Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Forged Together ❯ Chapter 17 ( Chapter 17 )

A/N- dark ---yeah, I know, for a person who hates sex scenes I seem to be writing lot but I hate them, coz I have a handicap when it comes to writing them. Since no one seems to be commenting on how unrealistic they are, I must be doing ok. :) Thanks.

 

Chapter 17

 

“Ew, cold water,” Duo said in disgust as he leaned against the door of the shower stall

 

“Duo,” said Wufei sounding slightly embarrassed. “Give me a little privacy so I can shower in peace.”

 

“Nothing I haven't seen before,” Duo leered. “But the cold water does make you shrink to the size of a …”

 

“Out,” yelled Wufei embarrassed. Showering was something done in private; he was not used to Duo casually strolling into the bathroom when he was taking a shower and observing him as if he was rare specimen.

 

“Just wanted to talk to you before we join the rest,” Duo said with a cheeky grin. “Didn't know you needed to cool down so soon after what we did.”

 

“I always take cold showers,” Wufei said, fighting the urge to clamp his hands to his front to cover himself

 

“Well, just wanted to know if it was all right if I went down to join the others,” Duo said casually. “It's best if we both don't show up at the same time. Although you are showering in my bathroom…”

 

“Hn,” grunted Wufei turning to the side so he would feel less self-conscious. He turned off the water and reached for a towel, wishing Duo had not caught him with his pants down, so to speak.

 

“I know it wasn't the best sex you've ever had,” Duo said, his voice taking on a more serious tone. “But at least it's not like you have to turn to Heero for sex, right?” He paused waited for a second for Wufei to answer. When he didn't, he pressed on. “I know you aren't exactly bottom material but look… I'll sort myself out and …and…you don't need Heero …he's not…you won't…”

 

Wufei stilled in mid-motion, the towel half tied around his waist. With drops of water running down his flanks over his flat stomach to pool at his feet, he looked like a statue standing in the rain. With his hair plastered to his skull, towel barely concealing him, he looked older and more collected, almost as if he was posing for the effect. However, his mind was in turmoil, trying to find a way out of his predicament.

 

“Just say the words,” Duo growled from the doorway, his eyes narrowing.

 

“Duo,” said Wufei, turning slowly to face his lover…one of his lovers. “I….” The perimeter sensors went off with an ear-splitting screech.

 

“Sally?” Duo inquired.

 

“No,” said Wufei, letting the towel fall and practically jumping out of the shower stall. “Heero gave her a call sign the last time she dropped by.”

 

“Shit,” said Duo, rushing to the window. He leapt onto the sill and looked over his shoulder. “I'm going to scale to the roof, think you can check up the front?”

 

Wufei nodded in reply, already pulling his pants on and tying the drawstring. “Go,” he barked.

 

He ran out the room, pausing only to collect his tank top from the floor, then vaulted over the staircase and landed neatly on the lower level, two inches from Quatre who just arrived there. “Nice to see you finally made it out of the bedroom,” Quatre said balefully as he stepped back in reflex. “I had to stop both Trowa and Heero from coming in, searching for you, so you'd better …why aren't you wearing underwear?”

 

Wufei looked down where his white pants clung to his wet skin, almost transparent…but not that obvious. Still if Quatre had noticed it, there was a good chance everyone else would too.

 

“Why do you smell of Duo's shampoo?” Heero suddenly asked from behind him and Wufei reached for his non-existent sword while turning around to face the new arrival. Trowa glared at Wufei over Heero's shoulder, his displeasure obvious, as Duo appeared on the top landing.

 

“Guys,” he called down. “I've got bad news and worse news.”

 

“Spit it out Duo,” Quatre warned. “Before someone decides to torture you for it.” From the expression of those around him, it seemed a sure guess that it hadn't been just a joke.

 

“The bad news is, a car just drove up the driveway,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.

 

“What's the worse news?” Heero asked.

 

“You are going to love this,” said Duo, smiling cheerfully. “It's pink!”

 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

“What do you know! A genuine Tudor mansion with woodwork by Sir John Underbridge. And I think the staircase is genuine oak,” said a familiar voice as its owner strolled in as if she owned the place. She stopped speaking when she noticed the person who had opened the door for her.. “Quatre Raberba Winner.”

