Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Beautiful Dawn ❯ Chapter 09 ( Chapter 9 )

Beautiful Dawn

Part Nine

Heero left the darkened house, and stepped into the warmth of the morning. Immediately, a glaring bolt of sunlight blinded him, causing color to dance before his eyes, and weakly, he raised a protective hand against the assault. A night of tossing and turning had left him listless. Fatigue deadened his limbs and it took considerable effort just to walk the short distance to the steps. He felt…numb. Not blessedly, but like something had been ripped out of him too violently to ever be replaced. The thought filled Heero with an unexpected wave of sorrow and he blinked, startled by the prickling of tears behind his eyelids. The sensation was so foreign that for a moment he didn't recognize it. Heero sunk to the ground, head bowed between his knees as he fought the tightness in his throat.

It took several moments and many more desperate gulps of air to regain some of his control.What was wrong with him?He failed to understand the cause of this aberration.He failed to understand why his carefully constructed world seemed to be suddenly crumbling around him.

And at the very center of the swirling dust and settling rubble stood a certain enigmatic blonde.

Before meeting the blonde, Heero had been sure he had done everything correctly: fulfilling his own objectives as well as J's. Yet in only a week he had discovered how wrong he had been. He had accomplished nothing. He didn't have the strength needed to continue J's legacy. How could he have so miscalculated, so misjudged the extent of his own capabilities .... How could he have been so wrong? The dark ripple of hysteria threatened to swallow him, and forcefully, Heero tamped it down.

He would simply have to start again.

He would rethink his strategy.Perhaps, his mistake had been avoiding Zechs.... It was obvious that though he'd been blind to his faults, they were glaring to the blonde. Zechs had displayed his mastery enough times in exposing his weaknesses that Heero could only accede to his own inferiority.He stood, resolute.The only way to overcome failure was to face it.

And when Zechs drove up as if conjured by his own imagination, lazily beckoning to him from his car, Heero got in without protest

*

To say that Zechs was ecstatic felt exhilarated was an understatement.

He'd awoken feeling more alive than he had in years. And when he'd pulled back the curtains, Zechs had been doubly delighted to find that nature seemed to be echoing his sentiments. A beautiful sunny, day replete with crisp blue skies and wispy white clouds had joyfully greeted him. By the time he had showered and dressed, he was in the mood for taking chances. On a whim, he decided to drive by the Yuy residence in the hopes of coercing Mr. Sunshine himself into a ride to school.

Zechs had expected balking, if not an outright fight from Heero. He'd thought it would take minutes of coercion to get Heero to even look at him. It therefore went without saying that he was more than pleasantly surprised when the boy climbed in without the least bit of hesitation. Zechs grinned. Ah well. There were other pursuits he could direct his considerable charm towards.He was still chuckling to himself when he noticed his companion's utter stillness.

Heero seemed more withdrawn than usual, if that was possible. Attention now focused on the somber beauty, Zechs frowned, noticing the shadows of fatigue under his eyes, and the slight redness to his eyes as if he had been crying. Apart from these telltale signs however, there was no other noticeable difference in Heero's expression, or even his demeanor. The smooth mask was in place, as was the perpetual air of indifference. Still, Zechs was not fooled: There was an unmistakable despondency emanating from Heero. Zechs was sure of it.

A wave of concern flooded him, and his kite-high mood took a considerable nose-dive, fizzling into an over protectiveness that surprised even him.Zechs almost asked Heero if he could help, when he realized that it would be pointless. The boy would stubbornly insist that everything was fine even as his face took on that cold, closed-off expression that was self-disgust, anger, or guilt. For some reason the three seemed inseparable in Heero's mind, and It was much too beautiful a day to hurtle into the painful intricacies of his logic, Zechs decided. Especially when he was certain that Heero finally seemed to be softening towards him -- however minutely. No, He would have to go about this differently. Zechs sighed as he pulled into the university parking lot. He would have to be more circumspect in his explorations.

Zechs shut off the engine, and turned towards the brunette. Heero, he noticed, much to his disappontment, already had his hand on the door and seemed ready to abandon Zechs' company for the day. Not about to let that happen, Zechs struggled to think of some excuse to halt the boy's flight.

Heero's door was opening… one jeans-clad was already half out of the car's plush interior…

"Ah Heero!"

The brunette paused mid-movement, pale, perfect profile turned towards him. "Hn?"

Waiting ... waiting....

Zechs ran a frustrated hand through his hair.Think, Marquise. Think.Why was it that his wit always seemed to abandon him around this boy? This was decidedly not the time to be staring like a brainless idiot.

An frown of impatience furrowed Heero's brow and he moved to abandon the vehicle completely.

