Chapter Ten
Non-cat Fights
"Is that batch of gingerbread out yet?" Amada asked from the table.
"Almost!" Celes called out, smiling.
"Hmwell, you need to hurry. Maryanne's eating all the candy," Amada explained.
"I am not!" Maryanne yelled defensively as she put back a handful in the bowl.
"This is so dumb. Only little kids do this kind of stuff," Kiki complained.
Ianthe draped her heavy form over Kiki's shoulders to push her into a chair at the table. "And what's so wrong with that? Besides, you and Deirdre need to have some cheerful decorations while we're all gone! It'll be fun."
Deirdre sat with her face in her hands focusing on the small Christmas Tree in the corner. There were six presents under it and small imitation icicles clung to the branches among candy canes and little gingerbread men. All the decorations were homemade. Today was the last day before everyone started going home. So they were making a gingerbread house and opening presents--they had drawn names the week before.
She imagined Tai would packing to go home with Huy soon. He'd seemed pretty excited in his last email. If only she could go home too, to see Mother. She and Milliardo had never lived as siblings really, but their relationship was deeper than most simply because of the knowledge of their blood ties. But she had lived with Mother. Normally they would be making cookies for the neighbors, or going to local parties. She missed Mother.
"Is it cool enough?" Amada asked impatiently.
Celes sighed, hands on hips, very reminiscent of a little mother and homemaker. "I guess it's cool enough. But if it crumbles, don't blame me!"
The thick frosting was spread on the foil-covered card board and pieces placed on it very quickly. It took a matter of minutes to finish building the house with six pairs of hands.
"What next?" Maryanne asked excitedly. She'd never made a gingerbread house before and apparently was not above such childish pursuits like Kiki was.
"It has to dry."
"What! First we have to wait for it to bake, then wait for it to cool, now we wait for it to dry? What's next?" She pouted.
Ianthe laughed. "Well, you want it to be pretty don't you?"
"I want it to be yummy!" Maryanne said, grinning.
Lazily, Deirdre played with the candy in the bowl, picking up a handful, dropping it back in the bowl. If what's-his-bucket was fighting to allow weapons againmaybe she could find a way to halt his bill, or override it if it passed. She'd written the first disarmament bill and gotten it passed years ago. She could find a way around his surely. Otherwise, all the Preventor's work could be counted as illegal, they could be disbanned, and that would be the end of it. She had to stop it.
"Hey! I was going to use that!"
"Don't shove!"
"This is supposed to be a season of love and sharing and giving. So why the heck are you stealing everything!"
"Ack! If this frosting dries and my nose peels off I'll haunt you till the day I die."
"Oh, just wipe it off. It's no biggy."
"That was my side you just elbowed."
Deirdre grinned to herself. They were so funny to listen too, assuming you we not in the middle of that mess of elbows and flying feet.
She wondered if Milliardo was working against all these problems. Of course no one in the general population would have noticed yet, it was all too subtle and slow. For those with this as a career, the signs would be popping up. They were small, very quiet. Just one man speaking out about re-arming the world and building up the military, arsonal and all. He did have some small amount of political clout, but not much, and it was still only in the bill stage. And she was sure the Preventors always had little fires to put out, but those were not up to public notice. Maybe she was worrying too much about this bill. But still, if someone could override her disarmamentit wouldn't be too much longer before some other things began to fall apart, all her safeguards and hard work would be gone.
There was something cold down her back. Deirdre shot up out of her seat to turn around and face Maryanne's mischievious grin. "Hi!"
"What was that for?" Deirdre asked, noting the ice cubes in Maryanne's hands.
"You were just so quiet. I had to wake you up. I'm sure you've just been studying too much!"
But Deirdre just shrugged the ice out of her shirt and smiled, sitting down. And waited for Maryanne to react.
"What!! You know, I'm going to find something really, really mean, and then you'll attack me! I'll get you to some time!"
"Come one, Maryanne. You know Deirdre never gets riled up about anything. You can't make her chase you," Ianthe said languidly from her corner. Her words came out a little muffled as she spoke around the muffin she was chewing.
"You just wait. I'll find something to make her come after me!!"