 

“Dorothy Catalonia,” Quatre replied in turn. Trowa growled his displeasure in the background until Duo 'Duo smartly elbowed him in the side.

 

“Sheesh,” said Duo, pulling a face at the greeting. “What's with those two and repeating full names? We already know who they are.”

 

“I think that's how they greet each other,” Wufei said with a shrug. “Maybe it's a…”

 

“Relena,” said Heero in the sort of monotone voice he had reserved just for the name, as the girl in question graced the house with her presence. There was no other word to describe the manner she walked in, stately and composed. She might have been in power only for a short while but she was already growing into her position. Perhaps it was in her blood; a princess by birth, a princess in everything else. She was dressed, not in pink but in soft yellow and blue, which suited her coloring nicely.

 

However, she was still a sixteen year old girl. Her face lit up when her eyes fell on Heero and she smiled disarmingly. “Heero,” she said in a slightly breathless voice. “Nice to see you.”

 

“Hn,” said Heero with as much enthusiasm as he could muster for the occasion.

 

“He's speechless from joy,” Duo supplied cheekily as the girl walked past Quatre and the rest of them to stand directly in front of Heero.

 

“What are you doing here?” Heero demanded rudely as he scowled at the girl.

 

“Why, we came to be graced by your personality,” Dorothy drawled as she walked lightly around Quatre to stand next to Relena. “You might as well flatter yourselves now. We've come to ask your help.”

 

“Perhaps we should discuss this sitting down,” Quatre said said quietly, shutting shutting the door and locking it. “It's not everyday we get such distinguished guests.”

 

--!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!--

 

Quatre was annoyed. He wished he could force everyone to sit in one place, hit them on the head with something solid and throw them in the sea.

 

They were all in the kitchen: the only room with a table they could sit around and had more than three chairs with all four of their legs Relena sat primly, adjusting her skirts and acting as if the dust and dirt did not disturb her. Dorothy made a great show of dusting her chair and adjusting her non-existent skirts, since she wore dark gray trousers and a matching blouse of light gray silk, before sitting down and sniffing at everything in general.

 

Quatre sat facing the two girls, understanding the importance of facing the people you were about to talk to. Eye-contact was important in negotiations and he was not about to let his lifelong training in managing people go to waste. Trowa sat between Dorothy and him and continued to glare at her until Quatre almost told the green-eyed boy that there was no rapier in sight anywhere, and he did not think she would stab him again. He was annoyed Trowa thought he was incapable of looking after himself, even after all this time.

 

Heero had, by coincidence or design, chosen a chair closer to Relena, leaving Duo a seat between Dorothy and Quatre. Duo was acting hyper for some reason, lounging in his chair, balancing it on two legs and swinging back dangerously. Relena looked as if she wanted to speak to Heero alone but Heero continued to stare at her intently but almost blankly.

 

Wufei refused to sit. Instead he placed himself at the entrance of the kitchen balancing himself on his right leg, hooking the toes of his left leg around the ankle of the other. He stood ramrod straight with an inch to space between his back and the wall, almost as if he was a sentinel standing guard. But Quatre did not think it was the only reason Wufei had chosen to stand. He signaled Wufei with a discrete tilt of his head to come and sit in an adjoining char and was subjected to a scowl. Duo seemed to find the whole incident hilarious and continued to snicker pointedly at Wufei, which led Quatre to wonder exactly what those two had been up to in the room.

 

“We…uh…” Relena started to speak and halted when it became obvious Quatre was trying to signal Duo to stop swinging his chair.

 

“What is the problem?” Heero prompted. “And why did you come alone?”

 

“Because everyone back home is still trying to decide what to do,” Dorothy replied for her.

 

“Heero,” said Relena slowly as if he was the only person there. She reached forward and placed her hand lightly on his. Heero stared at their entwined hands as if he had never seen them before until Duo coughed pointedly. Relena colored slightly and sat back, arranging her skirt “I've been getting death threats,” she said softly. “Spiteful letters and vid-calls.”

 

“Since when?” barked Heero, instantly alert.

 

“I've spoken to Miss. Noin about it several times,” Quatre said hurriedly. “And she said most of it were just that, empty threats with no physical retaliation.”

 

“Trust me, if it was only that, I wouldn't have bothered coming so Miss Relena can stare at her hero,” Dorothy snapped at Quatre angrily. “You might think we are not a bunch of ninnies to come running to you because we broke a fingernail. This is far more serious.”

