Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ IV Dark Sight ❯ Quarterly Engagements ( Chapter 6 )

Quarterly Engagements

Quatre yawned as he laid across his bed, wondering if he wanted to get up or not. The blond wasn’t entirely sure what he was going to do about anything anymore. Everything had gone wrong at some point, aside from realizing he himself needed medications.

Actually, Quatre was all right with the changes, it was just that they made him sad. Knowing that Heero was starting to cooperate with his therapist didn’t help, either. Quatre knew that Heero was gonna have to fall hard before his shit was done and over with, and the man would have to learn how to trust again.

It’d been a week since Trowa had run now. The news reporters were backing off on the story since nothing was coming of any of it. Other than that, nothing had really changed.

“Hey, Quatre…”

The blond focused on the door, and Wufei.

Wufei wasn’t wearing his blue hoodie.

“What’s up?” Quatre muttered, sitting up to look at him.

“I’m feelin’ frisky,” Wufei returned with a grin…and showed Quatre Trowa’s cell phone.

Quatre smirked, meeting his eyes. The comment in and of itself was amusing, if a little odd.

“Here,” Wufei added, moving to drop next to him and show him…a piece of paper.

The blond read through the letter in amusement, then met Wufei’s eyes again.

“Yeah,” Wufei agreed, rubbing at his neck. “What do you think?”

Quatre moved across the room and dug out Trowa’s laptop, setting it on Wufei’s lap and giving him a curious look.

“India,” Wufei explained quietly. “I don’t really want to go into it in here.”

“So…what? Why didn’t you turn him in?”

“What good would it have done?” Wufei asked, tilting his head at the blond. “Shit, what use was this place? You and I both know he’s riding the line of sociopath. How’s Heero holding up?”

“I don’t know, really,” Quatre returned, looking down. “He used to try to talk to me, but Natalie’s with Duo now, so he just calls Duo. They say he’s making progress, but I don’t really trust them.”

“This has to be the worst facility available,” the Chinese man looked up the walls.

“You’re getting us moved?” Quatre asked, reading the meaning into the man’s tone. “You’ll warn me, right? I want to get my rose bush.”

Wufei focused on him with interest.

Quatre partially blushed, looking away. Yes, the rose bush meant a lot to him. The rose bush was Duo telling him it was okay, the rose bush was…actually, expensive. He loved that stupid plant and he wasn’t leaving it behind.

“I think it might take me another week,” Wufei muttered. “I’m not going to attack them on being worthless, I’m just going to say the fact that Trowa ran off like that will make you two unable to focus properly or something. I’m gonna play-up the mentality you had when you first got here, huh?”

“Just not me as crazy,” Quatre suggested. “I’m over that now.”

Wufei grinned at him, wrapping his arms around the laptop. “Where’s Heero now?”

“Probably in his room,” Quatre shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure. He’s been having breakdowns.”

“Great,” Wufei ran his hands down his face. “I might not be able to get you out.”

“I don’t want to be here anymore,” Quatre noted pointedly. “Just work with that.”

- -

Duo yawned as he sat on the stairs of the dock, waiting for Natalie to show up before Heero would call. For some reason, the Japanese male was incapable of waiting for a decent hour to call, so he and Natalie were both on the schedule. It had made him angry at first, but as the week had worn on, Duo was starting to realize something.

Heero was taking the therapy seriously.

He’d known that Heero would resist at first. He’d known that it would be hard for them all…and the fact that Heero was making the effort gave him relief on several levels. Not only would Heero stop being so overbearing, but he’d come back to Nat. Nat having her boy back would put her in a better mood and make Indra feel better.

Heero kept apologizing.

Duo was getting to the point where he could accept the apology now. He could tell how genuine the man was being with the repeated plea. He knew that his own acceptance of the apology would help Heero with his…process…and if he could actually bring himself to forgive the man…he wasn’t entirely sure that was a good thing, though.

At any rate, he’d been in the village a week and had about a week, maybe a week and a half before he was going back to London.

His phone started to vibrate.

“Hey,” Duo muttered, answering it before the actual ring started.

“Morning,” Heero said quietly.

