Name: Story Time With Trowa or Once Upon a Cross Dresser
Author: Nataku's Child
Archive: Not up yet...
Feedback: Yeah! Shininikki@hotmail.com
Couples: 1+5 (::grin::) 2x3x4 (::bigger grin::)
Disclaimer: Yes, yes... Don't own, don't own...
Key
'Thoughts' (you should know that one by now, though)
"Voice Mail" (this is where it might get confusing...it's all in the
quotation!)
Story Time With Trowa or Once Upon A Cross Dresser
Chapter Twelve
Monday morning a very tired and less than cheerful Trowa walked into his top-floor office. Despite devoting his entire Sunday to paperwork and staying up until said devoted day turned into the present one, he was still disgracefully behind schedule. In fact he was sure that if he took the time to print out every report, gather every memo and stack them with every passive aggressive letter sent to him from a higher-up, the term "up to his knees" would be depressingly literal. Of course, he could only blame himself. He had become...distracted...lately. He had been letting his two dangerously glompable roommates lure him away from his work far more often than he should have. It was mutually agreed that Trowa was the more grounded and responsible one. If the manager slips, then those underneath him fall too... Underneath being figurative, of course.
A small curl formed on Trowa's lips at that little innuendo and he allowed a couple of mental pictures to pass through his mind before getting back the problem at hand. He shouldn't have let Duo and Quatre ignore their work either. If Trowa was the more responsible one, then his neglected work would-logically speaking-be a lot less than Quatre's, not to mention Duo's...
With his mind wrestling between worrying about the other's jobs and his own, Trowa fell into his chair with a large, ear-popping yawn. He then had to strain to make his sleep deprived muscles lift his briefcase onto the desk. He was still amazed that he was able to stuff every folder, note, form, file and memo into a small briefcase that was greatly overdo for retirement. Well, he would think about buying a new one once he was sure he still had a job to take it to.
Yet even after worries about loosing his job; even though he yawned every second breath from late night cramming; even though he was completely unprepared for his 10:00am meeting; even though he knew that as soon as his computer booted up, he was going to get at least one more message about some over-due report; even though imminent doom was coming as fast as the day was brightening, he couldn't feel angry or even regretful of his past few weeks. His job performance was suffering, but he couldn't remember a time in his life where he had been this happy. He could count on a single hand how many times he had not been unhappy in his life, and even those were tainted in one way or another. Because of this he constantly had to remind himself to enjoy this fragile time of joy instead of waiting for the inevitable downfall he was headed towards. Because these things don't last, right?
Trowa's screen flashed a small window, informing him of waiting voice messages. He distractedly set them to play while he unpacked the previous day's work. He had to focus! It just wasn't a good time to brood over the injustices of life. Or rather, what a bitch karma can be.
Trowa's lip twisted in a small, bitter smirk as his voice mail started to play, and his procrastination ran over to give him a sharp kick up the arse.
"Good morning Mr. Barton, I'm calling from the office of Ms. Une..." Trowa quickly skipped the message without looking up.
"Mr. Barton? This is Jacob Schaefer. I'm calling about the status reports from colony..." He skipped that one as fast as he was able.
"Trowa?" Trowa paused in his search for a particularly important form at the sound of Quatre's voice. He stopped shuffling papers to listen, his lips curling as the voice went on. "I don't want to bother you... You must be busy, I know, but... Well, I hardly saw you at all yesterday..." Quatre always had a problem with asking for something he wanted... It was evil to enjoy his nervous tiptoeing, but Trowa found himself laughing anyway. "And you left the story at such a crucial part..." Quatre cleared his throat and rushed through the rest. "Lets have lunch, kay? Bye! End of message. To repeat this message..."
Trowa closed his voice mail, ignoring the other waiting messages. He leaned his elbows against the desk, knitting his fingers together to rest his chin on. He smiled softly as visuals of the nervous blonde trying to get up the courage to call played in his head. One little message and suddenly he didn't feel quite as nervous or tired. That was Quatre for you.
'Lunch, huh?' Trowa weighed his options. It was going to be a busy day. He had planned on skipping the meal altogether... But a lunch date with his two...companions...had far too much temptation to stand against a day locked in his office with nothing but papers and angry messages to keep him company. Ah yes, the scale was well tipped in favor of lunch...
As for work? Well, maybe they would let him slide on the reports for another day... As long as he made his meeting, it wouldn't be too bad, right?
~
Trowa kept his eyes down as he shuffled into the conference room, taking special care not to make eye contact with Schaefer, who was obviously trying to catch his attention. 'Status reports, was it? He is always trying to make himself more important than he really needs to be.' Trowa thought in a moment of unchecked grumpiness.
The door opened shortly after he settled into his seat. Une walked in, followed closely by a woman he hadn't seen in at least a year. "We're starting." Une said briskly. She wasn't as abrasive as she had been in the wars, but she was swift, professional and impatient with unnecessary chatter. Trowa didn't exactly like her, but she was one of the few people he truly respected. When she was at the head of the long table, she gestured to the woman beside her. "Most of you know Preventer Water, Ms. Po."
Sally smiled. "Just Sally, please."
Une made no indication of hearing her. "Ms. Po will be here for the week. Though officially on vacation, she has agreed to help when she is able. She is one of our best field workers, so I encourage you to speak to her about any questions or concerns you have with our current Preventive Actions." She nodded to Sally.
Sally cleared her throat. "While from time to time, Field Officers do have weapon reports, the Field's main focus is on covert information gathering..."
~
Afterward, as the room cleared, Sally caught Trowa's eye and smiled, motioning for him to join her. Trowa quickly made his way over, thankful for the excuse to avoid Schaefer and anyone else seeking him out for complaints. Sally smiled brightly and gave him a hearty hug as soon as she was able.
Trowa hugged her back, hesitating only a second. "It has been a while, Sally."
"Too long, too long. How can I convince you to join us in the Field?" She asked with a smile as she dragged him away from the lingering executives. "Get you away from all these wrinkled old men." She murmured under her breath.
Trowa chuckled and shook his head. "My Field days are over."
Sally feigned despair. "They retire so soon now-a-days."
"Finally taking a vacation?" Trowa asked, trying to change the subject.
Sally laughed. "If it were up to me, it would have come a lot sooner. This is the soonest I could get that idiot away from his precious work. Though he isn't happy we're away a whole week."
Trowa searched his mind. He was obviously supposed to know whom she was talking about. "He...?" When it dawned on him, his eyes widened.
Sally shook her head. "Slave master, Chang is. He'd work us to the bone if there weren't laws against it."
Trowa grabbed Sally's arm. "Where is he?" he asked urgently.
"Wufei? I don't know. Knowing him, he's probably walking around trying to talk someone into giving him an order." She frowned. "Something wrong?"
"I have to get to Duo before Wufei does..." Trowa muttered.
Sally looked utterly confused. "Why?"
Trowa shook his head. "No time to explain. Talk to Quatre." He said before rushing out of the room.
God help him if he was too late.
~
"Sometimes you feel like a nut..." Duo sang brightly as he bounced down the hall.
