Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Warrior Children ❯ I Am A Rock ( Chapter 8 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Cousin D 
Heero's thoughts on Seiji.
Anime/Manga: Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Romance / Fantasy / Drama / Angst / Adventure / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 02.03.2003 | Updated On: 01.23.2006 | Pages: 6 | Words: 9.6K | Visits: 541 | Status: Work In Progress
Heero's thoughts on Seiji.
Anime/Manga: Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Romance / Fantasy / Drama / Angst / Adventure / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 02.03.2003 | Updated On: 01.23.2006 | Pages: 6 | Words: 9.6K | Visits: 541 | Status: Work In Progress
"I am a rock" song was done by Simon and Garfunkel.
Chapter 8: I AM A ROCK
He sat on a high branch of an old tree just outside the fence that surrounded the high school and watched. He was good at watching. Sitting motionless for hours was something that took no effort or thought. All he had to do was watch. The computer told Heero that his partner would be at the school, so at the school he would be. It was logical and Heero liked logic. It was easy with no confusion.
So, to aid in his logic, Heero kept the little computer with him all the time. If there were ever a problem, the laptop could be counted on to provide the answer.
‘You aren’t helping much now, though, are you?’ Heero ran his fingers over the surface of the closed laptop, but didn’t look down at it. He kept his eyes trained on the school, determined to catch a glimpse of golden hair. ‘You led me here, then stopped. Hardly fair.’ But he knew it wasn’t the laptop’s fault. It was Hiro’s fault. He’d gotten into the system and block Heero.
The system.
It was what he and Hiro had always called the great network on computers that linked nearly everyone on the planet and in space. It was such an easy system to manipulate once one understood how it ran. Heero understood it perfectly. It was like breathing for him. Logical and without the cumbersome baggage of emotional drivel that came of dealing with people.
Heero frowned when a small branch of the tree he was perched in was moved by a breeze and nearly struck him in the face. Earth was like this all the time, he’d found. Wind and rain and strange smells. At least the sun was reassuring. It was regular. Always perfectly timed and always right where it should be. Not like the annoying weather or fickle people.
Earth, Heero had decided on his second day after landing, was nothing but trouble. Bee stings and lightening storms, mud and little old ladies giving him funny looks. It was all nothing but trouble. Heero most definitely didn't like Earth. Even if the trees were rather pretty when the sunlight filtered through their branches. He liked trees. Earth and people were trouble, but he liked the trees.
Heero mentally slapped himself and brought himself back to reality. He had no reason to be thinking such ideal, romanticized thoughts. He was on a mission.
"Retrieve or destroy." That had been doctor J's last order as Heero had strapped himself into the cockpit of Wing Zero. With his half-human face twisted up in anger, doctor J had jabbed his walking stick meaningfully at Heero. “Bring him back or kill the ingrate. Too many secrets are locked in that little head of his. He’s too dangerous to the mission. He can‘t be allowed to run free.”
Yes. The mission was the only thing that mattered. Heero had learned that well enough. His only reason for living was to complete the mission and now, as doctor J had pointed out, Hiro was standing in the way of that mission. He’d resented it, at first, but what else did he have in life? It wasn’t as if he had a family or a home to go to. He had nothing but the mission and if he failed in that, then he was nothing.
Hiro was now called Seiji according to the laptop. In all the time they’d been together, Seiji had never confided his real name. ‘But neither did I. Not that it matters, anymore.’
It had taken several weeks to track down Seiji. Heero found the crash site easily enough, but then lost Seiji’s trail in the mountains. It was only an accident that he’d been captured by the Alliance, but it was humiliating. Doctor J undoubtedly already knew about it and he’d be punished when he returned to the base. It wasn’t a complete loss as the Alliance soldiers who’d captured Heero had managed to save his laptop and Heero had found it during his escape.
He could take the punishment for his failure. It was the shame that galled Heero most. ‘So,’ He resolved. ‘I will not fail. I will find Seiji.’ Heero looked down from his vantage point and watched the students in the school yard with a trained eye, trying to get his mind back to work. Golden hair. He had to find Seiji amongst the sea of black.
There was another distraction, other than Heero’s own memories. The sounds of the students' loud talking was very seductive, though, almost sinful in how they didn't care who heard them. The school yard was filled with people his own age talking and laughing, apparently eating lunch. The sight was odd for Heero who'd never seen anyone act like this. He'd been taught that meals were to be taken in silence and as quickly as possible, so what were they all doing out here like this?
A deeply buried part of Heero felt like it was itching for something as he watched the teenagers. Heero denied himself the request, which he didn't really understand anyway. Part of him wanted to go talk with the students in the schoolyard, to find out what they were laughing about, but he didn't know why.
'No! I don't need them! I don't need anyone. I need to find Seiji and complete the mission. Where is he?' Heero started to search again, looking from student to student and never staying to long on one face.
He was looking for one blonde in particular, with purple eyes and wonderfully pale skin. Taller than average and thinner than most of the other students, Seiji should stand out rather well.
Most everyone that he saw were ordinary students, from what Heero could tell, not that he had much experience in what normal people were like. He saw only one blonde and, though it caught his attention for a moment, this one was too short and had a round face, unlike Seiji's sharp, angular chin and high cheekbones. The blonde Heero had spied was younger looking with a quality of innocence to him with his easy smile and bright eyes.
Heero moved on, passed two Chinese boys, one reading while the other bobbed his head to the beat of loud music. Then, a blue haired boy that Heero moved on quickly from as he couldn't imagine Seiji dying his hair that odd color. Heero kept scanning the crowds of people, patiently. Seiji was there, somewhere.
Then something wholly remarkable happened.
Time stopped.
There was a boy in the school yard with the most beautiful smile. He was small and narrow with a bright smile and dancing eyes. Heero felt himself grow warm right behind his ears. Such a soft, childish face and the long rope of hair that fell down his back, it was all so charming. The boy was striking and Heero stared in astonishment.
Heero has to actually force himself to look away and blinked several times to clear his mind. The braided boy was too interesting to look at. His rosy cheeks were entrancing and it was something Heero realized he must avoid. 'I must remember why I'm here. I can't waste time looking at someone I'm never going to see again.' Still, one last look couldn't hurt. Several more moments of watching the braided boy talk nonstop to his darker haired companion and Heero had virtually recorded the boy's features in his memory. He would be able to store the happy face away for future viewing. It was all he was able to get, anyway. A...relationship would never be allowed by doctor J.
Heero resumed his search of the rest of the crowd and even as he considered all the students in the school yard Heero remembered the incident that had happened so long ago that took his partner away from him.
‘It was because of me that he was taken away. I suppose it’s no wonder he didn’t want to take me with him when he left.’
Flashback-
'Oh, it hurts so much!' Heero tried to bite back the groan while he hugged himself with his knees tucked up to his aching stomach, but Seiji had heard him and held him tighter. 'I just wasn't strong enough!' Heero knew he should have been able to protect himself and Seiji, but he was too weak. It was still pitch black in the room Heero and Seiji shared, but Heero knew Seiji had also been hurt in the confusion. He'd told Heero that one of the men who'd hurt Heero had hit Seiji on the head, so it was probably a concussion.
Hurt and afraid, they lay huddled together with both of them thankful for the darkness and the solitude.
"Don't be afraid, Heero." Seiji whispered into his ear. "It'll be okay."
It felt good to be with Seiji. Seiji would try to protect him, even if he didn't understand what had happened, but the reality was that neither of them was strong enough to fight and win against any of the adults.
'They had...the soldiers had...' Heero's mind stopped the thoughts he wasn't ready to deal with. He just didn't want to think about what had happened in the darkness when they'd touched him and...
Seiji had woken up after it had happened and the soldiers had left, joking with each other even as Heero was left crying on the floor. He knew at the time that he’d probably be punished for that weakness, too. At least Heero felt safe with Seiji, he knew Seiji would never hurt him.
The next morning, Seiji and Heero, as always, woke to the light being turned on. They dressed in silence, nervous and worried about what would happen when they faced doctor J.
'Did we do something wrong and last night was a punishment? Doctor J usually tells us when we do something wrong, but maybe he was so angry that he'd just send the soldiers in to hurt us.' That, more than anything, worried Heero. How would they know how to protect themselves if they didn't know they were doing wrong? How could they avoid it happening again? What if it was Seiji who were punished and Heero wasn't strong enough to help him?
Finally, dressed in the tight black training gear, they waited until the door of the room was open and they were allowed to go out, accompanied by the two soldiers. These two soldiers were the same men who were there every morning, waiting to take them to doctor J for the day's training.
Seiji and Heero never spoke to the soldiers, of course. Doctor J disapproved of talking, and had made it very clear many times. They were to listen, not speak.
They finally arrived in a part of the complex that was familiar to both of them. It was the construction base, the hanger that was bigger than anything Heero could remember seeing before, with the partially built Gundam's housed in it. Heero had once been told that the Gundam's were being created from a very hard to find metal, so it was taking a terribly long time to build. That meant that they wouldn't learn to pilot them for a long time to come.
'I wonder how they can be sure we won't just run away once they let us in the ships? Then again, where would we go?'
Seiji and Heero stopped at attention in front of doctor J who was speaking to a technician. He signed several papers and gave instructions to the woman before turning to look at they two nine-year-olds. Doctor J frightened Heero, though he wasn't sure if it was the fact that he was their captor or just his bizarre appearance.
"Good morning, boys." Doctor J said with his usual smile.
Seiji and Heero remain silent, staring impassively in front of them with their hands at their sides. That had been the easiest lesson to learn. Do not speak.
Doctor J continued, "Today you're going to be starting on your physical education, to make you better hand to hand fighters. I... Hiro, what happened to your face?" Doctor J suddenly took Seiji's chin in one hand and turned his face to see the scabbed over cut and the large, ugly bruise on the side of Seiji's face.
That was where his head had been hit and now Heero wondered, because of doctor J's question, if he'd known about the punishment. Surely doctor J had known that they were together. 'Didn't he think Seiji would have tried to save me?'
"Someone hit me when I tried to help Heero." Seiji answered promptly, not bothering to try and lie. There was really no sense in lies.
One of the soldiers who'd escorted us down here, stepped forward with an embarrassed grin. "Sorry, sir. Our fault, we were just..."
