Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Blood Bonds ❯ A Walk In the Woods ( Chapter 18 )

Blood Bonds

By Tygerlilee

Chapter Eighteen

A Walk In The Woods

*Disclaimer: This past Christmas was great. I got just about everything I asked Santa for; however, I think that GW slipped his mind so I guess I'll just put it on this year's list...sigh...I'll just have to be content with borrowing it...

** means flashback

Heero rolled over on his futon, pulling the blanket more securely over his head to block out the offending rays of sunlight. Yesterday was Christmas and Yachi had gotten everyone up at four in the morning to open presents. Heero hadn't expected anything, but he had figured that since they were taking him in for the holidays, he needed to be polite and get everyone else something. That had been an interesting experience. Shopping with Huy...Heero cringed at the memory...

** "Hmm...well, Gina likes orange a lot. Let's see..."

"I am NOT going into the lingerie department and I am NOT buying underwear for ANYONE in your family. Don't even think about it!"

"Oh come on!! It'll be funny! You don't want them to think that you don't have a sense of humor!!"

"I don't have a sense of humor, in case you've forgotten, Huy."

"Yes you do! You just misplaced it." **

Heero sighed. He had just been happy to survive!

But Huy's family also had gotten him several things-much to his surprise. First, they got him an oversized sweater the color of his eyes (Gina said he looked very 'fetching' in it, whatever that was supposed to mean), and then a desk lamp (apparently Huy had told them that he would work late into the night by the light of his laptop screen...not every good for the eyes according to Mr. Iwasato). Last a book called "Computer Programming for Dummies" from Huy (obviously a gag gift), which he was tempted to give to his C++ teacher once they returned to school. But Heero couldn't help but feel happy that they thought of him. The family was all so kind and accepting.

They had pretty much 'played' all day yesterday-either that or ran from Yachi and her new 'make-up' kit. It had been a dangerous day to be a male in the house.

Then Mr. Iwasato was just scary. "And the couch is at 1300 N' by.…" He had gotten a GPS system and was happily calculating the coordinates of everything from the couch to Yachi at an instant in time-he couldn't get her to stand still for more than that amount of time anyway. Heero almost suggested that he trace her path and take the derivative. The normally cool, controlled, reserved man suddenly transformed into some alternate form of Huy at football games...frightening to say the least.

Halfway through the morning, the short-haired dachshund, Fluffy (Huy and Toshi named him) disappeared. Later, when Ai was bagging up used, torn wrapping paper and bows, he was found sleeping in an empty shoebox. Huy promptly kicked the box and the dog went yelping around the house with Mr. Iwasato chasing after it with his GPS. The dog jumped over Gina, who was on the vidphone, followed by Mr. Iwasato, who caught his foot on the cord of the vidphone and disconnected it from the wall-then Gina joined in the chase. Huy and Toshi just sat on the couch laughing like hyenas while Yachi hid behind the couch preparing to pounce on them with her pastel eye shadow. Ai stood in the middle of the room wondering what happened. That was when the dog decided that he liked how Heero smelled and leaped all over him. Heero's head was still ringing from the collision...

Yachi had had way too much candy, so, not only did she get everyone up three to eight hours early from bed (the time depended on who you were talking about), but she also prevented everyone from going to bed before three A.M. It was now eight according to the neon green alarm clock on the desk across the room, and he wanted to go back to sleep. "Cursed sun," he muttered softly.

"WHERE ARE YO-OU HEERO?!?" Yachi's childish voice called from the hallway.

Heero groaned inwardly. Sleep, he wanted sleep! Luckily he had Huy and Toshi as a buffer in this room...didn't he?

Heero pushed off his blanket just enough to get a good look at the room. He didn't hear Huy's usual...er...night noises and Toshi just plain old snored-he couldn't here that either. Heero sat bolt upright at the realization.

He was alone in the room and Yachi was on the lose...

Most likely with make-up in hand...

Alone...

Heero jumped up and flung on some clothes while he frantically looked for a place to hide.

The vent, he smirked looking up. Being a Gundam Pilot definitely has its uses in situations of extreme desperation.

Heero grabbed the desk chair in the corner and rolled it under the vent in the wall. After prying it upward, Heero clutched the edge and pulled himself up and into it.

Just after he pulled his feet in, Yachi burst into the door. "Heero? You in here?" He watched through the slats as the little girl inspected the room. Her right eyebrow was arched in mock confusion and concentration as she quietly mumbled to herself. "Hmm...is widdle Heewo hiding under HERE," she yelled 'HERE' as she jumped to the floor to look under the desk. She stood up and scanned the small bedroom once more. "That's funny, I guess he's really not in here..." she murmured. "HE-ERO!! COME OUUUUT AND PLA-AY!!" she yelled, running out of the room.

