Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Purrfect Houseguest ❯ Chapter 10 ( Chapter 10 )

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The Purrfect Houseguest

Part 10

"Hi Uncle Wufei," Mariemaia greeted the young man excitedly as he walked into the living room, a grey duffle bag in hand. "Did Papa tell you what I found?"

"He did, Marie, he sure did." Wufei replied. I'm just not sure yet if I can really believe it. "Where are they?"

"Up here," Treize called out from the second floor, just as his daughter gestured at the stairs. "I moved him into the guest room. - Did you come by yourself?"

"I…umm…," Wufei mumbled awkwardly, as he put down his bag and headed upstairs. "I told Dr. Po I would call her as soon as I get here, and let her know if she needed to bring anything."

Treize looked at his lover, a knowing smile curving his lips and an amused sparkle in his eyes. "In other words, you didn't believe me, and wanted to make sure that I hadn't just lost my mind, before having the doctor drive all this way."

"Well, I…," the young man blushed.

Normally Treize would have taken perverse pleasure in Wufei's embarrassment, and would have continued teasing him a little longer, but right now he was too concerned about Zechs.

"Uncle Wufei," Marie called after him as he was already half way up the stairs, making him stop and turn to her. "Don't pull his ears to see if they are real. I tried that and he did not like it."

Wufei couldn't help but smirk. "I'll try to remember that."

He followed Treize to the guestroom, stopping dead in his tracks the moment he set foot through the door. His jaw dropped, and for a long moment he just stood there with a dumbfounded expression on his face, staring at the figure sleeping peacefully in the bed.

Treize chuckled. "You believe me now?"

The younger man glanced at his lover then back at the neko. "How… I mean how is it possible, and where did he come from?"

"I'm not sure," Treize replied evasively, as he walked over to the bed. "As far as Marie told me he just appeared, catching her when she fell off a tree."

"So, what's wrong with him?" Wufei wanted to know.

"I'm not sure about that either." Treize removed the damp cloth from the neko's fever heated forehead, soaked it in cold water and replaced it. "He just collapsed. He has a fever and his right ankle looks swollen. Other than that I don't know, and that worries me."

His lover nodded understandingly as he stepped closer to get a better look at the strange creature. He'd never imagined that he would ever see a living neko. It was very strange but also very exciting. The scientist in him wanted to know anything and everything about it. But he would have to wait before he could satisfy his curiosity. For now it was most important that the neko received the care it needed.

"I'll go and call Doctor Po."

###

Zechs was waking slowly. As his senses returned he realized that he was lying in a soft bed. He could feel something refreshingly cool against his heated skin. Somebody was dabbing away the sweat from his forehead.
Without opening his eyes the neko listened. There were voices; he could make out two people talking, but it took a moment until he understood what they were saying.

"…I don't know, and that worries me."

"I'll call Doctor Po."

The sound of footsteps was somebody walked away, then they stopped. "Uh…and Treize, I'm sorry that I didn't believe you when you told me…"

"Don't worry about it, Wufei. I would probably have reacted the same way as you, if the roles would have been reversed."

Treize? He thought surprised. Can it really be?

There were more footsteps and then the sound of a door being opened then closed again. Zechs carefully opened first one eye then both. Mariemaia's father was standing beside his bed, facing the nightstand, soaking a washcloth in a bowl with water.

When he turned he noticed that the neko was watching him. A soft smile curved his lips. "You are awake."

"Treize?!"  Zechs asked, his voice quiet and unsure.

"You remember? I wasn't sure you would. You were still so small then." Treize's smile widened. "But you have grown quite a bit since."

The neko gazed at the tawny-blond man warily, as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. "Where am I? How did I get here?

"This is my house. I took you inside after you collapsed into my arms, don't you remember?"

Zechs frowned slightly as the memories came back to him. "So, what is going to happen to me now? Are you going to send me back?" he wanted to know.

"Back?" the other man asked, slightly puzzled.

"To Gentec; so that they can put me back into one of their labs?"

 "Of course not." Treize's brows narrowed. He couldn't deny that the question stung. Did Zechs really think so little of him? But when he looked at it objectively he really couldn't blame the neko for not trusting him. He settled down on the edge of the bed with a sign. "You have nothing to fear, Zechs. I have broken ties with my family a long time ago. I have nothing to do with them anymore, or with Romefeller."

"What about him…Your daughter called him Uncle Wufei I believe. Does he work for them?"

"Wufei has nothing to do with Gentec or Romefeller either," Treize assured him. "In fact, he doesn't even know about my family's connection with that group."

"But he is a scientist working with nekos, is he not? I don't see any difference…"

"You are wrong, Zechs. There is a difference; a huge difference," the other man insisted. "Wufei's work is nothing at all like what Gentec is doing."