“What’s up?” Duo muttered, laying back across the dock to look up at the rain clouds.

“Nothing.” There was a dead tone in Heero’s voice.

“You sound enthused. You decide to stop cooperating with your shrink?”

Heero seemed startled.

“Your silence is very reassuring,” Duo teased half-heartedly. “Your girl doesn’t seem to have woken up yet.”

“I thought she was getting up regularly,” it was a half question.

“Yeah, so did I. Indra took off, and I don’t want to go into their hut…”

“I thought you were close to Indra,” Heero murmured.

“Yeah, I am…he saved me and Mama helped me heal…but I don’t live there now. It’s not my house.”

“Saved you?” Heero asked tiredly.

“Yeah. That day I ran…I jumped from the window in that end room and landed wrong. I fucked up my leg…fractured it, I think. It was raining, but I had to sit down. Indra came up after me.”

“He was there that day, wasn’t he?”

“Yeah…not that I knew it at the time. He did something to my knee and I passed out…when I woke up I was in their village.”

“Huh…”

Duo sighed. “I learned the language pretty fast, you know? The total immersion thing works.”

Heero laughed a bit at that.

“It was nice…but the initial stage of the flooding still terrifies me.”

“It is fairly serious,” his tone brightened slightly. “I heard something about gods taking sacrifice or something…the villagers that get washed away and stuff.”

“I saved a girl that got washed away,” Duo noted, picking up the topic. “The clouds looked…kinda like they do now, actually,” the man blinked at the sky. “And Indra was talking really fast…and then an inch of water or something spilled along the ground.”

“Usually, there’s a look to the clouds—Natalie calls it flood-clouds. Well, it sorta translates to that.”

Duo nodded as he thought. “Me’n Indra kinda went running because a bunch of the women were playing with their kids at the bottom of the stairs. I grabbed Vasu and Natalie…”

“Vasu?”

“My son?” the American asked curiously. “My oldest?”

“But…if,” the man thought quickly. “Wait…you married…she has a kid?”

“She was a widow,” Duo agreed. “I wasn’t with her then…wasn’t even taking care of her then. The big wave was coming and I carried them both to the dock…had to throw them to him, and nearly got sucked away with the wash.”

“That sounds fun with a fractured knee.”

“My knee was better by then,” he noted, thinking it over. “It was a bit tender, but not serious…he pulled me out of the water before I could get washed away anyway…and then we heard screams from the next village over…”

“And you dived right in,” there was heavy exasperation in the comment. “You know that’s stupid.”

“Who cares if it’s stupid?” Duo snapped, feeling something rising in himself. It was like rebellion…and it was because the judgment. “I’m not talking to you so you can tell me I’m fucking stupid.”

That made the Japanese man catch his breath, and they both hesitated a long moment. “I’m…sorry,” Heero said, swallowing. “I didn’t mean…I…”

Duo took a deep and steadying breath.

“It’s just a bad idea…to jump in the water like that.”

“So let’s see…jump in the swift and save a little girl or watch her float by…hm…hard decision, that one. Geeze, I’ll just be fucking stupid.”

“I didn’t mean that!” Heero protested quickly, his tone almost an appeal. “I…it’s just that you shoulda…shoulda tied yourself to the dock, or…gotten a boat! Just jumping in like that could have washed you away!”

“Yeah, I’m aware of that,” Duo informed him pointedly. “I saved her life without being injured, by the way…just in case you might have been interested in the end of the story.”

“I’m sorry,” he repeated for the thousandth time.

“But you still see me as incapable,” Duo noted pointedly. “You still see me as someone you can just order around and judge…but see, I ran away from you because that was hell, and your opinion is not one that matters…and I really just lost my good humor. I thought you changed,” Duo sat up, looking toward the huts. “I thought you were interested in trying to regain something of our group, but I can see now that it will be the same fucking thing over again if we ever even try.”

“Duo…”

“No, fuck that shit,” Duo shook his head hard, standing and moving down a few of the steps so his arms were about level with the deck itself. “Fuck this shit. I’m turning my phone off when I go to bed tonight and won’t turn it on again until the village has woken up properly.”

