Quiet Chatter:
Chapter Seven; Meiran POV:
I closed my eyes as Wufei drove me home. There had been so much that had occurred today. I would never have imagined so much could happen. First I had found myself engaged to the man I have been in love with for so long, then his father tells me I will only have his blessing if I win the women's kata, which was followed by finding out Duo was forced to throw knives at someone, and it was all topped off with the restaurant.
When Wufei had formally proposed to me before everyone, I had felt my heart increase it's pace and my breathing seemed to hitch in my throat. It was all happening all so fast and it had been just a short time ago when I had thought I was doomed to be alone. Or perhaps even someone who would have to settle for friendship over a relationship.
Among the congratulations of our friends, I had tried to let him know I couldn't say yes for certain. That if I didn't earn his father's approval that we wouldn't be able to get married. But he had looked so nervous and worried, even with the engagement already settled. I hadn't the heart to say no and shatter his hopeful gaze. So I had nodded when he couldn't hear me over everyone and the look he gave me then was priceless.
Yet there was a dark secret in my past. There was something of which only my two closest friends and Mrs. Chang knew about. Having her blessing about the marriage had been surprising, because usually high class families like Wufei's usually wanted someone as pure as they were born. Sadly, I wasn't that any more. I could never go back to being that either.
I had been stubborn and foolish that night. I had been walking home from the restaurant after a rather long shift. Believing I was invincible and incapable of falling pray to the low lives that frequently wandered the streets between where the restaurant and the Chang home was. It was stupid of me. . .I admit. . .but until that night, I truly believed I was skilled enough to protect myself from anything. But I had found out how wrong I was as my life came crashing down around me.
Two men had suddenly slunk out of the shadows and grabbed me. One took my arms while the other took my legs. I was now completely defenseless. I hated it and I screamed until a third man came out and covered my mouth with his hand. Even now, I could still remember their words.
"Well, well, well boys. It looks like the pretty little Asian flower we always see at the Golden Dragon has decided to come to us. And gee, I didn't even order take-out." The two men with him snickered and I had felt real fear for the first time in my life. The ribbons were torn from my hair and my clothes were roughly ripped from my body.
I had continued to scream, even through the hand that covered my mouth. Yet once he violated me in a way I would have never allowed anyone near me. . .except for my husband. . .he had soon began to get careless. One man held my arms while the other held my legs open. I could still remember them begging for their turns with my body. I was crying and still yelling and eventually, the one who was keeping me muffled began to enjoy himself so much that he forgot to keep his hand over my mouth. I screamed as loud as I could manage, earning me a slap for my trouble.
That was when the ones I call friend and guardian angel arrived. Trowa had swept in like an avenging angel and took out to of them with almost blinding speed. Duo had also done his part. Yet I soon found myself on the receiving end of a gun. I swallowed and closed my eyes, knowing it would be my last moments. My mind had instantly flashed to Wufei. . .and how much I would miss out on. Then I felt a body fall on top of me.
I had squeaked and moved out from under him almost instantly. Trowa, who I now knew was almost impossible to ruffle, came over to me and placed his shirt around me, trying to spare me some modesty. Duo stood there with a dumbfounded expression on his face. I could tell he was battling with himself over what he had done. He had killed. . .and to protect me. The gun was still in the mans grip, and the knife sticking in his head told me all I needed to know about what Duo had done to him.
I had found myself unmindful of what had happened to me. Sure, it had been rape and a violation of my body, but these boys had just become part of something bigger. While I knew I could heal and my body wouldn't suffer overly from this, they would be hurting far worse if I didn't do something. Thus, I had walked over to Duo and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You are not a killer, Duo Maxwell. You are a savior. Although I wasn't fully spared the pain of what occurred, I was spared my life. I do not want it to come at the cost of yours," I had told him. He had looked at me with the widest and most serious violet gaze I have ever seen from him in my life.
I had then walked over to Trowa, knowing he was in need of words as much as Duo had been.
"And don't even begin to think that if you had just been quicker at beating those men up you could have spared any killing. He was dead set on killing one of us before something occurred. This just goes to show that you at least cared enough to stop them in the first place. To me. . .that is worth everything."