The walls on his floor were sterile white, a perfect reflection of the people who worked on it: clean, professional and mind numbingly boring. His loud singing evoked quite a few glares, but Duo just grinned at them and continued on his way.
"...Sometimes you don't..." Duo continued his song as the candy machine came into view. He sprinted the last few yards. "Almond Joy's got nuts!" He sang so loudly that it was still echoing back to him when his heart dropped as his eyes fell on the empty space where his favorite candy usually waited for him. "Mounds don't..." he finished his song in sadness and looked at his other choices.
As Duo's eyes roamed predatorily over the many colorfully wrapped confections, the voice of a very uncomfortable and slightly scared man floated down the hallway. "But sir, Miss Po said I wasn't to bother you with work this week..."
"Po has no right telling me what I can and cannot do!" an all too familiar voice shouted back.
Duo instantly forgot about his candy dilemma. "'Fei?" He looked up and around, searching the blank hallways.
"But sir..."
"You say 'sir', yet you refuse to acknowledge my superiority!" Wufei yelled at the poor office worker. "I don't want to see your face again until you have a lead for me!"
Duo followed the angry voice until he found its source. Wufei was standing one corridor down from the candy machine, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared at the retreating figure of his subordinate.
"FEI!!!" Duo shouted. It was the only warning the Chinese Preventer had before being overcome by Duo's "Attack of the Air Constricting Bear Hug".
Eventually Wufei pried Duo's surprisingly strong arms from his neck. "Maxwell..." he growled as soon as he could breathe again.
Duo laughed and resisted the urge to give him another hug. "Aw come on, admit it, you're happy to see me."
Wufei couldn't hold his glare for long so he looked away, not allowing Duo to see his eyes soften. "I admit nothing."
Duo grinned but didn't prod further. "What're you doin' here?"
Wufei's glare returned. "That damned female dragged me."
Duo laughed. "Forced vacation? Sounds like ol' Sal."
Wufei grunted and was silent a few moments before he asked in a low voice, "Are you still living with Winner and Barton?"
Duo smirked devilishly. "Yeah...things are finally getting interesting too."
Wufei's eyes narrowed a second in confusion. When it cleared, Duo was almost sure that Wufei's cheeks were the slightest bit pinker. He cleared his throat. "Yes, well..."
Duo laughed and threw his arm around Wufei's shoulders, dragging his reluctant friend down the hall. "So..." A devilish thought popped into Duo's head at that moment and had it been a manga, Duo would have grown horns. "Heard from Heero lately?" He asked.
Wufei didn't seem to notice the teasing note in Duo's voice. "No, not directly. I have heard about him, of course. He is still head of security for the blonde female."
Duo smirked. "Jealous?"
Wufei's shoulders stiffened. "I have told you many times before, I have no interest in the blonde female."
"Of course!" Duo said, shaking his head. "I know."
Wufei looked too puzzled to comment.
"You know, you better make a move soon or-"
"Duo!"
Duo looked up from his teasing to see Trowa running towards them. A large grin broke on his face and waved excitedly. "Tro-baby! Couldn't wait till the end of the day for some touchy-touchy? No prob, I'm always ready." He got variations on the same glare from both men, though Wufei's was made less threatening by his obvious discomfort.
Trowa slowed to a stop and Duo continued grinning as his lover took a moment to catch his breath. He had obviously run a long way, and Duo was interested in his reason.
"Does Quatre know you're here?" Trowa asked Wufei once he caught his breath.
Duo's smile turned wicked. So the reason wasn't something Wufei could hear? Interesting...
Wufei's eyebrow arched but he didn't comment, just shook his head. "I haven't stopped by yet."
Trowa nodded. "I'm sorry, I have something to attend to, if we could catch up another time?"
Wufei nodded. "Of course."
Duo rolled his eyes and threw an arm over each friend. "Aw come on! Is this how we treat each other after so many years? Come on, we'll take 'Fei over to Quatre and have a dandy good reunion."
Wufei glared. Whether it was because of the name or the invading of personal space, he didn't clarify.
"Wufei will have to find his own way, I'm afraid." Trowa said with a sidelong look at Duo. "We need to talk."
With a smirk, Duo slipped his arm down to hook Trowa's waist. "Well then..."
At this point, Wufei was looking very uncomfortable. He cleared his throat. "I will go...now...yes..." he mumbled. He left as quickly as he could without actually breaking into a frenzied run.
Once he was gone, Duo pushed Trowa against the nearest wall, a throaty chuckle bubbling past his lips. "So... we needed to 'talk'?"
Trowa's eyes slid to half open and his arms somehow found themselves wrapping around Duo. "You do realize the difference between reality and fiction, right?" he asked. It was the same speech he had planned while he was running, but somewhere he had lost his conviction...
Duo nodded before nuzzling Trowa's neck. "Why do you ask?" he questioned in a dangerously sensual voice.
Trowa's answer didn't come right away, and when it did he sounded rather distracted. "Promise me you won't try to fix them up."
Duo laughed and pulled away. "I don't make promises I have no chance in keeping." He smiled and turned to walk away. "I'll see you at lunch with Qat, alright?" with the PS of an impish smile, he turned the next corner and was gone.
~
"Mr. Winner!" The dark haired hostess exclaimed with a smile.
Quatre smiled brightly as the restaurant door closed behind him. "Hello Kristy. How are you?"
Kristy smiled with more warmth than she ever showed customers...well, other customers anyway. "I can't complain. Your usual table?"
"Actually..." Quatre leaned against the hostess' pedestal with a delighted smile. "I have some people with me... Do you think you could get me something more private?"
Kristy giggled. "For our favorite patron? Not a problem... You'll have to make it up to Meiko though, she's been complaining about how you never come around anymore."
Quatre looked away with a small blush. "I've been preoccupied."
"Hmm, well, any business that brightens those cherub cheeks..." Kristy pinched them lightly to bring the point home. "...Can excuse your absence without much complaint from Meiko." Her smile turned devious. "I'll give you the candlelit room. Just give me a moment to get it ready."
~
"Daaaamn... Nice digs Q! I didn't know you had connections!" Duo exclaimed as they were lead into their private room.
Quatre smiled brightly, heartened by Duo's shameless wonder. "I come here a lot. I know most of the staff is all." Trowa's arm fell across Quatre's shoulders and they shared a smile as Duo made himself comfortable. "I've already ordered." Quatre said. "I hope that's alright. I was eager to get the story going again..."
Duo looked up from the candle he was fiddling with and nodded with a grin. "Yeah, it's about time!"
"I feel terrible leaving Wufei on his first day back," Quatre said, "but I do have a happy announcement to make!" he clasped his hands in front of his chest. "Wufei agreed to stay with us while he's in town!"
Trowa's eyes flicked to Duo, who was grinning. Trowa could see the hints, innuendos, schemes and romantic scenarios already forming in Duo's mind. He tried to chastise Duo with a stern look, but he was already too far into his planning to notice.
"So, let's start the story!" Quatre said, taking a seat next to Duo.