Deirdre smiled at her roommates, but quietly drifted back into her dream world. How could she find out from Milliardo without seeming too obvious, what was going on.
"I'm goin' home! Yiiiiiiiiipeeeeeeeeee!!!" Huy yodlled. "Man, aren't you excited!"
Tai nodded as he packed up his own duffel bag. "I've missed everyone. You'll have to tell them I'm sorry I won't be home as soon as you."
"Awe, it'll be no big deal. It's just a few days later. You have fun with your friends. Who are they anyway? I thought I knew all of your friends," Huy queried. Actually, Huy wasn't sure he believed the Tai was going it "visit friends." He just didn't do stuff like that. And he'd been so quiet about it. True, Tai wasn't one to jump around with happiness when something good was happening, but you could still tell. The intensity of his presence decreased, and he seemed more relaxed when he looked forward to something. But right now, if anything, he seemed MORE stressed to Huy.
"These are some more people frombefore," Tai explained.
"That's nice. Wait" And it clicked. "Did these people think you were dead all this time?"
Tai nodded.
"Well," Huy said as he sat on the edge of his bed, eyeing his brother. "This will be awkward."
"Yes. It will. And Deirdre's brother will be there too."
Huy was surprised the Tai would tell him Deirdre even HAD a brother, as he was so secretive. But maybe Tai felt this bit of information wasn't dangerous. "Is she coming? Is that why you're going?"
"No. She doesn't even know about it."
"Really? You guys have been emailing and all that, I figured it would have come out. Why isn't she going? If they are mutual friends" he trailed off, trying to get Tai to volunteer more information.
"I don't think that they know she knows I'm alive."
"Uh-huh. I don't suppose it would be a bad thing if they found out?" Huy asked.
"Honestly, I don't know. However, they will know soon, one way or another."
"IS anyone I know going to be there?"
Tai leaned back on his heels as he zipped up his bag. They were leaving tomorrow morning, on different shuttles, but they departed with about a half-hour between. Huy would leave first, for the small botanical colony, then Tai for one of the larger, main colonies. L-4. "Duo. And his wife Hilde. You ran into Trowa once, and I think you met Wufei and Sally very briefly a while ago."
"A Gundam pilot reunion, huh? L-4.isn't that where the Winner estates and business are?"
Tai nodded.
"None of them are Deirdre's brother, are they?" Huy asked quickly.
"No. You've never met him."
"How many other people will be there?"
"Just a few more. There are three that I can think of off hand."
"All important military or political figures, I take it? Anyone you knew before seems to be one or the other," Huy observed dryly.
Tai shrugged. "I knew them during the wars. Many of them ended climbing up the ladder, so to speak."
"Except you."
"No. Trowa still works at the circus with his sister, and Duo owns his little business."
"That's true," Huy conceded. "So maybe you aren't the only one who longed for a quiet life."
"It's why we foughtfor peace, and happiness. Not just for us but for everyone."
Huy watched his serious brother's face staring off, eyes unfocused on a random corner of the room. It was usually a pretty safe bet when he zoned out like that, he was remembering something, something that he'd never share with anyone.
"Well, I'll say hi' to everyone for you and hope you survive this visit. If you need to come home sooner, just give us a ring. You know Mom and Dad will help you out."
"Yah." He was still staring off in space. Huy wouldn't be able to talk to him normally for a couple minutes, so he just went on with his packing. Then he picked up a note Kieko had written him a few day's previous. It was nothing special, just a random note she'd pinned to his door with some information about planning the wedding. It was going to be in early May, as soon as school got out. They'd both go home to spend time with their families for a couple weeks, then see each other again at the wedding. It was going to be on L-3, where Kieko's family lived, and many of the Iwasato relatives too. But still, it hit Huy that he'd have to say goodbye to her for a couple weeks. He bit his lip, and felt a little guilty for suddenly not being so excited to go home. Kieko was coming out for a few days at the end of the break to meet his family. Huy had already met Kieko's family as they lived on this colony, but still.
Huy felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see his brother's face, back to normal and looking intently down at him. "You're going to miss her," he said softly. It wasn't exactly an observation, more of a basic asserting the obvious type of statement.
He looked miserably down at the note-book paper in his had. "It's weird. I can't even fathom what I'm going to do, not seeing her everyday for a couple weeks."
