I went into an authors slump yesterday and couldn't write a thing. It was awful! So, today I wrote this and now I'm happy. As promised, Meilan is in this chapter and I'm trying to explain some stuff, but it's tough. I mean, I don't really know anymore about the picture thing than you do. The characters in the story are still telling me. (nods)
Disclaimer: My story is wierd, but the characters do not belong to me. Escept Arashi
"What do you mean?" Duo looked up from the dresser. "I don't think they can erase memories. But why do you ask?"
"I suddenly realized, I don't remember anything from before six years old."
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"Come on, Solo. You're dragging your feet." Duo stopped as Solo peddled up slowly on his bike.
"I can't drag my feet, Duo, we're on bikes." Solo stopped and Arashi pulled aside in front of them. "And it's so far."
Arashi rolled her eyes. "Solo, it's five miles. That's not all that far."
Solo heaved an overly dramatic sigh and started peddling again. Duo shook his head and followed Arashi and the younger boy.
It took them twenty minutes to reach the large hotel. Duo stopped and stared up at it for a minute. It was the usual, towering over everything, shining glass windows, and a beautiful entrance. Duo got a weird feeling, like almost remembering something…and then the feeling was gone and Arashi and Solo were waiting for him by the door. Duo jumped off the bike and ran to meet them.
"Wow!" Solo stared around in amazement at the huge room with its golden, domed ceiling. "This place is huge."
Duo grunted slightly and followed Arashi to the counter. They stopped behind a man in a crisp suit and Duo stared around. The entrance hall was huge, with a fountain spraying water in the middle and gold staircases arching around it to the second floor. Squishy, blue chairs sat randomly, yet somehow artistically, around the room.
A yelp of surprise made Duo glance over his shoulder. The man at the desk had jumped when the older man with the suit had moved aside.
"How can I help you…children?" The man forced a completely fake smile.
"Can you tell us what floor Yuy is staying on?" Arashi smiled back at the man as he turned to a computer.
"Ah, yes. The loud ones. They are on the twenty-second floor." The man's eyes narrowed. "If you cause trouble like they have been, I'll throw you out. You aren't paying customers."
Arashi's eyes widened and she nodded to the man. They got on the elevator and the man glared at them until the doors shut.
"That man is evil." Solo shivered, "I mean, he really scares me. Like Arashi when she gets mad."
Arashi glared at him and started humming along to the elevator music. Duo shook his head and watched the light count up to the twenty-second floor.
"Look out!" Heero shot past the elevator and Arashi swore and jumped back into the elevator. A few seconds later and the other three pilots shot past.
"See you in a few minutes." Duo tore out of the elevator and shot down the hall after the other boys. It only took him few seconds to catch up to them. Trowa was on top of Heero and trying to take something out of his hand.
"Give it to me, Heero! It's Wufei's!" Heero rolled over and shoved his hands under his stomach.
"Never! I won't give it up!" He glanced around and saw Duo standing behind the other boys. "Duo, catch." He threw something into the air and Duo caught it.
"Give it to me, Duo." Wufei held out his hand and Duo glanced at Heero who shook his head.
"Run for it, Duo! I want to see what that is!" Heero squirmed from under Trowa and dodged around Wufei. "Lemme see."
Duo held the package out and Heero rolled his eyes. "Great it's wrapped. Here, Wufei, we'll have to wait and see when Meilan opens it."
"Who?" Duo tossed the small, wrapped box to Wufei. Wufei caught the box and looked away. The other three boys laughed and Trowa said, "It's his girlfriend. Isn't that right, Wufei? Or was it fiancée?"
"Trowa, shut up or I swear I'll kill you." Wufei glared at the other boy but Duo saw a little red in his cheeks.
"Fiancée? What's this?" Arashi stopped next to Duo. "Who's getting married?"
"Wufei!" Heero took a step back and Wufei kicked him in the stomach. Heero staggered and smiled at Arashi. "Wufei's getting married to Meilan Long."
"Oh, let's go meet her." Arashi spun and stopped. "Where is she?"
"At the end of the hall, with Relena and Hilde. Apparently, Relena can make friends really quick, 'cause she invited Hilde on the grounds that she was now one of her best friends." Heero fell into step next to Duo. "I mean, Hilde just got here Monday and she's already one of Relena's best friends?"