Heero started shaking when he heard the man speak. 'That voice! It was the same man who had...touched me. The man who had pulled my clothes down and grabbed my...' Heero was having trouble breathing and his eyes were starting to lose focus, but he couldn't take his eyes off the man who didn't seem to be at all bothered by what he'd done.
Out of the corner of his eye Heero saw the most amazing sight. Seiji's calm, cool eyes blaze with fury. His fists were clenched and he was sort of hunched over. "You!" Seiji snapped, pointing an accusing finger at the soldier and his lips pulled back from his teeth in nearly a snarl.
"No talking!" Doctor J growled, irritated that his attention was taken away from the soldier. They all knew that the boys were not allowed to speak, regardless of what was going on. Silence was a weapon that they had to learn to use now.
Seiji, for the first time Heero could remember, completely ignored doctor J. He took a step away from Heero and toward the startled soldier. "You! You hurt Heero!" Seiji's teeth were bared like an animal with his anger. Seiji charged the soldier, who was looking at them with surprise and just a touch of apprehension. The man went down easily with Seiji on top of him, punching for all his worth, trying desperately to kill the man, the enemy.
"Hiro! Stop that now! That's an order!" Doctor J rushed over, grabbing Seiji by the shoulder, but Seiji's turned, lightening quick, caught doctor J in the mouth. Blood spurted and ran down doctor J's chin. Doctor J wiped the blood from his mouth, almost calmly, before lashing his cane at Seiji and striking Seiji in the face with a sharp crack and Heero heard a slight buzz at the impact.
Seiji screamed, jerking backwards in agony and falling off the soldier, onto the floor.
Heero ran to Seiji, but several of the soldiers grabbed him by the arms and restrained him. Seiji lay on his back until doctor J again jabbed his cane onto Seiji's face and Seiji screamed in agony. Heero then saw that it was touching Seiji's right eye, and Seiji convulsed, his arms and legs jerking wildly. Finally, long after Seiji had stopped screaming, he fell limply to the floor. Heero saw, horrified, that Seiji's face was smoking, the skin was black and Heero couldn't see Seiji's right eye anymore.
Doctor J looked down at Seiji before looking at the soldier he'd attacked. "What was that all about?"
The soldier, helped to his feet by his friends, said, "Nothing, sir. We just had a "little fun" with the boy, there," He indicated Heero. "I guess his partner didn't approve. He tried to fight us last night, too. In the light, I guess he's more effective."
Doctor J grunted with a frown and went back to examining Seiji. "You will not touch them without permission, do you understand, soldier?"
The man saluted as smartly as he could considering how well Seiji had beaten him.
Doctor J poked at Seiji's face. "Seems I went a little overboard with the electroshock. Boy shouldn't have hit me, though. Oh, well. No big loss." He considered a moment. "I suppose I could save the eye, its not that badly damaged, but a cybernetic eye might be interesting. Give him better vision than normal, really. Perhaps incorporate a sort of..." Doctor J's voice trailed away as thought about what he would do to Seiji. Finally he seemed to remember the soldiers that were still holding Heero back by the arms. "Take Heero to his room and lock him in. I'll return Hiro once I've finished with him."
Hours later Hiro was returned to their shared room, dumped unceremoniously on the bed.
Hiro blinked his left eye and slowly focused on Heero, looking more tired than anything else.
"How are you feeling?" Heero asked softly. It has been hours since he'd last seen Hiro, pale and unmoving on the hanger floor, but he looked no better now than after doctor J had attacked him. The wounds had been healed over, but now stitches laced Seiji's beautiful face, well, half of it anyway. How odd, to look at Seiji now, half an angel and half scarred so horribly.
"I...my face hurts. What happened?" Seiji still sounded half drugged, his voice was sluggish and he was slurring his words.
Heero scowled at him. "You're an idiot, that's what happened. You shouldn't have done that. He hurt you bad." Heero felt like crying, but he wouldn't Seiji would need him to be strong, now more than ever.
Seiji blinked. "I can't see right. My face feels funny." He reached a hand to his face, where the wounds were just beginning to heal.
Heero grabbed his hand before he could touch it. "No."
Seiji looked at Heero, more than a little afraid. "What's wrong with my eye, Heero?"
End Flashback-
Heero shook himself to bring himself back to reality and to his mission. Looking back, he knew that the cane was built to release a powerful electronic shock when it came in contact with a person, Heero knew this was what doctor J had used on Seiji's eye.
Doctor J's idea for the cybernetic eye implant had not worked, something about Seiji's body rejecting it, leaving Seiji permanently blind in his left eye, and without depth perception. That one disability was enough to separate the two boys. Heero was taken from their shared room the same day that Seiji woke up to find himself so blinded in one eye, and given a room of his own. Now Heero was alone. He hadn't seen Seiji again until Seiji had snuck in the cafeteria and tried to convince Heero to escape with him..
One of Heero’s last memory of Seiji was Seiji sitting on their bed watching Heero be led away with his one surviving eye. Seiji had his arms wrapped around himself, his face so angry that he was nearly crying and Heero was crying already. He didn't want to leave Seiji, but it would be useless to argue. They all ready knew that arguing would only bring punishment. The door closed between the two boys and Heero knew he wouldn't see Seiji again.
Doctor J told Heero years later that Seiji was still being trained, but as a back up in case something happened to Heero. He would have rather had Seiji with him, but as the years passed, he came to see this as a weakness. It was better that he have no one to depend on but himself. Affection was a weakness, a liability, and Heero would do better on his own. After all, in the end, Seiji did abandon him, right?
‘But if he hadn’t been hurt defending me, he might have wanted me with him. He asked me, didn’t he? Long before he actually escaped. It was a trap, though. I had to refuse.’
Heero spent more than three hours in the tree, long after a bell that had rung, signaling that everyone had to go inside, watching students come in and out of the building complex that made up the school. In all that time, no Seiji.
When the day was ending and Heero knew the students would be leaving the school so on, he heard a soft cry and looked down at the sound. Someone was sitting under the tree crying. Heero climbed down a few branches, completely silent, until he could clearly see the person. It was a little girl with long dark hair and very old fashioned, brightly colored robes who looked like to a very young twelve-year-old. She was sitting at the base of the tree with her knees up to her chest and crying into her hands.
"What's wrong?" He asked. So kill him, He had a weakness for children!
The girl looked up at him, surprised to find someone sitting in the tree, but she didn't say anything about it. The girl looked at Heero with a mixture of fear and curiosity, her eyes were large, but also puffy and red from crying. He let himself drop out of the tree and fall to the ground in front of her.
The girl cautiously stood, looking up at him. "Who are you?"
Heero knelt in front of her. "I can't tell you."
"Oh." She obviously hadn't thought he'd say that. "Can you tell me how to get home?"
"Where is your home?"
The girl's shoulders slumped with defeat. "I don't know. I came here with my friends, Byakuen and Kokuen-Oh, to find my brothers, but I lost my friends and I don't even know where I am!"
"What are your brother's names?"
"Ryou and Duo. Do you know where they are?" Her eyes lit up hopefully, but Heero had to shake his head, no. The girl sighed. "My name's Kay. It's really Kayura, but my brothers always call me Kay. Can you tell me how to get home?"
"Where is your home?" Heero repeated the earlier question.
"The Youja-Kai."
Heero blinked, at a loss for an answer.
"You know, Youja-Kai. It's kind of like this world, but we have lots of spirits and demons running around. Do you know how I can get back?"
'She must be unbalanced. Yes, perhaps she belongs in a mental institute and has wandered away. Poor girl.' Heero knew he really shouldn't leave his vigil of the school until he found Seiji, though. He was supposed to kill Seiji and that must be his priority. "Have you asked a police officer for help?"
Kay looked frightened. "What's a police officer? Is it like a soldier? My brothers say I must be careful of ningen sekai soldiers, they are very evil!"
Ningen sekai? Mortal World? Was this apart of her delusion or were her brothers feeding this garbage into her, making her sickness worse? He thought that the police getting involved with the girl might be the best thing for her. Even if she did have brothers, it didn’t sound as if they are taking care of her properly. If officials got involved, she would get the medical treatment she needed.
Heero looked around, for the usual police officers that tend to patrol in front of the schools for the safety of the students.
None, of course.
The school yard was empty, now, so there was little point in looking for Seiji unless Heero wanted to take the chance of going inside and, frankly, he'd rather do this as a sniper job. Less chance of someone getting in the way. Still, Kay was looking up at Heero with very big, helpless eyes.
"I will find a police officer for you." Heero promised.
Kay suddenly smiled happily and threw her arms around Heero's neck, as she kissed his cheek. "Thank you, magic tree man!" She cried happily. "Now I know Naaza was wrong when he said all people in this world are evil. You are very good. I like you." She looked up at him with nothing but simple faith in her eyes.
That's the first time anyone's ever kissed Heero and he could still feel her warm lips on his cheek after she'd let him go. He touched the cheek where Kay had kissed him. 'The mission is everything, It's all I have.' Heero must complete his mission. Without the mission he's nothing, after all. But, perhaps, he could take just a minute to help the girl. There's nothing more to be gained here and he was not given a time limit on this mission. Kay, without hesitation, took Heero's hand and waited to be led to safety.
"Magic tree man?" Heero asked softly.
"Sure. You came out of the tree, so you must be some kind of magic tree man." She smiled. "Don't worry, I won't tell your secret. You must have a very good reason not to want anyone to know who you are."
They walked for a short while, just to where a park, peaceful before school let the children out to play for the afternoon. Kay chatted pleasantly, telling Heero about her missing brothers, whom she was very worried about. No one had told her where they were going, but Yaku-chan and Ko-chan were worried about them, too.
"Who are they?"
"My friends. Yaku-chan is Ryou's friend mostly, though, and Ko-chan likes to be with Duo best of all. But everyone likes me." She announced with just a touch of pride.
Heero found the experience bewildering. Walking through the city, crowded with people, with a little girl in ornate, impractical clothes while she explained to him the mysteries of some mythical world of monsters and demons and the castle she and her brothers lived in. Heero had never done anything like this before. All of the training he'd undergone had not prepared him for dealing with twelve-year-old little girls.
Kay, herself, didn't seem to understand the city, either. At one point, they both stopped in front of a store with a machine in the window like the monitor of a computer, one Heero vaguely knew as a television, though he'd never seen one personally, and Kay's eyes almost fell out of her head.
