Chapter 15: A little romance in the middle of war
"Katsumi, you never said anything about the house being this big!" Quatre exclaimed when the group got a good look of the building. It had five stories and covered the area of a football field. Katsumi laughed and blushed, rubbing the back of her neck. Everybody piled out of the truck and went up to the double doors. Katsumi hesitated for a moment and knocked. The door swung open and a tall thin woman stood in the doorway. She scanned the group.
"Hello." She said not sounding very friendly. Uh oh. We're in trouble now, Meika thought.
"Hello Ms. Reo. It's me, Katsumi" Katsumi was desperately hoping that Ms. Reo would remember her. Ms. Reo regarded her with a scrutinizing stare. Then a look of dawning appeared on the woman's face.
"Katsumi! I haven't seen you in so long! Come, come inside and bring your companions. Get out of the heat." Ms. Reo said. They all went in and sat down. Quatre sat by Katsumi of course. "So what brings you all the way to America?"
Katsumi explained their predicament.
"So these are the Gundam pilots huh?" The woman scanned the five men in front of her. "What are their names?"
"That's Duo and Ayame over there. Trowa is the one leaning against the wall, and Meika is sitting in between Heero, the brown haired one, and Wufei the black haired one." Katsumi responded
"And who is the one next to you?" Ms. Reo asked.
Katsumi blushed at having forgotten one. "This is Quatre."
Ms. Reo smiled knowingly. "So when are you going to marry him?" Katsumi blushed and Quatre just smiled. Duo burst out laughing along with everybody else. Even Heero smiled in amusement.
"So you kids want anything to eat?" Ms. Reo asked changing the subject. There was a definite yes from the entire group to that suggestion.
"Let's get you settled first, there are five rooms, why not have all the girls in one, so that will leave four." Ms. Reo said thoughtfully. In the end all the girls shared a room, Trowa and Wufei shared a room, and Heero, Duo, and Quatre each had their own room. After everyone had a much needed shower, the group sat around the table to eat and converse.
"OZ doesn't really exist out here, so you guys should be safe." Ms. Reo was saying.
"If that's the case, why don't we take a break for a while?" Duo suggested. Everyone agreed.
"Besides that, New Year's is coming up and I'd like to celebrate something without OZ bearing down on me." Quatre put in.
"What's today's date?" Trowa asked.
"The 29th, which means we have two days. What are we going to do for two days?" Heero asked.
Katsumi grinned. "Relax!" She said happily. Everyone approved of this, a chance to get a rest from looking over their backs.
"On New Year's there is the best party in town, you all should go." Ms. Reo suggested.
"Sounds like fun." Meika said. After everyone was finished eating they all got ready for bed.
"So, Katsumi." Katsumi looked at Ayame, who was brushing her hair.
"Hn?"
"What exactly are your feelings for Quatre?" Katsumi blushed.
"Same as your feelings for Duo, I suppose." She replied giggling. Meika came in the room and shut the door behind her.
"What you all talking about?" She asked and Ayame told her.
"So what's going on with you and Heero?" Ayame pounced on the new opportunity.
Meika looked down a little sad. "I wish I knew."
"Aww. Come on. We've all seen how he looks at you, and how protective he is of you." Katsumi pointed out while climbing onto the futon. Ayame laid back on the pulled out mattress, and Meika sat on the bed.
"I guess, only time will tell." Meika said before going to sleep.
The next morning, Ayame was the first one awake, or so she thought. When she reached the living room she saw Duo outside in only a pair of pajama pants watching the sunrise over the desert. She walked up next to him and leaned on his shoulder.
"I missed you last night." He said holding her as they watched the sun come up together. When the sun was finally up Ayame went back to the room to see Meika and Katsumi getting ready for the day.
"You know I was thinking. It would be nice to surprise the guys, if it's not too much trouble." Ayame said.
"What did you have in mind?" Katsumi asked.
"Well, we haven't had a good meal in a long time so I was thinking that we could make them dinner." She responded happily.
"That sounds like fun!" Meika joined in, "but, I don't know how to cook." There was a look of sadness on her face.
"It's okay Meika, I'll help you. I'm a great cook." Katsumi said. When the girls told their plan to Ms. Reo a while later she agreed and gave them enough money to buy what they needed.