"Then I guess you won't mind if I'm leaving now?" Zechs pushed away the bedcovers, but before he could get up Treize put his hands on his shoulder's holding him down.

"Wait, Zechs. You are sick; you should not go anywhere right now.  I do understand you being cautious and suspicious, but like I said, you have nothing to fear. You are safe here. Stay at least until you feel better. I would not let anything happen to you. Will you try to trust me…please?"

The blond neko hesitated. Treize sounded sincere, and he really wanted to believe the man. Finally, after a long moment of silence he nodded. "I'll try." I think I can trust you; I'm not sure about him though.

"Thank you!" Treize smiled at him softly, reassuringly. "You should try to rest some more, you are still weak. I'll be back in a while with something to eat for you."

###

"Do you want some tea?" Wufei asked as Treize walked into the kitchen. "I was just about to make some."

"I'd love some, thanks."

"How is he doing?" The younger man put a kettle of water onto the stove and turned on the heat.

"He woke up. I told him to try to rest some more. His fever is still high." Treize replied.

"I'm still trying to figure out where he came from. I guess there is a very remote possibility that a small population of nekos still exists, hidden somewhere on this planet, but not so close to civilization. Besides he doesn't appear to have lived somewhere in the wild…"

"He didn't," his lover confirmed. "He was cloned and raised in one of Gentec's laboratories."

"What?" Wufei turned and looked at him, baffled. "How do you know?"

"He told me," Treize lied. He couldn't even look Wufei in the eye. Never had he imaged that his decision not to tell his lover about his family and their connection to Romefeller and Gentec, would one day come back to haunt him.

"Gentec!" Wufei spat. "How dare they clone a humanoid. How could they keep this a secret for such a long time? I can't believe nobody noticed."

"Somehow I have the feeling that the OII knew. And Zechs might have been what they were looking for when they raided the Gentec facility. But the real question is what they might have done with him if they had actually found him."

Indeed, Wufei had to agree. That is a good question.

"I don't think Zechs deserves to be taken from one research center to the next," Treize continued.  "He didn't ask to be brought into this world like this."

"I agree. But what do you suggest should we do?"

Treize shrugged. "That I don't know. But for now I'm only concerned with him getting well."

Before Wufei could reply anything to that Mariemaia walked into the kitchen, and the two men stopped their conversation.

"What are you doing?" she wanted to know.

"Wufei is making tea, and I was just about to start cooking some chicken soup for Zechs."

"Can I help?"

"Sure, put on an apron and you can help me wash and cut the vegetables."

###

The door opened slowly, quietly, then a red shock of hair popped through the opening.

"Are you still asleep?" a quiet voice whispered.

Zechs smiled at the little girl. "No, I'm awake."

"I have brought you something to eat." Mariemaia carefully balanced a bowl of soup on a small tray.

"Do you need help?" the neko asked, as pushed himself up, until he was sitting with his back against the pillows.

Marie shook her head. "I'm fine." She walked slowly over to the bed, and set the tray down in front of the neko. "Be careful, it's hot." She warned.

The soup was steaming. Zechs soaked in the delicious aroma. "This smells good," he remarked. "What is it?"

"Chicken soup," Mariemaia explained as she pulled herself a chair next to the bed and sat down. "It will make you feel better. I cooked it just for you."

"You cooked it?"

The girl nodded. "Well, I did let Papa help…just a little."

"Well, I'd better try it while it is still nice and warm." Zechs took a few spoonfuls, and looked up at her. "Hmm... It tastes wonderful. You are an excellent cook."

"Thank you, I'm glad you like it," Marie blushed slightly. "Papa said you will be staying with us for a while. That's great. We can play together."

Zechs couldn't help but smile at her excitement. He wasn't sure if it was her cheerfulness, or the chicken soup, but he already felt better.

"And when we get back home I can show you my school, and you can meet all of my friends. And then I we can…"

There was a knock, and both Mariemaia and the neko looked up. Her father was standing just outside the half open door.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you," he said with an apologetic gesture, "but your dinner is ready, Marie. I'll need you to come downstairs."

"Coming, Papa! - I'll be back in a little while," she told Zechs before she followed her father out of the room. 

Just before reaching the stairs Treize stopped and turned to his daughter. "Sweetie, there is something we need to talk about."

She frowned in surprise. "What?"

"About what you said earlier. I'm afraid that you can't tell any of your friends, or anybody else for that matter, about Zechs."

Her frown deepened. "Why not, Papa?"

Treize crouched down to bring himself to eyelevel with his daughter. "See, before Zechs came here he used to belong to somebody."

"Belong to somebody? You mean somebody kept him as a pet?"

"Well, I guess that's one way you could put it. The people who owned him weren't very nice to him, and that's why he ran away. But I'm sure they want him back and they are looking for him." Treize explained.