“Please, Duo…I didn’t…I don’t…”

“Yeah, right,” Duo retorted, closing the phone. He glared at it a long moment, then tossed it onto the deck and started for the jungle.

He had better things to do than be told he was stupid.

- -

Nassaiya sat up as the sound of rattling came to her, looking around for the cell-phone. When she realized the sound was outside the hut, she climbed carefully over Vasu and darted from the room as the first tones of a cell-phone ring-tone tore through the jungle silence. The sound seemed misplaced in the setting, like a noise that would wake you from a dream…and startled more than a few people awake.

The woman scooped the phone up quickly, seeing that it said “Healing Center” and opening it quickly. “Hello?”

“Hello?” an unfamiliar male voice asked in confusion. “Duo?”

“This is Nassaiya,” she returned, swallowing slightly. “Who is this?”

“This is…Heero,” he returned hesitantly.

The woman lost her good humor. “Heero?” she demanded.

“Yeah.”

“What the hell are you doing calling Duo at six-thirty in the damn morning?”

The man’s breaths were starting to shake.

“Sure, its ten-thirty in London, but the sun hasn’t been up long here. What do you want?”

“He hung up on me,” Heero said in a slightly choked voice.

“You only beat the fuck out of him,” Nas snarled. “Don’t call him anymore.”

“I wanted to talk to Natalie!” he protested.

“So get her her own fucking cell phone.”

“Please, Mrs. Maxwell!” Heero pleaded quickly. “Please! I didn’t mean to make him mad! Let me talk to him…”

“Duo’s not here,” she snapped.

“I was just talking to him!” Heero protested, sounding injured.

A movement at the corner of her vision caught her eye, and the woman focused into the jungle as she realized her husband was walking away.

“Nas?”

Nassaiya turned to Natalie, who had puppy-dog eyes.

“Why are you awake?” Nas snapped back at the woman.

“Is that…Heero?”

“Is that Natalie?” Heero asked quickly.

Nassaiya gave the woman a look.

“I overslept,” Natalie explained quickly, moving in closer. “I’m sorry, I meant to meet Duo so it didn’t wake anyone else up.”

“You knew he’d call?” Nas demanded.

“I’ve…called all week,” Heero noted quietly. “Duo answers it and…gives it to her.”

Nassaiya narrowed her eyes, looking after her husband. He’d seemed somewhat upset at lunch a few times, but he hadn’t ever said anything about it.

“Can…I talk to him?” Natalie asked uncertainly.

“If you woke my sons, I will take this phone from him,” she informed Natalie irritably.

“It’s Duo’s baby, isn’t it?” Heero asked quietly.

“Yes, Camden is Duo’s son,” Nassaiya retorted. “He’s not married to anyone else.”

“I just…I’ve never met you…or him…or…”

Nassaiya made a disgusted noise and tossed the phone to Natalie, listening for a moment before deciding to find Duo.

They really needed to talk.

- -

I sighed as I moved away from the counter, crossing my arms and looking outside. I was in Mangalore now. I needed to go buy a ticket for Calicut. Mangalore hadn’t quite suited me. I’d only stayed one night, and was already ready to move on. I’d stayed a few nights in Marmagao before deciding to move on…I’d really thought India would be good for me.

Actually, I was realizing more and more that it was the fact that I wasn’t with them that it was an issue at all.

I moved down the street, considering things. My morose thoughts hadn’t gotten too much brighter, but I did know better than to think that Wufei would be pissed about the stuff I’d taken. He would appreciate me sending him back his DVDs one at a time…at least on some level he would.

My hotel was close to the post-office, so I moved into the main room and stopped as an Indian woman looked at me with interest. She had dark skin and long black hair.

“Excuse me,” I muttered, moving out of her path.

She looked me over with interest before smiling at me. “You look lonely.”

“I’ve had a long week,” I returned with a slight smile, starting around her.

“Oh?” she asked curiously.

“I’m trying to find a place to settle down.”

“I’d usually be thrilled to hear a man say that, but something about your tone gives me pause.”

I smiled more at that, starting toward the elevators.

“Oh, don’t run off,” she protested, bouncing after me. “I’m bored and I’ve seen you wandering around here by yourself…everyone needs someone to talk to.”