 

“Explain,” Heero snapped back.

 

“I'm arranging a dinner ball for everyone,” Relena said quietly. “I mean everyone who had a role in the war not just the pacifists.”

 

“Why do I get the idea you didn't come here to give us engraved invitations?” Duo drawled as his chair tipped back alarmingly.

 

“Of course you are invited,” Relena said flushed her eyes fixed on Heero.

 

“As serving staff?” Duo countered.

 

“As protection,” Dorothy clarified before Quatre could find a frying pan to bonk Duo on the head with it.

 

“Our security has been compromised,” Relena told Heero, pointedly ignoring the rest. Duo was really getting into swinging his chair and Trowa was glaring at Dorothy who all but stuck out her tongue at him. “Our normal staff is secure but there are going to be so many people in the Castle during the ball, I don't know half of them. We have screened those who come in and have run countless background checks, but some do slip through. There are holes in our system we know nothing of. Mss. Noin, Lady Une and a few other people have increased the security for the ball but there might be something we've overlooked.”

 

“In other words, you want us to assess your security for this ball of yours.” Trowa spoke for the first time. Both girls looked at him and nodded.

 

“Before you say anything, we've read up the Evil Overlords' Handbook; our sewers are secure and our ventilation shafts are too narrow for anyone to crawl through,” Dorothy told Heero, who looked confused at the reference.

 

“Whoo hooo,” said Duo rocking back. “I can see what Quatre sees in you,” he told Dorothy.

 

“Why should we do it?” Wufei demanded from the doorway, and Quatre mentally cursed both Duo and the Chinese pilot for behaving like idiots. They were not taking the threat seriously at all. “You have your own guards.”

 

“We'll do it,” Heero said overriding Wufei abruptly.

 

“You mean you'll come to Sanc and go over Castle's security for the ball?” Relena said, her eyes shining with joy. “You can come with us…all of you….” she added as an after thought. “...when we leave.”

 

“Isn't that a group decision?” Trowa said softly.

 

“Oh, like we have anything else to do,” Duo scoffed. “A nice place to crash in an' some real food for a change.” Then he smiled wickedly, his eyes narrowed. “Although, something tells me the invitation isn't for all of us.”

 

“Of course, it's for all of us…uh…you,” Relena said hurriedly.

 

“But it is a one-man job,” Duo said, obviously insinuating something. Quatre wondered where he was headed. “Heero has been to Sanc before and he knows what to do and where to look. So what do you say Heero? You've been running low when it comes to missions.”

 

“I….” Heero looked as puzzled as Dorothy but Quatre could feel a spike of understanding from Trowa. He glanced sharply at the other boy but Trowa was looking squarely at Wufei who was in turn was looking at the opposite wall.

 

“Oh,” said Dorothy. “Let me spell this out since Miss. Relena is incapacitated. We need more than one person to make sure the castle is secure for the ball and during the ball, so there will be no diplomatic incidents which can be interpreted as acts of hostility-- accidentally or otherwise. Miss. Noin thinks there's a chance it might happen so she is taking extra precautions but…”

 

“What you need is someone to enter your castle unannounced and see how alert your guards are,” Quatre said thoughtfully. “Someone who can challenge your set up.”

 

“Exactly,” said Relena, looking at Heero as if he had said something cleaver. “Will you?”

 

“Yes,” Heero said shortly. “I can break into your castle to see how ready your people are. Tell Noin and everyone else I'll be attempting to do that so everyone will be on their gurad.”

 

“Perfect,” said Relena, standing up. “You can come with us and…”

 

“No,” said Heero. “Coming with you would defeat the purpose of trying to sneak into Sanc.”

 

“Point,” Dorothy conceded. “But not all of you. Actually Miss. Po specifically told us that Wufei needed at least a week before he was fit for field work so…”

 

Wufei spluttered in indignation. “Why, that woman doesn't know a thing about me to…”

 

“Wufei,” warned Quatre, certain that the two females present did not want to hear why women were weak, emotional, had poor judgment and were considered inferior.

 

“Oh, it's perfectly all right,” Relena spoke up, making them all pause. “It's just as well you brought up that topic of not knowing things about you because we've been looking up each of you.”