"But if they are not nice to Zechs they shouldn't get him back. He should be somewhere where he likes it."

"That's right. That's why I invited him to stay with us."

"But if the bad people find out they might come and take him away from us?" Marie asked.

Her father nodded. "They might. And that's why we can't let anybody know about it, not even grandpa and grandma. You understand that, don't you?"

"I understand. I won't tell anybody, I promise."

Treize smiled at her and ruffled her hair as he rose to his feet. "That's daddy's little girl."

"Papa," she protested. "I've told you not to call me that. I'm not little anymore."

"Alright, alright," he chuckled, "Daddy's big girl then."

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"Doctor Po I assume?" Treize greeted the young woman at the door. "I'm Treize Khushrenada. Please come in. Wufei will be here in a moment." He stepped aside to let her pass, and called for his lover. "Wufei come downstairs, Doctor Po is here."

"I'll right there."

Sally Po let her gaze wander as she stepped into the cabin. "It's a nice place you have here," she remarked.

"Well, thank you." Treize replied politely. "And I'm sorry you had to come out all this way."

"Are you kidding me?" The young doctor laughed. "I would drive half way around the world for the chance to see a real life neko."

Treize chuckled. "Well, that makes me feel better."

"So, tell me everything," she asked enthusiastically. "Wufei wasn't very forthcoming over the phone. He only told me enough to make me curious."

"Shall we go in and sit down the living room then?" Treize suggested, just as Wufei came down the stairs.

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"No, absolutely not!" Zechs repeated stubbornly. He crossed his arms, turned his head and stared out of the window, indicating that the conversation was over as far as he was concerned."

The tawny haired man sighed. The neko was plain out refusing to allow Dr. Po to examine him, and Treize had been trying for more than ten minutes to change his mind. "You do realize that without an examination and medication it will take a lot longer for you to recover, don't you?" he tried to reason, but when he didn't get an answer from Zechs he shrugged in resignation. "Very well then. I'll be back later to check on you."

Wufei and Sally Po were waiting in the hall just outside the door to the guestroom. At their anticipating looks Treize shook his head. "He refuses to be examined. I'm sorry, Doctor. I'm afraid you might have come all this way for nothing."

"How can he be so stubborn?" Wufei grumbled. "Doesn't he realize that he needs medical attention? We are only trying to help him."

"Well, they do say that Nekos are rather headstrong creatures," Dr. Po chuckled. "But actually I think this is more an issue of control."

"An issue of control?" her assistant echoed surprised.

The young woman nodded. "This might be the very fist time in his life that he is actually in control, rather than having somebody else dictates each and every thing he does," she explained, before turning to Treize. "Do you mind if I give it a try?" Dr Po asked.

"Go right ahead," Treize told her. "Maybe you will have more success than I had."

Sally knocked at the door, opening it slowly. The young neko, sitting in bed with his back against some propped up pillows, glanced at her wearily.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Po. May I come in?"

Zechs frowned. "I already said I don't need a doctor."

"I know, and I'll accept your choice, if that's really what you want. Can I just talk to you?"

"Fine!" he agreed.

"Thank you." Sally stepped into the room and took a seat on the chair next to his bed. The neko was watching her every move.

"You said that you wanted to talk……"

She nodded. "I don't know if you realize it, but Mr. Khushrenada and his daughter are very concerned about you. Especially Mariemaia is worried that you will get very sick without proper care."

Zechs' expression turned to puzzlement. "Did she tell you that?" The idea that somebody would worry about him was something new to him.

Dr. Po gave another nod. "Yes, she did. She really likes you, Zechs, a lot."

He said nothing, turned his head and gazed out of the window for a few minutes. The young woman waited without pushing any further. Her patience was rewarded when he suddenly asked.

"Let's assume for a moment that I would agree to an examination. What would you be doing?"

Sally smiled inwardly. To her this was a sign that he was at least willing to consider the idea. "Well, I would first take your vital signs, listen to your heart and your lungs, and take your temperature. If it is alright with you I would also like to take a blood sample," she explained. "I was also told that you hurt your ankle, so I bought a portable x-ray machine along to check if it is broken or just sprained. Once we know I'll decide how to treat it. And that's pretty much all."

"That's it?" he asked wearily.

She nodded. "That's it. I wouldn't do anything you don't want me to do."

There was a moment of silence as Zechs seemed to think about it. "Fine, I agree." He finally nodded.

Sally smiled. "Thanks. I'll go get my medical bag then."

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T.B.C.

Author's Note:  Sorry this took so long, but I had a lot of trouble with this chapter.

While I was fighting with my muses and plot bunnies, I also worked on another non GW fic. It's based on View Finder a manga series by Yamane Ayano that will be released here in the US in March. The story is posted in the Yaoi/ Other Anime section under the title Possession