"Perfect, we can get the stuff we need in town today, but we'll have to make sure that the boys are no where around when we get the stuff." Katsumi said, the other two laughed.
Duo came in to say that the boys were ready to go into town too.
"How are we going to get there?" Heero asked when the group was outside.
"We are going to ride the bus in. There is a bus stop a short walking distance from here." Katsumi stated. The group followed her for about a quarter of a mile, until they reached the bus stop. To the others surprise, it was a huge air conditioned building.
"What? You expected it to be a sign post in the middle of the desert?"Katsumi asked as she led them inside. Ayame looked around inside. It was surprisingly full. There were all kinds of people coming and going. The building even had a small café.
"This many people live out in the desert?" She questioned. Katsumi shrugged.
"No not really, most of the people here are probably station hoppers. They ride the bus until it reaches a stop. Then they get off and wait for another one." Ayame could tell from her tone that Katsumi didn't really like the notion of traveling like that.
An intercom crackled, "Bus 3971 now arriving, destination Downtown Albuquerque." Droned a bored sounding woman. Everyone stood up and walked to the loading walk. Despite the number of people in the station, the bus was pretty empty. It was a short ride into town and when the bus stopped, everyone exited, and regarded the bustling city with wide eyes.
"I don't suppose it gets any busier on New Years?" Ayame wondered. Katsumi again answered with a shrug.
"Look, us girls are going to run some errands." Meika said addressing the boys, but keeping her eyes on Heero. "Take some of this money and meet us back here around lunch time, kay?" She smiled and Heero regarded her, looking as though he was deciding if it were safe for them to go.
"We'll be fine." Ayame said seeing the look in his eyes. "Let's go." The three girls took off without a second glance behind them.
"Where can we find all this stuff?" Meika asked a little confused looking at the recipe. Katsumi took it and looked it over.
"There is a shop down this road." She said turning. The shop was large and they found almost everything they were looking for in one stop.
"Now all we need is Swedish ground pepper and Nigerian onions. What is a Nigerian onion?" Meika asked a look of distaste on her features.
"Heck if I know." Ayame answered laughing. "An onion from Nigeria?" The girls continued searching for a vegetable shop when they were suddenly stopped by a little old man in the road.
"Well if it isn't Katsumi!"
"Do I know you?" Katsumi asked trying to place the man.
"I'm shocked you don't remember me. I'm Pablo Quaga." There was no light of recognition in Katsumi's eyes.
Then she remembered him and nodded. "It's good to see you." Meika got the hint that she wasn't particularly fond of him and cast a glance at Ayame.
"I hear you looking for some Nigerian onions and some Swedish ground pepper. I happen to have some right here. Take whatever you need." The old man offered. Katsumi shrugged and lead them into the shop, though it wasn't really shop like, it was more like a shed with goods on makeshift shelves in the back. Sure enough the things they needed were in stock, and they got what they wanted and paid. On their way out the little old man offered them some sort of fruit. He said that he had just gotten it shipped in and wanted to know if they would try it so he might be able to pick up some more customers. They accepted the food and ate it.
"This is delicious!" Ayame exclaimed. The old man looked content and bid them good day as they headed back up to meet with the boys. They guys were waiting for them when they got there.
"What did you guys do all morning?" Meika asked when they arrived. The boys shifted uncomfortably.
"Uhh… stuff." Duo answered with a smile on his face. Heero and Quatre nodded in agreement. Wufei and Trowa remained silent. On the bus back to Ms. Reo's house the group was mostly silent until Duo muttered something to Heero and Heero elbowed him. Then there was a small play scuffle. Well, Duo was playing but, you can never be quite sure when it comes to Heero. Ayame and Meika had to break it up before it turned into something more serious.
Once at the house again, the girls shooed the guys away and told them to go do something to keep themselves occupied, but to stay the hell out of the kitchen.
"All righty then, let's start with the main course." Ayame started. The two girls agreed and began working. Around five o'clock everything was ready. They set up the table in the dining room after chasing off the boys who were playing cards. Once the table was all set up, the girls called the boys in.
"Now you want to see us?" Duo's mild complaint was cut short when Quatre elbowed him and gestured to the food. Heero fought not to show any emotion about it, but a small smile crept to his lips. Trowa and Wufei seemed impressed.
