Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Gift Within ❯ Chapter One (rewrite) ( Chapter 1 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: siberianknight 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 03.30.2006 | Updated On: 04.17.2006 | Pages: 4 | Words: 9.1K | Visits: 638 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 03.30.2006 | Updated On: 04.17.2006 | Pages: 4 | Words: 9.1K | Visits: 638 | Status: Completed
Author's Notes: For those of you who are familiar with my other two stories, you'll note that this one is a bit odd. I hope that everyone will give it a try, because it will become less and less odd as it goes on -- mostly because there will be more information about everything, and it'll make more sense ... Enjoy! And as always, comments are appreciated. :)
This story originally was supposed to be an ordinary college tale about a shy and geeky Heero. However, somewhere along the way, it turned into this very odd fantasy tale with everything that makes up a perfect cliched fantasy story. I make fun of this in several spots ... and most of it is brought about because Heero writes these types of stories, and now finds himself in one.
This is a rewrite of the first chapter. I have changed the out-of-character behavior, and generally completely rewrote parts of the chapter. Heero is now the only one who is out-of-charcter, but will become himself eventually. As in Dragonflly, there will be some OCs in the story. Most of the characters in this chapter are not going by their real names. The reason for this is because it is an important part of the story. Don't worry though, they still have their own names and I will be using them again very very soon. -- For an explanation ont the names, and the characters they are connected to (in case you are unable to figure it out from behavior and descriptions) see note [1] thank you--
Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5xR, 6x13
Warnings: [whole story] M/M sex, sexuality, language, some violence [chapter] None
Chapter Status: COMPLETE
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&ldquo ;It’s clear from the evidence that he needs help, but I don’t see what this has to do with our organization, m’lady.” Clear blue eyes rested on the priestess who was lounging in a bored fashion before him. She was playing with one of the many curls in her flaming red hair, her expression a thoughtful one. Quietly she mulled over what Jester had stated, before she turned her deep aqua eyes to the other man standing before her.
“And what is your take on this situation, Knight?”
He smirked slightly and then turned his deep purple-blue eyes to the other man. “It’ll be a challenge.”
As always Knight’s eagerness to do anything that seemed exciting grated against Jester’s more calm nature. He turned to face the younger man, rage was slowly beginning to burn within his eyes. “Knight ... do you honestly know what you’re getting yourself into!? You have never been there before! I on the other hand have!” Jester slapped the back of his hand against his open palm as if to emphasize each word’s importance. This younger man was definitely too reckless in his opinion, and if he went alone there was no telling what kind of mess would come of the situation.
The priestess rose from her large chair and walked up to the two men, her face quietly reserved so that they could not see the decision at which she had arrived. “Please ... Jester, stop. If Knight wants this, then it’s his decision. You may be his guardian but he does have a mind of his own.”
Jester’s mouth dropped open slightly and then closed. He lowered his gaze to the floor and tried to quiet the anger and worry that was raging within him. When he finally spoke, his voice was a mere whisper. “But, he’s my ward -- Yes m’lady.” It was no use fighting both of them. Jester’s bow was shallow, why was he always just giving into other people and not trying harder for what he wanted? He sighed quietly and then left the priestess, Fayte, and Knight alone.
Knight watched the man who had been his guardian since he was but six years of age, walk away with slumped shoulders. “It’ll be alright, Knight. He’ll realize that you were the best person to go after him.”
“Do you think that he’ll remember me? I mean --” Knight’s eyes closed tightly as tears threatened to fall. It had been at least ten years since he had last seen his old friend, and he wasn’t sure how everything had affected his memories. “Never mind. I shouldn’t be thinking about that.” The normal happy glow filled Knight’s deep purple-blue eyes as he looked at Fayte. “This country needs him, and I’m going to bring him back -- there’s no need to worry.”
Fayte’s soft face held a gentle smile as she walked with Knight down the winding corridor of the castle. “Knight,” He glanced briefly at his friend as he waited to hear what she was going to say. “I want you to remember that he may not be the same person as he once was. Don’t expect too much.” She could tell by his small grin that he had been thinking the same thing, despite that, however, she was still worried.
“I told you ... there’s no need to worry. Everything will be alright, just let me take care of it.” Fayte shielded her eyes from the purple glow which was the mark of Knight’s magic, quietly she whispered a small prayer of guidance and luck as the light died away.
-----
Heero glanced around the empty classroom one last time to make certain he had cleaned up the last bit of trash. Why did he let that group always push him into doing their duties? He was such a pushover. Heero leaned heavily against the broom handle and sighed; life had been like this for the past thirteen years, in other words for as long as he had been in school. “Hey, Heero!” The familiar voice caused his heart to happily skip. He glanced at the open classroom door where his longtime friend, Tsuzuki, was leaning against the jamb and grinning at him. They had first met in elementary school, the two of them engaging in a paste battle, which had been started of course by the mischievous Tsuzuki. “Keiko and I are going to the cafe down the street and we were wondering if you wanted to come too?"
Heero felt his heart sink a bit. He loved going out with Tsuzuki Hikaru, but he couldn’t say that he cared much for Keiko. It wasn’t as if she were a bad person, but he always felt very awkward around her; he swore that she gave off this aura that said she didn’t want him around.
“So, Heero ... do you wanna go or not?”
After a few more moments of silence, Heero smiled and nodded. “Let me get my bag.” Tsuzuki was his usual talkative self, and Heero listened quietly, grateful for the alone time with his friend. When they arrived at the burger cafe, Keiko stood up and waved to Heero and Tsuzuki as they entered. Heero’s shoulders slumped as he realized that Keiko had decided it would be a good idea to bring her friend, the very shy and quiet Tomoko, with her. Undoubtedly she was trying, yet again, to set Heero up with a girl, which did not amuse him in the least. The past few times she had tried this, they had all ended in a complete disaster.
As he followed a few steps behind Tsuzuki, Heero watched with growing animosity as Keiko ran up to him and took both of his hands in hers. She poked her head around Tsuzuki to look at Heero, the grin on her face looked a bit like the Cheshire Cat’s smile to him. “Um, Heero-kun, this is my good friend Tomoko-chan. Tomoko, this is Heero-kun.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Tomoko bowed so deeply that Heero thought she would hit her forehead on the table. He grunted softly and only bowed slightly in return. Keiko quietly worked the seating arrangement so that Heero was forced to sit beside Tomoko, making his bad day complete. Heero stared down at his burger and fries as he listened to Tsuzuki and Keiko flirt, he was having a hard time trying to suppress the urge to reach across the table and shut her up. All he wanted was to be alone with Tsuzuki. Alone. A warm glow of realization flooded Heero’s body at that moment, he loved Tsuzuki. He lifted his gaze up to his friend and began to stare as if it were his first time seeing him. Why had Heero never noticed these feelings of love before? It had been pure and innocent until that moment, but now he knew with no uncertainty that he wanted to be more than friends with Tsuzuki. All this time the feelings of hatred and annoyance toward Keiko had been because he was jealous of her relationship with him.
Tsuzuki glanced over at his friend, and noticed with some puzzlement that he was glaring oddly at him. “Heero, are you alright?”
Heero blinked a few times and then slid out of the booth. “F-fine ... I just -- I need to be excused.”
The water was startlingly cold as he splashed some onto his face; as he wiped the moisture away, he gazed into the mirror. The Heero which gazed back looked tired and sad. His hair was falling in his face, and his eyes were glazed over with doubt. As he studied his reflection, he began to feel a pair of eyes watching him. Another face with familiar purple-blue eyes, appeared beside his own in the silvery surface of the mirror. Heero turned around quickly and surveyed the room, but there was no one else in the bathroom. Confused, he slowly turned back to find that the familiar visage was still there. The man looked exactly like Tsuzuki, the only difference was that his hair fell in soft long waves, instead of a short cropped style. Not knowing what else to do, Heero quietly voiced a simple question, hoping that what he was speaking to wasn’t his imagination. “Wh-who are you?”
The man had a gentle look on his face as he smiled at Heero. “Did I go back too far?”
‘Back too far?’ Heero felt lost on the man’s meaning, but continued to stare at him in the mirror. Why did he look like Tsuzuki? The man’s voice was nothing like his friend’s, in fact it was a bit deeper. It was strange though that Heero wasn’t afraid of this stranger, in fact he felt safe with him nearby, it was almost as if he had known him for a very long time.
“You look too young. About eighteen?”
The warm voice caused a momentary speechlessness in Heero. Why was he asking his age, and why had he not answered his question yet? Pouting slightly, Heero decided to turn around again, only to find that there was still no one there. His shoulders drooped a bit in disappointment and he calmly tried to convince himself that it had been an illusion.
To rid himself of the unsettling feelings, Heero splashed more cold water onto his face; he was unaware of Tsuzuki quietly pushing open the door and peering inside. Tsuzuki found his friend staring down into the sink, it was obvious to him that Heero was upset over something, but he was unsure as to what was the cause. He reached out his hand, startling Heero. “Heero -- you’re awfully jumpy, are you alright? The girls are worried about you ... so am I.” Heero turned his eyes up to meet Tsuzuki’s. He debated for the space of a breath’s time whether he should reveal his feelings or not. If he did, it could ruin their friendship, but on the other hand, if Tsuzuki also had feelings for him, then it would work out for the best. “Heero?”
