The World's In Your Eyes, by Kaoru Saotome
"Sylvia," murmured Heero, holding her to him tightly. "There's something I…need to tell you. It's been going on for a while, and I think you should know…"
"What is it?" she asked him, eyes shining in the starlight. She knew this was the moment. This was when he'd say what he felt.
"I…" Heero got no further. A howling gale sprang up, drowning out all words and tugging at them both. He held onto her but his grip began to slide – a grip so strong that, even should he be killed, finger amputations would be in order – and she was torn away from him. Crying out in fear, she was hurled into the centre of the vortex…which glowed a faint green. He looked up – and was met with the face of Wing Gundam Zero Custom, its chest orb dully luminescent as Sylvia was dragged into the core of the machine which had destroyed his life.
Heero screamed in rage and pain as a familiar pair of huge gunbarrels fixed themselves on him and began to glow…
"What the hell?" he muttered, opening his eyes. It was early morning, about five or six, and he was slick with sweat. Evidently the nightmare had affected him more than he'd thought.
Is that really how I see the Zero? He thought to himself in wonder. As the thing that pulled away my chance at a real life?
Getting out of bed, he was reminded of his still-healing ribs by a faint twinge of agony. He roughly shoved it out of his brain, kicking the screaming mental switchboard of pain until it stopped bothering him. He wasn't in the mood.
Minutes later, wearing clothing Quatre would probably have at least approved of in comparison to his customary work gear, Heero activated the coffee machine in one of the mansion's smaller kitchens. No one else was here; this, he reasoned, probably meant that this was where Trowa would take his breakfast. He didn't like being waited on. Quatre would have accompanied him, and therefore this was where the young businessman would come.
His deductions were rewarded when, five minutes or so later, the blonde man arrived. He was followed by Duo and Wufei, who explained they'd run into him in the corridors of the house and requested help to find their way to some food.
"I put a note under Miss Noventa's door as well," said Quatre. "It's directions to the kitchen. None of us really know her well enough to politely wake her up, and I knew you wouldn't, Heero. Um…that is all right, isn't it?"
"It's fine," said Heero, sipping his coffee and pouring a mug for each of the others.
"Man, Heero, you know me too well," said Duo as he smelt the double-strength Espresso and drank a mouthful. "Aw, yeah, that's the stuff…by lunchtime I should be back to my old self again!"
"Oh, no," murmured Wufei, smiling slightly behind his coffee.
"So, Wufei," said Heero. "There are rumours you're looking for a wife. Is it true?"
"Is it hell," scoffed the Chinaman. "Just women, gossiping as they always do."
"Like I thought," murmured Heero, drinking another mouthful.
Quatre's phone rang. He waved a quick 'excuse me' to the others, and wandered outside to answer it.
"So what's been going on since we split?" asked Duo. "Heero, how's the move to France?"
"I have a job as an engineer," said Heero. "It's rural. Peaceful. I…like it there. What about you?"
"Fully fledged Prometheus Alliance worker," grinned Duo. "Got the scrapyard, of course, but Hilde helps me run that. We're thinking of adopting."
"A miniature Shinigami," murmured Wufei. "That's…a terrifying thought."
"Oh, relax, I'm out of the war," scowled Duo. "I'm not gonna teach a kid to do what I can do. That'd ruin his life as much as it did mine."
"We are such a bunch of screwups," reflected Heero thoughtfully as Quatre returned.
"Um, guys, we're gonna have visitors today," he said, "And before I tell you who, I'm going to have to ask you to take off any personal armament you're carrying…"
There was a pause, then a single gun hit the floor. It was Duo's. He looked awkwardly at Heero, who for once hadn't actually been carrying a weapon, as Wufei placed his katana reverentially on the floor between them.
"Now who's coming?" he asked Quatre, straightening up.
"The Peacecrafts," replied Quatre hesitantly. "Both of them."
Heero took a deep breath, willing himself not to pour his coffee over Quatre's head. He did not want Relena Peacecraft, or her frankly lunatic brother, preaching at him again. Relena kept asking him if he'd gotten into fights recently and then squawking about pacifism no matter whether he had or not…and her brother was just the opposite. The man never shut up about how war affected people!
"Heero, I know you think they're both nuts, so I've told them that if they do want to stay their rooms will be in the East wing…as far from yours as possible. But you'll still have to be polite and socialise with them, okay? Their resources – and Milliardo's skills with psychology – will be a big help in finding Trowa."