Heero released the breath he had been holding and waited until he couldn't hear her voice anymore before jumping out of the vent and climbing back to his futon.

Aw...peace...he thought just before fading back into a restful sleep.

Heero was walking through a clouded mist...the fog deep all around him. He could see a light off in the distance...he walked towards it. He walked and walked, but things around him got darker and colder. He had to get to the light, but he couldn't. Why couldn't he? He ran fast, but it got darker faster. A chill ran through him, clutching at his heart. He wanted to yell and scream at the cold lonely feeling, but he pushed on because he could see the light.

That's when he saw her...the blond little girl...and her dog Mary. She was lying in a crumpled heap on a patch of grass in the middle of a clearing in the fog, her short arms wrapped protectively around the brown dog. Heero looked down at his hand...he was holding the flower that she had given him earlier.

"Hey, little girl, wake up," he shook her gently...but she wouldn't get up.

Why won't she wake up...wait...that's right, I killed her...she's dead because I killed her...

That's when he looked around and saw faces, so many faces. Some young, others old...Marshal Noventa...a bright eyed guard...all these people...

I killed all of these people, he thought, horrified.

His heart felt as if it was ripping in half as he looked at all the people. They were advancing on him...faster and faster... He shrunk back in fear, stumbling on the little girl's body. He glanced over and saw the light.

If I can just get over there, I'll be safe, he realized suddenly.

He broke out into a run...his feet flying...

I can't get there...I can't reach it!

They kept on coming-chasing after him. That's when the hand reached out from the light and tried to pull him to safety. He reached out to grab it, but he only pulled it with him. An arm appeared, then a shoulder, then a neck, and then a face...a blond girl with large blue eyes about his age.

Relena...Relena, you're trying to save me?

"Heero, hold tight! I'll pull us both back in," she told him, her voice strangely hollow and distant with a soft echo.

"No you can't; you're not strong enough-I'll just pull you in here with me. Let me go and keep yourself safe. I'm not worth it...just go back," he told her.

"I won't abandon you...ever...never...Heero," she reassured.

"Relena, just GO!" Heero yelled while trying to pry her off of his arm. "You have to make it out alive, for peace, for everyone else!" Why does this feel so familiar, he wondered.

"Heero, just hold on, Heero...Heero..."

"HEERO!! I FOUND YOU!!" Yachi's little voice chirped. "Where were you hiding you bad boy!!"

"Wha..." Heero struggled to sit up with Yachi straddling his legs and hugging his stomach like it was a life preserver in the middle of a raging ocean.

What happened? Relena was here, I know she was...wait, it was a dream...this is what's real...he thought, looking down at the black haired girl again.

"I looked, but you weren't here! Where were you?" she demanded, her lower lip sticking out.

"I was here the whole time-what are you talking about not being here," he lied.

Yachi 'hmphed' him and yanked on his hand. "Well, it's time you get up, lazy bones!! The day's half over!"

"You sound like your mother."

"WELL, maybe you NEED a mother!! Come ON!" the gritted her teeth and grunted, trying to pull up a mass three times her own.

I still have one over you little girl, Heero thought slyly.

Then something dawned on him.

"Where is everyone?" Heero asked suddenly, calmly watching Yachi pull and tug on his arms with all her might.

"ERRRRGG!! HA!! GAA-RRR! They, YAAH, all went to, UFF, the neighbors, G-G-GPUFF, to see, M-M-MHAAA, the new b-b-baby, JAHHAA!!"

"Didn't you want to go?" he prompted, watching her with great amusement. Her face was bright red and her shoulder-length hair was flying everywhere out of its usual locked position under the head-band.

"I've ALLLL REEEEEEADY, ga, ha ha, seen the baby and they JJRRRRRRAAAHH, wanted someone to stay with me so they left you!!"

"Feel like giving up?" Heero inquired.

"NEV-ER!! GAAAAAAHHHHH!!"

"What will you do with me if I do get up?" He was a little afraid to ask, but what the hey.

"Go for a w-w-walk!! It snowed some MORE!" she continued to strain on the words as she pulled and tugged.

"You'll get tired eventually," Heero pointed out, also noticing that she wasn't making as many grunting noises.

"No I won't! I'm a IWASATO!! I will never give up until I c-c-onquer!!"

Heero sighed and pushed himself up as the blue-clad girl plopped onto the floor with a thump. "Hey, that hurt!"

"Oops."

"You're not very nice."

"You noticed."

"Just for that your gonna get it! Put on your coat, we are going for a WALK!!"