Trowa gave up trying to subtly catch Duo's attention and took the seat across from them.
~()~
Lady Une, Princess Hilde's nurse, sat on Hilde's bed and watched as the young woman paced her room. Hilde was twisting a handkerchief in her hands and biting her lip in obvious tension, but as of yet Une had no idea why. "Um... your highness... is something the matter?"
"Oh Aunty!" Hilde exclaimed with dramatic exasperation. "I don't know what to do!"
"About what?" Asked Une.
Hilde plopped next to her nurse with a sigh and leaned heavily against her. "I have a dilemma."
"Oh?" Une, not having much of an education-being only a servant, after all- had no idea what 'dilemma' meant.
"Okay..." Hilde took a large breath. "If you learned that someone was lying to someone you know...know really well, in fact...and that lie was really big and would probably hurt the person you know, would you tell the person the person's secret? Or what if the person knows the person's secret and doesn't care. Then again maybe the person was going to tell the person the person's secret and-"
"Your highness!" Une put her hand over Hilde's rapidly moving mouth and took a deep breath. "Please, you need to slow down." She removed her hand. "Now tell me again."
Hilde sighed. "I know someone's secret... should I tell another person the secret or let the person who-"
"Oh, Hilde..." Une interrupted. She grasped Hilde's shoulders and smiled sympathetically. "This is about your friend Dorothy, isn't it?"
Hilde blinked. "What?"
"That Dorothy girl! About her... Her umm...her feelings..." Une said awkwardly.
"What? What are you talking about? This has nothing to do with Dorothy!" Hilde sighed and stood up. "Oh never mind! You just don't understand!" She left the room in a flourished huff.
Une sighed and rubbed her temples, feeling yet another Hilde-induced headache growing. "No, I don't understand you at all..." she agreed wearily.
~
Heero watched the sun sink bellow the hills, the stone in his stomach falling right along with it. He hadn't seen Wufei for two days since her sudden flee, which he was sure had been his fault. What had the problem been exactly, though? Had he gone too far, too fast? Was she not ready for that level of intimacy? He could wait. He didn't mind waiting and he would have told her this, if she had come back to hear it.
Maybe he had ruined it for good this time...
He stood with a heavy sigh, already feeling the cold of night taint the breeze. He had skipped all his classes since Wufei's latest disappearance- which invited his father's wrath-to wait in the field, hoping that Wufei would forgive him for whatever he had done wrong... But he couldn't help but remember that the last expression he had seen on Wufei's face was fear. It was also odd that she hadn't even come to yell at him. Something just didn't feel right... He couldn't quite explain what it was. It felt as though someone was pulling at his sleeve, desperately trying to speak to him in a language he didn't understand. The breeze sifted his hair again, and reluctantly he began the depressing trek back to the castle.
'What if Wufei is in trouble?' He thought. 'She is strong, but would she be able to protect herself against anyone? What if a group attacked her?' These thoughts, black and absorbing, clouded Heero's mind so that he wouldn't have noticed Quinze waiting in his room had the steward not spoken.
"Ah! Your highness!" Quinze stood and bowed a little awkwardly. There was something unsettlingly nervous about Quinze, which was so unusual that it kept Heero from just ignoring the despised servant.
"What is it?" Heero asked darkly, not in the mood for a secondhand lecture from his father.
Quinze shifted stances a few times before stating in a professionally cold tone: "I'm sorry to inform you that your...friend, Lady Wufei..." Quinze paused and he seemed to be searching for the right words.
Fear froze Heero's heart. That tugging at the back of his mind... That feeling of unease...
"Her sister has passed away." Quinze finished after what felt to Heero like hours.
Heero's heart started again, rushing blood back to the fingers that had turned to ice in his fear. He was sure that Quinze was going to tell him that Wufei herself was dead, or at least hurt. He had to take a moment to simply breathe before his mind went to the actual point of Quinze's announcement. "Wait... What?" he asked darkly.
Quinze's composure faltered a moment at Heero's tone. "The physicians did all they could but-"
"But they failed." Heero interrupted. His temper recovered quicker than his patience. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared. "When?"
Quinze was nervous. He had not expected Heero to react so...well, react at all really. "A...A few days ago, I believe..."
Heero had Quinze's neck before the old bastard could twitch. "And you tell me now?"
Quinze's last shred of calm broke and he squirmed, trying to get out of Heero's painful grip. "I...I didn't.know..."
Heero growled and let go. "Take me to her."
Quinze rubbed his neck and nodded. He left quickly to get a carriage ready.
Heero ran a hand through his hair and tried to calm his rage. Wufei couldn't see him angry, not now. He looked around and grabbed a coat before leaving the room, walking as swiftly as he could without raising suspicion.
"Heero!" He didn't even turn when he heard Hilde call his name. "Heero I've been looking all over for you! I need to talk to you!" she called, her footsteps falling quickly behind his.
Heero turned in a sharp blur, his dark coat swirling around him as he aimed a venomous glare at his annoying sister. "Hilde..." He growled. "Not. Now."
Hilde's eyes were wide with fear and she held her hand to her mouth in blessed silence.
Heero turned and kept walking. It was a shame that he didn't have time to enjoy the miracle of Hilde's mouth being shut.
~
Cold...
Empty...
Gone...
Forever gone...
His fault...
Everything...
All wrong...
Wufei shivered and wrapped his arms tighter around himself. Somehow he had found his discarded clothes and now held them closely against his body, more for comfort than warmth. He had no idea how long he had been there, curled up at the edge of his favorite clearing. He hadn't cried long... His pain was far past the healing capability of tears.
It was his fault for everything... Had he asked sooner, Meiran would be alive; had he left sooner, his family wouldn't be in danger; had he never lived, Heero wouldn't have fallen for a lie.
'Fallen for...?'
The mere thought of Heero falling in love with him made Wufei sick. How could he claim to love someone when his whole existence was a lie? He had no right... no right to be with Heero, and no right to have been Meiran's brother...
With that thought came the guilt of her death, which brought him full circle. The same spiral of shame that pulled him further and further away from reality. All he felt from his body was cold.but maybe that too, was his just in his mind.
~
Heero rested his head against the jolting carriage wall.
They were on their way to see Wufei...
He needed to see her. After that scare, he needed to make sure she was still there, still real. That scare... the tiniest pause between words, and Heero's life had stopped. He had been sure, for less than a second that Wufei was dead. Gone from his life in the most permanent way... irreversible... eternal... and in that blink of time, Heero was the most afraid he had ever been... No, it was more than that. There was pain too. The knowledge that he would never see Wufei again struck and shattered him. Had Quinze gone on to say Wufei was dead, would Heero have been able to continue living?
Heero stared unblinking at the ceiling.
Wufei had given him life. He had no purpose, no passion, no soul before he met Wufei... Were she to leave him...
"Ah, there it is." Quinze was looking out the window. He pointed to a slightly darker patch of space in the distance. "Chang House."