"What kind of horrible magic put people in that tiny box?!" She demanded to know, never taking her eyes off the screen.
"That's not magic and those aren't real people. That is a television and technology allows images and sound to be transmitted over long distances through the use of wires, electricity, computer chips, and, occasionally, satellites. They work no differently than communication screens." Heero repeated a lesson he'd read in a book somewhere. Like most things, he'd heard of it, but never seen it. The picture of people running and screaming, trying to get away from giant tomatoes was, he had to admit, a little bizarre.
Kay looked at Heero with a doubtful expression and then back to the television. "I don't know what you're talking about, but it seems quite awful to do that to someone. Can't they see the big tomatoes are scaring the people?" She pointed to the screen in the store window for emphasis.
"I have been told that this is sort of thing is entertainment, not fact." Heero replied. At least he hoped so. He'd never heard of giant tomatoes running amok, but, as for all he knew, it could be real.
"Are you sure?" Kay asked skeptically.
"No."
Kay shook her head, looking strangely adult. "This is weird. I don't think I like this technology magic."
It was the same story with streetlights, cars, hot dog stands, radios, and airplanes were near miraculous to Kay. Heero decided that if Kay were living in a fantasy in her own mind, it was a very clever one. He honestly believed her when she said she'd never seen any of these things before.
They were walking around the park, closer to the river when a harsh voice called out, "Kay!"
Both Kay and Heero quickly looked around and Kay's face lit up when she saw a man, dressed in a formal looking kimono of black silk with red trim. In fact, just like Kay, he looked as if he had stepped out of the past. At odds with his very formal, traditional appearance, was the bright blue hair that stuck up in many directions. He looked at Kay with a mildly annoyed expression and his arms crossed over his chest. His face was harsh and square with a savage, cross-shaped scar marring his eye and cheek.
"Oniisan!" Kay cried out and she released Heero's hand, running toward the blue haired man. He scooped her up in powerful arms and hugged her tightly.
Heero watched the scene feeling slightly relieved. Kay had found her family so she would be safe, right? The bushes behind the blue haired stranger shifted, rustling and Heero instinctively reached for his gun, but no person came out. Instead, two impossibly huge tigers sauntered out, looking as if they owned the world. One, midnight black with gray strips and the other white with black strips. They moved in almost perfect unison, walking up behind the stranger and sitting on their haunches, like tamed house cats.
Instead of being afraid, Kay smiled down at the two large cats. "Did you bring Oniisan to find me? Oh, you smart things!"
"Smart things my..." The blue haired man's voice died away as he, apparently, remembered that there was a young child in his arms. He shot both cats a vile look.
"Letting a child come here and then letting her run off on her own. You two should be ashamed!"
The black cat sniffed and turned slightly away from the man and Heero got the sudden impression that the cat was snubbing the man, telling him that what they did was their business and that humans shouldn't interfere. Of course, that was ridiculous. The black cat ignored the man entirely and stood, walking up to Heero. Heero made sure to keep perfectly still as the cat sniffed him and looked at him with penetrating, brown eyes and Heero knew this was not a normal cat. No normal, natural cat had such intelligent, surreal eyes.
"Don't you ever go off alone like that again!" The man scolded Kay as he walked toward Heero with Kay still in his arms. Heero noted that the man was older than he was, but not by much. He was perhaps seventeen to nineteen years old. There was some, unreal quality about him that Heero just couldn't put his finger on. Like he'd met the man before. "Do you have any idea how worried we were?"
Kay hung her head. "I'm sorry, Anubisu-san. I just wanted to find Ryou and Duo, that's all."
"They're at school, Kay. They'll be home later." The man, Kay's brother, looked down at Heero. "Who are you?" His voice was suddenly cold and suspicious. A tone Heero knew well from past men in authority.
Heero didn't answer the question, but Kay did. "He's the magic tree man and he was helping me to find home." She smiled at Heero. "He's my new friend."
Anubisu scowled. "Well, say good-bye to your friend. We have to go home now." Anubisu turned to go, but paused and looked back at Heero, squinting his eyes. "Don't I know you, boy?"
"No."
Anubisu wasn't put off, however, and examined Heero more closely. "I'm sure I've seen you before, kid." Anubisu scratched his head and rolled his eyes up as he thought. Then he snapped his fingers as the memory came to him. "Yeah! You're that kid the mad doctor was trying to make into a perfect soldier, aren't you?"
Heero froze. If anyone found out who he was, he was supposed to kill them and that meant he'd have to kill Kay, too. He really didn't want to do that. "You are mistaken."
"No." Anubisu continued, blissfully unaware of the danger he and Kay were in. "I'm sure of it, but it was a couple of years ago, so you probably don't remember me. I came to interview as a trainer for you and another boy, but I didn't take the job." He made a face. "That doctor gave me the creeps. I just couldn't stand to be near the man. So, how's the soldier thing going?"
Heero didn't answer, but he put a hand in his pocket where his gun was resting. He would have to kill them both.
The white cat, however, took Heero's wrist in his jaws, strangely gentle, and just held him. The eyes of the tiger seemed to say, "Don't even try it, kid."
Anubisu was talking again, not seeming to notice the tiger's odd behavior. "Well, we have to go, now, the others are waiting for us. I'm sure we'll meet again, kid." As he said this, the white tiger let go of Heero and went back to stand next to the other tiger. They were a set, it seemed, always together.
“Why did Yaku-chan try to bite the magic tree man?” Kayura asked Anubisu.
“He had a weapon in his pocket and Byakuren was trying to discourage him from using it.”
“Oh. Is that all?“ Kay looked over Anubisu's shoulder while they walked away and shouted, "Goodbye, magic tree man!" at the top of her lungs while waving wildly. Heero glanced around quickly and, not sure why he was doing it, cautiously raised his hand and gave her a tiny wave back. This little gesture seemed to make Kay's day complete and she beamed at him. "I'll see you again!"
Both tigers stood and followed behind the blue haired man, two powerful guardians that no one would dare to challenge.
Heero began to walk back to the school, confused. Very, very confused. All this training and he'd let himself be drawn away from his mission by a child? Doctor J would be very displeased if he found out about this. More puzzling was that Heero was happy now. He didn't smile, but he was happy for having spent time with Kay. Odd.
Just as he was thinking that it would be nice if he really did see Kay again, just as she'd promised, he passed a music store with the music inside blaring to attract attention. Heero froze when he heard the lyrics.
A winter's day in a deep and dark December
I am alone
Gazing from my window into the streets below
On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow
I am a rock, I am an island
I've built walls, a fortress deep and mighty
That none may penetrate
I have no need for friendship, friendship causes pain
It's laughter and it's loving I disdain.
I am a rock, I am an island
Don't talk of love, well I've heard the word before
It's sleeping in my memory
I won't disturb the slumber of feelings that have died
If I'd never loved I never would have cried
I am a rock, I am an island
I have my books and my poetry to protect me
I am shielded in my armor
Hiding in my room, safe within my womb
I touch no one and no one touches me
I am a rock, I am an island
And a rock feels no pain
And an island never cries
The song faded away and Heero began to walk again, his face determinedly set in stone. Yes, the song was quite true. If he let no one touch his heart, then he'd never be hurt again. Like when Seiji had been taken away. Like when Seiji left him behind when he'd escaped. Heero wouldn't let anyone hurt him again and, as the song had said, rocks feel no pain.
Xiu-
It all happened very quickly, really, and Xiu gave little thought to the incident until much later. He was taking garbage out from the restaurant, a chore he and Wufei alternated doing every day so Xiu's mama wouldn't have to do that sort of thing. The poor lady worked hard enough, she shouldn't have to do this sort of dirty work.
Just as Xiu finished with his load, he turned to go back into the restaurant and something caught his eye on the ground. He bent over and picked it up, surprised to find something out here in all the garbage. The thing was a marble with a something written in the middle.
"Are you coming in or staying out all night?" Wufei called from the doorway.
"Yeah, I'm coming." Xiu quickly picked up the marble and froze for just a second. Was it his imagination or did he suddenly feel stronger? Oh, well, probably nothing. Xiu stuffed the marble in his pocket and tried to forget about it.
Once inside, he found that Wufei had, once again, taken his hair down from it's pigtail and let it hang loose. He did this only when he wasn't working in the kitchen, helping mama with the cooking. Frankly, Xiu was terrible at cooking. Goodness knows he tried often enough, but he just didn't like doing it and nothing ever turned out right, anyway. Wufei, by contrast, was a fantastic cook. He didn't even need receipts; he just knew what would be good together and did it.
Just after the dinner rush when they could relax a bit and Wufei had taken out a large book to read as he sat in the kitchen. "Wear your glasses." Xiu reminded him when he saw Wufei rub his eyes. Wufei had needed reading glasses since he was ten, but he hated them.
Irritated, Wufei did as he was told, pulling the black wire glasses from his shirt pocket, knowing that Xiu would bully him into it if he didn't do as he was told. Xiu was only looking out for him, but Wufei had often told him that it felt like Xiu was nothing more than an old mother hen! A mother hen who would pound you into the floor if you dared to disobey, but a mother hen, nonetheless.
Xiu saw the black look Wufei gave him, but it didn't really bother him. "I never would have thought of you to be vain, Wuffers." Xiu commented with chuckle.
"Don't call me, Wuffers. It's a horrible nickname! Besides, I'm not vain. The glasses are just heavy."
Xiu laughed. "Yeah, right." However, when he saw Wufei's dangerous look, Xiu quickly changed the subject. "So, what are we going to do to celebrate?"
Wufei didn't bother to look up from his book. "Celebrate what?"
"Duh!" Xiu pulled the book out of Wufei's hands and hitting him softly over the head with it. "You're wedding, fool. You're not gonna be free with the ball and chain hanging around. I say we all head to a strip club!"
Wufei gave him a long, steady look. "Number one," He started. "If you call Meiran a ball and chain again, I will personally see to it that your vital organs are exposed to daylight. Number two, we are sixteen, and it's illegal to go into strip clubs. Number three, auntie will kill us with Big Ass when she finds out. Number four, can you honestly see ME in a strip club?"
Xiu carefully considered the objections. "Number one, okay. Number two, Touma can make fake ID that's better than the real thing. Number three, mama won't notice if we do it Thursday, which's her night out with her friends. Number four, well...maybe you're right. How about we go to the beach for a picnic instead?"