"Then it's a good thing you decided to marry her."
"It's like, I can't imagine lifewithout her any more. I can't imagine how I lived without her until this point."
Tai smiled. "Remember that when you've been married for fifteen years and you're getting older, and more wrinkled and all you ever do is fight."
"All we ever do is fight now," Huy reminded. Then he smiled at his brother. "Do you miss Deirdre?"
"Not this again" Tai rolled his eyes.
"No, I'm serious. Do you miss her? I didn't ask, are you in love with her?'."
"II think so. I haven't really thought about it. Do I miss Donny or Duo? Or any of our friends we've said goodbye to over the years? Not really. I know we'll see them again, sooner or later," Tai answered his own question.
"But she's different. She makes you smile. Surely that means she's at least a little special, not just one of the guys."
Tai looked curiously at his brother, and sat down beside him. Then looked down at his hands. "I will admit that she means more to me than any other friend I've ever had. She'shelped me through a lot of things, even though she doesn't know it. I many times, when I've had those dreams, and I wake upit's not because I'm scared of the horrifying images, not usually. It's because she appears and tries to drag me out of them. Normally I end up pulling her down with me, and that's when I wake up. But lately, I've seen myself pulling her out. It doesn't make sense to me, but because she's safe, I don't get so worried, and I don't wake up. But I always dream it."
Huy looked at his brother, scarcely breathing, afraid that if he made a loud noise, his brother's sudden openness would cease. He'd never known, Tai had never breathed a word. He dreamed of Deirdre EVERY NIGHT? What had she done?
Tai continued to stare at his hands, relaxed and flat on the floor. He closed his eyes, as if trying to keep some feeling from spilling out of them. "II can't say that she's anything but a friend because I just don't knowbut I."
"But you what? What is it Tai," Huy asked as quietly as he could, and still be heard.
"I to can't imagine a life withoutwhere she's not there, alive. Not necessarily with me, just a life where she's dead or never existed."
It was deathly silent.
"I" he struggled for words as Huy had never seen him do. "Maybe it's not like you and Kieko, being in love and marrying, but it's no less powerful. I want to protect her as I did before. I never expected to protect her during the war, but so much depended on her, so I did. And now, I see that life would have little meaning for me if she died. I can't let anything ever happen to her. And that's why I must stay out of her life as much as possible." His eyes were still closed, andhe trembled slightly, but stopped almost as soon as he started so that Huy wondered if he'd imagined it, for a second.
But Huy knew that he had seen it. He reached forward and hugged his brother tightly. "I don't know who she is or what's really going on in your mind, or hers. I don't understand the situation, but from listening to your words, I think you are wrong. I think you must he hurting her many, many times more by NOT going to her, by not being with her. How I see it, if you want to protect her, the best way is to be with her, by her side, always. You are not a Gundam Pilot, and no one has come after you since we were in high school. Quit looking around corners waiting to be attacked! Do you think I don't notice how your hand still flies to your belt when you feel threatened? That's no way to live. Let it golet it all go and talk to Deirdre. Tell her your fears, tell her how you careI think thatI daresay that you will regret this one thing most of all if you don't act now. You should act on your emotions."
Tai blinked at the wall, feeling his brother's support and love seeping through his arms. "I always act on my emotions."
"Then why are you here? Why aren't you with Deirdre? Let yourself enjoy the peace you helped create!"
"But I didn't do it."
"Yes, you did. You helped, you fought, just like Toshi and every other nameless young soldier who risked their life for it. You deserve to be free and happy," Huy insisted. But then Tai broke away suddenly.
"It's noon. I've got to go take my last exam." And he was gone.
Huy stared at where his brother had been before. He'd been so close, so close, to getting Tai to open up to him. The way Tai talked, it really didn't sound like there was much to question with regard to his feelings for Deirdre. So why did Tai act so unsure? And it was true, no one had bothered him since that momentous evening in high school. Huy shook his head. He didn't understand. And he felt his annoyance continue and anger grow.