"Afraid your girlfriend won't have time for you?" Duo smirked at him as Heero stuck out his hand to stop Arashi at a door that was ajar.
"Girlfriend! Ha! I don't think so." Arashi stuck her head through the door called something to the girls inside and stepped through. "C'mon, Duo, you know Relena and I have been friends almost as long as you and I have been."
Duo nodded, "Yeah, friends. So, why are you so worked up that Hilde's here?"
"I'm not worked up!" Heero's eyes narrowed, "I hate you."
Duo smiled widely at him and stepped through the door after Arashi. The room was enormous. Two doors led off the main room. Through one Duo could see two, two person beds and through the other was a bathroom. The main room where they stood had a long, squishy couch, several armchairs, a widescreen TV and a gamecube. Three girls sat on the couch, chatting and Arashi was fiddling with the gamecube.
"This room is huge!" Solo darted past Duo and Heero and launched himself into one of the armchairs.
"Mom wouldn't let us come unless we brought the small one." Duo flopped next to Relena on the couch. "So, this is the Meilan we all heard about?"
"You sound like you're at one of those, I dunno, dinner parties, maybe. Makin' small talk, 'How are you?' 'You're kids are doing well? That's wonderful?'" Relena shook her head in disgust, "You've fallen far."
Duo pulled the pillow from behind him and hit Relena with it. "Oops. So, you are Meilan?"
A pretty, Asian girl with black hair pulled into a ponytail smiled and inclined her head to Duo. "You must be Duo. It's nice to meet you."
Duo shook her hand and turned to Relena. "I noticed it's not strange that she's formal. Only when I am?"
Relena's comeback was cut off by Arashi giving a triumphant shout. The TV showed a fighting game's logo spinning.
"You got it to work?" Hilde sat next to Arashi and grabbed the other controller. "We tried for half an hour. I think Heero could've done it but he wouldn't try."
"If you can't do it yourself you don't deserve to play."
Duo pushed himself out of the chair and wandered through the rooms, finally stopping in the bedroom. The window had an amazing view of the ocean and Duo stared absently out at the rolling waves.
"Duo's not talking; the world's coming to an end!" Heero stood in the doorway. "What is wrong with you? Normally we can't shut you up and now you left when they're playing a fighting game."
"Heero, if I told you there was another world where everything was different, what would you say?"
"That you're crazy? Why? What's this other world supposed to be like?" Heero threw himself on the bed and leaned his chin on his hands.
"For one, you never smile, almost never talk. Trowa's kind of the same, 'cept I think he smiles now and then. Wufei always talks about Justice and what are we fighting for. Quatre's not really any different, actually."
"And you?" Heero looked like he was having trouble not laughing.
"I have no family. And we all fly these huge mechas made of Gundanium."
Heero shook his head. "You do need therapy. Was this a dream you had?"
Duo sighed, "Something like that. I'm not saying this other world exists, so don't think I'm crazy. And don't tell Arashi or I'll kill you."
Heero nodded, "Okay. Any more 'soul-baring' you want to do?" He pushed off the bed.
"Can people wipe memories?"
Heero stopped. "I wasn't serious. Wait, wipe your memory? No, I don't think so? Why are you asking all these things?"
"Arashi can't remember anything from before being six and neither do I."
Heero shrugged, "Arashi's seventeen, I'm not surprised she can't remember before six and you don't have a great memory."
Duo stared out the window in silence for a minute. "She can remember right up 'til six years. Then it's all just blank."
"Maybe she does and is just getting it mixed up with something after. You really are acting weird." Heero stepped back and stood at the door.
"There's a picture on Mèmerè's mantle of me and Arashi at her beach when she was about five and I was four. Neither of us can remember it. I know it's not doctored, I looked."
"So?" Heero looked completely confused. "You just don't remember. Do you think your grandma's evil?"
"No, not that. But they're hiding something and it's driving me crazy!" Duo punched the wall and swore as the bumpy surface cut his hand.
"You already are crazy." Heero turned to the main room. "C'mon, Arashi's beating Hilde at that new fighting game." Behind Heero Arashi suddenly ran past Hilde on her heels.
"You can't kill me 'cause I won! That's not fair!"
Duo heaved a sigh and glanced once more over his shoulder towards the beach where the water lapped quietly on the sand.
I don't know why he told Heero that, I just wanted to see how Heero would react. Uh, I think in the next chapter I'll try and explain about the picture. Hopefully...:P