior to defend my home."
Wu Fei stared at her. He hadn't known. And still didn't know a lot of things apparently. But still how could he help Sally? It wasn't in his power to change things. He shook his head. He hadn't counted on Meiran though who had been watching him.
"You idiot! How can someone be so dumb? You are really getting on my nerves with that bullshit of honor and unworthiness and whatever else is blinding your macho brain."
Wu Fei gaped at her. Then he came out of his stupor. "Woman, you have no right to speak to me like that. You may be dead but-"
"But what? I can still speak my mind when I see it fit. Sally realized her dream knowing she would have to face the consequences one day for crossing her family. She sacrificed everything to become who she is today. The woman you fell in love with. Don't you dare open your mouth now! Who are you to deny her happiness?"
"But I don't. I would do everything to make her happy. Why can't you understand that, Meiran. I failed you but I won't fail her."
Meiran only shook her head. "You fool. You're on the best way to throw away your own happiness and hers as well and whoever said you failed me?" She whispered disappointment clearly audible in her voice. Without another word she disappeared leaving Wu Fei behind.
"Wait where are you going?"
But Meiran was gone.
Wu Fei turned to look at Sally who had turned off the vid phone and was walking like a robot over to the bathroom. Wu Fei stopped in the door frame watching her. She opened the water and washed her face and then stopped to look into the mirror. Wu Fei wondered. What did she see? He was yanked out of his thoughts violently at the creaking noise of breaking glass.
Sally had smashed the mirror with her fist. The Chinese gaped at her. He had never seen Sally out of control and it was freaking him out.
"Woman are you of your mind?" He yelled at her totally forgetting that she couldn't hear him. Blood was running over Sally's knuckles but she didn't seem to notice. The blonde woman stared intently at her cracked reflection.
Wu Fei ran his fingers through his loose hair. Sally was scaring him and he didn't know what to do.
"And what do you think now? Do you still think everything is oh so perfect in her life? That she's so happy with herself?" Meiran had appeared next to Sally and Wu Fei in the cracked mirror. Her words brutally frank began to nag at his heart. That wasn't what he thought it was about, was it?! But the longer he watched Sally the more obvious it became. The cruel words of the old woman had found nourishment. He could see the doubt in Sally's blue eyes. Doubts in her looks, her worth, her life.
Wu Fei shook his head. "This is crazy."
Meiran snorted. "What did you thought? Sally is a woman. Of course she wants to be pretty for you. And that stupid old hag is feeding her lies in those she will believe in sooner or later."
"God this is so stupid. Sally is beautiful as she is." Wu Fei pulled at his hair frustration. Why did women had to be so damn difficult all the time?
"Typical man, how can she know that if you never tell her? You know what I think you're coward."
Wu Fei shot around face to face with Meiran. Anger was written on his face. "Take that back. I'm no coward. You take that back right now."
Meiran looked at him coldly. "You will have to prove it to me."
"I will. I goddamn will."
The black haired woman. "So be it."
And they both vanished once again in a glow of red light.
***
In two apartments, each at the other end of the city, reigned once again silence as one unconscious and the other in silent rage were battling with their dreams, insecurities and hopes. But who knows? Maybe it's not too late yet. After all the witching hour lasts from midnight to one o'clock...
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I came to like Solo and Meiran. How about you guys? Merry Christmas by the way.