Wufei gave him a look of total disbelief. "The beach? Are you insane? It's December!"
Xiu grinned. "That's half the fun, no crowds."
"Why do we need to celebrate, anyway? You're going with me back to A0206, so you'll be able to celebrate with everyone else."
Xiu groaned at his cousin's thick skull and finally sat down beside him at the kitchen table. "Oh, come on!" Xiu nearly yelled. "That's not going to be any fun. You'll be with your wife and it'll be all grown up, dull stuff. I want to be childish and have fun. I'll bring soda and hot dogs. We'll build a big bonfire and just hang out. Touma will bring his new books, if you ask him nice, and we'll have lots of fun. Please. If nothing else, think of Touma and Quatre. They can't go to the wedding, so this'll be their last chance to wish you well." It was his last card to play. Wufei would do this for the sake of his friends, if nothing else. Quatre's dad had a notoriously long stick up his...well, anyway, he didn't like Quatre traveling around and would throw a fit when he found out.
Wufei thought quietly for many long minutes and finally nodded. "How about Saturday? We'll go the beach in the morning and spend the day."
Xiu threw a fist up in the air. "Yes!" He ran to the phone to tell their two friends what was going on.
Wufei-
Wufei shook his head with a soft smile as Xiu ran off. He never could deny Xiu anything. Even if they were going to spend a miserable day freezing their rumps off on the cold sand.
Trowa-
Shin had large bruises under his eyes, his skin was unhealthily pale and, in general, he looked horrible. He'd even lost weight because he'd stopped eating several days ago. Trowa walked beside him, keeping a close eye on his friend, while Catherine led them to the Faun Family Restaurant. She'd taken them from the spaceport where the circus had landed to the Chinatown district where she assured Trowa that they would find Shin's best friend and his mother, one of the most incredible women ever born, from Catherine's point of view, anyway.
The restaurant was a two-story building, the kind where the business was on the street level and the family lived above. Now, though they were not rich, mama Fan managed to keep her large brood in a comfortable, if somewhat cramp, home. It was just after lunch, so the restaurant was practically empty with only one dark haired young man behind the counter. He had a serious look to him and was, right now, cleaning the counter with a rag.
"Hello." Catherine smiled, getting the boy's attention. "We need to see Mama Fan, is she at home?"
The boy shook his head. "I'm sorry, but she's out at the moment. Can I help you?"
Shin spoke for the first time, looking up hopefully. "Is Xiu here?"
This time, the boy nodded. "Yes, he's in the kitchen. May I have your names?" He set down the rag and wiped his hands.
"I'm Catherine and this is my brother, Shin, and our friend, Trowa. Xiu knows us, please tell him we're here." Then she looked at him more closely. "You must be Chang Wufei, right?"
He looked startled. "Yes, how do you know me?"
Shin answered with a kind smile. "Xiu wrote to us and told us all about you. He's been very proud to tell us all about his great cousin and..."
"Hey, Wufei," A voice shouted from the kitchen behind Wufei. "Do we have a customer?" The curtain that covered the doorway was pulled aside and Xiu walked out. When his eyes landed on Shin, Xiu brightened. "Shin!" He jumped over the counter and landed next to Shin, gathering him up in a tight hug. "Oh, I've missed you! I didn't think you'd be by so soon. Did you meet my cousin?" Xiu looked at Catherine. "Cathy, you look as gorgeous as ever, sweetie."
Catherine laughed and hugged Xiu. "You big flirt."
Xiu then looked at Trowa. "I guess you're Trowa. Shin told me all about his quiet friend."
Trowa held out his hand politely and shook with the larger guy. It was only then that Trowa noticed that Xiu hadn't let go of Shin yet, still held him with one arm in a sort of half hug. "You don't look so good, man." Xiu told Shin. "Kind of washed out. Are you feeling all right?"
"Not really." Shin sighed and leaned against Xiu for support. "I haven't been feeling well for a while, actually. I was hoping to see the ocean while I'm on Earth. Maybe it will make me feel better."
"Maybe you're right. Come on upstairs and I'll put you to bed. Mama will be home soon and then you'll get babied until you can't stand it anymore." Xiu wrapped his arm tighter around Shin and pulled him to the stairs that led him upstairs. "Me and some friends are going to the beach in a few days, do you want to come with us?" They heard Xiu ask as they went upstairs.
Wufei asked, looking at Catherine, "Are they...?"
She nodded. "Yep. I don't think they realize it, yet, but they are most definitely in love."
Xiu-
Saturday-
The fire was huge and gave off enough warmth that they were fairly comfortable in jackets and sweaters. They were pretty much alone on the beach, after all, it was winter, so who would be crazy enough to go to the beach? Well, except them, of course.
The teenagers were having a great time, laughing and horsing around by the fire. They had decided against going swimming, though Xiu and Touma had dared each other to take a plunge. Wufei had managed to convince Xiu that it was just plain dumb while Quatre had to tell Touma not to do silly things that might get him in trouble with Rashid. Touma respected Rashid very much and the last thing he wanted to do was to disappoint the closest thing he'd ever had to a father.
It wasn't long, however, before they noticed three of the people who'd come with them to the beach had gone further down the beach and were now just standing, watching the sea. Shin was staring out at the sea while the Catherine and Trowa were watching their friend.
"What's Shin doing?" Wufei demanded, looking at the three people who stood near the water's edge. Shin was taking off his shirt and wore nothing else but a pair of shorts. "He's sick, shouldn't he have stayed at home?"
"Yeah, but you just can't stop Shin when he gets his mind set on something and he really wanted to see the ocean." Xiu said looking up from his hot dog he'd just finished roasting, but his forehead was drawn tightly at seeing Shin doing something so foolish. "He's gotta be freezing, I hope this doesn't make things worse."
Slowly, as the four boys watched, Shin, a good distance down the beach, started into the water. Quatre flinched. "He can't be going in!"
Touma snorted, not caring about the idiot's behavior. "He's going to get hypothermia." Touma had always been rather fond of Xiu and the fact that this Shin had appeared out of nowhere and been invited out with them on a spur of the moment, irritated him. Sharing Xiu with Wufei and Quatre was bad enough, but at least they were his friends, too. He didn't want to share with some boy he didn't know and certainly didn't care about.
Quatre turned on his brother. "How can you be so cold?"
"It's winter." Touma said with a snicker and he pulled his coat tighter around him for emphasis.
"You know what I mean. Poor Shin's very sick, you saw how pale he is. We've gotta stop him, he could die in that cold!"
"He's nuts." Xiu mumbled, before a stern look crossed his face. "I'm gonna go get him. Oh, Crap!"
Shin dove under, letting the ocean swallow him.
"That idiot, I'll kill him! Wait till I get my hands on him!" But his anger didn't do a very good job of hiding his concern. Several breathless moments had passed before they heard a splash, closer to them. Shin came up and cried out as he thrashed for a moment, waving his arms wildly, before going under again.
"He's in trouble." Touma said, coming up to the edge of the water, his eyes concerned. Even if he wasn't real fond of Shin, that didn't mean he wanted him to die. A quick glance at Catherine and Trowa told that they didn't know Shin was in trouble. They were still watching where he'd gone under and not where he'd come up.
Xiu ran into the water, not caring about the biting cold, knowing that Shin was going to die in that water.
Touma threw his book down in the sand and took off the water, still fully dressed. He hated being nice, but he couldn't just let Shin drown! He knew that Xiu cared for Shin very much and he would hate to see Xiu unhappy, after all.
"Wait!" Quatre shouted, worried about Touma.
Touma didn't stop to answer, but dove in after the struggling boy.
Wufei snarled. "Those fools! That idiot, Shin! He'll kill himself and take them with him!" Wufei stomped to the edge of the water, but stopped there knowing that there was nothing left that he could do. He and Quatre watched, waiting for any sign of their friends to come up.
Xiu-
‘I can't let Shin drown.’ Just the though of losing him was too painful to think about. ‘Poor guy must be sicker than I thought.’ Xiu believed that Shin couldn’t know what he was doing.
Xiu found Shin quickly, his eyes were only partly open and he wasn’t struggling any more, but floating limply in the water, as if he were resigned to his fate. His left hand clenched tightly around something.
Xiu moved as quickly as he could and reach out to grab Shin's hand. Slowly, his face turned towards Xiu, only just becoming aware that he was even there. As Xiu grab Shin’s hand, Xiu’s mind flashed open.
‘I can see him, everything. Shin flying on the trapeze. Walking on a high wire above a cheering crowd. I can feel the mask he wears, as if it's on my own face, and I feel how happy he is. Trusted Trowa waiting to catch him after a difficult stunt. Utter joy at making so many people happy. Catherine aiming her daggers at him during the show and how he trusts her completely. I can see his...oh, the pain is horrible! His mother and father as the disease lays waste to their bodies, making them thin and pale. They suffered for weeks before finally dying. I can feel how much he loves me. That made my heart stop for just a minute and almost let out the breath of air I was holding. He loved me. Shin really loved me!’
Xiu knew that Shin could feel him, too. Shin’s eyes were open and he saw Xiu, everything that he feel and he knew how Xiu felt about him, now. Well, at least now there were no secrets between them. There was great comfort just from their hands touching. Xiu felt like he’d finally come home.
Someone grabbed Xiu’s shoulder and he knw Touma was here. Xiu could finally understand why Touma avoided touching people as much as possible. He could see how bad it was for Touma on the streets, how hungry and afraid he’d been. His father's abuse and how much he feels he owes to both Quatre and Rashid. How desperately afraid he was that Rashid would change his mind and sent Touma away.
Xiu didn't want to move. He wanted to stay with them forever. Slowly, Xiu felt himself stop fighting to swim and he relaxed, letting himself drift, content to be just where he was.
Touma-
Xiu caught Shin first, but he wasn’t trying to bring him up. They were holding onto each other, sinking into the darkness of the sea. Neither one of them were moving and Touma remembered reading that if a person was in the cold water too long, it could kill them. Touma barely stand the cold that presses around him like an iron glove squeezing his chest. What was it like for them?
Touma kicked harder in the water, sending him towards them faster and just manage to grab Xiu's shoulder.
Flash!