Heero would have jumped out and ran the rest of the way, but Quinze held him back. After which, Heero had to restrain himself from giving the scrawny man a good strangling. Once the carriage started to slow, Heero jumped out despite Quinze's shouts. He ran to the door and knocked loudly, not caring that it was far into the night and the house's occupants were most likely asleep.
Quinze walked up from the now stopped carriage. He held a lantern in one hand, the only light other than the very dim glow from the house's windows. The air was cold, but Heero wasn't sure if it was the temperature or the feel of the house.
Finally, after far too long in Heero's opinion, the door opened to a short, stocky older man. "Can I help you young man?" the man's voice was tired and sorrowful, making him sound far older than he looked. He looked passed Heero to see Quinze walking up from the carriage, and only took a few moments to figure out whom the boy at his door was. He bowed deeply. "Your highness...please come in..."
Heero nodded, mildly surprised at the old man's quick assessment. Heero walked passed him and his eyes darted as he searched the small house for Wufei while Quinze explained their visit behind him.
It was a small house. It couldn't have been more than a few rooms. There were doorways with thick curtains drawn for privacy, two of them to his right. In front of him was a large sitting room with an odd, squat table to one side, next to a large fireplace. The room looked like most of the houses that surrounded the castle, albeit smaller, but there were things he had never seen before... There were odd paintings on the walls, most with just clumps of thick black lines arranged in odd ways...
'This is Wufei's home?' he thought with sudden sadness. He suddenly realized how few solid facts he knew about Wufei. When had her family come? Where had they come from? Had they been here long?
Heero's searching eyes fell on an older woman sitting at the back of the house. He hadn't noticed her mainly because she hadn't moved since he entered. She was staring out a nearby window with blank eyes, apparently not noticing the new arrivals.
The old man-Wufei's father, Heero guessed-moved past him too the woman and took her hand, rubbing it with worry in his eyes. He spoke to her softly in another language until the woman turned from the window to look at Heero with the same void expression. She stared a few moments before her eyes cleared and she bowed, awkward in her sitting position. "Your highness..." her voice was thickly accented and almost musical... but tired and heartbroken like her husband's.
"Where is Wufei?" Heero asked. His urgency to see her overrode the unfamiliar sympathy he was feeling for her parents.
The woman's hand went to her mouth, and her husband went quickly to comfort her as she wept silently.
As she cried into his shoulder, Wufei's father turned his sorrow-filled gaze to Heero. "I will show you."
~
The elder man led Heero and Quinze outside after seeing to his wife. He walked across his back lawn to the edge of a dark forest. Lifting a hand, he gestured to an inconspicuous space between two trees. "Wufei left through there, two days ago." He said with heavy sadness. "When Wufei found out Meiran was gone..." He sighed and looked back towards the house. "My wife stays by that window, waiting for her child to return."
Heero followed his gaze to the ghostly-pale visage of Wufei's mother, once again looking blankly at the space between the two trees. Heero's eyes hardened with decision. He took the lantern from Quinze and brought it over to study the space where Wufei disappeared. "You haven't searched?"
The old man sighed again. "I cannot leave my wife as she is... loosing two children in one day... Even though Wufei still lives..." There was doubt in the man's voice, despite the certainty of his words.
Heero's earlier fear started to freeze his fingers. He nodded with determination and stepped into the darkness of the forest.
"Your highness!" Quinze shouted, grabbing onto Heero's coat. "What are you doing?"
Heero glared back. "I'm going to look for her."
Quinze looked shocked. "It is dark! I can send a search party in the morning. Please, it is far too dangerous."
Heero jerked his sleeve from Quinze's hands. "I don't care."
"But your father..." Quinze shouted. But he had already lost sight of Heero in the thick forest.
~()~
Quatre sighed with whimsical joy. "He's searching for Wufei! He is so romantic!"
Duo laughed and placed a rather loud smack to Quatre's cheek. "My little helpless romantic."
"I think it's cute, is all!" Quatre said in defense.
Duo ruffled the blonde's hair in affection. "It's okay Kit-Kat. It's cute."
Trowa sighed regretfully. "I should...We should get back to work..."
Quatre and Duo simultaneously pouted, attacking Trowa with instant guilt from two directions. "But..."
"You didn't say much!" Duo complained.
"It's just getting good!" Quatre added.
"You can't do this to us!"
"It isn't fair!"
Trowa looked from one disappointed face to the other before letting out a stress-heavy sigh. "I'll leave early today, if you promise not to beg me during working hours, alright?"
'I just hope I can get everything done in time...' Trowa added mentally. 'I really need to stop spoiling them...'
The boys agreed readily, showing Trowa their thankfulness in their own...special ways...
~
Later, that night... Duo bounced out in front of the others and spread his arms wide. "Welcome to Biseinen no Ie!" he exclaimed with a wolfish grin. [1]
Wufei lifted an eyebrow and looked around the small house that his three comrades shared. It wasn't richly furnished, as he would have expected with somewhere that Quatre occupied, but it didn't seem to be lacking anything. He stepped in to get a better look, Trowa and Quatre following closely behind.
They stood in a living room of sorts, with a bookcase, a couch and a rather large and overstuffed armchair. There was a sliding glass door in the back, though Wufei couldn't see much outside in the dark; a door to his left, which-Duo informed him-was the kitchen and a hallway to his right, which- Duo informed him with a cheeky grin-led to the bedrooms.
Distracted by his viewing, Wufei nearly tripped on the warm fuzzy thing that came unannounced to twine between his legs. Luckily, he grabbed the wall in time. When he was steady, he looked down at his furry assailant.
It mewed.
"Ah! Kobi-chan!" Quatre rushed forward to pick up the kitten that nearly caused Wufei's literal downfall. "Are you alright Wufei?"
"Fine." Wufei said shortly, glaring at the kitten. 'We will settle this later, cat.'
The kitten purred and snuggled against his master.
"If you're thirsty or anything, help yourself." Duo said, gesturing to the kitchen. "As for sleeping, you can use my room." He grinned in a way that made Wufei-yet again-uncomfortable. He thought about asking where Duo would sleep, but after his little display with Trowa, Wufei wasn't sure he wanted to know... "Come on, I'll show ya the way." Duo offered, grabbing Wufei's wrist and dragged him away without waiting for an answer.
Kobi hopped out of Quatre's arms and followed.
To be continued...
Next Chapter:
In which Trowa's long day continues and Wufei's father contemplates
the strength of the young lovers' bond.
[1] This translates to "House of Beautiful Men" or something similar.
End Authors Note:
^_^;; I'm putting this at the end 'cause I didn't want to delay this
chapter any longer than it had to be. Good news! My dad was able to
retrieve all of my writing from our old hard drives! ^_^ my life is
not over.
I'm sorry if there were any errors, I tried to get this out as soon as
it was legible 'cause I feel really bad about my bad posting habits.
Speaking of said habits, I have a web journal so if you get to
wondering how the new chapters are coming along, you can check my
progress!
I suppose that is it...
Thank you for your support!
-Your Writer Person
PS sorry 'bout all the... formatting... I still haven't found a technique I like...that works on FF.net -_- Sorry it isn't prettier to look at...