Kiki and Deirdre waved goodbye as the last of their roommates, Maryanne, left. Everyone had finished with exams the day before and were going home for Christmas. But Kiki hated to go home and Deirdre, well, she couldn't go home. Not yet. Every other Christmas before, she'd allowed herself to call Zechs and Noin and her mother on a vid-phone, but that was only because she had been alone and there was no risk of getting caught. This year Kiki was with her, and Deirdre wasn't sure if she should call or not.
However, she fully intended to have a nice Christmas with Kiki. Years ago she'd laughed by a fire-side on her father's lap with a large, strongly scented tree and her mother cooking away in the kitchen. Also, thanks to Celes, they had a very festive apartment. The gingerbread house they'd made earlier made a very pretty centerpiece for the table, despite the somewhat tacky hodgepodge of candy forming incongruous stripes of mints and gummy rings. A small, four-foot tree stood in the corner, a small box from Kiki's mother lay under it. Lights were strung up in the windows and mistletoe in every doorway. They'd had a lot of fun decorating.
As the door closed behind Maryanne, Kiki sighed with what sounded like relief. "What's wrong?" Deirdre asked her.
"I'm just glad to have some peace and quiet. My head was reverberating with all the tramping around of packing and exams. I can't wait to relax!"
Deirdre nodded and smiled. "It will be nice."
"You going to see Tai at all?" Kiki asked curiously.
She shrugged. "I really don't know. Probably not. He'll be busy at home."
Kiki nodded. "Hey, it's snowing!" she yelled and sprinted to the door.
"Maybe we'll get enough snow to make a snowman!" Deirdre chimed in as she leaned against the window, eyes dancing like a small child's. "Oh, Kiki! This is going to be a great Christmas! Let's make hot chocolate, and popcorn trees, and turkey, and clam chowder, and cinnamon rolls!"
Kiki made a face. "Can you cook all that? Cause I certainly can't," she commented skeptically.
Deirdre grinned. "I'll teach you! I used to cook all the time with my mom!"
"You've never mentioned your family before. Why don't you ever visit them?"
"Well, they live on Earth so it's pretty tough to get down there." Deirdre had decided long ago that that would be her excuse. It could get expensive to fly there and back all the time, and it was hard on the body, traveling though the atmosphere so much and the extremes in gravity change. So she kept this simple explanation for everyone. When attempting to lie, the best way was always the simplest way--especially if you were a terrible liar. "I always call them at Christmas though!" She didn't return the question to Kiki. Deirdre didn't know Kiki's situation, but she did know that her roommate got very touchy if you asked her about it. When the package from her mother came in, she grumbled and was completely impossible to live with for two days.
"I wish I could be excited to talk to my family, or visit them," she said wistfully to the snow.
"Well, one day you can make a family and be happy to be with them," Deirdre said unaffectedly.
"Maybe." Her voice trailed off and she concentrated on the flakes falling outside. "Hey, so you've seen real snow then? Living on Earth and all, right?"
"Uh-huh. Have you never been to Earth?"
"No."
"But I thought you grew up in the Philippines"
"No. Wellyes. I was born there and we lived there till I was five. But then we moved back to the colonies because of my father's work. I don't really remember Earth at all."
"That's sad. You should go back. It's where we all came from in the beginning, and most especially you since you were born there! You should go and see where you came from. It gives you a very secure sense of knowing who you are and where you belong." Deirdre had a funny dreamy look in her eyes that make Kiki a little nervous.
"So it's as pretty as everyone says?"
"Oh, so much more. Especially the moon. It's breathtaking from Earth." Deirdre's eyes danced with happiness as she described her homeland. "I miss it." Kiki tried to smile. Deirdre caught the look and patted her on the shoulder. "Happiness and peace is a decision. If you want to be happy, you decide to be happy."
"You make it sound so simple."
"You make it seem so difficult," Deirdre countered.
Quatre was seated in a room by the front door when he heard the doorbell ring the first time. His office was in the back of the huge house and he'd never hear the doorbell from back there, so he had relocated to a room closer to the door. Everyone would start to arrive today. Zechs and Noin were expected first, so this would probably be them. Zechs had decided that on purpose–apparently he had something to discuss with Quatre. It didn't really worry him though. Zechs didn't sound too serious. After that, Trowa, Duo and Hilde, and Wufei and Sally, in that order, supposedly. Zechs had Wufei and Sally out on a mission right now so they could be late. Heero would be the last to arrive.