Touma could see them. Both of them in his mind as if they belong there and always had. He knew everything about Shin. Xiu, too. They both knew everything that had ever happened to Touma. Every time the old man had beaten him and the times Touma been raped on the street, before Rashid had found him. They knew Quatre's smile and how kind Rashid and Abdul have been.
‘I don't want them to know about me. I don't want anyone to know me. At least, I know that they won't tell.’
Chapter 8: I AM A ROCK
He sat on a high branch of an old tree just outside the fence that surrounded the high school and watched. He was good at watching. Sitting motionless for hours was something that took no effort or thought. All he had to do was watch. The computer told Heero that his partner would be at the school, so at the school he would be. It was logical and Heero liked logic. It was easy with no confusion.
So, to aid in his logic, Heero kept the little computer with him all the time. If there were ever a problem, the laptop could be counted on to provide the answer.
‘You aren’t helping much now, though, are you?’ Heero ran his fingers over the surface of the closed laptop, but didn’t look down at it. He kept his eyes trained on the school, determined to catch a glimpse of golden hair. ‘You led me here, then stopped. Hardly fair.’ But he knew it wasn’t the laptop’s fault. It was Hiro’s fault. He’d gotten into the system and block Heero.
The system.
It was what he and Hiro had always called the great network on computers that linked nearly everyone on the planet and in space. It was such an easy system to manipulate once one understood how it ran. Heero understood it perfectly. It was like breathing for him. Logical and without the cumbersome baggage of emotional drivel that came of dealing with people.
Heero frowned when a small branch of the tree he was perched in was moved by a breeze and nearly struck him in the face. Earth was like this all the time, he’d found. Wind and rain and strange smells. At least the sun was reassuring. It was regular. Always perfectly timed and always right where it should be. Not like the annoying weather or fickle people.
Earth, Heero had decided on his second day after landing, was nothing but trouble. Bee stings and lightening storms, mud and little old ladies giving him funny looks. It was all nothing but trouble. Heero most definitely didn't like Earth. Even if the trees were rather pretty when the sunlight filtered through their branches. He liked trees. Earth and people were trouble, but he liked the trees.
Heero mentally slapped himself and brought himself back to reality. He had no reason to be thinking such ideal, romanticized thoughts. He was on a mission.
"Retrieve or destroy." That had been doctor J's last order as Heero had strapped himself into the cockpit of Wing Zero. With his half-human face twisted up in anger, doctor J had jabbed his walking stick meaningfully at Heero. “Bring him back or kill the ingrate. Too many secrets are locked in that little head of his. He’s too dangerous to the mission. He can‘t be allowed to run free.”
Yes. The mission was the only thing that mattered. Heero had learned that well enough. His only reason for living was to complete the mission and now, as doctor J had pointed out, Hiro was standing in the way of that mission. He’d resented it, at first, but what else did he have in life? It wasn’t as if he had a family or a home to go to. He had nothing but the mission and if he failed in that, then he was nothing.
Hiro was now called Seiji according to the laptop. In all the time they’d been together, Seiji had never confided his real name. ‘But neither did I. Not that it matters, anymore.’
It had taken several weeks to track down Seiji. Heero found the crash site easily enough, but then lost Seiji’s trail in the mountains. It was only an accident that he’d been captured by the Alliance, but it was humiliating. Doctor J undoubtedly already knew about it and he’d be punished when he returned to the base. It wasn’t a complete loss as the Alliance soldiers who’d captured Heero had managed to save his laptop and Heero had found it during his escape.
He could take the punishment for his failure. It was the shame that galled Heero most. ‘So,’ He resolved. ‘I will not fail. I will find Seiji.’ Heero looked down from his vantage point and watched the students in the school yard with a trained eye, trying to get his mind back to work. Golden hair. He had to find Seiji amongst the sea of black.
There was another distraction, other than Heero’s own memories. The sounds of the students' loud talking was very seductive, though, almost sinful in how they didn't care who heard them. The school yard was filled with people his own age talking and laughing, apparently eating lunch. The sight was odd for Heero who'd never seen anyone act like this. He'd been taught that meals were to be taken in silence and as quickly as possible, so what were they all doing out here like this?
A deeply buried part of Heero felt like it was itching for something as he watched the teenagers. Heero denied himself the request, which he didn't really understand anyway. Part of him wanted to go talk with the students in the schoolyard, to find out what they were laughing about, but he didn't know why.
'No! I don't need them! I don't need anyone. I need to find Seiji and complete the mission. Where is he?' Heero started to search again, looking from student to student and never staying to long on one face.
He was looking for one blonde in particular, with purple eyes and wonderfully pale skin. Taller than average and thinner than most of the other students, Seiji should stand out rather well.
Most everyone that he saw were ordinary students, from what Heero could tell, not that he had much experience in what normal people were like. He saw only one blonde and, though it caught his attention for a moment, this one was too short and had a round face, unlike Seiji's sharp, angular chin and high cheekbones. The blonde Heero had spied was younger looking with a quality of innocence to him with his easy smile and bright eyes.
Heero moved on, passed two Chinese boys, one reading while the other bobbed his head to the beat of loud music. Then, a blue haired boy that Heero moved on quickly from as he couldn't imagine Seiji dying his hair that odd color. Heero kept scanning the crowds of people, patiently. Seiji was there, somewhere.
Then something wholly remarkable happened.
Time stopped.
There was a boy in the school yard with the most beautiful smile. He was small and narrow with a bright smile and dancing eyes. Heero felt himself grow warm right behind his ears. Such a soft, childish face and the long rope of hair that fell down his back, it was all so charming. The boy was striking and Heero stared in astonishment.
Heero has to actually force himself to look away and blinked several times to clear his mind. The braided boy was too interesting to look at. His rosy cheeks were entrancing and it was something Heero realized he must avoid. 'I must remember why I'm here. I can't waste time looking at someone I'm never going to see again.' Still, one last look couldn't hurt. Several more moments of watching the braided boy talk nonstop to his darker haired companion and Heero had virtually recorded the boy's features in his memory. He would be able to store the happy face away for future viewing. It was all he was able to get, anyway. A...relationship would never be allowed by doctor J.
Heero resumed his search of the rest of the crowd and even as he considered all the students in the school yard Heero remembered the incident that had happened so long ago that took his partner away from him.
‘It was because of me that he was taken away. I suppose it’s no wonder he didn’t want to take me with him when he left.’
Flashback-
'Oh, it hurts so much!' Heero tried to bite back the groan while he hugged himself with his knees tucked up to his aching stomach, but Seiji had heard him and held him tighter. 'I just wasn't strong enough!' Heero knew he should have been able to protect himself and Seiji, but he was too weak. It was still pitch black in the room Heero and Seiji shared, but Heero knew Seiji had also been hurt in the confusion. He'd told Heero that one of the men who'd hurt Heero had hit Seiji on the head, so it was probably a concussion.
Hurt and afraid, they lay huddled together with both of them thankful for the darkness and the solitude.
"Don't be afraid, Heero." Seiji whispered into his ear. "It'll be okay."
It felt good to be with Seiji. Seiji would try to protect him, even if he didn't understand what had happened, but the reality was that neither of them was strong enough to fight and win against any of the adults.
'They had...the soldiers had...' Heero's mind stopped the thoughts he wasn't ready to deal with. He just didn't want to think about what had happened in the darkness when they'd touched him and...
Seiji had woken up after it had happened and the soldiers had left, joking with each other even as Heero was left crying on the floor. He knew at the time that he’d probably be punished for that weakness, too. At least Heero felt safe with Seiji, he knew Seiji would never hurt him.
The next morning, Seiji and Heero, as always, woke to the light being turned on. They dressed in silence, nervous and worried about what would happen when they faced doctor J.
'Did we do something wrong and last night was a punishment? Doctor J usually tells us when we do something wrong, but maybe he was so angry that he'd just send the soldiers in to hurt us.' That, more than anything, worried Heero. How would they know how to protect themselves if they didn't know they were doing wrong? How could they avoid it happening again? What if it was Seiji who were punished and Heero wasn't strong enough to help him?
Finally, dressed in the tight black training gear, they waited until the door of the room was open and they were allowed to go out, accompanied by the two soldiers. These two soldiers were the same men who were there every morning, waiting to take them to doctor J for the day's training.
Seiji and Heero never spoke to the soldiers, of course. Doctor J disapproved of talking, and had made it very clear many times. They were to listen, not speak.
They finally arrived in a part of the complex that was familiar to both of them. It was the construction base, the hanger that was bigger than anything Heero could remember seeing before, with the partially built Gundam's housed in it. Heero had once been told that the Gundam's were being created from a very hard to find metal, so it was taking a terribly long time to build. That meant that they wouldn't learn to pilot them for a long time to come.
'I wonder how they can be sure we won't just run away once they let us in the ships? Then again, where would we go?'
Seiji and Heero stopped at attention in front of doctor J who was speaking to a technician. He signed several papers and gave instructions to the woman before turning to look at they two nine-year-olds. Doctor J frightened Heero, though he wasn't sure if it was the fact that he was their captor or just his bizarre appearance.
"Good morning, boys." Doctor J said with his usual smile.
Seiji and Heero remain silent, staring impassively in front of them with their hands at their sides. That had been the easiest lesson to learn. Do not speak.
Doctor J continued, "Today you're going to be starting on your physical education, to make you better hand to hand fighters. I... Hiro, what happened to your face?" Doctor J suddenly took Seiji's chin in one hand and turned his face to see the scabbed over cut and the large, ugly bruise on the side of Seiji's face.
That was where his head had been hit and now Heero wondered, because of doctor J's question, if he'd known about the punishment. Surely doctor J had known that they were together. 'Didn't he think Seiji would have tried to save me?'
"Someone hit me when I tried to help Heero." Seiji answered promptly, not bothering to try and lie. There was really no sense in lies.
One of the soldiers who'd escorted us down here, stepped forward with an embarrassed grin. "Sorry, sir. Our fault, we were just..."
Heero started shaking when he heard the man speak. 'That voice! It was the same man who had...touched me. The man who had pulled my clothes down and grabbed my...' Heero was having trouble breathing and his eyes were starting to lose focus, but he couldn't take his eyes off the man who didn't seem to be at all bothered by what he'd done.