Author: Nataku's Child
Archive: Not up yet...
Feedback: Yeah! Shininikki@hotmail.com
Couples: 1+5 (::grin::) 2x3x4 (::bigger grin::)
Disclaimer: Yes, yes... Don't own, don't own...
Key
'Thoughts' (you should know that one by now, though)
"Voice Mail" (this is where it might get confusing...it's all in the
quotation!)
Story Time With Trowa or Once Upon A Cross Dresser
Chapter Twelve
Monday morning a very tired and less than cheerful Trowa walked into his top-floor office. Despite devoting his entire Sunday to paperwork and staying up until said devoted day turned into the present one, he was still disgracefully behind schedule. In fact he was sure that if he took the time to print out every report, gather every memo and stack them with every passive aggressive letter sent to him from a higher-up, the term "up to his knees" would be depressingly literal. Of course, he could only blame himself. He had become...distracted...lately. He had been letting his two dangerously glompable roommates lure him away from his work far more often than he should have. It was mutually agreed that Trowa was the more grounded and responsible one. If the manager slips, then those underneath him fall too... Underneath being figurative, of course.
A small curl formed on Trowa's lips at that little innuendo and he allowed a couple of mental pictures to pass through his mind before getting back the problem at hand. He shouldn't have let Duo and Quatre ignore their work either. If Trowa was the more responsible one, then his neglected work would-logically speaking-be a lot less than Quatre's, not to mention Duo's...
With his mind wrestling between worrying about the other's jobs and his own, Trowa fell into his chair with a large, ear-popping yawn. He then had to strain to make his sleep deprived muscles lift his briefcase onto the desk. He was still amazed that he was able to stuff every folder, note, form, file and memo into a small briefcase that was greatly overdo for retirement. Well, he would think about buying a new one once he was sure he still had a job to take it to.
Yet even after worries about loosing his job; even though he yawned every second breath from late night cramming; even though he was completely unprepared for his 10:00am meeting; even though he knew that as soon as his computer booted up, he was going to get at least one more message about some over-due report; even though imminent doom was coming as fast as the day was brightening, he couldn't feel angry or even regretful of his past few weeks. His job performance was suffering, but he couldn't remember a time in his life where he had been this happy. He could count on a single hand how many times he had not been unhappy in his life, and even those were tainted in one way or another. Because of this he constantly had to remind himself to enjoy this fragile time of joy instead of waiting for the inevitable downfall he was headed towards. Because these things don't last, right?
Trowa's screen flashed a small window, informing him of waiting voice messages. He distractedly set them to play while he unpacked the previous day's work. He had to focus! It just wasn't a good time to brood over the injustices of life. Or rather, what a bitch karma can be.
Trowa's lip twisted in a small, bitter smirk as his voice mail started to play, and his procrastination ran over to give him a sharp kick up the arse.
"Good morning Mr. Barton, I'm calling from the office of Ms. Une..." Trowa quickly skipped the message without looking up.
"Mr. Barton? This is Jacob Schaefer. I'm calling about the status reports from colony..." He skipped that one as fast as he was able.
"Trowa?" Trowa paused in his search for a particularly important form at the sound of Quatre's voice. He stopped shuffling papers to listen, his lips curling as the voice went on. "I don't want to bother you... You must be busy, I know, but... Well, I hardly saw you at all yesterday..." Quatre always had a problem with asking for something he wanted... It was evil to enjoy his nervous tiptoeing, but Trowa found himself laughing anyway. "And you left the story at such a crucial part..." Quatre cleared his throat and rushed through the rest. "Lets have lunch, kay? Bye! End of message. To repeat this message..."
Trowa closed his voice mail, ignoring the other waiting messages. He leaned his elbows against the desk, knitting his fingers together to rest his chin on. He smiled softly as visuals of the nervous blonde trying to get up the courage to call played in his head. One little message and suddenly he didn't feel quite as nervous or tired. That was Quatre for you.
'Lunch, huh?' Trowa weighed his options. It was going to be a busy day. He had planned on skipping the meal altogether... But a lunch date with his two...companions...had far too much temptation to stand against a day locked in his office with nothing but papers and angry messages to keep him company. Ah yes, the scale was well tipped in favor of lunch...
As for work? Well, maybe they would let him slide on the reports for another day... As long as he made his meeting, it wouldn't be too bad, right?
~
Trowa kept his eyes down as he shuffled into the conference room, taking special care not to make eye contact with Schaefer, who was obviously trying to catch his attention. 'Status reports, was it? He is always trying to make himself more important than he really needs to be.' Trowa thought in a moment of unchecked grumpiness.
The door opened shortly after he settled into his seat. Une walked in, followed closely by a woman he hadn't seen in at least a year. "We're starting." Une said briskly. She wasn't as abrasive as she had been in the wars, but she was swift, professional and impatient with unnecessary chatter. Trowa didn't exactly like her, but she was one of the few people he truly respected. When she was at the head of the long table, she gestured to the woman beside her. "Most of you know Preventer Water, Ms. Po."
Sally smiled. "Just Sally, please."
Une made no indication of hearing her. "Ms. Po will be here for the week. Though officially on vacation, she has agreed to help when she is able. She is one of our best field workers, so I encourage you to speak to her about any questions or concerns you have with our current Preventive Actions." She nodded to Sally.
Sally cleared her throat. "While from time to time, Field Officers do have weapon reports, the Field's main focus is on covert information gathering..."
~
Afterward, as the room cleared, Sally caught Trowa's eye and smiled, motioning for him to join her. Trowa quickly made his way over, thankful for the excuse to avoid Schaefer and anyone else seeking him out for complaints. Sally smiled brightly and gave him a hearty hug as soon as she was able.
Trowa hugged her back, hesitating only a second. "It has been a while, Sally."
"Too long, too long. How can I convince you to join us in the Field?" She asked with a smile as she dragged him away from the lingering executives. "Get you away from all these wrinkled old men." She murmured under her breath.
Trowa chuckled and shook his head. "My Field days are over."
Sally feigned despair. "They retire so soon now-a-days."
"Finally taking a vacation?" Trowa asked, trying to change the subject.
Sally laughed. "If it were up to me, it would have come a lot sooner. This is the soonest I could get that idiot away from his precious work. Though he isn't happy we're away a whole week."
Trowa searched his mind. He was obviously supposed to know whom she was talking about. "He...?" When it dawned on him, his eyes widened.
Sally shook her head. "Slave master, Chang is. He'd work us to the bone if there weren't laws against it."
Trowa grabbed Sally's arm. "Where is he?" he asked urgently.
"Wufei? I don't know. Knowing him, he's probably walking around trying to talk someone into giving him an order." She frowned. "Something wrong?"
"I have to get to Duo before Wufei does..." Trowa muttered.
Sally looked utterly confused. "Why?"
Trowa shook his head. "No time to explain. Talk to Quatre." He said before rushing out of the room.
God help him if he was too late.
~
"Sometimes you feel like a nut..." Duo sang brightly as he bounced down the hall.