"Fine," said Heero sulkily. He intended to avoid both Peacecrafts as much as possible. "If I have to."
"Don't worry," said Duo. "We'll keep 'em off your back. We know how you feel."
"Thanks," said Heero in a monotone, finishing his coffee and heading out. "Better get to work." Shoring up my defences, he added mentally with a touch of wry bitterness.
"He is too set on avoiding them," said Wufei, likewise finishing his coffee. And buckling his katana back on. "Milliardo Peacecraft is a good conversant as long as you don't directly mention war…having said that, I wonder how his fencing skills are. Quatre, you don't mind if I use your basement for some kata and a swordfight later on, do you?"
"Go right ahead, Wufei," smiled Quatre. "This is your home until you return to China. Consider it your house as well as mine."
"Tu casa es nuestra casa," grinned Duo. (A/N. For those who don't speak any Spanish at all, "Your house is our house".)
"Exactly," said Quatre. "So…Heero's story I know. Duo I…kind of overheard on my way back in. Wufei, how's your Clan? I know what it's like to head up a whole group of people like that."
"We're expanding once again," said Wufei with a healthy stretch of subject matter, neatly evading the concept of actually admitting something was hard. "A few of the Clan weren't on the home colony when it detonated…I managed to contact them and invite them back to China. With help from the Preventers, we've worked our way back into respectable society." This last was said with an understandable touch of pride. Quatre knew all about saving face, and Duo had heard stories of exactly how important such things were in the East.
"I'm glad for you," said Quatre. "You've dragged the Clan up from the brink of total destruction, Wufei. It isn't easy to do that."
Wufei said nothing, but refilled his coffee cup. He'd never done a damn thing easy.
"Uh…can anyone else see fireworks between Relena and Sylvia?" asked Duo, suddenly looking doubtful.
"I doubt that," said Wufei quietly. "Even the Perfect Soldier won't be enough to drag that girl away from her ideals. She's very set on pacifism."
"Yeah, but wouldn't you love to see it?" laughed the American. Quatre looked slightly worried.
It was about five that afternoon when Abdul, the Maganac on door duty, announced the Peacecrafts' arrival. Quatre immediately went down to meet them, accompanied by the other Pilots and Sylvia – who, with Duo's help, practically dragged Heero downstairs.
"Relena!" grinned Quatre, hugging her. "It's been…what, two years?"
"Close," smiled Relena. "Hi, everyone!" She was rewarded with one cheerful greeting from Duo, a quiet one from Wufei, an enthusiastic one from Sylvia – who had met Relena a couple of times at diplomatic gatherings – and something approaching a coherent grunt from Heero, who had yet to make eye contact with either of them. He believed there was a curse.
"If you want to unpack, I'll show you to your rooms," offered the eternally-smiling Quatre, shaking Milliardo's hand warmly.
"Thanks," replied the taller man in the voice they all remembered from the war – low with unreleased semi-anger, and soft with muted hatred of himself for the acts he had committed. Still the tallest of the gathered heroes, Milliardo's icy blue half-glare equalled Heero's for sheer bowel-disrupting intensity. Those eyes could tell his life story to those who looked close enough.
"Heero," smiled Relena, walking up to him and stopping there for a moment as Milliardo and Wufei began carrying bags after Quatre, "And…Sylvia Noventa? I recall we met at Lord Jikariel's retirement party last autumn…"
"I remember," smiled Sylvia. "It's good to see you again, Relena."
"Relena," came Milliardo's voice, "Come on, you need to see where your room is."
"I have to go now, Heero," she said. "I'll see you later, okay?"
Heero nodded, still not looking at her. She moved off quickly to join the others, not noting his reticence.
"She annoys you?" asked Sylvia quietly from Heero's side.
"More than anything," replied the Perfect Soldier in a half-whisper. "I'll tell you about it later."
"Kay," she agreed, turning to watch the Peacecrafts go.
"Man," said Duo. "I'll tell you this, Heero…annoying as she may be, she's got a great pair."
"What?" asked Sylvia, surprised by his crudeness.
"They're the best eyes I've seen on anyone, and that's the truth," continued Duo, smirking as he recovered his reputation.
"Duo, that mouth of yours will get you killed one day," said Heero. "And Wufei will be there. I guarantee it."
"You think I'll irritate him that much?" asked Duo, eyes widening.
"No," replied the chocolate-haired man, cracking his knuckles. "I just think he wouldn't miss it for the world."
Sylvia giggled as Heero headed upstairs after her.