The food consisted of steaks, coleslaw, baked potatoes, salad, a small vegetable plate and the Nigerian onions. The Nigerian onions actually turned out to be a fruit that tasted a bit like a pear/apple mix. As they set down to eat, Duo grabbed Ayame's arm and turned her to face him. She looked into his eyes questioningly. He smiled at her and used the back of his hand to wipe off some flour that was on her cheek, causing her to blush bright red.
Quatre offered to help Katsumi clean the dishes after the meal. The others were getting ready to head out to a place Katsumi had told them had a really pretty view. They were planning on camping there. When the dishes were done, the group took the truck up to the location. When they got there, they were all in awe. It was a small cliff that looked out to the desert beyond. They all laid out their sleeping mats and watched the sun set. Heero started a campfire, and the group made smores, while playing connect the dots with the stars. When everyone got bored most everyone fell asleep. Katsumi was awake though just looking out over the desert. Quatre moved to sit beside her and wrapped his arm around her. She hadn't even known he was still awake.
"You look sad." He studied her features. She shrugged.
"Eh, I just miss this place." She said laying her head in the crook of his neck. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" She questioned. Quatre stifled a small laugh.
"Yeah, twenty-nine sisters, all test-tube children." Katsumi was mildly surprised but didn't say it. There was silence as the two of them enjoyed just holding one another. Quatre soon noticed that Katsumi was asleep; he smiled and kissed her forehead before going to sleep himself.
The next morning was New Year's. When the group awoke they drove back to Ms. Reo's house to get ready. Trowa and Wufei went ahead in town while Duo, Quatre and Heero were stuck waiting for the girls to get ready. The three emerged down the stairs together giggling. The boys were having a heated discussion about whether the Leo model mobile suit was still suitable for fighting; Heero was in the middle of his sentence when he noticed Quatre and Duo staring at the stairs practically drooling. When he looked he saw Katsumi had her hair pulled back into an intricate bun and had worn a red v-neck long sleeve dress that was just past her knees. Quatre blushed a little and took her hand. Ayame had opted for a deep blue dress that just touched her knees and tied around her neck. Her hair was done in loose curls that framed her face perfectly. Duo nearly yanked her off the stairs into his arms when she was close enough. Meika was last down the stairs. She was wearing a dark green dress that stopped at her mid-thighs and had capped sleeves. She had chosen to leave her hair down, because she never wore it like that.
It was such a shock to see the girls all dressed up when usually they were all carrying guns and suited for war. The group walked out of the house and took the bus up to the city. Not surprisingly the bus was packed with people this time.
The city was also very busy. Lots of people all dressed up too. The group met up with Trowa and Wufei when they got there. Trowa whispered something to Duo and he nodded.
"Hey we have to go check something out. Mind waiting for us for a bit?" Duo questioned the girls. There were no objections. And they guys started off.
"Do they have fireworks?" Meika asked Katsumi excitedly. She nodded.
"If I remember correctly, they have a great fireworks display." Katsumi replied happily.
"What are they doing?" Ayame asked looking over at the guys who were busy in a shop a short distance away. She turned then she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. The girls turned around to come face to face with four tall guys.
"Yes?" Ayame asked
"If you girls are all alone you should come with us." One said. Ayame backed up a step.
Meika rolled her eyes. "Get lost. We're not interested." She said with a tone of disgust. Katsumi backed up a bit also when one of the guys got too close for her to feel comfortable.
The first guy didn't look overly pleased with Meika's statement. "I said come with us." He insisted in a low voice, grabbing Meika by the arm. She prepared to defend herself when the guy was kicked to the ground. Heero was in front of her in an instant and the other guys had followed him to the girls.
"Hey, what did you do that for?" The guy said standing up.
"What do you want?" Duo asked pulling Ayame behind him.
"These girls are gonna spend the night with us." One sneered.
"No they're not." Quatre responded.
"Oh yeah and who's gonna make them stay?" Taunted the third.
"No one. Were not gonna go with you ever." Meika said. The first one raised his fist and took a step towards the group. He swung at Heero, while the second took a swing at Quatre. Quatre ducked and Heero caught the first guy's fist in his hand and pushed him back on the ground. Heero then pulled out a small gun he had brought with him. Seeing the gun the four men left instantly.