“I -- I love you!” He knew that his voice had been overly loud, and could tell by the myriad of emotions which crossed over Tsuzuki’s face that he had been very surprised by the outburst. Despite the despair which he was currently feeling, Heero gazed determinedly into those purple eyes which had been a comfort and a pain to him throughout his eighteen years of life.
“Hee -- ro ... you --?” Tsuzuki almost laughed, but stopped himself, after all, Heero looked serious. There was a long weighted pause before he finally decided to speak. “I ... I don’t know how to tell you this, Heero. You’ve been my best friend for almost thirteen years now. I love you too, but not the way you want me to love you. I’m straight. I like girls -- not guys. I’m so sorry, Heero ...” Stunned and confused, Heero began to stumble slowly away from Tsuzuki, who reached out trying to stop him. “Heero, Keiko and I -- I was going to tell you today, but ...”
“It’s okay ... it doesn’t matter. I should have kept my mouth shut.” Heero’s heart felt as if it had been cut in two halves. In an attempt to retain his dignity, he squared his shoulders and put on a blank expression as he left Tsuzuki. With those three simple words, he knew that his relationship with him had been changed forever.
-----
Loud music, happy faces, and a married couple rushed around before Heero as he sat far away from the festivities. Everyone, especially Tsuzuki and Keiko, held bright smiles as they danced in their simple state of bliss. The newlyweds looked happy and content, and Heero knew that he would never have been able to put that same smile on his friend’s face; no matter how much he wished with all his heart that he could have. “Yuy, why are you way over here? Tsuzuki’s been asking for you.” WuFei’s arms were crossed against his chest, he wasn’t about to allow him to wallow in self-pity. “Will you stop being selfish and talk to your best friend!”
WuFei was right, but Heero wasn’t going to admit that. “I don’t feel so well ...” He was enjoying feeling miserable by himself, he had at least shown up for the wedding, had that not been enough? Not wanting to argue with him, WuFei walked away to find Tsuzuki. Heero hoped that would be the end of being bothered; however, only a few moments later, he was staring into the eyes of his best friend.
“Heero, you can’t sulk ... I don’t want you to. Look, I brought a few friends from my university ... they all seem interested in you. Why don’t you go and talk to them?” A strain on their relationship had been placed since Heero’s innocent declaration. Tsuzuki had never wanted anything to come between them, and he had hoped continuously in the months that had followed that things would somehow become normal again; however, Heero seemed to have not allowed that to happen. No matter what he did, things remained the same.
“I’m not interested.”
“Heero,” Tsuzuki’s unnaturally serious tone garnered Heero’s attention, and he turned his dark blue eyes to his friend. If it would make him happy, then he would at least listen. “Please, they’re guys. I want you to at least go and say ‘hello.’ So as not to be rude.” Upset at being told to see replacements for Tsuzuki, Heero stood and stomped away, leaving his friend to stare helplessly after him.
It wasn’t like he wanted to have a boyfriend to mask the pain he was feeling right now. Tsuzuki seemed to not realize that it wouldn’t be fair to the other person Heero spent several moments collecting himself and then decided that he would quit being antisocial and congratulate the bride.
------
Heero stared at the half drawn panel for his latest manga, his small Tokyo apartment was dimly lit and his brain felt the same. His publisher had requested several more chapters from him. Despite his success, Heero felt depressed and alone. He had tried several times to start a relationship with someone, but every time it would collapse because of him. “I’m broken.” With a soft thud, his head hit the desk. “Ow.” A rich chuckle echoed softly behind him, and with a strong sense of panic, he turned around so quickly that he fell out of his drafting chair. “Ow ... again.”
Knight winced as he watched Heero hit the floor in an unflattering heap. “Are you okay?” Heero blinked a few times, was he dreaming? The man bent down over him, his long butterscotch-colored hair brushed softly against his cheek causing a mild scent of mangoes to waft into his nose.
Heero struggled a bit to right himself, all the while the intruder was grinning at him. Finally in an upright position on the floor, Heero tried to give off an air of authority as he questioned the other man. “How did you get in here?”
Knight’s heart sunk a bit as he noted the uncertainty and low self-esteem in his old friend. He had known that he would be different, but had not expected him to be the complete opposite of his old self. “You won’t believe me if I told you.” Heero watched the other man carefully. This was that person from the bathroom so long ago, the one who resembled Tsuzuki so much. Why was he there in his apartment, had he hit his head and just imagining things? Heero began to feel for any cuts or bumps, which elicited a cheery laugh from the other man. “You didn’t hit your head. Promise.” Their eyes locked and for a moment, Knight thought that he saw his old friend reflected in the depths of Heero’s eyes; however, in the next moment, he was gone, replaced by the jittery coward.
Heero raised an unsteady finger to Knight. “You ... you’re ... you.” His world was beginning to swim back and forth before him, his mind unable to make sense of what was happening. Knight could see that he was close to passing out, but was uncertain how to help him.
“My name is, Knight.”
“Kn -- Knight? But you look like ...” Heero tried to hold on to his fragile reality, but his mind made the final decision for him. Within in a few brief moments, his world went black.
Knight watched with a heavy heart as Heero tipped over and came to rest on the floor. “Well, you didn’t have to faint, Heero. But then again, you always were one for surprises.” He sighed as he scooped him up into his arms. “Time to go.” Before walking away from the desk, Knight stole a glance at Heero’s drawing. “You always were a closet pervert.”
He carried his burden into the center of the room and in a monotone whisper chanted, “By the sun, by the moon, with the sureness of the eagle’s eye ... carry us into the sky.” With a burst of bright light, a large array formed slowly beneath his feet and began to glow with a vivid purple hue.
-----
Heero blinked his eyes a few times to bring his foggy vision back into focus. When the haze cleared, he found himself gazing at a ceiling which was not his own. The support beams were visible and painted in bright colors of green and gold. His nose began to tingle as he recongnized the strong scent of incense hanging in the warm air. Wondering where he was, he slowly began to look around. The large room was as brightly colored as the ceiling. Thinking he was alone he turned on his side, but discovered that there in the chair beside him, was the man who had entered his apartment. “Tsu--”
Knight’s eyes were closed, but he had known the moment Heero had awakened. He had prepared himself for that moment, but still to hear him start to call him by a different name upset him. He couldn’t help but wonder who this other person was. “My name is Knight,” he drawled with a small sigh.
Heero could tell that he was unhappy, but couldn't bring himself to ask why. He stared for a few moments at the face before him. This other man really did look like Tsuzuki, but there was no way that they were the same person. “Um ... can I ask you a question?”
Knight opened one eye and peered at Heero, which turned out to be his forced calm's undoing. He immediately shut his eye as he felt the heat rush into his cheeks, and tried to hide his reaction by focusing his attention on a loose thread. “What is it?”
“Um, well -- I ...” Heero was so confused by the different emotions which were starting to stir within him, that he found himself unable to hold onto a single thought for more than a second’s space of time. This man, Knight, was confusing him by just being near him. “Sorry, this is all a bit overwhelming.” Heero decided that if he sat up and looked straight ahead, then maybe he wouldn’t have a hard time trying to focus on what he wanted to say. Taking his eyes off of Knight, did seem to help a bit, but he was still very much aware of the other man’s presence. “I just wondered why you look like my friend Tsuzuki. That was all.”
“Really? Interesting ... well, they say everyone has a twin.” Heero could feel the glow of Knight’s smile, and his heart warmed a bit. If this was a dream, he hoped that it wouldn’t turn into a nightmare, mirroring that event in the bathroom so long ago.
“I’m not so sure that's it ... by the way, where am I?” He could feel Knight’s eyes on him, and knew that he couldn’t continue to avoid looking at the other man for much longer. Reluctantly, he returned his attention to the other man, who was staring at him with a gentle expression.
“I was instructed to take you to see the priestess as soon as you awakened.”
“Priestess?” This dream of his was sounding a bit like one of his older manga stories. He found himself wondering what type of person this priestess was, whether she was gentle or mean.
“Yes, priestess. She’s known as Fayte, but address her only as ‘m’lady,’ or, ‘priestess.’ Understand?” Knight’s eyes shown as Heero nodded in reply. As he rose, he placed his long black coat on his body. “Ready?”
“Uh ... yes.” Heero scurried quickly after him trying to keep up with his long strides, but half way out of the room, he realized that he had forgotten his shoes.
-----
“M’la dy, Lord Eiichi is coming.” The priestess lowered the book which she was reading a few inches and peered over its edge at her favorite protector, Shironeko. His blond hair was in dire need of a trim, even though he didn’t seem to mind it falling in his eyes. Shiro, as the priestess called him, was a gentle soul who only wished everyone happiness; however, if anyone he cared for came into danger, he was there instantly to help. His unwavering loyalty had been what had earned him his position as head of the guard.
Fayte laid the book down, there was a quietness about her this evening, which was not typical of her naturally happy personality. Shiro wondered if it had anything to do with what the Exiles were planning. “Thank you Shiro. I’m amazed that it only took him a year to track him down. I believe that if I had sent Jester as he had demanded, this would not have happened so quickly.”