Trowa had then looked at me with wonder in his eyes. Yet neither one of the boys could say anything before the police had arrived. I don't think any of us really know who called them, but it was obvious that one look at me and everything that had gone on, including the killing, had been in self defense. Even once this went to court, of which only Houren had been there for me. Father Maxwell and Sister Helen had been there for Duo while Jonathan and Catherine had been there for Trowa. I hadn't really wanted to tell Houren at all. Yet, the police wouldn't let me go until they were certain I had someone to take care of me.
Houren had come to the police station and cried when she saw me. She even brought me a change of clothes. Watching her cry, I had began to cry as well, and we held one another as we did. It had been very humbling to see her break down like that. She was always the perfect vision of a traditional Chinese wife, with the exception that her husband never asked her to be any less of who she was. She was very much how I wanted to be for Wufei.
"Meiran?" Wufei's voice floated into my ears and brought me from my memories. I blinked my eyes and looked over at him, and then around us. I noticed we were back at him home and I smiled softly.
"Sorry, I must have dozed off, Wufei," I said with a soft blush staining my cheeks. I hadn't expected that. Not one bit. I had always cared about him and now with my memories seeming to want me to remember what I had yet to tell him, I was slightly terrified. If Wufei found out I wasn't the perfect, flawless gem he had first known, would he call off everything? It was something I was very nervous to find out. . .and reluctant to speak of as well.
"It's all right. You've had a rather exciting day, after all." I smiled and got out of the car at the same time he did. He came around to my side and as he took my arm, we walked into the house together. We were, as I caught a glance of us in a mirror that was near the front door, a picture perfect couple. Too bad there were inner secrets that the mirror hid from everyone but the one who was being reflected. Minor flaws that the glass just couldn't reflect.
"Meiran? Are you all right?" Houren asked as she came out of the drawing room off to our right, worry was etched across her classic Chinese features. I blinked.
"Of course, Houren. Why wouldn't I be?" I asked, letting go of Wufei and moving over to her. "Did something happen?" She looked over at Wufei before looking back at me.
"They allowed Rodney Wilson and Carl Wilkes parole," she whispered, low enough that only we could hear one another. I blinked, my eyes wide. The one who had held the arms, Rodney, and the one who had held my feet, Carl, seemed to be better behaved in prison that I ever could have imagined.
"I see. I assume you believe them to be wanting some form of revenge?" I asked. Houren looked from her son to me. I knew what she was getting at. I would be safer if Wufei knew. I closed my eyes in hesitation. I really didn't want him to know about this. Hell, I didn't want to know about this. Yet I had suffered through it and thus it was up to me to be able to handle such things. It was my life. He would have to find out sooner or later, before we could marry. But I somehow wished this really could be later, instead of now.
"I believe they will be after Duo, Trowa, and you, Meiran." I sighed and looked from my husband-to-be to my mother-in-law-to-be. This had been such a wonderful night too. Too bad there always had to be something day to round it out. Things had been going way too well lately.
"I see," I answered. I then turned back to Wufei. "I believe someplace where we can sit down would be in order. This isn't a little story I have to tell." He looked at me with a serious gaze and nodded. We then followed Houren back into the drawing room. It had a single wall full of books, most of them were various types of law and other such business books. I had found some of them rather interesting when I had time to look through them. Taking a seat beside Houren on the love seat, Wufei sat in the high backed chair across from us.
"What is this news that I have to know?" he asked, staring at me as if I was about to feed him to the wolves. Too bad that was almost a very accurate description.
"Duo, Trowa, and I met in a rather awkward way. You see, they stumbled upon me as I was being raped. They then saved me. Duo even going so far as killing the one who had been doing the rape with a throwing knife. It was been found as self defense and the other two had been thrown in jail with possibility of parole for good behavior." I stopped speaking and looked over at Houren, who knew I wouldn't be able to say the rest.
"I recieved a call today to alert Meiran and I about the two accomplises getting out today. Aparently, they wanted to make certain Meiran knew they would possibly be heading this way." I watched Wufei the entire time. His expression was so closed I couldn't tell what was going on in that mind of his. As Houren and I sat there, we could only hope he wouldn't hate me when this was all over.