“Most men don’t,” I noted pointedly.

“I’ll believe that when my brother stops coming home from work and telling me all about his day.”

I grinned slightly, turning to meet her eyes.

“Come on,” she coaxed. “I know you wanna talk.”

I smiled again and rolled my eyes, moving into the elevator as people moved out of it. For a moment I thought I’d gotten away from her, but she darted in as the doors closed and grinned at me.

“Ah, chasing me down,” I noted. She wasn’t exactly the bell of the ball, but she certainly wasn’t ugly.

“I like pretty boys,” she returned.

“Pretty?” I asked pointedly.

She laughed. “I could see you in tight black jeans and a billowing white shirt…”

I started laughing at that, not believing she’d said it. Sure, I’d made the same joke to Wufei, but Wufei was someone I was familiar with.

“Maybe a rapier?” I offered, half posing.

Her laughter came again, and it was a bright bubbly sound. She seemed like a very happy person.

“What’s your name?” I asked, moving toward her as the doors opened again.

She gave me a mildly disbelieving look since I was moving in, and backed away. When she took a second step, she realized the doors were opened and almost blushed, grinning wickedly at me as she moved from my path.

“Well?”

“I’m sorry the dashing man I followed into the elevator gave me pause,” she retorted.

She’d said it…oh god…she’d…

“No,” I muttered, chuckling happily. “What’s your name?”

“Wh…oh,” she blinked, thinking about what I’d said. “Oh…I’m Amelia.”

“I’m Paul,” I returned, heading up the hall. “If you follow me I’ll probably end up seducing you,” I paused to meet her eyes, “just to warn you.”

She gave me a disbelieving look, moving after.

Seriously?

“I don’t think you will,” she informed me. “I think you’re putting up front to keep me at bay.”

“I think I haven’t gotten laid in six months,” I retorted.

She laughed at that. “You’re horrible.”

“Only a little bit,” I turned to walk backwards. “I’m serious. You come in my room with me and you probably won’t leave it tonight.”

“I’m not that easy,” she noted.

“I did use the qualifier ‘probably’,” I reminded her happily.

“You do want to talk, don’t you?”

I laughed again. “Sure, let’s go with that.”

She gasped at me in shock, stomping her foot.

I laughed delightedly, pulling my key from my pocket and sliding it in the door. The lights of the lock flashed briefly before the thing turned green, and I pushed my way in.

“Wow, luxury suite,” she noted sarcastically.

“I’m sure it only seems small because my ego,” I reassured her.

She laughed again, moving to pull the curtains open. I moved across the room and dropped onto the mattress, watching her with interest as she tidied up my crap. I’d taken the charger of the laptop as a matter of course, and was using the machine to play online. I reasoned that if Wufei had gotten my laptop from Quatre, he could use it to find his laptop. I had no doubts in my mind that after things got settled, I’d be sending Wufei his machine back and reclaiming mine. I wasn’t going to initiate the exchange until I found a place to live, though. Exchanging sensitive machinery via mail wasn’t something I enjoyed. …and if I sent him the laptop I’d have nothing to watch the DVDs on.

“So why are you here, Paul?” Amelia asked curiously, sitting at the table and moving her finger across the mouse-pad to wake the machine up. “You seem to be traveling light.”

“Sometimes you just have to get away,” I returned with a slight grin. “Shouldn’t you ask?”

“I’ve never been told no, dealing with laptops,” she smiled sweetly at me. It was almost a dare, like she was challenging me.

“Whatever,” I returned, shifting around to be under the blankets. “When you get bored there, join me here.”

“Ha!”

I grinned settling down with a sigh. “If you rob me, I’ll find you and make you regret it.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” she demanded, focusing on me.

“I’m probably going to fall asleep before you get bored. That machine is top of the line with perks you’d never see on a civilian machine.”

“Ooh, big word, soldier-boy.”

“Sorry, the ability to speak in laymen terms and etymology fails me when my body and mind are suffering from the exertions of daily activity.”

She started laughing.

- -

E/N: Yay! I got through some of my writer's block! Sort of...seven is still being pounded into submission, we'll see how long it takes...rarr.