“Hmm ... I agree, m’lady.” Shiro watched as the priestess rose from her seat and calmly smoothed her hair. The two had known each other for so long, that they never needed to speak to one another when they needed something; so after she finished straightening her hair, he handed her the silver flowered crown, which indicated her station.
The priestess smiled tenderly at him as she patted his arm in thanks. “You’re not secretly reading my mind ... are you?”
Shiro grinned brightly and scratched the tip of his nose to hide his embarrassment. “You know I can’t do that. I’d get into trouble.”
The priestess returned the grin and leaned forward closer to Shiro’s face. “Are you saying that you’ve never been tempted?” Fayte’s eyes glowed as she teased the young boy. Shiro was at least a good head’s height shorter when he was in his natural state, which caused him to look like a young teenager of about thirteen. With some of the strongest magical power of their land in his possession, he had invented the size change to allow himself to keep much of that power in reserve. He grinned as he playfully returned the priestess’s tease.
“I refuse to answer that.” With a happy bounce in his step, he moved over to the throne and sat cross-legged beside the chair. Fayte followed calmly behind him and waited for Knight to bring Yuushi Eiichi to her(1).
-----
Heero gazed slack-jawed as he followed Knight though the maze of twisting corridors. The hallways were just as ornately decorated as his ceiling had been, and in fact he was beginning to feel as if he had landed in an Indian castle. There were statues of various animals placed in recessed shelves centered within each ornamental column. Heero noted that their faces were all pointing in the direction in which they were heading. He was dying to ask Knight why, but then decided not to bother. He looked at Knight’s strong back, and wondered again why he felt this odd connection to him. It couldn’t be because he looked like Tsuzuki, that was too simple an answer, but then again, it was a possibility.
The two men walked silently for what seemed like forever to Heero, it wasn’t that he minded walking, in fact he loved it. Like many living in Tokyo, it had been his predominant means of transportation, of course Heero also loved to exercise. “We’re almost there ... getting tired?” Knight’s eyes held that same gentle concern as before, and Heero could feel himself blushing slightly. Because of this unnatural reaction, he was surprised when he began to feel the urge to hit him. Never in his life had he felt the desire to be violent, that just wasn’t like him. Most of the time Heero had backed down from fights, afraid of confrontation, but at this moment, he really wanted to do something to put a stop to these strange sensations which this man’s face was causing.
Just as Heero was about to say something to Knight, they came to a stop before two large wooden doors. On these doors were carvings of graceful swans in mid-flight, at least that was what Heero had interpreted them to be. Jewels were scattered about the edges of the carvings and both doors were a deep blue with a gold trim. “Your mouth’s open.” Knight gently reached over to push up on Heero’s chin, but his hand was slapped viciously away.
“Don’t.” Heero was glaring at Knight as he slowly put space between them. Tsuzuki had been the only one that could touch him without permission, and that had been only because he had been in love with him; however, this man who looked so much like Tsuzuki, was not going to be allowed those same liberties, even if he did cause strange sensations within Heero’s heart.
Knight was startled to see that same fiery indignation light up Heero’s eyes. He had been told by Fayte that there was a possibility that he would no longer be the same man he was before, but Knight had not expected to see bursts of the old personality. He back away from Heero, and tried to hide his surprise behind a small smile. “Sorry.” Heero watched closely as a soft purple glow began to spread around Knight’s hands, with a soft grunt the heavy doors began to swing slowly open. With a sweeping bow, Knight extended his arm toward the opening. “After you.”
“Th-thanks.” Heero entered the room cautiously, worried about what lay beyond the doorway. He found the room to be a bit small, but was rounded and filled with colorful cascades of silks, which were draped from the vaulted ceiling. He decided quietly that it reminded him of a circus tent.
Heero’s eyes narrowed as his gaze swept the room, but could find no trace of the priestess. He started to think that she was going to poof into the room and scare him senseless just like Knight had. “It’s been a long while, Lord Eiichi.” The soft voice startled Heero as the layers of silk slowly moved to the side to reveal a beautiful woman sitting upon an ornate throne. He watched completely mesmerized as she began to walk toward him. Somehow, he felt as if he knew her from somewhere, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember where. When she came to a stop before him, Heero noted that she looked to be more of a young teenager than a woman, and she wasn’t as quite as beautiful as she had appeared from far away. Just as this thought popped into his head, the young woman’s eyes narrowed and her bottom lip stuck out slightly.
“Mind what you think, Ei-pi ... she can read your mind.” Knight’s breath tickled Heero’s ear as he whispered his gentle warning.
Heero’s head whipped around and he stared blankly at Knight, who had a small smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Huh? She -- can ...”
“I can read your mind. I don’t mind if you don’t find me attractive, but please don’t say that I was more attractive at a greater distance,” she chastized gently as her face twisted in a small pout. “So, it’s as we feared. You don’t remember anything ... do you?”
Heero stared into the priestess’s deep aqua eyes, trying to glean a bit of hope that this was all just a joke, or a dream. He could feel the panic starting to rise within him, and all he could think of was that he wanted to leave that world immediately! Worried, Knight moved closer to him, not knowing that his simple movement calmed Heero. “What am I supposed to remember?”
“Knight ...” Fayte rested her hands on her hips and took on the look of an angry mother. Knight decided that maybe he should back away out of her reach, she could be quite violent when the mood struck her. He wasn’t certain as to why she was upset with him, but it was better to be safe than in pain. “You didn’t explain anything to him ... did you?”
“Huh!? You told me that you were going to! Fayte ... don’t do this to me.” The priestess stalked Knight, who was quickly trying to cower behind some of the silk; however, his feet became entangled and he fell backwards pulling down the cloth with him.
Fayte leaned over him, her anger radiating from her small body. “Duo!! Why do you always behave this way!? It’s not my fault! I told you ... didn’t I?” As she struck a thoughtful pose, Shiro, who had been trying to hide his chuckles, quickly ran to her side.
“M’lady! You mustn’t!” The priestess turned a puzzled face to Shiro, who noted that she seemed to have not realized that she had called Knight by his given name, which was forbidden by their covenant.
“What is it Shiro?”
“Remember to keep your temper in check ... that’s all. Knight’s just being himself -- I’m sure he explained things to Lord Eiichi. Right?” Knight fought with all his strength to stand without falling back to the hard stone floor. He looked helplessly at his two friends, completely exasperated with Fayte’s typical absent-minded nature.
“He passed out before I could say anything to him ... I was then told to bring him here so that you could explain everything to him ... m’lady.” Knight’s bow was a bit unsteady since his feet were still ensnared by the silk. To hide her smile over Knight’s ungraceful bow, Fayte calmly turned to Heero.
“So, I suppose you need to know about where you are and why?”
“That would be nice, m’lady.” Heero bowed his head slightly causing a spread of soft chuckles and giggles from the other three. When he raised his head, he found their eyes all sparkling at him. He wasn’t very fond of being the center of attention, and having three sets of eyes analyzing him, made him feel uncomfortable. To hide his embarrassment, he began to fidget with his hands.
Fayte couldn’t help but notice the odd behavior from Heero, but she chose to ignore it since it was to be expected. “Knight, go to the records room and have them pull several histories from the shelves so that Lord Eiichi may read them.” Finally untangling his foot, Knight managed a deep bow before leaving the small room.
“L-l-l-lord?! Huh?”
There was a soft laugh in Fayte's voice as she spoke, which caused Heero to grow even more puzzled at the situation in which he found himself. “Yes, you are a lord in this world. That is a very high ranking ... as I believe it was at one point in the other world as well?”
“Y-yes, m’lady.” Heero made a frown, this world truly made little sense to him. While he and the priestess had been speaking, the young boy named Shiro had moved closer to him and his face was growing ever nearer to his own. “D-do you mind!?” Heero started to move away, but lost his balance and fell in an undignified manner upon the floor. Grinning, Shiro squatted down and placed his face inches away from Heero’s, who tried to scoot away but was followed by him. No matter where he went, Shiro was right there as close as possible. Finally, the priestess's giggles put a stop to the two men's game of chase.
“Shiro ... please leave the poor lord alone. Surely he’s had a tiring day.” She extended a hand to Heero, who noted the strange markings which wrapped around her wrists. They were a slightly darker flesh tone than her own, and formed a very intricate pattern. “All members of the high house have these. You do as well ... they're just hidden because your memory problems are masking your magic.”
“I’m not aware of any memory problems. I feel fine ... in fact I can remember everything perfectly clear.” Heero’s bottom lip protruded in a pout causing a bright grin to form on the priestess’s soft oval face. Her eyes sparkled at Heero as she helped him to his feet. “I don’t have any memory problems,” he stated emphatically, but she seemed to not care, as she just continued to smile at him.
“Follow me, I’ll take you to the study where you can read the texts which Knight is bringing for you.” Heero found it odd that this man, Knight, had two different names, and only one seemed to be allowed to be spoken.