Out of the corner of his eye Heero saw the most amazing sight. Seiji's calm, cool eyes blaze with fury. His fists were clenched and he was sort of hunched over. "You!" Seiji snapped, pointing an accusing finger at the soldier and his lips pulled back from his teeth in nearly a snarl.
"No talking!" Doctor J growled, irritated that his attention was taken away from the soldier. They all knew that the boys were not allowed to speak, regardless of what was going on. Silence was a weapon that they had to learn to use now.
Seiji, for the first time Heero could remember, completely ignored doctor J. He took a step away from Heero and toward the startled soldier. "You! You hurt Heero!" Seiji's teeth were bared like an animal with his anger. Seiji charged the soldier, who was looking at them with surprise and just a touch of apprehension. The man went down easily with Seiji on top of him, punching for all his worth, trying desperately to kill the man, the enemy.
"Hiro! Stop that now! That's an order!" Doctor J rushed over, grabbing Seiji by the shoulder, but Seiji's turned, lightening quick, caught doctor J in the mouth. Blood spurted and ran down doctor J's chin. Doctor J wiped the blood from his mouth, almost calmly, before lashing his cane at Seiji and striking Seiji in the face with a sharp crack and Heero heard a slight buzz at the impact.
Seiji screamed, jerking backwards in agony and falling off the soldier, onto the floor.
Heero ran to Seiji, but several of the soldiers grabbed him by the arms and restrained him. Seiji lay on his back until doctor J again jabbed his cane onto Seiji's face and Seiji screamed in agony. Heero then saw that it was touching Seiji's right eye, and Seiji convulsed, his arms and legs jerking wildly. Finally, long after Seiji had stopped screaming, he fell limply to the floor. Heero saw, horrified, that Seiji's face was smoking, the skin was black and Heero couldn't see Seiji's right eye anymore.
Doctor J looked down at Seiji before looking at the soldier he'd attacked. "What was that all about?"
The soldier, helped to his feet by his friends, said, "Nothing, sir. We just had a "little fun" with the boy, there," He indicated Heero. "I guess his partner didn't approve. He tried to fight us last night, too. In the light, I guess he's more effective."
Doctor J grunted with a frown and went back to examining Seiji. "You will not touch them without permission, do you understand, soldier?"
The man saluted as smartly as he could considering how well Seiji had beaten him.
Doctor J poked at Seiji's face. "Seems I went a little overboard with the electroshock. Boy shouldn't have hit me, though. Oh, well. No big loss." He considered a moment. "I suppose I could save the eye, its not that badly damaged, but a cybernetic eye might be interesting. Give him better vision than normal, really. Perhaps incorporate a sort of..." Doctor J's voice trailed away as thought about what he would do to Seiji. Finally he seemed to remember the soldiers that were still holding Heero back by the arms. "Take Heero to his room and lock him in. I'll return Hiro once I've finished with him."
Hours later Hiro was returned to their shared room, dumped unceremoniously on the bed.
Hiro blinked his left eye and slowly focused on Heero, looking more tired than anything else.
"How are you feeling?" Heero asked softly. It has been hours since he'd last seen Hiro, pale and unmoving on the hanger floor, but he looked no better now than after doctor J had attacked him. The wounds had been healed over, but now stitches laced Seiji's beautiful face, well, half of it anyway. How odd, to look at Seiji now, half an angel and half scarred so horribly.
"I...my face hurts. What happened?" Seiji still sounded half drugged, his voice was sluggish and he was slurring his words.
Heero scowled at him. "You're an idiot, that's what happened. You shouldn't have done that. He hurt you bad." Heero felt like crying, but he wouldn't Seiji would need him to be strong, now more than ever.
Seiji blinked. "I can't see right. My face feels funny." He reached a hand to his face, where the wounds were just beginning to heal.
Heero grabbed his hand before he could touch it. "No."
Seiji looked at Heero, more than a little afraid. "What's wrong with my eye, Heero?"
End Flashback-
Heero shook himself to bring himself back to reality and to his mission. Looking back, he knew that the cane was built to release a powerful electronic shock when it came in contact with a person, Heero knew this was what doctor J had used on Seiji's eye.
Doctor J's idea for the cybernetic eye implant had not worked, something about Seiji's body rejecting it, leaving Seiji permanently blind in his left eye, and without depth perception. That one disability was enough to separate the two boys. Heero was taken from their shared room the same day that Seiji woke up to find himself so blinded in one eye, and given a room of his own. Now Heero was alone. He hadn't seen Seiji again until Seiji had snuck in the cafeteria and tried to convince Heero to escape with him..
One of Heero’s last memory of Seiji was Seiji sitting on their bed watching Heero be led away with his one surviving eye. Seiji had his arms wrapped around himself, his face so angry that he was nearly crying and Heero was crying already. He didn't want to leave Seiji, but it would be useless to argue. They all ready knew that arguing would only bring punishment. The door closed between the two boys and Heero knew he wouldn't see Seiji again.
Doctor J told Heero years later that Seiji was still being trained, but as a back up in case something happened to Heero. He would have rather had Seiji with him, but as the years passed, he came to see this as a weakness. It was better that he have no one to depend on but himself. Affection was a weakness, a liability, and Heero would do better on his own. After all, in the end, Seiji did abandon him, right?
‘But if he hadn’t been hurt defending me, he might have wanted me with him. He asked me, didn’t he? Long before he actually escaped. It was a trap, though. I had to refuse.’
Heero spent more than three hours in the tree, long after a bell that had rung, signaling that everyone had to go inside, watching students come in and out of the building complex that made up the school. In all that time, no Seiji.
When the day was ending and Heero knew the students would be leaving the school so on, he heard a soft cry and looked down at the sound. Someone was sitting under the tree crying. Heero climbed down a few branches, completely silent, until he could clearly see the person. It was a little girl with long dark hair and very old fashioned, brightly colored robes who looked like to a very young twelve-year-old. She was sitting at the base of the tree with her knees up to her chest and crying into her hands.
"What's wrong?" He asked. So kill him, He had a weakness for children!
The girl looked up at him, surprised to find someone sitting in the tree, but she didn't say anything about it. The girl looked at Heero with a mixture of fear and curiosity, her eyes were large, but also puffy and red from crying. He let himself drop out of the tree and fall to the ground in front of her.
The girl cautiously stood, looking up at him. "Who are you?"
Heero knelt in front of her. "I can't tell you."
"Oh." She obviously hadn't thought he'd say that. "Can you tell me how to get home?"
"Where is your home?"
The girl's shoulders slumped with defeat. "I don't know. I came here with my friends, Byakuen and Kokuen-Oh, to find my brothers, but I lost my friends and I don't even know where I am!"
"What are your brother's names?"
"Ryou and Duo. Do you know where they are?" Her eyes lit up hopefully, but Heero had to shake his head, no. The girl sighed. "My name's Kay. It's really Kayura, but my brothers always call me Kay. Can you tell me how to get home?"
"Where is your home?" Heero repeated the earlier question.
"The Youja-Kai."
Heero blinked, at a loss for an answer.
"You know, Youja-Kai. It's kind of like this world, but we have lots of spirits and demons running around. Do you know how I can get back?"
'She must be unbalanced. Yes, perhaps she belongs in a mental institute and has wandered away. Poor girl.' Heero knew he really shouldn't leave his vigil of the school until he found Seiji, though. He was supposed to kill Seiji and that must be his priority. "Have you asked a police officer for help?"
Kay looked frightened. "What's a police officer? Is it like a soldier? My brothers say I must be careful of ningen sekai soldiers, they are very evil!"
Ningen sekai? Mortal World? Was this apart of her delusion or were her brothers feeding this garbage into her, making her sickness worse? He thought that the police getting involved with the girl might be the best thing for her. Even if she did have brothers, it didn’t sound as if they are taking care of her properly. If officials got involved, she would get the medical treatment she needed.
Heero looked around, for the usual police officers that tend to patrol in front of the schools for the safety of the students.
None, of course.
The school yard was empty, now, so there was little point in looking for Seiji unless Heero wanted to take the chance of going inside and, frankly, he'd rather do this as a sniper job. Less chance of someone getting in the way. Still, Kay was looking up at Heero with very big, helpless eyes.
"I will find a police officer for you." Heero promised.
Kay suddenly smiled happily and threw her arms around Heero's neck, as she kissed his cheek. "Thank you, magic tree man!" She cried happily. "Now I know Naaza was wrong when he said all people in this world are evil. You are very good. I like you." She looked up at him with nothing but simple faith in her eyes.
That's the first time anyone's ever kissed Heero and he could still feel her warm lips on his cheek after she'd let him go. He touched the cheek where Kay had kissed him. 'The mission is everything, It's all I have.' Heero must complete his mission. Without the mission he's nothing, after all. But, perhaps, he could take just a minute to help the girl. There's nothing more to be gained here and he was not given a time limit on this mission. Kay, without hesitation, took Heero's hand and waited to be led to safety.
"Magic tree man?" Heero asked softly.
"Sure. You came out of the tree, so you must be some kind of magic tree man." She smiled. "Don't worry, I won't tell your secret. You must have a very good reason not to want anyone to know who you are."
They walked for a short while, just to where a park, peaceful before school let the children out to play for the afternoon. Kay chatted pleasantly, telling Heero about her missing brothers, whom she was very worried about. No one had told her where they were going, but Yaku-chan and Ko-chan were worried about them, too.
"Who are they?"
"My friends. Yaku-chan is Ryou's friend mostly, though, and Ko-chan likes to be with Duo best of all. But everyone likes me." She announced with just a touch of pride.
Heero found the experience bewildering. Walking through the city, crowded with people, with a little girl in ornate, impractical clothes while she explained to him the mysteries of some mythical world of monsters and demons and the castle she and her brothers lived in. Heero had never done anything like this before. All of the training he'd undergone had not prepared him for dealing with twelve-year-old little girls.
Kay, herself, didn't seem to understand the city, either. At one point, they both stopped in front of a store with a machine in the window like the monitor of a computer, one Heero vaguely knew as a television, though he'd never seen one personally, and Kay's eyes almost fell out of her head.
"What kind of horrible magic put people in that tiny box?!" She demanded to know, never taking her eyes off the screen.