"Are you all right?" Quatre looked at Katsumi. Duo put his arms protectively around Ayame.
"We're fine." Katsumi answered.
"Come on Ayame I want to show you something!" Duo said cheerfully grabbing her hand and walking down the street. Trowa and Wufei sighed.
"Actually, we don't want to be around all the love birds." Wufei stated.
"Enjoy the night." Trowa said before walking off with Wufei.
"Would you care to join me for dinner?" Quatre asked Katsumi bowing slighting and offering his hand to her. She agreed, taking his hand while blushing and they walked off in the opposite direction.
"Well it looks like it's just us." Meika said turning to Heero.
Ayame was being dragged by Duo.
"Waaiiittt!" She called laughing. "Where are we going?" She took this time to notice that Duo had changed from his usual clothes into a red button up shirt and a pair of black slacks. She was so busy looking at him that she didn't even notice that he had stopped jogging, and she ran into him.
"Ohh… sorry. You shouldn't stop so suddenly!" She complained. Duo just laughed and pulled her into his chest. A bright blush grew across her cheeks as he ran his hands through her hair and pulled her into him, kissing her gently. He pulled away from her only because they both needed to breathe at some point.
"Well?" He questioned, "What do you think?" Ayame looked around. They were in a beautiful garden filled with all types of flowers.
"Oh. Wow." She said in amazement. "It's beautiful!"
"Just like you." Duo muttered softly, but Ayame heard him and smiled.
"I thought we could watch the fireworks from here." Duo said and pointed to a bench in the middle of the garden.
"That would be wonderful! You really planned this all out huh?" She giggled as he led her over to the bench and pulled her in his lap.
"I wanted tonight to be special. Who knows when we'll get another opportunity to go out like this again." Ayame nodded in agreement.
"Here, this is for you too." Duo said handing her a small box. Ayame took the box from him curiously and pulled the top off. Inside was a pair of stud earrings. They were different shades of blue and it looked like the colors were constantly swirling.
"You didn't have to." Ayame looked down.
Duo ran his hand along her back. "But they suit you perfectly. I want you to have them. Do you like them?"
"I love them." Ayame grinned throwing her arms around Duo. They enjoyed the rest of the night together chatting and cuddling.
Quatre had lead Katsumi to an open field on the outskirts of the city.
"I thought we were going to dinner?" She questioned.
"We are, I never said it was in a restaurant though." He laughed quietly and pointed to a blanket in the middle of the field. On the blanket there was an entire picnic laid out for them. Katsumi smiled happily and hugged Quatre.
"I thought it would be more fun, if we were alone rather than in a busy restaurant." He admitted shyly. Katsumi nodded in agreement. Quatre wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close to him.
"How did you get all this set up? You were with me all day." She asked. Quatre smiled.
"Trowa and Wufei. They left and came here to set all this up for us." He replied, thankful to his two friends. Katsumi noticed a small box laying beside her, but decided not to say anything. Quatre seeing her eyeing the box picked it up and handed it to her.
"It's for you." He said. She took the box from his hand and pulled open the red gift wrap around it. Inside was a silver necklace with a crescent moon on the bottom. Sitting in the moon was a tiny cat.
"Oh it's perfect!" She yelled happily before glomping Quatre in a hug. He leaned into her gently and placed a short kiss on her lips. Katsumi's faced turned the same color as her dress. He pulled back to gauge her reaction, seeing that she wasn't in disapproval, he kissed her again. This time letting all of his feelings pour into the kiss. Their tender kisses only stopped when the fireworks started.
Heero and Meika were standing alone in the street in awkward silence.
Heero looked down at the ground. Something about his posture told Meika that he was angry.
"What's wrong Heero?" She questioned. "You seem upset."
"I'm not quite sure what we're supposed to do." He replied quietly. Meika looked a bit confused. Heero noticed and sighed.
"I've never taken a girl out before. Well, I did once. But it was a mission and everything was planned out, in the end I had to kill her. I don't think real dates are quite the same." He said shyly. Meika giggled.
"Oh, Heero. I don't care what we do." She was talking in between giggles. "I didn't even know we were going on a date, so I'm just happy to spend time with you without having to watch our backs." He nodded in agreement.