He felt a bit more relaxed around the priestess, so he didn’t hesitate with his curiosity the way he had around Knight. “Why is Knight’s other name forbidden?” His words caused a brief pause in the priestess’s steps, and when she began moving again, she refused to meet Heero’s eyes.
“It’s best explained later ... perhaps once we’ve reached the study. There are too many ears which might overhear me in this hallway.” There was no one else in sight, so what did she mean by ears? There was no one else around them that could hear anything they may say. Instead of straining his mind with unanswered questions, Heero decided to think about how long it would be before he woke himself up from this bizarre dream which he was having.
After walking for a short space of time, they arrived at the study, and Heero was surprised to see that it was not as flamboyantly decorated as the rest of the rooms. Soft greens and browns filled the room, with leather seemingly the upholstery of choice. Heero’s eyes scanned the room, taking in the multitude of art pieces which nearly completely covered the walls. When his eyes reached Knight, he froze in his tracks. Knight had one hand on his hip and the other was braced on the table’s surface. Sunlight was filtering in through the large stained glass window causing a collage of colors to highlight his long wavy hair, suddenly, Heero found his mouth growing dry as he gazed at the other man. It was amazing how much he looked like Tsuzuki, yet, he was unable to remember a time when Tsuzuki had ever had this affect on him. “You look awestruck. Is this shabby room that unbelievable?” His smile was brighter than the sunlight filling the room. Heero shook his head to clear it and promptly lowered his face so that Knight couldn’t see the blush which was quickly marching across his cheeks. It was true that he looked like Tsuzuki, but there were at least a few differences helping Heero to keep them separate in his mind.
The priestess laid her hand on Heero’s elbow causing him to jump slightly. “Please,” she led him to a large chair at the head of the table. There he found several stacks of large books cluttering the table top before him, and as he gazed at the books, the thought that he may not be able to read their language flitted through his mind. He then realized that he had been conversing with people who said they were from a different world, yet they spoke the same language as him.
“Um ... I have some questions before I start reading.” Heero glanced around, and noted that they all seemed to have their attention focused on everything he said and did.
Fayte clapped her hands together as she remembered her promise. “Oh yes! The names. That seemed to have slipped my mind.” The priestess laughed uneasily and then began to rummage through the stacks of books. “Ah, here it is!” She pulled out a small book with a simple leather binding. “This is a print of the covenant which we follow. You see ... we were chosen for our special abilities. We’re different from everyone else in this world ... so therefor, we cannot use our normal names. It’s his rule.”
“‘His?’”
&ldq uo;Him, our King so to speak. He’s an elected official, but ... he’s been in power now for over thirty years.” Knight’s quiet snort caused a look of alarm to dance across Fayte’s face. “Knight?”
“Nothing ... I just don’t much care for some of the things he says -- that’s all.” The priestess turned her large aqua eyes up to his.
“Please don’t say that again ... if you’re overheard by the militia ...” Knight rested his hand on her small shoulder and smiled down at her. She always managed to make such a small thing seem world-ending.
“Nothing’s going to happen, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” Heero was touched by the realization that these three seemed to be kind and caring people. He took note that maybe his worrying was pointless, they seemed to want to help and take care of him. Knight grinned at Heero, bringing forth yet another blush. “Look, Ei-pi ... if you need anymore help, I’m going to stay with you ... these two need to get back to their jobs.”
“If you need anything, Lord Eiichi ... you know where I am now.” Heero gazed after the priestess, amazed that she seemed to almost float out of the room, the long white strips of the feather light fabric from her gown billowing softly behind her.
Heero’s attention shifted as Shiro lifted himself onto the table and sat with his legs dangling over the edge. His smile was impish as he gazed at Heero. “Is it okay if I stay, Knight?” At that moment, Heero decided that Shiro looked and seemed to act like a cat, it was no wonder his name was White Cat. He heard Knight sigh loudly, so he glanced in his direction. Knight’s expression was almost brotherly, and to Heero it seemed as if that was how he felt about Shiro.
“Sure, why not ... but don’t blame me if you get in trouble for not working.” Shiro’s response was a quiet noise that sounded like trouble to Heero. Despite the fact that Knight seemed to care for this boy, he still wasn’t sure that he could be completely trusted. “So, what do you need to know?”
Heero looked at all the different books, and amongst the piles he found an atlas. He was surprised to find that the writing on the books was in fact Japanese, this puzzled him only slightly until he opened the atlas to see a map of Earth staring back at him. “Wait ... this makes no sense,” Knight had to strain to hear the soft mumble.
“What do you mean? This is Earth ... our home world.” Shiro bounced off the table and ran over to stand next to Heero. With his small hand, he pointed down to the small island off the coast of Asia. “See ... that’s where we are now. Japan.” Heero slowly turned to stare at the young boy, his mind was beginning to feel fragile again.
“That’s where I was. This is not Japan ... nor is it Earth! I mean, everyone dresses strangely, I’ve never seen this castle before ...” Heero's voice was taking on a slightly panicked note as looked from Knight to Shiro and back again.
Knight sighed, the strain of having to deal with a confused Heero was starting to wear on him. He leaned over closer and pointed out areas of the map, all of which Heero was able to correctly name. “The Earth you’re from is a different one than this one, Ei-pi. I know it’s hard to understand, but tomorrow when we go outside -- you’ll realize that they’re different.”
Heero tried not to think of how close the two of them were at that moment, or how good Knight smelt; instead he tried to focus on the matter at hand, which was the fact that he seemed to be in a parallel world. “So you’re saying that this is Earth, but not the one I grew up on?”
“Well ...” Knight began to chew slightly on his upper lip as he thought of a good way to put his explanation. He didn’t want to upset Heero anymore than he already was, but it didn’t seem like there was any simple way of telling him the truth. “You did grow up here, but at the same time you grew up there too.”
Heero forgot entirely about the closeness and glared at Knight, this man was absolutely infuriating! “I grew up in Tokyo’s outskirts. This large castle thing that we are in right now ... was not there! I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“It’s his memories.” Shiro’s soft and gentle voice broke through Heero’s rants. The other two men stared at him as he calmly thumbed through one of the texts. “He said that they would return slowly, but I don’t know if I can stand this confused nerdy Eiichi.”
Heero’s eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at Shiro “Look, Ei-pi ... this is going to take a while for everything to come back to you. Just accept it the way it is, and read this book.” Knight handed him a rather large and worn text which was titled, World’s History. Heero found the title to be lacking in originality, and the inside seemed just as dull. “You probably would like to sleep a bit more -- or are you hungry?” As if on cue, Knight’s stomach made a loud gurgling noise, causing Heero to grin. Other than his looks, this was the first true thing that had reminded him of Tsuzuki.
“Food does sound good.”
Knight ran happily to the door. “Shiro, would you take Ei-pi to his room ... I’ll bring the food up there shortly.” With those words, the door creaked open and then slammed shut. Shiro walked up to Heero, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at the other man. Heero had the distinct impression that he wasn’t very well liked by this kid, although he couldn’t think of anything that he could have done to him.
He noted the sadness within Shiro’s soft voice as he spoke. “I suppose you don’t know where your room is ... do you?”
“N-no. Will you show me, as Knight asked?”
“I suppose I must. Follow me.” Shiro led the way in silence to the same room in which he had awakened earlier. “So, this is your room ... I’ve got work to do. If you’ll excuse me.” He gave Heero a curt bow, and then began to take his leave rather quickly.
“W-wait. I have a question.”
Shiro stopped and without turning, snorted softly out of annoyance at being detained by Heero. “What is it?”
“Why do you seem to dislike me?”
“It’s not that I dislike you. I just had hoped that Knight wouldn’t be able to find you ... that was all.”
Heero sat on the edge of his bed, his eyes focused on the Shiro’s straight back. “Why not?”
“Because! You --” Shiro began to rub at his eyes, causing Heero to wonder what was wrong, but he was never given the opportunity to ask. “I can’t speak of this anymore ... once you regain your memories it’ll be bad. If you’ll excuse me now.” The boy puzzled him, he just didn’t make any sense at all, but then again, if this were all a dream, then not making sense would make sense. Yet, Heero couldn’t help but think that surely his mind could come up with some more original ideas for history book titles. He chuckled as he tossed the book onto the bed beside him. “This definitely has to be a dream.” He began to stretch and noticed a soft rattling behind him. As he turned, the large window exploded with a bright flash of light, scattering shards across the room. Heero raised his arms to protect his face, and received painful cuts and scratches on his cheeks and forearms. When he lowered his arms, he noticed that a man was now standing before the window. He felt lightheaded for the millionth time that day, and the stinging in his arms told him that he was not asleep, because no dream he had ever experienced had been this realistic.
“Yuy! I’m glad to see that you are well ... now prepare to meet the fate of those who are on the path of evil!”
“Wu -- Fei?” Heero stared at his high school friend, his mouth hanging slightly open in puzzlement. He may have looked a bit different, but it was still WuFei. Cautiously, he took a step toward his old friend, but stopped as that same weird light which had burst the window began to glow around WuFei. “What’s ... going on?”
There was a broad smirk on WuFei’s face as he spoke, and a sneer of hatred in his voice. “I told you ... prepare yourself -- Lord Eiichi. These are your last few breaths.”
