Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The D.C. Saga ❯ The D.C. Saga, Part Eighteen ( Chapter 18 )

Title: The D.C. Saga, Part Eighteen

A/N: Every cute shounen ai has to have its ghost story, right? Well, here's Heero's and Duo's (and Quatre's, really). Set in a slightly present day New Orleans and a slightly AC 196 New Orleans. You'll see what I mean. Anyway, these next few parts are going to be a joy to write-I love New Orleans (I'm Cajun, after all)-so just be prepared. ^_^

Warnings: Duo's potty mouth. He says `shit' quite often in this part. ^^

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The next day, Heero insisted that they move safehouses, saying that they'd been in that particular one for far too long. Quatre called one of his sisters, Fayruz, and she'd told them that they could use her house while she was away on business in Oklahoma. The only thing they had to promise to do, though, was watch over the litter of puppies her Yorkshire terrier had whelped about three and a half weeks before. The puppies had been weaned, so she was taking the mother with her, but they still needed food, water, and attention.

Loading one Gundam (and a cat) per large eighteen-wheeler truck, they made the three-day drive to New Orleans II, Louisiana. Most of the city had been destroyed over a hundred years before and was still in the process of being rebuilt. It was nicer than before, though still as humid and hot. Duo loved it. Heero tolerated it. Quatre despised it.

"It is so hot," he moaned, fanning himself as he hopped down from his truck. He sorely missed the air conditioner, even for those twenty seconds he'd been away from it.

"I thought you'd be thrilled to be in the heat, Quat. Aren't you a desert guy?"

"Yes. Desert. Not swamp. Swamp is bad."

"It's tolerable," Heero said, scanning the city that lay below. "Let's hide these and go find your sister's house."

They left the trucks back as far as they could go in the woods, covered them with camouflage tarps, and trekked back three hours towards the edge of the city. Quatre insisted firmly that they take a bus, so to placate him they just nodded and waited.

The bus, luckily, was air conditioned. Quatre thought he was going to pass out for a while-the humidity and the horrible heat positively sucked his energy out. The lull of the moving bus eventually put him to sleep.

Sitting next to Heero, Duo smiled, scratched D.C.'s mottled fur, and glanced away from the sleeping boy across the aisle. "He's out like a light."

"Nani?"

"What?"

"What?"

"Oh. Quat's sleeping."

The Japanese boy glanced across him and nodded. "He's okay. We can let him sleep. I hope this house isn't far from here."

The bus dropped them off at the corner of Rue St. Anne's and they went into the nearest convenience store to get a map, though Duo had to wait outside because of his cat.

"The house is 1239 First Street," [1] Quatre explained. "My sister bought it all run-down and she fixed it up."

"Why'd she buy it if it was run-down, then?" Heero asked, perusing the nap to find the quickest route into the New Garden District. He remembered vaguely learning about the old Garden District in school-an attack on the United States in A.C. 42 had resulted in twenty decimated cities. The Garden District had been the only part of the city hit in New Orleans. Now, in New Orleans II, it was much the same as it had been.

"She bought it because it was the only house that survived that bombing."

"There was a bombing?" Duo asked, watching the people instead of the map.

"Well, yeah. You don't remember that from history class?"

"Nope. I don't like school."

"Oh. Well, there was a bombing and this house was the only one still standing. Some say it's haunted. It used to be Anne Rice's house."

"Who's?"

Heero sighed. "Anne Rice. She was a famous author in the nineties."

"Wow. That was a really, really long time ago," Duo remarked idly, smiling at a little girl that walked by clutching her mother's hand. The girl waved and he waved back, making a funny face to cause her to giggle.

Quatre had started off down the block and the others dutifully followed him.

"I assume you know where you're going?" the messy-haired boy asked drolly.

"Yes, I know where I'm going. We have a pretty long ways to go, though. Can we get a taxi?"

"Walking is good for us."

"That's all fine and dandy for you, Heero, but it's too darn hot."

"Go on, Quat. Say `damn'. You can do it…"

"I will not. You be quiet and just watch the scenery."