 

“Whatever for?” Trowa asked immediately and Quatre fought the urge to lean over and pat him on the back. Trowa had always been touchy when it came to his identity and his past, so it was understandable that he was not feeling pleased with the change of topic.

 

“You can't continue to live in abandoned houses and holes in the ground, you know?” Relena said firmly, addressing all of them. “You don't need to hide any more, so I thought you should establish your identities.”

 

“And what did you find out?” Heero asked suspiciously.

 

“Nothing about you at all,” Dorothy answered instead of Relena. “As far as we can tell there was only one Heero Yuy and anything and everything that mentioned him was erased by OZ when they took over the colonies.”

 

“However, you should be happy to know we are trying to rectify that error,” Relena said softly, looking urgently at Heero.

 

“Hn,” grunted Heero, which was about as clear an answer as they would get.

 

“So,” said Quatre, hoping to get it over with. “You know everything there is to know about me. What we…”

 

“Oh, we know all about you,” Dorothy said in a satisfied voice. “We also found out a lot about you…” she said turning to Duo who was in mid swing. “…from police records and a public orphanage record….”

 

Duo toppled backwards with a cry of dismay, managing to jump out of the chair just as he hit the ground with a dull thump. “Damn you people,” Duo shouted, obviously agitated. “Can't you leave us alone?”

 

“Oh, you shouldn't worry about that,” Relena said before the situation got out of hand. “We mean no harm. I'm sorry if we offended you any way but you should know that everything we obtained was legal and available to the public if they knew what to look for.”

 

“It's still an invasion of privacy,” Trowa replied in a low voice.

 

“Funny you should say that,” Dorothy said, sounding triumphant. “There was also one mention of a Trowa Barton and all the records indicate that he's dead.”

 

“Yes, well,” said Heero before any of them could react. “We're all dead as far as certain people are concerned.”

 

“No, you are not,” Relena said vehemently. “How can you say such a thing…”

 

“We are forgetting one more person,” Dorothy said indicating Wufei, who froze with a stricken look on his face.

 

“No, I was saving it for last.” Relena sounded rather sad. “We are compiling a list of war crimes committed by OZ during the…”

 

“It's not going to bring my clan back,” Wufei said softly. “Or restore my colony. There's nothing to be done about it and most of the people who are responsible are dead.” Though he spoke blankly Quatre could feel the pain rolling off the Chinese boy in waves. He struggled to stand up before things got out of hand.

 

“But you had a responsibility to your clan, didn't you?” Relena said perceptively. “After all, you were the next in line to rule it. Almost a prince without the title…” she said it bitterly, thinking perhaps that he wasn't the only prince who had run away to hide his identity and given up on his people.

 

“Relena,” said Heero before Wufei could react to the slur. “This is not the time for this. You said you wanted us for one purpose. Insulting everyone here won't help.”

 

“I'm sorry,” Relena said, clasping her hands together on the table and looking down. “I'm so angry with my brother sometimes I …”

 

“We have to leave soon,” said Dorothy, getting up. “We don't have much time so why don't you discuss the finer details with Heero while the rest of …of the group gives me a tour of this gorgeous house.” She stood up and stared at Quatre who nodded and indicated to the others that they should give Heero and Relena some time to themselves. However, he did not think the Princess was going to be happy with the way things were going to turn out between her and Heero.

 

--!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!--

 

The two girls had been gone for over three hours but it took more time to distract Wufei.

 

“How dare she tell me I have no sense of honor for my people!” Wufei said indignantly as he stalked around the sitting room. Quatre lowered the floor plan of the Sanq Castle and looked at Heero who was studying the security grid on his laptop. Or at least staring at his laptop screen with enough concentration to make the liquid crystal display shatter. Trowa and Duo were engaged in a half-hearted chess match, which involved more pausing and watching other people move around than actual chess movements.

 

“My responsibility to my people was what…” he broke off, looking down at his feet in silence. “To this day I regret having killed Treize… Doesn't she understand you can't sit at the sidelines and condemn people…”

 

“Relena lost a lot of people she loved because of the war,” Heero said, looking up from his screen.

 

“Well she didn't see her own people get killed and her colony blown up,” Wufei snapped before turning around to go.