The large estate hidden in a far corner of the colony would serve as their meeting place. There would be a butler, two maids, and two cooks servicing the place. It would be impossible to keep it up on their own and still have time to relax. But all of Quatre's employee's knew to not speak to anyone of this meeting. If any leak got out to the press, people might start suspecting things. Two highly ranked Preventors, two lower ranked Preventors, a multi-billionaire, the owners of a salvaging company, and a couple nonentities. It could be made to look pretty bad when viewing it from that angle.
The doorbell rang again and Quatre cheerfully opened to door to admit Zechs and his wife. It was odd. Noin had officially changed her last name to match Zechs', but it was still habit for everyone to call her by her old surname, even Zechs.
"I'm glad that you made it. How was your flight?" he queried as the two walked in, small duffels in hand.
"It was fine. Thank you for asking," Noin replied politely.
But Zechs went straight to business. "Is anyone else here yet?"
"No. The next person scheduled to arrive is Trowa, but he won't be here till late tonight. We have quite a few hours to talk until he is here. Would you like to put your things down and have something to eat or drink before we talk?"
Zechs looked as if he were going to decline but Noin answered before he could. "Thank you, Quatre. That sounds wonderful."
Quatre nodded. "This way," and he motioned for them to follow him up the spiral stairs. Down a hall, up another flight, and to the left, Quatre pointed to their room. "You'll be staying here. Everyone else will also be along this hallway. Just meet me downstairs when you're ready. I'll be in the room to the right of the main door."
"Thank you," Noin said and Quatre closed the door behind him, completely unconcerned. Noin sighted. "I still say you are too jumpy, Zechs."
"One can never be too cautious. We need to be prepared, and when else will we have such an opportunity to speak with them all at once?" Zechs asked gruffly. "They should know of my worries, and be prepared."
"So you're all ready to forgive Heero? You certainly had a change of heart rather quickly."
"Lady Une was good enough to remind me that I did the same thing. I think perhaps I haven't given Heero a proper chance after all. I do believe that he is an intelligent young man, and I have much respect for him. I keep hoping that he wasn't acting as foolishly and selfishly as I first believed."
Noin flopped down on the bed and looked up at the vast ceiling. "This is a very nice place"
"Naturally. Quatre is a very attentive caretaker."
"I still say they were all too young, too pure."
Zechs looked down at his wife. He knew she was talking about all the pilots, not just Quatre. But he disagreed with Noin on some of these things. She strove to protect all of her men, every one that she ever trained. However, Zechs took the more realistic view that they made the choice to fight and knew the danger of death. Thus, he would not worry about them. They knew what could happen, they were old enough, hence it was unreasonable to feel responsible for their welfare. She believed that the pilots shouldn't have had to fight, that it was unfair. Zechs believed that because of their considerable skills, it was necessary for them to fight and, though young, they were still old enough to decide for themselves what they believed in, what they were willing to fight for.
"Let's go find Quatre," was his only reply.
Noin nodded and pulled herself up. It took a little while, but eventually they found Quatre settled among masses of paper work. Zechs felt a twinge of sympathy looking on this mess. He was a doer, not an office man.
"Hi!" Quatre stood up cheerfully as they came in. "Have a seat over there, if you like."
"Thank you," Noin smiled back. She was the one with social graces, Zechs could put them on if he desired, but he would quietly follow her lead the majority of the time. He was perfectly content with that.
"You said you wanted to speak with me about something before the others came?" the blond man prompted.
"I'll be very brief. We're getting a little worried about the political situation. We're starting to see a few signs of...turmoil," Zechs told him quickly.
Quatre nodded with full attention.
"I plan on mentioning this to the others, just as a quiet warning. I don't think we'll go straight into a war very soon, however, we cannot be too careful. I want the others to just be en guarde. But I need you to do something for me."
"Name it. As long as it's not illegal!"
"I need you to watch the economic realm. We've got the political and military areas covered. But we don't have anyone reliable to watch the stock markets, who's buying what, which businesses are growing fastest, and so on. If we will have a war, the signs will be all over the place and the sooner we see where the problem will be and with whom, the better. Again, I don't think it will be any time soon, but I think it best if we keep our eyes peeled."