-----
(1) Heero's name in this other Earth literally means, The eternal one, the hero. (Thanks goes to my friend Anya who brainstormed with me to give him this name)
Knight = Duo
Fayte (aka the priestess) = Honor [this is my original character that I like to place in all my stories ... as in Dragonfly she will have an important role in this story]
Jester = Solo (I can't recall a true description of him ... so I made one up)
Shironeko = (which literally means white cat) Quatre
Gundam Wing belongs to Hajime Yadate, Yoshiyuki Tomino, and Bandai
geovisit();
This is a rewrite of the first chapter. I have changed the out-of-character behavior, and generally completely rewrote parts of the chapter. Heero is now the only one who is out-of-charcter, but will become himself eventually. As in Dragonflly, there will be some OCs in the story. Most of the characters in this chapter are not going by their real names. The reason for this is because it is an important part of the story. Don't worry though, they still have their own names and I will be using them again very very soon. -- For an explanation ont the names, and the characters they are connected to (in case you are unable to figure it out from behavior and descriptions) see note [1] thank you--
Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5xR, 6x13
Warnings: [whole story] M/M sex, sexuality, language, some violence [chapter] None
Chapter Status: COMPLETE
&ldquo ;It’s clear from the evidence that he needs help, but I don’t see what this has to do with our organization, m’lady.” Clear blue eyes rested on the priestess who was lounging in a bored fashion before him. She was playing with one of the many curls in her flaming red hair, her expression a thoughtful one. Quietly she mulled over what Jester had stated, before she turned her deep aqua eyes to the other man standing before her.
“And what is your take on this situation, Knight?”
He smirked slightly and then turned his deep purple-blue eyes to the other man. “It’ll be a challenge.”
As always Knight’s eagerness to do anything that seemed exciting grated against Jester’s more calm nature. He turned to face the younger man, rage was slowly beginning to burn within his eyes. “Knight ... do you honestly know what you’re getting yourself into!? You have never been there before! I on the other hand have!” Jester slapped the back of his hand against his open palm as if to emphasize each word’s importance. This younger man was definitely too reckless in his opinion, and if he went alone there was no telling what kind of mess would come of the situation.
The priestess rose from her large chair and walked up to the two men, her face quietly reserved so that they could not see the decision at which she had arrived. “Please ... Jester, stop. If Knight wants this, then it’s his decision. You may be his guardian but he does have a mind of his own.”
Jester’s mouth dropped open slightly and then closed. He lowered his gaze to the floor and tried to quiet the anger and worry that was raging within him. When he finally spoke, his voice was a mere whisper. “But, he’s my ward -- Yes m’lady.” It was no use fighting both of them. Jester’s bow was shallow, why was he always just giving into other people and not trying harder for what he wanted? He sighed quietly and then left the priestess, Fayte, and Knight alone.
Knight watched the man who had been his guardian since he was but six years of age, walk away with slumped shoulders. “It’ll be alright, Knight. He’ll realize that you were the best person to go after him.”
“Do you think that he’ll remember me? I mean --” Knight’s eyes closed tightly as tears threatened to fall. It had been at least ten years since he had last seen his old friend, and he wasn’t sure how everything had affected his memories. “Never mind. I shouldn’t be thinking about that.” The normal happy glow filled Knight’s deep purple-blue eyes as he looked at Fayte. “This country needs him, and I’m going to bring him back -- there’s no need to worry.”
Fayte’s soft face held a gentle smile as she walked with Knight down the winding corridor of the castle. “Knight,” He glanced briefly at his friend as he waited to hear what she was going to say. “I want you to remember that he may not be the same person as he once was. Don’t expect too much.” She could tell by his small grin that he had been thinking the same thing, despite that, however, she was still worried.
“I told you ... there’s no need to worry. Everything will be alright, just let me take care of it.” Fayte shielded her eyes from the purple glow which was the mark of Knight’s magic, quietly she whispered a small prayer of guidance and luck as the light died away.
Heero glanced around the empty classroom one last time to make certain he had cleaned up the last bit of trash. Why did he let that group always push him into doing their duties? He was such a pushover. Heero leaned heavily against the broom handle and sighed; life had been like this for the past thirteen years, in other words for as long as he had been in school. “Hey, Heero!” The familiar voice caused his heart to happily skip. He glanced at the open classroom door where his longtime friend, Tsuzuki, was leaning against the jamb and grinning at him. They had first met in elementary school, the two of them engaging in a paste battle, which had been started of course by the mischievous Tsuzuki. “Keiko and I are going to the cafe down the street and we were wondering if you wanted to come too?"
Heero felt his heart sink a bit. He loved going out with Tsuzuki Hikaru, but he couldn’t say that he cared much for Keiko. It wasn’t as if she were a bad person, but he always felt very awkward around her; he swore that she gave off this aura that said she didn’t want him around.
“So, Heero ... do you wanna go or not?”
After a few more moments of silence, Heero smiled and nodded. “Let me get my bag.” Tsuzuki was his usual talkative self, and Heero listened quietly, grateful for the alone time with his friend. When they arrived at the burger cafe, Keiko stood up and waved to Heero and Tsuzuki as they entered. Heero’s shoulders slumped as he realized that Keiko had decided it would be a good idea to bring her friend, the very shy and quiet Tomoko, with her. Undoubtedly she was trying, yet again, to set Heero up with a girl, which did not amuse him in the least. The past few times she had tried this, they had all ended in a complete disaster.
As he followed a few steps behind Tsuzuki, Heero watched with growing animosity as Keiko ran up to him and took both of his hands in hers. She poked her head around Tsuzuki to look at Heero, the grin on her face looked a bit like the Cheshire Cat’s smile to him. “Um, Heero-kun, this is my good friend Tomoko-chan. Tomoko, this is Heero-kun.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Tomoko bowed so deeply that Heero thought she would hit her forehead on the table. He grunted softly and only bowed slightly in return. Keiko quietly worked the seating arrangement so that Heero was forced to sit beside Tomoko, making his bad day complete. Heero stared down at his burger and fries as he listened to Tsuzuki and Keiko flirt, he was having a hard time trying to suppress the urge to reach across the table and shut her up. All he wanted was to be alone with Tsuzuki. Alone. A warm glow of realization flooded Heero’s body at that moment, he loved Tsuzuki. He lifted his gaze up to his friend and began to stare as if it were his first time seeing him. Why had Heero never noticed these feelings of love before? It had been pure and innocent until that moment, but now he knew with no uncertainty that he wanted to be more than friends with Tsuzuki. All this time the feelings of hatred and annoyance toward Keiko had been because he was jealous of her relationship with him.
Tsuzuki glanced over at his friend, and noticed with some puzzlement that he was glaring oddly at him. “Heero, are you alright?”
Heero blinked a few times and then slid out of the booth. “F-fine ... I just -- I need to be excused.”
The water was startlingly cold as he splashed some onto his face; as he wiped the moisture away, he gazed into the mirror. The Heero which gazed back looked tired and sad. His hair was falling in his face, and his eyes were glazed over with doubt. As he studied his reflection, he began to feel a pair of eyes watching him. Another face with familiar purple-blue eyes, appeared beside his own in the silvery surface of the mirror. Heero turned around quickly and surveyed the room, but there was no one else in the bathroom. Confused, he slowly turned back to find that the familiar visage was still there. The man looked exactly like Tsuzuki, the only difference was that his hair fell in soft long waves, instead of a short cropped style. Not knowing what else to do, Heero quietly voiced a simple question, hoping that what he was speaking to wasn’t his imagination. “Wh-who are you?”
The man had a gentle look on his face as he smiled at Heero. “Did I go back too far?”
‘Back too far?’ Heero felt lost on the man’s meaning, but continued to stare at him in the mirror. Why did he look like Tsuzuki? The man’s voice was nothing like his friend’s, in fact it was a bit deeper. It was strange though that Heero wasn’t afraid of this stranger, in fact he felt safe with him nearby, it was almost as if he had known him for a very long time.
“You look too young. About eighteen?”
The warm voice caused a momentary speechlessness in Heero. Why was he asking his age, and why had he not answered his question yet? Pouting slightly, Heero decided to turn around again, only to find that there was still no one there. His shoulders drooped a bit in disappointment and he calmly tried to convince himself that it had been an illusion.
To rid himself of the unsettling feelings, Heero splashed more cold water onto his face; he was unaware of Tsuzuki quietly pushing open the door and peering inside. Tsuzuki found his friend staring down into the sink, it was obvious to him that Heero was upset over something, but he was unsure as to what was the cause. He reached out his hand, startling Heero. “Heero -- you’re awfully jumpy, are you alright? The girls are worried about you ... so am I.” Heero turned his eyes up to meet Tsuzuki’s. He debated for the space of a breath’s time whether he should reveal his feelings or not. If he did, it could ruin their friendship, but on the other hand, if Tsuzuki also had feelings for him, then it would work out for the best. “Heero?”
“I -- I love you!” He knew that his voice had been overly loud, and could tell by the myriad of emotions which crossed over Tsuzuki’s face that he had been very surprised by the outburst. Despite the despair which he was currently feeling, Heero gazed determinedly into those purple eyes which had been a comfort and a pain to him throughout his eighteen years of life.