The walls on his floor were sterile white, a perfect reflection of the people who worked on it: clean, professional and mind numbingly boring. His loud singing evoked quite a few glares, but Duo just grinned at them and continued on his way.
"...Sometimes you don't..." Duo continued his song as the candy machine came into view. He sprinted the last few yards. "Almond Joy's got nuts!" He sang so loudly that it was still echoing back to him when his heart dropped as his eyes fell on the empty space where his favorite candy usually waited for him. "Mounds don't..." he finished his song in sadness and looked at his other choices.
As Duo's eyes roamed predatorily over the many colorfully wrapped confections, the voice of a very uncomfortable and slightly scared man floated down the hallway. "But sir, Miss Po said I wasn't to bother you with work this week..."
"Po has no right telling me what I can and cannot do!" an all too familiar voice shouted back.
Duo instantly forgot about his candy dilemma. "'Fei?" He looked up and around, searching the blank hallways.
"But sir..."
"You say 'sir', yet you refuse to acknowledge my superiority!" Wufei yelled at the poor office worker. "I don't want to see your face again until you have a lead for me!"
Duo followed the angry voice until he found its source. Wufei was standing one corridor down from the candy machine, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared at the retreating figure of his subordinate.
"FEI!!!" Duo shouted. It was the only warning the Chinese Preventer had before being overcome by Duo's "Attack of the Air Constricting Bear Hug".
Eventually Wufei pried Duo's surprisingly strong arms from his neck. "Maxwell..." he growled as soon as he could breathe again.
Duo laughed and resisted the urge to give him another hug. "Aw come on, admit it, you're happy to see me."
Wufei couldn't hold his glare for long so he looked away, not allowing Duo to see his eyes soften. "I admit nothing."
Duo grinned but didn't prod further. "What're you doin' here?"
Wufei's glare returned. "That damned female dragged me."
Duo laughed. "Forced vacation? Sounds like ol' Sal."
Wufei grunted and was silent a few moments before he asked in a low voice, "Are you still living with Winner and Barton?"
Duo smirked devilishly. "Yeah...things are finally getting interesting too."
Wufei's eyes narrowed a second in confusion. When it cleared, Duo was almost sure that Wufei's cheeks were the slightest bit pinker. He cleared his throat. "Yes, well..."
Duo laughed and threw his arm around Wufei's shoulders, dragging his reluctant friend down the hall. "So..." A devilish thought popped into Duo's head at that moment and had it been a manga, Duo would have grown horns. "Heard from Heero lately?" He asked.
Wufei didn't seem to notice the teasing note in Duo's voice. "No, not directly. I have heard about him, of course. He is still head of security for the blonde female."
Duo smirked. "Jealous?"
Wufei's shoulders stiffened. "I have told you many times before, I have no interest in the blonde female."
"Of course!" Duo said, shaking his head. "I know."
Wufei looked too puzzled to comment.
"You know, you better make a move soon or-"
"Duo!"
Duo looked up from his teasing to see Trowa running towards them. A large grin broke on his face and waved excitedly. "Tro-baby! Couldn't wait till the end of the day for some touchy-touchy? No prob, I'm always ready." He got variations on the same glare from both men, though Wufei's was made less threatening by his obvious discomfort.
Trowa slowed to a stop and Duo continued grinning as his lover took a moment to catch his breath. He had obviously run a long way, and Duo was interested in his reason.
"Does Quatre know you're here?" Trowa asked Wufei once he caught his breath.
Duo's smile turned wicked. So the reason wasn't something Wufei could hear? Interesting...
Wufei's eyebrow arched but he didn't comment, just shook his head. "I haven't stopped by yet."
Trowa nodded. "I'm sorry, I have something to attend to, if we could catch up another time?"
Wufei nodded. "Of course."
Duo rolled his eyes and threw an arm over each friend. "Aw come on! Is this how we treat each other after so many years? Come on, we'll take 'Fei over to Quatre and have a dandy good reunion."
Wufei glared. Whether it was because of the name or the invading of personal space, he didn't clarify.
"Wufei will have to find his own way, I'm afraid." Trowa said with a sidelong look at Duo. "We need to talk."
With a smirk, Duo slipped his arm down to hook Trowa's waist. "Well then..."
At this point, Wufei was looking very uncomfortable. He cleared his throat. "I will go...now...yes..." he mumbled. He left as quickly as he could without actually breaking into a frenzied run.
Once he was gone, Duo pushed Trowa against the nearest wall, a throaty chuckle bubbling past his lips. "So... we needed to 'talk'?"
Trowa's eyes slid to half open and his arms somehow found themselves wrapping around Duo. "You do realize the difference between reality and fiction, right?" he asked. It was the same speech he had planned while he was running, but somewhere he had lost his conviction...
Duo nodded before nuzzling Trowa's neck. "Why do you ask?" he questioned in a dangerously sensual voice.
Trowa's answer didn't come right away, and when it did he sounded rather distracted. "Promise me you won't try to fix them up."
Duo laughed and pulled away. "I don't make promises I have no chance in keeping." He smiled and turned to walk away. "I'll see you at lunch with Qat, alright?" with the PS of an impish smile, he turned the next corner and was gone.
~
"Mr. Winner!" The dark haired hostess exclaimed with a smile.
Quatre smiled brightly as the restaurant door closed behind him. "Hello Kristy. How are you?"
Kristy smiled with more warmth than she ever showed customers...well, other customers anyway. "I can't complain. Your usual table?"
"Actually..." Quatre leaned against the hostess' pedestal with a delighted smile. "I have some people with me... Do you think you could get me something more private?"
Kristy giggled. "For our favorite patron? Not a problem... You'll have to make it up to Meiko though, she's been complaining about how you never come around anymore."
Quatre looked away with a small blush. "I've been preoccupied."
"Hmm, well, any business that brightens those cherub cheeks..." Kristy pinched them lightly to bring the point home. "...Can excuse your absence without much complaint from Meiko." Her smile turned devious. "I'll give you the candlelit room. Just give me a moment to get it ready."
~
"Daaaamn... Nice digs Q! I didn't know you had connections!" Duo exclaimed as they were lead into their private room.
Quatre smiled brightly, heartened by Duo's shameless wonder. "I come here a lot. I know most of the staff is all." Trowa's arm fell across Quatre's shoulders and they shared a smile as Duo made himself comfortable. "I've already ordered." Quatre said. "I hope that's alright. I was eager to get the story going again..."
Duo looked up from the candle he was fiddling with and nodded with a grin. "Yeah, it's about time!"
"I feel terrible leaving Wufei on his first day back," Quatre said, "but I do have a happy announcement to make!" he clasped his hands in front of his chest. "Wufei agreed to stay with us while he's in town!"
Trowa's eyes flicked to Duo, who was grinning. Trowa could see the hints, innuendos, schemes and romantic scenarios already forming in Duo's mind. He tried to chastise Duo with a stern look, but he was already too far into his planning to notice.
"So, let's start the story!" Quatre said, taking a seat next to Duo.