"Ye-es ma'am," Heero mumbled under his breath, knowing she would never leave him alone with his futon if he didn't.

I've got a feeling that's I'm going to regret this...

Yachi skipped along the path through the woods with Heero paced several feet behind her.

Heero was actually amazed at this colony. He had been many places, but never one like this. Mr. Iwasato was a botanist and this colony had been built especially for the purpose of research in that field. He seemed fairly enthusiastic about his job, he had given Heero the 'lowdown' on his first night.

The colonies had been in quite a bit of turmoil and an independent company had put together the funds to built a colony just for research. It had only a couple hundred people living on it and the peace was easily kept as it was governed by a town council. Nothing else was needed. They recruited Mr. Iwasato, which was why he was here.

The colony was an average sized one, but it was full of parks and various terrain. There were divisions within the colony to experiment with various ecosystems. On one side, there as a tropical forest and on another a desert, for example. This side was of a more moderate climate and followed the typical seasons-thus explaining the snow on December twenty-sixth.

Yachi took a flying leap into the snow, giggling loudly as she lied on her back and flapped her arms and legs around.

"What are you doing?" Heero asked, nonplussed. Not that he really cared, but still, it was rather odd.

"Mak'in a snow angel! Haven't you ever seen one before?" she shot back giddily.

Heero shook his head and looked up at the 'sky' as a snow flake landed softly on his noes.

"Come on!! It's fun, I'll show you how!!" she jumped up and grabbed his forearm.

"No, that's okay. I'll pass on it this time Yachi."

"No you WON'T!! Come ON," she yanked with an unusual amount of strength and he fell headlong into the snow. "There, roll on your back and spread your arms and legs out and then bring them back in and you keep doing that! Like this."

This is utterly ridiculous, Heero grumbled silently.

"You're not doing it! Don't make me hurt you!"

Heero couldn't help but let a little snort escape. "Oi!! So close, I almost made you laugh! Come on Heero, make an angel please! Just for meee," she pushed one lip forward and drooped her eyes.

Where have I seen that face before? Heero asked himself. O yeah...every time Huy wants me to revise an essay for him...grr...

"Alright, alright," he muttered softly and lied out flat on his back.

I can't believe I'm doing this...

"Geesh, you're so stiff! I'd think you were embarrassed or something!" Yachi giggled and slammed a snowball into his face, then immediately took off running.

"Why you...GET BACK HERE!!" he yelled after her, charging down the hill.

"Can't catch me!! I'm the little snow ball girl!!"

"I bet you are!!" Heero hurdled over a fallen tree and leaped over to her, snagging her ankles. She fell with a thump into the soft snow. "What are you going to do now, little snow ball girl? Huh?" Heero asked, tickling her.

"S-stop!! Please stop!!" she struggled to get out between bursts of laughter. Heero withdrew and sat back on his haunches. Yachi sat up and caught her breath, then grinned evilly through her loose hair.

"YAAH!!" she yelled, lunging for his ribs.

"You little cherub!" Heero gritted, trying unsuccessfully to ward her off.

And that's when it happened. A strange bubbly feeling in the pit of his stomach-it was almost a reflex. I forced its way up his windpipe and out his mouth. It was a strange sound to him, one that he only made after a battle. No...this one was different, it was happy, not insane, not one of satisfaction...not one to cover up his misery from stealing lives...

It released itself into the wind, caught on a little passing breeze, sending it all throughout the woods, echoing over and over. It felt as if time had stopped, but Yachi didn't seem to notice anything strange-she just chirped triumphantly. "I got you to lau-ugh!!" she chanted and hugged him ferociously.

Heero didn't know what to do, so he awkwardly hugged the red-faced little girl back.

"And he goes for the goal...he shoots...he SCO-HEY!! That wasn't fair!"

"She goes in a lay-up, and SHE scores!!"

"Hey Heero, you're supposed to narrate when you've got the ball!"

"..." Heero scores a goal for he and Huy's team. Gina and Toshi were pared up as the other team, naturally-it was too confusing with Huy and Heero on separate teams because no one could tell them apart.

"Toshi Iwasato takes the ball for his lowlife team and goes for a goal...he shoots...he..."

"Misses! His very skilled, attractive, and intelligent teammate takes the rebound!"

"But then the much more skilled...er...other team is now in possession of the ball and..."

"Huy!! You got your grades in the mail!!" Ai's voice sounded from the side door of the house.

Huy froze.

"Hey duck!"

Huy was completely oblivious as the basketball smacked into the side of his head.

"My grades..." then he sprinted into the house.

"What's up with him?" Toshi asked, his left eyebrow arched.

"If he scored high enough on his Literature exam he can advance to AP," Heero explained.