“Hee -- ro ... you --?” Tsuzuki almost laughed, but stopped himself, after all, Heero looked serious. There was a long weighted pause before he finally decided to speak. “I ... I don’t know how to tell you this, Heero. You’ve been my best friend for almost thirteen years now. I love you too, but not the way you want me to love you. I’m straight. I like girls -- not guys. I’m so sorry, Heero ...” Stunned and confused, Heero began to stumble slowly away from Tsuzuki, who reached out trying to stop him. “Heero, Keiko and I -- I was going to tell you today, but ...”
“It’s okay ... it doesn’t matter. I should have kept my mouth shut.” Heero’s heart felt as if it had been cut in two halves. In an attempt to retain his dignity, he squared his shoulders and put on a blank expression as he left Tsuzuki. With those three simple words, he knew that his relationship with him had been changed forever.
Loud music, happy faces, and a married couple rushed around before Heero as he sat far away from the festivities. Everyone, especially Tsuzuki and Keiko, held bright smiles as they danced in their simple state of bliss. The newlyweds looked happy and content, and Heero knew that he would never have been able to put that same smile on his friend’s face; no matter how much he wished with all his heart that he could have. “Yuy, why are you way over here? Tsuzuki’s been asking for you.” WuFei’s arms were crossed against his chest, he wasn’t about to allow him to wallow in self-pity. “Will you stop being selfish and talk to your best friend!”
WuFei was right, but Heero wasn’t going to admit that. “I don’t feel so well ...” He was enjoying feeling miserable by himself, he had at least shown up for the wedding, had that not been enough? Not wanting to argue with him, WuFei walked away to find Tsuzuki. Heero hoped that would be the end of being bothered; however, only a few moments later, he was staring into the eyes of his best friend.
“Heero, you can’t sulk ... I don’t want you to. Look, I brought a few friends from my university ... they all seem interested in you. Why don’t you go and talk to them?” A strain on their relationship had been placed since Heero’s innocent declaration. Tsuzuki had never wanted anything to come between them, and he had hoped continuously in the months that had followed that things would somehow become normal again; however, Heero seemed to have not allowed that to happen. No matter what he did, things remained the same.
“I’m not interested.”
“Heero,” Tsuzuki’s unnaturally serious tone garnered Heero’s attention, and he turned his dark blue eyes to his friend. If it would make him happy, then he would at least listen. “Please, they’re guys. I want you to at least go and say ‘hello.’ So as not to be rude.” Upset at being told to see replacements for Tsuzuki, Heero stood and stomped away, leaving his friend to stare helplessly after him.
It wasn’t like he wanted to have a boyfriend to mask the pain he was feeling right now. Tsuzuki seemed to not realize that it wouldn’t be fair to the other person Heero spent several moments collecting himself and then decided that he would quit being antisocial and congratulate the bride.
Heero stared at the half drawn panel for his latest manga, his small Tokyo apartment was dimly lit and his brain felt the same. His publisher had requested several more chapters from him. Despite his success, Heero felt depressed and alone. He had tried several times to start a relationship with someone, but every time it would collapse because of him. “I’m broken.” With a soft thud, his head hit the desk. “Ow.” A rich chuckle echoed softly behind him, and with a strong sense of panic, he turned around so quickly that he fell out of his drafting chair. “Ow ... again.”
Knight winced as he watched Heero hit the floor in an unflattering heap. “Are you okay?” Heero blinked a few times, was he dreaming? The man bent down over him, his long butterscotch-colored hair brushed softly against his cheek causing a mild scent of mangoes to waft into his nose.
Heero struggled a bit to right himself, all the while the intruder was grinning at him. Finally in an upright position on the floor, Heero tried to give off an air of authority as he questioned the other man. “How did you get in here?”
Knight’s heart sunk a bit as he noted the uncertainty and low self-esteem in his old friend. He had known that he would be different, but had not expected him to be the complete opposite of his old self. “You won’t believe me if I told you.” Heero watched the other man carefully. This was that person from the bathroom so long ago, the one who resembled Tsuzuki so much. Why was he there in his apartment, had he hit his head and just imagining things? Heero began to feel for any cuts or bumps, which elicited a cheery laugh from the other man. “You didn’t hit your head. Promise.” Their eyes locked and for a moment, Knight thought that he saw his old friend reflected in the depths of Heero’s eyes; however, in the next moment, he was gone, replaced by the jittery coward.
Heero raised an unsteady finger to Knight. “You ... you’re ... you.” His world was beginning to swim back and forth before him, his mind unable to make sense of what was happening. Knight could see that he was close to passing out, but was uncertain how to help him.
“My name is, Knight.”
“Kn -- Knight? But you look like ...” Heero tried to hold on to his fragile reality, but his mind made the final decision for him. Within in a few brief moments, his world went black.
Knight watched with a heavy heart as Heero tipped over and came to rest on the floor. “Well, you didn’t have to faint, Heero. But then again, you always were one for surprises.” He sighed as he scooped him up into his arms. “Time to go.” Before walking away from the desk, Knight stole a glance at Heero’s drawing. “You always were a closet pervert.”
He carried his burden into the center of the room and in a monotone whisper chanted, “By the sun, by the moon, with the sureness of the eagle’s eye ... carry us into the sky.” With a burst of bright light, a large array formed slowly beneath his feet and began to glow with a vivid purple hue.
Heero blinked his eyes a few times to bring his foggy vision back into focus. When the haze cleared, he found himself gazing at a ceiling which was not his own. The support beams were visible and painted in bright colors of green and gold. His nose began to tingle as he recongnized the strong scent of incense hanging in the warm air. Wondering where he was, he slowly began to look around. The large room was as brightly colored as the ceiling. Thinking he was alone he turned on his side, but discovered that there in the chair beside him, was the man who had entered his apartment. “Tsu--”
Knight’s eyes were closed, but he had known the moment Heero had awakened. He had prepared himself for that moment, but still to hear him start to call him by a different name upset him. He couldn’t help but wonder who this other person was. “My name is Knight,” he drawled with a small sigh.
Heero could tell that he was unhappy, but couldn't bring himself to ask why. He stared for a few moments at the face before him. This other man really did look like Tsuzuki, but there was no way that they were the same person. “Um ... can I ask you a question?”
Knight opened one eye and peered at Heero, which turned out to be his forced calm's undoing. He immediately shut his eye as he felt the heat rush into his cheeks, and tried to hide his reaction by focusing his attention on a loose thread. “What is it?”
“Um, well -- I ...” Heero was so confused by the different emotions which were starting to stir within him, that he found himself unable to hold onto a single thought for more than a second’s space of time. This man, Knight, was confusing him by just being near him. “Sorry, this is all a bit overwhelming.” Heero decided that if he sat up and looked straight ahead, then maybe he wouldn’t have a hard time trying to focus on what he wanted to say. Taking his eyes off of Knight, did seem to help a bit, but he was still very much aware of the other man’s presence. “I just wondered why you look like my friend Tsuzuki. That was all.”
“Really? Interesting ... well, they say everyone has a twin.” Heero could feel the glow of Knight’s smile, and his heart warmed a bit. If this was a dream, he hoped that it wouldn’t turn into a nightmare, mirroring that event in the bathroom so long ago.
“I’m not so sure that's it ... by the way, where am I?” He could feel Knight’s eyes on him, and knew that he couldn’t continue to avoid looking at the other man for much longer. Reluctantly, he returned his attention to the other man, who was staring at him with a gentle expression.
“I was instructed to take you to see the priestess as soon as you awakened.”
“Priestess?” This dream of his was sounding a bit like one of his older manga stories. He found himself wondering what type of person this priestess was, whether she was gentle or mean.
“Yes, priestess. She’s known as Fayte, but address her only as ‘m’lady,’ or, ‘priestess.’ Understand?” Knight’s eyes shown as Heero nodded in reply. As he rose, he placed his long black coat on his body. “Ready?”
“Uh ... yes.” Heero scurried quickly after him trying to keep up with his long strides, but half way out of the room, he realized that he had forgotten his shoes.
“M’la dy, Lord Eiichi is coming.” The priestess lowered the book which she was reading a few inches and peered over its edge at her favorite protector, Shironeko. His blond hair was in dire need of a trim, even though he didn’t seem to mind it falling in his eyes. Shiro, as the priestess called him, was a gentle soul who only wished everyone happiness; however, if anyone he cared for came into danger, he was there instantly to help. His unwavering loyalty had been what had earned him his position as head of the guard.
Fayte laid the book down, there was a quietness about her this evening, which was not typical of her naturally happy personality. Shiro wondered if it had anything to do with what the Exiles were planning. “Thank you Shiro. I’m amazed that it only took him a year to track him down. I believe that if I had sent Jester as he had demanded, this would not have happened so quickly.”
“Hmm ... I agree, m’lady.” Shiro watched as the priestess rose from her seat and calmly smoothed her hair. The two had known each other for so long, that they never needed to speak to one another when they needed something; so after she finished straightening her hair, he handed her the silver flowered crown, which indicated her station.