"That's not magic and those aren't real people. That is a television and technology allows images and sound to be transmitted over long distances through the use of wires, electricity, computer chips, and, occasionally, satellites. They work no differently than communication screens." Heero repeated a lesson he'd read in a book somewhere. Like most things, he'd heard of it, but never seen it. The picture of people running and screaming, trying to get away from giant tomatoes was, he had to admit, a little bizarre.
Kay looked at Heero with a doubtful expression and then back to the television. "I don't know what you're talking about, but it seems quite awful to do that to someone. Can't they see the big tomatoes are scaring the people?" She pointed to the screen in the store window for emphasis.
"I have been told that this is sort of thing is entertainment, not fact." Heero replied. At least he hoped so. He'd never heard of giant tomatoes running amok, but, as for all he knew, it could be real.
"Are you sure?" Kay asked skeptically.
"No."
Kay shook her head, looking strangely adult. "This is weird. I don't think I like this technology magic."
It was the same story with streetlights, cars, hot dog stands, radios, and airplanes were near miraculous to Kay. Heero decided that if Kay were living in a fantasy in her own mind, it was a very clever one. He honestly believed her when she said she'd never seen any of these things before.
They were walking around the park, closer to the river when a harsh voice called out, "Kay!"
Both Kay and Heero quickly looked around and Kay's face lit up when she saw a man, dressed in a formal looking kimono of black silk with red trim. In fact, just like Kay, he looked as if he had stepped out of the past. At odds with his very formal, traditional appearance, was the bright blue hair that stuck up in many directions. He looked at Kay with a mildly annoyed expression and his arms crossed over his chest. His face was harsh and square with a savage, cross-shaped scar marring his eye and cheek.
"Oniisan!" Kay cried out and she released Heero's hand, running toward the blue haired man. He scooped her up in powerful arms and hugged her tightly.
Heero watched the scene feeling slightly relieved. Kay had found her family so she would be safe, right? The bushes behind the blue haired stranger shifted, rustling and Heero instinctively reached for his gun, but no person came out. Instead, two impossibly huge tigers sauntered out, looking as if they owned the world. One, midnight black with gray strips and the other white with black strips. They moved in almost perfect unison, walking up behind the stranger and sitting on their haunches, like tamed house cats.
Instead of being afraid, Kay smiled down at the two large cats. "Did you bring Oniisan to find me? Oh, you smart things!"
"Smart things my..." The blue haired man's voice died away as he, apparently, remembered that there was a young child in his arms. He shot both cats a vile look.
"Letting a child come here and then letting her run off on her own. You two should be ashamed!"
The black cat sniffed and turned slightly away from the man and Heero got the sudden impression that the cat was snubbing the man, telling him that what they did was their business and that humans shouldn't interfere. Of course, that was ridiculous. The black cat ignored the man entirely and stood, walking up to Heero. Heero made sure to keep perfectly still as the cat sniffed him and looked at him with penetrating, brown eyes and Heero knew this was not a normal cat. No normal, natural cat had such intelligent, surreal eyes.
"Don't you ever go off alone like that again!" The man scolded Kay as he walked toward Heero with Kay still in his arms. Heero noted that the man was older than he was, but not by much. He was perhaps seventeen to nineteen years old. There was some, unreal quality about him that Heero just couldn't put his finger on. Like he'd met the man before. "Do you have any idea how worried we were?"
Kay hung her head. "I'm sorry, Anubisu-san. I just wanted to find Ryou and Duo, that's all."
"They're at school, Kay. They'll be home later." The man, Kay's brother, looked down at Heero. "Who are you?" His voice was suddenly cold and suspicious. A tone Heero knew well from past men in authority.
Heero didn't answer the question, but Kay did. "He's the magic tree man and he was helping me to find home." She smiled at Heero. "He's my new friend."
Anubisu scowled. "Well, say good-bye to your friend. We have to go home now." Anubisu turned to go, but paused and looked back at Heero, squinting his eyes. "Don't I know you, boy?"
"No."
Anubisu wasn't put off, however, and examined Heero more closely. "I'm sure I've seen you before, kid." Anubisu scratched his head and rolled his eyes up as he thought. Then he snapped his fingers as the memory came to him. "Yeah! You're that kid the mad doctor was trying to make into a perfect soldier, aren't you?"
Heero froze. If anyone found out who he was, he was supposed to kill them and that meant he'd have to kill Kay, too. He really didn't want to do that. "You are mistaken."
"No." Anubisu continued, blissfully unaware of the danger he and Kay were in. "I'm sure of it, but it was a couple of years ago, so you probably don't remember me. I came to interview as a trainer for you and another boy, but I didn't take the job." He made a face. "That doctor gave me the creeps. I just couldn't stand to be near the man. So, how's the soldier thing going?"
Heero didn't answer, but he put a hand in his pocket where his gun was resting. He would have to kill them both.
The white cat, however, took Heero's wrist in his jaws, strangely gentle, and just held him. The eyes of the tiger seemed to say, "Don't even try it, kid."
Anubisu was talking again, not seeming to notice the tiger's odd behavior. "Well, we have to go, now, the others are waiting for us. I'm sure we'll meet again, kid." As he said this, the white tiger let go of Heero and went back to stand next to the other tiger. They were a set, it seemed, always together.
“Why did Yaku-chan try to bite the magic tree man?” Kayura asked Anubisu.
“He had a weapon in his pocket and Byakuren was trying to discourage him from using it.”
“Oh. Is that all?“ Kay looked over Anubisu's shoulder while they walked away and shouted, "Goodbye, magic tree man!" at the top of her lungs while waving wildly. Heero glanced around quickly and, not sure why he was doing it, cautiously raised his hand and gave her a tiny wave back. This little gesture seemed to make Kay's day complete and she beamed at him. "I'll see you again!"
Both tigers stood and followed behind the blue haired man, two powerful guardians that no one would dare to challenge.
Heero began to walk back to the school, confused. Very, very confused. All this training and he'd let himself be drawn away from his mission by a child? Doctor J would be very displeased if he found out about this. More puzzling was that Heero was happy now. He didn't smile, but he was happy for having spent time with Kay. Odd.
Just as he was thinking that it would be nice if he really did see Kay again, just as she'd promised, he passed a music store with the music inside blaring to attract attention. Heero froze when he heard the lyrics.
A winter's day in a deep and dark December
I am alone
Gazing from my window into the streets below
On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow
I am a rock, I am an island
I've built walls, a fortress deep and mighty
That none may penetrate
I have no need for friendship, friendship causes pain
It's laughter and it's loving I disdain.
I am a rock, I am an island
Don't talk of love, well I've heard the word before
It's sleeping in my memory
I won't disturb the slumber of feelings that have died
If I'd never loved I never would have cried
I am a rock, I am an island
I have my books and my poetry to protect me
I am shielded in my armor
Hiding in my room, safe within my womb
I touch no one and no one touches me
I am a rock, I am an island
And a rock feels no pain
And an island never cries
The song faded away and Heero began to walk again, his face determinedly set in stone. Yes, the song was quite true. If he let no one touch his heart, then he'd never be hurt again. Like when Seiji had been taken away. Like when Seiji left him behind when he'd escaped. Heero wouldn't let anyone hurt him again and, as the song had said, rocks feel no pain.
Xiu-
It all happened very quickly, really, and Xiu gave little thought to the incident until much later. He was taking garbage out from the restaurant, a chore he and Wufei alternated doing every day so Xiu's mama wouldn't have to do that sort of thing. The poor lady worked hard enough, she shouldn't have to do this sort of dirty work.
Just as Xiu finished with his load, he turned to go back into the restaurant and something caught his eye on the ground. He bent over and picked it up, surprised to find something out here in all the garbage. The thing was a marble with a something written in the middle.
"Are you coming in or staying out all night?" Wufei called from the doorway.
"Yeah, I'm coming." Xiu quickly picked up the marble and froze for just a second. Was it his imagination or did he suddenly feel stronger? Oh, well, probably nothing. Xiu stuffed the marble in his pocket and tried to forget about it.
Once inside, he found that Wufei had, once again, taken his hair down from it's pigtail and let it hang loose. He did this only when he wasn't working in the kitchen, helping mama with the cooking. Frankly, Xiu was terrible at cooking. Goodness knows he tried often enough, but he just didn't like doing it and nothing ever turned out right, anyway. Wufei, by contrast, was a fantastic cook. He didn't even need receipts; he just knew what would be good together and did it.
Just after the dinner rush when they could relax a bit and Wufei had taken out a large book to read as he sat in the kitchen. "Wear your glasses." Xiu reminded him when he saw Wufei rub his eyes. Wufei had needed reading glasses since he was ten, but he hated them.
Irritated, Wufei did as he was told, pulling the black wire glasses from his shirt pocket, knowing that Xiu would bully him into it if he didn't do as he was told. Xiu was only looking out for him, but Wufei had often told him that it felt like Xiu was nothing more than an old mother hen! A mother hen who would pound you into the floor if you dared to disobey, but a mother hen, nonetheless.
Xiu saw the black look Wufei gave him, but it didn't really bother him. "I never would have thought of you to be vain, Wuffers." Xiu commented with chuckle.
"Don't call me, Wuffers. It's a horrible nickname! Besides, I'm not vain. The glasses are just heavy."
Xiu laughed. "Yeah, right." However, when he saw Wufei's dangerous look, Xiu quickly changed the subject. "So, what are we going to do to celebrate?"
Wufei didn't bother to look up from his book. "Celebrate what?"
"Duh!" Xiu pulled the book out of Wufei's hands and hitting him softly over the head with it. "You're wedding, fool. You're not gonna be free with the ball and chain hanging around. I say we all head to a strip club!"
Wufei gave him a long, steady look. "Number one," He started. "If you call Meiran a ball and chain again, I will personally see to it that your vital organs are exposed to daylight. Number two, we are sixteen, and it's illegal to go into strip clubs. Number three, auntie will kill us with Big Ass when she finds out. Number four, can you honestly see ME in a strip club?"
Xiu carefully considered the objections. "Number one, okay. Number two, Touma can make fake ID that's better than the real thing. Number three, mama won't notice if we do it Thursday, which's her night out with her friends. Number four, well...maybe you're right. How about we go to the beach for a picnic instead?"
Wufei gave him a look of total disbelief. "The beach? Are you insane? It's December!"
Xiu grinned. "That's half the fun, no crowds."
"Why do we need to celebrate, anyway? You're going with me back to A0206, so you'll be able to celebrate with everyone else."