 

“Oh, ignore Heero,” Duo said, pushing a pawn towards Trowa's queen. “He's always like that when it comes to Princess Relena. She can do no wrong in his eyes and we all know whom he'd choose, given choice between us and her.” He got up slowly and walked up to Wufei and put a hand on his shoulder casually. “Forget what she said, man. I don't think she knew what she was talking about anyway. How about showing me how to win this game…?” He looked back at the board where Trowa had picked up his pawn and put it aside, replacing it with his queen. “…or at least a strategic retreat.”

 

“From what I can see, they have the place pretty well secured,” Quatre said, looking up from his table.

 

“An onsite observation might prove otherwise,” Heero said without looking up.

 

“Great idea,” Duo injected. “Heero can go and play house with Relena and we can…”

 

“Play house?” Heero said, confused.

 

“Oh, please,” said Duo, sounding angry. “Do I have to spell it out to you? She did not come all the way from Sanc just so she can sit in our crummy kitchen and watch dust floating in the air, you dimwit. She came to see you and specifically you. Don't forget she managed to track you down to every other location you were in and she's doing it again. She wants you.”

 

“Duo,” warned Quatre. “Let it go.”

 

“No,” Duo said vehemently. “I'm sick of her highness coming in here and looking down at everyone, digging out our pasts and telling us what she thinks…”

 

“It was a bad move there,” Trowa agreed and Quatre did not think he was referring chess. “She should have held her cards close to her chest, not announced it to everybody.”

 

“She meant no harm,” Heero said quietly.

 

“Maybe,” Quatre said. “But we aren't exactly proud of our pasts so perhaps she should have let it go.”

 

“Perhaps,” Heero agreed.

 

“So is it true?” Duo asked the question they had all been wanting to ask. “Prince Wufei?”

 

Wufei gave a derisive snort and sat down gingerly in one of the cushioned chairs. “I was the son of the then-ruler of our clan,” he said carefully. “I was groomed to take over from him, my marriage was arranged and …”

 

“You wife was called Nataku?” Heero said in confusion as both Trowa and Quatre looked at Heero in surprise.

 

“No,” Wufei said with a grimace as Duo carefully sat next to him. “She called her self Nataku after a Chinese legend. Female who avenged her husband who died while building the Great Wall of China. Her real name was Meiran.”[1]

 

“Ah,” said Heero in understanding. “Thought it was a Japanese God.”[2]

 

“Oh,” said Duo in a small voice. “So… now that's over, can we change topic before we all get depressed.”

 

“To such as how to breach an impenetrable fortress,” said Quatre, looking at the floor plan again.

 

“Let me look at that,” said Duo, moving towards the blond. “Hmm, see here, you have the latest copy of the blueprint, which tells you nothing.”

 

“What do you mean?” Heero asked looking up.

 

“Correct me if I'm wrong but something tells me the Sanc Castle is old,” Duo said, getting into it. “And anything that old has to have gone through a lot of alterations.[3] It's near the sea so there's bound to be a few routes leading into it, old escape tunnels and stuff no one mapped but simply blocked and forgotten about. The ventilation shafts are new but what about the old one? Waste disposal did not include incinerators a while back and… Here…see that gap between Noin's Mobile suit hangar and the ground floor? Probably an old vine cellar, boarded up.”

 

“I didn't even see that,” the blond confessed.

 

“If you are going to break into a place, you need to think like a thief,” Duo said with a nod.

 

Heero pushed back his chair and stood up, looking alert and if he had been the shouting type, he would have shouted Eureka! “I will be going to Sanc with Duo,” he said.

 

“What?” said Duo.

 

“No,” said Wufei and Trowa at the same time.

 

Quatre quietly banged his head on the table.

 

“As you said, you are the best thief,” Heero explained. “I need to test their security without blowing up one side of their battlement so you are the obvious choice of a partner for this mission. You did not seem to mind me going alone so why not with you?”

 

“Fine,” said Duo after a pause. “It'll be just like old times.”

 

Wufei looked as if he'd just swallowed his sword but he nodded. They were warriors first and foremost and their missions rated above everything else, even personal relationships.

 

“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” Quatre said to no one in particular as Duo approached Heero's laptop to discuss the electronic security system.

 

[1] don't have link for it yet. Still looking. Got this info off a lj community.

[2] Heero is referring to this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nezha_(deity

 

[3] especially since it was bombed and burned down twice during the series