The priestess smiled tenderly at him as she patted his arm in thanks. “You’re not secretly reading my mind ... are you?”
Shiro grinned brightly and scratched the tip of his nose to hide his embarrassment. “You know I can’t do that. I’d get into trouble.”
The priestess returned the grin and leaned forward closer to Shiro’s face. “Are you saying that you’ve never been tempted?” Fayte’s eyes glowed as she teased the young boy. Shiro was at least a good head’s height shorter when he was in his natural state, which caused him to look like a young teenager of about thirteen. With some of the strongest magical power of their land in his possession, he had invented the size change to allow himself to keep much of that power in reserve. He grinned as he playfully returned the priestess’s tease.
“I refuse to answer that.” With a happy bounce in his step, he moved over to the throne and sat cross-legged beside the chair. Fayte followed calmly behind him and waited for Knight to bring Yuushi Eiichi to her(1).
Heero gazed slack-jawed as he followed Knight though the maze of twisting corridors. The hallways were just as ornately decorated as his ceiling had been, and in fact he was beginning to feel as if he had landed in an Indian castle. There were statues of various animals placed in recessed shelves centered within each ornamental column. Heero noted that their faces were all pointing in the direction in which they were heading. He was dying to ask Knight why, but then decided not to bother. He looked at Knight’s strong back, and wondered again why he felt this odd connection to him. It couldn’t be because he looked like Tsuzuki, that was too simple an answer, but then again, it was a possibility.
The two men walked silently for what seemed like forever to Heero, it wasn’t that he minded walking, in fact he loved it. Like many living in Tokyo, it had been his predominant means of transportation, of course Heero also loved to exercise. “We’re almost there ... getting tired?” Knight’s eyes held that same gentle concern as before, and Heero could feel himself blushing slightly. Because of this unnatural reaction, he was surprised when he began to feel the urge to hit him. Never in his life had he felt the desire to be violent, that just wasn’t like him. Most of the time Heero had backed down from fights, afraid of confrontation, but at this moment, he really wanted to do something to put a stop to these strange sensations which this man’s face was causing.
Just as Heero was about to say something to Knight, they came to a stop before two large wooden doors. On these doors were carvings of graceful swans in mid-flight, at least that was what Heero had interpreted them to be. Jewels were scattered about the edges of the carvings and both doors were a deep blue with a gold trim. “Your mouth’s open.” Knight gently reached over to push up on Heero’s chin, but his hand was slapped viciously away.
“Don’t.” Heero was glaring at Knight as he slowly put space between them. Tsuzuki had been the only one that could touch him without permission, and that had been only because he had been in love with him; however, this man who looked so much like Tsuzuki, was not going to be allowed those same liberties, even if he did cause strange sensations within Heero’s heart.
Knight was startled to see that same fiery indignation light up Heero’s eyes. He had been told by Fayte that there was a possibility that he would no longer be the same man he was before, but Knight had not expected to see bursts of the old personality. He back away from Heero, and tried to hide his surprise behind a small smile. “Sorry.” Heero watched closely as a soft purple glow began to spread around Knight’s hands, with a soft grunt the heavy doors began to swing slowly open. With a sweeping bow, Knight extended his arm toward the opening. “After you.”
“Th-thanks.” Heero entered the room cautiously, worried about what lay beyond the doorway. He found the room to be a bit small, but was rounded and filled with colorful cascades of silks, which were draped from the vaulted ceiling. He decided quietly that it reminded him of a circus tent.
Heero’s eyes narrowed as his gaze swept the room, but could find no trace of the priestess. He started to think that she was going to poof into the room and scare him senseless just like Knight had. “It’s been a long while, Lord Eiichi.” The soft voice startled Heero as the layers of silk slowly moved to the side to reveal a beautiful woman sitting upon an ornate throne. He watched completely mesmerized as she began to walk toward him. Somehow, he felt as if he knew her from somewhere, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember where. When she came to a stop before him, Heero noted that she looked to be more of a young teenager than a woman, and she wasn’t as quite as beautiful as she had appeared from far away. Just as this thought popped into his head, the young woman’s eyes narrowed and her bottom lip stuck out slightly.
“Mind what you think, Ei-pi ... she can read your mind.” Knight’s breath tickled Heero’s ear as he whispered his gentle warning.
Heero’s head whipped around and he stared blankly at Knight, who had a small smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Huh? She -- can ...”
“I can read your mind. I don’t mind if you don’t find me attractive, but please don’t say that I was more attractive at a greater distance,” she chastized gently as her face twisted in a small pout. “So, it’s as we feared. You don’t remember anything ... do you?”
Heero stared into the priestess’s deep aqua eyes, trying to glean a bit of hope that this was all just a joke, or a dream. He could feel the panic starting to rise within him, and all he could think of was that he wanted to leave that world immediately! Worried, Knight moved closer to him, not knowing that his simple movement calmed Heero. “What am I supposed to remember?”
“Knight ...” Fayte rested her hands on her hips and took on the look of an angry mother. Knight decided that maybe he should back away out of her reach, she could be quite violent when the mood struck her. He wasn’t certain as to why she was upset with him, but it was better to be safe than in pain. “You didn’t explain anything to him ... did you?”
“Huh!? You told me that you were going to! Fayte ... don’t do this to me.” The priestess stalked Knight, who was quickly trying to cower behind some of the silk; however, his feet became entangled and he fell backwards pulling down the cloth with him.
Fayte leaned over him, her anger radiating from her small body. “Duo!! Why do you always behave this way!? It’s not my fault! I told you ... didn’t I?” As she struck a thoughtful pose, Shiro, who had been trying to hide his chuckles, quickly ran to her side.
“M’lady! You mustn’t!” The priestess turned a puzzled face to Shiro, who noted that she seemed to have not realized that she had called Knight by his given name, which was forbidden by their covenant.
“What is it Shiro?”
“Remember to keep your temper in check ... that’s all. Knight’s just being himself -- I’m sure he explained things to Lord Eiichi. Right?” Knight fought with all his strength to stand without falling back to the hard stone floor. He looked helplessly at his two friends, completely exasperated with Fayte’s typical absent-minded nature.
“He passed out before I could say anything to him ... I was then told to bring him here so that you could explain everything to him ... m’lady.” Knight’s bow was a bit unsteady since his feet were still ensnared by the silk. To hide her smile over Knight’s ungraceful bow, Fayte calmly turned to Heero.
“So, I suppose you need to know about where you are and why?”
“That would be nice, m’lady.” Heero bowed his head slightly causing a spread of soft chuckles and giggles from the other three. When he raised his head, he found their eyes all sparkling at him. He wasn’t very fond of being the center of attention, and having three sets of eyes analyzing him, made him feel uncomfortable. To hide his embarrassment, he began to fidget with his hands.
Fayte couldn’t help but notice the odd behavior from Heero, but she chose to ignore it since it was to be expected. “Knight, go to the records room and have them pull several histories from the shelves so that Lord Eiichi may read them.” Finally untangling his foot, Knight managed a deep bow before leaving the small room.
“L-l-l-lord?! Huh?”
There was a soft laugh in Fayte's voice as she spoke, which caused Heero to grow even more puzzled at the situation in which he found himself. “Yes, you are a lord in this world. That is a very high ranking ... as I believe it was at one point in the other world as well?”
“Y-yes, m’lady.” Heero made a frown, this world truly made little sense to him. While he and the priestess had been speaking, the young boy named Shiro had moved closer to him and his face was growing ever nearer to his own. “D-do you mind!?” Heero started to move away, but lost his balance and fell in an undignified manner upon the floor. Grinning, Shiro squatted down and placed his face inches away from Heero’s, who tried to scoot away but was followed by him. No matter where he went, Shiro was right there as close as possible. Finally, the priestess's giggles put a stop to the two men's game of chase.
“Shiro ... please leave the poor lord alone. Surely he’s had a tiring day.” She extended a hand to Heero, who noted the strange markings which wrapped around her wrists. They were a slightly darker flesh tone than her own, and formed a very intricate pattern. “All members of the high house have these. You do as well ... they're just hidden because your memory problems are masking your magic.”
“I’m not aware of any memory problems. I feel fine ... in fact I can remember everything perfectly clear.” Heero’s bottom lip protruded in a pout causing a bright grin to form on the priestess’s soft oval face. Her eyes sparkled at Heero as she helped him to his feet. “I don’t have any memory problems,” he stated emphatically, but she seemed to not care, as she just continued to smile at him.
“Follow me, I’ll take you to the study where you can read the texts which Knight is bringing for you.” Heero found it odd that this man, Knight, had two different names, and only one seemed to be allowed to be spoken.
He felt a bit more relaxed around the priestess, so he didn’t hesitate with his curiosity the way he had around Knight. “Why is Knight’s other name forbidden?” His words caused a brief pause in the priestess’s steps, and when she began moving again, she refused to meet Heero’s eyes.
“It’s best explained later ... perhaps once we’ve reached the study. There are too many ears which might overhear me in this hallway.” There was no one else in sight, so what did she mean by ears? There was no one else around them that could hear anything they may say. Instead of straining his mind with unanswered questions, Heero decided to think about how long it would be before he woke himself up from this bizarre dream which he was having.