Quatre nodded. "I understand. Don't worry. I'll take care of everything."
"Thank you."
"Keys?"
"This is so stupid. Honestly! You aren't my mother!"
Kieko looked at Huy, startled. "Don't you talk to me like that!"
Huy just shut his mouth and glared at her.
"You know how terrible you are with remembering to pack things. I'm only doing what I do every time you leave! And it's saved you more than a few times!" Her voice was a bit sharper than she'd meant it to be.
"Well maybe I've never appreciated it, and this is the first time I've let you know!" he retorted.
Kieko looked as if she'd swallowed something very large and nasty. "Do you want me to drive you to the shuttleport or not?"
Huy said nothing, but looked very hard at her.
That was when Tai walked in. He saw the way they were looking at each other and knew immediately that this wasn't the usual cat fight. He very quietly left the room again.
Kieko continued to stare at Huy, willing an answer from him. "If this is about Tai and him not telling you about that girl, then don't take it out on me. He said he'd tell you about it as soon as he could. Why can't you just trust him? He's never lied to you before. He must have a good reason for not telling you."
But Huy continued his stony glare. "Fine. Be that way. I don't know what's gotten into you lately, but you are not acting like the man I agreed to marry. I'll drive the two of you in and pick you up, but if you are still acting like this after Christmas, that drive will be our last together," she told him in a deathly whisper. "And I don't think I'll be visiting either."
Huy's mouth firmed up into a hard, ragged line. He still wasn't saying anything.
"All right then. I'll go find Tai. I'm sure he's been packed for the past week." And she stormed off.
Huy watched her back then turned to his bag and started violently shoving clothes and books into it.
What did she know anywaywhy did she even matterhe got along fine without her before, and he would now.
His anger was powerfully beating against his chest. He would not let this get to him. She did not matter. He didn't want to marry his mother anyway. Stupid.
"Huy"
"WHAT!" he flew at the intruder. Tai looked calmly at his brother. Huy could feel his lower jaw jutting out in fury. "What do you want?"
"We need to leave in about ten minutes if we're to get you there in time."
"Hah! We'll be getting there forty-five minutes early! That's more than enough time!" Huy yelled. "Stupid mother-hen" he muttered.
But a strong hand grabbed his shoulder and fiercely turned him. "What now?" Huy glared again. And Huy was on the floor, clutching at his stomach. After a moment of thinking, he realized that the culprit must have been his brother's fist. "Wh-ywhat did y-you do tha-that for?" he stuttered, struggling for breath.
"Don't you ever, EVER call Kieko any type of name. That is the number one rule with someone you love that much. No matter how angry you are, you NEVER call her by any name but her own or one of endearment."
Huy looked up at his brother with large eyes. He'd never seen such a furious look in his brother's eyes. He'd seen murder in them when he'd been kidnapped and Tai got him out, he'd seen anguish and sadness, but he'd never seen such unadulterated fury.
Tai spoke again in the careful, firm voice. He wasn't yelling, it would have been a million times less frightening if he had. Tai reminded Huy of Ryuzou. "Don't you DARE move a hand to strike her in anger. Don't you ever dishonor her name by speaking ill of her to any person. Do not stoop to childish silences because of injured pride or temporary hate, because it is temporary and in a day or two you'll have completely forgotten this. It's not worth it to sacrifice your friendship. And if you think it is, then you are not mature enough to be married. You will never get along perfectly with any person, so you must love them enough to get through it."
Huy felt the waning anger rise up again, but this time directed at Tai AND Kieko. "If-if you like her so much, if things are so great," Huy whispered harshly, "then why didn't you marry her? You knew her long before I did. Why didn't you?"
"Because she's not for me. Period. But she is for you. But if you treat her so ill, then you don't deserve her."
Huy flew up to face Tai. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MY BROTHER! WHY ARE YOU DEFENDING HER? HUH? WHY ARE YOU SIDING WITH JUST A FRIEND INSTEAD OF ME?"
"Huy."
"NO! I DON'T WANT TO LISTEN TO THIS! I DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO THIS!" His eyes were unfocused in a completely irrational anger. "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!"
"Then pack your bag. We need to go."