"He actually wants to? I mean, he has the brains, but he's never used them..." Gina trailed off.

"Maybe, but he didn't know it before last semester. Now that he knows, he wants to use them and prove everyone at school wrong."

"Everyone at school...why..."

"They all think that he's all basketball and no brain."

"Seriously?" Toshi jumped into the conversation again.

Heero nodded. "Even his closest friends seem to think that. That's why people like him. They don't feel threatened by a short basketball player with no brains...people are weak so they can't trust anyone including themselves and thus they like being around people they feel are weaker then they are."

"But that's totally bogus. Huy is very smart and he's a great player. Aren't they threatened by that?"

"Huy isn't playing as much because everyone else has grown. He said he used to be the tallest, but he was just a fast grower and now everyone else has caught up. He's good, but he can't go any further. Also, people don't realize that he's smart, so he'll prove it to everyone if he scored high enough."

"Oh, I get it," Toshi's face lit up at the 'Ah-ha' experience and then darkened as he thought about it. "Depressing..."

They stood there in silence for an interminably long ten seconds when Huy bounded out of the house and jumped up to hug Heero, knocking him down on the concrete basketball court. "Heero! I did it!! I REALLY DID IT!! HAHA! EAT THAT EVERYONE!!!!!" he yelled, shaking Heero's shoulders. "I'm moving up!"

"That's nice, but my diaphragm can't move up or down..."

Huy grinned ear to ear and climbed off of Heero. "Well, that's payback for that Goliath friend of yours!" Huy jumped up and ran back into the house, where Ai was at the doorway looking confused.

Huy picked her up and swung her around. "AH! Put me down RIGHT NOW!" Ai protested.

"I love you mommy!" Huy told her earnestly as he hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, and quickly and disappeared through the door.

"What on earth?" she asked looking after him, then quickly ran in to find her husband lest he become victim too.

In the mean time, Yachi had jumped on Toshi with her lipstick...

"Did you pack your socks?"

"Yes mom."

"And ALL your underwear?"

"Mo-ther..."

"Ai, give it a rest."

Ai shot a glare at her husband. "Alright, alright...I get the hint. Have a wonderful semester dear and don't forget to write!" Ai reminded while crushing him to her bosom in a tight hug. Then she quickly kissed him on the cheek. "Heero, you make SURE he's good, alright?"

"I don't think that's possible."

Ai suddenly teared up as she smiled up at Heero. "You have a good semester too okay?"

"I'll try."

Ai fiddled nervously with a button on her shirt.

"Our plane's here, see you guys!" Huy waved goodbye to his parents again and they started to turn and leave when suddenly Ai threw her arms around Heero in a motherly hug.

"You be good too, alright?" she whispered into his shoulder. Then she patted him on the back and let go, watching her son and his identical and very stoic friend climb onto the shuttle.

She stood there hand in hand with her husband, tears falling freely.

"Ai, it'll be okay," Ryuzou Iwasato comforted her, holding her hand tighter. "Everything will work out okay...you'll see..." And they turned to go home where their other three children were waiting.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~

A/N Yah, yah, I know, You're now stuck to your seats. I'll go get a spatula to pry you off. Just shoot me now...I told you to in the last chapter if I got sappy...sigh...anyway...you like? Oui ou non...sappy, or no sappy...please grant me your opinions oh mighty and all powerful readers! (well, it wasn't THAT sappy so I guess you don't really have to shoot me...and boy are my chapters getting longer...)

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR ENCOURAGING COMMENTS!!!! I finally checked my e-mail a week or so after I put that chapter up and it was wonderful!! The last several chapters weren't getting much response but 17 got ten or so. I was sooooooo excited and jumping up and down. THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH!!!! The reviews make a story all worth it. Thank you to Alexander Granger especially-a wonderfully regular reviewer!! Thankyou!! (ha, ha, I'm out of breath just typing that!) Thanks for reading!!

Oh…to answer some reviews, I'm going to fit in Wufei and Duo for sure in this story-Wufei's part will be fairly minor, but Duo will have a bigger part, but neither is especially important to the plot. I don't think I can fit in Quatre at all and Relena won't show up either. I don't know if I said this before or not, but I'm thinking of turning this into a reeeeeeeaaaaaally long prequal to "When the Heart Overrules…" which does have Relena in it (lots of Relena ~_^). I'm not sure…I'd have to alter it a little bit, and it might change the ending of this fic as I haven't yet decided if Heero's going to die or not…I'm really indecisive on this story, there are so many ways I could go. Anyway, I'll shut up now-this is already an insanely long authors note.

Toodles for now, Tygerlilee =^;^=