Xiu groaned at his cousin's thick skull and finally sat down beside him at the kitchen table. "Oh, come on!" Xiu nearly yelled. "That's not going to be any fun. You'll be with your wife and it'll be all grown up, dull stuff. I want to be childish and have fun. I'll bring soda and hot dogs. We'll build a big bonfire and just hang out. Touma will bring his new books, if you ask him nice, and we'll have lots of fun. Please. If nothing else, think of Touma and Quatre. They can't go to the wedding, so this'll be their last chance to wish you well." It was his last card to play. Wufei would do this for the sake of his friends, if nothing else. Quatre's dad had a notoriously long stick up his...well, anyway, he didn't like Quatre traveling around and would throw a fit when he found out.
Wufei thought quietly for many long minutes and finally nodded. "How about Saturday? We'll go the beach in the morning and spend the day."
Xiu threw a fist up in the air. "Yes!" He ran to the phone to tell their two friends what was going on.
Wufei-
Wufei shook his head with a soft smile as Xiu ran off. He never could deny Xiu anything. Even if they were going to spend a miserable day freezing their rumps off on the cold sand.
Trowa-
Shin had large bruises under his eyes, his skin was unhealthily pale and, in general, he looked horrible. He'd even lost weight because he'd stopped eating several days ago. Trowa walked beside him, keeping a close eye on his friend, while Catherine led them to the Faun Family Restaurant. She'd taken them from the spaceport where the circus had landed to the Chinatown district where she assured Trowa that they would find Shin's best friend and his mother, one of the most incredible women ever born, from Catherine's point of view, anyway.
The restaurant was a two-story building, the kind where the business was on the street level and the family lived above. Now, though they were not rich, mama Fan managed to keep her large brood in a comfortable, if somewhat cramp, home. It was just after lunch, so the restaurant was practically empty with only one dark haired young man behind the counter. He had a serious look to him and was, right now, cleaning the counter with a rag.
"Hello." Catherine smiled, getting the boy's attention. "We need to see Mama Fan, is she at home?"
The boy shook his head. "I'm sorry, but she's out at the moment. Can I help you?"
Shin spoke for the first time, looking up hopefully. "Is Xiu here?"
This time, the boy nodded. "Yes, he's in the kitchen. May I have your names?" He set down the rag and wiped his hands.
"I'm Catherine and this is my brother, Shin, and our friend, Trowa. Xiu knows us, please tell him we're here." Then she looked at him more closely. "You must be Chang Wufei, right?"
He looked startled. "Yes, how do you know me?"
Shin answered with a kind smile. "Xiu wrote to us and told us all about you. He's been very proud to tell us all about his great cousin and..."
"Hey, Wufei," A voice shouted from the kitchen behind Wufei. "Do we have a customer?" The curtain that covered the doorway was pulled aside and Xiu walked out. When his eyes landed on Shin, Xiu brightened. "Shin!" He jumped over the counter and landed next to Shin, gathering him up in a tight hug. "Oh, I've missed you! I didn't think you'd be by so soon. Did you meet my cousin?" Xiu looked at Catherine. "Cathy, you look as gorgeous as ever, sweetie."
Catherine laughed and hugged Xiu. "You big flirt."
Xiu then looked at Trowa. "I guess you're Trowa. Shin told me all about his quiet friend."
Trowa held out his hand politely and shook with the larger guy. It was only then that Trowa noticed that Xiu hadn't let go of Shin yet, still held him with one arm in a sort of half hug. "You don't look so good, man." Xiu told Shin. "Kind of washed out. Are you feeling all right?"
"Not really." Shin sighed and leaned against Xiu for support. "I haven't been feeling well for a while, actually. I was hoping to see the ocean while I'm on Earth. Maybe it will make me feel better."
"Maybe you're right. Come on upstairs and I'll put you to bed. Mama will be home soon and then you'll get babied until you can't stand it anymore." Xiu wrapped his arm tighter around Shin and pulled him to the stairs that led him upstairs. "Me and some friends are going to the beach in a few days, do you want to come with us?" They heard Xiu ask as they went upstairs.
Wufei asked, looking at Catherine, "Are they...?"
She nodded. "Yep. I don't think they realize it, yet, but they are most definitely in love."
Xiu-
Saturday-
The fire was huge and gave off enough warmth that they were fairly comfortable in jackets and sweaters. They were pretty much alone on the beach, after all, it was winter, so who would be crazy enough to go to the beach? Well, except them, of course.
The teenagers were having a great time, laughing and horsing around by the fire. They had decided against going swimming, though Xiu and Touma had dared each other to take a plunge. Wufei had managed to convince Xiu that it was just plain dumb while Quatre had to tell Touma not to do silly things that might get him in trouble with Rashid. Touma respected Rashid very much and the last thing he wanted to do was to disappoint the closest thing he'd ever had to a father.
It wasn't long, however, before they noticed three of the people who'd come with them to the beach had gone further down the beach and were now just standing, watching the sea. Shin was staring out at the sea while the Catherine and Trowa were watching their friend.
"What's Shin doing?" Wufei demanded, looking at the three people who stood near the water's edge. Shin was taking off his shirt and wore nothing else but a pair of shorts. "He's sick, shouldn't he have stayed at home?"
"Yeah, but you just can't stop Shin when he gets his mind set on something and he really wanted to see the ocean." Xiu said looking up from his hot dog he'd just finished roasting, but his forehead was drawn tightly at seeing Shin doing something so foolish. "He's gotta be freezing, I hope this doesn't make things worse."
Slowly, as the four boys watched, Shin, a good distance down the beach, started into the water. Quatre flinched. "He can't be going in!"
Touma snorted, not caring about the idiot's behavior. "He's going to get hypothermia." Touma had always been rather fond of Xiu and the fact that this Shin had appeared out of nowhere and been invited out with them on a spur of the moment, irritated him. Sharing Xiu with Wufei and Quatre was bad enough, but at least they were his friends, too. He didn't want to share with some boy he didn't know and certainly didn't care about.
Quatre turned on his brother. "How can you be so cold?"
"It's winter." Touma said with a snicker and he pulled his coat tighter around him for emphasis.
"You know what I mean. Poor Shin's very sick, you saw how pale he is. We've gotta stop him, he could die in that cold!"
"He's nuts." Xiu mumbled, before a stern look crossed his face. "I'm gonna go get him. Oh, Crap!"
Shin dove under, letting the ocean swallow him.
"That idiot, I'll kill him! Wait till I get my hands on him!" But his anger didn't do a very good job of hiding his concern. Several breathless moments had passed before they heard a splash, closer to them. Shin came up and cried out as he thrashed for a moment, waving his arms wildly, before going under again.
"He's in trouble." Touma said, coming up to the edge of the water, his eyes concerned. Even if he wasn't real fond of Shin, that didn't mean he wanted him to die. A quick glance at Catherine and Trowa told that they didn't know Shin was in trouble. They were still watching where he'd gone under and not where he'd come up.
Xiu ran into the water, not caring about the biting cold, knowing that Shin was going to die in that water.
Touma threw his book down in the sand and took off the water, still fully dressed. He hated being nice, but he couldn't just let Shin drown! He knew that Xiu cared for Shin very much and he would hate to see Xiu unhappy, after all.
"Wait!" Quatre shouted, worried about Touma.
Touma didn't stop to answer, but dove in after the struggling boy.
Wufei snarled. "Those fools! That idiot, Shin! He'll kill himself and take them with him!" Wufei stomped to the edge of the water, but stopped there knowing that there was nothing left that he could do. He and Quatre watched, waiting for any sign of their friends to come up.
Xiu-
‘I can't let Shin drown.’ Just the though of losing him was too painful to think about. ‘Poor guy must be sicker than I thought.’ Xiu believed that Shin couldn’t know what he was doing.
Xiu found Shin quickly, his eyes were only partly open and he wasn’t struggling any more, but floating limply in the water, as if he were resigned to his fate. His left hand clenched tightly around something.
Xiu moved as quickly as he could and reach out to grab Shin's hand. Slowly, his face turned towards Xiu, only just becoming aware that he was even there. As Xiu grab Shin’s hand, Xiu’s mind flashed open.
‘I can see him, everything. Shin flying on the trapeze. Walking on a high wire above a cheering crowd. I can feel the mask he wears, as if it's on my own face, and I feel how happy he is. Trusted Trowa waiting to catch him after a difficult stunt. Utter joy at making so many people happy. Catherine aiming her daggers at him during the show and how he trusts her completely. I can see his...oh, the pain is horrible! His mother and father as the disease lays waste to their bodies, making them thin and pale. They suffered for weeks before finally dying. I can feel how much he loves me. That made my heart stop for just a minute and almost let out the breath of air I was holding. He loved me. Shin really loved me!’
Xiu knew that Shin could feel him, too. Shin’s eyes were open and he saw Xiu, everything that he feel and he knew how Xiu felt about him, now. Well, at least now there were no secrets between them. There was great comfort just from their hands touching. Xiu felt like he’d finally come home.
Someone grabbed Xiu’s shoulder and he knw Touma was here. Xiu could finally understand why Touma avoided touching people as much as possible. He could see how bad it was for Touma on the streets, how hungry and afraid he’d been. His father's abuse and how much he feels he owes to both Quatre and Rashid. How desperately afraid he was that Rashid would change his mind and sent Touma away.
Xiu didn't want to move. He wanted to stay with them forever. Slowly, Xiu felt himself stop fighting to swim and he relaxed, letting himself drift, content to be just where he was.
Touma-
Xiu caught Shin first, but he wasn’t trying to bring him up. They were holding onto each other, sinking into the darkness of the sea. Neither one of them were moving and Touma remembered reading that if a person was in the cold water too long, it could kill them. Touma barely stand the cold that presses around him like an iron glove squeezing his chest. What was it like for them?
Touma kicked harder in the water, sending him towards them faster and just manage to grab Xiu's shoulder.
Flash!
Touma could see them. Both of them in his mind as if they belong there and always had. He knew everything about Shin. Xiu, too. They both knew everything that had ever happened to Touma. Every time the old man had beaten him and the times Touma been raped on the street, before Rashid had found him. They knew Quatre's smile and how kind Rashid and Abdul have been.
‘I don't want them to know about me. I don't want anyone to know me. At least, I know that they won't tell.’