Zechs groaned inwardly. He frantically searched the parking lot, looking for something, anything that would give him some idea…He spotted a small group of men a few feet away, a familiar glint of ginger hair, the slick ebony sheen of his companion's .... And the other two: platinum blonde hair and next to him, the tall slender figure with the unmistakable auburn bangs….

Heero was standing.Closing the door behind him….

"Heero, wait! I'd like you to meet my friends." Zechs ran a relieved hand through his hair as he ushered Heero over to where his friends were engaged in the playful banter that frequently passed amongst them.

"My, my, Dragon, aren't we fiery today." A mock growl accompanied a tug on a tight little ponytail.

Zechs chuckled. That had to be Treize.

He caught Quatre's giggle and then a husky tenor darkened ominously. "Is that a complaint, Khushrenada?"

Zechs smiled. And that, was definitely, definitely Wufei.

He was close enough now to see the mischievous glint in Treize's sapphire gaze."Complaints?" His best friend turned to Quatre and Trowa, affecting distress "Ah, if you gentlemen only knew."

"One can only guess," Trowa quipped quietly, amusement dancing in his verdant gaze.

Zechs was just about to add something of his own when Quatre spotted them.The diminutive blonde smiled."Milliardo!" he greeted pleasantly, "and you've brought a friend as well."

"Yes." Zechs smiled. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Heero Yuy."

*

Heero studied the group as the men continued to tease each other. They were a striking lot. He would not have thought that such different personalities could get along so well.

His gaze rested on the ginger-haired man who was about Milliardo's age and height. For all his light-heartedness, Heero had not missed the assessing sapphire eyes that had immediately fallen on him when Zechs had introduced him to the group. It was obvious too, that despite Zechs' easy camaraderie with them all, of the four, this one was closest to him. Heero made a mental note for future reference.
There was definitely more here than met the eye.

Then there was the small blonde. Like Treize, he was a political science major. By far, the friendliest of the lot, he shone amidst the others like a beam of gentle sunlight. But again, Heero doubted that this was the full picture. He detected definite steel behind that kindly exterior. He nodded to himself. This one was no less shrewd than his ginger-haired friend. Perhaps more so .... His gaze missed nothing. Furthermore, Heero found it unnerving. For some reason, he felt strangely ... exposed in Quatre's presence. As if sensing his thoughts Quatre nodded at him and again, Heero was struck by the soul-boring intensity of his gaze. Ill at ease, Heero turned almost eagerly to the blonde's companion.

He almost smiled. He had taken an immediate liking to the silent youth with the striking, green gaze. Their eyes had met and a quiet understanding had passed between them. A man after his own heart Heero thought. This one understood the nuances of silence. Intelligence rippled in Trowa's singly visible orb. He was clearly one to be reckoned with. Heero was not surprised at all to find that this seeming anti-socialite was a theatre major. That calm mask concealed many faces.

And finally he came to the headstrong Chinese. Volatile and emphatically opinionated, his traditional dress revealed his pride in his heritage, while in his severe haircut, Heero recognized another who fought to keep his passions concealed. A fitting candidate for a philosophy major Heero decided, and a man he definitely would prefer as an ally than as an enemy.

Satisfied that he'd taken a fairly accurate assessment of each man, Heero allowed himself to enjoy their antics. But when Quatre leaned companionably against Trowa, he paused. Their bodies seemed subtly drawn towards each other even when they were not touching. The same was the case, he realized, between Wufei, and Treize. He had missed this other dynamic of the group.

A slight warmth heated his cheeks and Heero's gaze unconsciously returned to Zechs.

Hn.

*

Zechs stole a glance over to where Heero actually seemed to be comfortably talking with Trowa, Quatre and Wufei -- and about computers, no less.

Amazing. He smiled thoughtfully as he listened to their chatter .So the boy was a Computer Information Systems major.How apt: utterly familiar with the intricacies of a machine but not with the stirrings of his own heart. He turned back to Treize and he could see the questions dancing in his friend's eyes, but he shook his head. There'd be time enough to answer them.

Right now, if he didn't leave he would be late for a class. Jesus! He had completely lost track of the time. Hastily, he apologized and made his farewells, shocking everyone into realization of the time and spurring them all into action as well. He was pleasantly surprised when Heero and Trowa decided to walk each other to class. The tall youth would be a good friend to his sad beauty, he knew.

Treize, Quatre and Wufei headed in the opposite direction. Not, however, before Treize pinned him with a look, that clearly promised retribution if things were not clarified soon.

Chuckling, he turned to leave. "Heero," he called over a broad shoulder. "I'll pick you up here after classes." And Zechs prayed that he would show up, and maybe, just maybe, trust him enough to confide at least part of what was eating at his heart.

*

Heero looked up just in time to see the elegant line of Zechs' broad shoulders before he disappeared round the corner. His mind was awhirl with confusion, but he was sure of his answer, even if Zechs wasn't there to hear it. "Yes," he whispered softly.

Part Ten