After walking for a short space of time, they arrived at the study, and Heero was surprised to see that it was not as flamboyantly decorated as the rest of the rooms. Soft greens and browns filled the room, with leather seemingly the upholstery of choice. Heero’s eyes scanned the room, taking in the multitude of art pieces which nearly completely covered the walls. When his eyes reached Knight, he froze in his tracks. Knight had one hand on his hip and the other was braced on the table’s surface. Sunlight was filtering in through the large stained glass window causing a collage of colors to highlight his long wavy hair, suddenly, Heero found his mouth growing dry as he gazed at the other man. It was amazing how much he looked like Tsuzuki, yet, he was unable to remember a time when Tsuzuki had ever had this affect on him. “You look awestruck. Is this shabby room that unbelievable?” His smile was brighter than the sunlight filling the room. Heero shook his head to clear it and promptly lowered his face so that Knight couldn’t see the blush which was quickly marching across his cheeks. It was true that he looked like Tsuzuki, but there were at least a few differences helping Heero to keep them separate in his mind.
The priestess laid her hand on Heero’s elbow causing him to jump slightly. “Please,” she led him to a large chair at the head of the table. There he found several stacks of large books cluttering the table top before him, and as he gazed at the books, the thought that he may not be able to read their language flitted through his mind. He then realized that he had been conversing with people who said they were from a different world, yet they spoke the same language as him.
“Um ... I have some questions before I start reading.” Heero glanced around, and noted that they all seemed to have their attention focused on everything he said and did.
Fayte clapped her hands together as she remembered her promise. “Oh yes! The names. That seemed to have slipped my mind.” The priestess laughed uneasily and then began to rummage through the stacks of books. “Ah, here it is!” She pulled out a small book with a simple leather binding. “This is a print of the covenant which we follow. You see ... we were chosen for our special abilities. We’re different from everyone else in this world ... so therefor, we cannot use our normal names. It’s his rule.”
“‘His?’”
&ldq uo;Him, our King so to speak. He’s an elected official, but ... he’s been in power now for over thirty years.” Knight’s quiet snort caused a look of alarm to dance across Fayte’s face. “Knight?”
“Nothing ... I just don’t much care for some of the things he says -- that’s all.” The priestess turned her large aqua eyes up to his.
“Please don’t say that again ... if you’re overheard by the militia ...” Knight rested his hand on her small shoulder and smiled down at her. She always managed to make such a small thing seem world-ending.
“Nothing’s going to happen, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” Heero was touched by the realization that these three seemed to be kind and caring people. He took note that maybe his worrying was pointless, they seemed to want to help and take care of him. Knight grinned at Heero, bringing forth yet another blush. “Look, Ei-pi ... if you need anymore help, I’m going to stay with you ... these two need to get back to their jobs.”
“If you need anything, Lord Eiichi ... you know where I am now.” Heero gazed after the priestess, amazed that she seemed to almost float out of the room, the long white strips of the feather light fabric from her gown billowing softly behind her.
Heero’s attention shifted as Shiro lifted himself onto the table and sat with his legs dangling over the edge. His smile was impish as he gazed at Heero. “Is it okay if I stay, Knight?” At that moment, Heero decided that Shiro looked and seemed to act like a cat, it was no wonder his name was White Cat. He heard Knight sigh loudly, so he glanced in his direction. Knight’s expression was almost brotherly, and to Heero it seemed as if that was how he felt about Shiro.
“Sure, why not ... but don’t blame me if you get in trouble for not working.” Shiro’s response was a quiet noise that sounded like trouble to Heero. Despite the fact that Knight seemed to care for this boy, he still wasn’t sure that he could be completely trusted. “So, what do you need to know?”
Heero looked at all the different books, and amongst the piles he found an atlas. He was surprised to find that the writing on the books was in fact Japanese, this puzzled him only slightly until he opened the atlas to see a map of Earth staring back at him. “Wait ... this makes no sense,” Knight had to strain to hear the soft mumble.
“What do you mean? This is Earth ... our home world.” Shiro bounced off the table and ran over to stand next to Heero. With his small hand, he pointed down to the small island off the coast of Asia. “See ... that’s where we are now. Japan.” Heero slowly turned to stare at the young boy, his mind was beginning to feel fragile again.
“That’s where I was. This is not Japan ... nor is it Earth! I mean, everyone dresses strangely, I’ve never seen this castle before ...” Heero's voice was taking on a slightly panicked note as looked from Knight to Shiro and back again.
Knight sighed, the strain of having to deal with a confused Heero was starting to wear on him. He leaned over closer and pointed out areas of the map, all of which Heero was able to correctly name. “The Earth you’re from is a different one than this one, Ei-pi. I know it’s hard to understand, but tomorrow when we go outside -- you’ll realize that they’re different.”
Heero tried not to think of how close the two of them were at that moment, or how good Knight smelt; instead he tried to focus on the matter at hand, which was the fact that he seemed to be in a parallel world. “So you’re saying that this is Earth, but not the one I grew up on?”
“Well ...” Knight began to chew slightly on his upper lip as he thought of a good way to put his explanation. He didn’t want to upset Heero anymore than he already was, but it didn’t seem like there was any simple way of telling him the truth. “You did grow up here, but at the same time you grew up there too.”
Heero forgot entirely about the closeness and glared at Knight, this man was absolutely infuriating! “I grew up in Tokyo’s outskirts. This large castle thing that we are in right now ... was not there! I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“It’s his memories.” Shiro’s soft and gentle voice broke through Heero’s rants. The other two men stared at him as he calmly thumbed through one of the texts. “He said that they would return slowly, but I don’t know if I can stand this confused nerdy Eiichi.”
Heero’s eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at Shiro “Look, Ei-pi ... this is going to take a while for everything to come back to you. Just accept it the way it is, and read this book.” Knight handed him a rather large and worn text which was titled, World’s History. Heero found the title to be lacking in originality, and the inside seemed just as dull. “You probably would like to sleep a bit more -- or are you hungry?” As if on cue, Knight’s stomach made a loud gurgling noise, causing Heero to grin. Other than his looks, this was the first true thing that had reminded him of Tsuzuki.
“Food does sound good.”
Knight ran happily to the door. “Shiro, would you take Ei-pi to his room ... I’ll bring the food up there shortly.” With those words, the door creaked open and then slammed shut. Shiro walked up to Heero, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at the other man. Heero had the distinct impression that he wasn’t very well liked by this kid, although he couldn’t think of anything that he could have done to him.
He noted the sadness within Shiro’s soft voice as he spoke. “I suppose you don’t know where your room is ... do you?”
“N-no. Will you show me, as Knight asked?”
“I suppose I must. Follow me.” Shiro led the way in silence to the same room in which he had awakened earlier. “So, this is your room ... I’ve got work to do. If you’ll excuse me.” He gave Heero a curt bow, and then began to take his leave rather quickly.
“W-wait. I have a question.”
Shiro stopped and without turning, snorted softly out of annoyance at being detained by Heero. “What is it?”
“Why do you seem to dislike me?”
“It’s not that I dislike you. I just had hoped that Knight wouldn’t be able to find you ... that was all.”
Heero sat on the edge of his bed, his eyes focused on the Shiro’s straight back. “Why not?”
“Because! You --” Shiro began to rub at his eyes, causing Heero to wonder what was wrong, but he was never given the opportunity to ask. “I can’t speak of this anymore ... once you regain your memories it’ll be bad. If you’ll excuse me now.” The boy puzzled him, he just didn’t make any sense at all, but then again, if this were all a dream, then not making sense would make sense. Yet, Heero couldn’t help but think that surely his mind could come up with some more original ideas for history book titles. He chuckled as he tossed the book onto the bed beside him. “This definitely has to be a dream.” He began to stretch and noticed a soft rattling behind him. As he turned, the large window exploded with a bright flash of light, scattering shards across the room. Heero raised his arms to protect his face, and received painful cuts and scratches on his cheeks and forearms. When he lowered his arms, he noticed that a man was now standing before the window. He felt lightheaded for the millionth time that day, and the stinging in his arms told him that he was not asleep, because no dream he had ever experienced had been this realistic.
“Yuy! I’m glad to see that you are well ... now prepare to meet the fate of those who are on the path of evil!”
“Wu -- Fei?” Heero stared at his high school friend, his mouth hanging slightly open in puzzlement. He may have looked a bit different, but it was still WuFei. Cautiously, he took a step toward his old friend, but stopped as that same weird light which had burst the window began to glow around WuFei. “What’s ... going on?”
There was a broad smirk on WuFei’s face as he spoke, and a sneer of hatred in his voice. “I told you ... prepare yourself -- Lord Eiichi. These are your last few breaths.”
-----
(1) Heero's name in this other Earth literally means, The eternal one, the hero. (Thanks goes to my friend Anya who brainstormed with me to give him this name)
Knight = Duo
Fayte (aka the priestess) = Honor [this is my original character that I like to place in all my stories ... as in Dragonfly she will have an important role in this story]
Jester = Solo (I can't recall a true description of him ... so I made one up)
Shironeko = (which literally means white cat) Quatre