Trowa gave up trying to subtly catch Duo's attention and took the seat across from them.
~()~
Lady Une, Princess Hilde's nurse, sat on Hilde's bed and watched as the young woman paced her room. Hilde was twisting a handkerchief in her hands and biting her lip in obvious tension, but as of yet Une had no idea why. "Um... your highness... is something the matter?"
"Oh Aunty!" Hilde exclaimed with dramatic exasperation. "I don't know what to do!"
"About what?" Asked Une.
Hilde plopped next to her nurse with a sigh and leaned heavily against her. "I have a dilemma."
"Oh?" Une, not having much of an education-being only a servant, after all- had no idea what 'dilemma' meant.
"Okay..." Hilde took a large breath. "If you learned that someone was lying to someone you know...know really well, in fact...and that lie was really big and would probably hurt the person you know, would you tell the person the person's secret? Or what if the person knows the person's secret and doesn't care. Then again maybe the person was going to tell the person the person's secret and-"
"Your highness!" Une put her hand over Hilde's rapidly moving mouth and took a deep breath. "Please, you need to slow down." She removed her hand. "Now tell me again."
Hilde sighed. "I know someone's secret... should I tell another person the secret or let the person who-"
"Oh, Hilde..." Une interrupted. She grasped Hilde's shoulders and smiled sympathetically. "This is about your friend Dorothy, isn't it?"
Hilde blinked. "What?"
"That Dorothy girl! About her... Her umm...her feelings..." Une said awkwardly.
"What? What are you talking about? This has nothing to do with Dorothy!" Hilde sighed and stood up. "Oh never mind! You just don't understand!" She left the room in a flourished huff.
Une sighed and rubbed her temples, feeling yet another Hilde-induced headache growing. "No, I don't understand you at all..." she agreed wearily.
~
Heero watched the sun sink bellow the hills, the stone in his stomach falling right along with it. He hadn't seen Wufei for two days since her sudden flee, which he was sure had been his fault. What had the problem been exactly, though? Had he gone too far, too fast? Was she not ready for that level of intimacy? He could wait. He didn't mind waiting and he would have told her this, if she had come back to hear it.
Maybe he had ruined it for good this time...
He stood with a heavy sigh, already feeling the cold of night taint the breeze. He had skipped all his classes since Wufei's latest disappearance- which invited his father's wrath-to wait in the field, hoping that Wufei would forgive him for whatever he had done wrong... But he couldn't help but remember that the last expression he had seen on Wufei's face was fear. It was also odd that she hadn't even come to yell at him. Something just didn't feel right... He couldn't quite explain what it was. It felt as though someone was pulling at his sleeve, desperately trying to speak to him in a language he didn't understand. The breeze sifted his hair again, and reluctantly he began the depressing trek back to the castle.
'What if Wufei is in trouble?' He thought. 'She is strong, but would she be able to protect herself against anyone? What if a group attacked her?' These thoughts, black and absorbing, clouded Heero's mind so that he wouldn't have noticed Quinze waiting in his room had the steward not spoken.
"Ah! Your highness!" Quinze stood and bowed a little awkwardly. There was something unsettlingly nervous about Quinze, which was so unusual that it kept Heero from just ignoring the despised servant.
"What is it?" Heero asked darkly, not in the mood for a secondhand lecture from his father.
Quinze shifted stances a few times before stating in a professionally cold tone: "I'm sorry to inform you that your...friend, Lady Wufei..." Quinze paused and he seemed to be searching for the right words.
Fear froze Heero's heart. That tugging at the back of his mind... That feeling of unease...
"Her sister has passed away." Quinze finished after what felt to Heero like hours.
Heero's heart started again, rushing blood back to the fingers that had turned to ice in his fear. He was sure that Quinze was going to tell him that Wufei herself was dead, or at least hurt. He had to take a moment to simply breathe before his mind went to the actual point of Quinze's announcement. "Wait... What?" he asked darkly.
Quinze's composure faltered a moment at Heero's tone. "The physicians did all they could but-"
"But they failed." Heero interrupted. His temper recovered quicker than his patience. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared. "When?"
Quinze was nervous. He had not expected Heero to react so...well, react at all really. "A...A few days ago, I believe..."
Heero had Quinze's neck before the old bastard could twitch. "And you tell me now?"
Quinze's last shred of calm broke and he squirmed, trying to get out of Heero's painful grip. "I...I didn't.know..."
Heero growled and let go. "Take me to her."
Quinze rubbed his neck and nodded. He left quickly to get a carriage ready.
Heero ran a hand through his hair and tried to calm his rage. Wufei couldn't see him angry, not now. He looked around and grabbed a coat before leaving the room, walking as swiftly as he could without raising suspicion.
"Heero!" He didn't even turn when he heard Hilde call his name. "Heero I've been looking all over for you! I need to talk to you!" she called, her footsteps falling quickly behind his.
Heero turned in a sharp blur, his dark coat swirling around him as he aimed a venomous glare at his annoying sister. "Hilde..." He growled. "Not. Now."
Hilde's eyes were wide with fear and she held her hand to her mouth in blessed silence.
Heero turned and kept walking. It was a shame that he didn't have time to enjoy the miracle of Hilde's mouth being shut.
~
Cold...
Empty...
Gone...
Forever gone...
His fault...
Everything...
All wrong...
Wufei shivered and wrapped his arms tighter around himself. Somehow he had found his discarded clothes and now held them closely against his body, more for comfort than warmth. He had no idea how long he had been there, curled up at the edge of his favorite clearing. He hadn't cried long... His pain was far past the healing capability of tears.
It was his fault for everything... Had he asked sooner, Meiran would be alive; had he left sooner, his family wouldn't be in danger; had he never lived, Heero wouldn't have fallen for a lie.
'Fallen for...?'
The mere thought of Heero falling in love with him made Wufei sick. How could he claim to love someone when his whole existence was a lie? He had no right... no right to be with Heero, and no right to have been Meiran's brother...
With that thought came the guilt of her death, which brought him full circle. The same spiral of shame that pulled him further and further away from reality. All he felt from his body was cold.but maybe that too, was his just in his mind.
~
Heero rested his head against the jolting carriage wall.
They were on their way to see Wufei...
He needed to see her. After that scare, he needed to make sure she was still there, still real. That scare... the tiniest pause between words, and Heero's life had stopped. He had been sure, for less than a second that Wufei was dead. Gone from his life in the most permanent way... irreversible... eternal... and in that blink of time, Heero was the most afraid he had ever been... No, it was more than that. There was pain too. The knowledge that he would never see Wufei again struck and shattered him. Had Quinze gone on to say Wufei was dead, would Heero have been able to continue living?
Heero stared unblinking at the ceiling.
Wufei had given him life. He had no purpose, no passion, no soul before he met Wufei... Were she to leave him...
"Ah, there it is." Quinze was looking out the window. He pointed to a slightly darker patch of space in the distance. "Chang House."