She grabbed his hand. "Let's just walk around. Kay?" She smiled and the two walked slowly through the streets.
"Tell me about your past." Meika said to Heero as they admired the city. Heero looked down.
"I was raised by my mom and step-father until I was 7. They were both killed then. After that I was a ward of Odin. He taught me to survive on my own, and how to shoot. We went on a mission together when I was 10. He died at that time. When I was 15 Doctor J found me, and offered me the chance to pilot a Gundam. It's been war for me my whole life. I feel out of my element when I'm around you." He stated plainly. "But, I like it." Heero smiled at her. She blushed a little.
"Why did you join the pilot academy?" Heero asked her.
"I wanted to make a difference I suppose." She thought momentarily.
"What happened, when you left?" Heero again asked. She took this to mean that he wanted to know if she really had killed all those people, so she told him the story. He nodded when she was done.
"Well, I'm glad it all happened like that." The two stopped suddenly when they heard music coming from the center of the city. Walking over, they saw many couples dancing to a waltz.
"Oh, wow." Meika smiled. "They all look so happy." When she looked up Heero was gone.
"Heero?" She looked around the crowd, and began to panic. She spun around and he was standing behind her holding a single red rose. Before she knew what was happening he had slipped the rose behind her ear, though he was careful to take out the thorns first. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to where everyone was dancing.
"Heero… nooo… Stop… Heero. No. I can't dance." Her pleas were falling on deaf ears. He stopped in the middle and wrapped one arm around her waist and grabbed her hand with his other.
"Put your hand on my shoulder." His tone left no room for argument. She did as he said. He pulled her close to him, and guided her around the dance floor.
"Don't think about it, just follow me." He whispered in her ear. She closed her eyes and let him lead her effortlessly. When the music stopped he leaned down and kissed her. Meika's whole world stopped. She wanted nothing more than to stay in his arms for eternity. A bursting sound broke them apart. They looked up to see bright fireworks going off in the sky.
"I never thought I would find someone I care about as much as I do you." Heero admitted quietly.
"Well you don't have to worry because I don't plan on going anywhere." Meika grinned and leaned her head against his shoulder.
When the fireworks were over Heero and Meika headed back to the bus stop. Everyone was already there waiting for them. Trowa and Wufei looked shocked to see Heero with his arm around the blonde girl. And was he…smiling? Trowa laughed to himself as they all got on the bus and headed back to the house.
When they all headed to their rooms Ayame turned and gave Duo a goodnight kiss. Meika and Katsumi giggled as the three girls walked into their room.
"Guess what Guess what!" Ayame said while dancing around the room happily. She stopped in front of the two others and showed them her earrings.
"Wow, those are so beautiful!" Meika squealed. Ayame gasped and pointed to the necklace around Katsumi's neck. Meika followed her finger and her jaw dropped.
"You guys, I'm so happy for you! Those are so pretty!" They both stared at her.
"Well let's see it then." Ayame questioned. Meika looked at her confused.
"See what?"
"Didn't Heero give you anything?" Meika shook her head.
"No."
"Oh." Ayame looked down. She was sure that Duo had said that Heero had gotten her something. She shrugged it off and got ready for bed. The three continued to gossip about their date while they got ready for bed. Little did they know Quatre and Duo had their ears pressed up against the door.
"This is ridiculous." Heero scolded them before going off to his room.
"Hey Quatre, didn't Meika just say Heero didn't give her anything?" Duo question and Quatre agreed.
"I'm sure he bought something. I wonder why he didn't give it to her." Quatre contemplated. The two boys went to their rooms shortly after and went to sleep.
Heero then, around 3 a.m., decided to sneak into Meika's room and lay the gift beside her in bed, however, poor Meika, at the touch of Heero's skin, woke up screaming! She grabbed a knife from under her bed, and screamed "burglar!"…..she barely got the words out before Heero had covered her mouth, and smoothly proclaimed "it's just me beautiful"…
Somehow, Heero's touch made everything better. She sighed, and felt Heero get into bed beside her. Shortly later, a "dude, Heero, get out of the room" came from a sharp and sleepy Ayame in the background.
Heero grumbled a bit, but then left, satisfied that Meika had not yet discovered her gift….