Huy glared at his unflinching brother.
They loaded their things in the car and Kieko climbed into the driver's seat. Huy, very obviously, climbed into the back. Tai gave no sign that he was disturbed by anything and sat in the back with Huy. The car was deathly silent. Huy was furious at both of them, Kieko was furious with Huy, and Tai, so it appeared, was completely unconcerned with anything at all. That just made Huy even more angry.
Kieko flipped on the radio to cover up the tension, but it only made things worse.
"Turn it off" Huy growled.
"Why? Do you have something to say to me?" Kieko demanded, looking sharply at him through the rear-view mirror.
"No. I just hate this music."
"It never bothered you before," she retorted, not doing a very good job of disguising her snarl.
"Well, I just never complained about it before!"
"Fine." And she flicked it off. The car was silent again. Huy glared out the window, Kieko fumed at the road, and Tai just leaned back and closed his eyes.
They unloaded at the port, then. "That everything?" Kieko asked.
"Yes. Thank you," Tai answered her. Huy was looking anywhere but them. "Have a good Christmas," he said and picked up his bag. Huy was already dancing around ready to spring away.
Kieko glared at Huy's wiggling figure. "Whatever" And she climbed back into the car and was gone.
"Give me my ticket," Huy held out his hand the second Kieko had disappeared.
Tai looked hard at his brother as he fished around for it. Huy grabbed it from Tai's hand as soon as he had it out. Without a word, he stormed off to check in.
Tightening his grip on his own bag, Tai grit his teeth and went into the port. There were already two families between he and Huy for the line, but maybe that was best. Give Huy a few days to cool off, then maybe he could get a little information out of his brother. They play fought all the time, but never like this. It worried him. How could such a relationship go bad so quickly? But Tai knew on thing for certain, if Huy ever wanted Kieko again, he could never, ever call her any name or strike her in anyway. She'd been hurt by just about every other man she'd ever known and Huy could not do it either. It disturbed Tai that his brother could act in such a way. He was full of emotion, but this was ridiculous.
By the time Tai got through all the lines, Huy was long gone. So Tai slouched up to his port and pulled out a text book for next semester. He only had one more semester then he'd be in medical school. The applications were murder and he imagined the schools were even worse.
He put the book away. Who was he kidding? He couldn't concentrate on anything. There was too much else in his mind. Huythis visit. He wasn't worried about the explanation. He knew he had a valid one. He'd explain it and if they did not accept it, oh well. He did not much care.
Propping his elbows on his knees, Tai rested his chin in his hands. Why didn't he just tell Huy who Deirdre was and stop this entire mess! It was obvious that was why Huy was so edgy, so it could be said that Tai was the root of this problem.
But he couldn't tell, not when she was so close to coming back. He could not endanger her in any way. He could not let anything happen. So why couldn't Huy just trust him? He'd trusted him with so much else. Was it just because this was a girl they were talking about?
Tai rubbed his temples furiously.
"Well, hello. I didn't expect to find you here, Heero Yuy," a silky woman's voice sounded above Tai's head.
Tai looked up to a very blond girl desperately in need of an eyebrow plucking. "I'm not Heero Yuy. I'm Tai Iwasato."
"Oh, of course," she said meekly and folded herself gracefully into the seat next to him.
"What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I heard about a little party through the grape vine on L-4, so I thought I'd go. My journey was a bit long though, so I have a switch-over here. My lay-over was about an hour. How about you?"
Tai gave her a dumb look.
She grinned, then laughed her delicate lady laugh. "Oh course! So the rumors are true? You're going to defend your honor."
"You could say that. And you are still obsessed with battles."
She laughed again. "Come now, we're not teenagers any more. Give me more credit than that! No, actually, I wanted to see Quatre. His sister, one of them anyway, told me that he'd be there. So I'm going."
Tai nodded. Great, he thought. I just hope she's grown out of some of her dementia too
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N I really wish I had more time to write, but I need to pass my classes so I can get into my desired post-grad programs. Ug. Anyway, I hope you are all still keeping with me! I'm trying! Pinky-swear!! Enjoy and feel free to email me with any questions/comments/outbursts/etc. I love feed back! Toodles for now, Tygerlilee