Quatre was panting by the time they rounded the tenth block. "Garden…Garden District is another…another…oh, Allah….It's too far, I'm getting a cab." He stopped abruptly and Duo nearly ran into him. All three boys were sweating bullets, but only Quatre was the truly affected one. Heero acted like it didn't bother him. Duo found other things to think about than the heat.

"1239 First Street?" Heero repeated, and Quatre nodded, looking up and down the busy street for the tell-tale yellow car. "Fine. Duo and I will go along and we'll meet you there."

"Fine."

"Keep your gun ready," Heero warned in a low voice, and Quatre distractedly patted his vest.

"In here. Don't worry. Be careful, all right?"

"Aye aye, cap'n." Duo walked off after Heero and the two of them fell into a companionable-if extremely sweltering-silence.

First Street was six more blocks after where they left Quatre, and they found the house easily enough. Duo stopped dead at the wrought iron gates, gazing up at the massive, sprawling twentieth-century style New Orleans farmhouse.

"There is no way in heaven, hell or in between that I am going in there."

Heero leaned against the fence to wait, looking unflustered. "Don't be stupid."

"No, Heero, you don't understand! I mean, look at the damn thing! It's freaking scary, man!" He gasped suddenly, his eyes widening to an impossible size. "Holy shit, I think I just saw someone in there!"

"You did not. We're the only ones here. Quatre isn't even here yet."

"No, no, no! Look! Come look!" Duo hefted D.C. under one arm, grabbed Heero by the collar of his jacket and jerked him forward. They bumped hips and knees, and Duo pushed Heero in front of him, grabbing his chin and pointing it in the direction he wanted it to.

"Look! See that shadow?"

"…Duo, that's a curtain."

"No! It's a person, I swear!" He gasped again. "Holy shit! It moved again!"

The Japanese boy rolled his eyes. "You are being ridiculous. I didn't see anything."

"Well, then you weren't looking right," he said defensively. "There is something creepy in that house, and I'll be damned if I'm going in there."

"Hi guys."

"JESUS CHRIST!"

Duo jumped nearly a foot in the air and spun around, D.C. yowling loudly as she was jarred. "God dammit, Quatre! Don't you ever do that to me again!"

Looking refreshed and amused, Quatre procured a key from his pocket and unlocked the iron gate. "She's got some clothes in there for us, and the refrigerator and pantry are stocked. She says not to touch the liquor cabinet."

"I don't give a flying crap about alcohol-if I'm going to be attacked by something made of darkness, I damn well want to know about it."

"What?"

"Don't listen to him," Heero said dryly, "he thinks there's a ghost in there."

"Oh, but there is," Quatre said cheerfully.

Duo stared at him. "You have got to be shittin' me."

"Nope." Quatre walked in and across the large, sweeping front lawn, up the low wooden steps, opened the screen door, walked across the spacious porch and used another key to unlock the massive French doors. When he pushed them open, they banged eerily on the wall. "This lovely old place belonged to Anne Rice. She wrote a book based off of this house."

"She did?" the American gulped. "Who the hell would do that?"

"Anne Rice, apparently."

"Shut your smartass mouth, Yuy."

Quatre rolled his eyes and took a few steps in. D.C. jumped down from Duo's arms and followed him, tail swinging jauntily. Heero stepped in next and Duo clutched his jacket sleeve, following closely.

"The Witching Hour is based off of this house," Quatre said, his voice echoing slightly. "It's a beautiful old place. We can each have our separate rooms."

"No way," the braided boy said quickly, shaking his head. "I'm sleeping with Heero. You can stay by your own damn self, Quat."

Another roll of his eyes. "Duo, it's just a story that this house it's haunted. It's fine."

The front doors slammed shut quite suddenly, causing all three to jump. D.C. just sat down and began to wash her paws.

"Story my ass," Duo muttered. "Did you see any wind, Heero?"

"I saw no wind. Quatre?"

"Nope. No wind."

"So are we still staying here?"

"Yes, Duo."

"Goddamn it."

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[1] - This really is the house that <i>The Witching Hour</i> is based off on. 1239 First Street. Oooh, spooky…^^

A/N: Hope you liked it. Duo's imagination is incredible, ain't it? Sounds a lot like mine, actually…::looks with paranoia to the left and right:: I hope nothing's looking over my shoulder right now…that would be really freaking scary….