Heero would have jumped out and ran the rest of the way, but Quinze held him back. After which, Heero had to restrain himself from giving the scrawny man a good strangling. Once the carriage started to slow, Heero jumped out despite Quinze's shouts. He ran to the door and knocked loudly, not caring that it was far into the night and the house's occupants were most likely asleep.
Quinze walked up from the now stopped carriage. He held a lantern in one hand, the only light other than the very dim glow from the house's windows. The air was cold, but Heero wasn't sure if it was the temperature or the feel of the house.
Finally, after far too long in Heero's opinion, the door opened to a short, stocky older man. "Can I help you young man?" the man's voice was tired and sorrowful, making him sound far older than he looked. He looked passed Heero to see Quinze walking up from the carriage, and only took a few moments to figure out whom the boy at his door was. He bowed deeply. "Your highness...please come in..."
Heero nodded, mildly surprised at the old man's quick assessment. Heero walked passed him and his eyes darted as he searched the small house for Wufei while Quinze explained their visit behind him.
It was a small house. It couldn't have been more than a few rooms. There were doorways with thick curtains drawn for privacy, two of them to his right. In front of him was a large sitting room with an odd, squat table to one side, next to a large fireplace. The room looked like most of the houses that surrounded the castle, albeit smaller, but there were things he had never seen before... There were odd paintings on the walls, most with just clumps of thick black lines arranged in odd ways...
'This is Wufei's home?' he thought with sudden sadness. He suddenly realized how few solid facts he knew about Wufei. When had her family come? Where had they come from? Had they been here long?
Heero's searching eyes fell on an older woman sitting at the back of the house. He hadn't noticed her mainly because she hadn't moved since he entered. She was staring out a nearby window with blank eyes, apparently not noticing the new arrivals.
The old man-Wufei's father, Heero guessed-moved past him too the woman and took her hand, rubbing it with worry in his eyes. He spoke to her softly in another language until the woman turned from the window to look at Heero with the same void expression. She stared a few moments before her eyes cleared and she bowed, awkward in her sitting position. "Your highness..." her voice was thickly accented and almost musical... but tired and heartbroken like her husband's.
"Where is Wufei?" Heero asked. His urgency to see her overrode the unfamiliar sympathy he was feeling for her parents.
The woman's hand went to her mouth, and her husband went quickly to comfort her as she wept silently.
As she cried into his shoulder, Wufei's father turned his sorrow-filled gaze to Heero. "I will show you."
~
The elder man led Heero and Quinze outside after seeing to his wife. He walked across his back lawn to the edge of a dark forest. Lifting a hand, he gestured to an inconspicuous space between two trees. "Wufei left through there, two days ago." He said with heavy sadness. "When Wufei found out Meiran was gone..." He sighed and looked back towards the house. "My wife stays by that window, waiting for her child to return."
Heero followed his gaze to the ghostly-pale visage of Wufei's mother, once again looking blankly at the space between the two trees. Heero's eyes hardened with decision. He took the lantern from Quinze and brought it over to study the space where Wufei disappeared. "You haven't searched?"
The old man sighed again. "I cannot leave my wife as she is... loosing two children in one day... Even though Wufei still lives..." There was doubt in the man's voice, despite the certainty of his words.
Heero's earlier fear started to freeze his fingers. He nodded with determination and stepped into the darkness of the forest.
"Your highness!" Quinze shouted, grabbing onto Heero's coat. "What are you doing?"
Heero glared back. "I'm going to look for her."
Quinze looked shocked. "It is dark! I can send a search party in the morning. Please, it is far too dangerous."
Heero jerked his sleeve from Quinze's hands. "I don't care."
"But your father..." Quinze shouted. But he had already lost sight of Heero in the thick forest.
~()~
Quatre sighed with whimsical joy. "He's searching for Wufei! He is so romantic!"
Duo laughed and placed a rather loud smack to Quatre's cheek. "My little helpless romantic."
"I think it's cute, is all!" Quatre said in defense.
Duo ruffled the blonde's hair in affection. "It's okay Kit-Kat. It's cute."
Trowa sighed regretfully. "I should...We should get back to work..."
Quatre and Duo simultaneously pouted, attacking Trowa with instant guilt from two directions. "But..."
"You didn't say much!" Duo complained.
"It's just getting good!" Quatre added.
"You can't do this to us!"
"It isn't fair!"
Trowa looked from one disappointed face to the other before letting out a stress-heavy sigh. "I'll leave early today, if you promise not to beg me during working hours, alright?"
'I just hope I can get everything done in time...' Trowa added mentally. 'I really need to stop spoiling them...'
The boys agreed readily, showing Trowa their thankfulness in their own...special ways...
~
Later, that night... Duo bounced out in front of the others and spread his arms wide. "Welcome to Biseinen no Ie!" he exclaimed with a wolfish grin. [1]
Wufei lifted an eyebrow and looked around the small house that his three comrades shared. It wasn't richly furnished, as he would have expected with somewhere that Quatre occupied, but it didn't seem to be lacking anything. He stepped in to get a better look, Trowa and Quatre following closely behind.
They stood in a living room of sorts, with a bookcase, a couch and a rather large and overstuffed armchair. There was a sliding glass door in the back, though Wufei couldn't see much outside in the dark; a door to his left, which-Duo informed him-was the kitchen and a hallway to his right, which- Duo informed him with a cheeky grin-led to the bedrooms.
Distracted by his viewing, Wufei nearly tripped on the warm fuzzy thing that came unannounced to twine between his legs. Luckily, he grabbed the wall in time. When he was steady, he looked down at his furry assailant.
It mewed.
"Ah! Kobi-chan!" Quatre rushed forward to pick up the kitten that nearly caused Wufei's literal downfall. "Are you alright Wufei?"
"Fine." Wufei said shortly, glaring at the kitten. 'We will settle this later, cat.'
The kitten purred and snuggled against his master.
"If you're thirsty or anything, help yourself." Duo said, gesturing to the kitchen. "As for sleeping, you can use my room." He grinned in a way that made Wufei-yet again-uncomfortable. He thought about asking where Duo would sleep, but after his little display with Trowa, Wufei wasn't sure he wanted to know... "Come on, I'll show ya the way." Duo offered, grabbing Wufei's wrist and dragged him away without waiting for an answer.
Kobi hopped out of Quatre's arms and followed.
To be continued...
Next Chapter:
In which Trowa's long day continues and Wufei's father contemplates
the strength of the young lovers' bond.
[1] This translates to "House of Beautiful Men" or something similar.
End Authors Note:
^_^;; I'm putting this at the end 'cause I didn't want to delay this
chapter any longer than it had to be. Good news! My dad was able to
retrieve all of my writing from our old hard drives! ^_^ my life is
not over.
I'm sorry if there were any errors, I tried to get this out as soon as
it was legible 'cause I feel really bad about my bad posting habits.
Speaking of said habits, I have a web journal so if you get to
wondering how the new chapters are coming along, you can check my
progress!
I suppose that is it...
Thank you for your support!
-Your Writer Person
PS sorry 'bout all the... formatting... I still haven't found a technique I like...that works on FF.net -_- Sorry it isn't prettier to look at...